#I’m back to listening to them btw. t break didn’t last very long

[pink-n-spooky]

So I was thinking about how in the past you had to put in a lot of effort to make a mixtape for someone. Like you had to wait for songs to come on, yk all that jazz (I’m 19 and have no clue how it worked). Anyways, I’m soooo glad we can just makes playlists now, but making one for someone is a much smaller gesture than making them a mixtape. They can just totally be copy and paste. So I thought a fun way to spice it up and make it more personal would be to make playlist layouts customizable!! That way it really feels like someone made something for you.

I made a little edit of what I mean!! Plz ignore the playlist name and description, I think it’s clear enough :’)

Here’s what I’m imagining:

Before & after!!

Like I’d be so excited if someone made that for me.

[weebswrites]

How about the demon brothers letting their s/o touch their horns(and other appendages) for the first time?

I love this prompt so much, thank u anon!! (I’d also definitely be down to go more in depth on any of these and write a whole fic for it, drop a comment or request if you’re interested in that heh)

Lucifer

• It takes a very long time for him to be open to the idea

• One day he gets an email with bad news and he’s so mad - boom. Demon form

• You walk in after your classes to check on him and he’s sitting at his desk, wings broadly behind his back and his head in his hands, frustrated grumbling coming from his mouth

• “Lucifer?” you say quietly, not wanting to scare him

• He looks up at you, eyes filled with a deep rage, but he settles a bit at your presence

• You walk over to stand next to him, putting your hand on top of his gently

• You then move to put your other hand on his shoulder, but he instinctively moves away, causing your hand to brush his wing

• A moan of relief leaves his mouth, and he looks up at where you’re standing

• “I- I’m sorry...I didn’t-”

• But he cuts you off, “No no, it’s okay my love” he said, voice still clearly angry but gentle towards you

• “Can you...rub my feathers? It’s...comforting” he asks, not used to showing weakness or his demon form to you

• You do so, slowly running your hands down his feathers, leaning in and pressing a kiss on the back of his head, directly between his horns

• Your hair brushes them, and you turn to admire them

• “Luc-” you start, but it’s like he can read your mind

• “You can touch them, just be gentle. Like you are with my wings” he whispered, voice already much calmer from your gentle touch

• You leave one hand stroking his wings, but move the other to his horn. You run your fingers up it lightly, fingertips brushing against the ridges before you return your hand to the base and repeat the motion

• He could have fallen asleep you were making him feel so relaxed, but he knew he had work to do

• He was humming softly in pleasure throughout this btw

• After a bit of this, he whispers “Thank you my love~ you can stop now if you’d like”

• After a few moments you do, turning him in his chair to face you so you can kiss him

• He smiles into it, and you stay with him until he’s done with his work

Mammon

• You’re drinking together in his room

• Originally you weren’t going to get drunk, since it was just the two of you, but one thing lead to another and here you were

• You were giggling together about something stupidly funny, tears brimming in your eyes

• A few hours pass, and it’s 3 in the morning. You’ve sobered up a bit and somehow found yourselves in a deep conversation, sitting across from each other on his couch

• You were telling him about your ex-boyfriend, and how he left you for someone else

• Mammon was enraged, “What a stupid human! Leaving you is the stupidest thing a stupid little human could ever do!”

• Suddenly he’s in demon form

• “Oh, shit Mammon I didn’t mean to make you mad...”

• He seemed a bit surprised himself, but there he was

• “Mah human...comere” he said, standing up and holding his arms out to you

• You obey (pun kinda intended), standing up and walking towards him, a bit hesitant to get too close since you’d never touched him in demon form before

• He pulls you into a hug, and after a few moments you feel his bat-like wings wrap around you

• They’re warm, and much softer than they look

• You relax into his embrace, and he sighs against your skin

• “I love yah, human”

• You exhale through your nose, not wanting to move a single centimeter from your position in his embrace

• “I love you too, Mammon”

Leviathan

• You’re in his room, watching anime from his bed

• It’s the last episode, and you’re both on the edge of your seats

• Then, it’s over

• Neither of you could have predicted the ending

• It was......horrible

• He was on his feet, screaming at the tv as something crossed your eyes

• It was...a tail? Holy shit...he was in demon form

• “Levi, babe, sit down” you said, trying to soothe him

• He listened, sitting down, but his hands were shaking he was so upset

• “Can I put my arm around you?”  you whispered, not wanting to overstep

• He nodded, and you did so. You spoke calming words in his ear as you rubbed your hand up and down his arm, keeping an eye on his tail so you didn’t accidentally touch it

• You could tell your words were getting through to him when his tail rested on the bed behind you, wrapping around where you were sitting on the bed

• A silence fell between you, and you hugged him a little tighter

• “Can I...ask you something” he whispered

• “Always”

• “Can I...” he paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should continue, “put my tail in your lap?”

• “Of course” you whispered, your heart swelling with happiness that he trusted you this much

• You felt it lift off the bed and slowly rest in your lap

• You held your hands up a bit, not wanting to do anything too much

• “You can...touch it” he whispered, taking your hand off his shoulder and placing it on his taik

• It was warm under your palm, and you ran your hands down it, following the direction of the scales

• The two of you stayed like this for a few minutes, stroking his tail tenderly before he suddenly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you against him as he spooned you

• His tail wrapped over your hips and rested in front of you, and you slowly took it in your hands, cuddling it a bit

• You fell asleep like that, and when you woke up the next day his tail was gone and he was back to his casual attire

Satan

• You’re in his room at RAD, chatting about the book he pre-ordered that’s supposed to be delivered today

• Suddenly his D.D.D. vibrates, and he looks down to check it

• He reads, then rereads, then rereads again

• “Satan...?” you ask

• “yoU’RE KIDDING ME!!” he explodes with a few more expletives, suddenly In demon form in front of you

• “Satan, what happened” you said, coming standing up but not moving closer

• “Th-the stupid bookstore isn’t shipping the books until tomorrow!!” he said, voice filled with rage

• “Shit...I’m so sorry Satan” you said, stepping forward a bit

• “No..stay away...I don’t want to hurt you...” he warned you, “I’m so mad right now I don’t know if I can control myself”

• You hear him, staying back, but watching him pace in anger breaks your heart

• “Satan~” you whisper, running over to him and wrapping your arms around him tightly

• He froze a bit, but quickly wrapped his hands around you back, giving you a tight hug

• Before you knew it you felt his tail wrap around you two, holding your bodies together

• “I...” he whispered, trying to think of an explanation for his actions

• “It’s okay...I understand” you reassure him, and he presses a kiss against your cheek

• "Can I feel your tail?” you whisper quietly

• “Yes” he responded, equally as quiet

• This was the first time you were even seeing his demon form up close, and you ran his tail between your fingers

• You slipped a hand to the back of his head, and ran your hand through the back of his hair. Your hand moved up more, resting a bit between his horns

• “You can rub my horns if you want” he added

• You do, moving your hand to one of his horns and lightly running your fingers along it

• He exhales against your neck, relaxing into your touch as his tail loosens around your bodies, your touch relieving him of the anger that previously ran through his veins like fire

Asmodeus (16+)

• He’s on top of you, grinding against you desperately and whispering degrading comments in your ear

• You let out a feral moan, fingernails digging into the back of his shoulder blades

• Suddenly his wings appear, and he looks down at you with horns

• You know you’re in for it

• “T-Touch my wings baby~ they’re extra sensitive the closer you get to the tip”

• You listen to him, carefully running your fingers against his silky wings

• He moans shakily against your neck, sucking a mark into you as your fingers trace light patterns against his wings

• “My horns too~” he whispered, smirking into you

• One of your hands flew to his horns, and your finger circled against the tip before swirling down to the base, and you let your fingers massage his horns

• He started thrusting into you, begging you to keep touching his wings and horns

• After you were done (it had been a few hours) he was still in demon form, and you laid together, your head on his chest as one hand played with his hair and horns, the other drawing patterns on his wings

• He whispered how much he loved you and how amazing you are at touching him as you fell asleep In his arms

Beelzebub

• You enter the kitchen to see your boyfriend turned away from you, on his D.D.D. with someone, so you quietly take a seat as to not disturb him

• Suddenly he’s screaming, “This is unacceptable!!! I want my partner’s favorite food damnit!! I will not settle for some demon world crap, I want the best of the best from the human world!!”

• His horns suddenly become visible, and you don't know whether to stay and comfort him or sneak out and give him his privacy

• But you don't have to decide, because he’s angrily tossing his D.D.D. onto the counter and freezing in place when he sees you, sitting there worridly

• “Honey...” he whispers, walking over to you

• “Beel...what’s going on” you ask, “Are you okay?”

• “I don’t want to tell you yet...it’s a surprise”

• You got up and stood in front of him, “Hug?”

• “Hug” he nodded, pulling you tight against him

• His wings were a bit lower than his brother’s, and you were careful not to touch them. You felt surprised enough you were hugging Beel in demon form, but you two had such a deep bond you knew you could trust him

• Almost as if he could tell you were being cautious of his wings, he said “You uh, you can touch my wings if you want..it’d actually feel nice...”

• “Oh...okay...but let me know if I should stop” you said, and then gently placed your hand on one of his wings

• You ran your fingertips across it, being very gentle as his wings felt a bit thin

• “They won’t break, they can’t” he assured you, and he pulled away a bit, turning around so you could fully see (admire) his wings

• You ran your hands over them, admiring the intricacy of their design

• After a moment he turned back around to face you, and leaned down to show you his horns

• “I’ve...never let anyone touch me like this...” he confessed, hiding his blush as he looked down to let you touch them

• You admired his horns for a moment before reaching out to them, gently running your hands over the rigid bumps across them

• After you had finished, you put your hands on his cheeks and lifted him up, pressing a kiss to his lips

• “Thank you, Beelzebub. I love you” you whisper, knowing he’d know how genuine you were by the use of his full name

• “I love you too, [Y/N]”

Belphegor

• The two of you are just about to nap in his room when Lucifer comes storming in, scolding him for something or other

• Belphie takes a minute to register what’s going on, but as soon as he does he’s out of bed in a blind rage

• “LUCIFER!!! SHUT!!! UP!!!” he yells, in demon form

• You wake him up, you suffer the consequences lol

• After a few moments Lucifer leaves, rolling his eyes as he closes the door behind him

• He turns around to look at you, and your eyes are visibly nervous at what might happen

• “Sorry...I didn’t mean to flip out. You know how I get” he explained, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly

• “You’re good” you reassured him, “come back and lay down”

• He did so, positioning himself a bit weirdly as to not touch you with his tail

• “Belphie...if you want...you can...well, you can lay closer to me. I don’t mind touching your tail” you say, knowing it’s more of a him thing than a you thing, but now knowing how to go about addressing it

• He stayed where he was for a moment, processing your words, before scooting closer

• He lays on his side next to you, and gently places his tail across your lap

• You don’t touch it at first, it just being on your lap was a huge step and you didn’t want to push it

• “This means a lot” you say, wanting to make sure he knew the trust he was putting in you

• He nods, and after a moment closes his eyes

• You do the same, placing your hand on your lap, just above where his tail lies, slowly moving It down to rub the soft hair at the end

• By the time you’re both asleep, your hand is wound inside the end of his tail, the smooth hair feeling good against your warm fingers

• Neither of you talk about it after, but you can feel the bond is strengthened between you

[sketch--booked]

I wanna complain about how the ninja treated Zane in the first few episodes real quick. Specifically in Home. Since I have some beef with the ninja.

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So remember that one time Zane froze the entire monastery without effort? Yeah, that was kinda cool,

Now I begin to get angry, You’ve been warned--

And the ninja, understandably, were upset and I can get that.

But then you see how they all kinda just--- treated him really badly all the time. I get it,, he’s got weird traits and does very “Zane” things (being unfazed to be in the bathroom with somebody, legitimately not understanding comedy and laughing at odd things, at least Nya and Jay weren’t watching a horror or slasher movie, and his famous sitting-in-the-fridge scene) but like--

They really gonna do this??

Laugh at the guy for what he wears and throw around the food he made for them? Even Wu, may I add.

Can I also call attention to Jay, who throws something at Zane.

AND LOOK AT HIM--

That is not a face of comfort? By any means?? Zane shows a very little range of emotion, in the early seasons especially. But when Jay throws his own food at him, he frowns. THAT’S EMOTION,, HE’S NOT HAPPY,,, THIS ISN’T A JOKE NOR IS IT FUNNY TO HIM.

And they just--Don’t even do a double-take.

I’m bewildered at just how horribly they treat him, in this scene specifically. Not one of them, NOT EVEN WU, takes a second to think about how Zane might feel in this moment??? IN FACT, If you listen carefully, you can hear Nya and Jay belittling him.

“He looks so cute in his apron!” and “Look at his face!”

THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THEY’RE BEING CRUEL LIKE WTF THIS MAKES ME SO MAD--I HOPE THEY WENT TO BED STARVING.

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So after this god awful display of friendship that makes me want to slap all the other ninja, we get the infamous Falcon scene.

Zane has his general neutral kinda-angy-lookin’ expression. So we can’t really tell what he’s feeling in this moment, but it’s his actions that follow that say everything.

He sees the falcon and is intrigued by it and actually smiles. Which is good! That’s emotion! Well done, Zane, you’re learning!

NOW IT’S THIS BIT---IS WHERE I GET REAL JUST---HHHHHMMM It’s in this moment, I wonder if Zane knows what a toxic friendship isghghgh I jest--

Zane is smiling when he sees the falcon fly off. He likes the bird but he lets it leave.

But then---

Zane takes one brief look back to the sound of his friends and without a second doubt he BOOKS IT--

So from initially seeing this, you get the instant feeling that he would prefer to follow a mysterious bird into possible danger, than go back to his friends who are still laughing in the distance. He obviously was going to return back to them, they tease his lack of returning later in the episode WHICH I HOPE TO GET TO. But that does say enough about his actual feelings towards the rest. 

Strange, possibly evil bird---or my friends who’re probably going to continue to laugh at me.

It’s a nobrainer that he’d follow the bird??

He’s not truly upset at them, I don’t even think that Zane has the capability to really be angry ngl,, but he still chose the bird over his “family” and that’s what makes me so angry at the ninja. 

And to those who say “He’s not upset at the ninja, he’s just curious and the fact that he essentially ran away from them, doesn’t mean he dislikes them” I say,,, That is fair. And I will, for the sake of not looking like a dick, argue for that.

It’s clear that Zane likes to know stuff. In the beginning, he’s been the smart one. Even in this episode Kai says “We like the guy, he’s really smart..” then complains about him being weird. And later down the line he’s shown an interest in learning, being the only one in season 11 to actually read about the desert of doom and the Mechanic himself saying he’s an inquisitive nindroid in season 12.

So it’s understandable if Zane was simply sating his curiosity. But how can you tell me that the previous event was not a deciding factor in choosing the bird instead..

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I would now like to jump forward to when the ninja are at Lloyd’s tree-house (Can I point out that the first place the falcon took zane, was a tree-house. And the last was a tree house?? Anybody? okay just me--). 

And when they ask him how he found it; he tells them it’s because it danced. Jay then jokingly asks if it was a coo-coo bird, promoting everyone to--

IF YOU GUESSED “laugh at him” YOU’D BE CORRECT, HOW DID YOU GUESS???

When he does his info dump thing they don’t even bother, they just shrug in unison--which ngl I do find funny ghghgh

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Now that’s where you’d think the Zane bullying stops right?

NOPE,, TIME TO BURN DOWN THE MONASTERY (this is a cool shot btw)

This is a good shot too, because it sets up that Zane will be a focus, and you can already assume it’s because, in some essence, this is Zane’s fault.

But then they go all out on him. They straight up tell him this was his fault, that he shouldn’t have followed the bird, he shouldn’t have been curious or try to help, that everything they had here is gone, and yell at him to his face “A teaching moment? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you get it? Everything is gone!” and it’s because of him.

In this moment they are taking out every frustration they had with him. They’re taking out every moment he’s gone into his own world and making their lives harder and that their home is gone because of him.

This is one of the very first, and very few times all the ninja have pitted against just one of their team. And it hurts. Because Zane’s reaction to this, his response to being treated horribly, having his food thrown at him like he didn’t spend likely hours making and planing it, like he doesn’t do the chores they probably wont do (taking out the rubbish earlier in the episode), is to go back to them like he wasn’t hurt by this at all. 

And y’know what could’ve solved this entire thing? What could’ve prevented the exclusion and the explosion that is their friendship. Communication. On both sides, neither of them communicated with each other. The ninja didn’t openly express their feelings towards Zane TO Zane, only Wu and probably Nya. And Zane never expressed anything, ever, like--literally nothing. His moment of most emotion is in episode 7 dammit.

And I just--This is an issue that’s followed through even to the new seasons. Honest to god some of the only times I can recall him actually expressing how he feels about something, is with Pixal, and when Kai persuades him to break his morals and cheat in the slug race. God please help me find more examples because I cannot remember anything else (I’m ignoring Decoded for the time being since the last episode of that was almost entirely “Zane therapy time”)

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Imma end it here because my rant juices have stopped flowing and I haven’t slept in many many long hours and I really would like to collapse right about now.

So i’m not saying Zane has it worst, he probably doesn’t,, but what I’m saying is that Zane had a tough time in the beginning especially. After Kai became properly a part of the group, it was Zane that they outcasted. And because they wouldn’t actually talk to him about what they all thought. They didn’t take the time to understand him and only realized they missed him and how badly they’d been treating him when he was gone.

In the start, they were bad friends, they were horrible in fact. Zane tried, or didn’t. Where he didn’t understand people or social cues, he understood being kind and doing the right thing. 

The ninja did however work from this. As of this episode, they tone down the mistreatment and make a bigger effort to get the guy. And it’s all explained and finished in episode 7.

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Overall, I really like this episode! I think the characters were great! I think the humor was great! I think the progression was great! I dunno why some o’ yall think I don’t like something because I hate it. I can hate-love something, and you’ll find there are a lot of things I hate-love in ninjago.

[penguinsledder]

look into your eyes (and the sky’s the limit)

Rating: K+ (maybe T for some crass language?) Word Count: 4.8k Genre: Romance, FLUFF

ff.net | AO3 | ko-fi

“If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it,” he said with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers. 

A fluffy in-universe Kataang AU where Aang saves the world without her, and they meet after the war instead. If you’ve ever wanted to read love at first sight Kataang, pining!Katara, and smack in the middle of charming and dorky!Aang, this might be up your alley. Inspired by the song “Helpless” from Hamilton. For @kataang-week‘s Kataang Valentine’s Bash 2021, with the prompt pair air and water.

A/N: HAPPY VALENTINE’S YALL! Before you read this I must also plug the absolute cutest crossover art by tumblr user @minky-for-short, which also served as an inspiration for this fic. Aang’s 15 here, btw, and Katara’s 17.

This is by far the LONGEST oneshot I’ve written (it was originally supposed to be so short but it got away from me) and … here we go.

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or Hamilton.

--

Katara was not enjoying herself.

She’d only been back at the South for a week when they’d received word of a grand ball at the Earth Kingdom palace, celebrating the anniversary of the reclamation of Ba Sing Se. And while her father and brother were no strangers to these events as the Southern Chief and Ambassador, Katara was very well a fish out of water.

Sure, she’d attended some functions as a master waterbender during her stay at the North, but it was never anything of this magnitude. The glittering gold and jade green that colored the walls were far cries from all the icy whites and blue she was accustomed to all her life. Her gaze swept the room as she took in the hundreds of people gathered, all dressed to the nines in the latest fashion of their nation.

She herself wore a high-collared ocean blue dress with fur trimmings. She decided to wear her hair down for the occasion, but kept her signature tiny braids so she wouldn’t look too different (hair loopies, she could already hear her brother saying). Patterned white and blue bracelets adorned both her arms, standing out against her brown skin. Animal hide boots just peeked out from underneath her long skirt, completing her unmistakably Water Tribe look.

It was one she wore with pride. However as the night went on, she was realizing that if the room were any marker, the Water Tribes were very few compared to the populations of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. On top of that, the Southern Water Tribe was almost completely cut off from the world during the war, so their specific styles hadn’t been seen by the rest of the world in years. And how different they really were—the garb she wore seemed almost out of place alongside the silk robes and dainty shoes common to both larger nations. She’d even been getting looks from different people, some curious, some confused, and some just plain rude.

As if to drive the point home, a gaggle of giggling Earth Kingdom girls with powder-white faces passed by and gave her a cold once over, making her face burn. She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear self-consciously as she heard the click of a tongue, then more muffled giggles before they went on their merry way.

She was highly considering bending some of the nearby punch onto their faces when a familiar voice cut through her thoughts.

“Enjoying the party?” She stopped, sighing—it could only be one person.

“No,” she grumbled as she turn to face him. He stood out from the crowd just as much as she did, though he was clad in garments colored a shade darker than hers. “You shouldn’t have brought me here, Sokka. This isn’t my job.”

“Oh, lighten up, little sister!” He elbowed her. “You deserve a break after all that training at the North Pole.”

“That’s why I went home! I wanted to spend some quiet time back home, not at some grand party where I don’t know anybody,” she said, gesturing wildly.

He scoffed. “You’re practically the princess of the South Pole. Think of it as political work.”

She smirked, seeing her opening. “Princess, huh? You introduced yourself as a prince, didn’t you?”

“It’s not not true,” he huffed, crossing his arms.

“I’m sure they were very impressed,” she said dryly.

“Of course she was!”

“Oh, so it’s a she, huh?” she said giddily. The joy she derived from teasing her brother was truly unparalleled.

“Well, how about you?” he goaded her, changing the topic. “Met any guys tonight?”

“A few guys have said ‘hey’ here and there,” she said nonchalantly. “They were … eh.”

“Wow, you truly have a way with words, Katara.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Listen, they’re boring. We barely make it past a few sentences.”

Sokka pursed his lips as he studied her. “Ah, maybe it’s because of that.” He pointed at her neck.

“Mom’s necklace?” she said skeptically.

“It’s a betrothal necklace, right?”

“In the North,” she stressed. “We all know it’s just a regular necklace in the South.”

“Ok, but we don’t know what they’re thinking. Here.” He reached over to tuck her necklace into her high collar. “Now you don’t give off ‘I’m engaged’ signals.”

“Hooray, just undeniably single now,” she deadpanned. “Look, it’s probably not that, they’re also just … not my type.”

“Oh? And what is your type?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

A blush crept into her cheeks. “I don’t know. Tall? Handsome? Thinks waterbending is great?” She shook her head. “Come to think of it, some of them get weird when we talk about waterbending.”

A look of understanding crossed her brother’s face. “Ah.”

“What?”

“Listen, Katara. I know you’re like the first waterbending master from the South in decades, and the first female one in the North, but …”

“Are you calling me a show-off?” she said indignantly.

“No!” He raised his hands up defensively. “I’m just saying that some men don’t like that. They got a lot of pride, and they get … intimidated when a woman is—”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Well good, because I don’t want them either. Just because I’m of marrying age doesn’t mean I—” She stopped, suddenly distracted as a tall, striking figure entered her field of vision.

He was clad in autumn-colored robes that weren’t quite as fancy as the red and green ones she’d seen earlier. He seemed to be around her age, and she couldn’t deny that he possessed a certain handsomeness—one that was boyish and yet mature at the same time. She looked on as he chatted animatedly to King Kuei himself, and another young man she assumed to be Fire Nation royalty from the royal hairpiece and his regal red and black outfit.

However, what intrigued her the most was the powder blue marking that arched over his bald head. It seemed to be a tattoo of some sort, and if she squinted, she could barely make out what seemed to be an arrow. It was a familiar symbol, but for some reason, she couldn’t for the life of her remember what it was at that moment. She continued to stare as the boy burst out laughing at the Fire Nation man, and Katara felt a little flutter in her chest as a small smile escaped her—his energy was infectious.

“What’s gotten into you?” Sokka followed his sister’s eyes suspiciously, then let out a loud groan. “Oh … oh no. Of all the guys, Katara!”

“Wh—What are you talking about?” she snapped, looking away defensively.

She heard the sound of his palm hitting his forehead, something she was unfortunately all too familiar with. “I know I kind of expected you to meet a guy tonight but really? So many possible men here and you decide to go for the Fire Lord?”

“The Fire Lord? Huh? What—no!” she sputtered. “It’s not him!”

“Aha, so you were staring at someone!” he said accusingly, wagging a finger at her.

She watched tensely as Sokka thoughtfully stroked an imaginary beard on his chin. “The Earth King then?” Sokka cringed. “Really, Katara, you might wanna try—“

“What do you even think of me?” she fumed.

“Wait.” Sokka’s eyes went wide as he threw a quick glance back at the trio across the room. He gasped, and Katara braced herself. “The Avatar?”

Sokka’s words hit her like a bucket of cold water. The Avatar! Tui and La, how did she not recognize him?! “I—“ She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. “The Avatar?” she asked as calmly as possible.

“Katara, you were practically eye-fucking him across the room!” Sokka hissed, then shuddered. “Spirits, it creeps me out to say that but it’s true.”

“Shut up, Sokka.” Her face was burning at this point, and it was taking all her self-control not to wrap her hands around his wolf tooth choker and throttle him.

He sighed, not seeming to hear her. “Well, I suppose he is single.”

“Wait, he is?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I mean, he’s a monk, right?

Sokka gave her a look that was in between a cringe and disbelief. “Oh, Katara, everyone makes a fuss about that! At any rate, I don’t think he’s … celibate. In fact, he’s practically the most eligible bachelor in the world, and trust me, it’s not due to a lack of choices.”

She deflated, looking down in embarrassment. Great, now she was just like all the dozens of fangirls who’d gotten starry-eyed over the Avatar. But there really was something about him that drew her like a magnet, and it definitely didn’t have anything to do with—

“Spirits, Katara, I think he’s looking at you too.”

She snapped her head back up, and to her shock, he indeed was looking right at her, seemingly awestruck. Sapphire crashed into silver, and he gave her a small, timid smile that made her feel like she was going to spontaneously combust right there and then.

Beside her, she heard Sokka groan. “Okay, he’s definitely looking at you. Guess that means I’m going to have to introduce you now.” He sighed, holding out his arm. “Come on.”

