#I Respect What You Have to Say and I Appreciate it Exponentially

[matan4il]

Just sitting here, quietly thinking about the fact that it turns out the attempt to save KPTS started on June 20, 2021. Because Filmania's problems in producing the show first became public on July 4th. And they only officially canceled the show on July 13th.

Apo tweeted on July 4th, and his brief words seemed to reflect the depths of his upset and disappointment.

But if Mile was taking action even before that in order to save the show, it means he saw what was coming. It means he understood the likely fate of the project before it was known for sure, he didn’t bury his head in the sand when he saw the worrisome signs, and he cared enough about KPTS, about the people involved that he had bonded with (and I believe more than anyone else on set, about Apo) that he took steps to prevent that reality from materializing even before it became a fact.

I have no words for how much I appreciate this man, his comprehension, his resolve and dedication, his caring, investment and passion. I have no doubt that Apo was a huge part of saving the show, too. Not just in terms of providing Mile with a huge chunk of the motivation to do it. I’m convinced that Apo was an active part of the efforts behind the scenes, providing crucial contributions. But nothing would have happened without Mile and I think he deserves credit for that. His efforts are not something that could have reasonably been expected of him. So let me say how much I'm grateful for him, for the fire in his bones despite how chill he always comes across, and for the bond that these two share that might have helped ignite the flame.

As a queer person, I can’t stress enough how much I love KPTS. How convinced I am that good representation matters. How close I hold Kinn and Porsche to my heart. How human this show made its queer characters and with how much dignity it treated them IMO. How freeing it was to see this celebration of queer love in all its forms, including the sexual ones. Yes, treating the sexuality of queer characters with respect and even joy, allowing them to do more than chastely kiss, that is incredibly important, too. That’s a part of what turns them into flesh and bone, not merely cardboard cutouts. No matter what the origins of the need to save the show, I have no doubt that the good it brought about grows exponentially (yes, as long as people keep discovering and watching the show, it will continue to grow), far beyond what Mile and Apo might have dreamed of when they first set out to try and make the show happen despite the fact that, as actors, that was never their designated role.

My heroes. Two kings. I’m so glad you met again. I’m so grateful for all the good that that is (i.e that you two are) responsible for.

[rebelumbrella46]

HOTD 2X02 "Rhaenyra The Cruel" Thoughts!

Green Side:

Aegon: Tom's performance as Aegon was exceptional, allowing me to sympathize with his character throughout the episode. I could deeply feel Aegon's pain and rage, especially in moments where he needed comfort and was denied. Alicent’s inability to provide motherly solace was striking; even Cersei, in all her madness, was a more nurturing mother. Aegon's inadequacies as a king are clear—he’s young and impulsive. One of the episode's standout scenes is Otto reprimanding him, realizing the monumental mistake he made in thinking Aegon could be controlled. Aegon will never be as pliable as Viserys. This parallels the frustration Daemon feels with Rhaenyra, who, ironically, exhibits the patience and indecision that mirror her father.

Otto: Otto is a character I love to hate, and the actor’s portrayal this episode was a highlight for me. His regret and frustration with Aegon’s choices were palpable, showing that karma is catching up to him. I also appreciated the subtle grief Otto displayed when speaking of Viserys, indicating a complex mix of respect and genuine care despite his actions. The scene where he dismisses Alicent’s attempt to seek solace was particularly telling—it highlighted a pattern where comfort is consistently denied, first to Alicent and then by her to Aegon.

Alicent: Alicent was insufferable this episode; I found it impossible to empathize with her. She continually makes the situation about herself, oblivious to her children’s suffering and unable to provide them with any comfort. As someone who has read the books and knows how her story ends, all i can say is that the Gods for more cruel that they are, wouldn't take it out on an innocent child for the crimes you have committed and in the end the punishment would be ten times worst.. a very fitting end if they decide to go for it.

Aemond: Aemond had a brief but significant moment where he confessed his feelings over the incident with Luke. This scene showed a level of remorse that sets him apart from Daemon, particularly in this episode. Aemond’s awareness of the pain his actions cause to others and the brewing rivalry between him and Daemon were well portrayed.

Helaena: Helaena, my poor sweet child, continues to be a character I deeply care for. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the public’s sympathy, as if she knows the whole situation is wrong. And knows these people could so easily turn on her, i'm pretty sure she saw it even. The citizens of King’s Landing have long been depicted as some of the most unsavory characters in the history of Westeros. Their actions and attitudes throughout the series often highlight their fickle and ruthless nature. This is why, every time I recall Daenerys burning the city, I find it difficult to muster any sympathy for them.

The brief encounter on the stairs, where Aegon denies her comfort, reinforces the pattern of emotional neglect seen throughout the episode.

Criston Cole: I have to give immense credit to the writers for their incredible work in depicting Criston Cole. With each episode, my hatred for this character grows exponentially. Kudos to the actor as well, who is doing a marvelous job. But honestly, every time Cole appears on screen, all I can think is: "How much longer until this guy meets his end? Hopefully, it's a very horrible one.". His manipulation of Arryk, sending him to his death, was disgusting.

What’s even more infuriating is Cole's blatant hypocrisy. He projects his own shame and regret onto others, acting as if he's on some moral high ground. His self-righteousness is maddening, especially given his own shady actions. I found myself wishing Otto would expose him in front of Aegon—reveal how, while Aegon's child was being murdered, Cole was with Alicent, another person whose hypocrisy drives me mad. (Like Aerys "the Mad King" kind of mad, wanting to see them both burn)

Despite showing guilt for his actions, he repeatedly makes the same mistakes. The only moment Alicent gained a bit of my appreciation was when she reminded Cole of his betrayal of Rhaenyra’s trust for his absolution last season.

i truly don't want to see anymore of Alicent and Cole intimate scenes.

The decision to name Cole as Hand of the King is a boon for Team Black, as he is likely to make poor decisions and counsel Aegon poorly, ultimately working in their favor.

Black Side:

Rhaenyra standing up to Daemon was a powerful moment. Their confrontation, though painful to watch, was necessary. Daemon’s actions have deeply wounded Rhaenyra, and his lack of remorse is entirely in character. His abrupt departure leaves Rhaenyra in a position where, despite knowing he loves her, she can no longer trust that he will remain by her side.

I'm interested to see what his reaction will be next episode when he finds out that Rhaenyra was almost killed on her bed right after he left her to deal with the consequences of his actions.

Rhaenyra’s concern and regret for Helaena were touching. I believe she would welcome Helaena if she ever chose to leave the Greens. However, I was uneasy about Rhaenyra sending Baela instead of Jace. While I understand her reluctance to risk her heir after losing a child, it felt dismissive of Baela's well-being, who we have to remember is still Rhaenyra's step-daughter.

Baela and Jace: The brief scene where Baela confesses her occasional hatred for Daemon was surprising but added depth to her character. Jace reminiscing about Harwin and Laenor was a nice touch, evoking memories of characters I miss, including Luke.

Rhaenys: As always, Rhaenys remains my favorite character on Team Black. Her knowing look at Daemon, recognizing that only he could have orchestrated such actions, was telling. The quiet moment between Rhaenys and Corlys, reflecting their mutual support despite not being Queen and King, contrasted sharply with the dysfunctional relationships of Viserys and Aemma, Viserys and Alicent, and even Rhaenyra and Daemon.

Mysaria: Mysaria was another highlight for me. Her decision to speak truth to Rhaenyra and return her kindness by saving her life suggests a budding alliance. Rhaenyra needs someone as cunning and insightful as Mysaria to advise her.

The Twins - Arryk and Erryk: The twins' final fight was heartbreaking. Although I wish we had seen more of them this season, their confrontation poignantly illustrated the perils of war and how it harms even those not directly involved in the conflict.

I’m looking forward to seeing Daeron, who was finally mentioned. I can’t help but think he might be the only salvageable son of Alicent, likely because he grew up away from her and Otto’s influence. I’d love to see more of Rhaena and am eager to meet characters like Hugh Hammer and Adam. The brief return of Seasmoke was a pleasant surprise—I missed seeing him too!

Overall, this episode was much stronger than the last.

Rest in peace little Jaehaerys.

P.S: Don't think i didn't see Visenya's and Vhagar's mention this episode, on the book Rhaenyra opens. My favorite Conqueror and targaryen woman. I cannot wait for The Conquest Prequel. So excited

[mvrtaiswriting]

Hello hello! I saw you were looking for one piece head cannons, i was wondering if you can do a zoro x bounty hunter reader who was the one who sold him to the Marines, then the ended up meeting again and she ended.up.joining the crew? thanks!

Roronoa Zoro x Grudge. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

I wanna start by thanking you for requesting this!! i loved the idea and I had so much fun writing it, i hope this matches your expectations. x 

warnings: none. gender neutral!!

feel free to reblog, like, and leave a comment. i would very much appreciate it. if you enjoy my works, click here to read more or buy me a coffee.

Luffy asked you to join the crew after helping in one of the toughest battles of their journey. Your strength grew exponentially since the last time you saw Luffy and the crew, and so did you.

Your views and morals shifted completely. Life challenged you in ways that no one could ever imagine, and for a split second, Zoro couldn't even believe his eye. You were a seemed like a completely different person.

Swiftly fighting your opponents, Zoro observed the way you handled the battle ground. You made it look easy, and he hated it. He admired your power, the way every movement you made was entrenched with passion, fierce, decision. You didn't come to play - and he respected that. After all, you were risking your life to help him and his captain. Ironic, he thought.

Your ability on the battle field wasn't new to Zoro, he had to lost to you already. That was one of his most painful scars, one that was still open and that still hurt him. Despite his admiration, he really struggled to trust you. No one guaranteed that you wouldn't use this opportunity to sell the whole crew to the marines - their bounty was way higher now.

Zoro was so focussed on studying your movements and trying to decipher your intentions, that he, oddly enough, didn't notice the enemy behind him, ready to hit him.

The clash of your swords against the opponents brought Zoro back to reality. Turning around, he saw your body shielding his, your sword stopping the enemy's attack. Not only you most likely saved his life - but you spared him a potential scar on his back.

When the crew finally made their way to the ship, you were invited to join by a worried Chopper. "An infected injury could be fatal - let me take care of you!" he'd say, dragging you to his studio.

Zoro never thanked you for what you did; not verbally, at least. But when the crew asked him if he was okay with you joining the crew, he simply nodded. This didn't mean he trusted you now - he just thought it would be better to have you as an ally than an enemy. Also, it was a good opportunity to control your movements and understand your intentions.

When you first joined the crew, the two of you mostly avoided each other, apart from some silently agreed training sessions. You would both casually be at the gym at the same time, ready to train and pushing each other to your limits. This caused the two of you to spend most of the time together, turning these training your little training session into an intimate habit of yours. Despite the two of you openly admitting to not like each other. 

Clashing your swords and battling violently was the best way to settle your unresolved argument. Painful provocations quickly became flirty remarks, hitting each other became the perfect excuse to touch each other's skin. He was the fuel to your fire.

During one of your train sessions, you made Zoro fall on the floor, his back violently slamming against it. He was quick to grab your leg, causing you to fall right on top of him. Resting your hands at the side of his head, the tips of your noses were now inches away.

"I won, Roronoa." you smirked. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in response, rolling his eye in annoyance, trying to hide a smirk.

"Can you shut up?" he barked back. You only raised an eyebrow in response, your smirk slowly turning more into a playful grin.

"Make me."

[bfpnola]

hi!!! so recently I’ve gained a big interest in building up my collection of patches to put onto my clothes and stuff in my journey to becoming more queerly punk in my presentation. my biggest goal is to make other more marginalized people in my community feel safe around me. so I’m looking into a lot of patches for BLM, stop asian hate, punch nazis, disability advocacy, etc.

