#AND THEN HE WENT AND FOCUSED ON KEEPING UP A GOOD IMAGE ANYWAY TO THE POINT THAT HE WAS BORED WITH LIFE

[transvoxman]

Ok actually I was wrong in the tags, laserblast was never outwardly a jerk in highschool, not for anything that could be traced back to him. He was Always nice, he was Always the bigger person, specifically just so that no one could ever say "he wouldn't make a good hero, he was mean to me once." Poor guy created his Whole Personality around having a career as the Most Successful Hero Ever, he never did a genuine/true-to-humself thing in his whole goddamn life until he started being Venomous.

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 50

part 1 | part 49 | ao3

cw: angst, canon-typical violence, period-typical homophobia

Steve gets the full story from Jeff later that night.

After Eddie and Wayne come out of the bathroom — after Eddie goes straight to his room and shuts the door without so much as a glance in Steve's direction, after Wayne clears his throat and suggests they all clear out and give the kid a night to cool off — Steve drags himself back to his trailer and paces for a while. Tries not to feel horribly rejected, which is...

It's fucking ridiculous, is what it is.

Stupid to be focusing on his own dumb feelings right now.

Eddie's the one with a pulverized face.

So anyway, Jeff. Steve dials his number, and it feels weird that he even has his number at all — weirder still that, of all the guys in Corroded Coffin, he and Jeff have the most in common. Makes sense, though; Jeff's the only one who likes professional sports even a little.

"Hello?" Jeff's nasal voice comes over the line.

He sounds like his usual self — doesn't sound like he got pummeled, at least. Steve paces a tighter circle, says, "Hey, man, it's Steve."

Jeff makes a clipped noise. "You saw Eddie then?"

Furious heat crawls up the back of Steve’s neck, the image swimming red in his tunneled vision: the welt under Eddie's eye, the blood blooming on his chin. Someone did that to him.

Someone who needs to fucking pay for it.

“Yeah,” he seethes, trying to keep his voice down. “What the hell happened?"

Jeff sighs; launches into the vague version of events that he's allowed to tell — the version with no names and no identifying details, because Eddie made them swear not to tell Steve who was responsible.

"Sorry, man," he says when Steve presses for the third time; sounds like he means it, too. "Eddie seems to think you'd just land yourself in big boy jail if you knew, so…”

Steve clenches his jaw, his fists. Imagines fresh blood against his knuckles, how good it would feel to slam them into someone’s face; has a flashback of Billy Hargrove pinning him to a kitchen floor, laughing maniacally while his world went dull and dim.

…Goddammit. “He’s not wrong.”

So Steve listens, silent and helpless while Jeff tells him as much as he can about the mounting Satanic panic: how the townspeople are still grieving everyone who died last summer, how that grief is turning to paranoia, conspiracies about the destruction of the hospital and the fire at the mall, and now there are all these news articles coming out, whipping churchgoers into a frenzy over the queers and the occult, and the end result of all of it is that Eddie gets his ass beat in the alley behind a shitty dive bar.

All for having the nerve to wear a Black Sabbath shirt in public.

“Eddie said they stole something?” Steve prompts after a short silence.

"His amp,” Jeff says, and Steve sags in relief. At least it wasn’t the Warlock. He can replace an amp no problem. “They stole our fucking tip jar, too. Not there was much in it, man, but still.”

Fuckers, Steve thinks.

"Fuckers," Jeff spits, then sighs, "so much for being Christ-like, or whatever."

Steve chews his lip. Fiddles with his nails, hoping to work out a way to get Jeff to give him names. He only knows one name that comes to mind, but he can’t just go pummeling people on a hunch.

“If you ask me again,” Jeff says, “I’m hanging up.”

Well, damn. He slouches back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. "The rest of you are alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're good. We were loading the van when it happened.” Another short, derisive sound. “Of course they waited to corner him when he was alone."

"So they planned this," Steve says, and the name in his head is practically flashing on a marquee. Jason Carver and his lackeys at that party back in November. The back of Jason’s head at the midnight mass they snuck into. Is this freak bothering you?

Steve’s voice is a lethal whisper. "Do you think they'll do it again?"

"Steve—"

“Do,” he repeats, “you think” —Hopper’s ghost in his mouth, authoritative and slow— “they'll do it again?"

Jeff lets out a long breath, his words wobbly with nerves. "I don't know, dude. Probably not? One of them looked pretty freaked out by how messed up Eddie's eye was."

Steve tastes blood in his mouth.

Fucking better have.

Another silence falls, rustling and static sounds, and Jeff hesitates. "Listen, uh..."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, just... Well. Eddie can get a little, um. A little weird, about people seeing him be, like, vulnerable and shit. So. Just a heads up."

Weird like hiding from his boyfriend? the petty part of Steve’s brain supplies. Weird like shutting his door without saying goodbye?

He tamps down hard on the hurt that bubbles up at the reminder, because—

Because Eddie’s seen him at his most pathetic too many times to count. Has seen him blubbering and soft and desperate for comfort; has offered it so eagerly without judgment or thought. And if Steve can’t do the same now, if Eddie thinks there’s shame to be found in it, then that means— that means…

He swallows the glass shard in his throat. “Thanks for the warning, man. For real.”

—

part 51

holy shit i can’t believe i wrote 50 parts of this

tag list in separate reblogs under '#trailer park steve au taglist' if you'd like to filter that content. if you want to be added please comment and let me know (must be over 21; please either verify in the comment or have your age visible on your blog)

[dfortrafalgar]

Special Delivery

(Sanji x Fem!Reader)

Red-Leg Zeff wakes up to surprising visitors.

You can read Part 1 here! Original AO3 link

Days on the open ocean were long and monotonous.  It was a decent struggle to keep track of the sunrises and sunsets, but Red-Leg Zeff had developed a system, very recently at that.

Next to a parchment letter and three photographs he nailed to the wall of his captain’s quarters, he tacked up a separate piece of paper and made a tally mark for each day that passed since he received the small parcel.  Each day that went by was another day of inwardly hoping to see the image of the Thousand Sunny off the deck of the Baratie.  It was wishful thinking, and Zeff was a level-headed man, not one for futile hopes or daydreaming, but could you blame him?  He had a grandchild and a daughter-in-law, all things considered, anyway.

The three photographs that Sanji had sent in the package were what greeted him every time he awoke, and were the last images he saw behind his eyelids as he shut in for sleep.  As the days turned into weeks, and then months, and now well over a year according to his tallies, and as Zeff’s braided facial hair continued to slowly turn gray at the roots, the pictures stayed the same.

Like clockwork, Zeff rose from his stiff mattress before the sun rose in the morning, stretching his aging muscles and groaning.  He gazed off across the room at the photos hung on his wall.

“Good morning, Sa–”

“CAPTAIN ZEFF, YOU’RE NEEDED ON THE BOW.”

Patty’s booming voice outside the thin wooden door sent a startled shockwave through Zeff.  He jumped and yelped at the commotion.  Followed by the command, a pounding on the door caused the blonde man to grumble and stomp across his small cabin towards the noise.  He swung open the door, right before Patty threw his fist into the wood for the hundredth time.

“What in the fresh hell do you want?  You’re gonna wake up the whole crew, you oaf.”  Zeff rubbed two calloused fingertips against the bridge of his wrinkled nose.

Eagerly, with a light in his eyes, Patty waved a hand in the direction of the ship’s bow.  “There’s a large vessel spotted approaching from northwest, about ten miles away.  It looks like a pirate ship but we couldn’t make out the image on the sail.”

Zeff stepped into his one boot and rolled up his pants around his peg-leg, making it easier for him to walk.  He firmly gripped his chef’s cap in his hand as he marched past Patty and closed his door behind the two of them, leading him out to the front of the Baratie.  It took them a few moments to roam down the flights of stairs to the lower deck and dining hall, and upon opening the large double doors to the outer deck, he spotted his kitchen crew huddled around Carne, who firmly gripped a pair of binoculars in his large hands.

“What are you all doing?” Zeff’s voice boomed over the hushed whispers of the kitchen staff, who quickly turned their heads to address their captain.  He pushed past the men and placed a firm hand on Carne’s shoulder, yanking him back slightly and grabbing the binoculars out of his hands, holding them up to his own eyes.

“It’s definitely a pirate ship, Captain, but my eyes are shot,” Carne eagerly noted.  Zeff merely grumbled in response.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the binocular lenses, but when they did he managed to make out a fairly clear picture of a ship in the distance, now well less than ten miles away and approaching quite rapidly.  Definitely a large pirate ship.  It had a very odd looking nautical figurehead, almost like a sunflower he assumed, but his heart leaped into his throat when his blurry eyes focused on the primary sail which flowed outward, fully unraveled and pushing the vessel towards the Baratie.

A simple Jolly Roger, a rudimentary skull and crossbones design, with a peculiar red-banded straw hat placed on the head of the skull.

“Should we man the–” Patty began to ask, before being cut off by Zeff.

“It’s the Straw Hats.  Prepare the mooring ropes and fenders, they’re going to tie up to us.”  Zeff shoved the binoculars back into the chest and hands of Carne, who once again put them to his face and gazed at the sail of the ship.  The rest of the kitchen staff ran to awaken the boat crew and make the necessary preparations for a vessel connection.  

“Sanji?” Patty simply asked, with sudden wonder in his voice.

“Hopefully,” Carne responded, passing the binoculars to his coworker.  “It’s definitely them.  Look at their Jolly Roger.”

Zeff had turned his back to his two right-hand men to help the others prepare the baratie’s starboard side for the tie-up.  Crew men, freshly shaken awake from their slumbers, bustled around the lower deck tossing heavy, tightly coiled ropes to each other, tying them around the deck’s bollards and laying them down to make them easier to access when the Thousand Sunny would pull up alongside.  Zeff quickly found that there wasn’t much for him to do, the sight of his crew excitedly scurrying around as the news of the Straw Hats’ return to the Baratie spread like wildfire from the mouths of the men bringing a fond smile to the old man’s face.

Now within enough distance to the Straw Hats’ ship that they could hear the excited yelling of their captain perched cross-legged on the top of the figurehead, waving his hand in the air.  A few of the other crew members leaned over the side of the ship, excitedly waving to the Baratie crew.  Once close enough, a large, strangely built blue-haired man launched a heavy rope from the deck of the Sunny downwards towards the Baratie’s crew, who grabbed it and began to pull it taught.  An orange-haired woman (Zeff thought she looked familiar) instructed the sails to be furled while the larger men of the ship helped the Baratie’s sailors moor the two vessels together.  A few stragglers from the floating restaurants crew looked through their portholes at the commotion.  Carne and Patty assisted the blue-haired man (were his arms made of metal?) in raising a gangway for the Straw Hats to board the Baratie, but their captain, still donned in the same straw hat that he wore when they first visited the luxury cruiser, wasted no time in launching himself off of the figurehead and landing with a hard thud on the wooden deck.

“Hey, Geezer!”  His smile almost covered his entire face.  “Do you have any food?”

“Luffy, seriously?  Can you not wait a single minute?”

A familiar voice caused Zeff to turn his head.  Through the hustle of the crews finishing their mooring duties, a head of bright blonde hair and a thin trail of gray smoke met the old chef’s view.  He immediately broke out into a fond smile.  Sanji was leaning precariously over the side of the Sunny, any more and he would tip over the side, a large grin on his face.  Next to him was a young woman, a bit shorter than him, with a steady hand placed on his shoulder ensuring that he didn’t fall overboard.  She gazed down at Zeff, and her face broke into a grin just as large as Sanji’s.

He recognized her as the woman in the photographs.  She was just as beautiful in person.

The gangway was successfully tied, joining the two boats together, and the two first mates excitedly welcomed the Straw Hats aboard the Baratie.  The four who had already visited almost five years prior marveled at the impressive renovations done to the vessel.  New decks, refurbished dining and lounging, impressive paintwork on the outer hull.  The same blue-haired man from before (his arms were made of metal!) was starstruck by the craftsmanship of the restaurant and immediately began asking questions to a few of the crewmen.  A green-haired man with three swords on his hip and a shorter man with curly black hair greeted Carne and Patty with excitement, remembering the two of them from their first visit.  The two women from the Straw Hats, with tangerine and black hair, quickly exited the gangway and joined their companions.  Zeff watched curiously as a skeleton donned in formalwear hauled himself over the side of the Sunny, followed by a fishman.  The Straw Hats were a very curious bunch, but he was filled with a giddy, child-like joy at the sight of them all, healthy, fit, and just as excited as his own crew was for the surprise reunion.

Sanji and his wife disappeared from the side of the Sunny, but quickly reappeared.  Sanji was the first to step onto the gangway before turning around and taking something from his wife, who swiftly followed his lead.  She looked like a natural on the water, and Zeff hummed, pleased.  Sanji turned around to march down the ramp, a child held in his arms, tightly gripping his shirt in her fist.  The two were the last to disembark, and immediately headed toward the Baratie's captain, who stood in mild shock as the three approached.

Sanji passed the child back to his wife so he could greet Zeff with a handshake, but he was beaten by the captain’s speed as he enveloped the smaller man in a bear hug, almost lifting him off his feet.

“Sanji,” he muttered, voice quivering.  “You look incredible.”

“Hey, no crying on me now, Zeff,” Sanji returned the gesture in kind, squeezing his adopted father back and jostling the hat on the older man’s head.  

The two released their warm embrace, and Sanji held out a hand towards his wife and the child in her arms.  The woman stepped forward with a warm smile.

“Red-Leg Zeff, it’s an honor to finally meet you!” she said with profound enthusiasm before introducing herself.  “Sanji’s been talking nonstop about this visit and how excited he’s been to see you again!”

