#and then i saw someone say df is a mistake

[choconanime]

Istg Enstaries on Twitter are gonna make me the most pettiest person

[yuikomorii]

might be wrong about this but I think the thing that really differentiates Ayato from his brother is that he actually values life in a ''pure way''. Both Subaru and Shu didn't really have the will to life until they met the MC, Reiji's only will was to overcome his father and become better than his brother due to his jealousy, and even if it doesn't seem like it from the surface both Kanato and Laito were too mindbroken due to their trauma to actually enjoy life in a non-twisted way.

Ayato went through a lot of traumatic experiences just like the rest of his brothers but unlike them, he actually had a pure reason to live, that's why he didn't abandon his brothers and was desperately searching for them when they arrived to Rottienburg (I think that's the name) and prioritized them after he got saved by reiji and was willing to go look for them with no plan ahead and he's never changed. Even after they obviously drifted apart he still wanted to save his siblings (like in Lost Eden) even if they didn't want to save him when he got kidnapped by Kino.

Or when he was the only who saved yui in the anime when she got kidnapped by the mukami (Ik it's only fanservice because the anime shows Ayato as the ml). Or when he was the only one worrying about mc in the Olympics cd when the whole thing crushed down. I know mc has had her effects in everyone (because even reiji got worried in the CD drama when he though someone was drowning, turns out it was just Shu being weird) but at the end of the day, Rejet made it very clear that ayato always was different from his brothers even as kids.

Too long? Maybe, I just like rambling a lot about ayato lol

// This franchise is longer than a decade, it’s time for people to stop pretending that Ayato isn’t different from the rest, because it annihilates his purpose like that. Now I’m not saying that everyone else sucks and Ayato is the only cool character there, it’s just that Rejet wrote him in a way that genuinely gives off main character energy. Heck, even other characters have confirmed that he got *something* nobody else does, which is true.

Credit to: dialovers-translations, tournesolia

One thing about Ayato is that he might roast and prank you, but the moment you need help, he’ll be the first to lend you a hand. He’s by no means perfect, of course, he has flaws and makes mistakes too, but his good qualities are just so many that they’re easily able to outshine his bad ones.

Another example is the DF prologue scene. The most normal reaction would have been fighting with the wolf, as Subaru did, but instead of trying to get rid of it, Ayato used himself as shield the moment he saw it, so as to protect Yui. What makes this scene so powerful is that not only they weren’t a couple back then, but in the other Sakamaki routes, he’s still severely injured. He values life, yet he still sacrificed himself for her, no matter if she dates someone else afterwards, and guess what? Even after waking up from the coma in the other routes, he holds no grudge against her for that, but rather is on good terms with Yui. I would also like to talk about how self-sacrificing he is in the Daylight CD, but I feel like everyone listened to that one already, given that it was the most liked of the Daylight series.

While I understand that some people out there prefer more rational and/or introverted characters, I can’t stand those who deny the essence of a character. And, for all people who blame Rejet for “making him more special than the rest”, let me remind you that he’s the Diaboy who got the worst journey ending. Let that sink in. :”)

[reel-fear]

Gotta say I can't stand people acting like Appledusk genuinely loved either of his mates. He didn't love Reedshine enough to be faithful, and he didn't love Mapleshade enough to not canonically stand her up for weeks, nor did he care about their kids enough not to actively (if indirectly) call them mistakes.

And no, apologists, MAPLESHADE was the side-chick. This stupid idea that Reedshine must've been the second mate because she was pregnant later is one of the stupidest things you could possibly say. Why are you implying you need to be pregnant and/or have kids to be fucking married??

And slightly off-topic, but "Mapleshade used her kits/Mapleshade babylocked Appledusk!" Is all around dumb.

THEY ARE FERAL. CATS. THEY DO NOT HAVE FUCKING BIRTH CONTROL. What do they WANT her to have done when she realised she was pregnant? Eat a deathberry?

And using the first "Appledusk is mine, these kits will make sure of that" line as "proof" is stupid too. Look at the actual context of the line in the book instead of watching one YouTube video.

Remember also: Appledusk has been standing her up on their nightly meetings for weeks to the point she had to tell him she's pregnant at a gathering. She did not just go to speak with him "because she thinks she's above the rules." Was she just meant to never tell her husband who she believes loves her she was pregnant?

Mapleshade sees from where she is hiding when Reedshine walks up to Appledusk and cuddles with him. She walked away and saw another woman move up to her husband (who she believes is monogamous and not a prick having an affair, Maple has no idea she is actively his side-chick) and flirt and snuggle him. She just told him she is pregnant, and this other woman is flirting with him. ANYONE would get momentarily jealous at that.

And even in some universe Mapleshade did genuinely think something was going on between the man she loves and Reedshine, IT TURNED OUT CORRECT. Appledusk IS having a fucking affair.

Obviously, it's not Reed's fault, it's entirely and 100% Appledusk's, but still.

And apologists need to stop using Maple thinking about Appledusk when the kits are born to back their "she used them to trap him" bullcrap. Is a new mother not allowed to think about her husband and wish the father of her children could meet them?

And bonus when they twist everything to say this but completely ignore Frecklewish and Oakstar literally stating that they want to raise the kids as weapons and nothing else.

YEA YEA... Like my biggest problem with the way ppl talk abt Mapleshade is all this shit being used as justification for why she deserves to have her life ruined and her babies die is HORRIFYING. Moth flight is shown to be incredibly easy to make jealous, Jayfeather and Lionblaze have blind faith in Starclan to tell them how to solve everything. ivypools motive for being in the df is kinda petty and she KILLS SOMEONE TWICE IN THERE. and Lionblaze only contunies to MURDER AND MURDER AND MURDER as the books go on. Hollyleaf murdered the person she saw as responsible for hurting her family only to take it back and hurt her family by unleashing the secret anyways.

Stop acting like Mapleshade deserved her tragedy at all. Compared to other warriors protagonists who also have blind faith in starclan make dumb and morally reprehensible choices she isnt any different than them. And on the babylock thing. it takes two to tango and if Appledusk didnt want kits or didnt want to stay with Mapleshade any more... Why did he "yknow" her??? Its entirely his own fault. She cant get an abortion or take a pill to not get pregnant unwanted pregnancies in warriors are so common they're becoming something the books themselves are addressing as wrong and bad. [this also works for the "she was seeing the guy who killed flowerpaw and freckles brother fucked up' excuse, I believe the time frame between that happening and maples kits being born was mentioned to be close enough that its likely Maple n Dusk had those kits BEFORE that incident. And like I said cat abortions dont exist so once again fuck Frecklewish fuck her grief she attacked and screamed at babies Im glad shes in hell <3]

When we start talking about mapleshade people suddenly switch to a mode where anything is okay unless Mapleshade did it and will do ANYTHING to twist the narrative to protect the horrible people around Mapleshade. Sure Mapleshade was dumb and naive and thats one of the biggest reasons her life falls apart. But making bad decisions and doing bad things shouldnt be punishable by kitten death in a world where Moth Flight or Clear Sky or Grey Wing get away free with the HORRIBLE actions they have taken. Bramblestar is stupid he takes actions only to boost his inflated ego and hurts his wife why did Starclan punish Maple for her wrong deeds but not him? She put blind faith in Starclan isnt an excuse BECAUSE BLIND FAITH IN STARCLAN IS BASICALLY REQUIRED IN WARRIORS!!! we only recently got arcs showing Starclan in a flawed light so no Mapleshade doesnt actually do a lot wrong by warriors standards people are just fucking dumb. Anyways if anyone reads this and feels the need to give me a nasty reply or get defensive bc Freckle, Apple, Oak and whatever the name of the riverclan leader was deserve to go to hell for their crimes. You better have passages from the book to back you up or I will eat you alive.

[kookiepredictions]

Message from his DF’s Higher Self

To the Littlest One,

I was summoned by you I think. Damn boy, are you tired? Cuz you’ve been running through my mind all day. Everyday. Where do I begin? There’s always so much to say but I’m never sorted out. You want to know how I feel about you? Well it’s not a one word or one line answer you see. In my previous connections, I’ve always had some issue or the other. There have been connections where things were THIS close to being something special, and yet, I couldn’t unsee that there was still that bit missing. And I realized, I’m really looking for someone EXACTLY like me, and I knew I set myself up for failure because truly that’s impossible to have? When I saw you for the first time, I was shocked because I couldn’t believe how someone could be so much like me. It was like looking at my male version. And yet, there were so many obvious differences. I would be all excited and tell whoever cared to listen (most didn’t) that look, this guy is just like me! I think I’ve found my perfect match like they write in books and stuff. It didn’t matter to me that you didn’t know I existed. I was incredibly happy just knowing that I wasn’t wrong in believing that somewhere there is someone who is your exact match. I was O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D with you! I couldn’t get enough. You’d think my first impression about you was wrong and as I got to know more about you, I’d change my mind. But it was the exact opposite. The more I knew, I surer I got. I found a happy place in my life, everyday religiously watching you do weird stuff that convinced me more and more that yeah, he is the one. Ironically though, I never wanted to do anything about it. I thought someday we’d just meet and you’d see what I saw— that we’re perfect for each other. I had things in my personal life to take care of and I started doing exactly that, and Divine (and other) intervention got us together. Of course initially I was a little wary and thought it was all too good to be true, but that’s just me. Getting to know you has been one of the most special, life changing events in my life. So I have no idea why you want to start over again, or change anything about it. I wouldn’t want to change anything about any of it. You have been a wish fulfilled, a literal dream come true for me, right from the start to now. When I first saw you, I had a certain idea about you, the things you might say— and when you did speak to me, it was exactly how I always imagined it to be. With every word and action, you became more and more perfect to me. It was like someone made a list of everything I wished for in a person since when I was old enough to wish for things, added a ton of other wonderful things and the result was you! You have always, ALWAYS said what I wanted to hear, treated me the way I wanted to be treated. You were like this magician who always magically knew what I wanted. How did you know? How did you know what no one had ever known. And those people were so much closer to me. And so it not just confuses me but also makes me sad how you see this whole thing differently. Maybe you can do better, maybe you have better things to offer, I get that. But it was still perfect the way it was. There is no need to go over it repeatedly and wish it was different. I would never ever never want it to be any other way.

To me, you were and still are the kind of person they only talk about in fairytales. Does that mean I think you have no flaws? No. I know everyone has flaws and I have always believed that is what makes each of us unique and more special. And I have stopped buying onscreen personas since when I was like 13. Okay, maybe 15. Perfection to me is not the absence of flaws. Perfection to me is in the way I feel about someone. And I have always felt so wholesome around you, every moment spent with you was perfect. You were perfect, everything you did was perfect. If I were to sit you down and categorically tell you to do exactly as I wanted, I still couldn’t do a better job than what you had already done. Plz I’m embarrassed to admit that I have spent days, weeks, MONTHS daydreaming about you. Repeating every word over and over and over in my head and feeling every feeling it caused in me. I don’t see the “mistakes” that you see. Maybe you don’t see them either, and that’s why you are confused as to why you are being punished. Then maybe you should consider the thought that you aren’t being punished? I am not keeping away because of anything you did or didn’t do, I am keeping away for my own issues. You might think I have it all figured out, but I’m sorry to burst your bubble, I’m still a work in progress as well. You think I have over exaggerated ideas about you? Well I think you have put me up on a pedestal and don’t see how I’m struggling too. Do I absolutely need to be away to focus on myself right now? Absolutely. I have a tendency to be put who I love (there I said it, I wish it wasn’t said this way, but I guess this is the need of the hour) before me, and lose myself in the process. And unless I learn how to prioritizing another person without de-prioritizing myself, I need to be by myself. Have you ever felt like this connection was getting the better of you— that you had no control over yourself whatsoever? That’s how it has felt for me too. I need to find my own footing before getting involved in anything at all. Do I seem stubborn and difficult? Good. Because I have been easy and impressionable before and it has taken everything away from me. You must understand, this has got nothing to do with you. These problems have existed in my life before you came, and they will continue to exist unless I take care of them. You might think you can solve all my problems, if only we were together. That’s not true. The problems are inside of me. You can, at best, distract me from them. Only I can truly uproot them. Not only is this my duty here on earth, it is my right to be able to do that, and I am going to defend my right, whether or not you agree with me, and no matter how mad it makes you. It is never my intention to hurt you or anger you, but if that’s the price I have to pay, so be it. And it doesn’t even have to be about problems either. I have the right to live my life the way I want to. Always. Whether or not you are in my life. And I have the right to do so without having to explain myself. This is something I have learnt pretty late in my life— I really used to be the exact opposite. I have spent YEARS unlearning that pattern and I am not going to abandon my beliefs anymore, not even for you. And I’m not even apologetic about it. If there is any love in this connection, it will honour my freedom and my choices. Even if I abandoned myself right now “out of love”, and years later when I realize the folly in that, I’d forever hold you responsible for that and hate you all my life. That’s not going to be a very successful connection, is it? My morals, principles and beliefs are what make me who I am. Abandoning them is literally changing me, might as well change my face with surgery. They are staying with me until my last breath. Anyone who wants to be in my life has to respect and accept that. You don’t have to though. And I really want to make sure you understand this. I don’t expect you to do anything that you don’t want to do. Nothing at all. When you had no idea I existed, I liked you even then. The point is, my liking or loving you isn’t dependent on what you do or don’t do for me. It has everything to do who you are. Now, you might not see yourself that way. You might think you are nothing special to be liked or loved. You might feel the need to do a ton of things so that people like you. But you see, that’s all just you, not me. Don’t project your feelings on to me. For me, you have always been special and everything you have ever done has been special. Now, the answer to the difficult question: have I ever been hurt by you? Yes. But I have never thought it was your “fault”. For me it was always my fault that I was too reliant on someone else’s opinion of me, and a push to the direction of learning to be self-validated. And it was a huge leap in my growth! To be honest, I don’t entirely know what fault you hold yourself responsible for. I have no idea what “wrong” choices you have made. All I see is, you had prior commitments and you chose to honour your commitments. You chose to stick with the people who were there in your life long before me. Not only do I respect you more because of it, it has always been a very attractive quality about a person to me— being mindful of everyone in their lives. The only thing that makes me mad is when you fail to realize that I have the right to do the same. You can choose to fight me over my freedom and ways of dealing with things, but know that it is a fight I will always win :p

