#and I'm deadly serious when I say that this is the worst part of this chapter

[buttercupshands]

wait a minute

stop.

stop it.

[tofixtheshadows]

You guys really need to stop and consider the ways you're talking about Kabru I am dead fucking serious. Like I know that flattening characters is just what fandom does to a certain extent, but Kabru's actual personality is getting lost to the fandom hivemind insisting that he's aggressive/cruel/sociopathic/hateful, and these are particularly concerning takes to see leveled at the only brown character in the main cast day after day. "My poor sweet golden child Laios needs to be protected from this scary brown man" is not a good look! Like, it's very telling that the bulk of the hate and bad faith readings are reserved for Toshiro and Kabru. Everyone else's flaws get to be discussed and validated and forgiven (or erased), meanwhile people are straight making up things to be mad about with Toshiro and Kabru but patting themselves on the back for being smart.

The worst part is how undeserved it all is. I'm trying to lay off anime-onlys because we're still kind of in the red herring stage of getting to know Kabru, but I would still like to gently suggest that even if you think Kabru is up to something, you don't gave to get in the tags of every fan creator's post and bring up how you hate him or You Can Tell he's totally evil. Sometimes I think Kabru's blue eyes give people license to say things about his appearance that they know would sound completely racist otherwise, but referring to his blue eyes acts as a get-out-of-racism free card. The jokes about the dog with brown contacts are getting old, by the way.

For people who have read the manga, it's disappointing. Kabru is one of the most complex and important characters in the story, and if you base your interpretation of him and all your fandom interactions on shallow first impressions you are completely missing out.

I know part of this is because Dungeon Meshi is a comedy, but the story also wants to be taken seriously. For example, it's admittedly really funny when Chilchuck calls Laios "sick in the head", but that doesn't change the fact that the way Chilchuck casually belittles Laios caused him to hide the fact that he was "hallucinating" from his friends for weeks. Those feelings matter.

Like, this

is funny.

But this?

Is not. This is just a very clear example of a brown boy with PTSD. As someone else with PTSD, just looking at this fucking sucks, man.

The only reason why Kabru thinks about killing Laios is because he is in the middle of a flashback. He's struggling through a panic attack. If he truly wanted to kill Laios because he's violent or because he finds Laios inherently annoying, he wouldn't otherwise talk with Laios normally. Notice how he doesn't act this way at any other point in the story- it's just because he's triggered by monsters. Even when he's thinking about his plans to "deal with" Laios later, he's reluctant to actually kill him and only considers it to prevent another tragedy. Despite his deadly skills, Kabru relies far more on "soft" power- insight, persuasion, diplomacy. He's a rare example of a character who absolutely is, or at least can be, manipulative, but seems to use his abilities for good. He's not a pathological liar, he isn't looking down on everyone behind a smile. He's someone who is extremely emotionally intelligent, and he's willing to put aside all his own basic wants and needs to stop the cycle of dungeons devouring humans.

I'm going to cut a potential thesis on his character short and just give some examples of things that fandom should consider about his personality more:

Racism in fandom isn't just about whitewashing in fan art, or using racial slurs. The insidiousness of bad faith readings, reductions to racist tropes, lack of fan content for characters of color, and dismissal of a character's complexity are far more common. You can believe yourself to be completely neutral or even positive about a character and still churn out low-grade bile about them into fandom's collective unconscious. Fandom reflects real life.

And I have been around fandom long enough to see how these behaviors (mostly from my fellow white fans) affect fans of color, how it makes a fandom feel hostile and unwelcome to them. It's fun to make jokes and memes, I'm absolutely not saying that everything needs to be a deeply nuanced take, but we need to be careful that it doesn't veer into toxicity. Please think about how our contributions to fandom come across, and what sort of vibes they cultivate in this communal space.

[noirvette]

WE NEVER EXISTED

[band smau]

[TWELVE]

masterlist.

prev. | next.

extra.

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You genuinely had no clue how the conversation was going to go the minute Kyle arrived. Part of you feared the worst, after all he was asking to come over to discuss this.. whoever this is and IN person too.

Wild theories ran through your mind, is it the same person who hacked Kenny? What if this person is linked to your stalker? What if they're the same person? What if it's Kenny doing this? Among other what if's. You felt guilty for the last thought, Kenny wouldn't do something like this to one of his best friends. Besides, if it is the same person who hacked Kenny's twitter account, what would that imply? That Kenny faked his own hacking? The idea was just silly.

Knocks at your door is what shook you out of your thoughts and you got up to open the door; there stood Kyle. The tired look on his face managed to increase tenfold since you had last seen him just a few hours ago. Stepping out of the doorway to let him in, he enters silently but the silence speaks volumes to you as you watch him drag himself around your apartment and into your living room.

Closing the door and following him, you sit down across from him. Kyle has his head in his hands, looking down at the floor.

"Kyle?" You ask.

He doesn't respond for a few minutes and you can tell the stress of whatever has happened over the last few hours has really gotten to him.

"Kyle?" You ask again.

He deeply sighs and looks up at you, "Sorry, Y/n."

You wave him off, "it's alright, just start talking when you're ready."

You watch as he takes a few moments to compose himself and he sits up straight.

"The person has repeatedly contacted me, never called though which is great. I still can't block them, the numerous amount of times I have, the number always manages to reach me again," Kyle explains, "What gets me is that they keep talking about this thing of 'World breaking news'! but they jump around the subject whenever I try and bring it up."

"Kyle it sounds like you need to leave your phone be for a while."

"Yeah, I probably should but a part of me wonders if this is like, deadly serious and if I ignore it, someone dies or something." Kyle stresses, nervously playing with his hands.

"Okayyy," You sigh, "That kind of thinking isn't going to help you in any way and now I know you need to stop watching those drama crime shows with Stan and Clyde."

That gets Kyle to let out a huffed laugh and you can even see a small smile on his face, "BOOM! Got you to laugh," You stand up, "Want anything to drink?"

"I'll take a water, thanks Y/n." Kyle smiles awkwardly as you give him a thumbs up and head to your kitchen.

Coming back with two glasses of water, you set one down in front of Kyle and you hold the other, taking a sip as you sit down, "Now, realistically this person sounds like they're just trolling you. Hard."

Kyle nods and you continue, "And I'm not meaning to alarm you but it seems like they're well versed in well...cyber security...technology.. whatever you get my point here. So why don't you take your phone in and see if the people there know of a way to fix this phone number problem? You never know if they hack into your phone next."

Kyle's eyes widen and his mouth opens and then closes a few times, "What you think it's the same person who hacked Kenny?"

You shrug, "Good of a guess as any, I mean two technological events or, whatever this is called, happening? Within days of each other? Seems convenient and too coincidental to be two separate people, you know?"

Nodding, Kyle can't help but check his phone and for the first time in minutes, he hasn't received one text message. He lets out a sigh of relief and looks back up at you, who's looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I know, leave my phone be." Kyle mutters out, puts his phone back in his pocket.

"Well? Did you get anything though?" You probe, curiosity causing you to be a bit nosy.

Kyle shakes his head and you also let out a sigh of relief, "You see! This is what I mean, this.." You stumble at a loss for words of what to call this person.

"Asshole?" Kyle offers.

"Yes asshole, is probably just trolling you." You finish.

He nods and the two of you now sit in silence one more, sipping on your waters.

A ding goes off and the both of you freeze. Kyle looks at you expectantly and you shake your head, your phone is on do not disturb at the moment, so you know it isn't yours.

Kyle clenches his jaw and takes his phone out of his pocket once more and you already know it's the person Kyle's been mentioning as you watch how his face contorts to one of pure exhaustion.

He turns his phone on, reading the message and you sneakily scoot closer to him, trying to catch a peak. Kyle after reading the message looks up at you and can't help himself letting out a snort at how you look before just handing you his phone.

"Go ahead, you're interested and it's the least I can do considering how you're helping me handle this, besides I have no clue what this screenshot is supposed to even be."

You look down at his phone to read the screenshot Kyle is talking about.

You hand Kyle's phone back to him with the biggest look of confusion on your face, "What the fuck? What is this supposed to be?"

Kyle shrugs, "I have genuinely no clue, if this is the 'world breaking news' this guy was talking about then I hope the world isn't dependent on a riddle, because I cannot solve the meaning behind this at all."

TAGLIST: @captivq @kimiesstuff @bwljules @the-cooler-kira @1one1person1 @kenny-the-ken @neenieweenie @n0tangeliccc @revzxn @mirophobic @gonefiishiing @musiclovebot @bootsieboo @bonez4brainz @s0l4riss @1996kj @sweetadonisbutbetter @scinclaitnoir @okarigold

[btskitten7]

Chapter v: A deadly favor (part 3)

Ship: Min Yoongi x fem reader

AU/Genre: Mafia!AU

Rating: M

wc: 7.2k (all parts together)

Chapter warnings: spicy scene (oral f. Receiving. Fingering. Implied love making) Yoongi getting drunk (and very sad) stalking mentioned. Selling drugs.

Chapter summary: this is where Yoongi’s mask starts to slip and he’s having difficulty keeping it straight. He knows his lies are going to catch up to him and it’s getting to him. Namjoon betrays Yoongi without knowing the extent of his betrayal. Yoongi’s dad is an ass here :/ Hoseok is closing in on you. This is where things are going downhill.

taggs: @shadowjellyfishfest @princess-sunshyn @scuzmunkie @baechugff @maunosorioh @shelyamc

Yoongi knew this was a mistake, he felt it in his soul. There's no doubt he trusted Namjoon but the little voice in his head became louder and louder. For the first time, he was questioning Namjoon’s intentions. He didn't have much time to think about it any further, but he wasn't done with Namjoon yet.

