#even my best friend. she knows more than anyone else (except my partner) and i haven't even told her probably half of it

[onesmallbee]

I think I've cried more in front of my partner in the two months we've lived together than I have with anyone else since I was under like 7

But it makes sense, too, because I've never felt so safe with anyone else

[mayiluv]

Jealousy meter☆(Hashiras ft. Kamaboko squad)

Masterlist

Kyojuro Rengoku

█░░░░░░░░░ 10%

He isn't jealous at all ! He trust you! But he doesn't trust others just as much.

He often worries whenever he sees someone making you uncomfortable. If the person make it obvious that they are hitting on you, he won't hesitate to hold your hand and get in front of the person to proudly claim you (and to make you feel better).

"Sorry but they're taken!"

Agatsuma Zenitsu

█████░░░░░50%

He is possessive from time to time.

Like he do trusts Tanjiro and most hashiras (surprisingly) but he tends to get pretty jealous at strangers. Whenever he sees you talking to one with a little too much closeness, he run to get next to you and to kiss you. It's like you two are fighting now.

"Sorry [Name] I just wanted to make sure that they got the hint."

"Zenitsu that's my cousin-"

"THEY ARE ?!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa

████████░░ 80%

Man he's jealous...

He would clearly tell anyone that he judges too close to you to fuck off. He doesn't wants to share you. Even if you tell him there is nothing to worry about. He accept when it's the hashiras except Giyuu. I guess he got something against him.

"Get lost, she's already mine fuckface."

Genya Shinazugawa

█████░░░░░ 50%

That's a 50/50. It actually depends.

He's actually more insecure about himself and that's what makes him doubt your love for him. When he sees you with someone else he usually goes full on koala mode and stay gripped to your arm.

"When are we going?"

Kanroji Mitsuri

██░░░░░░░░ 20%

She's not jealous. She's scared.

She's scared you'll find someone better and when she sees you with someone else a part of her always feel like she's not enough. You can easily see when she's feeling down, and you just have to remind her with a hug and she'll feel better.

"Sorry! I'm just scared you'll leave me"

Obanai Iguro

███████░░░ 70%

He pretty jealous

Most of the time he'll send Kaburamaru around your neck and people get the hint. But if they don't then...he'll go give them the hint himself. And by that I mean he would roast the shit outta them.

"Back off. Nobody would want to date your dirty goofy no bitches no purpose no friends no standards person."

Tanjiro Kamado

█░░░░░░░░░ 10%

He's never jealous.

If you think Kyojuro is kind then he's another level. He's like a ball of sunshine, he would talk happily not knowing that someone was hitting on you. But he does feels a little insecure when je sees you with someone else. He won't say it but he would cling onto you a little bit more.

"Do you love me?"

Himejima Gyomei

░░░░░░░░░░ 0%

He trusts you 100% and being a man of religion he has no doubt in your love. He does tho wonder if he could satisfy you enough since he's blind. He's just as capable as any men but he gets insecure from time to time due to his past.

"I promise I will try my best to protect you [name]"

Hashibira Inosuke

█████████░ 90%

He is easily jealous.

No matter who he sees with you he'll be growling at them. But he doesn't quite seems to understand love at all so he wouldn't be possessive but he still do get jealous and will NOT be ashamed of yelling at anyone.

"How dare you talk to the great Inosuke Hashibira's partner !"

Kocho Shinobu

█████░░░░░ 50%

She isn't JEALOUS, she's just overprotective.

She's more scared for your health than jealous. She's scared that you get too gullible and will fall for traps and/or get hurts by them. Poor her will try to prevent you from everyone and remind you of stranger danger.

"I do trust you [Name], but I think you're a little too innocent for your own good."

Tsuyuri Kanao

████░░░░░░ 40%

She's not really jealous.

She isn't jealous but she doesn't like seeing people hit on you. There was once you knew she was jealous because she looked at the person talking to you and she was STARING. The person got afraid and quickly apologized and left. She'll deny any accusation.

"I did not do that."

Tokito Muichiro

██████░░░░ 60%

He's easily bothered.

He would see you with someone he judges too close and full on hug your side and fix the person with that one glare. As if to brat about his partner and how lucky he is compared to the guy, he may even bite on your neck while the person's here. As soon as you're gone he would stay and probably roast that person.

"You look like you're a grand grandfather/mother if she/he didn't pass away."