You seek my forgiveness but it is not me who hasn’t forgiven you, it is you. You want love from me but it is not me who doesn’t love you, it is you. Fear all you want, doubt all you want, but you could inquire in 10, 20, 100 years if I love you, and the answer will still be the same: yes I do. And if you ask me 1000 times what we should do about it, my answer will also be the same— this really is the time to focus on ourselves. It might seem like I’m going further away from you, but I really am coming towards you with every passing day. How and when— not everything needs to be known right now. If you are patient, everything will make sense when it’s the right time. Maybe then you would even hate yourself for not being more understanding, and wish that you had acted different right now. Just like you now wish you had behaved differently back then. The tighter you are holding on to this, the longer the wait is getting. Holding on tight to your love is an old paradigm. This is the time to be freely flying beside each other. I know because not very long ago, I had to make this exact choice. Either to let go of you and risk losing you forever or to hold on tightly to you and lose myself forever. I made the 2nd choice with a lot of doubt and difficulty, and it turns out that our connection has only gotten stronger from there. You feel like you are the only one in this journey but this is truly a journey of two. I assure you, every phase you cross, I have crossed it before you. There was a time I was addicted to you too. No matter where I went, what I did, who I was with, I was more interested in knowing what new weird thing Jungkook did today. Back then, nothing else was any more important than a little attention from my dream boy. And yet, there was so much anxiety and fear mixed with those experiences. Those were absolutely beautiful moments and everything I ever wished for, then why couldn’t I completely engage in them? Because I hadn’t learned to love myself yet. And so everything lacked, no matter how special. I can tell you for sure that me being in your life right now will do the exact same for you. So far you literally have followed all of my footsteps. And this is another reason for me needing to focus on myself. Until now, it was only about my own dreams and goals in life. But now I see how we are both almost tethered together in this connection, and I seem to be leading the way, aren’t I? For you to figure out the maze, I have to do that first. You know how you feel drawn to me, like you can never get enough? You might feel like it is your need to be loved by me, but really it is the need for you to follow in my next footsteps that is to focus on yourself. This is why you are never satisfied. Even when I am with you, you are still anxious about something you anticipate happening in the future. You are restless because you are not addressing the problems inside of you. You are trying to control this connection and this situation from outside, but that’s not where the issue is. You really think I’m some angel descended from heaven? Time to burst another bubble. I have a dark past too. I have hurt people, been destructive and done things I wish I hadn’t. The only difference? I have forgiven myself. I was young and didn’t know any better. It doesn’t help either that our society only teaches us to focus on the external things. Those mistakes didn’t define me nor will any other mistake I might make in the future. Nothing else defines me other than that I want to be happy and I’m committed to learning how to be happy and will learn and grow all my life in pursuit of happiness. You feel like you’re attracted to me because you need a loving person in your life, but what you’re really looking for subconsciously is to learn to love yourself because you see that I love myself. There is literally nothing in this world that makes a person more attractive than self love. It is the ultimate goal for every soul and someone who masters it is a veritable flame for all moths. No amount of love is enough for the person who doesn’t love themselves. Believe me, I’ve been there. You think I’m mad at you, but the thing is, the mire I focus on myself, the more I’m able to understand you more. So yes, even though you make me so mad so often, it doesn’t last at all. This connection has changed me in ways that surprise me too. In my past connections, if I was hurt, I would make sure I’d give back the same hurt back ten times so they knew what I went through. Not anymore. Very soon into this connection I’d realized that no matter how much I was hurt, I could never bring myself to do the same to you. And gradually I learnt to not be hurt at all in the first place. Because I always understand where you come from. And I always will. Not because I’m some saint, but because I have been through all of that. You are not wrong in wanting to be loved, or wanting assurance. It’s been a tough journey hasn’t it, being through situations and people that have distorted your perception of your own self? So much so that you now believe you are that person. But if you really were, then why did I see someone else when I first saw you? And after all this time, why do I still see that same person? No matter what happens in between, why hasn’t my perception changed of you? How is it that we are both looking at the same but different person? You might argue that your version of you is more accurate, not mine. Then why do you believe so strongly that your version of ME is more accurate, that you are ready to fight with everyone else over it? Why do you believe so strongly that you just KNOW me? Because as Twin Flames we are lucky to have someone designated to see ourselves in our divinity when we have forgotten that about ourselves. At this point, I don’t even care what you think about yourself. I know what I know and nothing and no one is ever going to convince me otherwise. Flaws and all, you are perfect to ME. But no one can convince you of that better than yourself. Unless you forgive, love and accept yourself, you will always feel like there’s not enough love in your life. No matter how many times we go over this, this is where it will always end up at.

Don’t get me wrong though, I feel your change and transformation. I feel your heart opening up, I feel you getting more and more vulnerable. And I know it’s scary. But this is the only way. When I had to let go, I realized what terrified me the most was if I was going to lose the “feeling” that existed then. The whole dreamy, head-over-heels, giggling like a little girl, and getting unmentionable thoughts 24/7 type of love feeling (yes is it that hard to believe it exists?) As it turned out, not only did the feeling not go, it transformed into this beautiful version where I have so much more control over it— I can feel this way when I decide to, instead of it being all over the place before. Ironically here, you feel like falling constantly when you hold on. You find your ground when you let go. Does it seem like I don’t think about you at all? The reality is, I’m just more at peace with these feelings. Instead of fighting them or trying to get rid of them, I let them stay with me with the instructions that they let me do other things like work, and they stay quietly beside me all day, and only get activated when I want them to lol. You are suffering because you are trying too hard to get an outcome, a result out of it, I’m just here enjoying the ride, wherever it takes me. If I leave you, you will be shattered, probably feel betrayed and unable to trust anyone else. If you leave, I’ll love you regardless. I have nothing to gain from this, and yet I gain the most beautiful, precious things from it every single day. All because I let go. I let go, not of you, but of my expectations of an outcome. In return, you stayed. And with you, the most high vibrational feelings that literally poets write about, singers sing about, and people everywhere spend all their lives looking for. I found them right where I was. It does make me sad to see you in pain but I know it’s only temporary and more than that, essential to get to where you must get in this lifetime. But it doesn’t have to be that painful. It took me years to understand certain things, and if I could teach just one thing, it would be acceptance. Resist less, accept more. Accept situations as they are. And watch them magically transform. The last thing, if you really, REALLY want to do something for me, something that would make me happy, and if I do in fact, have the right to ask for something from you— it is that you put yourself first right now. Independent of me. Pretty please. I know I’m kinda awesome and hard to resist lol but there must be things that you have wanted to do that had nothing to do with me. Explore yourself without judgement. And allow me the freedom to do the same. There is no one I want more than you in my life, but there are things I want to explore and do which have existed way before you came into my life. If I couldn’t do them, I would hate you for the rest of my life and I definitely don’t want that. I don’t want to rush a connection so special and rare. I don’t want to start something not knowing for sure that I can be consistent with. Whatever I start is going to be forever and for that we both need to be 100% ready without any doubts or reservations. If we’re not there yet, that’s alright, we should have enough time to prepare. Just know that no matter what happens, this connection is not going anywhere, and these feelings are not going away, cuz they never have. And IF, in the rare occasion that it has to end, know for sure that it will be decided by two people, not just one. It is the right of both people who are working towards this connection. Believe in Divine magic and timing. We’re going to be alright.

Enclosing I’d like to say: Are you a dictionary? Cuz you’re adding meaning to my life. Are you a camera? Cuz every time I look at you, I smile. Do you have a pencil? Cuz I want to erase your past and write our future. (Okay that’s enough Google search for today)

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

“SHOULD I TRY?”

GILLY LOPEZ X READER

SERIE INDEX. Chapter 4.

WORD COUNT: 1.7k

Thanks to my lovely beta reader @STARRYNITE7114 💘

AUTHOR COMMENTS: I hope you all enjoy. English isn’t my first language, I’m sorry if I have some mistakes with grammar. The gif isn’t mine.

Tag list: @STARRYNITE7114 @CHIBSYTELFORD @MARA-MPOU @DAZZLEDAMAZON @SAMMSKELLINGTON @ARVEDUA 💥 (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)

It's been a long time since you last seen your brother. Maybe six or seven months has pass. You call him every month to talk about how you are, and he knows about Gilly since you met him. He was good with the idea of finding someone who treats you as you deserve, even if he's part of a MC. So, when you called him to arrange the meeting between them and the Mayans, he was ready to approve your full transfer to Santo Padre, if the ‘new’ charter approves it too. You're waiting for them at the entrance of the city, supporting your back against the welcome sign. You're nervous. You know that Marcos will always loves you, and the Coyotes are happy for you, after what you have had to live with your ex. The roars of the motorcycle engines push you out of your thoughts. You can see the six men coming, with a small black van behind them. You know they're bringing you your motorbike. You'll need it probably. And you missed it since you left Tijuana. As soon as they stop, your brother runs towards you, holding your body between his strong arms. He's taller than you and that fact makes it difficult for you to kiss him on the cheek at times. “¿Te tratan bien?” (They treat you well?). He asks with his hands on your cheeks. “Sí”. (Yes). You nod lively. “¿Estáis bien con esto, de verdad?” (Are you truly ok with that?) “Nadie merece la felicidad más que tú, mija”. (Nobody deserves happiness more than you, mija). The oldest member of Los Coyotes, Alejandro, walks towards you to leave a kiss on your forehead. “Hemos preguntado a nuestros contactos, es un club leal. Estamos de acuerdo en transferirte, aunque siempre serás parte de nuestra familia”. (We asked to our contacts, it's a loyal club. We're ok with the transfer, although you'll always be part of our family). “Tú nos diriges”. (You direct us). Marcos says, before hearing the roar of your motorbike. Your old red Harley. You're fucking excited. The ride to Santo Padre, with your hands on the handlebar of your bike, is really awesome, even if you feel like you're going to the slaughterhouse. Gilly has not answered your calls since that night three days ago. Bishop told you to give him some time to think, but that he also knew everything would be fine. You take a deep breath before crossing the front door of the ‘Romeros Bros, Scrap and Salvage’. When you finally arrive to the clubhouse' yard, your heart skips a beat. The whole crew is there, including Stockton and Yuma. You heard about them, but you didn't expect they were coming too, even if it has no sense 'cause they're Mayans too. You stop your motorbike, as your charter does. Bishop walks next to you, with a soft and confident smile on his lips. “Awesome baby”. He says, referring to your bike, you nod smiling, before being hugged by him. “You ready?” “Is it Gilly?” You look for him, between the men away, till you find him. He's there. And you're not sure if it's something good or bad. “I'm Marcos, the president of Los Coyotes de Tijuana”. Your brother offers him a hand. Bishop narrows it. “Thank you for taking care of my sister, even if you didn't know who she was”. “She’s a good girl. With two big balls”. “You don't have to insure it”. Your brother laughs, the president of the Mayans laughs too. “Well, I hope this is the start for something big”. “Family and businesses, sounds good to me too”. You're surprised. There's no hostility between the mexicans, seeming to know each other for a lifetime. It's a good omen after three days of a painful pressure in your chest, that didn't let you sleep.

