#and i'm not entirely sure what it is about me that gives off weird vibes so quickly without fail

[brunchable]

FREAKY FRIDAY | Body Swapped Steve Rogers x f!reader.

Pairings: Johnny Storm Possessed Steve Rogers x f!reader Themes: Body Swap. Sexual Themes. Funny? Horndog Johnny, for an unknown reason, body-swapped with Steve. Summary: You woke up with Steve suddenly out of character and having an overflowing amount of rizz. A/N: It's comedy central in my blog this week. . . I can't help but insert one particular meme lmao

taggies: @mrsevans90

Like you did every morning, you woke up to the gentle warmth of Steve next to you, but there was something different about the way he was looking at you today. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he leaned in close, brushing a strand of hair from your face. 

"Morning, gorgeous," he murmured, his voice smoother than usual. You blinked in surprise. Sure, Steve was affectionate, but this was... new. 

You smiled back, albeit a little wary. 

"Good morning?" Before you could say anything more, he captured your lips in a kiss that was how to describe it-more confident, more playful than his usual gentle morning kisses. You pulled back slightly, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

“Wow, someone's in a good mood today,” you said, trying to shake off the weird vibe. 

Steve just grinned and gave you a little wink. "What can I say? I'm just appreciating my girl." 

You squirmed under his intense gaze. You couldn't help but notice how his hand casually trailed down your arm, lingering a little longer than usual. You weren't sure if you should feel flattered or... flustered.

“Should we stay in bed a little while? You know…” he asked, his voice dropping suggestively as he wiggled his brows.

But this time, he didn’t stop there. As he leaned in closer, he slowly stuck out his tongue and wiggled it playfully, making his intentions blatantly clear.

Your face immediately turned bright red.

“Steve!” you exclaimed, quickly pressing your hand to his lips and pushed him away to stop him before he got any closer, utterly flustered by the suggestive gesture.

He chuckled against your hand, his eyes twinkling with mischief. For a second, you felt him wiggle his tongue against your palm, teasing you further before you jerked your hand back with a mix of shock and embarrassment.

“Unbelievable!” you muttered, feeling your face heat up even more.

He gave you a devilish grin, clearly enjoying how flustered you were.

“What? Just offering some ideas, sweetheart,” he teased, giving you a playful wink.

“No, Sam’s going to be here soon for your morning run, so go prepare.”

The excitement drained from his face, “I do?” 

“Yes!” 

Johnny—or rather, the man you thought was Steve—let out a low chuckle, clearly unfazed by your refusal. This wasn't like Steve at all. Steve was always respectful, sweet, and… well, a gentleman. But today? He seemed like a different man entirely.

“Guess I forgot,” he said with a smirk, sitting up slowly and stretching. His tone was casual, but the grin he gave you was anything but innocent.

As he shifted in bed, he leaned back casually and gave a quick, deliberate glance downwards before gesturing toward the noticeable outline in his sweatpants. The fabric clung snugly, revealing the distinct, firm shape of his dick pressing against the material, enough to leave little to the imagination.

“But if you change your mind about staying in bed…” he said, his voice low and teasing, “you know where to find me.”

You blinked in disbelief, your cheeks burning as he got out of bed and strolled toward the bathroom. He threw one last playful wink at you before disappearing behind the door, leaving you there in a state of complete confusion.

"What the hell is going on with him today?" you muttered to yourself.

You climbed out of bed and started to get ready for the day, you tried to shake off the feeling that something was… off. Maybe Steve was just in a playful mood? Maybe he was testing out some new approach to your relationship, though you couldn't help but wonder where it had come from all of a sudden.

But, soon enough, you heard the front door open and Sam's voice echoed through the apartment. "Yo, Rogers! Are you ready for our run?"

You peeked out from the bedroom just in time to see "Steve" step out of the bathroom, giving you another grin before heading out to meet Sam. He greeted him casually, as if everything was perfectly normal.

Sam looked over at you with a quick nod. “Hey, Y/N. Morning.”

“Morning,” you replied, though your voice sounded more distant than usual. You couldn’t quite bring yourself to look directly at Sam, worried your face might give away just how weird the morning had been.

As they left for their run, you were left alone, still wondering why Steve was acting so differently. But then, you shook your head. Maybe it was all in your head. Maybe he was just feeling particularly confident today. Either way, it was Steve, your Steve, and you trusted him.

Right?

× × × ×

You made breakfast while ‘Steve’ is out on a run. You tried to shake off your confusion by busying yourself with making coffee. It wasn't helping. The memory of Steve's unusually bold behaviour lingered in your mind. 

And just when you were about to pour yourself a cup, you felt a sudden smack on your ass. You yelped in surprise, nearly spilling the coffee. Whipping around, you saw Steve standing there with a smug grin on his face, looking very proud of himself. 

"Steve!" you gasped, your heart racing for all the wrong reasons. "What are you—" 

"What?" he said with an innocent shrug, though his mischievous grin betrayed him. "Just saying hello." 

You narrowed your eyes at him. “By smacking me on my ass?”

“Can't help it, you look too cute when you're all focused," he teased, stepping closer. 

His hands slid around your waist, and before you could protest, he lifted you effortlessly onto the counter. Your breath hitched. This was not the Steve Rogers you knew. But as much as his behaviour was throwing you off, you couldn't deny the butterflies his actions stirred in your stomach. 

"Steve, what's gotten into you?" you asked, trying to keep your voice steady. 

Instead of answering, Steve leaned in with a mischievous glint in his eyes, peppering kisses all over your face—your forehead, your cheeks, and your nose—until you were giggling uncontrollably.

“Steve, stop it!” you laughed, trying to push him away, but he was relentless, his arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

Your laughter was cut short as his lips trailed lower, brushing down to the side of your neck. The playful atmosphere shifted instantly, your breath hitching in your throat. His kisses became more deliberate, slow and teasing, sending sparks of heat through your skin.

“Steve…” you whispered, but your words melted into a quiet gasp as his lips found that sensitive spot just below your ear. He lingered there, pressing soft, lingering kisses, making your pulse race.

His warm breath fanned over your skin, and without warning, his lips latched onto your neck, sucking gently but with enough pressure that you knew he was leaving a mark. A deep, guttural hum escaped him as he continued, his grip on your waist tightening as he pulled your body against him.

The sensation of his lips and the gentle tugging of his teeth made your head spin, and you instinctively tilted your head, giving him better access. 

“Steve,” you gasped, your fingers tangling in his hair, your body arching into his.

“Can’t help it,” he muttered against your skin between kisses. “You drive me crazy.”

His voice was low and rough, sending a fresh wave of heat coursing through you. He sucked on your neck again, his tongue flicking over the spot before he pulled back slightly to admire his work.

"You’re gonna have to explain this one," he murmured with a grin, his lips ghosting over your ear, still hovering close enough to keep you breathless.

× × × ×

For the next hour, you tried to regain some composure, but it was hard with the heat of Steve’s kisses still tingling on your neck. Every time you moved, you could feel the slight sting of the mark he’d left behind, a not-so-gentle reminder of how wild this morning had been.

After making the bed and tidying up, you decided to head to the living room to relax for a bit, hoping that "Steve" had calmed down from whatever flirty streak had taken over him. You still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was a little… off. He's been too quiet.

You stepped into the living room, you stopped dead in your tracks, your jaw practically hitting the floor.

There, casually sprawled on the couch, was Steve in his birthday suit. Stark naked. The only thing covering him was your guitar, strategically placed across his lap. His posture was relaxed, one arm draped along the back of the couch, while his free hand strummed lazily at the strings.

He looked up as if nothing was out of the ordinary, a casual, half-lidded grin spreading across his face. 

“Hey,” he said, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

You blinked. Once. Twice.

“Steve… what the hell are you doing?” you finally stammered, struggling to form coherent words as your brain scrambled to process what you were seeing.

He shrugged nonchalantly, still strumming the guitar. 

“Just thought I’d serenade my girl.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he tilted his head. “You know, I think I’m getting better at this guitar thing.”

Your cheeks flamed red as your gaze flickered between his shamelessly exposed body and the guitar that, frankly, wasn’t doing the best job at covering much.

“Put some clothes on!” you squeaked, your face burning from the sight in front of you. “What if someone walks in? Sam might—"

“Sam’s gone,” he cut in smoothly, winking. “It’s just you and me, babe.” He tilted his head, clearly amused by your reaction. “Besides, you weren’t complaining this morning.”

You could feel the heat rising to your face again, this time in full force. "That doesn't mean you get to... to do this!" 

He just smirked, lazily leaning back on the couch, the guitar still resting against him. “Come on, don’t act like you don’t like it.”

“Steve, for the love of everything, PLEASE, just put some clothes on,” you muttered, rubbing your temples as if that would somehow erase the image from your brain.

Instead of listening, he suddenly stood up, the guitar still barely covering anything, and with the confidence of someone performing at a sold-out show, he started singing. Loudly. 

“And you're kissin' on my neck, I'm like, “Oh”, Got your hands up on my chest, I'm like, “Oh”” he belted out dramatically, grinning ear to ear as he took a step toward you, his voice echoing through the room. 

You panicked. 

"Oh my God, Steve! No!" you squealed, immediately clamping your hands over your ears, turning away from him as fast as possible

“Kiss me 'til there's nothin' left, Oh my god, oh my god!” he sang even louder, walking toward you like some rock star, his guitar still precariously covering him as he inched closer. 

You darted behind the coffee table, creating a barrier between the two of you, your face blazing red. 

“Lalalalalalalala!” You covered your ears tighter, trying to block out the sight and sound of your naked boyfriend serenading you. “Lalalalalalala! I can't hear you.”

But he wasn't stopping. If anything, your reaction only encouraged him further. 

“Why are you running, baby?”

He grinned wickedly, circling around the coffee table like a predator playing with his prey. "You could really tear me apart, but- I love you like that, Everything you do just turns me on, I love you like that, Body on my mind like all night long.” 

You squeaked and moved in the opposite direction, keeping the table between you, but Steve—guitar still precariously positioned—was unstoppable, matching your every move. It was ridiculous, like a slow-motion chase scene in a rom-com, but you couldn’t help but laugh through your embarrassment.

"Steve! Seriously, stop!" you cried out, ducking and weaving as he chased you around the table, his singing never faltering.

"I love you like that!" he belted, reaching out with one hand as if trying to grab you. You yelped, dodging him by moving to the other side.

"Lalalalalalalala!" you cried, your hands clamped tighter over your ears as you rushed toward the door, desperate to escape.

His laughter echoed in the living room, the sound of his voice-and that ridiculous guitar performance following you as you fled to the safety of the kitchen. Behind you, you could hear him laughing even harder. 

"Alright, alright, I'll stop!" he called after you, his voice still tinged with amusement. 

You leaned against the kitchen counter, taking a deep breath to steady yourself, your face still burning red. Today was officially out of control. 

And this wasn't the Steve Rogers you signed up for.

× × × × 

As the day finally wound down, you were still trying to recover from the whirlwind of events that had unfolded earlier. After a long, flirty, and borderline chaotic day with “Steve,” you were just glad it was almost bedtime.

You had managed to avoid another musical performance from him after the whole guitar incident, but the playful energy hadn’t completely faded. As you stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing your teeth, you could feel his eyes on you from across the room, watching your every move.

“Don’t even think about it,” you mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste, meeting his gaze in the reflection of the mirror.

He was lounging on the bed, shirtless now, with that same mischievous grin you’d been seeing all day. 

“What?” he asked innocently, though the glint in his eyes said otherwise.

You rolled your eyes and spit out the toothpaste, rinsing your mouth. “You know exactly what.”

He laughed, the sound low and smooth as he got up and sauntered over to you, his bare feet padding quietly against the hardwood floor. Before you could react, he was behind you, his arms sliding around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

“I was just admiring how cute you look in your pajamas,” he murmured, his breath warm against your neck.

You sighed, trying to ignore the way your body reacted to the heat of his skin against yours. 

“Steve, it’s been a long day,” you said, your voice weary but laced with affection. “Can we just... go to bed? Without any more surprises?”

He pressed a soft kiss to your neck, lingering for just a second before pulling away with a grin. 

“Alright, alright,” he relented, raising his hands in surrender. “I’ll behave.”

You gave him a playful glare, narrowing your eyes as you turned to face him. “You said that earlier today, and then I walked into the living room and—”

“Okay, this time I’ll behave,” he interrupted with a laugh, holding his hands up defensively. “Promise.”

Shaking your head, you couldn’t help but smile. He may have been driving you absolutely crazy today, but this version of Steve—or Johnny, whoever he really was—was still undeniably charming in his own chaotic way.

Once you finished up in the bathroom, you both crawled into bed, the covers cool against your skin. Steve—or, well, Johnny—rolled onto his side, propping his head up with one hand as he gazed at you with that playful smirk.

“You sure you don’t want a little bedtime serenade?” he teased, his voice low and suggestive.

You groaned and pulled the blanket up over your head, burying yourself beneath the covers. “No!” you said, your voice muffled. “We’re done with that for today!”

He laughed again, the sound warm and contagious as he settled down beside you. The teasing faded, replaced by a softer, more familiar warmth as his arm slipped around your waist, pulling you close to him.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he murmured, his voice gentle now as he pressed a soft kiss to your temple.

You peeked out from under the covers, smiling despite yourself. “Goodnight, Steve.”

As you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep, you couldn’t help but wonder how long this flirty version of Steve would last—and whether or not you were ready for whatever tomorrow would bring.

× × × ×

The next morning, you stirred awake, the early light filtering through the curtains, and you felt the familiar warmth of strong arms slipping around your waist. Instinctively, you leaned into the embrace at first—until the events of the previous day rushed back to you. Your eyes snapped open, and before you could stop yourself, you jumped slightly, pulling away from the arms that had suddenly felt different, your heart pounding.

“Whoa, hey—what’s wrong?” Steve's voice came out soft, laced with confusion and concern. You turned over to face him, and instantly, you could tell something had changed. His eyes weren’t twinkling mischievously, there was no sly grin or playful wink. Instead, his brow was furrowed in concern, his hands hovering over you like he wasn’t sure if he should touch you again.

“Steve?” you whispered, your voice hesitant, scanning his face. He looked… like himself again. That quiet, gentle warmth was back, the one that had been missing yesterday.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, still looking concerned. “Are you okay? You jumped like I startled you.” He reached out to brush a strand of hair from your face, his touch soft and careful, nothing like the bold, confident gestures from the day before.

You blinked at him, your mind racing. The contrast between today and yesterday was stark. Yesterday, he had been all cocky smirks and teasing touches, constantly riling you up. But now? Now, Steve seemed completely aware of what had happened, but wasn’t letting on.

“I—uh, I’m fine,” you stammered, still trying to process it all. “You just… caught me off guard.”

Steve frowned, clearly still confused by your reaction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he said softly, his thumb brushing gently over your arm as he studied you. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

You nodded, but your heart was still racing. "Yeah… you’re just… different from yesterday."

