#This was really long and I’m hoping I’m not just twisting facts to fit my narrative like the author accused antis of doing

[gralunaisland]

Part 2 of "Why Gray is NOT a Tsundere"

(An Anti-gr///via Post)

[Links to Part 1 and Part 3 are linked here.]

Refuting the @f*ckyeahgr*via post:

Again, this is the post I read that tries to prove Gray is a tsundere which I will be analyzing and countering to prove that Gray is in fact not a tsundere.

Anyway, first, I will say I agree with the Anon that suggested this to me all those months ago. This post seems to be quite reasonable at first glance, at least compared to other Pro gr///vian arguments which tend not to be.

However, I gave it careful thought, and I believe I have a response to each of their points.

Also, remember, as I said in Part 1, I refer to the Pro gr///vian writer of this post as "Author", and their quotes are in orange. Lastly, this post is the longest of the 3 parts so be prepared.

Onto the Author's post:

"Yes, there is a difference [between being a tsundere and not returning someone's feelings]. But, it’s a shame when shipping preferences get in the way of people seeing obvious character traits for what they are."

This is what Author basically starts out by saying, and it's really a baffling thing for a Pro gr//vian to say.

I mean... in the nicest way possible... look at the pot calling the kettle black.

Pros are literally the ones whose shipping preferences get in the way of them seeing juvia's glaring, painfully obvious traits (flaws, they're flaws) for what they are (again, flaws).

The hypocrisy is pretty baffling to me, even if it's accidental.

Because Pros just ship Gray and juvia together with no real thought as to the healthiness of the relationship, they usually flat out ignore her toxic traits:

from the stalking ("she only did it a few timessss" or "it's not stalking, she's just watching the guy she likesss even if she's following him across the country without his knowledge"),

to the emotional manipulation ("noo she wasn't making Silver's death all about her and her selfish love of Gray, she was just apologizinggg", ignoring the fact that she never said sorry and ignoring the fact that she said she had no right to love him but she continues to “love” him afterward because she didn’t actually believe that, she just wanted Gray to make her feel better even though he’s heavily grieving right now etc.),

to the ignoring him whenever he is obviously uncomfortable or when he literally rejected her ("nahhh his clear rejection of her and her feelings was just a red herring, he obviously just adores her, no doesn’t mean no, and consent is all subjective anyway" etc.),

to ignoring all his boundaries ("awww isn't it so sweet that they lived together after FT disbanded?? let's just forget the fact that she trespassed, refused to leave, and then tried to sleep with him" etc.),

to creating creepy merchandise all with Gray's face on it and using it to get off ("heyyy, don't kink shame! it's perfectly healthy to do this even if the person she based all the merch off of doesn't know she's doing this and doesn't like her back" etc.)

etc. etc. etc!!!

I'm sorry, Author, but you are describing yourself when you're trying to call out Antis. Your adoration of the ship gr///via blinds you from seeing juvia's obvious traits as what they are, detestable, as well as from seeing that Gray is a victim here, not a willing participant and most certainly not the bad guy here.

But let's continue.

Author moves on by claiming Mashima proclaimed Gray's "tsundere-ness" himself by highlighting it on the manga cover with the words "You've never seen Gray make this face before!", as if that proves the face Gray was making was tsundere. I also found another translation of what I think Author was referring to on the gross title page of juvia for 413 Days, which says "This will be the first time Gray shows this side of himself", which would directly contradict certain things that this Author says that I will get to later on.

To be honest, the face he makes actually does look pretty tsundere, if we're just going to focus on looks. He's frowning with eyebrows furrowed, and he's got a slight blush on his face.

However, Gray was probably only making that expression because of a combination of being ashamed of his "harsh treatment" (aka rightful treatment) of juvia from that particular day (because he's a nice person and actually he wasn't even being harsh now that I went back to read the stupid chapter), being ashamed that he "treated her badly" when she was "just trying to be nice", being grateful for something cheerful on a dreary day, as well as being embarrassed again that it was juvia, the girl who's made it abundantly clear she desires him and pesters him who was cheering him up despite how much he's told her off.

I'm thinking it's mostly that last thing as the reason why he makes that particular expression. He's a big softie, and yet he's been setting hundreds of boundaries for juvia-- rightfully so-- so it definitely pains/embarrasses him to actually enjoy something she gives him.

In that case, it makes perfect sense why he 'hasn't made that face before' because this is the first time he actually appreciates something juvia does for him.

All that makes abundantly more sense than him “trying desperately not to let anyone know that he likes juvia", which is the whole point of the classic tsundere face where they pretend to hate the person they like in the first place by the way, especially when in the next panel, which Author shows, he's smiling, and especially since he's alone and has no one to prove it to, least of all juvia who isn't even there.

Then Author brings up Erza witnessing Gray smiling and wearing the scarf, saying she "passed by with a knowing smile on her face", as if that proves anything? I honestly don't know what they thought they were proving here, really, because yes, Erza saw Gray wearing the scarf, and she smiled with a blush on her face.

Uh... Like we care what she thinks??

I absolutely hate Erza when she's butting into Gray's personal "love life". On a different occasion, she berates Gray for not giving juvia a clear answer, even though he's made it clear to anyone who's not an imbecile that juvia's actions bother him, basically saying it's his fault that juvia keeps pestering him, actually victim blaming him even though he was just being a nice guy to juvia. She literally encourages juvia's insane and just plain inconsiderate behavior towards Gray and supports her through it all. She really shows that her true loyalties lie with helping juvia ruin his life rather than with the man whom she's been friends with since childhood. Erza is the one who tells juvia she has to give him a gift since it's "their anniversary". If Erza was really Gray's friend, then she should know that that day was the anniversary of Ur's death. But noooo she still puts juvia up to bothering Gray even though she knows how Gray reacts to juvia's antics and even though by then he'd already rejected her. And even if she didn't know that it was Ur's deathday, then after learning, she should've been supporting Gray, not juvia. Oh gosh, the words Erza spouted to juvia while she was crying for ruining Gray's day:

"Besides, I don't think Gray was bothered too much by your gesture. It's just one day. If lives were lost today, then today, lives were also born. How important each and every day is... depends on how important you feel it is to you."

This made me want to rip the red hair out of her head. Not only does she spur juvia on to bother Gray even though she knows Gray already rejected her, she tries to make juvia feel better (instead of comforting Gray) by basically saying, "don't feel bad for annoying Gray on the most important and saddest day for him. People die and are born everyday, so Gray should just get over it."

Onto the next point:

The next thing Author looked at was the panels where juvia made bread with Gray's face on them.

"Prior to that, we had people pointing out that Gray was completely contradicting his own rejection, by being obliging towards Juvia, with his very tsundere-ish line of “Well, since you went to all this trouble…” while BLUSHING and taking one of her breads (who blushes when they eat bread?)"

What's absolutely hilarious is that a total of five people had blushes on their face in the two panels Author showed. Blush does NOT equal romantic feelings every time it shows up in manga. If it did, then not only did Gray and juvia have romantic feelings in these panels, but so did Cana, Mira, and Elfman. Uh, "who blushes when they eat bread"?? Maybe ELFMAN who literally has blush on his face when he says, "This tastes really manly!" as he eats juvia's bread???

Need I say more on this point? No? Good.

Anyway, onto Author's point of pointing all this out, remember, Gray isn't a mean person.

He's actually never been mean to juvia; he's not mean to people in general. One example is when he was so apologetic and felt so bad that he'd accidentally hurt Mirajane's feelings when he thought a drawing was childish. The closest thing he's gotten to being mean is his rivalry with Natsu, but it's shown time and time again that that's just surface level rivalry and fooling around and that he actually cares about him. Baking bread takes time and effort, which he recognizes with his words (which accounts for the "very tsundere-ish line"), and it's among the marginally less creepy things she's tried to give him, so why wouldn't he accept them, especially since he's nice?

Accepting something she made is not akin to declaring that he actually likes her. He's probably only blushing because she's embarrassing him like usual in front of the whole guild. He's also sweating hard, which shows that it's probably stress from the public humiliation too. Gray's never liked juvia's over the top antics, especially how she's not subtle in public about it, and her baking him bread with their faces on it is definitely embarrassing.

Onto the next point:

"And then there was the 366 moment that he initiated (gripping her hand and intimately telling her he was with her) which again was completely contradictory towards his previous words of rejection towards Juvia, and obviously had romantic implications behind the moment. I mean, how do you go from this (and mind you, the official translation was even harsher than this, as he said refused/rejected, rather than “No thanks.")"

"To this?:"

I'm confused how Pros have the audacity to show Gray's rejection and then to pretend like it didn't matter at all. Notice how they even mention that the official translation was harsher? Gray was making it completely clear that he didn't reciprocate juvia's feelings, without any hint of the classic tsundere blush and stammering, without any of the unease and uncertainty. He was laying it all out in the open. He wasn't even being cold in the tsundere sense; he's not being cold by firmly setting boundaries and by making it clear he doesn't consent to being treated like this by juvia. Why can't they just understand that no means no?

As for the second scene, Gray has always been there for his friends emotionally and physically. Remember in the Phantom Lord arc where Erza was collapsing against his chest in defeat and he held onto her? Remember when Gray was physically supporting Lucy as she used the Book of End? He expresses concern for his friends through physical means many times over the anime, and this time with juvia would be no exception. Just because he lays his hand on juvia's hand, a girl who's a part of the guild he loves so dearly, a girl whom he still considers a friend even though juvia shows time and time again she's not willing to be friends with him, doesn't mean he loves her; he's merely supporting a worried, stressed comrade of his.

Him being kind to juvia and him loving juvia are not mutually inclusive. In other words, him doing the former doesn't necessitate the latter. He's just a kind person in general, as I've said many times, and if you can't see that he's a kind person in general, are you even a fan of Gray's? Honestly, I wouldn't think many Pros are fans of Gray because of how toxic this ship is for him, but I'd love to hear how they reconcile it in their mind.

Onto the next point:

"And Gray’s tsundereness does not just apply to Juvia. He has a HISTORY of being tsundere with people. The first arc he participated in within the series (the Lullaby arc) flat out established him as tsundere, when he acted as such with Natsu, by not wanting to directly tell him to not die (see the embarrassed blush):"

"And before you say, Natsu was acting similarly, no. Natsu has NO PROBLEM telling Gray in the Galuna Island arc to not die. That’s the difference between Gray and Natsu. Natsu has no problem directly showing how much he cares for people."

Well, honestly good for Author, they show that they realize being tsundere doesn't just apply to romantic interests.

Rather than him being tsundere here, though, I think this is literally just a case of "boys being boys". Guys just don't tend to be very emotionally vulnerable. It's not a secret that most of the time Gray and Natsu butt heads. The times where either of them tells the other that they actually care for each other are not often.

Here, Author, you state that you can't say Natsu was acting similarly here, however, I disagree, because while, yes, Natsu made it clear in a very dire moment when Gray was about to kill himself through Iced Shell that he didn't want him to die, in this moment, Natsu acted the same exact way that Gray did, flushing and then quickly turning away, breaking eye contact. I don't think either of them are being tsunderes, they're just not used to showing how much they care for the other on a regular basis, and for guys, it can be especially embarrassing to show it.

You say that's the difference between these guys, that "Natsu has no problem directly showing how much he cares for people", but I mean, think back to the Phantom Lord arc where Gray fights your precious juvia, where Gray declares loudly and proudly that he'd die to save Lucy from them. I'd say that's plenty direct, especially since juvia (though she's an idiot so I wouldn't put much purport to this) mistook his passion for romantic love for Lucy. Also think to how viscerally and visibly angry Natsu, Erza, AND Gray were when Sabertooth's Minerva was brutalizing Lucy in the GMG, and how both Gray and Natsu ran out onto the field in front of everyone to catch her. These are only a couple of examples, but Gray has no issue showing how much he cares for people, even publicly.

It's just more awkward for him to tell these things to his dude friend, especially with a dude friend he bickers with jokingly for the most part, especially when the situation isn't exactly dire yet.

Onto the next point:

"Another example of Gray’s tsundereness was when he first met Erza. He acted tsundere with her too, being antagonist towards her, while obviously caring about her feelings, but trying his best to hide it:"

I feel like here, Author is just misreading it, which I don't blame them since they're only looking at these panels, but to get the full picture, they need to look beyond these panels and at the entire chapter/episode. If you do, you'll see that Gray doesn't "care for Erza's feelings" as soon as he meets her. He's actually annoyed by her and fights with her and picks on her from the get-go because of how standoffish she acts.

He's not acting tsundere here; he's genuinely surprised to see her cry for the first time. He's totally thrown off guard since he's used to her just putting 'em up and fighting him back. He definitely wasn't prepared for her to show her vulnerable side. I don't think the trembles and the nervous sweats show him desperately trying to hide any semblance of sympathy, I think he's just seriously surprised by this turn of events and is woefully unprepared and nervous to deal with a pretty girl crying, and then of course he has to deal with expressing his sympathy, but I definitely don't think hiding the sympathy was the first thing on his mind or even the first instinctual thing he did. The first thing he did was ask her why she's always on her own. He immediately dives right into the deep questions, showing his natural kind side.

Author segues from that into:

"In fact, Gray makes a speech during the TOH arc about how Erza has to be in FT so she wont cry. Do you think Gray EVER told Erza any of this? Not likely."

Sigh.

I'm sorry, but a guy not telling a girl that he doesn't want her to cry doesn't mean he's a tsundere. You see, being a tsundere means you normally act cold and harsh to someone. Gray doesn't with Erza, he just jokes around with her and is usually scared of her, but he's showed plenty that he actually cares for her. Just because he doesn't tell her all his heartfelt emotions about how much he (platonically) loves her doesn't mean he's being a tsundere. I think people forget how guys are in general, not that they act as a monolith, of course, but it's a definite theme amongst men to be more closed off with your emotions, which doesn't necessarily mean you're actively hiding them and covering them up by acting mean and cold like tsunderes do.

In addition, I've already said in Part 1 that you can't take "not talking about your feelings" as equaling tsundere because again, that would mean most everyone in the Fairy Tail universe is a tsundere because no one talks about their feelings all the time except in dire straits like what is depicted in the picture above.

Another segue:

"But again, in comparison, Natsu has no problem saying things directly to Erza in the very same arc, and crying in front of her. Natsu can be immature sometimes, but he’s no tsundere. Gray, however, IS."

IIII just don't get it.

Without even trying to attack them, I honestly feel like Author hasn't read or watched most of Fairy Tail. At the very least, they’ve forgotten most of it. Gray cried for Ur right in front of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy in the Galuna Arc before Natsu ever did. He cries again in front of them when he sees Ultear's sacrifice. And of course, Pros would never forget Gray breaking down crying at his father's grave. And he has very plainly shown how much he cares for his friends on a regular basis, literally in every arc. His anger and his passion to protect them is honestly on full display every fight.

I've already addressed this earlier in this post anyway, but anyway one last thing before I move on, I just have to say that Gray is such expressive character that I am quite actually baffled that viewers could see him and immediately think he's a closed off, harsh, cold-acting tsundere. In my next watch through, I'll be sure to pay more attention to those moments where Gray is being super expressive so I can list them all off, but seriously, that's what these Pros need to be doing, to actually take some time to analyze Gray's behavior and his responses to juvia's actions. Maybe then they'll realize how off-putting and toxic she is, and that maybe before Gray was brainwashed by Mashima, he reacted in a way that made sense and was honest considering those facts.

Onto the next point:

"And of course, he acted like a little brat with Ur, and lashed out at her, even though she was like a second mother to him, and took care of him. But, of course he cared for her, even before her sacrifice. He was just hurt. As Ur said, there was darkness in his heart because of what happened with Deliora, and she sealed that away for him, but his tsundere quality remained lol. ^-^"

Oh goodness... This point actually made me sad...

Now Pros are trying to say that “the only reason why Gray would possibly reject juvia's disturbing advances is because of how Deliora traumatically scarred him by taking away everyone he loved, which made him into a tsundere”?...

I am almost at a loss for words...

This is beyond delusional. How could they just completely ignore juvia's glaring, toxic, abusive faults and go right to "Oh, well trauma is the only reason Gray wouldn't wanna shack up with someone as wonderful as juvia-sama despite the fact that she ignores consent, she ignores privacy, she ignores Gray's desires and goals, she hates everything he loves, and she just wants herself to be happy"??? This is legit juvia-level delusion, and it's a bit frightening.

I also hate that Author reduced the immensely and deeply and irrevocably traumatized Gray to just “acting like a brat” as well. It’s awful. It just goes to show you how lots of Pros aren’t Gray fans at all, just juvia fans.

To be honest, though, despite all that, this is the closest we've gotten to Gray acting like a tsundere. Here, he does act harsh and temperamental, and he took out his anger and his anguish and his hurt that he got from losing his family on Ur, despite him clearly caring for her at the end and being heartbroken that she sacrificed herself for him.

However, I still don’t think this is an example of Gray being a tsundere.

If I were to split hairs, one could argue that it was this moment where Gray started to care for her, or at least realized it, after seeing what lengths she was willing to go for him, and therefore, he wasn't just acting cold to hide his familial feelings towards her, though I will admit that's probably a reach.

To go a different route, though, this just isn't a case where, quoting one of the definitions of tsundere, "They will occasionally let slip their warm and loving feelings hidden inside. They hide their feelings due to being shy, nervous, insecure." All 3 definitions say it's a gradual process of showing warmer feelings, but right up until the very end, Gray was completely hostile towards Ur. There was nothing gradual about the abrupt wake-up call that was Gray realizing that his mistake would cost this woman, whom he should've felt gratitude towards, her life.

And clearly, Gray was only acting harsh and cold and temperamental because he was just misdirecting his negative feelings at Deliora towards Ur. As a little kid, he didn’t have great control of his emotions, as little kids don’t, and with the great loss he had, he needed an outlet, a scapegoat, and he settled on making Ur his emotional punching bag. He hated Deliora, he hated life for taking away everything he loved, so he projected that hate onto the only person he could express that hate towards: Ur. Acting harsh and cold and temperamental doesn’t mean you’re a tsundere: it could just mean you’re a traumatized individual who desperately needs an outlet to express your grief and anguish. Gray wasn’t “being a tsundere” because “that’s his character trait where he’s just socially awkward and therefore can’t express his feelings”, he was just lashing out at the world that wronged him so badly.

[[And remember at the very beginning of this post, where I said I'd get back to something? Well, it was the translation of the 413 days quote where it said "This will be the first time Gray shows this side of himself" with the picture of Gray making a "tsundere" face. If we're going to take Mashima's word for it, wouldn't it not make sense that Gray has always been a tsundere since he was a kid, as Author suggests here and in the chapter where kid Gray confronts kid Erza, and yet he only acts apparently like a tsundere for the first time in the 413 days chapter?

Something isn't consistent with the facts, and I believe it's Author's assertions. How could Gray “be acting like a tsundere, being a tsundere,” throughout his life, and yet he only starts to act like it in 413 Days?? Either way, it doesn't matter to me because I don't think Gray is acting like a tsundere in 413 days either, nor here with Ur nor with Erza, but it just goes to show how even the text itself disagrees with Author, and it shows that Author’s conclusions are not actually coming from canon material.]]

I'd definitely have to rewatch it and get more insight on it because it's already been a year since my last rewatch, but these are my thoughts on it for now. Please do give me your thoughts on this, or on anything, dear readers!

Anyway, even if Gray was acting a mite tsundere here, and that's a huge if, that doesn't necessitate that Gray would stay that way his whole life, especially considering the impact Ur had on sealing the darkness for him.

To wrap this portion up, I find it rather nutty that Author decided to take Deliora's trauma as the reason for Gray's supposed tsundere-ness, and that they even acknowledged that Ur was sealing away the darkness, and yet they decided to cherry pick what the trauma affected and what part of the trauma stayed and to claim that Gray's now a tsundere in his romantic and platonic pursuits (despite him showing he's definitely not at the very least in the latter case). I wish I knew a psychologist who could analyze Gray (though I've heard from a friend that they showed juvia's profile to a psychology professor and they came to the conclusion that she's actually insane which is fun.)

Onto the next point:

"He even acts tsundere with Lyon. He insults him and is antagonistic towards him all the time, and sees him as a rival, but he clearly loves him like a brother (and in fact, Lyon is the same way, as we saw how broken up he was when Gray died)."

Again, Author doesn't understand the bond of bros. I'm like this with my own brothers: insults are the norm even though we love each other. I think this is how most young guys are too actually. Maybe Author hasn't been around enough guys to understand that.