I came across a bunch of patches symbolizing the BPP, and I’d really like to get one, but I do worry that that would be inappropriate in a way as a white person. I am autistic and struggle a lot to understand what is and isn’t appropriate to do/say in attempts at support and allyship, so I figured I’d ask.

my reasoning is that even though I’m not Black, the BPP is my biggest inspiration as a young activist looking to dedicate my life to racial and other forms of Justice. Their work, their platform, their impact, truly transformed my political conscience, but I know that I do not want to make the Black Power movement and the BPP centered around me, but at the same time I want to express how much they mean to me and how much they have influenced my ideas for activism if that makes sense.

it may seem like I am making a big deal over one patch or piece of clothing, this stuff is just so foundational to who I am and what I believe so I tend to be a bit seemingly dramatic about it.

anyways, I’m not here to ask you definitively yes or no if it would be appropriate of me to wear a BPP patch, I don’t want to tokenize your existence or work. But you know so much about the BPP and the history of the Black Power Movement that I really trust anything you have to say on the matter of the line between showing allyship, and centering history that’s not about me, around me. so if you’re up for answering, I’d love your personal perspective on white people using BPP symbolism to show allyship and if there’s any historical examples of why that would be good OR bad.

anyways sorry for the long ask and either way, thank you for everything you do and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

hi lovely! life has been exponentially rough for me lately so in advance, i do not have the emotional capacity to respond to this in the degree in which i'd prefer BUT i feel terrible letting it sit in our inbox forever. here's my most basic perspective for now, in bullet points to help organize my thoughts:

first off, i absolutely adore that you're collecting revolutionary patches! a friend i've made over at Queer Youth Assemble (QYA) has a similar jacket and it's always so colorful, i love it!

thank you for reaching out! i think it shows you have a lot of respect for the Black community and everything that the BPP stood for, which i greatly appreciate.

because i'm aware you hold a deep respect for the BPP, i honestly think it's fine that you have a BPP patch, so long as you understand that history. the BPP were pretty accepting of folks of all races, as shown through their acceptance of non-Black members/partners and serving non-Black communities. a few chapters still exist today around the country (i got to meet a few from the Louisiana chapter, some moved over from California) and they openly teach anyone that's willing to listen! it's just that their focus is on how Black people specifically are affected by systemic oppression and how we can liberate ourselves from such.

[ID: A black and white photo of two children around the age of 9 or so, one white, one Black, eating at the Black Panther Party's free breakfast program. They have white paper plates with crumbs and leftovers on them, cartons of what looks like juice, and plastic utensils. The white child is wearing a Black Panther Party beret with 3 Black Panther Party pins on it as well as a thick coat. The Black child looks down at his plate, his coat zipped up all the way. The caption below the image reads, "Two boys in 1969 at a free breakfast for children program in New York City sponsored by the Black Panther Party. Bev Grant/Getty Images." / End ID]

i think, though, that this is best exemplified through the Rainbow Coalition (now co-opted unfortunately), the alliance Fred Hampton created alongside the Young Patriots Organization and the Young Lords. over time, other radical grassroots orgs began to join like the Brown Berets and the American Indian Movement! the BPP truly respected each of their orgs in their support of their respective communities and it's truly unfortunate that the coalition didn't get to fully take off.

i would refrain from wearing any full regalia though, as this would definitely come off as appropriation. respect and admiration are not the same as a full understanding of the struggle! BPP was about far more than just putting on a specific outfit or throwing up a couple symbols. it was a lifelong commitment, even after you technically left. there was real, heavy trauma associated with one's membership, especially those higher up in leadership. i remember reading elaine brown's autobiography, how she felt herself becoming more violent, having folks beat to a bloody pulp right in front of her eyes. folks frequently had to live in fear that they or their partners would be killed as well. that changes a person, and so do the years spent in jail by so many of the party's members. there was ongoing abuse, misogyny, power struggles and more. it definitely wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

be aware that my opinion is only my own, so others may not agree!

in summary, go for the patch, just be mindful!

some resources related to what i mentioned:

How three unlikely groups worked together to achieve interracial solidarity (podcast)

This article on Richard Aoki

After the list was finalized, Newton and Seale asked Aoki to join the newly formed Black Panthers. Aoki accepted after Newton explained that being African-American wasn’t a prerequisite to joining the group. He recalled Newton saying:

“The struggle for freedom, justice and equality transcends racial and ethnic barriers. As far as I’m concerned, you black.”

Seize the Time: The Story of The Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton by Bobby Seale (novel)

A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story by Elaine Brown (novel)

Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur (novel)

again, i apologize that i couldn't answer this with the depth i'd like to, but hopefully this helped!

-- reaux (she/they)

[deaneverafter]

Carrion Comfort

Episode thoughts dropping 2 days late because I was too busy having Emotions™️ and rewatching the episode? More likely than you'd think 💖🤣

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I am really, really loving the episode cases, and the vibes that come along with them. This episode especially was so creepy! Everyone say thank you, Jensen Ackles 🥂

The car scene.

The way Beau was looking at Jenny before asking her if she's okay says so much 🥺 He's so worried 😭 I can't wait for him to realize he's fallen for her 💕

Right after the walkthrough of the crime scene.

I love how Beau's clearly been working to help make the whole department run smoothly, make everyone feel useful and appreciated, he's such a good boss ✊🏻

Precinct scene.

Cassie Dewell, aka, the only Cass I know 😊 And she wouldn't leave her friends for dead because they didn't return her feelings 💛

I want to see Beau's 10 year old photo for the department website (and I want someone to acknowledge that it doesn't look 10 years older, because he looks the same) 💖

Cassie watching Beau and Jenny flirt and bicker like a married couple, like 👀😏 She ships it 💫 Love a supportive best friend, who just wants her two friends to have happiness and love in their lives 🥺

"Is that a werewolf? That's a first for me." Bestie- 🥺💖 Jensen bringing Dean with him everywhere he goes, and I'm on the floor in my feels, sobbing 😌💟

Ugh, Carla.

Carla divorced Beau which means that he's not obligated to tell her anything or practice his "communication skills" with her 🙄 The entitlement is real. Truly canNOT stand this woman, she's so mean and passive aggressive and dismissive towards Beau, as well as condescending and rude towards Jenny 😒 She really came in and insulted both my favourite people in the span of one and a half minute, oh, and yeah, remember when she broke Beau's whole heart? And continues to make him feel small and sad? Yeah, to say I don't like her is an understatement.

Jenny defending Beau against Carla was such a nice moment, and just another reason she's the best, and why her and Beau are the perfect match. She actually cares about him, respects and understands him. Next time Carla is being rude and mean, I hope she doesn't care about being polite and wipes the floor with Carla. Would also love to see her about to punch her, and then Beau holds her back, because he can't have his undersheriff getting charged and we get another unintentionally intimate moment, before he cheekily thanks her for defending his honour 💅🏻💖

Here's to hoping something dramatic happens before Emily comes to stay with Beau, to prevent it, I can't stomach even the thought of putting up with her insulting and dismissing Beau for a whole episode 😣😒 And him spending the whole episode looking heartbroken and sad and on the verge of tears 😭

Big Sky, Season 2, Episode 18, Catch a Few Fish

Jenny: and lemme guess, you're still in love with her

Beau: 😐😶

Big Sky, Deadly Trails, Season 3, Episode 4, Carrion Comfort

Jenny: you're still in love with her

Beau: No, I'm not. No. Stop it.

And I, for one, believe him. Especially since I'm still trying to understand what he saw in her in the first place. She's so mean!

Also, Jenny once again trying to gauge Beau's feelings for someone else by teasing him? Just for fun, no reason whatsoever? Just out of curiosity? 👀 Mm-mm, she wants to know if her heart will be safe with him if she lets herself fully fall (because deep down she's already fallen, all that's left to do is admit it) 😌

Glamping Shenanigans.

Full offense, but I'd much rather watch more about Luke and Paige and their past (criminal?) activities, than Emily whining and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong every episode. Paige and Luke aren't likable at all, but they ARE interesting. Emily is annoying AND boring. And she keeps getting exponentially more obnoxious every episode.

Cassie and Cormac.

They are my, er, second "one" true pairing (after Jenny/Beau, of course). I really wasn't expecting to ship someone with Cassie this soon after Lindor after they broke up right after getting together after a one and a half season long burn, but I am rooting for these two for sure 👌🏻

Donno and Tonya.

Am I finding myself shipping Tonya and Donno or......? I mean, I could definitely be okay with them just being friends and partners, but...... I don't know, it could be tipped over to romance very easily 👀

Sunny and Walt.

Wow, Walt really had me feeling bad for a minute there, I was like, damn, he did kill Mark, but maybe he didn't mean to......? But nah, this man is full-on Menace in the Woods 😱🔪 And I would not be surprised if Sunny and Walt became a full on killing team, they're both so unhinged! 💯

The Cutter House. Part I.

Beau patting Jenny on the shoulder entering the house had no tactical reason, so I just love that they're such a team, so concerned for each other, that he did it to reassure her he's there, he's okay, he's got her back 🥺💕

The Cutter House. Part II, aka, The Scene™️.

Them fighting the killer, Beau and Jenny are so badass and such a perfect team 💅🏻

Beau fighting to protect himself versus Beau after the creep attacked Jenny, he was much more intense during the latter, I love the increased intensity and drive. He really said no one touches my girl 😡 and I love that 💖💕💫

Every time she thinks Beau got hurt, Jenny gets so worried, everything else loses focus. She rushed to him, completely forgetting the suspect, and if that's not love... 💕 and how gentle she is checking his wound, touching it so gingerly 🥺 True loveism 💝💖

It's so perfect how in sync they are, Beau knew he could count on Jenny to know why he'd turned her around, and Jenny trusted him and instinctually knew why, she realized exactly what he was doing. And him, physically having her back, holding her steady 🥺💝 Plus, the way it ended with them holding on to each other 💯 They're so sexy for that 🔥💕

There's also a moment where it looks like Beau might've been reaching for Jenny's hand, so maybe one of the takes had them shooting together and I'd love to see that outtake, though I do love how it actually played out, with complete trust and them in sync 🥺

I also love how they just stay in this position just a minute longer than necessary, letting themselves be support for the other, letting themselves take comfort from the other, just breathing together for a moment 🥺💟

Also, is it just me or did Jenny just absolutely melt back into Beau once they both knew the danger was averted? 🥺💖 I love the trust they have. And the 💫 tension 💫

And this moment when they're both still breathless, and Beau feels the intimacy of the situation and Jenny just leans back into him, when he's finally looking at her, I think he's realizing he's fallen for her, irrevocably 🥺💕

I just, I love this scene a lot. And I really love that the scene is so warm and wholesome with their trust and teamwork, but also really hot and has a lot of tension! It's everything to me, and I just love how it was written and played so well, such a perfect balance of emotional vulnerability and display of feelings, and physical tension 🥺💖

The Hospital Scene.

Jenny reassuring Beau about how good of a dad he is 🥺 He deserves to be around people who appreciate and respect him so much 💛

The more episodes go by without Beau calling her "Jenny" and only "Hoyt", even though he called her Jenny during the premiere, the more I become convinced that he's already in love, but denying it to himself (until he just can't 👀). Although, he didn't call her Hoyt after the fight scene, might that be more evidence my man's catching on to how he feels about Jenny.....? 🥺👀

Beau, my beloved.

Beau really is the whole package. Kind, funny, handsome, caring & THIS good at his job? His instincts about the murder not being random were right, and when he was looking at the photos, his gut knew it was important, even when he didn't have all the pieces to know why 🏆💯🥰❤

He used to build houses in the summers? And knows about antiques? I love a multitalented and multifaceted king 🥺 I want to hear more about his backstory, his parents/siblings, his hobbies, what he likes to do in his free time. Just, more about him in general. I truly do love him with my whole heart 💖

"Wow, Beau was extra handsome and charming this episode 🥰❤" <- me after literally every single episode 🤣

[vodika-vibes]

So you want to be a Bounty Hunter...

Chapter 1: In which Boba meets Jazz

Summary: Boba Fett has been the Daimyo of Tatooine for less than a year, and when the open air market starts getting targeted by a group of thieves, Boba is asked to investigate. What he finds changes his life forever.

Pairing: None

Word Count: 2298

Warnings: Mentions of Slavery, Mentions of Child Abuse

Tagging: @trixie2023

A/N: This is my NaNoWriMo story for 2023. Plus, this is my first time making a proper graphic for something I wrote, so any feedback on that would be appreciated, lol.

