#Not gonna claim any of this is anything but trash!

[dalekofchaos]

There was never a rat in the Van Der Linde Gang

I'm gonna be honest. Micah is a conniving snake. But there was never a rat.

Why did Blackwater fail? Dutch killed a mother in cold blood and then a massacre happened. The money was a set up and Dutch took the bait. Pinkertons swarmed the area and even Landon Rickets was there.

How did they find them at Horseshoe? By chance the Pinkertons found Arthur and Jack fishing, but was it really by chance? What happens in chapter 2?

A bar fight where fucking everyone in town is there, which afterwords Dutch is there

You sprang Sean free and there are bounty hunters who flee, you seriously don't think they talked??

Oh yeah, ARTHUR AND MICAH SHOOT UP A FUCKING TOWN

John killing Micah led to Ross and Fordham finding him. Any of the missions I mentioned practically led Milton and Ross to finding Arthur near Horseshoe.

How did the Gray/Braithewaite scheme fail?

The Grays knew what they were doing and so did the Braithewaites. They played both families instead of just one and instead of LYING LOW. Dutch's vanity, ego and sense of wanting petty revenge against Confederate white trash caused Sean to be killed and Jack to be abducted.

How did Saint Denis fail?

Dutch played Bronte in his own city, refused a favor(you do NOT refuse the Mob asking a favor) which caused the set up, then Bronte's murder and finally the Bank Robbery which they knew they were there.

The common theory is someone from the gang snitched and talked to the Pinkertons. Who exactly ? Micah ? Well, Agent Milton said they picked up Micah AFTER they came back from Guarma, so it could not have been him. Molly ? Again, Milton said they did pick her up (not mentioned when), but she did not say anything. I have also read theories that it might have been Agibail who snitched to which my response is - pure BS.

The truth is, nobody snitched, nobody talked. Yes. Yet the reaction of the Pinkertons was insanely fast, as if they knew the robbery was going to go down. How you wonder ? Well, it's simple. It's a long one, but have a read.

From the very beginning of the game, Dutch has been claiming that they are a few steps ahead of everyone else, but his arrogance proved to be the downfall. You see, the Pinkertons are not as dull and foolish as Dutch claim them to be, they are extremely efficient as a detective agency proven by the fact that they tracked down Arthur in Valentine. Now, when the gang moved to Clemens Point near Rhodes, the Pinkertons lost their trail for a while. However the gang contradicted their own plan of staying low by creating a huge chaos in Rhodes after killing both the Gray's and the Braithwaite's (best mission in the game btw). As soon as the word spread of the massacre of both the families in Rhodes all over the place, the Pinkertons connected the dots and knew that it could be the Van Der Lind gang who created the fuss and if so, they must be camping somewhere near Rhodes. Nonetheless, they found the gang hideout after sniffing around, a day or two after the Braithwaite massacre. At this point Agent Milton knew these bunch of people would not be too hard to find as all you need to do is to sniff around an area where there has been murder and madness.

Now to Saint Denis, Dutch dismissed Hosea's idea and went after Angelo Bronte just after the failed trolley station robbery. If he listened to Hosea, hit the bank at once, then vanished, the Pinkertons would have never caught on and they would be harvesting mango's in Tahiti. But a failed trolley station robbery followed by a huge shootout in the city killing dozens of cops then followed by a kidnapping and murder of the most powerful man in the city was enough chaos for the Pinkertons to realize it's the Van Der Lind gang. So they knew the gang is around this city and increased security in Saint Denis hoping that the next time they attempt a robbery, it would be the endgame. That is why as soon as the bank robbery started, the Pinkertons were all over the place.

It is also easy to explain why Hosea was captured and Abigail escaped. While causing the distraction, both of them did not realise how fast the response is going to be. The Pinkertons caught Hosea as his face along with other male members of the gang was known to them, specially Hosea, Dutch and Arthur as they have been the oldest members of the gang. But Abigail at this point was unknown to them so it was easy for her to walk right past them without them realizing.

Why did the gang fell?

Micah got into Dutch's ear, Hosea died and Arthur got sick.

Micah promised him riches and the glorious scores that appealed to Dutch's ego and vanity. But he wasn't the rat.

If he did rat, he was playing Dutch and the Pinkertons to get the Blackwater money and the money for turning in Dutch.

However.

It was all Dutch.

Dutch. killed Cornwall in broad fucking daylight. Arthur sprung John out of prison, they blew up a fucking bridge, Dutch led the Natives to their doom, Colm's execution turned into a bloodbath, an attack on the Oil Refinery which led to the deaths of Colonel Favors and Eagle Flies and to top it all with robbing the military. It's no fucking wonder the Pinkertons found them.

There was no rat. The Pinkerton’s were actually just good at their jobs. Micah being a rat makes no sense if you actually think about it. There’s NO WAY the pinkertons would have been ok with the death of Leviticus Cornwall as he was paying their wages. Micah and Dutch planned to kill him together. There’s also the fact that Micah straight up killed Pinkertons in the firefight that ensued cornwall’s death. Micah was an asshole but not a rat. Watch that scene with Milton and Arthur again…Milton would have most likely let Arthur go with that false information but Arthur decided to attack him. There was never a rat, they got played.

It's a combination of things on why they all failed.

Reason 1. Dutch's vanity and ego. Dutch desperately needed to be seen as this great American hero. He cares more of the thrill of ��one last score” it’s all about his ego and how he has to be seen as this Evelyn Millerian figure. This great American Literature hero when he’s really as bad as the greed that he says poisons America. He never cared about the people in the gang. It was the prestige of the name "The VAN DER LINDE Gang" HIM. He wanted to be seen as this infamous outlaw and righteous leader. He didn't care about the people in the gang. Arthur? He was dying and he didn't care. John? He wanted him to hang. Abigail? He left her behind the first chance he got. Micah killed Susan RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM and Dutch didn't care. He considerd Mary-Beth, Pearson and Uncle leaving as a betrayal. Dutch never cared for the people within the VDL Gang. He cared what they could do for him and the glory they could bring him. It was never of settling down to become farmers, it was always about the thrill of being an outlaw the that great big score.

There are a lot of people who think if Hosea never died, then Dutch never would've lost it. He was always bad. He just had good ways of masking it. Hosea failed at every venture to talk out of getting Dutch to see sense and avoid bloodshed. If Hosea lived, there is a very good chance that Dutch would've lost it and had Hosea killed. Either it would've been an accidental death like he tried by leaving Arthur behind, he would've went into full paranoid mode "You're trying to undermine me and take the group from me" and order Hosea to draw his gun and then shoot him. Like Hosea said "You'll damn us all" and he did.

Reason 2. Loyalty to a fault.

Loyalty held the gang together. Loyalty was what Dutch valued - blind, obedient loyalty. “He had a plan,” after all.

Doubt broke the gang apart. Dutch became suspicious, uncertain of the faith of even his most dedicated friends. This undermined the entire operation and caused its eventual downfall.

“You’ll betray me, Arthur,” Dutch says, “You’re the type.” Dutch couldn’t be more wrong on that account.

Micah is named by the Pinkertons as a rat, but according to them, he wasn’t approached until after they’d returned from Guarma. So, by that timeline, the Pinkerton’s hadn’t needed a rat to foil their plans in Blackwater, or to find Arthur fishing by the side of a stream, or for the bank robbery in Saint Denis.

The Pinkertons always knew where Dutch was and what he was up to. They didn’t need a rat, especially not after their return from Guarma. So, why drop Micah’s name?

Well, the Pinkertons knew the gang was scrambling, that they were on the run, and that it was damn near impossible to arrest one of them at a time without a successful rescue of said gang member, ie Micah, John, Abigail and Sean. They are not the local sheriff’s office, after all. They are the federals and they want Dutch Vander Linde done in for good.

Staring down the barrel of a gun, why would a Pinkerton agent spill their collateral to the enemy? Arthur wasn’t even asking for any information at the time. Why would this agent, in his dying moments, tell Arthur that Micah was the rat?

Unless the agent knew the gang was on thin ice, and that loyalty was all that was keeping it together. He introduced what he hoped would be a final blow to the gang, accomplishing post-huminously what had been his career goal in life.

Also, why would Micah become an informant after Guarma? What were the promising him? After all, he stuck with Dutch and formed a new gang after Arthur died. He never took a big cut from the government and ran. He was a brown-noser and an asshole, but stood nothing to gain from becoming a rat.

Arthur hated Micah, so he took the bait. He wanted a reason to hate him, to have him kicked out of the gang. Micah was pragmatic and greedy and he hardened Dutch’s humanitarian side - the side that Arthur valued. But, Micah being a rat wasn’t the truth.

After all, we know who became a rat - John Marston.

Arthur’s readiness to believe a Pinkerton’s dying words proved the point of the narrative - the gang fell apart because they lost faith in Dutch, and because Dutch grew jealous and fearful as their doubts became apparent.

Loyalty kept the gang together, and its absence tore the gang apart.

Reason 3. "We didn't need a rat. We got sloppier than the town drunk."

The gang was careless. It got sloppy and their overconfidence and ego was their downfall.

Micah wasn’t the cause of their downfall he simply hastened it. The game tells you from the opening titles how it’s going to end and why. It mentions that the remaining gangs are being hunted down and destroyed with the word underlined for emphasis. It was always going to end in their demise, it just happened quicker than it would have because they got sloppy, careless, conceited, and arrogant.

[that-student-that-has-homework]

Al-Haitham Headcanons 01

All SFW Here Folks! I think? There's like one bit that's kinda suggestive. If you - no you don't need to squint. It's not vulgar though. Tumblr MasterList

I think his love language is acts of service.

Al-Haitham reads a lot, if he finds something that would be useful to you, he'd likely make note of it with sources, especially if you were going to use it in a paper.

Oh you got into an argument? Someone said something you disagree with? You struggled to support your point? He found some piece of information that supports your argument? Or maybe he found something that negates the other person's? He'll bring it to you.

Perhaps you had asked a random question: you were curious or wondering about something? If he comes across useful information again, he'll bring it to you, and explain it if you need him to.

Maybe you're stressed or struggling or your body hurts in some way? He's doing research and bringing it to you.

You've got a big daunting task? He's broken it down for you, maybe even helped you delegate and even eliminate some things too

Drapes his cape over you when you're napping and cold.

Drapes his cape over you when you're cold in general.

Someone is trying to belittle you? Let it be known that Al-Haitham has no problem silencing them, and in a truly intellectual manner.

Yeah no, he has no tolerance or anyone talking trash about his beloved.

Quality Time is another love language

As we all know: Al-Haitham dislikes having a large social circle. So if he is choosing to spend time with you, outside of work (or anything else that's necessary) nonetheless, he definitely values you.

For whatever reason I feel like he's more cuddly and probably goes for hugs more?

(For anyone reading Rationality of Emotion: when you see this appear again in that fic...well I mean I was always gonna use it there...)

I imagine his physical affections are more him holding you in some way, and mostly in private, and I mean just you and him private. Initially, when Kaveh was practically watching him like a hawk to see if he could display affection, Al-Haitham is deliberately avoiding any action that Kaveh was looking for.

That being said, if you're both reading on the sofa/couch looking thing in his house, he really enjoys kinda having you nestled into him? So you've got your back against the arm rest (you have it cushioned don't worry) with your head resting on his chest and your legs across his lap. Each of you just reading and enjoying the silence.

He usually isn't wearing his sound proof earpieces when you guys are doing this.

I can also imagine him going from mostly hugging due to requests to initiating hugs himself.

Yes he has hugged you from behind before, it was a hell of a day, he's kinda overstimulated, he's got his face in your neck, and is just leaning on you a bit. Please let him rest there for a bit, even if he's kinda heavy.

As for when he does kiss you though

I think Haitham's kisses are like cute little pecks on your temples or your head, or the juncture of your neck and shoulder. I don't think they're very common either.

If it's anywhere else he's probably got ulterior motives

But that's okay because he's your husband

(yes even when it's on your pulse)

(especially when it's on your pulse)

While he is mostly private, he will absolutely state his claim if necessary

I don't think Al-Haitham is a very jealous guy

he trusts you, he understands that for the most part you know how to handle yourself (sometimes you need help when hilichurls are involved)

however he doesn't exactly trust strangers

so if someone wants to try their luck, and can't take a hint, he will absolutely be by your side, with a hand on your lower back as he excuses the two of you and guides you along

That hand of his stays there the whole way home.

if you aren't picking up on the fact that this person is trying to hit on you: I think he'd only watch for a little bit, curious if you're going to pick up on it, before appearing to help you exit (especially if you look tired)

[blooming-violets]

Nicest Thing Peter x Reader for 11. In joy? I really like that fic. I reblogged it on my old account. I feel like thats an underrated fic of yours (maybe bc it came out in 2022? Idk). Would love to see what happened to them!

It's still one my favs because it is just so...me?? Like if I had to chose anything that represented my personality perfectly, it would be Nicest Thing. Just a depressed, sad bitch who loves angst and Peter Parker and enjoys Kate Nash. I feel like I need another Kate Nash song for this "sequel" fic. I'll base it off her song Trash because these two are trash for each other.

You can read this as a separate, on its own Peter x Reader thing if you'd like or you can read it as a future piece to Nicest Thing.

Warnings: Smoking a joint and getting stoned

If porn bots can over take all the tags then I better not get flagged for these gifs.

Peter looked at her through blazed out, squinting eyes. A haze of smoke filled their bathroom as they passed the joint back and forth between them. They were seated in the unfilled tub, fully clothed, and facing each other. She had made him take the spot next to the faucet under the claims that sitting over the drain made her feel “icky” like she might get sucked in. He didn’t mind. Even if their leaky faucet kept dripping cold water over his shoulder. 

“Do you remember the Rugrats episode when Tommy and Chuckie are afraid of getting sucked down the bathtub drain because Angelica tells them a story of some other baby who died that way?” He asked, handing her off the joint. 

She placed it between her lips and he watched with a slow blinking, admiration for her. He loved her. She had been with him through everything. He owed his entire life to her. Without her in his life, he would no longer be here. She was everything important in the world. 

She smiled, remembering, and let out the most beautiful laugh. She always got extra giggly when they smoked. It was one of his favorite sounds. 

“Don’t they fill the drain with play-doh and shit? It’s a weird reddish, pink color. Why do I remember that specific color so much?” She replied, mystified. 

Peter chuckled, “Because old school Rugrats was filled with some crazy ass imagery. It sticks in your mind.” 

“Yeah but I remember thinking that I specifically wanted to eat that color...like maybe it would taste nice…like the imaginary food from Hook.” She passed it back to him, letting the smoke exhale in a little, circular puffs from between her lips. 

“Do you want to get into a pretend food fight with me and see if anything appears?” He grinned. 

Her red rimmed eyes squinted back at him as she laughed, “With the way these munchies have been hitting me the past few minutes, I think it might actually happen. I could imagine food hard enough to make it show up.” 

His mind started to wander as a hungry smile spread across his face, imagining all the food he could eat, and he spoke with a dreamy whisper, “Pizza bagels.”

“What?”

“Let’s make pizza bagels. ‘M hungry. Starvin’. Gonna die if I don’t get some food in me.” 

Her eyes glowed with excitement at the idea, “Pizza bagels. Yes, you’re a genius!” 

“I know,” he giggled, it bubbled out of him without any self control. It wasn’t the weed that did it. It was her. He felt free when he was with her. He flicked out the joint against the ashtray balancing on the edge of the tub. “I really am. Smartest man alive, probably.” 

She snorted, “Okay, I wouldn’t go that far. Get your ego in check, Parker, before I have to slap some sense back into you.” 

He beamed at her, his love consumed him, feeling it outshine every other emotion rattling around inside of him. She was beautiful. Stunning. Picture perfect. He wanted to hang her up on his wall like an expensive piece of art so he could admire every day of his life. 

Her shoulders shrunk up to her ears under the intensity of his gaze.

“Stop that,” she whispered. “Don’t look at me with those eyes or I’ll kick you. I’ve got a perfect aim for your crotch in this position.”

Peter shook his head, “Nope, sorry, I refuse. I can’t help it. You look…perfect. The nicest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“You’re stoned.” 

“Yes. Doesn’t change the fact that your lips look very enticing.” He winked at her and tried to scoot forward to get a taste. 