Later at the dinner, Yoongi didn't say much as he always does. Whenever he would go with his dad to meetings in the past, he'd always sit back and listen. Yoongi was always watching his surroundings, he had no choice. Growing up a mob boss's kid had its perks but it also had many disadvantages. The worst one was the many attempts on his life.

It's why he's not sure if wants to have children. Even after he's gone from this life, he'll always be known as a mob boss kid and now mob boss.

People always saw his father being unfaithful to his mother so they would target his life thinking it'll get his father to do anything. It did, but it also forced Yoongi to live his life in fear most of the time. It pushed him right into the life he wanted no part in.

Yoongi looked back and forth at the two men talking, listening to every word. He didn't even touch his food or his drink. It was like he wasn't there. A small part of him wasn't. He had major concerns but he knew he couldn't voice them, at least not in front of his father's friend.

"Can we get the real reason why we're here?" Yoongi interrupted, over the small talk. He could care less about the many women they slept with or how much they spent of their fucking shoes.

Min chuckled.

"Ah, excited to get started." Min's friend said happily. Yoongi couldn't believe the likes of him was in the drug trade. He was always so happy and cheery. It always came as forced and fake to him. Honestly seeing his face pissed him off. He despised the man so much, he didn't even want to learn his name. Something about him made his skin crawl. When he becomes boss, he's going to make sure they never deal with him again.

"Not really. I'm eager to get back home and to sleep." Yoongi said with a deadpan voice.

The men around him laughed at his response, except for Namjoon.

"I agree with Yoongi. If we're just here to talk about women and other topics then we could have done this at home." Namjoon agreed. Yoongi's eyes traveled to Namjoon then back at the man.

Then men sat there in silence which was a first for the whole evening.

"Well you heard my underboss. Let's get this over with. We both have important shit to get to"

Min chucked again. He loved seeing his son become the king he always wanted him to be.

"Well Sebastian, you heard my son. Let's get down to business. What will it take to get involved with your...investment" Min asked with a smirk.

" It's different. You have to prove yourself loyal and reliable. You can't be a risk." Sebastian turned serious which tickled Yoongi.

"Can't be a risk..." Yoongi mumbled to himself followed by another chuckle.

Namjoon sighed softly. Min nodded.

"Haven't we've always shown that we're loyal to you? We've given you protection. We've stood in your place to eliminate any problems for you. What else do we have to prove?"

"You've done that. You've shown your loyalty. But your son has not," he started." Who's to say that he won't be a liability to me and my investments? I know you. I don't know him"

Yoongi laughed completely astonished.

"How do I know you won't be a liability to me? How can I trust you? I'm only going off of what my father has told me and what I've seen. I don't know you." Yoongi explained.

His words dismayed Sebastian. Yoongi already didn't want to participate and if he is going to  be an asshole, he will walk out right now. They didn’t need him. Like he needs them

Min looked at Sebastian with a condescending smirk.

"Having my son by your side is a good thing. We have connections that you don't have even with all your little investments."

"One day you can have it all and the next," Yoongi said looking dark and serious, "you don't have anything at all. I can walk away from this 'meeting' and still make millions. You can't be sure that you'll be able to walk away from this table let alone back to your wife and kids"

Sebastian's widened eyes displayed fear. He looked over to Min who also shared the same dark glare. As his eyes continued across the table he realized he was in a room full of Korea's most dangerous men. They could kill him right now and get off free. No one would even bat an eye.

Yoongi didn't like to bring up people's personal life because he wouldn't like it if someone did it to him in a situation like this. The only difference between him and Sebastian, you could get rid of anyone that brought you up. Sebastian cannot.

Sebastian cleared his throat and let out a nervous chuckle. "I was just testing you son. You seem pretty trustworthy to me I’ll have everything set up by the time you leave here"

“Great” min smiled.

"So, Yoongi. What have you gotten yourself into nowadays?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

Yoongi lifted his eyes to the man. "What is there to get into? Nothing excites me anymore, not in this life”

"Awww, stop it. There has to be something you are into. Or at least catches your eye?" He chuckled.

"Nothing," Yoongi said plainly. No one questioned Yoongi's attitude, he always spoke like this during these things.

"So, yn doesn't excite you?" Min said looking over at Yoongi. Yoongi's eyes shot straight at his father. Namjoon felt the wind leave his chest. Namjoon's father sat there with a smirk on his face.

'Why the fuck would he bring up yn?' Yoongi asked himself.

This wasn't a regular friend's dinner. This is a dinner with who could turn on their family at any moment they're pressed to. Bringing up Yn, would only cause her protection to be jeopardized. Yoongi was pissed and he couldn't hide his anger.

"Leave her out of this," Yoongi said.

"Who's yn?" his Sebastian seemingly confused but excited. Yoongi's father chuckled at his son's reaction.

"It's a woman my son has fallen in love with. She's quite the catch if you ask me" His father said ignoring Yoongi completely.

"Seems pretty exciting to me" Namjoon's father added. Namjoon looked at his father with the most disgust. If he would have known they would act like this he would have told them to do it on their own, regardless if they tell him or not.

Yoongi's blood began to boil but he had to fix this. He had to be convincing.

"I'm not in love with her. There you're wrong." Yoongi said coldly.

Namjoon, Min, and Namjoon's father sat there shocked.

"Oh so she's just something to do to pass the time or until you are bored with her?" Sebastian asked.

"Precisely. Anything could happen to her and it wouldn't phase me either way." Yoongi started as he stood up not giving them a chance to ask another question. "I'm going to retire now. I have things to look over in the aspect of my business. So anything else you can take up with my underboss since he's been so helpful" Yoongi said looking at Namjoon with almost hatred in his eyes before leaving the restaurant.

Yoongi didn't even call his driver. He just kept walking. He knows he was just lying but it still hurt him to even say something like that about you. You were his everything. He would die for you.

He's utterly in love with you.

But he had to throw them off. He had to protect you.

Yoongi's eyes began to sting with tears. He slowly starts to realize that there's going to come a time when everything is going to fall apart. He knew his time with you was limited.

A couple of hours later, Yoongi found himself in a bar, drinking the night away. He was long past drunk. He was shitfaced and should probably call his driver or Namjoon. Yoongi threw himself from the bar and stumbled out.

Pulling his phone out, he tried his hardest to focus his eyes on the screen to dial your number. He probably shouldn't do this but he needed to hear you tell him you loved him.

"Mm..hello? Are you okay Yoongi?" you asked sleepily which made Yoongi's heart swell and his eyes tear.

"I-I'm not okay. I n-need you" Yoongi said, hiccuping in between his words.

You sat up in your bed with a concerned frown.

"Baby, what's the matter? How can I get to you?" you asked rubbing your arm nervously.

"I-I-I-I need you to tell me you love me. That you you you are in l-love with me" Yoongi stuttered, slurring his words. You sighed realizing Yoongi was drunk. You were still concerned but you knew he was there with his father and Namjoon.

"Baby, you know I love you. I am completely in love with you. You know that there is no one I rather be with" You reassured him. All you can hear was him crying and thanking you.

"Baby did something happen?" you asked but Yoongi didn't respond. All you heard was a bunch of shuffling and two voices.

"Yoongi?" you asked worried.

Moments later you heard a car door open and close.

"Yn? Yn? It's Namjoon. I got him. I'm going to put him to bed. We partied too hard I think" Namjoon said nervously as he chuckled.

For some reason, you weren't convinced but you had to let it go since you probably couldn't get through to Yoongi.

"Okay...please have him call me in the morning..."

Namjoon agreed and hung up the phone finally getting into the car after he settled with Yoongi.

"Go. Now" Namjoon told the driver before he turned to a crying Yoongi. His once-perfect hair was now a mess as he kept running his fingers through it anxiously.

"You made me do that shit! You made me lie! I FUCKING LOVE HER. I'm fucking lost without her. I'm in love with her why'd you do that to me?!" Yoongi yelled letting out all his anger.

Namjoon didn't respond, he just allowed Yoongi to rave back to the hotel.

The next morning, Yoongi felt horrible. His head was pounding and each time he moved, he felt he was going to puke. He groaned as he turned over.

He didn't even know why he drank so much. It never made him forget anything nor did he feel great afterwards. Namjoon came in with some aspirin and water. Yoongi looked over at him then went back to hiding his face in the pillow.

"What? I can't fucking sleep either?" Yoongi snapped. Namjoon sighed and sat the stuff on the nightstand next to him before sitting on the bed.

"Yoongi..."

"What do you want Namjoon?"

"I just need to know my hyung is okay."

Yoongi scoffed. If he wasn't feeling so sick he would argue back with him. But he wasn't up to it.

"I'm fine. I'm ready to go home." Yoongi grumbled.

"I already arranged for the jet to take us back as soon as you are ready. But I think you should call yn. She's been blowing up your phone all morning."

Yoongi frowned and threw the pillow to the side before grabbing his phone. Seeing all the calls and texts, he knew he had worried you.

"Yoongi! Are you okay? Namjoon said you guys went out for drinks, did you drink too much?" You asked relieved he finally called back. Yoongi sighed 'Another lie. Great' he thought to himself.