If someone had told Boba Fett 10, 20 years ago that someday he would be the ruler of Tatooine, and that he would put his bounty hunting on hold for the sake of the people he rules…he would have laughed in their faces.

And then probably shot them for good measure. 

Even ten years ago, his plan was to live, and die, as a Bounty Hunter, like his father before him. 

Honestly, it is a good thing that time travel isn’t real, because if it was then Boba would have to go back and punch the younger version of himself in the face, just out of principle. 

Boba turns when he hears light footsteps approaching him from behind, “Are you ready to go? The Market opened an hour ago.” Fennec says as she folds her arms over her chest.

“I am,” He agrees as he pulls his helmet over his head, “Do you have any additional information for me?”

“No.” Fennec falls into step behind him, “All I know for sure is that someone, or a group of someones more likely, has been targeting people at the market. With luck, we’ll be able to catch who it is.”

“You have to admit,” Boba says as he heads down the hall to where the speeders are kept, “It’s ballsy. Hitting the same market, week after week.”

“And they’ve never been caught. So they’re good.” Fennec agrees. “Good enough to dodge the sharp eyed men and women at the market, at least.”

“Then we’d better get there and see what we can figure out, if anything.” Boba says decisively. He smirks, unnoticed, as Fennec immediately jumps into the driver’s seat as soon as they reach the garage.

The older woman might trust and respect Boba, but she refuses to let him drive ever again.

Fennec is a careful driver. Quick, yes, but she’s also very careful. Boba never asks her about it, though once, when she was drunk, she mentioned something about a speeder crash when she was a child. Though she pretended she never said anything like that.

And Boba respects her enough to not push.

After all, he has his own trauma that he’s never shared with anyone too.

The open air market on Tatooine has always been an event, though, with the death of Jabba and slavery becoming outlawed, the market has grown exponentially. And now has everything from handmade clothes, to homemade pastries, to art pieces. 

There are even several stalls dedicated to tattoos and hair styling. 

Boba enjoys the market every time he comes, the large majority of his tattoos have come from artists he’s met here, after all. Though he rarely buys anything from any of the merchants. 

He leaves that to Fennec.

But they’re not here to shop today. Today they have work to do.

Work begins as soon as Boba steps out of the speeder and a haggard looking man hurries over, “Thank the force you’re here!” He blurts, “The thieves have already hit some of the stalls.”

“Which stalls have been hit?” Boba asks as Fennec steps to his side.

“The food stalls,” The man frets, “The thief, or thieves, stole food from several of the vendors, and then took the payment box from another one.”

“They only took money from one stall?” Fennec asks as she frowns.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Boba releases a thoughtful hum, “I think we’ll walk around and see what, if anything, we can see.” He turns slightly, “Fennec?”

“I’ll keep an eye out.” She replies with a nod as she falls into step behind Boba, her sharp eyes scanning the crowds of people. 

As they walk, Boba keeps a sharp eye out for anything suspicious. Or, well, anything that hints at a thieving group. He’s pretty sure that at least three of the stands that he’s passed are fronts for Spice Smuggling, and though he should do something about it, he just gets Fennec to make a note of them, to be handled at a different time. 

His gaze is drawn to a group of children, of various different races, huddled on a street corner. They’re speaking softly, and they burst into giggles for a moment, and then they notice Boba’s attention, and they scatter into the crowds of people.

“Fennec,” Boba says quietly.

“Aa. I see them,” Fennec frowns, “You think the thieves are children?” She asks, as she watches a child hurry over to another one, and then the pair hurry over to a third. 

“Would make sense, wouldn’t it?” Boba asks, “They’re easy to overlook due to their size, and-” His gaze lingers on a small twi’lek boy, “They’re very small.”

Unhealthily small, he means, though he doesn’t say it. 

“They must have a ring leader.” Fennec replies, “An adult, probably, who forces them to steal for him…or her.” She scowls at the thought.

“Agreed,” Boba flickers his gaze around for a moment, “Get someplace high, and see if you can find a common location for these kids.”

Fennec nods, once, and turns into the crowd. 

Boba gives her five minutes to find a nest, and then he continues his meandering path through the market. This time, keeping his gaze on the children he sees.

Some are at the market with their parents. Those children are appropriately dressed for the sun, and they’re clean and healthy looking. 

The large majority of children he sees, though, are small and ragged looking. Many have angry looking sunburns, and they’re all filthy and covered in sand and dust.

“Remind me to secure funding for an orphanage.” Boba says over his helmet comm to Fennec.

“Maybe more than one.” Fennec counters sarcastically, “I’ve been keeping count of children, and there’s over two dozen.” She’s quiet for a moment, “Also, you have a shadow. Little girl, messy hair, beige tank top, at your six.”

“I see her.” Boba replies, “You think she’s going to try and pick my pocket?”

“I think she’s thinking about it.”

Boba chuckles and cuts the comm, and turns so he’s able to keep the little girl in his peripheral vision, as he examines a table full of some kind of meat filled pastry. He considers the child thoughtfully, and then he buys a pastry, one of the largest ones, and he turns and continues his way through the market.

He makes two more stops. One, at a stall that sells shawls, where he buys a child sized shawl in dark green. And then at a stall that sells simple pendants, where he buys a pendant that looks like a convor, as well as a leather strap to hang it on.

The girl seems content to just watch him, so Boba continues walking, until he’s in a more secluded area.

And that’s when the girl moves.

Her steps are feather light in the sand, hardly making a noise at all, and she’s a talented pick pocket, if he hadn’t been watching for her, he wouldn’t have noticed her hand in his pouch at all.

Boba’s hand moves swiftly as he firmly grabs her wrist, “Does that seem like a good idea, little one?” He asks as he turns to look at her.

Now that he’s closer, he realizes that her hair, which he thought was black, is actually dark blue. And the yellow splotches under her eyes continue down her neck and arms, which hints at some non-human ancestry. Twi’lek, perhaps, or possibly Miralian.

She tugs uselessly at his arm, and upon realizing that she’s not going to be able to break free from his grip, she tilts her chin up and glares up at him defiantly. 

Without releasing her wrist, Boba reaches up and removes his helmet, and then crouches so he’s not towering over the child. “Well?” He asks.

“Ya weren’t payin’ attention,” She says sulkily, “Rich people don’t care when credits go missin,”

“If I let you go, are you going to run away?”

She nods, and so Boba sighs and shifts his grip so he’s not in danger of hurting her.

“I have a meat pastry, and a shawl for you, if you agree to talk to me.” Boba offers.

“Um…”

“And,” He adds, “I have a convor pendant for you if you promise to be honest.”

Her lips turn down into a thoughtful frown, “An’ all I haveta do is answer questions and be honest?”

“That’s right.”

She considers his words for a moment, “Okay.” Boba smiles and releases her, and the child immediately sits on a crate against the wall, and holds out her hands, “Food please.”

Boba hands her the still warm pastry and watches as she takes a big bite, “So, what’s your name and how old are you?”

“‘M Jazz, an’ I’m 12.” She says through a mouthful of pastry. “How old are you?”

“My name is Boba, and I’m 41.”

“Wow…that’s old.” Jazz says as she looks at him wide-eyed.

He chuckles, “Maybe you’re just really young.”

“Mm…maybe.” She takes another bite of the pastry and releases a happy hum.

“Jazz, I have some questions about the theft happening in the market.” Boba says gently, “What can you tell me?”

She tilts her head, “Um…there’s a man.” Jazz explains as she pulls a piece of meat out of the pasty and pops it into her mouth, “He came from Coruscant, an’ he said that he’d take care of us if we work for him.”

“So he’s teaching you all to steal?” Boba asks.

“Jus’ th’ smaller kids,” Jazz says with a shake of her head, “He’s makin’ the bigger kids mean.”

“Is that how you got the bruises? From the bigger kids?”

“Nah-uh.” She shakes her head, “He was picking on one of the littler kids, an’ I yelled at him, so he hit me.”

“It doesn’t sound like he’s taking good care of you.” Boba notes.

“He said he was gonna feed us, but we only get fed if we bring him so much credits.” Jazz complains, “We’re hungry a lot.”

“So he lied.” Boba murmurs thoughtfully, “Why do you still listen to him?”

“Cause he’s bigger. Cause I don’t have anywhere else to go. Cause someone has to look out for the littler ones.” Jazz shrugs.

“That’s brave of you, little one.” Boba says softly.

“I don’ think so. I’m used to adults hittin’ me after all.” Jazz replies, “I used to be a slave. The littler ones are just orphans.”

Boba frowns thoughtfully, “I have a proposition for you,” He offers.

“A what?”

“A…an offer.” Boba clarifies, “I’m going to build an orphanage for your friends, but I need to get this person first.” He says, “So, help me with this, and I’ll help you get adopted. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Jazz shrugs, “I don’t wanna be helpless.”

“Okay…then how about I adopt you and teach you how to be a bounty hunter.” Boba offers.

“What’s the catch?” Jazz asks warily.

“Bounty Hunting isn’t easy, and you’re probably going to get hurt in training. But you’ll learn everything I can teach you…and then some.” Boba promises, “And you’ll never go hungry again.”

“Um…that doesn’t sound so bad, I guess.” Jazz says quietly.

Boba waits patiently as he absently sets the other two gifts on the crate next to Jazz, a smile crossing his face as she runs her fingers over the material of the shawl and then picks up the pendant and turns it over in her hands.

“Okay.” She says, after almost five minutes of thought, “I’ll show you where the boss’ hideout is.”

“Good girl,” Boba replies with a sharp smile as he pulls his helmet on, “Fennec, I have him.”

“I heard. I’m heading your way now. I also sent word to the palace to make a room for the kid.”

“You’re a godsend, Fennec.”

“Yes. I am.”

Fennec appears only moments later, and she glances at Jazz, “Alright, Kid.” She says, “We’re going to go and find this boss, and then you and I are going to the speeder, while Boba here deals with your boss.”

“Who are you?”

“Names Fennec, I’m going to be one of your teachers.” Her grin is all teeth, “Come on kid.”

Once Boba knows where this petty criminal is hiding, it’s child’s play for him to clear out the building. Literal child’s play in this case, since the only security the guy had was half starved, half abused children. 

And it was an easy decision, turning the massive building that he was using as his home base, into an orphanage for the children who already called it home.

At least the beginning of the orphanage is started, he decides two hours later as he watches several of the people from the city step up to take charge of the children, and the Orphanage itself.

There was still work to do, of course. 

But-

His gaze flickers to the side, where his ad is sitting on a barrel with Fennec standing protectively next to her. They appear to be talking about something, and Boba sees Fennec point out something about the building, and he smiles.

Well, he has his own aliit he needs to get settled.

And, as he turns to go to Jazz, he can’t help but wonder if his buir would be proud of the man he’s become. And as Jazz nervously grins up at him, Boba reaches out and ruffles her hair. “Come on, ad. Let’s get you home.” He says gruffly.

Yes, he decides as he watches Jazz get settled in the back of the speeder, his father would be proud of the man he’s grown into. Even if it’s not what either of them ever intended.

[multiversxwhore]

☾☾☾Hello! Hope you enjoy what you’re about to read, I would appreciate it if you like, and reblog my work here on tumblr. Please do not share my work anywhere else, and if you see it has been, or someone is claiming the work as their own please tell me. My master list is linked in my bio! My ao3 is pinned to my page ☽☽☽

Pairing: Blade x black!oc

Warnings: trigger warning—descriptions of anxiety, dark/malicious intentions, and complications breathing.

Tags: @cardierreh15 (collaborative writer, and a featured original character as Kassie/Kassandra)

Word count: 3k

Chapter 7: Pressure of the world

Kassie, Abigail, and Reese stood in the kitchen of David’s home. The tension still tight even after an hour of explaining, Kassandra is the first one to talk; all of this new found information had her mentally tripping.

“So let me get this straight, you have some sort of connection to Blade, and this led you to tracking him down?” Kassie asked, her index finger poking at her bottom lip as she slowly put the pieces together in her mind.