Her socked foot landed against his chest, pushing him back in place, “I thought we were making pizza bagels, not kissing. Weren’t you just starving a minute ago?” 

“Starving for you, maybe.” 

“Peter!” She let out a loud laugh, keeping him at bay with her outstretched leg. 

He was so in love. Completely enamored. Whipped. Head over heels. Trash for her. Whatever he wanted to call it. He belonged to her so wholly. His bleeding heart was in her hand for the rest of his life. He would follow her to the ends of the earth and back again. 

“If you don’t let me kiss you right this very second, I am going to turn this shower on.” His hand reached over his shoulder to grip onto the shower knob with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. 

She gave a sharp inhale, “You wouldn’t dare.” 

His eyebrows raised, taking on that challenge, “Oh really?”

She knew she fucked up the second before the shower burst to life. From his position in the tub, it shot over his head to spray directly into her face. She shrieked and fell back, sliding down the sloped edge of the tub until she was nearly on her back.

It was all the opportunity he needed to pounce. He leapt on top of her to the sound of her laughter and blocked the shower stream from her face with his back. His arms wrapped protectively around her head as he laid over her. Water pooled around them, warming their bodies, and soaking through their clothes. 

They didn’t feel it. 

All he could feel was the devoted love burning a hole in his chest where his heart used to be. 

She giggled up at him, blinking water droplets from her eyes, and whispered, “You’re an ass.”

He laughed in response and crashed his lips over hers, mumbling against them, “You love me.” 

She sighed in content. Her arms snaked around his neck to draw him closer, melting happily into his kiss. 

“I do.”

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep6 Musings - Loumand's Power Imbalance: RANT (Spoilers)

I'm seeing so many trash takes in the tags and it's driving me nuts.

Armand 👏 Made 👏 His 👏 CHOICE! 👏

The show said it TWICE, and yet I still see a plethora of braindead takes about Armand/Arun being "forced" by "Maitre/pimp!Louis" to do things. 🤦

Like, ISTG we're clearly not watching the same show, y'all.

Since when did Louis being a pimp or asserting "dominance" or other delusions of grandeur get him anywhere or give him anything that wasn't immediately taken away again by people with ACTUAL power? Louis NEVER had any real power to begin with!

Lou couldn't even convince some schmuck art dealer to buy his effing photos! He couldn't even convince his own boyfriend/companion to make a dang baby with him! Come on, y'all--what POWER (control, influence, effectiveness, coercion, sway) has Louis ever actually had!?!?

Sure, Lou owned all those businesses--and every single one got shut down by the government's Ordinances (via the city council the Alderman & Tom Anderson were board members on). Sure, Lou had money & paid all the bills at DPDL Estate, but his mother had the power to badmouth him so bad that his own nieces never wanted to be around him, and Levi took his place as Florence's son--"you're not welcome in this home!" Sure, Lou's a big bad vamp w/ super strength "remember what I did to that door, Grace?," but Grace was the one who told him to "get out!;" "mah sistah buried me aliiiiive~!" Sure, he was "Daddy" Lou, but when Claudia ran away he couldn't do eff all to stop her or make her come back till SHE decided to come back. Sure, Lou said he was "equals in the quiet dark," but Lestat always had the final say--he's even testifying to an entire judge & jury in the court case that's gonna get Claudia killed & Louis LITERALLY buried alive--cuz ARMAND MADE A DEAL WITH SANTIAGO & THE COVEN & LESTAT! Everyone's making moves w/out Lou having a EFFING clue.

Y'all really think Armand just stood there & let Santiago kidnap Lou's family cuz LOUIS turned Armand into his slave!; or cuz LOUIS had some unfair advantage over Armand?!

Episode 7 was given its title for a frikkin REASON, y'all.

Armand claimed he "couldn't prevent it." Armand. The 500 year old vampire so powerful that HE was the only one in the coven who could set vampires on frikkin fire, and was the ONLY one who could freeze entire rooms full of people AND VAMPIRES.

Somehow, Armand's suddenly SO powerless, SO helpless, SO DOMINATED, that couldn't stop those SAME vampires from abducting his beloved companion ("I want you more than anything in the world") and his daughters? PLEASE.

Coven Master Armand CHOPPED OFF NICKI'S HANDS when he got TIRED of dealing with a mentally ill guy whom LESTAT left him with! Sound familiar!? Only this time it's not Louis' HANDS--it's his DAUGHTERS!

ARMAND WANTS THOSE TWO WENCHES GONE GIRL! He sold them down the frikkin river; and in return was able to guarantee that Louis wouldn't be killed right alongside them, merely buried alive so Armand could dig him up later; "eternity in a box."

Armand passively shut the door and stood by as the coven burned Claudia (after Armand had chopped her HEAD off & sewed it on an adult's body)--and only made his move once all the sentences had been meted out; cuz in classic Armand fashion: HE LET IT HAPPEN.

ARMAND WANTED THAT WHOLE COVEN GONE, GIRL! He's done this crap before! WITH LESTAT!

And Armand was busy wheeling & dealing with Lestat, too!

Lest only complied--COMPLICIT--cuz he'd been starved, delirious & hurt; and Armand tricked him into thinking he could/would help. Les threw Claudia under the bus to protect Lou, but was still horrified that she'd been killed, cuz ARMAND could've prevented it--his fledglings shouldn't've been held to the Great Laws in the first place!

This is a MASSIVE game Armand's playing--the whole point of his gaslighting's that he throws the same thing he does back in ppl's faces to throw them off his scent, "to protect me, from YOU, Mr. Molloy...from my shame...my cowardice." He hides behind illusions--not just with the Mind/Spell Gift, but also through the veneer of innocence: a black-winged devil with the innocent face of a cherub.

People are SO blinded by the mean Black man (whom they don't even like ANYWAY) Dom'ing Armand (FOR SHOW, btw!); and equally distracted by their failure to even parse Armand's birthname Arun (I don't see any of y'all saying Amadeo was book!Armand's "slave name," and I DEFINITELY don't see any of y'all saying ANDREI was his slave name, either!); that they've totally missed how Loumand plotted TOGETHER to concede power to Santiago and "give" him the Theatre--thoroughly ignorant of the fact that Santiago was already being called Maitre by the whole effing coven--he'd already won his coup!

You can't give someone something you never had, Louis!

And their plot was for ARMAND'S BENEFIT; so they could get rid of Santiago, destabilize/dismantle the coven so they'd scatter (just like Lestat caused them to do); and so Armand could decide if he wanted to stay Maitre or not--LETTING ARMAND CHOOSE what HE wanted to do with HIS coven and THEIR lives. Lest we forget: vamps don't just LEAVE covens--in the books, after Les ruined the Paris coven, Armand didn't just LET them leave--he set them on FIRE and KILLED THEM; just like Louis would do--as Armand sat back and LET IT HAPPEN.

He knew Lou'd go ballistic; AMC!Armand even TAUGHT Louis the Fire Gift; literally handing Louis the tools with which to destroy his coven for good!

This show constantly emphasizes the POWER Armand held over Louis & Claudia (& Madeleine)'s lives; and his autonomy, agency & authority over them; despite the roleplay Loumand was up to as they SWITCHED positions; cuz Armand FAILED at running the coven.

All Armand wanted was to be with Louis, but Lou kept dragging Claudia (& Lestat) with him. So Armand was tryna get rid of them--he's Sleeping in Claudia's coffin, cuz he wants to take HER spot; "it's BLISS!"--and he overplayed his hand.

Louis couldn't even kill himself in peace without Armand interfering--cuz at the end of the day, it's not up to Louis what he wants or does. Armand PRETENDS to be Louis servant, "Rashid," his subby bottom boy, cuz Armand WANTS to go along with it all--too shameful for his COMPLICIT culpability; and too scared to live alone.

I saw people saying "the victim became the victimizer; cycles of abuse; etc etc," like omfg--how is THIS man Louis' victim!?

I've said it before though: Armand genuinely loves Louis, and has good intentions. But let's not pretend Armand's some innocent bystander to Louis' schemes, ffs!

[seokjinsonlyone]

in which you get cornered...

a follow up to this drabble

When Tae asked if he could post a couple photos of you on Instagram it didn’t seem like a life changing moment. You were vaguely aware of the implications of the action, but you’d gradually shifted out of your social media era over the years so it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to you. Your main concern was making sure he picked pictures where you didn’t look like an ugly little swamp creature because he had a penchant for putting his phone in the worst angle possible at the worst time possible and snapping away. He was annoying like that. 

But, the ones he wanted to post were cute. One was an off guard of you laughing at night on one of your walks, the flash was on but it was that perfect amount of blurry that made it trendy. The second was from your stop at Ikea a few weeks ago. You two were posted up in front of a mirror, you leant back against his chest, his arm secured around your waist. It was kinda hot. Made you two look like some sort of power couple. It was currently your home screen. So, you approved of his selections, liked the post a few days later when you remembered to open up the app, and didn’t think much of it afterwards. That should have been the end of it.

Apparently, it was not.

“I dated Tae last year.”

You look up from the sink where you were washing your hands and over to the girl fixing her lashes a few feet away. You weren’t sure how that concerned you or what you were supposed to do with that information. “Okay?”

“Don’t expect it to last long,” she warned nonchalantly.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s all great in the beginning. He’s super sweet, walks you to class, buys you coffee, all that good stuff. But pretty soon he’s going to get bored of you and he’s gonna drop you just as fast as he picked you up.”

You swiped a few paper towels, mulling over her statement. “It’s Taehyung,” you decided to address first.

And now it was her turn to ask the questions. “What?”

“Like you said, you dated him a year ago, and I have no idea who you even are, so it’s not Tae, he’s Taehyung to you now.” You didn’t like her addressing him so casually as if she had any type of relationship with I’m now. “And I’m not like you so I’m not going to presume to know anything about the nature of your relationship with him, but I’m guessing maybe it didn’t work out because you’re the type to accost people he’s close to in the bathroom.” You shot her a disgusted look and exited the room.

You were off put by the encounter. A little nauseous if you’re being honest because it wasn’t even the first one like it. Well, it was the first of his scorned lovers to approach you (and hopefully the last), but it seemed like everyone had something to say about you and your relationship with him. Even your friends from back home questioned how you bagged him. You know they didn’t mean it in a bad way, that Tae really was just that handsome and great, but everything was starting to get overwhelming, was bristling you in the wrong way.

What’s even worse was that you actually were about to meet him in a little cafe just off campus and you knew he’d be sitting there with a coffee waiting for you just like that girl claimed he did for her. You spent the walk over there frazzled, working yourself into a tizzy, so by the time you got there you were completely over it and him. You saw him looking cute and cozy in his oversized hoodie, waiting in a booth with your coffee reserving the spot next to him. You took the to go cup and tossed it in the trash. “Let’s go,” you commanded, not even making eye contact with him and walking back out the door. 

It took a good twenty seconds before you could hear him catching up to you. “Hey! Hey!” He spun you around to face him. “Umm! That coffee ain’t cheap. Why’d you throw it out?”

You rolled your eyes, pulling out your phone and sending him $6 before continuing to stomp away. Of course he was worried about his money and not the fact that you’re so upset that you threw away a perfectly good cup of coffee. Maybe that girl was right. Maybe the end was coming soon. 

“I didn’t mean for you to send me the money,” he huffed trailing behind you. “Can you just- Can we-“ He grabbed your hand to prevent you from getting any further away and dragged you to the bench a few feet away. He tugged you into his lap, his arms completely engulfing you so you had nowhere to go, nowhere to look but right at him. “Now, can you please tell me what’s wrong?”

You stewed in silence for a bit longer before spitting out, “Your ex cornered me in the bathroom.”

“My ex?”

“Yes.”

His eyes flitted around in thought. “Aaliyah?”

You scoffed. “Am I supposed to know her name?”

He breathed out a laugh. “I’m just– I haven’t had a girlfriend since, like, before I graduated? Like, junior year?”

“Well, I’m sure you weren’t walking around this campus celibate for the past 3 years. I don’t know if it was a girlfriend, a hookup, a summer fling– whatever. She said she dated you last year.”

“What’d she look like?”

“Oh my god! That is soooo not the point.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. What’d she say?”

“She told me all about how you used to walk her to class and buy her coffee and then dropped her when you had your fill. Told me to expect the same.”

He had that same lost in thought expression before his eyes lit up in recognition. “Are you talking about Emi?! About 5’6 with the blue black hair? Because we never dated. I helped her study sometimes, but that was it.”

“I mean. I guess. But, you’re not listening to me. I don’t care who you did or did not date. You don’t seem traumatized or jaded enough for me to worry about that.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Well… you don’t believe her, do you?”

You shrugged. “I’ve seen the greatest minds of our generation fall victim to a three month situationship.”

“This isn’t a situation. You’re my girlfriend, and I’m falling in love with you.”

Your breath hitched, eyes wide as saucers as you stared at him, nowhere near prepared for such an admission.

He unwrapped his arms from around you to cup your face, thumb lightly caressing your cheeks. “Don’t look so surprised. I told you I would,” he said softly before bringing his lips to yours and indulging you in the softest, sweetest kiss you ever had in your life. Pillowy lips slotted between yours, applying just enough pressure so that you know he’s there with you, for you. You melted into him, pressing your forehead against his once he pulled away, hoping he wouldn’t be able to notice how erratic he had your heart beating. He pressed another kiss to your cheek. “Now, what’s really the problem?”

You wriggled your arms out of his hold, to wrap around his neck and sighed. “I just don’t understand why.”

“I don’t know why she would do that either, baby.”

“No. I don’t understand why you like me. They always say don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know the answer to, so I didn’t. Didn’t wanna jinx it, but now it seems like everyone has something to say about us. No one understands why you’re with me, and I don’t either.”

He was silent for a few moments which you appreciated because you wanted a real answer. “I think you’re a really intimidating person. Like, you always look like you don’t wanna be bothered. Kinda mean, to be honest.”

“That’s just my face.”

“I know that now, but I’m saying when I first met you, you just seemed unfriendly and standoffish.”

“Okay. I get it. I’m unapproachable. Can you skip to the part where you tell me why you like me?”

He breathed out a laugh. “I mean, I don’t know. You’ve got that tsundere thing going on that kinda does it for me.”

You blinked at him.

“I’m serious! You act like you’re all big and bad, but really you’re just my baby.” You pouted. “See,” he stole a quick kiss, “so cute.” He was silent for a few more moments, simply enjoying the feel of you scratching lightly at his scalp before he started talking again. “And even when we were just friends, I could tell how much you cared about me. About everyone, really. And you care for people in the way they understand even if they take it for granted sometimes. It made me want to care about you, too.”

You cuddled him to you, satisfied with his answer. “I’m sorry for throwing away the coffee you got me.” 

He squeezed you tighter. “It’s okay.”

“And block Emi, please. I’m pretty sure she cornered me because of your post.” 

He opened his account and handed you his phone instead. “You can go through and remove whoever you think is gonna give you trouble.”

And in that moment you couldn’t help but feel like you were falling in love with him, too.

a/n: i blame tae's constant lives and boyfriend looks for this like what am i to do but to write about it 😔✊

[nescaveckwriter]

Don't Leave Me

Dean Winchester x Reader 🐞

Summary: Dean, did the unthinkable, and cheated on you, on your anniversary.

A/N: Oh yay, I'm so excited, not only my first one shot, but also my first one done for the bingo @jacklesversebingo 🐞❤️💕 I'm just so excited to hear what y'all think. Much love my bugsies 🐞

Line: I don't really hate you, but I hate what you have done to us!

Warnings: Angst, A Lot of Angst! 🤔 Sorry about that😱

Word Count: Honestly no idea😱 will check next time🤩

Cover Art: Done by me 🐞 and the pic's from Pinterest and Canva 💕

Characters: Dean Winchester, Mention of Sam, and you❤️

"No Dean" I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"You don't get to look at me like that" I sniffed

"How could you do this to us?" Anger and sadness visible on my face

"Baby Listen" his voice low

With my hands on his muscular chest I shove him backwards, screaming now, "I don't need too listen, dammit, nothing you say is going to change a thing"

His emerald green eyes, is welled up, "just listen please" barely audible

"I hate you Dean" I say while throwing the ring on the floor

Taking a suitcase from the closet, tossing in any clothes I can find.

