#your ship's time is *never* going to align with where you need to go

[strixcattus]

Adjusting to time zones when you're on a spaceship must be a goddang nightmare

[rcmclachlan]

Joining the 8x16 spec fic party. MCD warning!

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Red Over Red

Buck/Tommy

Summary: Ships not under command identify themselves by showing two all-around red lights, one above the other.

Read on AO3

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It takes Tommy maybe two minutes tops to do a post-flight check. It's so routine at this point in his career that he could do it in his sleep if someone would let him, but ever since Nico accidentally trafficked elephant tusks to Sacramento two years ago, napping in the cockpit has been strictly forbidden.

He's just about to take a look at the alignment of the skids when he hears his name. He turns to see Dana coming over. The blankness to her expression isn't what gives him pause, because that's just her face, but the fact that she's jogging.

Tommy's worked with Dana for eight years now and she has never moved at anything but a deliberate, sedate glide, no matter the situation. He once saw her stroll through the collapsing hallway of a building that was being actively consumed by a five-alarm fire like she was taking a leisurely hike through the Cucamonga.

As she hauls ass across the tarmac, he sees Dana's normally perfect finger waves are completely disheveled, and that fills him with more dread than anything this job or Afghanistan could possibly throw at him. She has her phone in her hand.

The moment she comes to a stop in front of him, her expression shifts to something resembling mild distress, which means that either half of L.A. was just sucked into an open fault line, or—

For a second, he thinks the klaxons are going off, or someone set off the fire alarm in the main hangar, because there's a high-pitched ringing in his ears that is trying to worm its way down into his vagus nerve and make him puke. Everything goes fuzzy, then slowly the knob turns until clarity comes back. He's bent at the waist, hands gripping his thighs, and Dana's the only thing keeping him from toppling over. Dizziness has him in a half nelson.

"Head between your knees, Kinard," she instructs quietly. "That's it."

He thinks about standing in line at DJ's Smoke Shop & Market weeks ago, bouncing on his heels while waiting for the guy in front of him to finish picking his lottery tickets, and trying to remember his nonna's recipe for home fries. The bottle of Prosecco he'd grabbed on a whim had been burning a hole through the basket and was probably cooking the eggs he was going to drop $13 on, but he couldn't stop looking at it. All he wanted to do was pop the cork and pour it into a pair of flute glasses he'd probably have to locate and unpack. Which sounded like a lot of work when it would be so much easier to simply pour the champagne into Evan's mouth and drink it off his tongue.

He thinks about Evan looking him in the eye and declaring he didn't need to feel anything for the people he slept with.

He thinks about living in a world where Evan Buckley isn't.

"Say it," Tommy chokes out, clenching his jaw against the sour crackle deep in the bone. He's going to be sick. He's going to— "You have to say it."

Dana places a gentle hand on his back. "It wasn't him, Kinard. Not him. Buckley's fine."

Sinuses burning, Tommy drops his head back down and takes a shuddering breath, nodding. Not him. Not him.

The thought of Evan dying, of Evan being dead and gone and higher than even Tommy can fly, slips every time it tries to catch a foothold in his brain. He refuses to even entertain it. This is a man who's survived being crushed by a rig, a tsunami, a pulmonary embolism, a lightning strike, among other things, and is still hungry for anything the universe might throw at him. And despite its best efforts, the universe is never going to get Evan to flinch first.

Clearing his throat, he ducks away from Dana and wipes his cheek with his shoulder. Their flight suits are polyester, so the evidence of this will dry fast. She won't say a word to anyone else.

"Who was it?" It comes out like it's being dragged over broken glass and he coughs to try and clear out the clog. "Oh god, it wasn't—it wasn't Howie, was it? Hen?"

When Dana doesn't answer, he looks up to find she's just holding out her phone to him.

Edmundo Diaz 03:51

He watches the duration of the call tick on, then squints at Dana. "Why do you have Eddie's number?"

"Is that the question you want to ask right now?" she asks, like she didn't politely goad Eddie into nearly putting his fist through a wall the last time they were in the same room.

Off kilter and still a bit dizzy, Tommy straightens up and takes the phone.

"Eddie? Who was it?"

He takes a deep breath in and holds it.

+

Despite the AirOps hangar being at least three times its size, the 118 station has always been larger than life. When Gerrard was in charge, every day it felt like walking into the gaping maw of some primordial beast, swallowed whole to be slowly digested, burned away over the course of a shift, until it spat him out just so he could do it again the next day. That he kept going back says more about him than it does about Gerrard.

The slew of interim captains they were saddled with after Gerrard felt like intermission, like they were just waiting for the second act to start. From the moment he stepped out of the rig and slapped a twenty into the pot to bank on his own odds, Captain Nash was there to stay. And he tamed that hateful creature enough that Tommy was able to leave every shift completely intact. 

Tommy stands on the sidewalk outside the bay and stares at the closed doors. When Tommy had been there, Bobby refused to close them.

"I don't like the look of a closed door. I don't like what it implies," Bobby had said when Tommy awkwardly asked about it. "I want everyone to know they're welcome here, day or night. I want them to know it's safe for them to be here. The doors stay open. Captain's orders."

Swallowing, he walks over to the regular entrance and lets himself in.

Normally you can hear the crew shouting and laughing from half a block away, and there are always people milling about, doing chores, fixing things, coming outside to shoot the shit with passersby. Tommy always loved the sound of it. He loved how tight-knit they all were, but also how willing they were to bring someone new into the fold. The handful of times he picked Evan up after his shift, Tommy would end up talking to at least four different people, which would always eat into their date nights. They had to cancel a reservation once, but it felt worth it just to be able to walk back to his truck with that warmth in his chest, with his cheeks aching from smiling and laughing so much. Evan never complained. If anything, he was happy to stay there a little longer himself.

Now the bay is so silent that Tommy can hear the racing of his own heart. Anyone else would think the place had been deserted.

As he walks past the parked rigs, he spies a few people from B-shift. Ravi has Moore wrapped up in his arms and is resting his chin on top of her head. Hoang is wiping down a hose coupling with jerky, inefficient movements, breaking away to dab at her cheeks with the cloth.

Ravi looks up and his soft gaze sharpens the second it lands on Tommy. This must be what a deer feels like right before the truck hits.

After a moment, he gives him a nod, which makes Moore's head bob a little, then tilts his chin toward the administrative offices.

Shaky, Tommy nods in thanks and heads in that direction.

With every step, the world gets a little grayer, a little darker, and he feels a bit like the prince in Sleeping Beauty, hacking away at endless, twisting brambles that are doing everything they can to slow his momentum.

It feels like he's been fighting for a year without a single moment's rest by the time he makes it to the admin section. When he sees who's hanging outside the office with NASH on the door like a guard dog, texting on his phone, Tommy wishes he'd taken a moment to catch his breath.

He must make a noise or something, because Eddie jerks like he's been startled awake and claps eyes on Tommy. Pocketing his phone, Eddie peels away from the wall he'd been trying to sink into to offer his hand to Tommy like nothing's changed between them.

"Thanks for coming," Eddie says, quiet, almost choked. It sounds like he even means it. "I wasn't sure—"

Tommy can't bear to hear the rest of that, so he takes Eddie's hand in his own and pulls him in for a quick hug. "Of course I came. Of course. Don't thank me for—there was never..." He takes a breath, steps back, and tries again. "H-How are you holding up, man?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Eddie says with a damp chuckle. He drops his head and heaves a sigh that Tommy can feel in his own lungs. "I'm grateful I was already here. The way I feel and probably look right now? They'd never have let me on the plane."

Tommy doesn't remember how he navigated Sea-Tac after his dad died. He honestly can't believe Jet Blue let him board, either.

"Has anyone heard...?" He doesn't know how to finish the thought, but luckily Eddie's always been perceptive. He was always on Tommy's wavelength.

"Not yet. Athena ID'd the b—" Eddie bites off the sentence suddenly and swallows the rest of it down. Tommy can taste the rot in the word anyway. "She confirmed it was him."

Tommy closes his eyes and tries not to think about the unshakeable Athena Grant pulling the white sheet off the love of her life.

He clears his throat. "Where are... where are Hen and Howie?"

"Hen went with Athena," Eddie says. "She left hours ago, so who knows. Chim's... Chim couldn't stay. He couldn't... it's worse for him, you know? He's been here the longest."

The idea of the 118 without Bobby is almost too much to bear, but the 118 without Howie Han makes Tommy want to rip his own throat out. 

"And... and where's..." Tommy clenches his jaw, then relaxes it deliberately. "Where is he, Eddie?"

Eddie answers by rapping a gentle fist against the wall he'd been standing against. Bobby's office.

"He's been in there for a while," Eddie murmurs, blinking rapidly at the ceiling. "Athena called him a while ago and he's been in there ever since. He won't come out. I tried to get him to eat something, but..."

Eddie shakes his head, then shrugs. His shoulders drop like someone cut his strings.

"And you think I...?" Tommy hates himself for even asking, because this isn't about him. He wishes he could grab the words out of the air and stuff them back down his throat, but they float away like clouds.

Thankfully, Eddie doesn't call him a selfish fuck. Instead, he musters up a little smile as he mockingly says, "I don't think, I know. So try to forget you're a fucking idiot and just get in there, would you?"

Huffing a laugh, because damn. Despite everything, including the low-grade jealousy that he can't seem to treat no matter how much he tries, he really missed this asshole.

Tommy reaches out to squeeze Eddie's shoulder, then he steps around him to get to the door.

It brings him up short. The door is closed. The bay doors are one thing, but Bobby's office door was never shut. It makes him a little nauseated just looking at the way it doesn't quite line up with the frame.

Through the window, he sees Evan, and his heart breaks at the way his body curves in on itself, hunched over Bobby's desk like an animal trying to hide a wound. A renaissance painter couldn't have captured such despair. Heartbreak of the Favored Son, oil on canvas.

Tommy has no idea what kind of reception is waiting for him on the other side of this door, but Eddie seems sure Tommy won't be turned away. He wouldn't have called Tommy if he thought it'd be for nothing.

"He needs you, man," Eddie had said on the phone.

He takes a deep breath in and holds it, and opens the door.

Almost immediately, Evan lifts his head, like he can tell who it is by the way the knob turns, and his expression is such a miserable mix of relief and devastation that Tommy doesn't stop to second guess himself. He doesn't need to. By the time he gets around the desk, Evan's already throwing himself into Tommy's arms.

"You're here," Evan sobs, clutching at him like he's afraid Tommy might disappear. There will be bruises everywhere he touches Tommy come morning. "Oh thank god, you're here. T-Tommy—"

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Tommy whispers frantically into his hair, tightening his arms. "I've got you. Evan, baby, I've got you."

A tiny voice in the back of his mind hisses at him to close the door so no one else can see this, but he ignores it in favor of holding Evan tight enough that their bodies might soon start to merge together.

There are only open doors here. Captain's orders.

[2b4st4r]

Hehehehe okay here's one with robin again pleaseee!! Robin with fem reader platonic where she treats reader as a sister and loves to spoil her? Like robin loves to be partnered up with reader whenever they explore a new island, she always sits next to her during meal time or anything really, and is really really protective of her. So when they split and reader gets into some trouble and she got hurt from some guys and robin sees her bruised and a little bloody she loses her cool and starts looking for the idiots who hurt her sister? It can be whatever you want honestly like reader gets kidnapped or something but robin still loses her cool and the poor sap that dared hurt her sister will get one heck of a good beating?

-😊

The Scholar’s Fury

Nico Robin x Reader (Platonic)

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆˚✿˖° Words: 3,983

⋆˚✿˖° Warnings: Violence, abduction, medical trauma and recovery, psychological distress, fem reader

⋆˚✿˖° A/N: I made this a little shorter than I normally do, and I’m so sorry. I’ve just been a bit burnt out, but I promise it’s still good!!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Robin was an ever-present hum, a quiet constant in your world. Not suffocating, never that—her presence was a gentle art, a silent comfort that mirrored your every move, like a shadow tethered to the sun. She was there, just behind you, beside you, close enough to be a palpable warmth yet always too subtle for anyone else to notice. It was a silent carving of space, a wordless decision made long ago that you, above all others, were worth safeguarding.

At the dinner table, her spot was perpetually beside yours. Amidst Luffy’s boisterous chaos or Sanji’s dramatic spirals, Robin remained anchored next to you, an unyielding fixture. Her hand would occasionally brush yours as she offered rice, or she'd pour your tea before the thought even fully formed in your mind. She anticipated your desires without a single question, as if she'd committed your unspoken thoughts to memory like treasured verses from an ancient text.

When island missions called for pairings, her choice was swift and unwavering. “You’ll come with me,” she’d state, not with a command, but with the quiet conviction of someone who saw beyond your surface, into the intricate depths beneath. There was never a need to question her selection; it simply felt right, a natural alignment.

Even on days when your voice was barely a whisper and your thoughts tangled into an indecipherable knot, Robin never made you feel like a burden. She offered no pressure, just a steady, unshakeable presence beside you, as if her very being could ground you to the earth. And perhaps, in a profound way, it did.

You weren't accustomed to such quiet steadfastness, to a closeness that required no grand pronouncements or intricate explanations. But Robin was always near. And with each passing day, you found yourself realizing that this quiet, unwavering proximity was precisely where you wanted to be.

Today, silence stretched on and on, not the heavy, aching kind, but a quiet that settled over everything like the salty air, seeping into your clothes, your skin, your very breath. Even the Thousand Sunny seemed hushed, her usual groans and creaks softer than usual, as if the ship itself had decided to rest.

You sat on the deck, knees drawn to your chest, sketchbook propped against them, though your pencil hadn’t moved in ages. The sea spread out endlessly, glittering under the sun as if it had all the time in the world. The others had already gone ashore for a quick supply run, nothing urgent, just a chance to stretch their legs.

You didn’t go.

You weren’t sure why. Nothing bad had happened. You weren’t sad, hurt, or even particularly tired. You just… didn't feel like it. The thought of navigating crowds, of all that noise and movement, made something in your chest tighten. So you stayed.

Robin, as always, had stayed with you. She’d drifted to your side quietly while the others were still bickering over Sanji’s lunch. Her presence simply folded into the space beside you, no words needed. She leaned her forearms on the railing, her smooth voice a soft inquiry, “Not going today?”

You just shook your head. It was enough. She nodded, understanding perfectly—of course she did.

But then Nami’s voice cut through the quiet, something about an ancient ruin on the island she needed to show Robin. You caught the familiar gleam in Robin’s eyes before she turned her head, the soft hitch of interest she never quite hid when history called.

Robin looked at you. A brief glance, one of those moments where time seemed to slow. She didn't ask permission or if you’d be okay—she trusted you, knew you'd speak up if you needed something. That was the unspoken understanding you shared.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said, her fingertips brushing the top of your head, a feather-light touch. “Don’t float away without me.”

You smiled, small but genuine. “I’ll try.”

Now, the ship was truly quiet, a hush that wrapped around you like a warm blanket and a sigh. The wind lazily tugged at the sails. You could hear distant seagulls and the gentle slap of waves against the hull.

You missed her.

It wasn’t a panicked missing, just a low, familiar echo in your chest. Robin had a way of making silence feel less solitary. She didn’t fill it; she simply shared it. You’d grown so accustomed to her silent companionship that without her beside you, the world felt slightly off-kilter.

You leaned back against the warm wood of the ship, sketchbook forgotten in your lap, and closed your eyes for a moment. Sunlight filtered through your lashes, soft and golden.

She’d be back soon.

And when she returned, she’d settle beside you without a word. Maybe she’d show you something she found on the island, or perhaps she’d just sit close enough for your shoulders to touch.

Later, maybe you’d even show her what you’d drawn—even if it was messy, even if it was unfinished. Robin never cared about perfection. She loved the way your mind moved across the paper.

She saw the things you didn’t know how to say.

And you knew, without a doubt, she always would.

A prickle of unease snaked its way through you. You weren’t sure when they arrived. Perhaps you’d simply let your guard down, lulled by the deceptive stillness, the comforting embrace of the sun-drenched silence. Danger hadn’t been on your mind. Not today. Not here.

The first indication was a sound, not the familiar creak of the ship or the cry of gulls, but something far softer: whispers. Foreign, unfamiliar, like breath blown through cupped hands. Your eyes blinked open, and you straightened, your sketchbook slipping from your lap with a startlingly loud thud on the deck.

You turned towards the sound, your heart quickening with a growing sense of dread.

Footsteps. Light, quick, barely audible.

Your gaze darted across the deck, into the shadows near the mast, then towards the galley doors. Nothing. The Sunny continued its gentle sway, seemingly oblivious to the shift in atmosphere. But your body knew. A cold certainty settled deep within you.

You rose, hesitantly, every movement now a careful deliberation. “Hello?” you called out, your voice a low, unsure whisper that barely carried beyond the railing.

No answer.

Then, a sharp, sudden movement behind you. The immediate sting of something sliding into your neck. Your hand flew up, too late, too slow. You spun around, but the world was already tilting, your knees buckling. Your vision blurred at the edges as your legs gave way beneath you.

Two—no, three figures stood there, shapes in the sunlight, indistinct and too close. One, a tall man with a pale scarf obscuring the lower half of his face, held an emptied syringe between two gloved fingers.

“She’s smaller than I thought,” a woman’s voice murmured, smooth and devoid of interest. “Is that really her?”

“Doesn’t matter,” another replied, younger, breathless. “She’s the one Nico Robin is always glued to. That’s leverage enough.”

Your hands twitched on the deck, a futile attempt to move. You tried to speak, but your tongue felt heavy, useless. Your body was an anchor, no longer your own. Your vision dimmed further, dissolving into indistinct shapes and shadows. Footsteps.

“She’s out,” the scarfed man confirmed.

You felt them lift you, arms hooking under yours, under your knees. Your body sagged, helpless in their grasp.

“She’s lighter than I thought. Damn.”

“She won’t be when Robin finds out.” A pause, then a chilling chuckle. “Let’s hope she doesn’t.”

The last thing you registered before the world went black was the soft thud of your sketchbook, blowing open on the deck, its pages fluttering wildly in the wind as if desperately reaching for someone.

Someone who wasn’t there.

Not yet.

The taste of metal coated your tongue, a sharp tang in the stale air, and the unforgiving bite of cold stone pressed against your cheek. The darkness wasn't absolute, but it clung to everything, a heavy, wet blanket disturbed only by a faint, flickering light somewhere behind you. A torch? A lantern? You couldn't tell. Your body ached, a dull, pulsing throb, as if your limbs had been disjointed and clumsily reattached.

Your arms were bound behind your back, and judging by the strange pressure, your ankles too. You were slumped on the floor, knees scraped raw, your clothes damp with something you didn’t want to identify. Your head throbbed.

“She’s awake.”

The voice was low, laced with amusement, and close. Male.

You blinked, trying to clear the blur from your vision, and slowly turned your head. The room swam as three figures solidified into view.

Two men. One woman.

The scarfed one stood to the side, arms crossed, watching. Another man with a crooked nose grinned like a jackal, pacing restlessly. And the woman—elegant, terrifying—wore a long coat that swayed with her every movement, her eyes narrowed on you like a hawk observing its prey.

“I was wondering when you’d come to,” she said coolly, crouching to your level. “You took longer than expected. Guess you’re not as hardy as the rest of them, hm?”

You didn’t answer. Your throat was dry, your tongue thick and heavy.

“Smart girl,” she added, tilting her head. “No screaming. Not yet.”

You glared at her through the haze of pain and confusion. “Why…?”

“Why you?” the jackal-grinned man chuckled. “You’re Robin’s pet. That’s reason enough.”

“She’s always with you,” the woman added, her voice flat. “Always watching you. Sitting next to you. Picking you for missions. Honestly, it was either you or the cook, and he would’ve been too much trouble.”

You tugged against the restraints, a weak, jerky movement. The metal dug into your wrists.

“Still fighting?” the woman asked softly. “That’s adorable.”

Then, a sharp crack. A boot connected hard with your ribs.

White-hot pain exploded in your side. You gasped, crumpling inward, air violently expelled from your lungs. The man with the grin laughed.

“Let’s see how long you last,” he sneered.

Another kick.

And another.

A sharp jab to your temple made your ears ring. Now, you tasted blood—fresh, coppery, thick.

“Robin’s gonna find you eventually,” you croaked, your voice shredded and thin.

“Oh, we hope she does,” the scarfed one murmured from his corner. “That’s the whole point.”

Meanwhile, back on the Thousand Sunny, the crew returned from the island, their arms laden with bags and new supplies. Luffy was already complaining about his hunger, despite having devoured three full meals. Usopp and Chopper traded trinkets, and Sanji, a fresh cigarette tucked behind his ear, hummed a tune.

Robin, however, had been quiet the entire walk back.

She was the first to step onto the deck.

And then, she froze.

Your sketchbook was still there, open, flipped to a page the wind had long since battered. A page she knew you hadn’t finished. The teacup, untouched and cold, sat by your favorite seat.

Robin’s heart stilled in her chest.

You weren’t on the ship.

Her gaze swept the deck, narrowed like steel. She said nothing at first, moving swiftly and gracefully towards the galley’s edge, checking every corner. Nothing. Her eyes darkened.

“Y/N?” she called. Once. Calm. Too calm.

No answer.

Zoro tilted his head. “She didn’t come out to meet us?”

“She said she’d stay behind,” Nami replied, a frown now creasing her brow. “Robin, didn’t you—”

Robin was already moving, no, searching. Her hands glided over railings, around doors, her mind a roaring flood of "no no no no—"

She turned sharply to the others, her voice clipped and flat. “She’s gone.”

Then, softly: “They took her.”

The crew fell silent.

A cold dread settled over the air.

And somewhere, far away, bound and bleeding, you whispered her name like a prayer.

“Robin…”

You had no idea how much time had slipped by. The room remained a constant, oppressive presence—always dark, always cold. The stones beneath you were slick with something that could have been water, or blood. Your body felt like shattered glass, painstakingly pieced back together, breath by agonizing breath. You’d long since stopped counting the bruises, the fractured ribs, the hours spent drifting in and out of a fog so profound it mirrored drowning.

But you were still breathing. And that, you clung to, had to count for something.

You lay curled on your side, trembling, each breath a struggle. Your wrists were raw. One eye was swollen shut, and blood crusted the corner of your lip. Your own heartbeat pounded in your ears, louder than the distant voices, until one voice cut through the haze.

“She’s still awake?”

It was the woman again, her tone cool and cruel. Her heels echoed as she drew closer. You didn't flinch this time; you simply lacked the energy.

“You’ve held up better than I expected,” she said, crouching beside you once more. Her face was a blur of shadow and flickering firelight. “Still not begging. Not crying. She really did raise you like a little sister, didn’t she?”

With effort, you lifted your head. “Why… her?” you rasped, your mouth barely moving. “Why Robin…?”

The woman smiled, as if at a private joke. “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t you know who she is?”

“She’s Robin. She’s my—”

“Sister. Yes, yes, we’ve noticed. The way she looks at you like you’re her last thread of peace.” Her smile vanished. “That’s why.”

She rose and began to pace again.