“Basically, which led to us stumbling across the blood banks, or what the vampires refer to as cattle farms. As far as we know, Black people specifically are the targets.” Reese explains, she tries to get through it as quickly as possible before the images of the faces of those victims pop back up into her head.

“They’re stockpiling the melatonin through the blood as a means to make themselves stronger. That’s crazy, they’d have to drink an exponential amount of blood to be able to walk in the sun again…” Kassie trailed off, Reese, and Blade knew that the vampires’ goal from the beginning was to be able to strengthen themselves more. However, it didn’t occur to Reesé just how many more lives are at risk the longer this continues.

“Fuck, they’re trying to kill them all aren’t they? There’s no way it’s enough vampires in the world to get that done?” It felt foolish to Reese to hang on to any kind of hope, but she needed to. Her fist gripped tightly, the sound of her heart pounding against her rib cage caught Blades attention. Her lips parted as she tried desperately to get air in through her mouth; she thought some deep breaths would sooth the choking sensation in her throat. That only triggered labored breathing, which at this moment made her feel like dying. The weight of the situation slowly caving in on her, the immense pressure she felt caused her to feel like her head is being squeezed between two hands.

“Eric, is she okay?” Kassie asked, she could hear the way the young woman’s blood rushed through her veins, and the accompanying look of fear slowly creeping onto her face.

“You don’t call me that.” Blade grunted, he moved past David, and Hannibal leaving them in the living room, and entering into the kitchen. He grabbed Reese's elbow with one hand, and the other hand rested on her lower back. Abigail remains quiet watching the interaction, she didn’t realize how much Blade changed until now. The way he protected her, when there’s others around it’s usually small gestures here, and there.

She’s sure now when it’s just the two alone that the mood is completely different. As much as Abigail would like to see that more often, she respected their space.

“You two can have the guest room if you need some privacy.” Kassie kindly offered, she walked down a long hallway guiding them towards a second bedroom. The room is in pristine condition, the bed barely touched, and everything in its place. This room, unlike others in the house, didn't have much of a personal flare, but that didn’t matter to Blade at the moment.

Kassie gives one last look in their direction, she watches as Blade gently sits Reese down on the bed. He takes off his leather coat, and pulls up a seat in front of her. He begins speaking in a hushed tone, it wouldn’t be hard for Kassie to hear what he was saying, but decided to leave them.

Once the door closed Blade exhaled, he knew that once the severity of their current situation set in, Reese would have a breakdown. She’s resilient, in the past month he’s watched her push through the bull shit, but even he admits this is a lot.

“You and I do not deal with our emotions the same, that much is obvious. Don’t bottle it up Reese, don't try to hold it back, it will only hurt more.” He spoke quietly, they both sat in silence for a while, then Reese raised her head. Her eyes meeting his, for the first time since she met him, Blade’s bright eyes softened. A look of remorse settled deep within them, he feels responsible for how she’s feeling now. Blade was so quick for what was supposed to be a small venture that ended up spiraling into this mess, be over with, that he didn’t even try to warn Reese. Sure she’s a hunter as well, and she has some experience, but he didn't take the time to magnify how far vampires will go to have their goals met.

“I’m sorry.” Blade pressed his lips together, he tried not to relax too much, he felt he had to be strong for her. If she needed to lean on him, then that’s what he’ll be.

“Sorry?” Reese questioned, confusion etched across her face, it’s not like he did this to her personally. In fact? She didn’t blame him at all.

“I didn’t do my best to prepare you, I knew, but I was being careless.” Tears rolled down Reese's cheeks, her face felt hot, her body trembled with each inhale and exhale. Blade shook his head, stood up from his chair, and came to the side of the bed where she sat. Unexpectedly he wrapped his arms around her, without hesitation she buried her face in his abdomen. She inhaled deeply, Reese willed everything in her to let more tears out, she didn't want to hold it in anymore. The sob she let out felt like she’s been holding it in for god knows how long, they stayed like that for a moment longer.

“Stand up.” Blade commanded, he pulled Reese up from the bed, he held onto her hands. The small distance between them created a heat that did not go unnoticed by her. The closeness sent shivers down her spine, she loved looking at him up close like this. He’s beautiful, hazel eyes that stood out against his perfect deep brown skin, and the tattoos on his back that trailed up his neck.

He towers over her at his 6’2 stature. Blade leans his head down to touch foreheads with Reese, “Breathe in.” He spoke in a calming whisper, Reese did as told, she inhaled deeply through her nose and held it.

“Breath out.” Reese let the air flow out of her mouth, finally, she felt light again. Her heart calmed to a slower, steady beat, her mind cleared, and the weight she once felt has now been lifted.

“I’m ready.” She shook her head, Blade reluctantly dropped his hands from hers, and took a step back. He nodded his head, stepped to the side, and followed her out the bedroom.

Back in the living room, everyone—Kassie, David, Abigail, and Hannibal—sat around chatting. Abigail and Hannibal filled Kassie and David in on what happened back in California. However, this only added to the list of questions Kassie had about Reese, and Blade. Right when she opened her mouth to ask another question, mfootsteps could be heard coming from the hallway. David’s eyes were quick enough to catch the two of them holding hands before they pulled apart.

Reese stepped in front of Blade leaning her hip against the couch Kassie is sitting on with David, they all remain quiet waiting for her to speak first.

“We’ve got work to do. I need a lab, and I’m assuming they need weapons.” She folded her arms over her chest looking directly at David, who looked back at her with confusion written onto his face. Even if Kassie did trust them now, he still felt weary of the two strangers that bust through his front door.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How long are you going to play dumb with us?” Reese rolled her eyes, she wished she could just leave them out of this now that she knows they aren't evil, but Kassie ignored all the warnings. She got her way with Reese by arguing the young woman down, and it worked.

“David.” Kassie scolded her partner, he could be uptight about his science gadgets, but she knew where his heart was.

“Whatever, it's back this way. Kass you show them the garage.” David grumbled as he got up from his spot, and started off towards the side door of the house. Reese followed after him, she turned to give them all one last look over, she planned to be working for quite a while.

“Alright, alright this way everyone.” Kassie chirped, she noticed Blade had followed their group instead of Reese and David. She was thankful for that, because now she could ask him questions, or at least she thought she was going to be able to.

David typed in the passcode to his “state of the art” science lab, he used his hand to block my view of the keypad. I rolled my eyes scoffing at the him, the nerve this man had. Abigail could crack basic passcodes like eggs, I didn’t say anything though, I just let him have his moment.

“So, what are we working on?” David asked eagerly as he watched me roll out all of my tools, I paused upon hearing that question.

“We aren’t doing anything, if you wish to stay, that’s fine. Even if you can’t help yourself and ask me questions. But do not. Under any circumstance, touch my shit.” I looked over my shoulder at him, an annoyed expression on his face as he scoffed in disbelief.

“You know what? You and Blade are perfect for each other.” He pouted like a child, but took a seat near the lab table, he watched me pour a drop of dark red blood onto a sample tab.

“No, the difference between us is…I believe he’s more mild mannered than I am” I shrugged my shoulders taking a look through the microscope at the blood sample in the petri dish. I pulled my journal out looking at my notes, sitting back in my seat and trying to clear my mind.

“He kicked my door down, and put his hands on me…if that’s mild mannered to you then you’ve got a serious problem.” He huffed, I pressed my lips together, an effort to suppress the smile growing onto my face.

“Haven’t encountered a whole lot of vampires have you?” I asked, it was more so a rhetorical question, of course he hasn’t, what vampire in their right mind would keep a human around without marking them as their familiar or turning them?

“You’re very miss trusting, I understand that now, but Kassie isn’t like those other vampires.” David defended his partner, rightfully so, the two of them looked very guilty when we first met. Even though they’ve stayed their case, I remain wary of them both.

“Yea sure…” I trailed off, no longer having any interest in the conversation, I turned back to the lab table. Chemical X isn’t going to be enough for older vampires, the mixture probably wouldn’t work half as well as it would on newly turned vampires. I need to find a way to make the original formula stronger, but how could I do that without ruining it.

“Ya know, Vampires aren’t known to be the smartest when pressured to make decisions. They’re all about self preservation; a study I did a long time ago revealed that Vampires were known to blow up, and destroy their temples at the first site of trouble.” David spoke up, I had forgotten he was there from how quiet he was, his words replayed in my head a few times before the thought occurred to me.

“Holy shit Dave you are a genius! Why didn’t I think of that already?” I quickly jotted down the items I might need so I won’t forget, then jumped up from my seat.

A proud smile crept into his face, quickly faded, replaced by a look of confusion. “What exactly are you planning on doing?” He trailed behind me as I made my way out of the lab, and back into the house. I pause in the middle of the living room, Kassie made quick work of the mess we made a few hours ago, what a gracious host. I groaned inwardly at her motherly energy. I can see her in my head now, telling me to make good choices, and such.

I turn to David, who’s standing behind me with his hands on his hips, and his eyebrows creased, “I'm gonna need a lab rat, and the biggest bottles of hydrogen peroxide and bleach you’ve got to offer.” The wheels in his head began to turn as he thought about my odd request, once it clicked he looked at me wide eyed. The mischievous grin that crept onto my face answered the line of questions that formed in his head. Yes, I was absolutely about to concoct something dangerous.

“Are you and Reese together?” Kassie blurted out, she usually has more tact than this, but she couldn’t help herself. She was filled to the brim with questions, Blade could see the curiosity shining in her bright eyes. He grimaced the inclination, he and Reese haven’t established any type of label, it was the last thing on their minds.

However, if he was being honest with himself, there were some sort of feelings that stirred inside him when it came to Reese. It was sudden, when they first met, he thought nothing of her. Then, that night they fought those rabbid vampires back at Felix’s shop, that’s when it hit him. The memory of Blade biting into Reese’s tender flesh, and the way her blood tasted. His gums stung at the thought of it, a hint of the sweet, tangy flavor of her blood danced on the top of his tongue.

“We’re partners, we work well together.” Blade explained nonchalantly, the truth was, they had become a well oiled machine when having to face enemies together.

“You love her, maybe even something beyond that.” Kassie knew for a fact that’s what it was, she didn’t need him to confirm it. In her eyes, it’s as plain as day.

Blade remained quiet, his face gave away nothing, his body language matching that. He hated to admit it, but Reese is right; the two of them are being pulled together by some invisible force. He’s tried to find many reasons to leave her behind, that this whole chicken race wasn’t worth it. He’s come to the conclusion that he would follow her regardless of how insignificant her chance was. Because if that, he would see this through.

“Alright, let’s go, one on one, me and you Blade.” Kassandra stepped forward onto the sparing mat in the middle of the room. Abigail, and Hannibal paused their bickering, the challenge piqued their interest.

“Twenty bucks on B.” Hannibal whispered, the brunet scoffed, folding her arms and she took into consideration the age of Kasandra. Blade has been in the field the whole time she’s been sleeping, Abigail knew there’d be no he could challenge her power.

“Usually I wouldn’t bet against the boss, but I’ll double my chances on Queen of the damned” Abigail gently sat the pistol she had broken down and put back together, back in its place on the weapons wall. They watched as Blade silently accepted the challenge, he took his weapons, and laid them on a nearby table along with his coat.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had to fight anyone, but don’t let that fool you.” Kassandra warned him, her tone haughty, she stood with her shoulders squared, and her nose turned upward.

Blade stared back at her with a bored expression, he’s never been one to talk before or during a fight. “Ding, Ding ladies.” Hannibal called out from his spot on the sidelines, she was quick to make her first move as she lunged into the air, and directly on top of him. She was faster than he expected, again, being pure blood vampire has its advantages. She slammed her fist down onto his chest as she landed, they both hit the floor with a thud. The power of her fist had him temporarily winded, but he quickly recovered.

He flipped them over quickly, turning Kassie onto her stomach he firmly planted her face into the mat with one hand, with the other he pulled her arm backwards. His right knee pinned down her right arm.

“Say uncle.” Blade joked in a monotone voice, not a hint of a smile to be found on his face; impressed by the swift takedown Abigail whistled lowly.

Kassandra grunted as she struggled to get out of his iron grip, he had the top half of her locked down. With the arm the that was pinned down, she used her strength to lift his knee up, and shove it away. Before Blade had time to react, Kassandra had reached her hand back, grabbed by his neck, and roughly threw him off her.