Uzui Tengen

█░░░░░░░░░ 10%

He's chill

He got three wives already so he got used to this feeling. Now he actually feel proud when someone's hitting on you and will full on start talking about how amazing you are and how he's lucky to have you.

"Yes they're flashy ! I totally get why you like them, such a shame they're already taken by me."

Tomioka Giyu

███░░░░░░░ 30%

He can get jealous from time to time.

He doesn't talk a lot, and even less express his emotions. So it's a pain trying to figure out what's going on inside his head. However when he's jealous, he doesn't really tell you he just act like nothing's happening because he judges it negative to tell you about it. If you manage to find out then, congratulations you made a new step in your relationship!

"Oh.... I didn't know, sorry [Name]"

Kamado Nezuko

██░░░░░░░░ 20%

She's protective

Whenever she sees someone making you uncomfortable she'll come by your side to hug you and glare at the person when you're not looking. If the person doesn't get the hint she'll probably start growling at them. But overall, she's adorable and let anyone talk to you.

"Mmhp mhp mmph!" (I love you !)

Talk to me!

[lunajay33]

Lost Part.2

•🗝️🕊️🩶•

Summary: Carl Grimes was your best friend since birth, when he died the world turns grey, he was your partner in crime so you shut yourself off from the world, no one could get through, until one day you’re wondering Alexandria seeing Negan in his cell, maybe he could be the one to break you out of this hell

Pairing: Negan Smith x f!reader

Content: Age gap, Depressing themes, Consoling, Spicy themes later on, breeding kink, character development

Part.1

•Masterlist•

After Michonne caught me having a moment with Negan, she told Daryl and now they’re ripping me a new one, I’ve never felt like I disappointed anyone more but I can’t help how I feel towards Negan, I don’t get to chose how I feel

Daryl and Michonne are pacing back and forth in the living room in front of me as I’m sat on the couch waiting for their outburst

“Damn kid what the hell were ya thinking? Ya know what he’s done” Daryl groaned

“I’m going to chalk this up to you trying to distract yourself from Carls death but…..”

“DON’T!” I cut Michonne off feeling that rage

“Y/n…..”

“Don’t talk about him, and don’t tell me how to feel, you don’t understand how I feel, Negan does….he’s helping me, I don’t feel extremely depressed when I talk to him, I thought I’d get better eventually but it’s been 2 months, hell Maggie got herself together quicker than this after Glenn, I don’t know what’s wrong with me” I feel my bottom lip wobble again hating the disappointed look

“Why can’t you let us help? Daryl’s tried, do you want Maggie to come back maybe she could talk some sense into you, see the reason why she doesn’t have Glenn anymore” Michonne huffed before she stomped out the house slamming the door

“I don’t like ya talking to him but…….i can’t watch ya go through this anymore, if yer just talking to him and it helps do it, just be careful sunshine” Daryl said more gently as he rubs my back

“Thanks D, I’m just gonna go to my room” I say defeated but at least Daryl was sort of on board, thankfully Michonne never brought up what she caught me and Negan doing, if so Daryl would’ve probably marched down to his cell and beat him black and blue

It’s been a week since everything happened, the first day after I got up to go see him and right as I got to his cell Michonne dragged me back to the house, she wasn’t as keen as Daryl was, I tried again the next day and the same thing happened, see even got Rick involved so now I’m basically under house arrest, by the third day I could feel that darkness seep back in, I continued to stay in my room, Daryl would occasionally bring me food and water just like now

“Hey kid, ya hungry?” He asks as he sits on the edge of my bed with a sandwich and glass of water

I nod feeling too tired to even speak, this was way out of character for Michonne, sure she could be a hard ass but this…..this was too much

“They still won’t let ya leave?” My silence answered his question hearing him sigh

“It’s happening again isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Negan was helping for a bit, I can’t think of anything else except Carl when I’m locked up in here” I say looking at the letter that I have placed on the night stand, he followed my gaze taking it and reading it

“Ya can’t keep reminding yourself of this over and over”

“I….i didn’t even get to say goodbye”

“Would seeing his grave help?”

I didn’t even know he had a grave, no one even told me but maybe seeing it and talking could help resolve something that’s been missing

“I know this might be a long shot but could I take Negan? Would you be able to convince Rick just for the day to let him out?”