“Nico Robin is dangerous. Not because of her hands, or her past, or her bounty. But because she knows things. Ancient things. World-shaking things. And she’s been keeping quiet… because of you.”

You blinked slowly, your eyes swimming, barely clinging to consciousness.

“She’s soft when you’re around. Too soft. That makes her vulnerable. And vulnerable people make mistakes.”

“So you took me,” you whispered.

“To break her,” she confirmed. “And to make her talk.”

A silence descended, heavy as the earth holding its breath.

Then, a weak, broken, bitter laugh escaped you. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

The woman raised a brow. “Oh?”

You grinned through bloodied teeth. “You didn’t take Robin’s weakness… You took her reason.”

Back on the Thousand Sunny, the ship was roaring.

Robin’s heels echoed through the halls as she stormed through the Sunny like a ghost fueled by fire. Her usual calm was gone, utterly consumed.

Maps. Journals. Every memory of the past day unfurled in her mind with razor precision. She tore through possibilities, hands blooming from the walls around her, searching every crevice of the ship, every ripple in the sea.

“She wouldn’t leave,” Robin hissed, her voice low and sharp as broken glass. “She wouldn’t wander off. Not without telling me. Not without—”

“She didn’t,” Nami said quickly, running beside her. “We know she didn’t. That sketchbook was still open. She never leaves it like that.”

“She didn’t even finish her tea,” Chopper added, his eyes wide and wet. “It was cold.”

Robin stopped in front of the rail where your cup still sat. The very one she poured for you.

She touched it gently.

Her fingers trembled.

Zoro stood a few paces behind her. “We’ll find her.”

Robin didn’t answer. Her eyes had gone distant, deeper than memory—into the parts of her that only you had ever touched. The parts that had become soft again. Human again.

She turned slowly, and when she faced the crew, they saw something that made their world tilt.

Not panic.

Rage.

A controlled, quiet, surgical rage.

“She’s alive,” Robin said, not a hope, but a promise. “I’d know if she wasn’t.”

Luffy stepped forward, serious for once. “Then let’s go get her.”

Back in the cell, you were drifting again.

Everything hurt. Everything. Even breathing. You were cold. Barely conscious.

But in the oppressive dark, deep within you, a single thought bloomed like fire.

Robin’s coming.

You didn’t need to see her, didn’t need to hear her voice. You felt her—storming towards you like the sea itself.

And this time, she wasn’t coming as your sister.

She was coming as the Devil of Ohara.

And for the ones who hurt you—that was the last thing they’d ever see.

The cold. It was the first thing to claw you back from the edges of unconsciousness, a cruel hand keeping you just lucid enough to feel the pain. You’d lost track of time—hours, perhaps days. The beatings came in rhythmic intervals now. They weren't even asking questions anymore; they simply wanted to break you, to reduce you to a raw, trembling mess before Robin arrived.

Their voices drifted from beyond the door.

“She’s barely hanging on,” the scarfed man muttered. “Another day and she won’t even be worth it.”

“She doesn’t need to be worth anything,” the woman snapped, her voice sharp. “She’s bait. If Robin’s not here by tomorrow, we start carving her name into the girl’s skin. That’ll get her attention.”

You didn’t flinch. You lacked the strength. But your teeth clenched weakly, gritting through the taste of blood. You wanted to utter her name, Robin, even if only in your head. But your mind felt slippery, your grip on consciousness fading.

Then—

The torches lining the corridor outside the cell began to extinguish. Not all at once, but one by one, like a deliberate touch brushing them out.

And then, silence.

The first scream ripped through the hall, short, sharp, muffled by a wet, sickening sound. The guards outside didn't even have time to shout. Something snapped, a sound like bone breaking in a closed fist. Another scream, abruptly cut short. Then nothing again.

The door to your cell creaked open.

You couldn’t lift your head. Perhaps this was another hallucination; you’d experienced them before—visions of the sea, your friends, warm hands on your face that always vanished.

But this time…

This time, you felt her.

Her presence flooded the room like a rising tide. A heavy silence, a hush full of teeth.

Robin stepped into the flickering light of the single remaining torch.

She appeared calm, serene even. But her eyes—oh, her eyes. They were black holes, wide, endless, and furiously incandescent. Her cloak was splattered with blood. Her hair, windblown and wild, had a few strands clinging to her cheek like ink.

Your woman captor turned, hand reaching for a weapon, and—crack.

A hand bloomed from her own shoulder, gripping her throat. Another sprouted from the stone wall behind her, yanking her head back.

Robin didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.

“Clutch.”

The sound that followed was not meant for human ears. Bone twisted and popped. The woman’s body dropped like a marionette with its strings severed, eyes wide, mouth frozen mid-scream.

The others didn’t even attempt to flee. They knew.

Robin’s hands—dozens of them—erupted from every surface: the floor, the ceiling, the walls. They grabbed, snapped, ripped. Not a single drop of blood touched you. She was precise. Surgical.

When it was over, she finally turned to you.

Your vision blurred, black at the edges. Your body was shutting down, but you still saw her. Still saw the way her eyes softened the moment they landed on you.

“Y/N,” she whispered.

She knelt beside you, gathering you in her arms as if you were made of glass. Her touch was careful, reverent. Her hands trembled.

“I’m here,” she said, over and over. “I’m here now. I’ve got you.”

You tried to speak, your lips barely moving.

She leaned closer. “What is it?”

You choked out the words, cracked and useless. “I knew… you’d come.”

Robin closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to yours. Her breath hitched; you felt it.

“I should’ve never left you,” she whispered. “I won’t—ever again.”

And in her arms, as the last threads of pain pulled you into sleep, you finally let go.

Because you were safe now.

Because Robin was here.

Because Robin always found her way back to you.

The days that followed were gentle, a soft unfurling after the storm had passed. The ones who took you were gone, their makeshift prison nothing more than rubble. The sea was calm again, yet nothing felt quite the same.

You woke slowly, in a series of fleeting moments. A room lit by candlelight, the comforting press of warm linen, the distant lull of waves against wood. A gentle pressure around your ribs, tight but not painful, accompanied by the clean scent of bandages and the faint, familiar trace of lavender—Robin’s perfume.

Then, a voice. Soft. Familiar.

“You’re awake.”

Robin sat beside the bed, her fingers loosely curled around your hand. Her hair was pulled back, but wisps had escaped, framing her face. She looked utterly exhausted, yet when she saw your eyes open, her entire face brightened with something akin to sunrise.

“You’ve been asleep for almost two days,” she said, her fingertips brushing your forehead. “You’re safe. You’re on the Sunny.”

Your throat ached as you tried to speak, but she was already pouring water, holding the glass to your lips. You drank slowly, gratefully.

“How… bad is it?” you rasped, the words catching.

Robin hesitated. “You’re healing.”

You understood. Bruised ribs. A sprained wrist. A mild concussion. The angry red marks around your ankles and wrists where you’d been bound.

But you were alive.

And Robin hadn’t left your side once.

The crew treated you with a newfound gentleness. Even Luffy, usually a whirlwind of noise and chaos, moved around your recovery with the cautious grace of a bear in a tea shop. He brought you your favorite snacks, even the ones he disliked, and sat beside you, humming nonsensical tunes.

Chopper checked your bandages every few hours, murmuring worries to himself even as he reassured you, “You’re getting better, I promise.”

Nami visited in the afternoons, brushing your hair back with steady fingers and recounting stories of what happened after Robin stormed that base. (Apparently, no survivors. No witnesses. No mercy.)

But it was Robin who remained the longest.

She didn’t hover, simply stayed close. Reading in a chair beside you. Holding your hand when the nightmares came. She helped you walk when your legs were still weak, her arm always just behind you like a silent safety net.

One morning, she brought your sketchbook.

It was scuffed at the edges, but otherwise intact. She placed it on your lap without a word.

You opened it with shaky fingers.

There, in the center, was a new drawing.

You didn’t remember making it.

It was of her—Robin. Sitting with her head bowed, hair shadowing her eyes, arms folded like wings. But behind her, drawn in soft lines and warm ink, were countless hands cradling the ocean, lifting a tiny figure—you—from a dark, watery place.

Your eyes stung.

You looked up at her, your voice catching. “Did you…?”

She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “You drew it. Right before I found you. Chopper says your mind kept working even while your body shut down.”

You stared down at the drawing, a lump in your throat. “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t need to,” she said, her hand reaching for yours. “I remember it enough for both of us.”

By the end of the week, you began sitting out on the deck again, a blanket across your lap, the sea breeze in your hair. The others passed by often, leaving small gifts—a kind word, a flower, a cup of warm tea.

Robin always joined you near dusk.

She rarely spoke much, simply sat beside you, the silence comfortable once more, just as it used to be. Sometimes, her hand would brush yours. Sometimes, you would lean into her shoulder.

There was no need to say it aloud. No need to ask if she was staying close again.

She was.

She always would be.

Because once, Robin had decided—you were hers to protect.

And this time, she wouldn’t let anyone take you from her again.

[alexanderwales]

One of the software concepts that I found useful to bring over to writing is the concept of technical debt.

Technical debt is the additional work that gets created when you choose a fast option over a good option. It's "debt" because there's a very good chance that at some point you're going to have to repay it: you hardcode in some variables, deciding that you'll figure out the proper way to do it later, and eventually, surprise! It's later. You have to implement the solution you were putting off. And because you've been using the kludge for so long, sometimes that kludge has become load-bearing, and you have to spend quite a bit of time unraveling and refactoring. One of the reasons it's called debt is because you have to pay interest on it.

And the thing is, it's not always wrong to accrue technical debt. Sometimes it helps you get to working on the important thing, and can clarify design details or implementation concerns, and sometimes you can just ship without ever having to do it the "right" way. Sometimes you can wriggle out from under that debt and never suffer any consequences from it, even if there were theoretical consequences when you made the decision to do it the fast way.

The way that this applies to writing is mostly in terms of worldbuilding, character building, and plotting. You can sit down and map a whole novel out without writing a single word, whipping up character bibles and setting details and everything that you might possibly need, all before you write a single word.

... or you can accrue some debt and just gun it, writing as you go, making things up, adding them to some kind of tracking document or just not even doing that.

And as with code, there will come times you have to pay that debt back with interest.

Sometimes you skimp on a character's backstory, and then a few chapters down the road you need to make a decision about it, and suddenly there's a bunch of editorial work as you have to make sure that everything you just decided on matches up with what you've already written. A more extreme example would be writing a mystery novel where you haven't decided on what the answer to the mystery will be until very very late: it would either produce a bad mystery or require tons of rewriting.

As with code, the difficulty is knowing when you're incurring technical debt for a good reason and when you're shooting your future self in the foot.

Here are my rules of thumb for writing, in terms of what's acceptable technical debt:

Plot stuff should not wait. You should have a resolution for your story within the first few chapters of writing that story, and ideally, before you even start.

Everyone (and everything) gets a name the first time it appears. You cannot say "the gardener" a dozen times because you don't want to think of a name for the gardener.

All magic systems and superpowers and whatnot should be rigidly defined before they come onscreen. This doesn't need to be known to the characters, and "soft" magic has less of a requirement, but having rules be thought up midway through a fight scene is essentially the definition of generating technical debt.

Descriptions take little effort to bring into alignment, so can be skipped on first draft, so long as there is a description there. Having descriptions written afterward can help to understand mood and requirements of the scene.

Backstory is really variable, depending on how relevant to the plot it is. If it's going to be driving conflict, it needs to be worked out ahead of time. If it's flavor, it can be winged.

I am, of course, not the best follower of my own advice, and sometimes for very long webfic it's impossible to plan that much in advance. And of course I never go into every work having had every idea I'm going to have, and some of those ideas are good enough to include even if they disrupt a plan and require some refactoring.

[leakyrocktarot]

Current Energy: BTS & FS

DISCLAIMER: It's all for fun, take it with a metric fuck ton of salt or don't - Idk I just work here... This reading is going to be long, dead ass did not intend for it to be that way but well- here we are i guess.

Never thought I'd be doing this again lmao, enjoy! Damn I'm rusty also, this post is 17,732 words and 96,943 characters, I'm not proofreading omg.

Jimin:

The Fool rx, 4oS, 4oP, PoC rx, AoP rx, 6oS, 9oP.

It seems as though, he is currently uninterested in any new ventures. It could be that the universe, his guides, god, whomst ever the fuck you want to call the powers at be are trying to encourage him to take a leap of blind faith, to follow the whim of nature however, he does not feel ready at this point in time. He'd much rather focus his energy in recovery, getting back to himself than to take on something new at the moment. Conversely he might be resisting this change, causing friction within himself because there is something he is holding onto, coveting if you will, that he may be aware that he needs to release it but- is again not yet ready for that. Picture a dragon hoarding emeralds going "NO! my preciouses" in a gollum voice and there you have it. This friction he is causing himself is preventing new people to enter his life, be it life long friendships, partnerships, business relations or- romance. He may also be experiencing a lull in communication with those close to him, and with the ace of pentacles reversed, it could be that he is in need of these connections and advice but doesn't want to overstep on the chance of being told "you need to let go dude". Thankfully, all though it is slow and arduous, he is making his way out of this energy, slowly but surely "returning to safer waters". All in all, even though he is in his lil gremlin era, he is still thriving, still reaping the benefits and fruits of his labor. He knows he's still the shit.

2oP rx, PoS rx, KnoP rx, 8oW rx, Chariot, Devil rx, 3oW, 4oS, KoC rx.

Oof, we got an over thinker over here folks. So, towards Chimmy, this guy is overthinking central. Have you ever wondered where your overthunk thoughts went? Well, it's here lmao just kidding. He feels confused, unbalanced, out of alignment, really really missing the communication here- I fear bad news may be involved or- OR- because of the lack of communication, signs, the silence has him overthinking that something wrong happened. Either he did something wrong that affected this connection or that something happened to Chimmy seems to be his chief worry. He might be overthinking about the "delay" he's causing with the friction he has in the first part, probably over worrying himself sick thinking that it's something he's currently doing that led to this radio silence. Unbeknownst to him, it's actually the opposite. The energy is exactly where it needs to be right now and they are making strides in their life, physically but mostly spiritually. What they are both doing is taking themselves forward without really knowing it, literally purging and healing without being aware of it. It seems as though he is, through this "cleaning up his act" in a sense. All he has to do at this very moment is to look towards the sun, what's on the horizon, know that his "ships" are on it's way and the act of him resting, taking care of his vessel and putting more focus on that is what is aligning him to that energy. At the bottom of the deck is the king of cups reversed which is more indicative of his mindset and how he feels about himself than anything. He is really overthinking his self worth and his place in Chimmy's life, whether or not he is the right one or if he's capable of handling something like this. Perhaps he's thinking he has to become a "family man" instantaneously but- that is not what the energy dictates or requires lmao he just needs to take a chill pill and juh lih vihbe.

Camel, Griffin, Eagle, Salamander, Cardinal, Kangaroo

The straw that broke the camels back, *insert uncle rukus theme song here*. Lmaooo anywho, the camel is regarded for its ability to take on long, long, journeys, storing water in their humps, their robust physiology and their ability to raw dog cacti. Whereas griffin is about the superconcious. To ME, this reads as the long process and journey to becoming more aware of oneself and the world around them. It is as though, he is a straw away from that back getting cracked and epiphanies come spewing out of him. He is in a moment where he has to find the balance between the dark and the light, the dark being over thinking, anxious thoughts, and the light being literal enlightenment and mindfulness. The eagle is regarded for it's ability to soar so high and view everything from that great vantage point. They are great important spiritual symbols in almost all sects which, is why they are broadly considered messages of the divine, protectors and a sign to look at the bigger image. The salamander is about alchemy and harnessing your inner flame. It's so fun when the intuitive ping gets confirmed by the cards lmao. He, like I said, is on his way to alchemizing this current energy and turning it into something wildly in his favor. It is possible that through this, he will connect with his spiritual team, mainly ancestors to gain a broader view of things that will then allow him to set his soul ablaze. While it is important to notice and keep on eye on the dead pixel on the screen, it is equally important to zoom out and look at the broader picture lest you get consumed by the darkness. Cardinals are a regarded as divine messengers as well, more notably as a sign that you have a visitor from above, while kangaroos are regarded for their raw power and vitality. I couldn't even make this up if I wanted to. It's more of a confirmation that opening himself up to the other side of things, letting his walls come down gives him a boost in vital energy that will fuel his next cycle. Good for him.

His songs are Bug Like an Angel by Mitski, Kid & Leveret by Yaeklore, RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Tyler, The Creator

Chimmy:

7oS rx, 7oC, KoP rx, Death, AoC, Fool rx, KnoW, QoC, 8oC, Judgement, Magician, 6oS, QoP, QoS rx, KnoS.

You got caught with your hand in the cookie jar didntcha? Lmao so, it seems as though, Chimmy got caught in some schemes. To me, it reads as though there was something they were trying to get away with doing something, possibly was trying to get away with not making a decision but- you can't have your cake and eat it too. They are in need to withdraw themselves, focus this unfocused and untethered energy into themselves. They may be looking for the answer or solution to their problem outside of themselves but the problem is, with it being outside of themselves, it seems much bigger and more innumerable than it truly is. If they can withdraw this energy within themselves, focus it onto themselves, they will be fine. It seems as though this problem may be work related, they could either be the boss with a ton of workers that are stressing them out for whatever reason or have a boss that is practically incompetent at their job with the iq of a molded mushroom. It feels more like the latter to be honest as there is a slight stench in the air that smells like power imbalance and manipulation. It's not for long though, with the death card here, it indicates that there is something ended soon within their energy that will make way for something new, its so funny that the card immediately after the death card is an ace card which also marks the start of a journey. With the card specifically being of the cups suit, this may be something that is highly emotional, self serving and possibly romantic. However, funnily enough the two cards are followed by the fool card in the reverse which leads me to believe that they are currently mirroring the same energy that Jimin is in. Either the fear or inability to take that leap of faith into a brand new cycle. It seems like the both of them has a specific step they need to take to round this energy out to a complete close so something new can take it's place. The energy for Chimmy however is interesting and rather funny because even though there is something stopping them from taking that full leap of faith, they still want to "do it for the plot". It seems like that "yolo" energy is clashing with the energy that their spiritual team wants or needs them to be in. It seems like- rather than an impulsive daredevil kind of energy, a more calculated and intentional energy is required. Other than that, they have all of what they need to step forward. They are in tune with their emotions, ready to take that next step and leave behind their house of cards if that is what's needed but, it seems like they need to judge themselves, their progress, their readiness, their growth, their healing before the door can be opened. Do they deem themselves prepared for whats next or do they need a wrap around? Spiritually, their spirit team do deem them as ready and capable. They have mastered the energy of the suits and are in a massively creative energy, they have what it takes and are willing to give what is needed to make that move to calmer things, they are stable and in touch with their feminine energy (everyone has divine feminine and masculine energy, it does not relate to gender, it just means one is receiving and one is go getting) the only blockage that can be seen here is their mindset. Unable to see themselves as they are and might be in a totally soured mood, enough to cloud their view of things. Regardless, they are going to tear the walls off with how dummy fast they're gonna peel off towards the things they want when that energy clears. Side note, it seems as though they are aware of Jimin and his current state too which is interesting hehe.

PoC rx, World, Chariot, AoS, 8oP, Star, 5oP rc, 10oP.

Okurrr, pop awf. It seems as though- they're hiding whatever this energy is from others hehe. The page of cups here is giving more of a bashful "hehe, don't tell anyone" SO I won't hehe. Other than that, it seems as though they are indeed working on closing out these cycles, so that they can make proper and swift moves towards something that they were made aware of- it's possible that they got a message from the divine or an intuitive ping to work in this specific area of life. They are working really hard to achieve their hopes and dreams and doing all that they can to retain hope while also getting that bread up. It seems as though their end goal is material and generational wealth that they can share, it also feels as though there is a focus on having human things like- a house, family, etc.

World, Lion, Okapi, Giraffe, Swallow, Skunk.

Wow, double confirmation with two different world cards. However, this card is, in fact, different from the tarot meaning SO- The world is about shadow work and unearthing ones true potential, the lion is regarded as the divine masculine, pride, and the father. What they might be unearthing is their divine masculine energy, the energy that is active, the one that goes out and achieves what the feminine directs. They may be feeling as though they are in a pressure chamber in the core of earth having to excavate this energy from themselves and for themselves but, because it is lion, pride, and the father, it will be a relatively easy feat. All they must do is literally take pride in who they are. The shadow aspect of the card may indicate that their disconnect to this energy comes from an uncomfortable relationship with a father figure, perhaps this energy reminds them of their fraternal parental figure and it's something they avoid or feel uncomfortable in. Once they realize that their fathers fire can be used to keep them warm, they'll be on easy street. The interesting part is Okapi and Giraffe! Okapi is heralded as a fated event, meeting, or the higher meaning behind things while the Giraffe has an interesting view with it's head in the clouds and it's feel firmly planted on the ground. It's giving delulu is the solulu. They have what they want to happen in mind and they're making it happen by staying grounded while in their manic pixie dream person era. The swallow gives us hope as to sailors they are the first sign that they are at the end of their journey, while the skunk reminds us that we have alternate solutions to the problems we may face. To draw this reading to a close, it seems as though Chimmy has finally reached the end of their journey, they are filled with hope and optimism for what is next as they can see what is on the horizon, knowing that they are never truly stuck, that they have many, many solutions available to them at all times. It seems as though they've come to realize or are going to realize their tried and true methods aren't the right tool for the job. Good on them!

Their songs are Breathin by Ariana Grande, bellyache by Billie Eilish, Animal by Noah Kahan.

Songs they want to send to each other

Jimin: Neath the grove is a heart by Yaeklore, I THINK by Tyler, The Creator, Lost in Time and Space by Lord Huron, Glue Myself Shut by Noah Kahan, Working for the Knife by Mitski, Revival by Zach Bryan.

Chimmy: bellyache by Billie Eilish, Maine by Noah Kahan, When She Smiles by Gigi Perez, In the Night by The Weeknd, The Only Heartbreaker by Mitski, ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? by Tyler, The Creator

V:

9oC, KoP rx, 4oP, KoS, 7oS rx, 3oW, 7oW, 6oP, 2oW.

He wants it to be known that he is doing well, so well in fact that he's let himself go. He's let himself be less uptight and anal in a way. He's not too focused on being overly stable, he deems himself to be fiscally stable and responsible, not the type to gamble or squander. He's incredibly perceptive as he is now, he stands on both authority and business, you cannot lie, hide, or get away with or pull one over on him for shit. It's like he went from caring too much of what people thought of him, to being utterly free and not caring at all while being this composed person. He has his eyes set on something, he seems to be rather excited and looking towards the future here, it reads as though he is setting the stage to house someting that he is protective over. It definitely feels as though he has had an upgrade recently mentally wise. It also feels as though he has something he wants to share, something that he wants to give freely. I do see here that he may have an eye on the past here, perhaps reminiscing on some past experiences that he’s had before. I have a feeling that he might have some sort of surprise that he is aware will change the directory of his life in terms of how people view him. 