"I'm okay Blossom. I just went a little too crazy last night. I really had a lot of fun last night. I should be home in a few hours" Yoongi said rubbing his head.

"Baby...I don't think you are being truthful.." You say. Yoongi's heart dropped as his head darted up.

"What do you mean baby?"

"Last night you were crying. You kept begging me to tell you I loved you and I was in love with you. Something you should already know. Then after Namjoon got you, you kept calling leaving messages, and texting me. If you had fun, why were you crying?" You asked concerned.

Yoongi cursed himself, instantly regretting calling you.

"Baby, I promise I had fun. It's just that once I got wasted I just missed you a lot. I just needed to hear your voice. That's all Blossom, promise"

You sighed "Okay Yoongi...I'll see you soon. I'm going to go back to sleep for a bit"

"Okay, baby. I love you" He tells you, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"I love you too, Yoongi. I really do. So much" you say before hanging up the phone.

Yoongi sighed and threw his phone on the bed feeling defeated.

~~~~~~

"Why are you so gungho about this woman? Weren't the roses enough? Who cares that she's Yoongi's girl" Taehyung asked.

Jimin looked over at Taehyung sighing softly. Till this day, he wishes things were different but he could never admit that out loud. At least not to his own best friends.

There’s always a bit of pain that comes to Jimin when he hears Yoongi’s name. They were close. Extremely close.

But he chose his side and Yoongi had chosen his. They have to stand on it. For life.

"I have to admit, even though she saved my life, you are acting like she saved yours," Jimin added. Hoseok chuckled and leaned back in his seat as he watched the security cameras from the hospital. He liked watching you work, he couldn't believe that Yoongi found a pure soul, a nurse at that. It's pretty ironic to him.

"I'm just interested. At first, I wanted to just repay a debt but now? I think I'm going to have a bit of fun." Hoseok grinned. “Do you think our friend has told her about his lifestyle?”

“I don’t think so. She doesn’t really seem like this kind to be okay with this sort of behavior” Jimin admitted watching the security cameras.

“If he did, he’s ignorant for letting her just go out into the world with no protection.” Taehyung added.

Hoseok grinned and nodded “interesting” he said.

Taehyung and Jimin looked at each other and then back to Hoseok.

"Don't tell me you're about to take Yoongi's girl" Jimin asked.

Hoseok chuckled.

"Define...take," Hoseok chuckled before finishing "Let's just say, we’re interested in making a new friend"

Hoseok smirked and signaled one of his capos to come forth.

"Yongbok" Hoseok called the young man to which he came quickly and bowed.

"Yes sir" he responded.

Hoseok smiled and looked at Taehyung and Jimin.

“Why don’t you two answer like that? You always give me back talk”

“We’ve known you too long to kiss your ass.” Taehyung smirked while Jimin chuckled.

"Things never change do they,” Hoseok chuckled. "Get me everything you know about that nurse. Follow her, befriend her, stalk her- I don't care just get me the information and do not hurt her. Report back when you've collected something."

“I can do that sir. I shall get started right away”

“Wait-“ Jimin stood “why don’t I go with him? It’ll make more sense for me to. She did save me and Yongbok could play like my concerned little brother.”

“And what if it doesn’t amount to anything more than a simple ‘thank you’ and ‘your welcome’?”

“Then I have another plan. Just trust me”

[hopepaigeturner]

Benophie Week: Day 1

A little excerpt from a fic I'm working on inspired by the show 911...

*~*~*~*~*~*

As Benedict shuffled through his wallet for change, he muttered half-exasperated comments about Anthony, and the divine right of older brothers and all its accompanying annoyances. Due to the frequency of his visits he could direct himself via auto-pilot to the crickety machine that whirred louder than the life-support machines in the hospital. Once he finally scooped together a whopping £1.30 he looked up and halted.

Damn you Anthony.

His most recent comic-book inspiration stood by the vending machine, shifting through her purse. The pretty firefighter. The one who looked beautiful even with soot smudges on her face and a heavy uniform.

His reverie broke when she cursed colourfully and he moved closer. She started to jostle the machine and he noticed a limp looking kitkat teetering on the edge. This close he could smell the scent of her floral shampoo that made her hair shine in her braids—today a pretty half-up-half-down design that Hyacinth typically adored.

Another huff from her reorientated him and he took a deep breath and pushed his glasses up. Anthony’s voice rang in his head,

Just ask the girl for her number—what’s the worst that could happen?

“You know you just need to enter the code again and it should work—”

“I know, I know,” she snapped following his instructions, “This isn’t my first rodeo with this insufferable machine.”

“Tell me about it—they should give us loyalty cards.”

She twisted around and Benedict’s breath caught; at her jade eyes that widened, the wispy curls of her almost-ebony hair and the rouge lipstick on her parted lips. Then his heart plummeted when she continued staring.

Random guy accosts a single woman in an empty hallway—ofcourse the perfect romantic start to a story—

“What level?”

“Huh?”

She swallowed thickly.

“The loyalty cards—are we at bronze, silver or gold?”

Benedict blinked a couple more times, before reanimating. 

“Ugh…would have to say silver.”

“Not gold?” she quirked her eyebrow and something in Benedict settled. 

“I think a month would make it gold.”

“A month? Does it have to be consecutive?”

“To get platinum—absolutely.”

She snorted and he tried to squash a smile.

“You truly believe that you could visit every day for a month?”

“For the right reason.”

She halted and with a sly smile said,

 “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

Damn you, Anthony.

Then again, Anthony didn't know that his most romantic rendezvous were typically the length of one night before he had to sneak out to attend a phone call from his siblings. But ofcourse Anthony didn't know that–not when he'd disappeared onto the plane and left–

Stupid thought. 

Instead, Benedict pivoted.

“Yes—is it working?”

She looked him up and down.

“Well, certainly a unique avenue but…I’m somehow enjoying it.”

A flicker—Benedict latched onto it. He shrugged.

“Well, I didn’t want to turn the charm up too much.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, really? Go on then—” she leant forward and the floral scent almost stalled him. “I fight fires for a living, I’m sure I can handle it.”

Desire rumbled through him and he almost pushed her against the wall right there. Instead he pitched his voice low,

“Alright, get ready—Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” He quirked an eyebrow.

She burst out laughing, her hand on her mouth. The flicker turned into a steady flame.

“You cannot be serious!”

“Deadly—or can’t you handle it?” Benedict said and something flared in her eyes.

"Oh no, no—bring it on,” she challenged as they started walking back down the corridor.

“Let’s see….It’s handy that I have my library card—cause I want to check you out.”

Both of them were too preoccupied with each other to bother navigating the corridors.

“Ooh, so cheesy—I love it.”

“Or…If I could rearrange the alphabet then I’d put ‘U’ and ‘I’ together.”

“Ah, the classic.”

“Then ofcourse there’s this golden oldie,” Benedict lounged against the wall. “I’d like to take you to the movies, but they don’t let you bring your own snacks.”

She chuckled through a snort. And Benedict blurted out,

“Or I could just take you on a proper date? Let you continue laughing at me?”

They halted. The girl perused him and Benedict tried to breathe. Her eyes narrowed for a moment then she shrugged.

“Alright then—can I have your number?”

"What…oh right. Right."

"You okay there Don Juan?"

"Yeah, ofcourse. It's just that beautiful girls don't really say yes to me," Benedict blushed bright red at his omission. "Phone?"

"Sure thing," she replied with a little grin and handed over her phone. While Benedict typed in his number he desperately tried to tame his cheeks.

“Ben….Benjamin?” the girl asked, looking at the contact details.

“Benedict.”

“Blessed one…” Benedict noticed her eyes trailed downwards. “Certainly an apt description," she mumbled.

 For once he felt pleased to have left the hoodie behind.

“And you?”

“Sophie, Sophie Beckett—although you probably knew that….night of the fire and all.”

The mantra reared in his head; Your fault, your fault, your fault–

“Wait—you remember me?” he asked. 

It has been atleast a week since he'd watch her carry his siblings out of that burning building. And there has been countless others saved.

“You literally tackled a police officer to get to your siblings.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ofcourse his last name would push to the front.

“Although…professionalism aside—I also thought you were quite cute." She admitted before turning and striding off to the left to see her friend Kate. She called over her shoulder, "I’ll be the lady and let you call me!"

Another swish of her hair and she was gone, leaving Benedict empty handed but full of something he hadn't felt in a very long time…something akin to a flickering flame.

[jedi-lothwolf]

A Month of Whump Day 5: Sickfic

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Cody falls in love and catches a certain flowery disease.

  Love is such a strange thing. Cody didn't realize it could be so deadly. At first he was unsure of what was going on. He had just coughed up a few sunflower petals. Holding them in his hand he decided to go see Kix. It felt like something he shouldn't go to his medic for, why he wasn't sure.

    Cody walked around until he found him. "Kix, I need to talk to you."

    "What's going on Commander?" Kix asked.

    The commander pulled Kix into a nearby empty hallway and showed him the flower petals.

    "Sunflower petals?" The medic felt uneasy. Cody wouldn't get him for something that wasn't serious. "I don't understand."

    "I...coughed them up." Cody looked down. "I'm not sure why."

    The medic just stared at him for a moment, "you.. coughed them up?"

    "Yes."

    "Let me look into this. I'll come find you when I know. For now just drink water and let me know if anything changes." With that he left.

    Cody walked back to his room. On the way he started coughing again. He felt the flower petals coming up and after a few seconds they were in his hand. This time the petals from a pink Dahlia.

    Not quite an hour later Kix hunted Cody down. After checking just about everywhere he finally looked in the general barracks. There Cody was sitting with Waxer. The clone had a hand on his commander's back while Cody sat with his forearms on his thighs.

    "I found out what's going on." Kix started.

    Cody sat up and nodded his head.  Waxer looked over at Kix, "good. So what is it?" The lieutenant had found Cody in the hall with the pink petals in hand. He didn't seem like he felt very well so he took him to the barracks.