His brow furrowed further, but now there was something else behind his eyes. He looked like he was holding something back. “Different? What do you mean?” he asked, though you could sense he already knew.

You hesitated, biting your lip. “Yesterday, you were just… more… flirty,” you said carefully, watching his reaction. “Like, a lot more. You were… singing to me. Naked. With my guitar.”

Steve’s eyes widened in shock, his face turning red almost instantly, but there was something else—recognition. “What? I—I did that?” He didn’t seem shocked by the words, more by the fact that you were telling him.

You nodded, your own face heating up at the memory. “Yeah. And you were… really, really bold. Smacking my butt, picking me up, kissing me all over…"

Steve's gaze drifted down, and before you could even say another word, his fingers gently brushed against your neck, right where Johnny had left that bold mark. His touch was tender at first, but the moment his thumb traced over the small bruise, his entire expression shifted. 

"That motherfucker! I'm going to kill him!”

[bendyartistic]

Be Aware of alexbstudios. (Part 2) TW: uh.. slur, sui mention.

Recently I've been requested by some people to make another awareness post about Alex, and what has been going on since I made my last callout. So.. let's take a look. I'm gonna be honest I have been paying little to no attention to him at all since my post up until this point, didn't think I'd have to.

Ever since I made it, Alex has been talking about me a lot more, and it feels much more obsessive in a way. I think it's funny but also pretty weird considering some of the things he's said about me. Eugh.

Anyways let's get to the stuff from after my callout to the present. This is just a rundown of everything, and there is some stuff I skipped since I didn't feel it was worth mentioning. Once my post had been made, a lot of people went over and said stuff to him (Though I didn't encourage that behavior, I only wanted to make my post so people knew about him, I'm not covering those unless it's important in this.) Little afterwards he made this... post. Erh, are you stalking me and other people?? ALSO don't say the r slur man, like what.

I find it really creepy that he has this list, and has notes along with them about why/who they are. Also why'd he spell my partners name like that? 💀 Next a little after that he reblogged someone's art and introduction saying this. (I don't want to really @ people in this, nor get anyone involved unless they asked to be.)

I still don't understand how Alex views me, but saying this in a reblog no less is so strange. Reblogging another post, saying this with it...

You're right Alex, I didn't need you in my life, yet here we are. Unfortunately. Besides that, no, 12 year old's should NOT be on Tumblr at all, even with restrictions, said restriction should be having the app blocked from their device.

I'm just gonna.. move on from that. Alex reblogged an art post, where he proceeded to @ over 50 people, myself included, saying "surely you can see the problem". I can't fit the entire thing sadly. I don't get what the point in these posts are honestly, besides annoy everyone. He's done it before as well. He got into a small bit of beef with a handful of folk not too long ago, which I got @'ed in at some point I think, didn't really pay much attention to it. Basically the original post is someone talking about art supplies and asking what one's other people use, which I personally think was a very neat post. Alex comes around though for some reason going off on nonsense. Hello? Who invited you!? (Again, censoring names cuz I don't want to get ppl involved.)

I'm honestly kind of wondering why he even showed up. He pretty soon after made this dumb post as if it could have some effect on the situation.. uh?

I guess mark your calendars guys for this date, where we have to immediately forget everything and forgive him! /j And there's this response he gave to an anon responding to his ✨patience✨ post.

Dunno, so far it hasn't because he's still talking about it, so clearly he hasn't gotten over it enough to let it blow over.

He's giving me those like.. stupid sigma edit vibes sometimes. Y'know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Also I'm not sure what to say about this really, but it's pretty funny.

Context for this next one: You and the person on your lockscreen fight god..? That's a weird one.

Wdym racist though? 🤨 Genuinely kinda curious about that. Btw wouldn't that make you like.. 9?? On a different note, I saw him previously talk about this "friend" he has going to a mental hospital, but I know nothing about it, nor do I really want to, however reblogging on an art post saying this feels off. Think the emotes are what do it.

Don't joke about mental hospitals at all, I shouldn't have to explain why. I'm going to move on from all the short stuff now because I do wanna start talking instead of making short joking comments.

Alex made this post, and so it begins with him talking about me again, eh?

Alex, you're already doomed. I can't put it any other way but from what I've seen maybe only 1 or 2 people even like you. The rest either hate you or want to avoid you at all cost, and I don't blame them at all considering you act like a fool and make everyone uncomfortable.

For my thoughts on you? I don't like you, never did. I just have to put up with you because this is the internet, and you'll probably never truly leave me alone like I once hoped. It's a shame honestly that you cannot follow a simple request from anyone. Don't think I don't know about your planned "response post" you're making, I'm still waiting for it. I don't know what good it's gonna do you though. Personally I don't care if you make one, I'd just read it to see the stuff you make up in it lol. (Edit: He decided to stop working on it after seeing this post lol.)

Enough of my rambling, I should continue with this so I can stop talking about him sooner. Regrettably I had to actually look up what this was about, I felt.. iffy reading it.

Saying gyatt right afterwards wasn't funny. At all. I'm quite upset now. There was absolutely no reason for that.

I was gonna be reasonable and say something genuine but I don't feel like it anymore, this ruined my mood. All I have to say is as much as I dislike you, don't actually do that. Sadly moving to the next nonsensical thing, he made a poll post asking this. (It's still ongoing btw)

Are people like.. forced into giving a reason? Like if I for example chose Bendy, am I immediately supposed to state my reasons? What if I don't want to, are we being held at gunpoint? What's up with that? I'm too lazy to interact with the post, I don't really feel like it anyways even if I wasn't lazy. Which one would you choose though lol I'm going to be serious now again cause this last thing is really just.. what the fuck. Palestine related 🍉, someone asking for help came to Alex, and this was his response to it...

MY GOD Alex. Did you really have to respond to that in this immature, insensitive fucking manner? Could it have not been in one of your stupid rambling posts. It should've been. I'm sorry to the person and I'm sorry I had to read it. You're pretty sick honestly. You need help.

That's it. I'm done.

In conclusion:

Alex is still the same and is still never going to change probably. He still shouldn't be here and I believe he really should get off now more than ever. If not I fear what else he might do next.

All I can really tell you folks is please, DNI with Alex, just leave him alone and block him. You're again not obligated to, but I am suggesting it if you want to be left alone by him. And hey, maybe you'll make it onto his dumb creepy list too, who knows. Alright, I'm finished, I stayed up way too late for this... I'm tired. Cya.

Reblogs are much appreciated, it helps spread the word, thanks.

[ezra-editss]

Just watched X-men Apocalypse. What the hell.

Okay, so I kinda have a take on all this and idk if that's just how it feels to me, but that's what I wanna know. (I don't think this actually happened, but it's the vibes it is all giving)

So it started when I told my mom about First Class (keep reading I'm gonna get to apocalypse eventually) and we came to the conclusion that it feels like they wrote the script, looked at it again and thought:

"Hmm, this seems pretty gay.. Erik and Charles both have no female love interests and they have those lines that seem pretty romantic. Also, Erik seems almost obsessed with Charles at the end with how overprotective he is. Let's fix that!"

And then they gave both of them a kiss with a woman they weren't interested in and added the line "We're brothers, you and I" and then were proud of how well they "saved" it.

And then they made Days of Future Past and didn't even think of it, but when it came out they saw how people were shipping it and then they were like "oh shitt"

And in the first hour of the movie, I thought they were just doing all of this stuff to "erase" any potential gayness people thought there was and wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea about the recent movies. But it was more the reminder they like women, before the EXTREME GAYNESS in the second half.

(This is getting so much more unserious than initially intended💀)

Anyways, Apocalypse.

Either I missed something or Erik settling down and HIDING makes NO SENSE. In the last timeline it was 100% clear that he'd never stop believing in what he did, he would never stop fighting his war. So yes, this is a different timeline, but there is no reason given why he suddenly decides to try Charles way. He failed in Days of Future Past and Charles let him go, but there is no way that's enough. And they played this off like that isn't the thing they both wanted since forever and never seemed possible. Being on the same side. Erik switching to Charles side is insane, why wouldn't he talk to Charles in all those years then?

I can't believe they threw away everything that IS Erik, just so he had a reason to be angry enough to join the guy.

(They also died in such a weird/lame way)

And Charles and I still don't really know her name😭.. I have to admit the scenes where Charles was nervous were cute, but that's just because Charles is adorable. But in First Class she was obviously only there for the plot, in Days of Future Past, she wasn't even mentioned and in Apocalypse, she was, again, only there for the plot. She literally doesn't say anything the entire movie after the beginning. She has like two lines. And in the end fight, she's just standing there. And then Charles makes her remember and the flashbacks are soo bad, BC THEY HAD NO MOMENTS. (Especially bc you can compare it to Erik's flashbacks, we're gonna get to that)

(I don't think I have to say it, but to be sure. I have absolutely nothing against straight couples. I don't care if it's gay or not. But if one of them were a woman, I wouldn't be writing this. I just hate how often they prefer to write a heterosexual couple that has no chemistry at all instead of making the two guys/girls kiss.)

Let's talk about the ending. Sometimes when I talk about this stuff I'm a little worried that I interpret things wrong bc I want it to be like that and I'm not being objective anymore, but I was proven right so many times in this. When Mystique and Erik kissed in First Class, it felt really weird to me because Erik obviously had no interest in her. (I suppose it was to show her she's beautiful) And that was pretty much proven right when she talks to him and he barely reacts to what she's saying. I also thought that he probably didn't know Charles was dying, bc he wouldn't let that happen. Then Mystique says "Charles" and suddenly he does show a reaction and when she's gone, he has those god damn flashbacks. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T A ROMANTIC PLOT?😭 and then the specific one of Charles turning away and leaving him. (Could be a metaphor for Charles giving up on him) THAT'S WHAT GOT HIM.

And they make it even more clear when Mystique is dying and Erik doesn't react, but when Charles is dying, is when he steps in.

Ending was cute, but damnn the "you can make me do anything" was crazy.

(This turned out soo long, I've never been so obsessed with something.)

[delululand]

hi could u pls do txts turn ons + offs in a partner ?? tysm <33

hiii and sorry for long answer, it’s here~ hope you enjoy it~

txt turn ons + offs

I wasn't sure how you wanted this to be, so it has some mentions of NSFW content, but not a lot

soobin

turn ons: i talked about this before, but I think he's really into the cute type and we all know how he likes anime (does he watch hentai? idk but guess yes) and this got me thinking about whiney girls. it's a little hard to explain it completely, but his love for anime (and a shit that's in hentai)+his love for cute types+some aegyo type in korea, which isn't considered weird like it is for people living in europe and america, it all comes together such vibrations… so i guess groaning, moaning, whining it’s really his turn ons (but not too louder? hahaha I just immediately remember how he always “shhhh🤫” beomgyu when he starts being noisy)

and also being call some pet names? he’ll really like it

turn offs: okay i really think one of the biggest turn offs for him is degradation and any form of rudeness. he mentioned so much time that he prefer cute vibe and I really think that this extends to how he is in bed. I see him as a soft guy and if someone (especially his partner) were rude to him, even if during sex, it would most likely surprise and upset

and also just dishonesty, deceit and some shit like that

yeonjun

turn ons: I want to write so many things but I remember one of his live where he said something like "the way you perceive me seems a little distorted. off screen, my and soobin's personalities exchange". he didn't specify what exactly he was talking about or what part of his personality it was about, but it pops into my head every time I think of him. maybe it's a bit of a distorted perception, but can I really see him in something like a partially toxic relationship? I'm not talking about abuse or anything like that and I don't mean this in a bad way, but I think he would be interested in a relationship with some game?

it's like that girl who looks like an arrogant bitch (but she's actually nice) and she gives him mixed signals, secret dates and everything seems obvious, but no one says anything out loud and all that

it’s like 밀당 (밀고 당기기) this is a very popular thing in korea and literally means “push and pull”, first a person devotes a lot of time to the person he likes and flirts, and then pretends that he is not particularly interested in order to attract attention to himself

p.s. for my personal opinion it’s a strange shit, but a lot of people really into it

turn offs: this may sound a little contradictory, but actual arrogance and bad treatment of people? it's one thing to have arrogant bitch vibes, but to be a kind person, but to actually be an arrogant bitch is something else entirely

controlling and obsessive behavior (in a bad way) like I really see that if his partner was jealous of him, he would be flattered and he would take this situation into flirtation, but if his partner tried to control him 24/7, constantly wrote and called with questions about where and with whom he is, this would greatly alienate him

beomgyu

turn ons: ohhh that guy… firstly it’s catching his vibe? he has a specific sense of humor and it would be important to be on the same wave with him in general, but he also makes “suggestive jokes” most often and he’s the biggest dirty minder of all members. so one of his turn ons is someone who could not only take his jokes well, but also be able to answer him in the same manner and actually i think this boy reaaaally into dirty talks

turn offs: first of all I think it has two sides: 1. not taking his jokes and being sarcastic in a bad way (like not making jokes pretending that he is annoying because he would like that, but on the contrary answering rudely or something like that) and 2. not taking him seriously. yes, he is really funny and jokes a lot, but he also has feelings and would like to be able to talk about it seriously, discuss different topics with his partner and know that he will be understood and accepted

taehyun

turn ons: first, he’s really a smart guy and i think intelligent conversation and debate it’s one of his turn ons. but also an even bigger turn on is when he explains something to you? something like you ask him how this or that thing works and he tells you the story of how and why it works the way it does and the moment you nod at him with eyes full of interest his dick literally twitches in his pants.

secondly, he said he's not the type to take initiative (especially in showing affection) because of fear, so if someone had the courage to be more proactive it would touch his heart. like you know for example you're still at the just friends stage and you link arm in arm when you're crossing the road, lightly stroke his back when you hug him or put your hand and lean on his lap when you're sitting next to him and laugh. these actions are simple and innocent enough, but would literally drive him crazy

turn offs: total pessimism and whining all the time. everyone has problems at some point and it's fine if a person wants to get support and share it with someone, but I'm talking about people who literally whine 24/7 about everything and don't want to solve problems. does he really seem a little cruel about it? like he'd have no problem supporting you if something happened and helping you as long as it took, but he wouldn't coddle someone who's infantile and can't solve the slightest problem on his own

huening kai

turn ons: watching and discussing anime with him, don’t ask me why, i just feel so hahaha

paying attention to the smaller things that demonstrate true thoughtfulness and kindness and compassion towards others. he is sooo cute, kind and caring person and he'd really appreciate it if his partner showed the right attitude towards other people.

and also being able to show affection openly, giving him words of encouragement, praise and all of that

turn offs: ignorance and intolerance, too self-centeredness, i wrote about it above and I think it just goes against his values in life and what he might like

and also being closed off and emotionally unavailable like. he has a hard showing his feelings and if his partner is even more closed off, they just won't connect?

p.s. i would also be very interested to hear your opinion on this topic, maybe you have something to add?