Wheel of fortune, 6oP rx, KoP rx, 10oW, QoW rx, Devil, KnoS, 6oC rx, 10oS, 3oS

When the wheel came out I could’ve sworn that it was the world because I heard “we’re done” so- to me that reads as though our boi might be in a defeatist attitude even though things are still up for debate, the wheel has yet to turn and it is still within their favor. It seems as though he holds some guilt over not being giving or generous enough, pentacles are earth energy and are usually related to money, and finances but it is also heavily related to earthly matters especially time. What I’m reading feels more like a channeled message and story line so I’ll try my best to convey it. He feels guilty for hoarding his resources, his time, his effort, he feels- no, he knows he could’ve done better, could’ve been a more grounded and stable person for Tata but, because of the heaps of weight on his shoulders, his responsibilities at the time as well as his own emotional baggage he couldn’t really give Tata what they needed from him. He feels remorse because he felt like in a way he forced their hand for him to rely on them, it feels as though he felt like he sapped their energy and personality being so caught up in his own world, unable to see out of his own ass. It seems as though, with the devil he might’ve feel into addictive and unhealthy behaviours to cope. He recognized that it was slowly becoming, in his eyes, something close to being toxic and made the “logical” choice to separate, however I feel as though there is something that he has yet to see within this energy. I hope there is more information on Tata’s side. The absence of Tata however, forced him to remove the rose coloured glasses, to face reality instead of living in a dream like state. It for sure hurt, quite a bit, and he did try to distract himself from it as there is this avoidant energy here but, unfortunately you can’t run from yourself. He’s currently going through the healing process, I suspect that this is what spurred on the mental upgrade. 

Friend, Elephant, Rabbit, Hawk, Snail, Wolf.

A friend can show us the truth, the mirrors and offer sound advice, the elephant shows us the obstacles we face, the strength they require, enhance our wisdome and endurance all while being majestic. It seems to me that currently he has the help of a valuable friend, someone that he can gain insight from, one that tells him the truth as is and offers advice to the best of their abilities, as well as someone whos life currently mirrors his own. People are often a mirror for ourselves and this friend is no different, they might be experiencing something similar to what V is experiencing which allows himself to view his situation from a different pov. Even so, the obstacle that he is facing is surely as large as an elephant and frustrating to navigate around however, as with the wheel of fortune, elephants symbolize good luck. Rabbits are masters of fast paced changes, decision making, and knowing when to act, while the hawk guides us with intelligence, independence, adaptability and clarity. There is an energy around him where he needs to make swift decisions, taking fast action towards something, with the help of his hawk buddy this is made possible by the knowledge that is shared. Conversely, he might be making decisions way to quickly to discern whether or not he has viewed whichever situation as accurately and clearly as possible. Snails are all about slow and steady progress, especially on the right path, and wolves awaken our intuition, remind us of our silent observation of the shadows. Currently he is on the right path, there is no doubt about that, it’s just slow and full of effort however, there is still something here that isn’t as it seems with the wolf being present, he is being asked to really reconsider the way he walks his path, it doesn’t have to be this hard. This sneaky lil bastard lodged two cards under my desk so,bonus cards: Unicorn and Kangaroo. There is something special coming his way, something that he is unable to see considering the cards before and where these cards fell. This is something that will definitely strengthen him, add more steam to his boat.

His songs are When She Smiles by Gigi Perez, Bug Like an Angel by Mitski, Wait by the River by Lord Huron “Baby, I don’t mean the things I said” and TV by Billie Eilish “All my friends are missing again, that’s what happens when you fall in love. You don’t have the time, you leave them behind, You tell yourself it’s fine you’re just in love”

Tata:

PoP, 3oW rx, AoW rx, 6oS rx, KoS, Star rx, QoP, 4oW rx, 9oC, 4oS rx, Tower rx, 10oP.

Another rather heavy energy here. It seems as though they have decided to embark on a journey of self discovery, perhaps they have enrolled in classes and are taking this time to rediscover their passions, their hopes and dreams and the career life they want. It feels as though they have recently returned from a trip and are no longer in an energy of wanting yet there is hesitation and a blockage here preventing them from fully moving forward with any plans. It seems as though they might have some trouble in coming as there is something they have yet to face. They've reach the point of having no where else to run and must face the leviathan in the sea. The problem is- because they are in a stubborn and refusing energy, not wanting to face their problems, they've become someone that is a bit too logical and emotionally detached from themselves possibly others as the other cards indicate a not so warm welcome home. It feels here that they are really, really questioning their life, their hope, their faith, and their place in it all. It seems as though they have a bad knack for focussing on the negative, amplifying situations in their mind to be worse that it is. Sort of like- already being depressed but engaging in thoughts and behaviours that you know make you depressed because you've found solace and comfort in being depressed. Other than that though, they do have this energy that they are exploring this nurturing side to them. Perhaps they have a pet or recently got a new pet and are spending a lot of time with them, redecorating their home to feel better and lighten the rooms, or enjoying their own presence and being home. With the four of wands in the reversed position being a direct just from the three of wands in the reversed position, I have the feeling that they expected a warm welcoming upon their arrival home- but they faced hostility instead. It seems as though there were some ties cut, be it familial or platonic. They aren't going to let this bring them further down as to me it reads as though who ever this was made comments about their success in a negative light but, they know better than to let that get to them because they are the most successful and achieved person in their family with many notable accolades possibly having a level of fame to their name. It seems as though here, with the four of swords and tower both in the reversed position, they are keeping themselves busy and moving in efforts to avoid the inner work needed which is going to cause the event of the tower falling more violent and devastating than needed almost exactly mirroring V in his own tower moment of realizations. Nevertheless, this tower moment is meant to till the land and make way for new fertile soil so that the new seeds that they plant do not rot in the ground. They are experiencing the setting of the stage to experience an ancestral pay out, they are going to receive something truly generational as it does seem some massive generational curses are being broken through this time.

Justice, 9oW rx, PoC, 4oW, 7oW, PoP rx, 9oS, 6oP, Everything is fine rx, Devil rx, 3ow.

As I was pulling the cards, someone drove past my window very obviously yelling into their phone so- I think that is an accurate description of what this energy is like, it's like a quiet anger, a disagreement here. Starting off with justice, it seems as though Tata is doing their best to judge this situation as fair as possible. If it were the queen of swords per say, it would indicate a level of jadedness however, the justice card is the more judicially fair card in the deck. If they do harbor an air of jadedness or resentment, they are able to put it aside and call out their own faults fairly. I get the feeling that, because of whatever went down between the two of them, Tata might want to surrender this connection, to let it go in hopes that someone else will come along with better prospects, more to offer and connect over however- it does feel like they may be at war with themselves over this as they're not yet willing to call it quits. It seems as though they worry that if they were to let this go, it would affect their journey and earthly life in ways they can't comprehend. The thought keeps them up at night but, that's because it's a cycle of overthinking, a way to avoid facing the issues at hand. They seem to have this very avoidant type of energy, one that does not want to face their own shadows because it's too scary. They try really hard to be the sweetest of buns but, that can only be possible if and when they face their own internal issues. I get the feeling that the recurrent thought that they have is "if only he'd be more thoughtful everything would be fine" which- to me is a loaded statement. Mainly because the cards here indicate miscommunications, misunderstandings, and a heavy lack of communication. Everything would, in fact, not be fine, because they are both gripped by their own vices, their own minds, their own addictions and binds to things that they believe make them feel good but actually hurt them more. What Tata doesn't see however, is that there is something, someone, off in the distance rebuilding the land.

Crow, Camel, Doe, Friend, Eagle, Tapir, Hen.

Crows are often a symbol of death as well as psychic abilities. They are the loyal companions to a plethora of gods and goddesses, namely Hekate and Odin. Camels are regarded for their survival through rough and impossible to pass terrains thanks to the adaptation of their physical being. It seems as though our dear friend Tata is currently being guided by Hekate and Odin through the process of death and rebirth, and the treacherous landscape of it all. When we speak of death in a metaphysical sense, we mean it metaphorically, not a corporeal death. Death in spirituality is transformation, it is letting the parts of ourselves, the shadow, the ego, fall away to make room for enlightenment. It is important to note that this process is a transformation, and alchemical step in our journey, not a complete and total death as the ego and shadow are still very much important to our physical lives. Tata is on a journey to learn what that means for them, to tackle their people pleasing tendencies and other vices. Consider it the hero's journey, like Hercules and his trials. The doe guides us to being receptive, through birth and new beginnings while a friend gives us needed and helpful advice, serving as a mirror for us to view ourselves through. As mentioned before, Tata is definitely on a healing journey, to become their most highest vibrational self, learning to be more receptive to the energy they're given, learning to allow those around them to give to them and to help fill their cup. Just as V, Tata may have a friend around them that is going through similar struggles that they are learning from. The eagle is a trusted messenger, bringing us both protection and guidance towards the bigger picture, the picture being charity and selfishness, acting in service to others as noted by the tapir, coupled with the warning of being overly submissive told to us by the hen. Tata has a bad habit of possibly submitting too much to others, forgetting themselves in the process. It seems as though this is a childhood wound. perhaps incurred by having to micromanage the world around them for the sake of peace. They are learning that, while being of service and selfishness is a good and necessary trait, that in excess can be detrimental to us in the end. Good luck to them.

Their songs are CHIHIRO by Billie Eilish, BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish, and Normalcy by Gigi Perez.

Songs they want to send to each other

V: Slow Down by Laufey, Lookalike by Conan Gray, Us Without Me by grentperez, rises the moon by Liana Flores, I Know You by Faye Webster (hello?), Drive by SZA.

Tata: WILDFLOWER by Billie Eilish, CHIHIRO by Billie Eilish, Real Man by Beabadoobee, Jonny by Faye Webster, Kaleidoscope by rhyu, Second Time by Bruno Major.

Jungkook:

Tower, 7oP rx, 3oP rx, Death, 10oC rx, 9oS, Empress, 7oC rx, 2oS rx, 5oC rx, 4oC, 9oW rx, 6oC

Off rip, this energy is vastly different than the other members, probably why he was more hesitant to be first when he usually wants to be first read. Secondly, because of the song, I have a huge inkling that Cooky smells like a light floral yet sweet peach scent, nothing too overwhelming but still noticeable because it compliments their aura. This man is sick, I'm talking sliding down the wall, crying beaucoup boohoo tears, pissin shittin and fartin and throwing up and all that lmao. There seems to be a lot of endings, massive things crashing down upon him, seemingly out of no where. It could be because he, or someone close to him, likely Cooky decided that something within their reality is not worth the amount of effort it takes for something. It seems like some sort of collaborative efforts have been nixed, again forcing this ending and new beginning. It doesn't feel good for him because it involves heavy, heavy grief akin to if someone close to him had died. It's as though this dream, this happy, healthy, bountiful and harmonious life he had envisioned for himself came crashing down around him. It feels as though this is heavily energetically, his physical life seems to be as is, as to be expected but internally and spiritually, boi is going through it through it. It's like he is being kept up at night, possibly experiencing nightmares or night terrors, heavy overthinking, heavy spiraling, heavy worrying. The empress here seems to be an outward energy, possibly Cooky. I get the feeling that he feels abandoned? Let go of? It feels as though the act of facing reality and having a decision be made for him on behalf of him. He feels almost insulted that he's expected to "get over it" and accept something new. This is not something that he wants but he's currently lost his will to fight for it, preferring to reminisce on what was in hopes that it'll be again.

Extended: 10oP rx, 9oS, Magician, 5oS rx, PoS rx, 2oP, KnoS rx, QoS rx, 7oS rx, Temperance rx, QoW, 6oW, KnoC rx, Hermit, Judgment, KnoW, PoC, Sun rx, Hanged man rx.

I wanted to look into this a bit more because it felt to open ended to leave it that way. He is really stressed out about his idea of an earthly life not being the way he wanted it to. He has the hope, the power to manifest and create his own reality, but, he- gosh he has no more fight in him for it. He seems to want to accept this bad news as he feels as though there was a rightful loss of opportunity and would rather go with the flow, even though he will have a heavily jaded attitude going forward that he will struggle to hide. He feels as though he is lacking perspective on this situation but, he doesn't possess the ability to think it through and see it for what it is at this current moment. He is heavily imbalanced spiritually and may potentially be indulging in self pity and other vices. He does wish for whoever this queen of wands energy is, possibly Cooky, to have success, even if it is not with him because he knows he needs time to go within himself as well as them to traverse their inner world and face their shadow selves. He does have slight hope that eventually he will be deemed as worthy, given the green light for him to start making his way back into their life. Coming forth with this childlike glee, and swift passionate energy to knock them off their feet. It feels as though he knows this outcome hinges solely on his ability to see from a new perspective, and have a healthy level of detachment.

5oC rx, AoP rx, Death, PoC, 9oC rx, 10oC rx, Emperor, Wheel of Fortune rx, Temperence rx, 7oC rx, 3oW, Hanged man rx, 8oC rx, 8oP, 6oS, 4oS, Strength, 10oP rx, 9oS, 7oW, 3oC rx, Magician, AoC, Empress, AoS.

Well fuck me... Alright so, damn. So he is trying to accept the loss, trying to accept and release the grief but, a huge part that is causing him more grief is the fear that something like this won't ever reach his physical life. He has seen this grow, falter and then die right before his eyes and now he has to let it go and let something or someone new come in and he is- not yet ready to accept it. It was something he put a lot of effort towards, something he dreamt of so much and to see it fizzle out in this way is a grief that is incomparable. I heard "What's the use of having this castle if I have no one to share it with?". It feels like- he feels as though this is just his luck, his destiny. This is all that he is worth and gets, this is how the story goes regardless of what he does in any life. He is really indulging in this grief, like- he doesn't know what to do, where to go, who to turn to. If you've seen Billie Eilish's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT album cover, that is the exact energy I'm getting. He knows he has to come to terms with the fact that he cannot further indulge in this spiritual connection, he has to return to reality, he has to look towards what is in his actually life but- he can't, he just can't, he cannot bring himself to do so. You could hang him upside down as long as you want but, this is not something that he can truly let go of. It's something he feels is so integral to him, something that he will keep chasing until the end of time. He wants to put in the time and effort into this but- he also knows that he needs to move on, that there is no future in this on his terms. He needs to rest, he needs a deep, deep mental and physical rest and break, just enough to get his strength back, enough to get the energy to start rebuilding his idea of his future life again. There is a great aversion to that idea though, it's like my heart is gripped with the grief he feels typing this out. It's like he can't let go, not yet. I saw a plastic bag rolling in the wind and honestly, it was how his energy feels, being tossed around like a ragdoll by the powers that be without much of a say or fight, like a jellyfish in the harsh currents of the ocean. The image I get with the seven of wands and the three of cups reversed is, if it were in his power he would have turned the card up himself, so that he can experience the community, the togetherness, the celebration of union but, instead its all broken engagements he faces. Despite the heavy grief that he faces, he still uses what little energy he has left to hope for and manifest for Cooky to have the love that they deserve, even if he selfishly hopes that it is home. He hopes that they do come across a new love, one that can fill their cup until it over flows, and value them as much as he does, but he also homes that they somehow become aware of this, that they- as he says "can see me spill my guts and know that this is true, I know you feel it intuitively". Throughout this reading there was a fly that was harassing me, like it had no fear of being squished, yet it never got close or stayed long enough for me to squish it. I think that is significant as it feels like part of the reason why this connection has broken is because of interference from those that do not belong within it, trying to get in and peer through.

Salamander, Wolf, Kangaroo, Hen, Okapi, Eagle, Giraffe, Alligator, Tapir, Cardnial.

Salamander teaches us to alchemize our woes, our pains, and experiences while the wolf guides us to our intuition, to silently observe. It may be that all is not what it seems. I'm getting High Priestess and Sphinx energy here, where the answer lies deeply hidden within the riddles. His task is to feel what he feels, learn to alchemize it to power through intention, and reconnect with his intuition. Perhaps this needs a second look. The Kangaroo gives us raw energy, vitality and optimism while the hen teaches us the warnings of submission. I have a feeling that the powers at be want him to find his optimism, and fight with all he has. Funnily enough I'm getting the visual of Kangaroo jack. The universe doesn't want him to give up too easily or else he'll miss out on the okapi energy. I want to note how insane this is because in the deck, Okapi and Eagle are right next to each other so for them to come out together in the same position in a reading is highly auspicious. The Okapi gives us a message of fated meetings, events, or a situation directly tied to the higher meaning of things while eagle is the one who carries this message as the designated spiritual messenger, the protector of the bigger meaning. The most important spiritual saying to remember is, if it is meant for you then it will not pass you and here we are seeing that directly. This is bound to be, it is a fated meeting and it is highly protected, the only ones who can alter that course is Jungkook and Cooky if they give in to the flies around them that is. The giraffe guides jk to have a stable and grounded "delulu is the solulu" energy. The height of the giraffe gives us the ability to see the alligator, a hidden enemy, the need for survival. He must know that someone or something is not what it seems, I have a feeling that this is the other energy trying to butt in. His intuition knows what is right, so does Cooky's, they just have to trust and follow that guidance. To close off this part of the reading, with Tapir and Cardinal, it seems as though his spiritual team wants him to step out there, they want him to act in service of others, sharing the messages and knowledge he has as it helps him to connect more to his intuition and to the spiritual visitors. This is a good note to end the reading on

His songs are First love/Late spring by Mitski, Go Solo by Tom Rosenthal, Meet Me in the City by Lord Huron, When the Night is Over by Lord Huron, The Wisps Sings by Winter Aid, Life in the City by The Lumineers, Male Fantasy by Billie Eilish heavily, The Beach by The Neighbourhood, Sally by Gigi Perez, Your Best American Girl by Mitski insanely heavily, Chest Pain (I Love) by Malcolm Todd.

Cooky:

2oP, 3oP rx, 8oC rx, AoP rx, KnoS rx, 7oS rx, 4oP, KnoP, 6oS, KnoC rx, KnoW, 4oS, 3oS rx, 6oP, 7oP rx, AoW, Everything is fine rx, QoP rx, 6oC, QoC, 5oC Rx, Strength, Fool rx, 10oW rx, KoP, 9oC rx, Hermit, PoC, 8oW rx, QoW, KoC, 9oS, Death, 2oS rx, 10oS rx, 10oP rx, 10oC rx, PoP rx, Chariot, 2oC rx, AoC, 9oW rx, Empress, 4oW, Tower.

Damn near half the muhfuggin deck came out omfg if you wanted a private feature you could've asked??? Okay... Let's get this bread my god. So holy fuck ok I'm overwhelmed lmao. So they are currently doing their absolute best to manage, balance, and juggle everything that is currently going on in there life. They were close to dropping some balls (hehe) but they've got everything handled as of right now, they could've have chosen to purposefully let go of one of the balls (hehe) as it was something that did not align with them and caused more stress and dissconnection. However, it seems as though they are still terrified of and refusing to let go of the things that do not serve them entirely. It's giving an dependent attachment to someone, something, or an energy. It feels as though, them not being able to overcome their fears of abandonment, commitment, moving on, as well as not faking their happiness is preventing a major opportunity from coming in for them. It's like they are their own worse enemy here. I get the feeling that there is something in their energy that wants to come in but, they can't really accept or grasp it which is causing this impatient energy within them. They're missing out on a lot of opportunities here because they are too scared, cowardly. It's as though they don't trust this thing that- is genuinely very trusting, open and honest because they are white knuckling things that are meant to keep them grounded. It's giving preferring to hold onto the cinder blocks the mafia gave them to sleep with the fishes than to let go and swim away because they were friends before. It's like they'd rather hold onto what they know rather than experiencing something new because they don't want to experience being hurt again but in a way are hurting themselves and limiting themselves even more. They are making slow, slow progress regardless, making their way into calmer waters, healing very, very slowly however, they are still closing their heart off to this emotional journey. They want to rush forward, overcome the humps, but without going through the journey. It's like wanting to pick and choose what they experience but life isn't about choices or control, it's about flow.

They for sure need to rest themselves, it seems here that they have been over thinking about a lot of things, especially what it means to heal. To them it kind of feels like a betrayal to those who have given to them before, those who have "selflessly" poured into them, as though they are turning their backs on those people which makes them feel as though healing and and of itself is not worth it funnily enough. It's like- this raw energy, this passion, this creative energy that has been with them and in them, innate since the day they were born is trying to make itself clear to them, as if wanting them to take up the mantle but- there is an avoidance, a hesitation because of prior loyalty. It reads as thought they are trying to convince themselves that they are fine, that they don't need this thing and are okay without it but- they are not, it leaves them so unbalanced and disconnected to their grounded earth energy. They really need to know that it is okay to let go, it is okay to move on, it is okay to let the house you spent months building crumble down only leaving you with two support beams left because there is something waiting for them. If they claim to not care about jk or what's going on with him, they are either lying or very very good at hiding it. I see here that they thought they had left this all behind but they catch themselves thinking back to it, back to what it was and how they felt, back to who they say themselves as during then. It's as though, they saw themselves truly for who they are without the shadows but- they believe that that is something that just can't happen, that it is something that they must let go of.

That they are strong enough to or that they will be stronger for it but- that is foolish. Instead it's just them avoiding taking that leap of faith, them avoiding the new energy, avoiding unleashing these heavy ass burdens from themselves. I get the image of them carrying the bundle of wands and the bundle of wands being so heavy it digs into their shoulders, tearing the skin and impaling them with splinters over and over again. They won't let go even if their shoulders are wore down to the bone. They feel as though this is the way to be stable, productive, a functioning member of society but, this is not the way. It is not what fulfills them, it's what traps them like Sisyphus. They need to go within themselves, I see that sometimes they do, and sometimes they do see a glimmer, a glimpse of Jk but they get spooked and run away. They need their time to take it slow, to come back to who they are and to let him in again but- again the thought of this scares them beyond belief, enough to cause them to over think about having to let go of things, about having to let what does not serve them truly die, having to over come the betrayal and realize that this is not the life that they deserved or hoped for since a young age. They fear that they will have to stop the current journey they are on but, wrong. This journey takes them to where they are meant to be, however the energy becomes free and untangled, capable of speeding up once they integrate this part of their journey and life with themselves and who they truly are. It opens a new doorway, it brings forth a bright new loving beginning, only if they can surrender to being the empress, surrender to being the one in power rather than the one being taking advantage of. Their idea of a happy home and happy life needs to be dismantled all the way to the ground and rebuilt and it seems as though the longer they wait, the more painful it is.

QoS rx, Judgement, 3oC rx, 8oP, Tower, 6oS, Everything is fine rx, 7oC Rx, KoS, KoC, PoS rx, Wheel of Fortune rx, Emperor, 9oP, 7oW, Temperance rx, 9oS, PoC, KoP, Hermit, Fool rx, PoW rx, Hierophant, Star.