He watched me for a bit with that look I can never decipher what he’s thinking

“I’ll try but I ain’t promising nothing, now come on I’ll walk ya to the cell”

I ate my sandwich on the walk to Negan and of course when we got there Michonne and Rick tried to stop me

“I’m telling ya Rick let her go, ya haven’t seen what I seen, she needs this” as they are arguing I slip past them down to Negans cell

“Hey” I call catching his attention

“Long time no see darlin”

“I’m sorry, if you can hear them you’ll know they’ve been keeping me under house arrest, I tried to come see you but…”

“I know, I heard everytime Michonne tried to stop you, I missed our talks though, I can see you have too”

“I’ve been thinking about our conversation last time, it’s partially been keeping me sane all locked up”

“Can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind baby, but you know I’d never use you right, I ain’t sick like that”

“I know, you’re different now hell I’m different now, I just wish you weren’t in this cell I’m working on it”

“What do you mean?”

“Daryl said I could go to Carls grave, I didn’t even know he had one until today, I asked if I could take you out for the day since I don’t feel judged with you, obviously only if you wanted, he said he’s gonna try to work something out”

“Oh sweetheart, you got a good heart but are you sure you want me out with you?”

“You don’t have to”

“No I want to, I wanna be there for you”

Just being here for a few moments have lifted that weight off my chest

Later that night everyone went to bed early and they left my door unlocked so I sneak out as quietly as possible, quickly making my way down the block to Negans cell and he was still wide awake, I unlock his cell and sit next to him his arms immediately wrapping around me

I sigh in relief to be able to touch him again, to feel his warmth, he moved me around so I’m partially laid against his chest and lap as he sat back against the brick wall playing with my fingers

“Have you tried anything since our conversation last week?” He asks breaking the silence my body feeling on fire instantly

“I still don’t know how”

“Want me to show you baby?” I look up at him feeling my legs tingle

“You’d do that?”

“I’d love it, you need to unwind, forget about your problems for a moment”

“Please, please help me forget” I whine feeling his hand rub up and down my thigh

“My pleasure” he smirks as he plays with the hem of my pants before pushing his hand fully down basically grasping my pussy

“Look at that baby girl, already wet and I’ve barely done anything” I can feel my face redden

“This is so embarrassing” I mumble hearing him laugh

“Nah baby, this is hot as hell, you’re being such a good girl” his praise eased me

His fingers circled my clit making me jolt it felt so foreign, everytime I’ve tried it’s felt like nothing but his strong hands touching me was so much more than I could imagine

“Oh god” I whine as he gets faster pushing me closer to the edge

“You like that angel? Do I make you feel good?” He teased as he grips my hair with his other hand

“Yes Negan! Oh it’s too much fuck” I gasp when he moves his hand down and enters a finger then another stretching me a bit with his big long fingers

“You okay darling?” He asks as he continues to finger me at a slow pace, doing a come here motion hitting a spot I’ve never felt before

“Woah, that feels…….oh god that feels different”

“Different good?” He goes a bit faster making me see stars as my head slumps against his chest

“So good, why does it feel better when you do it” I whine

“Cause I know how to please ya, this tight pussy just need a good man to clear your head, fix all your worries”

Something was building low in my stomach, it felt so weird but good but also like I was gonna lose control

“Negan wait I’m gonna…” but he kept going

“No baby it’s alright I’ve got you, let it go” his thumb came up to rub my clit again and I instantly let go feeling his hand wrap around my mouth as I let out a intense scream my sight going white, my pants felt soak as I came back down to earth laying limp in his arms

“Fuck baby, that was hot as fuck, you’re dripping” I sat up realizing what just happened, I look at him as he sucks his fingers clean making me hot all over again

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I told you something was happening now I made a mess and my pants are full of piss, I have to go” I turn to leave completely embarrased when I feel his arms wrap around me from behind

“Oh baby, you’re so damn cute, that’s normal and it’s so damn sexy, you just came all over my fingers and let me tell you, you taste like heaven” he whispers in my ear as I turn in his arms

“Are you sure this is normal…….it did feel really good couldn’t see for a second” he smirks gripping my hips

“If you think that was good baby, wait till I give you this dick, you’ll be begging for more after”

“Can we now?” I beg as I push him back on the bed straddling his hips

“As much as I’d love to destroy this pussy, I ain’t taking your virginity in some grimy cell where everyone can see and hear us”