I suppose that's focusing too much on "personal experiences", but I don't know how to mention it besides saying that that's just the culture of many young men... I don't know what Author expected, that all the guys who aren't tsunderes would have heart-to-hearts on the daily about their feelings and how much they love each other?

But anyway, about what they said. I think Author's words here even agree with my stance on this subject. "He insults him and is antagonistic towards him all the time, and sees him as a rival, but he clearly loves him like a brother". You see... Isn't a tsundere supposed to be warming up to their person of interest? Immediately after their fight on Galuna Island, they showed they did still care for each other. There wasn't really anything gradual, they just had to settle this "disagreement" and to settle the long-standing resentments.

What's more, you have to stay logically consistent, Author.

You said before "But again, in comparison, Natsu has no problem saying things directly to Erza in the very same arc, and crying in front of her. Natsu can be immature sometimes, but he’s no tsundere" and yet you say here that Lyon is the same way (i.e. is a tsundere) like Gray.

Thing is, Natsu has the same exact dynamic with Gray that Gray and Lyon have; they insult, they bicker, they brawl, and they have each other's backs. And yet you acknowledge that Natsu is definitely NOT a tsundere, so why the heck is this proof that both Gray and Lyon are tsunderes? They both make their own feelings clear when it counts, just like Natsu. It's not like Natsu, whom as you mentioned is totally fine with declaring his feelings for his friends, says all those heartfelt things in regular day-to-day life, just out of the blue, like "Erza, you mean the world to me", or "Lucy, I would die for you a million times over," or "Happy, I'd give my left nut to be your friend forever" etc. etc. Gray, and even Lyon for that matter, will say those heartfelt things when the moment is right, just like Natsu does.

AGAIN, by this faulty definition, everyone is a tsundere. Because Erza knocks Gray's and Natsu's heads together on a regular basis, but she loves them, and generally does it for their own good. Lucy will tell the boys to put a sock in it if they're getting out of hand or will send them flying with a Lucy kick for intruding in her house, but she also loves them dearly. And Happy will say the most out of pocket stuff, especially to Lucy, and yet this is all in good fun. They're not purposefully acting harsh or cold, especially not to hide the fact that they actually love each other, and especially not because of a character trait that makes it particularly hard to express their true feelings, they're just acting as friends do in light-hearted times. For the most part, they just hang and chill and laugh as friends should, and what's more, they really do build each other up, even if it's through insults that get Gray and Natsu fired up to compete with their magic.

(No one better bring up juvia and say "oh well juvia also jokes around and doesn't actually hate other girls" because she's never joking in the slightest and she actively tries to drive other women away through her glares and her muttering and tries to demean them for daring to be in the same vicinity as Gray. Nothing about what she does is uplifting, the only feelings she's feeling in these moments are misplaced and manic jealousy, prejudiced hostility, and severe insecurity, and she literally shows that she legit would wish harm on others just so she could get near Gray, and has actually tried to kill women who get too close to Gray as well as Gray himself, so this is NOT the same thing. That's no friend.)

Almost done:

"Again, he is HARSH and TSUNDERE towards those he cares the most about. He has insulted Natsu, Lyon, Ur, Erza (calls her a monster) and JUVIA. And, he also is embarrassed when his true feelings come to the surface, and tries hard to keep them private. He doesn’t want people to know HOW MUCH he cares, and because of that, he rarely talks about his feelings to anyone, let alone directly to the person he’s having those feelings for. This is classic tsundere behavior. "

This is the same quote that I'd shown in the very beginning (in Part 1).

Something I'm just noticing now is that Author specifically doesn't include Lucy in the list of people he cares most about. This could be one of a few things or even all of them, but a common trend I've seen among Pros is that they're threatened by Lucy's healthy and solid relationship with Gray so they try to pretend they're not the best of friends.

Another reason for not including her might just be that Gray's relationship with Lucy just doesn't support their narrative. He's definitely not mean to her, though he does keep her vanity in check sometimes, but he shows that he cares for her even from the beginning, from being willing to stake his life to rescue her, to making sure she got home safe since there was a stalker following her around, to, again, since I love this scene so much, the GMG scene where he runs out in front of everyone to catch her and save her from more injury, to his and Lucy's heartfelt conversation after the Avatar arc, to how much time they spend together talking and hanging out. Nothing about his actions towards her is tsundere, so Author can't include her in the list of people Gray loves most because it doesn't coincide with their argument, like so many other things.

Anyway, moving past best girl Lucy reluctantly, I'd love to learn the reasons why Author thinks Gray's cared about juvia "the most" since the beginning. Remember, this Author has been trying to prove Gray's had this tsundere-ness since he was kid in order to prove that all of Gray's rejections of juvia are simply him being too uwu shy uwu to admit he actually loves her and that he's actually liked her this whole time. I've been talking about this in some wonderful recent asks I've gotten, how juvia is quite decidedly not Gray's type considering all the women he's cared about in his life, and I'd genuinely want to hear what reasons Pros could think up that would explain what made Gray fall for the crazy, selfish weirdo who doesn't care about friends like he does, and who certainly doesn't care for Gray's emotional and psychological well-being.

As for the rest of this paragraph, I've already talked about how not talking about your innermost feelings with people on a daily basis doesn't make you a tsundere. I've repeated myself enough.

The last pertinent bit and Conclusion:

"That’s why I also think that anyone at this point who sees Gray’s actions as someone who simply does not return Juvia’s feelings, is someone who is letting their bias cloud their judgement. The evidence for Gray’s feelings towards Juvia has been mounting since at least the Tenroujima arc. To not see where things are clearly headed between them, is just to be in denial. By all means, ship what you like, but don’t deny a blatant character trait, because you don’t like what it implies for something you don’t ship."

I hope my readers could tell me if I'm letting my bias control how I look at all these scenarios. At one point, I was struggling to put my thoughts to paper so to speak, so this post could definitely use some polishing and outside critiques.

In all honesty, though, I don't think I'm letting my bias cloud my judgment. I did my best to look at each instance objectively and to try to stay consistent with my reasoning.

I personally think this Pro as well as Pros like them are letting bias cloud their judgment in terms of how Gray is literally being emotionally, psychologically, and physically abused by juvia and by their contrived, unhealthy, toxic relationship.

Their last words are kind of aggravating, to be perfectly transparent. They are definitely entitled to their opinion. I for one can't complain because I have similar feelings about certain Pros myself. However, it's just insane the amount of hypocrisy in this last paragraph. I've already mentioned the hypocrisy once in this post, but man, cast the first stone, will you? So many Pros continue to be in denial of just how damaging this relationship is for both characters, really, and some Pros would just rather point fingers at everyone else who has even the slightest issue or who points out the slightest discrepancy or criticism and claim we're the crazy ones.

We always knew where the ship was going to be headed (cough headed to hell) because of the might of the Pro fandom. Obviously, Pros wouldn't accept anything less than marriage with 55 babies between the two of them. (Yes, hyperbole, you get my point.) I for one am not in denial that they're an item now in 100yq. My argument is simply that Gray hasn't loved juvia all this time, that he hasn't been a consenting and willing participant in juvia's madness that she calls romancing, and that the only reason he's with juvia now is because of the infinite manipulating and peer pressuring and gaslighting that happened up until this point. That, and Mashima's awful writing and similar peer-pressured self when it comes to this forsaken ship.

All I have to say is, in the words of this Pro Author, don’t deny a blatant character trait. Don't deny juvia's toxicity and abuse. Don't deny the harm she's inflicted upon Gray's psyche. And then we can finally really have a talk on why you support her.

Here's the link for Part 3 of this post!

(Feedback on anything in this post is appreciated!)

[fortemelody]

AHHHSHFBTKFNTLFKGNFMDM SONIC 3 TRAILER SONIC 3 TRAILER SONIC 3 TRAILER IM LOOSING MY SHIT RN

here’s some things i noticed/wondered/loved:

- i think in that scene where tom is on the ground yelling for sonic, he is wearing a special forces suit. maybe he upgraded from cop to working with gun?? if so i think that’s a really good use of his character actually! he wanted to save a life and raise a family above all else yes, but he still got his previous dream of doing more serious cop work!

- shadow just. has a big ass portal?? like holy shit he’s just suckin the life outta earth and ig that’s one way to do it (or maybe it’s just a ring and i’m stupid idek)

- i’m sure we’ll learn more about this in the actual movie so i’m not too worried, but i’m super confused at the very beginning scene. apparently sonic didn’t change his heart…but he did tho? like he learned what being a true hero meant in the last movie. tbh i feel like that’s enough but hey i’m not against more character development for our boy so!! (also that bit where he’s like “in my lungs” was actually really funny to me, ben schwartz’ awesome delivery caught me off guard)

- GERALD ROBOTNIK ALIVE HUUUUH?! tbh i would’ve preferred if maria was alive, i feel like that would be an interesting dynamic. but also ig that would make it harder for shadow to learn anything so i totally get it. anyways i’m just glad they’re putting a little twist on the story, it keeps it interesting. they already sorta did that with the knuckles and iblis thing actually! (even if that show sucked ass and although that probably wasn’t intentional 😭)

- even tho bro only got like… 3 lines, i really think keanu fits shadow. he’s very soft spoken in comparison to the rest of the case which feels nice. also he’s like the “really bad” guy so ofc he’s not gonna be yappin on and on like sonic or robotnik and he’s gonna take things uber seriously.

- where was my girl maddie :( i think she was only in like a singular frame. hope shes in the movie a somewhat significant amount. i heart pretzel lady!! could live without wade tho like pls im so sick of his bowling soap opera 💀

- FAT ROBOTNIK FAT ROBOTNIK FAT ROBOTNIK!!! after fucking 3 movies they finally fulfilled jim carrey’s wishes!! let the man get creative like please i love jim carrey sm aughdfhfnfmschxj. also love how we got so much stobonik content within that short scene like jesus come get y’all’s food

- shadow at one point says something along the lines of “when we’re done, there won’t be anything left.” maybe i’m reading WAY to into this but what does the “we’re” part mean?? is he working with others? i feel like this is either gonna be team dark or some new movie exclusive character(s). edit: someone made a valid point that he’s actually probably referring to gerald (look at reblogs!)

-CHAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lowkey wonder if the room therye in is like an amusement park or somethin like that

- no sign of amy :( but honestly my prediction now is that she’s gonna be the post credit scene teaser cus they always do a new character reveal there. first tails, then shadow. and honestly now i think it might be better that way so shadow can have a chance to breathe and show his story in full. i’m pretty sure i vaguely remember colleen (tails’ VA) being kinda mysterious about amy’s appearance when asked, and also the fact that it was confirmed that this isn’t the end of the movie franchise/universe. but ig we’ll just have to wait and see!

so sorry i stated this yesterday morning to give my initial thoughts but then got busy and completely forgot to post/finish it. and today i started (and am close to finishing) a very long edit of the trailer, so be on the look out for that too!

genuinely i feel like this movie is gonna somehow be even more record breaking than any of the previous movies and i am so here for the hype 🙏

[runawrites-blog]

But It's Not Time (Levi x Reader)

Summary: After getting injured during a scouting mission, you are trapped in a tree to await rescue. Thankfully, you're not alone because your captain, old friend and the object of your affection, Levi Ackerman is there to help you until backup arrives. But as time goes on and your state worsens, you two start to worry whether or not you will make it. (Gender-Neutral Reader) Word Count: 2,915 Warnings: Talk of Injuries and Blood. Angst. No Y/N. A/N: Guess what fandom I added to the list of stuff I write for! You'll never guess, I bet! No, but in all seriousness, I added AOT/SNK to the lists of fandoms I write for, so feel free to request something for that fandom, as well. I'll write it as long as it's for adult characters and you adhere to my 'What I Will Not Write' list. The lyrics at the beginning of this are from the song "The Gambler" by Fun which is one of my favourite songs and fits so well. I really hope this isn't OOC by the way because it is one of my first times writing for Levi.

---

You swore you’d be here ‘til we decide that it��s our time

Well it’s not time, you’ve never quit in all your life

So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side

---

“You’re lying to me.”

You looked up at Levi, ignoring the pain in your leg, the way your wet clothes clung to you and how cold you were from the storm around you. He looked back at you, still standing on the branch of the tree you had been hiding on for the past hour. Your pained expression and slight shivering must have alerted him to the fact that you were not as fine as you’d told him you were.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you injured?” Levi asked sternly, looking down at where you were sitting against the trunk of the tree. “Do not lie to me.”

“I told you. I think I twisted my ankle.” You lied, shaking your head dismissively. “I’ll be alright. What we need to worry about now is looking out for titans and for other Scouting Legion Members that could help us get back to base.”

“I am your squad leader and as such I would like to know the truth.” He said but when you just averted your eyes withtout answering he decided to change his tactics. “Besides being your squad leader, I am also your friend, aren’t I? You always refer to me as such. Shouldn’t you be honest with your friends?”

He was right and you knew it. You two had been friends for years, had gone through the hardest of battles together and had only grown closer as a result. And it would’ve been a lie to deny that your feelings had grown past those of friendship in the last few months. You couldn’t lie to your friends, to the man you cherished and had fallen for. Besides that, the pain in your leg was also getting worse and you decided to tell him the truth.

“I-- I think that I actually hurt my leg quite-- quite badly while falling down from my horse. And I’m sure I’ve made it worse by-- by jumping up and trying to go after my horse. The straps of my maneuver gear are pressing on it though, so-- so I should be fine.”

“And why would you not tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. I don’t think the bleeding is that bad and as I said, the strap is applying pressure.”

“You not telling me is much more worrying.” He said sternly though you heard the worry seeping into his voice. “If you are injured, I’d like to know.”

“I thought that we’d be found quicker.” You sighed as you leaned your head back against the tree. “We had so much else to worry about that I didn’t want to add to that when I thought we’d be back at our base within no time.”

“Next time, don’t worry about worrying me and tell me if you’re injured.” Levi said before he knelt down in front of you. “May I have a look?”

“I guess that would be a good idea.”

You slowly reached down and tried to roll up the leg of your pants but found that with how it was sticking to you after the rain had gotten it wet it was almost impossible. So you ripped it open, flinching at the shoot of pain it sent up your whole leg. When you saw the wound for the first time you gasped. There are a huge cut stretching upwards from above your knee to just underneath the valley of your hips. Now without the added pressure of the straps, the blood was pouring out more freely.

“I’m going to bleed out, aren’t I?”

“I won’t let you.” Levi promised and looked around before shaking his head in desperation. “I need something to stop the bleeding with.”

You swallowed thickly, tears welling up in your eyes. If Levi was this concerned, things must have been more serious than you had initially thought. Fear gripped ahold of you again and you had to take several deep breaths to not cry. But Levi had noticed, observant as ever. He turned back to you, eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

You swallowed against the lump in your throat but a few tears still rolled down your cheeks. “I’m sorry, it’s just that if you’re this worried I-- I must be pretty bad off, right? This situation must be more-- more hopeless than I previously thought.”

He looked at you for a few seconds as if contemplating on what to do before he knelt next to you and put a comforting hand on your arm. “I will do whatever I can to get you back to base safely.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“No formalities. I’m not your captain now. I’m your friend who’d like to get you back to base safely.” To his shock, you started crying at his words and he inched closer, looking you over in a slight panic. “What did I do wrong? Did I say somthing?”

“Thank you so much.” You sobbed out quietly, wiping at your teary eyes. “When I hid by the base of the tree I thought I was going to die but you saved me and now you’re still saving me. Thank you, Levi.”

“Of course I am.” Levi said softly, giving you a stern look. “I am your friend. Now let me think of how to stop the bleeding.”

About ten minutes later saw Levi provisionally applying a turnequette fashioned out of the straps of your gear and you trying not to make any noises while he did so. When he was finally done you looked up and gave him a thankful smile. It was getting harder and harder to not slur your speech or slump fruther down on the branch.

“Thank you.” You whispered and looked down, noticing your bleeding hand. “I must have bitten it pretty hard when-- while trying not to make any noise. But it’s-- but that’s nothing to worry about.”

“Your speech is slurring.” He pointed out and sat down next to you. “You have to stay away, alright? Help is on the way.”

“How-- how do you know that?” You slurred, trying to focus on Levi but it was getting increasingly harder to focus on anything and to keep your head clear. “I get that you’re smart and-- and a good soldier and-- but you’re not-- How do you know?”

Levi raised an eyebrow in concern and inched closer to you. “I sent out a flair earlier. Green for an injured and lost soldier. Don’t you remember?”

“Green.” You nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, green.”

“You know if Hanji was here she’d laugh at you slurring your words.” Levi remarked softly as he looked back at you. “You sound so thoughtful when you talk about the colour green.”

“It’s a pretty colour.” You retorted, pushing yourself up to sit a little straighter. “Can I-- Is it okay if I take a little-- if I just close my eyes for ten minutes?”

“No.”

“Five minutes?”

“No, you have to stay awake.” Levi urged and shook his head, fishing around in the little bag the horse had dropped earlier as it had taken off, pulling out a little flask. “Here, have a drink.”

“Is this the time for alcohol?”

“It’s water, you moron.”

You chuckled at his insult before a smile overtook your face. “I like that more. I don’t like it when you’re-- when you’re too nice and soft. Makes me wonder if-- if I’m hallucinating. Doesn’t matter that I’m injured. Just insult me.”

Levi gave a dry laugh at that and then tipped your head back, gently helping you drink some of the water. You drank half of the flask before pulling back and looking at him. Levi gave you a questioning look.

“You need to-- you need water, too.”

“It’s raining. I can just collect more water.” Levi reasoned before holding the flask to your lips again. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. You need to drink.”

“Alright.” You nodded and let him help you take another sip before he leaned you back against the tree trunk while you smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. How are you feeling?”

“Cold and wet and hurt.”

Levi looked at you for a few seconds before he shrugged off his cape and draped it over your shoulders. You tried to wave it off, not wanting him to be cold, but he grapped your hand, holding it to stop you from taking the cape off.

“Take it. The cold will only make you feel worse.”

It was ironic because you had longed for this sort of gesture from Levi for years, your feelings for him only getting stronger every time you spoke to him. You two were friends and you knew that yet this gesture would have delighted you had you not been in such a dire situation. Knowing that Levi would probably not feel the same either way you shoved your thoughts away, instead giving him a small smile as you pulled the cape close around your body.

“Thank you. You know, I’m really glad you’re my friend.”

“Likewise.”

A smile tore your face and you leaned back to watch Levi scout out your surroundings, then cursing under his breath as he still saw no other soldiers coming. You hoped they weren’t waiting out the storm before they came to your rescue. Levi seemed to notice your worry and sat down next to you, turning his head to face you.

“You’re going to be fine, I promise. All you have to do is be quiet and stay awake. The others will find us soon.”

“I hope so.” You whispered, tears brimming at your eyes. “My-- my little brother is in-- He’s also in the Survey Corps and I can’t leave him alone.”

“I know.” Levi said and inched closer to you. “And you won’t. I’m sure right now he is safe with the others and in due time, you will see him again. We just have to wait a little longer.”

You swallowed then and turned to Levi, pulling out a small silver locket. “My father gave it to me for-- for my sixteenth birthday all those years ago. And-- Well, should I not make it--”

“No.”

“Would you give it to my brother?” You mumbled out, tears running down your cheeks. “It’s not worth a whole lot but I’m sure he could use it-- He’ll find a use for it.”

“I won’t give it to him.” Levi said sternly. “You’ll be able to do that yourself. Because I will get you back to base safely.”

“We’re running out of time, Levi.” More tears cascaded down your face as you slowly leaned into Levi’s shoulder, exhausiton and the need for comfort overtaking any restraints you had about being so close to him. “I’m bleeding so much. I’ll never make it.”

“You will. Just keep your eyes open.”

“It’s so hard to-- I’m so exhausted and--” You paused, taking a deep breath and looking up at Levi. “Can you slap me across the face or-- or something? I need something to keep me conscious.”

“You want me to slap you?”

“Unless you-- you have a better idea to keep me from passing out.”

Levi was quiet for a few seconds and drew back a bit, making you raise from his shoulder. You expected him to slap you or shake you to keep you conscious. His hand came close to your face but instead of doing anything you had asked for he cupped your cheek and before you could question what he was planning he pressed his lips to yours, his eyes closing.