Girl, bffr. So, they are jaded, they are unable to view this situation as clearly as possible because they cannot look past the hurt that they've faced in relation to Jk but not by Jk. It seems as they need a self evaluation, rather than judging the situation, they should judge themselves honestly and truthfully, they'd see that something is not what it seems. It seems here that they don't want to work with others, they'd rather solo this mission but- that leads to the tower. Isolation never helps, it hurts more, we as humans are social creatures, we are animals that will go mad without connection. It's funny to see the tower and the six of swords together as in tarot it is widely believed that the six of swords follows the tower and depicts us getting out of dodge after fleeing the crumbling tower. I have a feeling that if they don't make the choice to flee the tower will crumble around them. I wonder if they realize that all is not fine, that there is something in their reality that is begging for their attention, their choice, from a mature and non judgmental or jaded position. From a place of intuition and love, as well as emotional maturity. They must face the lack of communication, they will have to turn the wheel themselves to favor their journey if they want to. It seems as though the emperor here is an outside energy, possibly Jk sitting and waiting, letting the garden grow and prosper in preparation for the empress's arrival however, it seems here that the empress is hellbent on being imbalanced. They seem to be hellbent on indulging in their own shadows because they cannot for the life of them envision a reality where someone comes into their life with pure intentions and stable offerings as well as the ability to reflect and change their wrong doings. They'd rather cling to the edge of a crumbling cliff, to eventually fall off said cliff into abyss than to make a leap of faith to the other side. They must address within themselves why they are preventing a passionate journey full of creation and joy for themselves. The key lays with the Hierophant, the Hierophant inside of them. This would be a wish come true if only they'd accept it. It feels as though they want someone to get mad at them, yell at them, force them to do this but- no one is going to do that, it is their choice whether they choose this or not. The universe, their gods are loving and will never be mad at them for not doing something and force them to repent. It is in their hands.

World, Moose, Lizard, Crab, Shadow Person, Mallard, Cardinal, Swallow.

In this deck, the world encourages us traverse the shadow realm, to do our shadow work, and unearth our power while the moose warns us of incoming obstacles and giving something too much power. When you see a moose in real life, their massive size is something that you cannot forget, they are formidable and to Cooky, the act of doing shadow work is akin to staring a moose in the eye. They are giving their fears, their worries, their oppressors too much power over them. The lizard forces us to realize the cycles we are repeating and the lessons we are learning while the crab tells us the lesson. The lesson being self protection, boundaries, teaching others how to treat us. Cooky needs to learn this lesson or else they are doomed to repeat it until they get it, in bigger and bigger ways. It seems to be a pattern in their life currently. They need to stand up and teach themselves what their boundaries truly are, and to teach others how to properly treat them. The shadow person is our unrecognized self that the mallard shows us in our dreams. I wouldn't be surprised if Cooky still gets dreams about their current challenges. These things will seep into our dreams if we ignore our subconscious. The cardinal brings the final message along with the swallow, that they are being watched over lovingly, guided through the last steps on their journey, to have hope and be optimistic, to trust that everything will be alright, that if they take that leap of faith, the hands of their ancestors and spirit guides will rise to catch their feet and carry them to the other side.

Their songs are, Northern Attitude by Noah Kahan and Hozier, See You Again by Tyler, The Creater ft Kali Uchis "Can I get a kiss, and can you make it last for ever? I said I'm about to go to war and I don't know if Imma see you again", Love Like Ghosts by Lord Huron "You don't want me baby please dont lie, oh but if you're leaving then I gotta know why", would've been you by sombr, I know it won't work by Gracie Abrams, ocean eyes by Billie Eilish, Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift, The Man by Gigi Perez, Me and My Husband by Mitski, Noid Tyler, The Creator.

Songs they want to send to each other

Jungkook: Washing Machine Heart by Mitski, Yonkers by Tyler, The Creator, Fool For Love by Lord Huron, I Hate U by SZA, We Fell in Love in October by girl in red, Dust to Dust by The Civil Wars.

Cooky: The Man by Gigi Perez, I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE by Tyler, The Creator, Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy, July by Noah Cyrus, Cursed Lord Huron, MILK OF THE SIREN by Melanie Martinez.

Suga:

3oP rx, 10oP, 10oW rx, 2oW rx, 6oS, KnoS, 9oS, PoW rx, 5oP rx, KnoC rx, KoW, KoS, AoC, PoP rx, 4oC, 7oP, 5oW rx, Strength, Death.

So, a fly flew past me and flies are associated with having eyes on you so he might have a bunch of flies around him, people too much in his energy and his grill. Hmm, it feels like he himself has no idea whats going on in his life it's like he's just happy to be here lmao. On a good note, it seems like he is both happy but sad about this lull in work. It seems as though he has somewhat elevated to "grandpa" status a bit early, finding little things to do, little projects around the house but nothing really towards his career. He feels rather accomplished with what he has but it does feel like he kind of misses the work, the action, the schedule. He doesn't however miss the burdens that come with it. He seems to be enjoying the peace and quiet. However, because he's given this ample time to fuck around, he's wondering when the find out is gonna happen. It seems as though, in the midsts of this "not a thought behind those eyes" energy, there are, in fact, thoughts. Many of them. He might be confused, unsure of where he is going, possibly having a bit too much focus or attention on either what went on in his life in the past, or what will be coming to his life in the future, while he is trying to draw his attention to the present to be present. Regardless of that, he is moving forward, but with all this swords energy here, he's so entirely in his head- it's like "i'm just here for the ride" is more like "I have to be here for the ride because I'm too in my head to take myself there" for him. Have you ever seen a video of him staring off into space like he forgot he exist? Yeah, that is him but that lil ol noggin of his is filled with worries, anxieties, and what ifs. Because of this, he might be experiencing creative blocks, perhaps he might be mentally trying to rush himself to come out of this energy, not wanting to feel somewhat destitute anymore but- in order to do that he kind of- has to reach out to someone and explain to them whats going on. I think, partially, one of the things that is bothering him is the direction he's taking regarding Shooky. I'm interested in seeing what Shooky has going on to get a better feel for this energy. It feels like he's aware of the possibilities but doesn't know who it'll be. It feels like he wants to have authority over this, as- it is his life. He feels as though he knows what would be best, that he is fair and logical in his judgements but- he has yet to realize it's not just about him. Especially with the four of cups depicting a person being given the ace of cups but refusing to take it because it's not what they wanted. It's this slightly stubborn energy here. It's like he feels as though he spent a lot of energy, a lot of work pouring into one avenue and now he's having to decide whether it's worth it to continue to gamble on this horse or to call it quits. In the end, he doesn't want conflict, he just hopes he can be strong enough to draw whatever this is to a close.

World rx, 10oC, AoS rx, 5oS, Magician rx, 10oP rx, Moon rx, 9oS rx, 7oC rx, KnoW rx, PoP, 9oW rx, 3oW rx, Star rx, 7oP rx, Death rx, 4oS rx, Hanged man.

Me: Trouble in paradise? Him: NO :< lmao. So, he wants to make it abundantly clear that, despite whatever he may be facing, it is all a part of the journey to a stable and healthy emotional connection with his counterpart. Even though he isn't exactly clear on whatever is going on, he is surrendering to the energy and the process. Even though in this instance he has no exact power over the circumstances at hand, even if the energy is unstable and he is uncertain of whether or not this will result in the future he hopes for, he is aware that it is mostly his fears and insecurities speaking here. He is aware that, for the most part, it is mainly anxiety creating illusion. He is aware that, with time this too shall past, and he'll be able to see clearer, that reality will hit him and he will know what to do and be able to make that choice. He has accepted though, that as of right now his feelings are mostly anxiety, possibly jealousy. I'm seeing the "is this a butterfly?" meme. As of right now though, he is focusing on the good things in his reality such as the time he has to himself, letting himself surrender to being jostled about in the energy. He seems to be stably unstable lmao, he's just enjoying his time being home, not yet ready to return to city girl life as of yet. He is still worried, still afraid that this is something he is going to have to release, let go of, that he has done everything he could in regards to the energy but it is proving unfruitful. He's not quite ready to let go yet, so he is hoping he doesn't have to, that he can rise to the occasion soon. It seems as though, he still has a lot to consider, the position of the hanged man is a rough one, being strung upside down until a new perspective is found is harsh. Good luck to him.

Unicorn, Tiger, Snake, Hawk, Swallow, Skunk, Kangaroo.

Unicorns are about synchronicities, magic, special things while tigers exude opulence and carnal desires. It seems as though something super special, super important, something that has him spellbound is on its way to him. Something that feeds his hunger and carnal desires, something that encourages him to revel in the luxuries he's created himself. The snake is associated with the divine feminine and kundalini, spiritual awakenings and healing while the hawk gives us intelligence, independence, adaptability and clarity. It feels as though, because he is going through some sort of awakening, he might not be seeing things as clearly as he wants to and our boi is fully aware of that. He's allowing himself to shed his skin and old beliefs so that his eyes are no longer covered in scaly dead skin. As said before, swallow is a sign that the journey is coming to an end, skunk is to remind us that there are alternative solutions, and kangaroo is regarded for it's vitality. It to me, reads as though he might be on the shore of this new phase, new cycle in his life, one that is going to need an alternative solution to land, but once it lands, he'll feel as though he's gotten his life back.

His song is When the Night is Over by Lord Huron

Shooky:

PoS, KoP, 7oS, Judgment rx, 5oC, 2oC, 8oS rx, KnoP, 7oP rx, 9oW, 10oS rx, Empress, 6oP rx, 6oS rx, 2oP, 10oC, Emperor, 3oC, 10oP rx, Everything is fine.

Hmmm, for them, they might be experiencing a lot of technical issues, possibly affecting their communication. Either their email got hacked or they were locked out, forgot the password, it's been storming in their area and it's affecting the power, their mail being intercepted or going undelivered. Other than that, they could also be experiencing halts in other things, perhaps they are trying to cook a meal but they have to handle something family related first, that kind of delay. Regardless of that, they seem to be in a very grounded and stable energy, one that is rather secure, and perhaps a bit sneaky and strategic. Considering that judgement in the reversed is here, they may be sneaking out at night if you catch my drift. Not that they are living like a teenager and sneaking out to meet their friends literally, just the energy of possibly doing something they know they aren't supposed to be doing. The five transitioning to the two of pentacles to me is very interesting because in traditional tarot the five of cups is depicted as someone overlooking three of there cups that have fallen over while only two remain, and the two of cups is- well two cups lmao. To me it reads as though they are going through a period of a lot of loss, a lot of releasing, a lot of letting go in order to call in this exchanging of cups. They must free themselves of whatever mental and emotional prison they have locked themselves up in, take a chance on themselves and let themself make the slow burn progress they need without rushing themself. It seems as though there is something that they decided is not worth being in their energy anymore, that they are going to take the final stand and see this energy through and out the door. They are no longer standing for betrayal or people who intentionally build up their trust only to stab them in their back. They've learned their worth and who they are and they are going to properly express it. They are no longer over giving, no longer draining themselves of much needed assets for others who clearly do not deserve it. It is a difficult thing to do but they are managing themselves well, taking their time without being so harsh. They are balancing out their energy, juggling as much as they can without over doing it, focussing on having and creating a harmonious life and future for themselves with someone that is in the same energy as them. They want to celebrate and work with their equal on creating that long lasting generational wealth so that they may share it or pass it on to possible future children. This wealth could be financial or, that deep unshakable stability that can provide comfort and stable new beginnings and life for generations. Although things may suck for the both of them at the moment, everything is and will be fine.

2oP rx, PoP rx, KoP rx, 2oW, 2oS rx, 9oS, Devil rx, PoW rx, 10oC rx, 8oW rx, Moon, KoW, Judgement, Emperor rx, 3oC rx, PoC rx, 9oC, AoS, Strength.

So... They too are really unbalanced about this, perhaps they feel overwhelmed and over flowing in some areas related to Suga. The pentacles cards being reversed feels like a confirmation of said instability, as well as potential blockages here. However, the two of wands here suggest that Shooky is well aware of it, that they are capable of deducing what is wrong based on the past and by peering into the potentiality of the future. It is possible that they are a reader as well. Despite this though, they are still experiencing some anxious thoughts, perhaps struggling to sleep at night because of this. The devil reversed indicates that they may succumb to their own demons from time to time, perhaps being in that head of theres is more appealing than being present in their life. Perhaps they think being kept up in that head of theres, on autopilot is a faster way to come out of the energy they are experiencing. They might want to make hasty decisions in hopes of attaining this connection but all that does is put them in this energy of lack and force themselves to slow down. They must decide if the moons reflection in the pond is real or if the one in the sky is. It's all about perspective yes, and both comes with it's dangers, but one is a primordial being that can guide you anywhere you go with it's light. It seems here that they might agree with me that Suga needs to stand up and remember who the fuck he is lmao. It's like they are very conscious of the problems he is facing, more conscious than their own. It's a cute dynamic of support and encouragement but- in the effort of doing so they forget themselves and forget that this path is one of collaborative efforts. Together, they achieve more than apart. They have a great dynamic that works really well with each other, true ebb and flow, yin and yang, Tui and La. They'll be alright.

Cub, Lizard, Hermit Crab, Rooster, Jellyfish, Goose, Cardinal.

Awwww, poor thing, this is some terribly rough energy to be in. The cub is in response to this decks Bear card which is mother energy, the lizard is repeating cycles and unlearned lessons. The hermit crab reminds us of the necessity to withdraw, introspect, explore ones inner landscape and grow whereas rooster is a dominant and oppressive energy. The jellyfish reminds us of the importance of flow, where the goose warns us of upcoming dangers and territorial nature. Lastly the cardinal is a companion from beyond the veil. My heart goes out to them. I'll try to keep it as vague as possible but, what I'm getting from this reading and later confirmed through the song is that, Shooky has a tumultuous relationship with a maternal figure. So much so that they've felt abandoned and uncared for, having to both parent and reparent themselves. These types of wounds don't disappear overnight, they pick at you from time to time which leads us into the lizard energy, the energy of repeating cycles and lessons, unlearning lessons. It seems as though they've been caught in a cycle, having to sacrifice a limb to break free each time. With hermit crab, it is painfully obvious that this is an energy that they need to break free from once and for all. It is absolutely imperative that they withdraw and seek solace somewhere else, lest they allow their only protection to be chipped away in an environment where that could be a death sentence. Flowing into the rooster energy, in this deck, the hen is in response to the rooster. TMI but, hens are so detrimentally submissive that if a rooster comes by they will assume mating position so much so that it can actually be damaging to their health. With the added dynamic of a clearly oppressive maternal figure, it is possible that this is a dynamic that one does not want to be in. It seems here, with the jellyfish, rather than being submissive they've adapted to be akin to a jellyfish, allowing the ocean currents to guide them wherever so it may. It seems as though this false sense of security and truce is now coming to an end. With goose being known for their ferocity and hostility, it's best to get out of dodge before the goose decides to attack. Lastly is cardinal, they are not alone in this, constantly being guided by their spirit team, ancestors and possibly even the energy of Suga as well. Good luck to them.

Their song is Glue by Gigi Perez.

Songs they want to send to each other

Suga: Kill for Your Love by Labrinth, Feels like by Gracie Abrams, Believe by Caamp, Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran, Halley's Comet by Billie Eilish, Homesick by Noah Kahan

Shooky: Wait by the River by Lord Huron, CHIHIRO by Billie Eilish (I'm noticing a theme here, gonna do another in depth on them), Afraid by The Neighbourhood, Royals by Lorde, All the Pretty Girls by KALEO, Drive by SZA.

Jin:

PoP rx, 9oP, 4oS, 2oW, KnoC rx, 5oC rx, Hanged man rx, KoP, 9oS, 5oP, Emperor, 8oW rx, 10oW rx, Star.

He seems to be doing really good! He's taking a break from doing anything work wise, learning wise, journey wise, and really enjoying the fruits of his labor and his time off. He's resting as much as he can currently because he has plans on being busy in the future- I got the strongest craving for Trinidadian macaroni pie mid reading so perhaps he's exploring and indulging in foods, I'm envious. It seems as though he has decided to walk away or step away from anything romantic for the time being, I heard "I've seen the light" which leads me to believe he has seen whoever he was with for their true colors and decided that that is not what he wants and is taking a break to be himself, to stabilizing himself. I do see he does have a bit of a fear and anxious thoughts about not having anyone around if he is ever in need but, he is showing up as the emperor, someone who is highly capable and often is surrounded by a good support system. He seems to be taking things slow, taking his time, wanting to be with himself and within himself

6oW, Death, KnoP rx, 10oC rx, 4oP rx, QoS rx, Star, 8oS rx, 6oP.

Fucking love this for him. He successfully put an end to a third party energy that did not align with him or what he wanted. It seemed as though this energy did try to force things to fit where they did not, so did he, but he has successfully nipped it in the bud. That person is probably having a hard time accepting it, and he himself is a little jaded but man, he feels a whole lot better after it. He's very much in a healing and releasing energy, spending more time with friends and actually giving and caring to those around him. He's in a "protecting my energy" sort of mood!

Shadow Person, Swallow, Goat, Squirrel, Swan, Pigeon

The shadow person is our unrecognized self, the swallow is a sign to weary sailors that they are almost home. This to me reads as though he is almost to the bottom of the deepest darkest parts of himself and that is genuinely amazing. He is healing, loving himself, learning himself and apparently, almost home! The goat is a sign of untapped potential, fertility, virility and stubbornness while the squirrel prepares us for the future, encouraging work life balances. Goodness this is such good energy, probably the only one having a good time atm lmao. He's in a preparation stage, he is setting himself up and his life up for the future, creating a good work life balance while tapping into the deepest parts of himself and awakening abilities he never knew he had. The swan is the ultimate visage of soulmates and connections, the pigeon reminds us to have situational awareness, to know our way back home and to be in the present moment. I have no other way to say this but this man knows where his home is, he knows where his heart and his soulmate is and he is not going to get caught up in situationships that he knows won't last. He is staying in the present so that he does not miss this moment.

His songs are Mean It by Gracie Abrams, Love by Lana Del Rey, I Lied by Lord Huron and Allison Ponthier, I Has Some Help by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, party favor by Billie Eilish, Call Your Mom by Noah Kahan, Billie Bossa Nova by Billie Eilish.

Rj:

2oS rx, PoS rx, 6oS, QoW, 8oC rx, PoW rx, 10oW rx, 7oW, 2oP, AoS, KnoC rx, Star, 4oC, Justice.

They seem to have recently made a choice, for better or worse, not letting themselves me blinded by indecision or fear. They've been facing the anxiety that they feel in a somewhat defensive energy. Perhaps they are dealing with a bit of gossip by being super blunt and cut throat about it. This is helping them move away from something that has been troubling them for quite some time, allowing them to step in their power, their passion, their verve and creativity, allowing themselves to be the hottie they are. They've let that house of cards fall, they have willingly let go and walked away from a path that does not serve them, one that brought them more trouble than what it was worth. They're released the burden and are now spending their energy defending and believing in something they know is for them and that they know is worth it. They may be feeling a bit of doubt or opposition though, hence the seven of wands present. They will get some sort of divine message, divine confirmation, something that they literally cannot ignore or deny as much as they try to. This is a manifestation of all their hopes and dreams as much as they don't want to believe it. It seems as though they are the type of person that when they get what they want, they become afraid to take it but, this is their justice, their reward for going through what they did.

PoS rx, 6oP, 4oS, Hanged man rx, Lovers rx, 3oW, 2oP, 10oP rx, KoW, Devil rx, 8oS rx, 6oW, 7oW, Hierophant, 10oW rx, QoC, 6oC, Justice.

"I don't wanna say too much" proceeds to drop 25% of my deck... So, I'll keep this as brief as possible. This is incredibly healing, incredibly rejuvenating, forcing them to see things from all kinds of perspectives, causing them to come to complete stops and check in with themselves. It seems as though either they too have left a relationship not meant for them or they are aware of Jin leaving his and are in this active waiting energy, preparing for their ships to dock or to travel themselves. They are and are seeking balance and reciprocal energy, the ability to build from the bottom up, not on the foundations set by others. They are definitely heading towards each other with such speed, dropping their vices and unhealed energy along the way. They have spent a lot and I mean a lot of time releasing themselves from this mental prison they've enforced on their self and they are so ready to experience this victory, this moment of recognition they've been waiting for. This is something that they deem important to protect as it was revealed unto them by someone of high spiritual standing. They are still releasing their binds, releasing their burdens and worries, letting themselves open up and be vulnerable and loving. They're healing their inner child, letting themselves fall deeply in love with life again. This is so utterly deserved, definitely after all they've been through.

Hawk, Cub, Mallard, Squirrel, Lion.

The hawk gives us intelligence, independence, clarity and allows us to adapt while the cub is all about the inner child. It seems as though they may harbor some resentments about having to grow up faster than their peers which is a valid feeling but, the hawk warns us that all is not what it seems. I have a feeling that they should definitely have a talk with their parents especially since there were two songs in Jin's part of the reading that mentioned talking to their partners parents and somehow seamlessly transitions into each other. The mallards call awakens our subconscious and our dreams while the squirrel encourages us to prepare for the future with a healthy work life balance, while the lion shows us pride through the divine masculine and father. To me it reads as though they have been having a lot of dreams about this, innumerable dreams about Jin, their connection, and their relationship with their parents and growing up. They may have to address what the divine masculine and what fatherhood means to them in order to properly prepare for their future. Good luck to them.

Their songs are Figurines by Gigi Perez, Fireworks by Mitski, The A Team by Ed Sheeran, Ancient Names, Pt. I by Lord Huron, Bird cage blue and yellow by Yaeklore, Lets Fall in Love for the Night by FINNEAS.

Songs they want to send to each other

Jin: When She Smiles by Gigi Perez, A Pearl by Mitski, Kid & Leveret by Yaeklore (the fly is back), Sun to Me by Zach Bryan, WHAT'S GOOD by Tyler the Creator, Third of May/ Ōdaigahara by Fleet Foxes

Rj: Flowers by Faye Webster ft Father, Loving Is Easy by Rex Orange County ft Benny Sings, My Vine by Wasia Project, Home by Bruno Major, rises the moon by Liana Flores

J-Hope:

PoP rx, Hermit, Star, 5oP, AoP rx, 10oW rx, World, 8oS, 4oC, 9oC, KnoS, 8oP.

So, ha, he's in a good but longing energy. Anytime I do a reading and a Hozier song is involved, it instantly takes the yearning to a level catastrophic- specifically this one. There might have been something in his physical life that is drawing more of his attention, away from something or someone he cares about which to him, is bad news bears. Thankfully though, it is giving him time to turn within the self, possibly meditating more often, focusing on things that give him hope, his northern star. I get a tired energy from him, possibly from the touring and traveling. He could be in a position where he may be needing some help, but those around him are unable to help him in the way he needs. Those around him can help him financially if so be it but- in reality he wants to release the "burden of his passions" so to speak... I get the feeling that if he is able to have this... releasing energy... it might actually cause him to spiral so he's being- pent up... on purpose lmfao. He knows what he wants and he is refusing and also is unaccepting of anything unlike it. He may be experiencing a but of doubt but, he knows where his pride and contentment lay, where his achievements will reside so he is taking great stride to work hard, doubly hard for it. Man is on a mission. Considering how private he is, this is a shock lmao.

2oP rx, 10oS, 2oW, KoP rx, 4oP, Wheel of Fortune rx, 8oP, 7oC, 4oC, QoS rx, KoC rx, 10oC rx, 3oS rx, Strength.