“Okay, but what about you I can feel how hard you are, I can help” I say grinding down on him moaning as I feel his bulge rub against my sensitive clit

“Not tonight, tonight was about you”

“Well if I can’t help…..can I atleast see it?” I ask biting my finger aching to see his dick

“You ever see one before?” He asks laughing

“No please I wanna see it” I pull on his belt slowly undoing it waiting for him to stop me but he never does, unbuttoning his pants, we both stand so I can pull his pants down to his thighs, playing with the hem of his boxers

“Go ahead darling, he ain’t going to bite” he says gripping my hair, I pull them down seeing it smack against his stomach and my knees felt like jelly again, it was so big and thick it was mouth watering

“You like what you see”

“Can I touch it” I look up at him seeing his eyes were blown with lust

“Go ahead baby” I run my finger up the bottom till I reach the tip and circle it my finger wet with liquid, I bring it up and lick it and it tastes so good I want more hearing him groan as I do it

“Fuck you know what you just did?”

I shake my head I feel so clueless with all this

“God you’re going to be the death of me” I push him back down on the bed again and kneel between his legs

“Please I want more let me lick it”

“God how can I say no to that”

I lean down flicking my long over the tip tasting him again but I need more, I’ve heard others talk about blow jobs and this must be it, I take him in my mouth circling my tongue around hearing him hiss I look up but her looks like he’s enjoying it as he runs his hands through my hair

I take more of him in my mouth till he hits the back of my throat but I keep going till my nose is flush to his stomach moaning when I finally fit him in

“Jesus Christ baby” his moans drive me insane, I move my head up and down as his groans get more and more louder till I feel a warm liquid fill my mouth it’s surprises me, I lean back on my legs looking up at him with a mouth full of his cum, I swallow it feeling like ecstasy

“Was that your first time cause god damn woman I ain’t ever had my dick sucked like that”

“I want more, god Negan I could get addicted to this” he lets out a low laugh as he tucks his dick back in his boxers

“Oh baby what have I unleashed”

Part.3

Taglist: @lanadelnegan @lvrgirl6999 @aubiewabie33 @mordilwen-of-mirkwood @sweetbutpsychobutsweet @sadgenderfluidmaniac @aleemendoza2425-blog @donniedarkosblog @itsmytimetoodream @twisteduniverse5 @heidiland05 @negandevotee

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

Hey! I really love all of your imagines and I really think your work is immaculate. Especially the Modern!Bill Kaulitz imagine and it made me wonder what it would be like to be Modern!Tom Kaulitz's daughter,if you don't mind could you write an imagine for that? If you do,you don't have to rush, I know you have many other works to publish so take your time! :) ❤️

(Hello! I'm very happy to do so and that you love my writings! This also was the perfect time for daddy issues to pop up in my playlist :')

Being Tom Kaulitz's Daughter

He is the very proud dad all the time

He teaches you electric guitar since before you could even walk

And let me tell you, he did a great fucking job

Doesn't force you though to play instruments and lets you be your own person

Is always happy to talk about his amazing daughter in interviews and videos

You were also taken on stage a lot as a kid

Bill was your best uncle, always had you on his hip and dressing you up and doing your makeup

Gustav is a more careful but caring uncle who let you go ham on drums and steal his shit while also pretending not to see you in hide and seek

Georg was the uncle to let you stay up, eat whatever you want, steal you without anyone knowing and teach you cuss words

You and Tom bickered so much even when you were a kid because you got his attitude

When you were little he always carried you around on his shoulders or was holding you

You're his little girl so much and he doesn't let that go

Doesn't want your career to be based around him if you go into the entertainment business and wants you to be your own person

Not just his kid

He's a supporting dad in whatever job you want to do or whoever you want to date

He's just happy that you're happy

He had almost a full on mental breakdown when you were getting older when you were a baby

He couldn't handle it

Struggled with being a dad to you at first and was nervous but he did an amazing job with you

He lets you dress him up, have tea parties with you, make him wear tutu's makeup and everything

He's sitting in a small ass chair, a tea cup in his hand as you give him a scone, decked in a boa, tiara and tutu at a small table as Bill is teasing his brother so hard

Until you drag Bill and your uncle's into it

He spoke too soon

He's the dad to always be there when you need him or just to be there when you don't want to talk

Is the dad front row when you have a recital, award ceremony, play and everything else