She looped an arm around her brother’s, and together, they walked across the room. Her heart sounding like a stomping herd of buffalo yaks, and she tried to ignore it by focusing on tucking some more loose strands behind her ears. When this was met with little success, she turned to fixing the folds of her dress with her free hand, unfortunately rumpling it even more than before. She only had enough time left to curse under her breath before they’d gotten close enough for Sokka to start getting the Avatar’s attention.

“Avatar Aang!” Sokka greeted him, waving at the young monk.

The young man looked up, a wide smile spreading across his face as he saw who had called. “Ambassador Sokka! It’s good to see you again,” he said as they clasped each other’s forearms in traditional Water Tribe greeting. The contrast between the Avatar’s lighter skin and her brother’s brown tone drew her attention, and she realized with a start that there were arrows on his arms and hands as well. “Are you here with Chief Hakoda?”

“Nah.” Sokka shook his head. “Dad had to take care of some business back at home, you know, with the reconstruction and all.”

“I see. And you’re with ….” He looked curiously at her, making her heart rate grow even more erratic.

“Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,” she said, trying to sound confident. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

A questioning look flashed across his features. “Southern Water Tribe?” he asked, glancing at Sokka.

“My sister.” Katara thought she saw a hint of relief touch his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. “Dad sent us here in his stead.”

“Thank you for ending the war, Avatar Aang. We’re greatly indebted to you,” she said, bowing deeply.

He held her gaze for what seemed to be the longest moment of her life before leaning down to take her hand and press a kiss to it. “If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it,” he said with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers.

There was a pregnant silence as she dumbfoundedly took in his eyes, his words, his hand, his lips on her hand. Her mouth hung slightly ajar, and she was pretty sure Sokka’s was doing the same too.

“All right, this is too much for me,” Sokka finally said, breaking the tension. He raised his hands and started to back away. “I’ll leave you to it.”

The pair watched as Sokka retreated, disappearing into the sea of party guests. Suddenly realizing that they were still in contact, Katara pulled her hand back and they both stood up straight, looking at anything but each other. After a few agonizing seconds, she attempted to start a conversation at the same time as he did, unfortunately, and the two got pushed back into an even more excruciating silence. Just when she couldn’t take it anymore, the Avatar cleared his throat.

“So, I uh, I guess I haven’t properly introduced myself yet,” he said, awkwardly rubbing his neck and putting on the absolute cutest half-smile Katara had ever seen. “I’m Aang. No need for titles.”

“Aang,” she tested it out. It felt surprisingly natural. “Just call me Katara, then.”

“Okay, Katara.” An unexpected thrill went through her as he said her name, and she bit back a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve met with Sokka and Chief Hakoda a couple of times, and I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Oh really,” she said, cringing. “What did they say?”

“Hey, nothing bad!” he assured her quickly. “For starters, they said you were a waterbender, and you’ve been training at the North Pole.”

“Oh.” That put her a bit more at ease. “That’s true.”

“Not only that,” he went on. “But Chief Hakoda said you were excellent and the first North-trained female master in centuries! Master Pakku taught me too so … I know how big a deal that is,” he added cheekily.

“It definitely wasn’t easy convincing him,” she chuckled, fully relaxing. This was going better than every other conversation she’d had that night. “But he’s asked me to help him train his waterbending students, so I guess we’re on good terms.”

“That’s incredible! I’d personally love to see you waterbend sometime.”

Katara blushed. “What? No, I can’t—you’re the Avatar! What’s my bending going to look like to you of all people?”

He was unruffled. “Probably great. I can bend all four elements, but that doesn’t mean I’m the absolute best at them all. You can ask Toph.” He winced.

The waterbender laughed. Toph Beifong was collectively known as the greatest earthbender of all time, partly due to objective acknowledgement of her talents, and partly due to her constant self-declaration of it. “I’ll be sure to do that. Is she here tonight?”

“Nah, she’s busy with her own stuff these days. She’s found other students to yell at instead of me,” he said dryly.

“Good for you,” she said, grinning. “Anyway, I’d love to see you airbend sometime, too. I’ve never seen airbending before!”

Aang perked up immediately, looking excited as he reached into the folds of his robes. “Oh really?! Well, check this out!” He clasped his hands together for a second before parting them with a wicked grin.

Katara blinked. A couple of marbles were spinning around midair in between the Avatar’s palms. Aang looked at her eagerly, and she quickly tried to rearrange her confused shock into a (hopefully) impressed look.

“That’s uh—that’s great!” she said, and much to her relief, he didn’t seem to notice her hesitation.

“Right! This is my favorite trick,” he said proudly, before bringing his hands together again and returning the marbles to his pocket.

He’s a dork, she decided. An unexpected burst of affection swelled in her chest at the thought, and she decided she liked that about him.

“I’ve got another trick to show you,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. Katara could have sworn there was an almost mischievous glint in his eye as he said that.

He looked pointedly at a nearby Earth Kingdom general wearing a cape, and she watched as he did several deft twisting motions with his left wrist. All of a sudden, a gush of wind threw the general’s cape up, flipping it over and consequently covering his face.

The pair exploded in a fit of giggles as their victim threw the cape off his face angrily, revealing a very red and livid face. He started cursing as he angrily searched for a suspect.

“Uh-oh.” Aang said, ducking his head. “We better get out of sight.” He paused for a moment, calculating.

“How—“

“Just take my hand.”

She looked at him like he was crazy, but his face told her he was dead serious. All things considered, trusting him did seem to be her best option at the moment. “Okay.”

The moment her hand was in his, he spun her around skillfully into his arms with one turn. She looked up at him incredulously. “Are we going to dance?”

“Oh no, we’re going to be doing some bending practice.” He grinned impishly, placing his free hand on her shoulder. She gulped.

“Just follow my lead, Master Katara.”

The tinkling of the bianqing echoed throughout the room to signal the transition of music, and she decided Aang must have been familiar with the piece, because they took off at the same time the erhu started with its first note.

He led her through the dance floor with utmost grace, blending the both of them seamlessly into the crowd. If Katara didn’t know any better, she would have thought they really were just dancing. But observing closely, she had never seen any dance quite like whatever Aang was doing—the spiraling movements, the ability to turn himself (and her) to a different direction at a moment’s notice. They might as well have been leaves in the wind.

So this was airbending, she thought.

However, as their little “dance” went on, she started to notice a hint of familiarity to their motions—the way he would alternate between drawing her towards him and holding her at arm’s length, the way the weight transferred back and forth between the two of them—unmistakably, there was also an ebb and flow to his breeze, a push and pull.

“Waterbending,” she breathed, low enough that he didn’t hear her. She’d read about how airbenders just trusted the air to let it carry them but she’d never realized how similar it could be to her element’s constant shift of energy. That is, until this display.

A deft spin pulled her out of her thoughts, and before she could process what was happening, she found herself mere inches away from his face. Argentine eyes took up her entire vision, and she could only hear their ragged breaths and beating hearts. Agonizingly slowly, the distance between them started to close, but it wasn’t until she felt his warm breath on her lips did she realize just how close they were.

“So,” she said, ducking her head in a panic and suddenly taking interest in the orchestra playing at the end of the ballroom. The music had quieted to a soft melody, and she fixed her gaze on the bamboo flute producing it. Her cheeks burned both at their almost-encounter, and she prayed to the spirits that her complexion was enough to hide it. “Flight and evasion. Very airbender.”

The Avatar blinked, then shook his head as if coming out of a trance. “You know for someone who says she’s never seen airbending, you sure seem to know a lot about it.” He lightly swayed them to the music, just enough to blend in without actually changing position.

She scoffed. “You’re the talk of the Four Nations, you know. Plus, Master Pakku told me that learning the bending styles of the other nations would help me greatly, so I read up at the North’s libraries while I was training there.”

“From firsthand experience, I can tell you it does help greatly.” He paused for a moment. “On that note, I’m curious if you’ve read anything about the Avatar.”

She shrugged. “Sure. Comes with the territory of the four elements.”

“So, how have I fared?” he probed playfully. “Living up to your textbook expectations?”

“Well for one, I didn’t expect the Avatar would be such an incurable prankster.”

She had to bite back a giggle as her partner did his best to feign offense. “Me? I’m just a simple monk,” he said innocently.

She laughed in earnest this time. “Could have fooled me. Do you always charm girls by kissing their hands and whisking them away to dance?”

“I—“ He stopped swaying. “You think I’m charming?”

Katara flushed. “I—“ She swallowed. “Um … sorry.”

“What? No, why are you apologizing?”

“Sorry, Aang, can we just drop this?”

“If it makes you feel better, I—I think you’re beautiful.” Katara froze, and the Avatar averted his gaze. “And um, to answer your question, no, this isn’t a regular thing.”

Katara’s world completely stopped. Did … Did the Avatar—did Aang just … what did that mean?

“Aang! There you are.” The two immediately jumped apart at the sound. Katara turned in its direction, and her panicked mind picked up various disjointed information about the approaching figure. Regal crimson robes, a golden headpiece, silky black hair, a scar … Sacred spirits, she realized with a start. “I’ve been loo—” The Fire Lord’s golden eyes flitted between their two flushed faces. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

Katara desperately willed Aang to earthbend the ground to swallow them whole, but to her dismay, he had other plans. “No, nothing at all,” he said lightly, plastering an easy look onto his face. “Zuko, this is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara, meet his fieriness himself, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Zuko ignored the last part. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Katara.” He touched a fist to his palm and bowed to her, and Katara returned the gesture graciously.

“The pleasure’s all mine, your honor.” Something in Zuko’s expression shifted, and to her even greater confusion, Aang snickered next to her. She decided she’d ask about it … some other time.

“Now, what was it you were saying, Sifu Hotman?” Aang asked, a grin still playing on his mouth.

Katara found it harder to stifle laughter as the Fire Lord scowled, making no effort to hide his annoyance at the nickname. “I’ve just gotten word about the New Ozai Society causing unrest back in Caldera City. I need to get back as soon as possible, and I wanted to ask if you could come with me.”

A sinking feeling came over her at the rueful look Aang shot her. He took a deep breath. “Of course. Let’s take Appa so it’s quicker.”

Zuko nodded. “Thank you, Aang. I’ll just take a bit to look for Mai, then we’ll meet you by Appa.” He looked over at her, bowing once more. “I apologize for the abruptness of this. But it was nice meeting you, Master Katara.”

She bowed back. “Same to you, Fire Lord Zuko.”

She watched numbly as the Fire Lord left. Well, what did she expect? He was the Avatar, for spirits’ sake! It was just her luck that she had to start falling for him, of all people. How did she ever think—why did she ever think something was possible?

And it’s not like she was sure he liked her back? Sure, he called her beautiful, but that could have meant nothing. Regardless, it was just so damn frustrating because something was there, and they were being pulled apart before they had a chance to make sense of it.

“Katara?” He said her name timidly. She turned to look at him. His silver eyes, which had been so light and playful earlier, were filled with sadness. “I—“

“You need to go.” Aang winced, and Katara felt a pang of regret—her words might have ended up sounding much icier than expected. “Aang, it’s not your fault. Keeping peace is the Avatar’s duty.”

He gave a small sigh. “Yes, it is. But that’s not what I was going to say.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh. What was it then?”

“I wanted to tell you … I had fun tonight,” he said with a shy smile, easily melting her defenses once more. Spirits, what was with this boy? “I really enjoyed talking to you. And dancing with you.”

“I did too.” She hesitated. Nothing to lose, she told herself. “I … really wish we had more time.” She just knew she was blushing, but she had to try.

“Me too.” She was desperately racking her brain for something to say next, when Aang suddenly perked up.

“Could I write you?” Katara looked up, surprised. “I could send you a hawk once I get to the Fire Nation. And you can send me a letter back on the same hawk—it’d know where to find me. And I could visit you in the South Pole as soon as I can! If you want,” he added quickly.

Her initial shock soon dissipated and was replaced by warmth at his unabashed enthusiasm. He did like her. He was willing to try, and it was going to be hard, but he wanted to make it work.

And truthfully, so did she.

“Sounds perfect,” she told him.

Affection swelled in her as she watched his gray eyes brighten at her response. She listened as he excitedly rattle off a seemingly never-ending list of things they could do, ranging from something as mundane as trying out the local food to a seemingly surreal cloudbending trip (“We can take Appa!” “Okay, who is Appa?” “He’s my best friend.” “That we can ride on?” “Sure. He’s a flying bison.” “. . . oh. Neat!”)

There was really something about Aang that she couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was his surprisingly troublemaker energy, or his catching enthusiasm. Maybe it was the way his native element just exuded from him in every way, and how easily it worked with hers. Or maybe, it was the way looking into his eyes was all it took for her to believe that cloudbending really was a thing they could do, despite her never having heard of it in her experience as a master waterbender. After all, sky seemed to be the limit with this airbender.

But even if she wasn’t yet sure what it was, she couldn’t be happier to know that they were going to have a chance to find out.

“… or you could show me around your village, and we could skate on some ice and I don’t know if this sounds weird but … will you go penguin sledding with me?”

She blinked. Penguin sledding. It was honestly one of the last things she ever thought she’d be doing on a date, and the whole thing was just so … unpredictable. And fun. And free. So … Aang.

“Of course,” she said, her face breaking into a smile.

He beamed at her. “Great! It’s a date!” He immediately blushed when he realized what he had just said. “I—I mean, the date, like you know, the fruit … not …”

That was it. He was just so darn adorable with his attempt to cover up that she couldn’t help but lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s a date,” she assured him, watching with much enjoyment as Aang, who was scarlet by this time with his jaw slack, touched the spot where her lips had been.

“What, gotta catch your breath, airbender?” she asked teasingly.

“I—I—um,” he stammered.

Katara shoved his arm lightly. “Get going, Avatar, the world needs you. But I’ll be expecting the hawk.”

“Airbender’s honor,” he said, giving her one last dopey smile before he turned on his heel and walked away. He seemed to navigate the crowd with a new spring in his step, just barely touching the ground. Clearly, walking on air was a literal thing for him, she thought with a chuckle.

“OKAY, I SAW THAT!” a voice interrupted her thoughts with a screech. She turned to see none other than Sokka aggressively making his way to her. “OOGIES CENTRAL, little sister. OO—”

“Sokka, please.” She rolled her eyes. “You talk like I didn’t see you flirting with that Earth Kingdom girl the whole night.”

“That’s different! I’ve met Suki more than once.” She raised an eyebrow at him, but he went on. “I can’t believe it. You … and the Avatar …” he whispered tensely. “Oh man, wait ‘til Dad hears about this. You attend ONE party and you suddenly have a boy wrapped around your finger!”

“Well, didn’t you and Dad say I should meet more guys?” she said coolly. “And now the tribe can stop complaining about me not snagging myself some North Pole husband.”

“We didn’t mean the AVATAR!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Why not?” She glared at him. “I’m sure everyone would love to meet him.”

Sokka scrunched his eyebrows. “Meet him?”

“Aang said he’d come over to visit the South Pole as soon as he can,” she said a-matter-of-factly. “We’re going penguin sledding.”

“He WHAT?” Sokka sputtered. “The Avatar? Is coming to the South Pole? And you’re going penguin sledding???”

“Yup. He asked me, and I said yes,” she said with a grin, already giddily imagining sledding down the South Pole’s slopes with him. She felt a rush run through her, making her feel light-headed with glee. In that moment, realized she might actually have half a mind to go over to the Fire Nation herself should the New Ozai Society start delaying their plans.

“Ohhh no. I know that look.” Sokka groaned. “Spirits, you’re … you’re helpless.”

Katara kept smiling. Maybe she was.

But so was he.

--

A/N: Btw, the bianqing is a Chinese stone chimes instrument.

The whole point of a Helpless-inspired AU was a love at first sight AU basically, which was an interesting angle for me to write since Kataang is canonically a slow burn friends to lovers couple. Also: first move x pining Katara? Natural charmer x awkward bean Aang? I needed that in my life so I wrote it lol.

I also had so much fun peppering this with so many references (from both the actual Avatar shows and Hamilton!) If you wanna point out as much as you can I would love you for it.

[xsugarysweetsx]

Hiii! Love your work btw! Can I request a (modern au) katsuki bakugo x reader where he is a mafia boss and they’ve been together for a while now and totally in love but she doesn’t know he’s the mafia boss until she gets kidnapped by the enemy and once he rescues her she feels betrayed and lied to and ignores him for a couple of days until she finally decides to meet him and tries to break up with him but he doesn’t let her and convinces her to give him another chance. And maybe end in a smut? You don’t have to tho :)

Hello anon, I’m happy you like my writing! I’m not sure you’ve seen it but smut writings start AFTER October 9.

This may be a little long!

warnings; Some Language (It’s bakugou)

Please enjoy~🍰

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

“Y/N, I’m home..“ Bakugou announced as he enters the home you both shared. You’d usually be in his arms by now but it was a bit too quiet. He carefully walks through the home looking for you. 

“Y/N? Babe?“ he called again but there was no response. Coming to the livingroom his heart stops for a moment. Pictures broken, vases shattered, the coffee table flipped over. Now his heart starts to race as he flies up the stairs to find you. 

“Y/N!“ You weren’t in the bathroom, or the guest rooms, or the closets. He felt like his world was coming down down on him. What could have happened? Just then he gets a call, looking at the screen it’s one of his men 

“Hello...“ he said monotone with a hint of pain 

“Boss! Come quick! T-They got Y/N!“

------

You wake up, sore and stiff. Opening your eyes your met with a cage, trying to move wasn’t possible. You were tied to a chair in the middle of an empty cell.. this is the kind of stuff you expected to see if movies but never happened to you. You hear footsteps approaching your area, a man stops at the front of the cell.

“Well, well..look who’s awake. Did you sleep well?” He sneered. You didn’t answer feeling your heart pound in your chest “That boyfriend of yours really scored a pretty one.” he opens the gate to the cell and walks in. Just his presence was uncomfortable to be around

“What..are you talking about?“ you asked cautiously

“oh, so you don't know his line of work do you?” he smirks “Your precious Bakugou is a feared Mafia boss. One with a weakness, being you” he chuckles 

“No..you’re lying....h-he would have told me..” you could feel your heart pound, do blood fresh in your mind spin. “I-I mean something to him....right...” you whisper the last part.

How could he have kept such a big favor from you. This is supposed to be the man that you love, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. Instead, he might be a part of the mafia? 

You could feel your heart ache, from processing this.

“Well, it’s true, he is a very well known, very wealth mafia boss. He has been stealing lots of turf and business from me, and frankly it’s annoying. So, I’m using his precious girlfriend to lure in what I want and if I don’t get what I want-“ you hear the cock of a gun in the silent room as the cold runs along your cheek 

“There’ll be a price to pay“

------

“Damn it can you go any faster?!“ Bakugou scolded his driver “Who knows what that maniac will do if we don’t get there soon enough?“

Kaminari wanted to fulfill his boss’s wish but getting there fast was something reckless. They had to under the radar if they wanted this to be a smooth rescue. Either way he wasn’t supposed to come, in his words he said 

“Knowing you idiots, you won’t know how to handle or explain everything to her“

Bakugou stares out the window, the only thing on his mind was you. Now he had to tell you what he did, who he was. He never wanted to drag you into this, you didn’t deserve to be brought into this mess. All he wanted was to give you a happy comfortable life. 

All those times spent together. Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, he wanted to spend every moment with you. Yet, it was his fault you were in this position. 

“We’re here...“ car came to stop at the gaze on to a rundown building. Sure I’d love to run down, but this was just a cover-up.

“I’m coming for you Y/N, just hold on....”

 ------

What else could he be hiding for me? Does he even love me.....I’ve been in danger this whole time. Is he the same man I fell in love with? can I have been so blind.... all those late nights at “work“, leaving randomly early in the morning. I should have seen it coming....

Negative thoughts start to invade your mind as you sat in the cell. Thinking about all these things made you feel cold and alone. I could practically feel your heart break your trust for him fading from your mind

“No, no please, I’m just a guard I-” enough voice please before a loud explosion was heard. The door pops off its hinges and hits the floor with a loud bang. A beaten and bloody guard laid on the floor. The man who was in the cell before stands from his chair and applauds slowly.

“Wow, you got here quicker than I thought“ he smirked looking at his watch

“I’m giving you 5 seconds before I rip your head off“ your boyfriend said dangerously 

“I’ll hand her over unharmed, in exchange for some territory and some cold hard cash“ he walks over to your chair hands landing on your shoulders massaging them gently “but it’d be a shame to see her go. Such a lovely girl, maybe I’ll keep her-“ 

“Like hell am I letting that happen!” one second he was behind you the next he was pinned to a wall by the throat by Katsuki. “Taking her was one thing, touching her is another. You’re just asking for a fucking death wish aren’t you“ 

Letting him go, his body drops to the floor, and his men come and and take him away. He comes to you and cuts the rope off your hands and legs 

“Y/N, I’m sorry I wasn’t home to protect you, I’m sorry you had to see this shit“ he gives you a hand to stand up and cups your face “Did he touch you, are you hurt?“ 

You pull your face away and look to the ground “I’m fine..can we leave now?” he takes his jacket and wraps it around your shoulders. Giving a signal, two of his men come to your side 

“Take her home and make sure the area is safe and clear. I need to take care of things here then I’ll get back“

“Yes sir!“ these were the same men he had claimed to be chauffeurs. You turn without a second glance and start walking, his men not too far behind. The drive felt longer than it should have, your head was pounding.

Arriving at the large home, you felt sick. As soon as the doors close you collapse to your knees feeling the sickness come up. Instead of throwing up  body raking sob breaks through you. 

Anger, confusion, sadness, heartache, everything mixed into one and broke you down. You loved him so much, with all your soul and heart.....but yet this happened. You pick yourself up still sniffing as you look around the place you called home. You walk to your stairs, looking at the various pictures on the wall.

The way he held you, looked at you, kissed you.....it meant everything to you. You rip your eyes away and continue up the stairs. You wipe your tears and open the door to your shared room. The bed that once help memories of cuddling together. Endless times spent watching movies, making love, or just admiring each other.

You grab a bag from your closet and start to stuff it with your belongings. Your clothes, shoes, and anything else you can fit. You would come back for the rest, but you felt like you had to leave. You don’t know where you would go...maybe a friends house but away from here.

“What are you doing?” A voice appears making you jump and whip your head around. Bakugou stood at the door with a lost expression. You turn back around and keep picking your things.

“Hey what are you doing?” He says walking to your stopping you from putting anything else in the bag.

“I’m leaving, what else does it look like” he froze and had no idea what to say. “I don’t want to live with someone who would lie and betray me”

“I would never do some shit like that-“

“Then why didn’t you tell me about this whole mafia thing?!”

“I-I....I couldn’t...I was just...I wanted to protect you!”

“So you lie to me? What else are you hiding?! You know what” you close your bag and pick it up “I don’t need this and I don’t need you..” believe it or not those words hurt you more than it hurt him.

“You don’t mena that...get back here we need to talk this over” as you open the door he slams it back shut trapping you against the door and his body. He takes both your write and line then above your head. Your bag dropping to the ground

“Let me go!” you struggle in his grip 

“No! Listen to me!“ you stop struggling but continue to try and get away “Don’t you every fucking think for a second that I would ever betray you! I fucking Love you! I’d rather have the truth hidden from you to keep you safe then to see you get hurt“ you stop for a moment 

“I’ve been shitty keeping things from you, all I wanted was for you to be happy. To stay out of this bullshit I o just so I can give you the life you deserve“ you look up with a guess to see glassy eyes staring into yours. “I love you so fucking much....if you ever got hurt...I...I wouldn’t be able to live with myself...please you’re the only reason I have for living...p-please ” his voice begins to crack as he finally confesses to what he’s done. “Don’t l-leave me...” he fell to his knees as tears cascade down his cheeks.

“Then promise me something..“ you said almost whispering 

“Anything!“ his eyes shot up to yours

“No more secrets, you tell me everything....and maybe we can work things out..” you hire your lip “I....can’t deny that I love you Katsuki but I can’t live with someone who will hide something so big from me”

He stands and takes your hands into his large calloused ones

“I swear to you... I’ll tell you everything but once you know there’s no turning back...” he warned “but if it means you’ll stay....I’ll do it..”

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

Sorry this was so much longer than expected, hope this was okay❤️

[star-birthmark]

Silent Saviors: 4taro x Fem Reader

Finally... FINALLY IT IS DONE! This is infernal ask that has been in my inbox for so long!!! Thank you to @stardustbrosaders for the request all those months ago lol. This was the request: “Heya! Would it be possible to write a P4! Jotaro x Female! Reader where the reader gets her stand under stress from a battle? The group almost gets defeated but the reader’s stand appears and she beats the enemy, saving everyone? For the readers stand type could it be close range like SP and CD?”

I also drew the reader’s stand for this fic. You can find a link to the stand info here. 

This is a long ass fic btw. It’s literally 11 THOUSAND WORDS. I don’t know what compelled me to make the fic this long. I really don’t. But I did and here we are. I hope you like it, no matter how long it is!

Quick content warnings: General violence and angst, strangulation, murder (duh)

Without further ado: Silent Saviors: 4taro x Fem Reader (11k words)

A dark force was afoot in the town of Morioh once more, but it had just been a long day, and no progress had been made to capture that force. The team’s morale was low. The exhausted high school students stumbled home to catch a good night’s rest, thoughts of ongoing danger in their small town looming over their heads. The young manga artist Rohan Kishibe grumbled to himself about his failures, wondering how a genius like him could not decipher this mystery like he had last time. You felt a heavy air of unrest lay over the town as you awkwardly shifted in your seat on the ride to the Grand Hotel, looking over at your travel mate as he silently ran over the facts in his head. He shook his head in frustration. None of this made any sense. All the victims had been killed in the same way, so it must be a stand, one that didn’t leave behind any evidence, one potentially even more dangerous than Kira. 

A dark force was afoot in the town of Morioh once more, but you didn’t know anything about the first monstrous event that had occurred. The small town’s silent saviors all agreed with one another to seal their lips and tell no one what had really happened. Not that anyone would have believed them. 