Sanji flushed, embarrassed, but Zeff could only muster a hardy laugh.  He remembered Sanji as a stubborn, hard-to-crack kid, endlessly determined and stopping at nothing to get his way, and the man who stood before him was all of that and more.  He was gazing tenderly at his wife, cheeks rosy with embarrassment and adoration, a smile adorning his thin lips.  Zeff was beyond proud of the man Sanji had become.

“So, who’s this little one?” he asked, cautiously approaching the child in the woman’s arms.  His heart fluttered at the sight of her.

She had wavy, strawberry blonde hair and her dad’s ocean-blue eyes.  A mixture of her mom and dad’s skin tone, and she was clearly developing Sanji’s facial features.  The right corners of her eyebrows had a very slight upward curl.  She was beautiful, and her large eyes gazed curiously at Zeff as he approached.

“Sora, this is your grandfather,” the woman said affectionately.  “Say hi!”  She bounced the baby on her hip.  

When she came to the infantile conclusion that Zeff was indeed not a threat, her chubby cheeks wrinkled with a smile revealing a few barely there baby teeth.  Zeff held out one of his thick, calloused fingers, and she eagerly reached for the man.  Sanji’s wife passed the baby, Sora, over to him, and he held her like a delicate porcelain pot, like she could break at any moment.  Sanji watched the action fondly.

“Her name is Sora, she’s almost two now,” he said, his voice light and airy, almost a whisper.

Zeff bounced Sora, his granddaughter, in his arms, and she released a shrill giggle which brought a smile to his face.  “Sora…”  He knew that was Sanji’s late mother’s name.  It seemed only natural that his daughter would take the honor of bearing her name.  “She’s beautiful,” he sighed, looking at his son and daughter-in-law.  

Sanji looked like he was fighting back tears at the sight of his honorary father holding his daughter.  His wife gently squeezed his hand, and the floodgates leaked, making her chuckle.

“He’s been a bit nervous,” she said toward Zeff.

The gruff captain stepped toward his son and ruffled his smooth blonde hair in his free hand.  Sanji sniffled, picking his head up and wiping his eyes on his sleeve.  His shoulders trembled slightly with the motion of his repressed crying, but he quickly shoved it down and locked eyes with the fatherly ones staring at him.  Zeff didn’t need to ask any questions to know how much a moment like this meant to Sanji.  A child so wronged by his family and the world, growing up with no purpose, no encouragement, losing the one source of love in his life, forced to age so rapidly to survive some of the worst experiences a human should ever have to face.  To have been blessed with a crew that cared for him, fulfilling his dreams, practicing his passion, meeting one special woman who loved and supported him, and being the father of his own child, Sanji was finally content.  He was finally happy, finally content.

Zeff’s voice cracked as he uttered the sentence that he knew would make Sanji crumble.  “I’m so proud of you, son.  Look at how far you’ve come.”

Sanji’s blue eyes welled with tears that he had been holding in since his own childhood.  The commotion from the rest of the two crews faded into a muffled static as Zeff pulled Sanji’s head into his chest, holding him close.  Sora’s hand lightly smacked the top of Sanji’s hair, making him laugh, but it came out as a crackled sob.  His wife laughed, rubbing his back.

“I didn’t want to cry,” he uttered into Zeff’s chest, voice blank with slight resentment.  

“It was inevitable,” you responded with a humorous lilt.

“I know.”  He easily relented to your words, picking his head up from Zeff and placing a hand on his father’s shoulder, giving it a firm smack.  “Sorry for getting your shirt all wet, old man.”

Zeff’s chest bounced with the force of his laughter.  “You’re gonna pay for it, kid.  You’re on dish duty.”

Sanji’s mouth fell open in a panicked retaliation, but after realizing Zeff was, in fact, joking around, his tense shoulders fell in relief.  Sora reached back out toward her mom, who took her from Zeff’s grasp leaving both his hands free again.  He was able to deliver a quick, encouraging slap on Sanji’s back.

“I do expect you to help prepare this feast, though.  Show me how much you’ve improved since you left.”  He winked at his son.  “Though, I doubt you improved that much.”

“Shut up, old man!  I’ll make you the best feast you’ve ever laid eyes on.  A feast that could kill you!”  Old habits die hard, and the family meandered towards the rest of the crew, who were now milling around the lower dining hall excited for a meal to celebrate the Straw Hats’ return, and Zeff’s new granddaughter.

Zeff clapped his hands, alerting his own crew, who frantically took their places around the ship to cater to their pirate guests.  He quickly made his way into his kitchen, rustling through the main pantry for a piece of equipment he hadn’t needed to use in a very long time.  He pulled out a small food processing machine, equipped with an internal blade perfect for mashing fruits and small vegetables.

“Captain, do you need anything?” Patty was rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands in the large wash basin.

“All the fresh fruit we have.  The kid doesn’t have teeth yet, she needs some mush.”

[subskz]

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1Ron_ht9T-/?igsh=ZDA3M3I5MGJnZ2dr

the collar, the hoop earrings, the loosened tie, the whole mf outfit in general, the outrageous amount of tongue

idk what i want to do to him all i know is brat taming him and the 3rd slide lowkey looks like him wiping his lips so making him eat u out too yesyesyes anyways my favorite image is the first one <333 and the way he’s looking down in that one makes me wanna give him the most toe-curling, back-arching, sheet-grabbing head ever.

i need him

link!

feels like these two asks fit together seamlessly ♡

the collar + loosened tie + unbuttoned shirt is a 3 hit combo…and the hoop earrings + his inability to keep his tongue in his mouth 😰 this look was pure madness and exactly the vibe of cocky, insufferable jisung who’s sooo good at putting on a show to provoke you. that bravado that makes an appearance when he’s really feeling himself during a performance, all eyerolls, smug grins, and lip curls w his tongue lolling out like he’s challenging you to put him in his place. he looks and acts so tough as if he’s not doing all of this just w the hopes that you’ll ruin him for it hehe…the way he looks a lil roughed up makes me think of taking him apart backstage after a performance where he’s still sweaty, panting, and riding the adrenaline high of being on stage which results in him being extra bold, saying the filthiest things just to make u snap ❤️‍🔥

ur so right abt the third slide it’s the perfect visual of hannie swiping his mouth clean to savor every drop after you ride his face, not giving his throbbing cock any attention as punishment for acting up <3 unfortunately it doesn’t teach him much bc he’s so obsessed w using his insatiable tongue and so eager to taste you that eating you out is really more like a reward to him. if you yanked his head back by his hair and gave his face a slap to keep him focused when he starts moaning into you like he’s the one getting head, the lil brat just smiles up at you w dripping wet lips bc the pain only turns him on more…he’s a handful

the difference between his lazy gaze in the first few pics compared to his big round doe eyes in the last two is also insane…that’s how he looks before and after you’re done w him. you can tell underneath all his arrogance thet he’s still hungry for your approval, subtly vying for your praise w lil questions like “did you like watching me? i was that good, right? were you thinking of fucking me like this the whole time?” it’s so satisfying to see how he changes his tune when you ask where the tough guy from earlier went, bc all you see in front of you now is a needy little slut 🥰 all his cockiness melts away and suddenly he’s begging you w the most desperate eyes and pitiful whines, bc no matter how good he looks you’re the only one who decides whether or not he gets to feel good~

[totallynotlx]

Benefactor

A/N: In honor of my precious, beloved boys. You both deserved the world but they did you so wrong. Also yes, I hurt myself writing this thankssssss

Tags: Dad!Gojo Agenda, a bit of fluff I guess?, Hurt / No Comfort coz I am hurting rn

Word Count: 745

Benefactor 

It's the word that Megumi would always associate Gojo with. He wasn't particularly fond of the man, but he doesn't despise him either... not always anyway. He owes him that much, at least. The man had no business adopting two kids when he was just sixteen. But he did it. Sure, he wasn't the perfect role model, but he remembers how much he cared for them. 

He made the effort to celebrate his and Tsumiki's birthdays the first year he took them in. Christmas was extravagant, too. That's where Megumi discovered his disgusting addiction to sweets. The table was full of it. Some of which he and Tsumiki haven't tried before. Tsumiki was ecstatic, with bits of icing on her cheek as she ate, while Megumi was more content with the peppermint candy canes. He also made sure they had presents. 

When school came around, Gojo took care of everything. He was still too young to enter Jujutsu High, so he ensured they had a proper education. He made sure they had everything, from their needs to their wants. 

"He's weird. But he's not a bad adult." He remembers Tsumiki's words all those years ago after Gojo took them in. Megumi would argue that she shouldn't be too trusting since it may still be a political ploy, but it never happened. 

Gojo genuinely did care for them. He made Tsumiki laugh. When he found out they comforted him, he gave Megumi stuffed animals that resembled his curse techniques. He vaguely remembers him tucking them both to bed when they fell asleep on the couch. He made sure they had a roof over their heads. He ensured Megumi pursued his other interests that didn't revolve around jujutsu sorcery. And even though Megumi was mature for his age, he tried his best to give him a sense of a normal childhood. Even when he became such a rebellious teen, Gojo was there, always patient with the same stupid grin. He didn't reprimand him as Tsumiki did, but he tried to guide him in his own way. The training sessions would be longer, harder even, but he never shouted at him, was never mad at him, or was never frustrated with him. 

"You have the potential to be on par with me, Megumi." Gojo's words echoed in his mind, crystal clear. "So you gotta keep a level head."

Thoughts began to swirl endlessly in his clouded mind as the memory faded. It was like almost seeing a ghost, always flitting through, never materializing. Images came and went like his own shallow breathing. It was getting harder to breathe. His chest felt like it was getting constricted by some unknown force, and he felt hot all over.

He recognizes the sensation. Pain. 

Subconsciously, Megumi grits his teeth, his nails digging into the inside of his palm. The dull sensation becomes more and more apparent with each second. His head was throbbing, and his vision blurred for a moment.

Take a good look, brat.

The voice that invaded his mind was unwelcome and brash. Slowly, the darkness morphs into a blurry scenery, like his eyes are camera lenses trying to focus on a subject. And that subject is at his feet.

He can make out the gray concrete now, rough and cracked as someone laid down on it. 

Why is someone lying on the concrete?

Megumi hears a sharp intake of breath, eyes trying their best to focus on the source of the sound. Red liquid pooled on the ground. Blood. That's when he notices a familiar white tousled hair. Albeit he doesn't see it often, he grew up seeing him casually wearing his hair down around both of them siblings. His senses were sharper now. His vision finally focuses on the figure on the ground.

Benefactor. 

It's that one word that Megumi would always use to describe Gojo to everyone if asked about their relationship. But right now, he can barely remember the word.

"Gojo-sensei..?" His words were a mere whisper. Gojo only blinks away the tears in his eyes in response, eyes slowly losing their luminescent blue luster. Warm streaks drip down from Megumi's eyes. Tears. 

"Dad?" 

A faint smile appears on Gojo's lips, and with one final blink, he loses the life behind those signature blue eyes of his, and silence descends upon them both. It was a grief so great that Megumi could only stand there in silence, mourning the only father he ever knew.

Inspired by this tweet that shared this very hurtful tiktok :')

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

What would happen if the team finally squeezed cowboy!reader’s birthday out of him. He tried and tried to keep it under wraps but obviously Garcia won’t stand by and let him not be celebrated.

Maybe his first surprise party? idk really I just want him to look around and realise how loved and at home he is within the team. 🥹

- 🦕

Warnings: implications of claustrophobia, it's his first birthday party so he's a bit overwhelmed bless him (I say over a fully grown man)

Taglist: @xweirdo101x @xdark-acadamiax @ara-a-bird @heidss @chubbyboyinflannel @pendragon-writes @migwayne @bigolgay @technikerin23 @supercriminalbean @honestlycasualarcade @caffeine-mess @1s3v3n1 @oddmiles @kevyeen @stealing-kneecaps @criminalskies @woodandwaxwings @wizardmon3 @aphroditeslovr @ducks118

"Mornin'!" You chime as you walk into Garcia's office, "How is my favourite lady?"

"I thought JJ was your favourite lady," Garcia smirked, she gave a chuckle when you turned bright red.

"I regret sayin' that to you," You huffed.

"No you don't," She grinned, "But that is not what I need to talk to you about."

"Is somethin' wrong?" You asked, furrowing your eyebrows, "Do I need to hur' someone?"

"No, no, nothing like that." She's quick to reassure you, "I just need to ask you a question."

You give her a smile, "Course, anythin',"

"When's your birthday?" You gave a small chuckle, shaking your head.

"I don' celebrate my birthday," You said with a shrug. "I gotta go, JJ said we had a case."

Garcia groaned, following you into the bullpen. "When's your birthday?"

"I ain't sayin',"

"Why?"

"Because it's not a big deal,"

"That's it. I'm bringing out the big guns. Just remember, I tried to do this peacefully." Garcia warned, you furrowed your eyebrows and gave a shrug as she walked off.

A few hours had passed when JJ approached you, you closed the filed as you turned to look at her, giving her your undivided attention. "Hey (Y/N),"

You beamed at her, "Hey JJ," You said, "You a'right?"

"I was wondering..." She began, "When's your birthday?"

"Garcia put you up to this, didn't she?" JJ gives you a sheepish grin and you sigh slightly, "May 12th,"

The months passed and you had forgotten all about this encounter, purely focused on the cases you had worked, on volunteering, your usual daily and weekly routines. That morning, you sighed, noticing the date and switched you alarm off. Pulling the charger out of your phone you check the notifications, a happy birthday from your Mama and Pops and your brother Jason, and a video from your brother Aden.