"You're leaving babe?" the distraught look on his face, caught you off guard

"Don't look at me like that, its your fault" you shove him out of the way walking to the bathroom to grab your toiletries.

He grabs ahold of your arm, spinning you around, and into his chest, "let me go," making my hands into small fist's, hitting against him, though it's not really doing anything.

His eyes pleading "sweetheart, please just listen to me, it didn't mean anything"

Squinting your eyes, "it didn't mean anything? Don't lie to me, Dean"

"I'm sorry" he claimed

"Yeah, your sorry I found out" I sneered

His jaw clenches, "no, babe, I'm serious it didn't mean a damn thing"

"Great so you threw all of this away for nothing" I smirked

"I was drunk okay! I didn't know what I were doing" his face full of guilt

Laughing a little "that's a lame excuse if I ever heard one"

You can't stand to be this close to him, hearing his heart beating, the way he looks into your eyes, the way his arms is holding you, you always were so weak when it came to him, it always were like some sort of special gift he had, making you putty in his big hands. But not today, not know, not after what he's done.

Trying to get out of his tight grip, you try to shove him backwards again, but he just holds you tightly, his voice revealing the sadness "do you really hate me"

Searching his face, his emerald green eyes, now, almost hazel like. Your voice brittle, tears streaming down my face "No, I... I don't really hate you, but I hate what you have done to us"

He thumbs away some of the tears, letting out a whisper, "I'm so sorry sweetheart"

"Sorry, just sorry, it won't work" you whisper - scream

"Then what will, baby" he asks

"I don't know,! nothing! The day you slid that ring on my finger, you swore you'll never betray me, break my trust, or trash my heart, guess what you did" getting angry all over again now "how could you" and with that you get out of his grip

Realising what he did, he just stood there, not making a sound, just listening to the sound of her crying, crying he caused. "Dammit" he cursed underneath his breath.

Taking her suitcase she walks out of their shared room, right to the door, glancing over the house she called home for the past five years, the memories they shared, the laughter, it's all gone now, in one night, he managed to erase five years of their lives together.

Dean runs towards her, "Baby wait, just stay, it's 3 in the morning, you can't drive like this" concern in his husky voice.

Glaring at him, "don't act like you care, if you did, you would have known, what yesterday was"

Dean, looks at her puzzled, following her eyes to the kitchen, he's jaw dropped when he saw the kitchen table, set and decorated for two, candles, placed with champagne flutes, and a bottle that was supposed to be on ice, a freshly baked pie in the middle.

"Babe, I'm"

"Don't finish that sentence, I'm so sick and tired of your sorries," I warned.

"I can't believe I was so naive, yesterday when you didn't show, I called Sam, he said as far as he knew you went for a drink, the case you worked on hit you hard, I was afraid you had to much to drink, and maybe gotten in a accident, but to my surprise, I found you with that... that, woman, her arms wrapped around you having a good time, how the hell could you do that to us, to me?" I screamed

"Babe, it meant nothing, I love you"

Tears flooded down my cheeks "no! Dean! You do not love me" you mumbled, "goodbye Dean"

"Please baby, don't go, don't leave me" he pleaded

He grabs a hold of your wrist, but you shake it loose, almost running towards your car, hearing him say something in the distance, but you reply with a shout "don't you follow me Dean Winchester" and with that you started the engine, put it in drive and drove off

In your rearview mirror, you see the man you loved, still love, standing there distraught look on his face, the blurriness of your glazed up eyes, makes it hard to focus on the road ahead, but you just drove further anyway, not wanting to stay there, the way he made you feel, the hurt, pain and betrayal is just to much.

Seeing taillights of her car, is just one too much, how is he going to fix this, why did he do what he did, "what am I gonna do" throwing a punch in the air.

He just stood there in the pouring rain, watching as the love of his life, went further and further out of his reach.

That's when he heard the tires screeching on the wet road, and then the heart wrecking loud noise, he just some how knew it was her. He ran, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Noooooo!" Screaming as he got closer, her car hanging over the road barrier, "Baby," he grabs ahold of her hand, her face bloodied, her legs pinned, her eyes, bloodshot from the crying, "Dean" she whispers with pain. "I'm here sweetheart, don't leave me, I love you" a half smile on his plum lips. With the closing of her eyes she whispers "I love you too Dean"

[bcacstuff]

Ok so my take is it's some kind of meeting, interview, getting to know you, whatever you wanna call it. His body language is screaming I'm here I'm listening like he does in interviews, the focused look down, his phone on the table suggests not a date at all he usually has it in his jeans pocket, she has a laptop or something in front of her which idk any date that brings that. This could've been right at the start, no drinks on the table. Still acquainting with each other.

She's not dressed as a young girl in LA on a first or second date, their legs are also not touching as another blogger is trying to suggest, he's actually clearly keeping his away from hers by crossing his legs, and just because that trash site posted she's identified but not public person means nothing. They clearly state they don't post all actual facts. It's whatever people send them. Could be someone said it to stir up more discussion. Honestly everything lately from him has felt like a scream for attention. For a bit of discussion about him. To make him seem a little more important than he is. Even the cinema post. Who on earth would randomly spot him if not organised by publicity??? This entire LA trip has felt like all PR. And maybe she's an interviewer who doesn't want to be put out there maybe they aren't gonna throw her under the bus but want people talking (when I say they I mean Sam's PR people)

You know Anon, I just sit here and most of the time shake my head over all the Anons in my inbox as well as all the 'suggestions' and 'maybes' in the comments.

People jumping to conclusions, people saying things they read somewhere else and make it sound like it is already a fact...

Seriously, where one sees he's smiling and having a good time with 'his date' the next one is claiming their legs are close together and people that do business or have an interview don't sit that close together... the other side sees nothing romantic and it must be business or an interview. And people get all worked up...

I just had my laughs last night, when the pic was posted by DM. Firstly because obviously no flight to catch after his TCA appearance as some blogger claimed she knew from her 'sources'... and I don't see that blogger addressing that in her next posts!

Secondly, all the ones claiming he was sitting behind Ashley in Washington at the rugby game. Do people fail to see how that SS cap was clearly photoshopped on the woman's head? 🤦‍♀️

And when I post he's still in LA, I get a shitload of Anons saying how would I know, well... because I use logic. Plain and simply logic. If I post things, I checked things, otherwise I wouldn't post it. But it seems some people are so terribly suspicious that they need evidence and proof for all, yet at the same time they seem to believe everything posted elsewhere without any shred of evidence.... even the weirdest narrative is taken for granted, rather than wait and see if there wil be more info, and if not so what, do we always need some explanation for everything? Or can we live with, we don't need to know every bloody detail? Oh and btw. he's still in LA today, so the ones claiming he's back in Glasgow... without any evidence and logic, sorry.... stop throwing things out there you would like to see, just see what really happens. You just get embarrassed all the time that when more details and facts surface.

Anyway, back to your summary of events. I agree, it looks like they just arrived, given there are no drinks on the table, just the 'fancy chips' they serve at that Beach restaurant at Shutters on the Beach.

No drinks (yet) on the table, or anything else for that matter, just his sunnies, his phone in front of him and in front of her something that looks like a tablet or laptop

So yes, I agree, if that is a laptop or tablet, that's not what you would bring a date. It gives me a bit the idea of the pics in NYC with the journo of Departures.

But then again, we do not know who the woman is. And there is no easy way to find out, as to me, she looks like millions of other blonde women. That said, the names now thrown out thus far, I don't think any of them match. And to the Anon thinking Ava as she was at the screening of Cinespia as well, please, the woman has tattoos all over her arms...

The pics are quite clear though, so it suggests someone close by took them, not even grainy or vague. Would they not have seen that a pic was taken? 🤷‍♀️

And as long as there are no other details known, I just keep all options open. I can lean more to one or another option, but I rather wait and see if there will be more known in the future. (just see how we found out about Lauren in NYC a year later!)

So that's what I do right now. If you want to do else, have a firm opinion about something, that's totally on you. What I do care for is that you don't come to me later on claiming I said this or that, or another blogger said this or that. I wont entertain that.

PS. I don't like to post the same things over and over again, when there is nothing new or more info about it. So don't expect countless posts about the woman, about who he was with at the screening on Saturday. If I find anything more, you always know I post it with the proof.

[the-real-treasure]

Treasure Treasure!

An OPLA Sanji x Reader

Master List Here

Previous Chapter: Whispered Wishes and Demanded Dishes

Chapter Four: Big Big Top Trouble and the Risks of Show Business

Summary: In a big top in a ruined town, a man claims a map he didn't steal, steals a hat that was never his and when things don't go his way, ends up in pieces. Just another night in show biz.

Trigger Warnings: Trigger Warnings: Threats and descriptions of violence, Reader's Devil Fruit power is overwhelming and overstimulating, yelling, torture, drowning, being dowsed in sea water is akin to being drugged Word Count: 6,344 **Edited 12/09/24**

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The only sound was the clicking of the safe, echoing across the empty ocean. At this time of night the water was barren of any other life, only the crew of your small sailing boat awake.

Luffy hung upside down above your heads, with you hovering next to Nami as she works. She glares up at him.

"Can you not do... that?" 

"Sorry. It's hard to sit still." He dropped his hat on to the deck and flipped down with it. Nami had turned her head away from him and was now staring at you.

"I noticed, you both have that problem." She muttered, eyes narrowing at your bobbing leg, heel hitting the deck in a continuous thumpthumpthumpthumpthump. You didn't hear her, staring at the deck and gnawing at the hard scar tissue peeking over the bandages at your thumb. Luffy stood and fixed his hat atop his head.

"I'm just feeling so.. so piratey!"

"Yeah? Well, you're gonna end up feeling watery if I have to throw you overboard. STOP. BOUNCING. YOUR LEG!" She gave you a hard whack. "I told you both I need absolute silence." You scooted away from her.

"I wasn't even doing anything."

"We know, we know," Luffy clambered up on the railing of the boat and began walking between the rigging, "Absolute silence. It's just that," You followed him and grabbed his leg nervously as he leaned over the bowspirit of the ship, "this is my first real pirate score. Can you believe that?" He twisted round to look back at the pair of you.

"Yeah, I can, because you told me right after you asked me, yet again to join your crew. I can't believe Y/n isn't a pirate though." You sighed.

"Again, why do you think that?"

"I dunno, maybe a combination of the suspicious bandages, the goofy outfit and the intense rage while fighting, how are you anything else?"

"I work in a restaurant, I literally just clean dishes and do stock orders." She eyes you suspiciously, and you shrug, "And occasionally tell rich clients they suck incredibly."

"And punch Marines!" Luffy chimed in helpfully.

Yeah, and punch Marines. Also," you flipped your jacket collar and pulled the flared skirt up to reveal the shimmery silk lining, "I have it on very good authority that I look cute."

"Authority from who, a blind seal?"

"I'll kill you and hide your body somewhere no one will ever find it."

"In the ridiculous giant pockets on your trousers?" You stuck your arms elbow deep into said pockets and glare at her.

"THEY'RE USEFUL FOR PUTTING THINGS IN!"

"Okaaaaay," Luffy calmed patting your shoulders as you snarled down at the orange-haired woman. "I was just thinking about how, when we're not fighting, we make a pretty good team." Luffy pulled you along to the mast before releasing you and leaning down over Nami's head to listen with her. "Is it open yet?"

"No." She gritted out. And can you please give me some quiet and some space?" With a whack, she knocks Luffy's hat off his head, the wind catching it. You and Luffy both lunge to catch it before it blows into the ocean, and you grab at the back of his shirt as he dangles over the side, arm outstretched. He had caught it, just. Pulling him back on to the deck he calls back to Nami.

"Hey. Not cool. Don't mess with my hat."

"Why do you care so much about that old thing anyway? It looks like you fished it out of the trash." He sits down inspecting it.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

"Will you three knock it off? I'm trying to take a nap" You glare into the small covered section at the back of the boat where Zoro was laying, having migrated across the boat a few times for prime napping position, hands behind his head.

"Oh I'm sorry, were we interrupting your beauty sleep?"

"Don't like what you see? Look away." You gagged and pretended to vomit over the edge of the ship. As you straighten, you hear the lock thunk and a gasp from Nami as she finally opens it. Twisting the handles, she pulls the safe open to reveal a map tube atop a confidential document and a bounty poster neatly rolled and tied with string.

"You did it!" Luffy breathed excitedly and she smiles at him, pulling out the tube and popping it open. She unfurled the paper and revealed the map depicting the portion of the Grand Line bordered by the East Blue, the islands littered across it labelled in neat but flowy script. Zoro walks up behind you all and pulls open the safe to look for himself.

"That's it? Isn't there supposed to be gold inside a safe? Or jewels? Huh, Treasure Treasure?" He rolls his head to look at you and you curl your lip at him. Nami scoffs.

"This is more valuable than gold. It's knowledge. This is a map to the Grand Line."

"The Grand Line! Ah," Luffy fixes his hat, "The Grand Line is just right... where is it exactly?" Nami looks between the pair of you.

"You're going there, but you two don't know where it is?"

"I know, it's," Your body pivots in place and you end up pointing south again. "Somewhere over that way." You shrug, "Just don't know, the specifics like."

"Guess I'll need a navigator on my crew." Luffy replied gleefully. Nami rolled her eyes and turned away.

Pulling out some chalk and sitting at the small hanging table, she started drawing.

"The seas are divided into four quadrants. East Blue, North Blue, West, South. This," she taps the squiggly drawing she had made, "thin strip of land that circles the globe is called the Red Line, and this," she draws a line curving though the centre of her world circle, "band across the middle is the Grand Line. A treacherous stretch of ocean with bigger islands, bigger cities, bigger pirates. Flush with riches and ripe for the picking."

"And that's where we're gonna find the One Piece!" Luffy cheered.

"I've taken out a lot of pirates looking for that thing. What is it? Like, a big diamond or something?"

"It's Gold Roger's treasure. He hid it somewhere in the Grand Line. All in one piece." Nami smacks the table.

"It's a myth. The reason no one's found it in 22 years is that it doesn't exist." Luffy smiled.

"Can't wait to see the look on your face when we find it."

An explosion ripples across the water, and red lights up the sky, pouring in through the small windows on either side of you.

"Is that the Marines?"

"How did they find us again?"

You all leave the cabin and stare up into the sky as red smoke starts falling around you, the scarlet cloud completely encompassing the sailing boat. Another whistling fire work cracks above you as the smoke starts to settle around you.

"This smoke smells weird." Nami and Zoro drop to the ground and Luffy runs back inside the small shelter. Without the door closed, hiding away is pointless, but you ignore his movement as you lean against the wall, head swimming and eyes watering as you peer desperately for your assailants through the thick bloody fog surrounding you. Dizziness overtakes you and you stumble backwards, falling limp to the deck and are stuck, watching with rapt attention as Luffy takes the map tube and slides it down his throat.

That's the last thing you see before the blackness dancing at the corner of your eyes as consciousness leaves you. Glowing gold pupils and swirling aqua irises snuff out like candles leaving only a milky white, and everything goes dark.

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You blink open your eyes to the wood of a crate. All of you were cramped into the wooden box, just enough room to stand between the four of you. Luffy leans over and shakes Zoro's leg while you and Nami shift back upright.

(helphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelphelp)

Although, it was just the four of you, there were more people outside. Their energy rippled through you and the air around you, their pleas fizzing at the tips of your ears. You were somewhere inside, with a few hundred people, and something was wrong.

"Hey." He pushes in close to Zoro's ear and whispers his name. Understandably, he wakes and flinches away from the proximity. He shuffles for a moment, then pauses.

"They took my swords."

"And my rucksack, ugh, with all my navigation gear." You and Luffy grab at your coat and hat respectively, both sighing in relief when they're still there.

"They didn't take my hat."

"Or my coat." Nami stared at you with narrow eyes.

(helphelphelphelpelphelphelphelp)

Your eyes were starting to water and your ears were ringing. There were too many people, all wanting the same thing.

"Yeah, small blessings. Damn it, we've lost the map." You can barely make her out as she speaks.

"No!" Luffy shoots up straight and bashes his head into the lid of the crate. "No, we didn't. It's in a safe place." He pats his stomach and Nami stares.

"Ew."

"Yea, not pleasant to watch happen, I'll tell you that. Hey!" You shouted as Zoro punches the wooden wall.