But you would have. Your travel partner didn’t know anything yet, but the more time you two spent in this strange town, the crazier you felt you were becoming. You were seeing objects levitate in the air, you were seeing arms stick out from these bizarre teenagers. At this point, you’d believe anything just to make it all stop. You stumbled inside from the taxi, convinced this small town was driving you insane. 

Your partner turned to you in front of your hotel room, his own room right next door, and placed his large hands on your shoulders. 

“Are you alright (y/n)? If any of this investigation gets to be too much for you, just tell me and I’ll send you on the next flight back home.” 

You snort tiredly. “Too much for me? Jotaro you look exhausted… You haven’t been taking breaks from the case at all…  You’re always so anxious. Do you promise you’ll actually go to bed this time?” 

Jotaro looked down at you and moved his hands from you, sighing heavily. “Yeah… I promise…” 

You give him a shy smile before shrugging. “Besides… you need me, don’t you? Weren’t you the one that said I’m the only one that calms you down?” 

Jotaro gulped and broke eye contact with you, his own silent way of admitting that you were right. You chuckled and opened the door to your hotel room, giving him one last look and goodnight before you left to go to bed. You would wake up about two hours later from the sound of your partner’s shuffling about in his room next door. You slipped on a thick crew neck over your thin tank top and shorts and open to the door connecting to the two rooms. 

You peaked your head past the door to find a familiar sight before you. Pictures were tacked onto a corkscrew board, red thread connecting the dots to draw the group one step closer to solving the crimes. Files were splayed out over the desk, a map of the small Japanese town resting on the nearby bed, etched with red Xs displaying the sites where several young men and women met their demise. Amongst the mess, you found the broad shoulders of a tired Jotaro Kujo hunched over the desk, the young man still looking at the mountains of documents, eager to find the path to justice. It was hidden in those pages, he was sure of it. It had been your third night together in that hotel, and it was evident that you two would be there for much longer.  

---

“Miss (L/N) it says here that you have received your degree in zoology and graduated at the top of your major.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And it says here that you recently led an academic study of marine biology that went very well back home.”

“Yes sir, and it would be an honor to join this esteemed team of scientists here at SPW.”

It was the year 1998, and you were interviewing to work at the Speedwagon Foundation. You had graduated atop your class, and had a passion for your work that few possessed, as well success that few could show for. You prayed that this interview was going well. The Foundation was the utmost important center of scientific research in the world and you didn’t want to waste an opportunity to work there. You watched the smile on your interviewer’s face as he reviewed your credentials before setting the paper down. 

“Miss (L/N) I’d like to welcome you aboard our team. I believe you will contribute much to our efforts.”

Your face lit up in excitement and you rushed to shake his hand. “Thank you so much sir, I won’t let you down! If I could ask what position you’re hiring me for?”  

“You see we have an opening for an assistant with the Kujo lab. Since you’re just starting off here- you’ll be assisting him in meetings and in bench work-”

“Excuse me... the Kujo lab? As in Jotaro Kujo? Isn’t he my age?” You interrupt nervously. 

“Why yes miss… is there an issue?”

“Well no sir it’s just… I thought perhaps I’d be working under an esteemed professor… I didn’t think someone fresh out of grad school would already have a lab to himself… Not to sound ungrateful of course, I just didn’t realize I would be working under one of my contemporaries…” 

A sigh came to the man and leaned back in his chair, thinking about how to explain the situation. 

“Miss (y/n), the reason I’m placing you in Kujo’s lab is that I feel the two of you would work well together, given your similar backgrounds and parallel personalities…” You furrow your brow, unsure what the supervisor meant until you were face to face with Jotaro Kujo himself a few days later. 

You still remembered the day well. You hung your coat up on a nearby hook and looked about the lab. Documents were piled over every available surface with no particular organization. A large fish tank stood in the far corner, a wild variety of fish encased within. Anatomical posters of aquatic life were all over the walls, and right by the window sat Jotaro. He hadn’t looked up when you came in. Approaching his desk, you stared down at the mass of black hair on the top of his head. Soon clearing your throat, the young doctoral student’s head shot up to look at you blankly. You opened your mouth to speak, taken aback by his unemotional expression, nervously turning to a notebook you had on hand.

“Uh… um… My name is (y/n) (l/n), your new coworker. I would like to thank you for allowing me into your lab. I had been going over your most recent papers on the social patterns of starfish on the eastern-most coast of Japan and I was just wondering if-”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” 

You looked up from your notes and into the young man’s deep blue eyes, your breath catching in your throat. You struggled to form a sentence under the intense gaze, your breath shuttering out from your lips, and you looked back down at your notes. 

“I’m (y/n) (l/n)... your new coworker.” 

Jotaro nodded slowly, considering what you had just said. You watched as he removed his large white overcoat and leaned back in his chair, donned in a fitted black t-shirt. 

“Why did they hire you?” You lean forward confused, your ear facing him. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“Why did they hire you?” 

You look away for a moment, considering his now nervous expression, his nervous tick of chewing on his lip, his small twitches of the eye, his clenching and unclenching of his jaw. You looked down, finding his leg bouncing anxiously against the floor. A small, sweet smile came to you, and you opened your mouth to speak, alerting his attention. 

“You and I apparently have parallel personalities… according to them.”

You watched as Jotaro’s lips curved into a shy smile and he got up from his seat, grabbing a notepad from a nearby drawer. He then turned to you and extended his arm out, pointing. You followed the direction of his hand and saw a separate desk facing his at the other end of the office. You turned back and quickly nodded, rushing to set your things down and then turning to face him once more. 

Jotaro nodded courteously at you. “Have you read my most recent work?” 

“Yes, I just told you that I did that-”

“Good. Come to the meeting with me then.”

You followed after him into a nearby boardroom, unsure of the situation about to befall you. The meeting began. Executives discussed their most recent funding prospects, deciding whether or not to continue their spending, depending on how successful the trials had been. You sat patiently in your chair, listening to the others argue frankly amongst themselves. A steady, fast tapping upon the table commanded your attention and you turned over to see Jotaro staring off into the distance, his fingers rapidly tapping on the desk, his whole form shaking with sensory overload. 

“Mr. Kujo? And you?” You watched as Jotaro’s head shot up and he looked around the room. He hadn’t been listening, his mind had been too overcome with anxieties. 

“I um… I uh… W-what were-” 

You watched nervously as this man came undone at his seams. You cleared your throat and tapped the table next to his notepad. Getting the message, Jotaro grabbed the notepad quickly and anxiously flipped through its pages. 

“Um… sorry about that. I would like to further my research- wait no this is on the wrong page. Wait no it’s not… wait-” 

You looked around as the listeners began to get frustrated, looking at each other in jest of one of their top researchers. You chewed nervously on your finger, hoping Jotaro would pull himself together. It was your first day working with him, and it was already troublesome.

“I would like to further the research done in my penultimate paper. Or was it my most recent...”

“Mr. Kujo, we would have liked for you to have prepared for this meeting…” 

“No no… I did. I did. Wait-”

With a quick motion, you reached over and placed a hand on Jotaro’s shoulder, calmly taking the notepad from him and then turning to the group. Jotaro looked away, still visibly shaken. 

“Mr. Kujo clearly states in his most recent paper that he plans to continue his research, at a different coastal region, comparing more behaviors there to make sure that this past successful trial wasn’t any sort of spontaneous fluke. He writes in his goals of perhaps inspecting the regional colonies of starfish around S-Town… Following that, he plans to remain in contact with the genomic department and track genetic similarities between human and aquatic life that may explain the similar social patterns between the two.” 

You explain to them all, having memorized the paper. Turning to the notepad, you saw what Jotaro had written in preparation for the meeting. You then turned back to the investors.

“Mr. Kujo kindly asks that you aid him in his funding so that mankind as a whole may find a better understanding of the natural world… That’s all he wanted to say. He just couldn’t find the right page. Sir.”

You reached back and placed the notepad back near Jotaro’s shaking hand. You returned your hand back to the other’s shoulder, squeezing gently to reassure the scientist that he was alright. The young man turned to you in a bit of surprise, not expecting your presence to calm him oh so much. The executives all took in your words and the head of the meeting slowly nodded. 

“Well… thank you for your assistance, miss…?” 

“(l/n).”

“Right well thank you… We will consider Mr. Kujo’s work for a second trial.”

“Thank you. He appreciates it.” With that, you let go of Jotaro’s shoulder.

The meeting soon adjourned, You got up to leave your seat when you felt Jotaro’s hand grab your shoulder. You turned around to see him slowly stand up from his chair. 

“Thank you. I’m not a big fan of speaking to them…”

You nodded quickly. “Yes…  of course…”

From that day on, the two of you were inseparable. Having experienced the horrific acts done to him and to those he loved back in his teenage years, Jotaro was convinced that you were the only one who could calm his constant nerves and anxieties. You became his most powerful tool against the outside world. You understood his work perfectly, understood his mannerisms perfectly, and respected his need for silence in the office. You knew how to say things the way he would himself, and you had no fear discussing them to other people. The two of you became much closer over the months of your working. Jotaro became much less of an enigma in your eyes. It would be a few months until Jotaro would unwillingly reveal his more “secret” projects. 

The first time you saw the arrow, Jotaro did not want you to see it. But still, what happened that day would forever change your relationship with the young scientist. You had arrived early, hoping to surprise him with a hot breakfast and a smile. You turn the corner to walk into the lab, yet when you go to open the door, you find it locked. Strange. Looking inside the room, you find Jotaro hunched over his desk in focus, in the same clothes as the day before, having not yet unlocked the door. Even more strange. You knocked on the door, only for him to leave the room with another door in a hurry, ignoring your pleas. With a grumble, you dug for your keys, figuring his weird behavior was just fatigue, and that he probably slept over at work again.  When you finally get into the lab, you place your things down, and that's when you see it lingering underneath his desk in a rushed hiding spot. 

Encased within a thickly walled wooden box, an arrow remained, barely hidden from your gaze, as Jotaro had had no time to hide it from you. The latch was undone, another sign that Jotaro had run away from the scene.

Jerk. Didn’t he trust you enough to show you something like this? It’s just a bow and arrow! Why was he hiding it? You called out for him to return to the room and explain what the bow and arrow was for. Hearing no response, you turned back to the wooden box, reaching your hand in to inspect the bow and arrow. 

It all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye. 

There were no in-between movements. One moment you had pricked your finger on the razor sharp tip of the arrow, the next moment you were standing up, the box had been tightly locked, and Jotaro stood right in front of you, chest to chest, intensely staring you down. Your breath became ragged as you maintained eye contact with him. What just happened? You didn’t even hear him come in. The box was right before your very eyes, and you didn’t even see that it was locked. How did he even turn you around without you knowing?! A chill went down your spine as you hesitated to speak even a word to the man before you. 

“Do you see what was in there?”

 Jotaro asked you calmly. You felt a cold sweat form on your forehead. Jotaro, ever the impatient man, grabbed your jacket collar, shaking you out of your scared daze. 

“I’m asking you now (y/n)! Did you see what was in there?!” 

“No, I didn’t see anything! I don’t know what just happened! I swear! I saw you run away from the room and went to see what was in there and the next thing I knew you had come back and it was all so fast and I don’t understand and I-... Jotaro… you’re scaring me.” 

Your body convulsed at his rough contact, your hands reaching up to push him away, but his tight grip on your jacket remained steadfast. Pure instinct had compelled you to lie to him about seeing the content of the box, but the terror and confusion you had displayed was genuine. You still didn’t understand how he was able to move that fast, or affect you with you even knowing. Just who was this man?

Jotaro stared down at you for a moment longer, before releasing you from his grip and taking a few steps back. You stumbled back, grabbing the edge of his desk to stabilize your fall. Your heart continued to race in your chest as you heaved, still struggling to make sense of what just happened. 

Jotaro silently called out Star Platinum, having his stand hover right in front of you as you kept staring at him in confusion. Your expression didn’t change once he called out his stand. So you were telling the truth. You really hadn’t seen the arrow. Or at least, hadn’t touched it.

Jotaro sighed, rubbing the side of his head with a groan. He hadn’t stopped time in so long, but it seemed he was worried over nothing. “I’m sorry to frighten you, (y/n).” 

You finally straightened yourself out, gulping. “Who the hell are you? Really?!” 

“...I’m Jotaro Kujo. That is all.” 

Another chill ran down up your spine, but you played it off. If he wanted to continue things as per usual, you’d have to do the same. 

“Right… I brought breakfast. And there’s a morning meeting in half an hour so freshen up.” 

You walked past him to retrieve the food you had bought for them. Looking down to pick it up, you noticed a red blood stain on your jacket. It must have been from your bleeding finger when you’d pricked it on the arrow. However, when you turned to look at the finger itself, you found that it was fully healed, not even scarred, even after such a precise and direct cut. Jotaro politely asked you for the food, claiming hunger, and you rushed to take your coat off and hide it away. You got the sense that he’d question further if he saw the fresh blood stain. 

After that fateful morning, things continued on as per usual. You still had your questions, but after a few weeks had passed without another incident, you resolved that whatever that bow and arrow were must have been top secret for the Speedwagon Foundation. You figured no company could be as powerful as they were without keeping a few secrets. And this was one of them. 

So you resolved to ask no questions about that one day. The same way you didn’t put up much of a fight when, in the summer of 1999, after months of you two planning to stay there together, Jotaro told you that he would be going to Morioh alone to research for his PhD, without you. You were furious, enraged how the two of you could become so close since you began working there, yet he still didn’t trust you to go with him. You argued with him the night before he was set to leave, but his resolve never crumbled. You weren’t going to Morioh, that was final. 

In the three months that he was gone, Jotaro regularly sent you his findings, and you sorted them back at Speedwagon Headquarters. When he finally came back, more visibly shaken than he was before, you could only wonder what the coworker you had grown so attached to had experienced in Morioh in the summer of 1999. 

Circling back to the present day, it was the winter of 2000, and there was yet again a dark force afoot in the town of Morioh. Only this time, Jotaro would not go alone. 

“You have to let me come with you this time.” 

“Explain why. Explain why I have to let you come with me this time. I did just fine on my own before.” 

You gritted your teeth at the other’s stubbornness. “Will you please just listen to me? Jotaro when you came back from Morioh, you were even harder to deal with than before! Any sound in the office set you on edge and you screamed when someone set off fireworks near our building! And you still haven’t explained to me what happened there! Now let me come with you! I can help!”

Jotaro turned his attention away from his work, finally looking at you for the first time in that conversation. He hadn’t realized just how attached to you he’d become, how much you meant to him. You were his ticket into communicating with the world to his fullest, and after recalling several confusing conversations with Josuke, Okuyasu, and Koichi, Jotaro realized he actually needed you in order to articulate himself to the others without getting too anxious or angry. 

“Alright fine. We’re leaving tomorrow at 2. You better be ready.” 

But nothing could have prepared you for the horrors you were about to encounter in that small town. To your shock and disgust, you learned that aside from his research, Jotaro was investigating a murderer. And then you met Josuke and the others. That was when you first felt that you were going crazy. When you saw glimpses of third arms extend out from these teenagers, saw one of them heal a broken leg with ease, saw another erase space itself. People all over this small town were vanishing in thin air, and the incidents were happening more and more frequently. It didn’t make any sense, but no one was commenting on it, so you felt you were just imagining things. The same way you must have imagined Jotaro moving at lightspeed that morning you pricked your finger on the arrow. 

Finally, we return to the current scene of Jotaro hunched over his desk, his room in the Morioh Grand Hotel littered with documents, the board nearby covered in photos and string, the bedside clock reading 2:33 am.  You approached him carefully in the tense silence, knowing not to startle him whenever he was in deep thought. 

“...Jotaro-”

“Dammit dammit dammit! I’m sick of it! Where the hell is he?!” 

Jotaro slammed his fist down on the desk, his chest heaving in frustration. Why did this keep happening to him?! He just wanted to live a normal life, and he thought after Kira, he could. But like so many times before, Jotaro Kujo was wrong. Perhaps it was his destiny to be unfortunate. Perhaps there would always be another person stabbed by the arrow that would have it out for him and the others. Perhaps he was always destined to have a target on his back. Jotaro turned around to see you there, your form shaken from his sudden outburst. You’d never seen him that angry before. He met your gaze, unaware that you were sensing a vague presence of a being just above the man’s shoulder. 

He sighed, walking over to you. “I’m sorry to scare you (y/n). I’m just getting frustrated by all this.”

You hesitated to speak for a moment, flinching when Jotaro placed his hand on your shoulder. You look up at him with a glare.  “Tell what you haven’t been telling me.” 

“You’ve been with me in Morioh this whole time (y/n). We both know the same things about this case I-”

You shoved Jotaro back, the surprised scientist bumping into his desk. “Don’t play dumb with me Jotaro! There’s something you’re not telling me! Do you think I’m an idiot?! Do you think I can’t handle it?! Tell me why you and a bunch of fucking kids have to be the ones taking down a killer?! Why can’t you just leave it to the police like a normal person?! Just say it! I…  I can help you!” 

But Jotaro couldn’t tell you. You wouldn’t understand his world and the horrifying stands contained within it. He had to keep you safe. The moment you find out anything more will be the moment you die. 

“No… I can’t tell you (y/n).” 

“But that’s not fair I-”

“(y/n), I’m sorry, but if you ask me again, I’ll be forced to send you back home and have you fired from my lab. Try to understand me, I’m doing this for your own safety, but I can’t have you be near me if you don’t cooperate.” 

You stood there in shock. Would he really do that? Didn’t he know how much working for him at the Foundation meant to you? How much care that you put in for him and his work? And he’d throw all that away just to protect some stupid secret!? Who did he think he was?!

Your whole body began to quiver in rage at the other’s behavior. Just when you thought there was something between the two of you, something more than just a young professor and his assistant, he makes it clear that you mean nothing to him, and you never have. You watched the man before you, turn away from your gaze to focus back to his work. With a huff, you reach for the door to leave, your hand touching the handle. 

Then, it all went white. 

Your hand touched the handle, feeling the metal scalding to the touch. Before you could flinch back and yelp at the pain, a hand circled around your neck and another crept around your waist, the grip keeping you flush against another body. You look around the room, watching the color and furniture dissolve from your view until all you could see for miles was a white void. The only thing you could feel was the man with a locked grip on your neck, blocking your airway. You kicked to set yourself free, until you felt a ghostly presence cling onto your legs to hold them together. That same feeling washed over your wrists to bind them as well. The man holding onto you within the void leaned down to bring his mouth to your ear.

“No human on Earth is unable to feel pain.”

Your whole body shuddered at the deep growl in his throat. “W-who are you?! What do you wan-”

“I’m the one talking (y/n)!”

With that, his hold on your neck tightened ever more. How could he have known your name? You all had made a point to only use names in private in case the murderer was lurking around. So that means… A pang of realization hit you. He’d been hiding in this hotel room, listening to you and Jotaro was however long. Black spots appeared before you in your line of sight, your head was feeling lighter and lighter. You were becoming weightless. 

“In the split second that a human being first feels pain, that is when they are at their most isolated. At the first sign of pain, it’s every man for himself. When a man is shot, in the first moment he feels pain, he isn’t thinking of the man next to him that got shot in the brain. He’s thinking only of himself. The fight or flight response is activated, all other surroundings become useless. That selfishness, that hunger to be healed, that desire for self preservation, is what fuels Foreigner’s God, my stand!” 

Your eyes shot open at the last word. “A...stand?” You choked out.

“My stand, Foreigner's God, extends that initial moment of selfishness that comes with pain. No longer are there distractions that can bring someone back to care for others. No longer are there healers that can take that pain away. Your hand is still burnt from the handle that I heated up, so…”

He turned you both around and you saw through your hazy view, a body appear in the white void. It was Jotaro, the man frantically calling out your name and rushing between his room and yours in a search for you. At one moment, the two of you even seemingly made eye contact, and you saw the absolute fear in his eyes at the realization that he might have just lost you. Your mouth quirked up in a smile, and tears began to form in your eyes. 

Jotaro took a step closer, maintaining your gaze, and you felt relief in your heart that he could really see you. Until suddenly, he rushed to the night stand, fazing right through you and your assailant, not even noticing your presence in the room. You struggled to shout under the choking pressure as you saw him panic, reaching to the phone to call Josuke.

“Wait! Jotaro! I’m right here ah-”

“Didn’t I tell you (y/n)! At that critical moment of pain, it’s every man for himself! It’s just you and me in here! You’re in my world now, sweetheart. I allowed you to see Jotaro’s image, but he cannot see or hear you!” 

The killer turned your head to the side, ready to snap. But he had to wait, for his stand would deactivate the moment you were killed, and then he’d be left vulnerable to a furious Jotaro in that hotel room. He needed information about his opponents’ abilities, and Jotaro was playing right into his hands by calling his friend. 

“That’s it… That’s it Kujo! Call Josuke Higashikata! Call him! CALL HIM!”

You trembled under the rough grip, struggling to call out for Jotaro, hoping he wouldn’t call anyone and reveal any secrets. 

And then amidst the silence, the click of Jotaro hanging up the phone filled your ears. You watched the look of reflection on his face. Somehow, maybe it was because of years of battle with monsters just like this man, but Jotaro Kujo realized that you hadn’t run away. Someone was keeping you from him. And he was now more alert than ever. 

“Shit! He’s smarter than I thought! He must suspect there’s a stand attack going on.” 

The murderer grumbled before dropping you to the ground. He couldn’t kill you, not without proper info on how to defeat Jotaro and the others. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt you. With a sharp kick to the back, the assailant managed to knock you away, breaking bones in your spine and leaving you immobile. Recalling his stand ability, the murderer managed to escape out a window without a trace, figuring you would lose consciousness. With a gentle thud, you toppled to the ground, right next to the open window. 

“(y/n)!” 

Jotaro rushed to the sound, seeing you lay there, gasping for breath. He turned to the open window seeing no one around. He had disappeared. And right under his nose too. How long had the man been in the room with them?! How dumb could he have been?! Reaching up to Jotaro, you muttered that the man had broken a few bones in your back and that you couldn’t move. 

“I’m sorry Jotaro. I didn’t get a good look at his face…” 

“Don’t worry about that! I’ll get help right away!” 

You looked up with hazy eyes as Jotaro rushed to the phone to call Josuke. After everything between the two of you, after everything he’s said to you, it was surprising to see just how much he truly cared about you. Holding the phone to his ear, Jotaro frantically told Josuke your condition and for him to get over here as soon as possible. Glancing down at your arm, Jotaro’s eyes shot open at the black ink that painted your skin just a few centimeters beneath your wrist. In all caps, as if the murderer was playing with you all, the ink wrote, 

“Foreigner’s God - AS.”  

- - - - - 

“Honestly Mr. Joestar, where does that grandson of yours get off running me and the others ragged like this? He sees one person with the initials A.S. in a phonebook and he sends me out across down to read them with Heaven’s Door.” 

Rohan Kishibe sat drinking his tea, absently working on Pink Dark Boy, waiting for Jotaro’s next move. His companion, Joseph Joestar, took a sip of his drink at Rohan’s rude accusation. 

“Hush now Rohan. We all put Jotaro in charge of his operation, given his connection to our main victim. All he’s doing is using your stand to its full capabilities.” 

The old man raised an eyebrow and Rohan got the hint. Mr. Joestar was the only one of the group that the snarky artist fully respected, so he would follow the seasoned stand user’s lead. 

A heavy set of footsteps entered the room, followed by a more uneven pair lingering behind. The two stand users looked up to see you and Jotaro enter. You were looking better since the attack. Josuke had healed your back of the broken bones, but the bruises and intense pain of walking remained. Moving with crutches, you slowly stepped out from behind Jotaro as the two of you entered the room. Jotaro, his face darkened in a mixture of unhealthy fatigue and intense bloodlust, approached Rohan’s table and slammed down a stack of papers. 

“Names, addresses, ages, and criminal histories. All here. I want you done with it within the next two days.” 

Rohan grumbled, standing up. “You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me like that Jotaro. Not even a hello, not even an acknowledgment of your grandfather. He’s the only reason I’m letting you push me around like this you-” 

Jotaro took one step closer to Rohan, staring the smaller man down in silence. A chill went down the artist’s spine. Shown plainly in the scientist’s eyes was a haze of dark intent, of evil desires. He wanted this person dead, and for them to suffer. Joseph flicked his gaze up at his grandson, recognizing the expression from the other’s climactic fight with DIO. A tinge of worry filled the old soul. 

They needed to catch him, and catch him soon. 

“Jotaro, come on. We told Josuke and the others we would give them an update soon.” 

At the sound of your voice, raspy still from the attack, Jotaro’s face softened into its usual composure. He turned around to face you, and you gave him a tired smile. 

“Right, let’s go. Rohan. Two days, please. I’m counting on you.” 

Tipping his hat over his eyes, Jotaro held out an arm for you as you both walked to the rendez-vous point to meet with Josuke. 

Rohan still felt lost in the other’s murderous expression. It had been three days since your run in with Foreigner’s God, and Heaven’s Door’s user was one of the first to arrive at the scene in order to search for clues. He remembered reading a page drawn from your unconscious body; you had blacked out soon after Jotaro made the call for help. Josuke was working on your spine, and there was a tense silence about the room. A silence soon interrupted by the crash of wood hitting the floor. Everyone looked up, seeing Jotaro standing deathly still in his spot, meanwhile Star Platinum had escaped and had thrown the table over and smashed it into the floor. The rampaging stand turned to the board and knocked it over with a fierce punch, wood scraps and documents flying everywhere. 

“Hey Jotaro stop it! We need those!” 

Josuke yelled, drawing out Crazy diamond to hold Star back. In his blinded rage, the stand took a mindless swing, punching Crazy Diamond in the jaw and sending both him and Josuke flying into the opposite wall. 

“Josuke!” 

Koichi and Okuyasu rushed to their friend. He wasn’t injured too badly, surprisingly no bones broken; nothing a bandage or two couldn’t fix. The four of them, the three teenagers and the artist all turned to Jotaro in shock, who by this point had absorbed Star Platinum into his being. Turning back to face them all, they all got a look at it. 

The truly furious face of Jotaro Kujo. 