[platonically-loving-alastor]

Aroace Alastor

Hoo boy here we go- This one might make some people mad at me, so I'll preface by saying I do not want to start a fight and as long as you respect my business, I'll respect yours. But let's get this over with-

First off, I genuinely don't understand how some people can see the Ace-In-The-Hole quote and still believe that Alastor is only intended to be asexual and not also aromantic. Yes, the term Rosie used for purpose of the pun was 'ace', but can we look at the context of that moment before jumping to conclusions?

Rosie, motioning to Charlie: "Oh, who's this you brought with you? Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you! Oh, I'm just kidding. I know you're an ace in the hole!"

Her original statement implies nothing sexual, only that he's involved in a relationship with Charlie, and she follows it up with why she knows that couldn't be because he's an 'ace in the hole'. I don't think you have to read too far between the lines to see that.

I would also like to say that when Vivienne has spoken about his orientation before, I recall her saying that she didn't want to confirm him being aromantic so that she wouldn't 'ruin anyone's fun', which I just feel like is an odd thing to say if she wasn't already explicitly picturing him as aroace. If she thought he had romantic attraction, why wouldn't she just say that? What fun would that ruin? I also feel like keeping things like this ambiguous just to appease the shippers is a little weird, but I digress-

And to those of you who I know are saying "But aromantic people can be in relationships too!!" *deep inhale* yeah I know. I'm not gonna pretend you're not right about that, but there are also aroace people who have exactly 0 interest in romance or sex at all. This is the part of the post that really is based on how I interpret certain moments, but to me he is absolutely one of those people. I don't really know where people get any vibes of him being interested in that stuff. I have never once looked at him and thought "Yeah I could see him in a romantic relationship with *insert character here*". Even aside from attraction in general, since that's what we'd be talking about at this point anyway, he just seems like the kind of guy who'd rather work and live independently instead of relying on anyone, whether practically or emotionally (which is also probably part of the reason he never joined the Vees, but that's another topic entirely). Hell, I'm pretty sure he's in heavy denial about even developing any kind of care or friendship with the people at the hotel (ie. the episode 8 scene with him and Niffty).

The only ships I see him involved in with people he doesn't hate (so ignoring RadioApple, RadioHusk, and StaticRadio. But to be real, maybe the fact all his main ships are enemies to lovers coded says something about the whole situation, but that's just me-) are Charlastor - which I will not even try to discuss here, people aren't gonna like this post as it is - and RadioRose. Rosie and him would at least be fair, if it weren't for one thing (which is also personal opinion on my end), and I don't know exactly how to word it. I'm tempted to say she has wingwoman vibes? But she knows he's aro, so that's not the right word, but there's vibes of like, she probably did act as a wingwoman before she realized that about him or something.. There's also something about her joking around like "Oh this is the girl? You have a girlfriend and I'm only now meeting her?" is almost giving motherly behavior. Idk man they're just besties to me, I could see them in a QPR though (not that they'd probably label it that way, considering the word queerplatonic is likely just complete gibberish to Alastor lmao).

So to summarize: It feels incredibly likely, if not practically canon, that Alastor was written with aromanticism in mind, even if Vivienne refuses to explicitly state it. Subtext and not-that-subtle implications can say just as much about a character as word of God, especially when that God has explicitly told us why she won't confirm or deny this information. Do I think any of this will stop people from shipping him romantically with literally any other character? No ofc it won't, and that's okay, that's just what fandoms do. I do think there's something to say for the fact the one aroace (or even at the very least asexual) character gets constantly shipped with everyone else in the cast, but this post is long enough I think. The only point of posting this is that I wanted to get information out there in one post to say "Hey, let's look a little bit past the surface for a second before saying there's no proof of him being aromantic"

Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you at least took something away from this

[bogkeep]

grousing about ai art stuff

every time i open twitter (my mistake) there's a new thread on how to spot ai art or ai photos by finding all the mistakes in it, and like obviously this is useful and it's good to watch out because they kEEP SHOWING UP EVERYWHERE AHHH HELL WORLD HELL WORLD, but it's also a little depressing that we're training ourselves to nitpick all kinds of details within a piece of art.

like even before the artifically generated image boom randos on twitter would reply to fully finished illustrations with the most asinine unsolicited advice possible. art's gonna be flawed sometimes! i'll draw someone in a weird pose because of vibes! i'll wing a hand! i don't fucking know what a house actually looks like!!! like yes of course the way a human artist creates flawed art is different from the way an algorithm doesn't actually know what anything looks like because it has no mind. it doesn't know shit. so it's not that it's UNRELIABLE but it's like. it's like... i've been telling myself and others every time i'm struggling to make something look Just Right that actually nobody i going to be staring as hard at my art as i am while making it. if i don't point it out people aren't likely to notice unless they are going through it with a fine toothed comb BUT NOW WE ARE DOING THAT APPARENTLY. WHICH IS ANYONE'S PEROGATIVE AND FAIR ENOUGH! PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT MY ART HOWEVER THEY WANT IT'S FINE

but it's ALSO so depressing to consider having to analyse every single piece of art you come across like that my goddddddd i just wanna enjoy it!! i wanna enjoy art!!!! i mean the main reason i finally stopped going on twitter regularly was during the NFT boom and i got so tired of having to vet every single artist i came across to make sure i wasnt retweeting nft stuff. like that really ruined my previously enjoyable experience of LOOKING AT NICE ART ON MY FEED WITHOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE.

god another thing that happened during the dark nft times was how certain art styles tended to be nfts. and i don't mean the ugly apes and stuff, like of course there's those, but there were a lot of artists who sold their souls to crypto and there was just a certain Vibe to a lot of those styles. like i got a sixth sense for it, i would see a piece of art by an unknown artists and when i checked - yep, that was a crypto guy now. and you know what!!!! i hated that!!!! i hate that it ruined entire art styles for me!! AND NOW ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED IMAGES ARE DOING THE SAME!!!!! like what tends to tip me off is less because i spotted some wonky hand or a weird flap but because the style is a popular one for the ai bros to imitate. you know what i mean right!!!!!! it's kind of how the ai photos look a bit too clean and crisp and smooth in an unsettling way. it just pings the brain a bit.

ULTIMATELY the absolute main method i have for filtering away ai images isn't so much looking for mistakes, but by checking sources. it's the same way i check that i'm not reblogging from reposting accounts Because That's A Thing I Care About Too - if there's no description or the description seems off and i don't recognise the OP, i check the original post/blog to see what's up. if the image gives me a weird vibe, i check where it comes from and who posted it. oftentimes the comments on posts with ai images will point it out - they're not always accurate and there's definitely been times where people are a little too trigger happy to accuse art of being AI... but it can be a good lead or confirm suspicions. on one hand, i don't want to do detective work while im having chill scrolling time, but on the other hand - i already had this habit for other reasons, so it's less disruptive to me than the alternative. it also helps that it's very rare for ai shit to turn up in my tumblr feed. i don't want to keep looking over my shoulder!!

(also for anyone who wants a little bit of optimism in the middle of all this, here's an episode of Better Offline podcast that outlines how it's very unlikely for generative ai to actually get much better. here's the part two also.)

[yuurivoice]

I feel like Faust deserves some more love, so I kinda got two questions, one for current time (not related to Evalas) and one for his childhood

Curently, what's his favorite gacha game or just game in general? Or is he more of a "whatever gives me more views" type of guy?

When he was a kid, did he and Trish get along well? I'm genuinely curious on how he and Trish were like because we already know how she is with Aaron but I dont think we've seen her opinion on Faust or vice versa yet

Not entirely sure about Faust. Probably trapped in Hoyo hell, specifically Honkai Star Rail. Probably plays some Dead by Daylight too. Other than that he's definitely just chasing vibes and having fun with silly event streams too.

As for Trish, I reckon it's not entirely different from his relationships with Auron and his mother. He probably feels like Trish is in cahoots with Auron, signs off on everything he says and does, and disregards her attempts at being available for him should he need it. In his younger years, he probably got along with her very well, and may have schemed with her to get Auron out of his shell when things hadn't gotten weird yet. Them sneaking around the house together like mischievous little shits messing with a mood teenage Auron is a very cute thought.

[endlessnightlock]

From the 150 Random Writing Prompts, what about #32 - text me when you’re home. Giving me modern au vibes of the her phone call / "Katniss, I live three houses away from you."

"Wait a second. I'll walk you out," Katniss says, stopping Peeta at the front door.

Gale is already glowering at her from his spot at the kitchen counter. She's not sure why he cares: he spent the entire night talking fantasy football with some guys from his work. So she ignores him. He needs to chill out, the insecure baby. Gale pisses her off sometimes. He's never liked her to have friends who haven't received the Hawthorne stamp of approval. It wasn't this big of an issue until she moved in with him. She's starting to think cohabiting with him is the worst mistake of her life so far. His issues are getting worse. Cripes.

Peeta waits for her by the door, zipping up his blue fleece coat while she slips on her shoes to follow him outside. Silently the two of them head out the front door. It's cold out on the front step, that damp, chilly weather that soaks through your skin, chilling you to the bone.

"Thanks for coming over," Katniss says, hugging herself for warmth. "I wasn't sure whether you'd make it."

Peeta laughs. "I wouldn't dream of it. The house is nice," he says.

"Yeah. Gale spends most of his spare time working on it."

"That must be nice. Saves you money that way."

Katniss shrugs. It's no concern of hers what Gale does with his money. It's not her house.

"So Gale. He seems nice," Peeta says.

She gives him an incredulous look. "Not really."

"He's not so bad."

"He can be a pretty big dick," Katniss says, stamping her feet on the ground to get the blood moving through her legs. "Like tonight. He gets jealous sometimes."

"Hmm. Well. Can't say I blame him."

"It's stupid."

Peeta fidgets with his keyring, swinging the set around on his ring finger. "Well, as much fun as debating your boyfriend's virtues are, it's freaking freezing out here. I'd better head home. Got an early start tomorrow."

"Yeah. of course. But Peeta---Gale's not my boyfriend," she says.

"Oh. I just assumed."

"No---god, no," she says. "I'm like his little sister or something, crossed with his mom? I don't know how to describe our relationship. It's weird. He's over-protective."

Peeta looks away from her, scratching behind his ear.

"Will you text me when you get home?" she asks on a whim, wishing she could ask him to stay instead. A way to extend the night with him, at least by a few texts.

"Now, who's being over-protective," he says. His voice is soft like he doesn't want anyone to hear like they're sharing a secret.

His smile is warm. Pleasant heat, like the slow path of whiskey making its way into her belly. That's what it stirs in her. "Shut up," she says, smacking his arm lightly with the back of her hand.

"Katniss. I only live about a block away. Three streets. It takes me maybe fifteen minutes on foot."

She knows that. Still. "It's dark and cold, and I want to know when you're there. Humor me. It'll mean I'll sleep better tonight."

"Alright," he gives in.

Katniss steps closer to him. Before she loses her nerve, she stands on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. "Thank you," she murmurs, lowering herself to the ground and stepping away, already embarrassed by her actions. "Talk to you soon."

[shessoft]

okay so i have a jeep wrangler right and its a thing among each other to wave when we pass by it's literally called the Jeep Wave and in the beginning i was like 'this is culty' and people make having a jeep their entire personality which is still true but honestly when i don't get a wave back i'm like 'well excuse tf outta me then'

Also duck duck jeep guys it’s a whole little culture it’s wild

anyway Regina George (2024) drives a jeep wrangler...(I linked pictures so you can get the whole vibe)

And when she first gets it she doesn’t realize she’s being waved at until Karen points it out one day. She thinks it’s weird and lame. Like “why do I have to acknowledge these losers?” She starts waving back when she’s alone in her car but she'd never admit it.

Eventually she starts initiating the wave out of habit and when the girls give her amused glances she says “whatever it’s just a reflex.”

Karen tries to buy her one of those fake hands to put on her dash but she shuts that down immediately because “gross Karen that’s fucking stupid.”

Suddenly she’s getting road rage when she thinks someone intentionally doesn’t wave back despite Gretchen’s very valid point. “Regina, its dark and rainy, they probably can’t see you over your high beams.” She just complains that she can't see them either but she still waved.

Another time the girls tell her all about the history of the ‘jeep wave’ and that there is a hierarchy according to their intense google search. Regina ignores them as she flips off the driver of a blue jeep instead, mumbling “bitch” under her breath.

Karen buys her a wave decal for her mirror. She lets her put it on.

——

Much to Regina’s chagrin Karen learns what ducking is. “I saw Aaron and his friends covering their goalies jeep in them! So I looked it up and it this whole game-“

“Ugh Karen, no.”

“But it’s so cute, Gina look!” She’s cradling a yellow rubber duck in her hands, dressed in pink and wearing heart sunglasses, in an attempt to coax Regina into letting her duck her jeep.

“It’s very cute, babe, but you’re not putting that on my car. Also, I think you’re supposed to do it secretly…” she trails off when she sees Karen’s mouth drop open the slightest bit.

“Wait, you know about the ducks?” Her surprised expression makes Regina chuckle.

“Yes, Kare I know about the ducks. Why don’t you keep it? It’s too cutesy for me.”

“Oh, okay.”

A week goes by and she starts finding different ducks in various places on her jeep, while Karen insists it’s not her. She just smiles and throws them in her bag trying not to draw attention to it. She still thinks it’s lame but it makes Karen happy. After a year or so Karen stops ducking her jeep all together, because she just forgets about their little game but Regina is fine with it. She still has a tower of ducks in her room wearing ridiculous outfits.

But one morning at the start of senior year she finds a little surprise perched on her driver side mirror. It's a little duck, this time it’s all pink and wearing bunny ears. She feels her eyes sting with the threat of tears when she catches herself smiling. This one she puts on her dashboard for all to see.

She regrets it in the end because now the ducks have come back tenfold. She really has no where to put them but Karen, and now even Janis, are having way too much fun with it. So she keeps her mouth shut. Until one day when she starts to find mini ducks, not just in her jeep but in her house, her locker, honestly anywhere they could think of she finds a mini duck. There are hundreds and she knows this was Janis’ doing. It had to be. She keeps quiet though, slowly collecting them until she has an absurd amount. She’s sure she’ll find more but she easily has almost two hundred collected so she gives them to Janis. She had one of the girls on the robotics team rig a gift box so they would fly everywhere when said box was opened. Janis falling off her seat at lunch made it all worth it. Hearing the girl curse her under her breath while trying to save face as Karen cracked up was the icing on the cake.

—-

Regina also has mirror decals (also gifted by Karen). On her visor mirror it says hello gorgeous. (Or any of these. Honestly there are so many options.) Her rearview mirror says buckle up bitches. And the passenger mirror says passenger princess. For Karen.

Gretchen obviously gets the whole backseat to herself and she controls the aux cord.

Janis gets her this for the back window.