Curious, you clicked on it. The image of your brother popped up, wearing a party hat.

"What's up old man? I know you don't like a fuss being made but you're y'know, gettin' on in age so I though I'd send you this!" Aden gives a grin before pulling out a party horn and blowing into it. "Happy birthday!"

And then the screen goes blank. You give a small chuckle, responding with a 'thanks, you idiot x' before clicking send.

When you got to work, you pulled your truck to a stop, shutting the door and locking it, before walking into the building. You greeted the receptionist as usual, held the door open for the cleaner as he rushed past (apparently one of the sinks had broken and he needed to mop it up ASAP).

You paused at the elevator, a level of anxiety sitting in the bottom of your stomach at the thought of being trapped in a tiny box for even the smallest amount of time. You withdrew your hand from near the button and decided on taking the stairs. The exercise would do you good anyway.

You took a moment to pause when you got to the top of the stairs and gather yourself (turns out, six flight of stairs tires a man out). And then you walk through the door - ready to give your usual greetings (a nod at Reid with a small chat about some facts, asking Morgan how his date went, asking Emily how Sergio was, ask JJ a string of questions about butterflies and how she was doing), but no one was there. Usually everyone was there...

You scanned the room before your eyes settled on the briefing room, where they all stood, which only meant one thing. You have a case. You give a small huff before making your way to the room.

"Good morni-"

"Surprise!" The team all stood in slight worry, your face unreadable.

"What?" Is all you manage.

Penelope rolls her eyes as she walks towards you, "It's a birthday party!"

You blink, you didn't understand. Obviously you knew what they were, what they were for, you weren't an idiot. But this didn't make any sense...

"Hang on," You turn to Penelope, "You found out my birthday n what? Just did all this?"

"Yeah!" She grinned, "It's a surprise birthday party... Surprise!"

You swallow slightly, looking around at your colleagues, giving you small smiles. "I-" You flushed slightly, rubbing the back of your neck, voice now hushed, "I never had a party before..."

"Never? Not even when you were a kid?"

You shook your head, "Nah, by the time Mama and Pops took me in I was fifteen n then I didn't see the point in them," You gave a small shrug and Penelope gasped.

"Well, we're just going to have to make it the best surprise birthday party then, aren't we?" She said, "Wait 'til you see the cake!"

Penelope took your hand, leading you to the table where a cake the shape of a cowboy hat is sat. You huff out a small laugh, still processing everything. "We also have twister! Boss Man said we can play one game if we promise not to break anything."

"Bones or things?"

"Both. Apparently either way it's a lot of paperwork." Prentiss shrugged.

Penelope turned to Hotch, "What about two games?"

"Garcia-"

"But Hotch, it's his first birthday party! It needs to be a good one!"

Hotch looked at her for a moment before nodding, "Fine, two," Hotch said, "But then after we play Musical Statues,"

Two games of twister and three of musical statues, you all sat down (now slightly out of breath) to enjoy some 'cowboy cake' as Garcia had insisted on calling it.

"You know... JJ did a lot of the planning," Garcia whispered, sending you a wink, giggling as you blushed heavily. "You should ask her out,"

"'M not gonna do that," You chuckled, shaking your head.

"Why not?"

"'M not getting rejected on my birthday,"

Penelope rolled her eyes as she stood up, "Chicken." And with that, she walked over to Morgan.

With a sigh, you stood, joining JJ at the table of food.

"I have been told by the Tech Genius that a lot of this is thanks to you," You said, bumping her shoulder lightly as you grabbed a chip from your plate.

"I helped out a bit." JJ said with a shrug. At your raised eyebrow she sighed slightly, "Okay so I made the cake, but honestly, it was all a team effort-"

You gave her a small smile, placing your plate on the table before doing the same to hers. You gazed at her for a moment before gently wrapping your arms around her, you bury your head into her shoulder. You couldn't help but smile as she did the same, it only widening when you felt her heart rate pick up during the embrace.

"Thank you." You whisper, furrowing your eyebrows slightly. "So much."

Morgan gave a low whistle, "Morgan, I will stab you with a fork." You warned, both you and JJ gave a small laugh as you broke the embrace - both bright red. "I- er, I'm gonna go say hi to Garcia," You mumbled, giving her a small smile.

"Yes?" Garcia asked as you approached.

"I think you're right, I think she likes me back,"

"It's only taken you how many months to realise this?" She scoffed, "Your birthday or not, you're an idiot."

"Hey! 'M tryin' my best!"

"Try harder." She huffs with a smile.

[iguessweallcrazyithinktho]

PR or more • kylian mbappe | prt one

SUMMARY: you and kylian are in a PR relationship to boost your career, but there was one small problem.. you both hated each other! Or did you....

WARNING: they hate each other I guess

PAIRING: kylian mbappe x f reader

GENRE: mix or angst and fluff

WORD COUNT: 900

Don't repost my work or I'll come for you

I'll write a part two don't worry

Masterlist coming soon

Enjoy

Kylian eyes were focused on the road in front of you both. His grip was tight on the steering wheel. Not one word was said between the both of you as you rode in silence.

You both were on your way to a charity event. For the past 3 months you have been in a PR relationship with each other. You were a model who’s career needed a little boosting and your managers thought you being with kylian, the very popular football/soccer player, was the best idea for you.

Sure it was, but there was one small hiccup: you both hated each other’s guts. When you were “acting” like you both were in love you were down each other’s throats or throwing each other dirty looks. Your managers believed you could get along eventually but at this rate it wasn’t happening. You couldn’t stand each other.

“Ok.” Kylian said as he parked his car. “we’re here.” You sighed as you unbuckled your seatbelt “don’t touch me when we’re out of sight of the cameras.” You said with a stern tone.

“I wasn’t planning on it anyways.” Kylian replied as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. You rolled your eyes as you opened your door. You and kylian meet at the front of the car. Camera men started swarming you both. You put on a fake smile. Kylian hand reached out and folded with yours. A little bit of butterflies erupt in your stomach. You don’t know why they formed but You ignored them.

You and kylian walked up to the red carpet. You both posed Separately for the cameras. You made sure they got all your best angles, you were good at that.

After a while kylian returned to your side. If you wanted people to believe you were actually together you needed to get some pictures together.

The room around you started to buzz. This was your first appearance with you both together and they were loving it.

You tried your best to keep the lovey dovey image up, looking at kylian every few seconds with a smile and keeping close to him. At this point you could be an actress.

After a few minutes you were getting sick of the carpet. Kylian was too. Before you could step away one of the cameramen shouted out, “share a kiss.”

You and kylian looked at each other. You weren’t sure if you should or shouldn’t. I mean you both hated each other’s guts and it was the last thing you wanted to do.. right?

Before you could question if you should or shouldn’t, kylian started leaning down. Even though you were shocked you pressed your lips against his.

The cameras flashed capturing the moment between you two. The same butterflies from earlier returned as you kissed him. His lips were soft and inviting. You hated how much you liked it.

When you pulled away you looked at kylian. You can see a hint of read on his cheek making you smirk.

“ok got go.” You said as you took kylian hand in yours and walked into the building.

Finally you were able to separate from one another which brought you some relief. The kiss you just shared was all that clouded your mind as you tried chatted with others around you. You weren’t going to deny that you loved it. It was awful how you loved it. You wish you could stop thinking about it but you couldn’t .

Kylian was feeling the same way. The kiss was something he never had before. He craved more of you.

You and kylian were finally done with the event. It went smoothly and even your mangers said you did a great job together.

you got back into the car and began driving back home.

“Drop me off at my place. I need a nice cold shower and some sleep.” Kylian grunted but didn’t say anything else as he drove to your place.

When you arrived you got out without saying a word to kylian. He watched as you walked up to the door, made sure you were safely inside before he pulled off. He always did that. Even though you both were the biggest enemies your safety was still very important to him.

You got yourself ready for bed. Changed into pajamas, did your skincare and locked up before you climbed under the covers. You sighed feeling how cozy you were. If you could stay in bed all day you would, but unfortunately you had a stinking fake relationship to partake in.

As you shut your eyes. You heard your phone buzz singling to you, you had a notification. You picked it up with a groan. Who the hell would be texting you at this time at night?

Kylian:

Good night hope you have a nice rest 💙

Those same butterflies from earlier returned, but this time much stronger. Kylian never messaged you. You wondered what was different.

You sent him a quick text saying goodnight as well. After a couple seconds kylian replied with a red heart. He was cute you thought to yourself as you cracked a short smile.

You were fucked.

[turtletaubwrites]

Everything’s Fine. ~ Part 2

Thank you @lonelystarsstuff for the request for a more angsty part 2, I hope you like it!

Pairing: Sanji x Fem!Reader & Zoro x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1383

Part 1

Summary: You've been seeing both Zoro and Sanji for awhile now, and now they've each been seeing one of your friends. How well do you handle sharing your boys after some time has passed?

Rating/Warnings: Fem!Reader, Reader Insert, Polyamory, Angst, Pet Names, Established Relationship, Jealousy, Relationship Drama

A/N: These blurbs are from the We've All Got Needs series (sometime after part 9), however won't fit in that storyline because I've got other plans. I hope you enjoy these, and the drama coming up in future installments!

Sanji Seeing Someone

It’s supposed to be my day.

Sanji leaned over the table to kiss Nami softly. You tried to look away, but they both looked so happy. So lost in each other

You lost your appetite. Luffy took your food, of course.

Wouldn’t want to waste it, and see Sanji hurt. 

Not that he would even notice now.

I hate this feeling. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. He’s been so good with sharing me. 

But you couldn’t get the lump of nausea out of your throat.  

You noticed that he’d focus more on you during your days, but he still went to her. Still praised her, still winked at her, still kissed her when he handed her the same treats he’d made for you. 

She grinned at you, and you desperately wanted to feel happy for your friend. But you couldn’t get there. 

“Y/N, dear?”

Your eyes closed for a moment as you were almost out the galley door.

Turning slowly, Sanji stood with his plate of breakfast looking confused. You usually stayed with him after meals on his days. 

His brows furrowed as he saw your breathing, too angry to keep your body steady. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“It’s nothing. I just need to catch up on work.”

He left his plate on the table, moving toward you with concern in his eyes. He reached toward your face, and you couldn’t stop yourself from stiffening at his touch. He looked liked you’d slapped him.

Fuck, why am I being such a bitch?

But you couldn’t shame yourself out of it. 

Nami is so useful to the crew. I’ve been doing almost nothing since I started seeing the boys. I need to remember why I’m here in the first place. 

Especially if Sanji can’t even remember when it’s my day for his affections. 

“Y/N, are you mad at-“

“I’ve been spending too much time in here everyday. I need to do my part.”

“O-Of course, darling. Can I bring you anything while you work?"

“No, thank you.”

You hated every second of this, but your mind kept getting flooded with images of him with Nami. 

It’s true. I’ve been so lost in being pampered, I haven’t been myself. 

You left him in the middle of the kitchen, determined to find yourself again. 

I can’t forget why I’m on this ship. 

You propped yourself up with your field notes next to Chopper, realizing you couldn’t remember the last time you worked beside him. 

I won’t lose myself again. 

As Time Passes

As more time passed, you found yourself getting engrossed in your work again. It felt good to me practicing your skills, being creative with your projects, and being useful. The scent of dried flowers pressed to preserve their shape. The scratch of your pencil softly capturing every detail of the specimens you’d picked up on the way.  I’m going to find plants on the Grand Line that no one has seen before. I’ll find out their uses, I’ll help people.  You found yourself spending less and less time with the boys, even on their days with you. 

Sanji seemed hurt when you'd first asked for more time to work, but he was quickly caught up in more time with Nami. The festering anger you started to feel made you sick, and you kept focused on yourself. 

He always liked her more than me anyway. 

You pushed that thought away, but after time went on even your time together was feeling strained. 

Until Sanji started going overboard.

You woke to a soft knock at your door, and he paraded in with breakfast in bed.

“My beautiful, Y/N. I’m sorry, I couldn't wait a moment longer to see your perfect face this morning.”

“Sanji-”

“Not to worry, dear. Whatever you need today, I am here to serve. I’ll make your favorite latte to help you focus on your work if you like. Or a back rub to help you relax?”

You laughed at him, still not fully awake.

“Sanji, I’m fine. I’ve just got some work to do.”

“Will you be making supplies in the kitchen with me?”

“Not today.”

Sanji swallowed, his shoulders slumping a bit. Feeling guilty, you took a breath.

“How about I stay with you after lunch for a bit before heading back?”

His eyes lit up, and he practically ran toward you, showering you with kisses. 

“Thank you, my sweet, every second in your presence is heavenly. I’m so lucky to have you, my darling. My beautif-”

You couldn’t stop laughing now, gently pushing him off so you could get up. 

You pulled him into a hug, having a feeling why he might even be more over the top lately. 

“I’ll see you at lunch, Sanji.”

You sighed into his soft kiss. Your hurt was still there. It didn’t feel like it used to with him. 

I guess we need to talk about it. 

Zoro Seeing Someone

“Hey, Needy?”

You’d followed him out on deck, happy to watch his morning training routine before he took you in the shower again. 

Robin waved at you with a teasing smile as she found a spot on deck to read. Blushing, you looked back at Zoro, only to find his eyes trained on Robin.

Your gut twisted uncomfortably, and you felt too awkward to stand and watch him like a cheerleader while he looked at her.

Fidgeting for a few moments, you went back inside. 

He can find me when he’s done. 

You had your head in the cupboard, looking for more ideas to share with Usopp for his ammo.

“I wondered where my Needy girl was hiding.”

For the first time since he gave it to you, the nickname didn’t feel comfortable.