The calm and collected scientist now wore the face of violence, a face he hadn’t worn since Egypt. His eyes shone bright with a horrifying lust for vengeance. Those eyes looked away from the frightened stand users, towards your unconscious body. Without a word, Jotaro left the room, and the others let out a shaky breath in the tense air. Those eyes. It had been three days and those eyes were still ever present. Rohan shook away his discomfort and waved goodbye to Mr. Joestar, understanding now. 

Jotaro was not in this for justice. If Kira had hurt only you those months ago, Jotaro would have worn the same face. You were the key to Jotaro’s psyche and wellbeing. That was a fundamental truth about Jotaro Kujo. It was that day that Rohan Kishibe learned another fundamental truth. 

Sometimes, the universe places an answer in your hands when you need an answer the most. 

Half an hour later, it happened. It was in the middle of a secluded street, inhabited by only three people at that moment. A man. A woman. And the young artist, who had been so enraptured by his goal of locating the first name of his list that he barely had the time to react when it happened. And when it did, it only took an instant. 

The man in front of him quickly drew out a pocket knife from his jacket, driving its blade into the woman’s shoulder, unaware Rohan was behind him seeing the act in its entirety. Before the woman had any time to scream in pain, the pair vanished into thin air before the artist’s very eyes, and into the man’s stand realm. Rohan held his breath, frightened at the pair’s sudden disappearance. A stand user. It must have been. Was this him? Reaching quickly into his bag, Rohan Kishibe phoned his first line of defense.

You had been sitting with Jotaro and all of the Morioh teenagers when Jotaro received his call from Rohan.  

“What is it?” 

“I found someone. It’s either him or another one Jotaro.” 

Jotaro shot up from his chair, eyes blown out in stress. “Are you sure?! How do you know?!” 

Josuke, Okuyasu, and Koichi all grew the same expression of fighting spirit on their faces and you were sure danger was ahead for you all. 

Rohan tried to remain calm. “I’m not sure… Come over here with the others. We have a better chance of taking down whoever this is together. I’m by Owsen, two streets over…” 

Inside Foreigner’s God’s realm, the man  grabbed on tighter to the struggling woman’s neck as she gasped for air. 

“Please, please don’t kill me! Please don’t k-kill me!” 

But the man was hardly paying attention to her cries. He had brought a vision of Rohan into the void and was watching the artist’s movement’s while still strangling the woman as she writhed in pain. 

He didn’t like what he was hearing. With a grunt, the man turned the woman around to face Rohan’s vision, his hand still tight around her neck. 

She whimpered at the sudden motion, tears streaming down her face, meanwhile he stared boredly at Rohan talking on the phone with Jotaro and the others. 

“Hey bitch, who is that?” 

The woman just kept crying.  “Please don’t kill me!” 

Gritting his teeth, the man smacked her upside the head and tightened his grip around her neck. “Tell me who that is!” 

Her vision hazy, the woman took a good look at the eccentrically dressed man. “I-I think th-that’s Rohan Kishibe. A famous manga artist…”  She sputtered out. 

The man’s eyes widened. Rohan Kishibe. He was at the scene of Kira’s death. Could he be another of them? 

A fit of laughter took over him and he cackled, his jubilation mixing uncomfortably with the woman’s struggle for her life. Continuing to holler, the man dropped the woman to the ground and she remained there, coughing to catch her breath. 

“Oh that’s great! I’ve heard he’s good too! You ever read any of his stuff?!” 

She looked up at him confused, watching his face twist in excitement as he realized that he, a lowly stand user, was about to kill a man that helped take down the mighty Yoshikage Kira. Staring down at the ground, she shuddered at the sound of the maniac’s voice.

“Hey.”

A chill went down the woman’s spine. Suddenly, the man wasn’t laughing anymore. She turned her head to find a way to escape, seeing nothing but white everywhere. Why couldn’t anyone see what he was doing to her?! The man on the street with them, Rohan, why wasn’t he stepping in? It’s like they weren’t the real world at that moment. 

“...I asked you a question.” 

Tears filled her eyes again as she met his bored gaze. “W-what?” 

Drawing closer to her weak form, and kneeling down on the ground, the man before her grabbed a fistful of her hair and she screamed at the sudden jerking pain.

“I’m asking if you’ve ever read any of his stuff!” 

The woman felt a crushing pain in her chest, as if a mysterious force was stepping on her. 

“N-no! I haven’t! But please don’t k-”

“Hmph.” 

In a split second, the stand’s hands came around the woman’s neck and snapped it, and Foreigner’s God’s ability ceased. The man quickly his himself out of sight, seeing Rohan standing alone in the street. 

Rohan turned around at the thud of a body hitting the ground behind him. He looked over to see the dead woman, her eyes blown out and a thick ring of bruises around her neck. Just like what you had gone through. And there it was, the same tag that had been on your body after your attack.

 “Foreigner’s God. - AS. ” 

Bringing his phone shakily to his ear, Rohan muttered, “It’s him Jotaro. He’s just killed someone else. Get over here now!” 

Jotaro felt the same dark intent sweep over him as he heard Rohan speak those words. “Do you see him?” 

“No. He hid himself somehow. He’s nearby I bet. Waiting to get me… Come soon. I’m hanging up.” With that, the artist turned his phone off, staying on guard for any attackers. 

Jotaro hung up the phone call with Rohan and turned to the others to come with him. You stood up as well to head to the scene when you felt Jotaro’s hand roughly shove you down into your seat. 

“No.” He ordered plainly. 

“No?! You expect me to be useless again?! I’m the one he attacked first! I wanna see him go down and I wanna help do it!”

“I’m not having you go over there! You can’t get hurt again!” 

You stared up at him, shocked at the concern plastered all over his face. But still, you were stubborn. That’s one of the things he loved about you. 

“What about you?! What makes you sure you won’t get hurt?! Or even die Jotaro?!” 

“I’d rather that than you die (y/n)! The world needs you more than it will ever need me! And I can’t watch someone I love get hurt right in front of me again!” 

You stood there frozen, your legs feeling like they were about to give out at those word.

“...What?” 

Jotaro felt a hand grip his shoulder, turning to see Josuke motion for him to get going. They needed to catch this guy. And fast. Giving a quick glance to your shaken form, he knew you understood why you needed to stay behind. 

You did, of course, know him and his words better than anyone else on Earth. 

Jotaro began running with the others towards the scene and when he was a few feet away, you heard Koichi ask your beloved lab partner if he had any idea what kind of stand they were dealing with. 

Your mind flooded back to the words that man had spoken to you. A stand. That was the word he kept using. A stand. AS. Those were the initials of the man that nearly strangled you to death. Foreigner’s God. He said that was the name of his stand. A stand. Stand.

Your mind kept repeating that same word over and over again in your head as you stood there in the crowded Morioh street. All of these people. The people you had come to love. Josuke and the others. The strange lives they lived. Jotaro. The strange life he had drawn you into. They were all working to save the thousands of people that lived in this small Japanese town. 

You thought back on all they had said, all that you had overheard over the course of the investigation. Things you didn’t understand now flooded your mind. They spoke about the first trip, the killer. Killer. A man named Kira. Killer Queen. Killer Queen must have been his stand. A stand. Is that why you think you’ve been going crazy? Are those third arms stands? ...Did Jotaro have one? 

“Gimme… gimme… gimme… GIMME!”

Your whole form awoke from your deep train of thought at the sound of someone calling out to you.  You turned around, looking at all the people that were walking nearby. No one was even looking at you. You sighed. You supposed this town really was driving you crazy. You reached for your crutches and took one step forward- 

“GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!”

The loud voice rang violently in your head and you fell to your knees from the shock. Covering your ears, you foolishly tried to block out the sound. Your whole body began to feel weak, your whole being heating up. It felt like your blood was boiling, your muscles were tensing, an unwanted rage consuming every cell in your form. 

“What’s going on?! What’s happening to m-”

“GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME!”

“Who are you?! What’s going on?!” You thought to yourself, panicking. What was this voice?!

“GIMME GIMME GIMME!”

“Go away…” You muttered under your breath as you knelt on the pavement.

“GIMME GIMME GIMME!”

“Go away…” Your voice subconsciously raised, drawing others’ attention. 

“GIMME GIMME GIMME!”

“GO AWAY!”  You let a shrill yell, grabbing violently at your hair in terror, causing a crowd of people to form around you. 

And then the voice stopped, a quiet renewing in your head. You sat there, gasping for air, your throat still burning from the attack days before, and your screaming had not helped it. You looked up at everyone staring up at you in shocked worry. In a calm daze, you stood up, grabbing your crutches and began to walk away from the others. 

Jotaro. Jotaro would know what it means. What that voice was. 

- - - - - 

Arata Sone had been Yoshikage Kira’s only friend as long as the killer had been alive. He was the only person in the world that Kira confided in. He remembered the night he met the blond murderer. One evening, the normal man came home from a very late night at work to a silent home, his wife sleeping upstairs. With a heavy sigh, Sone was about to enter his bedroom when he heard his wife let out a sudden shriek, before the sound immediately ceased into a renewed silence. Panicked, the man swung the door open to find another man about his age, standing in the middle of the room, a dismembered hand in his grasp. The hand was dripping blood onto the carpet, and Sone’s wife was nowhere to be found. Putting two and two together, the man felt a chill slither up his whole body. He remained stuck in his spot as he watched the blond man draw closer to him. Then something strange happened. Arata Sone knew that he should be afraid, knew that he should be begging for his life, knew that the proper thing to do was flee. But what he did shocked both himself and the murderer before him. 

Arata Sone laughed harder than he ever had before. 

Cackling loudly to an unsettling degree, he even managed to throw the calm and collected Yoshikage Kira off guard. After several minutes, the laughter died down and the man looked at the other before him with a wide smile on his face.

“Thank you.” 

For the first time in a long time, Kira felt a shudder rush through his body. 

“Thank you?” 

“I was waiting for a good moment to kill her myself.” 

In that moment, both men felt one of the great pleasures of life, a pleasure that can only come from being shunned for one’s desires for so long, and then to finally have that desire recognized by another being. The two men called out their stands and both fell into fits of laughter and joy at their shared murderous trait. A new friendship had been born.

A few years later, Arata Sone saw on the news the gruesome image of his beloved friend’s face crushed beneath an ambulance. Seeing what he could only guess were other stand users at the scene, his ever present lust for murder grew within him to a boiling point. Foreigner’s God’s user made a promise to himself. To kill those who had killed his friend. 

And today was the day to make that happen. The killer watched from his hiding spot as Jotaro and the others ran to the scene to see a very shaken Rohan Kishibe, who was wondering why the killer had yet to show himself. What none of them knew, was that their attacker had grown as a stand user. He was about to apply what his dear friend Kira had once taught him, and was merely hiding to get them all in one place. 

Sone waited for the group to get within his stand’s range.

You slowly made your way on your crutches towards the scene. You needed to know these answers. 

“Just a little farther…” He thought as he waited for Jotaro and the others to be within his grasp. 

“Just a little farther…” You muttered to yourself as you turned the corner, two streets away from Owsen. An ominous feeling crept over you, making you feel sick to your stomach. 

Finally, they were all together within his stand’s range. Arata Sone waited for the right moment, a sick smile on his face.

Jotaro went to speak. “Any sign of h-”

And then the attack was sent into motion. In that split second, each of Morioh’s fighters looked down to see a small mass of white matter form around their ankle. With the snap of his fingers, the matter exploded, taking a chunk off each person’s leg with it. Jotaro, Josuke, Koichi, Okuyasu and Rohan all collapsed to the ground as the street became consumed in a white void the moment they all felt that same sting of pain.

“No human on Earth is unable to feel pain.”

They all looked up from writhing in pain as the man they had been hunting down showed himself, the twisted smile on his face more present than before. 

“When a man feels he is at his most cornered, that is often when the most opportunities arise for him. My st-”

In a flash, Jotaro lunged forward, landing a punch to Sone’s face. The smile went away.

“I suppose I’ll take your hand next.” He grunted, grabbing Jotaro’s arm and slamming his whole body to the ground. The moment his hand made contact with the ground, another white mass formed around Jotaro’s finger and exploded, and Star Platinum’s user once again hollered in pain.

“Jotaro!” 

The other Morioh fighters called out to their injured friend and all of them got up to attack their enemy together. The moment they took another step, white matter formed once more around their feet and exploded again. The five of them were squirming on the ground in pain once again. 

“As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, Jotaro Kujo. My stand feeds on that first moment of selfish pain and extends it, trapping others in a blank void without distraction from their pain. It’s a terrifying ability when used properly, though I will admit, back when I attacked your little friend, I wouldn’t have been able to take you all on at once, and that’s the only reason I spared her life…” 

He looked down to see Jotaro’s face overcome with rage at your mention. It was a fruitless effort, but Jotaro lunged at his enemy again, only to be knocked on his back. The moment his body touched the ground, several bubbles of the same white substance engulfed the scientist’s back and exploded, leaving bleeding indents all over the tall man’s frame and causing him to gasp at the pain. 

“But you see. I have grown as a stand user. You may remember from the tag on your beloved friend’s arm the words Foreigner’s God. Well that my friends, is the name of my stand. Or no… this is something different. A new ability that I’ve learned. A swan song to my dear friend, Yoshikage Kira!” 

Their eyes shot open at the mention of that hardly forgotten name. “Kira?” Josuke muttered. 

“Oh right… an old friend of mine. I figured when I would be taking revenge for his death, I would use some of that explosive power of his that I loved so much. You see everyone, normally I would only be able to keep one person at a time in my realm. You can only hurt some many in one instance after all!” 

It was in that moment, Foreigner’s God revealed itself in its humanoid form right beside its user. Lunging forward, the stand attacked the stationary fighters, knocking them all to the ground. At the very second their bodies touched the ground, the same miniature explosions went off, extending their pain and keeping them in the dangerous realm. 

“Gimme gimme gimme…” 

You placed a hand against your ear trying to block out that annoying voice that was seemingly coming out of nowhere. You weren’t far from the scene, your mind still running wild, asking a thousand questions as to what a stand even was, what that voice just then was, who were the others really dealing with, what was this man capable of. You weren’t sure of what you would be able to do, but something within you drew your body closer and closer to the street where your friends were currently writhing in agony. You didn’t care about what Jotaro wasn’t telling you. You didn’t care that there were still questions that needed answered. You just wanted to help, anyway you could figure out how.

Staring down at their battered and bleeding bodies, Arata Sone let out another burst of jubilation amidst the void. 

“I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before! If you haven’t already noticed, my once empty void has now been combined with its own type of landmines. You cannot move without a new one setting off, and extending that pain further. You’re going to be stuck in here until you bleed out, with no one to hear you or see you! That is it the secret to my new ability, Arsonist’s Lullaby!” 

With that cry, the stand stormed through the five of them once more, knocking them to the ground once more, causing new land mines to set off, all to the tune of its user’s laugh-filled joy. It was then that white walls of the void were beginning to fade, and the scenery of that Morioh street was starting to fade back into view. 

“Hmm… it appears this ability takes up more of my energy than I thought. I suppose I can’t kill all five of you at once and remain invisible at the same time. No matter, I can’t sense any other stand users around, just the six of us. I don’t care who sees this! I’ll just kill the witnesses after I kill you!” 

It was then that Arata Sone made a fatal mistake, and just like his friend Yoshikage Kira, let his hubris take over. Removing the hiding nature of his stand, but doubling the landmines, the man watched as the five powerful stand users struggled to even get close enough to him to land in a hit. New landmines keep going off, new injuries created. 

They were dangerously close to bleeding out, all in plain sight of another stand user. You. 

You turned the corner to see the carnage ahead of you, finding your whole group in the enemy’s grasp. You couldn’t even tell what you were seeing. The moment one of your friends moved, they would immediately flinch back in agony. Drawing your attention to the man standing over them, a familiar chill went through you. That was the same man that had attacked you days before. And seeing what he was capable of doing to the people you had grown so close to, you were now more scared than ever of him. 

But you noticed something. Amidst the pleasure that this monster was reveling in, there was a distinct look of concentration plastered all over his face. You watched his expression twitch with each time an attack went off on one of your friends. He must be doing something with his mind to attack them. He was focusing. His focus. You needed to capture his focus. 

Steeling yourself for what was to come, you dropped your crutches and took a deep breath in, something in you knowing the dangers you were about to face, and the rest of you stupidly seeming not to care. 

With a small ounce of bravery, you shouted at the top of your lungs. “Stop it! I won’t let you hurt them!” 

Sone turned around at the sudden distraction, surprised that someone was taking notice. His eyebrow raised in intrigue. That could only mean one thing. You were another one. 

Jotaro recognized that voice. No… no no no. Looking up, he saw your frightened body shaking and staring straight into the enemy’s eyes without a way to defend yourself.

“No! (y/n) get out of here! You can’t be here! He’ll kill-” 

The killer turned back around and punched Jotaro straight in the gut with his stand, sending him flying back into a tree. 

“Jotaro!” 

You shrieked. All five of them were dying right in front of you, so close to bleeding out. And now his focus was on you, and it had taken all your courage to simply call out and distract him from the others. You watched as the man drew closer, ready to kill another. The same giant smile came over his face again. 

“(y/n) huh? And here I thought you were a smart person. Smart enough not to beg for me to hurt you again. But sorry, there’s no escape this time!” 

“(y/n) no! Run away! Get out of here!” 

You didn’t have time to register whose voice had called out to you before you saw the attacker lunge right at you. You put your arms up over your face as your body collapsed to its knees, your eyes shut in fear, and a horrified scream uncontrollably left your lungs. 

“Now die!” 

And then, you felt weightless.

“GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME” 

As you felt a massive weight being lifted from your body, your eyes shot open to find someone new standing over you. Actually, you weren’t sure if it was someone new, or something new. This new thing, it didn’t seem real.

“GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME” 

Your face lit up in shock. Attached to this new thing was the same voice that you had been hearing in your head before. You watched as its fists fired off in a flurry of punches, all hitting their marks on the man’s body. You were mesmerized by its appearance. Its body, about the same size as yours, looked as if it were made of glass. Swirling around within that glass was a pool of different colors. Different blues, purples, oranges and pinks flowed together seamlessly, all encased within the glass structure as it pummeled the enemy before you. 

“GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME… A MAN!” 

With one last, hard punch to the enemy’s chest, the glass figure stopped its attack and turned around to face you. You shuffled back on the ground, your chest heaving in fear from what had just happened. The figure before you, without speaking a word, drew its arm forward to point at Sone, who was now frozen in his spot before you. Then, everyone watched as small ripples began to form over the man’s whole body. All over his arms, legs, and chest, it looks as if the flesh was moving, as if someone had dropped a pebble into a lake. Then the ripples began to glow brightly, the full spectrum of colors radiating out, and tearing their way from the inside of his body outward. The enemy let out a painful shriek as the searing pain overtook him, more and more light spilling out of his body as the flesh around it became torn and melted. Finally, less than a second later, an explosion of white light burst out of the man’s body. And once that flash was gone, so was he. Foreigner’s God had been defeated. And this thing that you could tell was a part of you, it had been the thing to kill him. 

Shakily, you stood up, holding on tightly to your crutches, keeping your gaze on this figure that had erupted out of you. 

“...ABBA?” 

Still confused, all you knew was that something in your body told you to say that name. The figure turned around to face you and gave you a shy smile before coming closer and embracing your shaking form in a hug. Surprised you could even touch it, you wrapped your arms around ABBA as well, finding to your disbelief that the glass like material felt soft and warm to the touch. You looked down its back, eyeing the pattern of jagged lines all over its body, as well as the swirling colors within. You felt your eyes well up with tears. Something about holding onto this being, one not entirely separate from you, felt so right. It felt like it had been welling up inside you for so long, and you couldn’t help but love it now that it was out. 

“A stand…” You muttered. It was all so clear now. Your stand.

After a few moments, ABBA stood up and nodded towards the group of your injured friends. Holding you up, both you and your stand rushed over to Josuke. The teenager’s eyes opened with a pained groan, looking up at you and seeing ABBA at your side. His face lit up in surprise and he tried to sit up before the crushing pain forced him back down onto the ground. He muttered weakly for you to see if Rohan was alright, and you did. 

Suddenly, a small white figure burst out of the artist’s body and punched Josuke in the arm. You watched, intrigued as a section of the teen’s arm unfolded like a book. The white figure leaned in, writing in Josuke’s arm the words, “I currently do not have any injuries.” 

You watched in awe as the bleeding wounds all over Josuke’s body slowly began to close. Within a few minutes, Josuke was up and mobile as ever. He had several questions to ask you, but first, he had some healing to do. You watched as a pink and blue being, you assumed Josuke’s stand, flew out of his body and hovered over all of the other injured, healing them nearly immediately. They all stood up, groaning from the shadows of pain still left behind from the attacks. One by one, each of them looked up at you, each of their faces growing an expression of surprise and adoration. You felt small under their gazes, looking up at your stand standing next to you. As small as you felt, there was something about ABBA that made you feel powerful. Especially considering what it had just done to defeat the enemy. 

“(y/n)... is that your stand…?” 

You looked over at Koichi before quickly nodding. “Yeah… I guess it must be right?” 

You tried to shrug it off with a nervous laugh, but even you were still in awe of this new ability. Finally, you turned to Jotaro, watching his face for a reaction. The gentle giant stood frozen at a loss of words, unsure of what to say. His gaze turned to ABBA, a melancholy look of admiration and love spread over his features. 

“Come on Jotaro… say something. Don’t worry. I’ll understand-” 

You muttered softly before Jotaro rushed forward and cut you off with a tight hug. You rested your smaller body against him, tears of relief streaming down your face, grateful that everyone was still alive. You looked up to gaze into Jotaro’s blue eyes, seeing that he had begun to tear up as well. Then something caught your eye. Looking over the tall man’s shoulder, you saw a purple skinned spirit faze out of your partner’s body and float over to ABBA, starting deeply into your stand’s face. ABBA, who had before been so calm and collected, now shrunk back a little bit with a childish giggle at the sight of the handsome stand before her. As ABBA held her face in her hands, you felt your cheeks flush bright red. Your eyes widened and you pushed Jotaro away from you, turning to your stand. 

“H-hey wait a minute! ABBA, it’s not like that!”

“Gimme?” 

ABBA asked innocently as she grabbed Star Platinum’s hand tightly in her own. Jotaro now felt his face heat up and turn bright red. With a heavy sigh, he watched as his stand wrapped yours in its arms, chuckling a bit at your embarrassment. 

“Sorry about all this. His name’s Star Platinum, and he’s definitely more… emotional than I am.” 

Your eyes widened at what that could possibly mean. Wait… did they think that you and Jotaro were… 

“W-wait it’s not like that! He and I are just… “

“Gimme?” 

“No! W-well I mean I care about him but I-”

“(y/n).”

You turned around to face Jotaro as he calmly took his hat off, revealing the jet black hair that you loved seeing. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay (y/n).” 

Your heart swelled at his words and you slowly turned around to see ABBA and Star Platinum holding each other lovingly, a warmth erupting throughout your whole body at the sight. The feeling of Jotaro grabbing your hand caught your attention and met his gaze once more. 

“He’s the personification of my thoughts and well… it seems like your stand, ABBA right? It seems like she’s the personification of yours.” 

The two of you watched as your stands talk to one another in their own little language, each enamored by the other’s presence. You turned back to Jotaro, seeing that his face had drawn closer. 

“Yeah… I guess... you’re… right.” 

As you breathed out that last word, Jotaro closed the gap between the two of you, your lips connecting in a sweet, long awaited kiss. You wrapped your arms around the fellow scientist’s, and now fellow stand user’s, neck, giggling slightly as he lifted your body off the ground to hold you tightly in his arms. When you two broke for air, Jotaro quickly kissed you again, holding you up like his life depended on it. 

When he finally set you down, Jotaro Kujo placed a hand to the side of your face and wiped away your tears. With a small laugh, he turned over to your stand.

“Hey ABBA, what took you so long huh?” 

“...Gimme.” ABBA shrugged a little bit and pointed at you. 

You smiled, wiping your tears away. “She said she wouldn’t appear until I was either ready for it, or I really needed her.” 

Jotaro rolled his eyes at your stand. “Well you really waited for the exact moment that she needed you huh-Ow!” 

Jotaro grumbled a bit as Star punched him in the arm, annoyed that his user was making fun of this new pretty stand. ABBA grinned mischievously before looking around at the rest of the group, and seeing all of the other stands. 

A feeling of happiness swelled within the stand’s heart. Ever since you had pricked your finger on the arrow, for so long she had been growing, becoming more and more trapped within you. It had been lonely seeing you struggle without her help. It had been upsetting to see you not yet be ready for her to show herself. But now, eyeing all the others, Heaven’s Door, Echoes, the Hand, Crazy Diamond, and especially Star Platinum, ABBA really didn’t feel alone anymore. And seeing now how the other stand users of Morioh rushed over to hug you and vocalize their shock at you having a stand, ABBA could tell that you didn’t really feel alone anymore either. With a sigh of content, your stand fazed back into your body as you followed the rest of the group away from the scene and back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. 

You leaned against Jotaro’s frame as he wrapped as a strong arm around you. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat everyone! Tonio’s, my treat!” He said with a bright smile. 

Josuke and Okuyasu cheered, “and (y/n) can meet Tonio’s stand!” 

You turned back to the teens in shock as you all walked ahead. “Tonio has a stand?!” 

Koichi gave a firm nod. “Yeah. So does Hazamada.” 

“That weird kid?!” 

“My girlfriend Yukako too.” 

“Damn… I had no idea…” 

You all shared a laugh as you left to enjoy a well deserved victory, the sun setting over the beautiful town of Morioh, another dark force defeated by the town's newest savior.

[goldenlaquer]

Hey ! Adding some Drifters content here : what kind of husbands/fathers do you think Toyohisa and Naoshi would be ? Btw, thank you for the quality content of your blog

Hello! Thank you so much for reading my blog! (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) Once again, I’ll separate the headcanons for husband and fathers. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I’d like to space out Drifters content, or else my Gintama content will drown it out! I hope you like it :)

Aw shit, this is going to be long. 