Alright, I heard "mah angel, mon cherie (≧▽≦)" how cute lol. It may seem that he feels currently that him and Mang may be at odds in the sense that they might be juggling with a lot at the moment which isn't really allowing them to connect which then turns him into somewhat of this lovesick puppy that whines until their human comes home lmao. He may be victim to the accursed doomscrolling on social sites when in this energy. When it comes to Mang though, even though he may experience some doubt, his pathway is clear. Even if it doesn't make sense, is unstable, or he loses all his money he chooses to hold in, kind of like Jimin and hoarding his treasures. It's as though, even if the wheel changes and fate has another plan, he will work to the bone to realign to the current energy of Mang. He could be offered many different options, choices, pathways in life, but if it is not what and who he wants, he is simply not doing it. The universe could cry blood asking him to shift and he would not care, he is a man that knows exactly what he wants. He wants to be the one that holds and heals their heart, and gives them the strength to continue.

Whitetail, Turkey, Bear, Hippo, Mallard.

OOF this is strong lmao. The whitetail heralds a rebirth, walking us through the process while turkey encourages us to dive into our primal instincts. It seems as though our boi is going through a deep rebirth, taking on a new form of himself that has always been there but wrapped up in the frond of others expectations of him. This rebirth is intrinsically tied to his wild and primal side. The bear is the mother, reparenting oneself while hippo is the abundance, reaping of rewards and indulgence, It seems as though this rebirth was spurred on by him either reconnecting or connecting deeper to a maternal person in his life and sequentially the maternal energy within him. This is allowing him to indulge and enjoy more than what he has before with this broader view. Lastly, the mallard guides us into the subconscious mind, into the dream state. His dreams must be wild as all hell, expansive and exploratory. It is possible he is getting his signs through the dreams he has.

His song is First Time by Hozier. Cheeky little thing snuck in Adore You by Harry Styles

Mang:

Hierophant, 10oC rx, QoS rx, World, 10oW rx, 2oS rx, 9oS, QoW.

It seems as though they are in both the student and the teacher position here. They seem to be someone that has answers that come from both experience and a divine place, to which they are always learning and sharing what they learn. I'm more specifically drawn to the keys at the feet of the Hierophant and the scepter as well as positioning of the Hierophants hands. In traditional tarot, the scepter is a symbol reserved for the pope which indicates spiritual authority. The keys unlock spiritual enlightenment and the consciousness of the subconscious. The two fingers are related to the magicians posture, encouraging one to live practically through ideals as well as acknowledging divide and union. It seems as though Mang is a highly spiritual force of nature. Someone who knows their shit and is not one to be trifled with. It seems as though they may be experiencing some misfortune in familial life, something that left them feeling disempowered, as though they were being heavily scrutinized, over criticized. This is an energy that they have personally closed out and moved away from, they have released the burdens placed onto them by others and refuse to pick them back up. The wool has been removed from their eyes and they see as clear as the new telescope NASA launched. That doesn't mean that they are immune to doubt, anxiety and general low times, but they are someone who can and will bounce back with the force of ten million suns.

4oC, QoS rx, Sun rx, 10oS, 5oS rx, KoW, 5oC rx, 8oC, AoP rx, 8oW rx.

This energy is giving me the feeling of post concert blues a little bit. It to me reads as though they are also very clear about what they want both in regards to J-Hope and in life in general. While they may be open to experiencing new things, there are some things that are near and dear to their heart that they refuse to accept a lesser version of it. This gives me the feeling of someone who'd fully curse out their spirit team for "playing in their face" so to speak. They too seem to be experiencing a serious lull, some heavy doubt about this, as well as a terrible sense of longing- as though their heart is being pulled by an invisible string. They may currently be feeling as though they are bogged down by a lot of things in live, however they are surrendering to the notion because while they are aware that that is the natural due process and order of things. They are aware that, ultimately in the end, they are in charge of their path and their journey, and that their passion for this and for him is what keeps it going, They've already over come so much throughout their journey, they're not going to let a small hiccup slow them down. They are ready, willing and capable of walking away from all that they've built if it no longer serves them, but in this case, they are more than ready to take that next step. It's just a matter of divine timing of when that door opens up and that opportunity comes rolling in. Until then, they are forced to take it slow, to focus on the mundane and be present in their life.

Frog, Swan, Turtle, Penguin, Tapir, Goat.

The frog reminds us of the importance of our spiritual hygeine, how important it is to cleanse the space around us and ourself as well as our energy, and swan is an auspicious symbol of soulmates, a divine connection within another. At this current moment, Mang is being encouraged to and is cleansing their spiritual space and practice, resetting their altars, cleansing their cards, and most importantly cleansing their mind and their spirit, they are releasing the old and what no longer serves to make space for the new that the swan heralds. It may be important for them at this time to have a good cry in the shower, one that is ugly yet releasing and empowering, one that you fall into a deep ass nap after words and wake up like you got transported to the year 3005. Have I said this before? No? Then I'm gonna say it again, I fucking love it when the cards confirm intuitive pings :) The turtle is about patience, allowing divine timing to take its place, while the penguin connects us to family, close relationships and our social life. They are being reminded once again that patience is a virtue, and that they should reach out to their support system for comfort and- well support lol. Suffering in silence gets one nothing but silent pain. The tapir reminds us the value of acting in service to others, curbing our selfishness while the goat reminds us of our untapped potential, our fertility (creativity), virility as well as stubbornness. To me, this reads as Mang already being a rather giving person, someone who would donate to charity when they can, someone who strongly supports moral causes, however, with the addition of the goat, it seems to me that they have barely tapped the surface of their greatness. Perhaps they are trapped in the mindset of being of service to others, stubbornly avoiding the service of themselves. I get the feeling that this untapped potential within them has something to do with things being readily available within their reach but this stubborn energy of the goat preventing them from reaching out. Good luck to them

Their song is Please be Rude by Gigi Perez

Songs they want to send to each other

J-Hope: WILDFLOWER by Billie Eilish, U Deserve by Wasia Project, Nomad by Clairo, She Won't Go Away by Faye Webster, Feels Like a Dream by Rocco, Sign by Liana Flores.

Mang: Landslide (Remastered) by Fleetwood Mac, Sun to Me by Zach Bryan, my future by Billie Eilish, The View Between Villages by Noah Kahan, Sunlight by Hozier, Chemistry by Gigi Perez.

Rm:

Everything is fine, 3oW rx, 9oS, 8oS rx, 6oP rx, 9oC rx, PoS rx, KNoP, 3oP, 4oP rx, KnoC, 4oS rx, PoC, PoP rx, 6oS, 10oS, 2oS, 10oW, KoP rx.

So, everything is definitely not fine. It is giving defeatist, "I'll just lay here and hurt thank you". There is an air of feeling as though there isn't much of anything worth waiting for anymore, guy really wants to go home. He is not enjoying his time, he barely gets much sleep if he even sleeps, if his mind gives him a break from the constant cycle of over thinking and thinking about all the worst case scenarios. It feels as though he is trying to battle that by being more selfish with his energy and himself but it doesn't feel like himself, he doesn't feel as though he is achieving anything worth noting where he is currently physically and emotionally. I get the feeling with the page of swords reversed, he might've gotten some news that really upset him, but theres this acceptance energy? "I can't force it/you"? Regardless of that, he is taking his time day by day, the knight of pentacles is slow moving grounded energy. With the three of pentacles, he could be working alongside a group of people or specific person. Perhaps seeking counseling to overcome and let go of these things that took more precedent in his life than himself. It reads as though these are the practical steps he's taking to be able to offer a romantic proposition to someone or to better connect with himself and emotions. Honestly with the four of swords in the reversed position as the energy of coming out of inactivity and a restful period and going into an action based one it does seem like it is towards a person, possibly Koya. It feels as though this is a new energy, someone he has yet to meet? It seems as though the blockage to this is rooted in a lack of groundwork, a lack of following through and not seizing opportunities, perhaps a lot of bad news in earthly matters such as finances or health as well. He is trying his best to get the hell outta dodge, to heal slowly but- he is still overcome with grief and sadness at some sort of betrayal he felt. It seems as though this is something locked away deep inside of him that he is too afraid? to let out? He'd rather bare the weight of the burden as though it is his sacred duty. Even though it is actively working against his innate grounded and stable persona and aura.

4oS rx, 4oP rx, 6oP rx (clarified by 7oC, KnoS, 4oS rx, 9oS rx, Fool, KnoC), PoP, PoC rx, Hanged man rx, 6oC rx, Death, 8oC rx, 9oP, 9oC, 10oP rx, QoC rx, PoS rx, 9oS rx, AoS, QoS rx, 10oC, 2oC, 4oW, KoS rx, Empress rx, AoW rx, 7oS, Magician, Moon, Strength, Justice rx.

As I said before, it feels as though this energy is coming out of stagnancy, it is coming out of storage. It seems that something here is mending, there is a lot of releasing, of oneself and especially the control of the self or imposed by another. It's like this expectation they had of themselves, Koya and Rm, are being released, purposefully, selfishly and somewhat violently purged from themselves. Their are many options afford to them, but it takes too much time and effort to choose? So they're going buckwild and trying to seize every opportunity afforded to them, again coming out of inaction, diving straight into action, releasing the anxiety, the fear, they had to break down in order to build back up I suppose. It's a new era for them both and they are taking massive leaps of faith towards each other. There is a lot of effort being made in earthly matters, it feels like some sort of teamwork but on opposite poles. It seems as though for either one or both of them, their childhood traumas are causing them significant delays, possibly causing one of them to stall quite a bit. Thankfully they are both letting go of the past, resolving their childhood issues and maturing further in these aspects. One or both of them might be leaving from their home soon. There is a lot of new energy here waiting to come through the door but, you can't fit anything new in a closet full of junk so they're clearing out all of that energy for these new things. It isn't easy, there is a lot of attachment to these things as suggested in the eight of cups in the reversed position, there is some fears of moving on and fears of commitment to certain things on both sides. Regardless, he is hoping for the both of them, mainly Koya to prosper, to profit, to elevate themselves and social status for their own wellbeing. I get the feeling that he has come to terms with the fact that he cannot create a new generation by himself which- nvm...

He wants for someone to be emotionally mature enough to not be shaken by whatever might be said in the press, someone who can use their intuition to tell when something is wrong. However it seems that he is aware that is a bit unreasonable as that person would be akin to an unhealed queen of wands, someone who is very harsh in their punishments and jaded as all hell from past pains. He really wants a happy ending, a happy home life, the ability to cross the ocean and offer this proposal, to celebrate a successful union but- he feels like he is being too imposing, coming off too strong and controlling? I feel as though he might be scared of scaring off Koya, making them feel insecure anxious, and unstable which throws them off balance and off their game. He fears that it affects them to the point of it causing delays, creative blocks, kind of like spooking a turtle back in their shell. However, he knows that this is mostly his anxious thoughts overstepping, kind of like getting carried away within the thralls of an intrusive thought storm. He's doing what he can, with what he has practiced and mastered to go within and illuminate the shadows, mustering up as much strength as he can because he feels as though this isn't over and was possibly unfairly judged?

Cardinal, Bear, Swan, Jellyfish, Elephant, Kangaroo, Penguin, Goat.

The cardinal is a sign that we have divine visitors, angelic presences, love, divination, empathy, devotion and passion while the bear is mother energy, reparenting oneself. It seem as though he is healing himself and reparenting himself through connecting to important spiritual figures in his life and beyond. I have the feeling he could be mainly connecting with a grandmother spirit that really helps him especially in his connection to Koya. Funnily enough to get swan in a reading is to be made aware of your soulmate connections, whereas the jellyfish remind us to release our expectations and go with the flow. It seems as though he has a specified focus on a divine connection with someone, highly likely Koya as there are two cards pointing towards spiritual soulmate connections. He currently is and needs to work with his spiritual team to learn how to go with the flow, to minimize damage to his sensitive parts by minimizing the friction created when trying to go against the flow of the ocean currents. The elephant warns us of obstacles yet reminds us of our strength, wisdom and endurance where as kangaroos revive our raw energy, vitality and optimism. To overcome the obstacle at hand, he must remember his own strength, tap into his raw energy and vitality, tackle the obstacle head on and regain his sense of optimism. The penguin reminds us of our family and close relationships while the goat awakens our untapped potential, virility, fertility, and sometimes stubbornness. Now is a time for him to spend as much time as he can with those who replenish him for there is yet parts of himself to be unlocked to reach the true peak of who he is.

His songs are deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo, Getting Older by Billie Eilish, Still by Noah Kahan, Kill For You by Gigi Perez, Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski, DOGTOOTH by Tyler, The Creator, Kid & Leveret by Yaeklore, I Will Be Back One Day by Lord Huron, Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey) by The Weeknd, Congratulations by Post Malone ft Quavo, Good Days by SZA, watch by Billie Eilish, Why by Sabrina Carpenter, When She Smiles by Gigi Perez.

Koya:

AoS rx, 5oC, 7oP rx, 10oP rx, PoP, KoS, 9oP rx, Emperor rx, AoC, AoP rx, 7oS, 6oC, 5oP rx, Star, PoS rx, Tower rx, KnoC, 3oP, Wheel of Fortune, Chariot rx, Fool, 10oC, 4oC, Hermit, 6oW, 5oW rx, 8oW.

I smelled mothballs as soon as I started to shuffle, they might have mothballs around or they've been seeing a lot of moths around them and their home, possible a child of Hekate. What I'm reading from this is that they had a heavy bout of doubt, it seems as though there was a message that was trying to get through to them that they could not receive as they were too lost within the fog of their own mind. Heavily dealing with creative blocks and failures, falling for misinformation, possibly making several wrong decisions along the way. Damn poonks :/ Anywho, they experienced a really heavy loss- to them but it was basically them sobbing and crashing out over spilt milk but it was still something that was serious to them. It left them feeling as though all of the work that they put in wasn't worth it, all those long hours and late nights amounted to nothing seemingly, leading them to feel like their future was in jeopardy... seemingly. Everything turned out somewhat fine, they dusted themselves off and kept it pushing. You know that tiktok sound of female rage? Yeah, that was them except only screaming that slows down to jelly fish jam from Spongebob. They restarted their journey from where it left off but with more intention, using their past experiences as stepping stools and guide marks of where not to step. It seems as thought this crash out was part of a rift between Koya and Rm, one where they were being way more logical than emotional, trying to be fair to Rm but forgetting themselves in the mix. They felt as though they couldn't compare in some ways, they still feel less accomplished, not attached to the masculine energy within them enough to work towards what they want. They have the love, the full cup, but they've missed a lot of the physical and material opportunities to push themselves forward. The reason of them missing these opportunities is this deep engrained need to hide and shelter themselves, to be sneaky and strategic with their energy and presence due to childhood trauma related to being harmed due to simply being perceived. The are healing, receiving help and are coming out of a bad financial spot though, thankfully. They are trying to stay positive, to keep the hope and keep wishing, but they are probably one more bad news away from another more severe crashout. It's like they are trying to hold themselves together with a kindergarteners arts and craft project. I love when the cards confirm each other because it does seem like they've both made this pact to work with each other to take all steps necessary towards each other, including I'm hearing promising to send specific signs to each other?

The wheel of fate is in their favor here, I'm also hearing "fortune favors the bold" so perhaps they have to do something bold and out of the box that they would never think to do in a million years. It feels as though, currently, they are powerless against stopping themselves from making these leaps of faith, the only problem being is that they lack direction, could be making a leap of faith and land on the same exact spot honestly. Regardless, they are working towards and will achieve this harmonious reunification that they are looking for, unfortunately they will have to go within themselves and clear out the weeds, dust off the old books to find the keys they are missing, which, they don't want to do. They just have to grit their teeth and bear it because their success is right around the corner. They could possibly be an up and coming star/celebrity, about to put themselves on the line for the first time. It may happen in a place where there is no competition though, only camaraderie or, them having to submit to the energy and let it slingshot them forward.

Sun rx, 9oP rx, PoC rx, Magician rx, Moon rx, 8oW rx, High Priestess, 10oS, 9oS rx, 9oW rx, PoW rx, Hierophant, Star, Chariot.

So... things are not good... Thankfully the high priestess is here, indicating that they know exactly what is wrong and how to fix it. It seems like the rift that happened has yet to be healed, it seems as though Koya is still somewhat worried? They feel incredibly sad, theres this heavy energy so possibly oppressed as well. It seems as though they did not want to be financially dependent on their partner. It definitely seems as though this rift was caused by unrealistic expectations or fears from Koya, possibly worrying about their place in Rm's life and what it'd mean for them, it seems like this was definitely spurred on by childhood trauma wounds reopening. They did not feel all that in control, they felt as though they were manipulated by something in there personal life, tricked, or lacking mental clarity about something due to this heavy "weight of the world" energy that bled over into their connection with Rm. It's as though they deceived themselves by diving into places they knew they shouldn't go, spurring anxiety and causing their own intuition to be blocked. It slowed down the progress a whole lot and as I mentioned before, they had some sort of divine messages that wanted to come in but couldn't because of their mental state. They are aware of this, I mean, became aware of this after some time, after solving the riddles the Sphinx left behind, Now they're left feeling rather- like a pin cushion if you will. They need some time to heal as it seems as though their trust is still shaky here. They're thankfully no longer spiraling, rather going with the flow, not putting up a resistance to the change that needs to happen. They are painfully aware of how gullible they were though. It seems as though with the hierophant that they are slowly overcoming this through reconnecting with the divine. They could be a reader or someone who is spiritual and has access to the keys at the feet of the hierophant to unlock the necessary doors. They just have to focus on their hopes, dreams and wishes while they are being rushed forward.

Skunk, Salamander, Moose, Boar, Kangaroo, Lion, Lizard, Squirrel.

The skunk reminds us that there are alternative solutions, to rely on our resourcefulness while the salamander encourages us to partake in the alchemical process. It seems to me our dear Koya needs to turn to their resourcefulness to find an alternate solution to the blockages their facing, perhaps the solution is to simply turn their woes into their power. The imposing moose shows us the obstacles at hand, and the possibility of giving something too much power over us, while the boar is the destroyer, our self sabotage. OOf that felt like a call out to myself lmfao anywho, Koya might be giving their fears way too much power over them, making them seem bigger than they appear which feeds into this cycle of sabotaging their own efforts. The kangaroo gives us raw energy, vitality, and optimism while the lion rekindles our relationship with the divine masculine and father. It reads to me that Koya is needing to really tap into their optimism here to heal their relationship with the idea of the father as well as their divine masculine energy of action. The lizard warns us the repetition of cycles and unlearned lessons, the squirrel encourages us to build proper work life balances and prepare for the future. It seems as though Koya is in a pivotal moment in their life. They're needing to recognize the patterns in their life and put an end to the repetition, create a better work life schedule in order to prepare for their future. Good luck to them!

Their songs are Crybaby by SZA, Liquid Smooth by Mitski, I Carrion (Icarian) by Hozier, I'm Right Here by Young Spirit, 911/ Mr. Lonely by Tyler, The Creator Ft Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy, Kid & Leveret by Yaeklore (again???), Son of a Gun by Lord Huron, Way Down We Go by KALEO, San Luis by Gregory Alan Isakov, Photograph by Ed Sheeran, Six Feet Under by Billie Eilish, Daylight by Harry styles, Please Be Rude by Gigi Perez.

Songs they want to send to each other

Rm: Chemicals by Gregory Alan Isakov, Let It Go by James Bay, Sun to Me by Zach Bryan, come out and play by Billie Eilish (help?), Georgia by Vance Joy, It Will Come Back by Hozier (HELP? HELLO?)

Koya: I Carrion (Icarian) by Hozier, To Be Alone by Hozier, SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE by Tyler, The Creator ft Brent Faiyaz & Fana Hues, Billie Bossa Nova by Billie Eilish (chile- so anyways), Washing Machine Heart by Mitski, First Time by Hozier.

[moody-alcoholic]

Freaky Friday

+18 MDNI explicit content

You know the drill I write porn on Fridays. I don't know where my alcohol fueled brain was going with the first draft of this. I cleaned it up and well It's smut. Pretty vanilla sexy times but yeah... I will probably expand this into a full bonus chapter when I have time, with a dinner date and more smut.

Ghoap x reader, established relationship, 2.2k words.

CW: +18 MDNI explicit content Smut, sex, Oral (M&F receiving), fingering, PiV sex, mouth/throat fucking (kinda).

Masterlist - The Missing Link

Enjoy ya filthy animals <3

You walk out the bathroom into the bedroom shaking your head laughing at yourself before opening the door. Johnny is kneeling on the bed rubbing Simon’s shoulders, they both turn looking at you. Simon looks you up and down before chuckling and rubbing his neck. Johnny has the biggest grin you think you’ve ever seen on his face.

“I’m so sick nurse,” He says crawling to the end of the bed. Simon laughs grabbing the bottom of his top and pulling him back. You smile at him watching his face smash into the bedding.

“I can’t believe you got this,” you say looking down at the skimpy nurses uniform that barely covers you. You can’t believe you put it on.

“You know I could have just worn my actual uniform.” You say pointing at the blue blazer neatly folded on the chest of drawers.

“Can’t rip that off you though can we?” Johnny says winking.

“You’ve clearly never seen A&E on a Saturday night.” You chuckle.

“Where did you even get it from anyway?” You ask running your hands over the baby pink fabric.

“Amazon.” Johnny says.

“You’re missing out the part where you had it shipped to Price’s office.” Simon says scoffing.

“Oh yeah, he was really mad about that.” Johnny has that cheeky grin on his face. He knew what he was doing.

“So what do you want to do?” Simon asks. You shrug, they bought the outfit, even if it was a gag gift.

“It’s your birthday love we’ll do whatever you want.” Johnny says raising an eyebrow. You shrug again. You wish you could have been more prepared then maybe you’d have an idea of what you wanted to do. Could have got toys involved or something. Now you’re just standing there looking at them.

Johnny pats the bed next to him gesturing for you to sit. You smile crawling into the bed as you sit between them. Simon turns as Johnny’s hand immediately starts running up your thigh. You spread your legs, leaning over to kiss him.

This is what you need nothing fancy just some good old fashioned sex. Simon’s arm runs up your back to your neck, it sends shivers down your spine. You pull away from Johnny laying back on the bed. Simon stands up pulling his shirt off looking down at you as you feel Johnny slip between your legs.

Maybe you should just let them do what they want and you’ll lay there and take it. They always seem to know what to do, how to touch you and make sure you’re all having a good time. Simon unbuckling his belt pulls your head to look at him. You’re laid on the side of the bed as you feel Johnny’s tongue slip between your folds immediately finding it’s way to your clit.

Your head tips back and you moan as he wraps his lips around it giving it a suck. Simon’s hand comes down and sips under the thin fabric of the costume, his thumb brushes over you nipple, sending vibrations down your body. You want his cock, you turn to look at him, you could suck him off right here while Johnny’s is busy. You reach your hand out to Simon’s crotch, he only took his belt of, guess he got distracted you can feel his bulge in his pants. He see’s what you’re doing slipping his free hand down and drops his pants so you can reach into his boxers and pull his cock free.