"Stop. Stop that, stop that!"

"What? I'm trying to find a way out."

"We've been captured, you absolute mossball. We've no idea who or what is out there. Or how many." you snap, head starting to pound as the people around you continued their panicked subconscious wishing.

"They're right, we need a plan."

"I don't need a plan, I just need to beat the hell out of every Marine I see."

"Hey, everyone, relax. We're fine."

"We're not fine. The Marines will throw us in jail if we're lucky. Execute us if they don't."

"They-they're not Marines. Before I got knocked out, I saw a Jolly Roger. We've been captured by pirates." You and Nami stare at Luffy as his words sink in.

"How does that make this fine?" Nami agrees.

"Yeah, because it's such better news."

"No, he's right. Marines have training. Pirates are easier to kill." You spin round to him.

"What pirates have you been hunting exactly? Pirates win against Marines constantly, that's why your title even exists!"

"Shanks used to say not every situation can be solved with violence." You watch him lower himself to the ground.

"Who the hell is Shanks?"

"Wait, Red-Haired Shanks? Of the Red Hair Pirates?!" You stare at him aghast.

"Yeah! You know him?"

"Barely. Are you mental? He's notorious! And hardly ever pays his tab!" Luffy smiled up at you.

"I said, who the hell is Shanks?" Zoro repeats.

"Don't worry about that. We don't need to fight. I can talk to them. Pirate to pirate."

"That won't work."

"Why not?"

"To start, you're not a pirate."

"Yes. I am. I have a crew." And he threw his thumb back towards you.

"No. You are some stretchy guy in a tattered hat, dragging around a blood-thirsty magic compass that barely knows what direction to point." You stare at her.

"Why are you insulting me, I'm not even talking?"

"You exist near me, that's enough."

"We're a different type of pirate."

"Pirates are pirates. There's only one kind."

The lid of the crate is ripped from above you as bright lights shine in. All around you, circus music blared and you all watched in a stupor while performers circled you and the box was lifted and removed by them. A fire breather is pushed in front of you and the audience cheers grow louder. Nami pushes Luffy's hands down from where they are applauding as well.

A man comes marching into the centre of the big top, roaring no.

"No, no! No! No! Stop clapping! No, stop! It's all wrong!" Complete silence falls in the big top tent. "The spotlight was late. You completely missed my entrance." He waved for the spot light to shine on to him, bright light revealing his swollen red nose, blue hair and clown costume. Uniform? "And where, oh, where was the dancing lion?" He got into the face of the terrified performer wearing a lion hood, who cowered away.

"Hey I know you. I saw your wanted poster in Shells Town. You're the clown guy. Um, uh... Binky, right?" You just barely caught the cackle before it left you, hiding it in a coughing fit instead. The captain snarled at you both.

"Buggy. Buggy the Clown." He said with a showman's smile. "Buggy, the Flashy Fool. Buggy, the Genius Jester."

"Wow. You have a lot of names." Buggy smiled mockingly at your captain before turning on you.

"This one, this one knows who I am right kid?" He leers down at you as you straighten. "Go ahead, tell your little friends," he swirls his finger in the direction of the other three, "who I am."

"Oh I'll tell 'em alright." Turning to smile at them, you say, "he's been barred from Baratie since it was founde-URK" He grabbed you by the neck and gave you a harsh shake. Your gut scrunches as the feeling in your chest pulses.

He drops you back to your feet, your eyes milky and irises flashing as his wish flashes through you. Hands flapping at his sides, he rounds back on your captain.

(A ship travels through the Grand Line, a black haired captain and moustached Jolly Roger at the helm)

"I bet everyone in the East Blue knows who you are." You winced back to reality for a moment as the audience gasps, side steeping away from Luffy as you rub at your neck.

"What'd you just say?"

"Just that everyone knows who you are."

(A grand podium towers over a crowd, the captain laughing as he insights adventure amongst the people below)

"NOSE?!" He screams, lunging forward and taking a grip of Luffy's face. You go to defend him, but pause as the circus performers start to move in around you all. You were surrounded. You grab hold of your wrist as it tries to lift in a point, finger outstretched and hands shaking. "Are you making fun of my nose?"

"Weww..." Luffy's cheeks and lips were smushed, making him hard to make out. "I wasn't. But now tha you mention it, is that thing fo real?" He reaches up to touch it, but his hand is slapped away by the clown. Another gasp rings out from the audience.

"What's real is I've been scheming for months, to steal that map from old Axe-Hand Moron..." he pushes Luffy away. "Only to find out, that I was upstaged by four little nobodies, who stole it from right out under my no-NO! It's in my head now. Ah!" He growls and storms off.

"Hey! I'm not a nobody. I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I will be King of the Pirates."

(Two boys stand in the rain, one blue haired, the other red. A treasure left for another to find)

Buggy laughs, "OH! Well that's funny" the audience begin laughing pathetically along with the pirates only to be called to a stop. "My bounty poster graces the marquee of every Marine outpost for miles. And my menagerie of outcasts and freaks is the most dreaded pirate crew the East Blue has ever known. I am destined to find the One Piece."

(And when I do)

"And when I do..."

(I will be)

"I will be king."

"No, you won't, 'cause I'm gonna find it first."

"You? Don't make me laugh." There's no enthusiasm as the audience is riled into laughing again. Buggy turns on them. "I said don't make me laugh!"

"All right, listen up. I'm Roronoa Zoro. Drop your weapons now, and I may let you live." Buggy chuckles at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a celebrity in our midst. Too bad I hate sharing the spotlight." Metal screeches as the light is shifted back to him. "Now, maybe we should skip right to the finale." He pulls back his hand, revealing knives held between each knuckle. "My freaks put quite a bit of rehearsal time into this little abduction. And if I can't reward them with that map... I suppose I'll have to offer them a pound of flesh instead."

"Wait. Wait, what if I have something else to offer you?" Nami steps up in front of him. "Something more valuable than the map? What if I give you a new freak for your crew, and!" She reaches back, grabbing and digging her nails into the skin of your arm as you keep it held close, "A magic compass, that can point you right where you wanna go? A pair of rare talents. The most spectacular act in all of the East Blue. Besides you, of course." She laughs. Buggy raises his eyebrows at her. Your chest begins to pound again.

(FREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREE)

"Go on." Snatching the hat from Luffy, she tosses it into the air, before throwing you headlong into the clown pirate as she makes a mad dash for the door. Your arm snaps up, finger pointing and strike Buggy in the face as you stand, frozen, your eyes misty and her energy rattles in your chest.

(A grove of orange trees and a windmill made from the peels)

Luffy's hand flys into the air, arm stretching after to catch his beloved treasure.

(A blue-haired girl chases her little sister, both squealing with laughter.)

Buggy stares at you both in shock. Nami is dragged back in by two of Buggy's pirates and is released in front of the captain.

"What did you do?! What did you do to their town? You destroyed everything!" Buggy is leaning against a barrel mindlessly.

"Not everything." He shrugs. " I let 'em keep their hands." As one, the entire audience begins to clap. "Okay. Here end the theatrics." All the spot lights dim and swirl down to focus on your crew. "I know one of you has my map, and I'm gonna get it back. What was it you said rubber boy? That it was in a safe place?" Luffy's eyes flicker away from him. "Don't look so surprised! I've got eyes and ears everywhere. So... Please make our guests uncomfortable in the green room." The performers grab Zoro and Nami and drag them into the darkness, leaving the rest of the crew to surround you, Luffy and their pacing captain. "I am gonna have a chat with my stretchy new pal. And, uh, work out just where you were pointing, little compass spectacular."

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Luffy screams as he’s pulled tighter on the stretching apparatus. His yells turn to a laugh, and you stare, gobsmacked, at the length of his arms and legs, pulled taut across the centre ring. Buggy knelt on the ground near one of the stretched limbs, not far from where you dangled from the roof, arms suspended above you, toes barely touching the ground.

"I want you to think of this like an artistic exercise, because pain leads to art." You felt your eyes rolling into the back of your head.

"Good grief."

"And art reveals truth. But there's only one truth I need from this exercise. Where is my map?"

"Truthfully? I'm-I'm kind of hungry. Don't circuses have cotton candy?"

Buggy laughs and straightens with a groan. "What could you possibly need that map for anyway? You've got your magic compass," he wiggles his fingers at your dangling form. "You wouldn't last five minutes in the Grand Line."

"I already told you. I'm gonna be King of the Pir-"

"BORING!" The clown screamed in his face. He gestures to the man at the winch, "Let's go another ten feet." The rope groans as they go through the pulleys, tugging Luffy's arms out further and further.

"You can stretch me all you want. I can do this alllll day."

"I'm not asking the right questions. We need to go deeper, get you out of your comfort zone. You!" He spins to where you hang. "What makes a boy want to grow up to be King of the Pirates? Tell me about him, who is he trying to impress."

"Look Bluey,"

"Buggy"

"Whatever. You're asking the wrong person, I've known him, what, two-three days, Luffy?"

"I think so?"

"Let's say three tops, and ignore how long we were in that crate. I know he likes to eat, I know he likes that hat, and I know he wants to be King of the Pirates." You dismiss the memory of the red-haired pirate, his silhouette dark against the blinding sun. Instead, you wiggle your hands hopelessly, "That's about it." Buggy waves his arm towards the roof of the tent, and you're pulled further, toes no longer brushing the floor, bones creaking in your shoulder as he stalks around your kicking legs.

"Who was it? A lost love? An absent parent? Or was it someone..." He strolled back over to your captain, and you're slowly dropped back to just about standing. "...that you worshipped? A false idol?" Luffy's eyes moved away from the clowns stare and a smile grows on his painted lips. "That's it." He snatches the hat from Luffy's head and walks away.

"HEY! Give me back my hat."

"I used to know a pirate that wore a hat just like this. Red Haired Shanks."

"You knew Shanks?"

"Ginger? Three scars, left eye? We served together on a pirate crew when we were about your age. For a time, I even thought we were friends. Until he betrayed me. Just like all the others." He laughs quietly to himself. "He wanted to keep ME out of the spotlight! He wanted to keep my star from shining too brightly!" He pauses, staring at the hat, before turning to look at Luffy. "Is that what he did to you, Rubber Boy? Did Shanks betray you too?"

"Don't talk about him that way."

"Aahhhhhhh. Now we're finally getting to the truth. Stretch him until he breaks."

The man on the winch wheel hesitates. "Please, don't make me do this."

"I invite you to take part in the splendour that is my show and this is how you repay me? With a no?"

"You've destroyed our town. Made us your prisoners. Isn't that enough?"

"Well, maybe you'd prefer it, if I threw one of your constituents on the rack instead." He tosses Luffy's hat to the ground and moves over to the stands, approaching a little boy with open arms.  "Hey kid!" Buggy grabs the boy by the collar. "You wanna get tall fast?" You grit your teeth with a snarl and Luffy calls,

"Boogie. I'm warning you."

"It's. Buggy! And you're warning me? Now that's a laugh." He looks around disappointed. "I said that's a laugh." The lion performer holds up the LAUGH que card and the audience begins to laugh along. You and Luffy begin to pull against your restraints, you twist and flail, toes scrabbling against the dirt floor looking for any purchase on the just out of reach ground, and Luffy yells at the strain of pulling free of the ropes.

(hhelphelphelp)

(LETGO)

With a snap and a thunk, the leather binding your hands above you tears and you drop and stumble to your feet. At the same time, Luffy slips his hands from the rope and falls to the ground. Luffy clambers up and you're both glaring at the clown.

"Put him down."

(LETGO)

"But why? He's having such a great time! Aren't you junior?"  Buggy grabs a hold of the boys face and pulls it towards him. "YES!" He pantomimes the boy's voice, "THE BEST, BUGGY!" He laughs as Luffy reels his arm back for a 

"GUM GUM" the sound is like a rubber band, "PISTOL" His arm snaps forward.

And knocks Buggy's head clean of his shoulders.

The head is sent flying into the crowd, and they start to scream hysterically when it lands in a poor woman's lap. As the boys screams pick up a pitch, you scramble forward and rip the boy from the now headless body's grasp. He continues shrieking as you shuffle him up into the stands, returning him to his people and away from Buggy's still standing...

(I will be)

...not dead body.

"Well, well, well!" His head flips upright in the woman's lap. "Looks like we three have something else in common!" You join Luffy in the centre of the ring as his head pops back on to his neck.

"You ate a Devil Fruit?"

"The Chop Chop Fruit." He pulls off his long furred coat. "So you can slice me, and you can dice me! But I will always put myself back together again." And with a grunt his arms and legs disattach from his torso "Want to see what else I can do?"

Spotting movement out of the corner of your eye, you look over your shoulder to spot his disembodied hand holding a red ball. With a pop, red mist spills from it and with a one two punch, you and Luffy are back in the darkness.

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The sound of water pouring was what woke you up this time. You're in a glass tank slowly filling with water and force once, the entire world is...

(....)

Silent. No energy radiating through you. No residual whispers of people surrounding you endlessly hoping, hoping, hoping. Where the entire word thrummed with power and prayer, longing and light outlining every person, place and thing with a dream or a wish, now the world sat.

Dark, cold, silent.

Empty.

Buggy stood, staring down at you as you struggle to your knees. A thump from behind him grabs your attention. The noise is dull, like your head was wrapped with layers of cotton. You spot Luffy, also trapped in his own glass cell, also slowly being filled with the same water that was splashing over your head. You lick your lips.

It's salty.

"Don't both. It's seawater." Buggy turned from looking to you to your captain. "Hardly seems fair. All those wonderful powers rendered useless from a few splashes." He crouched down to be eye level with Luffy and you turn your head, eyeing the rows and rows of Buggy's captive audience seated in the dark around you.

(...)

Still dark. Still silent.

"Of course, you could always give me my map if you don't want to sentence your crew to dying with you in these tanks."

"My crew..." Luffy struggles to get the words out.

"Your crew?" Buggy chuckles. "You mean the ones that abandoned you? Just like Shanks did?"

"Don't." You shout over the water cascading over you, pulling his attention away for a moment. "Don't give him anything Luffy. We wouldn't abandon you! You're good, so stop projecting on him you coward of a clown!" He snorts and turns back to Luffy.

"Aww, did that make you sad?"

"They will come back for us." He answers quietly. "Y/n's right, they won't leave us here."

"No one's coming for you. Your only chance is to turn over that map, and if you do, I may have a very special place on my crew just for you."

With a grunt, Luffy begins to painfully pull himself up, snarling at the clown as he spits "Never!"

"Why not?!" Buggy smacks the glass but hurts his own hand, pulling away growling. "You're an outcast, just like the rest of us. A freak, scorned and abandoned! Join me... and you can serve the man who will become the King of the Pirates. When I have that map, I will find the One Piece, and then everyone will know my name. And they'll love me."

"Why would he choose," you call over the splashing of the water, "to serve you as King? When he's going to become it himself! You can't make people love you with the power of a position, or the fear of a title!"

"Just like you can't make them smile. I'll never give you that map."

"Well then. I guess it's curtains for you." Turning a large wheel on one of the pipes, the water starts surging from the pipes above you, filling the tanks faster and faster.

As Buggy pulls at the woven reeds of the hat, Luffy roar echoes over the waters' own, "DON'T TOUCH MY HAT!"

"What was that?" Buggy asked giggling "I-I couldn't hear you over all the drowning!"

The water is well over your head at this point, the curse of the Devil Fruit stopping you from floating. It's funny, for how happy you were that you coat was still on you when you woke up, you never knew how heavy it would get soaking wet. You can hardly blink your eyes open as you hear a 'clink' against the outside of the glass. Opening them a fraction you watch as cracks spiderweb up the panel, a roar of "WHERE ARE MY FREAKS?!" as it shatters under the pressure of the water inside. As the water spills across the ground, you are sent with it, the waves from both your and Luffy's tanks sending you skittering across the floor.

A pole stops you from going any further, and looking up, you see it is Nami's staff pushed against the ground. Grabbing your shoulder, she helps you up, keeping her eyes plastered to the cackling clown as he lifts the map tube that had finally escaped Luffy's stomach.

"Sorry about earlier," she whispers as you stand, brushing fragments of glass from your person, "the whole, selling you out to a mad clown thing."