    Kix kneeled down in front of the bed and started to explain. "It's called Hanahaki disease. It comes from unrequited or perceived unrequited love. Flowers grow in the victim's lungs. There are two ways to get rid of it, surgery; which will remove your feelings for the person, and for the person to be in love with you."

    "Love?" Waxer looked at Cody, "who are you in love with?"

    Cody just looked at the two. What would they think? The man was in love with his superior. It was inappropriate.

    "Someone I could never have." Cody sighed.

    "What does that mean?" Kix asked.

    "You love the general don't you?" Waxer stated. "I see the way you interact with him, the way you look at him."

    Cody was quiet. Silently he nodded. "Your best opinion then is the surgery." Kix spoke.

    "No, not yet."

    "Sir, this can and will kill you if you don't act on it." The medic stood up.

    "Have you told him?" Waxer stood as well.

    "No."

    "Well then you have to."

    Cody didn't say anything. Instead he stood up and walked away. He couldn't tell him. He could tell his general that he fell for him. He would just have to deal with the flowers for now.

    As time went on the disease got worse. Cody's lungs were being overtaken by Sunflowers and Dahlias. He was tired and in agonizing pain all the time. Breathing felt like he was being stabbed by a million tiny needles. The worst part was this cursed illness affected his leadership. The clone couldn't do as much as he used to. Some of his brothers caught on and tried to help where they could. No one knew what was going on and he wouldn't tell. When Obi-wan caught on he too did whatever he could.

    Something about the feeling of dying calmed Cody. It proved he was alive in the first place; that he wasn't some droid. He was in love.

    Waxer and Kix continued to press, trying to convince him to get the surgery or to talk to the general. He refused to do both. The clone commander was scared of the answer if he confessed. He was unsure of what would be worse, if Obi-wan didn't feel the same or if he did. The two would be stuck knowing that they loved each other but could never act on any of their feelings because of the Jedi code. Of course Obi-wan could always hate him afterwards. But if he got the surgery he wouldn't love Obi-wan and the thought of that was something he couldn't bear.

    Now the battalion was preparing for battle. It was the night before and time to sleep. Cody couldn't really sleep anymore. His inability to breathe well kept him awake. When he finally did fall asleep he woke up to a stabbing pain in his neck. Rubbing his hand over it he paused. A flower had grown through his neck. It felt like a sunflower. Unsure of what to do he went to find Waxer.

    When Waxer was woken up in the middle of the night he thought something had happened with the enemy. It wasn't until he was the flower that he understood what was going on. "What the fuck?" He sat up. "I didn't know it could do that."

    "I didn't either. What do I do now?"

    "How am I supposed to know? I'll call Kix."

    After a moment Kix answered, "what's going on?" In the background the two could hear the sounds of war.

    "There's a flower sticking out of Cody's neck." Waxer spoke quietly.

    "Good Kriff."

    "Can we cut it out?" Cody asked panicked.

    "Yes but be extremely careful!"

    "Got it. Be careful!" Waxer replied.

    "Thanks Kix." Cody turned off the comm. Then Waxer went to find scissors or a small knife. Cody started coughing again. This time blood came out with a full Dahlia. The clone struggled to breathe, both from panic and the injury. His throat was raw and it showed in his voice.

    When Waxer returned Cody was struggling to breathe. Not that he hadn't been but it was worse than normal. When he saw the Dahlia covered in blood and the sunflower in the commander's hand he commed the medic and the general quickly.

    Boil had heard the noise and ran over to the two. He kneeled beside Cody and tried to help him breathe. After another flower escaped his mouth he started to breathe a little better.

    Obi-wan was the next to arrive. "Waxer what's going on?" Then he saw Cody. Without thought he immediately rushed over to the man. Boil moved and Obi-wan took his place. "Cody what's wrong.?" The flowers took him by surprise. "Who?"

    "Who?" Cody whispered.

    "Who are you in love with?"

    It clicked with the others before Cody. Obi-wan was a Jedi of course he knew what Hanahaki was. The disease would give away any Jedi that broke the code.

    Cody finally gave in, "you, sir."

    There was silence for a moment. "Dear, you should have told me sooner."

    "That's a good sign" Waxer whispered over to Boil. He looked over to his brother confused, "Waxer what's going on?" Waxer would quietly explain the situation while the others talked.

    Obi-wan moved closer to the commander and placed his forehead on the others, "I love you too."

    Relief hit everyone. Relief turned into dread as Cody relieved something. The two were in love. Obi-wan was a Jedi and he was a clone. There was the code, their ranking, and a war stopping them.

    "Are you okay?" Obi-wan asked. Cody broke out of his thoughts and opened his eyes. Looking into the Jedis bright blue eyes he felt safe. Kenobi had that effect on people.

    "Yeah." The next day Cody stayed back by order of Obi-wan and the medic.

    Time would pass and Cody would heal. It took about a week for all the flowers to get out of his system. It took a little longer for him to feel strong again. The lovers talked and decided they would act on their feelings, no matter how dangerous it could be. They loved each other and nothing could stop that. Sunflowers and Dahlias could grew around them until one day their love would kill each other. Hopefully it would never come to that. Hopefully.

[marvel-ousmondays]

The Avengers (Avengers Assemble)

So it took me a week to finish watching The Avengers.

It wasn't the movie's fault. It's a great film, especially if you are into the action-packed, fighting scenes. The dynamic between characters is great, and it has one of (if not my absolute) favorite quotes of the series.

But it is 2 hours and 23 minutes long and I had a weird week in terms of work, plus I wasn't actually feeling like watching a bunch of fight scenes. So it took a hot minute. Also, I had just finished season 2 of Loki not that long ago and going back to really bad Loki was a bit hard. He has few if any redeemable qualities in this one.

I'm not going to attempt a standard review given my less than standard watching procedure. I'm just going to call out things I liked.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow will forever be flipping incredible. In the Battle of New York where she's jumping on the flying Chitari and such- epic. But also her clear care for Barton and her emotional manipulation of both the criminals at the beginning and Loki later on- chef's kiss. I'm so glad she's the one to close the portal.

(Quick side note/small spoiler- there's a fan theory going around that her "feelings" for Banner in Ultron are all fake, just a method of control. I call bullshit. She is clearly fascinated by him throughout this film. If anyone's feelings are fake, it'd be Banner's, but Mark Ruffalo is too genuine for us to ever know.)

Erik Selvig and Barton both under Loki's control and then when they come out of it did incredible jobs. I particularly like the writing of Selvig under Loki's control- the science fascination unbridled, versus any actual desire for power. I think this hits the Tesseract's power and Loki's manipulation abilities dead on- they don't project what Loki would assume others would want onto them- they magnify the worst parts of anyone's desires and abilities. Barton is a master strategist and Selvig wants to understand every aspect of the cosmos. Generally these are traits they've put to good use. But under Loki, they're manipulated into awful acts.

Samuel L. Jackson's line "I recognize the council has made a decision, but as it is a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it" could be emblazoned on my tombstone and I'd be happy. The delivery was pitch perfect and always makes me laugh, while also being deadly serious.

Coulson- Clark Gregg's best role by far and the small amount of fanboying here just humanized his normally very stoic disposition so well. So glad they did opt to bring him back and in style.

I'm a huge Mark Ruffalo fan, both as an actor and just as a human being. It was incredibly difficult to come in after Edward Norton to fill this role but he nailed it. The moment when he tells about how he tried to commit suicide and the Hulk spat the bullet back out breaks my heart every time. There's obviously a lot of parable here about learning how to channel your anger. I personally think anger has gotten a bad rap, especially among women and activists. Righteous anger, as Starfire might say (yes, I know, I'm daring to mix DC and Marvel again, fight me later), is a powerful motivator. Anger can fuel us to change that which needs changing, but it has to be directed. Hulk shows that well enough. But I also appreciate the slow realization by Banner throughout the film that the Hulk is less crazed, destructive monster and more protector. We're not *there* just yet by the end, there's still some concern, but he's beginning that process of acceptance and understanding.

Captain America is mostly well written here, particularly in demonstrating he doesn't just follow the U.S. or orders blindly any more. He still sees himself as a soldier, but when Tony and Bruce alert him to the smell of fish in the air, he goes looking for answers. This is key character development for him as there was a time where he would have considered himself more bound to higher-ranking officials. However, I would wager Marvel regrets the one "God" comment they made in there as it doesn't really fit him overall.

Stark and Thor perform well, I just don't have a lot of commentary for either. Their rivalry is solid, though the idea that Thor would leave his brother unattended, even in remote mountains, seems unlikely.

I will also argue for more women sooner but that ship has sailed. I had forgotten about Thanos in the post- credits scene, so that was a good addition.

Note for me

Directed by: Joss Whedon

[corvus-rose]

OC in 15 or Less

Tagged by @jezifster, but I actually started this from an open tag from @multi-lefaiye, whom I am tagging because they'll recognize the last quote I think

Rules: Post 15 or fewer quotes from an original character, ideally illustrating their personality and place in the plot.

I'm gonna write down a bunch of Aki quotes for this one because he truly just Says Shit. cw for violence and sexual situations/references. The Aki Classics. Some of these are funny, some of these are mean, and some of these are deadly serious. You know, The Aki Classics.

"Nearly got my guts ripped out and the worst part is he didn't even buy me dinner. What's up with you?"