After all men are sitting at the table, and the prospect of your charter has served beers for all, the meeting starts. Your behind your brother, standing up with your hands on his shoulders. “Club decision”. Bishop says loud. “Do we approve the transfer of (Y/N) to Santo Padre, even if she will not be an active member at first?” “If she's, in da' future, the statutes will have to be changed”. Oscar, the Stockton president, adds. The Mayans and Los Coyotes raise up their right hand. Gilly is doubting. You beg to him in silence. He sighs raising his hand too. “Done”. Bishop hits the table with the gavel, with the right he earned being ‘El rey de los Mayas’. “We will take care of her as one of us. You don't have to worry about”. “I know”. Marcus is sure about that, nodding in agreement. “You can count with Tijuana and Mexico DF for whatever you need. We control that part of the border and the MCs around”. “SAMCRO knows what we’re doing, they're good too. And they, as us, will help you with whatever you need to do in Cali'”. Canche, Yuma’s president, talks supporting his arms on the edge of the table. “Yo! Man! This looks like an arranged marriage!” Angel speaks provoking laughter from everyone. His funny comments always on point, even if you don't laugh. “The party starts now, we hope you're hungry”. Taza says getting up of his chair. Laughs floods the room again. As you thought, they leave you alone with Gilly, the only one who is sitting yet. He has his eyes on the cigar consuming in the ashtray. You walk slowly next to him, having a seat by his side. You don't know what to say. Your heart is beating fast and you're more nervous than ever before. The last three months you've been together almost everyday. You missed him. “I'm sorry… I didn't tell you before. I was scared”. You swallow hard, licking your inner lip. “Gilly, please… Say something”. “I don't know what I should think”. “It's ok if you don't trust me. I'll make you do it again. I'm here. I have brought them, I asked for a transfer, risking me to receive a negative answer from the charter. Risking losing what I know as a family. And I did it for you”. You're trying. You're trying hard, 'cause he's the only man who treats you with love and kindness, without asking for anything bacl. “I missed you these days…” He sighs putting down his head, till his chin meet his chest. “I did it too…” Gilly says in a whisper, before lifting up his head at you. “I promise I'll do everything to make you trust me again”. You raise a trembling hand, holding one of his. “What happened with your ex, uh?” “Gilly, I d…” “No more secrets”. He begs you, entangling his fingers with yours. “I met him when I was sixteen. Bad guy, motorbike, tattoos. Older than me five years”. You start putting your eyes on both hands, looking for the strength you need to continue. “At first, everything was perfect. You know… dates, presents, travels. But then, I don' know how it happened. It started with a punch and an ‘I'm sorry, baby, it will never happen again’. But it happened again”. He's listening in silence, seeing on your face the pain that provokes when you talk about it. But you're doing this effort to prove him that you don't want to have more secrets. “My brother found… me drowning in my own blood”. You have to take a deep breath, holding in the tears that wanna run all over your face. “They brought me here. The last prospect knew the principal of the preschool I work in”. “Did they found him?” He asks referring to your ex-boyfriend. You shake your head with a snort in your throat. “Do you… think I could do the same that he did to you?” You didn't expect that question. And you have to answer with the truth. “It's a… thought that never leaves you, once you live it”. You say pursuing your lips before licking them nervously. “But I trust you, Gilly. You're not like him. And I'm not the stupid girl I used to be”. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure about that, before seeing you kicking that bitch's ass”. He tries to smile softly just for a second. “Gilly…” “Maybe we could start from scratch”. He proposes. Your eyes find his, with some confusion and surprise. “Are you gonna buy me another iPhone? 'Can it be red? 'Cause I look hotter than hell with a leather vest and all its patches”. Gilly laughs loud, and you feel like happiness is coming back to your life. He shakes his head and you can't avoid to laugh too. It was a good point. He releases your hand, offering his again. “I'm Gilly. I was looking at you the whole meeting”. “I'm (Y/N)”. You say narrowing it with a soft smile. “Yeah, I have felt a little observed”. “I'm not good with words, but, did you smell me? People say I smell good”. “Uh, let me see”. You lean towards him taking a deep breath from his neck. You let your nose rest there for a while, before he wraps your waist with his strong arms forcing you to sit on his lap. “No more secrets, ok?” He whispers in your ear, leaving a kiss on your head. “No more secrets”. You nod, looking for his eyes. He presses his lips against yours, softly, eyes closed focused in how much you missed each other. Your hands traveling to his nape, leaving some caresses there, while your mouths make up for the lost time. And it feels better than ever. The pressure in your chest disappear when the kiss finishes some seconds after. He licks his lips, forehead against forehead, keeping his eyes closed. Yours are open, seeing the minimal gesture on his face. “I'll protect you at all cost”. “I know. And I'll fight all those bitches who dare to talk you badly”. He laughs, finding your orbs like they were the most beautiful thing he ever saw.

[seadramonster]

Why some cats aren’t in the DF

Since the beginning of the time we learned where certain cats went, a lot of people have been asking why certain cats went to StarClan or the Dark Forest. The most popular examples being; Thistleclaw (before Spottedleaf’s Heart), Ashfur, Rainflower, and Appledusk.

A lot of people seem to be under the impression that the Dark Forest is where all the bad cats go, no matter what. But that’s not what we’ve been shown in canon. Let’s take a look at all of the Dark Forest cats to see what they did that made them go to the Dark Forest and use the information to figure out why the cats people think should have gone to the Dark Forest went to StarClan instead.

NOTE: I’m only going over the cats in the Dark Forest whose crimes we know. Cats such as Houndleap, Maggottail, and such who we barely know anything about will not be discussed, since we have no idea what they did. Although we can assume it was something similar to everyone else in the Dark Forest.

Antpelt- Antpelt chose to join the Dark Forest because "These are my Clanmates more than WindClan ever was. Where else would I go?". He could have been in StarClan, but chose the Dark Forest instead.

This shows us that a cat can, if they are capable of going to StarClan, choose to go to the Dark Forest instead.

Brokenstar- Heavily broke the code by training kits too young, killing them and his own father (perhaps even others offscreen), exiling elders, and driving out another Clan

Darkstripe- Attempted to kill a kit by tricking her into eating poison, betrayed his Clan not once, but twice by leaving to join Tigerstar and then joining BloodClan immediately after.

So why is Darkstripe in the Dark Forest for being a traitor and other cats who left their Clan not? Well, aside from attempting to kill a kit, Darkstripe was never loyal to any Clan, just Tigerstar. And when Tigerstar died, instead of fighting alongside his new Clan, he instead betrayed them, too. 

Cats who leave their Clan for another usually do so with good intentions and are either loyal to their new Clan, or end up returning to their old one and are loyal to that one now that they realize it’s where they belong. Even if the decision was selfish, it was never done so to harm others. Darkstripe just wanted to be on the winning side, and once Tigerstar was gone, he had no one left he cared about except himself.

Hawkfrost- He just wanted power and wasn’t afraid to turn on his own Clan to obtain it. It’s heavily implied he struck up a deal with Mudclaw to help him take leadership from Onewhisker, he talked Ashfur into luring Firestar into the fox trap, and then tried to kill Brambleclaw when Brambleclaw refused to kill his own leader.

Mapleshade- I know a lot of people have pity for her and all, but like. She was a literal serial killer. She fell in love with a cat from another Clan, had his kits, lied to her Clan about the father of her kits by letting them believe it was the cat her mate had accidentally killed, made the stupid decision to take her kits across a flooded river in the middle of a storm, and it got her kits killed. Then she killed a medicine cat, the cat who she had manipulated into believing Mapleshade’s kits were her brother’s, attempted to murder a pregnant queen, and killed the father of her kits. Mapleshade was a victim, yes, but so was everyone she killed. She was not forced to go across the river, she chose that path herself. More on Appledusk later.

Redwillow- Joined the Dark Forest in the final battle against the Clans and was killed by Blackstar. Pretty clear why he ended up there

Thistleclaw- The big one. Spottedleaf’s Heart confirmed he chose the Dark Forest and this is all but confirmed in Crookedstar’s Promise already when he reveals he thinks StarClan are weak fools. While he was loyal to his Clan, he was also incredibly bloodthirsty and made it obvious that he wanted to destroy the rest of the Clans. A medicine cat had a whole prophecy saying he would bring unnecessary war and bloodshed as a leader. He also nearly had his apprentice murder a kit and attempted to kill the deputy of another Clan. It’s possible he may have killed cats from other Clans or from outside the Clans offscreen, but as far as we know, he didn’t kill anyone from his Clan.

Tigerstar the first- I don’t think I need to explain this one

So what do we know about the Dark Forest from this? What qualities does a cat need to have to be in there? Well, they.

Need to have betrayed their Clan maliciously and have little to no loyalty whatsoever, even to their new Clan if they have one,

Needed to have severely broken the code by either murdering cats without good reason or attempting to kill an innocent kit,

And/or could have gone to StarClan, but chose the Dark Forest instead

The Dark Forest is an extreme punishment for cats who were never loyal to their Clan, or who killed others without a second thought. It’s not meant to be the place where bad cats go. It’s meant to be the place where traitors and serial killers go. Cats who are bad people but never really did anything wrong still go to StarClan, because at the end of the day, they were still loyal to their Clan as a whole.

So now it’s time to go over some cats people think should have gone to the Dark Forest, but didn’t;

Ashfur- This one was the subject to heavy debate. Here’s what I think. Ashfur may or may not have known what Hawkfrost was doing exactly. It’s possible he didn’t know Hawkfrost’s entire plan and thought Firestar getting caught in a fox trap wasn’t part of it and ran to get help. Or, maybe he decided he didn’t want to go through with it after all and chickened out.

As for what happened with the Three... Well, he did attempt to kill his Clanmates, but again, nothing came of it. He chickened out again. And it should be stated here that like. The three were adults. They were not harmless kits! They knew of their powers at this point! Nothing was stopping them or even Squirrelflight from just grabbing Ashfur and hauling him off the tree or throwing him to the fire. Especially Lionblaze whose entire power centers around him not getting hurt in a fight. It would have been a four on one fight if everyone fought him off. They could have easily stopped Ashfur at any time, but they didn’t, because the plot demanded they didn’t. They were never going to die there, not without a fight. Maybe if Ashfur had died there, he would have ended up in the Dark Forest, but he didn’t. He never actually killed anyone, never actually physically attacked anyone himself, and even warned the Clan that his leader was in danger. He was just focused on getting revenge against one specific cat, but we never saw him treat the rest of the Clan poorly. And for StarClan, his loyalty and the fact he never actually killed anyone was enough to let him in on a bullshit excuse.

Appledusk- A shitty, shitty person. But overall, loyal to his Clan. We never saw what Appledusk was like to the rest of his Clan offscreen. All we know is that he was cheating on his mate with Mapleshade (who Mapleshade clearly had no idea was his mate). That’s basically the only crime we’ve seen him commit. Is he a bad person? Yes. Yes, he is. But he never murdered someone, and admitted to his Clan he thought his relationship with Mapleshade was a mistake. As far as StarClan was concerned, that’s all it was. A mistake. He was a loyal warrior who died protecting his real mate and their future kits from a traitor, and had likely proven his loyalty in other ways offscreen.

Rainflower- Another case of “terrible person but ultimately loyal to their Clan”. Rainflower never killed anyone as far as we know, or even broke the code. She treated her son horribly, but I don’t remember her ever being rude to anyone else. And even if she was, as we’ve seen, being a bad person isn’t enough to land you in the Dark Forest.

Mudclaw- He may seem like he belongs in the Dark Forest, but here’s the thing. StarClan was never against Mudclaw’s leadership. Tallstar made the decision by himself. For all we knew, Mudclaw would have made a better leader than Onestar or been exactly the same. Tallstar changed his deputy last minute on his deathbed and didn’t do the ceremony correctly. The only cats who saw were cats of another Clan, and the one he was making the new deputy. Mudclaw had every right to challenge the decision when it was announced. From his perspective, another Clan was lying about their friend being chosen as the new deputy. Of course he was going to feel wronged, because in a way, he was. It’s possible StarClan may have even rejected Onewhisker, if Mudclaw had not revolted at the time he did. I don’t think Mudclaw’s death was divine intervention, either. Not every bad weather event that happens in Warriors is StarClan’s doing, even if the cats think it is. I think it just Mudclaw being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was still loyal to his Clan, he was just trying to get back the position he thought had been stolen from him.

Oakstar- Oakstar is the one who exiled Mapleshade and her kits and everyone thinks this means he belongs in the Dark Forest. I. Disagree with this. Yes, he exiled the kits, but that isn’t actually against the code? The only codes about kits are that they can’t be apprenticed before six moons and no cat can neglect a kit in pain or in danger. (an extra rule is they can’t be out of camp without a warrior) You probably can’t throw out just a kit on their own, but Mapleshade’s kits weren’t alone. The kits were with their mother. 

A single mother in the wild can and will raise kits on her own. Will they all survive? It’s unlikely, but there’s no guarantee they would survive in the Clans, either. Not being in a Clan does not mean these kits will die, just like being a Clan doesn’t mean they’ll all survive. There was a good chance at least one of those kits would have survived to adulthood. Oakstar probably thought Mapleshade would take them somewhere safe, or, if she did take them to RiverClan, that she would use the bridge that led across it up by fourtrees instead of the flooded stones. He only told her to the leave the territory. He never told her where to go. Mapleshade is the one who chose to take them across the river in the worst spot possible.

Let’s look at it from Oakstar’s perspective; Oakstar had just lost his son and an apprentice in a big battle. His daughter is still grieving for the loss of her brother, and it’s likely Oakstar is still grieving, too. And then Mapleshade becomes pregnant and the Clan mistakenly lets them believe that Oakstar’s son is the father of her kits. Only for them to later discover the cat who caused the deaths of Birchface and Flowerpaw, a cat from another Clan who they all believe killed Birchface on purpose, is the real father. What else was Oakstar going to do? The Clan wouldn’t have treated those kits or Mapleshade fairly. Their lives would have been miserable. Think of what happened with Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw, only the entire Clan is against them, not just a handful of members. Exiling them was likely the merciful thing to do.