He doesn't want to miss anything going on in your life

The dad to push you higher than any other kid on the swings

Let's you sneak in his bed no matter how old you get or even if you don't live at home anymore

You'll always be the little girl he raised

You and him were partners in crime as you grew up against your mom

He gives you cookies when she said no because it would "spoil your dinner"

He snuck you one and told you not to tell mom

He gets you out of trouble so many times

Picks you up early from school all the time just because he can and wants to take you to a gig or concert they're doing

He'd be proud of you took after him on electric guitar

Is happy if you ever got into a band or music with your friends

You remind him of himself when he was younger sm except for the flirting

He made you swear off dating for so long because he couldn't handle it but actually loved your future partner as long as they treated you right

Whenever you're upset he's still the dad to mess with you, tickle you and make you laugh until you're ready to talk

He is the best dad to ever have

He spoiled you so damn rotten but made sure you appreciated everything

He raises the best kid ever and he didn't even know how he did it

When he first met you in the hospital room and held you he was shaking

He was just in awe that he made this perfect little girl and that he was your dad

Can you tell I'm curing my daddy issues with these requests?

[shelbgrey]

You belong with me(George Weasley) Part 1

Paring: George Weasley X Longbottom!Reader X Cedric Diggory.

Summary: your best friend George knows you deserve better. He wants to be that 'better' but to scared to say but after a burnt hand truth may come out. (A.U where Cedric doesn't die)

Prompts: 1.0) “I mean, it's nice they found each other Sometimes you fall for someone you'd never expect, but that doesn't make it wrong. Doesn't everyone deserve to be happy?”

1.6) “I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.” - “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

This is for my buddy Ashlee, who hates Cedric with every fiber of her soul for no reason. There's no much Cedric bashing but he's not perfect in this story.

Potter MasterList

--------(Potions Class, Snape)--------

I silently sat in my seat waiting for Professor Snape to start the lesson. He was running unusually late so that ment the class was mixed up and being social. Come to think of it this is the most talkative the class has ever been.

Except me, my boyfriend Cedric did most of the talking but ever since the tournament I've only been there to benfet him. It's technically not his fault really but what hurt was he wasn't around anymore. He would show a bright smile and laugh whole heartedly to anyone who would listen but then be too tired for anything else.

His laughter continued as he had his back to me taking to Harry and a couple of Hufflepuffs. Not complaining I silently read my book. It was a Muggle book professor Lupin gave me called The Outsiders. I was nose deep when something snapped against the hard-back cover.

I peaked from behind the book and saw a rubber band. I smiled already knowing it was my best friend George Weasley. I rolled my eyes as George leaned twords me from the desk that was acrossed from mine.

“hiya, George” I nodded my head twords Fred as I moved over to their table. Cedric didn't even realize my absence. “hay freddie”

As few minutes went on the twins explained their new product ideas and different renovation ideas for the shop they're gonna open when they're done with school. I nodded happy holding on to every word. Honestly I could listen to them talk all day, especially George. The three of us had been best friends since our 1st year and they never failed at making me laugh or made me feel out of place.

“in your seats everyone” Snape said as he stormed in the the room making everyone quite.

“the man sure knows how to make a whole room speechless” Fred mumbled. I snorted trying not to laugh out loud.

Snape whipped around book in hand. “turn to page 934”

Everyone did and 934-935 was covered with pictures and scribls of writing of a potions. A shape shifting potion to be exact. I raised an eye brow as me and Cedric read off the ingredients and the uses for the potion.

“this is unusual” Cedric mumbled. I just shrugged at the first words he's said to me all morning.

"as you can tell it's a little bit more complicated than your silly little minds can handle” Snape insulted. No one batted an eye as it was usual for him to treat this class in such manner. And yes, this class was mostly Hufflepuffs and had only a few Gryffindors.

“so you'll be working in groups” a couple of people nodded with no emotion and the others sighed in realife.

“this is an easy A” Cedric whispered. I nodded with nothing else to say. I was relieved that he wanted to pair up, it gave us extra time together but part of me knew I'd end up doing half of it while Cedric socialized. Even if he intentionally did it or not.

Our happy faces dropped slightly as Snape continued. “I'll be asing partners. Take a seat next to them when I can your names” a few brave people groaned and others just rolled their eyes.