Y'all there are things called easter eggs please Janis would put one on the windshield and see how long it takes Regina to notice.

@erikahenningsen tagging a stranger person because reasons

[chelseachilly]

THIS LOVE - chapter six | i wish you would come back

pairing: ben chilwell x reader

rating: T

word count: 1.8k

summary: ben's in ibiza with his friends, and he can't stop thinking about you...he just needs a little help figuring out why

A/N: long time no see! it's been a crazy few weeks - i moved, then i got sick, then work got super busy - so i'm sorry i haven't had time to update! i'm going on a little holiday this weekend so i wanted to get this out before i did 🩵 i hope you enjoy the switch up to ben's pov ;) xx

previous chapter | view all chapters

-

Ben should be feeling like he’s on top of the world. He’s staying at a luxury villa in Ibiza with his best mates, coming off a big win and a goal for his country. He’s young, healthy, and successful. He should be enjoying life at the moment.

Instead, he just feels like shit.

He’s felt like shit from the moment you walked away from him at Wembley, declaring the end of your fake relationship. It felt like a knife to the gut when you left him standing there, unaware of what he did wrong, wanting so badly to chase after you but knowing he shouldn’t. 

He sat through an entire, agonizingly long dinner full of people celebrating and congratulating him on the goal, and all he wanted was to pull out his phone and call you to make sure you were okay. 

The next morning, Mason, Harvey, Tom and Woody practically dragged him to the airport and onto the private plane they’d booked weeks ago. It’s a rare week off for both Ben and Mason, so they wanted to make the most of it. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

In the past, a boys week in Ibiza was his idea of paradise. It meant days spent poolside catching up with the lads and relaxing before returning to his busy schedule. And the nights were usually dedicated to going to some swanky club and leaving with a hot girl.

This time, it’s been three days of their five-day holiday, and Ben hasn’t left the villa once. He’s been sulking in his bedroom half the time, and generally bringing down the mood even when he tries to force himself to have fun with the boys. 

He’s sent you a few texts to no response, and he would’ve been genuinely concerned for your safety if it weren’t for the fact that he could still see your Instagram stories - specifically one of you out drinking with some coworkers, including a good-looking guy apparently named Matt, who Ben may or may not have stalked on social media. The bastard - who Ben’s never met - may only have three photos, none of which are particularly offensive, but Ben knows for a fact he doesn’t deserve you.

The morning of the fourth day, he comes out of his room around ten looking for something to eat for breakfast, which he’s slept through every other morning so far, and is instead served with what can only be described as an intervention. 

All the guys are sat around the table, drinking coffee and staring him down as he trudges out in just his boxers - perks of a lads trip - still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

“You need to tell us what happened with you and Y/N,” Tom says firmly as soon as Ben sits down at the table and pours himself a cup of coffee.

He just groans and takes a long sip before answering. It’s way too early for this.

“I already told you, I kissed her in front of the cameras, then she got weird and ran off,” Ben repeats the exact same brief recap he gave them on the flight here. “I followed her out and she said she couldn’t pretend to date me anymore and that she needed space.”

“Yeah, we know that part,” Harvey says. “And I get that you’re disappointed she’s bailing on the PR thing-“

“I don’t give a fuck about that,” Ben interrupts, a bit dramatically clanking his mug down on the table. “Look, I’m sorry I’m bringing down the holiday vibe, but my best friend isn’t returning my calls and I’m worried about her.”

Although most of the people at this table could make a case for being Ben’s best friend, and under better circumstances would probably joke offense at his statement, there’s nothing but silence. They all know what you mean to Ben, the place that you occupy in his life and in his heart. It’s…different.

“She’s fine, mate,” Mason says softly after a minute. He’s always the calm, level-headed one in these situations, and although Ben is typically grateful for his presence, he feels white hot rage within himself right now. 

“You talked to her?”

“She texted me back yesterday and said she’s alright and she’s just taking a beat,” Mason responds, speaking carefully as if he’s afraid of saying too much. “Look, I know you feel shitty because you and Y/N got into a fight and she’s not talking to you. But have you thought about why she might have ended this thing?”

Ben runs a hand over his face. “I told you, Mase, I have no bloody idea-“

“Just think about it, Ben,” Tom chimes in. “She agreed to be your fake girlfriend, basically giving up any chance of having her own dating life during that time. Then she gets upset and bails right after you kissed her for show, in front of a bunch of people?”

Ben’s chest tightens as he realizes what his friends are implying, but he immediately shakes his head. It’s ridiculous. There’s no way you, his best friend, have feelings for him.

“No,” he says simply. “That’s not…she doesn’t…she would’ve said something.”

“Why would she?” Harvey asks, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not like you’ve told her.”

Everyone goes silent again as all eyes fall on Ben, who just nearly choked on his coffee as he processed Harvey’s words. 

“What are you-I’m not-“

“Mate, I say this because I care about you,” Harvey continues. “You need to get your head out of your arse and just admit that you’re in love with her already.”

Of course he loves you. His best friend since the age of six, his rock, his favourite person on the planet. He’s loved you since before he knew what love was.

Except he can’t be in love with you, because that kind of love ends. He’s seen it end, when his parents got divorced and when his friends have had devastating breakups. He’s seen people fall in love and fall out just as quickly. And that can’t be you and him. He can’t lose you.

“Harvey, it’s not like that,” Ben says quietly. “She’s…Y/N. She’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, but she’s always been more than that, hasn’t she?” Mason says. “I mean, the bond between you guys, it’s not like what you have with any of us, right?”

“Well, no, but-“

“When I first met you I thought you were already dating her,” Nathan admits. “I told Mase I’d never seen a guy so whipped and when he told me you weren’t together, I was shocked.”

“And you’ve hated all of her boyfriends,” Tom adds. “Even the nice ones.”

“They’ve all been dickheads,” Ben replies, though he knows that’s not entirely true.

“You two have always been more than friends,” Mason continues. “I love you, bro, but she literally took weeks off work to take care of you after you did your ACL. She moved in with you and drove you to every physio appointment until you were on your feet again. And then last year when you realized you were gonna be out for the World Cup and you felt like shit, she was the only person you would talk to. I think that’s when I knew for sure how you felt about her.”

Ben still remembers that night like it was yesterday - he was in the treatment room at Stamford Bridge, icing his leg, already knowing tomorrow’s scans would confirm what he felt the moment he landed wrong, and he was so upset about missing Qatar that he barely spoke when the coach and some of his teammates came to see him. And then he heard your voice in the hall, grilling the medical team to ensure he was receiving proper care, and he smiled for the first time since he limped off the pitch that night. 

You ran in, pushing past Mason to wrap Ben up in a tight hug and tell him everything would be okay, and despite how terrible things were at the moment, he felt so at peace in your arms.

“Mason’s right,” Tom says sincerely. “And it’s probably why none of these girls you hook up with feel right. You’ve already got your heart somewhere else.”

Ben feels his head spinning as he replays every meaningless one night stand he’s had, how something had always been missing.

He thinks about how it feels when he sees you in the stands at the Bridge, especially when you’re wearing his kit, and the way just seeing you gives him the confidence to be a better player. 

And, more importantly, how you make him a better person - how he’s constantly in awe of your career and how you help people, how it inspires him to try to do more to make the world a better place. How you’ve turned down expensive Christmas and birthday gifts from him every year and directed him to a charity worth donating to instead. 

He thinks about how you’ve stood by his side all these years, even when he was a cocky kid coming up in the Premier League and when he’s been a bit of a dick, you’ve always kept him from straying too far from himself. Through all the injuries, through every win and loss, you’ve been there. 

He thinks about how you literally agreed to this ridiculous, elaborate PR scheme just because he asked you to, sacrificing your own free time and privacy to help him out. 

Finally, he thinks about how right it’s felt pretending to be your boyfriend. It’s been almost second nature holding your hand and telling people how wonderful you are. It felt as easy as breathing to kiss you, and though he knows he shouldn’t have done it in a room full of people, he can’t bring himself to regret it. Kissing you was pretty much the best moment of his life, which means seeing you walk away from him on the verge of tears minutes later was probably the worst. 

But while he’s been beating himself up this entire holiday over the fact that he kissed you and the fact that he dragged you into this fake relationship, he now realizes that wasn’t his mistake.

The issue is that he should have done it a long time ago, and it should’ve been for real. 

“Shit,” Ben mutters under his breath. “I’m in love with Y/N.”

“Finally, he admits it!” Harvey grins, patting Ben on the back firmly. 

The rest of the boys grin and chime in with their agreement, but Ben is already rising from the table and pulling up flights on his phone.

“Where you going, mate?” Mason asks with a smug grin on his face.

“Home, I don’t want to wait until tomorrow,” Ben says with a nervous smile. “Wish me luck, boys.”

As he begins to jog back to his bedroom so he can quickly pack and get to the airport in time for the next flight, he hears Harvey call out from the kitchen.

“Don’t forget trousers!”

-

a/n: and off he goes!! sorry for the slight cliffhanger but i hope you guys liked this one, as you can imagine i'm very excited to share the next (and last, except for the epilogue) part and am already working on it!! let me know what you thought of ben's pov and any predictions for the ending! tag list: @captainwans​ @amandaaa1025 @bbygrlllllll @ncentic​@lunamelona @kathb59 @cinderellawithashoe @batmansb1tch @myheartgoesvroom @chillymountsjess @babygirlbenji @delicateearthquakellama @joyfullyswimmingface @xxenia14 @chaotic-taco-collector-blog @chilwellspulisic @maraudersmap123 @evelinapurmale @freekoalakryptonite (let me know if you would like to be added or if i missed you!)

[islands-0f-violence]

Kimetsu no... Isekai?

Chapter 2 [BACK] | [NEXT]

Not even falling asleep yet, there’s a commotion across the hall. I sigh heavily before sitting up and thinking. What are they doing now, come on, think of the plot… Zenitsu’s sudden war cry struck me.

Nezuko!

I scrambled out of the futon, almost tripping on my way to the door. I open the door and go to step out and stop. If they wanted me to meet Nezuko, they’d come to ask, right? I think it’d be pretty weird running up to their door and demanding to know what’s happening in there. The door barely made a sound as I slid it shut, choosing to stay inside my room. Honestly, there’s no reason for me to meet her. It’s not like I'm indefinitely here, so what difference would it make if Tanjiro told me about his sister or not?

I crawled back into the futon, getting comfortable again. It’ll happen eventually, I just have to give the story some time and try not to rush it. The story… I frown thinking about the current plot. I don’t know if I can bear seeing any favorites get slaughtered.

Bundling up in the blanket, I rolled over and shut my eyes tight. I tried to blank my mind out as empty as possible before falling asleep. I can’t stand sleeping on those thoughts now this is a reality.

( ˘▽˘)っ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

I jolted awake to the knocking at my door. Sitting up, I responded as one normally would. “Mom- Give me just a few moments-” And now processing the scene around me, I remembered my current situation. I felt my cheeks heat up at the instant response I had to whoever was knocking. There was slight laughter from the other side.

“It’s Tanjiro! I was just checking on you since you had slept in for a while.” The boy sounded nervous. I sighed and got up, neatening the futon I slept in up a bit.

Upon opening the door, Tanjiro was indeed standing there. “I’m awake, not dead. I promise. I mean, for now.”

Tanjiro gave a nervous chuckle. I frowned, realizing maybe that shouldn’t have been said. “Glad to see that! I wanted to know if you would like to join me and the others? There’s someone I’d like you to meet if that’s alright.” Nezuko! The grin that popped on my face was immediately wiped off, leaving Tanjiro confused. Thankfully, he never questioned it.

“Sure, that seems fine. I wasn’t sure anyone else would be joining us.” I follow behind him just across the hall. He opens his door and the other two are sitting around Tanjiro’s box. Tanjiro walks over to the box, pulling it away. I continued to stand there like a thirsty idiot, staring at Inosuke’s shirtless form. He seemed oblivious to the attention so that worked for me.

“Uh, (Y/N)?” I snap my head over to Tanjiro, humming in response. “I’m sorry, you seemed spaced out. I wanted you to meet my sister.” He opened the box and a small Nezuko popped out, careful as they had the door to the outside open. Ignoring Inosuke now, I squealed and flung myself in front of her. I reached out, but she backed away a bit causing me to retract my hands. I can’t forget she’s a person!

“Oh my, she’s so cute.” I gush, Zenitsu sitting beside me now nodding along.

“Isn’t she?! I couldn’t believe Tanjiro was carrying a girl this cute around with him this entire time!” Zenitsu fangirled.

“Tanj-” I turn to speak to him before a crow interrupts from Tanjiro’s lap.

“It is north! Northeast! To the north-northeast! Your next mission is in the north-northeast! Mt. Natagumo is your next stop! Leave now!” The boys’ faces were twisted with exasperation.

“I guess that’s what we’re doing next.” He shooed the bird away, getting up to get ready. Just vibing, I was watching him until he went to open his kimono. Oh-ho, OK, Tanjiro, I definitely don’t mind-

Ah, this is their room. I don’t think he would be doing this if-

“O-Oh, (Y/N)? If you don’t mind, we need to change real quick.” Tanjiro looked over and our eyes met, his face flushing slightly and I was caught red-handed. I got up with no complaints.

“D-Definitely, I’ll have to go and get ready to leave as well.” He looked like he wanted to say something, but before I could ask, Zenitsu spoke up.

“(Y/N)-san~ I’ll accompany you so that you’re not lonely!” I turned to see Nezuko back in her box and Zenitsu bouncing toward me. So, that’s why he’s after me now. How cruel to treat me as a replacement for Nezuko. He’s not even trying to hide it.

I held out my arm to stop him from tackling me. “No, thanks, I can do this myself.” I walked out and shut the door behind me before he could jump out after me. I entered my own room just moments after and changed into something familiar. I don’t have slayer uniforms as they do, and I’d feel weird just wearing what the nice lady had provided around. I looked over my outfit that I came in here and it appeared to be cleaner than what I had left it. How long did I sleep? Wait, if they’re leaving now, that means they got clearance from the doctor about their broken ribs.

How long was I asleep?

Damn, it!

I shake my head, I can’t think about this right now. Changing, I quickly tidy up the room. Since she was so nice to let me stay here, I might as well make it easy for her to clean up after me. I made sure everything was in order before I left the room and walked down the hall. The other three were already ready, standing around the entryway to the house.

“Finally! You’re slow!” Inosuke points dramatically at me. I scowl at him.

“Oh, shut it.” That seems to rile him up even more, which causes Tanjiro and Zenitsu to sigh.

“Let’s just go- No fighting!” Tanjiro exclaimed, grabbing my wrist to pull me with him. Antsy to leave much? Zenitsu’s whines could be heard as he followed us out and Inosuke continued to grumble but didn’t object. Soon, we stood at the gate, the old lady seeing us off. Once again, we had to hold Inosuke back due to a misunderstanding, but once that was settled, we were on our way. I could almost bounce up and down right now. I don’t know why, but nothing but excitement is what I feel right now. Should I really be this happy heading to Mt. Natagumo? I don’t think so, but the sudden realization that I’m isekai-ing is giving me an unbelievable high right now.