"It's okay. I mean, it's not and I'll probably be mad for a bit 'cause that sucked, but we can say we're even for the whole, 'getting stuck dealing with Marines a second time in so many days' thing. I'm normally good at holding grudges, Sanji thinks I'm too kind to, but I think I'm just good at hiding it then he thinks. Maybe just stop actively insulting me and we'll be fine." She smiles ruefully at your blabbering and you turn to watch Zoro move towards Buggy.

"You want a piece of me? Let's see what you got."

"Zoro, he-!" But his sword had already swiped through Buggy's neck, his head bouncing up above the swing, "-'s a Devil Fruit user..." Zoro continues his advance, cutting though and across Buggy's chest, leaving smaller and smaller segments only for him to pull himself back together.

"Ha ha ha! Surprise shithead!" He twirls the tube and points it menacingly at your face, "Stop ruining this for me." Before his laughter begins anew, body separating more and more, pieces spiralling through the air of the big top as the light, the colour, the sound begins to return around you. It's back to overwhelming, but its what you're used to.

(HelpUsHelpUs) (StopHimStopStopHim) (Help)

You, Nami and Zoro end up back to back to back as the spinning segments surround and push you closer together.

"How I am supposed to slice a guy that's already in pieces?"

"This is not part of the plan."

"There was a plan?!" You're all yelling over the shrieking cackles of the dismembered Buggy as he spun around and around you.

You are pushed, punched, knocked and bumped over and over as the aerial swarm of body parts loop about, not one of you spared as Nami falls into the seating area, Zoro sends one of the tanks skidding on its side, you are rushed headlong into one of the support poles, knocking into a few empty prop crates as you go. Staggering to your feet, you watch as he reassembles and approaches the just barely upright Luffy.

"Well would you look at that. Somebody escaped my Tank of Doom. Well I'll be back to finish you off. Right after I tear apart your sad excuse for a crew. Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"You can dump seawater on me, and I'll let it slide. But don't you ever threaten my friends." You peer around the pole as, with a yell, he punches forward an elastic punch, knocking a perfect circle in Buggy's chest, which easily reinserts itself, leaving no trace behind.

"So you want to die first?" He pulls out his hands, all knuckles armed with a knife each, and you can't escape the thought of how cool it looks. "Be my guest." His arms and legs separate from the torso, and then the elbows and knees, then wrists and ankles, becoming a chain of arms and legs. "CHOP-CHOP CANNON!"

His hands, still laced with knives, along with the rest of his arms and legs going pelting at Luffy, who springs and flips and dodges through them with ease to knock into Buggy's torso. He doesn't stay there long though, as a swift kick from a disembodied foot, sends him rolling in your direction, hitting the same pole. A knife follows swiftly, stabbing through his beloved hat and pinning it to the wood. Eyes wide, he rushes to grab it as it falls to the ground, only to be knocked about by more flying limbs and a swift punch to the gut.

The same hands grabs him by the neck and pins him there, choking grip on his neck as his eyes roll and bulge. He makes eye contact with you as you duck another oncoming boot, and flash at something behind you. Spinning to follow his eyeline, you can make a guess at his plan and yell across the ring to your friends (he said it, they didn't deny it. You're all friends now.)

"NAMI!" Her ginger head peeks over the barrier to you and you point behind you, "The crates!" She hops the colourful barrier and sprints to join you, as Luffy flips upright and chucks the hand towards you both.

You lift one of the smaller chests and she swings the hand in with her staff. Dropping it to the ground you stomp your foot down on top as the hand thumps around inside. You do it again and again, working as a team to collect and seal away the flailing body parts. Luffy flings them towards you with his powers, Zoro catching them on with his swords and pinning them down, as you and Nami catch and lock them away in the pile of empty crates, chests and boxes surrounding you. Buggy yells as you lock away more and more of him.

As the madness dies down, Luffy lifts his hat and dusts it off gently.

"What've you done to me?" Buggy screams as his head drops to ground on his hands and feet, literally.

"Cut you down to size!" Luffy chirps happily.

"The One Piece will never be yours! You're just a s-sad lonely little boy wearing another man's hat!"

"What did we say about projecting Buster?" Across from you, Luffy smiles.

"I know exactly who I am. I'm Monkey D. Luffy." He affixes the hat on his head.

(And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!)

"And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates." Buggy huffs as Luffy's arms stretch backwards towards the walls of the tent. "GUM GUM-"

"Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, whoa, wHOA! NO NO NO! Wait, wait wa-wait."

"-BAZOOKA!" And he snaps his arms forward, knocking Buggy's remaining parts flying, ripping a hole in the tent roof and sending him far, far away. With that, Luffy picks up the map tube and you all regroup in the centre. He hands it to Nami with a smile.

"You're giving this to me?"

"You're the navigator."

"Let's get out of this clown show." Luffy catches his shoulder as he goes to move away.

"Still one more thing we have to do." With a clap to his shoulder, he walks off, moving to the stands and pulling the chains free from their blocks. The lights click back on as the three of you move about the crowd, unlocking the chains at people's feet.

The older man, the mayor, looks down at Luffy as he works on the manacles on their legs. "Are you our new captors?"

"What?" Luffy looks up at him, confused.

"W-well, you're a pirate, aren't you?" Luffy smiled as he straightened up.

"I'm a different kind of pirate."

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A small dog snuffles about the feet of the mayor as he walks towards the pier your crew's small sailboat is docked at.

"We don't have much, but please, take this as a token of our... of our gratitude."

"You need it more than we do." Luffy replies, though he looks longingly at the food offering they had brought, and you all turn to walk to the boat. As you clamber aboard, Luffy pauses. "Well... maybe just a snack." As he grabs a piece of bread from the tray and stuffs it into his mouth.

The people call out their farewells and goodbyes as you begin to make headway back on to the open ocean, pulling open the sail.

Luffy watches you thoughtfully as you pull the straw through the hole stabbed through his hat, gently pulling it through to close the hole up. Nami looks up from reading the map beside you as the boat drifts languidly in the water.

"Looks almost finished." You hum back, concentrating.

The hole closed, you hand it back to Luffy. He took it with a smile.

”You fixed it. Thanks.”

”You said it was your treasure. You have to keep those safe.” He smiled at you, and from the back of the boat Zoro spoke up.

”Is everyday gonna be this crazy with you?” Luffy placed his hat on his head and moved down the boat towards him.

”Shanks always said, that if the path to what you want seems too easy… then you’re on the wrong path.” Zoro looked at him thoughtfully.

”This Shanks guy sounds all right.�� Luffy stands again, hopping past you to stand at the prow, looking towards the horizon.

”Next stop, the Grand Line!!”

As you sailed into the sunset, all you could smell was sticky sweetness on the wind.

Next Chapter: Sweet Syrupy Lies

[aestariiwilderness]

Any Appeal to Objective Morality (“Should”/ Rights /Bodily Autonomy) In Defense of Abortion is Inherently Self-Contradictory & Illogical

Not intended to be confrontational! Just, hopefully, thought-provoking to anyone who happens to mosey on by my little corner of the Internet. I noticed a very common fallacy in "pro-choice" arguments and had some thoughts about it.

For abortion supporters: 

I have to ask, where are you getting this “should”? This common appeal to bodily autonomy as an intrinsic “right” that all humans should recognize and observe? The very concept of intrinsic rights flies in the face of the popular pro-abortion belief that must assume that the value of a human is extrinsic and thus arbitrary (i.e., must fulfill certain conditions or criteria to have worth sufficient to live, such as being wanted, being a certain age or size, having a certain degree of independence, or being in a certain location, being a certain “race”, being a certain sex, etc., etc.). Since biology and science are very clear that the reproductive product of two humans is a unique human from the moment of conception, it follows that an unborn child/ “fetus” is a human from the moment of conception and thus also has those intrinsic, inalienable rights – the same ones which you claim somehow give you the right to transgress her inalienable right to life. This, in itself, is all you need to show that this pro-abortion belief is inherently self-contradictory. Even beyond that, the point is moot regardless – every civilized society recognizes the need to restrict the lesser right of bodily autonomy in the case of its expression becoming a direct/active threat to another’s primary rights (i.e., the right to life). (Otherwise – murder? Meh, a matter of opinion. “I was expressing my bodily autonomy to hack her into pieces and stuff them in a trash bag, officer! What are you gonna do about it?” Secondhand smoking laws? Violations of the smoker’s bodily autonomy. Laws against underage drinking or driving under the influence? Don’t even try it. Seatbelt laws? No, because bodily autonomy!) 

But there’s still more than that! Any appeal to recognize bodily autonomy or any other “inherent” or intrinsic human right must be an appeal to an objective morality – a moral standard from a higher authority that applies to all humans, regardless of belief, culture, time period, or other factors. Without this appeal to a morality that all instinctively recognize, there could be no “should” about anything. Might would make right, and only the evolutionarily fittest individuals or societies “should” survive. Without objective morality, no one would care about anyone else’s rights to anything, because those rights themselves would be a nonsensical concept. 

Even better – this particular higher moral standard to which you appeal is unique and easily recognizable. It is that of the God of the Bible (see Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis for a more step-by-step process to that conclusion). This is the same God in the same Bible that commands “do not murder”, says that He is our God from the womb onward, provides unborn children with the same legal protection that is given to born people, and consistently speaks to, refers to, and interacts with the unborn in exactly the same way He does with the born. 

In short, the pro-abortion belief appeals to an objective morality it usually claims not to believe in and the moral standard of the same God they usually also say they don’t believe in (and the same God who says “don’t murder” and that unborn babies are people) in order to say that murdering other people is an intrinsic right for some people. 

Make it make sense! :D  Sources:

https://acpeds.org/position-statements/when-human-life-begins https://www.tumblr.com/life-advocate-feminist/622491663491842048/life-begins-at-conception-masterpost?source=share Abortion: A Matter of Choice? · Videos · Creation.com  

https://issuesinlawandmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jacobs_36n2.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/185346/20210729162737297_19-1392%20BRIEF%20OF%20BIOLOGISTS%20AS%20AMICI%20CURIAE%20IN%20SUPPORT%20OF%20NEITHER%20PARTY.pdf https://www.str.org/w/what-exodus-21-22-says-about-abortion https://biblearchaeology.org/research/contemporary-issues/2243-abortion-and-the-ancient-practice-of-child-sacrifice https://resources.care-net.org/pro-choice-christians/?utm_source=lifenews.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=abortion_hotline_pledge https://youtu.be/P3j0raroDqM https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_value_of_human_life https://bibleteacher.org/2019/08/08/all-human-life-is-precious/

Proverbs 31:8 

Luke 1:44 

2nd Kings 17:17 

Jeremiah 19:5 

Genesis 9:6 

Exodus 21:22-25 

Matthew 7:20 - 23 

John 15:14 

1st John 1:5-10, 2:3-6 

Exodus 20:13 

Mark 10:13-15 Leviticus 20:3-5 (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mizzaro_2233.htm) 

Matthew 18:10, 14

Psalm 22:10

Jacob & Esau, John the Baptist, Samson, etc. Judges 16:17

[wheels-of-despair]

The Ups and Downs of Dating a Trash Panda Pairing: Eddie Munson x You Summary: Eddie and Evil Woman's first date doesn't go exactly as planned… but everything works out in the end. Obviously. Contains: First date, questionable choices, proof that a good cheeseburger can fix anything. Words: 2.6k

"What, no dress?"

"Shut up."

"You really ought to put in a little effort."

"Cram it, dork."

"Guys like it when you get all prettied up for them."

"How would you know?"

"Maybe some lipstick."

"Good idea, can I borrow yours?"

"You're no fun," your brother grumbles before he gets tired of his annoying little game and leaves your doorway.

As if getting dressed for a first date isn't already stressful enough.

You don't know why you're stressing. The guy is perfect. You'd only known him for a week, but you were already completely crazy about him. He was funny, he was gorgeous, he scared you just the right amount, he had good taste in music. (Although you did dock points for being a Dio fan. He claimed he could get you to come around. As if your loyalty to The Ozz-Man could be tested by some pretty metalhead who was obsessed with the pint-sized weirdo that tried to replace a legend. Pfft.)

You settled on dark jeans, a shirt that your mom would call a "blouse", and relatively new Converse that hadn't been drawn on yet. The white parts were still white and everything. Yup, you think as you look in the mirror one last time, this is about as good as it's gonna get.

You decide to wait out the rest of the time in the kitchen, so you could dart outside as soon as you heard the van and not have to suffer through any awkward introductions.

You didn't even have time to sit down before you heard the unmistakable roar of that monstrous van.

"Leaving, I'll probably be back by dawn!" you yell before ducking out and making a beeline toward the driveway… where some vaguely familiar dweeb is getting out of Eddie's van.

"Hey."

"Who are you and what have you done with the feral trash panda I'm supposed to be going out with tonight?" you ask before you can stop yourself. You can't help it; he's wearing stiff jeans without holes in them, a tucked-in button-up without any stains on it, and freshly polished combat boots. He's even made an effort to tame his hair.

His pale face immediately turns red, and you curse yourself and your big mouth.

"Kidding. You look good." Oh god, he's going to just turn around and leave, isn't he? Honestly, you wouldn't blame him.

"Thanks," he says shyly, which feels even more out of character for him than the clothes do. "You do too."

"Ready to head out, or did you want to go in and get grilled?"

He gulps and spins on his heel. You follow him back toward the van and try not to smile as he gets halfway around the front before turning back, darting in front of you, and opening the passenger door. This adorable awkwardness is doing wonders for your nerves.

"Thank you, kind sir," you say with a wink as you get in. His eyes go big, and it takes him a second longer than it should to remember to shut the door. He hustles to the other side, jumps in, and starts the engine without looking at you. You're not used to having this effect on anyone. You're quite enjoying it.

In the week you'd known him, nearly every minute you'd spent together had been spent talking. Even when the teacher of the one class you shared together told you - well, him - to shut up and pay attention, you'd continued your conversation on paper. You had an entire notebook dedicated to Conversations with Eddie now.

But aside from the cassette mix blaring through his speakers, this ride was utterly silent. You wanted desperately to say something funny to ease the tension, but you were suddenly as tongue-tied as he was. What the hell is that about?

When you get into the little town you're still not completely familiar with, Eddie whips his van into a parking spot in front of a brick building.

"Uh… Italian good?"

Well done, Munson, three whole words. "Yup, that works."

He grins and jumps out, coming to open your door, but you beat him to it. You're quite capable of opening your own car door. You'll need to break him of that quick.

He gives you a funny look, but recovers as you join him on the sidewalk. He takes long strides toward the restaurant's front door and gives you a triumphant smirk as he holds it open for you. Yeah, okay, you win this one.

The second you step inside, you feel out of place. This is a fancy restaurant. White linen tablecloths, candles and fresh flowers on the tables, waiters wearing ties. Even with your attempts to dress up, you both still stick out like sore thumbs.

"Table for two, please," Eddie tells the hostess. She looks the pair of you up and down, puts her badly painted eyebrows back into place, and gives you a fake smile.

"Right this way," she says sweetly, leading you to a small table in the back. On the way, you pass a couple you've seen in school, all dressed up and eating with one of their families. They look at you with surprise, and the boy leans over to whisper something to the girl. Her eyes never leave you. Fantastic.

Eddie holds out your chair, clearly haven been coached on how to treat a lady, and you sit. He takes a seat across from you, and you both look around the dimly lit restaurant. This is the kind of place rich old men from three towns over bring their mistresses, or where seniors take their prom dates. What the hell?

"Come here often?" you ask, half-joking. His face reddens again.

"Not really," he admits.

"Good evening," your tie-wearing waiter greets before you can make Eddie any more uncomfortable. "Can I start you off with drinks as you peruse our menu?" He hands you each a laminated sheet.

"Uh… Mountain Dew?" The waiter's nose twitches at Eddie's request. "Same," you say with a mildly sarcastic smile.

"Very well," the waiter says, giving you a hard look down his crooked nose before leaving you alone. You feel like a kid who's been mistakenly seated at the adult's table… until you look at the menu. And then you look up at Eddie. His eyes are wide, probably for the same reason yours are: these prices are ridiculous.

"I don't even know what half this stuff is," you mumble, scanning the list in horror.

"Me either," Eddie admits. If he keeps going red like this, his head's going to explode before the night ends.