As for the “no neglecting a kit in danger” code, the kits weren’t in danger until Mapleshade herself put them in it. There was no mention of foxes, badgers, or anything else in ThunderClan’s territory. The only issue they had (the snakes), had been dealt with already. No, they couldn’t have known it was like that in other places, but as long as they were in ThunderClan’s territory, those kits were safe. And there was no reason to think they’d be in immediate danger in other territories either.

The Clan territories are actually rather safe, all things considered. Threats like foxes, badgers, and the like are dealt with quickly. The only real threats in another Clan’s territory are the cats who own it, who would probably not attack a queen just passing through with her kits. If anything, if she had met with ShadowClan or WindClan first, they might have even allowed Mapleshade to stay, once she explained everything to them. At least until the bad weather had passed.

So, yes, all of the cats above were terrible, but they never actually did anything wrong by StarClan’s standards. They were loyal members of their Clan who made some mistakes, but ultimately never killed anyone or severely broke the code. Just being a bad person isn’t enough to send you to StarClan. As long as you’re loyal and don’t actually kill anyone, they don’t care.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

523-525: "A Surprising Fact! the Man Who Guarded the Sunny!", "Deadly Combat Under the Sea! the Demon of the Ocean Strikes!" and "Lost in the Deep Sea! The Straw Hats Get Separated!"

A New Challenger Appears...?

These were good episodes. There was world building, with all the underwater scenes and explanation of how the OPverse and its technology works. There was action (the Caribou pirates ramming Sunny and the Kraken fight). There was comedy (Franky’s nipple lights, anyone?) and there was genuine tension (would the air inside the bubble last? Where have Luffy, Zoro and Sanji gone?)

There were also two big reveals.

And this was one of them.

Oh. My. God.

While Sentomaru got his ass burned by Marine HQ over letting the Strawhats escape, Rayleigh had found a comfortable grass tussock. The perfect place to sit and let a fit of nostalgia wash over him.

Could not believe it when I saw that straw hat on young Roger’s head. Luffy’s beloved hat not only belonged to the infamous Yonkou, Shanks, but has sat on the head of the Pirate King himself. I wonder if Roger and Shanks had a moment when the straw hat was passed down, like Luffy and Shanks did at the start of the story?

Rayleigh and Roger’s first meeting was great too. Luffy really does have a similar personality to Roger. He never cared that Rayleigh stole the ship. He just wanted a ship and someone chill to sail with. And Roger had Big Ambitions.

“Hey. Nice ship,” Roger said to Rayleigh.

“I stole it. My house burned down so I live here now.”

“Cool. What’s your name?”

“Rayleigh.”

“I’m Roger! I think we were destined to meet, Rayleigh?”

“Destined?”

“You wanna turn the world upside down with me?”

At the time, Rayleigh reacted like most of us would in that situation. Who was this madman and why was he trying to convince him to set sail.

But Rayleigh must have crumbled.

And the rest is history.

The tear in Rayleigh’s eye as he remembered his old friend was touching. Roger’s death and the break up of the crew must still affect him. But here he is, still alive, happy living with Shakky, coating ships for a living and ensuring the succession of the next Pirate King, who was  at that very moment, heading for Fishman Island on his long-awaited journey.

Good job, Rayleigh. :)

Cyborgs Understand Cyborgs

Have to say, the underwater scenes were beautiful. It really did feel like the Strawhats were leaving the real world behind and passing into a fantastical realm where slow rays of light slanted through clear blue water and the enormous roots of Sabaody’s mangroves dug deep into the bed of the shallower, warmer sea. All the Strawhats were awed by the beauty.

Then, as Sunny submerged and the shadows grew longer and the water colder, Chopper and Usopp began to freak out a little. Didn’t blame them in the slightest. I kept thinking about pressure and what that would do to them if the bubble popped. 

But Oda had thought of that and had it covered! I can happily report that the coating bubble is not that easily popped! Sanji demonstrated that the bubble will not burst even under tremendous deep pressure. Objects, like cannon balls and Luffy’s hands, can pass through the coating (not sure what that would do to the pressure inside the bubble, but I’ll go with it).

HOWEVER, sharp objects like sea king fangs or, say, one of Zoro’s swords would pierce the bubble. Similarly, if the Sunny crashed on rocks and the mast or planking shattered and burst the bubble from inside, it would be Game Over.

Apparently, seventy percent of ships heading to Fishman Island do not make it. Luffy and Zoro nearly made the Strawhats a statistic by trying to catch fish because they forgot they were inside the air bubble! Chopper and Usopp smacked some sense into Luffy and he broke out Hancock’s bento boxes instead (because Sanji had almost died from blood loss and was in no condition to cook. xD)

But, as I said earlier, Franky was a shining star of these episodes.

This was one of his crowning moments. He had an announcement to make concerning the identity of the one who protected Sunny with Hatchi, Duval and the Flying Fish Riders.

It was none other than Bartholomew Kuma, the one who spirited them away from Sabaody (and danger).

Franky must have got to Sunny first, as a battered, singed Kuma was waiting for a Strawhat - any Strawhat - to return. There was no ceremony about it. He simply stood, said, “I’ve been expecting you. Mission complete,” and walked off.

Franky told the others what Rayleigh already knew. Kuma was a member of the Revolutionary Army, like Luffy’s dad. He didn’t have much time left, but he had saved their lives at Sabaody. He had agreed to be turned into a World Government cyborg and has now lost his personality. Chopper asked the question I wanted to ask: how could he wait at Sunny if he was completely drained of sentience?

Franky, who is a cyborg and spent two years in Vegapunk’s lab, probably understands Kuma’s predicament more than most. He said that Dr Vegapunk, who modified Kuma, agreed to Kuma’s request to program a mission into his mind: “Defend the Thousand Sunny until one of the Strawhats comes back.”

Kuma has sacrificed so much. It’s good to know that the Strawhats now appreciate what he did for them.

“I don’t know my dad that well, but that Bear guy was a good guy,” Luffy said.

“Make no mistake,” Franky said. “He’s the one who gave us these two years. We can’t ask him why, but only remember that he did it. Bartholomew Kuma turned out to be our greatest ally. But remember, if we meet him again, he’s a killing machine.”

I like Franky. He can be silly sometimes, but the guy is articulate and intelligent. He has a good turn of phrase. I like the way he speaks.

Zoro believed Franky but wanted more. What was Kuma’s motive for all the weird shit he’s pulled over the years? Why would he agree to become a WG killing machine?

Kuma is still a mystery. I don’t think I’ll find out more about him until more is revealed about the Revolutionary Army.

A Familiar, Bovine Face In The Briny Deeps

While the Strawhats talked about Kuma, something approached in the shadows. Sunny was sinking fast. The silence of the deep ocean was unsettling. Whitebeard whales drifted past. Usopp was on alert. Seventy percent of ships sunk was not good odds in his book. It was just as well he was on the look out because he spotted the Caribou pirates’ ship approaching at speed!

Then they rammed Sunny!

(Honestly, that was dumb. It could have taken out their ship too. Do they even know how bubble coating works?)

But how had they caught up so quickly.

Turns out the Caribou Pirates had Mohmoo to help pull them through the water. 

How cute is Mohmoo, though? (The subs called him Momoo. Is that the correct spelling?) Nami instantly recognised him, ran up to him and said, “I’m Nami! Remember me? I was there at Arlong Park!” I’m not sure how Mohmoo felt about Nami but he definitely saw Luffy and Sanji (and he cried and fled. Poor Mohmoo. Can’t the Strawhats just adopt him?)

Oh, and I was so blinded by Mohmoo’s cuteness, I forgot to mention that the Caribou Pirates tried to board the Sunny but got dragged away by Mohmoo, leaving Caribou himself alone on board the Sunny with the Strawhats looking at him like this.

You Were Saying...? Part I

Look at them. Even Usopp is like, “Dude... you fucked up.”

Once he was tied up, Nami asked where he’d found Mohmoo. Apparently, they just caught him. Lots of experienced pirates have sea cows to pull their ships.

Of course, this was like a red rag to a bull. Luffy decided then and there that he wanted a pet sea monster.

Only you, Luffy.

Luckily, as the ship sunk further, a prime candidate stared out of the murky depths with huge yellow eyes.

Luffy Just Punched Out Cthulhu

Lord Cthulhu A Kraken emerged! A vast, tentacled abomination with fragments of whole ships stuck between its teeth. 

This was the point Caribou must have thought: I am trapped on a ship with absolute lunatics.

For Luffy had set his heart on that evil Kraken to pull his ship. 

“I have a good idea. Let’s tame him. He can pull our ship!”

Usopp, Chopper and Nami were not for the idea.

Brook just looked at it and thought, “It has not bones. I have bones. We’re opposites, ehehehehehe...”

Robin sketched the tentacled abomination. Franky complimented her drawing.

Zoro said he didn’t mind helping Luffy, as long as he had a plan.

“Yes,” Luffy said. “I have one. But our problems is that we’re in the sea.” (lol)

For a horrible moment, I thought something bad might happen to Mohmoo. But no. Everything was fine. Well, for Mohmoo and everyone on Sunny. The Kraken popped the Caribou pirates’ bubble and wrecked their ship. I was like, damn, those guys are all dead. (And Zoro made his “too soon” jellyfish joke. Mihawk would be proud.)

Luffy decided he would fight the Kraken. Coribou showed them how to use individual bubbles so they could fight outside the one protecting Sunny. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji leapt into the bubbles and the fight was on!

I liked how Oda used Franky (rocket launcher), Chopper (guard point) and Robin (gigantic hands) to protect the Sunny. Oda is good at inventing clever ways to have as many Strawhats participate as possible. (It also shows their teamwork is as solid as ever!)

Wasn’t sure about Luffy and Robin’s DF techniques working underwater, or Sanji moving out of the bubble entirely (mainly because of the extreme pressure. At that depth, they would have been crushed) but Oda’s Universe, Oda’s Rules.

Plus, Zoro got carried away and slashed the Kraken (I wonder how much the bubble restrictions will impact their fighting styles?) 

Then a cute little shark wearing a jumper (yes, a jumper) popped out of its severed tentacle, thanked the Strawhats for helping him and swam off.

WTF... XD

Oh, and the ship hit a downward current and all hell broke loose.

You Were Saying...? Part II

Usopp woke up to darkness and freezing cold. Nami, Franky, Robin and Chopper were all awake, fine and still on board. But Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were nowhere to be seen.

Huge fish with glowing eyes stalked the Abyssal waters. Searching for Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, they encountered huge poisonous jellyfish, carnivorous tubeworms, faceless crabs, huge blob fish, dodged undersea volcano vents (Oda has done his research!) and were almost munched by a massive angler fish.

Then, as if cute a shark wearing a jumper wasn’t weird enough, a Sea Bonze (?) which is a deep sea monster that looks like a man, bopped the angler on the head and told it off! 

“Ankoro! How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t eat ships! Captain won’t be happy.”

Then an ominous, shadowy wreck sailed towards the Strawhats. Holy crap, I thought, that’s the Flying Dutchman. (I remember reading about that when I was a kid. The ghost ship doomed to sail forever and never make it to port). Then there was a teaser of an oddly familiar fanged face.

That isn’t Arlong, is it?

“What’s wrong? Snake? SNAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!”

[searchingformylostpan]

I cant do this amymore. The real one I've been trying to convince this whole time has never been you. Not even for a second. There is no convincing you and i know that all too well. I wasnt giving you what you expected from me and you backed me into a corner so i was sent to rehab the first time when i was so very close to going on my own. All i wanted was to be able to talk to you and not get the feeling that you thought you would catch aids just from being in the same room as me. To feel like a fucking human with the ability to make choices not the completely helpless lunatic you made me feel like and convinced my mother i was. One more conversation where you didnt patronize me and it could have been my choice. I know i was on drugs but guess what i was not nearly as deranged as you said. That was the gaslighting. It was re ams it did happen to me. Lets just go with the last year of it with sarah. You told me over and over that she didnt hate me, that she would never say those things to me, even when i had proof. AND THEN YOU THOUGHT I WOULD BE OK WITH SHARING YOU. THE ONLY PERSON IVE TRULY LOVED. THE ONE I WOULD COME BACK TO, THE ONE I KNEW I LOVED AT FIRST SIGHT HOW THE FUCK DID YOU THINK I WOULD BE OK WITH ANY OF THAT. Im not even that mad at her, she just wanted you too. I came back too soon. I said that all along and its true. I made us miss our chance, i destroyed our happily ever after because i was impatient wow whats new. You didnt get it when i said that to you. I came back too soon and hurt you yeah, but i hurt me more, i hurt someone who's relationship with you would have ended in the same explosion with or without me. I put myself through the worst mental torment of my life bc i was convinced i would loose you forever if i didnt. Answering your call in june and coming over was the mistake that killed us. That was the point that could have changed a lot. But instead now i have way more trauma than i started my addiction with that i won't even begin to let on about bc just the smallest passing thought still destroies me. My mom sent me a picture of a puzzle that was from either you or your mom and that just about sent me into a big loop in the middle of a meeting. Im sorry for how angry this sounds. Im really not mad, i just don't think you know even a fraction of the damage that was inflicted on me. Our love was something special. But as much as i hate to even entertain this thought...the longer im sober the more evident its becoming that i should have saved myself a whole fuck ton of heartache and tried to move on months ago rather than clinging onto memories. You still talk to the one who physically assaulted me- in never speaking to her again. And last year you tried to tell me i was the problem with me and sarah. I had no df respect and you saw that. My terms are as follows, (honestly idk why i even bother i know what i say will never change a gd thing, unless its drive you away further.)