“Diggory your with Chan” I felt my stomach turn as I heard the paring. I knew Cedric would never betray me like that but I see how Cho Chan looks at him. She gave him the same look Cedric gave me long ago.

Cedric patted my hand and left to set next to her. I gulped as Snape read off the names.

“Potter and Jorden”

“Brown and Johnson”

Snape then looked up and eyed the twins. They looked unfased and continued the stare down. “if you two think I trust you to be partners in this particular Potion you got another thing coming... Weasley and Longbottom” he said refusing to me.

Fred raised his hand in a smart-ass sort of way. “excuse me sir but... Which one”

Snape sighed and pointed to George. “which ever one you are work with Y/n Longbottom, the other one can go with Finnigan”

George happy sat next to me. I set up from my slouched potion and handed him a quill with as he flipped through his book.

“get started” Snape said bluntly.

As I was reading the steps I feel something soft touch my cheek. I batted away and continued reading. It came back again and this time it tickled more. I giggled and pushed the quill out of George's hand.

He laughed as he successfully got my attention. “which cauldron do you want to use?”

“we can use yours a guess” George nodded and got up to get his from his previous spot. As he did Cedric stared daggers into the ginger.

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

The cauldron boiled a Creamy white liquid as I grinded and cut up the different ingredients for the spell. On my right was George stirring the pot and reading the book.

“what do they mean shread something pure?” Cedric said getting a little too stressed over the potion. This class had never been his strong suit, which is why it would have been an 'easy A' if we were partners.

“your supposed to shread the dandelion” I said walking next door to his table. Right when I went over to help Cedric and the cauldron explode and the hot liquid splashed on my hand. I hiss and jerked beck into George's chest.

I held my hand as the cauldron dumped all over the floor. George quickly pulled me back from the steaming puddle. Cho and I coughed from the steam as Cedric stood there dumbfounded.

“Weasley take miss. Longbottom to Madam Pomfrey, and for the love of Godric clean your mess Diggory”

“y/n im sorr-” he started but George pulled me along towards the door.

“watch what your doing next time, Champion” I hear Fred say as we leave for the Infirmary.

Dispite the burning I felt on my hand I felt security as George walked next to me with his arm around me. I felt my heart sweal as he wrapped my hand in his red handkerchief and continued to ask me if I was alright.

“seriously, I'm fine Georgie” I chuckled as he opened the door to hospital wing. He smiled brightly as he held the door for me.

“madam Pomfrey, we got a Burned hand” George called out. The older woman sighed from the back and the sound of her foot steps followed. “What did you boys do now?”

She looked surprised as she saw me clenching my hand as stood next to George. “my dear what happened?”

“Diggory Knocked a hot potion onto her hand” George said looking visibly upset. Madam Pomfrey led me to one of the beds and George followed without hesitation.

George helped me on the bed as Pomfrey brought a stool to set in front of me. “let me see, Dear” she said softly. I hissed as the fabric left my red hand. You couldn't miss Pomfrey's expression as she examined my hand. I looked down for the first time and my eyes bugged out.

On my first two fingers had a thing strip of red coiled all the way up from my nails from my knuckles and the whole top of my and and thumb was covered in a deep red with white blisters.

She sighed sympathetically as she carefully studied my hand. “What potions were you using Dear?”

“it was supposed to be a shape shifting potion” I sighed. “Diggory's didn't go as planned, Godric knows what was put in that heaping pile of crap” George said butting in. The more the thought of it, the angry he got and thst didn't go unnoticed.

“did you breath anything in?”

I nodded thinking back when Cho and I were coughing and hacking from the steam from the potion.

“well, I can use a spell to transfer the heat out of your skin, then we'll put an ointment on it, but since we're not quite sure what was in the cauldron you'll have to say the night or just intill the potion leaves your system” Pomfrey explained.

Next she pulled out her wand and gently touched it to the tip of my finger. She gently pulled back before anything happened. “this usually hurts so brace yourself”

The tip of her wand touch my finger again and this time I grabbed George's hand with my good one. The pain wasn't as bad as imagined, but It felt like someone was pulling hot needles out of my hand.

After a few seconds she was done but there was still white and red puss like things that clinged to my hand. I looked at it in disgust as Madam Pomfrey gently coated my hand on ointment the rapped bandges over it.

“after dinner I want you to come back and then we'll decide if you have to stay over night” Pomfrey said. Me and George both nodded as he helped me off the bed.