"Have you ever been here before?" you ask, genuinely this time.

"No," he says, almost guiltily, chewing his bottom lip.

"This doesn't really seem like us, does it?" You're trying to be as gentle as possible, for Eddie's sake, but you hate everything about this place. The flowers stink, the candle is giving you black lung, and you're feeling more claustrophobic by the second. You also suspect you'll both end up washing dishes to get out of here. Bet the people from school would love to see that.

"Do you want to bail?" he asks quietly, almost like he fears your answer.

"On you? No. On this overpriced shithole? Hell yeah." His face lights up, and he looks around to see if you're being watched. You are. Fuck it. "C'mon," you stand up, instinctively taking his hand and pulling him up to follow you, dodging tables and ties on your way out.

"Is there a problem?" the hostess asks as you rush past her.

"Left the stove on!" you call over your shoulder as you burst through the door and find yourselves back outside, where the sun is just beginning to set. You turn to Eddie with a smile, which he returns. It's nice to be able to breathe again. And then you realize you're still holding hands, so you panic and break apart.

"Fucked that one up, didn't I?" He rubs the back of his neck, looking at you through one scrunched-up eye.

"Nah," you say, enjoying the fresh air and the feeling of freedom. "I'm honored that you think I'm a fancy Italian restaurant kind of girl."

"What kind of girl are you?"

"For you? I'd be a gas station hot dog kind of girl."

You briefly wonder if he's going to have a stroke, or get freaked out by how into him you are - way to come off like a stalker, you loser - and then he lets out the goofiest, dorkiest laugh you've ever heard.

"I think we can do a little better than gas station hot dogs. What are you in the mood for?"

You shrug. "What's your favorite?"

"There's a good burger joint a few streets over."

"That's more like it," you grin.

"You wanna walk?"

"Sure," you shrug. "Can I do something first?"

"Yeah?" You take a step toward him, and he instinctively steps back.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," you tell him with a smile. "Close your eyes?" Surprisingly, he doesn't put up a fight. You take a slow step toward him, stick your hands in his hair, and give it a gentle tousle.

That's all it takes to make it go wild again. He looks at you in confusion.

"There he is," you announce, crossing your arms and looking up at him with affection. "Knew you were in there somewhere." He ducks his head to hide his smile, and you stand at his side and give him a gentle nudge with your shoulder.

"I believe I heard talk of a good burger joint?"

He beams down at you, tilts his head, and begins walking in search of better food. After he catches his reflection in a store window and blushes again, he untucks and unbuttons his shirt, revealing a plain t-shirt underneath. Another step toward normalcy. For him, anyway.

After the third time your hands bump together on your journey, you glare up at him. "Am I gonna have to do everything myself?"

"What?" he asks. The boy is hopeless.

With a dramatic sigh and a good-natured roll of your eyes, you grab his hand and interlace your fingers, wondering whose face is burning more on the rest of your walk.

"This is it," he says as you approach a glass window with chipped paint advertising breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee. You probably would've missed it if he hadn't pointed it out. He opens the door, and you step inside to see a checkered floor, fluorescent lights, a long counter, and a row of red booths. Framed newspaper articles and vintage advertisements decorate the walls. Two booths are occupied, and three old codgers who must be regulars sit at the counter having a lively discussion about pie over steaming mugs of coffee.

"Yeah, this is more like it," you grin up at Eddie. He laughs and leads the way to a booth in the back that's seen better days, and you settle in across from each other. You look around and see the menu above the counter. Not only can you pronounce everything on it, you can afford it too. Yeah, this is definitely more like it.

"What do you recommend?" you ask.

"I pretty much always get a bacon cheeseburger."

"Perfect."

A grandmotherly type wearing Keds, pleated jeans, and a sweatshirt covered in sunflowers appears. "Hey, honey! Where you been?"

"Hey, Bernadettte. Uhhh… working hard in school?"

She laughs and pulls a pad and a pen from her apron. "Suuure. What'll it be, kids?"

"Two bacon cheeseburgers and a basket of fries, please."

"Drinks?"

You each pick a soda, and she gives you a smile before returning to the counter.

Now that you're both comfortable, your usual level of chatter quickly resumes. From the time Bernadette went to fetch your drinks to the time you finished sharing an after-dinner milkshake, the only silence came when both of your mouths were full.

"Can I get you kids anything else?" Bernadette eventually asks. If you eat another bite, you're going to explode.

"No ma'am," Eddie answers politely.

"Haven't seen you in here before," she remarks to you, ripping the ticket off and placing it face-down on the table.

"I've only been here about a week. But now that I've found the best burger in town, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me," you joke.

She laughs. "I knew I was gonna like you. I'm Bernadette. You come back and see me anytime." Somebody calls for a refill at the counter, and she winks as she walks away.

"Ready?" Eddie asks, sucking down the last sip of his soda. You nod.

He takes the ticket to the register, and you tidy up your mess and tuck a few dollars under the milkshake glass so they don't drift away. Eddie returns and looks down at it, then at you with a glare.

"Non-negotiable," you say simply, standing between him and the tip on the table. He holds up his hands in defeat, then gestures toward the exit. You wave to Bernadette on your way out.

"You kids take care!" she calls.

"You too, Bernadette!" Eddie responds.

Holding hands is less awkward on the return trip. The drive home is quiet, but not unbearably so. It's peaceful now; you're both full, and happy, and comfortable with each other.

When you're back in your driveway, he puts the van in park and turns off the engine. You turn to tell him goodnight, but he's already darting around the front to open your door. You resist the urge to roll your eyes as he yanks it open and holds out his hand expectantly.

"You know you don't have to do that, right?"

"Let me be a gentleman, dammit. Just for tonight. I'll go back to being a… what did you call me earlier?"

"Trash panda?"

"I'll go back to being a trash panda tomorrow if you want."

"Fineee," you grumble playfully, taking his hand and sliding to the ground with a thump.

"Now what?" you ask, looking up at him with a devious grin.

"Uh…"

You lean back against the van and cross your arms, watching your flustered date try to make up his mind.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out, and he closes it again.

"I had a great time tonight," you prompt, finally taking pity on his floundering.

"Me too. Sorry I fucked it up."

"You didn't fuck it up. I think this might be the best date I've ever been on."

"Really?" he asks.

"Yup."

"Uh… me too…" Hopeless. Totally hopeless.

"I think this is the part where you kiss me goodnight," you stage-whisper, watching him blush again in the glow of your porch light.

"You're sure?" His dark eyes dart to your lips.

You lean closer. "Am I gonna have to do everything myself?" you tease, gently, repeating this question for the second time tonight.

Eddie grins and closes the distance, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that makes you go weak at the knees.

"Happy now?" he asks smugly when he pulls back, in a low, gravelly voice that sets your insides on fire. This motherfucker.

"Nah, I think you better try again."

He pulls you back to him without a word, a little more aggressive this time. You don't mind in the slightest. When you come up for air, he looks at you expectantly.

"Uh… yeah. Yeah, that was better." He grins triumphantly and stands to his full height, draping an arm around your shoulders.

"I'm walking you to your door. Deal with it." You laugh and let him.

After a shorter kiss on the doorstep and a promise that he'll call you tomorrow, he heads back the van, and you step inside.

Your brother is sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of cookies, a glass of milk, and a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Not a fuckin' word," you warn, trying to look threatening instead of hopelessly head-over-heels for a feral trash panda.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

could i ask for an adam x reader angst/fluff oneshot mayb...? where they along with thatcher find adam in his room but instead of doing anything bad they help him out and comfort him?

My sweet boi :(( Had to do it to 'em

(Also this is more angst if anything but it's got a good ending)

.........

"What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I guess."

"....you heard it, too?"

"..yeah." Sighing, you turned to the bleach blond-haired cop, gazing at the bodycam that was messily attached to his shirt.

This guy was nothing like the confident and inspiring lieutenant the town placed all their hopes in. If anything, he seemed just as scared as you were right now.

You both met here purely by chance.

All you wanted to do was take the BPS van and leave this county for good, but you first hoped to find Adam somewhere around here.

After not hearing from your friend in weeks, you presumed he contracted M.A.D and was either dead...or trying to isolate himself so that he didn't hurt you when his symptoms got too severe.

Sarah and Evelin, on the other hand, were angry with him over his odd behavior, even though you messaged them both saying that M.A.D couldn't be ruled out as the reason.

He wouldn't act this way without any warnings. What else could it possibly be?

Still, Sarah insisted he was "heartless" when confronted about Jonah's death, and Evelin hated him for the awful things he apparently told her. Both of them have basically given up on trying to help or understand him.

As much as you tried keeping the gang together, everything had fallen apart and you ultimately decided that starting over in another state was the best course of action.

BPS was more or less disbanded, your friends were all either dead or arguing with each other, and nowhere in Wisconsin felt safe anymore.

It's better to leave while you still had some sanity left.

Yet when you showed up to take the van, finding the keys in the ignition slot, you noticed some angel statue tucked away into the back that you don't recall seeing before.

Despite it being shrouded in darkness...it seemed to stare at you, making you feel uneasy.

Then a voice spoke inside your mind.

Whispering gently, yet far from comforting.

"I am your intuition, [y/n]. He's nearby. You know it. You feel it. But tell me, child....do you hear it?"

Right after it finished, you heard one of the most bloodcurdling screams of your life coming from within the house.

Someone was inside, and they barely sounded human.

It shocked you to your core, and when you looked back at the angel statue...there was nothing there. Just the old dusty computer equipment.

You thought Adam might've been on the run still, as the neighbors claimed his house had been vacated for a long time. They haven't seen anyone go in or out.

But if your "intuition" was right, maybe your friend had been right here all along.

Before you could break down the front door, however, Thatcher showed up, apparently drawn here by the same voice who urged him to investigate the screaming.

You feared he was gonna arrest you for being part of BPS. Though he didn't seem interested in placing you in handcuffs right away, so that was a relief. He, too, had reasons to believe Adam might be inside, expressing more concern for your friend's wellbeing than having intentions to arrest him.

So you both agreed to search the house together, figuring that going in pairs will lessen the chance of you getting ambushed if this was a trap set by an Alternate. He turned on his bodycam for documentation purposes, insisting you stuck close to him.

Of course, you're one of the primary suspects..so he probably wouldn't let you run off that easily.

But upon entering, you were immediately met with trash and destroyed furniture all over the place, making it rather difficult to transverse the house. With every step, you felt like you were going to trip and make even more of a mess.

Yeah, it was bad.

You used to come here often and play video games with Adam and Jonah, laughing and having a good time kicking their asses...or vice versa.

Now? The gaming console and controllers were smashed to bits.

Even more concerning was the blood and vomit splattered everywhere. It was nauseating to inhale, yet Thatcher looked as though he was used to this sort of smell--but was nevertheless just as disturbed.

You had a bad feeling that Adam was seriously hurt...especially since the screams had stopped the moment you both walked up to the house.

Then out of nowhere, a radio flickered to life, a narrator reading something called "The Fate of the Jester".

It nearly gave you both a heart attack as Thatcher swiftly turned to it, wondering if an Alternate was messing with it. But eventually he shook it off and followed you further into the house.

Finally, you arrived to Adam's bedroom. When you turned on the light, your eyes widened in shock to find him slumped next to his bed.

He was sitting against the nightstand, almost propped up like he was some doll, unmoving.

All the while the radio in a distant room droned on, concluding the reading with something quite ominous before it abruptly switched off:

"--milky eyes cut through the thick blackness of the bedroom, a spectator. He was no longer the hero of the story, just a cog in the machine."

You held your breath, wondering if you should call out to him considering how still he was. And as you got closer, you could see he was shirtless, thin, and pale...completely corpselike.

You could see a bottle of bleach tipped onto its side, your heart dropping at the implications of seeing it empty.

'What the fuck? Adam..what did you do?'

Thatcher seemed just as bewildered, enhancing his bodycam footage in order to confirm who the person laying there was exactly.

Sure enough..

The description matched.

--SUSPECT IDENTIFIED--

"Th-That's-"

He was interrupted as Adam let out another bloodcurdling scream, causing the footage to glitch out.

Startled, he dropped the camera in panic, backing away while pointing his gun at the younger male, terrified that he was going to attack at any moment.

You were equally as horrified at Adam's current state, yet your heart broke at the same time as his cries of agony continued.

'How is his jaw doing that?!? That's something no normal human can do....unless-'

"..please...fucking kill me..fucking kill me...!!!" He sobbed. "I-IS SOMEONE THERE?!!" Loud howls of pain escaped him as he struggled to sit up, his soulless eyes finally meeting yours and Thatcher's.

His jaw unhinged in such an unnatural way, and you heard a snap of bone as he screamed even more.

Then it finally hit you.

He was an Alternate after all this time.

There couldn't be any other explanation.

It suddenly all made sense: why he seemed "immune" to the Alternates, why he acted so cold and uncaring for the last few weeks...

But as much as it terrified you, you just couldn't look away from him. You refused to believe he was anything like those monsters. He seemed fully aware and didn't immediately try to attack you or Thatcher.

That proved he had at least some shred of humanity in him.

Speaking of the lieutenant, you glanced at him and noticed that he was three seconds away from shooting your friend's head off. So you blocked his line of fire, earning you a glare.

"Kid, move aside! He's-!"

"No. I can help him! He might recognize me. Just put that gun down...please. It's scaring him." You begged, keeping your arms out.

"......."

Although silent for a few moments, he decided to trust you and withdraw his weapon, sighing. "Fine..j-just...be careful." He prayed to whatever god was out there that you knew exactly what you were doing.

Because he was sick of reporting so many casualties. He didn't want you to become one more statistic.

You nodded in understanding, but upon hearing Adam's screams die down into soft sobbing and whimpers, you turned your focus to him. "Adam?"

He gazed directly at you, surprised.

Tears filled your eyes as you kneeled down in front of him, finally seeing his gaunt figure up-close, along with his arms and fingers which looked slightly elongated. "It's me, I'm here.." You spoke softly, as though he were a cornered animal. "You know me, right?"

With a whine, he managed to utter your name, flinching as you unzipped your jacket. But then you put it over his shoulders to cover him, and he clutched it on instinct, taking in its warmth.

"Y-You shouldn't have come here.." He rasped, his voice hoarse and distorted--barely resembling what he used to sound like.

"How could I not? I was worried about you."

"......."

"Adam-?"

"Everything I knew was a lie...all of it!! I'm not him. I-I...I never was...!!" He was growing hysterical again, tears streaking down his bony cheeks. "Wh-Why didn't you let him kill me?!! I don't wanna live!! I don't wanna be one of them!! DON'T LET ME KILL ANYONE!!"

"Listen to me...you're not gonna kill anyone, okay? I won't let that happen." You reassured him, although he was completely shattered as he curled up into your chest, wanting to hide away from the awful truth that was his entire existence.

He didn't know why you came here, or why you ever worried about him at all.

He was nothing but a shitty person. A literal monster who should've been left to rot.

Yet you didn't believe that for a second as you wrapped your arms around him securely, wishing you could shelter him from everything. And you rested your chin on top of his head, solidifying the fact you aren't going anywhere.

Normally, he would've hated being touched. But your actions only caused him to breakdown further, sobbing into your shirt as his sorrowful wails and groans continued. He clutched the fabric with trembling fingers, hoping it would distract him from every ache and crack in his bones.

"I-I just wanted to find my mom...b-but..she...she was never mine..! Fuck...it hurts so much!! Everything HURTS!!!"

"Shhh, it's alright." You held him close, but not too tightly for fear of causing him greater pain. "I got you, man..I got you."

Meanwhile, Thatcher was looking on at the scene, feeling pain in his heart and sympathy for the poor guy.

All this time, he thought this was just another troublemaker breaking laws specifically related to Alternates and running from the consequences....only to discover that he's one of the monsters who took so much away from him.

But he was confused.

How could Adam not know what he was until now?

Was it possible for Alternates to simply forget they're Alternates in the first place?

Though more importantly...how was he able to feel such strong human emotions?

The lieutenant didn't think for a second that Alternates could feel anything but malice. No love, sorrow, or joy...just evilness--as they were disgusting abominations who destroyed his career and all of his friendships.

But seeing how you gently talked to Adam, embracing him and letting him cling to you without him ever showing a hint of hostility...

It changed his perspective a little.