Drifters Husband Headcanons:

Butch Cassidy:

Before, marriage wasn’t something Cassidy entertained very often or at all. Just didn’t figure himself the marrying type. It also didn’t particularly help that the only women in his time who were willing to hitch it with a wanted outlaw were the same types that wouldn’t think twice about stealing the lint right out of his pockets while he slept. Not exactly wife material. ‘Sides, Cassidy very much liked his arrangements with women in the past. No hassle. No baggage. Just fun and booze and sex, and then the next day, he’d be off for the next gig without a single glance backward. The arrangement suited a criminal like him just fine,

until you; the finest female he’s ever met in all of the wild west and the strange new world, from your head and to your tippy-toes and down to the funny thing they call ‘personality’. A one-night stand doesn’t even come close to what he has with you. All of the sudden, Cassidy finds himself warming up more and more to the idea of marriage. In fact, he’d be a damn fool to not put a ring on that left hand of yours!

Oh boy, does Kid get a kick outta this. Marriage? For the fellow who said that there wouldn’t be a heavy enough ring to hold him down for a single woman? That fellow? ( “Alright, alright, Kid,” Cassidy mutters. “Stop laughin’. I said stop laughing, you sonuvabitch.”) 

Kid can laugh and joke all he wants, but Cassidy can’t find a damn thing in himself that says he regrets the marriage. 

the romance will never fizzle out, never; he keeps it alive with his silver-tongue and flirty lips. Like, the compliments just keep on coming while he’s bending over the ring finger, eye winking roguishly up at your heated face as he presses a kiss to the cool metal (maybe a few nips at the surrounding skin)  

He ain’t leaving you behind to play wife while he’s gone. Nuh-uh, you’re coming everywhere with him, every corner of the world, delivering messages and supplies. Even when the action picks up and the wagon turns into a getaway vehicle, he keeps you close by, weapons drawn and deftly firing at away any enemies gutsy enough to reach for you. There are plenty enough bullets for every bastard who thinks they can touch his wife like that. 

It’s a ride-or-die. Ride-or-die.

Kanno Naoshi:

Marriage with Naoshi is calm and peaceful. 

Nah, I’m fucking with you. 

It isn’t exactly calm. Or peaceful. It’s Naoshi. 

But starting a family was something he considered to be done in times of peace, when the war is over and he can return back home without scanning the skies for any incoming bomber planes. After all, there’s no point in marrying someone and then make a widow out of her. 

And in this world, his odds of surviving are just as bad if not worse, but everything is too unpredictable, his future too murky and goddamn uncertain that it makes Naoshi snap and say fuck it-- he’s marrying you, no matter how bad his odds are, because he can’t just wait and wait forever, fretting like some sissy. He’s gonna man up and tie the knot so tight that he’ll never leave you behind. 

If there are no shinto priests around, he’ll (forcefully) dress a poor beastman or Scipio up as one, to conduct a very wack-ass replica of the wedding ceremony back home. 

You’re part of his chaotic decision-making. As belligerent as he is, the road isn’t a one-man show anymore now that you and him are married. Everything he does, he does with you. He listens to you. Your input matters. (Within reason, of course, because if you tell him something dumb, he’ll tell you it’s dumb. But vice versa, he counts on you to call him out if he does some stupid shit.)

Naoshi works even harder on his plane. He wants the thing up and running as soon as possible. He’ll be damned if he couldn’t give his wife the best view of any world-- the sky in all its glory and the earth miles down below, every tree, plant, and animal as small as ants-- he wants you beside him in the cockpit. He wants to see your eyes and face light up in wonder and happiness as you look down. He wants to see that sight for the rest of his damn life. 

As you might expect, marital fighting. If your temper is even one-tenths of his temper, the arguments are inevitable and constant. Starts as easily as breathing air and drinking water. They are mostly petty, petty things that have no real animosity behind them. Actually, arguing with him is quite therapeutically cathartic, in the sense that you know you'll never need to hold back your emotions on him. Though, once in a while, a serious argument does pop off, leaving both parties hurt and angry. Even in the worst moments, he’ll never let a sunset go down on a fight, coming to you by the end of the day to mend things in his own rough, endearing way. 

In your marriage, fighting does not break bonds, it strengthens. 

Shimazu Toyohisa: 

It’s just a part of life for Toyohisa; he never thought about it too much. In the warring states of Japan, samurai families were very much into the politically arranged marriage stuff, so there was no need for him to go out and find himself a wife. He focused all his strength and efforts on the battlefield in the name of the Shimazu Clan, and that was about as domestic as he got. 

The concept of marriage is so far from his mind, that it’ll take ages for him to even think about it even if y’all are in a relationship. You are his. He is yours. Wife or not, those are the facts, so he doesn’t need any other labels. 

I D I O T, Nobunaga hits Toyohisa over the head (”Idiot! Idiot!” Yoichi cheers from behind the scene.) Listen, you silly boy. Woman are monopolizing creatures. They want everything: your thoughts, your fidelity, and your heart. Matrimony is just one of those things. If you aren’t husband and wife, she’s going to hold it against you and never tell you about it. Eventually, one day, she’s not going to take it anymore and she’ll betray you--

Aa? Not everyone thinks twisted like you, old man! 

If he’s going to marry you, he’s not going to do it just because some paranoid warlord told him to do it. He’s going to use marriage, not as some political scheme or placation, but to symbolize that you have his thoughts, fidelity, and heart. 

husband!toyohisa is just soooooo ahhhhh

Toyohisa does have to admit, there is something about you referring to yourself as his wife to others. Oh yeah, that’s his possessive, monopolizing side talkin’. 

You have the upper hand over him in domestic situations. He’s got no clue nor talent about most of this stuff, but Toyohisa is nothing if not a trier. Full of grit, this one. 

You have his ardent loyalty and protection, without a doubt. He will defend your person and honor until his last breath. And if you’re a fighter like him (which he doesn’t approve of in the first place), Toyohisa is going to try everything in the book to get you off the field. During battle, he always goes into a higher state of consciousness to achieve that demon-like intensity and power, but the thought of you in danger makes him falter, it is too horrific and too distracting for him. This could be the hill in your marriage, that bump in the road that will take time to get across, but no matter what, remember that Toyohisa loves you.

[spaceorphan18]

Blaine Solos Ranked

With the success of the Kurt Solos Ranked, I thought I’d see if I could do Blaine’s as well.  Which has become an interesting and complicated endeavor.  

First of all - there’s the whole issue of what constitutes as a solo -- especially when he often times has an entire back up group singing along with him.  Things like the Warbler numbers I counted -- because he sings the lead in the song by himself.  Not counted are group numbers where he is featured - such as Hey Jude and This Is the New Year.  Mostly, I stuck to what Glee Wiki counts as a solo, so if you have issues, take it up with them. 

Secondly, when ranking Kurt solos, I took a lot into account of how heavily the song ties Kurt’s story.  While nearly all of Kurt’s solos tie in with his story, the Blaine solos don’t always do so.  So, mostly this is just what I think of them. 

Thirdly, the Blaine fans that I have met are, well, fairly passionate about his music, so I want to say this.  There aren’t really any bad Blaine solos.  Unlike Will and Tina, who were subjected to poor song choices, Blaine’s performances, across the board, are pretty stellar.  So, I’d like to remind everyone that this list is pretty arbitrary and based on my subjective biases.  

So going in - take the list as it is, just a fun look at how one person ranks the solos. :) 

Btw - the trivia on Glee wiki says that Blaine sings 31 solos, but I only found 29 -- do they mean the two songs added to the Warblers CD? Or am I missing a couple??

29. I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You (Prom Queen) 

Look at the list of Blaine solos, and arranging it to a list of things I like more than other things, this just kept sinking down and down.  The biggest reason is that I just don’t like the song.  Yup, that’s it.  Nothing exciting about that really.  But I suppose adding to that is the fact that this performance feels way more Darren than it does Blaine, and that the onscreen performance is mostly Finn and Jesse fighting over Rachel.  As I said earlier, there’s nothing /bad/ about any of Blaine’s solo, I just like all the rest more. 

28. Piano Man (Movin’ Out) 

This is a perfectly fine albeit generic rendition of this number.  So, here’s my thing about this one - when they did Piano Man in season one, not only did the song fit a bit more into context with Will and Bryan Ryan being somewhat washed up losers, there was a grittiness in not only the song but the visuals as well, and we get to do something that TV can do, which is transport us into the atmosphere of the song.  By the time Blaine gets to do this number, all of that context and TV atmosphere has been kind of washed away.  And this feels like a number that everyone would have fun singing at Darren’s piano bar because it’s a classic, and less because it has relevance to any of the story.  

Look - a lot of these numbers are fun numbers just for the heck of it, but since they had already done this one, and since this is supposed to take place of the NYADA audition, I’m marking it down.  You can do a lot with this song, and this performance, mostly, didn’t.  

27. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

This is another one where I just am not a fan of the original song, and I don’t go back to listen to it very often.  That said - it is super fun to see Blaine joining all the clubs and being super interactive in school, even if it’s tinged with the sadness that he and Kurt aren’t connecting much these days. 

26. Bills, Bills, Bills (The Sue Sylvester Shuffle) 

This one has grown on me over the years.  It is a bit random - the Warblers’ singing an impromptu (and somewhat obligatory) Destiny’s Child song for the Superbowl episode.  It has zero story resonance.  But it is hilarious to see how much furniture Darren Blaine stands on during the number.  If nothing else, the number is fun, and the Warblers look like they’re enjoying the hell out of doing it.

25. When I Get You Alone (Silly Love Songs)

This one, still, is one of the cringiest things they did on the show.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s hilariously ridiculous, and Blaine singing to a dude in The Gap about sex toys is just, well, something memorable.  It also is getting points for Kurt’s annoyed looks and Darren’s pink sunglasses.  But overall, it still makes me uncomfortable to watch. 

24. Fighter (Big Brother)

So, mostly, this just isn’t a song I like all that much.  Vocally, Blaine sounds fine on it - and does a decent job with it.  That said, I can’t take it as seriously as I’m supposed to.  There’s something I find unintentionally hilarious about this little, teenage grandpa angsting over his brother.  I know it’s got the infamous shower sequence in here - and I get it, I do.  But the fact that I can’t keep from giggling through it is why it’s a bit lower than the rest.  

23. Against All Odds (Guilty Pleasures)

First of all, I’ve always confused by the debate about this song.  It’s clearly for Sam, because Blaine’s an intense guy with intense emotions, and any song he sings for a person he has feelings for is going to be intense.  Go back and watch When I Get You Alone -- that was intense for a dude he got coffee with twice.  I love Blaine (and Darren) with a piano and his voice, and this is one of the ones that was performed live, so that’s cool.  Not my favorite Phil Collins’s number - so that’s mostly the reason for the position here.  Also not the most visually engaging.  But the song is performed well. 

22. Hopelessly Devoted to You (The Role You Were Born to Play)

I’ve never realized just how many angsty Blaine songs he has in his canon.  It’s kind of like the equivalent of Kurt crying through his solos.  He does it well, and I don’t really have any faults for this one.  It’s visually entertaining as well as sounding pretty good.  But not a favorite song of mine, and therefore just gets notched a bit lower.  

21. Last Friday Night (Pot o Gold)

I actually really like this song, even if I’ve probably heard it enough to be fine with not hearing it again for a long time.  The performance is cute - there’s a nice high energy about it (with the exception of Santana’s dower expression during the whole thing because random season 3 conflict).  However, this is kind of the height of whole Jukebox Blaine thing, where he’s trotted out to sing the hot new single of the summer, and then we just stash him away in the background to sit next to Kurt platonically until he’s needed again.  I like the song and the performance, but am frustrated by the gratuitous context.  

20. It's Not Unusual (The Purple Piano Project)

This one is flirty and high energy and Blaine looks super cute dancing on the stairs.  I don’t really have any faults for this number.  But I’m not particularly emotionally attached to it, either, so so in the middle it goes. 

19. Hey, Soul Sister (Special Education)

I unabashedly love this song - even though I feel like I’m not supposed to since it was way, way over played when it was popular.  But I do.  The performance, however, isn’t the Warblers’ best -- across the board I feel like competition numbers rarely are -- and I’d argue it’s one of Blaine’s weaker vocal performances (sorry Darren), but it’s still fun, and the arrangements for the Warbler songs have always been pretty stellar. 

18. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Michael)

While the song itself is a bit strange, and while I’ve never been a huge MJ fan (sorry my dudes), I think this number is a lot of fun.  It’s visually pretty entertaining, and I love the second half where they bring in all of the different styles MJ had donned over the years.  It’s vocally pretty stagnant, so Blaine doesn’t have to do much here, but it’s about the spectacle anyway - and I enjoy what they did with it. 

17. Something’s Coming

It’s always nice to hear Blaine do a Broadway number to give us a break from the mostly pop music he sings.  While not Blaine’s strongest number vocally (he struggles just a little more on the Broadway ones), I love that he brings the stage alive when it’s just him singing.  He’s incredibly visually engaging, and what he may lack (a little) with the vocals he makes up in energy and enthusiasm, which is always a joy to watch.  Plus, there’s something particularly more attractive about early season 3 Blaine (possibly the fluffier, less gelled hair) that adds a nice touch. 

16. Not While I'm Around (Bash)

Interestingly, the studio version of this song has everyone on it, and I’m so glad they let Blaine sing it on his own - because I feel it’s much more impactful that way.  Not only is this the only real insight we get into Blaine’s head during this episode, but it’s raw and emotional (in a good way), and that adds to story unfolding on our screen.  This might be, perhaps, the shortest number on the list, but its impact is stronger than a lot of the other numbers on the list, which is why I enjoy it a lot more. 

15. Beauty School Dropout (Glease)

My favorite Broadway number that Blaine does on the show.  I kind of love that there’s a lot going on during this song.  Not only is Blaine doing an amazing Teen Angel, there’s the moment in the middle Blaine sees Kurt, and the layered look on Blaine’s face as he tries to hold it together is pretty remarkable.  It’s one of my favorite acting moments from Darren, and one of my favorite times the story of the characters is layered over a seemingly disconnected performance.  Plus, Blaine sounds fantastic on this catchy little number.  

14. Silly Love Songs (Silly Love Songs) 

This is one of those charming Warbler numbers that doubles as an ending feature that actually gives relevance to the story of the episode.  It’s cute and sweet and flirty and fun and everyone gets something interesting to do during it.  I don’t have a lot of commentary to add about it - but it’s a classic for a reason, and because of that, it deserves a higher spot on the list. 

13. You're My Best Friend (Puppet Master)

I’m not sure I fully understand the casts’ aversion to the puppets (though I’ll acknowledge that it’s probably weird to perform with a puppet of yourself).  That said, this number is kinda cool visually, and a nice break from what can be tedious choir room songs at this point in the series.  I also enjoy the song and think Blaine sounds nice on it.  Plus - Blaine totally has a backup career in children’s programming if he ever desired.  It is weird that Blaine’s singing to puppets in the first place, but I do adore this one. 

12. Don't Stop Me Now (Diva)

I enjoy that Blaine’s version of being a diva is just adding a leather jacket and pants to a number he performs exactly the same otherwise.  Again, not much to comment on here, but I love the song, and Blaine sounds great on it, and while it isn’t hugely impactful to his story, I like that it shows Blaine being the ambitious little go-getter that he is.  

11. Misery (Original Song) 

This is another one of those songs that I unironically love.  It is the most upbeat song about being miserable that I’ve ever heard, and while a lot of this song has to do with Kurt and his own mental state, has there ever been a more perfect song for Blaine? (well, yes but I’d digress if I went on about that.)  I love so much about this song, from the choreography to Blaine’s obliviousness with Kurt as the number progresses.  It’s fun and energetic and the most entertaining a subject as misery can get. 

10. Cough Syrup (On My Way) 

This might be the most controversial pick on the list, since I know for a lot of Blaine fans, this is their favorite number.  I think it validates what a lot of people had been thinking - that there’s a lot going on underneath the surface of an outwardly peppy and energetic Blaine Anderson.  And, I do like this song, and find it haunting -- it’s much different than the songs Blaine usually sings.  It’s more emotional and tortured, and it’s fascinating to watch him sing his way through it.  That said, the actual performance of this I rarely ever watch.  It’s laid over Karofsky’s suicide attempt, and I find that sequence incredibly difficult to watch.  So, while I do think a lot of the praise this song gets is completely valid, I can’t claim that it’s my favorite.  I’m giving it an obligatory spot at #10 because I do think it deserves to be acknowledged as one of Blaine’s best solos. 

9. It's Not Alright but It's Okay (Dance With Somebody)

Funny enough, as just a song, this isn’t one of my favorites.  But I love, love what this song does.  Clearly, by now I’m sure you’ve figured out, I love performances that have a lot of layers to them - and this one definitely does.  There’s a great duality going on here between the awkward sadness that Blaine actually sings in the choir room versus the controlled anger that Blaine displays during his own fantasy.  (It’s also one half of a conversation with Kurt that gets resolved when Kurt sings I Have Nothing later on.)  I love the complexity of emotion that goes on during this one, and it remains one of my favorite performances on the show.  

8. My Dark Side (Dynamic Duets) 

Yes, this song is amazing! Again, another one of those performances that has a ton packed in it -- that has the additional quality of sounding and looking fantastic.  I love that this song is entirely about Blaine, and where he is in his life.  We get more tortured Blaine, but this time it’s in a more upbeat, pop-y song that suits Blaine incredibly well.  But mostly, I love his interaction with the Warblers during it, the choreography is brilliant as they slowly start to bring him back in as their leader - and that moment where he parts them and he walks down the center reclaiming his position.  There’s a lot to unpack here, as it easily meshes with the themes of the episode - of dark vs light and of heroes not always being heroic (but worth it anyway).  I love when there’s deeper symbolism in a performance, and this has a ton of that. 

7. All of Me (The Untitled Rachel Berry Project) 

Look, it’s probably no secret that I really love Blaine (and Darren) just sitting at a piano singing.  And I really love this song in general, too.  Blaine’s last solo on the show (unfortunately!) is as tortured as many of the others on this list, but the thing that stands out for me about this one is its simplicity.  It’s just Blaine by himself, working out how he feels about his situation through song.  It’s not really meant to be heard by Kurt (or anyone else) but it’s also a shame that so rarely Blaine gets to let his real emotions be on display, which he does here.  The performance is also beautifully shot, and intentionally evocative of another infamous Blaine solo that’s a little higher on the list. 

6. Raise Your Glass (Original Song) 

This is quintessential Warblers, and quintessential performance Blaine.  This song is amazing on its own, truly.  But the Warblers bring so much warmth and joy to it -- it’s such an engaging and energetic song, I often listen to it as a pick me up.  No - this isn’t essential to Blaine’s character story, but I think it represents all the fun and ridiculousness Blaine and the Warblers arc brought to the show. 

5. Somewhere Only We Know (Born This Way) 

There’s something hauntingly beautiful about this one.  Blaine (and the Warblers) sound great on it, and it’s the beginning of Blaine having a tortured and emotional underbelly to his personality.  But more so, this song is about endings, and this is a turning point in Kurt’s and Klaine’s story as we say goodbye to Dalton and move on with the rest of Kurt’s journey.  And it’s a dialogue between Kurt and Blaine, despite the sea of people around them, things are changing between them for better and for worse and for... just growing up, and this song encapsulates that beautifully. 

4. All You Need is Love (Love, Love, Love)

Not gonna lie, this one is 100% about the context within the show.  When I first heard the song, when it was released before the episode, it was kinda like - cool, Darren’s singing a Beatles cover.  But the actual performance, the fact that this is essentially a love letter to the Klaine story, makes it one of the most precious and romantic numbers in the entire show.  Blaine pulls out all the stops for Kurt here, and I can never just watch the performance, but always continue on to the proposal as well.  It’s a beautiful performance, and a beautiful moment for Klaine and an utter highlight for the show itself. 

3. It’s Time (The New Rachel) 

Perhaps a number I’ve seen more than any other, I just love this number so much. Yes, it’s a good song.  Yes, Blaine sounds great on it.  And yes, the choreography is a ton of fun.   But it’s also Blaine, very much himself, torn between being a child and growing up.  There’s an unspoken dialogue between Kurt and Blaine during this song, about moving on from being stuck, and while this number is very childlike in it’s choreography, the subject matter is a little more mature -- being about moving on from the places your feel safe and journeying out in the world to be the person you’re supposed to be.  There’s also a duality here -- where Blaine is stuck in the childlike land of high school as Kurt moves on to college and New York.  This is another turning point in their story (as is all the songs done on these steps for these two), and I absolutely love that.  But, it shouldn’t be discounted that it is a really good song that Blaine sounds really good on -- which is why it makes it one of Blaine’s best solos. 

2. Teenage Dream Acoustic (The Break Up) 

I’m sure that no one is surprised this at the top of the list. But what I can’t stress enough is that this is, hands down, one of the best performances done on the show period.  Katy Perry’s original version of Teenage Dream is a trashy, forgettable pop song.  What Darren Criss did with it is nothing short of magical.  But then to bring this arrangement and add in his most phenomenal acting performance, even if it did break all of our hearts.  The thing I love especially about the show version (vs the studio version) is that we get to see Blaine slowly break down and become unraveled while singing it.  The performer that Blaine is starts to break down and this performance becomes an utter mess -- which makes it all the more powerful, moving, and heartbreaking.  I love everything that this number chooses to be -- from exposing Blaine’s character, to the breaking of the fairy tale romance that is Klaine, to letting it be an end of one thing while the beginning of another.  

Meanwhile, on another note, I’ve heard Darren sing this enough in his own performances that I have somewhat disassociated this version with the Klaine break up - but that doesn’t make this arrangement less powerful.  Darren took a somewhat throwaway song and made something uniquely beautiful with it -- and that’s incredibly special, too.  

1. Teenage Dream (Never Been Kissed)

I’m sure you’re gasping with surprise.  But, this is no. 1 for a reason.  While I think the acoustic version is better sounding (there’s just a tad too much auto tune here for reasons I’m unsure about), this number is the epitome of all Blaine numbers.  It’s his introduction to the show, and so much of Blaine’s character was cultivated out of this performance.  On top of that -- this performance made Kurt alive again, and it’s the beginning of a wild and beautiful story that would be the Klaine love story.  It also became a major hit for the show - thrusting the music of Glee to a height that it never really could match again.  

The scene is iconic and classic.  The song is iconic and classic.  Everything that is Blaine and the Klaine love story is wrapped up in this one.  And every time I come back to it, I can’t help but smile - which is why this one remains at the top spot for me.  

[jimimn]

HI ITS ME WHO'S NOT OVER JJK BLONDE SELFIE AND WILL NEVER BE -💫

HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO <33333333

HONESTLY ITS THE WAY YOH SAY SUCH NICE THINGS AND I DISAPPEAR FOR DAYS ON END BECAUSE INCONSISTENCY BLEEDS INTO EVERY CORNER OF MY LIFE FNEKALKD BUT I'M GETTING DONE WITH MY FIRST LEG OF EXAMS ON MONDAY SO YAY TO THAT!! OKAY I THINK WE'LL MOVE SLOWLY WITH BABY STEPS JUNGKOOK DROPPED SOME SELCAS JIMIN DROPPED SOME SELCAS IN THE WORDS OF THE LEGENDARY JEON JUNGKOOK ALL WE NEED NOW IS "together..BAM!" (THAT'S LITERALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS EVER THE WAY HE SAYS IT 🤧)

YES IN THIS HOUSE WE SCREAM OVER JIMIN'S DISRESPECT HE IS THE PARAGON OF A MULTI-FACETED MAN THAT HAS US WRAPPED AROUND HIS FINGER. THE AUDACITY 😤

CHANEL X JIMIN LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN AND OMG THAT SELFIE THAT DROPPED?? SIR???? WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?? I MEAN YES BH SAID LET'S DROP SELFIES IN BULK BUT THAT ONE PICTURE OF HIM IN BLACK(GREY? I DONT KNOW FHSKKAJF) WITH THE SHIRTS UNBUTTONED!!! THEM COLLARBONES ARE FREE AND THEY'RE THRIVING IN THE OPEN IN THAT ONE. ALSO HIS LIPS ARE SO PRETTY. OH GOD LITERALLY HE HAS THAT COCKY SMIRK ON HIS FACE WHEN HE KNOWS HE DOES HOT BOY SHIT LIKE SHUT UP OK YOU CANT DO THAT JAIL FOR U NDNSLSKAJJW

SUCH A FUCKING TEASE THATS RIGHT!! EVEN STRAIGHT MEN?? BRO LIKE HOW DO YOU HAVE ALL GENDERS JUST TRIPPING OVER THEMSELVES FOR YOU IT'S INSANE AND OMG MISS SHIVI HAVE YOU SEEN THAT ONE CLIP IN WHICH JIMIN HOLDS HIS GAZE WITH THESE MEN WHO LOOK AT HIM (i think it was bon voyage?) and when they cross each other he JUST SMIRKS AND RUNS HIS HAND THROUGH HIS HAIR LIKE YEAH OK ALEXA PLAY I'M SEXY AND I KNOW IT. AND YES I'LL LISTEN TO EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY ANYTIME 💗💗

12PM KST IS THE HOLY HOUR I TELL YOU ALTHOUGH I REMEMBER WAITING THE NIGHT BEFORE BE CAME OUT WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO COME AND BH WAS JUST LIKE "yea...no" OMG THAT'S AWESOME YOUR COUSIN'S VISITING YOU

HHFJDOSO YEAH IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE THEY DID THE JUMP ALTHOUGHHHH I'M POSITIVE THEY'LL DO SMTH COOL LIKE THAT IN THEIR CONCERTS BECAUSE THEIR PERFORMANCE QUALITY IS JUST.. THROUGH THE ROOF IT'S CRAZY!! WHEN THE PERFORM WINGS?? LIKE HOLY SHIT NO CHOREO NO POSITIONS JUST BTS RUNNING AROUND THE STAGE MAKING THE CROWD GO FERAL I LOVE EVERY WINGS PERFORMANCE SO MUCH MY SEROTONIN LEVELS ARE ALWAYS AT A HIGH THEN. OOHH MY GODDD BS&T IS REALLY THAT BITCH!!!! WHO'S DOING IT LIKE HER TODAY NO ONE IS EXACTLY. AND NOOOO I TOTALLY GET IT WE THINK ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH THAT ACCIDENT HAS THE SAME EFFECT ON ME. IF ONLY YOU'D TOLD ME THEN IN 2016 THAT THAT ACCIDENT WAS THE START OF SO MANY I'D BE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWED (see: him basically stripping himself that one serendipity performance. holy shit.)