Your eyes grew wide in shock and you felt more awake than you had been in the past hour. But you quickly reciprocated, eyes fluttering shut as you leaned in to your best ability with you still being injured. He held your face gently, thumb rubbing your cheek as he gently leaned you back againt the tree with his free hand. A bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree and despite you trying to chase after his lips Levi pulled back from the kiss.

“I told you to keep your eyes open.”

Blinking back at him, you gave him a soft smile. “I thought you’d make an exception for me just this once.”

“Not when you’re this injured.” He said sternly, leaning closer again. “Do you feel more awake now?”

“Defintely.”

“Good because I’m going to climb a bit higher to get a better view and see if anyone is approaching, yet.” He said but before he stood he ran his hand along your cheek once more. “Hang on for me until I’m back.”

Before you could answer, he was gone, using his gear to get to a higher branch and dissapearing between the leaves. His absensce gave you a much needed chance to think. You had long since come to terms your feelings for Levi but he had never shown you any interest beyond being friends with you, so you had accepted that your feelings would remain unreciprocated. But now you wondered whether or not he felt the same way or if he’d simply kissed you to keep you from passing out.

“I see horses approaching!”

You nearly jumped out of your own skin when Levi landed in front of you, hair once again drenched from the rain as he knelt down by your side. With help approaching you wondered when you’d again get the chance to talk about what the kiss had meant, so you gathered all your courage and decided to ask him.

“Levi, may I ask you something?”

“This is not the time. We have to get you to safely first.” He said, standing and getting beside you before he grabbed you underneath the arms and helped you stand. “Whatever you want to ask it can wait.”

You quieted down at that, partially because you knew he was right to want to concentrate on getting to safety first and partially because of your pain skyrocketing at having to stand up. Despite trying to keep your pain hidden Levi once more saw right through you and hoisted your arm over his shoulders to support you. Exhausted and in pain you leaned your head against him and Levi let you.

“I will get you to safety, I promise.”

---

“How are you feeling?”

You looked away from watching the rain outside the window of the small castle this expedition had set up camp in to face Levi. He was standing in the doorway to the small medical bay you were currently staying at after you had been treated. You pushed yourself into a sitting position to get a better look at Levi and when you saw is worried expression youhave him a soft smile, hoping to reassure him.

“I’m alright. I had to get stitches on my leg but I’m alright now, still in pain but no longer in danger of bleeding to death.”

“While it’s not good that you’re in pain I’m glad you’re in a stable condition.” Levi said, coming closer to your bed and resting his hands on the board at the foot of it. “You had me worried about you.”

A surprise chuckle left your mouth at that confession. “You were worried about me?”

“You were injured, bleeding profusely and far away from basecamp. Of course, I was worried about you.” Levi said sternly, frowning at your reaction. “Is it that hard to believe that I worry about you? You are my friend, after all.”

His words made you stall because it reminded you of how you still wanted to know what the kiss you’d shared had meant and if he also felt more for you than friendship. “Levi, may I ask you something? The thing I wanted to ask you about before?”

“Does it happen to have anything to do with me kissing you?”

“Yes.” You nodded, swallowing nervously before speaking up again, gathering all your courage to confess to him. “I’m aware that you might have simply kissed me to keep me from passing out but I want to be honest about my feelings for you just on the offchance that you feel the same. I’m in love with you and I have been for a while now. You probably don’t feel the same and--”

Having apparently had enough of your rambling Levi decided to stop you and he did so by once more pressing his lips to yours. But before you could even react or let alone reciprocate he pulled back again, eyes locking with yours.

“I apologise but I had to make you stop talking before you got it all wrong.” Levi said and at your slightly confused epxression he sat down on the foot of your bed. “I was unsure of whether or not I was really in love with you but I think the prospect of losing you today made me realise what these feelings really were.”

“You feel the same?”

“I’m in love with you.” Levi said before he reached out to gently push you back against the pillow. “But now you need to rest so you won’t hurt yourself even more. Can you do that for me?”

“I can.”

Levi gave you a small smile before standing back up and nodding his head toward the door. “I have to report back to Erwin now but I will check in on you afterwards, I promise.”

“Levi, just one more thing before you leave?” “What do you need?”

“Would you kiss me again?”

“Of course.”

[tswaney17]

I Do Bad Things with You - Part 48

One part left and an epilogue to go!! 🎉 What is lifeeeee? The fact that this story is literally almost over is just insane to me. Thank you to everyone who kept up with this one. I know it's been a long, long ride. Your patience and kind words have meant the world to me. 💜

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Catch up here.

Credit to @featherymalignancy for Cassian’s nickname, Cash. 😘

Trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault , language, NSFW

Word Count: 8,481

Elain’s consciousness tugged at the front of her mind, slowly trying to pull her from her slumber. Warmth radiated from the other person she shared her bed with, his cedar and mist scent a balm to her soul. As she slowly came to, she realized that Azriel was not the only one in their bed that morning, her son’s voice catching her attention even though her husband tried to keep him quiet.

“Not so close, buddy,” Az murmured, and she felt Kaden’s small body being pulled slightly away from her. “We have to be careful of Momma’s tummy.”

A little body shuffling jostled her but she kept her eyes firmly shut, simply enjoying the tender moment with her boys.

“Like this, Daddy?”

Her heart melted. The night before came perfectly clear in her memory—how Azriel’s face morphed into quiet joy from Kaden finally calling him daddy. She saw every emotion behind his eyes, every prayer being answered: that their son would finally view him as his father and not just a guardian.

“That’s perfect, bud,” he choked out in a hoarse whisper. It was obvious how much it meant to Azriel to hear that name coming from Kaden’s lips.

Elain knew that her husband was aware of her being awake; he always seemed to sense her presence even before she opened her eyes. He confirmed it when Kaden tried to whisper, “When is Momma going to wake up?”

Az’s answering chuckle was the first indicator, followed by “Soon, I’m sure.”

She took that as her queue, stretching out her aching body—pregnancy really was a bitch—yawning until she opened her eyes.

“Momma!” Kaden shouted in glee, throwing his arms around her shoulders.

Elain let out an “oomph,” laughing as Azriel chastised their rambunctious four-year-old.

“Easy, Kaden.” He scooped his son back into his arms, kissing him all over his face and making him burst out into a fit of giggles.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, smiling at the sweet display. “What time is it?”

Az settled their son between them, his bright eyes glancing at her. “Just before seven. The Moonbeam twins will be here at nine to collect you and Kaden to head to the baby store in Hewn City.”

Elain could see the change in her husband as he spoke. How he wanted them to go with them and that it made him nervous to stay behind while they were in another territory. She reached out, cupping his cheek in her palm, and let her thumb swoop over the apple of it. “We’ll be okay,” she whispered, hoping to reassure him.

He sighed heavily, twisting his head to kiss the inside of her hand. “I’ll be better once you’re both home and safe.”

“Momma, I’m hungry!” Kaden announced, breaking the spell that had woven over them.

 Azriel rose from the bed, turning to face them. “I’ll make breakfast. What do you guys want?”

“Pancakes!” they said in unison.

Her husband huffed a laugh, eyes rolling because that’s what Elain always wanted for breakfast. “Why do I bother asking?” And then he swooped down to toss their giggling boy onto his shoulder. “Alright, free-loader… you’re going to help me make pancakes this morning,” he called out as he threw a still-giggling Kaden over a shoulder and muscled his way out of their bedroom.

“Bye momma!” their little boy called waving at her enthusiastically.

She wiggled her fingers at him, giving herself another moment to lounge in bed. One of the twins stretched out, their little foot pressing against the inside of her stomach hard enough to see the outline of it. She could even make out their little toes. Elain let out a breath, running her hand over her belly to soothe the child. “Make yourself comfortable, little one,” she teased in a soft breath. 

Shuffling herself off the bed, she waddled into the large bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

Forty-five minutes later, she padded her way downstairs to the kitchen in a pair of leggings, one of Azriel’s oversized sweatshirts—because it was the only thing warm enough that fit her at the moment—and sneakers. She found her boys at the stove, Kaden pouring the last remnants of the batter onto a hot skillet while Azriel flipped pancakes to perfection.

Elain took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two of them, intending on getting it printed and framed for the house. She glanced down at the finished pancakes, noticing the wonky shape from her boy’s pouring skills. Her lips turned up into a smile as she made her way to the fridge to grab the carton of orange juice for herself and milk for Kaden.

Azriel caught her movement, eyes quickly looking in her direction before returning to the stove. And then his whole head snapped toward her, taking in every inch of her and what she was wearing.

Truth be told, Elain knew what wearing Az’s clothes did to him. He had always had this masculine pride whenever she paraded around in his t-shirts and such. But she typically wore them around the house, unless he happened to drape something on her while they were out. His eyes darkened, and he stepped away from the stove to prowl over to her.

The look he shot her had a pleasurable chill running down her spine. How Elain could be seven months pregnant with fucking twins and still be turned on by this man was beyond her. But he took advantage of her raging hormones when they could.

A scarred hand reached out to run down the length of her sleeve. “You’re wearing this out?” he asked, voice low and sensual.

She felt herself twinge between her thighs. “It’s big and comfy,” she told him. “Is it all right if I wear it?” Elain knew the answer before he even voiced it.

A growl rumbled from the back of his throat. “Fuck yeah, you can wear it. Look at my wife, knocked up and wearing my clothes. Do you know the kind of message that sends to people?”

She huffed a laugh. “That you’re territorial and a caveman.”

Azriel claimed her lips in a heated kiss, stepping into her space until her rounded belly was pressed against his abdomen. It was obvious he wanted to finish what they started last night, the way his tongue slipped into her mouth and how his palms cradled her body indicated it.

Frankly, she did too. Elain didn’t think Az could be more attentive to her needs, but while pregnant, he managed to kick up his wicked talents until she passed out from coming so many times when they got hot and heavy.

His mouth moved dominantly over hers, prying her lips apart so he could stroke his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

It took a splat sound, followed by an “Oopsie,” from their son for them to break apart.

Azriel whirled around while she stepped to peer around his shoulder at their son holding the spatula in his tiny fist, a guilty look spreading across his face in the form of a blush.

Her eyes glanced down at the floor, finding a half-cooked pancake staining the wood.

“Kaden,” Az started, voice alight with humor. “Watcha doing there, bud?”

Those tanned cheeks turned an even brighter shade of pink. “I was trying to flip, Daddy!” he says exasperated.

Her husband let out a chuckle, moving to help their son climb off the stool he was standing on. “Well, it looks like we might need to practice that next time. Go sit down at the table, Kaden.”

Azriel cleaned up the mess in their kitchen while she finished setting out dishes for breakfast.

Elain loved mornings like this. The three of them—soon to be five—sitting around eating their breakfast together. She wanted to make this a weekend ritual, especially when the kids were young. Weekdays were difficult to get all of them around the table and she and Az took turns preparing breakfast for Kaden before he went to school and they to work. Actually, Azriel typically took care of it most mornings now since she was running slower, but this, this sweet family time…Elain wanted nothing more than to have this with her husband and children.

The doorbell ringing pulled her from her reverie, Azriel announced he’d get it, then dropped a kiss on the top of her and Kaden’s heads.

She heard the tale-tell sounds of the Moonbeam twins entering their foyer.

“Good morning, Elain,” Fenrys bellowed, dropping a kiss to her cheek followed by his brother more politely. Both men ruffled Kaden’s hair and took a spot around their breakfast nook.

“Morning, boys. Thanks again for taking Kaden and me to Hewn today.”

Connall flashed a brilliant smile. “It’s always a pleasure, Elain.”

She gestured to the table still full of food. “Please help yourself to breakfast. Kaden helped make the pancakes this morning.”

Fenrys twisted to the little boy. “Kaden, you made the pancakes?”

Her son beamed at the question. “I did, Uncle Fen!”

He grabbed one of the oddly shaped flapjacks and bit into it, groaning. “Well, that’s the best pancake I’ve ever had, isn’t Con?”

Connall took one as well. “I think we’ve got a little chef on our hands,” he said, earning a little blush from Kaden.

She grinned at the conversation, loving how her boy had become more comfortable with their security team over time. One of the babies sent a swift kick to her lower stomach causing her to wince. The conversation stalled as all three men at the table took notice.

Az’s large, scarred hand slid across her belly. “Are they kicking?” he asked with a sweet, hopeful look in his amber eyes.

She nodded, a grin playing on her lips. “They’ve been making their presence known this morning,” she murmured, looking down at her pregnant stomach.

Fenrys rounded the table, looking at where the baby was moving beneath her skin. “May I?” he questioned.

Elain took his hand and placed it right where one of the twins sent two jabs.

The golden twin’s smile took up his entire face. “That’s a strong one you got there.” Both Fenrys and Connall had grown even closer to her since she got pregnant. They often asked to feel the babies kicking if they happened to be active whenever they were around. She was surprised that Azriel showed no displeasure or territorialism when they did. He’d been particularly protective of her, especially around others, and didn’t like when others touched her without asking first.

Rhys found out the hard way a few weeks back, having had his hand snatched off her by the wrist in Azriel’s brutal grip. “Ask first,” he growled at his brother, a lethal look in his eyes.

She had been a bit blind-sighted by the interaction, as was the rest of their family, but not a single one of them touched her again without getting her explicit permission first.

Luckily, both the Moonbeam brothers always asked and she never had an issue with them. 

The commotion around her fluttering belly grew the attention of Kaden who pushed his way around Fenrys’s legs. “Momma, can I touch your tummy too?” His little lip quiver had her reaching for him and tugging him closer.

“Of course you can, sweetheart.” Kaden was the only other person freely allowed to touch her stomach, Azriel often encouraging him to feel them or listen to her stomach so he could connect with his siblings early on. She gripped his small hand and placed it right where one of the babies had been kicking. Up until that point, Kaden had missed every time they kicked; the twins already giving their older brother a hard time.

His brow furrowed in concentration. “I don’t feel anything,” he said, deflating.

Her lips quirked up. “Give it a second.” And as she predicted, a hard kick was sent straight to his palm.

He whipped his hand back, shock plastering his face. “Why are they kicking you, Momma?”

She felt the attention of her husband and security detail on them, listening to his curious mind. “They’re not trying to kick me, baby. They’re just trying to get comfortable with the little room they have in Momma’s tummy.”

His green and gold eyes dragged from her stomach to her face. “Can’t they come out here?” He threw his arms wide. “There’s lots of room!”

The adults chuckled and she reached out to lightly tuck a curl behind his ear. “They’re not ready to come out yet. But they’ll be here before you know it.” Elain tapped his button nose with the pad of her finger.

His face scrunched up adorably. “Why are they in your tummy, Momma?” he asked, head cocked to the side as he studied her moving stomach.

She leaned back in her seat. “Babies need time to grow big and strong. Mommas help them by keeping them safe in their tummies for a while until they’re all ready to come out and join us.”

He seemed to think about that for a minute, then asked, “How’d they get in there?”

Azriel choked on his coffee.

Silence descended upon the kitchen. She glanced at her security team across the table, both of them wearing shit-eating grins, and then her husband who looked conflicted in answering at all. Fucking traitors. “Well, Daddy put them in me so I can grow them.”

There, that was safe, right? Truthful but not explicit.

But of course, their curious son had too many questions and wondered about too many things. “How?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older, son,” Azriel finally swept in with the saving remark.

Seemingly appeased with that answer, Kaden leaned forward and lightly patted her stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered, kissing her roundness like he’d seen his father do so many times.

There was a collective aww from the group before her husband rose from behind her. “Come on, Kaden. Let’s get you ready so you and Momma can go with Uncle Fen and Uncle Con into the city.” He leaned down, whispering in her ear, “Nice save, Mom.”

She shot him a menacing glare as they strolled for the stairs.

Fenrys poured himself a glass of orange juice, snickering behind the cup. “Well, that was fun.”

Elain turned her glare on him. “Oh, yeah. So much fun for me. Thanks for the help, guys.”

“One,” Connall, started, flicking a finger up, “he’s not our kid. And two,” his middle finger joined the first, “I really wanted to hear the sexual education course from an actual doctor.” He took a bite of his pancake, smirking.

She groaned. “It’s far too early for the sex talk.” Elain threw back her orange juice like it was a shot of tequila. “Azriel can have the talk with the boys. I’ll give it to our daughter.”

“Unnecessary because our daughter is never having sex,” Az announced, striding back into the kitchen.

“Is that so?” she questioned, leaning back in her seat.

He nodded affirmatively. “I’m officially joining Cassian on the ‘our daughter is never dating’ pact.”

Elain rolled her eyes so far back into her head, she swore they nearly stuck. “You do realize you can’t physically stop her from having sex, right?”

A thick brow rose. “I’ll scare off anyone who so much as looks in her direction.” He said it so casually, she was starting to get concerned he was serious.

“What if he’s just like you?”

He let out a harsh laugh. “Then he’s definitely dead.”

Elain glanced at the Moonbeam twins for help, but they were dutifully ignoring her pleading looks. Yup, fucking traitors. She pushed herself from her seat. “Azriel, we cannot hold our daughter to a different standard than our son’s. That’s not fair and you know it.”

His eyes flicked back and forth between hers. “Fair enough.”

“Good.”

“None of them are allowed to date,” he announced like it was the most obvious answer.

“Azriel!” she hissed, swatting his shoulder. “You overbearing, protective man. Stop this.”

He tugged her in his arms, a grin fighting its way onto his lips. “I can’t help it, El. They’re my babies.”

She reached up to cup his stubbled cheeks in her palms. “They’re mine too. But they’re going to need to spread their wings eventually. We can’t protect them from everything and we can’t stop them from living their lives.”

“I know, I know.” He sighed heavily. “A man can dream, can’t he? That they’ll stay little and dependent on us forever?”

Elain laughed softly. “You’re a perfect father, my love.” She pressed her lips to his, sighing into his mouth when he deepened it.

It took a very subtle, but very prominent, throat-clearing to pull them apart. They turned to look at the twins, both wearing mischievous grins.

“Sorry, we weren’t sure if you wanted to give us a front-row seat to the live-action, baby-making ritual,” Fenrys tossed out.

“Jesus Christ, Fen,” Elain muttered while her husband shot him a death glare. “Where’s Kaden?” she asked him instead, regaining his attention.

“I left him to brush his teeth and get dressed. He said he could do it on his own.”

Her eyes widened. “Did you pull clothes out for him?” Kaden was in his stage of throwing on whatever he found first, which meant his outfits of choice would sometimes consist of long pants, a tank top, one rain boot, one flip flop, and the occasional beanie. And somehow, everything was always a different color.

A few weeks back, Kaden had decided to dress for school and ended up in a full meltdown when she said he couldn’t wear his pajama pants with one slipper and a light-up sneaker. She ended up being late for work and Azriel had to leave an early morning meeting from his home office to come help handle the situation when she grew lightheaded enough from the stress.

“His entire outfit is lying on his bed and I told him to put it on after he finished his teeth.” Az planted a kiss on her cheek.

“If he comes down in a T-rex costume, you’ll be dealing with it on your own.”

A brow raised. “Does he have a T-rex costume?”

She shrugged, sighing. “I don’t even know.” They really did spoil their children.

Fenrys and Connall snickered at the exchange. “Do you want us to take the SUV?” the latter asked, redirecting the conversation to her husband.

Azriel guided her back to her chair and helped her sit. “Yes, anytime they leave the city they must be in the SUV.”

Elain nearly rolled her eyes. A few weeks before they bought the house, she and Az had agreed to get a new car since their current one wouldn’t be able to handle the size of their growing family. Elain left it up to her husband, not caring about what he got, but he had some specific requests. It had to have high safety reviews, fit their whole family, and be luxurious. Frankly, she only cared about the former two, but he insisted they should always ride in comfort.

What she did not expect was for him to upgrade every window to bullet-proof glass. The damn thing was safer than what a president or the royal family would be escorted in.

“Just a precaution,” he had told her. “More like overly excessive,” she shot back.

She just huffed out a breath, finishing her juice. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked her husband, eyeing his casual attire.

He flicked her nose, making her hiss. “Meeting’s at ten. I’ll change when you guys head out.” Grabbing her dishes, he padded to the sink to wash them, always taking care of her.

Twenty minutes later, they were loading into the car, Az getting Kaden into his booster seat while she slid into the back. He kissed his son’s cheek, eyes finding hers. “Be safe. Call me if you have any problems.”

Elain offered him a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” He leaned farther in, stealing a quick kiss from her lips, then shut the door.

She watched him speak with the Moonbeam brothers outside of the vehicle, likely giving them the protection order for her and their son. After a couple of minutes and a few nods, they took their respective seats in the front.