Still, he didn't know why he chose to show him this.

Should he have done something years ago to prevent this kid from becoming what he is now?

Was he implying that this, somehow, was also his fault?

Shaking his head, Thatcher sighed quietly, deciding to check the rest of the house for any evidence of other Alternate activity. He still got the chills from Adam's ceaseless muffled sobbing, which continued to echo even after leaving the bedroom.

All he found was more trash strewn around, along with a bloody knife on the kitchen counter and a snapped rope on the floor. Next to it was a knocked-over stool.

He was 100% convinced that the earlier screams were from Adam's many attempts...with none succeeding in ending his agony.

'Can't blame him...I sure as shit wouldn't wanna live either-'

"Lieutenant?"

He tensed, turning around as he saw you and Adam step out into the hallway, the latter having calmed down finally. Your jacket was now actually on him, covering his torso and most of his arms; he did walk with a slight limp, but otherwise looked okay.

"We're...just gonna take the van and go." You told him.

"Go...where?" Thatcher blinked in confusion.

"I dunno. Somewhere far away from all this shit. We just can't stay here anymore." You looked to your now taller friend, who was clinging to your arm and slightly leaning against you. Then you glanced back at the officer. "You should come with us. We can leave-"

"No, I can't...not yet, at least."

"Why not?"

"I've got a score to settle with the bastard who killed my partner and is running around wearing my face." He revealed, frowning slightly. "It blames me for what happened to this town. I can't just...abandon it. Wish I could, though, but...I'm not gonna find any peace 'til I know for sure it's dead."

"....alright, I understand." You nodded. "So will you let us go, Lieu-"

"Just call me Thatcher." He quickly corrected, flashing you a small smile. "That title leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But yeah, you guys can go."

"Thank you, Thatcher." You smiled back. "Good luck out there. Stay safe."

"You, too. And..Adam?"

The aforementioned male tensed and stared at him, not saying a word.

"I'm sorry about everything. Jonah, your mom, and...this, obviously." He awkwardly gestured to Adam himself, unsure if his words were comforting enough. This wasn't his specialty.

"Th-Thanks.." Swallowing the lump in his throat, the Alternate was forced to avert his eyes when he spotted the gun clipped to Thatcher's belt.

Part of him just wanted to lunge for it and end it all right here. You'll not only be a lot safer, but also better off without him.

Yet...an even bigger part of him wanted to live and stay by your side, determined to prove him wrong:

He may not be the real Adam Murray, but he wasn't going to be anything like his kind. He's not going to kill or try to be anybody else.

Things were going to be different.

After grabbing a few more things from the house, you all headed outside, with Thatcher leaving in his car, and both you and Adam hopping into the BPS van. You took the wheel since he was clearly in no condition to drive.

You made a mental note to paint over the letters at the first sign of daylight, but for now you were just going wherever the roads took you.

Hopefully you can leave the horrors of this place behind once and for all.

[scribe-of-maat]

Ranking DC Pride 2023

9. Love’s Lightning Heart (???, ???)

Starring The Flashlight and The Flash, I think? When he called the dude “Ray” in the beginning I thought it was gonna be The Ray, you know? This only scores so low because I’m not at ALL familiar with anything Multiversity and this story especially seemed to be absolutely thick with that corner of DC lore. I get there’s a Parallax type of thing happening but... this was kind of hard to follow for a payoff that’s pretty lukewarm if you’re not well-versed in who this story’s about.

8. My Best Bet (Jon Kent/Superman, John Constantine

This is hit especially hard in my ranking because it’s the last story in the book and the only thing DC Pride about it is that it stars two Bs. They’re popular queer characters but I’m here for stories that are specifically ABOUT LGBT stuff, not about LGBT people doing stuff. There’s nothing to really talk about here.

7. Found (Xanthe Zhou, Batwoman/Kate Kane)

I’ve been meaning to read Spirit World, and since I hadn’t gotten around to it Xanthe being LGBT was a surprise to me, but not as much as Kate Kane showing up was. It feels like someone threw a dartboard at WLW women and plopped in whoever came up, cuz I guarantee if I flip the newest Batwoman issue open to a random page she’ll have a girlfriend-slash-situationship that won’t be too happy about her seeming receptive to some flirting. But hey, I like Xanthe more now so there’s give-and-take.

6. And Baby Makes Three (Xiomara Rojas/Crush, Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy)

I like Crush. I can’t claim to have read much of her, because for now that means enduring way too much Damian Wayne, but she seems like an incredibly interesting character. But I could not tell you why she’s here with Harley and Ivy. This, moreso than anything else, has a less than negative chance of being referenced again and it’s giving me even more of that dartboard feeling the last story did. Plus if there’s one thing Harlivy can do, it’s carry a story by themselves. I wish we’d gotten something about JUST Crush, is what I’m saying. I feel like this was a status update for Crush, like her washing ashore was meant to bridge the gap between this story and whatever she was doing the last time she showed up.

5. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (Natasha Irons/Steel, Nubia)

Listen, I will always have space in my heart for the Irons family. I love Natasha, and I love John Henry, and when DC lets either out of the ether every other year I’m front and center. That, and the recent super-push Nubia has been enjoying made this story one I was pretty excited to read when I realized who it was about. But THIS ART. These faces are TRASH. Even without looking it up I feel like there’s a 0% chance DC would give a nonblack artist this story, so it makes it especially confusing as to why the characters look like THAT. The actual content was fun and even though Io needs to come up off our queen posthaste, I didn’t have any (other) complaints. But it’s SOOOOO UGLYYYYY.

4. The Dance ( Minhkhoa Khan/Ghost-Makes, Thomas Blake/Catman)

I knew Ghost-Maker was bi prior to reading this, somehow. I’ve been meaning to read anything about him because his design is so awesome but I was only really guessing this was Catman alongside him. I really don’t know anything about him, so this ranks so highly just because of Ghost-Maker. I don’t really have anything else to add here since this story’s ultimate purpose seems to just show off muscley dudes post-sex.

3. Anniversary (Lucas Trent/Midnighter, Andrew Pulaski/Apollo, Alan Scott/Green Lantern)

These showcases tend to have like, one story that directly addresses inequality if you’re lucky. This is that story, and it’s such a good one. Midnighter and Apollo’s fame as the canon gay Superbat sort of eclipses anything else about them, but that reputation is put to excellent effect here. Plus, Alan Scott, one of my favorite Green Lanterns, finally shows up. Revitalizing that old slogan to make it clear the LGBT isn’t going anywhere was fun, too.

2. Subspace Transmission (Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker, Jess Chambers/The Flash, Andy Curry/Aquawoman)

Jess was an extremely fun and memorable character from the start like, half a decade ago and that holds true here. I was super uninvested in the Circuit Breaker part of this story. I don’t know who that is, and even after reading this I genuinely don’t care. This made my heart hurt for more Teen Justice and Future State stuff in general. That Jackson Hyde cameo at the end was also perfect.

1. Hey, Stranger (Connor Hawke/Hawke, Tim Drake/Robin)

I was definitely in diapers the last time these two characters spoke to each other. When there’s been THAT big a gap in timeframe I can’t be sure how emotional a reunion can be to a modern readership. None of that matters to my enjoyment, because Connor Hawke is far and away my favorite Arrowfam member and his recent resurgence (even if too much of it is attached to Damian Wayne for my taste) has been such a blessing. DC only trots this guy out three times a year but god do we eat good each time. They just need to do a LITTLE more with him.

[beachesgetpeaches]

yall roman is not a nazi. kendall is not a nazi. (because ive seen people say shit)

They are something worse*. (addition for clarification: compared to what you think of when you accuse someone of being a nazi/fascist nowadays). They are no conviction no lean people, Shiv included. Who do not care whether the next US president gets his ideas from Hitler, so long as the president is in their pocket.

they will fuck anyone and quite literally everyone for their own selfish interest.

Roman pushing Mencken win because Mencken favours Roman and has spoken to him nicely and told him they're going to go far. So Roman steps onto the floor and pushes the narrative, pushes them to call. (also funny the "we're gonna go far" thing esp compared to roman x gerri implosion).

Kendall who for a few second considers how this shit might affect his daughter (a far cry from caring about people in general but hey). That is until his ego is bruised by Shiv's scheming and he decides to agree with Roman... Pathetic, and tragic. Also a bad father, but overall yeah not a good person really. Just chasing his own validation/interest.

And Shiv. Shivy shiv shiv. Who has always been on her high horse because she was the one working for a left leaning politician. She was the one unmarred by ATN and all these duplicitous deals that happen. Until she wasn't. Until Logan dragged her into the narrative and then kicked her a bit just to test her. Until she was consciously part of the abuse cycle bcs up until then she was at least in her opinion much better than her brothers. Until she was making lawsuits and witnesses go away. Shiv who has always cared about people until they are NRPI, right? And Shiv who when given the chance to find common ground between Jimenez and the Roy bros throws it into trash because I guess she knows... she knows that if she calls Nate up she might be able to get something done.

So, she doesn't. She pretends to call and lies to her brothers because when weighing her own benefit (scheme w/ Matsson) against the well-being of the entire country (not having a nazified douche for president) - Shiv Roy chooses her own self-interest. She appeals to the brothers that they need to call for Jimenez, without trying to broker a deal which she now knows might be a no-go for them. But she doesn't sacrifice her self-interest to get them there. She doesn't talk to Nate or Jimenez, or tell them valid reasons why they should probably block the trade (general behaviour, dodgy numbers etc etc).

And this is why ALL of them are worse than just saying "oh my fave turned out to be a nazi"... nah they didn't. They are worse bcs they're flighty as fuck, trying to sit on the highest nicest chair, eat their cake, and benefit while shit hits the fan.

And they're still doing it because of a man who has died and has never listened to what either of them was saying, or wanted. They're still trying to validate themselves by proving to Logan that they're the best one. But Logan is dead, and wouldn't have approved anyway.

tldr; I LOVE THEM!!

* before I get people coming to my replies reblog and ask saying "you can't be worse than a nazi/fascist" let's just state that yes I agree with that statement and I don't want to be debating this to no end. if you compare how kendall shiv and roman behave vs what mencken (modern day fascist/nazi representation) is doing they are not on the same level imo. mencken while deplorable is at least less of a shady fuck compared to the roy siblings. I am not claiming that anything that has happened in this fictional series is in any way worse than ww2 atrocities.

[xspeter]

AUGUST

peter parker x fem!reader

synopsis: so much for summer love.

35 days, 29 minutes, and 38 seconds.

it has officially been 35 days, 29 minutes, and 38- 39 seconds since peter parker officially cut all ties with you, claiming he just “needed time.” clearly that meant time from you, because as you sat on the other side of the cafeteria, watching him throw his head back in laughter at something mj had said, you couldn’t help the green eyed monster that formed in the pit of your stomach.

you and peter had spent the whole summer together, having met in june at a local ice cream shop. you two immediately hit off, always attached at the hip. that’s why it was such a surprise when he asked to meet up at the end of august, just three days before school started.

as soon as you knocked on his apartment door, you knew something was wrong. there was a knowing feeling in your gut, and a frown tugged at your lips.

10 seconds passed before peters aunt may opened the door, all grins. “y/n it’s great to see you! i didn’t know you and peter had plans today?” she said, opening the door wider and hurrying you inside.

“neither did i.” you murmured, and may must have heard it in your tone that this was not a casual hang out. something was wrong. her smile faltered a bit and she laughed nervously, “right, well peters in his room.”

you said a small thanks in acknowledgement before making you way across the hall to the very last door on the left. you took a breath, lifting your hand to knock before the door swung open, beating you too it.

peter gave a small smile, and you could practically taste the tension in the room. “hey.” peter said, and you eyed him suspiciously.

“hi…” you muttered, walking under the threshold into peters room.

his room wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t messy. always in the in between, because although there were countless lego pieces on his desk, his laundry was put away and the trash was taken out.

you sat down on his bed, playing with your fingers. “so…what did you wanna talk about?” you asked hesitantly. peter cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with you, and you felt your stomach drop just a little lower.

“y/n, you know that this has been one of the best summers of my life, right?” he asked and you nodded, unsure of what point he was trying to make.

“well… i think it would be best if we, um, if we weren’t friends during the school year.” he mumbled, eyes glued to the floor.

your hands tightened into fists on your lap, and your body stiffened.

“can i ask why?” you finally breathed out, eyes filling with tears. peter finally looked up at you, but you were focused on your hands, trying to fight the rush of tears you knew were coming.

“i just… i need time. school is always really stressful for me and i just… don’t want any distractions.” he said, instantly looking regretful as you scoffed out a laugh.

“so what, i’m a distraction now? you think i’m gonna ruin your chances at getting into mit because i’ll fucking stress you out?” you snapped, peters eyes widened and he shook his head. “no, no y/n that’s not what i meant! i just meant i don’t need anything more in my life.”

your chest tightened at his words and you walked to his door, giving him a long hard look before you eventually turned the knob. “fuck you, peter. i’m happy to know that this entire fucking summer was just a joke to you. that i was just a joke to you.” you whispered the last part, but based on his reaction he must’ve heard it.

regret filled his eyes as you slammed the door, practically running out of the apartment, doing your best to fight the tears filling your eyes. may attempted to say goodbye to you but you were too quick, slamming the door shut as you left.

now, a month later, you still wondered why. why did peter think you would be a distraction but not his other friends? why did peter not want to talk to you anymore?

“hey, y/n, you still with the land of the living?” your friend ezra said, her dark hand snapping in front of your face. “what? yeah. i’m good, all good.” you breathed out, clearing your throat.

“really? because it looked like you were staring at peter again.” another one of your friends, tate, observed, shoving another spoonful of mashed potatoes into her freckled mouth.

“i’m not.” you defended, picking at your food. ezra sighed, sharing a look with tate who just shrugged. “look, y/n, there’s gotta be a reason peter would say what he said and do what he did. because from what i can see, you guys had no problems the entire summer, so something had to have happened that had nothing to do with you. you should just talk to him.”

you pulled your lips into a thin line at that, because you knew she was right. you could just text Peter and ask, you still had his number. but something was holding you back.

“it’s okay, ezra, really.” you uttered, grabbing her free hand from its spot in the table. “i’m okay.” ezra gave you a look that said she didn’t believe you but sighed anyway.

“okay, well, i just want you to know if you need me to beat peters ass i totally will.”

/

as you walked to your apartment from school that day, you couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if you just called him. would he even answer? you weren’t sure. you weren’t even sure if you were ready to find out.

when you eventually arrived home you knew you weren’t in the mood to deal with you little brother, ravi, so you went up the fire escape onto the roof instead. happy to finally have fresh air and a little peace.

that peace was quickly disrupted thought, by the sound of a loud crash and a groan following it. whatever, or whoever, made the noise shuffled around a bit, before standing up slowly. he was clad in a red suit, cracking his back as he stood.

“hello?” you call out hesitantly, and the man jumped slightly. he whips his head towards you, straightening his back and clearing his throat. “oh! uh, hey.” he waves to you, and you nod in acknowledgment.

“what’re you uh… what’re you doin’ up here all by yourself?” he asks and you shrug. you realized that the random man on your roof was in fact spider-man, which explained the strange suit he wore.

“just needed a break.” you mutter, turning around to lean on the railing, watching the bustling city below. spider-man hums, stalking over to stand next to you.

“a break from what?” he asks, and you eye him suspiciously. “i doubt you wanna hear about my teenage girl dilemma.” you laugh, and spider-man shakes his head.

“i don’t only fight crime y’know, i’m also, like, a part time therapist.” you scoff at that, staring at the city silently for a moment. you can feel his eyes boring into the side of your face, and you start to question why he’s so interested in you.

maybe you were just thinking to much into it and he really was just trying to be nice, so you finally gave in, and told him about your problems with peter.

“well, there’s this boy, and his names peter. we met over the summer and we were basically best friends- or atleast i thought we were best friends, because a couple days before school started up again he dropped me and barely even explained why. and, i don’t know, it’s stupid but when i was with him i just… i really liked him. like really really liked him if you catch my drift.” you ramble, and spider-man stays silent for a few moments.

suddenly you’re filled with regret at the fact that you just told a total stranger your boy issues when he could probably be doing something better with his time, like saving someone.

spider-man clears his throat and wraps his arms around himself. “he didn’t give you a reason as to why he was dropping you?” he finally says, and you shrug. “he said he quote on quote, ‘needed time’ and ‘didn’t want any distractions’ but that’s a load of bull if you ask me, because i see him with his friends everyday during school, just laughin’ it up.” you grumble, and spider-man nods.