Zenitsu gives me a puzzled look. “I know you’re new here, but should you really be that excited about a mission?” This guy read me like a book. Actually, he probably heard it, rather than read it. I try to calm down. It’s not like I can say, ‘Sorry, the thought of traveling with some of my favorite characters is exhilarating.’

“Excited for a mission?” I echo. “Considering you guys are slaying demons, I suppose I shouldn’t. But this is the first time I’ll see them, so maybe I’m just anxious?” That’s a lie, I know he’s got to hear that damn lie. Tanjiro probably even smelled how fake that lie was, but neither spoke against it.

“Anxious is the right mood to be in,” Zenitsu mumbled.

From the corner of my eye, I could tell Tanjiro was eyeing me. It felt like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t. I ignored the feeling and kept going forward. Inosuke’s current rant about the competition on the mountain is helping suppress it.

( ˘▽˘)っ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

After several hours, the sun is finally setting. The conversation died down a little and the sound of our feet scuffing the dirt below us was the only thing exchanged. Not even minutes later, the sun was gone and the dark overtook us. I was so focused on getting to our next destination that I didn’t notice Zenitsu halted.

“G-Guys! I think we should stop here!” We paused and turned around, facing the yellow form on the ground. Was he shaking? I guess he really is terrified.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, blinking. I know what’s wrong, I just want to hear him say it. Ah, that was a little sadistic, huh?

“I-I’m nervous!” He began sweating profusely.

“The way he’s sitting is weird. I don’t like it.” Inosuke spoke up, pointing out the way Zenitsu cowered behind his own knees.

“WHO ARE YOU TO SAY WHO IS WEIRD?” Zenitsu shouted, astounded at the hypocrisy Inosuke spews. “There’s no way you guys don’t feel it- Don’t get these vibes?!” He points up at the mountain behind us, therefore causing us to look up at it. We stared for a moment before Tanjiro spoke up.

“Even so, we can’t just ignore it.” He looked back at the mountain, staring a bit longer.

“I told you he was weird!” Inosuke exclaimed, pointing at Zenitsu. They began to bicker again.

“God, you guys are going to give me a headache.” I rubbed my forehead. Zenitsu squealed again.

“There’s no way you’re not scared of that mountain, huh?!” Oh, now he’s attacking me? I think about the mountain and what events should transpire. Oh, yes!

“Nope.” I snap and smile at him. No one good dies and that’s all that matters. Well, I guess I can’t say anything about myself at this time, but at the thought of eventually meeting the Hashira, I wasn’t going to complain yet. “I think we’ll be fine.” He began to bawl at these words. I suppose they solidified his need to ascend Mt. Natagumo.

“Do you guys… smell that?” Tanjiro’s sudden words grabbed our attention.

“Smell? I don’t smell anything.” I say, just barely getting the words out of my mouth before Tanjiro runs off, causing Inosuke to follow.

“Oh, come on! Don’t leave us!” Zenitsu hauled himself off the ground in a pitiful fashion. I watched his show at getting up before I shook myself and ran to catch up to the other two, effectively leaving Zenitsu behind. “Not you too!” He wailed behind me.

Before long, the body of another slayer came into visage. He collapsed on the ground, his sword out to the side, as if he barely made it down. Tanjiro begins to walk up to him to check on his state.

“Pl-Please, help me! Don’t let me die here!” Upon hearing our footsteps, he looked up, tears instantly welling in his eyes. The absolutely pitiful display of this slayer in front of me made my knees a little weak. Not scared of coming here, huh? I can’t help but feel real about this situation. I step forward, reaching out.

“W-We have to-” I go to tell them about the spider strings attached to the boy, but before the words are out of my mouth, he is flung up. His sword is discarded in his panic about being pulled back into the forest.

“No-! They were on me too!” His wails died down as whatever fate he was to endure was met. I wince, just imagining the crunch of him flinging into the ground that hard. Or worse, getting impaled through a branch. We stared after him for a bit, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tanjiro shiver. He must’ve caught a whiff of the big boy of the forest here.

Ugh, spiders.

“I’m going in.” Tanjiro’s face hardens, I can tell he’s trying to gather his resolve. Inosuke shoulders his way in front of Tanjiro.

“Stay behind me like a cowering animal. I’ll go in first. This is making me hungry.” The last part was said on a guttural growl, which I’m not gonna lie, made me feel some ways. Inosuke began to run ahead and Tanjiro hesitated after him. Tanjiro and my eyes met for a brief second before he continued to run after the boar. Was he going to ask me to stay behind? I looked at Zenitsu, who was screaming about Inosuke being a showoff and nodded once. I suppose he thinks Zenitsu and I can chill out here while they head into the forest. I grin. I won’t sit tight like at the mansion this time.

I pick up the discarded sword the slayer had left. I doubt he’ll need it anymore, unfortunately. “What are you doing?!” Zenitsu almost screams. I turn slowly to look at him and just blink, not responding. He’s doing exaggerated hand signals and making weird noises to try to get an answer out of me. In return, I finally let out a smile. His face goes from concerned to confused back to concerned so fast I don’t know if I should laugh. I salute him, turn away, and begin to run off, leaving him screaming. “(Y/N)! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

I keep running, ignoring the man yelling behind me. Eventually, I can’t hear him anymore and the trees are surrounding me. The countless spiders and webs around were hard to miss, and I began to pick my way further gingerly to avoid any of them. I keep walking, but no matter how far I go, I don’t see any signs of Tanjiro or Inosuke. I didn’t think they’d be that far ahead. I should’ve gone with them as soon as they left and not fuck with Zenitsu’s mentality. I walk around for what seems like only seconds before rustling out to my side got my attention. I looked over, gripping the sword in my hands tightly.

The bushes I’m facing are shaking now, something making its way toward me. After a moment, a body emerges and a weak slayer walks up to me. I let my guard down for a moment. He’s muttering something and I walk closer to try to listen to him. “Wh-What?”

“...kill me… Please…” He sounded so tired, but he continued to limp forward. Was he limping before? I narrowed my eyes at the man before I readied my sword again, getting ready to swing. Eyeing his back carefully, I swung out over it, feeling some resistance as threads were severed. The slayer before I collapsed, groaning as he hit the ground below him. “No… use. They’ll get me… again.” His breathing is getting more labored and when I tried to roll him onto his back, he yelped out in pain. I stopped immediately, not wanting to cause any more harm than good.

“I-I’m sorry- I just thought it’d be easier to breathe-” He cut me off.

“Leave. Get out.” Through lidded eyes, he looked up at me and pleaded. “You’re… no slayer. If I can’t live… you can’t…” Coughs racked his body and blood spewed from his lips. Swallowing, I shook my head.

“I can’t leave. Not yet.” He looked defeated at that moment, the energy that he once had draining. Before I knew it, his eyes were shut and his torso was no longer expanding. I froze and looked at the body in front of me. “H-Hello…?” I spoke and then held my breath, trying to look for any signs of life.

Nothing.

I exhaled, collapsing myself to take in the situation. Did I really just witness someone’s end of life? Slapping myself, I stood and turned away. There’s no way I can let this get to me, especially since it doesn’t compare to what he went through. I began to walk away when heavy thumps and more rustling happened again. Not another.

I turned and saw the body of the slayer I just witnessed die rise again. My blood turned cold at the sight. I should’ve expected this, but seeing it happen disturbed me on a different level. Maybe I should’ve stayed with Zenitsu. Facing the marionette's body before me, I held my sword out in defense again. The head of the body cocked itself to the side like it was observing me. Oh no, please don’t do that I might cry. Swinging my blade towards it again, aiming for the threads, the body actually dodges this time and swings back. I yelp, rolling backward awkwardly to get away from it. Standing, I get ready to face it again when I notice the body was joined with other slayers. Some were dead, and some were alive.

I’m not going to get out of this easily.

Instead of facing them with my limited ability to fight, I turn and begin to run. I rip through webs and small spiders, squishing them when I found them on myself. God, I hope there’s none of those webs attached to me. Considering I haven’t been swung around like a doll yet is probably a good sign. After a few moments, I finally break through to a clearing. “Yes-!” And a sword swings itself my way. “No-!”

I jerk myself back as the blade barely misses me and land on my ass. “Stop!” I finally focus on what’s in front of me, and it’s not entirely a nice situation. I had just run in on Inosike and Tanjiro going off against a group of puppet slayers. Tanjiro had managed to pull Inosuke back before his sword made contact with me. “Can’t you see that’s (Y/N)?!” He scolded.

Inosuke just scoffed. “All I know is we were being attacked.”

“And you- What are you doing here?! I thought I asked you to stay outside the forest?!” Tanjiro pointed at me.

“What?! All you did was look at me! You never once asked me to!” Which is true, he’s been sus the entire way here!

“I- Ugh, well you should’ve known what I meant!” Is this really happening? Is the Kamado Tanjiro trying to gaslight me? I actually laughed before I could stop myself.

Standing, I dusted off my ass. “Nope, we’re not doing this. I can’t read your mind.” His face turned red and he huffed. Wow, he’s gotta be mad if he’s this defiant this early in the series. Before I could open my mouth and say anything further, Inosuke reached forward and yanked me behind him, tossing me toward Tanjiro. I grunted as I came in contact with Tanjiro, him steading both of us. I regained my sense of balance and turned towards Inosuke, ready to tell him off when I saw him run headfirst into a puppet. I swallowed the curse words I was about to say, suddenly feeling grateful.

The force with which he hit them sent them flying, getting tangled around branches. “That’s it-” Tanjiro pulled away from me, running towards another puppet, pulling off such an attack that forced them into the same position. “All we have to do is tangle them up! Then they can’t move. Maybe we can save them this way.” He and Inosuke began to run at others.

Oh shit, can I even do that? I’m not too positive. Speaking of which, in front of me now stood a puppet, she was trembling but kept swinging her sword to the pulls of her strings. Her face contorted with a newfound pain each time she was forced to move. Gritting my teeth, I readied my sword. Someone has got to put her out of her misery, whether she dies or is hanging by a tree. No matter what I choose to do, she’ll end up dead. Turning my sword to where the butt of the handle was facing out, I charged at her as fast as I could. I pushed the hilt into her sternum, pushing harder to force her into the air.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough force to wrap her around the large branches like how the other two were doing it. But, it did get her caught, just barely hanging in such a way that her body couldn’t be utilized in such a macabre manner anymore. I turned to the boys beside me, smiling in triumph at my small victory. They had already shoved several more bodies into the branches by the time I had gotten my one up. Taking a few breaths, Tanjiro met my gaze for a moment to assess whether I was clear over here. He managed to let out a half smile at me in response to my small accomplishment. Looking around once more, I realized the current situation wasn’t about to be as nice as it seemed. I let my expression falter to panic before I could mask my realization.

Realizing himself, Tanjiro turned and looked upwards at the twisted scene of bodies hanging. Inosuke barely made it to the next guy in front of him to flip into the trees when he stopped, too. The three of us were forever haunted by the sickening crunch each neck gave as the demoness controlling them finished them off. I bit my lower lip, frustrated with how Rui must’ve just gotten cross with his ‘mother.’

“Damn it! That damn thing went and killed them all!” Inosuke exclaimed, caught off guard by the sudden action. To say my stomach didn’t turn would be a lie, but it was hard to mourn when I knew it was coming. Unless we had killed the mother sooner, there was no way to save them. I was dallying about and I could’ve warned them.

Gripping my sword in self-loathing, I watched as Tanjiro approached the dead slayer slumped on the ground. He seemed to study the body for a moment, most likely trying to get a whiff of the demoness that was controlling them. After a moment, he stood.

“Let’s go.”

“No argument here.”

“Aye,” I responded.

Tanjiro breathes in before he begins to run in a chosen direction. Inosuke and I follow without complaint. Well, I have a few complaints but that’s mostly about my unhealthiness. God, I can barely keep up with running with these guys. Over my panting, I heard Tanjiro call out Inosuke’s name. He responded with a low growl. “I’ll hack his head off.” Blinking hard, I focused my vision through the dark to see what they were talking about.

Inosuke jumps and goes to land an attack on the puppet and I run into Tanjiro’s back, distracted from trying to see the monster ahead. “S-Sorry-” I push out, but Tanjiro is focused on the headless being in front of us.

“It’s got no head!” Inosuke was equally as shocked as Tanjiro, it seemed.

Shaking himself out of it, he lined up his sword with the beast. “Listen! Slice from that point in its neck and follow through all the way to its opposite hip. It’s a lot of mass, but I’m sure we can- Wait!” He explains, and once Inosuke charges ahead he’s demanding him to stop. “Don’t go alone!”

He attempts to attack it and fails. In the middle of another charge, a spider begins to wrap its threads around his limbs. “H-Huh?! I can’t move!” The monster is now dashing towards him, ready to slice through his torso.

Tanjiro and I rushed forward to help, I went behind Inosuke and cut the threads while Tanjiro stood in front and blocked the attack. I supported Inosuke’s weight as he fell back onto his feet.

“Are you OK?” I asked, looking up at him.

Like in the anime, Inosuke seems to look at the two of us with an emotion I can’t describe. If I absolutely needed to, I’d say it was embarrassment maybe? Oh, well.

“Inosuke, (Y/N). This is a tough opponent, but I’m sure if we work together we can definitely defeat him!” Tanjiro gave us his words of encouragement.

Inosuke’s morale increased 5+!

“STOP! You’re making me feel even giddier than before!” He definitely was embarrassed. I snickered. “This thing’s in my way!”

Tanjiro turned and knelt just a few feet in front of us. “Go! Jump!” The boar seemed to get the idea as he charged forward and used the box on Tanjiro’s back as a step to expunge himself into the air. Once there, he took out the monster’s arm. Tanjiro threw his leg weight backward, balancing on his head. Upon trying to swing, he begins to fall backward. I quickly jump forwards, sliding on my knees to make it in time and supporting him, keeping him up right-or should I say, upside down? I watched from my front-row seat as Tanjiro readied himself for his fourth form. Swinging, he took out the monster’s legs in a quick swipe. “Now, Inosuke!”

Not missing a beat, Inosuke came down, slashing his serrated blades exactly as Tanjiro had instructed earlier. I watched with wide eyes as he finished the monster off, slicing through like butter. The being was no more.

“You did it!” Tanjiro cheered.

“Hell yeah!” I chimed in, happy I didn’t die from a stray sword coming my way. The boar just stared, contemplating something in response. On cue, he began to charge towards Tanjiro, scooping him up and flinging him with nothing but raw, brute force into the air. I watched him fly, flailing until he caught a whiff of the demoness.

“Whew, I gotta say, that’s an 8.5/10.”