I don’t just want to be needy. I want to be needed. 

You turned to find him glistening with sweat, breathing heavy, ready to take you over, make you forget everything. Again.

“I’ve got some work to do, Zoro.”

His head tilted, brow tensing slightly as he looked at you.

“You alright, Needy?”

Letting out a breath, you touched his hand, the skin hot in yours.

“All good, I just want to get some work done today.”

He stared for a minute, seeming to size you up. 

“Alright weirdo, see you later?”

“Mmhm.”

You turned back to your work, waiting to hear his footsteps out the door. 

As Time Passes

As more time passed, you found yourself getting engrossed in your work again. It felt good to me practicing your skills, being creative with your projects, and being useful. The scent of dried flowers pressed to preserve their shape. The scratch of your pencil softly capturing every detail of the specimens you’d picked up on the way.  I’m going to find plants on the Grand Line that no one has seen before. I’ll find out their uses, I’ll help people.  You found yourself spending less and less time with the boys, even on their days with you. 

A heavy knock at your door jolted you from your work. Standing from your desk you opened the door to find Zoro leaning against the frame. 

“Hi, what’s up?”

He frowned at you.

“What’s up with you, Needy?”

With a sigh, you stepped back and let him in. 

“I’m working on monographs from the last island. I’d like to finish up before we land anywhere else, it takes a lot of time.”

He crossed his arms.

“I didn’t know you wanted a break today.”

“We don’t need to have sex every time it’s your day, Zoro.”

His brows tensed, body stiffening at your words.

“That’s not what I meant. I… I mean we. We haven’t even talked today, Needy. I thought it was our day.”

Your head fell back to look at the ceiling as you sighed, stepping further away from him. 

“I’ve got a lot to do, Zoro. I’m not like you, the fighters, and the devil fruit users. I can’t fight. I have to use my other skills to be useful.”

His face softened, his arms uncrossing to reach for you.

“You are useful to this crew, Needy. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. 

You wanted to believe him as he held you, but you couldn’t get the image of how he looked at Robin out of your head. The respect, the admiration. She was so strong, powerful. He’d never look at you the way he looks at her. 

“Th-Thank you. I really need to get back to work, Zoro.”

He kissed the top of your head before pulling back to look at you. He still looked concerned, but he let you go. 

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right, Needy?”

Your stomach dropped, a feeling of nausea and shame swirling in you. 

Why can’t I just tell him how I’m feeling?

But you couldn’t form the words, feeling too hurt and ashamed with yourself to manage it. 

“Everything’s fine.”

Thank You For Reading! 💜

TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist

Buy me a coffee ☕🙏🏼

[jake-g-lockley]

Hello, can I request 21 or 24 with Steven Grant, with him needing comfort. Gn or male reader.

Fondness for Breaking Apart (Steven Grant x gn!reader)

Masterlist | Spotify Playlist | Want to be tagged?

Prompts: “i didn’t know where else to go.” / “i didn’t have anywhere else to go.” and  “oh, god, i’m sorry about your shirt.” *shirt is drenched in tears* “it’s okay. i was planning on throwing it out anyway.” 

Warnings: Angst, mentions of Wendy Spector, brief mentions of Marc, drowning, animal attack, nightmares, anxiety attacks, injury and tending to injury, mention of abuse and trauma.

A/N: Hi there nonnie! Thank you so much for this ask. This episode of sad is brought to you by Atlee. Now, if you don’t know who Atlee is, good for you, keep it that way, trust me. But if you do know who Atlee is, bestie are you good?

Word Count: 1.3k

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Steven was frozen. All he could see was the water level steadily rising, and going past his ankles, knees and then hips. He tried to call out for someone, anyone, but he couldn’t, almost as if someone had stolen his voice from him. He almost forgot who he was and what he was doing there. 

He was in a cave and it was dark, except for a glowing scale directly in front of him. A toy alligator bobbed up and down the water and it soon turned into a real alligator, snapping its jaws at Steven. His eyes widened and he finally could move, but it was too late, the alligator was close and the water was up to his chest. He screamed and flailed his arms, trying to swim away, but it caught him, searing pain shooting up his body as blood filled his vision. 

Steven woke up with a start, trying to swing himself off the bed but his leg caught the bedpost and he went tumbling face first onto the hardwood floor. His heart started to constrict in his chest and he couldn’t breathe again, as if he had used all of his strength to scream. His whole body hurt and he was pretty sure his nose was bleeding as he took heaving breaths to settle his lungs. 

He was shaking and he couldn’t find Marc anywhere in the headspace. He sobbed, big globs of tears falling onto the floor, wondering why he had been left alone. He didn’t know what to do or say as he cried without a single sound. Another image popped into his mind and he reached out for it, focusing on it before deciding his next course of action. He crawled towards his door and used the shelf beside it as an anchor for him to stand up. He shakily pulled at all of the locks and flung the door open, stumbling across the threshold to your apartment, hitting your doorbell.

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You had been fast asleep but you were awoken to the sound of your doorbell. You glance at the wall clock which reads 1: 25 am and you slip out of bed, worried and confused. Maybe you had just been dreaming up the sound, but it didn’t hurt to check. You opened the door and caught a glimpse of your neighbour leaning against the doorframe. 

“Steven?” you said sleepily, and gasped as he lifted his head to look at you.

His dark circles were more prominent than usual, but his usually rosy cheeks were dull and slathered with tears, along with blood that trailed from his nose. He slumped forward and you caught him, supporting the back of his neck as he cried into the crook of your neck. You pull him inside and shut the door behind him, sitting down onto the floor and pulling him down with you. You didn’t ask him what was wrong, you just held onto him as his body shook and his tears dampened your shoulder. 

You noticed that Steven cried very quietly, almost soundlessly weeping in the most heartbreaking fashion. Remember how you train yourself to cry quietly so that your parents would not hit you and you tried to not let your memories get the best of you. You ran a hand up and down his back soothingly until he stilled and sniffed softly against you. Suddenly, a hiss of pain emitted against your neck and you pulled away hastily to see Steven touching his nose.

“Oh, Steven, let’s get you some tea and clean you up, yeah?” you said, standing up and pulling him up with you. 

He stumbled and you realised that he wasn’t putting any of his weight on his left leg. You knelt down and set his hand on your shoulder for balance, rolling up his pyjama pants to check his leg. Sure enough there was a huge bruise the size of your fist forming on his shin and you hissed at its size. 

You slowly stirred Steven to the soft plush sofa and went to put the kettle on and grab your supplies. You came back almost instantly and placed Steven’s leg up on a cushion and gently laid out your cold pack on it. Steven was looking down and you used your fingers to push against the underside of his chin, lifting his head up so that he was at eye level with you. 

You sighed and began to work, cleaning Steven’s nose with a cotton ball dipped in distilled water. Once cleaned, you noticed that the blood wasn’t coming from inside of his nose, but from the bridge of his nose where a small cut had formed. Steven’s nose was still dripping from when he was crying and you grabbed a few tissues and held it at his nose.

“Blow, softly.” you whispered. 

He did with a few hisses of discomfort and you examined the tissue for any sign of blood before sighing with relief. Tossing the tissue into your makeshift basket, you continued with your little assignment. Steven’s eyes twitched as you dabbed the area with a little bit of betadine before placing some gauze on it and gently tapping it down with medical tape. 

“I’m so sorry about your shirt.” Steven sniffed apologetically as his hand tried to brush away the blood, snot and tears that clung to the fabric.

“It’s alright Steven, I was gonna throw it out anyway.” you said, offering him a small smile to accompany your joke. 

You handed him the cup of tea and he sipped slowly staring into space. 

“I didn’t know where else to go…” he said softly and a tear ran down his cheek. 

“Steven, look, I’m always here and it's alright.” you said, wiping the tear away.

“I-i can’t find Marc and I don’t know what's going on.” the tears were coming down quick again and you jumped up onto the sofa and cuddled Steven as his breathing became more raggard. 

“Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure he’s still there. He’s just probably exhausted.” you said soothingly, rubbing Steven’s shoulder, hoping to god that Marc was still there for the sake of the both of you. 

“Look, why don’t we go and sit on the balcony for a while, yeah? I need you to take some deep breaths Steven.” You said and you led him towards the balcony and sat him on the floor. 

You laced your fingers with his and held onto him tightly as his breathing slowly evened out. He leaned on your shoulder as the both of you stared up at the moon, which was shining all bright and beautiful in the sky. 

“You know what Steven? There was an old wives tale about how if you lie on your mothers lap and look up at the moon, whatever you asked it would come true.” you mumbled, leaning your head against his. 

Steven stayed silent for a while as you both listened to the sound of traffic down below.  

“My mom was an abusive alcoholic, so I doubt she’d let me lie on her lap.” Steven casually chuckled thickly.

Tears filled in your eyes as you softly punched him, as your heart broke further at his situation you quickly rubbed away the tears that dropped out. 

“Lie on my lap, Steven” you whispered. 

“Huh”

“I said, lie on my lap.” you said a little firmer, confident with your decision. 

Steven gently lays his head on your lap and you bring your hand to his head to caress his hair. 

“Make a wish, any wish, and don’t tell me.” you said as Steven looked up at the moon.

He closed his eyes and wished that you would never leave him the way everyone did all his life. He nodded once he was done and you glared up at the moon as angry tears left your eyes. 

“If the moon doesn’t fulfill your wish, I’ll fight him myself.” you said, and you had a weird feeling that it was listening by the way Steven chuckled.

You continued to stroke his hair as the both of you sobbed away, absorbing the comfort from each other’s company. Only when he was asleep did you kiss his forehead whispering in his ear that you’d never leave him, promising him as you too laid down and stared into the night sky. 

Reblogs are appreciated~~~~

Tagging: @fandxmslxt69 @randomnessfangirl @in-between-the-cafes @bodhisattva11 @marc-spectors-wife @nyotamalfoy @steven-grants-world @jbearre85 @whatsliferightnow @excitedcurtain864 @minigirl87 @wonderfulboiledcoldpotato @autismsupermusicalassassin @alexxavicry @flordelalunas @marygraceee @lia275 @euphoricosmo @sky-robin @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @celiaswife @violet-19999 @swiggy-needs-mental-help @ghostheartbeat @kierramofficial @ryebreadsworld

[sulfurz]

ೃ༄ TAP OUT (christian cage x reader)

ೃ༄ pairing: christian cage x fem!reader (ft. brother!edge)

ೃ༄ requested by: anon

Hi! Is there anyway I can request a Christian x Female!Reader one shot? Maybe she’s Adam’s younger sister and Christian’s girlfriend and she’s teaming with them against the Hardy’s and Lita and she ends up seriously injured and the boys are there with her the whole time taking care of her? Fluffy and angsty if possible please?

ೃ༄ warnings: light swearing, mentions of injury, inconsistent use of christian/jay and edge/adam

ೃ༄ word count: 2.1k

ೃ༄ note: hi anon!! i hope this is similar to what you wanted <3 i got off track with the hurt/comfort elements and the connection with jay hehe <3

the shout of the crowd was always the most exhilarating part of a match. standing against the turnbuckles, a perfect mirror image of lita on the other side of the ring, listening as your team partners worked the crowd from the ropes either side of you. it was your favourite part of the group you worked with, the dynamic which had your partners being the ones to act as your hype men, leaving you to revel in the energy before kicking off every match you began. it worked, and the crowd loved it, even if your positions were meant to be that of heel. it was hard to deny your popularity — no matter how much vince tried to push for the opposite.

if you glanced to your left, you’d see the man you loved bouncing so elegantly off of the mixed reaction from the crowd. it was hard to not spend your time staring at him, to keep your focus on intimidating the opponent when he just looked so good. but it was always worth it when you got the win.

even now, as christian jumped down from the middle rope, taking his place by your side and wasting no time in pressing his lips against yours, ignited by a holler of cheers from the crowd. they always ate up every moment the two of you showed your relationship on stage — and when they found out that relationship extended beyond storylines? well, your popularity skyrocketed.

what made it even more perfect was the perfect play from edge, rolling his eyes as he joined you by your right side. it was perfect really, the idea that your big brother hated your relationship but fought alongside you for the sake off the team — when in reality, adam loved the two of you together. sure, backstage his jokes never ceased, and you were more than often third wheeling with jay and adam as opposed to the other way around, but the in ring reactions he always had just added to your determination to prove yourself as a power couple.

the hardy siblings took their place by lita, jeff, unbeknownst to the crowd, sending a wink your way. and then the match was set.

the referee took his place, and amongst the crowd’s screams you could hear edge’s whisper of ‘let’s kick some ass’, coupled by one last squeeze of your hand from your boyfriend to your other side, before he launched into his signature pendulum kick to defend from matt hardy’s oncoming attack.

it was only up from there, elbow body shots all around, coupled with more than exhilarating special abilities you weren’t even aware your opponents had. no amount of fight calls could prepare you for some of the moves lita pulled on you, but you were always prepared with reversals when you got the chance. behind every move you could feel the crowd’s cheering thrumming in your veins, pushing you to get out of any compromising position to turn it around with your own abilities. you even attempted your brothers signature spear, knowing he’d rip you for it after the match.

at one point, christian managed to get jeff hardy with his killswitch, but the man, as planned, kicked out at the last second.

then, it all went wrong.

vaguely, you could see the hardy boyz and high impact battling it out in a series of moves you couldn’t pinpoint, as you were focused on defending yourself against lita’s own high power attacks.

as she went to performance her signature moonsault, the plan called for you to reverse her mid air, but as her body collided with yours, the sudden, piercing pain in your leg caused for you both to go tumbling to the floor. you hit the surface harder than expected, lita’s weight on top of you an added pressure as something twinged in all the wrong ways. she knew immediately what had happened, and quicker than expected the woman was playing it off but wasting no time in leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“you okay?” she questioned in the privacy of just the both of you, face positioned in the crowds blind spot.

you nodded, expecting to be able to walk it off. as you rose to continue with the planned moves, the pain in your leg became unbearable, and before you had even stood to full attention, you were back down on the surface of the ring.

this time, lita wasn’t the only one to turn her attention to you. previously engaged in their own personal battles, christian was the first to react, immediately giving some sort of signal to his currently one of the brothers so that he could attend to your side. edge held up appearances, taking on both of the hardy brothers but you were sure they were all watching you from the side.

christian’s hands were on your waist, momentarily dulling the spiking pain from below your waist. “y/n? you okay?”

you went to nod your head, halt your boyfriends worries before they began, but the pain returned tenfold and all you could manage was a pained yell as you gripped at one of his forearms weaker than before. christian knew immediately, his unoccupied hand raising to your cheek as he tried shallowly to comfort you between pulses of pain. there were some words exchanged between him and lita, sounds you couldn’t quite make out amongst the ache, and then the referee was signalling with crossed arms for a time out.

finally, amongst keeping up appearances, your brother rushed to your side, no longer occupied by the hardy siblings. he was behind christian, just as worried but without knowing where you were hurt, not wanting to touch incase of causing further harm. christian was vaguely saying something to him in the background, but his hands were just as grounding before.

from the side of the ring, you could see the medics appear through the ropes, and even as they pushed everyone away, christian remained by your side.

somewhere in your peripheral, lita was explaining what happened to the medical professionals, but all you could focus on was your boyfriends soft whispers, shrouded by anxiety.