As the dense weight of his body lifted off her chest she could feel her lungs expand, not needing to breath, and not being able to are two different sensations.

Surprisingly the struggle he just sent her through excited her more, she hasn’t felt a rush like this in a few hundred years.

Well now I see why Reese just laid there. Blade thought to himself as he dusted himself off, I guess I’ve awakened Queen Vampire. Grunted at the satisfied smirk growing onto her lips, she could see how he, and Reese get along so well. Neither of them gave up easily.

This time Blade took charge at Kassandra, but she met him half way, at first they clashed nearly knocking each other out. She was quick to regain balance first, she grabbed onto his arm as they were falling backwards, and yanked him towards her. She wrapped her arms around Blades muscular torso in a tight barehug; both Hannibal, and Abigail gasped in shock as the watched Kassandra German suflex Blade into the mat. Quickly she changed positions while her arms were still locked onto him, and she threw him again.

Before she could go for a third time, a loud explosion cloud be heard coming from outside the house, and instantly everyone’s heads whipped in the direction of the noise.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Kassandra could hear David shouting along with a stream of curse words, Reese could be heard darkly laughing in response. Blade stood to his feet, to her surprised he appeared to be fine, but she could hear the way his heart hammered in his chest. For the time being, she let it go, but she absolutely would not let him forget the asswhooping she just gave him.

“I think she’s finally lost it.” Abigail rolled her eyes, the fun was over, it was good while it lasted, but that blast from outside reminded her why they were here in the first place.

“What in the world is happening out here?” Kassandra came speeding out the house with a fire extinguisher in enough time to put out the small fire burning the once bright, and vibrant green grass. Abigail and Hannibal in tow, Blade was the last one out after he took the opportunity to do some quick snooping.

“Your girlfriend just killed my grass.” David complained, when Reese told him about an evolving experiment she had, he didn’t know it involved destroying his property.

“Would you have rather I tested it on you?” She turned to him with her hand on her hip, her lips slightly curled upward.

“Seriously though Reese, you could have injured someone, there’s children in the house.” Kassandra scolded, a disappointed look in her eyes, she didn’t understand how she could be so careless.

“I think I know enough about science to know how to properly measure things, I’m a master chemist Kassandra.” A part of Reese did feel guilty, especially when the children were mentioned, even though they aren’t her biological kids, she had every right to express her concerns. Reese being too proud wouldn't apologize for something she felt she was totally in control of.

“Okay know it all, if you’re so good, why did it explode? Seems like a failed experiment to me?” Kassandra folded her arms over her chest, all she saw standing before her now is a loose cannon, and she did not want her loved ones caught in the crossfire.

“Because that’s what I wanted to happen. If you would have let me explain before you came marching down here like someone’s mother, I would have explained what was going on. Hydrogen peroxide, plus bleach equals.” Reese held her hand outward to the now burnt, smoking, and wilting grass before them.

“How does that solve anything!” David shouted, saying he felt frustrated was an understatement, first they destroyed the living room, and now this?

“Chemical X.” Blade finally spoke up, he didn’t occur to him that she would go this far, but now he knows this is the end of him underestimating Reese.

“Like the Power Puff Girls?” Kassandra asked innocently, she had only heard that phrase once from the cartoon the kids were watching one Saturday afternoon. Though she wasn’t sure what a kids program had to do with any of this, or how it was going to help them stop Vampires.

“How old are you 4?” Reese rolled her eyes, she switched the weight in her hip from one to another, it was late at night when they initially arrived. Soon the sun would be coming up, and her plan to find a test subject would be ruined by the daylight.

“Why are you two so mean?” David walked over to Kassandra, he held her by hand, and brought his lips to her hand. The small amount of affection repulsed Blade, instantly he looked away, but not Reese. She could not look away, a part of her is jealous, in this small amount of time she wished Blade looked at her like this. And he did, when she wasn’t looking, his gaze had become to soften the more time he was around Reese.

“My ultimate goal was to create something that would reverse the DNA of a vampire that’s been turned. I tried to take it a step further to kill purebloods, but it kept failing. So, if you can’t kill the parents, attack their children.” Reese walked off the lawn, and onto the sidewalk, she stood and watched the sun peak over the horizon.

“Your call Reese.” Blade called from the lawn, he can see how the wheels are turning in her mind, and he did not like the plan formulating in her mind.

As the sun’s rays burn into her pupils, flashes of the lifeless faces from the blood banks flood her mind; Reese grits her teeth, her tone dark, and void of any emotion. “Let’s send them a message.” She’s never been so imbued with rage, a chilling sensation washed over David. He looked over at his partner, squeezing Kassandras hand, he prayed silently they would all come out alive.

[cobrrastyle]

Idk if you do requests or anything but if i may suggest something, maybe billy and a reader who treats him like a normal person? Like they still treat him with the same basic human needs if that makes sense. Making some food? They ask if he wants some too? Hes being moody for some reason? Instead of taking him to spend money they ask him if anything is wrong. Hes having a bad day? They ask if he wants a hug. Ect

a.n. im diggin' your chili anon!! and omg i didn't think i’d get any requests at all so i didn't even mention it—but yes, totally! requests are more than welcome! wasn’t too sure if you wanted this to be alive!billy or ghost!billy centered, so i just went with ghost!billy. by “normal person” i’m assuming “disregarding his celebrity status and treating him as you would anyone else”??  i hope these hcs are to your liking and i apologize if i misunderstood the prompt !

𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝅘𝅥𝅲  gn!reader

𝅘𝅥𝅲  relationship. (not specified) up to interpretation!

𝅘𝅥𝅲  warnings. none

𝅘𝅥𝅲  edited. n/a

• ooooh, billy's going to be such a disaster at first, just putting it out there!

• why are you treating him like some d-listed average joe? he’s the billy joe cobra!! why aren't you quick to obsess over him? shouldn't you be squealing, fanning yourself, literally be on your KNEES for him?! he doesn't get it, he's definitely put off by your sincerity, and he takes it personally.

• he's not used to this level of 'genuine', and although he displays somewhat of a grumpy demeanor around you, he gradually grows to appreciate you immensely.

• case in point: he gets into a spat with his bro spence, gets deeply upset by it and NEEDS someone to talk to. rajeev? he's more focused on solving his friends' squabbles than hearing out what bjc's got to say—something that the cobra catches on to pretty quick. shanilla? she's as sweet as ever, but her little bias towards brometheus is still very much evident. we never vent to kids y’all. and so, he goes to his last resort: you.

• he wastes no time in letting his emotions loose. doesn't matter what you're doing, mf steals the moment, his hands gesturing all over the place. his eyes are trained on everything except you, but when he's finally done and meets yours, his feels something in his chest suddenly churn.

• he's met with a strange yet warm unfamiliarity: patience. of course, he can't decipher it at first, and for a minute he's at a loss for words—his sudden silence urging you to believe he has more to say. it takes him a hot second to register it, but he's quick to remember the reason why he was there in the first place and cue the drama queen's ginormous pout:

"well?! aren't you going to say anything?!"

• you do. you're there to assure him of his doubts and underlying fears, you let him know his feelings are valid, and most importantly (much to his surprise) you don't overly coddle him. it comes as a surprise to billy because never before had he felt so heard. you treat him in a way that's foreign and different. its a good kind of different though!

• as soon as you offer the dude a hug, mans literally bursts into tears and crashes into you. its been settled. you’re his comfort person! from that point on, sweet bby actively wants to be near you for as much as he can ♡

• he respects your input and appreciates your honesty (despite him being a giant pissbaby when it comes to something he disagrees with) and absolutely adores how considerate you are with almost everything you do!

• you make some lunch and set some aside just for him? he's over the moon!! bonus points if it’s one of his favs!

• the cobra is quite the picky eater, but he's not above trying things at least once. he’s doesn’t shy away from giving you criticism either! his palate fr expands exponentially after eating your stuff. 

• develops a particularly strong preference for the food you make! even if all you can do is a sandwich and instant noodles, this dude's all hung up on YOUR sauce.

• you better believe that he's gonna pay the sentiments back TENFOLD, but there's a catch to it, and it's mostly at spencer's expense

• "yo, spence! 'think you can have your mom bake some of those brolicious brownies for me? no reason! just make sure it's a ton. oh! and imma need ‘em by 5. thanks, brostada, you’re the best! catch ya later, bye!!"

• he'll claim that the brownies were all made a la billy, but you know damn well💀  

• he doesn't like sharing his munchies, but you're an exception. a bit. relish it!

• adores when you visit the mansion! you're very mindful of his and his fam's possessions and he's at ease knowing that you're not the kind to touch and toy with his things without consent like some of his fans used to do (he loves them, he loves the attention, but there are lines that just cant be crossed!)

• his trust in you is high, maybe even foolishly so.

• doesn't mean you guys can't fool around with some of his stuff! in fact, he encourages you to partake in some hijinks with him. whether it be pulling pranks on the wright family or making a mess of the tiki room, he's all down to do fun shit with you!

• having some down time and just chillin' is also something he likes to indulge in. it feels great to just unwind, watch reality tv and laze around without having anything to prove to anyone. it's just you and him (and spencer, occasionally) and it's moments like these which he subconsciously cherishes.

• he gets a boost of serotonin when you partake in his hobbies, even if it's something you wouldn't necessarily like. going to taste-testing events, going on a shopping spree, bonsai trimming, pottery—he appreciates your efforts and is more than willing to do the same for you (even if the loveable jackass complains along the way, he could never say no to you!)

• tldr; unlike his past relationships (be it romantic or platonic) you don't take advantage of him and it really does him some good. you’re there for him at his most vulnerable and he gradually learns to bear no shame in expressing how he really feels about himself and the life he lived. you’re part of what makes him realize that fame doesn't define him and little by little he starts to gain a new sense of self confidence. it's a love so soft that he most definitely deserves!

[waterspoutskies]

3, 23, and 30 :3

Sorry this took me a couple days <3 French anarchy, y’know?

Rav’s were already answered or mostly answered so I asked for a new round of questions instead!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

*sigh* Ok. My gut instinct is to recommend my darling precious baby that I devote my brain to endlessly (Beneath the Skin) but if I’m being honest and reasonable. That. Is an incredibly shitty introduction to how I write. It’s 17000 words long, full of constant run on sentences and internal thought, was an intentional no dialogue challenge, it’s completely unedited, 11k of it was written in what was essentially a fever craze in the span of about two months, and what’s more, it basically throws canon away! Like wow! Even assuming the new reader makes it through all 17k words, that’s a very useless way to evaluate my writing! (I should probably edit it.)

So all this to say my rational brain has kicked in and the answer is Thoughts Like These. Admittedly, it’s still long at 11.5k, but it pays much better respect to canon and I devoted a lot of attention to making it neutral and ambiguous for a reason!

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

When I first started reading I liked reading a more skittish, cagey, even a bit feral Wild on occasion (one of my first reads was DreamHero’s Not a Hero series on Ruby’s recommendation) but now it’s way overdone and often not in a very well managed way. You can have rationality to stupidity! That goes for all of the boys in all honesty.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

Yeah, TLT (Thoughts Like These) did. I knew Wild was the “most popular” Link by virtue of his game being the most recent, people can play it, latch on it, etc more easily. I also knew gang meets were fairly popular- though not always the most popular! It very much depends. And then there was the fact that TLT was one of my gift fics for the LU Artist Appreciation Project. There were a lot of exceptionally skilled, firmly established, well known and loved writers in that project discord. All this to say that yeah I was a bit caught off guard when it blew up within the day and just kept going.

It’s my most kudos’d fic by more than triple and my most read by nearly triple. Most people have a pretty good range on their stats page. Me? Mine looks like a negative exponential graph.

Yeah.

I do wish I could figure out what made it blow up by such a large factor, I’m guessing maybe the appreciation project contributed to some of that? I dunno! I know it’s well written but so are plenty of others, and I know it’s about Wild but so are plenty of others! It’s an interesting little thing.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

I don’t know that I have a specific single one, but if I could write anything like Sister I’d be pretty pleased with myself.