FOR REAL THO CHRISTMAS LOVE DROPPED OUT OF NOWHERE AND DO YOU REMEMBER JIMIN SAYINF uUH iM nOt wORkInG oN a SoLo SoNg aT ThE mOmEnT heHe LIKE ALL MEN DO IS LIE OK AT THIS POINT. BYE. YES TAEHYUNG DID WARN US BUT ARMYS (LIKE MYSELF) PUT THEIR CLOWN WIGS ON AND THOUGHT IT WAS KTH1 LMAO. OMG I HOPE YOU DON'T SLEEP THROUGH ANY OF THEIR UPCOMING SONG RELEASES BUT I'M SURE IT'S THE BEST FEELING TO WAKE UP TO CHECK YOUR NOTIFS AND SEE "Big Hit Labels" BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE FIREEE. DUDE SERIOUSLY I NEED JIMIN TO GO LIVE AGAIN (although we've been well fed by namjoon for now🤧😌💗) LIKE THAT ONE YT LIVE WHERE HE SAID "O...M...G" SHUT UP STOP BEING SO CUTE I'M DHJSWLIFJWKALS

LMAO OKAY YEAH THAT'S VALID YOUR BLOG THEME IS BASICALLY ✨jimin✨ AND I LOVE THAT IT REALLY GRAVITATED ME AND YOUR URL OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDD YOUR BRAINNN 💆‍♀️💆‍♀️💆‍♀️💆‍♀️💆‍♀️

YES YES YES JIMIN IS SO PERFECT AND THE SOCK DOODLESSS 😭😭😭 oooo so when did you get into giffing? how did you start? BROOOOO YOUR URL'S ORIGIN STORY. I LOVE IT WOW YES IT'S DEFINITELY GOT THE REQUIRED ✨pazzaz✨

NOOO OMG THIS URL IS YOUR BRAND LIKE YOU'RE A LEGEND ON ARMYBLR I LOVE IT SO MUCH. BUT STILL!! IT'S YOUR CHOICE AT THE END 💖

OMG QUARANTINE DID IT'S ONE GOOD JOB AND GOT YOU INTO BANGTAN YAY. OMG YOU AND MISS LIFEGOESMON ARE FRIENDSS??? LEGENDS INTERACTING THIS IS SO COOL. LMAO THE PARADIGM SHIFT YOU MUST'VE FELT FROM LISTENING TO STAY GOLD (WHICH BTW THE MV...THE LITERAL CUTEST OH GOD THE LITTLE DOG AND JIMIN'S LITTLE SMILES DHSJAOWO) TO THEN GOING TO BST IN WHICH JIMIN IS BASICALLY STRIPPING AND JUNGKOOK IS UPSIDE DOWN LMAOOO. YES BS&T HAS EVERYONE HOOKED THE POWERRRR. YOU FALLING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH YOUR FRIEND'S ASSISTANCE OH GOD THIS IS SO CUTE 💓 EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM 🥺🥺🥺

AAAAH OKAY MY STORY ISN'T AS INTERESTING AS YOURS IS BUT IN 2016 BASICALLY ALL I KNEW OF KPOP WAS GANGNAM STYLE AND WASNT WILLING TO CUANGE THAT PERCEPTION (FOOL BEHAVIOUR I TELL YOU) AND WAS TOO BUSY OBSESSING OVER ONE DIRECTION'S REUNION AND SO ONE NIGHT (THE NIGHT BEFORE JIMIN'S BIRTHDAY 🤧🤧) I JUST STUMBLED UPON THEIR BS&T TEARS MV AND I HEARD IT AND I WAS LIKE OMG!! THIS IS THAT SUPER ADDICTIVE SONG THAT I'D HEARD SOMEWHERE AND IT JUST SPIRALLED FROM THERE I REMEMBER SEEING JIMIN AND BEING LIKE 👀👀👀👀 WHO IS HE I LIKE HIM AND JUST HIS AURA DREW ME IN SOOO MUCH AND WHEN I WAS GETTING INTO THEM I REMEMBER WRITING THEIR NAMES IN MY NOTES TO SEE IF I COULD REMEMBER 🤧 AND I STILL HAVE THAT NOTE FROM 4+ YEARS AGO 💓 AND YEAH BASICALLY SEEING THEM DO ALL THE MUSIC SHOWS AND STUFF AT THE TIME WAS SO COOOL AND MIND YOU BH DIDN'T HAVE SUBS FOR BANGTAN BOMBS THEN SO WENT ON THESE SKETCHY DAILYMOTION TYPE SITES LOOKING FOR ALL THE CONTENT I COULD CHURN OUT LMAO

AND YES!! COURTESY OF YOU I DID WATCH SOME RUN EPS!! I WATCHED THEIR CANADA ONES SPEAKING OF WHICH I LOOOVE THAT PART WHERE THEY'RE DOING THAT SONG GUESSING THING IN THE MORNING AND JIMIN SAYS "are you cold?" 🥺🥺 TO TAE AND HUGS HIM URRHRHEHSJSJSH AND I ALSO SAW THE ONES WITH THE PUPPIES GODDDDD I LOVE THE PUPPIES ONE SO MUCH LITERALLY JUNGKOOK AND HIS DOG (MIRI?) OH MY GOD THAT LIL FLUFFER AND ADAM IS MY ICON WITH HOW HE JUST DID HIS OWN THING LMAO.

BUT ANYWAY!! DO YOU HAVE A FAVE ERA?? LIKE DO YOU EVER LOOK AT THEM AND GO "Damn I wish I was a fan then" BECAUSE HONESTLY I WISH I HAD STANNED THEM IN THEIR DOPE ERA BUT I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE SURVIVED JIMIN THEN DHKSOWID-💫

FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME!!!!!!! ITS OKAY!!!!!!!! I TOTALLY TOTALLY UNDERSTAND!!!!! AND YAYYYYY CONGRATS I HOPE THE FIRST LEG OF EXAMS WENT WELL <333333 AND OH MY GOD you’re gonna make me cry with the together baam goddddddd same one of my fave moments and jimin’s giggles after that 😭😭😭😭 my babies <3 :((((

that..... black suit selca....... that opened button...... like open one more dear sir who’s stopping you... just do it <33333 YEAH he totally needs to shut up with his i know im hot side it just kills me every single time 😭😭😭😭😭

LISTEN THAT BV3 MOMENT  S H O O K  ME OKAY????? THOSE GUYS LOOKED AT HIM AND HE WAS SO FUCKING SMUG ABOUT IT (AND HE SHOULD BE) AND THE WAY HE LICKED HIS LIPS AND RAN HIS HANDS THROUGH HIS HAIR????? LIKE HE KNOWS HE HAS EVERY SINGLE PERSON; NO MATTER WHAT GENDER; WRAPPED AROUND HIS LIL PINKY LIKE THAT???????

OH MY GOD ME TOO I LOVEEEEEEEEEEE THE WINGS STAGE AND WATCHING THEM HAVE SO MUCH FUN IS JUST SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVVVEEE THEIR ENERGY DURING THE SY TOUR MEDLEY WITH IDOL AND BAEPSAE AND FIRE AND DOPE ZSXDFGFCHGVJBHJN THEY JUST LOSE THEMSELVES IN THE CROWD AND THE MUSIC AND ITS JUST SO FUCKING SURREAL TO WATCH HOW MUCH THEY ENJOY DOING WHAT THEY DO!!!!! kinda makes me want to find that happiness and passion in whatever i do in my professional life <3 and LISTEN jimin said the break the soul commentary THAT HE COULD DO SERENDIPITY SHIRTLESS TOO. THE AUDACITY. HE SAID THAT WITH HIS WHOLE CHEST. 

YOU KNWO WHAT I THINK JIMIN WON’T GIVE US A HINT BEFORE DROPPING PJM1. HE’LL JUST DROP IT ONE FINE DAY OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE HE DROPPED PROMISE AND CHRISTMAS LOVE (i wasn’t here when he dropped promise but i read that on twitter sdfghjkl) AND NO PLS NO I DO N O T WANT TO SLEEP THROUGH JJK1 OR KTH1 OR PJM1 OR KSJ1 OR NAMGI MIXTAPE 3 OR HOBI MIXTAPE 2 OR ANYTHING BASICALLY YOU GET IT i had slept through dynamite cb because i had NO CLUE that they were gonna drop it at 1pm kst rather than 12 am kst. i was under the impression that since they dropped all the teaser pictures and the teaser itself as 12 am kst, the mv will drop at 12 am kst too. and I woke up like two hours after the mv dropped (which was almost noon my time) and i felt like A FUCKING FOOL AND I JUST 😭😭😭😭 NEVER WANT TO FEEL LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN 😭😭😭 

AND YES BABIE NEEDS TO COME LIVE SOON PLS I MISS HIM SO FUCKING MUCH :((((( AND HIS O...M.....G HAD MADE ME FUCKING SOBBBBBBBBBBB his yt live god he looked sooooooo fluffy with his hair and his tiny hands and his puppy eyes and soft voice im just so 😭😭😭😭😭😭

NO NONNONONONO PLEASE IM NO LEGEND DON’T SAY THAT IM EMBARRASSED im just a normal fangirl who makes okayish gifs 😭😭 and ok yes so i started giffing LONNNGGGGGG time back on a different public fan forum from my country but i never knew the right process and stuff so obviously the gifs were shitty lmao BUT ANYWAY i got into gifmaking PROPERLY this in july last year and obviously struggled a lot in the beginning because i didn’t know shit about colouring and stuff lmao but i kept practicing and even though im not perfect rn i do think that i got better. i love giffing tho. its such a nice creative outlet and whenever i gif the boys it brings me so much happiness :( <33

AND YES ASDFGHJKL ME AND HER ARE FRIENDS SINCE A VERY LONG TIME SDFGHJK LIKE LONG BEFORE BOTH OF US GOT INTO BTS SDFGHJ and ah yes the whiplash lmaooooooo and you’re right god the stay gold mv is SO FUCKING PRETTY THE COLOURS IN THAT ENTIRE MV HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AND JIMIN AND TAE AND JOON WITH THE DOGGO JUST EVERYTHING SDFGHJK <3333333 AND BS&T DUDE I GIFFED THE MV YESTERDAY AND IM 💀💀💀💀💀 (like i just giffed jimin from the mv but i did watch the whole thing 5647589 times <333333) AND GUESS WHAT!!!!!! I WAS A LILLY SINGH FAN (IDK IF YOU KNOW HER SHE’S A YOUTUBER) BACK IN 2016 AND PEOPLE BACK THEN HAD REQUESTED HER TO REACT TO BS&T MV AND I HAD WATCHED HER REACTION VIDEO AND (although it didn’t stick with me back then because i was a fucking fool) I DID SOMEHOW REMEMBERED THE JIN AND STATUE KISSING MOMENT AND WHEN IN 2020 I SAW THE MV AND SAW THE KISSING MOMENT MY BRAIN JUST!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS LIKE HOLY SHIT I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE SOMEWHERE AND THEN I REMEMBERED I HAD SEEN THIS IN THE REACTION VIDEO LMAOOOOO i wish i hadn’t been a fool and gotten into them back then :((((

AH NO OMG YOUR STORY IS SOOOOOOO CUTEEEEEEEEEE ATLEAST YOU WEREN’T A FOOL LIKE ME TO NOT GET ATTRACTED TO BS&T THE FIRST TIME OF SEEING IT!!!! I WANNA HIT MY 2016 SELF LIKE DAMN YOU YOU FOOLISH ASSHOLE AND yes omg how did y’all do the subs thing damnnnnn i can’t imagine

AND YES THE CANADA RUN EPIS ARE LOOOVVVEEEE and that vmin moment plsssssss i cry everytime 😭😭😭😭😭 it is just so soft and innocent and tae’s little smile after jimin just turns around and hugs him 😔😔😔😔 i love soulmates 😔😔😔😔 AND MIRI YES OMG EVERYONE WAS SO IMPRESSED BY THE LITTLE CUTIE AND THE WAY JUNGKOOK JUST KEPT ADORING HER THROUGHOUT MADE ME SO SO SOFTTTT and bro adam is me. i am like that. lazy and un-motivated AF. although if i were a dog and jin were to be my owner i would listen to him so well and jump on him every chance i’d get 😌😌😌

GOD YES RED HAIR DOPE ERA JIMIN 💀 BABIE BUT MAKE IT SEXY 🥵🥵 AND OMG YESDGFHG MY FAVE ERA IS HYYH. ORANGE HAIRED JIMIN. PLS. HE’S EVERYTHING. I WISH I HAD GOTTEN INTO THEM DURING THAT. LIKE THAT ERA IS ..... SOMEHOW SO FUCKING WILD AND STILL SO ASSURING AND CALMING ????? KEEPS ME ROOTED LIKE IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN DFGHJKL AND WINGS TOO DAMN I WISH I WAS HERE TO LIVE ALL THOSE AMAZING ERAS. but even though i wish i had gotten into them earlier... i think i found them when i needed them the most. I was going through a very difficult time last year and they somehow they made me feel so fucking safe and at home that the connection was instant. honestly i’ve never stanned or felt a connection with any celebrity as strong as the one i feel with bangtan. its like... they don’t know i exist but they still know EXACTLY what im feeling and what to say or do at that time to make me feel comforted. Its weird god but its true :((( SORRY I GOT EMO I JUST LOVE THEM A LOT SDFGHJKL

[andyet-here-we-are]

Happy birthday, sweetheart. May all of your dreams come true, and I wish you aaall the love and happiness in the world, all of which you deserve.

I feel so lucky to have you as my friend, @3tothe1​ . You’re the raddest person ever 💜 (btw, if there are any Bill Hader fans on my blog, they should follow her because her blog is rad just like her~)

I hope you like your first gift! ^^

…and I hope life gives you daffodils soon.

I love you so much.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829619

Richie The Daffodil by Moreid

Summary:

Richie gives Eddie flowers more than twice a week, and at one point their home is one week away from looking like an actual garden. There are flowers EVERYWHERE, so Eddie tells his lover that he should stop giving him flowers.

Being the stubborn man he is, Richie doesn’t stop.

Words: 1,652  Chapters: 1/1 

Richie loves flowers.

He loves how beautiful they are, loves the way they smell, the way they brighten up the room, and more importantly: he loves giving Eddie flowers.

Eddie teases with Richie for it every time, because  “Flowers? Seriously? Since when you got that sappy?”

The truth is: he finds this really romantic and adorable. He blushes like crazy every time Richie shows up with flowers in his hands. That’s one of the reasons why the taller man keeps giving his boyfriend flowers, he loves to make him blush, and the way his eyes light up like a kid who is watching the fireworks for the first time.

But the thing is, Eddie is the one who takes care of them, and he cares about each of them because Richie gave them to him, dammit! He just can’t let them root, and even though sometimes he dry them in books, he can’t simply dry all of the flowers.

Richie gives him flowers more than twice a week, and at one point their home is one week away from looking like an actual garden. There are flowers EVERYWHERE, so Eddie tells his lover that he should stop giving him flowers.

Being the stubborn man he is, Richie doesn’t stop.

***

About a month later, Richie is away for a week because of his stand-up shows.

On the fifth day, when Richie calls Eddie -it’s Sunday and morning for him, but Eddie knows it’s almost midnight in where Richie is- Eddie answers the call as soon as he hears it.

It’s a video call, but the other man turns off his camera immediately before he can even get the chance to see him, and Eddie can’t help but worry. Because since when Richie turns off his camera when he is away?

“Why did you turn your camera off?” he asks, a little frown appears on his face. “And why you sound-”

“Didn’t want ya to catch me doing things that got me on Santa’s Naughty List, baby,” Richie jokes, because of fucking course he would try to brush off the fact that he sounds terrible.

“Richie, what happened?”

“Nothing. Just missing you.”

Eddie sighs before he says: “I know. I know you do. I miss you, too, baby. But you sound so… Off. So I’m asking you once again, what happened?”

Eddie thinks Richie will make a joke again instead of telling him what’s the problem, but Richie surprises him after a moment of silence as he says “It was so damn crowded today, and I couldn’t sleep well last night and it’s just- that’s so stupid, never mind me.”

“Richie-”

“Can we just- like, not do this right now? Let’s talk about you.” Richie lets out a yawn, “Tell me about your day?”

Eddie doesn’t force him to talk, because he knows that he eventually will when he wants to talk about it, let it be ten minutes later or when he gets back home two days later. So he talks about his day -well, more like his morning- giving him all the details.

Eddie can wait.

About fifteen minutes later, the only thing that comes from the other end of the line is his boyfriend’s soft snores, and Eddie smiles to himself slightly. He doesn’t want to end the call, there’s a good chance Richie will have a restless sleep tonight, and even if Eddie can’t be next to him physically, his voice can be there at least, in case he has nightmares.

So, he keeps talking.

And if he says  "Fuck work, I’m staying home today,“  no one has to know.

At one point he finds himself in their living room, not really surprising when you consider that he’s the type of person who paces around like crazy when he is on the phone. Or when he is overthinking things. Once he realizes that he is pacing, he stops, then settles on one of the ridiculously comfortable black chairs that stands in front of their window.

"I never told you that, but… I named one of the flowers  ’Richie’.  That pretty daffodil you gave me two weeks ago,” he starts, smiling fondly at the memory.

“Sometimes, okay okay, more like every time  you are not around, I talk to it,” Eddie admits, “…it reminds me of you.”

“Do you know what they symbolize, Richie?” he asks, pausing as if Richie will answer at any second before he decides to continue again:

“They symbolize a new beginning. Rebirth. I wonder if you knew that when you got them. Probably you didn’t, though. Did you? There could be a flower which meant  'I hope you go to hell, dickface ’ for all I knew and you would still get it for me just because you thought it looked beautiful,” Eddie lets out a chuckle.

“Anyway. What I’m trying to say is… You, Richie Trashmouth Tozier, are my daffodil. You gave me a new beginning and, I feel like… I feel like after all these loveless, dull, meaningless years… I was born with you again.”

He doesn’t notice that the snores had come to a stop.

“Geez, Eds. And you say  I am  the sappy one,” There comes a gravelly voice, and one very sleepy, but also happy looking Richie greets him on his screen.

His first reaction is murmuring a soft  "fuck"  as if he is caught doing something wrong, which makes the taller man laugh.

“…how much of it did you hear, you sneaky bastard?” He asks after a moment, pink spreading through his cheeks down to his chest. Not only he is embarrassed because Richie probably heard all of it, but because after all these years, that laugh still does things to him.

He can swear that Richie’s laugh is the most wonderful sound in the whole world.

“Just a moment ago you were telling me that I was your daffodil, and now you are telling me that I’m a bastard. Wow, Eddie Spaghetti, you wound me.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“I thought you hated flowers,”

“I never said that I did.”

“Oh, you sure ‘bout that?  'Stop with the flowers, motherfucker. I hate these fuckin’ flowers, fucker!’ ” Richie imitates, “You were  literally  turning into a cute, midget version of Samuel L. Jackson whenever I gave you flowers.”

“I- Don’t talk like that in front of it. Flowers are affected by the way we talk,” he demands, and a wave of regret washes him over immediately after.

Richie will never let him live it down, will he?

“Now you’re just being a hypocrite. You are not exactly Mary Poppins either, ya know. And one more thing, I am affected by the way you talk to me either, but that doesn’t stop you from breaking my heart. Oh wait, I don’t have one.” Richie yawns:“ ’t was stolen from me yeeeears ago.”

“Go back to sleep, Rich,” Eddie tries, even though it’s not likely that he will listen.

“Sleep is for the weak,” claims the other man as he props himself up on his elbows on the hotel bed. “It’s overrated.”  

“Your sense of humor is overrated.”

“Ouch. That one hurt, Eds,” Richie brings one hand over his heart, feigning offense “that one hurt.”

“I’m not gonna apologize for speaking the obvious.”

“You’re the meanest robber ever. Remind me why I’m dating you again? I should seriously reconsider my choices.”

“Because you love me, dickwards. And no one can love you more than I do.”

That brings a smile on Richie’s face.

“Yeah, that’s also true.”

“Did you just say  'also’ ? So you  do  accept that your sense of humor is shit.”

“At least I have one. Can we maybe get back to the moment you were admitting your undying love for me?”

“Nope,” Eddie refuses, popping the 'p’ “that train is long gone.”

“Damn, I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“But we all know that keeping your mouth shut has never been one of your strong suits.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Richie laughs again. “Hey, Eds.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t wait to meet little Richie.”

“You’re the one who gave it to me, you already met-”

“But it didn’t have a name back then! Now it’s not the same flower once it was. Its whooole life changed when you gave it that name.”

“Also,  little Richie ? Please don’t call it that. It sounds like you’re talking about your dick. I clearly remember you referring it like that. It was a traumatic experience for me.”

Richie chuckles at that before he defends himself: “It was just that one time! I call it  'Big Richie’  now, cause ever since you came back to my life-”

“Oh Jesus, I should have never answered your call,” Eddie complains again, running a hand over his face.

“You know you love me.”

“You’re lucky I do.”

“For real, though… I can’t wait to meet Richie The Daffodil.”

“I’m sure it can’t wait to meet you properly as well.”

They both don’t say a word for a while until Richie calls his lover’s name again, Eddie only hums in response, letting his features soften.

“You’re my daffodil, too,” Richie says softly, and Eddie smiles so brightly that his eyes nearly go missing as his dimples deepen. “It’s not fair that I’m not there to poke your beautiful, adorable dimples,” he then whines, pouting like a child. “Poke them for me.”

“Leave my poor dimples alone, you weirdo,” teases Eddie, still smiling widely. “Go to sleep, and maybe you can see me and my dimples in your dream if you’re lucky enough.”

“I am lucky enough, Eddie,” Richie whispers, “I am lucky enough.”

“We are lucky enough, my love” Eddie corrects him, “we are lucky enough.”

And despite everything they both have been gone through, they mean it.

Because it’s the truth.

Because life is not always kind.

It’s not always sweet.

But if you’re lucky enough;

It gives you daffodils.

[plum-pudding-and-honey]

MONTHLY RANGE : Eight & Charley & C’rizz (1/2)

Scherzo -  2.5/5 : So... I really don't know how to rate it. Because I recognise the brilliance of the thing (excellent way of using the audio medium, the sound creature was brilliantly creepy and the atmosphere is so cringy but in a good way? Also Paul McGann and India Fisher are excellent and they do have good chemistry together). But I'm not a fan of Eight/Charley so this was kinda … annoying? I liked how the Doctor/companion relationship is explored and I like the fact that companions are memento mori (a nicer way of saying "pets", the Master gets it) but I really hated the idea that Charley was the first one the Doctor really loved (lol no) because like Rose and Clara, Charley is supposed to be """special""" (the difference being that Rose and Clara actually believe that they are special, it's not the case for Charley which is why I don't hate her with all my guts like the other two) in her relationship to the Doctor. Each and every companion has a special relationship with the Doctor, no one is special and the Doctor (whatever the incarnation) loves them all. Period. So yeah, having them mopping for two hours about "You said you loved me, you didn't mean it", "But I love you", "No, I don't love but actually I do, I'm just trying to protect you." was annoying. Just say you love each other, kiss or whatever and move on, but don't linger on it for THREE episodes, thank you very much. And then in the last part, the Doctor admits that he loves all his companions, so yeah great, but what was the point of saying that Charley was the first one half an hour before except pissing me off greatly? Despite all this, this was still a good illustration of my Eight-treats-his-companions-like-shit thesis. (Also, forgot to mention, Eight at the beginning whining about loses his senses … annoyingly brillant and sent me huge Eleven vibes). So yeah, I love some of it and hate other bits, so I guess I'll settle for something in the middle, rating-wise.

The Creed of the Kromon -  2/5 : It was going well pretty much until the end first part. Then it became a huge disappointment. We have two female characters, Charley and L'da, and they're both reduced to being reproductive tools for the Big Bad Bugs of the week and despite saving L'da being C'rizz motivation from the beginning, he just shoots her when he finds her without even considering trying something else to help her, I mean it's not like she begged that bad. And then he's ready to do the same to Charley. Great. Way to go. I hope this trigger-happy tendency will be corrected soon because I do find him an interesting character - I mean he's rough around the edges but there's way for amazing character development so please don't screw this up. The chameleon concept is also great (and wouldn't work on visual medium, let's be honest). Consider me hooked up for the Kro'ka/C'rizz arc (which I don't remember at all btw so that will be like listening to it for the first time). Also, I have to add that Eight's laugh in this episode cleared my skin, watered my crops and all of this. Also! I’m glad to have a Doctor + two companions dynamic, I really love it

The Natural History of Fear -  4/5 : So this was weird. I mean most of Eight's adventures in the main range are weird but this is another level of weird. Like they're really taking meta to the next stage. I don't have much else to say to be honest, except that it was difficult to follow at times but that I obviously loved the 1984 vibes. THIS IS THE VOICE OF LIGHT CITY. WELCOME TO YOUR NEW WORK DAY. TODAY IS HIGH PRODUCTIVITY DAY. Also that end twist *shocked*

The Twilight Kingdom -  2.5/5 : That's not particularly memorable. It really struggles to keep us hooked up for two hours and it didn't really work for me : I've lost interest and let my mind drifted several times and I was still able-ish to understand what was going on. That's not a good sign, people. The interesting bit was at the end with the return of the Kro'ka and how the mystery thickens about this weird place. Also Eight yelling "RASSILLON" at the end … someone's mad at daddy. We get to know a bit more about C'rizz which is always good to take since last episode didn't offer us any insight on his person at all. There's something definitely shifty and not coherent at all about him, like he's supposed to be a pacifist monk and yet, he's a pretty violent lad (I mean, this episode doesn't really count, he was controlled, but in the Creed of the Kromon he's not particularly gentle), which he acknowledges himself (I mean it could just be that being enslaved by the Kromon changed the man that drastically, but still...)