“can you move? can you sit up?” before you could even answer, christian was peppering you with concern again “you haven’t hurt your back right? shit — if you’ve hurt your back—“

you squeezed his arm before he could panic anymore. “i’m okay. my backs fine it’s just— my leg— i think i tore something—“

there was a gentle hand in your hair, brushing back strands whilst you lay until the medics shifted your leg, and you couldn’t help the guttural scream that left your throat. you were suddenly being shifted, your leg in the air as they put some strap to provide pressure, the pain unbearable until your head was being moved too. whilst they iced your muscle down the best they could, christian had moved until your head was placed gently on his thighs. hands caressing your hair and whatever inch of you he could reach in a pale but appreciated nonetheless.

“jay—“ you whined weakly, reaching your hand as far as it could go to tap his thigh. he was there on instant, tangling your fingers together and bringing his lips down to press a kiss to your knuckles. you could hear a cheer at the action, some concerned, some maybe convinced it was all part of it, but all you cared about right now was keeping your attention on christian. “it hurts.”

“i know. i know baby.” and he did better than anyone. you had been there by his side through more than one injury, and now it seemed it was time for him to do the same. one of the medics said something to him, and then christian was turning his attention back to you. “can you get up, sweetheart? i’ll help you.”

your attempt to nod was muffled by the awkward position you were in, but then christian was moving from under you until he could firmly grab at both of your hands. you tried to place your uninjured foot to pull you up, but it was to little avail, having to rely on your boyfriends strength alone to get you standing. the second you were back on your feet (or foot, considering your current predicament), edge was back by your side, and the boys took their positions under each of your arms.

a firm, yet caring hand on your bare stomach drew your attention to you brother.

“you still with us, champ?” he joked, pulling a weak smile of you as the two men helped you through the ropes.

you barely remembered the journey backstage, too busy thinking about the repercussions of whatever you had pulled — or worse, torn. but there was no need to worry about that now when your boys were on either side, attentive as ever to every need.

it brought you back to the time you received your first injury, nothing more than a dislocated shoulder shortly after your debut.

christian and you weren’t together back then, but it was certainly the beginning of something. you remembered sitting in the hospital, way past visiting hours, with a worried adam to your side, hand tightly gripping yours. jay was there too, refusing to leave despite his lack of full association to you. it was the first moment you realised how deeply he cared for you.

it was all very deja vu now, except this time, it was jay holding your hand in the medical room, with adam pacing back and forth like a mad man whilst you waited to be attended to. he was, if you even glanced for a moment, furious.

ignoring adam’s internal plight, jay lowered his voice, skin still clammy from adrenaline, but warn as you leant into him. “you were a beast out there, injury or not.” he emphasised his words with a kiss to your temple, pulling the briefest of smiles out of your anxious self.

“what happens now?” you whispered, the turmoil evident as ever in your voice. jay could only shrug, pressing another soft kiss to your temple before you adjusted your position so you could press your lips against his.

“whatever happens, we’ll be with you every step of the way, okay?” he rested his forehead against yours, revelling in the moment until the sound of your brother’s pacing pulled him out of the moment “adam, you ass, you’re worrying her more.”

adam turned to his best friend, fury evident on his face but features relaxing the moment you sent him a sympathetic look. “i’m just pissed, they should have been more prepared for something like this in such a high stakes match.”

“no one can predict it,” you empathised, leaning into jay’s side as you spoke “nothing was botched, i just clearly had my leg in the wrong position.”

“still! why is no one here attending to you? if you’ve torn your acl and they’re off gallivanting around—“

“adam.” jay spoke sternly, his hand not holding yours outstretched in a pause symbol.

glancing between the two of you, the harsh lines on adam’s forehead didn’t disappear until you outstretched your unoccupied arm to him. you could see the moment he battled with the internal angel and devil, before his face softened and he stepped towards you, taking your hand tightly in both of his and placing an extended kiss to the available skin.

you let yourself relax for a moment, head lolling against jay’s shoulder whilst your brother crouched down in front of you. your leg was still strapped from foot to thigh, no one wanting to take any chances, but you tried just for a moment to ignore what was to come and revel in the moment with your fellow company.

adam was in deep thought, allowing you just a moment of reprise in which you turned your head up to see jay already looking down at you. his brow was creased in concern, and you couldn’t help but release his hand to run your thumb along his temple, smoothing out the lines that had appeared. despite the circumstances, he offered you a soft smile.

“no matter what happens, i’m proud of you, you know that?” he spoke quietly, leaning into your touch as your hand rested against his cheek.

“i know.” you whispered in response. amongst everything, one thing you would never doubt was jay’s care for you, and the pride the man carried whenever he saw you in action. “i’ll be okay right?”

jay glanced in adam’s direction. you weren’t sure if the older of the two was looking, but there was an understanding that flashed across your boyfriends eyes before he turned back to face you. “as long as we’ve got each other, right?”

you smiled, lifting your lips to his in another soft kiss. “as long as we’ve got each other.”

a/n: thank you for such a cute request anon!! i always have fun writing any dynamic that involves jay/adam as they are my faves <3 i hope this at least somewhat did justice to your request!

[toa-archive]

Troll Dads Design Path - Part 1

This thread is long overdue and has hit further problems in being posted delaying it further, apologises for that. Anyway we're here now and finally it's time to look at some troll dads.

This has been pieced together from what has been found online and acknowledges that there is further content in the artbook or somewhere online that has yet to be found. The timeline will also be as accurate as can be guessed

Might as well start with the original Trollhunters book where a much wiggly Blinky of the Lizzgump clan and the fetching lady Johannah Mmmm ARRRGH!!! looked very different to their tv designs. E. M. Gist produced the below artwork that was to be the cover though was replaced by Sean Murray's Amulet artwork fairly last minute. It often blows around the internet in bad quality and never credit so it's a pleasure to finally be able to do that.

Source

Sean Murray has two illustrations with his own take on the duo! If Blinky was more visible you'd see a skirt made out of medals he's wearing. These were part of a set of interior illustrations.

Source includes other illustrations he made for the novel

Understandably for the original Trollhunters film their designs had to be changed to be both more animation and child friendly. Rodrigo Blaas produced this version in 2010 showing Jack Sturges, Handsome Blinky and AAARRRGGHH carrying a hunk of Gunmar around, something that sticks around in the artwork for a long while.

Handsome Blinky can kindly stay away.

Source

On his website John Bell has this artwork from 2012, clearly still in the film phase, of his take on the duo. You can certainly see some themes still sticking around from the earlier days.

Source

Blinky went all sorts of directions as can be seen in this artwork by Francisco Ruiz Velasco. His four arms didn't seem to show up until he took on a more familiar shape and surprisingly he had a tail at one point!

Source

Headless Studios were also trying out different Blinky designs including a tall variant until his more rectangle shape we're more used to started to crop up more and more. There are even more of these in the artbook.

Source

As they deserve a special place being so unique these fuzzy Blinky's are by Francisco Ruiz Velasco and show a rather familiar outfit starting to appear. He still has a little tail though his feet are more feathered than solid but it only adds to his adorable charm.

Source

This one wasn't posted in the original thread, figured it'd be a nice treat for the long wait. Simon Rogers did concept art for the original film and if you look at the bottom middle and left a bit there is a squat Blinky, A tall standing but short legged AAARRRGGHH with a chunk of Gunmar and likely Jim in Trollmarket.

This seemed a good transition piece between the dads too.

Source

AAARRRGGHH seemed to hit his stride much sooner than Blinky did with most changes focusing on how much fluff, facial shape and his tattoos. These images are by Francisco Ruiz Velasco and include shorts prior to that loincloth number he'll be sporting soon. With his build heading the right direction too he's already looks like a good boy.

Source

Meanwhile at Headless Studios, AAARRRGGHH design started to cement into something more familiar to us by keeping that scruff n fluff and extending it. This is the first appearance of his arm stripes which will stick around for quite a while along with leg wraps. His tail is pure fuzz when it appears.

Source

Shown in the artbook along with an art version by Headless Studios (A version of is below too), this small statue was used in the original pitch and was created by Chris Ryniak! Poor Toby.

Source

Blinky in the meanwhile was still being fairly fast and funky though now his shape seemed to stick and it was more the specifics that were in flux. His number of eyes kept changing, glasses, fabulous eyeliner and even a camp counselor look going on.

Bar minor adjustments though he too would hit his stride. All the below are by Headless Studios.

Source

The colours remained in flux for a while though and a number plate temporarily appears on his shoulder. He does look rather fetching in pink though? The chunk of Gunmar is back and AAARRRGGHH remains stable for the time being other than being red. Both are Headless Studios again.

Source

Sergio Casas did a colour pass making the trolls makeup game the best it'll be. AAARRGGHH's arm stripes are starting to dwindle though the earring is sticking as it will until the final. This is also the last appearance of Blinky's number plate.

Source

More Headless Studios! His arm warmers make their last stand here and the more obvious loin cloth putting an appearance. The bottom middle one is likely what Betsy Bauer based the phone artwork in Wizards on. Look at that smile.

Source

Two more by Francisco Ruiz Velasco, while the top image does have vague hints of fuzzy Blinky AAARRRGGHH lacks his arm warmers for clear rune marks instead. The second image showing "Gunmar" at Killahead Bridge comes much later and AAARRGGHH having a sharper design than the softer rounded one he did previously.

Source 1 / Source 2

Jonatan Catalan Navarrete portfolio includes a poster for when it was still very much the film version and a slightly terrifying Blinky model (A textureless version is in the artbook) and the final appearance of the hunk of Gunmar.

Source

There is actually two versions of the below image by Alfonso Blaas though this is the lesser known one with gorgeous lighting, the other being an earlier blue concept used to announce the Trollhunters tv project. AAARRGGHH has his loincloth still but very much looking like who we know and love now.

Source

Due to hitting the image cap the thread has been split into two! You can find the second part here.

[duckiemimi]

this was submitted as a submission! i kept their username hidden just in case they wanted their privacy! also, a heads up—i’ll be talking about death and ideation here.

what is a punishment for a monster?

this’ll be a little soft and embarrassing, but who am i if not soft and embarrassing? i think that’s a good thing. i hope you think so, too.

“punishment for a monster” is a very personal story to me. to this day, i’m not quite sure what prompted me to write it. i can’t really pinpoint a specific event in my life that inspired the structure and the story, but i do know that it felt like a long, overdue hug. it felt it was waiting for me, too.

you ask how i came up with the concept.

if i could pick out a more concrete moment of inspiration, it would be after watching Mike Flanagan’s “Haunting of Hill House”! i won’t spoil you too much,

***(skip this part if you’d rather watch it first!)***

but there’s a character in the show who goes around talking to his dead wife on an every day basis, like she’s there but not really there. at first, we’re led to believe that it’s a classic case of a haunting, like the title implies. by the end of the story, it becomes less clear, more murky. it seemed to me like he kept holding onto the memories of her, like he’d built a moving image of his late wife with every moment of her he could remember. so, yeah: she was there, but not really there. memories are building blocks, i think.

***(spoiler over; you’re good!)***

i’ve always had an interest in death and the afterlife, what it means for the people who keep going and what it means for the people who rest. it’s not particularly religious in nature; hell, i’d consider myself far from religious. i don’t know. i guess i wanted to know why some circles close and why circles don’t. why does the pen stop moving?

my cousin died earlier during the pandemic, and it was also during the time i was put on watch. actually, i think i wanted to go before she actually went. i’m older than her, but i guess that didn’t really mean anything in the end. i’ll always be older. and anyway, it’s selfish to want to go when someone’s already on their way, isn’t it?

in my culture, when people die, sometimes they come back as dreams. they’d come back one last time to say goodbye, and that’s when you know they’re happier. i never saw my cousin in my dreams. i guess i wouldn’t call us close. i hope she visited my sister, though. she wouldn’t tell me, but i don’t pry. it’s something between them only.

you ask about the title.

i’ll be honest, i didn’t really know what to title the story. pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas. all i knew was that it had to be a quote about “punishment.”