“Huh?” The boar beside me questioned, confused.

I sighed. “Don’t worry about it, I didn’t expect you to understand in the first place.” He snorted in response. I eyed his form, looking over the gashes littering his body from the fight against the puppets. “Here, let me do something about that.” I grab at the bottom of my shirt, ripping from the bottom of the seem to grab a few pieces of cloth. By the time I had grabbed what I thought I needed, I was left with a crop top. I can’t be picky about what I wear right now, I suppose.

Eying the cloth in my hands suspiciously, Inosuke took a few steps back. “Take care of what?!” What does he think, I’m a mob boss?

“Your wounds, dipshit.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him closer before he could get too far for me to reach him and catch up. He fought back, but once I got the first cloth wrapped around the gash in his arm, he stopped and let me continue. I hummed lightly while wrapping him to pass the time. I might as well get this out of the way, I’m sure Tanjiro would be concerned with this as soon as he gets back, and that’ll be less for him to do. I finished up his other arm and moved down to his torso. He flinched slightly every time I grazed the skin of his chest or back when I was tying the cloth around him, but no complaints other than that. “Perfect, I hope that helps you a bit.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked over my work in response. Feeling smug with how there were no complaints about my work, I kept an eye out for Tanjiro in the direction he was thrown. Inosuke jerking me around to face him ruined that for me. “What are you doing? Did I miss something? Ahh-!” I squeal as he grabs at the new bottom of my shirt, tearing more off. Stuttering, I tried to get him to stop. “I-Inosuke, stop- You’re going to take all of the shirt! I still want to be covered up.” I could feel my face heating up but was unable to prevent him from getting an extra few inches of cloth off my shirt. Looking down at my torso, I began to fret at how little cloth was left. At least it could be considered a shirt still.

I felt a firm hand grip my leg, causing me to look down at Inosuke kneeling before me. Before I could question him further, he began to wrap it around my calf. Bending to look, there were some minor scratches on my leg from where I had tripped earlier. It was nothing fatal and could've been done without the wrap. “There. I can do this too!” He stood, finished with his sloppy tie job. He stood there with his hands on his waist, admiring his own job.

I laughed. “Well, thank you.” Watching his form, his breathing was ragged. He’s exhausted from all of this and I’m not surprised. I haven’t done even half of what they’re doing and I feel like I can sleep for weeks. The sound of footsteps grabbed our attention, and we looked over to see Tanjiro walking up to us.

“Did you finish the demon?!” Inosuke pointed dramatically, demanding an answer.

“Yes! Of course, I did.” He looked over at Inosuke as I did, except he seemed more relaxed seeing the bandages.

“Are you doing OK, Tanjiro?” I ask, tilting my head. I know Inosuke won’t ask, so I feel like I should. “How’re your injuries?” I begin to reach out and pat his arms and torso down.

His face bloomed red as he tried to stop me. “No, I’m good. My injuries aren’t that bad. I promise.” He held my wrists now, stopping me from giving him a pat down.

“Mm, OK, I’m just making sure.” I went to pull my arms away, and he held me tighter. “Tanjiro?”

“I think, now that we have this time, you should go back down the mountain. Inosuke, you should go with her. With your injuries, you don’t need to be here and you can also make sure she gets down-” I jerk my hands out of his grasp.

“No, thank you, let’s go, Inosuke. I’m having fun.” We both dash off away from Tanjiro, giggling as he ran exasperatedly after us. I stopped at the edge of a river. “Oo, look there are stepping stones!” I point at a path crossing the river.

Inosuke makes a b-line for the path, jumping around on the rocks. While he was fucking around, Tanjiro ran out of the brush into the river clearing with us.

“There was no excuse to run like that!” He puffed his cheeks out. I turned away and poked at the river water below me.

“Sorry, I couldn’t let you coerce me and Inosuke into leaving. I had to leave before your sweet words were processed by this.” I tap my head, still not looking at him. Before I could say anything else, movement caught my eye. I snapped my gaze up and looked across the river where a pair of pale eyes met mine. “Tanjiro, Inosuke, demon.” I said calmly, not leaving her gaze.

Inosuke cries out, drawing his swords and rushing at the spider girl across the river, hopping from stone to stone with precision.

“Now, father!” She called out, giving the signal to–I never thought I’d have to describe this–a large, buff spider man. And no, not Spiderman as the marvel character. Like, this was a large buff man with the face of a spider. And yes, in real life this is absolutely terrifying to face. I’m glad to say that I’ve never had the monster fucking urge for this character.

“Who are you calling father?!” Inosuke questioned and soon went quiet as he popped up.

“Ohh, man. This guy seems messy.” I hold my sword up. Tanjiro glances over at me.

“You’re not holding that right.” I shot him a look saying ‘not the time.’ He shivered and nodded, choosing life today.

Inosuke’s body being forced back as the man landed in front of him snapped us out of our conversation. I watched as the spider girl from before watched the scene for a few moments before sliding into the trees.

“Don’t you come near my family!” The demon lunged at Inosuke again, causing him to jump backward. Inosuke had barely jumped out of distance, so taking this chance at the demon’s miscalculation, Tanjiro quickly struck down at his arm, failing to sever it despite the force behind his blow.

I glanced past them where the girl had slipped away and saw that the stone path was clear once again. I looked back at their fight and decided it wasn’t going to stay clear for long. “I’m going after the girl-” And without waiting for a response, I ran ahead, almost slipping on the wet stones.

I run forwards, searching. It’s been so long, a half an hour maybe? I’m not too sure where she is. Tanjiro only finds her and her brother because he’s literally thrown over there. “Fuck, of course, I would choose to do something nearly impossible for me. It’s not like I can smell where the Kizuki is.” I slow my pace, trying not to stray obscenely far from where Tanjiro and Inosuke are fighting.

However, I feel like if I don’t press forward, I’ll never find the spider demons. God, just thinking about it makes me think about how lucky I am. I have zero sword knowledge and I’m surviving–barely–here on Mt. Natagumo with slayers!

I took a few breaths and forced a smile. I can make it through this. So, I’ll keep going forward-

And there was no longer any ground underneath me.

In the midst of my self-encouragement, I lost focus on the landscape around me. The ground suddenly turned into a slick slope, falling out beneath me and causing me to yelp and tumble down. After several long seconds of rolling down a hill, I finally hit flat land–and a tree.

“Oof,” I grunt, catching the wind that was knocked out of me from hitting the tree so hard. I sat there for a few minutes, inhaling slowly to avoid the sharp pains in my ribcage for now. They seem to subside and I haul myself to my feet, continuing forward since I can’t climb the slope safely. I finally walked up a path. I’m so thankful because I was getting tired of the random tree roots I’d trip over. At least now I can see where I’m stepping. The tree just ahead is where I’m about to lean against to catch my breath. My ribs are killing me.

I take only a few more steps forward when I hear screaming. It’s getting louder as if it’s coming straight at me. I look around, trying to pinpoint the source when Tanjiro comes flipping in, landing an attack on the tree I was about to rest against. I stare at him, seeing my life flash before my eyes for the first time since waking up in this world.

“Whew, I stuck the landing…” He’s out of breath, shocked that he survived such a fall. Taking a deep breath, he snaps his head towards me. “(Y/N)? You made it all the way out here?!” He scrambled up, looking me over.

I nodded. “I fell most of the way, so don’t praise me yet.” I gave a dry laugh and pointed out my side. The area around my ribs is starting to bruise and with the lack of shirt because of Inosuke, it’s easy to see. He frowned and reached out, fingers trailing across my injury softly.

I swallowed at the action and went to say something when an intense scream was heard. It was feminine and there was no way it was not Rui torturing his sister. I crouched down, pulling Tanjiro with me and walking forward several feet until we got to a clearing.

Just in front of us was the spider sister, kneeling in front of Rui. Obvious blood dripped and pooled from her face. As much as I wanted to avert my gaze, I needed to watch this interaction.

“You two. What are you looking at? This isn’t a play.” We stiffened up at his call out.

“If you didn’t want anyone to watch, why do it in a public space?” I questioned.

Tanjiro looked over at me exasperatedly and then back at the spider boy. “This is… wrong! Why are you hurting her? Aren’t you on the same side?”

“‘Same side’? You don’t know anything about us. She is family, and what happens in the family stays in the family. We’re connected by a powerful bond.” I couldn’t help but laugh at this.

“‘Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.” I mocked. This received glares from all around the room, so I coughed and shut my mouth.

“Shut it, marechi.” He glared over at me. Marechi? Jesus, fuck, there’s no way they set this to hard mode and made me a marechi upon dumping me in this world. I’m lucky this is our first encounter with a demon! “If you two insist on interfering, I’ll carve you up.” Rui held up the web in his hands threateningly.

Tanjiro shook his head. “No… This isn’t a bond of familial ties. All I smell is fear and hatred here. This isn’t a sisterly bond you share, it’s a bond out of force and submission. Nothing like that is having a true family. It’s fake, just a forgery.” Looking over at the girl on the ground, she began to cry. The absolute truth of Tanjiro’s words getting under her skin.

“What,” Rui demanded, his facade breaking and anger consuming his face. “You… You little…” He glared at us.

Looking over his shoulder, movement caught my gaze. A male slayer was making his way toward Rui with his sword drawn. I brought my hands up and tried to get his attention, drawing lines at my neck to hit at he’s gonna die if he continues with what he was doing.

“Now, it’s my time to shine… I will take down this demon…!” The boy ignored every warning. “This one looks manageable and will leave my pocket full!”

“Hold on, you don’t want to do that-” Tanjiro called out, also trying to stop him.

I could hear it before I saw it happen. The subtle squelch as threads made their way through his entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, not wanting to see the chunks of meat that were falling to the ground. Thud, thud, thud… The sound was sickening, but I forced my eyes open since it was over with.

“Now, what did you just say?” Tanjiro faced Rui defensively. “I said, what did you just say?” The seething look Rui had did not fail to keep me in my spot, frozen. He still kept quiet, thinking about this situation must really have his gears going. Rui became more and more impatient with each second that passed. “Well? Explain it to me at once!”

Tanjiro’s face hardened. “Of course! I would be glad to. What you have is NOT a family bond. It’s nothing!” This only confirmed the demon's hatred in front of us more.

“Yeah, you heard him, you’re nothing but a bitch that forces people to be your family because you’re unlikeable.” Not completely true, but I figured since I’m here I might as well throw some gasoline on the fire.

The look I received from Tanjiro was well worth the massive cut I took to the leg for saying that though. “Erk-” I knelt now, pressing a hand over the fast-bleeding wound. “Worth.”

“You two… I’m not going to kill you in a single strike. However, if you take what you just said, I’ll give you a merciful death.”

“No thank you!”

“I refuse! Not on your life!” I smirked and Tanjiro readied himself for the fight. From behind Rui, I could see the sister gaping at us. Well, probably more at Tanjiro. He is defending her right to a stable family bond more so than I am. I’m just here for the show, to be honest, and these two demons are irredeemable.

They stare off for a moment before Rui finally weaves his webs to attack. “Watch out” Tanjiro shoves me away, and I roll with the inertia that gave me. However, that didn’t spare me as in seconds webs are tangled around my wrists and ankles. They tighten and blood begins to well at the threads. I let go of the sword I held, vocalizing my discomfort.

“(Y/N)!” Tanjiro calls out, watching as I’m hoisted up and hanging from a tree.

“Don’t bother with her or I’ll have her in finer slices than the slayer from earlier.” Once again, he attacked, this time at Tanjiro. He managed to dodge and create some distance between the two.

I swallowed around the thread that appeared around my neck. “Don’t worry about me Tanjiro, just focus on fighting.” Giving a slight nod, he got back into battle stance and charged at Rui.

“Water breathing, first form, water surface slash!” He brought the breath-powered sword down onto the thread before him, attempting to slice him. I wince at the sharp sound of metal breaking and Tanjiro stares wide-eyed at the now-halved sword in front of him and barely dodges the thread. He managed to survive it, but now a large cut adorned his cute face.

I watched helplessly as he struggled to get up, having trouble accepting his sword's break. His panting is audible and it’s taking everything he has to dodge all the threads Rui is throwing his way. I doubt that box with Nezuko is making anything better on him. Damn, I should’ve convinced him to let me hold her earlier. At least then he could use everything to fight instead of protect and carry her plus some.

“Are you really not going to take what you said back?” The demon asked. It’s like he expected us to beg for our lives on our knees in front of him. That’s the kind of complacency that gets you killed, people. He stands there for a moment, giving Tanjiro time to consider. After a few moments, he readies his web again. “I see, you still won’t. I’ll end this now, then.” Spreading his hands, he beckons a collection of webs above Tanjiro, closing in on him at a worrying speed.

I felt my heart racing, and I pulled against the webbing that bound me. “T-Tanjiro!” I pulled and pulled, but the webs only caused more blood to flow.

And then I blinked and Nezuko was there. I had nearly forgotten she entered this fight as well. Her muffled grunt was easily heard as she took the hit for Tanjiro. Blood splatters across the ground in front of them, mockingly in a web pattern.

“Nezuko!” Tanjiro instantly panics and picks her up, hauling her away to the sidelines. Unfortunately, they weren’t in my sight any longer and my only entertainment was the look that painted Rui’s face after witnessing that.

“That girl, she came from the box… and protected him? But I’m sure she’s one of us?” His sister observed, confused as to why a demon was fighting for a human. Glancing over at Rui, his body was overcome with convulsion. He was shaking in what looked like fear, but knowing what I do now, this satisfies me to watch him consider the situation.

“Th-That girl… Is she your sister?” He brings a shaky hand up, pointing at Nezuko. I can hear faint whimpering, and I can only assume that’s her in pain. God, why did Tanjiro have to pick such a hard place to see if it was just going to be in Rui’s line of sight anyways?

“So what if she is?!” I hear from Tanjiro. There’s a franticness in his voice I can’t place. He must be concerned about Nezuko’s injuries…

“She’s been turned into a demon… And despite that, she’s stayed with you. She even protected you! That… That is a genuine bond.” This demon is on Cloud 9, watching the way the two siblings interact. “I will have that.”

The sister looked at him with great concern. “Rui! What are you thinking? I’m your elder sister! You can’t abandon me-” She begins to plead her case, but is cut off abruptly by Rui’s threads. He swung back once and suddenly she was in 3, no 4? pieces. I swallow roughly, watching the grotesque situation. This girl is nearly as brainwashed as her ‘mother’ was. I hate that she’s got to stick to his side in order to live. “Pl-Please… don’t do this, forgive me.” Tears welled on her severed head.

He looked at her and contemplated for a few moments before responding. “Fine, if you wish to be forgiven, go kill the remainder of the humans wandering the mountainside.” Her body made its way pitifully to her head before picking it up.

“Y-Yes, brother.” She turned and began to jog away, not even bothering to reattach her head.