You run your hand down the shaft, your mouth filling with saliva as he shifts his body to align with your head. You move closer to the edge as Johnny wines in protest, he looks up momentarily to see what you’re doing. You look down at him and smile, before he goes back down he hitches one of your legs over his shoulder turning your body so it’s angled towards Simon more.

Johnny watches you for a few seconds as Simon brings the tip to your mouth. You look up at him, opening your mouth and sticking your tongue out. You don’t know what that does to him but he makes a noise you’ve never heard before as his expression changes.

Johnny chuckles as he shuffles back between your legs. You want to tell him to get back to what he was doing. You miss his hot tongue massaging your clit. Simon guides his cock in your mouth slowly, he pushes it in further and further testing to see how deep he can go. You try to take him as deep as you can waiting till he hits your gag reflex before squeezing round him.

You’ve all but forgotten about Johnny just sat between your legs watching until you feel him insert a finger. You moan on Simon’s cock and he imminently inserts another. God it feels good, his fingers curling up inside you as his tongue goes back to massaging your clit. You have to close your eyes to keep from cuming especially with Simon’s hands squeezing your breasts and running his fingers over your nipples.

So many sensations and you’re just laying there taking it all. This is definitely what you needed. You thought you would be used to feeling them both pleasure you at the same time, but you find yourself rushing to the edge moaning more and more round Simon’s cock. You can tell he likes it his other hand finding it’s way to the back of your head, holding it in place while he thrusts in deeper each time. Whenever he hits your gag reflex you clamp down holding your breath so you don’t choke, blinking away tears

Johnny’s fingers and tongue have been gradually working quicker to the point where you could cum at any point. You don’t want to though you want to ride the feeling for as long as possible. Although, it’s like they mentally communicate with each other, knowing when to slow down or speed up, you’re not in control anymore you reach down gripping Johnny’s hair.

It’s the only warning you give before you cum. Your thighs squeezing together as Simon pulls out your mouth letting you moan and call Johnny’s name. He bends down brushing the hair out your face and kissing you as you relax your legs from round Johnny.

“Want to go again?” Johnny calls, you break from the kiss to look down at him, still trying to catch your breath. You nod.

“Good, ‘cause I really want to fuck you.” Johnny says jumping off the bed. Simon chuckles, you look at him his fingers tracing your face.

“What about you?” You ask him as Johnny strips. He smiles.

“I’m perfectly fine with this amazing mouth of yours, and these beautiful tits.” He says squeezing one in his hand. You smile as he leans in to kiss you again. You feel Johnny climb back on the bed. Simon stands up as Johnny pulls you closer to him, he kneels down, his hands gripping your waist.

You’re basically still on your side slightly, Johnny pulls your hips up to align with his hips, he’s basically holding you up. It’s an interesting position, but it means you’re at the perfect angle to pleasure Simon without having to turn your head. Your neck will thank you later you’re sure. Simon moves positing himself by your mouth as he strokes his cock, he doesn’t wait for Johnny to be finished pressing the tip to your lips.

You open for him looking up at him as he presses it in moving his hand to run through your hair. Johnny’s fingers rub against your entrance as you hold your breath expecting him to push one in. He doesn’t instead coating his fingers in your slick before you hear him rub it on his length.

He moans as he’s doing it, it’s like music to your ears making your pussy flutter as you wait to feel him line up with your entrance. He doesn’t wait much longer as he starts teasing you with his tip, he goes slow pushing into you ever so slightly. You want to move your body press up against him and take him deeper. You can’t move though without moving for Simon, who’s keeping your head locked in place. You have to settle for being teased, and Johnny knows it bringing a thumb up to press down on your clit making you moan and clench down on him. You hear him chuckle, bastard.

You look up at Simon, who’s hand is still running through your hair gripping it, his other hand tugging on your nipple. He looks down at you smiling, you can see his eyes glossed over, his hand drops from your head to stroke your cheek. Johnny is still teasing you it’s almost unbearable, you let out a frustrated moan as he pulls out of you completely, making you feel empty.

“Be nice Johnny it’s her birthday.” Simon says looking down at him.

“Okay.” You hear Johnny say defeated, normally you wouldn’t mind Johnny teasing you a bit but Simon’s been doing such a good job with your mouth and breasts, you’re desperate to feel him inside of you.

You don’t get much warning, as Johnny thrusts himself in, you almost yelp the motion is so quick. His thumb doesn’t leave your clit rubbing in circles, pressing it down as he thrusts inside you. You turn your attention back to Simon as your mouth fills with saliva, the blowjob turning into a sloppy mess as he starts to become more desperate. Testing you again to see how far he can push your limit, you let him, as he brushes the tear escaping from your eye away. You try to smile but he pushes in deep almost too deep as a long moan escapes his mouth. Christ, that sounds good.

You’re barely thinking now your body being touched to the point of over stimulation. Johnny’s started moving faster his fingers digging into your ass, his thumb still pressing on your swollen clit, it’s almost too much. You don’t even care about the gargled moans coming out your mouth, the ones you know send vibrations up Simon’s cock as he fucks your mouth. He’s close you can tell. He has to keep stopping, each time twitching in your mouth and taking a breath. You could be mean, press your tongue on the underside and pushing him over the edge but you don’t, letting him take a second instead.

“Christ love, the noises coming from you.” Johnny says. You can’t see him but you feel him getting faster, his grip tighter. You’re too blissed out to care, clenching round him as he bounces against your cervix. You’re really close, between Simon’s moans and Johnny’s constant stream of praise and ‘good girls,’ it’s enough to distract you from being able to stop yourself. You should let yourself enjoy this, it is your birthday after all.

At least Johnny warns you before he cums. Squeezing your ass and moaning your name, his thumb flicking your clit sending you over the edge as you cum too. You arch your back trying to keep your head still. It’s no use though, Johnny keeps you firmly in place moving his arm to grip your hip and stop you from moving as he throbs inside of you. Simon doesn’t give you any warning, thrusting his dick down your throat, making you gag as he spills into you. You squeeze your eyes shut holding your breath so you don’t choke. Simon pulls out your mouth slowly, letting you swallow his load sucking in a gasp of air.

“Jesus Si, trying te kill her?” Johnny chuckles as you sit up, wiping the saliva drooling down your face.

“She can take it.” Simon says leaning over and kissing you on the head. You take the praise looking up at Johnny and smiling.

“You didn’t ruin the dress.” You say looking down at it still intact.

“Save it for next time,” Johnny winks. “We’ll do a little bit of roleplay, re-enact the first time we met.” Simon sighs next to you as he bends down to find his clothes. You roll your eyes crawling over to kiss him. He wraps his arms round you pulling him on top of him.

“Johnny!” You protest wriggling in his grip.

“Nice sexy medic taking care of us.” He says planting little kisses all over your face.

“You should be dressing up too then.” You tease him.

“Okay, I will, Simon will too.” He winks.

“No I bloody won’t.” He says leaving the bedroom. You chuckle resting your head on Johnny’s chest.

“Let’s get cleaned up, then me and Si are taking you out somewhere nice for dinner.” He says stroking your back. You smile, turning your head to look up at him.

“Let’s just lay here for a bit.” You say, he looks at you and nods wrapping his arms back round you and squeezing you tight.

[legodcsupervillansbiggestfan]

Just saw a tiktok where it's talking about how Arthur Morgan wouldn't vote for trump, and there was a comment that was like "erm ya but Micah would"

Bro... please shut the fuck up. NONE of the gang would vote. They are OUTLAWS. HOW HARD IS IT TO GET THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL? YES, Micah is an extremely shitty person, I am not denying that, he is racist and all that crap, but he is still an OUTLAW. WHO DOES CRIME!!! If he was smart (which he definitely is, it's just overshadowed by his recklessness), who wouldn't even risk going to the voting polls. None of the gang would.

Just because YOU don't like a character, doesn't mean you get to say that they'd buy into all of the political beliefs that don't align with your own. Again, don't get me wrong, Micah is a TERRIBLE person. But you can also hate a character while acknowledging that they have their positives, like how Micah IS good at uh, shooting people or something idk I haven't played RDR2 in ages so the events aren't exactly fresh on my mind, but man I have over 528 hours on it, I think I can speak on this.

I honestly see this thing a lot in fandom spaces, not just in RDR2, where people will demonize a character they hate by making them a bigot. It happened a lot in the 2020 mha fandom, where people would make girl characters homophobic just because they got in the way of a ship. It's a really dumb thing to do.

Back to the RDR2, I also see something like this happen with Bill and other characters that aren't conventionally attractive. People will hate these characters for things that other gang members that ARE conventionally and have done. Some people hate Reverend Swanson for being drunk and annoying (granted he is a little bit), but also never acknowledge how he gets better over time. And again, you ARE allowed to hate characters!! I'm not saying you have to do deep, indepth research on every single fictional character before forming an opinion on them, but I just want to say that if you don't like a character, and you see someone talking about how they're their favourite character, just ignore it.

Finally, two more things. One is that I also saw a tiktok quite some time ago where someone was disgusted at how some people like Micah and find him attractive. Well... Yeah. Some people's types are different to yours. I'm going to assume that some people mainly find him physically attractive, and that's fine. A lot of people have said this before, but I think it needs to be said again:

YOU CAN LIKE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WITHOUT SUPPORTING THEIR ACTIONS. JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER DOESN'T MEAN YOU SUPPORT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THEY DO.

People can like Micah Bell without thinking that the racist BS he said was totally cool as well!!! But some people can't get that idea through their heads. I personally found him quite funny and rather badass during my first playthrough. Does that mean my eyes DIDN'T widen a bit in surprise during chapter one where he complains about sharing a cabin with Bill, Lenny, and Charles? No, it doesnt.

The final thing I'm going to say is more about Bill and Javier. I see sooooo many people in that absolutely despise Bill (not even rdr1 Bill, RDR2 Bill!) and love Javier. Obviously you can despise Bill and love Javier, but sometimes I see people blatantly ignoring bad stuff Javier has done, and blowing bad stuff Bill has done way out of proportion. Remember that dynamite in Chapter one that Bill was supposed to make blow up the train tracks? Remember how Bill asked Arthur to tie the spool to the trigger? Yeah, I 100% believe it was Arthur's fault that it didn't blow up, but everybody blames Bill. Bill IS smart, hell, the valentine bank robbery he organized was one of the few successful missions the gang has during the story. But since he has a temper and the rest of the gang always mock him and call him stupid, the players believe he's dumb as well.

And with Javier, people always say that Javier "didn't aim at Arthur and John in chapter 6". But, in the screenshot they use of him aiming his gun at the sky, as far as I remember, in the very next scene he's aiming right at them. Then there's also that camp interaction where Javier randomly walks up to Bill (who is minding his business) and starts insulting him for no reason??? And then when Bill gets upset he's like "ooh, I LOVE how you talk to me like I'm a little poor person in Mexico and you're the big strong American soldier" (not exactly what he said but it's basically it), and it's like? Dude? Shut the fuck up??? You made him mad on purpose, and then got upset when he, well, got mad??????? But anyways, why do a lot of people prefer Javier over Bill (in all honesty I found Javier a little annoying in my first playthrough and I still do, I don't care for him. Do I hate him? No, but I find him a bit obnoxious) ?

Obviously the reason will vary from person to person but I think for a lot of people, it may have something to do with the fact that Javier is "hot" and Bill is "not". That may not be the entire reason for most people, but it's most likely a part of it.

Thanks for reading my dumb eight am rant lol, let me know if there's any spelling mistakes or something idk I'm tired

[mikathemonster]

𝓜𝓮𝓽𝓪𝓵 𝓘𝓷 𝓜𝔂 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭, 𝓐 𝓑𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓘𝓷 𝓜𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓭!

THIS IS PART ONE OF AN ONGOING SERIES.

synopsis. when tasked as the newest social media manager for Middle Earth's biggest metal band, the bassist makes it his mission to personally piss you off <3

pairing. Fíli / Gender-Neutral Reader

content. enemies to lovers, metal band! AU, modern tolkien! AU, slightly fem-aligned reader, possible ooc Thorin

song inspiration. "Untouched" by the Veronicas, "I Don't Wanna Be Me" by Type O Negative, "Again" by Flyleaf

wc. 5791

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Most people would be delighted to have a job this huge just two years out of college. Hell, your previous classmates would probably kill to be in your position. But being the social media manager of one of Middle-Earth’s most famous metal bands wasn’t the dream you originally thought it would be.  Sure, Durin’s Doom was known for the craziest fan base that’s kept them popular for the last few years they’ve been active, but everyone knew that their social media advertising was severely lacking compared to their rivals. When they did manage to post videos of their concerts, they would quickly go viral – known for their flashy pyrotechnics and rather attractive band members. This in turn would attract new fans of various demographics, but none of their previous social media managers would last long enough to ride that wave.

This is where you came in. On the cusp of their two-year anniversary from their first sold-out show, their manager hired you – fresh out of college, bright-eyed and eager to prove yourself – to run a full blown marketing campaign for Durin's Doom.

Within your first few months with the band, Thorin Oakenshield, the band’s manager, had told you right off the bat that you would be going on their Mithril Memoirs tour for the next five months. Named after their newest album, it was their biggest tour yet: a total of 62 shows starting in Erebor and stretching from Gondor to Moria and ending with some smaller sets in the Shire. Featuring music from their new album as well as some of their cult classics, each concert was easily almost three hours long – many were already sold out.

“We need to make their content more personal,” he had explained while smoothing back his long black hair. You could see faint streaks of silver in it, probably from age as well as stress. 

“Now, you’re all at the height of your career,” Thorin added. “It’s the first time they’re going on a tour of this size.”

“The shorter videos seem to do well online, that’s enough for me,” Kíli chimed in, a grin on his scruffy face as he relaxed into the futon in Thorin’s office. His short brown hair was pulled back away from his face, other than his bangs.

He was the lead guitarist of the band and one of Thorin’s nephews. He was fun to hang around, but you didn’t always care for how carefree he could be. 

“Well, I’m not just here for content like that,” you sighed. “There’s more to managing a brand than making TikToks and t-shirts.” As if you had gone through four years of study just to make Instagram Reels; you would sooner turn in your degree.

“I never understood that app anyways,” Gimli grumbled. The drummer was just the youngest of the band and yet you swore sometimes that he had the soul of your cynical grandfather; he even had the long beard to match. “I always keep swiping and pushing unnecessary buttons.”

“Perhaps more fan cams would help?” Ori suggested, completely negating the fact that you had tried to steer them off of video content. He was the second youngest, with short brown hair and a short beard to match. He was also the vocalist of the band. “The fans always love using them for their edits online.”

“I’ve seen those!” Kíli beamed. “They can’t get enough of us! Ori, did you see the one where they were shipping Gimli and–”

“Enough,” Thorin’s voice boomed, shutting them down. “All of you. We’re trying something new. Thanks to all of the interviews you’ve all elected to skip out on as of late, your fans and even investors feel disconnected with you.”

“I thought they liked our mysteriousness,” Kíli grumbled. 

His uncle shot him a glare, which seemed to shut him up for now. “Those touch-starved fans of yours who make edits of you late in the night won’t be satiated with just a young face, Kíli.”

Kíli’s expression sank. You held back a smile that tugged at the corners of your lips.

“Do you have something to add, Y/N?” Fíli finally spoke, much to your chagrin. The blonde bassist and backup singer loved trying to get on your nerves. You had learned quickly to not be fooled by his charming braided beard or charismatic smile. Unlike his brother, he was more tightly wound. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t just as mischievous.

Your smile dropped. “Only that I agree, is all. Thorin has a point.” 

Thorin sighed. “All of you, quiet. Y/N, I have put you in charge of the new campaign I’ve begun setting in motion.”

The plan in question? Video content, of course. Your worst enemy.

Surely, there was nothing wrong with video content as a concept. Editing footage could be quite fun if you had the time on your hands. But the time needed to complete such a task was usually double your usual output, meaning you were usually isolated for hours just to get the job done.

In truth, your real passion was in the networking of your job. Outreach coordination with new sponsors to create social media campaigns had always been your strongest suit. You loved the conversation and mingling; being able to talk about what you were doing was what made it exciting. It was what kept you motivated. And it didn’t stop at just sponsors. You loved to read the comments people would leave on a post you had spent so much time on. It was what made your job so special.

According to Thorin, your job while traveling with the band was to make a documentary-style post with the members every week of their tour. Ideally, he wanted you to capture content showing the journey of the band as a means of telling their story to their fans. Through this, their fans could see exclusive behind-the-scenes content and build an even better relationship to their favorite heavy metal dwarves. And not to mention the fact that it would totally boost ticket sales. 

Besides, it wasn’t as if you were totally alone on the project. Once in Moria, you’d be having an assistant help you out, a dwarf by the name of Threl. You were relieved to hear you’d have some help, but you were still worried you wouldn’t be able to handle this big of a project on your own.

It wasn’t a lack of confidence; you knew your work ethic was nothing to scoff about. You were determined and very eager to show your worth. But this was nothing compared to your past jobs, which were much smaller than a five month tour with Erebor’s most famous metal band.

And oh, what a nightmare it was!

The first month had actually been fairly easy. At first, it wasn’t so hard; weekly content was always a better deadline than daily content. Ori was always willing to help film as the vocalist, even going so far as to tease some unreleased music in some of the videos. Every now and then, you’d even livestream from inside the tour bus, showcasing the layout or sitting on the couch while eating dinner. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the easiest way to wrangle Kíli and Gimli for content. They were always trying to sneak off, getting into all sorts of trouble. You hadn’t seen either of them for a whole weekend while the tour stretched through Mirkwood; it drove you insane. But you were lucky to be assured by Ori, who told you that both of their elven partners lived there. 

While it was still irksome for them to shirk their responsibilities, a part of you had been relieved to hear their reasons. Besides, you had some solace seeing that Thorin wasn’t entirely pissed off at their absence.

“They do this every time we travel here,” Ori explained. “Long distance love is like that.” 

You smiled, pausing from editing the tour footage. “It must be lovely to pass through for them, then. Spending time doing romantic things for the ones they love.”

“It is, Kíli always makes Tauriel a gift basket before he sees her here,” Ori smiled softly. “It’s so romantic, though I know she’s just excited to see him at all. She plans out the entire day for them when he’s in town, doing all sorts of fun activities.”

“Among other things,” Fíli interjected with a smirk.

Ori frowned. “Come on, you don’t need to tell any secrets here–”

“Oh, I can certainly tell you what they’re doing,” Fíli retorted. “It’s no secret, that’s for certain.”

“Fíli, seriously.” Ori rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying, they don’t seem eager to be back in these bus beds,” Fíli couldn’t keep the grin off of his face.

“We get it,” you intervened, an unamused stare directed towards the bassist. “You guys have sex. Seriously guys, we’re not kids here. And I don’t want to hear about your… escapades.”

“They’re no escapades of mine!” Ori cried as he pointed a finger at his bandmate, appalled that you would even rope them in together. “He’s the one always bringing someone over in the wee hours of the night!”

“Well, some secrets don’t need to be aired out, do they?” Fíli returned, clearly caught off guard.

“Easy for you to say, huh?” You raised a brow, scoffing. “Sitting there as if you weren’t about to air out your brother’s laundry.”

“That’s the brother tax!” Fíli raised both arms in a shocked surrender. “He does it to me all the time, telling everyone my secrets!”

“What secret? I can hear you plain as day!” Ori replied. 

“Well excuse me for not putting on a noise machine! Didn’t realize you didn’t own any earbuds.”

“Seriously, who even wants to do that in these bus beds? They can barely fit us!”

“Bold of you to assume that we use the beds.”

“Alright, that’s enough!” You stood up, picking up your laptop with you. Suddenly the tour bus’s couch didn’t seem as comfortable as it had just been. You would just have to edit the footage elsewhere.

“Pack it up, guys. Y/N said the party’s over.” Fíli joked, much to Ori’s dismay.

You made your way to the passenger seat of the bus, eager to leave the boys behind. At least you hadn’t slept in the tour bus with them; you could still be thankful for the hotels. All you had to do was keep making videos and not wonder about what happens on the bus after you’re done filming.

Thankfully, you were already seeing results. Thousands of fans would join the livestreams and even more loved the weekly videos. Thorin was pleased with your work; you were already proving yourself rather quickly. Besides, even if the band members were a little too exuberant for you, it didn’t stop you from enjoying the free concerts from backstage. It made you feel like a kid again to hear the loud music and see the flashy pyrotechnics, only this time you had the grown-up job to go along with it.

By the second month, even the band members were starting to enjoy the process a little more. Kíli adored the attention he got when he brought the camera on stage to film and his fans loved being included even more. Sometimes you could never find your camera because Ori and him had stolen it to go film some sort of lunch mukbang in between concerts. Even Gimli had started pitching in, albeit by only doing Q&A videos, claiming that he couldn’t stand the other stuff. Noticing how much they had taken to the videos, Thorin had even purchased another camera specifically for the band to use. You were more than grateful for the eager help.

But conversations like the previous were the reason you were living a partial nightmare lately. You had gotten to know the band members and their odd quirks and you always knew how to deal with them. You’d even feel inclined to call them your friends. But for some reason, the bassist knew how to push every single button you had. With no hesitation.

Fíli was always a wild card. Both of Thorin’s nephews were wild and impulsive, but you could usually predict whatever Kíli was scheming; you knew his tells by now. Plus, he usually worked in pairs, so it was always easier to track him down. His brother on the other hand? If he wasn’t sneaking in some pretty groupie into the tour bus late at night, then he was out partying with the band or locked away song-writing. And while it was abysmal, you were fine with the routine, so long as you were out of it. But lately, he wanted to entertain a new objective: getting under your skin in any way he could. 

You had already thought him annoying in these first two months of tour; with his witty remarks and sarcastic drawl, he seemed like every other egotistical musician you had met. And sure, when he and his brother teamed up, the pranks were funny; even you could admit that. But as the third month began, he had decided it was his personal mission to drive you insane. And you were starting to lose it.

There you were, in a hotel Thorin had booked at the last minute due to the bus breaking down. Hit by torrential rain storms while touring through Gondor, the band had to cancel two of their three tour dates there just for the sake of safety. To say Thorin was stressed was an understatement; along with issuing refunds for the lost concerts, service also had to be done to the bus, and there was no telling how long that would take. Thus, Thorin had gotten everyone three hotel rooms, all right next to each other. One for the band, one for yourself and one for Thorin. You hoped that the soft bed would help a little of his stress, but there was no telling for the grumpy older dwarf.

But despite having to cancel two of their concerts, the morale of the band was better than ever. So used to sleeping in the bunk beds of the bus, this hotel was like a paradise to them. Sure, they were devastated that they wouldn’t be able to perform, especially Kíli and Ori. But like kids in a candy store, the young dwarves wasted no time in enjoying their break from the cramped bus. Kíli and Gimli had already started having drinking competitions in the hotel bar. Ori was making use of their expansive spa services. And as per usual, Fíli was nowhere to be seen. 

But none of that mattered to you now, because you were too busy making full use of the indoor pool. 