Fenrys flashed a grin from the driver’s side. “Ready, fam?”

About an hour later, they pulled into a parking spot outside the large baby store Elain had been dying to get into. She tried to keep most of her purchases to local businesses in Velaris, but there were just some things she couldn’t get there and had to resort to one of the chain stores.

The minute the car was in park, the men jumped out, opening their doors. Connall unclipped Kaden from his booster seat and helped him out, taking his hand until they met on the other side of the car and she could take over.

Their focus was the double-seated stroller, but she did want to look at the pack-n-play for when the babies started to really move around. They still had their co-ed baby shower the following month at Feyre and Rhys’s for any last-minute items.

They slowly made their way into the massive store, Connall disappearing to grab a cart. As they walked, they passed the toy section, and Elain saw how Kaden’s eyes lit up like it was Solstice morning.

“Momma, can I go look at the toys, please?”

She glanced at the golden twin, then back at her son. “Sure, sweetheart. Why don’t you and Uncle Fen go pick out something small for your brother and sister?”

The little boy squealed, taking Fenrys’s large hand in his and pulling him away.

“We’ll be in the stroller area when you’re finished.”

She and Connall continued their perusal through the isles until she found what she was looking for—of course, the prams were at the back of the store. Elain already knew which one she wanted; the stroller was top-of-the-line, grew with the babies, and had the best reviews on the market.

But when they stopped in front of the shelves, she realized their mistake. “I think we’re going to need a flatbed. These won’t fit in the cart.”

Connall stepped up to her side. “Yup, I’m realizing that right now. Damn. Sorry, Elain. Let me go grab the other cart. You okay here?”

Elain huffed a laugh. “Well, I can tell you I’m not walking back to the front of the store and back, so I think I’ll survive the few minutes of your absence,” she teased, flashing him a cheeky grin.

He rolled his eyes at her, a smile toying on his lips. “You’re so sassy pregnant.”

“You’ll do well to remember that.”

Connall chuckled, heading back to the front of the store. He left the cart at her request, just in case she needed it.

She grabbed one of the large boxes from the lower shelves and yanked. The box barely budged. “Oh, come on,” she muttered, trying again.

“Can I help you with that?” a male voice asked, coming up behind her.

Elain whirled, taking an involuntary step back at his proximity,

His lips curled up in the corner. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Her eyes ran over the length of him. He was an attractive man. Older than her, likely close to forty if she had to guess. He was tall, well over six foot with golden brown skin and dark hair. He looked familiar in a way that tickled the back of her mind but couldn’t quite place.

He nodded at the stroller box. “Did you want me to grab that for you?” he asked again.

“Oh. Yes, that’d be great.”

The man stepped around her, reaching for the handle of the box and slid it out for her to inspect, the suit jacket he wore stretching over the defined muscles of his shoulders and back. “Here you go.”

She ran a hand over the box, double-checking the name and product code. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” he said, leaning a hip against the shelves and crossing his arms over his broad chest. “How far along are you?”

Elain tucked her hair behind her ear, looking back up at him. Again, the prickling sensation rubbed at her mind, almost like in warning. “Right around seven months,” she said. It wasn’t too personal to admit to a stranger. Carrying twins, Elain looked ready to pop anyway. “Is your wife pregnant? Girlfriend?” she asked, redirecting the attention from herself onto him.

His lips turned up again. “Sister-in-law.” He let his eyes rove over her form, sending a chilling sensation running down her spine. “I’ll admit it’s been a while since I bought anything from a baby store…any suggestions?”

Her brow furrowed. It seemed odd he’d come into the store without having any inkling of what to get. “What is she having?”

Again, a smile touched his lips, but Elain thought it looked a little more sinister than genuine.

“Twins,” he announced carefully.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her heart began racing in her chest as she started to connect the dots of who this man was. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any suggestions for you.”

He huffed a rough laugh. “No?” His thumb rubbed his lower lip in contemplation. “I would’ve figured you could’ve given me a good idea of what to give her and her husband.”

Elain took a very subtle step away, putting the stroller box between them, but of course, those fucking hazel eyes zeroed in on the movement, his mouth pulling up. “Nope,” she said, popping the p sound. “Can’t help you.”

The man stuffed his hands into his pocket, a casual look of grace and sophistication, but he also radiated a dark and dangerous vibe. A lethal combination…just like her husband. “What was your name again?” he asked casually, head cocking to the side in a predatory-type of way.

“I didn’t give it,” she snapped back. Her red alert sensors were going off in her mind, and here she was, all alone with her son somewhere else in the fucking store. But Elain didn’t dare take her eyes off the man who was looking at her too closely.

He chuckled, the sound sending nerves flooding her stomach. “Smart girl. You’ll have to tell Azriel that Frankie says hello. It’s been a very long time since we last saw each other.”

And there it was. The truth of who had somehow managed to track her down in a baby store in Hewn City. What her gut had been screaming at her since he said he was buying something for his pregnant sister-in-law. She knew she recognized him, he bore some similar markers of her husband and Nicklaus too. The same jawline, the same nose. But where Azriel’s hazel eyes had flecks of emerald, Francisco’s were much lighter, giving him an almost feline look.

Elain took another step back, one he countered with a casual step in her direction. “You shouldn’t be here,” she stated, trying to keep her voice calm and not betray her terror. Because this man, this man was utterly lethal. He wouldn’t hesitate to grab her or her son.

“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked cooly. Too cooly which only made her more anxious. Yup, there went her blood pressure. “After Nicklaus met you, I was quite curious myself about the woman who captured my brother’s black heart.”

“You know nothing about his heart,” she snarled. Her voice turned venomous, something he seemed pleased about.

He chuckled again. “I know he keeps very little in it. You.” Frankie flicked off an invisible piece of lint from the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Your adorable little boy, Kaden.”

Elain froze, true terror turning the blood in her veins to ice. “Keep his name out of your mouth.” She had to find Fenrys and her son. She had to get out of this goddamn store. Elain just prayed Fenrys was vigilant in Kaden’s protection, but she knew he would be.

“I’m sure you already know, but in case you don’t, Lorenzo won’t be a problem for you anymore.”

She blinked, the words rattling around in her skull. Lorenzo showed up dead just before Kaden’s adoption approval. “What did you do?” He’d been a part of the Illyrian Mob. It made no sense to kill one of their own.

He shrugged. “I took care of a problem.” His eyes seemed to look through her and directly down into her soul, the filth of his sins leaked from him like blood upon the tile floor, staining her from the inside out. She didn’t like that one bit. “Consider it my present to you and my brother on the adoption of that sweet boy.”

“We didn’t ask for that.”

Again, he raised his shoulders in indifference. “Azriel is my brother—”

“You are not his brother,” she hissed.

That seemed to irritate him, a crack in his calm demeanor for the deadly male to peek out from beneath the mask. “We are of flesh and blood.”

It may have been the most reckless thing she ever did, but Elain squared her shoulders, looked him dead in the eye, and said, “Blood does not make you brothers. Where was this brotherly bond when you held him down as a child while Alec mutilated his hands? While you allowed him to be tortured and burned.” She let out a humorless laugh. “Azriel has two males he calls brothers, but neither of them is by blood.” Where the fuck was Connall?

He crossed his arms. “And here I thought we were making headway, Elain. Perhaps when my gift for the twins arrives, you’ll reconsider.”

“We don’t want anything from you,” she snarled, face going warm in fury.

“They’re going to want to know their Uncle Frankie,” he murmured, quickly taking too many steps forward and reaching out as if to touch her rounded stomach. But a tanned hand shot out and gripped his wrist.

“Do not touch her,” Connall growled, fingers tightening.

A dangerous glint flashed in Frankie’s eyes. “Remove your hand from my presence before I put a bullet in your head.”

Elain thought she was going to pass out. Her chest ached from the racing of her heart. Blood rushed in her ears drowning out everything around her. And then she heard him.

“Momma?”

She chanced a glance as Kaden and Fenrys came around the corner of the aisle, toy in hand. Elain shook her head at Fen, a silent order to keep her son back. She didn’t know what she would do if Frankie tried to grab her boy.

Reading her request, and the fear in her eyes, Fenrys snatched Kaden into his arms when her son tried to get to her, toy clattering to the floor.

“Momma!” he cried, sensing the seriousness of the situation but not understanding what was going on.

Knowing her son was as safe as he could be, Elain returned her attention to Frankie, who was eying the little boy trying to push his way out of his protector’s fierce grip.

Her hackles rose and she took a deliberate step in front of him, forcing his gaze to return to hers. “Connall, let him go.” It was an order, one the dark-haired twin obeyed immediately. She kept her eyes on Frankie; let the frost she felt in her blood come out in her words. “We are not interested in whatever it is you want. If you come for my family, I will kill you myself without even blinking.” His eyes widened imperceptibly, but she didn’t let him get a word in edgewise. “Let’s go.”

Connall moved to cover her back, ready to take a fucking bullet for her and her babies.

Kaden was still crying in Fenrys’s arms and though she knew he was too heavy for her to carry, she took him anyway, propping her as best as she could on her hip while the latter took his place close to her side and protecting her son’s back. Kaden sobbed into her neck, his arms tightening around her neck. “You’re okay, sweetie,” she murmured kissing the side of his head and running a hand up and down his back.

“Are you two packing?”

“Always,” Connall answered gruffly, clearly pissed off at the situation.

She nodded. “Good. That was the head of the Illyrian Mob and I can guarantee there are more in here. Get Azriel on the phone, now.”

Fenrys was already pulling the device from his pocket while Connall stepped up close enough to tell her, “I’m so fucking sorry, Elain. I should’ve had Fenrys come back to you. I should’ve—”

“Connall,” she said, interrupting his apologies. “This wasn’t a coincidence. He sought me out and he would’ve shown up whether you two were there or not,” she told him earnestly. They didn’t have time to dwell on the what haves. “Let’s just get out of here.”

He swore under his breath, still pissed with himself.

“Yes sir, they are both with us. We’re heading back out to the car,” Fenrys said into his phone. He looked at her. “She’s holding Kaden right now. I’ll hand her the phone once we’re securely in the car.”

Something prickled at her skin as they reached the parking lot, eyes darting around the asphalt. That’s when she saw them. One man by the entrance, another near one of the cart returns; two were next to identical-looking SUVs. Everywhere she looked, she saw a suit-clad man just standing there. Waiting… And every single pair of eyes were on them. On her and the distressed child she was carrying.  

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. “We are being watched,” she announced to her security team.

Both of the men reached for their weapons as Fenrys relayed the information to her husband.

Elain threaded her fingers through Kaden’s thick locks, holding his head tucked into her neck so he couldn’t see what was happening.

Not a single man moved toward them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try anything. The Moonbeam twins were deadly accurate, but it didn’t matter though. They were outnumbered. She had already counted ten of Frankie’s associates, and those were the only ones she could see.

Something flashed in the corner of her eye. She twisted her head to catch a bike flying toward them, coming to a screeching halt right in front of them.

Fenrys and Connall had their guns drawn as the person took off their helmet, platinum white hair swishing as she shook it out. Golden eyes turned on her. “Mrs. Archeron-Knight?” she asked.

Elain blinked, but Fenrys snarled out, “Who the fuck are you?”

She flashed a deadly smile. “My name is Manon Blackbeak. Your husband,” she nodded at Elain, “has asked me and my team to escort your SUV back to Velaris.”

A roaring sound echoed in the distance and then there were twelve other bikes, paired up as they flew across the parking lot to stop behind Manon.

“I—” she stuttered, not knowing what to say. “Who are you?”

“We’re called the Thirteen. He will explain what we do once we get you home.”

Elain was about to demand more of an explanation, but then she saw the men retreating. Every single one of them. Her eyes slid back to the woman in front of her, then down the team she had with her, all women if the body shapes were anything to go by. But then a phone was being placed against her ear and her husband’s voice was speaking.

“Elain.” He sounded terrified. “Love, Manon and her team are on my payroll. You can trust them to get you and Kaden home safely. Please get into the car.”

Just hearing his voice sent relief washing over her. Because if he trusted this woman and her team to keep them safe, then she knew she could too. “Let’s go,” she commanded, moving forward. Only once they were all inside the vehicle and back on the highway did she speak to her husband, reassuring him they were okay and giving him a lowdown on what happened.

He was in the garage when they pulled in, Manon and her team circling the driveway once and then departing with a salute to Azriel and her.

She was crushed in his arms, his mouth kissing her fiercely. “Are you guys all right?” he breathed, holding her at arm’s length and inspecting every inch of her.

Connall pulled Kaden from his booster seat, the little boy running around the car and slamming into his father’s legs.

Azriel wasted no time in lifting him onto his hip, kissing his temple before pulling her back into his embrace.

“We’re okay. Startled and anxious, but otherwise fine,” she reassured him.

He pulled them into the house, the twins slipping in behind them on silent feet. Az set them in the living room, tugging her down beside him while Kaden clung to his strong shoulders.

“How’d you get a team there so fast?” she asked, still trying to figure it out. Fenrys approached from the kitchen, handing her a cup of hot, peppermint tea. She smiled up at him in thanks.

“They were in Hewn for another job. I sent Manon an SOS text that took priority over what they were doing.

She raised a brow. “What other job?”

Azriel took her hand and placed a kiss across her knuckles. “Handling the remaining members of Hybern’s gang. I’ve had them hunting down the last of them since that night in the warehouse. There were rumors they wanted to seek revenge for the killing of their leader.”

The words were bloody and brutal, but she didn’t flinch. Not when those men held her captive in a warehouse, stabbed her thigh leaving a permanent scar on her pale flesh. No, she understood why her husband continued his pursuit of those animals.

She squeezed his hand in the reassurance that she understood why he was doing what he was, that she was okay with it, and that she agreed with his methods. His grip tightened in response.

They spent the following hour going over the next steps in how to handle the situation. Thoroughly exhausted from the ordeal, Kaden had fallen asleep on her husband’s shoulder and was now lying across one of the plush chairs with a blanket. The twins departed not long after Kaden fell asleep, leaving them to figure things out.

“I know you want to keep us safe, Az, believe me, I get it, but we need to figure out a compromise with them. I don’t want our children growing up always looking over their shoulders, just waiting to be attacked or kidnapped.”

He was hunched over, elbow braced on his knees. “There is no compromise with them. Frankie and Nicklaus are utterly ruthless.”

She gripped his bicep. “Everyone has a compromise. We just need to know—” Elain froze, the words falling from her lips.

Az swiveled his head to look at her, sitting up straight at whatever was showing on her face. “What is it, Elain?”

Brown eyes blinked, going back to the conversation she had with the eldest brother. Something he said was starting to tingle that sixth sense of hers. “He has a kid,” she breathed.

Brows furrowed. “Frankie?” Azriel asked, clearly confused. “No, he doesn’t. I would know if he had a kid. There’s not even a whisper of him having an heir.”

She shook her head. “Even if the child was over ten years old? You weren’t involved in their doing when we graduated high school, Az. And even the first few years after. What if he had a kid before then?”

He was looking at her now, eyes flicking between hers as he contemplated her words. “What did he say to make you think he has a kid?”

“He was trying to hint at what to get us,” her husband growled at that and she squeezed his arm again to stop him from interrupting. “But he said it had been a while since he bought anything from a baby store. I can’t see him buying baby things for somebody else, but I can see him doing it for his flesh and blood.”

Az was out of his seat and pacing the length of the living room. “That has to be it. He’s got a kid.” He stopped and turned to look at her. “If they were born when my father was alive, Frankie would’ve done anything to prevent him from finding out. He’d never let the bastard get close enough to hurt something so precious to him.” A colorful curse passed from between his parted lips. “I need to call Ruhn. If there’s a child, he has to be sending money to them and their mother. There’s no way he’d just abandon them, not if he took caution to hide them.”

“Azriel,” she said, rising from her spot on the couch. “If he does have a kid, what are you going to do with the knowledge?”

He met her gaze, and read the underlying question she didn’t need to say out loud. “I’m going to offer him a deal.”

~~~~~

Azriel rode up the elevator to the top floor of the building where the Illyrian Mob gathered to conduct their business. It wasn’t as large or fancy as his empire, but they also didn’t make the money that he did. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug about that.

In the metal box with him were four armed guards. He was stripped of his weapons upon entry and patted down indecently enough that he told the man to at least buy him dinner first. The comment, it seemed, wasn’t appreciated.

Nobody else was with him. He hated thinking about how hard Elain cried last night when he told her that he was entering the metaphorical lion’s den defenseless. Azriel knew that a lot of Elain’s emotions were hormone-based, which was why she couldn’t see his reasoning behind the need to go alone.

“Take the twins. Take Ruhn for fuck’s sake, Az! Just please don’t go in there alone.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

He stooped down to kneel in front of her. “Love, I have to go alone. If anyone else comes with me, they’ll deem it a threat. You know it has to be this way.” He reached up to wipe the tears away with his thumbs.

“I need you, Azriel,” she whispered, terrified. “Kaden needs you. Our babies need you. Please don’t go alone.”

There was nothing he could do but hold her as he whispered, “I’m sorry, Elain.”

It was the only time he’d ever disappoint his wife. Because here he was, weaponless and alone entering the office of the two men he hated most in the world. One of the guards knocked on the large doors, waiting for the snarled, “Enter.”

Like he was the motherfucking king, the guards gave him a double-door entrance, catching both of his brothers off guard.

Surprise, motherfuckers, he wanted to say, instead, settling on a lazy grin.

Nick reacted first, drawing his gun.

But Azriel threw up both of his hands in surrender. “Relax, Nicklaus. I am unarmed. Your guards downstairs made sure of it.” He dropped his arms when his brother lowered his gun slightly. “Do they always manhandle your visitors or am I just special because they know I got the impressive size of the family?” He was asking for trouble, but after getting his cock cupped by the fucker and still hearing his wife’s desperate pleas in his head, he was in a mood.

They ignored the quip. Damn.

Frankie leaned back in his seat. “Well, this is a surprise.”

Az cocked a brow. “Is it, brother? After you went after my wife and child?” He couldn’t stop the iciness of his tone, still raging over what happened a few weeks before. It had taken some time to track down what he needed to have this conversation and since then, he’d been on fucking edge.

“Did I actually go after them?”

He didn’t dare let his mask waiver. “Seeking her out at a baby store, sending an assault-sized team there, seems like an attempt to go after my pregnant wife and son.” He moved to take a seat across the desk from them, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat. “But I am willing to let that go.”

That had him frowning, the other looking equally as puzzled. “All right, I’ll bite,” Frankie said at last. “Why would you let that go?”

Azriel slipped his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket, unlocking it and bringing up the image of Frankie’s best-kept secret. “Because of her.”

Silence wrapped around them like a shadow of discomfort as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

Frankie shot out of his chair, gun raised and poised to fire. “What the fuck is this, Azriel? Have you come to threaten me on my own turf? Because I swear to God I will fucking end you here and leave your wife to raise those spawn by herself.”

He let the threat roll right off his back, already expecting that reaction, which confirmed what he knew to be true. “Relax, Frankie. Nobody’s threatening anybody.” Az swiveled his phone to look at the girl on the screen and then began reciting the information he had gained about the girl. “Anya Velasco, sixteen; daughter of Delilah Velasco and,” he paused, glancing up at his fuming brother, “Francisco Matteo. Nice try in the change of the last name. Even on the birth certificate too. As if you could wipe your tainted image from her record” His eyes flitted back to the screen. “She’s pretty. Looks just like her mother, thank fuck, but I can see you there too. Her cheek structure and coloring. That’s all Illyrian.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you here,” Frankie snarled, finger never wavering from the trigger.

Az sighed, like this was the most inconvenient part of his day, tapping on the video call for a number labeled as “Rico’s Pizza.” It was Ruhn’s number, answering the call so that it showed Anya walking between classes at school. “You did a pretty thorough job in trying to hide her, Frankie, I’ll give you that. It took a lot of digging into your financials, but something stuck out to me. A random off-shore account that has been linked to your empire making very large donations and monthly payments to a private school housed deep in the northern mountains.” He grinned; letting a little bit of that darkness out with it. “Well, I for one, thought that seemed suspicious.

“Here’s what I think happened. You got the girl pregnant in high school. Wanting to protect her from father’s wrath, you hid her, I’m assuming with help…” he eyed Nick briefly, but he would’ve been fifteen at the time. “Alec if I had to take a guess. He was father’s right hand and you his. You could trust him. So, you paid off the girl and sent her up north to some remote area, paying her handsomely for her troubles and keeping her hidden for the last sixteen years. How am I doing so far?”

Frankie’s tanned face was flushed red in fury.

Checkmate brother.

“Choose your words wisely, brother,” Nick snapped, gun held tight in his grip. “They may be your last.”

He raised a brow. “Would be a shame if that happened,” Az muttered, clicking the end button on his video call. “Because if I don’t give the all clear to my associate in the next ten minutes, he’s to take both Anya and Delilah and run. And believe me, his resourcefulness means you will never see them again.”

“I thought you said you weren’t threatening,” Frankie demanded.

“I’m not. I said take, not kill.”

The brothers shared a look. “Why are you here?” Nicklaus finally asked.

His mouth curled up in the corner. “I’m here to make a deal. But first, you two need to lower the fucking guns before I get pissed off.”

It took them a few heartbeats, but finally, Frankie lowered his gun, setting it on the table so it still pointed at him. Nicklaus followed not a second after. “What’s your deal?” the former questioned.

Azriel reclined in his seat, fingers steepling together. “No harm will ever come to Anya and Delilah. Not by me or anyone on my crew. And they would have the full protection of the Velaris Mob. Between the two of us, they’d be untouchable.”

Frankie considered this. “And in exchange?”

“You provide the same promise and protection for my wife and children.” Az didn’t expect an agreement immediately, so he tossed out there, “If I found them, that means somebody else could as well. I know you like to keep your cards close to your chest, Frankie, but I’m sitting here with a royal flush and you know it.”

He ran his tongue over his teeth. “If somebody threatened them—”

“Then you would have my full support to wage war against whoever did so. Just as I would have yours if the roles were reversed.” And he meant it. Azriel had no desire to see harm come to that child, and he’d never allow Ruhn to hurt her or her mother just to get Frankie to agree to this. They would live in hiding, but they would be well cared for. And anyone who tried otherwise would face his wrath.

His brother looked at Nicklaus and sighed. “All right, Azriel. You have yourself a deal.” He reached across the desk, taking his hand in a tight shake.

As he rode down in the elevator, collecting his weapons and making his way to his car, Az sent Ruhn the all-clear signal. He called Elain on the way home, letting her know he was safe. She sobbed into the receiver, her overwhelming relief that he was returning to her. He soothed her as best as he could, but during that call, Azriel saw an image of his life in the future. He and Elain stood watching their little ones running around the backyard of their home, happy and laughing and full of so much life and love that his chest physically began to ache.

Because for the first time in a very long time, the dream Azriel pictured for himself was finally coming true.

~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

While I have moved most of my fics to AO3 only, I am still going to utilize a tag list here on Tumblr. This as a permanent solution and may change in the future. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3. If you would like to be added to my tag list, please leave a comment on this post.

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Taglist: 

@nikethestatue

@reverie-tales

@123moiaussi

@duskwhisperer

@zdenkah

@nyxreads

@shedoessoshedoes

@athena-85

@jasmineandshadows

@nightcourtseer

@nivem565

@debramclaren

@illyrianvalkyriecarynthian

@secretpuppyflower

@justreallybored

@ultadverb

@the-regal-warrior

@roseandshadows

@tcursebreaker

@kingravinger

@mis-lil-red

@eloeloeheheh

@fawnandshadows

@swankii-art-teacher

@miss-bee-cat

@bookhhrelaz

@impossiblescissorspeachpaper

@elrielbaby

@lesolehabitantdelalune

@thoughtsaboutshows

@britishwings

@aelin21galathynius

@saz-griffin

@azrielslight

@bookstaninthesoul

@curiositywoman

@karsyn-b2

@elainsweetcobalt

@emilyondemand

Some tags seem to not want to link, which could be related to your visibility settings. Sorry about that!

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: A Long Time Coming {1}

Lewis Hamilton x Friend Group Reader

Warning: Cursing, Teasing, Slow Burn, Plot

Words: 5.5k

Summary:  After a long, grueling and stressful 2023 season where Lewis dominated and showed the world once again why he was the best at what he does. He walks away with his 8th championship title and plans with his closest and bestest for some much-needed R&R.

Note: If you couldn’t tell by the summary, we are manifesting with this fic, MANIFESTING HARD for Lewis for 2023. Also, thank you Ru for filling in some of the friend info for me. XOXO

 Thank you for reading, I appreciate it!

 If you enjoyed this, please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!!

 ***NOT Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