1. You know how deeply i love you, and i know how you love me. But i hope you know how much everything has hurt me. Relationship and private counseling needs to begin immediately.

2. I'm only saying this because of how traumatic this was. Please do not say a word about a threesome until i say its ok. 2021 had some of the best moments but overall its been the worst year of my life. I need help to heal, and i want to be there for you.

3. I don't care how much she cares, i don't care one fucking bit about any of it i do not want to have to see or hear about sydney. Physical assault, based on her own ideas none of which were true and even my mom still talked to her about me after i explicitly told her to stop. Can't do it. At least not for the next 10-50 years. It's not her, it's the reminder that she was still better than me in your eyes, and always probably will bw unless she becomes an iv heroin addict. Yes my brain is a little fucked up that's what the counseling is for.

4. Stop treating me like I'm an apostate. You left me when I needed you most. I couldn't fight to keep you there because i was literally almost dead. I hadn't used the week leading up to the hospital and yeah, i wanted some when i got out because i needed something to numb the pain of the love of my life said goodbye to me while I'm in the hospital and to weak to be able to stop it. I have theories on why you did it, but good and bad, it got me to the lowest point ive ever been to. And I'm still there. I don't want to live. All this shit fucking hurts, it's exhausting...all the thoughts of all the bad shit i did to you on repeat. I just want it to end. But i have to accept that there will never be an end, unless i wait it out or take it in my own hands. I'm only not doing that for my mom. The only help i want from you in that department is just you... its always quieter around you because you actually make me feel loved.

So after all that,

Im assuming thatll leave us at goodbye. Would be nice to actually get a goodbye but really idk what im thinking I'm a fucking disaster writing this. A goodbye to you would honestly most likely kill me. Yay.

[harrish6]

Soft Pink Hearts - Chapter 1 - Waking Up Dead

I know this is a weird idea, but I wanted to do it. I have seen people do this with Sans, someone waking up in his body, but I wanted to do it with Mettaton. But I also wanted it to be like a reincarnation sorta, so she wakes up in the ghost Monster when said Monster was a child, not as baby though. She doesn't remember her name, or how she looks, but she can remember random things from her life as a human, one of them is a game called Undertale that was a sensation on youtube. She has never played, but she watched a few of the walkthroughs. This becomes obvious later on, as she has holes in her information about the game.

It is safe to say she is not a happy camper, and refuses to follow a script. She is going to find a way to stop this child's twisted game no matter what.

Mettaton is transgender in the game, as a ghost has no gender but he goes by male pronouns. In this one it is the opposite, her going by female pronouns instead. The robot body will also look different when it comes into play.

-Start Chapter-

Slurred and muffled voices were the first thing to break through the darkness. She felt weightless, like she weighed nothing yet something. It was a bizarre feeling, unlike she has felt before. She remembers falling asleep......Then what?

Opening her eyes, she was met with a white ceiling. That was normal....Right? Slowly sitting up, she felt lighter. She made to stretch her fingers, but couldn't. Jerking, she looked down and was met with light pink stubs as hands.

'What is going on!?' She quickly looked down at the rest of her body, to see it was a light pink color with no legs. When she stood, she floated like a ghost. 'Did....Did I die...?' She tried remembering back, but hit a wall. 'Okay! Okay....Start small. What is my name?.....Oh god! I can't-!'

"-ook? Happstablook?!"

Jolting out from her panicked thoughts, she sharply turned. A bigger light yellow ghost with a sharp mouth tattoo on their middle, sharp teeth, and angry eyes, and a rough voice was looking at her. A soft giggled left her mouth out of shock once she realized that they were talking to her. The tattoo then opened and closed as the yellow ghost frowned, make her flinch back. That was not a tattoo, it made her wonder how they died.

The yellow ghost float closer, watching her in confusion. "Happstablook? What's wrong?"

It took her a moment to realize that they were talking to her. "Wha....What?" She blinked, not really understanding what was going on. Last she remembered she was human, alive and well...Right? It was hard to think back about herself, but she can remember not being a ghost of all things.

"Dumstablook! Get in here!" The yellow ghost yelled out before turning back to her. "You've been out for a while." They gruffly mentioned, frown growing in thought. "Did somthin' happen?"

Before she could even open her mouth, another ghost flew in, coming through the wall. The ghost was the same height as the yellow one, only a light green color. One eye was a X, the other a wide oval. They tilted their head, like asking a question. The yellow one ruffly shook their head in answer. "I just asked, and I have no idea!"

"I....." Both sharply turn to look at her. "I don't...." She took in a deep breath, trying to think on what to say. But she can remember that her Mother taught her that honesty was the best rout to go for. Even if she can't remember her face or voice, which broke her heart a little. But now was not the time to think on such things, she can do that and freak out later. Tears started forming, forget later, she can feel the panic rising now.

"I don't know who I am." Both ghost still, watching little pastel pink tears gather in the little ghost eyes. "I don't know where I am!" They only unfroze when the little ghost broke down, sobbing out that they didn't know their name or what was going on.

After that, it was blur for her. She was carried out by the yellow ghost, rushing her to the doctor. Through the tears, she saw colors and people pass her by. It was the people that made her cry out louder, making the yellow one fly faster.

They looked like animals, plants, like Monsters.

'Ghosts....Monsters?' Her heart speed up....No, it would be her SOUL wouldn't it? 'No. No!'

She did not want this, but she got it. She never even played the game, so why her? Sure she watched a few playthroughs, but she wasn't a hyper fangirl. Why not one of them? They would be the best wouldn't they?

'I wanna go home!' She cried as the wind went through her. 'I don't wanna be in Undertale!'

But you know the saying, we never get what we want.

-One Hour Later-

Somehow, they ended up in the royal lab. It turns out that most of the doctors are still training, none of them certified. While it has been quite a few years since the barrier has been put up for humans, it hasn't been long for the longer lived Monsters. A lot of medical doctors needed to be trained as they had lost so many in the war, and they would never let one in training do this as it turns out she is still a child.

Children were precious as they has lost so many during the war, even naturally as they are very important to Monsters, so she was sent straight to the top. Watching the yellow ghost threaten the poor part time doctor before they were sent to the royal lab, was flattering in a way. The ghost was so worried that they threatened to dust another. That wasn't something you should say lightly to another from what she can tell based on how everyone reacted to that threat.

The doors slid open, making her flinch and the yellow one growl. She was floating on a medical bed, sitting but yet not. It was so weird to her. Looking up, she choked. A tall skeleton with cracks on his skull in a lab coat was now walking towards her. "Hello, I am Dr. W. D. Gaster. Please call me Dr. Gaster." He gave a gentle smile down at her before glancing to the yellow one. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I came in from working on the farm, only to find them passed out. Ghost don't normally sleep ya see." They growled out. She shifted, not liking that she was called 'them'. She was she...wasn't she? "When they woke up, they seemed confused. They soon started sobbin', sayin' that they didn't know where or who they were."

A frown soon took over the tall doctor's face. "I see...That does seem troubling." He turned back to look at her. "Did they-"

"She."

Both Monsters paused at her interruption. The skeleton blinked, before giving out a small chuckle in understanding. "Ah, a pretty little lady that we have here today. I am sorry for my mistake." She just gave a nod with a small smile. She was not letting them take this away from her. It was one of the only things she could remember clearly, that she was female. If she couldn't have her name, then she will keep this no matter what. She would fight for it, as it is one of the only things she can cling to as what is true and has been always true to her.

"Did she do anything dangerous?" Gaster asked the yellow one. Yellow unfroze, shaking his head. "Not that I've seen. Our other cousin was watchin' the youngest cousin at the time and heard nothin'." She wondered what they were thinking about, they looked at her like they were confused but yet so focused. "Then it seems like we have to look at the source."

Soon a bony hand was in front of her chest. "I'm going to pull out your SOUL." Seeing her shocked face, he gently soothed the little child's fears. "You will feel a slight tugging sensation, but it should not hurt." He only continued after she nodded. She watched in awe when he moved his hand out, and then with a tug, a soft pink light filled her sight.

In Gaster's hand was her SOUL, a soft pastel pink upside down heart floated in his nonexistence palm. The yellow ghost gasped, making Gaster look to him sharply. "Do you already see something wrong? I have yet to CHECK her SOUL."

"Their-Her SOUL was always a hot pink." Yellow whispered, staring at her SOUL in shock. "I...Why did it change colors?!"

Gaster frowned, making the scares on his face look deeper. Magic swirled, making his eyes glow blue and orange. She watched in shock when a box popped up in front of him. Words swiftly typing themselves down.

HAPPSTABLOOK...?

LV: 1

HP: 100/150

MPP: 000.1/20

AT: 4

DF: 2

EXP: 0

- Has no idea who she is, or where she is right now. Is very confused and worried about what is going to happen to her now.

"This is a problem." Gaster muttered to himself while Yellow floated by his side to see the STATS. She just looked at the both in worry. "Only something important, dangerous, and or something that changes one perspective can change a SOUL'S main trait. Especially one's so young.....At least it seems to be shades lighter and not a entirely different color. And to have their magic so low...Hmmm."

"What about her not rememberin'?!" Yellow growled out. It seems like they were reaching their boiling point.

"Magic is a curious thing, SOULS more so." Gaster straightened, letting her SOUL go back into her chest. Lifting her small nubs to her chest where her SOUL went into, she frowned. 'Could I do that?' Her SOUL was a very pretty color, but yet she didn't want others seeing it. It was her very being, the core to all of her, her SOUL is her very definition right? So shouldn't only her loved ones see it, the ones she trusts above all else, unless the doctor needs to see it obviously.

"She may have tapped into her magic, making her forget in someway." Gaster went on, tapping his chin in thought. "My eldest Son, Sans, has very high magic levels at his age. If he uses it too much, it tires him out. If a child was to use their untrained magic too much, it can cause so many very horrible side effects depending on the type. This could be one of them."

'Sans...' It was official, she was in Undertale. A numb feeling crept up her body, which was ironic now that she was a ghost Monster. She wanted to cry when she realized that she was stuck, it also slapped her in the face when she remembered something from the game. 'Four ghosts. Mad Dummy, Training Dummy, Napstalook....and Mettaton.' Little tears started to gather in her eyes again. 'I took Mettaton's place?! I know I am not as...showy as he was!' There was no way she could pull off his legs.

A yellow nub soon patted her head ruffly, making her glance up. Yellow frowned in concern, their glare softening for a moment. "Hey kid...Ya don't remember, but I'm your older cousin Madstablook." They took in a deep breath. "You're name is Happstablook, and ya live with me, Dumstablook, and you're younger cousin Napstablook. We live on a snail farm together." Here they hesitated, making Gaster speak up.

"She does not remember and may never get them back. She will relearn, and it may seem like she is a entirely new Monster because of this." Gaster wrote something down, before giving it to Madstablook. "If something happens, come immediately. CHECK her SOUL every week for a few months, if any changes in color happen in the SOUL, even a shades difference, come back. If it cracks for whatever reason, come back. If nothing happens, then there is nothing else we can do but let her live her life as normally as possible." Gaster patted her head, making her blink up at him. "It may seem bad, but it is memory loss, not Falling Down. She will gain new memories if she never gets them back for she is young still. It could be worse, she could be a adult and this happen to her, making her loose so much more then just memories. With a loving family that adores her, she will be fine."

And that was that. Not too long after that, they were lead out of the lab for them to go back home. While on the way, Madstablook explained the basics of their family. Happstablook knew she had a lot to think about, and a lot to cry about once she was alone. 'But at the same time...' She glanced up at Madstablook, who was scowling as they carried her back to the farm. 'Why worry about what you don't remember?'

It still didn't make the hurt go away from her SOUL, and she knew it wouldn't leave for a long time. Later she will grieve for the people she no longer knew, no longer remembered, but for now she had a new family to meet and greet.

The farm looked different then what was in the game, bigger and a more normal shaped house. There seemed to be four floors, but she wondered if there was any stairs. Ghost don't need them after all. Phasing through the door - and feeling so off while it happened - she was greeted by a pacing - floating back and forth in a line - Dumstablook, holding a small light blue blob.

"We're back." Madstablook growled out as they sat her down. Dumstablook jolted, before hurrying over to them. Madstablook jerked his head over, making the green ghost nod in agreement. All she could do was blink when she was handed the blue blob, the other two ghost phasing out of the room to talk.

Looking down, she was greeted with a small sad face looking up at her. 'Napstablook....' Giving a loving smile back, she giggled lightly as she held the bundle close. They were a few inches below half her height. "Hello Blooky~" Nuzzling the smaller ghost, she gave out a delighted laugh when Napstablook gave out a teary smile back at her affections. "What a lovely smile!" 'How could anyone hurt this lovely ghost?' Happstablook thought to herself as she sat down on the ground, Napstablook in her hold.

She has no idea if she will remember RESETS or even Gaster after he falls, so she has no idea what will happen then. Hell, she has no idea what will happen after she becomes Mettaton. And she really wants to, for the body alone at the least. She misses wearing clothing, misses the feel of fabric on her skin, walking on two legs and hugging others without the option of phasing through them. Hopefully Alphys will let her make a different design for the non-battle body, that would make her day and year to look more human without shoulder pads and not like a calculator.