“well… it sounds to me like peter was probably developing feelings for you, and he didn’t know how to deal with them so he pushed you away.”

you scoff at that, furrowing your eyebrows at him, “are you being serious?” you question and spidey shrugs, the fabric on his shoulders rustling. “i mean i don’t know exactly because i don’t know peter! obviously! but like- if, um, if that were me that’s probably why i would’ve dropped you.” he starts to quiet down at the end, and your lips draw into a thin line.

“yeah? well peter should’ve just said something instead of completely ignoring me.” you growl, pushing off the rail and walking towards the fire escape, as you start to make you way down you and spider make eye contact again and you clear your throat, “thanks for that though, um, for listening to me.” he nods in acknowledgment, saluting to you before diving off the roof and swinging away.

you roll your eyes at the theatrics and continue down the fire escape.

/

that night, you couldn’t help the growing feeling in your chest at spiders words, ‘well… it sounds to me like peter was probably developing feelings for you, and he didn’t know how to deal with them so he pushed you away.’ what if he was right and peter really was just pushing you away, and you had let him?

you stared at you and peters messages, the last one being the dreaded “we need to talk” he had sent you that day. you ran through different things you could text him, ‘hey’, or ‘can we talk?’, but nothing sounded right.

you groaned and threw you phone to the end of your bed. you hated this, you were just gonna suck it up and text him a simple ‘hey’ and then give him a piece of your mind. just as you picked the phone up and the light turned on, your eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at the notification you had gotten.

peter

hey, can we talk? i’ll be waiting at delmars in 20.

you could’ve died right then and there, because there was absolutely no way this was happening. peter reached out to you. did peter want to fix things? you sure hoped so. you practically ran to throw your shoes on, giving your mom a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing out the door.

‘this is embarrassing’ you couldn’t help but think. this asshole had crushed your heart and here you were, practically jumping in joy that he texted you after ghosting you for a whole month? after calling you a distraction?

you took a deep breath as you made your way out of your apartment building, speed walking towards the local corner store. you weren’t going to let peter know just how much you had been hoping and praying for this.

when you arrived, mr. delmar greeted you with a huge smile and a kind greeting. “ah, my favorite customer! the usual i’m guessing?” he asked and you smiled and nodded at him in return as you gave him a thanks and browsed the items around the store as you waited. if peter stayed true to his word, he would be here in three minutes.

three minutes.

anxiety built up in your chest as you waited. each time the bell above the door rang you couldn’t help the way your eyes shot up, each time being just as disappointed as the last when he didn’t show up.

until eventually, he did walk in.

he was dressed in casual clothes, a flannel button up with a white top underneath, and light blue jeans. his hair was in its usual do and he looked even more nervous than you felt.

you gulped as he scanned his eyes across the store, until they eventually landed in you, and you managed to give him a small smile in greeting.

peter cleared his throat as he walked over to you, his brown eyes shaking.

“hi.” he said breathelessly, and you cleared your throat. “hi.”

there was an unknown tension in the air as you two stared at each other for just a minute.

“how’ve you been-” he started, but you cut him off. “why did you want to meet up with me peter?” you snapped, and peter seemed to almost recoil at your tone.

he cleared his throat, avoiding your icy gaze. “i just wanted to explain to you why i even said what i said! and i wanted to… i wanted to apologize.” you blinked at that, eyebrows furrowing. peter scanned your face for any sort of reaction, for a way to read you.

“i’m listening.” peter nods, taking a deep breath before beginning.

“look, that summer was one of the best summers i’ve ever had. i mean, i’ve never had that much fun with someone in my life! not even with ned, which is saying a lot, but anyway, i just don’t want you to think i ghosted you because i didn’t enjoy our time together.” you nodded and he continued.

“that day i asked you to come over… i had just realized that… that i really like you. like really, extremely, very much like you. you’re so smart and so funny, and you’re extremely beautiful. but.. but there was something i holding me back from telling you that, and i was scared. scared i’d somehow end up getting you hurt, so i thought the best thing to do would be to just push you out of my life altogether, which i know now is not true because this has been one of the worst months of my life. i mean, god how did i survive without you?” he finally finished, and you could barely fight the grin forcing its way onto your face.

you smacked him playfully on the arm, sniffing. “for someone so smart, you’re very oblivious.” you laughed, “i think it’s obvious that i really like you too. so don’t you ever go and do something like that again!” you scolded, pointing your finger in your face.

pater smiled, grabbing the sides of your face gently, and you leaned into his touch.

“i promise i’ll never do something like that again.” he whispered, and his eyes flickered from yours to you lips, and you nodded slightly, giving his permission.

as you both began to lean in, and you prepared yourself for the moment you had been waiting for for months, a sudden yell of your name startled you both.

“y/n! your orders ready!- oh were you two about to-? oh, my bad, continue please.” mr delmar rambled, going into the back of the store and you and peter both laughed.

“wanna go back to my place? may misses you.” he asks, intertwining your fingers and you suck in a breath.

“yeah that’d be great.”

[hyperactivewhore]

Hello, so a couple of things I wanted to address regarding your takes on Hope and the Mikaelson family. So, I don't take anything from TO or Legacies as face value. I didn't even watch Legacies, because I was over TVD universe by that point. And I didn't even finish TVD or TO, because of how unbearingly bad they got. But I know enough about how the rest of the show turned out to give my take on things too. 

For a show that was supposed to be centered around redeeming Klaus and Hope being the source of redemption for the Mikaelson family, the writers failed miserably in that aspect. For one, they rewrote history, retconned their entire backstory, and made the characters incredibly out of character. Worst thing the writers could've done. There was no redemption or character development whatsoever for anyone. In fact, everyone got worse and became more unlikable as the seasons went on. 

You're saying Rebekah and Freya would've been terrible mothers and claiming that they were bitter, jealous, and resentful of Hope or even of their own kids, when we never saw anything that supports that notion. And it's unfair you single out the women in the Mikaelson family, but say nothing whatsoever about the Mikaelson men, who were just as unfit and unstable to be a parent or have any child under their care. How do you justify saying Rebekah and Freya would've been bad mothers, but justify Klaus and Hayley's shitty parenting? 

If we're gonna call a spade a spade, Hayley was the very definition of a terrible mother. She constantly endangered herself and Hope while she was pregnant and even after she gave birth and just pawned her kid off to Eve or whoever else to involve herself in dangerous situations she really had no business getting involved in, when she could've been there with Hope. Same with Klaus, he most definitely wasn't father of the year. And there's also all the times they neglected Hope as a baby countless times and would often leave her alone during the most dangerous situations too.

If Rebekah and Freya didn't deserve to be mothers or to have a chance at a normal human life, Hayley and Klaus deserved it even less. Overall, I don't get why you or anyone else are so surprised at the Mikaelsons turning out to be deadbeats and abandoning Hope, when their entire family history and dysfunctional family dynamic speaks for itself. You even pointed it out yourself, that the Mikaelson family are unstable. So, why so surprised at this outcome? What else did you expect? And that's the epitome of why having a spinoff about the Mikaelsons centered around a baby of all things failed miserably. It was the worst mistake the writers could've made and the worst route the writers could've gone.

I'll make sure to let this clear for anyone who decides to read through: I didn't finish The Vampire Diaries, I only got to watch season five before the plot bored me and I just watched season one and half of season two of Legacies, but I have read enough over the years and I know all that happens in the three shows, what characters appear and etc.

Is funny how you complain about the Mikaelson and company being "out of character" as if they hadn't been already ooc in season three. Klaus loved witches and the writers completely erased that from his character because recognizing it would mean having him go for Bonnie. Caroline was mean before turning into a vampire, and if they had followed the established lore and canon of vampirism, she would have been just worse than she was as a human instead of the preppy girl she turned into. They completely trashed Elena's character to have her fall for Damon and forget about Stefan, so the fact that you're complaining about this sounds like just an excuse to shit on both shows.

I don't know why you're so pressed about Hope's existence. I have never said she was her family's redemption, I have always said she wasn't and that it was completely unfair of Elijah to put that burden on a baby. She was a plothole and I have stated that her character shouldn't have been made no matter how loved she is. But saying she had no impact on her family is stupid: Hope didn't made them stop being monsters, that's true, but she played a big part on making them change themselves.

Her existence forced her father to stop seeing only for himself, she united Klaus and Rebekah after they literally tried to kill each other by making Bex look after her when she was only a baby, Elijah finally stopped taking his brother's side in everything and she made their toxic codependent relationships slightly better. But at the end of the day, Hope was just a kid and a kid would never erase a thousand years of trauma, abuse and toxicity. It's true, she wasn't her family's redemption but she's the only reason why they stopped being shitty to each other.

There is evidence of why Rebekah would be a bad mother, just see how she behaves around children/teenagers. Marcel was ten and she groomed him, the moment her niece grew up and she couldn't play house with her any longer she left her in the dust, all while remembering how she spent "glorious months covered in dirt" because she spent less than a year with her as a baby and that is what she wanted, a baby, not a child, and just look at how she acted with Elena and Caroline. Rebekah was jealous of both of them, she was jealous of Hayley and Freya herself even made a joke about how she would be jealous of their own niece - it was about how she would stay nineteen forever hence beauty forever, but my point remains.

Rebekah would be a bad mother as far as we know in canon because everything suggests that. She's a child herself, just seventeen and her brain isn't even fully developed yet: she's easily jealous, tends to have emotional issues and has a low self esteem. What would be weird is that she wouldn't be jealous and a bad mother to her child, not otherwise. I love her, but she is a bad person and doesn't deserve to be a mom.

Freya is literally the same. She was traumatized with the child she lost and she viewed him/her on Hope, but she never gave a damn about making sure her seven years old niece didn't grow up traumatized and she completely forgot about her the moment Nik was born so yes, this information is enough for me to think she would be a bad mother. And look at what she did to Davina, who was barely eighteen.

The Mikaelson didn't and still don't deserve a normal happy life simply because they aren't good persons. They would be shitty parents, the two canon parents we have (Klaus and Freya) are bad parents and they don't even know how to behave around teenagers.

Saying Hayley is a bad mother is wild. Did you want her to stay home with Jackson while her daughter's family was being attacked every time they breathed? Hayley never put herself in a dangerous situation while pregnant willingly, it was always people coming after her and their child because she was carrying a Mikaelson kid. I don't know how she "pawned" her kid to somebody else to go help the Mikaelson, she was fighting with them because once again, they were Hope's family. She made some shitty choices, yes, but she was stuck in the most dangerous family to ever exist and the only way out was death: she never had the chance to decide if she actually wanted to have Hope. Both Elijah and Klaus forced it on her, they never asked her if she wanted an abortion and it was quite clear she would have died if she tried getting one.

I guess you pulled all of this information from your ass, because I never justified Klaus’s shitty parenting; I've always said time and time again he was a bad father, and I never said I was surprised at the Mikaelson being deadbeats when they already were in The Originals.

I don't know why you say the show "failed miserably" when it didn't: the rankings are good, it was nominated for awards a plenty of times and it is the favorite show of more than half of the fandom.

[gumikpxp]

Never gonna happen

Rocker AU

pairing: Radio-host!Gyu x femalerocker!reader

warnings: fluff, smut, angst, swearing minors din!

Synopsis: She's your modern day hannah montana. a goody too shoes to everyone who knows her, the perfect golden girl during the day. but when she's alone she's anything but allowing herself to let go of her perfect reputation. Then theirs beomgyu who's proudly part of the band txt and radio host of the schools most popular station. He hates her, but shes utterly enamored by him.

Taehyun rolled his eyes as he watched his bestfriend practically glare down the class president currently talking to their teacher about today activities. The bell was close to ringing for lunch.

"come on man she's not even paying attention to you. for someone who claims to hate her so much you sure do spend a lot of your time admiring her." Taehyun stated smugly earning a laugh from Kai who was on his side drumming on his desk with his drumsticks.

"i'm not admiring her. i'm praying she goes mute. i swear she never stops talking." Beomgyu huffed crossing his arms and turning towards his friends.

"i don't know gyu she's actually really nice." Kai shrugged looking at the girl. She wore a pair of dark skinny jeans and checkered vans. A long white sleeve shirt with a dainty gold necklace and a pink cardigan over it. Her dark brown hair tied into a bun showing off her gold and pearl earrings. finally a white face mask covering the bottom of her face. She was very health conscious.

"She's a priss."

"by definition that is not true." taehyun commented and beomgyu only groaned.

"whatever i don't want to talk about her anymore. let's talk about the track list for tonight's show."

"i can't believe they cut our set in half for open mic." Kai sighed disappointed but their conversation was cut short but the lunch bell ringing.

the three boys stood slinging the bags over their shoulders to leave and meet up with their hyungs almost out the door when a soft voice spoke up.

"Beomgyu!"

said boy froze and rolled his eyes holding his annoyed groan in.

"Yes class pres." he said with a sarcastic smile. If she caught it she definitely didn't have any reaction to it as her eyes creased from a smile.

"a song request! for toxdo tomorrow!" she said handing him a pink sticky note that was folded in a small heart.

"Cool thanks." he said taking it from her and she hummed before moving to her desk to eat lunch. Alone, as usual.

beomgyu shook his head and stifled a laugh before tossing the pink heart into the trash can and walking out the class.

"harsh much." Taehyun said to the long haired boy and beomgyu shrugged.

"it was probably some piano soundtrack that would put us to sleep and all our listeners."

Y/n sighed as she put a dash onto her notebook.

yet another song request in the trash if anyone ever finds them they'd make a killer playlist.

The five boys stood at their table in the corner of the small 18 and over club, the table was reserved for them since they were regular performers.

"So does anyone know any of any of the people playing tonight?" Yeonjun asked looking at his bandmates and they all shrugged all extremely drained from the bands that have previously played. Their was only one left.

The Love Abusers

"okay everyone today we have a girl group of three here to perform for the first time in front of a crowd! give it up to The Love Abusers!" The girl on stage spoke before rushing off and three girls walked onto the stage. One of drums, one on bass, and one at the guitar and mic.

they all wore black leather ankle boots except the singer she wore a pair of beat up converse ripped tights and a large distressed sex pistols shirt. Her arms littered in brackets and her dark messy hair cover a lot of her face since her bangs seemed to be overgrown. Her bandmates hand their hair slicked back and they wore sheer shirts and wine red bras underneath with black ripped skinny jeans.

"how's everyone night going so far?" the girl spoke into the mic her voice was smooth a low almost quiet to where the mic couldn't pick it up.

Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow at this. As the crowd answered to her voice extremely enthusiastic. This earned a chuckle from her and taehyun sucked air through his teeth at the sound.

"I wrote this song last night. I've been getting a bit tired of people expecting me to reach their standards... i'm sure you'll understand right guys." she spoke strummed her guitar gently.

she started her riff on her guitar as her bandmates clapped their hands gently behind her.

"this is Bad Day."

"i had a no good, really bad. messed up day and i'm stressed out super sad not okay. i'm never gettin better no it's not a phase."

The boys mouths dropped and the revelation of the bands talent and how quickly they got the audiences attention. Beomgyu seemingly in a trance at the lead singers way of delivering their lyrics and change of pace through out the song.

His eyes glancing down to her hands strumming her guitar as she completely took all his attention. Soobin looked at the younger and chuckled tapping their friends too look at the sight of their guitarist.

"i mean he always did say a girl who can play guitar better than him is hot." Taehyun teased earning a small laugh.

"shut up dude." beomgyu grumbled.

"and i like it that way." The girl finished. "thank you guys, you were great." she spoke warning a course of claps and cheers from the crowd as her and her bandmates left the stage.

"Wow! what an entrance! that was love abusers performing their original song Bad Days they'll be back on thursday if your interested in watching another set." The announcer spoke.

"Next up, a Crowd Favorite! TXT! welcome back to our favorite boys!"

a/n: their will be a playlist for this series! both with the songs of "Love Abusers" and y/ns Requests to the toxdo radio show if your interested it will be located on the series master-list!

song of the chapter- Bad Days by Charlotte Sands