 ~~~~~~~

"Just fuck already! Everyone knows you both want to. Shit it’s been years of this pining from a distance, and will they won’t they suspense. Years of both of you playing too many fucking games!"

 Your eyes widened at her unexpected outburst; an outburst geared to you.

 "Hey, hey, easy with those accusations, matter of fact baseless accusations."

 You continued to apply her your makeup. Everyone was set to meet at the airfield at a certain time and though you were usually late for most things that didn’t include work, you really wanted to get there on time.

 "Baseless? Y/N! The looks you both share, the undercover flirting that everyone has peeped at some time or another over the years since you reconnected, the connection, the--."

 "Aht, Aht, Aht, stop all that mess. Whatever you're smoking please bring some along cause we all deserve to be this delusional at some point on this trip."

 Gisella hip bumper you so hard that you went flying onto the bed. When you landed you busted out into a fit of giggles. "What have I told you about using that weapon against friendlies?"

 "Friendlies my ass! I’m just tryna help your kitty kat finally purr. No one should have to be celibate for 4 years."

 "Ain’t nobody forcing me. It's a choice," you countered.

 "A choice because you’ve been dealing with fools, assholes and below subpar men and you don’t have to when you have Lewis."

 "I don’t have Lewis, everyone has Lewis," you teased taking a stab at his philandering reputation.

 Gisella couldn’t help but giggle. Lew's reputation was legendary. You’d heard so many rumors about every aspect of him over the years it was insane. You tried to steer clear of the majority of it but there were bombs that were dropped among your friend group and those bombs had made you know more about his alleged stroke game and alleged baseball bat pleasure stick than you should.

 Those bits lived rent free in your head, but you'd never admit it out loud or to yourself for that matter. Before your head could drift off to those rent-free thoughts, you shook your head hoping to clear it. Just then Nikki walked in dressed as if this trip was a fashion show. No doubt she was wearing everything from her new line, Baciami.

 "Another Lewis denial?"

 "You know it!”

 You rolled your eyes. When these two decided to gang up on you, you didn't stand a chance. Rolling off the bed, you scurried into the ensuite to grab the rest of your beauty items to pack. Though you knew where each item was, you took your sweet time, not wanting to hurry back into the bedroom for your friends to continue the current conversation. The vibration of your phone tucked into your front tie top buzzed against your breast. You knew it wasn’t a good thing to keep your phone against your breast, but it was usually always the most convenient place for you.

 MSG Lewis: Wheels up at 8 no if, ands, or buts, I’m not even playing, kitten.

 You rolled your eyes then tapped out a reply. Before you sent yours another text from him came in.

 MSG Lewis: I’m not afraid to leave your ass behind.

 “Ha,” you said to yourself.

 Opting for a voice reply, you went off.

 “Listen you may be fucking eight-time championship holder and feeling yourself hard over this newly long awaited and much deserved title but don’t get it twisted. I am the life of this party, have always been the life of this party, and will always be the life of this party. Just sit there looking pretty and expect me when you see me.”

 You made sure all your sass and attitude dripped from every single word, then hit send with a smile on your face as you waited for his no doubt equally sass filled response. Sure, enough about half a minute later you got his reply, a voice one.

 “Put some respect on my name and run me my respect. I am an eight-time title holder, and I don’t take anyone’s shit no matter how beautiful they are. Get your fine ass here on time or else, kitten.”

 You heard the words he emphasized and the way his voice oozed of authority and control and your belly clenched. Your head went back to the rumors of his Dom kink, and you slumped against the bathroom sink with a sigh. It was just another bit of evidence you had to lock away in the untouchable, unspeakable box of things pretraining to Lewis. The man himself was in this box and definitely classified under untouchable. You listened to the message again and clung to him calling you beautiful and pointing out your fine ass. You sighed again knowing that he would see you taking this long to reply as his victory. The man was competitive in everything.

 “Or else what? You know damn well that I’ve got you wrapped around my pinky finger. You ain’t goin nowhere without me and that’s that on that!”

 You giggled as you send the voice reply. When you turned, there stood Gisella and Nikki both with snarky “I told you so, you’re caught” looks on their faces.

 “Oh the foreplay is very telling,” Nikki said.

 You rolled your eyes, grabbing your things and walking back into the bedroom.

 “Ugh, whatever. He says he’ll leave us if we’re not on time. So let’s try not to get left ladies.”

 You disappeared across the way into your closet determined to finish up everything you still had to do. Thirty minutes later, you were all in the SUV that had been sent for you with your bags loaded in the back finally on your way to the airfield. On the drive you replied to the last emails from your agent and editor ensuring they knew you weren’t going to be too attached to your emails. Their reminders to have the rest of the chapters for your book completed by the time your returned from this trip made you roll your eyes to the back of your head.

 They’d been hounding you for these chapters for three months now. Three months of daily “friendly” email remainders, three months of weekly drop ins to check on” your wellbeing, and monthly sit-down meetings that stretched for hours for mapping and plans all centered around this second book that apparently everyone was anticipating. Maybe the anticipation was the reason why you were so reluctant to write it. maybe your stroke of luck with the pen had fizzled, maybe you just weren’t into the idea anymore.

 Those were the reasons you gave them when they asked what was taking so long. Those were the PC reasons. You couldn’t very well tell them that your well of inspiration for sex, smut and sultry human connections had dried and caved into the center of the Earth. You couldn’t tell them that you were dry in more ways than one. So instead of exposing yourself in that unfavorable way, you tapped out a very professional response.

 Consider it done.

 Exiting your emails, you sighed. Hopefully this trip ended up being for more than celebrating Lewis’ 8th title. Perhaps by the end of this vacation you’d come back with a hundred pages of unputdownable content, even if you had to fake it till you made it.

 “Why is there such a huge wave of stress coming off of you now?”

 “Just my manager and editor on my back again. They worse than Sallie Mae!”

 Your friends laughed.

 “That’s why you shouldn’t have made that first book so damn good. Now everybody waiting, tapping their feet expecting a slab of gold to drop into their hands,” Gisella said.

 “So she should be mediocre?”

 “I say just write something. You’ve been dragging your feet for three months. Just give them something and be done with it.”

 “I mean that is an option, Nikki added.

 “I don’t want to just give something half assed. I wanna feel it and I just haven’t been feeling it no matter how hard I try,” you admitted.

 The silence stretched for a few moments before Nikki piped up. “Maybe a change of scenery is what you need. This trip will do you some good. We promise to give you time to write.”

 You squeezed her hand as a thank you before you bounced your shoulder into Gisella for the same purpose. They may mess with you mercilessly, but they also had your back to the end.

Miraculously you made it to the airfield with five minutes to spar. The driver unloaded your bags once you got the private jet while the three of you approached the others waiting there. Once Daniel shouted your name, they all turned. You waved at Daniel, his girlfriend Cassie, and Mabdulle, his girlfriend Robin, Miles, and Andrew. They four happily waved back at you but the closer you got you realized there was another person there.

 Squinting your eyes, you peered closer behind your dark sunglasses. There stood a slim, brunette with high lights at the ends of her hair giving her the ombre look. She wore tiny shorts and a crop top and knee high sparkly heeled boots. You watched her put her arm around Lewis’ shoulder then scoffed because you immediately knew why she was there. His plaything for the trip.

 “Who is that boney girl?”

 You snorted at Gisella. She always acted like this was the first time she’d ever seen Lewis’ antics on display.

 “She is how I know Iont got Lewis, everyone’s got Lewis. “

 Nikki snorted and threw her head back laughing. “This trip is sure going to be interesting.”

 “Whatever, she won’t last three days before he’s sent her packing,” Gisella voiced.

 “Three days huh?”

 Nikki looked as if she were contemplating deeply over those words before she added to the wager. “I give it two.”

 You looked between them and shook your head. You were not going to partake in this bet because they both had good odds.

 “I see your ass likes playing with fire,” Lewis said holding up his designer gold and diamond watch that you knew had to have cost him half a mil.

 “You know I like it when it hurts.”

 “Yoooo!”

 Daniel spun around in his exaggerated fashion heightening the antics. You loved him dearly. You considered him the best of Lewis’ friends. He always seemed to be genuinely looking out for him and his best interests.

 “Bruv, that’s very telling,” Miles added.

 You shrugged, “I’m a grown ass woman, not tryna keep no secrets. “Hi, I’m Justice!”

 You looked to the beauty because Lewis. She had her hand held out a wide smile on her face and her sunglasses atop her head. no one else spoke and you felt all the eyes on you watching to see what you’d do. You didn’t know what the interest was for. You glanced at Daniel and Cassie who both lifted their brow like the synchronized couple they were while Miles has a Cheshire cat smile on his face looking like that creature in the movie Grimcutty. He clearly was expecting some showdown.

 “Hey, I’m Y/N, this is Nikki and Gisella.”

 You shook her hand in a pleasant way, your mother didn’t raise no ill-mannered child. Soon after, Nikki and Gisella both shook her hand, but it was done with complete lackluster. They didn’t like her for no other reason than she was coming along.

 “Cute glasses,” Justice said pointing to the ones you were wearing.

 “LewLewBoo has the same ones.”

 LewLewBoo you thought while stifling your amusement. Lewis hated cutesy cutesy nicknames. He wasn’t against a few of them but this one you knew he hated. Lewis nudged Justice as if to say cut it out and she gave him an apologetic look, shrinking back slightly.

 “Well, LewLewBoo is always trying to cop my style and be like me what more can we expect from the 8-time champion.”

 His smile widened and you couldn’t help but smile back. The two of you squared up neither budging until you both went in for a hug. He lifted you then spun you.

 “I am so proud of you again. So proud and so so happy!”

 His arms held you off the ground like you didn’t weigh a thing. The tight squeeze gave you ever impression of how strong those arms were.

 “Thank you for always being there,” Lewis said so only you could hear.

 “Of course. What’re friends for?”

 Your eyes locked and you saw how much your actions throughout the season meant to him. You’d been to every weekend, every event. You’d been more than just a friend to him over the last nine months. You’d been a therapist when things went wrong and he was expected to smile through it, a sounding board on different ideas he’d come up with both for racing and his other ventures, alternate strategist when you saw things a little differently than the rest and your vision connected with his, comic when he needed a good laugh about all the bullshit, entertainer when he needed to relieve some stress with a song or some other shit, storyteller when the nights were too much and he needed a soft voice with calming words to soothe the madness inside his head and everything in between. You didn’t mind. That was what friends were for.

 “Are we lifting off?”

  Mabdulle’s uncertain question filtered between the two of you breaking the moment. When Lewis returned you to your feet, you stepped back securing your sunglasses right back on your nose. The group of you made your way to the jet then piled in. Everyone scattered for their version of the perfect seat. The guys congregated around Lewis while the ladies broke off for their own space.

 “Did you hear where we’re going?”

 “Where?”

 “Don’t tell her shit,” Lewis shouted spinning back to look at the group.

 “Come on there is no point in keeping it a secret anymore. I’m here,” you whined.

 “Quit your whining girl. You said you’d go anywhere with me and I’m ‘bout to test that shit.”

 “Oh god, are we going to Switzerland so you can fuck with me Lewis?”

 “I can fuck with you anywhere, girl!”

 Your belly flipped from those words, and it was the most unexpected thing that you had no words for a smartass rebuttal. Lewis saw it too and cocked his head to the side as you dropped down into your seat with a perplexed look on your face.

 Gisella leaned to your ear and whispered, “I’m jumping on Nikki’s bet, 2 days max cause that was clear flirting.”

 You rolled your eyes and did what you did best, faked it till you made it.

 “Whatever.”

 The flight was as rowdy as it always was when all of you got together. The banter was what you all were known for. At every opportunity you took the bait to clown Miles because he was always coming for you. It wasn’t that you hated him, you just liked to push his buttons, liked to rile him up and tease him mercilessly. Sometimes there was this vibe to him that there was something darker to him that he kept hidden at all costs. Sometimes you saw it though. You’d told Lewis about it, but he wasn’t surprised to hear it. He was a great people reader, and he was always aware of the vibes people gave off.