Thank you kindly Rav!!

[raad-123]

10 Ingredients In The Recipe For A Great Relationship

Here are 10 ingredients we need in the great relationship recipe:

1. Attraction.

We can say that looks don’t really matter all we want, but the honest truth is that physical attraction to your partner is an essential ingredient for a happy relationship.

Everyone is attracted to different things in different ways. The key is finding someone who fits what you want and has an equally strong attraction towards you.

Forget about societal descriptions of beauty — be honest with yourself and find a man or woman who makes your heart skip a beat or two every time you think about them or see them.

2. Affection.

"I believe that part of entering a relationship is accepting the responsibility to make our significant other feel wanted and loved."

People show affection towards their partner in all different ways, and some have a hard time showing it at all.

Whether it be simple hand holding, a random hug here and there, or verbally expressing your feelings, being affectionate is really one of the key things that distinguishes a relationship from a friendship, and it’s important not to let it fade.

3. Appreciation.

To round out the “3 A’s” is appreciation. Regardless of how amazing, romantic, or thoughtful someone is — if too much time goes by where they don’t feel like their efforts are appreciated, they are bound to slow down, stop, and maybe even make the decision to leave and find someone who truly values them.

Every healthy relationship I am aware of consists of two people who not only appreciate what their significant other does, but also who their significant other is.

4. Trust.

Add an extra cup or two of trust into this recipe — because without it, the other ingredients have an exponentially harder time sticking together. They won’t congeal. Things easily fall apart when you are concerned about what he or she is doing when you’re not together.

"Trust in a relationship is like an eraser on a pencil — it gets smaller and smaller after every mistake."

5. Honesty.

Honesty and trust tend to mix well together in this recipe, and adding extra of both is recommended. Without honesty, you won’t create trust. Being open and straightforward with your significant other is the backbone of keeping confidence and security between you in your relationship.

Even one lie is enough to make someone question their trust in you. It raises uncertainty about what you’ve said in the past, and what you’ll say in the future.

If they can’t trust you to be honest about the small things, how can they trust you to be honest about the bigger things?

<<<GET A FREE EBOOK ON KEEPING YOUR SOULMATE 4 EVER>>>

6. Consistency.

Consistency is not just about the texture of the meal— it’s also an important part of a healthy relationship.

Being inconsistent makes it difficult for someone to know what they’re really getting and who they’re really dating.

Consistency breeds trust because you know what, and who, you’re waking up to every morning. It shows you can count on them to be there for you, and not need to question their loyalty or commitment.

7. Effort.

Add two servings of effort to this recipe — one from each side of the relationship.

"A great relationship is not about give and take, it’s about give and give."

You’ll know you’ve found the right partner when they put in just as much effort into the relationship as you do. It’s not a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing.

Relationships aren’t a part time gig, you’re either in — or you’re out. If you don’t add enough effort to this recipe, things will become stale and bland over time. Who likes that? Nobody, that’s who.

Mix effort with consistently for best results.

8. Respect.

Respect is the bowl that you mix all of these ingredients together in. Without the bowl, everything else just falls all over the floor and becomes one big mess.

9. Spontaneity.

Spontaneity adds spice to the recipe — use as much as you desire.

10. Love.

What is this recipe without love? We can have many of these ingredients with someone we really like or get along with famously, but if we want something that has real potential to last in the long term — there needs to be real, genuine love between partners.

No more wondering what’s for dinner — this is a recipe that both partners in a relationship can agree on, love the taste of, and enjoy every day.

It’s healthy, and never gets old — just make sure you don’t spill out the important ingredients.

..................................Love Never Fails. Read More.......................................

[blacklodgemusictx]

Texas Show Three: Austin Night Two

I'm in my San Antonio hotel room, awaiting Show Four. I can see how a person might get used to this. New city, new hotel, comfy bed (fingers crossed), tiny writing desk/table/bureau for me to sit at and pour out my adventures from the night before.

But there is a not insubstantial quantity of animals at home who need me back, not to mention a boss who will notice if I'm not back and re-chained to my oar at the proper time.

So I will continue on with the time allotted to me.

Last night was the Cactus Cafe in Austin and this had me feeling a lot of feelings (in my feelings? as the kids say?) If all eventualities are still playing out every where at any given time, four-years-younger me was still wandering the halls, looking for the cafe.

I was still there taking pictures with Marty where I accidentally hit record and ended up getting a video of the table top and random audio of our weird conversation (90% of conversations with Marty are probably weird conversations and I am 100% here for that), me with my hotel room freshly cancelled out from under me still talks to Salim (he has kind eyes... He's tall. Like me. Most people aren't tall like me. Why is he talking to me?), talks to Danny (who will go home to England and yet - on the other side of a stack of calendar pages - will still become my Skype guitar mentor). Maybe in some reality we still have our Austin hotel room and all is well, maybe in some realties, we hit a deer on the way home (Hill Country Deer roulette is a thing, y'all, never doubt.)

The stage curtains are still red at the Cactus Cafe. The whole thing felt small. Like when you return to a childhood classroom after a growth of years and wonder at the doll-sized tables and chairs, hooks for coats and backpacks now at stooping level.

The audience was good. A very respectable number. Quiet and attentive. Joe and Salim are appreciably tighter as a duo than just a couple of days ago. The songs with Oliva (all songs should be with Olivia. That should be the rule. If you want your song to be exponentially more gorgeous, allow her to deftly draw her bow across it) have grown from one to two ("Friends for Life" and now "Miette.")

Curfew at 10 doesn't afford Marty the same relaxed approach as previously. He still banters... he just tries to do it quickly/more condensed. Still. A sight to behold. I mentioned to Danny ("Laish" from the last tour, 2018) that we didn't get back from Celina last weekend until after 2am. You know how Marty loves to talk. That man, he agrees, loves to talk. But I don't think any one of us who have met him would have it any other way.

If there were ever enough time, I would love to take Marty strolling in some cool, storied old cemetery. He has prefaced "Hopes and Fears" each night with mention of a love story occurring during the Industrial Revolution where people were being eaten by machines just miles from the picturesque English countryside.

I wonder what he would say at the Colorado mining town cemeteries we've been to in years gone by where my favorite thing to do was walk amongst the headstones and imagine the tragedies that went with each short span between dashes. Injury, illness, tragedy... anything has to be infinitely more interesting and therefore romantic than the angry, disposable society of today.

It was a good show. The best possible incubator for what is about to happen because I'm surely about to be standing in Philly tomorrow (philly... philly... philadelphia. TOMORROW. Wake up. Terrifying miracle of modern air travel *POOF* other side of the US) wondering where all that good will and attentiveness went.

Salim gives voice to exactly what I'm thinking (he gestures to me twice last night to come back over to where he is because I wander off when people want to talk to him. Still, watching him wave at me, I stifle the urge to turn around and look behind me. Surely, he's waving at someone else.)

The touring unit, Salim says (Joe, Salim, Marty and Olivia) are hitting their stride and perfecting their performance (story about Venice here, speaking in different accents, counting in different languages, story about the arrival of "I Don't Think So" in one day's work)... just to only have one night left and done. This is the kind of situation where you want this to be the beginning, the warm up, not the end.

The East dates will not be like any of this. I know that. And I worry. He doesn't need me to worry. He's an old pro at this, but I also remember very clearly standing in the West Salem gig in 2020 and just being so angry while forks clattered against plates and people just would not *shut up*. They talked over Rhett too which is bizarre to me as this is who most of them are paying specifically to see (I still have only the most basic concept of Rhett. I know he is kind and gives off similar good feelings as Salim... but I also know he's on TV. Like, a lot). These audiences will be looking for a tipple, looking for a gnosh and the music will be a backdrop that a lot of them will barely pay attention to.

I'm glad for the Texas gigs. I'm glad for the love that has been afforded everyone so far. So so much.

Salim mentioned liking the response gotten so far to "Protect Your Peace," a lovely song Salim has been weaving around a piece of audience participation that has - so far - gone beautifully. I feel like this song is probably not even going to be tried on the next leg of shows... just a feeling.

But an old, dear friend of mine I've never actually met in person bought EIGHT tickets for Philly so there is as much positive mojo as anyone could possibly want right out of the gate.

And Sarah and me and my husband will be there. Which means, no matter how hard he has to fight to win the room every night... the cheering section from home will still be there.

And doubtless, there will be someone there every night that was just like I was. Someone who didn't know that some guy they've never heard of from Texas is EXACTLY what they needed to include to make their listening, their *living* experience that much better.

And winning one person is WINNING.

Grand adventure awaits.

[driftingglass]

inb4 everyone loses their mind about how great BakuDeku is, I'm just trying to make a point. It's a debate, not an argument. That's just my rebuttal. (8/6 wow this got long)

Ah, man, I’m going to have to show all of your messages together because your response was awesome. The thing is, you do have many valid points, and I completely see where you’re coming from and why your point of view on this definitely needs to be heard. 

I hope you don’t mind. I want to respond to you with you knowing that I read every piece of your response and I want to give you the time you’re giving me.

Same anon. Comparing a ship where Deku is told to kill himself and he suffers from depression from everything Baku put him through to “it’s like getting mad at someone for picking green as their favorite color” is a pretty bad comparison honestly. If you romanticize the behavior it leads to people thinking that it’s okay when it clearly isn’t. (1/6)

I agree, that this is a comparably weak analogy. However, I do not intend to romanticize anything when it comes to this ship. These ideas that I’m talking about may sound romanticized, but in execution it would be far harder and more difficult than it seems. 

Also, I would never, EVER, expect the rules of a ship that I like and find interesting in an anime to reflect a real-life relationship or what I would want from a real-life relationship. Maybe this a little confusing, but when it comes to characters and their relationships, I usually never associate them with what I would want in real life. 

Hence, this is why I enjoy writing about it so much, because of how relatively ridiculous and unrealistic it is (and I know that I mentioned the “realism” point on my post and your counter to that, which I’ll expand on). 

Anyway. I agree that romanticizing this behavior is awful, and it shouldn’t be glorified. I don’t think Bakugou should be romanticized as a character at all. I’ve mentioned several times that he’s an asshole and should be held accountable, and in no way would I ever expect this ship to work in canon.

Basically, despite what I love about the ship, I’m completely aware of how horrible the idea of the bully/victim dynamic is reflected in real life, and how circumstances aren’t meant to be built and executed in this way outside of the realm of literature and other artistic mediums.

I understand that you base the attraction of the ship off of healing, forgiveness, growth, etcetera. However, that’s implying that Deku (and others like him who have been in the same situation) would even do any of that. Like he would actually have some kind of mutual love with the same guy who made him fucking hate himself. It literally makes no sense whatsoever considering if you’ve actually talked to anyone who has been bullied, they don’t typically go from “this guy is an asshole”… (2/6)

Hm, you have a point here. I agree with your first statement, but I also want to touch on the “actually have some kind of mutual love with the same guy,” tidbit. I want to clarify that I do think, even with these elements in mind, that Izuku and Katsuki, IF this was based canonically, would have to rebuild some semblance of friendship over years of reconciliation. 

Also… I’m not sure, if Katsuki is actually the main cause of Izuku “hating” himself? I can’t defend anything for Izuku’s complete lack of confidence in the very beginning and the obvious effects that Katsuki’s bullying has had on him. And I don’t plan to, because I think you have a very good point here.

Also, Anon… I have been bullied.

I was bullied verbally and physically through elementary, middle and high school. My family dynamic has led to me being bullied and cornered in my own home. My only two romantic relationships stemmed from mental and sexual manipulation and abuse from people I once considered my best friends, and even though I forgave both of these people, I would never turn back and accept them in my heart again. 

I’ve faced repercussions from every experience, and still do. 

I understand how dreadful and deplorable bullying is, and how it affects victims and the people around them and dear to them. In no way do I want to ever come off as a person who romanticizes bullying or even promotes something similar to that.

But again, this ship is not based off of an idea that I would ever want in my life or want anyone I care about to experience. It’s an idea that I enjoy reading and thinking about in a work of total fiction, with aspects of it that I enjoy and relate to, while also understanding that my life and the works I enjoy are separate. 