"Find me in the back of the club beating the shit out of somebody. Or getting beat to shit. I'm vers."

"Me, I'm a professional. Every risk I take is calculated. And whatever higher power is out there has not yet decided to kill me, so there you fuckin' go."

"Yeah yeah, Arcadia whatever. I was just passing through and couldn't help but stop by. And aren't you glad I did?"

"This party sucks. This beat sucks. If the DJ plays more of this shit I'm siccing Karma on her." [Context: Karma is what he named the scythe he uses in Guardian mode.]

"If it gets out, I could get arrested, executed by Guardian vigilante justice, or worst of all, get my indie cred revoked."

While sadly playing chords on a keyboard: "I hope you dieeeee… I hope we both dieeeee…"

"Now, me, I can't knock anyone up yet, but if I could I'd at least remember the name and face. Well honestly, I'd stop fucking around entirely, like move in together, get a real job, get a ring maybe... but like I said, we don't have the technology, so who cares?"

"You're not the first to put up a fight. You won't be the last, either."

"Primordial hunting? Without me? Damn, it's like we're not even friends anymore."

"I think I shouldn't have to go to therapy if my mental illness manifests in objectively funny ways."

"Meat for the fuckin' grinder. That's all any of us are, anyway."

"It's not homewrecking if you fuck her husband too."

"...Keep dreaming, magical girl."

"I mean aside from the fact you're a man - like have you heard of boywives? All the rage apparently. But they're fuckin' twinks. There's noooo way you were a twink, like even when you were twink age I cannot see it. When I imagine you I figure you hit puberty or T or whatever and immediately became a thirty or fourty year old mildly divorced man with a five o clock shadow. You know?"

Tag: open

[forthedancingandthethriving]

(Leaving out the colored text because there is just. so much dialogue)

The two of them go to Abyssal's office, Emmy wincing when the door changes to one of the old castle's 2-star doors, and Abyssal asks her to explain what the issue is.

"Right, so, there's something weird going on with Domain and Forum." she starts pacing, trying to burn off her nervous energy with movement instead of more changes, which only partially works, "I mean, obviously or they'd be here instead."

A couple days ago, they randomly got into a fight. Like actual, physical, lasted most of the day, deadly weapons even by our standards were involved fight. And like, they do spar sometimes? But not that intensely, or for that long, and they certainly would never risk doing it that close to the city even with the shield."

And then afterwards they brush off everybody's concerns and just...fuck off, I guess? I wasn't really there for that part, but 4 was really freaked out when he told me. And like, everything in me is already saying this is some kind of huge problem, but I just figured maybe they were going through some shit and needed time to cool off. Except when I go to check on them the next day I can't find them anywhere."

Then if that wasn't bad enough, the news starts running a story about these two stage magician looking guys with the exact same color schemes showing up in different places and wreaking havoc! Not even Mario was dumb enough to think that was a coincidence, so obviously the main group's going off to figure out what's up. And I came here 'cause, well, I'm the only one who technically can and this seemed like the right place to get some answers. And now we're here."

Abyssal frowns that as they process everything, walking back and forth. Domain and Forum, acting like this? Dismissing their loved ones concerns and worry? It was odd and definitely not like them. Not one bit. And two stage-

Wait.

Abyssal stops in their tracks at the stage magican part, form going rigid as they think about it. Stage magician, stage magician, stage magician. But that couldn't be right. That couldn't be.

Still.. it confirmed their worst fears.

"Byte.." They mutter under their breath before sighing. Their back then straightens, and they look at Emulator, face both serious and concerned. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Emulator. I assure you, we'll get to work immediately figuring out what's going on with Forum and Domain."

They then sigh and shake their head. "But when you return, I must warn you now; do not try and engage the two. If.. what I believe is happening is happening with them. No mercy will be shown to any who stand in their path."

Abyssal looks towards the files on their desk and grimaces.

As soon as they could, they needed to get Umbra and figure out what's happened. Because if their suspicion was correct.. the SM64 universe was in more peril than ever before.

[scorpionyx9621]

When someone asks me if there ever is going to be a good Red Hood comic where he's just as capable and deadly as everyone dreams he can be.

I get that everyone yearns for a capable and deadly Red Hood. Everyone fawns over the Jason Todd who brought Gotham's crime scene to its knees in the matter of like a week in Under the Red Hood. I'm not here to say wanting that kind of comic is wrong because it isn't, I'm just saying Jason Todd has changed as a character. He's not the same character he was when he was brought back to life back in 2005.

If I wanted to stan a criminal mastermind who rules Gotham's underworld and strikes fear in the heart of criminals I'd just be a Joker kinnie. I'm being 100% serious. Why should I or anyone even bother with Jason Todd who by the definition of what everyone likes about him so much when I can get all of the same things from The Joker minus the daddy issues.

What? Don't believe me? Let's compare shall we?

Both Jason Todd and Joker are murderers

Both use guns

Both use other various weapons to kill people

Both have pretty sizable criminal followings

Both are obsessed with Batman

Both have come back from the dead

Both came from bad home lives (supposedly with Joker we aren't certain because they re-write his canon more than they do Jason's)

Both have their canons re-written by DC just about every new comic they're in.

Both have beared the title Red Hood

Both have a unique hair coloration/pattern

Both get enjoyment out of hurting/torturing people.

Both have used crowbars as weapons

Both have tried on numerous occasions to hurt not only Batman but a multitude of Robins.

Both have engaged in elaborate plots to try to get Batman to notice/fight them. Multiple times.

Both are considered capable killers who are very smart.

I can keep going. I really can. It's not hard to compare these two. Literally the only things separating Jason Todd from The Joker at this point are the fact that Jason is a conventionally attractive 6-foot tall, muscular white man and that Jason has in recent comics turned around and accepted his spot as a member of the Bat Family*.

It really goes to show that, maybe, just maybe, writers like Judd Winnick intentionally made Jason Todd take on the mantle of The Red Hood, Joker's original persona as a villain, and gave him a literal grocery list of similarities as a means to emphasize his villain-like behavior to serve as an in-between for Batman and The Joker. And this isn't even an original idea. Many times comics have made the comparison between Jason and The Joker. Three Jokers, DC Comics Truth and Justice, Death of The Family, just to name a few.

So again, you ask, since you went through all the lengths to compare the two, why don't you just go off in your corner and be a Joker kinnie? Well my friend, it's simple. I don't like the Joker. He's so oversaturated in the DC comics market and DC seems to have finally figured at least that part out. Jason Todd is an anti-hero who teeters between Knight in Sour Armor and Jerkass Woobie at best and falls into shades of Moral Sociopathy at worst (particularly under Winnick's penmanship) But Jason Todd is not The Joker. It's outright blasphemy to compare the two in most circles, but Jason Todd is a very compelling, albeit underdeveloped character.

It doesn't help that we have basically a decade of development for Jason Todd under Sc*tt L*bd*ll that we as a fandom have collectively decided to disregard. And rightfully so. Mostly because RHATO and RH:O was a discombobulated mess of a story with a lot of very cool and neat ideas that were in no way practical or truly even relevant to Jason Todd. L*bd*ll tried to make Jason into this self-insert of a 'bad boy seeking redemption' which really had no narrative follow-through because one issue you'll have Bruce and Jason chilling on top of a hill stop Gotham eating cheeseburgers discussing how Bruce trusts Jason with Bizarro more than he does with Lex Luthor. And then not 10 issues later Bruce is literally beating Jason to within an inch of his life. Jason even regarded how he thought Bruce didn't even hit the Joker that hard.

All of this is to say that we really don't have a truly good narrative for Jason that isn't him literally cosplaying as The Joker and causing chaos in Gotham in Under the Red Hood, a freshly out of the dip Jason Todd thrown into the world after being dead for who knows how long training to become the world's deadliest assassin all whilst killing countless people and sleeping with Talia,

We've been gyped of a good Red Hood narrative for going on two decades now. And truth be told I don't know if we're ever going to get a good story for Jason Todd on par with Dick Grayson and Nightwing. They've fumbled the ball with his initial characterization in his first redemption under L*bd*ll that I don't know if we'll ever get a truly satisfying narrative for Red Hood as an anti-hero. For now he's literally just a murderer who Bruce let's come with him on investigations and stuff who badmouths him at best to a 'regretable' punching bag at worse.

When you compare Jason to characters like say Frank Castle as The Punisher, whom despite being co-oped by the American alt-right, is a much more compelling character with a better narrative because Frank Castle knows what he is, and he isn't trying to be a hero like Jason.

With say Harley Quinn, we've had about a decades-worth of comics showing us Harley realizing that Joker has been abusing her. We've gotten to watch Harley try and fail many times at trying to turn her life around and do the right thing. To now after years of trying to and succeeding in doing the right thing, Harley Quinn is now a member of the Bat Family (in like some weird-off in the corner way)

This long-winded post can be finalized by saying I don't get why everyone is so obsessed with wanting Jason Todd who is 'deadly and competent'. If I wanted foil to Batman who is all deadly and a criminal mastermind I'd just follow The Joker. To me saying you only liked Jason from Under the Red Hood and think every subsequent title he's appeared in is OOC is like saying you like a cover-band of Journey better than Journey because you don't like Journey.