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. to want something so much—to hold it in your arms—and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”

that’s the full quote from a book titled “The Wrath and the Dawn” by Renee Ahdieh. i’ve never read the book before. i’m sure it’s beautiful, and i know that even by this one line. maybe i’ll read it some day.

it’s a sweet irony, i think, to title a story about healing and second chances “punishment for a monster”, to title a story about forgiveness and metamorphosis something so punitive and cruel. but i guess it works in both geto and gojo’s cases. who is the monster here? who is being punished? but i think people can change. i think love transmutes.

you ask if i was as broken as you as you read it.

well, maybe. i tend to realize things in hindsight. at the time, i was only focused on geto and gojo, where to put my commas and spaces, what words to use to talk about loss. i only realized later on that i’ve typed up most of me into it, too. but isn’t that all art? isn’t art just a giant portrait of who we are at the time? i’m rewriting “honesty corner” and i considered rewriting “punishment for a monster”, but i think i want to keep that picture of me from then. if i ever muster up the courage to read it again, it’ll be like looking through a photo album.

i would write more of how i conceptualized geto and gojo in the story, but i think we’ve connected well enough for you to know what i meant. i read every single comment and so many of you have such personal tethers to the story. i won’t get in your way; you deserve to mourn the way you want, too. and anyway, grief is never-ending. it’s a lifetime thing and it isn’t always linear, and though you carry it for life, it doesn’t define you. love defines you.

(though you could say grief is an extension of love. how’s that poem go again? grief is love in a heavy coat?)

thank you so much for liking a story i wrote of my two favorite characters. i don’t think life is made up of straight lines. one day, when we’re both ready, let’s have some clementines at the table.

[justplainwhump]

Waterfront

Adrian and Bea drive home after the Noor-incident.

[Pet Safety]

Content: BBU, recovery, setbacks. Short reference to (recovery) dubcon, and references to sex.

On their ride home, silence was hanging over them like a wet blanket, all-absorbing and suffocating, punctuated only by Bea slowly tapping her fingers to the passenger window as she looked outside. It was a little foggy, early in the morning, but the fog would dissolve soon and give way to a sunny day. Adrian was pretty sure that what happened between them would not dissolve that quickly.

"I asked him," Bea said to the window pane, so quietly Adrian only heard it because there was no other noise in the car.

He frowned. "What?"

"Noor," Bea clarified. "Before I went down on him. I asked him, if he wanted it."

Adrian flinched, his hands clenched around the steering wheel, gaze glued to the street in front of them. He forbid himself to render the images of what she'd just said.

Of Noor and Bea.

Of himself and Bea.

The memory made him nauseous.

"That's..." He cleared his throat. "That's... good. Consent... Consent is important."

"You didn't want it," she said.

Adrian's hands were sweaty. "Yeah," he replied stiffly.

"You didn't want both of it." The tapping of her fingers on the window pane had stopped. "You didn't consent to me fucking you, and that hurt you. Noor consented. And that hurt you, too. I... Did I.. Did I do it wrong?" Her voice trembled a little on the question.

"No," Adrian said, focusing on the road in front of him. "You did great, Bea."

He felt her gaze on him for long seconds, before she tilted her head. "You are hurt, Adrian Delgado," she insisted, voice soft with sadness. "Because of me. Again."

"It's not because of you. It's... It's complicated."

Her jaw tensed. "I'm not stupid."

"I know." Adrian exhaled sharply. "But I am."

He was. It was stupid being jealous, it was stupid falling for her, it had been stupid taking her in in the first place.

Bea glared at him. "You aren't allowed to be stupid."

"Why not?"

She paused for a moment, lips pressed into a thin line, before she shrugged and turned away.

Adrian bit back a curse.

He was stupid, but he was decent enough at reading body language.

Bea was crying.

She was doing her best not to show it, keeping her shoulders straight, her head up high, but Adrian knew it anyway.

He drove the car onto a parking lot. One of the touristy ones, right by the water front. It was near empty at this time of the morning. Someone with neon pink shorts was jogging past them, while at the far end of the lot a lady set up a coffee stand.

Apart from them, they were alone.

Adrian turned off the ignition.

"Bea?"

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Adrian said.

Bea pushed open the car door and walked away. She kept her shoulders straight still, moved her hips with the casually sensual sway all Romantics mastered. It didn't work as well with Converse chucks as it did in heels.

"Bea!"

He got out as well.

She didn't stop.

Adrian hissed the curses audibly now. She was too far away to hear him. Fuck. He wished Marta was here.

But she wasn't. This was his to deal with.

He pressed the lock button on his car key, and once he heard the loud click, fell into a jog past her.

"Bea!"

A man with a tiny dog and barely veiled interest in anything unusual during his morning walk passed them, not without gawking at Bea's collar and then at Adrian. "I thought one paid for them to not act like the wife."

"Fuck off," Adrian hissed, and at least the man flinched.

He picked up his dog, pressed it to his chest and brushed past them, shooing and loudly whispering, "You're the only decent sort of pet anyway, Cesar" into the dog's fur.

One shove would be all it took to send this pathetic man and his dog stumbling into the cold water.

Adrian banned the thought. Bea didn't even seem to have noticed. At least she'd stopped. She looked over the fog in the bay, arms crossed, hugging herself.

"I'm not a pet." She spoke quietly, without turning back to him. "Or, it's not all that I am. I'm a person. You taught me. I'm a person." She swallowed, and he could hear the sobs still clinging to her voice. "If you are stupid, Adrian Delgado, then how can I know this is true?"

-

---

Pet Safety tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @gottawhump @flowersarefreetherapy @whumplr-reader @highwaywhump @tauntedoctopuses @pigeonwhumps @whumppsychology @labgrowndemon @whumpinggrounds @somewhumpyguy @whumpzone @tragedyinblue e

[totowlff]

extra — bliss

➝ toto is grinning like a goofball. and it didn't go unnoticed.

➝ word count: 4,6k

➝ warnings: none

➝ author’s notes: this is, probably, my favorite chapter to date. you will know why.

The image on Toto's cell phone screen looked straight out of a dream. At the edges of the shot, his fingers were holding up a small glossy rectangle with an image printed in black and white. It wasn’t high-quality or high-definition, but it was probably Toto’s favorite picture on earth.

The subject featured a slightly elongated white blob, resting at the bottom of a dark oval. On the bottom of the picture, there were a series of lines in consistent peaks and valleys, depicting a heartbeat. It was the absolute proof that he wasn’t just imagining things.He was going to have a child.

“A child with her”, Toto thought, as he thought about the way Cassie smiled at him as she told him the news a few Sunday evenings prior. The memory of it made something feel warm in his chest.

While Toto was in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, he’d called Cassie to find out how her appointment went at the fertility clinic. She’d been scheduled for a blood draw and an exam that day ahead of their second try at IVF conception after a first attempt failed. While they were on the phone, Toto could hear a certain hesitation — maybe fear — in the tone of Cassie’s voice. His first thought was that something was wrong, but Cassie didn’t say.

It made the entire weekend drag on for what felt like an eternity. Despite his efforts to keep focused on his duties with the team that weekend, he felt internally consumed by anguish and anxiety. During debriefs, he found his mind wandering to what would happen when he would go to Cassie’s flat upon arriving back in Oxford. He feared the worst — that whatever caused their first attempt to fail was a bigger problem than expected and would prevent any future attempts at conception, putting an end to their shared dream.

He also couldn’t bear the possibility of seeing Cassie in the state he’d found her in when he returned home from Bahrain. She had been devastated by the failure of their first try, in tears, talking about how big of a failure she was. Her sadness that night was like a knife in Toto’s chest, so profound was the heartache he felt for her, and for himself. He hoped he wouldn’t ever have to see her that sad again, he was sure of that.

He tormented himself by imagining every possible scenario for the entire flight back to the UK, and for the entire drive into her neighborhood in the north of Oxford. He steeled himself, fully prepared to see Cassie just as she was on that terrible night in April.

When she answered the door, though, all appeared fine. It eased his heart a bit. 

— Good evening, Cassie — he said.

— Good evening — she replied, a peaceful expression on her face — Come in.

He stepped into the flat and took his shoes off by the door, glancing around the living room to see if it was like last time, with discarded tissues, empty wine bottles, and various forgotten messes. He was relieved to see that it looked neatly organized like it usually was, just a white box on the coffee table and an episode of some television series he wasn’t familiar with paused on the screen.

Toto heard Cassie’s footsteps behind him, and turned to face her. 

— Well, I was going to stop by today anyway, but you said you needed to talk to me, so I decided to stop by before I went home.

— Yes, I needed… I need to.

— Well, I'm here.

His chest tightened at the awkward silence.

— Cassie, is there something wrong? Did something show up on your blood test?

— I think you'd better sit down — she replied, her voice thin. 

Nobody ever said that unless they had bad news. Toto’s stomach lurched. “This is it. It’s all over”, he thought.

— Cassie, I'm not going to do anything until you tell me what’s wrong. Please, tell me.

Then, it got worse. Cassie's eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip started to tremble. Without a second thought, Toto took two steps forward and placed his hands on her face, his thumbs stroking her cheeks.

It was painful to see her crying, but seeing her crying and not knowing why was even worse. After urging her to explain, Cassie took a deep breath, laying her hands on his wrists.

— There was… A change in the hormone levels on my blood test.

— What kind of change?

— The level of a hormone called ‘hCG’ is… Elevated — she whispered.

Toto had read a lot about the IVF process. He'd been with Cassie for almost every appointment since he'd cast his lot into this endeavor and had done his own research so he’d know exactly what Cassie was dealing with. He’d read more about hormones and the human reproductive system than he’d ever cared to and he knew she wasn't taking any medication or receiving any hormone injections for her body to reset itself before a new IVF cycle. He couldn’t ever remember seeing anything or hearing anything mentioned about a hormone called hCG, which made things even more frightening. 

— Is that serious?

— Well, it depends.

— Depends on… What?

— How serious is a child for you?

Toto's heart leapt in his chest. Was she implying what Toto thought she was implying? He couldn’t have heard that right. She couldn’t have just said something about a child.

— What? — he managed to stammer.

— I'm pregnant — Cassie said, as more tears streamed down her face. There was no sadness in her eyes, quite the opposite. She had a wide smile on her face — We're having a baby.

Toto took a few seconds to process her words, his eyes fixed on hers, searching for any indication that she was kidding. After so much pain, so much fear, so many doubts, the last thing Toto wanted was for this to be a joke.

But Cassie had been to the doctor, had the tests done, talked to the clinic staff. She wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. She wouldn't joke about this. “It's real, my God, it's real”, he thought, as the smile grew on his face, his anguish metamorphosing into pure joy.

 He took his hands off of her face and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off her feet, twirling Cassie into the middle of the room. He laughed aloud, the certainty that this was the happiest a man could be in his life growing inside his chest.

His dream had come true.

He was going to be a father.

Since then, everything in the world seemed a little more alive, more vibrant, more beautiful. All he could think about was Cassie and the way she smiled and laughed as he twirled her around her living room, happiness etched on her face. Any problems or unforeseen events at the factory did little to affect his mood, and apparently, his happiness was quite visible. 

— Toto?

Casting a sidelong glance across his desk, he realized he was rambling about something while Ola Källenius was sitting in front of him, one eyebrow raised over her rectangular glasses.

— Yes?

— Is everything okay?

— Everything's great, why?

— It's just that you seem distracted today — the executive said, taking a sip of the coffee that was still left in his cardboard cup. 

Toto flushed a bit in embarrassment.

— I'm sorry, Ola — he quickly responded, running a hand through his hair — It's just… I got some news yesterday and I'm still processing it.

The man's expression softened.

— Well, I hope it’s a good thing, you seem very happy.

— Yeah, it's really good. I think it's the best news I've ever received in my life.

— The best news, huh? Has Lewis decided to sign a lifetime contract?

— I'm going to be a father, Ola — Toto answered, without hesitation, before realizing what he had done. He and Cassie had agreed not to tell anything to anyone until a few months in, until after the risk for miscarriage or other had passed. However, Toto’s excitement had gotten the better of him. Ola grinned widely at him. 

— This is fantastic, congratulations, Toto! — he said, reaching out to give his shoulder a friendly squeeze — Do you know the sex yet? Is it a boy or a girl?

— No, we don’t know yet, we haven't done any imaging or anything...

— Oh, so is recent?

— Yeah — he said, doing some quick mental math, trying to ignore the image of Cassie writhing in pleasure that filled his mind — A month, maybe a bit more.

The man smiled beside him.

— You were lucky to find out early, then. But, do you have a preference as far as the sex goes?

— Well, no. But, I think if I could choose, I’d like to have a little girl.

— I thought you'd like a boy to accompany you on paddock adventures.

— There’s nothing that stops a little girl from liking racing, right?

— Indeed — Ola replied, laughing.

The two talked a little more about parenting, with the executive sharing some anecdotes and stories about the children he had with his partner, Sabine. Hearing Ola talk about his children made a strange anxiety settle in his chest.

It wasn’t just the anticipation of finding out if they were having a boy or girl, it was wondering what the little person growing inside of Cassie would be like, in general. It was the anticipation of meeting someone that he didn’t know, but already loved so deeply. Would the baby be serious and driven like Toto, or would they be a free spirit like Cassie? Would they be more athletic, or more artistic? 

There was one thing Toto was sure about, however.

“You’re going to be as beautiful as your mother”, he thought, smiling at the phone's screen, where the ultrasound image continued to glow, foreshadowing the entire life Toto and his child would have together.