Mettaton....He should be here, not her. It worried her that she was here in the first place. What made her be in this situation in the first place? She had so many questions that needed answers, but she had no answers.

Then there is also how time will move. Is the Underground, the Mountain itself, running at a different time then the rest of the world? There was a picture of the first human with the royal family wasn't there in the game? So what did that mean? When did cameras come to be? And surely someone has more determination then a human child above ground while this is all going on, making them remember RESETS as well if the world RESETS with the underground. They are just a child after all, there has to be at least one person with more determination then a child when there are so many humans out there. Or is there something more at play? Then there is how they can RESET, never mind that she will have to FIGHT a murderous child later on. But if there was one thing she can remember from her time above ground, is that if you have to - if there is life on the line - fight dirty. Do not be afraid to show blood if yours and what is yours's life is on the line. The top side isn't a nice place all the time, and some times there are no second chances because you can't afford to make one or give one.

So what will happen when a human child decides to play God? How does a certain SOUL type have more power then others? How does magic play into all this? Are SOULS just magic in a physical form for Monsters because they are closely tied to the more spiritual side of the spectrum unlike with humans who are more on the physical side?

'Magic is fascinating....I wonder what SOULS play into-!' A soft gurgle caught her attention, making her look down sharply. Napstablook was waving their tiny stubs, trying to get her attention, little tears starting to form.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Blooky!" Softly wiping the tears away, Happstablook gave a kiss on their cheek. Making them blink in surprise before a soft giggle left them. "I'll pay more attention to you from now on!"

Unknown to her, the older ghosts came back in, feeling slightly better at seeing Happstablook giving so much affection and playing with Napstablook. It gave them hope that everything would be okay, that their family would not break from Happstablook's memory loss.

-End Chapter-

The color Pink means sweet, nice, playful, cute, romantic, charming, feminine, and tenderness. It is associated with bubble gum, flowers, babies, little girls, cotton candy, and sweetness.  It is the universal color of love of oneself and others.

I think the shade of the color of one's SOUL play a big role in what it means. I also think SOULS can change after something changes, how you go about things, or how you even view the world.

In this story, The Original Happstablook had a Hot Pink SOUL, meaning - in this story at least - Passion, Dedication, and Euphoria. Because it is a close color to red - Determination - and white -Hope for Monsters - this makes sense to me.

Main trait is Dedication, minor traits Passion and Euphoria. But that doesn't mean that they can't show more of a minor trait then the main one.

The Vice of the Hot Pink SOUL is Vanity - Passion, euphoria and dedication only for oneself or doing it for others to benefit oneself. For every trait, there is a bad side to it, a vice to every virtue. That doesn't mean they act on it or that they are not a good person if they do, but they can have it and act on it, or even be all about the Vice rather then the Virtue.

For example: Determination - Spite, Patience - Idleness, Integrity - Conceit, Bravery - Audacity, Kindness - Compliance, Perseverance - Inflexibility, Justice - Vengeance. Or at least this is what I think they are, this is all my headcannon for SOULS and is in no way cannon.

My Happstablook has a SOUL that is light pastel pink, a softer shade that is quite a few shades lighter then hot pink. It means - in this story at least - Caring, Compassion, Love.

Main trait is Love - Not L.O.V.E - the Minor traits are Caring and Compassion.

Love, caring, and compassion is what Pink means/symbolizes Spiritually - I figured I would go with that as Happstablook is a ghost for her Soft Pink SOUL - it also means unconditional love and understanding, and is associated with giving and receiving care. Because it is made with the colors red and white, both colors add a little bit to it's characteristics.

But it is more white - Hope - then red - Determination - in the meaning of SOULS, so that plays a part in it as well. Like how Hot Pink is more red then white, that is why Dedication is one of the main virtues in it unlike in Pastel Pink where Love is the main and Dedication is not. But Compassion is a bit like Dedication as Compassion can drive a person, just not as strong as Determination or Dedication.

The Vice for this SOUL is Egoism - where the person with the SOUL is only compassionate, caring, and loving to oneself then others, or doing this to others to benefit oneself.

But don't worry, this Happstablook is not like her Vice. But she can be too loving at times, embarrassing - in a good way, like when your Mom kisses your cheek in front of your friends that you want to look cool in front of - her family.

I would think losing one's memories, and remembering having been a human in a world where everything around her is a game, would make one's SOUL change color. She will be different then Mettaton's personality because of this.

I also believe that you can have more then one color, especially when you get older. What if you are equally brave and determined because of how you grew up? But that may come in later.

Later, when the humans start showing up, it is not going to be in cannon order or even go through all cannon events. In fact, a lot of cannon is not going to happen in this story. So might as well throw that out the window. I will also be making up a lot of magic, magic facts, magic about SOULS and bonds, science mixing with magic, and science in general, so if you don't like that, there are other stories you can go read.

[jewrocker]

Small Town Racism is Alive and Well.  Even if You’re White.

____by Joshua Aaron___________________________________

PROLOGUE:  I don’t normally post articles by other writers on my blog.  However, after friends of mine told me what they’re experiencing in their community just outside of Austin, I thought it worthy of a share.  Even with millions marching/protesting from sea to shining sea, small town racism is unchanged/unaffected.  And it doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, green or purple.  Call someone out for their separatist views, and you may suddenly find yourself the target of that same vitriol. - DF

_______________________________________________

I want to start off by saying, the story I am about to tell is my personal experience. In no way should it detract from the hardships that people of color face every single day, nor should it detract from the incredibly inspiring actions of the BLM movement or other organizations around the country fighting for equality.

I’m a white male with a white wife, living in a nice house in the suburbs of Austin, TX.  I’m completely aware of the privilege I enjoy, and have lived my life trying my best to stand up when I see an injustice.  And, while recent events called on me, as well as my wife, to do just that, we experienced, for the first time, the backlash that can occur when blowing the whistle on hate.

We moved here about seven years ago from Los Angeles. While our intention was not to move to the suburbs, this move gave us an opportunity to work together from home, and spend quite a bit more time enjoying each other’s company.

Austin is marketed as a city with "progressive views, abundant culture, and Texas charm".  Compared to other parts of Texas, that’s probably true … as long as you’re white.

My wife decided that she wanted to be more involved with our community and, subsequently, was invited to become a member of the Architectural Control Committee (ACC). Towards the end of 2019, and after experiencing what the HOA (Homeowners Assoc.) Board of Directors was (or, more accurately was not) doing, one of the board members up for re-election opted not to run again. My wife saw this as an opportunity to enact real change in a community of over 600 families - a community where the majority of neighbors often expressed their disapproval of our “Do nothing HOA Board”.  She spoke with another board member, whom she voted for the year prior, about her potential run and received very encouraging feedback. The board member even offered to help with her campaign, and expressed her desire for “real change” to take place.

That board member, who we will call “Glenda”, came to our home unexpectedly this past holiday season and gave my wife a gift card for her amazing work on the ACC. That night is where our story really begins.

Prior to Glenda’s visit, our social committee held a neighborhood holiday party. While they’re free to call it a “holiday” party all they want, it was undoubtedly a Christmas party, complete with plenty of bible quotes and Santa Claus. As a longtime resident and member of the social committee, Glenda is heavily involved in planning events and has a loyal (we had no idea how loyal) group of friends who assist her.

Our community is made up of a diverse mix of religions and cultures. During this party, both my wife and I heard from many of our Indian neighbors that they felt their cultural heritage and religious beliefs had been excluded in favor of Christianity. As my wife had recently decided to run for the HOA Board, after the party, she and I spoke at length about their concerns, and how to address inclusivity within our neighborhood.

Back to the night Glenda came to our home. As we spoke, my wife and I raised concerns that HOA events had a tendency to exclude many of our neighbors. We explained that, rather than just make it about Christianity, we, as community leaders, should represent/honor the cultures of everyone in our neighborhood, i.e. the food, customs, clothing, songs, etc. To our complete surprise, this did not sit well with Glenda. As she responded to our suggestions and comments, she made clear her distaste for “those people” who were the ones responsible for taking her religion out of her children’s school, and forcing them to sing songs from, or learn about, other religions.  “Those People” were the very ones preventing her and her family from celebrating Christmas “the way [she] used to”.

The comments made by Glenda in my living room obviously stem from a much larger and systemic issue playing out before us every minute of the day on social media. It’s our belief, seeing two white faces, Glenda felt comfortable expressing views she wouldn’t ever consider sharing with the general public.  When people, especially those in positions of leadership, espouse racist remarks, they are telling the rest of us that it is acceptable behavior. It is not. The actions of an HOA will never save lives, but as we have seen, unchecked racism can spread quickly and that is what can cost them.

To say we were shocked and appalled by Glenda’s words is to put it lightly. However, rather than expressing the bewilderment and disgust we both felt, we decided to take the “Don’t Hate.  Educate.” approach.

Politely, but without backing down, we explained that the Indian culture in particular was a chance to celebrate beauty and diversity. Sticking to her guns, Glenda continued to press her point of view. We kept up the appearance of calm, but quickly and peacefully ended this exchange. After that night, everything changed.

From that evening on, Glenda was distrustful of my wife and I - No more casual conversations or unexpected visits. Glenda even retracted her offer to help my wife run for the board. All of Glenda’s friends, who previously offered to help with her campaign, disappeared overnight.

One of the major platforms of my wife's campaign was to make our neighborhood more inclusive.  She openly advocated for it on social media, as well as in person when we campaigned door to door. More than two-thirds of the voting community decided they, too wanted their community to be more inclusive, and she won the election. Things seemed to be moving in the right direction. Wrong.

Glenda’s disdain for my wife followed her into office. Every proposal, policy, and suggestion she ran on was blocked and/or obstructed by both Glenda and the other board member. After my wife volunteered countless hours of work for the HOA drafting charters and policies, the board members would routinely blindside her by publicly denying motions they had privately approved of, just hours before.  Small town politics makes our Congress look like a well-oiled machine.

Last week, at the most recent board meeting, the situation came to a head. Sure enough, when my wife's items came up, the other board members, who at the last meeting approved her moving forward with all of them, blocked her at every turn, refusing to answer why. We were flabbergasted. Once again, all this time and effort she spent, not to mention the board having no problem wasting HOA dues paying the neighborhood's attorney to review everything, was thrown away for the simple, petty reason of obstructing her. I had enough. When it was time for residents to speak, I made my voice heard and I called them out for their actions.

For the past six months I had held my tongue about the conversation in our living room with Glenda. Make no mistake, I wasn’t hiding it, but in order to support my wife's endeavors via her position on the Board, we both opted to keep it to ourselves and, instead of starting a war, we would do our best to enact the change we, and an overwhelming majority of our community, wanted.  However, at this point, silence was no longer an option.

I wrote a lengthy, yet poignant, response to the board and posted it on our community Facebook page, at the end including the nature of Glenda’s comments in our home a few months prior. I didn’t bother going into the detail I have in this article, and instead chose to disclose a small snippet of that evening’s events in the hopes that the members of our community would realize it was time to stand up and fight for the neighborhood they supposedly wanted.

Believing that conversation to be the turning point of our relationship with Glenda, I thought it pertinent our neighbors know why she was so passionately driven to discredit my wife's efforts. There were many layers in my argument, but in the end, the only thing recognized by the community were the two sentences that mentioned racist comments.

What happened next came as a shock to both of us.

The vocal majority came directly to the defense of Glenda, without exception. Not a single person questioned if her statements were possibly “misconstrued?”  There was no acknowledgement from anyone about the obvious and immediate degradation of the relationship between Glenda and us. Instead, to our utter disbelief, there was steadfast, outright denial that anything of that nature could have ever escaped Glenda’s lips. Not a single person would even entertain for a minute the possibility the person they’ve known for years could be a racist. Instead, we were the ones shamed. We became the outcasts.

Below is a list of just a few of the things that have occurred over this past week:

We were called liars on social media by the vocal majority, and were told we have no credibility.

We were threatened with legal action by way of a libel lawsuit.

My wife's access to our community website, as well as her admin privileges on our neighborhood’s Facebook page were removed without her knowledge/consent.

I was banned from our neighborhood’s Facebook page from posting or commenting.

Just after the latest HOA Board Meeting, a silver pickup pulled up in front our home and shouted at us through a bull horn.

The day after the meeting, a silver sedan sat parked in front of our house, then sped away as soon as we opened the front door.

My wife has been threatened by a person of “authority” in our neighborhood with fabricated allegations of criminal activity.

This person has also threatened the business we own, as well as our personal and professional reputation, claiming to be sending allegations we know to be false, to the county, state, and media.

As millions march to protest blatant, undeniable examples of racism throughout our country, it’s the ones whispered behind closed doors, the ones not captured on audio or video, that can often have the most damaging long term effects on our society. We chose to speak out against the accepted norm;  Against the thinly veiled racist practices and actions of our community, and we are now experiencing the ramifications of it.