Jason Todd is a very compelling, interesting, and likeable character despite DC Comics bombing literally every title he's been in since 2010. He's a great character who is as fascinating as he is lovable. He needs a serious re-branding because while he is a great and complex character, DC needs to show us and not tell us how he's growing. However at the end of the day no one is going to be entirely happy with how he's portrayed and that's fine. You aren't wrong for wanting the Jason Todd of y'old. That's just not my cuppa tea. I just want a good, 4-part story by Wayne Family Adventures of Bruce and Jason finally beginning to work through their 800lbs of USDA prime-grade beef between the two of them in that fun cartoonish aesthetic because man, Bruce and Jason in WFA are both so pretty.. also WFA is the only comic that seemingly 70-80% of the fandom is at least okay with because it's kitschy and tumblr-baity but at least Bruce isn't hitting his freaking kids.

[nathandrakeisabottom]

Headcanons for Taking Care of Wounded Nathan Drake - Nathan Drake x Reader

My very first request from the lovely @softhornymess!! Thanks so much for reaching out and I hope you enjoy it! :) To everyone else, I'm hoping to open requests in the new couple weeks, and I'll make sure to make an official post about it when that happens. Until then, I have something very secret in the works!

Anyway... here's HCs for Taking Care of Wounded Nathan Drake!

Insists over and over and over again that he’s fine, that he’ll just push through it, that he’ll rest as soon as he gets to the next checkpoint/town/temple but it’s a lie every single time.

You’re going to have to use some ultra tough love to make him shut up and sit down for once. “Jesus Christ, Nathan! You’re in pain and I’m helping you and that’s that!” “But…!” “NO BUTS!” “Awww, but I love a good butt…”

Finding somewhere to rest that is actually safe is difficult at best and impossible at worst, so you often settle near a nearby stream or river so the sounds of running water can cover up the noise you two make.

Everything is a hushed whisper, the tension of being followed never really leaves him, but when he leans into your ear to thank you for taking care of him, you can’t help feeling gratitude for the secrecy, the intimacy, of it all.

Nathan’s so used to receiving wounds that they have to be bad to get him to let you treat them, and you gasp every time he peels the bottom of his shirt away to reveal the plethora of bloody, horrific gashes underneath.

The sight of your favorite person in pain is a heartbreak that never goes away, that never feels normal, no matter how many times he runs a gentle, soothing palm against your cheek and claims that it is.

“Honey, it’s no big deal. I swear.” His voice is so warm and calming and certain, but you refuse to accept it, because it just isn’t fair.

But you blink the tears and rage away for Nathan’s sake, put a pin in it til later, til you can give payback to whatever asshole did this to him. It never feels any less painful, but it does get easier.

When he finally settles into it, when he sees how worried you are, he gets surprisingly still and quiet, silently watching your concentrated face as you work and doing everything he can to make things easier on you.

“...Will you let me help?” He’ll earnestly ask when you struggle to tear the bandaging properly. “...No.” But he smiles, because he knows you only say it because you want to do it yourself. You only say it because you care.

Eventually, he’ll realize how much he loves it. Being taken care of, having your total and complete attention on him, the featherlight touches, as if he might shatter at any moment. And he’ll start to play into it.

“Ah!” He’ll hiss and gasp, even when it doesn’t hurt, because it means you’ll be even more gentle with him. It gives him an excuse to have you keep touching him, replacing the bandages on cuts that already healed several weeks ago and shushing him with a finger against his lips when he groans in theatrical pain.

“Nathan, be quiet! Who knows what Shoreline psycho could be looking for us--” “But if I’m not in pain anymore, you’ll stop taking care of me…” His words so carefully straddle the line between facetious and genuine that it makes your heart skip a beat.

Having to replace bandages is the worst part, though, and that’s when things turn from flirty and intimate to deadly serious. “This is gonna hurt a bit,” you don’t sugarcoat things for him as you peel up a corner. “Want me to go slow?” “Nah… just like a bandaid, right?” He gives you a sheepish smile and motions for you to go on, but you feel his hand on your shoulder, digging in just a little too hard.

It’s personal. It’s terrifying. And you hate having to be the one to hurt him, even if it means helping him in the long run. You always close your eyes when you do it, and try your best to tune out the sound of his gritting teeth just as you rip the bloodied bandage off.

But it’s all downhill from there. Nathan finally looks at ease once the hard part is over, staring down at you affectionately as you roll a new wrap around his waist.

You notice that he doesn’t move his hand from your shoulder. But you never say anything about it, in fear that he’ll stop.

You don’t want him to stop.

But, eventually, you have to break away. There always comes a point where you have to return to reality, packing up your supplies as slowly as you possibly can, and you have to remember that it’ll likely be several more firefights and several more unnecessary deaths before you and Nathan get to just be together again. And you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little resentful of it every time.

“Anything else hurt?” You huff sternly, trying to hold back from sounding too hopeful.

But Nathan is an angel, and braver than you at the best of times.

“Yeah.” He then points to the most inconsequential mark on his forehead, more of a paper-cut than anything, hiding his own secret smile in the hard line of his mouth.

“Nathan, that looks fine to me. Is there something you want me to do? I, uh, might have a bandaid small enough somewhere…” But he grabs your wrist before you can reach your backpack, almost in a panic. “No! That’s... that’s not exactly what I meant.”

“Then what--?” “...Can you make it better?” He speaks slowly, carefully, intentionally, almost shyly.

And then it hits you. He loves being taken care of. This is the closest he can get to asking for it.

So you lean up onto your knees, pressing forward, so close it whips the air right out of your lungs, before pressing a soft, chaste kiss against his forehead. You can’t help the smile that spreads across your face when you pull back, but you still try fruitlessly to smother it. “Happy now?”

“Yes.” And he looks it, beaming and bright and communicating so much more with his eyes than his words possibly can.

The moment is so sweet, so intimate, that you fear you may drown in it-- and you desperately wish you could, but Shoreline is always on the move, and if you’re not too, then you’re as good as dead. So you give him one last smile before unceremoniously tossing your backpack over your shoulder, and offering a hand to help Nate to his feet.

But as soon as you start heading down the path again, you hear a playful voice calling out to you.

“Oh! But there must be some reward I could give my big, strong, dashing hero for saving me…” Nathan clasps his hands together in a begging motion, dramatically cooing his gratitude in classic comedic fashion.

And you have no choice but to meet him head-on when he reaches out to gently cup your face in his hands… and kisses you.

[babiesdreams]

Nct reaction to their s/o having a beautiful singing voice part 2

REQUESTED BY ANON.

Part 1 Part 3

♡  My personal favs will be marked with this heart

--Requests open--

Jaehyun:

He was honestly curious, you´ve been dating for a while now and he's never heard you singing, so he just asked you to do it. “Honey, can you sing?” You would get nervous at his request, as it was too sudden. “Why do you want me to sing?” You just asked, chuckling. “Just curious,” He said sitting in front of you as if waiting for you to start. You gave up getting an actual reason to his request and just started singing to whatever. His eyes were fixed on you and his head kept jamming to the song, but you couldn't really read him. “Did he like it? Did I sing well?” You kept thinking as you finished the song. He got up clapping while getting closer to you. “Why did you hide this from me?” He said caressing your hair. “W-What do you mean?” You asked shyly. “Your beautiful singing voice” He whispered in your ear, making you melt under his touch.

Winwin: 

You were showering, relaxed as you were home alone, or so you thought. You didn't realize that your boyfriend came back home earlier that day, so you kept singing as you usually did when you were alone. Sicheng was surprised at the unfamiliar sounds, so he followed the sounds of your voice to the bathroom´s door. When he realized the situation he gasped, surprised at your talent. He then waited for you on the bed, sitting patiently until your shape came out of the door frame. He looked at you with puppy eyes and just said “You are really good baby” smiling broadly. You blushed at his words, realizing what just happened and just thanked him as you came to sit next to him and cuddle for a long while.

♡ Jungwoo: 

[You and Jungwoo are just friends] You just watched Frozen 2 and you couldn't resist trying to hit “Into the Unknown” high notes so there you were, repeating the lyrics until you finally did it. “Wow, that´s a high note” Jungwoo said from behind you. You jumped, surprised at his presence. You thought you were definitely home alone, so it was quite shocking seeing Jungwoo´s big figure in front of your eyes. “Thanks” You said blushing, still shocked at the situation. “What's wrong?” He said waving his hand in front of your eyes. “Are you shy?” He said smiling while getting closer to your face. “You shouldn't be with that voice of yours” He was so close to you that you could even imagine how his lips would feel pressed on yours. “Um” You just said trying to stop your thoughts. “You are so cute when you are shy like that baby” He just said smiling, not moving an inch from his position. Then he brushed your lips with his thumb, making his gaze follow his moves. At this point you weren't even thinking, you just closed your eyes and waited for the best. And it came, as he pressed his lips on yours in a light and soft kiss.

♡ Lucas: 

“This bet is stupid” You thought as you looked at Lucas again. “So let me get this straight, If I can actually impress you with something, I get a wish” Lucas nodded “And if you don´t, I get the wish” You laughed at the stupid bet you just agreed on. “So you just think you know everything about me huh?” You asked him, raising a brow. He smiled at your question and just said “Oh baby, I'm sure I know everything about you” You chuckled at his cheesy words. Then you started singing, conscious that your best friend didn't know about your singing abilities. When you finished, you could see the actual shock in his face. “So… I win” You said smiling lightly at him. “Wait, What the fuck was that? How? Why are you so good?” He asked, surprised. You laughed at him and just said “Okay I definitely won” You said smirking at him now. “Okay, whatever, What´s your wish?” he said looking at you waiting for the worst. “Um, kiss me” You said, as a joke, as a joke? You didn't know tbh, did you like Lucas, or was it just his frat boy nature getting you to say such things? Well, you didn't have much time to think anyway as he just leaned in like nothing, kissing your lips tenderly and making you forget about pretty much everything. When he pulled off the kiss, you were as shocked as he was a few moments earlier, and he just chuckled. “Wasn't that your wish?” He said teasingly.