You can take that as you will. 

This may seem backwards, but it’s how I feel. 

(Also, Anon, I don’t see parts 3 or 5…? If you want this included on here, send them to me or let me know. I could be missing some of your response…)

Has anyone else who has been bullied relentlessly who is reading this felt that way /ever/? I seriously doubt it. Not only does it not make sense, but it insults the trope as a whole. You continue to make general contrasts and parallels to Katsuki and Izuku which is nice and all. That’s great. In fact, that’s fantastic for a platonic respect that would somehow grow from whatever bitterness they had before. (4/6)

Ah, this is kind of going off my last response. 

I agree that it works mostly in a platonic respect, because mostly of what I love about these two characters and their parallels is their entire dynamic as a whole, both in a romantic and non-romantic context. 

I was focusing on the romantic since that was the subject of the anonymous message you sent me, but there is no doubt in my mind that in the canon universe and even in general, these two work marvelously in the platonic respect.

That’s part of why I love the challenging (and seemingly impossible) idea of carving a romantic image out of it. Is it necessary to enjoy the dynamic? No. Absolutely not. I think your points on this make a ton of sense. 

And no, as someone who’s been bullied for the vast majority of my life, I’ve never felt this way. Ever. I agree with you on that. 

Again, that’s part of the challenge in writing about it, not exercising the practice in real life. I do think the ship is toxic and has a ton of issues, and I’ve mentioned that before–in fact, a lot of the reasons why I mention those to begin with, is based on making readers understand that what happens in this ship shouldn’t be celebrated as an embodiment of perfection or a work of fiction.

But, I see the problematic viewpoints in my arguments, as well. Some of these will lead to us having to agree to disagree, but I really love this rebuttal.

You can forgive someone but that doesn’t mean things are better. That doesn’t mean Deku is fine, it just means he’s let those actions go and he won’t let them haunt him anymore. But forgiveness isn’t an open door for romance. If someone has broken your best friend’s heart and you forgave them for that, it doesn’t erase the memories of you watching them cry or trying to console them because of what their ex did. (6/6 but I still have more to type and this inbox sucks

Everything you’ve said here, is completely, 100%, TRUE.

I absolutely agree on all of the points you’ve made in this specific section. Especially on the nature of forgiveness and how you’ve expanded on this from a previous section you wrote. 

I also agree that forgiveness is not an open door for romance… but it can be.

Now, I’m not speaking from personal experience, and I’m not speaking for the experience of anyone else, but that sentence alone is not universally true. It’s a rather bold statement to make, and it would be impossible to assume that every person who forgives someone would shut the door for romance. 

The circumstances are different with everyone, but it IS TOXIC for a person to immediately forgive, forget, and leap into a romantic situation with no rebuilding or actual time taking place. It’s a complicated subject that you’ve introduced well, and again, I think you’re correct.

Is it true for BakuDeku, though? Yeah, I think in terms of canon, you’re correct. 

But this, again, is why I think it’s challenging. Also, while mentioning this, I do not think that people should feel obligated to open their options for romance upon the nature of forgiveness. Ever.

Again, what I find intriguing in a ship between fictional characters does not reflect what I would want to see from real people, especially those near and dear to me.

Your examples are very relatable too, and help bolster your argument well. 

To clear one thing up, I’m one of few people who ship BakuDeku who completely understands why people hate the ship… for literally almost everything you’ve said so far. I know that this exists, and that your logical viewing behind it is completely valid and makes absolute sense. 

The ship is ludicrous, and the elements that I find fascinating between the characters is why I want to write about them. 

Also, yeah, the inbox system sucks on here. I’m sorry about that, but I appreciate you breaking up your responses! 

If your father used to tell you to kill yourself and treat you the same way Baku did to Deku, you can forgive him but that doesn’t erase whatever Deku has gone through. Forgiveness isn’t a plot device to spur your ship. It’s far more complicated than that. And last but not least, you can challenge yourself with writing without having them fall in love after all the horrible shit Baku has done to Deku. BakuDeku is in no way realism. (7/6)

Again, I agree with you, especially on the first sentence. 

I do find it… kind of unbecoming, to claim that I’m using forgiveness as a plot device to spur the ship. I suppose that it can be considered that, but I don’t take the subject of forgiveness lightly at all–I know that it’s one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing, you can do individually for both yourself and the person involved. 

I’ve had to forgive quite a lot of people to give myself peace, and that has taken years at a time for some, and months for others. I’m fully aware how complex and emotionally rendering forgiveness is, and what it takes to follow through with it. 

I also completely agree with writing about them challengingly and not having them fall in love. I think that’s what’s going to happen with the canon material, honestly. At least, I’m hoping for it, that they can overcome these hurdles and at least mutually respect each other as people. 

Now, the romantic context? That’s purely for out of canon and not at all based on strict material or realistic representation within the manga or from personal experiences. 

“BakuDeku is in no way realism.” 

Hm. You may have a point here. I can see how my statement earlier on BakuDeku being a reflection of realism is flawed, and with the examples you presented I’ll respect that. I’m aware that it’s in a context of fictional characters with overly dramatic and exaggerated circumstances and personalities, and I do think there are realistic elements that can be taken with a ship based in an anime. 

But I agree that outright claiming it to be based on a foundation of realism on top of everything else is a stretch, considering the argument you’ve presented.

inb4 everyone loses their mind about how great BakuDeku is, I’m just trying to make a point. It’s a debate, not an argument. That’s just my rebuttal. (8/6 wow this got long)

Anon, I think it’s actually really incredible that you bothered to present a well-thought-out, well-presented, and very cordially presented rebuttal to my response to your original message. 

I’m grateful that you contributed to this as a discussion, and I love the points you made. I also don’t want you to think that I do support some of these elements that is mentioned above, and that my intention is in no way to romanticize the ship for what it is. 

I also know you’re not trying to start an argument. I love what you’ve had to say, and I really appreciate it. I appreciate the respect and clear attention you’ve put into the post I made and your response, and I hope that my response isn’t angering you or upsetting you.

And if you didn’t want me to do this, please message me and I’ll gladly take it down

Thank you for this response. 

[yanderecrazysie]

yn is kenma's no.1 fan! to the point of an unhealthy obsession one day kenma notices her yn thinks that this is a dream come true and that it's the best day in her life well soon she realizes that she was dead fucking wrong as everything goes downhill after that day

I used to dream so much of being noticed by my favorite YouTubers- I’d binge-watch all their videos and just daydream about them when I was younger. So to be noticed must be so exciting! But for it to backfire- it’s like those genies where everyone says “Be careful what you wish for!”

I FINALLY WROTE SOMETHING, HAHA! I feel like the ending probably isn't what you wanted exactly, but my brain felt it was best to end it there.

Part Two can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/yanderecrazysie/720073929100804096/veneration-part-2-yandere-kenma?source=share

Title: Veneration

Pairings: Kenma x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, swearing, spoilers for Kenma’s timeskip (Kinda? I don’t even know much about the timeskip ngl), Reader is NOT a yandere (she is obsessed with Kenma as a celebrity crush sort of thing), mention of like one inappropriate thing that’s in a popular game but not detailed(?), Kenma is a bigger fan of you tbh

Summary: When you catch the attention of a famous YouTuber, you think that you’re the luckiest person in the world. Little do you know, you caught his attention long ago. And his obsession is a lot darker than yours.

veneration

/noun/

respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person

Koduzen’s chat was a blur of movement and impossible-to read comments. It always was when he streamed, even with slowmode on and automatic filtering of spam. He was immensely popular, his channel having grown exponentially in a short amount of time.

You had been his subscriber for over a year now, not that it mattered if you ever said “I’ve been here since before he was popular”. Still, your adoration for him hadn’t changed in the slightest, if not only increased.

He had inspired you to make your own YouTube channel, but it was cringy and rarely got more than 10 views. You often considered deleting the videos, but left them up anyway. There was something about taking down things you worked hard on that you couldn’t bring yourself to do. No matter how cringy it was, you still made the videos and worked hard on them.

And so your channel sat, dead and on permanent hiatus. Not that any of your very few viewers cared.

Today, Koduzen was playing a game you’d heard of, but never seen before today. “Yandere Simulator”, a strange, violent game. You were a couple minutes late to the stream, one of your classes running a little later than normal but you didn’t seem to have missed much. In fact, within the minute you slipped on your headphones and focused on the screen, Koduzen finished the idle chat to his viewers and started the game. Perfect timing!

You, like everyone else watching the stream, made plenty of comments, hoping to be the literal one in a million that Koduzen noticed in the comments. As the famous YouTuber tested out the game, seemingly happy with the weapons and disgusted by the panty shots he was expected to take, you sent out a quick sentence in the chat.

“Glad to see a guy who’s got morals LOL”

His calm voice played through your speakers, like he was talking to you in-person, as he read your comment out loud. Your heart drummed against your rib cage and heat spread across your face.

“I’m glad to see a girl that appreciates me, Kodu[Y/n].”

You cringed at your embarrassing username, but swooned at the rest of his sentence, his words swirling in your head on repeat.

“I notice your channel has a lot of CS:GO on it, you should send me an invite and I’ll join your party sometime.”

Your heart practically exploded and you giggled in a way you’d never thought you could, squeezing your arms to your chest in pure glee. You felt like this had to be some sort of dream, but you hadn’t even gotten to your bed yet.

When Koduzen ended his stream, thankfully he always ended them just before the time you always slept, you climbed into your bed, too giddy to sleep. You chose instead to stare at the ceiling with a goofy grin, until your daydreams of playing games with him merged into actual dreams.

You never questioned how he knew you were a girl, despite your YouTube profile picture being a popular male anime character. You never wondered how he had the time to look at your profile when he was in the middle of a game or even why he would check some random commenter’s profile.

To you, Koduzen was a celebrity, someone from a world you wished to reach but could never touch. Someone to be watched, but never met for more than an autograph or picture. Someone you could never hold a conversation with for more than a minute before his manager would usher you away.

To you, that’s what celebrities were. Untouchable and superhuman.

To Kozume Kenma, you were the same. Untouchable and superhuman.

Except you’d be touchable soon enough.

Kenma had met you several months ago.

Back then, he streamed whenever he felt like it, played whatever he felt like playing, and barely paid any genuine attention to the chat. When his manager and best friend, Kuroo, insisted he go to [your country]’s YouTube convention he tried to refuse.

But, like with all things Kuroo-related, he got dragged along into it anyway. The mobs of girls swarming him, flirting with him just because he was a famous single YouTuber, touching all over him without his permission, and saying the dumbest shit he didn’t want to hear.

When he was done with autographs and pictures and all the other shit they forced him into doing, he holed up in his hotel room and played games until midnight. When he reached for the soda he always had next to him on his desk, he remembered where he was.

He knew girls were probably lurking in the hotel they knew he was probably staying at. He shuddered to think he might have to fend for himself this time, without Kuroo and the security guards.

Hood up and sunglasses on- his disguise was complete. He was fully shielded. 100%. Everything would be fine. At least, that’s what he told himself.

He slipped his keycard into his hoodie’s pocket and opened the door, throwing a glance either way to make sure the coast was clear, and made his way to the vending machines. The signs around the hotel weren’t especially clear, but when he finally found them, dread sank into his skin.

A girl was standing there and, on her sweatshirt, was the Koduzen logo. Despite being in his disguise, he had hoped to avoid meeting anyone, not just because he wasn’t a huge fan of socialization but because there was still a chance he’d be recognized.

This was the worst possible situation.

He started to back away, but the girl had already looked up, smiling at him. She had been extracting her own drink from the vending machine- a soda that he’d never tried before (he was a creature of habit) and was straightening up from her former crouched position.

Her smile grew as she spoke to him, but not because she recognized him. No, to her, he was just some random stranger dressed kind of suspiciously.

“The machine gave me two sodas instead of one. I don’t know if you like this kind, but I have an extra if you want it!”

Kenma’s eyes widened as the girl outstretched her hand to him, an identical soda being offered in one [skin tone] hand. He accepted it and thanked her, immediately regretting it when her eyes showed recognition.

She opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it, and reopened it to say, “Sorry, you sounded like someone I admire.”

Kenma found himself responding, even though his introverted senses urged him to turn tail and just try the new soda or sneak back later when this mysteriously fangirl had left, “Who do I sound like?”

“A YouTuber, Koduzen.”

“And you said you admire him? Why?” Kenma chose his words carefully, pitching his voice a little deeper than normal, curiosity winning over his normal instincts.

“He’s really good at gaming and is really smart. He’s always fast to react and amazing at strategizing. He’s entertaining to watch and his commentary is really clever and makes me laugh a lot. He’s just overall an amazing gamer and YouTuber.”

Your eyes were shining at the end of your rant and Kenma had to make sure he didn’t gape openly at her. He was used to his fans going on about how “cute” he was and how they loved this or that about him. And yeah, lots of people complimented his skills (he was a professional gamer, after all) but not quite like this girl. She was… interesting.

He found himself wanting to test her, to see if he was like every other fan he met. Bursting into furious shrieks when anyone said anything against him and becoming some sort of monster that fed off of the hater’s displeasure. Insulting them, sending death threats, one was even doxxed. And Kenma hated those reactions.

So he forced a fake sneer to his lips and sharply said, “Koduzen is so overrated and cringy. I can’t believe anyone’s a fan of him.”

The girl’s eyes widened for a moment and he braced himself for whatever she would do.

“That’s okay. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions.” She was smiling, albeit a little sadly, and asked, “What YouTubers do you like?”

And that’s how the undercover Koduzen managed to have a genuinely relaxing conversation with a fan about YouTube and even just normal everyday things. He found his heart warming to this girl and the desire itching under his skin to learn more and more and more about her.

When Kenma got back to his home, despite being exhausted from the convention, he booted up his computer and typed your name into the search engine. Hours passed as he soaked up every detail about you that he could find, falling deeper and deeper in love with you.

Why did you never notice that your webcam was on when you were watching Kenma’s streams? Why did you never question the timing of his streams? It’s all for you after all.

It was so worth it to “notice” your comment. Your pretty little squeals and happy smile sent shivers up and down his spine and pride swelling in his chest.

The next YouTube convention in your country was only a few months away. And don’t worry, Kenma is completely prepared. After all, you could never say no to following him to his room.

You’d ignored every warning sign up until now, what was a few more?

[alexzalben]

What do you truly think about the ending of killing eve? The episode 8, please be honest.

First off, as you'd probably expect, I'm getting a bunch of asks about this episode, and I want to hold off on responding to anything too spoilery until people who do not have AMC+ have a chance to watch tonight. I'd hate for someone to find out about something through this Tumblr, or a screenshot of this Tumblr, or whatever.

That said, since the episode is up and out there: I didn't like it. But I appreciated parts of it. And I will say the more I've sat on the episode and thought about it, the more I've found myself mentally returning to different scenes and moments that have stuck with me, and have a greater understanding of why certain things happened the way they did as I've mulled them over in my mind. Tl;dr: initial reaction was "boo! zero stars," and as I sat with it for a week my reaction was a little more complex.

The biggest issue (other than what happens in the last two minutes) is the pace, which slows down a lot to spend time with our two mains; which great, love them, but also feels like things need to speed up quite a bit given it's the final episode. Then things finally do speed up exponentially, but only in the final minutes -- which is jarring, and doesn't work.

I know I'm still being vague here, but again, I think there are choices being made throughout, hence my initial tweet about it. I always appreciate and respect choices being made; but I also don't agree with a lot of the choices. I know people are pissed right now, and believe me, when I first saw it I was right there with you. But I don't think what happens at the very end makes the rest of the episode -- or the series -- entirely without merit.

I could go on for a while longer, but my armchair editing of the episode is that this should have been the second to last episode, minus the final minutes, and then have one more to actually finish the series with the amount of time it deserves. At least, that's my take at the moment, I reserve the right to change my mind later.

[alycosworld]

[hey its me from the nonbinary reader x scaramouche fic request] just letting uk I’m sorry if i requested in the wrong place. new to tumblr and I’m using the website

And You Are Loved

Scaramouche X Reader

A/N: ah!! dont worry about it, you did fine! Tumblr did a thing and I lost the original request, but it was a scaramouche x non-binary reader story with the reader being purposely misgendered by their friends if I recall correctly. This is being written while im on a roadtrip so excuse any typos, im on my phone and my friend is notorious for being a slightly reckless (but definitely law-abiding) driver.

I'm so sorry that your friend has misgendered you, dearest anon, and I hope you're feeling better about it now or I hope that this story comforts you, at least a little. I am always happy to talk to my readers, so if you're comfortable with it, please message me! I'd be happy to listen. I won't ask for your name or any specifics about your situation unless you want to tell me - but there's also no pressure to talk to me at all :)) that goes for everyone reading this.

anyways, sorry for the long a/n. enjoy the story! thank you for reading!

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You trudged home with a miserable look on your face, kicking off your shoes and slumping on the couch as soon as you opened the door, allowing it to slam shut behind you and not caring about the loud sound it made.

Your friends know not to. There's no way they don't know. They know it's upsetting and annoying to be misgendered. You are a proud, beautiful, non-binary person. So why would they disregard that? They know your pronouns, so why would they call you anything else?

You sat, still and questioning different things, but it just made your sorrow increase exponentially. Why would your friends-- better, your former friends, do that? All this time, you've been there for them, supporting them in any and every single one of their choices. But when you do something, they disrespect you.

If it was a mistake, maybe you would've forgiven them, as long as it wasn't a continuous thing. But this wasn't a mistake - this was purposeful. And you did nothing to deserve that.

In a flurry of rage and gloom, you began to pace around the living room, silently mumbling to yourself and questioning the people who were supposed to respect your identity.

Your boyfriend had been at work, probably ordering around helpless Fatui recruits or affectionately belittling the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, since they had quite the love-hate relationship. He decided to surprise you by coming home a little early, but when he arrive to see you crying and curled up in your shared bed, he knew something was wrong.

"Love?" He called out, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Hm? What?" You scrambled to look presentable, sitting up and wiping furiously at your tear-stained face.

"Oh, hey Scar. How was--"

"What happened?" You froze at his words, not knowing if he would think you were being too sensitive if you told him what had happened.

"Katheryne gave me this one commission--"

"I meant why are you crying." He said, and although his tone was harsh and cold, his hand that came up to cup your cheek was gentle and warm as he leaned closer to you and examined your face.

"Oh, that? Ha, it's nothing, I promise." You smiled weakly.

"If it was nothing, why are you crying?" Scaramouche asked, and the concern in his voice and eyes made you cave.

"Well, I...I was out and I ran into some friends. I-I don't even know what we were talking about but they got kinda hostile and misgendered me. On purpose. It's stupid, really--"

"What are their names? Where do they live?" Scaramouche asked menacingly. Your eyes widened as you realised what he would do if you answered those questions, but you just chuckled instead.

"I'll tell you if you promise to not use violence against them." You smiled.

"Well, now you can't tell me." Scaramouche grumbled, making you laugh again. He sighed seeing that you still weren't completely happy, and rightfully so.

"The whole point of communication is to get a reaction or an answer out of someone. If the person wants a negative reaction, you can undermine that by virtually not caring." Scaramouche said, confusing you. But you let him continue, knowing he was getting at something.

"Your friends may have purposely misgendered you to hurt you, but why should anything they say have an impact on you? You know who are you, don't you?" Scaramouche asked.

"Yeah..."

"And I know who you are. I know your pronouns and I would never purposely refer to you as anything other than what you want to be called. Anyone who actually matters to you recognises and respects your identity. Everyone else is irrelevant." He shrugged, looking nonchalant about his own words but knowing that they've impacted you.

And he was right, wasn't he? You knew who you were. People you cared about and people that cared about you knew who you were. Your friends misgendered you to get under your skin or disregard you, and while it was perfectly valid for you to feel hurt about that, there was also no reason to let their words mean anything at all.

Although Scaramouche hadn't said that many words, they weighed on your mind.

And eventually, the waterworks started again, and you wrapped your arms around Scaramouche, letting everything.

"Thank you. You're the best!" You smiled.

"I am aware, Love."

"Shut up!" You playfully hit Scaramouche's chest before he pulled you into a gentle and passionate kiss.

You stayed like that for a while, just basking in each other's embrace, but eventually, you both fell asleep. Scaramouche woke up earlier than you and made four favourite for dinner, and as soon as you awoke you were treated like royalty. He may have been a horrible cook, but you appreciated the effort and the way he made you feel just as respected and honoured as anyone else.

Scaramouche, through his few words and little acts of service, made you realise that you are a proud, beautiful, strong, capable, badass non-binary person. Your identity is valid, you know who you are no matter what people say...

And you are loved.

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A/N: ik the ending was cheesy but I didn't know how else to end it. Initially I didn't like it but I think it's okay now.

I hope the story provided some comfort to you, anon, and I hope you're feeling better now! Again, I'm here to talk anytime :)))

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

[bondsmagii]

Dude I've just been seeing the worst fucking takes ever in the internet these paste few days that come from a good place but are absolutely misjudged and just bad and I feel like I'm losing it

Saw a post about how Tom Hanks said he wouldn't play a gay character anymore which fuels the idea that an actor has to match the sexuality of the character it portrays which means an actor has to expose their sexuality and justify it to be able to play a character and it just sets the precedent for such a storm of shit and while it comes from a good palce it's just so very stupid and not well thought at all. Like don't people see the harm such a thing can do? Don't they see that demanding such things can only end up bad, including to the LGBT community?

I don't even know if you would agree with this but I just needed to rant because lately people's desire to be progressive have been so extreme they do a full 360 and end up being just a new shape of what they previously fought about and I'm sickkkkkk of these god awful takes that come from 2 seconds of reasoning

Also have a lot of thoughts about culture appropriation and how a movement that came to demand respect has become something that separates people and ignores the blatant human fact that culture's whole point is to be shared and it always has been and that is through cultural sharing we understand each other and why on earth would you want to segregate human interaction goes beyond me like honestly, especially the ones that approach your culture with appreciation and desire to partake (yes I did saw a post saying only Mexican people can cook Mexican food and lost it)

Anyways I think I'm officially clinically online but if those movements spread and stick, movements that come to segregate and categorize people, all in the name of diversity while being the opposite if it, I'm a legit lose it.

man, I get you. I've been saying shit like this will happen for years, and what do you know. I was right.

it really is almost comical how these people, in their fight to be progressive or improve things, will end up circling back around. they'll either start campaigning for the exact same thing as the people and causes they profess to be against, or they'll start using the same language/rhetoric and acting in equally harmful ways, or they'll actively improve the situation for the people they're supposed to be against. this is what happens no matter how seemingly small the issue is. forcing people to out themelves so they can write fanfic without getting abuse; expecting people to list their disabilities, triggers, and mental illnesses publicly just so they can feel "safe" knowing that this person isn't overstepping the mark; demanding constant reassurance and moralising and virtue signalling to make themselves feel better about associating with the "right" people; demanding everyone tags everything even remotely triggering no matter how vague the reference and disregarding that this is both horribly entitled and also completely ineffective; literally re-inventing segregation because of this "cultural appropriation" bullshit... they've been taking real issues and real terms for years and watering them down to such an extent that I don't take any accusations even remotely seriously anymore. it's caused exponential harm and has made it extremely difficult to know who's actually dangerous and who just likes a ship the OP hates.

really, it's all about entitlement and virtue signalling. I've said it before and I'll say it every fucking time: these people don't have the balls to do anything worthwhile, they can't be fucked to do real activism, they feel guilty about it, and so they focus all their attention on absolute non-issues so they can pretend like they're contributing. they actively make the world a worse place, and I hold them just as responsible for the state of things now as I do the alt-right. at the end of the day, they can dress it up under different politics, but they all want the same thing: complete censorship, complete control, people forced to out themselves, racial segregation, and above all else, power. maybe if they did something useful with their lives, and found a true sense of fulfilment, they wouldn't be so desperate that they act like this. people like this are genuinely just unintelligent. there's no other way to say it and no other way to explain it: they're thick.