As the backlash unfolded, my initial instinct was to make it go away and protect my family.  I deleted the Facebook post the day after the backlash, but I’ve felt sick about doing so ever since.  What does it say about me that I would remove that post?  My wife and I spoke with our friends, one of whom is former Huff Post contributor, David Fagin, and it was suggested that we document our experience with the hope of continuing the conversation, regardless of the ramifications.

Forget about a neighborhood Facebook page. Instead, tell anyone/everyone who will listen about what is happening to us, and, most likely, to many others as we speak.

This is everywhere. We need to stop accepting the oppression and exclusion of the people next door as “the way things are.” That’s how we try to live our lives.

As far as my wife's seat on the board, after lengthy discussions, we came to the conclusion, rather than spend the next several years being met with incessant opposition simply trying to help a reluctant community, she will resign her position.  Instead, we will both focus our efforts to affect change wherever we can, no matter how small.

I’m not proud that it took me so long to call attention to these racist statements made by a person of authority in my community. As a white family, we have the privilege to sit back and stay quiet, thinking it won’t affect us directly, but apathy and silence in the face of such behavior only serves to empower it.

Racism and hatred have no place in this world and it’s up to each and every one of us to stand up, speak out, rise up, and make our voices heard.

J.A.

[rainbowoffics]

FIC REC’S OF 2017 part 4 (march-april)

Perfect Storm by cherrystreet (80k) CHAPTERED 

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.   FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP WITH A TWIST

You Always Seem To Bring Me Light by sinisterist (18k) CHAPTERED

He jumps when he feels a hand stroking his hair lightly. “I love it like this,” Louis murmurs, reaching to tug a wayward curl.

“Love what like this?”

“Your hair.” Louis’ touch is hesitant, almost reverent, all trace of humour gone now. “When it’s still kind of damp but the ends are dry and curl up like corkscrews. It’s supposed to look gross but it doesn’t.” He pauses before continuing quietly. “Your curls are so lovely.”

Harry swallows. Louis is a hurricane, and amidst his whirlwind of emotions, he slowly says; deliberately says, “So are you.”

In a world where YouTuber baker Harry pines for the (inconveniently taken) Louis. In other words, another YouTuber AU.

Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog (92k) CHAPTERED

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship. SECRET RELATIONSHIP

Flour And Chocolate by teaandtumblr (145k) CHAPTERED 

It was nice, for a bakery he supposed.

Then he approached the display cabinet.

And the foreboding slammed into him. Because every product had letters next to it. Letters. GF, DF, V, O, VGN.

What. The. Fuck?

Lifting his eyes to the chalkboard menu spread across the back wall Louis felt physically ill. ‘Gluten-free’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, ‘paleo’, ‘dair-…’ Wait, what the fuck was a paleo? He had entered some hipster-trash establishment and it was more than time to get out.

OR Louis is a single dad and Harry works at the newly opened bakery down the street. KID FIC, SINGLE DAD!LOUIS, BAKER!HARRY

Needing You More And More, Let’s Give Love A Try by supernope (33k) ONE SHOT

'Do not get hard, do not get hard,' Harry chants in his head. It’s working, but Harry still breathes a silent sigh of relief when Louis lets go of his wrists and clambers off of him. He doesn’t move for a moment, just watches Louis fuss nervously with his fringe before saying, “Why don’t we go walk off breakfast?”

Harry only hesitates for a second, then nods. He gets to his feet with a quiet, “Be right back,” and heads back to his bedroom to get dressed. Once safely enclosed in his room, Harry glares down at his belly and scolds, “It’s bad enough that you’re messing with my body temperature, do you have to mess with those hormones, too?”

There’s no answer from the baby, but Harry takes that as surrender. Pausing by his bed, Harry takes a second to shake off the residual, lingering embers of arousal before choosing an outfit for the walk. He’s already pregnant with a stranger’s baby, the last thing he needs right now is to be lusting after his best friend.

[OR when Harry gets pregnant after a one night stand, Louis helps him get everything together, from buying pregnancy clothes to taking him on a babymoon. Somewhere along the way, they realize that their feelings for each other are more than platonic.] MPREG!HARRY, FRIENDS TO LOVERS

May You Enjoy Your New Life by aimmyarrowshigh (264k) CHAPTERED

It begins for them all at the bungalow –

'Alright, time to lay out the cards. We’re in this together and hopefully, for the long haul, yeah? So I think – you know, we should just be honest. It’s deal-breakers time. That thing that like, if we’re gonna hate you or something, just tell us all now.'

When One Direction begins, Harry Styles is a sixteen-year-old boy foundering under the pressure of impending fatherhood. His ability to balance the sobering responsibility of caring for his tiny daughter, Millie, and the exhilaration of seeing his own dreams coming to fruition affects not only his future, but those of Liam, Zayn, Niall, and Louis, who never expected fealty to be the key to their success. But Liam is the first to show him how to grow up without growing old, and Zayn is the first to defend from the public what is private and precious. Louis -- Louis is the first for a lot of things; for most of the moments of Millie's life and for the moments of Harry's that matter. And Niall is the first to toast when Millie is born: Go maire sibh bhur saol nua -- 'may you enjoy your new life.' KID FIC

The End Should Be A Good One by bananasandboots (43k) ONE SHOT

t doesn't feel like falling in love, the way it had felt the first time around, easy, simple, almost like floating, wrapped up in a whirlwind of touches and kisses, late nights spent laughing breathlessly into each other's skin. This feels broken, complicated, like every move carries the weight of their past. Like the floorboards beneath them could collapse at any moment. This doesn't feel good.

Or, the one where Harry loses the love of his life on New Years Eve and finds him again, six months later, ready to open some poorly-stitched wounds. EXES TO LOVERS

See Clearly Now by Awriterwrites (11k) ONE SHOT

“My eyes are up here.”

What? Was— was Louis flirting with him?

Harry looked up — much too slowly, probably — and saw Louis watching him, his mouth quirked up on one side, a grin threatening to steal the pretty curve of his mouth.

“What?” Harry squeaked.

Louis put his hands on his hips, almost challenging Harry to look again, “I said...my eyes are up here.”

Harry felt something electric pass between them. He felt the need to take a step forward, call Louis’ bluff, see if he was more bark than bite.

Biting sounded really fun right about now.

OR a five-times fic where two guys, one college dorm room and a faulty door lead to a few embarrassing situations and finding out more about themselves and each other than they ever bargained for. ROOMMATES

In This Light by exhilarated (99k) CHAPTERED 

Harry is a wardrobe stylist who likes to live in the moment, and Louis is a popstar who looks dreamy in double breasted jackets. Harry never stood a chance. FAMOUS/NOT FAMOUS 

Carried Away Like Butterflies by waytoomanypeopleintheaddisonlee (17k) ONE SHOT

“Actually…” Liam said, scratching his chin absently. “I have a friend who is moving to London soon.” “Without anywhere to live? Who is it? Do I want them living in my home?!” “You met him at my birthday party. Harry, from Cheshire. Remember? Really tight jeans, curly hair down to here?” Realisation dawned on Louis, staring at Liam who was gesturing round about his nipples. Did he remember Harry? Did he remember Harry? He remembered Harry’s square front teeth biting into his collarbone, and he remembered Harry moaning, loud and obscene with no provocation. He remembered Harry dropping to his knees at the edge of the bed and roughly pulling Louis closer. He remembered, vividly, Harry’s lovely plump lips wrapping around his- “Lou?” “Uh- what?” Louis said, startled. “Oh, yeah. Um, I think I remember him.” - It was probably a huge mistake for Louis to let his former One Night Stand move into his spare room, especially when said One Night Stand doesn't seem to remember him. ROOMMATES, PINING

Life Was A Song, You Came Along by rainbowninja167 (37k) CHAPTERED

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain. SONGWRITER!LOUIS, MUSIC STORE OWNER!HARRY

Now You Know Me (For Your Eyes Only) by nadinecestmoi (77k) CHAPTERED

AU, Where Harry and Louis are solo artists and they’re not exactly friends per se but they’re friendly, know each other from industry parties and things like that and there’s always been this weird unspoken sexual tension between them and Louis’ always kinda confused bc isn’t Harry the biggest ladies’ man in the industry?? And one day Harry asks Louis to collab with him and of course Louis says yes even tho he’s kinda surprised and Harry plays the song for him and Louis is completely blown away by how beautiful it is and it’s a love song and he’s like damn, whoever this is about is lucky as fuck bc it’s clearly written from personal experience so they spend all this time together recording and it’s super bittersweet bc they click right away and it takes Louis about three seconds to realize he has a huge fucking crush on Harry but on the other hand Harry clearly had someone in mind when he wrote the song so the last day of recording comes and Louis’ like “thanks for having me on the song” and Harry just shrugs and is like “well it just seemed fitting bc the song is about you” SOLO ARTIST!LOUIS, SOLO ARTIST!HARRY, FRIENDS TO LOVERS

What’s Stopping You? by kikikryslee (14k) ONE SHOT 

That shirt was what held his attention again. How many other guys had the same shirt that H and Harry had, and – wait. H… Harry. Harry did yoga. So did H. They both had the same shirt, and had both gotten home ten minutes ago and were cooking dinner. No way. Louis looked at the picture again, and stared more closely at H’s lips. They were pink and pouty, with the lower lip a bit plumper than the top, just like Harry. And H had brown, curly hair that reached his shoulders, just like Harry. Louis looked over at Harry, who was putting his hair back up into a bun as the kitchen was most likely getting warmer. “Holy shit,” Louis whispered. Have I been flirting with my own roommate all this time? --- Or, the one where Harry wants to get over his crush on Louis, so he makes a Grindr account to find someone new. Of course, Louis messages him, not realizing H's real identity. It only takes a few days for them to figure it out. FRIENDS TO LOVERS, ROOMMATES

Can’t Start A Fire Without A Spark by larrymylove (22k) ONE SHOT

Louis Tomlinson is the pop sensation with his first new single out since taking a personal hiatus from the spotlight. Harry is a paparazzi hired to photograph him during promo. Louis hates paparazzi with a passion, but there’s just something about the pretty young pap with wide green eyes and chocolate curls that Louis can’t shake from his head. ENEMIES TO LOVERS

[alucywarner]

~♥ PRIVACY PLEASE ♥~

[So, look here. Through that whole Boola conversation last night, I was under the presumption that Lucy was out with someone. Not necessarily the boyfriend, but maybe the boyfriend. Maybe Sage? Maybe all of the above. Who knows. It’s irrelevant. The point is that she wasn’t at home during all of that screaming. So, yes, she is unaware of the situation, as Cilla has yet to tell her about any of it, as she just wants Boo to approach the child, and not have anything to do with it. Like, she doesn’t want it to seem like she was forcing Boo to talk to her, you feel? 

This means that Cilla has said not a dang thing. Lucy is in the dark. Everything is swell. (I guess Cooper came back home? Maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. Either way, I can pull something out of my butt if that’s not the case. I’m the queen of plot device excuses.)

But, yeah, it’s a normal ol’ day, or as normal as it has been the past couple of weeks, minus the fact that Lucy here is having her door knocked on by her mother. Yup. Hi, Mom. No gifs here in this post. You’ll find out why later. Lucy tells her Mom to come in. Yay.]

I come bearing news.

What is it?

Your nana is here. 

... Why?

Well, I invited her over for dinner, but this bit of information isn’t exactly the point.

[Lucy is confused af, because Cilla has some form of motherly look on her face right now, and it’s disconcerting her to the high heavens. Yup.] ... Okay.

She knows about everything, clearly. I had to tell her when you ran away. [Lucy purses her lips. Like, I get you had to explain my absence to Nana, but did you have to tell her the whole story? Come on, Mother.] So, today she told me that she wants to meet your boyfriend... officially.

[Lucy’s eyes go wide, and there’s probably a twitch there, because oh goD.] She... wants to... meet him?

Mhmmm. But that part that made me raise an eyebrow was the fact that she said ‘officially’. Then when I asked her what she meant by that, she said that Nana’s honor meant she wasn’t supposed to say anything. So, that raises the question-- What did your nana mean by ‘officially’?

[Lucy considers lying for about ten seconds. You can see it in her face. However, she figures, after eVERYTHING, she wasn’t really in the best of positions to keep lying about things. Ha.] When we went to the mall... after Nana’s birthday-- all of you were in the dressing rooms, and while I was alone, Maddox showed up and started, ya know, bugging me. I tried to get him to leave before any of you guys came out because I didn’t want him to be seen, duh, but Nana came out, and she very briefly spoke to him. 

So, your nana got to meet him before I even knew he existed??

Technically, no. She never learned his name or anything. And they only spoke for probably less than five minutes. 

-- And were you dating at this point? 

No. Mom, don’t worry. You’re the first one in the family to actually sit down and have a proper conversation with him. You got that honor.

... Okay, fine. [She starts to turn to leave the room, but she turns back.] You should probably invite him over now. I think Nana’s expecting him for dinner. 

[Lucy grimaces, and there’s probably a shudder, because, lbr, Clover hasn’t changed in all of these years, and she was probably just as scathing when she didn’t like someone. So, there was fear for poor little Lucy here as she picks up the phone to call the bae. Yay.]

[Now the time has come. Lucy went outside to meet Maddox, because, honestly, she didn’t want him jumped on as soon as he came in the door. Not without back-up, anyway, because that was probably going to happen as it was. 