— What are you looking at that has you smiling like that? — a man said, bringing Toto out of his thoughts. Looking up, Toto found Niki Lauda staring at him from the other side of the plane’s seat. His blue eyes shone with curiosity. They were on a plane, flying to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. He usually did his best to avoid keeping his attention glued to his phone while he was on flights to and from races, to give himself time to decompress and let his mind wander, but all he could think about was Cassie and the baby she was carrying.

Since he had joined the Mercedes operation, the former driver was usually at his side, during races, debriefs, and flights to and from races. Toto had always admired him both on and off the track. His vision and courage never ceased to amaze him. Despite Niki saying he didn't have any friends, Toto was proud to be the exception.

As Niki’s friend, Niki knew quite a bit about Toto’s life.

He was one of the few people who knew about the entire history of Toto’s love life. There had been a few times that Niki had teased him about still being single, and good-naturedly offered to introduce him to one of Birgit’s friends, but Toto had refused. He was fairly certain that a blind date set-up wouldn’t be the way he would find the right person, and had expressed that to Niki, telling him that he wanted someone who was looking to start a relationship with, not just a casual date or hookup.

One thing Toto appreciated about Niki was how understanding he was. However, he wished he had been a little more than usual when he told his friend about his plans to have a baby with Cassie. He had already mentioned her to Niki on enough occasions for the man to suggest that Toto should ask her out on a date if he was in such a mood to “dip his pen in the company ink”. However, when Toto told him about their plans to pursue IVF conception, Niki immediately shot the idea down, telling Toto that he thought it was a stupid idea.

“Is it so stupid to want to fulfill a dream?”, he remembered asking himself.

— I'm looking at a picture — Toto replied, containing his smile a little.

— A pretty picture, by the looks of it.

— The prettiest I've ever taken, I think.

— Care to show me? — Niki asked, smirking.

Toto turned his phone towards his friend, mentally preparing himself for his reaction, which could be anything between joy and absolute bewilderment.

The former driver leaned back in his seat, narrowing his eyes as he studied the image. The following silence was longer than Toto would have expected, causing anxiety to tie knots in his stomach.

— Is that a baby?

— Well, technically it's a six-week old embryo, but you could say that it’s a baby.

Niki looked up at him.

— It's yours? — he asked. Toto just nodded, which made a small smile appear on his friend's face — So you went ahead with your plan with that girl, what's her name again? Alexandra?

— It's Cassandra, Niki. And yes, we went ahead with our plan and had our first round of IVF…

— And you got a positive at the first time? — Niki said, cutting him off. He looked impressed — If I can say one thing, you guys were lucky. When Birgit and I decided to have children, we had to go through three rounds before we got the twins, and it only worked once she changed one of the medications she was taking.

Toto pursed his lips hesitantly.

— But, I remember that the feeling of seeing the two lines on the pregnancy test was incredible. I started to cry when I saw the result, even after so long. I realized that day that I hadn't lost my enchantment with the world...

— The first attempt didn't work out, Niki.

Niki looked at him, confused.

— Oh, so, it was the second, then…

— We, uh… Didn’t get the chance to go ahead with the second round…

A few seconds later, his expression lit up as he connected the dots.

— Did you fuck?

— Niki! — exclaimed Toto, exasperated. He felt his face heat with embarrassment. He didn't like talking about his sex life openly, not even with people who knew him intimately.

— Toto, you just told me that you went ahead with your stupid plan and it didn't work, but there's a picture of an ultrasound on your phone and you've been smiling like a goofball since you boarded this jet, so I can only assume that you two fucked or this Sandra...

— Cassandra — Toto said, correcting him quietly.

— Cassandra, whatever, is the new Virgin Mary, and this baby of yours will be the second coming of Christ.

Toto sighed, defeated.

— We slept together...

— I knew it — the ex-driver said, chuckling in satisfaction.

— But it was only once, at her flat, when I got back from Bahrain. I hadn’t heard from her during the entire flyaway, so I went over to check on her. Cassie was devastated that it didn't work out and I felt awful that I hadn't been there for her, that I hadn’t given her the support that I’d promised I’d give her in the beginning…

— So, you decided to give her your support in bed?

— No — Toto replied quickly, as he realized that was exactly what had happened. Cassie had said she needed him and he hadn't had the heart to say no to her — Well, not exactly. She started saying that the things her parents said about her were right, that she was useless, that she couldn’t even do the basic things expected of her, that…

Suddenly, it felt as if all of the emotions that Toto had dammed up had found a way out, and he couldn’t stop himself from telling Niki everything.

— I told Cassie that she wasn't useless, but an admirable, courageous woman, capable of anything she set her mind to. And I told her not to feel bad, that we could try again. I promised that I would give her a child. And after all of that, she just… Kissed me.

— And you kissed her back, I imagine.

— I — he hesitated for a few seconds — Well, I didn’t really mean it to happen that way. I didn't want to take advantage of a moment as delicate as that. She was sad, and frustrated, she hadn’t slept well in days. But she said she needed me, that she wanted me. I couldn’t bring myself to say no.

— So, you dipped your pen in the company ink.

— Niki — Toto muttered, in a scolding tone.

— You know I think that’s a bad idea, right?

— That’s funny, considering that you met Birgit when she was a flight attendant for Lauda Air, right?

— It was NIKI, but that’s beside the point.

— That’s exactly the point! You’d been dating less than a year before she gave you one of her kidneys, because she loved you and you needed one.

— No, the point here is that you had sex with Addie…

— For fuck’s sake, Niki, it's Cassie! — Toto grumbled. He was starting to get frustrated. Her name was so simple to remember, he couldn't understand why Niki was having so much trouble getting it right. It wasn’t as if Cassie was a stranger to Niki, that he’d never met her before. 

— Okay, you fucked Cassie and got her pregnant on the first try. That’s pretty remarkable.

— Why do you think that’s remarkable?

— Because, I was with Marlene for almost ten years before we managed to have Lukas, and Birgit and I only had the twins after we had IVF ourselves. Three rounds, like I said.

— What about Christoph? — he asked. Christoph was Niki's third son, with whom he had no contact. The boy’s mother, who Niki had an extramarital affair with in the 1980’s, requested that Niki not be involved in his life. The affair eventually culminated in Niki and Marlene’s divorce. 

— Well, that took a few tries, too, not that I was trying to get her pregnant. But, given that, I can assure you that… How do I say this… Hitting a bullseye with your first shot is impressive. 

— Thanks, I guess — Toto mumbled. There was something strange about talking about it like he and Cassie ended up having a casual fuck at her apartment that resulted in an unexpected pregnancy.

The fact that they had sex was unexpected, but there was nothing casual about it, that was one thing Toto was sure of. He’d had brief flings with a few women that resulted in some no-strings-attached sex, but this didn’t feel like that. There was something different in the air, in the way Cassie looked at him, the way she touched him, the way she kissed him. It wasn’t just a casual fling. It was something Toto could neither define nor explain, but it was definitely unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.

— So, does that mean you two are together? — Niki asked

— No, no. We are still friends, not...

Niki chuckled.

— So, you’ve convinced yourself that you’re still just friends with her?

— Yes, because we are friends, Niki…

— Toto, you clearly like her.

— Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't be building a family with her.

— Then it's more serious than I thought — he muttered, crossing his legs to left his right ankle on his left knee. 

— More serious? What are you talking about?

— Toto, you love this woman.

The word knocked the breath out of his lungs, a shiver running down his spine.

Love was a strong word for Toto. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel love, or was shy about expressing it. He loved his mother, sister and nephews. He loved the friends he had known at different times in his life. He loved his team, his job, and motorsport. But Niki was referring to a different kind of love.

It was a kind of love he hadn't felt in a long time, not since… Julia. 

Her name was Julia Hirsch, and she was the first and last woman that Toto loved. She had a degree in economics and had been working at the Vienna Stock Exchange for a few years when they met in 2005 through mutual friends. Toto was enchanted with her from the moment they met. She had dark blonde hair, a soft, kind face, and light blue eyes. They started dating, and it didn’t take long for them to fall in love, and for them to start talking about marriage and children. 

A few years before that time, though, a friend of his asked him if he was interested in getting back into racing as a hobby, mostly rallying, but some GT and endurance racing as well. He found a way to make it all work together, and Julia was supportive, but eventually, he started taking racing more seriously, and found himself spending more time away from home. A distance grew between him and Julia, and Toto only realized how serious the situation was after his accident on the Nordschleife, in 2009. 

He was attempting to break a lap record there for GT cars. When he regained consciousness at the hospital in Adenau, he was a little surprised to not see her at his bedside. Nobody had told Julia of the accident. The racing team he was with that weekend didn’t know that he was in a relationship. It was as if she didn’t exist in that part of his life.

He knew something had to change. After all, he knew he wouldn’t be able to play with race cars forever, and the experience of riding in an ambulance and trying to figure out if he could feel his legs or not hastened his decision to hang up his helmet for a bit. 

He was transferred to a hospital in Vienna, and Julia did come visit him, furious and worried. It was then that he realized how close he was to losing her, and that his life needed a change.

They talked for a few long hours in his hospital room, both of them resolving to repair their relationship, but neither of them really knew how. Toto gave up racing, and Julia cut her work schedule back, and stayed in his penthouse to help him with his recovery. She never returned to her own condo. Six months later, after he was given a clean bill of health, Toto proposed. She accepted, and they started planning their wedding.

In time, Toto realized that he couldn’t stay away from racing altogether. He didn’t get back in a car again, but he had made a successful career out of investing and finance, so he married his interests and invested in a racing outfit called HWA, which managed Mercedes’ entries in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship in Germany.

Then, an opportunity to invest in a Formula 1 team called Williams Racing came about, which eventually turned into a seat on the team’s executive board. He resumed his routine of traveling and spending a lot of time away from Vienna. Julia wasn’t exactly happy about it, but at least he still came home to Vienna, and to her.

The last straw was when he received the offer to buy a one-third share of the Mercedes F1 team, and for him to become the CEO and team principal of the F1 team. He would have to move to England, because that’s where their base was. It would also mean long hours of travel on race weekends, sometimes back-to-back.

Julia said that she couldn’t stomach the idea of starting a family with someone who was away so much, but asked Toto for a few days so she could think about whether she wanted to move to the UK with him. Toto, of course, told her to take all the time she needed. A month before the move, he returned to his penthouse to see Julia’s things gone, and her engagement ring in its box on his kitchen counter. That was her answer.

Julia had slipped through his fingers, without even saying goodbye.

That had been the last woman he had loved in his life. As he sat in his half-empty apartment with all of his things boxed up for the move, Toto realized that his plans had gone down the drain. He couldn’t blame her, he supposed, but he still loved her.

Julia was the one he was going to marry, to have children with, to spend the rest of his life with. There was no more Julia, but there was Cassie, and she made Toto feel something achingly familiar, an emotion that he hadn’t felt in a while, but was too afraid to put a name to. 

He hung on to the ring for a year while he grieved, but after the team won its first championship under his ownership, he decided that he needed to move on. He sold the ring to a jeweler in London that gave him a decent price for it. He went on a few dates after that, none of them resulting in much. Eventually, he just decided to focus on work, because that made him happy, and that was enough for the time being. 

— Niki, I think you’re imagining things.

— I'm not imagining anything, I'm just stating facts as I see them. You love this woman.

— I don't — Toto paused for a few moments. He couldn’t gather the courage to even utter those words — Look, I like Cassie. I like her a lot. She's my friend and, soon, she's going to be the mother of my child. We're going to have a family together, so...

— That, right there. That’s how I know you love her, Toto.

He blinked.

— What do you mean?

— The fact that you say that you’re going to have a family with her.

— But that’s what it is. We’re having a child together, that’s having a family.

Niki shook his head.

— If there's anything I've learned, it’s that having a child with someone is the easy part. Fuck some woman without protection at the right time of the month, and nine months later, you’ll have someone that calls you daddy and asks you to play peek-a-boo with them, but having a family is so much more than that.

Toto glanced out the jet’s window, thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure if he followed.

— Trust me, I’ve done both. I've had children with three different women in this life, but I’ve only had a family with Marlene and Birgit. It’s about more than just having a bit of fun, or even making a baby together. I was only able to have that with them because I felt a deep love for them. I still do, actually, and I'm sure they feel the same way about me. That's the big difference, Toto.

— Love?

— Exactly. Which is why, the moment you tell me you're going to have a family with Callie — Niki paused for a second while Toto opened his mouth to correct him — Cassie, I mean. It means you love her enough to face this challenge together with her and not separately, like me and Christoph’s mother did.

Something in those words carried Toto back to the day Cassie told him about her plan to have a baby on her own. Knowing more about the terrible relationship she had with her own family, he concluded that he had been right to offer to participate in the process. But Toto knew he had a deeper reason, one that didn't involve his own desires or the things that happened to him and his sister during their childhood. 

He wanted to make Cassie happy. He wanted Cassie to fulfill all of her dreams. He wanted Cassie to see herself the way he saw her. He wanted Cassie to love herself as much as he loved her. 

— You're wrong, Niki — Toto said abruptly, turning in his seat away from the older man — I like Cassie, we're friends, and that’s all it is. End of discussion.

[rayssion]

TSATS, Finally!!

This's a very long post guys...

Idk if I have a natural ability to ignore responsibilities or I'm just genuinely not good at keeping promises. But yes, finally the long awaited review of tsats is here.