♡ Mark: 

He was cuddling you on bed, you could feel his comforting warmth caressing you and making you sleepy, you could have fallen asleep within seconds, but then he said “I can't sleep” You looked at him, waiting for an explanation but as you didn't get one you just said “Do you want me to sing a lullaby?” The boy nodded and you smiled at his cuteness. You started singing this slow beated song softly close to him. He was amused at your talent, and also at your ability of making him fall in love with every part of you as he kept discovering them. You finished singing and looked at him wanting to see if he was, at least more sleepy. “I love your voice” He said, holding you tighter. You smiled at his words “Are you sleepy now?” You asked him while playing with his hair. But you didn't get an answer as he just fell asleep in your hands.

Xiaojun: 

You were making fun of him as his voice cracked in one performance that was now playing on the tv. He gave you a deadly gaze as if he was angry at you. You laughed at him and said “I'm joking, babe, your voice is amazing” You reassured him by smiling lightly. You were definitely a sucker for Xiaojun´s voice. “I'm sure your voice is great too” He said, returning his gaze to the tv screen. “I mean it's not bad” you just said looking at the screen too. “Sing something” He said calmed, and you started singing like nothing. Maybe it was the effortless expresion on your face, or maybe your perfectly balanced tone, but whatever it was, Xiaojun was actually impressed. He turned off the tv, so that he could hear you properly, and then he just sat there, asking you to sing one more song for like hours, completely bewitched with your voice.

Hendery: 

You and Hendery were usually joking around each other, not really getting serious about nothing. But work is work so when he was flustered about the nectar recording you couldn't keep joking around. You asked him what was difficult about it and he just told you he had to learn his rap lines way too fast and that it was hard for him. You looked at the paper he was holding and turned his rap into a vocal part, singing it so that he would memorize it easier. He was surprised at your ability of making up a beat and singing it so easily and he got that song stuck in his head for a long while. He would record you just to show it to the other members, bragging about how good you were. “My baby got a nice voice” He would say all the time.

Masterlist.

[buttercandy16]

Desert Rose

Pairings: Sam (Desierto) x reader

Genre: Dark, Thriller

Summary: 

While trying to pass through the US border you and your sickly little brother along with a group of Mexican migrants encounter a deadly fate in the hands of a merciless, deranged vigilante and his faithful but vicious Malinois dog. What happens when the said vigilante took a sinister interest in you and decided to spare you and your brother in exchange for your surrender and obedience, and maybe more.

Warning(s): DARK, angsts, sinister intentions, violence, explicit language, obsession, possessiveness, Dub-Con, manipulation, death, mental illness, hurt/comfort, smut(?)

(y/n) - your name

(b/n) - brother’s name

A/N: Be warned I’m not an expert writer and mostly just writing this fic down for my own pleasure. This is probably my second-ish published fanfiction and it’s 100% shitty (for me). So please bear with me and I hope that you’ll still find this enjoyable to read. *fingers crossed*

Also, special thanks to my creepy soulsister @negans-attagirl for being an awesome beta reader, lots of love 😘

Part 1 || (Y/N) P.O.V

It had been an hour ago since our truck broke down in the middle of the US borders and now I'm currently sweating like a dog under the desert sun while trying to keep up with the rest of the group that my brother and I came along with.

"(y/n)? Are we there yet? I feel so tired"

My eyes went down to the little boy looking at me with tired eyes while trying his best to continue holding on to the end of my jacket.

"Nope, but don't worry buddy we'll get there soon, just hold on for a bit, okay?" Smiling to him reassuringly.

To be honest, I have no idea how long it will take for us to get there, and I'm beginning to feel worried for my little brother since I know that it wouldn't be long till his lungs decide to work itself up. My brother is suffering from a serious illness called Chronic Bronchitis and that is the main reason why we need to migrate to America. Back home I have an on/off job that can barely feed us, the doctors I can afford for (b/n) aren't that good either and I know that the only way I can help my brother is to cross the border and do everything that’s needed to make him eligible for the treatment. So here we are, illegally crossing...

BANG!

A loud gunshot echoed throughout the desert stopping us from our tracks. I held onto my brother’s hand tightly preparing myself to run when needed. Once our guide Lobo called out to us the next thing I know we were sprinting to the fields.

Minutes of running we finally stopped giving us some time to rest while Lobo and Mechas, another guide of ours, surveys the area for any signs of danger. Looking down at (b/n) I could clearly see that he was trying his best to control his breathing. I quickly reached for his inhaler and gave it to him. Once done inhaling the medicine his breathing was beginning to normalize, and so was mine.

“Hey bud, you good?” I asked while putting his inhaler back in his backpack.

“Yup! All good. Umm (y/n) what was that gunshot about? Are they gonna shoot at us?” (b/n) asked thoughtfully. Thinking about what to say I finally settled to a somewhat more comforting answer, “Of course not, must be something else. No need to worry okay? I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you”

“You promise?” holding out his pinky for me to take.

“Promise. I’ll do anything for you” and I know that I will, no matter what.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

(A few moments later)

Resuming our journey once again, (b/n) and I were trying our best to keep up but we ended up getting left behind along with a teenage girl which I came to know as Adela, Ramiro her sleazy guardian, a lanky man named Moises, Mechas who’s currently berating us to move our ass, and another male migrant which I forgot his name.

Lobo and the rest were already way ahead of us and as much as we tried to get their attention, we ended up getting ignored.

Letting out a frustrated sigh I averted my attention below and what I saw made me freeze on the spot. It’s a truck, SHIT!

“Everybody, get down now!”

Everyone immediately complied. I pointed down to the truck just a couple of miles away from us, as a man stepped outside the car. Moments later a dog jumped out of it and it seems like the man was giving it something he found on the ground to smell on. The dog ran in the direction of the rest of our group and I know from that moment that something bad is about to happen. He ordered his dog to get in the truck while he retrieved something deadly... Oh lord! That looks like...

“A sniper” Moises shakily stated, finishing my terrified thoughts.

I held onto my brother preparing for the worst.

The man positioned himself near a cliff while aiming his gun towards our fellow migrants. And then the first shot was fired…

BANG! BANG! BANG! The gunshot continued while we shockingly watched what was happening in front of us...One by one, our fellow migrants were crashing to the ground painting the desert floor with the blood of the innocent.

Covering my brother’s eyes and ears with tears welling up in the corner of my eye.

I was so terrified that I didn’t even realize that the gunshots stopped. I was pulled back to reality when Adela was frantically pulling my arm while telling me that we need to go. Getting back to my senses I pulled my brother with me while we dashed to where we came from. Sweat falling from my forehead while my breathing became labored and still, I didn’t stop running. I’ve only paused for a moment when I heard (b/n) breathlessly say that he can’t breathe.

No no no please not now. Crouching down to my brother’s level, I took his bag while in search of his inhaler. That’s when I noticed a rip from the bottom. No this can't be happening. I tried to search for it but it’s gone. Looking at my brother his breathing was becoming erratic. So I held him in my arms while I rocked him back and forth “Hey bud, look at me. (b/n) look at me and listen to my breathing okay? Your alright buddy”

“What on earth are you doing?! You have to get up now or else they will catch up!!” Moises yelled at me.

“I can’t. We lost his inhaler somewhere and he’s having an asthma attack. I need to calm him down or else he won’t be able to breathe!” my voice filled with desperation as I just yet noticed Moises terrified expression. Something was behind us...

When I followed his gaze I saw the dog running towards us. Oh, god!

Moises’s eyes were full of guilt as he turned away from us and started running. “ No! Please don’t leave us please!!!” I cried desperately but to no avail. When I returned my gaze to the dog I can see that it was getting closer and closer. I know that we wouldn’t be able to outrun it no matter how much I tried. Looking down at my brother who was still having a hard time controlling his breathing. Time to deliver a promise… I gently placed him right behind me, standing up to my full height readying myself for what’s about to come. 

The dog immediately jumped right at me while it sinks its canines in my arm. Crying in agony from the pain that ripped right through me, my brother’s breathy cries can be heard from behind me while I tried to get the beast off, stumbling on a rock I fell down on the ground and then hit my head hard on a rock. Fighting for consciousness my vision was getting blurry, I was barely feeling my mortal wound. I even failed to realize that they were no longer any canines sinking into my arm. Lolling my hazy head to the side, with a blurry vision I could see a pair of black heavy boots slowly approaching me. The sound of dust, his heavy boots clinking with each step and my desperate cry for my brother were the only sounds in the otherwise silent desert.

blink* boots by my side blink* shadow above blink* soft caresses on my cheeks blink* I was losing my consciousness... With tears in my eyes I can barely hold on,  but before losing myself to the darkness I can hear him mumble on… the words of the devil have sealed my fate and from then on I knew I will never escape.

“Beautiful, my desert rose,” he said. 

yup, I'm fucked.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

TAGLIST:

@happysgal @negans-attagirl

Comment below if you want to get tagged for the next chapters 😘💚

[crystal-ball-of-ow-canon]

Breakdown of the whole “cop situation”