So, when she called him, and she explained to him the situation, there was a long ‘uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu’ sound that came from Maddox, because meeting the mom was horrifying enough for him. But meeting the nana to whom he’d made particular comments to? GREAT. He was literally trying to think of excuses to get out of it, but once Lucy very nicely convinced him that he should really apologize to her for being a butt, he was in the position where he could not refuse. 

And here he was, walking up to the house with his lady, and she’s probably even more nervous than he is, actually, because she’s got a tight grip on his arm as she’s walking along.]

Lucy, that hurts.

Sorry. This is just nerve-wracking.

Yeah, I get that. 

My nana is the queen of not giving second chances, okay? I wanna throw up.

You’re so not helping. [There is a Maddox grimace, because did he screW UP THAT CHANCE BEING THE LIL ASSHOLE THAT HE IS?]

[A deep breath in and out.] But it’ll be fine, I’m sure. Everything’ll be okay. [Because of the other conversation she had with Nana, post-mall conversation. That had to mean it was okay, right?]

Yeah. It’ll be great. [He’s being slightly sarcastic. Just a little.]

[Inside they go, right into the living room where Nana appears to be sitting on the couch. Almost like she was waiting on the two of them. How terrifying a sight.]

Where’s... Mom? [Lucy side-eyes.]

Cilla’s in the kitchen cooking dinner. Sit.

[Okay, so the two sit. On a different couch. Because, yeah, they’re still kinda nervous about ol’ Nana here.]

Long time, no see, isn’t it? [Eyebrow raise to Maddox. Maybe Clo’s got a joke-y smirk on.]

... S’up.

[A bit of a warmer smile now.] Clover Dodgeson. Pleasure to finally meet you in a normal situation. 

Clover? [A bit of an amused snort.] Sounds like a-- [Lucy gives him the glariest side-eye. Maddox does a cough.] a very unique name. Nice. Like it. [His own side-eye, because he was gonna say stripper name, without a doubt.]

[Clover knows this. Because hoW MANY TIMES HAD SHE HEARD THAT ONE? She rolls her eyes. Just a subtle eye roll.] I’d like to be able to call you by name as well, if you don’t mind.

... Maddox... Bravo.

[She pauses, and this look of vague recollection appears. Eyebrows all furrowed and what not, like she’s trying real hard to remember something. The kiddos, of course, are like, what is this.] ... Bravo. Why do I know that name?

... Good question. [Maddox gives Lucy a look like ‘df?’.]

[And then Clover’s look changes to realization. Because maybe she’d heard that name from her other eldest child.] Bravo, like, Cami Bravo?

[Eyebrow raises from Maddox, because hOW.] My aunt?

[Widened eyes from Clover.] Your aunt. So that makes... [Nana looks slightly traumatized.]

[Suddenly Maddox is concerned that this is making him unacceptable.] I never see her though. My mom could never stand her husband.

[Clover makes a face a lot like this one.] Well, it’s nice to meet you officially, Maddox. [Even though my grandchild keeps catching the ones attached to my exes?] And, you know, not during a spontaneous mall visit. 

Heh. Yeeeeah. Sorry about that. [And here we see a face like this.]

Are you always that good with words, or was I just the lucky one that day~?

... Heeeeh.

Don’t worry. The past is in the past. If Lucy didn’t murder you for it, I think I can let it go.

Well, to be fair, I kind of wanted to in the moment~.

But you didn’t. I’m proud~.

[A snort.] Thanks.

Mhm. Now, tell me about this Washington situation.

... What do you want to know about that? 

Why did you do it?

Mom didn’t tell you?

I just want to hear it from you.

I wanted to be able to be with him. And, I didn’t think I’d be able to here. You don’t have to tell me it was a stupid decision. I’ve heard that from everyone. 

I wasn’t going to tell you that. I assumed you’d already heard it. And why did you decided to finally come back home?

... There was a misunderstanding. 

Really? How so?

Just a misunderstanding.

[Maddox is gonna chime in.] Some chick kissed me, and she thought I’d been cheating on her.

[Eyebrow raise at Maddox, and then back to Lucy.] Oh?

But, on the way back, I realized how stupid it was. I- I saw him push her away before he even knew I was there. I overreacted. Because I trust him. I tried to get on a bus and leave, but he wouldn’t let me. I figured... if he’d actually been cheating on me, he wouldn’t have cared if I was trying to leave. So we finally came back home.

Hm. You must really care about her. [To Maddox, obvs.]

... She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me... I love her.

[Yup, that warms Nana’s heart there.] Then I’ll repeat what I told Lucy a couple of months ago. Don’t worry about everybody else’s feelings. Not even mine. Only worry about your own for each other. Because if you don’t take care of your relationship, it’s not gonna take care of itself. 

[Both of the kiddies just kinda slow nod.]

More Nana advice? Keep doing what you did. Don’t let the other run away from a problem. If there’s something wrong, talk about it. Don’t ignore each other. Don’t run. Don’t let it build up to an explosion. Even if you don’t want to talk about, even if the thought of talking about it makes you sick. Do it. Talk about with each other. Don’t let your pride or stubbornness get in the way of your relationship. Don’t think that love will just work itself out. Because that’s what love takes. Work. It’s hard. And sometimes you might have to keep reminding each other, and maybe even yourself, that you love each other. But never stop doing it. After everything I’ve heard... From Cilla, from the two of you, just from watching the two of you myself... I can see this isn’t something typical. This isn’t an average teenage relationship. I’ve seen love, and I’ve been in love. If you two want to stay together, you need to work for it every day of your life. You’re gonna get angry, you’re gonna fight, you’ll cry, you’ll argue... but always, always say you’re sorry. It doesn’t matter who’s fault you think it was, you say you’re sorry. Don’t blame each other. Just apologize. It is possible. To stay together. To stay in love. To be happy. It just takes effort. So, my advice is, if you love each other, put effort into it. Take the word of a woman that’s made a lot of mistakes.

[And the two kids are just left sitting there after hearing the sage wisdom of one who has been in many not-so-fun relationships. They’re have to store that advice to heart, because, yes, they want to be together for the rest of their dang lives. So, yes, they were gonna make dang sure to remember her advice, whether she’s made the mistakes or not. Mistakes make us wise, righT? ISN’T THAT WHAT PEOPLE SAY?]

Thank you, Nana.

Yeah... Thank you.

Just let me get the seat of the honor at the wedding as a proper thank you. [She’s pointing at Lucy’s ring with a smirk.]

It’s not an engagement ring, Nana. [Eye roll, because here we go again.]

Not yet. 

[Lucy is beet red, because damN THIS RING, WHY.]

[Maddox does one nod, and he’s smirking too, because teasing Lucy is his favorite pastime, and if Nana was gonna get in on it, he could too. So he agrees.] Not yet.

shu T  UP.

[And that’s when Cilla comes around the corner. (I’m sure she’s heard some of this.] Dinner’s ready~~~.

Coming, dear~.

[And off they all go to dinner. Happy, happy, joy.]

[melodicness]

XXX

It’s Ranmaru x Ai and Reiji x Ranmaru (one sided)  I translated my own Fanfic after I met @elie-df ♥ She was the reason and she even edited it. I’m not good in english. So... I hope you’ll like it, if you read it. (I also know that this pairing isn’t everyones taste)

-  “You know Reiji? By now… I don’t care anymore. Go to him and let him fuck you!” Ai said with a high voice. He really sounded pissed and wanted to hit Reiji straight to his face but Ai decided that Reiji isn’t worth it.

But it wasn’t just this… Ai wanted to disappear. His work as a Senpai for Syo and Natsuki isn’t done yet but Ai thought that they are good enough to be left alone. Ai didn't want to be their Senpai in the first place, he knows it will be a lot of work by handling those two but still in the end he did it. Even if he don’t like Syo and thought he was incompetent to be an Idol, he had to admit that Syo got better.

Besides Shining can find another Senpai for them. This person won't belong to the rest of Quartet Night and Ai is … replaceable. That’s what he always thought.

“Ah, Ai-chan,” Reiji sighed and cocked his head to the side. Reiji is always checking Ranmaru out and will always bump with him. He even tried to get Ranmaru for himself since he knew about the relationship between Ranmaru and Ai, but ended up in naught. He just want to help Ranmaru for not doing a mistake. It was not acceptable to have sex with a 15-years old and they had sex not just once.

“Shut up! You can have him if you really want him and if you want to have sex with him.” Ai said. He turns around so that Reiji will not see him biting his lip. This is a raw point for Ai, this is the reason why he wants to leave.

Ai fell in love with Ranmaru. For the first time in his life. He shared his every first moment with the Rockstar. His first kiss, his virginity. His feelings for Ranmaru is unnecessary. He can’t call someone as his friend because he was in love now.

It started with jealousy towards Reiji, he was getting possessive without even realizing it until Ranmaru mentioned about it. This was the moment when Ai realized that he was in love. He of all people.

He left the place were he was talking with Reiji having these thoughts on his mind. He took a taxi to the airport even if he does not have that much luggage with him. He just wanted to go somewhere, maybe to another country. To start something without music… something, so that no one can ever find him again.

Reiji can feel how broken Ai is. He can feel it with every sentence Ai said. He couldn’t and don’t want to stop him. The brown haired man wanted Ranmaru like Ai wanted the rockstar, but… is it right?

What did Ranmaru think about this? Is it just about sex? Reiji realized that Ranmaru changed a lot since he was closer to Ai.

Half an our later Reiji decided to go back into the house were Quartet Night lives with Starish. Ranmaru had a fight with Ren again. Ren left just a minute later without ending the fight. It was like… always. Ranmaru and Ren could never be on one line when they talk about music. But it was rare for them to have a fight when it wasn’t about music.

“Ne RanRan~,” Reiji said Ranmaru's name with a slur in his tone. Ranmaru muttered irritated. “I want to sleep with you,” Reiji said again and pressed himself against Ranmaru's back.

“Huh?!” Ranmaru said horrified as he pushed Reiji away. “I’m not interested, Idiot!”

Back then Ranmaru had sex with a lot of people but for a short while he didn’t. Reiji was one of the person who still tried to have sex with him, but he refused. Always. He was annoyed by Reiji and was lost with it.

“Come on! You hook up with everyone… and Ai-chan did it really often with you too.”

“So what? I don’t feel like it, okay? Where is my Princess anyway? I didn’t saw him today”, Ranmaru asked and looked around for Ai. Reiji silently lowered his head.

Ai.

There it is again. Even if Ai isn't here, even if he's sure he is already at the airport… it was just Ai. Ranmaru only wanted Ai. And he knows it all this time.

“At the airport”, Reiji answered. It was Ranmaru's choice what to do next no matter if it will be good or bad.

“Sure,” Ranmaru said. He don’t believe in him.

“If you won’t go soon it will be too late and he will be gone.”

Ranmaru didn’t say a word this time. He could hear how serious Reiji is. The man isn’t joking.

“Fuck! Out of my way!” Ranmaru said and he is really pissed now. He pushed Reiji out of the way and run out of the house. He couldn’t take a taxi because it would take too long, so he decided to take the limousine of Starish. But he drove it by himself even if he don’t have a drivers licence. Ai is more important right now. It was his only chance to get to him before it was too late.

Ranmaru didn’t know what he did and he don’t know why Ai is at the airport. He didn’t even know what he will say if he found him. Sadly his motorbike is still at the car workshop. He would be faster with it.

Ai was standing at the airport for a long time now, he was waiting for his flight and was staring at the flight information display. He really want to leave as soon as possible. His mind is filled with thought of Ranmaru and he just wanted to end it already.

Ai is still cold and didn’t show his true feelings towards anyone, but here he is now. Ranmaru is already too deep into his heart.

“Flight X879 to London is ready for boarding,” Ai heard from the loudspeakers.

The Airport isn’t that big. Not too many people were flying from where he's going, but there was a crowd at the entrance. Ai is already on his way to the check-in counter until he heard a familiar voice calling for him.

“AI!” he heard it again. Ranmaru appeared right in front of him, breathless, coming from somewhere and he looked like he knows what Ai plans to do.

“…”

“What are you doing? An unplanned vacation for not working for Shining?” Ranmaru asked. He just doesn’t want to admit that he didn’t thought about things like this. After hearing Reiji's words he really was afraid Ai would leave. He was aware of the last days about how Ai acted in front of him. He isn't that stupid.

“Exactly. Well then… my flight,” Ai coldly answers as he tried to hide the pain. He was really good in it. Too good.

“Stop this shit and don’t lie to me,” Ranmaru screamed and grabbed his arm harshly. His eyes were staring at Ai as he ignore the other passengers looking at them.

“What do you want from me?” Ai hissed. He tried to push Ranmaru away.

“…” Ranmaru looked at Ai wordlessly.

“Nice. Good to know. Well, I already said it but my Fli-,” Ai started, but Ranmaru was faster, he pulled Ai into his arms and kissed him possessively.

Ai hesitated for a moment but then kissed him back fiercely as the bag he was holding fell onto the floor and he clings to Ranmaru's shirt. Even if he does not want it, even if he wants to leave him behind and forget about him… he just couldn’t resist this man. Maybe as a… farewell kiss?

“You! You stupid Idiot! I want you!" Ranmaru growled after they finished kissing. “And it's not only because of sex."

End~!