 You were unable to blot Justice out though. She seemed like a nice enough girl to you. An upcoming model, of course, that met Lewis at some fashion event he was at, again of course. She definitely seemed infatuated with him, definitely DTF. You didn’t knock her for that because there was absolutely nothing wrong with being DTF. However, every time she sashayed toward Lewis and sat in his lap to giggle and whisper with him you noted the way your belly rolled like you’d eaten something bad, and it was wrestling you inside. It was interesting and it was something you shoved into the travel bag of untouchable things that you absolutely should stay away from and avoid.

 ~~~~~

 “Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our decent into our destination. Local time is 4pm. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing. Thank you for flying today Sir Hamilton.”

 You sat up and tried to get a look out the window to get something about where you were, but it was useless, you couldn’t see at all.

 MSG Lewis: Don’t worry. Sit back. You’ll love it here. You won’t want to leave in a week.

 You glanced across the jet to find him sitting by himself with one leg resting on the other at the ankle. He was leaned back in the seat looking as if he were expecting someone to approach him and give him a lap dance.

 MSG: You told me to take three weeks. Where are we going after?

MSG Lewis: You’ll see.

 You gave him a death glare then rolled your eyes.

 MSG: If I’m stressing about where we’re going this whole time, I’m going to blame you to my editor and manager when I come back with not even a page of the one hundred I’m supposed to have written.

 He smiled.

 MSG Lewis: Not my fault you’re curious George. One day that curiosity is gonna get you into some shit you can’t get out of.

MSG: Like what sir?

 You watched his face morph through different emotions, surprise, interest, confusion then regret. You were slightly fascinated wondering what it was he was thinking. Before he could answer, Justice reached out and squeezed his thigh in a spot that said she was familiar with his body. Again, that feeling in your stomach returned but this one irritated you and you found it was harder to push it into that travel bag.

 By the time everyone marched out of the jet, you were more than ready for a drink and a shower. The heat hit you like a low hanging branch to the face. This definitely wasn’t Switzerland. Once all the bags were offloaded, a tall lanky man approached the group.

 “Welcome Mr. Hamilton. It is an honor to have you with us. My name is Mosi.”

 He had a thick African accent. Your eyes widened. Were you where you wanted to go? If so, how did he know you wanted to come here?

 “Thank you for having us, Mosi “Lewis replied.

 You tried to keep your giddiness under wraps, but it was incredibly difficult.

 “Follow me and my team will gather your luggage.”

 A line of four people walked toward the jet while the rest of you followed Mosi. Lewis chatted with him in hushed voices that you couldn’t pick up. You wondered if he was talking so low because of you.

 “Why can’t you just let him surprise you?”

 You hadn’t even noticed Mabdulle moseying up beside you. You snorted realizing you’d been caught eavesdropping or attempting to.

 “I mean I can, I just—want to know.”

 He nodded slowly then shook his head. “He’s been planning this for a bit, couldn’t make up his mind where until like a few days ago. Sit back and let him rock.”

 You began to wonder if he was so indecisive because of you. Before you even asked, Mabdulle nodded.

 “The things we do for friends.”

 With that he walked ahead over to Daniel and Cassie leaving you to wonder what he meant by that and why he’d said it the way he did.

 After a few more steps, you saw the two charter planes that had paddles attached to the bottom of them. Another clue you said to yourself. You were in Africa and going to land somewhere with water. Everyone split up to load into the two planes. You made sure to get into the plane that Lewis and Justice weren’t getting into. You didn’t want to watch any sort of PDA. Just before Lewis got into the plane you watched he glance around as if searching for something. When his eyes landed on yours you noted the clench of his jaw but before he could make another move Justice called his name in a cutesy whine. You clenched your jaw from annoyance because if this was what you were going to have to listen to this whole trip you were going to jump out this plane without a chute.

 Your jaw was dropped, hands pressed to the glass and tongue practically hanging out as you watched the scenery coast by. The turquoise in the ocean called to you, the variation of the shades of greens in the trees complimented it perfectly and you imagined sitting underneath them enjoying a nice breeze and a cocktail. To the horizon the rural lands were such a contrast to the sandy beaches it did nothing but take your breath away. It was perfect. It was everything you’d wanted when you’d seen a random picture and said in passing it was your idea of a perfect vacation. You couldn’t wait to soak it all up.

 The plane landed in the ocean and glided its way to a full stop right on the beach and slowly everyone disembarked.

 “Wow, this is gorgeous,” Robin said staring out into the water once she was on the sand.

 “I can’t wait to get in,” Nikki added.

 You were too busy snapping pictures for memories to join in on the conversation. Every shot was even better than the last and every shot had you more and more excited. The breathtaking sunset was the perfect backdrop and opening for what you hoped was going to be a great vacation.

 “Welcome to & Beyond, Mozambique’s most popular destination,” Mosi said as he stood to the front of the group with his back to the uber luxurious dwellings on the property.

 Your smile was so wide you knew you looked like an idiot.  Lewis caught your eye, and he was smiling just as wide as you were. You mouthed “thank you” and gave you a nod while tapping the side of his nose. It was a thing both of you always did to the other to say, “I got you”. It had always been like that. he’d do whatever he could for you no matter what it was you asked for, and you’d do the same. It wasn’t a tit for tat type of thing or favor for favor it was genuine care all the time.

 After a quick tour of the massive property that Lewis had taken liberty to rent out completely just so your group could really relax without any eyes, you all split up to lock down your rooms and settle in. The local time was nearing dinner and you were teetering on ravenous thanks to you skipping breakfast and only opting for a small fruit salad on the plane as lunch. Your room was perfect, it faced the ocean and gave you quite the view. You knew it would be the perfect view for any late-night writing sessions. And if this was what you were working with then you were excited to get to it.

 You took a shower then plopped onto the floor in your towel to go through your luggage for something to wear for dinner. With your headphones in you went through your choices until you heard the notification sound from your phone. When you glanced down, you found a message from Lewis.

 MSG Lewis: I hope you like the room; you got the best view. I hope it helps with your writer’s block.

 Realization hit you, he’d planned all of this. He’d chosen this place because of you, given you the room with the best view all in hopes to get your groove back. you could have released an audible “oof” right then and there.

 MSG: You didn’t have to do all of this for me.

MSG Lewis: Shut up.

MSG: I’m serious.

MSG Lewis: I like doing things for you. Plus it’s nothing more than all you’ve done for me over the years. WAFF.

 The ball of tension in your belly faded and left a sinking feeling. What are friends for. You took a deep breath, held it for a beat, then slowly let it out. It was then you put your phone down and continued what you were doing with your music much higher than before. After a while you managed to put together something cute and just as you were putting on a lite layer of makeup Nikki walked in.

 “What’s taking you so long?”

 “Perfection takes time.”

 “Heeeeeyyy!”

 You laughed, bringing your attention back to the mirror to finish your brows.

 “Where’s Gisella?”

 “Trying to get all the gossip on Justice. She did a dive on IG and found out she’s a model but also an IG—persona. She saw a few pictures of her with a few other celebs and now she is trying to get the tea.”

 You nodded, of course she was. Gisella could find out anything about anyone. She was better than TMZ, better than any other gossip blog hands down.

 “You don’t seem to care about it though.”

 “Why should I care? I’m all good until she proves to be a problem.”

 Nikki studied you for a moment. You could feel her eyes boring holes into your back. You were not going to fall for it though. She wanted you to open up but opening up was the last thing you planned on doing on this vacation.

 Dinner was amazing, the food on display across the banquet style table was exquisite. Michelin star restaurants in the states could never. Everything you put into your mouth you moaned for, every dish placed before you, you devoured, every flavor that burst over your tastebuds had you rocking in your seat. There was nothing that was off. You tried to keep up with the conversations around you while enjoying the food, but you were sure you missed plenty of useful tidbits.

 When dessert came you slowly ate the decadent cake and looked around the table at all your friends. Time together like this was rare. Lewis’ schedule was nuts, and then when you added yours, it was difficult to get everyone together. Across the table, you noticed Lewis doing the same thing. He was probably thinking the same thing you were. When your eyes met, his smile widened. It was soft and inviting, so similar to him. It slipped for a moment and was replaced by a crinkled brow and a screwed jaw. He looked like he was thinking deeply about something. However, the look quickly disappeared. Raising his glass to you, he bopped his head. You returned the gesture and returned your attention to your plate.

 After dinner, no one seemed eager to go to bed, instead the drinks rolled out and the stories began. No one was safe from being put on blast, no one was left untouched from some embarrassing story from some point in their life and because of that the laughs never ended. When everyone said their goodbyes, you decided to set yourself up to write. After getting everything ready and setting your atmosphere just the way you wanted you sat down with the view of the soft rolling waves of the ocean as your focal point and a bottle of wine beside you. After taking the time to reread your last written chapter you were half a bottle down in the wine with worries of how you were going to match that steam.

 “All right, Y/N, let’s get this down and done.”

 You cracked your knuckles then set your hands ready to fly across the keyboard. Twenty minutes later, your screen was empty and your fingers still hovering over the keyboard.

 “Shit.”

 You grabbed the wine and guzzled the rest then groaned when you realized it was finished. You ventured through the villa to one of the bars and picked out two more bottles. You were determined to get something down. You’d take anything at this point, a sentence, a word. Hell, even a period. Sitting back down, you popped the top of the wine and took a few gulps foregoing the glass sitting to your left. what was the point? This wine tasted a lot stronger than the one you’d just had, and you were grateful for that. With a mouthful of wine, you set yourself for attempt number two.

 Like the first attempt, twenty minutes later you had nothing. That led you to finish the second bottle of wine as you talked to yourself about nothing in particular just your failure to do the simplest of tasks. An hour later, the only thing you’d accomplished was finishing the wine you’d gotten from the bar. You were surrounded by the empty bottles that were scattered around the floor while you were sprawled on the bed. You’d abandoned your laptop and was just staring at the ceiling waiting for the wine to put you to sleep. As your eyes lulled closed, you heard muffled moans that sounded as if they were coming from the room beside you. With your eyes wide, you held still waiting to see if you’d imagined it. A few seconds later, they sounded again.

 What the hell? You knew either Nikki or Gisella were beside you and you also knew that they couldn’t be busting it down with anyone. Your eyes widened even more than you thought it was Gisella and Mabdulle. You’d always gotten the vibes that they were into each other but wanted to keep it on the low.

 “Oh my gosh.”

 You sprang up and pressed your ear to the wall like a total creeper. You planned on holding this over her head for the rest of eternity whenever she tried to come for you. It was quiet over there and you didn’t know if you should be thankful or feel bad about it. Someone was not putting in work.

 “Just stop.”

 You pressed closer hearing that. Stop what?

 “I can make you feel good.”

 You began to wonder why she was pleading with him. This was not Gisella. She took what she wanted, and you knew for a fact she knew how to have a grown man sounding like a whimpering child. You heard slurping sounds and more muffled moaning then gagging. Other than that, it was silent. This definitely wasn’t Gisella. whoever it was did not know their way around a dick. The silence was very telling. You stifled a laugh because you hoped it was Miles, hoped he’d somehow picked someone up and was getting the worst lackluster head of his life. However, it was not.

 “Mmm, Lewis.”

 Your smile dropped, your eyed bugged and you made a face of disgust. No fucking way. Lewis took the room beside you. He knew this was the room he’d chosen for you, which meant this was a deliberate choice. What the fuck? Was he fucking with you? Why?

 “It's not working, it’s cool.”

 “No, let me try some more. What’re you thinking about?”

 He sighed. “W-A-F-F.”

 At that you pulled away from the wall as if it had turned into lava. What the actual fuck! The slurping and moaning began again but you could tell it was not from Lewis, you could tell that he was completely disinterested. As you listened part of you wanted to laugh because this was just pathetic. Another part of you wanted to melt into the mattress and disappear. You’d never been on this side of things, never overheard his shenanigans, never been the fly on the wall. You didn’t know how to act, much less what to think. Another part of you wanted to kick the wall down and show her how it’s done, but another part that was seeing radioactive green and all you wanted to do was She Hulk smash her ass then Sparta kick her into the ocean telling her to doggy paddle back to the states. Was it a strong reaction? Yes, it was. Did you understand it? Not at all.

 So you laid there hearing her failed attempts at making him feel good while letting your thoughts wander on what he meant by saying he was thinking about the code between you, the code he’d said to you several times that day. You knew one thing for certain, tomorrow you were changing your room.

PT 2 Coming....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TagList:

@chaneajoyyy @caramara3 @valkryienymph @babyflowa07 @est1887 @halfrican-heat @mauvecherie-writes @nunya7394 @lovebittenbyevans @gardenwonders2 @sweetlikecoffy @dillie60 @ olabelle757 @ophiaedits @kenequa @triton08 @skyesthebomb @shipatheart @keytodespair @xsweetdellzx @labella420 @coldmuffinbanditshoe @ak329 @shar74nett @youremysuperstar @whore-like-behaviour

@alookintohersoul @asiaaisa77 @jd-now-jq @naturalthrone22      @mrsbarnes-rogers @beyourownkindofbeautiful @beccacupcakesxo @toni9  @wonderlandfandomkingdom @partypoison00 @queenoftheworldisdead  @doublesidedscoobysnacks @sophiealiice @richonne4life @coffeebooksandfandom @siempremamita @raveviolet @dumbchick  @amennariee @briellableu @leebabe444 @31miw-inkpsycho

@rororo06 @disaster-rose @bugngiz @yourwonderbelle @queenbetter  @melaninhawtie @bekindbecoolbeyou​

[daughter-of-the-slaughter]

hi! i hope ur having a good day=) i was wondering if i could req ghostface and a pre-teen/younger teen reader? maybe some brotherly stuff? also, did you know that sharks can sneeze?

GhostFace x Pre-teen/younger teen reader.(platonic)

Authors Note: Yo yo Anon, that is such a cool idea! Also- thank you for the fun fact! why are sharks low key cuties. I hope you enjoy- I’m really proud of this.🦈

- You were a young teenager, who was placed into the realm under unknown circumstances. You followed the survivors like a duckling, confused what to do and how to escape. But don’t worry, you were given guidance and help by your teammates.

- You worked on the final generator alone with two of your teammates unfortunately sacrificed by GhostFace. You got the hang of completing generators until you felt a cold chill run down your spine. Turning around, a figure was seen stalking you- crouched down behind a structure.

- it was silent, he was observing you, slightly shocked behind the mask seeing a mere young teen being stuck in the realm. He had been hunting older, more experienced survivors in each of his trials. It appeared the entity decided to switch things and add plot twists. . .

“Well well well,” he spoke in a deep tone, slightly taking steps towards you. “Look at we have here, a kiddie all alone in this scary forest.” You felt scared and your lips quivered as if you were about to cry. Why? Well, he held a weapon in his left gloved hand.

“Are you crying yet? Already? You haven’t even seen what I can do yet.” He let out a low chuckle. Ghost face tilted his head, he felt an urge to toy with the young teen kid, rather than brutally sacrifice them. He walked over, leaning his back against a brick wall.

“Are you going to hurt me?” The young teen innocently asked in fear and nervousness. Ghost face chuckled darkly crossing his arms. “Not planning on it yet, kid.” He took another look at the kid before speaking again. “You seem younger than the other sacrificial lambs, how old are you?”

“I’m 13.” You sniffled slightly calming down.

Ghost face shifted his weight against the wall, leaning more on his hip. Behind his mask, he had an amused facial expression. “Thirteen huh? Bit young to be here aren’t ya,” he pushed himself off the wall and circled the teen.

“I mean, I’m not sure how I even got here. I just..woke up here.” You spoke itching the side of your head in confusion. “Interesting..” The sadistic killer spoke unsurprised, like he heard this everyday.

“I..I’m really scared,” you admitted, fear painting on your face. His expression softened under the mask, although no one could see it. "Scared, huh? Can't really blame you. I'll let you in on a secret though. Everything's gonna be just fine here." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"As long as you don’t piss me off." He added.

“I won’t I promise,” you spoke assuring him. Ghostface observed the kid for a moment, contemplating his next move. After a few seconds, he spoke again. “Well, first, you’re gonna have to tell me your name. I can’t just keep calling you ‘kid’ or ‘child’.

“Uhm, my name is y/n,” You spoke looking at the figure with the ghostly mask. “y/n huh, what a fitting name,” he began to walk away gesturing for you to follow him. “C’mon kid, there’s something I need to show ya,” he spoke waving his hand over.

Following GhostFace curiously, he led you through the empty halls of the trial grounds until the two of you reached a small, broken down room. It was full of dust and darkness, with various broken chairs and tables scattered around.

“Stay here a second.” He disappeared into the shadows of the room for a moment, rummaging around before he reappeared with something in his hands. Looking closely, he held a small, dirty Polaroid camera in his hands. He walked over to you and handed it to you. “Found this in one of the crates- don’t need it. So you can have it.”

You felt your heart slightly warm from his kind act, you never had a cool camera like this before. Looking up at him with slight fondness in your eyes, you spoke.

“R..really?” You said shocked by his kind act.

“Yeah yeah, don’t get too excited, it’s just a camera kiddo,” the sadistic killer shrugged, trying to hide the small smile beneath the mask. “Now go on, use it.”

You suddenly held the camera up to his face and snapped a photo, giggling. He flinched back by the sudden act, taken off guard at the unexpected flash. “Hey now, I said take a picture of something, not someone.” He grabbed the camera and examined the photo. “What a shitty picture,” GhostFace rolled his eyes behind the mask.

He then beckoned you over, motioning for you to come closer. He knelt down so he was eye level with you. His next words were spoken in a soft, almost gentle tone.

“Ever heard of a ‘selfie’?”

You slightly rolled your eyes, did he really think kids nowadays didn’t know what a selfie was. “Man, who doesn’t know what a selfie is,” you chuckled. *He feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart.

"Excuse you, I'm hurt. I'll have you know I'm quite the good selfie taker.” He reached a hand out, gently placing it on your shoulder and pulling you closer. "Now, smile, kid."

You and GhostFace spent the next half an hour taking selfies. Ghostface put an arm around your shoulders, making various silly faces as they posed in front of the camera. As they continued taking pictures, Ghostface slowly started to get more comfortable around you. He even let down the cocky mask a bit and started acting more like a protective older brother than a killer.

You gave him a hug, feeling a bit happy to have a guardian or older brother figure around. “Hey you’re really cool I’m glad we’re friends.”

Ghostface was a bit taken aback when you suddenly hugged him, but he quickly composed himself. He awkwardly patted your back, silently taken aback by your words.

"Don’t get all lovey-dovey with me, kid. I’m still a killer, y'know."

He said gruffly, but there was no real malice in his voice. In fact, he secretly enjoyed the kid’s affection.

[thefangirlfever]

Miguel O'hara x !bimbo girlfriend

Tags: F/M, femme character, fluff, alternate universe, a bit suggestive, I hope this is not too cringe for ya’ll, maybe a bit OOC, soft Miguel O'hara

Notes: I’ve seen this trend on many accounts, especially @xxxsugarbonesxxx and even if I do not identify as a bimbo myself, I wanted to give my own twist to this trope.

The more I was writing this thing, the more I started to doubt that I even knew what a bimbo was. I’m so sorry ToT but for reference, when people say bimbo, I think of Elle Woods in Legally blonde.

I hope you'll enjoy this small headcanon. It's just for fun and an excuse to write some more fluffy and smitten Miguel O'hara. It's not my best work so far but I'm slowly getting back to writing after this awful month.

===============================================

So...a bimbo, huh?

This would mean all pink, glitters and long lashes with fake blond hair? Honestly, she is quite fitting the stereotype and that was the first thing Miguel thought when he saw her. The woman was strutting down in the lobby of Alchemax, walking on heels that would be defying the law of gravity. It was truly a mystery how she could manage to walk like this with such high heels. To a certain extent he was impressed. The second thing he noticed was just how pink she was overall. Only her labcoat was a different, but she still managed to add some clips on her collar.

If a Barbie had came to life, she would look like this. She was looking like some scientist Barbie came to life.

He was even more surprised when he saw her in the lab, typing something on her computer with the sound of her acrylic nails making a small “click-clack” that filled up the small space. He wasn’t sure that these things that could poke an eye out were very safe in a lab but he soon realized how prejudiced he was. The woman standing there was very aware of the lab protocole and always made sure to respect the safety rules. Plus, she was not any scientist working there but the assistant of the head of this new project, making her his assistant.

When Miguel had checked her resume, he felt quite stupid for judging her so fast. She was major of her promotion, the youngest intern to have reached such a high rank in 20 years at Alchemax and her name appeared on many papers and projects. At this point, when he realized that, he was practically a fanboy, wanting to ask her opinion on every small subject that had a link with dark mass or quantum physics.

But there was still something he couldn’t understand...why the pink bows and glitters? Because, as much as this woman was competent, no one was really taking her seriously. If she changed her looks, then maybe people would stop acting around her as if she was some dumb blonde. Miguel once saw one of their coworkers explaining to her how the elevators worked when she was already there for a month.

What surprised him even more was that no matter how many times people would make fun of her or simply dismiss her opinion during a meeting, she just kept on smiling. He could not understand how she always kept her cool around condescending people. He knew himself and he was sure he would have already gone mad if someone talked to him this way. In fact he would quickly take the habit to clap back at the coworkers who made fun of her.