You sunk your body into the warm waters, glad that you had packed a bathing suit at all. You were worried it had been for nothing, since your past hotels hadn’t had anything more than a small gym. But this? This was perfect. A sigh escaped your lips, even more grateful that the pool was heated. There was nothing more relaxing than a midnight swim, and while it was still early in the night, you had every intention of staying as long as you were allowed. 

Your body felt light as air as you floated on your back, letting yourself drift wherever the water chose to take you. It was a large pool, and empty too, so you were eager to make use of the space. You closed your eyes, steadying your breathing so you’d stay afloat, half tempted to grab a lounge float and take a long-needed nap in the waters. Even without a float, you could feel yourself drifting away in an almost meditative space. It was bliss. The water hugged you like a warm hug and you felt light as ever. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt this light or this relaxed. You made a mental note to recommend this to Thorin; maybe this would help him to relax from his own stress.

In this tranquil moment of yours, nothing mattered. Not the band. Not your job. And certainly not your–

“You drowning over there, love?”

Immediately your head shot up to see who had interrupted your pool-induced peace, but the sudden motion only made you lose your perfect floating posture. Arms flailed in the water and cheeks felt hot from embarrassment, as you steadied yourself back to standing upright. You must have looked like a dying fish.

You looked over at the intruder, embarrassment now turning to annoyance as you rolled your eyes and loudly groaned. Lo and behold, a whopping twenty feet away at the other edge of the pool was none other than Fíli, the famed bassist of Durin’s Doom. You didn’t even care about him seeing your obvious annoyance.

Constant teasing and mockery was his usual modus operandi, which meant that tranquil state you had been in was far, far away now. 

“You probably wish I was,” you retorted. “I was enjoying myself, you know.”

“And I was enjoying the view,” he responded just as quickly. Sharp-witted, he was. 

“I could file that as harassment, you know.” You scoffed. 

You shrank into the water, eyeing up his cargo shorts and loose fitting tank top. “Nice swimsuit.” 

“Well I didn’t exactly pack for a vacation, now did I?” He sat down at the edge, bringing his feet into the water now. 

“I suppose not,” you said, hands running through your hair to get it out of your face. It seemed you were stuck with sharing the water with him. “Enjoying the pool?”

“I should be asking you that.” His eyes seemed to burn into you. “By the way, lovely swimsuit.”

You scoffed. “Very original.”

“What? I mean it.” He grinned. “What’s wrong with a little harmless flirting?”

You stood there, stunned. For a second you wondered if your ears had gotten waterlogged. You even felt your eye twitch.

“It just seems a little out of place for you–”

“Oh come on,” he waved, dismissing your thought. “It comes naturally when I see someone as stunning as yourself.”

Okay, now you were certainly confused. 

“Is this another strategy of yours to annoy me?” You asked. “Because I’m not just some fan, here. I know your antics by now.”

“Depends on if it’s working or not,” he said. “What a joy it is to be known.”

You rolled your eyes. Of course he was just being annoying. Honestly, it felt a little relieving to know he didn’t mean it. He was your boss’s nephew and you were not willing to risk this job when you had put so much work into it already.

“Don’t you have someone else to be pestering right now?” You asked.

“Where else should I be?”

“Maybe somewhere that doesn’t require a swimsuit,” you scoffed, swimming over to the steps of the pool so you could sit.

Fíli laughed at your remark. “Well excuse me for being reasonable with my packed wardrobe. Clearly you packed more accordingly.”

“That’s the beauty of staying in hotels instead of a metal band’s tour bus,” you remarked, and you couldn’t help the laugh that followed. For a moment, you would actually consider this interaction nice.

“And here I thought you were just having a bunch of one-night stands.”

You did a double take at his words. “Right, because you’re certainly one to talk. I’d say I have a little more self-worth than that.”

“Don’t disrespect the hustle, now.” He countered.

“Oh, is that what it is? I’m not sure if Ori would agree. Should we ask him?”

“Are we flirting right now?”

You laughed, you couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the pool, but at this moment he wasn’t entirely annoying. Witty, sure. Annoying? Eh, you could handle it.

“As flattering as that may be,” you said, climbing out of the pool. “I think you’ve misread flirting for me just doing my job.”

You started wringing your hair out, water clinging to your body as you reached for your towel.

“I didn’t realize witty banter was in the job description,” he joked.

“It’s not,” you nodded. “But it does come with the employee. Banter and I are a package deal. Call that the Y/N tax.”

He laughed, and you couldn’t help but smile at yourself.

“Is that right? So I misread you filming me a lot more often lately? Is that correct?” He raised a brow, his smile now turning into something more unreadable.

“You’re joking, right?” You raised a brow, unsure if he was still messing with you or not. “Are you talking about the montage we’re making?

“I’m serious,” he nodded. “This whole time I thought you were trying to tell me something.”

Your eyes widened and you had to bite your tongue from mouthing off. He genuinely thought that you filming B-Roll of him was your way of flirting? As if this was some shoddy romantic comedy. And even if it were, you certainly knew to be more forward than that.

“Fíli, I can assure you that the only reason I may have been capturing more content of you is simply because you’re the member with the least amount of footage.” You turned to face him, stepping closer as you tried to clear the air. The warmth of the water was starting to get to you; you could feel your cheeks burning. “We’re making fan cam montages for each of the members right now, all from the shows we just did in Minas Tirith. I just made sure to capture more of you since you’re so hard to track down half of the time.”

“I was brought on this tour by your uncle to produce results.” You did your best to come off as firm and poised. You wanted there to be no room for misunderstanding between you two. “There was no ulterior motive. I’m sorry if I gave that impression.”

He sat there for a moment, silent as he understood. Then he nodded, looking down at his feet before meeting your eyes again. You could only watch in silence, baffled by his behavior. You hoped he understood; the last thing you needed was any miscommunication with something like this.

“Right then,” he slapped his hands on his thighs, nodding to himself. “My mistake.”

He looked to you, offering his hand as his usual smirk returned to his face. A silent ask to help him up from the pool.

You sighed, reluctantly crossing over to him, your free arm reaching out to help as your other hand kept your towel in place. “Alright then, let’s just–”

And before you could even realize what had happened, SPLASH!

Water filled your nose and your arms flailed about as you panicked to get your footing on the pool floor. You were lucky you were in the shallow end as you managed to quickly recover and stand in the water. But much to your dismay, your towel was now soaking in the warm waters with you. It had been a personal towel, too. The only one you had packed.

Fíli couldn’t control himself from laughing, his eyes crinkling like old paper at the sight of his little prank. Perhaps that had been his plan all along, to reel you in with some accusation of flirting all so he could act like a child and push you into the pool. You wouldn’t put it past him. Him and his brother were always down for childish antics. The bar was never too low for the likes of them.

“Are you serious?!” You shouted, now visibly upset. “Is that your new thing? Making me think my job’s on the line so you can just drown me? Is that what we’re doing here?”

He stood up now, still roaring with laughter. “Drown you? You were doing that very well by yourself earlier! What would you need my help for?”

He was practically wheezing now. “You should have seen the look on your face!”

The thought crossed your mind to drown him yourself. It would’ve been easy with your height difference anyways. But that would mean losing your job as well as a few morals, and so the idea left your head just as quickly as it had come.

But gods, it pissed you off to see him laughing so hard at your expense. And your towel’s expense!

“Well that’s just great,” you muttered, losing your patience with the bassist. You collected the sogging wet towel from the pool, now much heavier with the weight of the water, and gave it your best shot as you threw it at him.

THWACK! Right into his smug little face, the weight of the wet fabric pushed him back until he stumbled forward, falling into the water like a buoy.

You laughed to yourself, surprised it had been so effective and feeling a little bit of satisfaction as you waded over back to the stairs. Though, it seemed you would have to walk back to your hotel room sopping wet. Because for some god forsaken reason, this hotel didn’t offer complimentary towels.

You didn’t even want to go near him right now to retrieve the towel. It would be too tempting to just drown the dwarf.

You crawled out of the pool, wringing your hair once more as you watched the blonde resurface, towel now in his calloused hands.

“And for the record,” you called out, hoping his ears were dry enough to hear you. “If you weren’t so impossible to track down, I wouldn’t have to record you all the time. Seriously, I can never find you unless you’re onstage. It’s either you’re performing or you’re out at the pub or you’re teasing Ori or you’ve got some girl on the bus couch!”

You stormed off, heading straight for the door before turning around and giving your last piece of mind. “I can’t even look at those couches the same anymore!”

Slamming the door behind you, all you could think about was how much you desperately needed a shower and a warm bed.

Hours later, after a cold walk to your room followed by a warm shower, you were just about to tuck in for the night before Ori had already come knocking on your door asking for help to bring Kíli and Gimli to bed. According to the poor nervous vocalist, Kíli and Gimli had gotten piss drunk while playing a handful of drinking games. The games didn’t stop until one of the players conceded one way or another, and in this case, both players had conceded by blacking out and passing out.

“I came down from my massage to find them both slobbering and slurring their words,” he explained with a panicked tone. “I don’t know what else to do! Thorin will kill us if he finds out!”

“Ori, it’s almost one in the morning,” you frowned at the young vocalist. “Are they really that drunk already?”

“I know and I’m so sorry to bother,” he said. “But I wouldn’t have come asking if I didn’t have any other option. Plus, you’re our friend.”

“If they’re already out, why not leave them there? Let them soak in their own consequences?” Despite your annoyed tone, you were already putting on some shoes to come with him.

“Thorin would kill us even more if we did that,” he frowned. “The press would have our heads.”

You rolled your eyes; in your opinion, you didn’t think that a dwarven metal band caught plastered would read as much of a headline. It would be like saying water was wet, or a fork was found in a kitchen. But Ori’s panicked state was enough to make you want to help the poor fellow.

“Where is Thorin, then? Or Fíli?” You asked, wondering how no one else seemed available to help. 

“Thorin’s asleep and I couldn’t find Fíli in the room,” he frowned. “Please help me, Y/N. I’ll do whatever you want for the next week when we’re not performing, I swear!”

Fìli, nowhere to be found? Again, a fork was found in a kitchen. You weren’t even surprised anymore; it wasn’t like you were eager to see his smug face, anyways.

“Alright, alright,” you waved. “There’s no need for all of that now. Let’s just get these two in bed. You can thank me later.”

You followed him down to the hotel bar, where a very displeased bartender greeted you with a glare. You did your best to apologize and close their tabs, adding in a generous tip while Ori attempted to wake them both up.

“Come on, we’ve got to get you in bed,” he pleaded.

“Bed? I’m already in bed,” Kíli giggled to himself amongst his incoherent babbling.

“Alright, come on, boys,” you sighed as you joined them. 

“Should we try one at a time or both at once?” Ori asked.

You looked over at Gimli, who was curled up on a hotel lobby couch. For now, Kíli was being the most disruptive. You wrapped his arm around you, motioning for Ori to help out as you tried getting the poor dwarf on his feet.

“Best we start with him, I think,” you grunted, having to hold up most of his weight.

An hour later, you had successfully dragged two very drunk dwarves out of the hotel bar, into the elevator and all the way down the corridor to their shared room at the end of the hall. Kíli had been lucid enough to get up and walk, but his definition of walking was quickly discovered to just be hanging on to you two. Gimli, on the other hand, only needed the incentive of another beer to get him to go to bed. Fortunately, he passed out in his bed before he could realize you two were duping him. Unfortunately, he had thrown up all over your feet on the way up.

Ori was doing his best to take care of a half-lucid Kíli, helping him drink some water and get into bed while you vigorously scrubbed your feet in their bathtub. You considered it karma; if they were going to throw up on you, the least you could do was wash it off in their bathroom.

“That’s it, then,” Ori whispered as he came into the bathroom to wash his own hands. “We did it.”

“Albeit with some casualties,” you gestured to your feet. “I’m never doing that again.”

Ori gave a worried laugh. “Again, I’m so sorry about that. I tried to get him to a trash can–”

“Yeah, like he was going to go for that,” you groaned. “He kept thinking it was a big glass of water.”

“He gets really stubborn like that when he’s drinking,” Ori explained. “You should see him on Elven wine.”

You sighed. “Well, at least we got the job done. We make quite the team, it seems.”

“One that I hope we don’t have to break out again anytime soon. Again, I can’t thank you enough for your help. I genuinely don’t know what I would have done without you.”

You laughed at Ori’s remark, sharing the sentiment. “It’s fine; it’s over with now. Are they both asleep?”

“Kíli might moan and groan a bit more, but Gimli’s out cold. Either way, it’s enough work for tonight. And I’d feel awful if you had to help out any more than you already have.” He gave you a sheepish smile, thanking you again for your efforts at almost three in the morning.

“What are friends for?” You gave a weak laugh, drying your feet off as you gave a fist bump to the vocalist. “At least you all don’t perform until tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, just our luck; they’ll both be complaining all day about their hangovers,” he sighed. “Good night, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Ori,” you smiled, giving him a hug before quietly leaving their room and finally returning to yours.

You shut your door behind you, a huge sigh of relief leaving your lips as the promise of your warm bed now seemed ever closer. A part of you was tempted to just sink into your bed, but you knew that your entire body probably needed a scrub after deadlifting drunken dwarves. Tonight seemed full of obstacles.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Never mind. Apparently your obstacle was another late-night visitor. You groaned, ripping open the door without even bothering to look through the peephole. 

“Ori, I thought you said they were asleep…” You shook your head, caught off guard by the person in front of you. “You’re not Ori.”

There stood Fíli, eyes heavy with sleep and your towel, now dry, clutched in his left hand. He was in different clothes than when you had seen him last, ditching the wet cargo shorts for some rather comfy-looking flannel pants and a white tank top.

“Oh, they’re surely asleep,” he confirmed. “And in my bed, no less. I just came from there.”

“Sorry, I thought you were Ori,” you frowned. “We just finished putting them to bed… Wait, where have you been? We were looking for you earlier when we had to drag your brother from the bar.”

“I’ve been in the laundromat. I had to ask some of the staff for help, so it took a while.”

He handed the towel over to you, its fibers still very warm, as if it had just been taken out of the dryer. “I came back to return this. I figured you might want it back.” 

You took it with curious eyes, now feeling a little embarrassed for hitting him with it earlier. “You went through the trouble of washing and drying it?”

“Consider it my apology for hitting on you earlier.” He said. “You’ve got one hell of a throw, by the way. I’m lucky I fell into the pool and not the concrete.”

Now you felt your cheeks flush, embarrassed of your lack of patience earlier. 

“Right, I’m sorry about that,” you swallowed your pride as you apologized. The last thing you needed was any incident that could make you lose this job. “I just want to make it clear that I have no ill will against you–”

“It’s behind us, don’t worry. It’s not like I’m a tattling child who will tell my uncle,” he reassured. “We’re adults.”

You let a small breath of relief pass your lips.

And for a moment, you two just stood there. It was a bit awkward, but at least the air between you had been cleared.

“Well, it’s late,” he muttered.

You nodded. “Right. Good night then, Fíli. And thank you for my towel, that was kind of you.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

[dykedvonte]

I keep seeing fanarts of ppl's OC's being on the ship, so do you think that if there was 6st crewmember (specifically, another woman) Anya would've been more safe? Like, someone to actually call Jimmy's begaviour out, someone Anya might wanna trust? Is there a possibility something might have changed (even if a little) or it would not have mattered at all?

-💀

I feel like the game would make it part of the commentary on where she would believe and help Anya but still be sort of dismissive? Like the whole “don’t waste time crying and being scared keep going and move on, don’t let him win”. It’s supposed to be positive and reinforcing but sometimes it does more damage in those times of mourning and grief, it feels patronizing, like you don’t understand what you’re going through but they do. Even if they did call out his behavior it’s still on Curly to act and while another voice would help, it’s still 4 against 2 on guys that don’t get it until they have to vs women who always have to.

I don’t mind mouthwashing OCs but I do get a bit bored as they tend to be borderline saviors or like Jimmy aligned. They are either more complicit than Curly or just Jimmy haters for no reason, outside of what the creators know about what he did to Anya. I am never irked by OCs but in a story like mouthwashing you really need to think about what your character adds to the commentary, especially if they are there during the crash. It’s nice to have like characters on Anya’s side more whole heartedly and interesting to see characters who placate Jimmy but sometimes it’s one note.

I can’t and don’t want to police peoples OCs it’s never my intention when I comment on trends I notice, but I do feel like the way people make their OCs interact with these two characters and especially Curly, really show a grave misunderstanding of the narrative and these characters as people vs roles in the story. Still, I know people just make up characters for fun and that’s fine. Great even, but I guys I’m focusing more on OCs that are supposed to have those serious dynamics. My favs tend to be pretty-Tulpar or post-Tulpar au OCs.

The inevitably of the crash is on Jimmy. He did that not because he wasn’t stopped but because all his means to kill Anya were taken. The gun, the axe. Even if Curly did strip him of his co-pilot privileges and try to keep him contained there’s only so many people. An extra body helps but they have jobs they have to do, he’s the only one steering the whole ship and Jimmy would likely have an out: food, bathroom, etc. He’s not new and if he couldn’t crash the ship directly, who’s to say he wouldn’t sabotage something else? A clunker like the Tulpar wouldn’t take much. An extra person helps but it’s just another thing that prolongs what a person like Jimmy is willing to do to shirk responsibility.

It’s more than just needing someone to stand up to him and think that’s what is missing when it comes to inserting a character into the mouthwashing setting.

[unnecessaryheadache]

( I am not attempting to tell you what to do with your writing. I'm simply expressing things I'd love to see more. If there are any fanfics out there that somewhat or do fully align with my wishes, please tell me :') )

Let Remus be angry about the prank. Let him distance himself from the others and find new people to communicate with. The Marauders shouldn't be his only friends, let this man make some more. Let him feel skeptical when his friends ask for him to return. Let him snap at them for weeks and hold things he used to share with them, away. Let him flinch away from their touches. Let him feel distrustful for more than just a week. Don't time skip. Write it out.

Let Sirius process his wrongdoing without overloading him with unnecessary amounts of angst to start the Wolfstar ship or just to keep the plot going (it feels as if the characters and even the reader are being guilt-tripped into feeling bad for him when in reality it would be much more interesting to see his prideful walls slowly crumble with realization). He doesn't need to be running back home on his hands and knees, begging someone to hurt him. He's prideful. He's narcissistic. Let him disagree with Remus' reactions. Let him try to take his mind off of things by ignoring the problem in unconventional ways.

Let James feel conflicted. Let him wonder if he can see Sirius the same, despite their closeness, where they lie in their relationship. Let him take a moment to question himself and his friends, where his morals lie, because he just narrowly saved someone he SWORE he hated, from dying. Let him question if he did it to save a life or if he did it to save himself...his friends. His reputation. His father's reputation. Let him also take a break from everything. Let him feel emotion when he looks at where everything had unfurled, or when he looks at the victims.

Let Peter feel torn. Let him ponder and be misguided into picking a stronger side over a weaker one. Let him be an obstacle for the others in healing and recognition. Let him try to soothe Sirius by stroking his ego; let him calm James by emphasizing what they could have gone through if James didn't get to Severus on time; let him stay quiet with Remus because he believes Remus is the weaker link. Someone he cannot stick with if he wants to get out of things.

Include snippets of the world outside of their friend group. Attempt to understand what goes on in the mind of the target of the Prank. You don't need to overdo it. You don't need to make him seem like a complete antagonist. Because he isn't. They're children. They are all fed different point of views, they are all taught different lifestyles. Some rebel on time and some dont. They don't have a mind for themselves - they follow whatever their leader tells them until they can think for themselves.

This is when they make dangerous choices that could kill them or someone else if they aren't too careful. We're already so complex and messy in real life without the romanticization of our issues. It's not aesthetic. It has never been aesthetic. It's awkward, it's harsh, and for some it's bloody. It can be fragile, it can be sharp or rigged. Focus on the characters growing up and figuring these things out.

[mundanemodulus]

in the spirit of living like jordaiden has a thriving 2010s tumblr era following, I felt compelled to fill out a ship meme for them...

cleaner crop, more insights, and a blank template under the cut xoxo

Age/Height

JORDI'S AGE/HEIGHT NEVER GET REVEALED!!!! I just made it up based on what my heart wanted, and my heart wants Jordi to both be slightly taller and a little older than Aiden bc it makes for a cuter dynamic. Annoying old man bothers similarly old, but slightly younger, man.

How it Happens

I don't think either of them fully intend for it to happen, nor does it happen particularly quickly because, in Scotty's words:

“What is it about your generation? Why can’t you just talk to one another?”

Jordi inadvertently trips face first into having Genuine Feelings for Aiden because for some inexplicable reason, he cannot stay away from Aiden for long. He makes excuses for himself all the time but we all know what he is (🌈🌈).

Aiden is slightly different in that he doesn't actively try to create opportunities to see Jordi... it just so... happens to work out... their schedules align and Jordi crashes into his life... or something goes sideways and he needs Jordi's help... and then post Legion DLC he gets his fanfic-esque "Oh" moment.

Handling Conflict

RESIDENT SHIT STIRRER JORDI REPORTING IN. HE LITERALLY TRIED TO KILL AIDEN LMFAO. He moved on real quick from the attempt too LOL, bro doesn't take anything That Seriously. He's not always difficult for difficult's sake though—Jordi and Aiden have frequent ideological disagreements but I imagine that time tempers them both... and in the end, Jordi goes where Aiden does...

And we know how Aiden feels about disagreements. He still hangs on to Lena's death and pursues revenge rather doggedly... also, I think it's really funny if he just keeps bringing up the fact that Jordi tried to kill him Once. Aiden isn't completely conflict averse though and we see him butt heads quite a few times in the Stars and Stripes novel.

Relationship Attitude

ok. so Jordi has a reputation of being a hotshot playboy that never commits to anything and strings all his lovers along bc commitment isn't really his style. UNTIL AIDEN.

Jordi forgets all about his flings and somehow falls FACE FIRST into monogamy bc all he thinks of anymore is Aiden and the only person he booty calls is Aiden. So yes, he is Very Committed to Aiden EVEN IF HE TELLS HIMSELF HE ISN'T.

Aiden is... Aiden. He's never letting Jordi go.

Attachment

this one is funny to me bc I KNOW Jordi doesn't think himself as being protective of Aiden AND YET HE COMES RUNNING BACK TO SAVE AIDEN AT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK, AND THREATENS WRENCH DURING LEGION WHEN HE THINKS HE'S HOLDING AIDEN HOSTAGE.

Aiden is once again Aiden. I don't think Jordi can top that. We saw the lengths he went to protect Nicky and avenge Lena.

First to apologize after a fight

Jordi's pride is riding on the line at all times and he doesn't think he's wrong most of the time LMFAOOOO so Aiden usually ends up apologizing first... <3

The best caregiver when the other is sick

Jordi simultaneously has horrific and amazing bedside manners. Aiden is pretty consistently pleasant though... and it comes from caring for Nicky when she was sick, and then later Jackson and Lena when they got sick...