“You know it’s a lie. He’s just going to continue this abuse and it’ll be like you’re never forgiven.” I watched as she hesitated in her steps again before continuing, ignoring the words I said. The thread around my throat tightened and I gasped at the sudden pain. Rui never said anything, just kept his gaze on Tanjiro and Nezuko.

“(Y/N)!” Tanjiro called out, concerned about the sudden action.

“You, come out and talk to me. Just the two of us.” Rui coaxed, ignoring his exclamation. There was another silent moment and the demon took this time to continue. “What just transpired here had made me feel something I can’t explain. Such a feeling here,” he placed his hand over his chest. “And it was your family bond that caused such. You’re facing death now, and it’s inevitable. I want to give you a way out. And it involves your sister. I would like you to give her to me.” “You’re mad. That’s unnegotiable.”

Rui continued. “As of today, she is no longer your little sister and is instead mine. And for that, you get to keep your life.”

“You don’t think I’d ever agree to that, do you? Nezuko is a person, not a thing! She has her own desires and feelings like everyone else! There would be no bond with you, just a facade!”

“Oh, but there will be a bond. A bond I shall instill with terror and force. There will be no doubt she will be the perfect little sister.”

“Using fear is not the way! And until you understand that, you’ll never be satisfied!” Tanjiro bit back.

“Would you mind stopping shouting? It’s clear we don’t agree.”

Tanjiro enters my field of vision again, having discarded the box. “There’s no way I’m letting you take Nezuko!”

The demon in front of him just laughed. “Fine, let’s see how you fair against one of the 12 Kizuki.” He lifted the hair covering his left eye, revealing a number. Now, I don’t speak Japanese, but I know that it says lower 5. “In a family, everyone has a role. The parents must protect the children, the elder children must protect the younger ones, and so forth. All of this at the risk of their own lives, of course. And you play a role in it as well: to give me your sister.”

Tanjiro just stared, trying to figure out a way to kill the demon and keep everyone safe. Rui was not a fan of the effort that was being placed into defeating him.

“That look… You’re plotting, aren’t you? You should’ve just taken the deal.” Weaving quickly, he jerked Nezuko out of the place Tanjiro had placed her to rest. She was clearly shocked and could hardly move from his grasp. Tanjiro glared at the demon that held his sister against his hip now. Tanjiro began to dash towards them and Nezuko took this chance to slice at Rui’s face. In mere seconds, I watched as he pulled her above them with ease, holding her with the webbing I was cast in.

Noticing her disappearance, Tanjiro stopped after avoiding his attack. “Above you!” I shouted, but it was too late and his extended, broken sword was drenched with her blood. He looked up, eyes widening at the sight of his sister suspended in the air, trapped in the web.

“She’s been bad, so I’ll definitely have to punish her. Perhaps bleed for a while. And if that doesn’t fix her, she can stay there until the sun appears.” Rui announced his plans, further getting under Tanjiro’s skin.

“I won’t allow it!” He went after the demon again, trying to land a hit. I could only watch as he was slapped around, cut further with the web, and tossed to the side like trash. The demon seemed to enjoy playing around with him.

“Here, go ahead and cut my head off. Well, go ahead and try.” Tanjiro cautiously approached him before swinging with all of his might, the broken blade meeting Rui’s neck. Unfortunately, it didn’t sever it. “What a shame. My body is so much more durable than yours ever could be. You never had a chance against me.” I watched as he kneed Tanjiro, launching him away.

Nezuko couldn’t bear watching the battle continue and began to struggle in the webs. “No, Nezuko! Stay still!” I yelled, pleading with her to stop resisting. My words were futile as Rui tightened his hold on her, causing her to scream out in pain.

“Nezuko!”

“That must have been the first smart thing out of your mouth today.” He looked at me and I swallowed. The threads suddenly tightened around me and it took everything not to scream out as Nezuko had. He seemed to take a deep breath in, relishing the newfound blood loss. “Oh, how I can’t wait to devour you. It makes fighting this battle much more worth it. And if my new sister is obedient, she can have a taste, of course.” I spit at him, it not going anywhere near him since he was so far away. “Just be lucky I want to eat you fresh, human.”

This little banter gave Tanjiro enough time to prepare for his next move. Without warning, he leaped forward. “Water breathing, 10th form! Constant flux!” He began to cut through the threads with ease, making his way closer to Rui. The demon sensed this sudden change and decided to step up a bit.

“Ignorant fool, did you really think those threads were at max strength?” Suddenly, the webbing began to turn red and it got easier to see. Tanjiro seemed to falter for a moment before his form completely changed. I watched with wide eyes as the threads disintegrated. Rui’s movements became more and more panicked the closer Tanjiro cut. Finding a weak spot, he immediately went to take out Tanjiro, using the threads around him to stop him-

And everything went up in flames. My gaze was immediately brought to Nezuko who had reached out. She had used her own blood to set off the explosion and- yes! Tanjiro was able to land a hit on his neck!

“N-No!” Rui screamed. “This isn’t supposed to happen, the marechi-” He reached out towards me, pulling his fingers forward to jerk me over to him, and to my surprise, I stayed put. His head was sliced clean off of his shoulders. He and I stared at each other as his head flew across the clearing, the disbelief clear in his eyes.

“Haha! That’s what you get, bitch!” I cheer, happy to finally be free. Well, not for too long. I forgot how high I was. Once the threads melted away, I was left to fall from God knows how high up. I land on the side with the injured ribs and choke for a moment on the pain. Fuck. Me.

“Nezuko! (Y/N)! I won…” Tanjiro sat there and appreciated himself. I smiled and picked myself off the ground, limping towards him. Whew, that gash in my leg is not doing too well.

The victory is short-lived though. “You thought you could win that easily? Oh, I’m going to make you and your sister's lives a short, living hell.” Rui was up and walking towards us again. Or actually, does it look like he’s coming towards me? Nah, I wasn’t the one who cut his head off. “I’m going to absolutely destroy you. And I’m going to start with the marechi there. I’m going to eat your own friend in front of you and then use that power I gain from her to torture the two of you.” He laughed maniacally, attaching more threads to me.

I quickly look around for a weapon and see none, but it’s too late as I’m getting dragged toward the demon. “W-Wait, you won’t like me! I don’t taste good!” I was now in his grasp, one of his hands in my hair pulling my head back and the other around my arm, keeping it adhered to my side.

He licked his lips, now attaching his head. “Oh, but from experience, marechi blood tastes sweeter than the finest fruit.” I shut my eyes tight, not wanting to look as he opened his mouth and began to bite down.

There was pressure, and then there wasn’t. I opened my eyes to find the demon nowhere near me, and instead, another figure stood above me. Blinking, I tried to comprehend what just happened. “I’ll take it from here.” He barely spared me a glance, but I didn’t need to see his face to know this was Giyuu Tomioka. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and slumped to my knees. I think this was the closest to death I’ve ever been.

From our spots on the ground, we watched as Giyuu faced off with Rui. My body felt shaky and weak. Crashing from adrenaline is not fun. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tanjiro slowly make his way over to Nezuko’s body.

Back to the battle, Giyuu had used a technique to destroy the threads that were in his way. The 10th, no, 11th form of water breathing. Within moments, Giyuu was behind the demon, and his head was severed once again. Except for this time, there was no way back. The battle was over. I watched as the body stumbled over to Tanjiro, collapsing beside him. In consolidation, Tanjiro reached out and placed a comforting hand on its back. Nothing was said, but I’m sure there was no need for words.

Giyuu chose this moment to disrespect people, so he walked up on what remained of the demon and looked down at Tanjiro. “It was a demon. There was no need for remorse. It had spent centuries tormenting and slaughtering people.”

Tanjiro gripped the clothing that remained. “I will never hesitate to bring my blade down on a demon that threatens humanity. That being said, I will also not disrespect their memories as you see… They were once human like me too. I don’t see demons as horrible, terrifying creatures, but more so tragic and helpless ones. They can’t help that they’re demons, and it’s sad they lose so much by becoming one.” I took this time during his explanation to make my way up and behind Giyuu. Without gaining his attention, as quickly as I could in my injured state, I hit the back of his knees, causing his weight to collapse. Before he could fall on Tanjiro, I shoved him from the side to redirect his fall.

“That's what you get for disrespecting people.” I looked down at him with a disapproving glare.

He didn’t respond, just stared back in utter shock. He looked over to the side and within a second I was back on the ground and he was over Tanjiro and Nezuko’s bodies, his blade drawn to deflect the blade of his partner who finally showed up.

I watched as the butterfly girl gracefully flipped to a stop before turning and facing us with a serene smile on her face. “Now why would you get in my way? And I thought you could never get along with demons, at least that is what you had just told me earlier. This kind of thing is why no one likes you, Tomioka.” She narrowed her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. “Now then, would you please move, Giyuu?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I’m that disliked.” He stated seriously. There was a pause where everyone had a look of shock as they processed what he said.

“Oh, my… I didn’t realize that would bother you so much. I do apologize. Especially since this is the first you’re hearing about it.” Not gonna lie, seeing this happen in front of me is hilarious. Tanjiro gave an inquisitive look towards Giyuu, but he didn’t comment on it. “Oh, boy there. That’s a demon that you’re protecting, I’m going to need you to move so you don’t get hurt.” Shinobu explained.

Tanjiro sat up, hugging Nezuko close to his chest. “No, you don’t understand! Well, you’re right about the demon part, she’s different! Nezuko is my sister! She’s my little sister…” He gripped her tight.

Shinobu’s facade broke just a bit, revealing pity. “Oh you poor thing, I’ll use a gentle toxin to kill her, don’t worry.” Her smile was back and sickeningly sweet.

“Can you guys move?” Giyuu questioned without his eyes leaving Shinobu.

It takes him a moment, but Tanjiro answers. “Y-Yes, thank you!” He scoops Nezuko up and runs off with her.

“I’mma catch a ride with them if know what I mean,” I say, chuckling nervously before I sprint off after them. It’s hard to keep up with this leg, but I can just make them out ahead of me. I’ll keep following as long as I can. I glanced back behind me to check for followers and saw nothing, easing my pace for the sake of my leg.

There’s suddenly a commotion from ahead of me and it’s hard to make out what they’re saying over my breathing. I break into a clearing with Kanao on the scene, sitting on top of Tanjiro. He’s unconscious and it looks like he just told her to run for it.

I give a salute to the girl, also breaking her poker face to display shock at the sight of me. Yeah, to be fair, if I were to see a half-naked girl covered in blood salute me and run off, I would also be confused. Sprinting ahead, I almost catch up to Nezuko when Kanao dashes in front of me, swinging out and attempting to slice her head off. I shriek before realizing she shrunk to avoid the sword. I took a deep breath and pushed forward. Kanao was getting fed up with chasing her and decided to try to end it all. Lunging forward, she almost made it to Nezuko before I tackled the little demon out of her way. I shielded her body and the slayer attempted to shove me off of her so she could get to the neck.

“No! You won’t get Nezuko!” I hugged her tighter to my chest, trying to cover her completely from Kanao’s orders.

And like an angel sent from above, a crow began to chant from above us. “I have a message from headquarters! Tanjiro, Nezuko, and (Y/N) are to be captured and brought back to headquarters!” He began to repeat the message, even including descriptions of us. I sigh and roll over, Nezuko peeking out and observing the situation. I’m way too tired to complain about me needing to go.

“If you couldn’t tell, this is Nezuko.”

“... I can.”

[mybeypage]

For entertainment purposes, I sometimes play around with an incorrect quote generator. To make it fun, the characters + quote have to be completely random / I can't shuffle names, and they have to make me laugh.

Here are some of my favorites. Hope they bring you a laugh.

--

Kai: Sometimes I like to call people by the wrong name to show them I don’t care about them. Ray: That’s brilliant. Kai: Thank you, Kenny.

--

Max: I dare you- Kenny: Kai is not allowed to accept dares anymore. Max: Why not? Kai: "I have no regard for my own or others personal safety", as some would say.

--

Kai: Ok so, apparently the "bad vibes" I've been feeling are actually severe psychological distress.

--

Max: What's worse than a heartbreak? Ray: Stepping on a cat's tail and not being able to explain that you're sorry.

--

Kenny: Just be yourself. Say something nice. Kai: Which one? I can't do both.

--

Kenny: Emily noticed only today that they can label their email inboxes, but they took apart their entire bloody laptop two weeks ago. Ray: This reminds me of the Emily who couldn’t turn on the coffee maker, but remembers about 500 digits of pi. Kenny: I’ll be delighted to inform you that this is the very same Emily.

--

Kenny: That sounds like a terrible plan. Ian: Oh, we've had worse.

--

Emily: Just trust me. Have I ever put you in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation? Kenny: All the time. Emily: Then you should be used to it by now.

--

Emily, to the Squad: If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! *silence* Emily: Damn, y’all depressed as fuck... Salima : You didn’t clap either- Emily: SHUT UP!

--

Ray, staring at Mariah in a cage: ...Why are they in a cage? Tyson: Because they growled at me.

--

Ian: You’re giving me a sticker? Julia: Not just a sticker. That is a sticker of a kitty saying “me-wow!” Ian: I’m not a preschooler. Julia: Fine, I’ll take it back- Ian: I earned this, back off!

--

Bryan: You know you've made it when you see your picture everywhere you go. Max: Those are wanted posters!

--

Kai: Yesterday, I overheard Max saying “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and Spencer replying “Trust me,” and I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

--

Julia: I’m not being weird. Am I being weird? Tala: Yes, and that’s coming from me.

--

Kai: I assume you realize that this kind of idiocy will not be tolerated in this house. Ian: Is there any kind of idiocy you would be more comfortable with?

--

Mariam: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it. Salima : Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side. Emily: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE!

--

Mariah: Here you go, Emily, a nice hot cup of coffee! Emily: It's cold. Mariah: A nice cup of coffee. Emily: It's horrible! Mariah: Cup of coffee. Emily: I'm not sure if this even IS coffee. Mariah: C U P.

--

Mariam: I don’t need to touch grass, I need the fall of capitalism.

--

Bryan: Would anyone know any good vendors for professional-quality brass knuckles? Ray: I know you’re serious, but you say the scariest shit sometimes.

--

Julia: Why would you give a knife to Kai?! Kenny, shrugging: Kai felt unsafe. Julia: Now I feel unsafe! Kenny: I’m sorry… Kenny: Would you like a knife?

--

Emily, to the squad: And remember, if I get harsh with you it is only because you’re doing it all wrong.

--

Julia: Bryan’s gonna kill me. Spencer: No, he'll probably make me do it.

--

Kai: That's it, you're grounded! Tala, no adventures for you! Mariam, no fighting for you! Ian, no stealing for you! And Bryan... oh my god, is there anything that you love? Bryan: Revenge. Kai: No vengeance for you. Bryan: I was going to say "I'll get you for this," but I guess that's off the table.

--

Max: You're violent. Ian: Yeah but I'm also short and that's adorable.