Now that I feel like the worst of tensions have died down (at least on Tumblr) I think it needs to be cleared up why a lot of people are upset at the reveal that Gabriel used to be a cop. I know that if you don’t get it it can feel like a lot of people are overreacting but I don’t think that’s conducive to the situation. It’s a very loaded situation that requires a lot of nuance and to talk about such I will be touching on heavy and serious topics, please do not take the mentioning of darker topics as me trying to guilt you into something nor should you feel compelled to change your mind. I just want you to understand where others are coming from if you don’t get what’s going on. I would like to repeat that you are not wrong for not getting why people are upset, you are not wrong for feeling like people are overreacting.

So the biggest problem people have with Gabriel being a cop is that the American police are just exceptionally shitty. America has a very… very long history of law enforcement over citizen protection, and laws are not always moral. But so what? Systemic oppression and discrimination isn’t special to America. Well yes but… America is especially militarized and violent and… deadly… And so it stands that animosity towards police is very high among Americas particularly if you are a part of any marginalized community. The US police force is also very predominately male and white compared to population.

So yes, affiliation with the police can elicit very strong negative opinions particularly if you are from the US. And because interaction between citizen and law enforcement is so general and common people are most likely going to relate to that than a nebulous anarchist terrorist group. Furthermore the police and military are completely separate in America, for those who think that they’re “both just law enforcement”. No. Going into the military and going into the police force are not the same thing.

Now I do not want ANY “not all cops” or “few bad apples” in any reposts or notes (and if there is I will assume you have not read the entire post and will not engage). For the love of God no, just being a cop does not make you a malicious person or a bad actor. Joining the police force is a way of upward mobility that you might not have access to otherwise. You can also join the force believing you can do good and change the corrupt system. H o w e v e r. You are still participating in and perpetuating an oppressive system, regardless of your intentions, regardless if you don’t abuse your power, regardless if you are “one of the good ones”. This is not about the individual, this is about the actions of the system as a whole. And that is where the “affiliation = bad reaction” comes from.

I hope this was possibly informative or helpful to some people. I am not in any ways trying to put words in mouths or speak for anyone, this was just the general consensus some of my friends had on the topic. Although I did bring up very dark subjects I attempted to avoid going in depth as I did not feel it appropriate when talking about something pedantic as a character's lore. Personally the cop thing didn't bother me so much as how it was handled in the story. I don't want any fighting, I'm not trying to challenge anyone's opinions or say they're wrong. I hope I'm not taking away from any enjoyment. But I did get asked why some people were so upset and this is my answer.

[sumzysworld]

I love drabble games so much😁

Member Jin

Genre: sports au? E2l with reader

This is a rather unique take, I'd say, so hope you like it!

Love All

Pairing: Commentator/MC! Jin X Tennis player!Reader

God, you hated the man with a passion. His voice ringing across the field, peppering commentary on a serious match with nonsensical dad jokes and clowning practically everyone AND laughing at his OWN jokes. Jin with his stupid endearing personality and handsome face that belied a level of snark that you'd rather bathe in deadly nightshade. You honestly wondered what possessed the broadcasting station to hire him.

Normally you were a rather focused, determined player. You took notes at every practice and match, worked on your focus, ensured you kept your pace steady and on winning. But that one disaster of a match, where you were suffering cramps, bit refused to sit it out, became hellish in your mind with his commentary.

"...normally, I'm not opposed to a lot of love, but in Y/n's case, it's not doing her any favors..."

"What a shot! Someone remind her where the net is?"

"I've heard people talk about her promise, but I'm not really seeing it in her form today"

The worst part was the gleeful reporters who lapped up every word of his snark, publishing some very unflattering pictures and articles which made their way home. Despite your stellar performance in future matches, you were pretty sure his commentary and those articles pretty much ended up damaging your chances to get scouted.

So why on earth were you frozen in the locker room under his gaze, languid eyes swimming with lust, as he danced his fingers with your pussy? You reached down, stroking the very visible bulge in his trousers, ans he bucked into you caging you further.

"Looks like this star wants me, hmm?"

A moan. "Beg for it"

Huh?

"Beg for me, to destroy your pretty little pussy, till you're left sated." He continued with a smirk , darkened eyes gazing over your vulnerable face.

You burst out into laughter. Heaving and giggling, you push him off you, straightening your short skirt out, and turning away.

"What...I thought you wanted this?"

"Want...what? You? Destroying my pussy? After I beg? HA!"

You continued laughing , putting your belongings back into your bag and tightening your shoelaces.

"You think I can't?" He growled, confusion and hurt pride spread across his face

"OH, my dear fella... I'm not asking whether YOU can or can't...I'm asking how you expect to do that when I won't allow you to?"

"What do you mean?"

You laughed, standing tall, before facing him with a deadpan expression. "C'mon, it's really simple. Did you honestly expect me to go down on my knees to BEG you to satisfy me, when all you've done is undermine me publicly every single occasion you get?"

"But I'm a commentator, it's my job-"

"Well, Mr. Commentator, you probably think you're being funny. But trust me this isn't some living room rerun for you to make gag jokes on. I'm an athlete whose career depends on her every match."

"I never asked you to play poorly -"

"How well I play isn't your business. Every match is different. Because every player combination, every condition is different. Commentators talk about the match, not get personal on the players. And guess what, your words cost them outside the field. "

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"Players are already aware of themselves and their own match thank you very much. We do NOT need your words to be a burden off the field as well! You can simply go home and sleep it off. A player pays the price whenever you run your mouth, Kim Seokjin."

And you turned on your heels and walked out.

********

Kim Seokjin was am impulse hire by the station. They had a vacancy and he was an already humorous radio jockey, so they figured that with a little bit of training, they could push him to do the sports commentary as well. That became a longtime gig when he became extremely popular among journalists and audience alike, his humour lightening the tensions of a match, and leaving both stadium and television audience in splits. His ratings were through the roof.

So people were surprised when he changed his style. He didn't focus on the players themselves, but instead upped the anticipation on the progress of a match, the strategy the players followed, and the nail-biting finish.

After that failed hook-up he had gone home, to research what happened to the players, an dthe articles he saw. He had to begin with making it up - so the first thing he had done was a critical commentary segment on a series of matches, focusing on players who had been harmed the most indirectly - either with loss of sponsors, or scholarships, or just plain dropping out of competitive tennis.

His shift in attitude earned him the nickname "Possitive battery", and by remarking positively on the careers of these players, he brought them back into the spotlight and the arena.

But most of all, he wanted to make it up personally to you. So he (followed/stalked) watched your practice sessions with your coach, talking particular note of how you stiffened under tension, letting it get to you, ans how you pressurized yourself to perform a certain way.

You weren't enjoying the game.

He changed how he commented on his games a little more. Reintroducing humor, not on the players, but across the match's progress, he succeeded in helping you and your competitor relax during a time out, laughing and coughing water through your nose at another of his terrible jokes.

The pressure shifted.

You and your opponent were neck and neck, alternating endlessly for game point between deuce, serve, advantage and deuce again. After a particularly difficult shot where the ball instead of grazing the net, rolled off into the opposite court, you were declared the winner.

The matches aftermath wasn't a quick wrap up and go - it was one of the tournament's finest and you were standing proud, your trophy glinting in the floodlights. He quietly had flowers sent to your locker space, hoping, that maybe someday you would be willing to talk?

After packing up and finishing the interviews, and shooting off the scores and summaries to his boss, he made his way quietly to his car.

To find you leaning against it, his bouquet in one hand, and a bottle of champagne (which he hadn't bought) in the other.

You'd raised the bottle at him with a smile, saying, "Care to join me for a drink?"

[nacrepearl]

I'm trying to avoid serious stuff like that or at least not getting overly anxious because it makes me think we are all going to die, whether that's something is nukes, the Coronavirus infecting all of us and we die slowly one by one by it or just an ww3 with a bad ending for everyone because accusations and this agreement and dislike towards each other. i know this is a very negative looming outlook on the future but that's what I think when I see posts like that with a dark implication.

Sorry for scaring you! In part it’s just me being worried about everything at once, and assuming the worst in all situations. If its any consolation, WW3 is not going to happen so suddenly and certainly not this year. The coronavirus, while less deadly than the flu right now, is more concerning because of the lack of a direct treatment or vaccine for it at our disposal (get your flu shot!!). The water thing in my town too is because of a small fuel spill in the reservoir–so that will be cleaned up asap too.

So we’re all good, it’s really just me assuming the worst because that’s how I operate, and partly because I have a belief in the universe as a whole, so if something bad did happen, then the universe itself is to blame (and not to say if humans cause bad things to absolve them of blame–whoever started the mess will be at fault. the universe created humans after all)