Faith Stealer -  3.5/5 : Ah! Finally we learn a bit more about C'rizz and we address what the hell happened in the Creed of the Kromon. Although, did he just get brainwashed into getting rid of his guilt, just like that? Because if that's the case, I'm gonna be very disappointed. I mean, I don't want him to suffer or anything but it all seemed a bit easy. Also, yeah, poor C'rizz, easily manipulated and preyed on by pretty much anyone is this freaking universe - can anyone give him a break for a second please? (also, is strangling Charley going to be a recurring thing or what? Because that is NOT ok, writers, no matter how much Charley jokes about it afterwards). Anyway, the plot was ok, the multihaven (or whatever the name of this place was, I don't remember) is an interesting concept (even more relevant today) and I really liked the idea that it's completely ok for anyone to worship literally anything without judgement. 

The Last - 3/5 : Excelsior used a nuclear weapon to end a never-ending war and killed most of her people in the process? Excuse me? The unpredicted parallel with the Doctor and the Time War is up the roof people. And so I can't help thinking that this story would have been much better in a shorter version with a post Time War Doctor (can you see this with Nine, Rose and Jack? Because I definitely can and I'm not ok). Anyway. Charley doesn't get strangled this time but choked with a pillow. I don't know, do the writers have a kink about strangling/choking/killing women? And her death was the least credible possible with the Doctor moving on from it like twenty seconds after and absolutely not going into huge drama/self pity/extreme guilt mode, so you know she won't stay dead very long. I liked C'rizz very much here, he's actually growing on me much more than Charley. I like his loyalty and the fact that he has a much darker side, when it's actually well exploited.

Caerdroia - 5/5 : gfvbvgttybvgf THREE EIGHTS THREE EIGHTS T H R E E  E I G H T S it's more than I can take. Hmm. So, i love the first part where the Doctor takes a nap (he deserves it) and sass the Kro'ka into telling him where the TARDIS is. I love him. Then we gets three versions of Eight and that's when I completely lost it. I also quite liked the crazy vibe of this episode, which felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland (again). The labyrinth part (or is it a maze??) was quite well done and the fact that it feeds off the Doctor, Charley and C'rizz subconscious was a nice to get to know them a bit more (especially C'rizz, whose annoyance with Tigger!Eight was very relatable). Charley and Eeyore!Eight was also priceless to be honest. And finally, finally, we get the TARDIS back and yeeeah! Also the Kro'ka is a frog vbyvegbvfy I can't

The Next Life - 2/5 : Excuse me but did this thing need to be that sexist? I mean... even Eight was a bit borderline a couple of times. I hated Charley in this episode, I hated how quick she was to judge C'rizz and how jealous she is throughout this audio when she's never really struck me as being jealous, especially not of C'rizz of all people. And it's a shame, really, because I was starting to think that maybe, she was getting less annoying. And most of all I HATED how her interactions with Perfection were depicted, how they bicker about the Doctor and, like, I get that it makes sense with Perfection being Zagreus and all, but it was very poorly brought, and ... just no. Also Perfection's relationship with Kip ... brrrr. Again, no. The plot in itself was not particularly memorable. It ends the Divergent Universe arc properly, the idea of this universe being in a constant cycle was kinda interesting and made sense with everything we had learnt so far so that's that. It was also nice to get to know more about C'rizz and I really like him more than Charley, and I hope he'll have a proper chance to find out who he is now. I'm definitely disappointed with this audio, it was way too long and problematic. (Just kudos for the Grace reference ... and it's made me miss Grace so I might rewatch the movie as a treat)

Overall opinion : Well I’m glad this is over. The Divergent Universe was an interesting concept but the quality of the episodes overall wasn’t very good and the way women are treated/depicted here is just a big NO. Big kudos for Caerdroia which was a nice surprise. The Natural History of Fear and Faith Stealer are good too, not as much though, and the rest, I’ll probably forget very soon, just like I did the first time. The only good thing to come out of this is my boy C’rizz

[notactivexx]

Loki x Reader

This took me way longer than it should have do to school, little siblings and little cousins. Sorry!

Plus, My other two request for the anons are almost done!

Warnings: I wrote i=this way too late at night cuz its my only free time and my editing skill goes down after three am sorry.

Requested by @scorpionchild81

how about a Loki x reader: after an argument, Tony makes a bet with Loki and Thor, who was the better seducer. Tony also wanted proof of progress in hand from the two gods... But what happpens when true feelings get involved and when heart really break? All ends up that reader slaps Loki yelling "A bet? I was just a stupid bet?!" Angsty, sad, fluffy - do the oneshot as you wish…

I made it Gender Neutral btw!

         The Avengers, and Loki, who had helped with their mission, were having a party in honor of their success. Usually there wasn't any sort of celebration, except shawarma, of course. However, this had been a very important mission, with two years of work and danger leading up to it. You were talking to Steve and drinking wine, oblivious to the conversation only a small distance away from you.

________________________________________________________________

        "So Thor, you found a girlfriend here on Earth yet?" The host of the party, Tony, asked the blonde god sitting at the bar.

      "I have not," Thor turned around to face Tony, slushing his glass full of Asgardian mead. Beside him, Loki snickered. "Not since I stopped courting Jane."

      "That's no surprise," Thor laughed.

      "You mock me, and yet I haven't seen you with anyone yet. Do not be so bold, brother," Loki took another sip of his mead.

      "I could take my pick of any man or woman here, if I were interested," Tony raised his eyebrows.

      "Oh really? You think you're the best seducer here?" Loki was unfazed by Tony's comment

      "They don't call me Silver Tongue as a jest, you know," he said.

      "Well in that case, Asgard must have pretty low standards. I'm clearly the best seducer here." Thor let out a hearty laugh.

      "But I have courted the most out of us! It seems that I just cannot be resisted."

      "And perhaps that would be impressive, if any of those courtships lasted for more than a fortnight." said Loki dryly. Tony smirked.

      "Well, there is an easy way to solve this," Thor inclined his head, looking interested, and asked,

      "Which is?"

      "A bet, of course. I suppose you gods have bets?"

      "But of course! We have the greatest, most dangerous bets. I remember once - "

      "And what do you propose we bet?" Loki cut his brother off. Tony took a minute to think.

      "Fifty bucks?" he suggested. Loki looked confused,

      "Bucks? Why would I need bucks? Seems like a nuisance to have around."

      "What? No, not the animal, the -" This time, it was Thor who interrupted.

      "I believe it is a form of Midgardian currency. The Dollars have several names," he looked at Tony for confirmation, "correct?"

      "Uh, yeah. Anyways, you good with that?" Thor and Loki nodded. "Okay. So, now we need to pick a person."

      "Why can we not each choose a different one?" Loki asked

      "Well I mean, it wouldn't exactly be fair that way? Like, one of us could get someone easy to seduce, say, Banner, leaving the other with someone harder, like Nat."

      "Maybe Maria Hill?" Thor shook his head soon after he spoke though. "No, that would be far too difficult, even for me." Loki scanned the crowd. He saw (y/n) dancing clumsily with Steve and Sam. He smirked. It was the perfect opportunity… He had been wanting to speak to you, but he was seized by a strong sense of nervousness when you approached. But now, if everything went well, he'd get to be with you. If not, he could just say it was a bet. It was perfect.

      "What about (y/n)?" When Loki made the suggestion, the other two turned to look at them as well.

      "That," Tony looked at the other two. "Sounds like a bet"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

        Three days after the party, you noticed something strange about a certain trio. Thor had been showing off, winking, and telling stories, most of which seemed very exaggerated, much more often. Tony had been flirting and using cheesy pickup lines almost non-stop. Although you usually took the time to flirt back, it was still rather confusing. Even more so when you were talking with Maria, who said she hadn't been experiencing the same things.

      Loki had changed too, but in a much more discreet way. For the first two days after the party, you would catch him looking at you. He would smile at you then look away, and occasionally raise his eyebrows when you saw him. One the third day you ran into the him on your way to breakfast, and he spoke to you this time,

      "You're looking lovely today. Is that a new shirt?" You blushed and looked at your (f/c) shirt.

      "Um.. Uh yeah.. It is." You stuttered your response, and to try to make up for the awkward words you gave him a nervous smile. He returned it with a smile of his own.

      "Very nice. Well, I'll see you around."

      "Uh.. Yeah. See you.. Um.. See you around." Watching you walk away towards the kitchen, he smiled to himself.

      They're so cute.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

        Two more days passed like this. Cheesy flirting between you and Tony, annoying flirting from Thor, and… Loki. He complemented you in the hall every morning. You wanted have a conversation with him, he was so fascinating, so you woke up earlier. Hopefully you'd meet him in the kitchen.

      When your alarm when off, you woke up immediately. Loki was probably the only good reason to do that. You hurriedly got ready, and rushed to the kitchen.

      "Looks like somebody woke up early." The god of mischief was sitting on the counter, eating a waffle. There was a book by his side.

      "Oh.. Yeah. I was hungry." He patted the counted beside him.

      "You can share my food if you want."

      "Oh.. Okay." You jumped up beside him and he passed you the plate. You took a bite and gestured to the book beside him. "The Silmarillion? I like that one." He smiled.

      "Yes, it is rather interesting. I'm about halfway through."

      "Has Feanor burnt the boats yet?"

      "Pardon?"

      "Never mind!" Loki laughed.

      "Don't go around spoiling books for everyone love." Love? Did Loki just call you love? He chuckled, "You're blushing." You blushed more.

      "Um.. No.. No I'm not! You're blushing." You were surprised to see that your statement was true when you looked at him. Now he was the flustered one.

      "I.. I'm not blushing. It's just.. A bit warm in here, that's all." You laughed and pushed a stray hair from his face.

      "Well, neither am I." You were looking right into his eyes. His beautiful eyes. You found a sudden burst of confidence within yourself. "You know Loki, you're.. Really handsome." He was blushing again. You had made Loki, the Loki, blush.

      "You're not so bad yourself." You looked at his hand. How would he react if you held it. You could reach out, all you had to do was reach for it…

      "Oh, just get a room you two"

      You and Loki turned around to look at the newcomer. Sam sat with his legs propped on the table watching you.

      "I - How long have you been here?" you asked. He shrugged.

      "Around the boat burning part."

      "Oh. Well, I guess I should go train now. Bye Loki." You hurried out of the room while Sam laughed at your awkwardness, leaving Loki looking slightly crestfallen behind you.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

        It had been two months. Loki and you were something like a couple, but nothing official yet. You held hands, and kissed a couple times, but as of now there was no label.

      "Hi Loki!" you ran to greet him in the hall. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he gave you a sweet kiss.  

      "Hello Darling." he smiled at you. "I was looking for you."

      "What for?"

      "Well, I need to ask you something." Your heart skipped a beat. What was it? Was it good or bad?

      "Yes?" you asked, worried about the response.

      "Would you.. Would you like to court me?" A slow smile grew on your lips.

      "Yes! Yes, I'd love to!" He smiled and kissed you again.

      "In that case, how about you meet me tonight for dinner? I'll take you somewhere fit for my Queen."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

         "Hey (y/n), Loki told us you two were courting. Is that true?" Thor had stopped you in the hall two days later.

      "Yes, it is." you smiled. However, Thor's and Tony's reaction was incredibly surprising.

      "Damn it!" Tony slammed his glass on the table. "He won the bet!"

        "Bet?" Thor laughed.

        "But of course you wouldn't know! Tony, Loki and I made a bet on who was the best seducer at the last celebration. It appears Loki has won!" You stared at him in shock.

      "I - Oh.. Okay." You rushed out of the room before they could see you cry.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

        You ran upstairs and pounded on Loki's door. You didn't listen for an answer, you just waited for him to open the door.

      "(Y/n)! What happened darling?" You pushed him back and slammed the door.

      "Don’t call me Darling!"

      "(y/n/n), what's the matter?"

      "A bet! I was just a stupid bet!?" Loki's eyes widened in realization. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

      "Oh no darling, no, you don't understand"

      "I understand perfectly!" You slap him, the echo ringing through the room in a satisfying manner, "You think you can just mess with my feeling and get away with it don't you!"

        "No no, that's not, no, I never meant to hurt you!" You let out something between aa laugh and a sob.

        "You have a funny way of showing it!" You started to cry freely. You didn't want Loki to see it, but you couldn't hold it back. Of course he never loved you. Just when you thought he might, he didn't.

      "Oh, my love, no, don't cry. You can hit me and punch me all you want, but I don't want to see your heart broken. Please."

      "You should have thought about that earlier." He walked closer to you, then tentatively pushed your chin up to look at him.

      "Listen to me, please." You were going to yell, but his eyes were filled with tears and sincerity. Maybe… Maybe he was bring honest

      "It started as a bet, yes. Well, no. I was attracted to you beforehand, but the bet gave me a chance to speak to you and a safety net if you didn't react well. Then.. Well then I spoke to you. You were kind, and beautiful, and sweet. You're the most perfect person I've ever met. I should've told you. Please love, forgive me."

      He looked at the floor and you hesitated. Both you and Loki were crying. After a few minutes, you took a deep breath and whispered a response.

      "Okay." He looked up

      "What?"

      "I forgive you." Loki looked into your eyes, and you looked into his before kissing each other passionately. His lips tasted like tea, and a bit salty from your tears.

      You never wanted to let go of him.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

this is an outta nowhere question but what are your thoughts on Joker in Smash about a year since he was added? I've heard some folks say the reason the Persona fandom got so toxic is bc Smash got involved and I wanted to know what you thought since you've been in it way longer than P5 and Joker in Smash

Short answer: Yes AND No. 

Long answer (it’s me of course it’s gonna be under the cut due to length 8U):

I’mma be honest, there’s always toxic fans. I know Smash Fans (and Nintendo fans in general) haven’t exactly been peaches, esp when it comes to Twitter (which I think is also an issue atm). But there were toxic fans before than and there’ll be toxic fans later. It’s just life tbh. (dunno where to put this but I’ll put it here: Twitter nowadays is like 2012-2015ish Tumblr, different being Tumblr was a bit more hiveminded and if you disagreed with a popular fandom opinion you.....were kinda bullied let’s be honest so no one could really say their opinions. While Twitter now it’s not a hivemind but instead two sided extremist that you need to choose. Both toxic and similar but just a taaaaad bit different, I’d probs take the two extremist sides over the hivemind if I had to chose tho...even tho Tumblr had better content during that era than Twitter right now imo but that’s in general and not Persona only. 8U Tumblr’s REALLY calmed down since the porn ban I’m not gonna lie, and ironically that’s roughly around the time that Twitter started getting shitty. So like....kinda saying there’s a correlation, I think a lot of toxic tumblr people probably migrated to twitter, and while there’s toxic fans everywhere it feels like a lot gather on Twitter so it really highlights the fandom there sadly). 

From my experience (which is from P4 PS2 era onward, I missed the pre-P4 P3 PS2 era stuff but apparently there were waifu wars which from what I’ve found I probs would’ve just classified as “shipping war” stuff rather than waifu wars....and it seemed liked standard shipping war stuff from back then), the bigger a fandom grows the more fans it obviously attracts, but that also means more toxic fans too. And that’s why I say yes and no for the smash community, yes because they did attract more fans (and their community seems to be a bit toxic atm, like I get expressing your wants to a company and I support that! but the INSTANT you don’t get a specific character announced for the fighter pass and instead of just being like “oh golly darn :(” but instead “***** this place ***** Nintendo you all suck ****** *slur* *slur*” yeah no that’s a little....you gotta take a step back buddy, so yeah I’m sure there’s a bit more toxic fans in that fandom atm but they are also a BIG ASS FANDOM so I’m not surprised), but it’s also just the cause and effect of the fandom getting bigger in general.

It happened when P4 got it’s anime (btw anime fans ya still valid and are a Persona fan, just keep in mind if you wanna talk lore just know you did watch a very abridged version of the game so be aware you might have somethings wrong cause of that.....cause I’ve seen it happen.....DX btw let’s play watchers are also real Persona fans and I’d say even people who just like Joker in Smash are at least Joker fans and that’s ok too enough gate keeping guys DX), it happened when we started getting spinoffs, kinda with the P3 movies (only really cause FeMC fans were salty or P3 fans upset what was cut/changed, but it wasn’t on any toxic level tbh just normal complaints, I think the fact it was a movie instead of an anime bypassed newer fans than with P4/5 animes), it happened when P5 solidified it into the mainstream gaming market (I’ll stand by P4 helped break Persona into it via all the other avenues of mainstream, with P5 finally latching the main series into mainstream games.....I say mainstream cause spinoffs are looking the same as pre mainstream which.....>.> *shrugs* could be better imo), it happened with P5′s anime, and it happened with Smash Bros. And tbh I’m sure it happened or will happen with the Steam community (and Switch/Xbox if it ever goes there too) and P4G (P4 fans go through the same cycle of BS constantly, most of which I believe originated with the anime generation, that it’s hard to tell if there was an uptick or not). And it’ll probs get an uptick again with P6, and then P6′s anime. And maybe manga cause maybe P6 fans like the P5 fans and won’t listen when people say “don’t get attached to the manga name it’s probs not gonna be used so hold off till the anime” but hey let’s have drama for no reason cause we need it. 8U (obvie you can still like the manga name, it’s more for people complaining about name changes or not getting why Atlus just didn’t keep the manga name even tho an explanation is probs within arm’s reach and they were warned beforehand)

*sighs* Sorry back on topic, each time the fandom grows so will toxic fans. Tbh I feel like the phrase “toxic fans” are thrown around a lot. And it’s esp used for only....”haters” it feels like and I don’t think that’s right (cause it can be fans too), it just feels like ANY negativity (even constructive and kept reigned in by certain users) is viewed as that. Like take me, I’m sure I’m probs labeled as a “toxic fan” due to be being a Megaten/Persona fan but disliking P5 and talking shit/calling it out. But I try my damnedest to do that in the appropriate places (ie my personal blog, maybe a confessions place, or a thread/board that’s expressing negatives only OR it’s explaining/expressing pros and cons type of stuff, I find that to be the best because it keeps people who want to vent away from people who want to gush so no war happens, not saying I am perfect or you HAVE to follow this or you are toxic, it’s what I decided to ascribe to and find it works well and good enough and it gives me a better fandom experience). Aka, I don’t go on twitter to someone’s fanart of Yukari or Makoto and trash the character because I’m not a freaking asshole (or in this case a ~toxic fan~). But this also applies to the “fans” as well who will talk about something they like (character/game) but the ONLY  way they can raise it up is by tearing down something else (other character/game), it’s really rude and also toxic as well. Negativity is not inherently bad all the time, and Positivity is not inherently good all the time (with positivity it’s more of giving yourself a break from it rather than saying something positive can be bad at times, tho I’m sure there are times that-that has happened but it’s 2:30 am and I don’t want to think of an example for that). It’s how it’s used/expressed. I see the Twitter community trying to combat the “negativity” by trying to only spread “positivity” and I’m afraid 1) any negative expression, even constructive, will be scorned (I guess I’m afraid of us going back to a hivemind mentality again), but most importantly 2) the people trying to head it are going to be burned out and it’ll hurt them mentally (I do not want it to happen obvie, but I know personally it can wear you down which is why I’m concerned). Don’t get me wrong I love what they are doing/trying to do, but I think we’re generalizing the word “negativity” and “positivity” a bit too much and it’s just raising a few red flags for me (I’m just hoping I’m being paranoid/overanalyzing in this case). 

Uhhh there was one last thing I wanted to address.....Oh yeah gate keeping. I know you asked about Smash but this stuff is kinda related and hey think of it as a history lesson for the Persona fandom (or at least Nusona cause I didn’t have a game system in the 90s ;_; plus wee little me wouldn’t have been able to find P1/2 fandoms back then due to me not really using the internet like I do nowadays till around P3 was probs released). Plus you know how long winded I am so this is kinda what you sign up for, 3 am ramblings of overexplaining~! But gdi I will try to cover all the bases and get my point across in....some fashion. 8U

But yeah, Gatekeeping in relation to the Smash fans, cause I see Persona fans shit on new fans that got into Persona through Smash (I know above I said Joker fans are valid Joker fans rather than Persona fans, but I’m assuming they’ve yet to play/watch Persona and are just aware of Joker and are a fan of him vs the fans who saw Joker and then watch/played the games to get into the fandom. One set is a fan of a character vs the other set got into a franchise because of said character. Like I wouldn’t say I’m a FE fan cause I liked Marth/Roy in SSBM, which is why I have that distinction myself BUT if you wanna call yourself a Persona fan that’s valid, you’re valid, it’s whatever, I don’t really care about the details that much, I just have two categories for convenience). Anyway I don’t think it’s fair to shit on them. Same as I don’t think it’s fair to shit on anime only or manga only fans. Or if they got into the fandom through Nusona (Oldsona is P1/2, Nusona is P3-5 atm). Or Oldsona. Or another Megaten game. 

Maybe it’s cause I came from P4, where it got shit on cause it wasn’t (”dark”) like P3, it wasn’t (”dark”) like Oldsona, it wasn’t “dark” like other Megaten games, it got shit on every way to Sunday for daring to try to have a more lightened mood at times (3 murders happen, we see 3 dead bodies, a 6 yo dies onscreen, we have characters going through intense existential crises, we deal with characters mourning through death as well as other relatable struggles, basically shows our teammates die one by one in the final boss, having a chance to hear Naoto’s death scream on the phone if you don’t stop Adachi, just the “you didn’t save the person” phone calls in general, talks about society’s toxic gender roles and how it can negatively effect a person both to an extreme extent and minor, god forbid they eat an animal cracker to lighten the mood, and this isn’t counting the dark shit that happens in the spinoffs). As if P1/2/3 don’t have comedy, or any other Megaten game, all the demons are freaking weird of course there is comedy. Oh and it also got shit on for going mainstream first, and not even counting that it got shit on for spinoffs (which P3 was included but no P3 gets a pass for some reason), and the fact that it was shit on for not being P5 (before and a little while after P5 came out) because it wasn’t “dark” like P5 (fdksjafajkfljafj P5 has it’s moments, esp with Shiho, tho P4D did it first and went through with it, but seriously each game has it’s own light and dark moments and one isn’t better than the other only cause they have more of one than the other). And....*sigh* let’s just say thank god that I was able to buy other Megaten games right before the flood gates of shit came in, cause I dunno if I would’ve wanted to give it a chance if I had to hear my fav game shit on constantly. I say I dunno cause tbh I was craving more after P4 so badly I still would’ve probs gotten into it regardless of the fandom, I wanted more from the franchise even if it wasn’t 100% like P4. 

But tbh I don’t blame P5 fans, anime fans, or Smash fans for maybe not wanting to get into the rest of the series. I get old fans of whatever feeling like they are...I dunno being invaded? By new people in the fandom. Or their afraid of new fans not fully understanding the franchise (hey guys that’s where you teach people instead of try to passive aggressively try to get them to leave the fandom I dunno maybe make posts to educate instead of trying to push away??? 030). And change is hard and yeah. And maybe you don’t like the new game (keep in mind there’s a diff between saying “*insert* Sux” and “I don’t like *insert* because...” one’s shitting on something and the other is constructive), but hey shitting on the game they like is probs not gonna win them over to your fav game sflkdjafkjafja Educate and be helpful, don’t gatekeep and drive people away. That’s a sure fire way for us to lose this franchise (remember we almost lost Atlus all together, but it was able to get a 2nd life thanks to P4 saving it....tbh probably wouldn’t have ever gotten P5 nor SMTV nor any spinoffs if not for P4′s success with its game and anime, this is both a history lesson and a word of warning since it already almost happened once). 

Tldr; Smash didn’t help but it’s really just the fact the fandom got bigger and bigger fandom means we also end up getting more toxic fans mixed in. Twitter now is basically 2012-2015!Tumblr (diff is Tumblr’s was a hivemind vs Twitter’s now extremist two sides only thing), and Tumblr’s porn ban probably migrated a lot of their toxic fans to Twitter which probs hasn’t helped any fandoms on there. Negativity in general isn’t an issue, it’s if you’re being an outright asshole where it’s an issue. Don’t be an asshole in general, if you need to vent then vent where you need to, if you wanna gush then gush were you need to and without bringing anyone/anything down obvie. You are a Persona fan, regardless of where/how you started. Don’t gatekeep for the love of god, or so help me Jack Frost will sneak into your house and smack you in the face with a snowball (and if he doesn’t then I will.....jk...half jk 8U). Also *sprinkles of (allusions to? I dunno I tried it’s 3 am and my 2nd try on answering this and the first one was just as long) Silly’s Persona fandom history lessons throughout the post*

[dididrawsblog]

Mr. Perfect // slow burn

Part V

Summary: Steve Harrington was the coolest guy at school and now he’s working with you at the rental store. Very complicated story about complicated feelings.

Pairing: Steve Harrington/ You

Warning: language

A/N: IM ALIVE! Yeah..This chapter is big so make some tea and prepare yourself. Btw, if you guys have any suggestions about the plot you can write them in the comments.

Sunday 1 am. You were sitting on the ground with your back placed to a cold wall of an old building. Your knees were covered with scratches and blood and the hem of your dress was torn. It was a cold night. The light of the sign ‘Family video’ painted your face red. You were barely crying and you didn’t even know why. Was it because of knee pain or because of Steve? You shivered because of wind and pulled your knees to chest. You felt betrayed. Betrayed and lonely. You picked up a bottle of tequila and took a big swallow. You’d been drinking the whole way here and now the bottle was half empty. Or half full. You giggled. Hot tears went down your cheek.

Let’s get back to the start.

Saturday evening; 7pm.

You were helping a very annoying man who didn’t know what he wanted. You had been standing in front of shelves with movies for thirty minutes. He touched his unshaved chin and looked at your exhausted face one more time.

“So, will you help me or not?” He asked you with that disdainful and haughty expression. His enormous belly was falling over the edge of his pants, he had a greasy spot on his t-shirt and yellow teeth. Jesus. He smelled like shit.

“Sure. Let’s repeat. What kind of film do you want?” You said with your teeth clenched.

“Jesus Christ. It’s very simple! I need a horror movie with a complicated romantic relationship and sprinkles of comedy”

“And?”

“Right! It’s very important - NUNS!” Like he forgot about that long discussion.