[alix-in-july]

the gods in Epic

I'm only going to be able to fully sort some of them because a lot of them appear only briefly

Zeus: Lion/Lion. Can you be a gloryhound if you're already "king?" Zeus doesn't play tricks but he likes games. He likes laying out all your choices and making you pick. These are all in the spur of the moment, though. When he gets pissed off, he just immediately smites you. And nothing pisses him off more than when Athena embarrasses him by beating him. He also likes being the "judgement call."

Athena: Bird/Bird. She sets up tests for people (the magical boar). She sees Odysseus, at first, as a project she poured time and effort into. She uses reasoned arguments to persuade the other gods. And she scolds Odysseus to turn off his heart and said his sentimentality is "not a teaching of mine."

Hermes: No idea, man. He's weird. He gives me Lion Snake vibes??? I'm really bad at sorting them because they confuse me. Hermes in the original was a Double Snake IIRC but this Hermes is just floating around trolling people with no backstory so I could see either.

Poseidon: Snake/Lion. His first words are screaming Odysseus's name: ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA!!! He then basically yells at him for an entire song and sinks all his ships but one. Snake:

In all my years of living/It isn't very often that I get pissed off/I try to chill with the waves/But damn, you crossed the line/I've been so gracious/And yet, you hurt this son of mine/That's right, the cyclops you made blind, is mine

If that's not a Snake primary, I don't know what is. That's basically exactly how I described myself a few posts ago. Just happily chilling UNTIL. Weirdly enough, he claims he wouldn't be mad if Odysseus had just killed Polyphemus instead of blinding him.

Circe: Snake/Snake. Her nymphs are like her daughters. She's only convinced by Odysseus when he sings about his love for his wife. She lures the men inside to trick them into eating the food and when Odysseus can't be beaten with magic, she immediately pivots to trying to seduce him. I could also be argued into Badger Snake.

Calypso: Snake/Badger. Snake for sure. From the jump she's singing about how Odysseus is the love of her life and that continues to be all she really sings about. Secondary was a bit harder but she doesn't lie or trick him like the Sirens and she doesn't use tools or arguments. She's just promising to take care of him and provide all he needs and trying to wear him down. She has that kind of Badgery softness even though she's a baddie.

Ares: Lion secondary. He is disgusted by Odysseus using cunning instead of just hacking and slashing everyone. I'm not sure of his primary. Ares focuses on Odysseus letting "his friends get devoured." But I think that could be Lion or Badger. Violence could also be his Lion cause, because he agrees once Athena says that Odysseus will make everybody bleed if he's released. I really want to say Double Lion.

Hephaestus: Badger/Badger I think, because he's most upset that Odysseus sacrificed his "cohort" and says, "Trust is not given, it's forged." He barely has any lines so this is tentative. We have a lot of doubles here.

Aphrodite: maybe Snake primary? Or else love is her "cause." She's most disgusted that Odysseus let his mother die waiting for him. No idea of her secondary.

I have no clue about Hera or Apollo.

[lukweer]

ok so like there are two parts of me, right? well there are a lot of parts but english is hurting me right now and my head isn't working so you will make due/do(?)

anyways one part is like: my sense for gay people is strong, i think i know which f1 drivers are gay and i am confident in my answers

but the other part is like: its wrong to speculate sexuality because if people havent come out then they either aren't ready to be out or aren't gay, but at the same time this generation is moving away from the construct of coming out so like... idk.

today the first part is stronger, though, so i want to share my speculations because everyone in the states only watches nascar and is a hick and i'm scared of them. they also do not like my italian accent :(

1. Max Verstappen

come on guys, any gay person could tell u he's probably bi. i mean he doesn't even try to hide it, u know? like there are compilations of him being fruity. and they are shockingly long.

he's mentioned using grindr, he's mentioned girls OR guys when talking about dating preferences, the whole thing with the freaking lei (i think thats how it is spelled, the hawaiian thing? the flower necklace?). the list goes on and on.

he's had girlfriends, and i'm pretty sure they weren't beards but i'm not sure. i'm leaning towards bi tho for this reason.

even if he isn't bi or gay or pan or whatever, he's at least incredibly comfortable with queerness and is probably a really cool dude. annoying when i'm watching the sunday races, but love him the rest of the time!

2. Lando Norris

lando is a bit more subtle with it (as are the other ppl in the list). emphasis on a bit, though.

unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen this gif:

this has called many aboard the lando is a little fruitcake train. what people don't realise is that he "eye fucks" or like... stares lovingly a lot.

other examples include:

staring lovingly at carlos sainz

checking out charles leclerc (kind of? i think he is checking him out)

staring lovingly at carloz sainz

this weird ass moment with, you guessed it, carloz sainz

there are a lot of these photos and clips out there, but i'm lazy and don't feel like looking for them so yeah. take my word for it.

i saw a post saying that if carlos and lando pulled up to the paddock holding hands and telling people they were dating they wouldn't be shocked. i agree with this statement entirely. as was stated, it takes a lot to get to that point, and we're at that point.

now i grew up a gay dude to a conservative family, and i know the little mannerisms that are like... a part of being gay? and i know what it looks like to hide them.

i do not know if this is the right way to say it or if it is politically correct, but i believe it to be true. gay men tend to have little mannerisms here and there that give us away a bit, and i think i've seen some of those in lando.

i don't think i will share them though, as i don't want to accidentally push harmful stereotypes or whatever. obviously not all gay men have gay mannerisms and it might be something lando is insecure about so i would rather not put them on blast.

if it's not a bad thing i may come back and edit this and add them in. idk, let me know i guess? i am still learning american customs.

3. Yuki Tsunoda

this is probably going to be the shortest section (ha).

yuki mostly just makes my radar go off. i don't consume alphatauri content as much, but i know there was a thing with him and pierre that was just crazy last year and the year prior. don't know as much about it as i should haha.

but yeah. yuki just sends my radar into the astral plane (is that a thing? i am doubting myself). if he is not at least bisexual i will eat my own foot.

maybe that one moment between him and michael italiano has just gotten to me, i don't know. i trust in my instincts though.

Honourable Mentions

4. Danny Ric

idk he just gives the vibe! i don't know how to explain my radar. gay people know. i think it is called gaydar.

DR is on it.

5. Carlos Sainz

he is probably on my gaydar the least, but he's still on there. latest vlog he gently combed his finger through ruperts hair. he's probably deeply in love with lando. just little things like that i guess!

6. Oscar Piastri

this may be wishful thinking. i sit in bed at night and pray that he is into men.

that is all! thank you for learning about fruity drivers with me! please do not cancel me if i am doing something politically incorrect! i am still learning!

[acourtofthought]

How would you feel if ACOTAR 5 is gwynriel instead of elucien? In one of SJM interviews she stated that after finishing acotar5 she will be working on the 1st book of a different series. So that means acotar6 will come out 2027.

Disappointed. I think there gets to be a point where an author drags out a particular storyline too long (the Blood and Ash series come to mind) and the writing suffers as a result.

Vassa was taken in ACOMAF, we found out by who in ACOWAR and that she as well as the other girls at the lake have been cursed / kidnapped by Koschei. In ACOFAS we're told her freedom will come to an end and reminded of that in ACOSF.

Spring was destroyed in ACOWAR and in ACOFAS, we're told Tamlin is severely depressed but that they'll still need Spring as an ally. SF shows it's been awhile and Tamlin isn't getting better, that they know they need a strong ally in Springs army.

Elucien's bond snapped in ACOMAF, Elain was turned fae and in ACOWAR she lost her father, stabbed a man, was rejected by Graysen, fought with her sister in SF and was rejected by Az yet we've not once been given her inner thoughts of all she's experienced. We don't even see any of the main characters trying to talk to her about any of those things.

And Lucien, the list is too long to include on all his unresolved plots.

Having Nesta's story told first made sense to me because there was never going to be Elucien progress until Nesta began letting go of her protectiveness over Elain, to accept the idea of Lucien (and technically, Nessian's bond was hinted at before Elucien's bond snapped).

Her healing arc was important to Feyre and Elain's stories too (along with herself of course) however it wasn't very plot heavy. But there was no moving forward for anyone until Nesta's anger wasn't destroying everything in Nesta's path. The series, since book 2, has been as much about the sisters relationship to one another as plot and romance and closing that out before moving into a new era makes sense to me.

But Az having his story before Elain and Lucien doesn't seem to fit especially when a Gwynriel romance would probably need at least 6 - 9 months (meaning that almost another year would go by before we even start getting resolution to the above).

I'm not sure that I see anything in his story that is necessary to lead us into the Koschei storyline.

He wasn't in Feyre's "Let's help one sister before helping the other" speech, he wasn't part of Feyre's "I want them all to be happy" speech in ACOFAS.

To me the Illyrians aren't a bigger concern to their entire world than Vallahan setting their sights on the humans or Beron trying to ally with Koschei or how an entire court is now being neglected by its High Lord.

Dragging out Vassa, Koschei, Lucien's father reveal, the Elucien bond, the girls who were kidnapped, Spring, Elain healing from her trauma while she continues to remain in a court she doesn't truly belong just so Az can have his story which doesn't fit in to any of those things does not make any sense to me and honestly, I think it sends a weird message.

"I think Lucien will never be good enough for her"

"I'll defeat him with little effort"

"I know, I helped rescue Elain after all"

"There is a darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to"

"She has no interest in him anyway"

Az (no offense) is kind of a dick at times outside of the priestesses.

He makes Mor so uneasy with his behavior that she feels like she needs to lie about what she's doing so he doesn't brood.

He is jealous and bitter towards Lucien and speaks for Elain without ever acknowledging her bravery and strength.

He gives off Tamlin vibes at times and to me that means he needs to be on a time out for a bit. Where he has to really sit and think on why his behaviors were wrong, why he tried to keep Mor and Elain small so he could be the hero, why he had such issues with a guy who is a very decent person.

Giving him a HEA after he treated them like that while Mor still remains unlucky in love, Lucien is struggling, Elain has no found family, it feels like jumping over an important lesson for Az to learn so he can become worthy of Gwyn. Not just in who he is when around her but who he is on his own.

I think Az seeing them happy and actually being happy for them is an important arc for his character.

But, in the end that's just my perception of the situation.

I don't know how SJM thinks, what her plan is, and if Elucien is not next than there's not much I can do but wait!

[doodlesdreaming]

Shin Megami Log 4(After Game Thoughts)

Finished SMT V during Christmas, and I have THOUGHTS.

I'm gonna put all that under the 'Read More' bit, so if any of you are interested in this game, then scroll past and no peeking.

Right then, final thoughts:

Brief history lesson first, I knew very little about the SMT series or the spin-offs like Persona. Of course, with how incredibly successful Persona 5 is, it's hard to miss any sort of info. But even then, my knowledge of the entire franchise was very limited. All I know is that it's basically the "Dark Souls" of RPGs with character driven stories that have of ingredients than a Final Fantasy title. At least, that was the vibe I was getting.

But even then, I never have been interested enough to want to give any of the games a try. I did get Persona Q2 back when I first heard of the 3DS dying out, but it mostly because I didn't want a Persona game with Joker's face on it to be forever lost. Weird I know, but that was my train of thought, at the time. But after clearing the first boss(and realizing that prior knowledge of Persona 5's story is an absolute must) I got bored and haven't touched the game since.

Fast forward a few years later, when Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne was announced with a HD port to current gen consoles. I was genuinely excited by the announcement. This meant that if I ever decided to give Nocturne a try, it'll be alot easier for me to do so now. Then after that came the biggest surprise of all; Shin Megami Tensei V.

Now this....this caught my attention. Though I can't really explain why. Was it the character designs? The gorgeous looking world? "D" all of the above? All I can say is that something 'clicked' and I was very interested. Even though it would take two years later until I actually got it.

And I'm so glad I did.

I was invested right from the start. From the silent "show don't tell" protagonist, all the way to Lufcier himself, the story, even with its swiss cheese holes in plot at some points, had me hooked from start to finish. The combat never got boring. I was constantly thinking of strategies and building up my demons that suited my needs and my playstyle. The world was incredibly fun to explore, even though the lighting choices, in some areas, made my eyes strain a bit. It would take me up til the big boss of the area for me to finally adjust.

And the bread and butter of it all, The Law and Chaos mechanics. A stable, I've come to understand, in the SMT series. Yet an important take away from all this is that nothing is as black and white as it seems on the surface. SMT is a franchise that makes you think. It makes you question yourselves and you inner most thoughts. And SMT V had me rolling in so many thoughts, that when I reached the 'alignment lock' of the game, I had to take a break because I was starting to get overwhelmed.

Of course, this could very well be a really weird quirk of mine. But when I get into a really good story, I REALLY get into it. And the choices I make would impact the ending I would get.

By all accounts, the Law ending would naturally mean the good ending, right? Well sure...if you can live with a Law that discriminates all other forms of thinking(a.e. free will), will not hesitate to punish they see as 'unfit' and the willingness to become corrupt yourself, just to prove a point. Sure. Law is the way to go.

The Chaos ending usually entails victory for the bad guys. And yet, there really isn't a clear "villain" in this case, other then the absolute obvious ones(f you Lamau). In Chaos, there is diversity, the freedom to choice your fate, to be yourself. And yet with so many possibilities, there will be disagreements, arguments of what is right and wrong, and power competing against power. No one really wins, and there is constant strife. But hope is just as abundant, with the capability that anything is possible.

The Neutral ending is well...the Neutral ending. You don't pick a side. You're that little kid that asks, "Why not both?" A balance of law and chaos. So understandably this would the best choice. Yes...except the neutral path follows a man who has been brought down low by both law and chaos. He lost everything precious to him, to the point where he belittles his fellow man if they show any sort of weakness. So the solution? Make humanity the leading power of the universe, but take away every viture and sin that exists in the heart and soul. And by extension, all the angels and demons in existence. Never to be even a story told by campfire light because it would never be allowed to cross through the mind. Humans would be free of woe and fear, and grow abundant in their everyday lives. But will it truly last?

You could probably guess which ending I ended up getting. And quite honestly, I'm satisfied with it. Plus it lines up perfectly with my ever growing headcanons of the Nahobino. So I'm taking it as a win.

I honestly can not recommend SMT V, especially if you're like me who enjoys a good rpg that I can sink my teeth into. It has it flaws, yes. But they feel so small that it doesn't really bother me. Some of them I can just 'fix' with good old imagination. And it's definitely inspired me to play Nocturne next, for sure. But first, I want to see if I can beat the Demi Fiend himself in combat....

There's so much more I'd like to talk about, but I think I rambled long enough.

The main takeaway? I LOVE THIS GAME. Definitely gonna be alot of fanart for sure. And I'm gonna get my hands on some merch when I can. It probably won't exceed my growing Darksiders collection, but it might come close in time, lol.

The other main takeaway from all this is that I get it now. I get the appeal and why this series is standing as strong as it is. HEE-HO!!!