“keep an eye on that poor girl, George” Madam Pomfrey yelled as we left. My cheeks dusted red as George closed the door behind us. He look equally red but tried really hard to hide it.

It wasn't awkward or anything, we were close friends and the whole school basically knew we were best friends. But knowing that George went out of his way to take me to the hospital wign and even stayed when he didn't need to made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

“so, your on first name bases with Madam Pomfrey know?” I asked playfully bumping his shoulder with mine. All the professors and staff usually referred to as with our last names so I was genuinely curious.

George chuckled and looked down. “yeah, when your Pyro maniacs like my brother and I you end up in the hospital wign for miner injuries.”

I nodded remembering all the times him and Fred would disappear after a practical joke gonne wrong or when one of their fireworks backfired.

George laughed and wrapped his arm around me. “let's get some dinner, I'm starving”

“same, let's go”

As we walked into the great hall it was already fairly packed. I looked over at the Hufflepuff table and spotted Cedric getting tugged around by his 'fans' as they flashed around their 'Potter stinks' pins around.

My smile fell as he was once again busy. It was a big room, I knew that much so there was no reason to get upset with him. George shook his head at him and pulled me to the Gryffindor table Where our brothers, Hermione and Harry were.

“heard about the hand, you okay Sis?” Neville asked as I sat down across from him. I gave my little brother a reassuring look and nodded. “I'm fine Nev”

“that's not what Pomfrey said...” George mumbled. I nudgged him as Fred who was setting on the other side of me gave me a concerned look. I elbowed him then looked at my friends worried faces.

“I'm seriously fine, she just said I might have to stay the night because we didn't quit know what was in Cedric's Cauldron.”

Hermione eyes widened with consern. “Cedric did that?”

“really?” Neville asked surprised but also had a hint of anger to his voice.

“it was an accident!” I sighed.

“well that accident might keep you in the hospital wign tonight” George said taking a bite of his chicken.

As dinner was coming to an End my stomach started to turn and my chest felt like it was tighting around my heart the harder it pounded.

I gulped and set my fork down as the voices around me started to sound muffled then none existent.

“y/n!”

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

“come on love” George's voice said faintly.

I winced as pounding progressed in my head. My eyes fluttered open as I adjusted to the sunlight that shined through the many windows.

I turned to my left and saw George's bright smile. Behind him was Neville, who was passed out in the bed next to mine.

“Hey, Darling how are you feeling?” I slightly smiled at the ginger I called my best friend.

“Why didn't anyone tell me?!” Cedric said suddenly making me jump by the sudden noise. Cedric then ran to my bed worried. George set back in his chair extending the space between us.

Cedric ran to my bed side and took my hand. His eyes full of concern and his expression was frazzled. He sat down next to me as George stared him down.

“he didn't seem to concerned yesterday, she's here because of him”

“thanks for staying with her Mate” Cedric said bringing George back to reality. George forced a smile at him but he couldn't hold back the sarcasm.

Before George could say anything Harry and Ron both peaked their heads in the room. “George, Neville Professor McGonagall is looking for you guys”

Neville set up from the bed beside mine and gave me a hug goodbye. “oh, how you feeling?” Ron asked. I smiled and held my thumb up.

“I'm good here, I'll catch her later” George responded. Cedric raised en eye browe. His face held a hint of jealousy as George stood his ground.

“it's fine go, I'll be here with her” Cedric said like he was trying to mark his territory. He stared down George and such a way I've never seen Cedric do.

“oh that makes me feel so much better” George mumbled under his breath. Cedric gave him a questioning look. “sorry, didn't catch that”

“nothing, I'll come by later N/n” George huffed as he lefted with his younger brother.

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

“ced, let's go!”

“yeah, mate let's go”

Cedric's Friends continued to call him as he sat at my bedside. He looked over his shoulder and chuckled as his Hufflepuff friends flagged him down. He then looked at me with a questioning look. Not wanting to fight and feeling slightly hurt that he'd leave so quickly I just forced a smile.

“go ahead, I'll be here” he smiled big and kissed my lips passionately. “thank you love”

I stared at burned hand with a sorrowful. As soon as I heard the door latch I let the tears fall. Everything seemed to be hitting me and sitting here made me think. I felt hurt on how easy Cedric left, like I was second priority. But with George he never wanted to leave.