“Sir” You took a deep breath. “I’m telling you one more time: we don’t have movies like that. We either have horrors with shitty love story or comedies with shitty love story AND none of them have NUNS” You didn’t know what was wrong with that man but he pissed you out. You look at his red face that matched his t-shirt and suddenly caught Steve’s eyes behind him. Harrington was standing five feet away from you.

“Listen to me-“ Red face made a step to you and almost grabbed your hand. He was furious about a fucking movie. Man, get a life! You were getting not just exhausted but mad as hell. Before any word came out of your mouth, Steve placed his hand on mans’s shoulder.

“What about ‘Sister Gertrude’? It’s a horror with a nun and it is hilarious sometimes. I mean have you ever seen a possessed nun?” Steve gave him a tape and winked at you. You smiled unconsciously.

“But what about love line?” The man kept looking at the tape, he wasn’t that red anymore.

“It’s hard not to fall in love with Gertrude, isn’t it?” Steve’s gaze was still fixed on you and you rolled your eyes. The man thanked Steve for his help and went to the counter. Right. Thanks, Steve.

“Asshole.” Said Steve and came closer.

“Did you see his huge hairy wart on his neck?” He laughed.

“No...but I can see it from here. God” He brushed his hair with a hand, looking at Robin. “Do you- I mean... If you want... of course..”

“What? Did you forget how to use words?” That was a bit harsh. Sometimes you say something but you don’t really mean it. You made a small cough and looked away.

“I’m having a party this Sunday which is tomorrow. So, I’m asking you if you wanna come.” He rubbed his neck awkwardly. Sun went down behind him and the sunlight turned his hair gold. He is a tall and well built guy. Like a statue in a museum. Steve was looking at his hands waiting for an answer. “Robin will be there too”

“Yeah...um. Okay” that’s all you could say.

“Really?” He smiled widely. Such a child.

“Of course. Why not?”

“Okay. Cool...ugh. See you tomorrow then” He started to back up still looking in your eyes. He accidentally hit a rack with films and it fell down covering the floor with romcoms. You heard Robin laughing hard and you joined her.

“Dingus!” She said to him. “Clean everything up and come to me. I need to tell you something”

You came to the poor boy and sit next to him grabbing a pale of movies. You were so close you almost hear him breathing. His hair brushed your cheek and your shoulders touched. You quickly stood up and went to the storage room. You just needed to hide your rose face. You are too overeating. Like, it’s just Steve Harrington. Calm down.

Next day you spent with your mom watching movies and doing nothing. You were relaxing after a hard day at work. You couldn’t stop thinking about the party though. You were too concerned about it. At eight pm you took a shower and waited for Robin to come. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been preparing for the party with a friend. All those dresses and shoes and rock music and talks about getting drunk tonight.

Robin came to you fully prepared. She looked stunning and bitchin at the same time. She helped you to choose a dress and did you a makeover. You felt so great spending that time with Robin. She was so funny and supportive and cool. Like you have a real friend. Maybe she is your friend.

You were standing in front of wooden doors of Harrington house. It was a large two-storey building with a brown roof. You felt exited standing next to the blue-eyed girl who knocked on the door. Five minutes later the party boy opened to you. He was standing right in front of you holding a red cup with liquid. Just like the last time you’d visited his house. There was a difference though. Now he was looking at you. He noticed you. He knew you are here. And he smiled.

“Hello, ladies. I’m glad you’re here” he grabbed both of you and pulled in. House was full of teens and booze. You saw some people from high school but they weren’t there at the first party. They were ghost at school just like you. Then you realised that most of them was Robin’s friends. The crowd of people tugged you into the living room. Right to the dance floor. You couldn’t find Steve or Robin in that mess so you just danced. You had a chat with some classmates, moved your body a little and as party went by you realised you didn’t drink yet.

You went to the kitchen to grab something . Nobody was there. Just a table with snacks and a bowl with cherry punch. You didn’t bother about finding Robin anymore. You lost her as you came in. The wave of people devoured her. You were wondering was she having fun out there or looking for you? Guess she just forgot about you. Standing there drinking sweet-n-sour drink you listened to the sounds of music from the next room. You just needed a second to relax when Steve came. There was a bottle in his hand and he was rather tipsy.

“Here’s Y/N! How ar ya?” He sat on the couch in front of the table.

“I’m good. Yeah, it’s a pretty nice party” you came to him with a cup of punch, taking a bottle from him and adding some alcohol there. It wasn’t a nice party. You felt forgotten. Again. But now he’s here right?

“Jesus, I’m so happy you’re here. C’mon. Sit next to me” he pulled you closer on the sofa and placed his head on your shoulder. He’s not just tipsy. He’s drunk. You can smell it now.

“I can’t find Robin out there. She’s just disappeared” you looked in your cup and then at Steve. He was so close now. His eyes was fixed on you, his soft hair tickled your cheek and god... You liked it. You made a sip and burning liquid went down your throat.

“What?” You finally asked that dork who kept looking at you.

“What ‘what’?”

“You are an idiot, Steve Harrington” You smiled softly taking another drink.

“And you are beautiful, Y/N Y/L/N” your cheeks turned red and you turned your head away.

Robin with a couple of people interrupted your moment of awkwardness. There she is. She seemed busy talking and laughing and drinking. You stood up and went to the bathroom to fresh up as fast as you could. Your face were burning when you washed it with cold water. No, no, no. Not Harrington. Anyway, he didn’t mean it. He is drunk. You sat down on the corner of the bathtub and took a deep breath. This party sucks. Steve and Robin...That’s so messed up. You fixed your makeup a little bit and looked at yourself in the mirror. You never considered yourself as ‘beautiful’. Pretty, funny, smart but not...beautiful. To be logical, you didn’t have the perfect body from magazines and your hair and face. It just didn’t make any sense.

Sound of breaking glass pulled you out of your thoughts. Your opened the door and heard screaming. It was scary. The loud and angry voice cut the air. Sounded like a fight. Probably a serious one. The only thing you could think about now was to find a weapon. Yeah..weird. But it wasn’t your first party-fight. You came out of the bathroom and went into the closest room you saw. Presumably Steve’s room. You hadn’t got enough time to examine it so you just grabbed the barbed bat near his bed. By the time you went downstairs right into the living room, Steve was already fighting with...Um, you couldn’t see through the crowd. You jumped but still nothing. BAM! The crowd dispersed and you saw Harrington on the ground. His back was placed to the coffee table. Blood was dripping down from the corner of his mouth and from the scratch on the cheek. Tommy H. stood in front of him. He wanted to attack again.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” You screamed and hit the floor with the bat. Tommy turned around and looked at you. Actually, everyone was looking at you. The girl who nobody knew was standing in a small dress and a big bat in front of the king of assholes.

“Hey, look who’s here. Sorry, I don’t remember your name. Steve, do you- No, I don’t think you remember her” Tommy smiled at you and you almost threw up. He took a step closer. This jerk knows who are you.

“One more step and I’ll beat the shit out of you” he didn’t listen. He just came closer when you hit the floor with the bat again. It was very close to his feet. He jumped back.

“Bitch” Tommy slowly turned around and went away. You dropped the bat and came to Steve.

“Jesus, Harrington. Why did you invite him?” Robin brought up a wet towel and placed it to his cheek.

“He didn’t” she looked at you. Where was she by the way? “I..um. I’ve invited his sister” Robin looked sad and disappointed. Steve couldn’t think or do anything cause he was drunk and beaten. His head was lying on her lap.

“And why did you do that?” You asked her as calm as you could. You actually wanted to shout at her.

“I didn’t know she’ll bring her brother and...boyfriend” It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t even an answer to your question.

“Robin, what the hell? I came here because of you and I thought we could have some good time. And you just left me for an asshole’s sister. You left me all alone in the house full of strangers” She looked away.

“Sorry, but you won’t understand” she whispered.

“Clearly, I don’t understand anything” you stood up. “What’s wrong with you?” Robin looked scared and ashamed. You suddenly felt bad for your words. There was something you didn’t know. Something very bad.

Steve opened his eyes...well an eye actually. He looked at Robin who was barely crying and you. Furious.

“Out” he whispered.

“What?” You finally noticed him.

“I said get the hell out of my house” he said it so simple. Like he wasn’t throwing you out. Like it was a small talk about weather. But it hit you hard.

You left. With no words. You just grabbed a bottle from the ground near the exit and left. While you were coming down the stairs, you tripped and fell, tearing your tights. It was painful but you stood up, took down your shoes and leaded down the street.

And now we are here.

You wiped your tears and pressed your head to the wall. Your eyes were closed. Silence. Sounds of footsteps.

“Hey” said very familiar voice.

Taglist:

@sergeantjbbarnes-archive-blog

@somethingdawn

@christinawxxx

@hearteyesmotherclucker

@avadakedavrabitxh

@choconat-chip

@softtfinn

@tootimetootime7

@sydzygy

@the-pixie-with-seven-faces

@janieavalos

@sadhwstudent

@hellolonelydreamer

@maggierheegreene

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@anolddayslover

@fromneverwonderland

@spiderpiggie8

[balkanballad]

Eurovision 2020 ranking

welcome to another year and another ranking. the last few years I used to put the songs in different categories, but this year I did that (from top 💐 to flop 🥀) AND gave every song an actual number AND added a comment. wow, so brave, I know. it’s a bit long, but here we go:

💐:

Norway: it was love at first sight and listen with this song. I connect with it, I love the lyrics, the instruments, her, everything about the nf performances. this is my very strong number one this year and, btw, the studio version is so much weaker than the live version

Switzerland: this song makes me very emotional and I love it. his voice is so lovely and with this one I, again, enjoy and feel the lyrics. I am very curious to see what they will do on stage

Australia: I wouldn’t say that I am always a huge fan of the songs with more goofy vibes and staging, but this one is a fave. I wasn’t in a great mood when I listened to this the first time and I remember crying because it was just very fitting to my personal situation. so, me and this song have an emotional connection now. also, I enjoyed the contrast that the staging in the national final gave it. it’s just.. same to everything about this song and performance. it’s also my favourite entry from Australia so far

North Macedonia: my only ‘dance’ song in this favourite category. it makes me wanna dance but in a tango and dimmed red lights way. I would also say that it made me think a bit of Switzerland last year, but I like this better

Croatia: another favourite entry that won a national final! I didn’t have a terribly bad year with national final faves. I might even say that I had a good year. anyway, a Balkan ballad :) with nice lyrics :) a bit sad and great violins :) of course I am into this. I love it

Portugal: I had this saved as a favourite before I saw the live performances and I really like that it won the national final. it’s super sweet, pastel pink vibes and my cup of tea

Finland: sweet! this makes me tear up a bit and I see a pattern this year for my personal preference: songs that make me melancholic and cry a bit. although, no one should be surprised because nostalgia and melancholy seem to always be with me

Denmark: while I was making this ranking and listening to the songs over and over, I think this song moved up the most. this is very sweet. last year was too sweet for me and I think this one is better, but on the edge to crossing that line. however, I love that we have a duet. I’m a big fan of duets. is someone going to propose this year again? this song would be at least perfect for that occasion. or maybe a bit too pushing actually.. 

🌺:

(no. 9) Israel: maybe a tiny little bit too much going on in a 3-minute song and something about it reminded me a bit of JESC songs, but I love the rhythm and I think this performance will be fun 

(no. 10) UK: it’s a good song. the breath! part makes it more interesting and I have this song in my car playlist, which means that I am not skipping it usually. however, I also came across the BBC recording and I am not very convinced that the staging and everything will be enough to secure it a high placing in the end

(no. 11) Romania: oh look, I once again connected to a song because I feel the lyrics. that is probably not the best sign with this song but oh well. I am not the biggest fan of the live version here and prefer the studio recording. maybe another bad sign or maybe it’s just the weird screaming in the back and low quality of the equipment etc.

(no. 12) The Netherlands: I don’t think that they are trying to win another time this year with this, but it’s a cute and sweet song and everyone will cheer anyway. I listened to one live recording and there he sounded amazing

🌻:

(no. 13) Armenia: maybe this would be a guilty pleasure, but it’s 2020 we are just enjoying songs. I think the staging for this song will decide how it goes because the song itself is definitely.. different and not for everyone. the studio version is a lot better than the live performance, the lyrics are a bit repulsive to me and I feel like this could slip in the category ‘cheap’, but the whole song also gives me a weird kind of self-confidence boost when I listen to it 

(no. 14) Azerbaijan: okay, so the song title made me very excited. the lyrics are.. there. I don’t think I was looking for something relatable in this song, but they are just very random to me. funny enough, I think this will be competing with Armenia because of similar vibes and because a lot depends on the staging. however, I think that this might do better because it’s more esc mainstream and has a better flow, but then again, maybe don’t rely on me when I say such things  

(no. 15) Greece: this sounds a bit like a JESC entry to me and I have mixed feelings about it. with this I am also not sure what the message is supposed to be, but I really like the instruments  

(no. 16) Estonia: hm. I must admit that I like this song more than I want to, but I don’t love it. I like the dramatic touch, but it’s not relatable at all, which isn’t necessary a factor for a good song of course. I just like having my emotional support songs and this is not one of them 

(no. 17) Poland: this and Albania are in the same semi and sound too similar, so my prediction is that only one of these two will go through. personally, I like Poland better, but even if none of them makes it, it won’t break my heart I think

(no. 18) Spain: this song feels a lot longer than 3 minutes and it might be because it’s repetitive, but I can listen to it still. just not too often

(no. 19) Lithuania: this is a fan fave, right? personally, I’m just.. not in love. I like the message, but I don’t feel the need to listen to it regularly 

(no. 20) Iceland: it’s alright. it’s there. I can’t really think about things to say about this  

(no. 21) Italy: a ballad. in Italian. ground-breaking. just kidding, I think the fact that it’s in Italian saves it a bit, but I don’t really listen to this. I don’t mind it playing in the background, but it’s also not in my car playlist

(no. 22) Ukraine: I feel like I should technically like this more than I do, but I don’t really listen to this, sorry

(no. 23) Belarus: just like with Ukraine: I think I should like this a lot more than I currently do. I also find this song a bit boring

🌼:

(no. 24) Georgia: not a fan of the screaming, but I see why it fits the song. I am not sure, though, whether this will be the year that they make it back to the final 

(no. 25) Albania: did anyone ask for the English revamp? I don’t think so, but they did it anyway. it is too forgettable for my taste and reminds me of something that they sent already in the past few years, but now it’s in English, so even less original. it isn’t a bad ballad though

(no. 26) Ireland: I know what this song is trying to tell me, but it is trying very hard to make sure we all understand it. it also reminds me a bit of a song that they would play in a disney channel film and it annoys me a bit

(no. 27) France: I might not skip it always, but it’s very repetitive and I still stand with my association of the Netflix show YOU and this (sorry, Tom)

(no. 28) Austria: my friend said that this song sounds like it should be by Sweden and I think that she is right. I never really was into that kind of vibe though, so I am not the biggest fan

(no. 29) Germany: not terrible, but also kind of strange vibes. I don’t like the lyrics (I will tell my mama whatever I want). I also think that Germany took inspiration from Switzerland last year and who knows, maybe they will finally start playing their own songs on the German radio stations and stop playing Sweden’s 2016 entry

(no. 30) San Marino: San Marino is once again bringing the disco vibes, thanks. I can’t watch the video twice in a row because it makes me feel like I’m on a trip, but good for her! I should definitely also get a little more freaky myself sometimes

(no. 31) Sweden: I’m not a fan. I was a fan of other Melfest entries though.. anyway, this is not a bad song of course, but definitely a bit boring to me

(no. 32) Moldova: I don’t hate it, and some very few parts of the melody I even like, but this is my least favourite Kirkorov produced, or written or bought or pushed through or whatever he does, song

(no. 33) Bulgaria: if everyone should find a similar partner then Bulgaria could team up with Romania this year. I find Bulgaria to be a lot more boring though

(no. 34) Cyprus: keep on running and keep on running and keep on running.. etc. etc. etc. this is how I feel when I make myself jog once a year 

(no. 35) Malta: sounds very familiar, but I haven’t figured out yet which generic pop song it reminds me of

(no. 36) Belgium: yet another year and I am sadly bored by Belgium’s entry yet again

🥀:

(no. 37) Czech Republic: to this song I imagine the scenario of a school mate, that you aren’t too close with, but he is friendly, so you listen to the songs he made himself and uploaded and then you assure him that it sounds cool and you will add it to your music collection, but then you don’t ever listen to it again. this never happened to me, but that’s the vibe somehow. it’s just not really my kind of song and it also misses a bit of a real concept and flow because, even after the revamp, to me it still sounds a bit unpolished

(no. 38) Serbia: nop. I am very much for wmn pwr but I don’t like this. I get very strong mean girls vibes from it and I don’t say this as a good thing because I would rather not get bullied. I despise the lyrics and overall, everything, but I see why one would call it a ‘bop’ perhaps

(no. 39) Russia: when they were announced I looked them up and already was skeptical. most of the time this simply isn’t my kind of genre, humour and taste, and I was right. it annoys me. I am sure, like with every song btw, there is an audience for this, but I am very far away from being that audience

(no. 40) Slovenia: I’m sorry, but I really don’t like her voice, which is not a good thing, obviously, when ranking songs. I also find the song quite boring and it is another example of songs that somehow feel longer than 3 mins

(no. 41) Latvia: this gives me a headache. I don’t understand the lyrics, the music makes me want to leave the room, it’s a no from me and my last place

[atinytokki]

Here’s my first impressions (aka this is what 2020 is gonna sound like folks)

Alright so I’m really behind today, as some of you know I literally just got back from vacation and it’s also my first day of classes this semester and it’s just craziness. Yes I’m posting the first chapter of Yeosang’s spin-off today. But people seemed to like my first impressions of the last album so I’m going to do them again. Thankfully (?) this album is a lot shorter so I can pause and talk about stuff.

Warning! a loooong post, squealing, incoherent thoughts smashed together, and crying ahead. A lot of crying. Keysmashes included.

Post-MV thoughts before I listen to it again: There’s way too much to focus on and I’ve watched it many many times to look at the choreo and the storyline stuff that’s happening, but this is my first time listening without the video so I’ll notice more musically this time. But first I wanna say; YEOSANG’S LINES!!!! I’ve been screaming for forever that he has a beautiful deep voice and needs to be given parts that compliment it. And wow it finally happened :’) Anyway here we gooo

건배하자 like a thunder!! Can you believe they literally spoiled the entire hook of their next song in Beginning of the End? *flashbacks to my utter confusion when that happened* San sounds amazing and I like the little echoey thingies. Gives it a real nostalgic feel. Jongho already popping off vocally barely 10 seconds in. Mingi’s rap here and the transition to Hongjoong’s— rap line goals. The attitude in that mm-mm made me smile ngl. This prechorus might be my favourite part of the song. Seonghwa sounds heavenly. An EDM drop bringing back that hook, good decision and again it kinda feels nostalgic?? Especially the oh-oh-ohs which are also giving me a pirate drinking song vibe wow 0.0 Wooyoung with that 불러 불러 lol. Yes the Yeosang part!! I love a good post-chorus switchup and he. handled. it. perfectly. There’s even harmony, yall know how much I love harmony. And SINGING RAPPERS AHAHDJAHAK YESSSSS. Back to that glorious prechorus but it’s Yunho’s turn. This chorus is just such an anthem. I’m bopping rn. San in this bridge— he said I am a VOCALIST listen to my beautiful VOICE. Yay the rappers going back and forth again!! It’s like If Without You. Man I can’t believe I get to replay this song forever. 2020 is gonna be lit. You hit those notes Jongho! I’m always blown away by this kid, and that scoop earlier mmmm. Just nodding very energetically right now. Perfect end to the song. 100/10!!!!

Okay I’m pausing before the next one starts because no I am not prepared. It’s just like last time; I know Hongjoong wrote this and I know it’s gonna ruin me but I have no idea how and when and what it’s even gonna be like but anyway, too bad, let’s just go.

Oh kinda futuristic sounding opening with the synths? Yooo the vocal thingy in the background, sounds like a sample of some kind, that is super cool and I hope we get more of it. Ok I paused just to write that, let me unpause. This is gonna be a long one, I can already tell, sorry guys 😅 And the beat changed right before the vocalists came in. definitely a back and forth thing here in two registers, very sweet. Wow. WOW MINGI WOW. This rap is?? It sounds super mature and idk just full of confidence. I’m shook. Ok the chorus. Holy cow this is LIT lit. Nope nope I need to pause and go back. This is so chaotic, I feel like I’m missing things?? I’m listening to that chorus again because there were so many elements there. I just wanna take this song and break it down second by second to hear every single sound hahahah. I’m only catching an odd word or two here as far as lyrics go. Oml harmonies 💆🏻‍♀️ Alright Hongjoong’s rap. OMG if he sounded sassy in Answer this is a whole new level and I LOVE IT. Flow is 100/10. The “are you gonna take me there” gives me chills. This song needs a dance this chorus is TOO LIT. Am I at a rave rn??? Oh thank God the bridge took it back a level. Ok I’m pausing because I think I caught some of the lyrics this time. If I’m not wrong I heard 난 궁금해 저 끝이 궁금해, 더 가까이 조금 더 가까이 ? Which is something like “I wonder, I wonder about the end. Closer, a little bit closer” if I heard correctly. I need to look up the lyrics in full later because Hongjoong has a big brain and his lyrics are always 🤯🤩 Ok unpause. Final breakdown! Yep this is going on repeat the rest of today. Jongho yussss with the ad libs. No it’s over ㅠㅠ Alright this one is already vying for top spot this album. We shall see. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. HONGJOONG GENIUS.

Um so yeah I saw them perform this live for their anniversary thingy and cried so this should be fun. At least I already know the song so how much can it hurt me? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Smart of whoever put this album together to stick this song right in the middle and make us cry between head banging to the other songs. Mingi in the beginning is just 💖💕💘💝💓 San ballad king. I need more ballads from him. Jongho, of course, with perfect vocal control. Oh Seonghwa too, I need more ballads from him. Wooyoung with T H A T part. A tear is forming, I just love this chorus. People are saying the song should be in a drama and I 100% agree. Everyone together FOREVER YOU ARE MY STARRR. The little drum frills it’s so cute :(( Yay Hongjoong, and his cute little voice I’m UWUWU. Wooyoung with the high note and I’m ascending........... Chorus again and this is the real meaning of crying in the club. It just occurred to me that the second verse seemed really short. Yeosang + Hongjoong + that guitar in the bridge is *chef’s kiss*. This is so emotional, do we really need to do this at 4am?!? I’m just gonna vibe for a sec, it’s the last chorus. The ad libs were so perfect and the way it ended— wow. I need a moment.

From my understanding this is a full version of the Precious Overture they gave us last album. Tempted to go back and see my first impressions about that one, but either way i have a distinct feeling my wig is about to be snatched. Let’s GOOO

So far, it’s starting the same. Creepy humming and all. Okay scratch that, we have a vocal melody. Yunho sounds great ugh I’m so proud. Sorry, San’s voice just takes me to another plane of existence or something, how can it be that smooth and gorgeous, someone please explain. Building to something now... Oo. OO?! Hongjoong’s rapping. This is so cool oh wow, and into this vocal part which I believe is the chorus?? wOW wow it’s amazing to hear this having already heard the bgm, this is like a new level of appreciation. It really all goes well. Ah we have a switch up now with Seonghwa. guys GUYS GUYS you know how I feel about switch ups. Sorry I’m going back to catch something. The tempo changed here and really grabbed my attention. The bass is also super cool, it’s actually the same melody as the treasure opening (and the opening of this song) but much lower, I believe. Uh oh guys this might be vying for top spot too. Let’s continue. Ok Mingi’s rap which I’ve already heard. Um I’m confused now. It’s Hongjoong’s rap again? Is this the chorus?? Woah woah hold on I gotta pause. Because. Wait, what?? This is the chorus??!? Yoooooooo bold move! I have no idea what is going on but I love it. Continuing on. Ah yeah ok the vocal part with Yeosang again, so I guess the rap + vocal part is the chorus? Also I neglected to mention but Yeosang is killing this song. Ooh okay this bridge is building some suspense. Feeeelingggggg.... And now a shouted version of the rap for the final chorus. Okay wow I’m impressed that they took it this direction. And Jongho with the ad libs is PERFECTIONNNN. Oop okay they’ve added the revised-lyric Treasure part to the end here. And the lyrics are the same as in Precious (Overture) so I’m guessing we still didn’t find the treasure, good grief. How long is it gonna take to find this treasure 😅. And it ended like that. Well. WOW. Again, I could listen to this on repeat all day. Again, I am deceased. Instant fave.

I’m pretty sure this is the exact same as I already heard on the trailer thingy but we are gonna react to it anyway.

The orchestra really loosens my tear ducts like nothing else. It’s beautiful, who else is doing it like them?? “Did you find your treasure?” Yes, I found ATEEZ 🥺. The way he says “finally found it” . This is Maddox btw. Also about Maddox, hang on I’m gonna pause for a PSA: guys if you don’t know Maddox please PLEASE check him out. He’s doing the amazing narration on this (and Intro too), he’s a soloist under KQ and one of Ateez’s hyungs who they look up to. In addition to his superior narrating talents, he is also an amazing vocalist. If you like R&B and lo-fi music I would definitely recommend him, he just dropped a single called Color Blind, his insta is xxmaddox, he’s a great guy and YEAH that’s all for my plug but go stan him, he is deserving and proof of the fact that KQ artists are talent through and through. Unpausing! The way the orchestra swells and then goes into a piratey sounding theme is so motivating and familiar :))) “Can you hear those voices?” HNGJRKSNDN WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SCARY. This is the Epilogue, it’s supposed to be like the denouement, the falling action!! The bad guys should be gone now! What’s next?? Treasure Ep: Answer to Question? Because that’s what I have after this album! More questions!!! Anyway, the bass here and the humming 👌🏻 100/10 for the instrumental. And in ATEEZ fashion, they leave me thirsting for more.

So that was my first impression/live reaction to the mini album! I think it’s Horizon and Precious fighting for #1 currently. Maybe I’ll reblog with second and third and fourth impressions... Thanks for reading if you got this far! And tell me what your first impressions were and if I missed something big while I was keysmashing. TTFN~