He couldn’t really explain why he felt so invested in this but he couldn’t stand this or accept the fact that something or someone would make her sad or upset. This woman was literally a ray of sunshine, always talkative curious and exhibiting such a bubbly personality. She was the exact opposite of him in every single way and after some time, Miguel realized he didn’t want her to change. He used to think that the most simple way for her to fit in was to just change her looks but he realized that he didn’t want that… He had grown used and fond of her weird, glittery, hyper femme look. He would not define himself as a fashion icon, quite the opposite even but it was always fun to watch how she was dressed on. Some days, she would channel glam Jackie Kennedy with a tailored suit, or rock a Y2K set that just enhanced her shapely body and some days she would just go full fairy tale princess mode with the most outrageous level of ruffles, pearls and lace an outfit could ever hold. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to tear his eyes away from her. He was truly admirativ of her good taste; coordinating outfits and accessories in a way he would never be able to do in a million years, but also impressed at how unapologetically herself she was.

Miguel liked when they were working together in the lab without anybody else. He was a rather closeted person, not talking much with the others, but she just had a way to crack his shell. She was a very talkative person, always smiling and open. Miguel knew people far less competent than her who acted like they were the shit, but her, she never made people feel like they were under her level or anything like that.

She was also a bit touchy, not in an inappropriate way, but she would rest her hand on his arm, lean closer to him while they were working or grab his arm on the way to the cafeteria. He is not used to this in the beginning but as they keep interacting with each other, he slowly grows more comfortable with this, even returning some small gestures as time goes by, like placing his hand on her back or shoulder as he holds the door for her or when he lets her go first in the elevator.

They have grown comfortable enough with each other and finally feel free to talk about other things than work. She has so much enthusiasm when she talks, even about the smallest things. Whether she is talking about the latest breakdwon in Science or her favorite fashion designer, he can just listen to her, in awe. Does he care about things like make up, cute coffee shops and fashion? No. Would he listen to her talking about these for hours just because of the way her eyes shine and how she moves her hands while talking? Absolutely yes.

When they start dating, Miguel realizes just how much she was actually holding back with him. She was way more touchy and bubbly once they got closer. Not that he would complain. He likes when she hugs him without saying a word, feeling her sugar vanilla perfume tingling his nose, how it stays on his own clothes...He likes when she kisses him goodbye with a small peck on his cheeks, leaving a mark with her lip gloss. It always makes her laugh how flustered this man can be in these moments with a giddy smile painted on his lips as he keeps admiring her shiny lips tainted in some exotic color he didn’t know the existence of like ‘acid strawberry’.

Miguel who got slowly invested in her fashion choice. He would act uninterested when she talks about it just to tease and annoy her, but in the end he loves watching her twirling in her new frilly dress or trying to make him guess what she is going to wear on their next date.

The first time she mentions to him that she had a dog, he is imagining some sort of chihuahua or any of these ratty dogs – just to fit even more to the stereotype. But he is utterly surprised the moment he goes through her door and a large Staffy tackles him. The dog is overly friendly, just like her, and well-trained. His glitter collar oddly fits him and Miguel can’t stop grinning every time the dog looks at him with his head tilted to the side, on of his ears turned-in.

It’s a little hard for him to admit but he likes her place, no matter how girly it looks. It just feels very comforting. The place is warm, always filled with a nice scent, cute pillows, heart-shaped frames on the walls and so many vivid colors. It looks like a bubble out of this world. And he enjoys staying there, whether it’s just for a small dinner with her or for one of their movie nights. He really has a lot to catch up on rom-com but they are working on it. Surprisingly, he finds himself really invested in these stories and even liking them; the fact that they can make out during the movie only adds to the fun.

After some time dating together, she finally accepts for him to let some of his stuff at her place, even if it doesn’t match the aesthetic of the house.

One of the things that he finds truly fascinating at her place is her shoe collection. She could open a store at this point with all these shoes and he is pretty sure she owns some of them twice. There’s no way she needs that many high heels, especially when they are all the same color. Turns out the neon pink heels only go out for big occasions, while the pastel pink ones are more casual and the ones with an open-toe are for dates only while the platform ones are more for brunch… that’s like getting on a new planet for him. But it’s not like he doesn’t have his own little perks…

Miguel who watches his girlfriend finally standing up for herself at work, not letting anyone talk shit to her anymore. And every time she proves just how competent she is, he just stands back and watches her with a proud smile on his face, thinking “Yep, that’s my girl.”

==============================================

Notes: Thanks for reading this. It’s just a small blurb but I thought the idea could be cute. Miguel really giving Howl vibe in that last part I guess ^^

Tag list: @xxsugarbonesxx

[yuikomorii]

Ayato is slowly turning into the new “Yui” (she still gets hate too but yk less than other years) of the Diabolik Lovers fandom and I really thought the fandom was healing -jokes on me-

The way they complain about Ayato being too caring now inducing that he’s turning into a simp reminds me of the same people who complained about Yui for not fighting back and calling her weak for that. Let’s just let everyone enjoy whatever characters they want WITHOUT TRYING TO RUIN THEIR FUN ‼️

Also, why did Ayato even get so hated anyway? He was always one of the least horrible ones and right now, after all his development, I don’t find anything so unlikeable about him. He tries to see the good in others despite having such a past full of suffering. If I hear anyone say “because he’s too caring/dumb/immature” I will riot because why would it be bad to be caring with your girlfriend? He isn’t even as immature as people say. Isn’t this the same guy who took responsibility for things that were none of his business but he did so just to help others?

And don’t get me started on the fact he isn’t dumb at all. He’s an idiot because he’s uneducated but his brain power is above average. I played Reiji’s route awhile now and there was this chapter where Reiji helped Yui study for her math test but only after a timeskip she managed to get a right result while in Ayato’s after story, there was the same scene but with different characters and Ayato was able to learn very fast after Yui explained to him and even she found that amazing about him because he started getting all answers right. After I got interested in young blood, I came to the conclusion that he was the only Sakamaki brother who found something suspicious about the ceremony and planned to investigate it. I recall a few other moments but I’m curious to hear if you got a favourite one.

I hope this ask wasn’t too long ;w; I tried to fit my thoughts in but it’s ok if you don’t have time to answer it soon ^^

// So many languages in this word, but you decided to speak FACTS!

The reasons why some people start hating on certain characters, are incredibly embarrassing. Just tell me you didn’t pay attention to the story, without actually telling me that you didn’t pay attention to the story.

They had previously complained about him being too bratty and arrogant, but now that his true side has been revealed, they are still dissatisfied since he is not the "edgy and complex" vampire boyfriend they wanted him to be. Do you like such characters? Good for you but only because you have a preference towards those, doesn’t mean you should tell others how much their bias sucks… it’s just so uncalled??

As you said, something I have always found admirable about Ayato is his ability to be pure-hearted, despite his background. I can’t say anyone got much love yet… Beatrix was strict but she canonically loved both of her children, Christa was mentally ill and had her crazy episodes but it was shown that she still loved and cared for Subaru, and then there’s Cordelia, who truly didn’t show or feel any sort of love towards any of her children. In DF, I’m sure she regretted her actions but saying that she loved Ayato, Kanato and Laito would be an exaggeration. It’s no surprise that the triplets turned out so twisted when they didn’t get a taste of affection or kindness AT ALL. And Ayato’s side goes beyond that, since he literally was the piñata of so many characters.

In YB, he was used as bait, betrayed, and brutally knocked down by ghouls, as well as beaten up to the point of almost getting killed.

In Ayato’s character book, it was confirmed that Cordelia threw him in the lake every time he didn’t study. He had several near-death experiences as a result of her, and she frequently whipped and beat him up.

In the DF prologue, Carla and Shin sent the wolves to especially attack Ayato, not Yui, but Ayato thought they were going after her, so he sacrificed himself for her and used himself as shield so as she wouldn’t get hurt. He got severely injured that in some routes it takes a lot of time until he wakes up from the coma.

In Kino’s LE route, he burns Ayato alive and beats him up afterwards.

Last but not least, he got the Adam curse when he was a child and that’s so painful because it basically means drowning in a state of despair and insanity, until getting to taste something similar to that fig.

final YB chapter

Didn’t count the emotional and mental abuse but the physical one was INSANE. Despite so much torture, even if some of his actions were wrong too, most of the time he continued to value his life and to be empathetic and forgiving to those who mistreated him.

Let's not forget that we're talking about vampires here, who will always be more wicked than humans because, although not inherently evil, they still have a predator instinct, but what's truly fascinating about Ayato's character is that he has such a good soul in spite of learning from an early age that there is no kindness in this world. It's no surprise that Karlheinz was taken aback.

Moreover, I thought everyone was aware that Ayato isn’t actually stupid?? A bunch of his dumb moments are merely used for generating laughter and they’re not meant to be taken seriously. People also need to understand that the Japanese audience loves this kind of characters. They consider him an idiot in the affectionate way, because the lack of knowledge and gullibility make him endearing in their eyes. They don’t think of him as a genuine idiot. After all, nobody would like a character who’s completely dense.

It’s true that he’s impulsive and uneducated, which leads to him making dumb choices but I agree that his brain works faster sometimes than the one of other characters.

One of my favorite scenes is the one in which he eavesdropped on Cordelia, hearing that she only gave Karl children for attention, and he was the only Sakamaki who rapidly succeeded in connecting all of the dots, regarding all of Karl's victims and him being the root of all evil, which was the best revelation reaction in DL. I also enjoyed how, while all of his brothers rushed to kill Karlheinz (except for Laito, who had no battle scene in his route), Ayato was the only one who was like, "I won't kill you because I'd lead your plan to success in that case," and he only killed him after Karl wanted to harm Yui. If you haven't played DF, I recommend saving Ayato's route for last because it provides the most satisfaction.

Don't be concerned about the length! I believe I wrote a lot as well haha, but that's because your ask was so interesting to read! You made some excellent points, and I'm glad you're one of those people that can comprehend a character! 🥹🩷

[wolfawaycamp]

Rylan: Dylan has been super frustrated and depressed about the loss of his hand and the fact he isn’t able bodied anymore, he’s upset that Ryan has to do most things for him, even simple mundane things. So Ryan takes Dylan to look at trained service dogs in hopes to adopt one that knows tasks that fit Dylan’s emotional and physical needs :)

🐼 I really wanted to explore this more from the angle of Dylan being the stubborn guy he is + trying to navigate the wolf-related trauma he probably has from Hackett’s Quarry, so it may not exactly be what you expected, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Thanks as always for the ask :)

Dylan would swear to anyone who asked that he was a lover of all animals. Like, the kind of kid who would see a scruffy looking stray on the sidewalk and beg his mother to rescue it from the horrid reality of street life. It had worked once; that was how he’d been introduced to his beloved Schrödinger. It had been raining and she’d sat outside their door mewling pitifully until he’d scooped her up (she was surprisingly docile) and shoved the poor, wet thing in his mom’s face. “Look at her! How can you say no to those eyes?!” he’d begged. One thing had led to another, and now, six years later, Schrodie was living her best pampered life at the Lenivy household.

Dylan would have taken her when he and Ryan had moved in together, but Ryan’s allergies were so bad they’d made the excruciating decision to leave her in his mother’s capable hands — which led them to discussing the prospect of obtaining another furry friend.

The topic first came up when Dylan was having a particularly difficult time untwisting a jar of preserves for his sandwich; the hot water method wasn’t working, nor was the little knife-tap trick he’d learned when was having difficulties with two hands. Ryan walked in on him holding the jar in his hand like Hamlet, attempting to coax it into submission. “Look. I need you to give me what’s inside you so I can consume enough food to have the energy to get you open next time. You like being used, don’t you? So give me what I want and I’ll—” He paused when he noticed his boyfriend’s amused face popping into view.

“This hostage situation seems kind of intense. Should I leave you two alone, or…?” Ryan eyed the helpless jar trapped in Dylan’s palm. 

Dylan placed the jar on the counter. “No, uh, it just needed some…encouragement? Can you…?” He hated asking Ryan to rescue him from the final boss of the kitchen, but someone had to do it.

Ryan gripped the lid with both hands and twisted it with ease. “You know, I’ve heard you can train some service dogs to do this kind of stuff.”

“You want us to get a dog to help me make PB&Js?” Dylan snarked. “That seems like a pretty dumb reason to me.”

“People have gotten them for equally mundane reasons,” Ryan countered.

“Like what?” Dylan gestured vaguely in Ryan’s direction, briefly unconcerned with the fact that he was now brandishing a butter knife.

“I-I don’t know them off the top of my head, man. If you’re really that against it, it’s not a problem.” Shit. Ryan was getting anxious. Knife down, idiot.

Dylan softened his furrowed brow. “I’m not totally against it; I just think, y’know, there are only so many canines in the world and my…needs aren’t that high on the priority list.” Ryan’s face was still slightly dejected. “I appreciate the thought, though. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make art.” He turned back to his half-formed sandwich.

“Careful how you wield that paintbrush. Don’t want you losing the other one,” Ryan commented, leaving the kitchen.

“How would that even work?!” Dylan shouted after Ryan, but he was long gone.

-

The second discussion happened when Dylan was playing on his gaming console; it was a low-intensity adventure game with decent accessibility controls, but one part still required a level of dexterity he couldn’t quite master with just one hand. Ryan was sitting next to him on the couch, quietly watching him play while also scribbling in his sketchbook.

“Fuck! How are you even supposed to get the thingy in the hole with the normal amount of fingers?” Dylan grumbled in frustration.

He realized his terrible choice of words too late; he glanced at Ryan, who looked up from his work-in-progress and decided to speak up. “Whoa, what kind of game is this again?”

“Very funny.” Dylan dropped the controller beside him and rubbed his temple. “I think I’m done for tonight.”

“You sure you don’t want me to—” Ryan started.

“No! I don’t need y—sorry.” Dylan sighed and tried to rein it in. “It’s fucking pathetic to always have you pick up the slack because of this stupid thing.” He held up his left arm. “Like, I know I’m not a helpless idiot but sometimes I sure as hell feel like it.”

Ryan stared at him for a moment, contemplating his response. “Dylan, needing help with certain things isn’t an inconvenience. Not to me, at least.”

“I appreciate the thought, but…I don’t know. It feels different when it’s for shit like this.” He tilted his head toward the TV screen, which was currently displaying the game's pause menu. “I don’t like being reminded of my most brilliant fuck-up to date every time I want to partake in gamer hours.”

“I get it,” Ryan said quietly. Dylan studied his face. It was Ryan’s ‘I want to say something but I’m not going to’ face.

“What?” Dylan pressed.

Ryan held his gaze for a second. “I just…worry.” His eyes darted away, back down to his sketchbook.

Dylan fought the urge to roll his eyes and snap at Ryan. Normally he wasn’t so easily bothered by his boyfriend’s beat-around-the-bush tactics, but he despised people feeling the need to show him pity, or whatever the fuck this was. “If you’re going to bring up getting a service animal again—”

“No—well, not like that. I was thinking more for emotional support.”

“Ryan—” He paused, not quite knowing how to articulate his thoughts. It wasn’t that he didn’t want something to help him cope with the frustration of permanently having 80% of his original function, but the idea of being near anything dog-like was…terrifying. “Fuck. This is going to sound ridiculous, but…I can’t be around a dog! Or like, even one of those miniature ponies. Did you know those were a thing? Therapy horses? Way too fucking big and scary.”

“Maybe we could get a hamster or something,” Ryan offered.

“You mean the animal that infamously will find the most fucked up way to get itself killed and only lives about three years anyway? I’m better off trying to get another plushie from the arcade. I think I’m incapable of being satisfied by anything other than my child.” The image of Schrödinger’s sweet face in Dylan’s mind could’ve brought a tear to his eye. “Fuck your allergies, man.”

Ryan nodded solemnly. “Fuck them, indeed.”

-

He didn’t know why he did it. He’d set himself a boundary, and then two days later he’d crossed it by dragging Ryan to the pet store when he knew they were doing adoptions and he knew they’d have plenty of dogs right in front of the door where he couldn’t avoid them.

They hadn’t even made it within 6 feet of the small dog enclosure before Dylan started feeling…not trapped, given he was outside, but rather confined. The barking, the mannerisms, the smell…

“Yep, this isn’t going to happen,” Dylan said decisively, turning on his heels and booking it to the car. Ryan followed close behind, making no protest.

Once in the car, they sat in silence for a few seconds. Ryan spoke in a calm yet concerned tone, “You gonna be okay?”

“What? You think a little old Pomeranian is gonna scare me?” Dylan was trying so very hard — and failing — to hide the fading panic in his voice.

“I mean, that is kind of what happened,” Ryan pointed out.

“Nothing gets past you, huh?”

Ryan shook his head. “Nope.”

“Look, I just wanted to make sure we exhausted every option before committing to something. Dogs are cute, and fluffy, and sweet, and,” he looked sheepishly at Ryan, “now I can’t fucking stand being around them anymore.”

“I shouldn’t have let you convince me to come here,” Ryan lamented.

“No—don’t do that whole ‘I have to take responsibility’ thing. It’s just a pet shop. We can, I don’t know, go get fro-yo or something to make the trip worthwhile.” Dylan knew he had to pull out the puppy-dog eyes — Hmm, not the best choice of words — for this one.

Ryan didn’t hesitate to take Dylan up on his offer. “Deal.”

-

That night, Dylan had stayed up far later than normal, coming to bed hours after Ryan.

He quietly entered the room, keeping the lights off as he fumbled his way to the bed. Once he was comfortable, he wrapped his arm around a sleeping Ryan’s shoulder.

“Mm?”

“I have a surprise for you.” Dylan whispered.

“Is it a boyfriend who doesn’t wake me up at 2 a.m.?” Ryan mumbled into his pillow.

“Close. How do you feel about needles?”

Ryan turned to face him. “They’re…not that bad? What are you planning on injecting me with?”

Dylan knew Ryan couldn’t really see his face in the dark, but he grinned regardless. “I talked to my mom. She told me about these allergy shots — they’re like, kind of expensive but they work super well — and she said she’d be willing to pay for your doctor’s visits.”

“Why would I need allergy shots…?” Oops. He forgot to give Ryan context.

“For the cat, of course. She and I both agreed that Schrodie living with us would probably help the morale around here,” he rubbed his hand up and down Ryan’s arm, “I mean, if it’s okay with you. I can always keep looking. Snakes are pretty rad—”

“I think your mom’s got the right idea,” Ryan interrupted. “Tell her I said thanks.”

Dylan snuggled closer, positioning his face inches from Ryan’s. “I will. And also, thank you for caring so much.” He gave him a quick kiss, pulling away sooner than Ryan seemed to anticipate. “I can’t believe I’m gonna finally have my baby back. It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Ryan snorted. “So miraculous it’s happening in February?”

“Okay, a Valentine’s miracle? That’s kind of romantic.” Dylan leaned back in.

Ryan took the bait, kissing him again, albeit more lazily this time. “Go to sleep.”

“Can’t. Too excited.”

“The earlier you wake up, the earlier we can start getting this place ready for Schrodie.” Ryan turned back around, clearly trying to manipulate Dylan into making good choices.

It almost worked. “What if she doesn’t like me anymore?” Dylan mused.

“Not possible,” he heard Ryan mutter softly.

[westlinstar]

I have just caught the tail end of Meet Joe Black after exhaustedly throwing myself at the couch with a cup of tea - didn’t spill any, go me! I couldn’t quite remember the ending of the film, in fact I couldn’t remember much other than Joe was Death, come to spirit a multi millionaire business man away to what ever lies beyond the veil - but accidentally falling in love with his daughter in the process. Oops! There’s conflict right there! 🙄

The music, and a suave Brad Pitt in a well fitting suit, lured me in, and before I knew it I was all invested in Bill - said multi millionaire - surviving his date with doom by some magical twist of fate. Sadly this was not to be, and, at the end, I watched him climb the stairs at his very own 65th birthday party and disappear into some ethereal and well lit mist. Should’ve been cheesy but there was a degree of poignancy to it. Death (Joe) had spent time with this family, come to respect the man he was there to take, fallen in love, learned what it was to be human….and, when it was time, death came gentler because of it.

Now here is the bit where you’ll have to bear with me coz there’s some obscure joined up thinking about to happen.

A long time ago in a previous life, I would cycle to work from my remote farm cottage on some very hilly and bendy back lanes. I loved it….revelled in the quietness and beauty of those early morning hours, just me, the tarmac and nature abounding. One morning however, as I swept round a corner to dive straight into a long, steep dip, I came across a deer at the side of the road that had been hit by a car. It couldn’t stand, despite trying desperately, and was very distressed. My compassion flew into action, as it would for most folk, and I slowed my bike down a safe distance away to see what could be done. Who to call to help? Who would be awake? It was still really, really early! Eventually I tried the RSPCA thinking that they would come, wrap the deer up, and take it away to mend its broken bits, but unfortunately they were too far away and couldn’t help. They did however, give me the number for a local vets, who I eventually got hold of and was told that someone was on their way - whoop whoop!

During this time I’d edged closer to the deer and had plonked myself down on the grass verge a short distance away. With nothing better to do than wait for the vet, and needing to fill my own anxious void with sound, I began to talk to the deer. Soothing words of little importance - kind words, sweet words, reassuring words. The deer had settled by now, maybe accepting at last that it couldn’t run, and it sat quietly in the morning dew and sunshine. It was very tranquil, and although there was pain and trauma, there was also a gentle peace to it all. A small connection was made in ways I still don’t quite understand - a strange intimacy built through a myriad of tiny details. It felt right and it felt safe, and all was well.

I would love to be able to say, with all my heart, that there was a happy outcome to this story when the vet arrived, but sadly there was not. Sometimes a life cannot be saved , no matter how much we will it….just as in Meet Joe Black.

My relationship with the concept of death is a complex one, but I’m beginning to wonder if we are all not a bit like Joe Black….if, like him, we are occasionally given cause to wear the mantle of Death and sit gently with others, wether it be man or beast, while they prepare themselves to take their final journey. And if so, I hope it will always be met with the compassion, love and respect that this film portrayed.