Designated driver

they both fight over this one tbh LMFAOOO Jordi does most of the driving in the novel but I just knooooooow Aiden hates being a passenger princess if he can help it... same thing for Jordi... both just feel more at Control when they're the one behind the wheel

(drunk or otherwise)

Sensitive to changes in their partner

The entire novel is a WEALTH of tidbits where Jordi and Aiden just Wordlessly Understand each other. They know what the other is thinking, how they operate, what they want, and so so much more GOD I CANNOT GET OVER IT THEY'RE OPEN BOOKS TO EACH OTHER

The one who proposes

Jordi "I have nightmarish commitment issues the likes of no one you've ever known before" Chin struggles to say "I love you" let alone "Will you marry me?" so the responsibility falls on Aiden both times HAHAHAH the proposal happens post legion, btw <3

Template:

[mellozheist]

Hi guess who got no sleep last night (thanks doctor's appointment) and decided to watch your animatic again

I quote myself about 1 hour ago in a treebark channel on a discord server my friends and I made (to anybody that reads this i am so sorry):

(Also I'm sorry if somebody's uncomfortable with swearing :'D)

"[Link]

I'm sorry I still can't handle this animation's existence peoples

I can't with it

I'm crazy

Like REN PUTTING HIS HEAD BACK ON AND CALMING DOWN MARTYN WHO'S PANICKING?????

REN BEING SO CALM AND THEN FUCKING CRAZY IN THE NEXT SHOT?????

FUCKING HELLO????

THE VERY FIRST FEW SHOTS WHERE MARTYN IS LOOKING AT REN BEING ALL EXCITED AND BLUSHING??????

THE END????????

THEM HAVING THEIR PINKIES WRAPPED AROUND???? I EVEN SENT MELLOZ AN ASK ABOUT THAT AND THEY TOLD ME "oh yeah they indirectly promised to see each other in the next life series :3" MELLOZ IS SINGLEHANDEDLY KILLING THE TREEBARK SHIPPERS WITH THIS ONE

MARTYN HOLDING REN'S HAND AND KISSING IT BEFORE DYING ALSO

GUYS I BEG

I CAN'T WITH THIS

I CANNOT

I AM UNABLE TO

Oh my gosh FCUKING REN PUTTING HIS HEAD BACK ON AND LOOKING AT MARTYN WITH THOSE DANG EYES

Guys I need to resist spamming this thing in here

But at the same time IT'S SOOOOOO TEMPTING

FUCKIN

LOOK AT IT

[Link]

GRIPPING MY HEAD FURIOUSLY

THIS WHOLE BEHEADONG SCENE

I JUST NOTICED REN'S NECK DOESN'T LIGN UP PROPERLY IN THE SHOT WHERE MARTYN KISSES HIS HAND

GUYS I'M INSANE

GIYS I'M INSANE

LOOK AT THISSSSSSS

Furiously rattling the bars of my cell is that what it's called

Honestly I never thought I'd go insane over a ship called treebark

IT'S FUCKING BAUMRINDE IN GERMAN

BAUMRINDE IS SUCH A SILLY SHIP NAME ISTFG

I don't think I've ever loved an animatic thid much

I'VR NEVER LOOKED AT AN ANIMATIC SO CLOSELY

THE FACT THE FIRST SCENE IS SO SWEET AND THE SECOND ONE IS ALREADY REN BEING BEHEADED

I wish they won. I wish Ren or Martyn was the winner of 3rd Life

CAN'T I HAVE L8KE

A LITTLE FAIRY THAT MAKES MY WISHES COME TRUE?

C'MOOOOONNNNN [insert a bunch of screaming emotes here]

AGH I CAN'T

...what if i copied every single message and sent melloz this as an ask to show my appreciation

CUZ I SURE DO APPRECIATE THIS ANIMATIC

[Link]

WATCH THIS. WATCH. OBSERVE. NOW. I BEG.

I'VE WATCHED THIS FOR 5 TIMES IN A ROW NOW

I'M VERY SANE

I STILL CAN'T GET OVER REN'S NECK NOT ALIGNING PROPERLY

also the feather and the poppy but this is the treebark channel

Not

Not desert duo

I CAN'T

.........do i send this as an ask i am very sane i promise

One of my very favourite scenes though is the beheading scene, funnily enough

Me literally passing out when I see gore but not here cuz idk baumrinde <333333

Also here

HIS NECK.

IS NOT.

ALIGNING.

Or what if it's his head falling off after death cuz he died and that determination is no longer there to keep dogwarts, causing his hesd to fall off

New headcanon i think

And I just noticed I watched this like 6 times now DESERVED THOUGH

Gonna watch it again

I love them so much

I love this animatic so much

Guys I can't

WAIT DID MARTYN'S EARS TILT DOWN IN THE REN DEAD SCENE

HOLD

WAIR YEAH

HIS EARS TILTED DOWN

I CAN'T

Somebody stop me

Actually no

Oh also the song choice IS PERFECT????????

WAIT REN'S PONYTAIL IS GONE IN THE LAST SCENE HIS HAIR IS OPEN

YAAAAAYYYYYY

Anywhoozles

[Link]

WATCH THIS.

I BEG

EVERYBODY THAZ DOESN'T IS MISSING OUT THIS IS SO COOL"

And with that, Melloz you're amazing, EVERYBODY WATCH THE ANIMATIC EVER >:D

I have so much fun reading this, It's like I'm in a theater seat watching this happen with 4D sound surrounding Lmaoooo

Thank you for sending this to me I really appreciate this <3333

I'm so happy you eating all the details I put in hehe

though the part where you describe Ren's neck as not aligning is probably just my error in art but that's also a really cool headcanon!

I might adopt that headcanon :d Like drawing Martyn carrying Ren's head

you really made my day Thank yooou :D

hope you get a good night sleep bud

[dreamingofthewild]

I can never understand what joy some people find when all they do is criticise half of the fan content. It’s wild that some will see others having fun, only to call it cringe or implore them to stop.

This is why I actually find those memes that occasionally go around -where it’s like "Going into the fandom tag" followed by a disgusted face - pretentious.

There are things I don’t like, and I have certain tags filtered. That’s normal. But the people creating that content have the right to continue making it. I’m not going to complain about seeing filtered tags in my feed or untagged content with something I dislike. That content isn’t made for me, and I don’t expect every fan creation to align with my tastes or interpretations.

The belief that people should stop making content or be heavily criticised just because you don’t like it is self-centred. Also, if the fandom annoys you that much - even a year later - why do you choose to stay?

It’s not healthy to scroll and feel "triggered" every three posts because it’s another piece of fan content you dislike. You might be better off in a private Discord server with a small group of friends.

These characters are fictional anyway, and I guarantee you that most people playing BG3 who aren’t part of the fandom don’t give a shit about shipping and headcanon's.

Please can we normalise not policing content that other's choose to create/ consume in the fandom (unless it is hate which is posted in the character tags. That's just poor etiquette).

Perhaps It's just me, because I seem to have something against people telling others what they should be doing in their free time in a condescending way. The throwing words like media literacy around like an insult (I think that term is now overused).

A headcanon doesn't need to have three different sources from the original text to back it up, and most people don't consider their own biases when choosing which interpretation they consider to be the canon one. Because what it comes down to is people only accepting the interpretations they agree with or project on to. Which is fine, but then don't act so haughty and holier than thou when others do the same.

Getting worked up over what others create is as ridiculous as a fan of one football team refusing to step foot in a rival team’s city or wear their colours.

I'm sorry, but fandom is a bit cringe, and people are going to have different perspectives. Accept that or get off your high horse.

I said what I said.

[ninja-confession-go]

Okay honestly I didn't think any of this really needed to be said because it should be pretty clear, but for those who keep getting swayed by age discourse let me break it down once and for all:

At some point you guys have to just decide whether an "age gap" in Ninjago really matters to you enough to let it affect your morals in shipping because it's really not as straightforward as it is in real life. Either you'll go by the age based on how long the character has actually been alive (which seems to be what most people who cry "age gap!" fall back on), or by their actual physical bodies and/or mental ages. In real life those things are always one and the same (ignoring for the sake of argument cases where people who are adults still act like children or have development issues - point is their bodies always match how long they've actually been alive), but in Ninjago (and lots of other media) there are many different cases where those things don't align. So this tendency of the fandom to warn others away from shipping something because of an "age gap" that wouldn't be possible in the real world is completely pointless. Personally, I like to go by how much the physical body and maturity of the brain of a character actually is for their age.

Yes, Zane has existed for 40+ years, but would you call him a middle aged man in the traditional sense? His body and brain were clearly designed to be that of a teenager/young adult.

Likewise Pixal might have only been alive for like a year or two when she was first introduced, but obviously she was given the body of someone much older, and developed the mental maturity to match it after she gained sentience.

Lloyd has been alive for several years less than the other ninja, but his body is that of a fully developed adult now and we've got confirmation that mentally he matured to match his physical age as well; he is NOT a child anymore. (Note: This is not me advocating greenflame at all, it is still icky to me because Kai and the other ninja knew and raised him when he was an actual child and Kai clearly sees him as a friend/little brother).

I've seen some headcanon that Lloyd kinda paused aging physically a bit so his mental age could catch up with him; Harumi would have had time to 'catch up' up as well. Even without this headcanon though, Harumi is shown to be at about the same stage of physical development as Lloyd, wonky timeline aside.

Akita might have been implied to be many decades old but she is not portrayed as an old woman, she very clearly is physically and mentally close to Lloyd's age.

I'm not saying that everyone HAS to go by this rule of course, it's just how I personally decide what I'm okay with, but if you personally want to stick with the characters' literal ages (i.e how long they've been alive, which even then is shaky ground to stand on because Lego will never give canon ages for any of the characters) please do so without dictating that every other person should go along with it.

One final note from me: I feel like people don't actually want to think about WHY age gaps are considered taboo in society and just want to take it as a hard and fast rule that any length of age difference between a couple of any ages is bad, without taking into account any nuance. Like, obviously a three to five year age gap between teenagers is uncomfortable because they're at different levels of maturity, understanding and power, but if the characters are two fully developed adults that kind of difference is negligible. There's also the matter of the age of consent being different from country to country and culture to culture but that's getting a bit far off the point. The important thing to remember is that age in Ninjago is literally arbitrary. It's not a reliable barometer to base your moralizing on.

.

[nutterzebutters]

Hey so hot take

Saying "I'm not going to turn into a pedophile by consuming media with pedophilia in it" in the face of "maybe don't go out of your way to consume inherently disturbing material 24/7" is purposely obtuse and you are missing the point.

No, you are not going to turn incestuous by watching Game of Thrones, you want to know why? Because Game of Thrones actively shows why cersei is delusional in the midst of her incestuous relationship with her twin brother. The show actively makes it a point to show other characters clear disgust and adversity to the mere idea and shows the active side effects of her actions. Stop using it as your safety net against the argument "fiction can affect reality."

Fandom, and fiction itself inherently has the goal in mind to make human connection across media, and a lot of the time are passion projects created from the human soul. because of this you can never truly separate the fiction mirrors reality argument. No, you should not be policing your thoughts, but you need to understand where the argument tends to take place and why you need to evaluate why you're feeling attacked.

The prime argument is in the face of things like pro-shipping or pro-fiction and those in FAVOR of incest, fetishizing lolicon, abusive relationships, ECT, people who did NOT know how to separate their fiction from reality. People who actively engage for enjoyment in these specific subjects. There is a fine line between consuming your media in moderation while that media properly depicts the disturbing content versus overindulging in media that tends to glorify or fetishize said disturbing content. To say that this 24/7 consumption will not affect you is either naivety or denial, especially when ppl are prone to things like being an "irl" (people who genuinely believe they are those fictional characters because of the state of psychosis) or those with online 🌽 addictions aligning with dopamine rushes for these fiction dynamics. You also have children on the internet who were groomed into these concepts and don't know any better, so they have a habit of overindulging in these fantasies as well because of the lack of moderation.

This also applies to people who claim it as a coping mechanism, if it is a coping mechanism it has to affect your reality in order to do something for you. Coping mechanisms are built to better your behaviors in the face of trauma. If you are struggling with trauma I promise you the indulgence and problematic media will not help you, in fact it will most likely make it worse by validating the very behavior you suffered from, there are better more effective ways to help you heal from your trauma. And for the love of god, many things like non-con kinks are a completely separate conversation, the way you role play that is most likely for the CONSENT OF HAVING CONTROL and is NOT the same as romanticizing the outright actions. If you do, then it's time to seek therapy in other means to dismantle that within yourself. Stop bringing in the bedroom conversation when it's based off of the consent factor and safe space with your own partner, not the wild fantasy that a character is being 🍇'd- WHICH AGAIN. IS WHO THIS CONSERVATION APPLIES TO AND TARGETS.

If you are a person who reads things like darkship, power Imbalance, or anything that contains these subjects but never romanticizes them THIS CONVERSATION NEVER APPLIED TO YOU and you shouldn't be listening to those who think it does. That is 10 steps further than we needed to go and is 9/10 not a good faith part of the conversation nor is it coming from someone who is fully informed or aware of what they're claim means, exposure is actually a really good thing. In items like Game of Thrones built for mature audiences, the exposure lets us know yeah, it happens, and if you're curious you can learn more about it, children's media largely cannot and should not enter the chat here- as children can handle heavy topics as seen in bluey and be taught right from wrong. But should NEVER contain that type of content. Exposure in and of itself can be a small reality pointer which is good! We need to know about how these things work, and it's important that stories are written that explore these things thoroughly from neutral or personal POVS while being mature about it.

In the same breath, there is a reason we think of pro-shippers and people who tend to fetishize prepubescent anime girls or are into non-non and make their whole internet persona about how much they fantasize about it, that is because the "fiction doesn't affect reality" statement is a safety umbrella for them.

Once more, if you consume your media in moderation without that media romanticizing or otherwise trying to glorify inherently immoral subjects this conversation never applied to you and should never have accused you. No you are not going to suddenly be gay by consuming queer media, absolutely nobody of sane mind has claimed that. If you are not actively promoting dynamics that tend to reflect or represent something that's very harmful to real ppl, again this conversation does not apply to you. It applies to people who do not know how to handle themselves properly, and you trying to make the argument look absolutely insane has every warrant to have people assume that you are the issue in question. If you are not being a weirdo online pressing it on other people by making them look stupid for being against it, go ham.

Who cares if it's not canon, the people who care have long since forgotten what fandom etiquette even looks like and don't remember what fandom looked like before the "Great Tumblr Purge". But they're not the topic of this conversation.

You may notice that I mentioned IRLs. Many of these ppl do not need your "reality check" either, you are not a licensed medical professional or a psychologist, hell even a psychiatrist. You still don't get the merit to do so even if you took 101 classes, you can harm them and it can backfire, BAD. Again, these ppl do need to be careful about what they consume and how they consume it because there are people prone to not being able to separate the line and it can end up hurting themselves in the end, rarely have I seen hurt it others but I don't need it to affect outside of the IRLs bubble for me to care about how IRL got there and what they might be doing to themselves in the face of distressing/conflicting information, it's a state of mind realistically nobody wants to be in. Many of you act like saying "if you can't separate fiction from reality then that's an issue" isn't also where "fiction affects reality" comes from. We are well aware. That's why we're saying it.

I should also preface this, you should never want to label yourself as pro-ship/pro-fiction when the biggest and most well-known definition applies to somebody who absolutely does not know where to draw the line. If you are "anti-harassment" about the tame ships, maybe it is time to come up with a new term and to stop associating yourself with such ppl. If you immediately jump to defense, maybe you should dismantle why that is, bc you're not fooling anyone. No, there is no proof that violence and video games will cause a school shooter to become a school shooter, they were most likely already subjected to the ideas and desensitized, the violence of the video game only ever promoted it and their fantasies, two things can and should be true at the same time. I'm tired of y'all making it seem like the ppl saying "Hey maybe we shouldn't over indulge in something that gives us a vicious cycle of dopamine based in seeking disturbing/immoral content" are insane. Again, maybe dismantle why you feel the need to get defensive about it.

[i-amclandestine86]

Ryden Sun & Moon Theory, A Summary

A short (actually long) and incoherent summary of the sun and moon theory from the beginning to end.

Disclaimers

I have a few things to say before I get into the good stuff, I apologize. I would like to clear up that this is all speculation as well as for fun. I don't usually encourage the shipping of real people but in the case that there is a large amount of evidence in regards to it I often like to entertain the idea. I would also like to say that throughout their whole careers Brendon nor Ryan has not denied or confirmed the rumors.

Confirmation of… Something

However, Brendon and Ryan have acknowledged their “moments” on stage. In an interview Ryan was asked: “Are you toying with the idea of bisexuality?” To which he answered: “There was never a point where we were going for that or trying to make a statement,” and, “We're just having fun,”

In the same interview Brendon spoke about how he is “playful” with Ryan on stage. He said things like: “For our first headline tour I would go up to Ryan and like kiss him on the neck or kiss him on the mouth,” and “I would hang out with friends and after five or six beers we're just kind of smooching on each other,”

So here, we clearly know they've at least kissed. If it's on stage for fun and Brendon admits to “smooching on” his friends, I'd say it's pretty fair to say it's happened behind closed doors as well.

Although, it is also clear that some moments in shows are scripted. This is regarded as stage gay and is a marketing tactic. It's essentially queer bait.

Ryro and B-Den Relationship Timeline

Generally, Ryan is regarded as the sun and Brendon as the moon. However, this also changes based on their relationship status. In 2004 Ryan was with a girl who is commonly referred to as S for privacy reasons. Throughout their relationship and break-up he was highly emotional and it led to beloved songs such as Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off. In this time he had taken on the role of the moon and Brendon was his sun, coming to him in a time of need and helping him.

From late 2005 to 2006 Ryan went on to get together with scene queen Jac Vanek. This resulted in Brendon meeting and dating another scene queen Audrey Kitching. Both their break-ups were rough, involving cheating and a faked miscarriage (allegedly).

In late 2006, enters another girl, Keltie Colleen. She was a dancer for them for a VMAs performance and got with Ryan afterwards. There's a lot to get Into here but during his relationship with Keltie is when he transitions from moon to sun alignment.

It was a rough relationship and before leaving to the cabin where Pretty. Odd. was written they went through a very difficult situation. Throughout his time at the cabin Keltie was not contacted and she began to wonder if he was cheating.

From his relationship with Audrey up until 2009 Brendon was always single. He transitioned to his moon alignment during this time. Generally the rule is if Brendon is single he's moon and if Ryan is single he's sun.

Pretty. Odd.

Pretty. Odd. is really when the sun and moon symbolism starts. The first song where this shows is I Have Friends In Holy Spaces which was written by Brendon. He says: “I'm not complaining that it's raining, I'm just saying that I'd like it a lot more than you think, if the sun would come out and sing with me,” I particularly like this because he's saying he wishes Ryan would sing with him more often and enjoys it very much.

Northern Downpour is in my opinion one of the most Ryden heavy songs and gives us so much to work with. In an interview with Rolling Stone Ryan had said, “It was about touring and girlfriends and love and everything that’s been important to us in the past few years. There’s a line in the song that goes, ‘I know the world’s a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home.’ I told Brendon to pay special attention to that line,”

Ryan had also said that Jon wrote “the sugar cane part,” but the rest of the song was written by him. Although, it's a very common theory that it was written as a correspondence between Ryan and Brendon. This is especially thought about because of Ryan specifically telling Brendon to pay attention to, “I know the world’s a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home,”

I personally think that the line “I missed your skin when you were east, You clicked your heels and wished for me,” is Brendon talking to Ryan. I think it's referring to Ryan's time with Keltie in New York while Brendon was in Las Vegas or even just while they were all in New York. Also, of course all the “Hey, Moon,” lines could be Brendon talking to Ryan but I'm unsure if these are included in the parts Jon had written or not.

There's a lot more to Northern Downpour but that should all be saved for a post of its own. So, let's talk about the next Ryden heavy song, When the Day Met the Night. This song is completely about the sun and moon and leans into the theory heavily. In the song, the sun has he/him pronouns and the moon has she/her but in live performances Brendon has used he/him for both. However, neither me nor my source has found the clip so I'm unsure if it's true.

A very intriguing part, however, is the line: “as long as you can make a promise not to break my little heart and leave me all alone in the summer,” This line is not only sung in first person but it also reveals something extremely interesting. Ryan left the band on July 6th of 2009, July would fall in the middle of summer. I don't think they would have known he would leave, so it's highly possible it's a coincidence but the amount of coincidences that happen to this band is insane.

Vices and Virtues & The Departure of Ryan

Ryan left the band after a very well known time in Capetown. There he had met a woman who he swore to spend his life with. Everyone told him not to chase her and he responded by throwing his passport into the crowd saying, “My heart belongs in Capetown,” Unbeknownst to him, she had a husband in jail. With Ryan, Jon Walker also departed from the band to join Ryan in The Young Veins.

That's another story though, I want to focus on Brendon Urie – my beloved B-Den. Him and Spencer Smith went on to write the album Vices and Virtues. In this album we have the wonderful song The Ballad Of Mona Lisa. We theorize that Ryan is Mona Lisa.

In The Ballad Of Mona Lisa Brendon says, “Say what you mean, tell me I'm right, and let the sun rain down on me,” which likely references their fight in Capetown. He's telling Ryan to say what he means and tell Brendon he's right, perhaps about the woman they urged Ryan not to be with. The sun “raining down on” him could mean that Ryan's words were raining down on him. This also has so much substance it could be a post of its own so I'll leave this here.

After Ryan's departure Brendon was always extremely emotional singing older Panic! songs. He could never get through the one line in Northern Downpour that he was always told to pay attention to. He also could never sing the song without crying. At this time he had also started dating Sarah but I don't think he transitioned back to moon alignment until their engagement after Vices and Virtues.

Ryan had sung the song as well after his departure, in 2019 with his girlfriend Elizabeth Berg. Ryan was also clearly emotional while performing the song. However even though he was in a relationship he seemed to be in sun alignment, still in contrast with Brendon. In true sun fashion, he seemed to perform the song very happily despite being emotional.

The Curse Of Celestial Lovers

It's not very well known but Celestial/Star-Crossed Lovers are destined to never be together in the end. This is the case no matter the celestial alignment. Even if it's a moon or sun and star, such as popular ships Wolfstar and Jegulus. However, it is often worse when it's the moon and sun trying to come together.

As of now, Ryan is living alone in LA and Brendon has married Sarah and is living in Seattle. It is unknown if they are in touch or if they have met recently. Ryan has re-entered social media and done shows recently and Brendon is coming back for the WWWY tour to perform in Las Vegas.

I wonder if Ryan will be there…

Sources:

I urge you to please read my sources as well as they make even more points and provide more evidence!

https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3499771#p110413618

https://www.tumblr.com/vengeancevixen/735869372234612737/panic-fact-okay-time-to-clear-up-some?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/pathetic-at-the-disco/170881574411/the-tragic-love-life-of-ryan-ross-part-1?source=share

https://panicatthedisco.fandom.com/wiki/Northern_Downpour

https://aminoapps.com/c/panic-at-the-disco/page/blog/sun-and-moon-theory/lXkm_Y1etQugVpz7WEgXLEdMrkg7rB5erPY