So, the general rating for me is 3.5, which is... Really good, considering the book,,

Now you know, points to talk about:

Firstly guys I want to tell you that, unfortunately the sun and the star had me run into a deep reading slumber, which is something I never expected it to happen. Idk if you noticed this but my favourite character in whole Riordanverse is Nico! And Will comes closely after him, so I thought tsats would only be a fast run to me, it's basically a solangelo fanfic just written by the original author. But as I ran the first 100 pages I found myself drained, I was bored, I was tired and we really weren't going anywhere. It was a displayer of Nico and Will's love for each other, and I'm sorry to be that person but!! I dislike it when the ship is just out there living and laughing like I'm sorry but I need them to suffer first then some smiles and laughs at the end would do (insert some offended face).

Yeah, let's talk real. I know we had to go through that introduction to know where exactly the two of them stand in their relationship to be able to observe the change and development later on, but it was very repetitive.

Nico is made from darkness, Nico had so much darkness, Nico lives in the shadows, Nico doesn't think he deserves love, Nico doubts Will's love, Nico feels he's not enough for Will. It all goes in circles and I didn't like it. Nico I know you're emo and such but I just think the narration focused too much in it on expense of getting good Will expressing.

And this coming from a big Nico di Angelo lover, I feel like we don't quite exactly know Will even after this whole book, there's yet so much to unfold about him, his mother, his life at camp, his feelings after all toa happened like his father was a teenager just like him and was the biggest loser ever (lol, I just love Lester), how come we didn't discuss that? Nico is a character we all know, we lived with him, we experienced every feeling he went through, he wasn't new to us which is not the case with Will. What's the difference between us and the troglodytes? All we know that he's a son of Apollo, a healer and Nico's glow-in-the-dark boyfriend.

I just felt the need to summarise because I felt that what I wrote could be compromised in better wording: the narration was too repetitive and too focused on Nico and his dark past™ which is not necessarily a bad thing but I just feel it'd be better if cut it a bit shorter and clear the stage for Will, because -surprise surprise- Will also has some dark parts (although not much like Nico, and yes I know the book touches the topic later on but it'd have been way better if we were introduced to it from the start thus it'd grow on us and would be very convenient later on. Tbh the book just goes "oh, Will also got a dark side, he must share it with Nico..." But what I'm saying is, we never were exposed to it, what's the darkness within Will? Those pigeons? His mother performing and him staying backstage? I feel like we could explore it much better) anyways, it'd also be really great if we got to experience Nico's dark past yet from Will's point of view more often, that way the whole communication arc would be better, because we will know that Will already had a solid image of Nico in his head (yes his lovely little emo boy with miserable history but we'll get to know what he knows about the Nico and also the flaws he had picked up in him) and as the time goes we'll get to experience that image altering.

I know someone will think "but it's a Nico di Angelo adventure!" Yes I know, but don't you think getting to know Nico, our adored character, from his boyfriend perspective would be much interesting? Come on guys, see the potential.

Let's rewind a little bit, so 100 pages, I'm bored I stopped reading for three days then picked the book yet again and..... Stopped after 50 pages ;-;

I'M SORRY BUT I REALLY WASN'T FEELING THE VIBES OKAY I KNOW IT'S TOTALLY MY FAULT AND I'M SORRY GUYS.

And picked the book for the last time today and finished it.

Oh yes, another thing that felt off for me is how Chiron and Dionysus are portrayed here, idk they felt so out of character and the whole "dO wE hUg nOw?" I'm sorry, that was cringe, dw it's on me guys.

And there were points where the writing was so inconsistent, I never read anything of Oshiro's work before, but it's so painfully obvious when his and Rick's writing styles clashes (ugly clashes) that it makes the book really obviously written by more than one author, and other points where idk if Rick is trying water down his style or Oshiro is trying to level the work up to the satire and sarcasm Riordan's books are known for. Anyways, it could use some editing (and it's definitely edited but not enough to mask every hole, because if a dumb person like me speed reading the book was able to pick all that then it's obviously not enough).

Also Nyx was stupid. Yes, that's my statement. Iget it you refuse to change but I hate how dumb her plan was. First of all, why leave Bob without guard? I mean you obviously have better chances in luring Nico and maybe killing Will if they don't have a Titan with them?? But yeah this's not about her.

I also hated we lost originality here, I already told you guys it read like a fanfic, but it really was a fanfic, every fanservice they could include they did include. For example the Hades allowing Bianca and Maria to talk to Nico once again, look I'm not complaining (as you'll read later) but really WHAT THE FUCK??! Weren't they reincarnated or whatever? How the fuck is that possible?

Also isn't Tartarus like, beyond the powers of the gods?? Then how is Hades going to retrieve whoever-was-his-name-centaure-satyr out of it? And just because Nico asked nicely?

Another thing, I know that you can issue a quest (just like what Percy and Annabeth did to rescue Grover in SOM, and like what Ares did in SON) but how the fuck do you send a prophecy?? Isn't this also too much of a godly power? Like Apollo (the god of prophecy himself) stated that they're way above him then how can Hades send one???

So we mentioned the narration, we've done the character portrial that I didn't like, now we're off to good stuff!

A big point! A huge point! For solangelo's relationship, I loved how they often had fights, disagreed with each other, hid things from one another, had miscommunication yet still managed to figure it out as mature humans whom are much better than half of adults nation. I loved how quickly one apologise once they realise they were wrong, I loved how they stayed by each other's side and how they supported each other, like bro it seems like they can't stay angry at each other more than five seconds and I love for it!

This's actually Rick's trademark (along with having Percy in everything he writes) that he always sets a good example for kids, younger audience who read his books have a good exposure to an excellent functional relationship not like some other booktok authors whom I'm not naming (totally not about you Colleen Hoover, you do you honey🙂).

Hiss-magisty and oh boy how much I love them! They were so cute I really liked how they looked up to Will, especially that the boy needed such encouragement because of the whole child of Apollo, underworld, tartarus things going on. And yet another point to tsats for representation (never forgetting Epiales).

Nico, Hades, Maria, Bianca!! You just have to love them!! They're literally my favourite family in the whole Riordanverse, yes I'm so madly in love with Sally and yes I love Percy but the Hades/di Angelo family?? That's where my discussion ends.

And speaking about family, can we have a moment of appreciation for Persephone like I truly loved her back from mythology (which I know nothing about, like she's Hades wife, that's it, yet I still loved her because she seemed nice, and she's nice!) This whole journey won't be if not for her, girl single handedly opened Will's eyes and her love for Nico??? Told you that's my family right there.

Lol I just remembered when Demeter was lecturing Persephone for not marrying a doctor and now I just know she loves solangelo, so yeah even grandma is an icon, I stan by it, that's my family.

Okay I also wanted to talk about the concept of grief and ptsd and how it was represented. This actually deserves a major applause because that's really how you write a good deep psychological analysis of losing someone and having to cop with it, especially that part when Nico tells how he just shunned all his memories away, how in his mind Jason just went to a quest and someday he'll return to camp half-blood as if nothing happened, because surprisingly it's the same method my brain took when my mother died, it's like all these years had been deleted and I was just brought to world after her passing, a lot of times I try to remember some particular incident from the time but I just can't wrap my mind about it, sometimes I became alert because for a minute there I couldn't recall her name, it was like all the pain associated with her just disappeared, it is locked far away in my brain and I still can't get access to it. So yeah, away from this pity party, I love how it was represented here, with Nico really suffering the trauma and how he eventually learned to let it go. (I cried at that mention and also when he was reunited with his family for that little amount of time).

Can we name the cocoa puffs?? Because I just adore them so much and I feel like Nico and Will will name them such cute adorable names and I can't stop thinking about that. Lol, percabeth are yet to get engaged then married and solangelo already has kids.

Ps actually but the pet names??? OMG NOTHING SWAYS MY HEART LIKE PET NAMES. I was pretty much hooked when I read "Noble McSacrifice" SSKFHIDJ

Another ps. I liked the whole Gorgyra thing as a way to show us their memories like a breeze amidst the flames every couple of chapters. At first I was like "wtf is this, did it happen or is it gonna happen or is this an alternate universe??" Don't blame me I was sleepy.

Yet another ps. I hated the "DREAM SEQUENCE" that just comes in the middle, like bro the boy just went to sleep of course I'd know this's a dream no need to point it out every time it was so annoying.

I think I covered all of the points I wanted to talk about, I was going to say "yay, first review with me having actual time to write it and think it through!" Yet auntie barged in in the middle and everything seems all over the place now.

It's like a characteristic in me now, heh. But yeah, sorry for the long wait, sorry for this shitty review, but bear with me please.

I totally adored this book once I figured out how to keep up with it ").

I'm yet to read a bunch of books all by Rick, hopefully I'll start with the chalice of the gods and come for a quick chat later.

Until then, eat, sleep and take care of yourselves♡!!

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode:

--This is so much more enjoyable when I already love and care for Inosuke.

--This is also hurts so much more to watch when I already love and care for Inosuke.

--But!! At the very start of the episode we get Giyuu and Shinobu. Giyuu is giving us nothing. Shinobu is observing with a smile that the Corp members they've found are all dead. It makes her seem callous. What with Giyuu's "pssh, no," response to her playful suggestion that they get along, which feels really inappropriate after having just found a bunch of dead colleagues, it gave me the distinct impression that the Pillars are all terrible people, and possibly even enemies Tanjiro will eventually have to overcome (in some sense, yes?). I saw Giyuu as cold-hearted and couldn't interpret his introducing Tanjiro to Urokodaki as kindness, and Shinobu was... well, I just assumed she was going to be the overly cheerful healer.

--It was, however, very inappropriate timing, Shinobu!!! She at least had the decency to ask if Giyuu had friends among them before going into her "welp, everyone else around here may as well be dead anyway, it's probably just you and me, so let's get along!" chirping. OF COURSE GIYUU WAS NOT IN THE MOOD TO HEAR THIS. Those guys are dead and could have lived if only he had gotten there sooner. Giyuu cares.

--Not that the Kimetsu Academy shorts thus far have done Giyuu's image any favors.

--The "moshi moshi, daijoubu desu ka?" entrance is still classic. Also, I love Shinobu's theme music.

--Tanjiro really does have so much ability to think on his feet in battle, cutting down the tree was a great idea, and he's got the composure to stay focused on what a battle needs. It was satisfying to see Inosuke so impressed, and it puts on full display how Inosuke is a frog in a well who knows not the sea, a big fish in a small pond, a king of the forest who just hasn't encountered any humans stronger than him so he naturally assumes he is the strongest. This is but one step in the great humbling of the boar; deeply realizing that Tanjiro has battle skills which Inosuke personally lacks. A harsh realization, when battle skills are your thing.

--And then Tanjiro proceeds to spend the rest of the episode engaged in a playground fight.

--Fun fact, for whatever reason, the Corp Member who gets diced to bits was trending for a time in the Japanese fandom, he was affectionately referred to like diced steak and was the butt of jokes. I don't recall any at the moment, whenever I see him I'm like, "oh, it's that guy who goes to show Kaigaku isn't the only asshole in this Corp and who brazenly states his sinister plans for making himself look good so he can get more money and who then wound up the butt of diced steak jokes."

--So anyway, Inosuke. He got really close to dying, guys, we really could had lost him, hot dang, that was dangerous and Inosuke sure knew it and knowing that sure affected him

--But dang was it satisfying to see Inosuke's energy knocked down so many notches over the course of this night as he's forced over and over and face that this showing off his strength isn't all that fun if it means human people are dying anyway and you have someone named Tantaro starting to get under your skill and make you face your own mortality with how concerned he is for you

--But, for as much as this night is shaking Inosuke to his never-before-so-greatly-challenged core, it's so Inosuke to see him catch himself and be like, "Hhr? This isn't like me, dang Kentaro infected me with fluffy germs. Time to go be the best, as usual!"

--Inosuke and Zenitsu both display a deep commitment to not giving up. Inosuke keeps trying and trying, even with broken swords and hardly any strength left in his arms, that's so sad when he twitches and starts going limp with no more strength, this was truly Inosuke at his limit. Had Giyuu not come, he absolutely for sure had been dead, dead, very dead, but not for lack of having tried.

--Instead, for lack of being as powerful as he thinks himself.

--Again, what great juxtaposition to Zenitsu's triumphant battle, they make sure great foils to each other that it drives me crazy. That said, Inosuke was the one who came away from Nt. Natagumo having learned a lesson.

--Oh hey, Douma-influenced flashback #1

--Again, the Mt. Natagumo arc and setting is so good because the sense of danger runs so deep. Tanjiro can hardly focus on his playground battle because he has mortal fear for Inosuke and what he's up against.

--If Rui gets tried of childish playground arguing so fast, he probably would have had trouble making friends even if he did have the health to keep up with them. He seems like the child who is years more mature than everyone around him in his grade level and therefore he closes himself off from the idiots.

--But who needs idiotic friends (Tanjiro, evidently) when you can have F~A~M~I~L~Y. Blood bonds are strongest, after all, especially you have physically reformed them with your own personal blood. Even though it could had been translated as "A Fake Bond" I wonder if the official English title of this episode was "A Forged Bond" because of the potential double-meaning.

--Poor Rui, though, thinking that family naturally includes abuse as part of its normal affairs. To be fair, his father did attempt to kill him, but where in the world did Rui pick up the idea that fathers physically punish mothers, brothers physically punish sisters?

--And does he realize that mother spiders eat father spiders???

--I used to headcanon that the reason spiders became Rui's thing was because when he was sick in his room, he had no one for company but a spider up in the corner to observe, but what hits me now is that the inspiration may come from the webs. What Rui really desires is the entanglement of family relations. He wants the comfort of a web to be snared up, to be valuable enough not to be let go of.

--SNAP!!!! THERE GOES SWORD #1!!!

--TANJIRO, HAGANEZUKA IS GONNA KILL YOU