Be kind - always 🫶

[ecargmura]

Wind Breaker Episode 2 Review - Welcome To Fuurin High

With an action-packed premiere, the second episode is more of a slower paced one as it helps Sakura and the viewers be introduced to the town and Furin High School with the help of newly introduced Akihiko Nirei who isn’t much of a fighter but more of an information broker in a way. Will Sakura be able to fit into the town and the school?

Sakura still isn’t used to the friendliness of the town as he gets used as a horse by a granny and the other townsfolk give him presents as thanks for protecting the town yesterday. Sakura does take all of their gifts as he’s a sucker for compliments but he then loses them when a girl comes up to him for help. The post-credit skit reveals that he actually picked them back up and ate them. He’s a good boy at heart.

When he stops by Cafe Porthos, which is Kotoha’s cafe and the cafe the granny he was helping out wanted to go, Kotoha gives him breakfast, which is a fancy egg sandwich with fruits and this is where he meets Nirei, who barges in with a fancy shirt underneath his uniform and starts being a bit nosy as he asks Sakura if his white hair comes from stress. I was laughing when he mentioned that.

My impression of Nirei is that he’s definitely going to be the brain to Sakura’s brawn, but  with a unique twist that both of them share a braincell. I do like that he’s practically Sakura’s guide to the town and that he’s a huge klutz as he’s always tripping and colliding into something. I feel you, Nirei. I collide into things all the time. While he’s a motor mouth, I find Nirei cute! He’s not as cute as Sakura, but he has his moments! I do like that while he sucks at fighting, he still has guts to protect someone from gangsters. I just hope he won’t be a liability going forth. The last thing we need is the constant distressed person for Sakura to save.

Nirei’s voice actor is Shoya Chiba. I’ve seen his name pop up in different animes. I’m most familiar with his role as Sing Su Ling from Banana Fish and he was also in Blue Lock as Imamura. I do like that the anime does cast well-known names and rising stars to bring in their fans and get fans of the original source hyped up for a splendid voice cast.

Fuurin High School is quite a wacky school. The students in Sakura class are also very interesting. One standout face is a rather beautiful boy with an eyepatch and tassel earrings named Hayato Suo. He teases Sakura by introducing himself as Leonardo Dicaprio. The fact that Sakura falls for it and believes he’s from overseas before Suo corrects himself was hilarious. He’s surprisingly a jokester, which actually makes him a lot harder to read. Is he hiding something? He’s definitely that one character who is flighty but has a sad past.

His voice actor is Nobunaga Shimazaki. I really like Shimazaki’s voice and he shows off his range from voicing the lethargic Nagi from Blue Lock to flighty Suo. I feel like Shimazaki isn’t particularly typecasted because he has versatility. Like, you both expect and not expect him to voice a character like Suo? Like when you listen to it, it just fits? The fact that Yuma Uchida and Nobunaga Shimazaki reunite here is both amusing and cool! They were Nagi and Reo in Blue Lock and Kyo and Yuki in Fruits Basket!

The last standout character is Kyotaro Sugishita who makes his presence known to Sakura by throwing a desk at him. Talk about making an entrance. He’s someone who really respects Umemiya, the top person of the school and doesn’t abide to anyone who speaks ill of him. This is why he picks a fight with Sakura. He’s tall, but hunches. His scowl and long black hair helps him stand out.

His voice actor is Kouki Uchiyama and it surprisingly fits. He’s got the trademark moody and emo vibes Ucchi characters are known for. I just need to listen to it more because he only shows up towards the end of the episode.

I honestly can’t wait to see what sort of story Wind Breaker will be about and how Sakura will become the top of the school. I also can’t wait to see what sort of friend group he’ll have as it’s necessary for a shounen MC to have one! I’ll be tuning in next week to see more. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[miatartistry]

For your decision-making purposes!!

Honestly, I adored the fact that Laurence went blind. It added an additional limit to his character, as well as some twisted irony: for someone who places a lot of value on looks/first appearances, how would he have coped with not being able to see reflect on him?

It made me super angry when his blindness was just cured, straight out, even when I was younger and first watching through the series; it didn’t sit right with me. I understand that it’s a universe where magic exists, but magic should also have some limitations, so that would be a neat way to expand upon those limits!! Especially with Zoey, who’s magic is primarily healing-based; you could even go into something deeper, in which Laurence’s sight might be something that he wants but not necessarily needs.

There’s also not a whole lot of canonically disabled characters within the series, anyway, so to have part of the main cast be disabled in any manner would not only be a point for representation, BUT it would also be super fun from a writing and character building standpoint!!

How would his fighting style reflect with his lack of sight? Would he adopt one of Aphmau’s dogs as his own as a seeing eye dog/partner, seeing as his sister took one of her dogs as her own (or heck, maybe Ungrth would stick around more often, “acting as his eyes”)? How would he interact with Garroth, and how would Garroth interact with him, considering his hang ups in the beginning about showing his face? Etc etc

SO SORRY, this got long, I just feel super passionate about this subject specifically lol, and also Laurence; he’s one of my biggest comfort characters. I’m currently writing a blind character of my own, as well, so I’ve got some experience with both it’s challenges portraying it correctly + how it would fit into the narrative :D

Thank you for this amazing response!! I agree that him being blind adds a lot to his character, as someone who takes his own looks very seriously. But that’s not all that it could add. I’m not gonna spoil anything for my rewrite, but I’ll give you a hint: Laurance has a huge affinity for the earth. With this blindness, his senses would be heightened and he would notice just how uncanny this connection of his is (something he even had before this blindness but just wasn’t noticeable). As you said, vision being something he wants but he doesn’t need, just because of this natural connection he has with the Earth. Also, I just think it’d be funny if he could dodge a ditch perfectly but then run into an actual human being right after 💀

More under cut:

I also totally agree about having representation in the main cast. It felt a little weird that his sight was just healed with little to no explanation on how it was done, it almost felt like Jess thought it was an obstacle she wouldn’t be able to write around. Me personally, I’ve never written from a blind persons perspective before, except a little bit from Laurance’s POV in the first chapter of TBATD. It’s a challenge that I really do want to take on though, not only because of the representation (that I hope I can get right, if you have any sources, advice, or experiences you’d want to share let me know!), but also from a character building standpoint:

You brought up how his fighting style would be affected, which I’m thinking about too. Not only would he have to learn how to sense the battlefield, he’d also have to learn new skills and techniques. I’ll do my research and look more into how blind people can fight, but for Laurance I think that’d take a huge toll on his mental health. He has trained basically his entire life, he was the head guard of Meteli. He gets frustrated easily (not only is it just his personality, but his emotions can get sort of out of control because of his Shadow Knight situation), and the beginning of learning how to fight blind would not be easy. Of course he’d have help, presumably from Garroth (more friendship development for those two. They despise each other in my rewrite), but it’d still be super hard and he’d probably be depressed about it.

And more on his his relationship with Garroth, yeah I saw someone post something about Garroth taking off his helm off and for the first time, Laurance just silently feels his face and I think that sort of sealed the deal for me at that point. If you don’t know already, Garroth and Laurance will have a romantic relationship in my rewrite (well, as romantic as rivalry can get), so I can already imagine some really cute scenes for them if Laurance stays blind, as well as some angsty scenes.

Laurance is an amazing character and I’m happy you’re just as passionate about him as I am. He’s a comfort for me definitely lol, ever since I was kid. For your own character, update me on how it goes!! Thank you again for this response. <3

[mitchelldailygames]

Developer Deep Dive: Holy Wah! It’s Mothman and Rawr! It’s Mizz Wexler

I’m going to do these two at the same time, because they really go together. These are both hacks of Levon Jihanian’s Fuck! It’s Dracula (which is excellent but unfortunately quite hard to find) based in the world of one of my favorite podcasts, Mystery County Monster Hunters Club (MCMHC).

Fuck! It’s Dracula is a 200 word RPG that I love to hack. It’s great for telling stories about looming threats and, every time I’ve played it, sees the stakes escalating dramatically with each scene. It consists of 5 “Phases” that carry players through the plot and a random roll for the scene that goes with that phase. The original game was about Dracula landing on a desert planet.

A little about MCMHC for context: it’s a Monster of the Week actual play podcast where teens and their monster hunter mentor, Susan Wexler, investigate the various threats to their hometown including demons, giant catfish, a cult of undercover salamander people, and Mothman. In fact, one of the characters is a Mothman in its larval stage! Oh, and it’s all set in Superior, the 51st state of the USA, formerly the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s funny. It has heart. It’s sometimes terrifying. I highly recommend it.

Holy Wah! It’s Mothman is about residents of Mystery County encountering Mothman. It’s set in the same location as MCMHC a long time before the podcast starts up. It’s a pretty direct reskinning of Fuck! It’s Dracula, just making the same kind of scenes fit the setting and situation. I’m still really proud of the visuals of this game with a digital drawing I made of Mothman looming in front of a moon in the background. I think it opened up in my mind some ways I could make future games more visually appealing. Fun fact: “Holy Wah!” is an exclamation characteristic of the Upper Peninsula.

Rawr! It’s Mizz Wexler is about monsters in a small town encountering famous monster hunter Susan Wexler. In the original Fuck! It’s Dracula game and in Holy Wah! It’s Mothman, each time you roll to find out what will happen in a scene, there’s a 1-in-6 chance someone will fall in love with the monster. In Rawr! It’s Mizz Wexler there’s a 3-in-6 chance. I don’t know what to tell you, Susan Wexler is a real monster fucker.

I think this is a really fun twist on the original game in the way it flips the script, both by having the players be monsters and in increasing the chance of romance. I originally wrote it more as a bit of a joke, but I ended up loving it and the cast of the podcast loved it too. You can hear them playing it (solidifying this game as canon in the pod) and all of their episodes here! They play Rawr! It’s Mizz Wexler in episode 328.

I hope you go check it out and enjoy it as much as I do!

--Daily

[screaming--agony]

You bring out the worst in me. I’ve been pretty quiet on a lot, I don’t really like drama but I’m wholeheartedly tired of hearing you play the victim when you won’t take any accountability for anything you said or did. You speak so highly of yourself during a period of time and talk so low and disrespectful to the other person. You twist the truth to fit your narrative and self-sabotage. You keep saying other people cheated and used you. I believe you have a guilty conscience. I was there for you during your dark times, but you gaslit me into mine. I came to you sobbing and all you said was to go cut myself. You never bothered to talk to me or read anything I said, you made jokes and belittled me. I tried so hard to be enough for you but you strayed off to someone else and cheated. I didn’t know about it until recently. Or I wouldn’t have stayed in contact, to be there for you, to give you advice on your relationship that you sucked me into. I wouldn’t have continued to listen. I wouldn’t have let you play me like a fiddle. You act like a Saint and as if you did nothing wrong. But you don’t share the other side, the side where you were toxic. People tried to open doors for you but you didn’t walk through them, you just lit fires at the entrance. You can’t disrespect and belittle your partner and wonder why they closed your door. I’m sure there’s someone out there for you. But things for you aren’t going to change unless you take accountability for your words and actions. Healing is accepting and you don’t accept. You don’t move on. You would probably have a positive mindset if you stopped self-sabotaging. You made me realize a lot in our fallout. I deserve to be heard. I deserve to be understood. I deserve loyalty. You weren’t cheated on. No matter how much you try to spin the facts, you had a loyal partner. Who is now happy in their life, trying to move on. You sucked me into your relationship for so long, I saw everything. Every misunderstanding, every word shared, every heated argument. All of it. I witnessed everything. I could have been your couples therapist. And you try to spin it all even when there’s facts “receipts” to counter your lies and false beliefs. You aren’t a victim. Everything you portray others to be, is what you are. It’s who you are. It isn’t okay to treat a human like they are less than dirt. It’s never okay to tell someone to cut themselves or go die. It’s never okay to call someone hateful names during an argument or take low blow jabs with information you were told in private to use it against them. I always hoped that you would be the positive person I thought you could be but you keep showing me that you won’t ever change. You won’t ever have self-reflection or healing unless you accept it all. I’m not saying you are a bad person, you do have good qualities and there’s moments where there is positivity. But your lies. Your victim act of being cheated on and used and lied to. You did it all, willingly and repeatedly. You never admit your wrongs. I never cheated on you. I loved you unconditionally. I put your wants first and put mine on the back burner. I never tried so hard to make things work. No relationship is perfect. But I deserve better. And I found a better influence. No cheating involved. Time passed and simple communication happened. I found a person who is understanding and wants to understand when things aren’t clear. I found a person who doesn’t make me feel like I want to die. I found a person who doesn’t make me feel like a burden when my anxiety is high, they are there for me and reminding me to breathe. I know all the stories you spin are lies because you threw me into your relationship when things were rocky. I know if you took accountability for yourself, maybe you could finally heal instead of dwelling and entertaining thoughts that aren’t real. You said to stay out of your life which I would love nothing more but you keep popping into mine. So maybe stay out of my life? Respectively fuck off.

[justanotherfanfolks]

Twisted Wonderland Main Story Scattered Thoughts (Prologue Chapter 1-2)

Let's take it from the top, I need a refresher!

Okay first things first, uh, Grim? Buddy. Our beloved arsonist. How were you planning on getting the robes off of Yuu? How were you planning on WEARING human sized robes? Also, yes Grim, weasel. Reason 1: tiny gremlin. I think it was ferret in Japanese. Reason 2: I believe in Yuu choosing violence in the dialogue options. Peace was never an option. And again I ask, how is he planning to fit those robes? LOL the chase sequence, that’s one way to get a grand tour! GRIM, NO FIRE IN THE LIBRARY, THINK OF THE BOOKS! Omg, it’s Crowley! How- how did he know to come here? Did he just see the open coffin and go “...ooooooooo… I should check on what that is.” You know, people always think Grim is Yuu’s familiar, I want to know more about how familiars work in Twisted Wonderland. Wait, I just realized Grim doesn’t have his stone, NO, HE LOOKS WEIRD WITHOUT IT! TWST PUT IT BACK! I really want to see how the beginning of the ceremony looks when everyone gets out of the coffins, since they aren’t supposed to get out themselves. I wanna see the full orientation. Dang it Ramshackle Duo, I wanted to see that! Hope the anime shows us. Hm. So Crowley opens them himself. I imagine he does it with magic, but imagine this man opening 200 coffins by hand. Nah, Crowley would never. He doesn’t do anything. Well, except make me suspicious, but that’s a conversation for another day. Wait, hang on I think I should’ve picked the other dialogue option, that might answer some questions. I'll do that later. You know, when I first played the prologue, I tried reading it with a translation next to me (as everyone insisted it was superior), but I got a headache going back and forth so I bit the bullet and just read the ENG version. Ah, who dis be or where I be? Both logical questions. I’ll ask who dis be, I don’t remeber what I picked the first time. He’s truly shooketh at the idea of Yuu not knowing who he is. “My magnamity is boundless” ah here come the cracks! There’s the Crowley we know and… know. Hold on, there’s a CHAIRMAN!? I forgot about that, who is this chairman? And why pick Crowley? Magic or academy. Well, if it was me I’d be more interested in the magic aspect than the academy aspect. Like Yuu, we gotta ask the real questions here, why be shocked at the idea of school? I also want to know more about this carriage thing- I know in the manga and I’m pretty sure the novel too the Yuus get isekaied by Carriage-kun Truck-kun style, does Yuu get isekaied by Carriage-kun in the game? To me it sounds like you’re supposed to climb into a coffin in a carriage, I hope the others students were informed of how this works. Also, how the heck did this coffin appear in Not Twisted Wonderland, I have so many questions. “So this carriage dragged me here against my will?” yes, this is the Yuu I am here for! Okay that was the first Chapter of the Prologue, I forgot how much I liked that! I can’t wait for the novel to drop in English, I really want to read it in book form! I am holding that thing to the standard of Yuurei20’s translations, I expect nothing less!

Omg, hello Twistune! The whiplash I had of the first 3 Prologue twistunes with the fairy gala twistunes was crazy. RIDDLE! RIDDLE! THAT’S MY BOY, HI BUDDY! Oh no, the pre-character development whiplash is gonna hurt! Did Leona sleep through the whole orientation? Azul is boy with glasses, what an observation Yuu. Also, how close was Yuu to be able to notice Leona had ears? They’re under his hood? And that Vil is handsome, I know what you are, Yuu! Well, either Yuu is that or I’m just too ace to notice when someone is handsome. I mean it’s a literal fact about Vil… anyway! Crowley really just dipped in the middle of the ceremony! Wait, does that mean Grim was chasing Yuu that long? Yuu has stamina for days, Yuu should have joined the track club! Couldn’t be me, I would’ve died by the second location. Also does that mean they called Yuu’s name and Yuu not showing up tipped Crowley off? Oh, that explains it. Yuu last name reveal then? Anyone? Voice from tablet, heh. Hm, but no one else knew why he left… Oh gosh, he just barged in. Guess he doesn’t like being accused of a tummyache. Even he thinks he’s a weasel. Okay let’s settle this: Weasel, Cat, or Ferret, place your votes now! I don’t actually have a poll. Hello Dark Mirror! Oh that’s the mirror bgm! Well, I mean no duh it’s the bgm music, I guess I just never realized DM had a theme song. Can I call you DM? I’m calling you DM. “I’m Yuu…” Yuu WHAT, Yuu? You can’t hide that last name forever! The squint! “Unclear to me… soundless, colorless, shapeless, utterly vacant” POV, you have no soul! Honestly, if I got teleported to a school for mages only to find out I had no magic, I would be utterly devastated. I’d love to be magical! One century, is that saying the system has been around for 100 years or that the school has been around for 100 years? Yuu just showed up and broke the streak, good on Yuu! I really want to know Grim’s backstory, like what is his deal? He’s got magic, but he’s mistaken for a familiar and isn’t allowed to be a whole student? I wonder what would have happened if he went up to the DM? Being honest, he doesn’t seem like a fit anywhere, but I’m curious. Someone, give him a Buzzfeed quiz! HE SET KALIM ON FIRE, GRIM NOOOO! Save the arson for later! Leona: “Can I go now, orrrrr…” no but he was ready to lead, the Ramshackle Duo is interrupting his nap time. Azuuuul! Your smiles are sus! Chill out pal! He just breathes in manipulation, wild. Yes Idia, that is participation credit. When I’m participating, I’m the type to just look around to see if anyone else has their hand up before volunteering. HE’S STILL ON FIRE, HELP HIM! Where is Jamil, aren’t the vice housewardens here? Is it just me, or does Kalim sound a little different? Actually, good point Leona, this is Crowley’s first installment of his Not Doing Anything Helpful World Tour. The first of many. Yay, Riddle! Ooo, Twistune time! … gosh it’s so SLOW OMG! I have a question for the class. Apparently, the story within the twistune varies based on whether or not we reach the designated score threshold. Does anyone know what it looks like if you don’t get there? The perfectionist in me refuses to fail to find out.

[sharkneto]

Any WIP's you wanna share? 🔫

Man, always, but I also feel like I'm running low on WIPs to share lol. it's hard to keep track of what's already been shared. What to pick from, tho, what to pick from...

Have a snip from this fic that's just been sitting on my computer for too long. It's technically done, idk why I haven't posted it. Fits in with not alone series, Allison finds Five in a low moment:

There’s one of Five’s problems, right there, Allison thinks. Another one they don’t know how to fix. “What about you?”

“What about me?” he repeats back dully, tucking himself tighter into his ball.

“What about your happy ending?”

He doesn’t respond for a long time. They watch another delivery at the florist on the corner. She thinks he’s just not when he mumbles, “This is it, isn’t it? My good ending.”

Allison tightens her grip on his foot. He doesn’t react to it.

“Really,” he adds, almost to himself, “what do I have to complain about? Got everything I wanted. Well, five-sixths of what I wanted. That’s pretty good.”

Her heart aches for Ben, too. She wonders how that grief, now dull and familiar after all these years, would twist if she technically had the ability to save him but still couldn’t. Five is Five, so he must have tried; the fact that they don’t have Ben means there’s something that stopped him. She won’t ask. “You did really good, Five.”

He hums absently. “Never said I didn’t. Could have done better, though.” He glances at her, an eyebrow raised in a sad mockery of playful. “’Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.’”

It’s times like this where it really slaps her in the face that her brother truly is a fifty-eight-year-old man trapped as a thirteen-year-old. The weight to his gaze around how he’s trying to lighten the mood for her is extraordinary. That did sound like a quote, though, the cadence he said it with. “Is that from something?”

Five shrugs. “Something or other. I only found the one page of it. Some play. It was at a point where most other paper had disintegrated if I hadn’t saved it, so it was an interesting find. Stuck with me.”

“It’s a good quote,” she offers.

The corner of his mouth twitches up. “It does sound rather profound. Which means it’s probably the only good line from the worst play that no one ever saw. That’s my luck.”

Allison smiles with him, although it cuts her a little bit.

Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.

She looks back outside.

“You don’t usually talk about this stuff,” she says after a beat.

He sighs. “And I shouldn’t. You don’t need to deal with any of it and here I am dumping it on you. Guess you caught me at the wrong time.”

“Or the right time. I’m always happy to listen, Five.”

He gives her a flat look. “Nothing about this is happy.”

“You know what I mean. I’d rather you weren’t stewing in it by yourself. We want to help.”

“The whole point of everything was you wouldn’t have to. I’m fine, Allison. Really. Turns out I’m just a tired and maudlin old man. Who could have seen that coming.”

Allison rubs her thumb over the top of his foot. He still hasn’t pulled it away from her so it must be ok. His word choice gives her pause. “You haven’t been drinking, right?”

Another flat look. “Three, it’s two in the afternoon.”

The not yet goes unspoken but she hears it. “Touché,” she says anyway, her heart thumping funny at him calling her by her number. It’s something he’d done when they were kids, too; they’d had real names by the time they were nine but Five, as the lone number left, was the only one still allowed to use the numbers. He did rarely, when particularly irritated or – in truly rare instances – particularly affectionate.

It's something she’d forgotten. Another piece of him, still there.