I couldn't shake the thought of how easy It is to be around George Weasley... How safe it is. He always knew how to make me smile or laugh no matter what I was feeling thst day. I loved how his brown eye held so much love and humor. His eyes could be so lively and loving and barely show any fire or hate.

“what's wrong my dear?” Madam Pomfrey voice said suddenly said. I turned my head towards her and the words started falling uncontrollably.

“I kissed him, but I wanted it to be someone else... Dose that make me a bad person?” I mumbled. Madam Pomfrey gave me a soft expression.

“no, I doesn't” she said softly. She smiled turned around. She turned back when I spoke again. I couldn't shake the feeling romance was pointless. Are boyfriends and girlfriends just supposed to be on the side lines till their partner wants them? Is there such thing as love? I think love is what I feel when I'm around George.

“I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.”

Madam Pomfrey turned around with a small smile “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

“your still young dear, you'll find that someone” I nodded as she left.

Her words running through my brain over and over again.

[shipcestuous-two]

Fallout (spoilers!)

@bourbonthesecond: The new Fallout show has canon incest. The lead has been fooling around with her cousin but breaks it off for an arranged marriage. It's apparently enough of a feature in Vault life that they have laws against it but it seems to be fairly culturally accepted. He's heartbroken and rebounds with her best friend.

Anon:  I imagine you must have gotten a number of asks about this by now but!! I just watched the Fallout show with my partners and I'm not over the canonical cousin-incest that takes place in Vault 33 lmao. Episode 1 has characters casually talking about fooling around with their cousins as kids (before moving on to "real" relationships for the sake of procreation), and the protagonist's cousin is openly in love with her. She turns him down, but to me they felt like that had more chemistry than she did with her actual love interest lol.

I really enjoyed Fallout (a couple things about it make me scratch my head but I enjoyed the ride either way) and I’ve seen it twice now. 

It’s clear that, at least in Vault 33, fooling around with your cousin is no big deal. I’m not familiar with the games, so help me out here if you know for sure, but the vaults seem to have 100-200 people if they’re full. While I can see how that would lend itself to cousins fooling around, from lack of selection, it’s also not like there wasn’t anyone else she could be with. 

Lucy states that her reproductive organs are intact and she maintains good hygiene, but she hasn’t been able to find a suitable marriage partner in their vault. 

So, except for Chet being her cousin, and she agrees that cousins shouldn’t have children together, she considers him a suitable marriage partner. (Given their limited gene pool, cousins really shouldn’t be having children together in that context, probably. But how long before they’re all cousins anyway? Maybe it’s a pointless delaying of the inevitable.)

She tells her friend Steph that after ten years of “cousin stuff”, she’s ready for the real thing. It’s unclear if she and Chet were having sex, it kind of sounds like they weren’t doing the kind of stuff that could have gotten her pregnant. But ten years! That’s a long time. 

This whole thing was a little strange, because it’s played for laughs, but there’s just a little more to it than that. Chet is in love with Lucy, it wasn’t just fooling around for him. And Lucy says that everyone knows he’s in love with her. No one cares about that either, but they all follow the rule that she and Chet can’t marry. So that was interesting point #1. Interesting point #2 is that Chet is one of the main characters in the Vault 33. He’s secondary character overall. He could have easily just been a throw away character never mentioned again. Interesting point #3 is that Chet being in love with Lucy gets mentioned again, a couple of episodes later. In a rather sad way, when Norm suggests that Chet came with him to investigate Vault 32 because he’s still in love with Lucy and being with Norm reminds him of Lucy. It’s like, ok, make me cry. Why is this so sad!

While it isn’t discussed explicitly after that, it’s pretty clear that Chet isn’t happy with Steph. For more than one reason, but probably mainly because he’s still in love with Lucy. 

I assume, given the circumstances, that Chet is the maternal cousin of Lucy and Norm. While Chet and Norm spent quite a few scenes together, I didn’t like that they never referenced that they were cousins, too. This is a tangent, but when Chet was sent to live in Vault 32, Norm called him a coward instead of being like, “Bye, Cousin. I’ll miss you!” But I think he was just bad at showing that he felt abandoned and that now he would be alone with all of his questions. But what I’m really getting at is that Norm had lost his mother, his father, and Lucy, and then his cousin gets sent to live in the other vault and they’ll only see each other every three years, if even. 

I also wanted to note that Norm calls Chet a coward, which was really hypocritical since we know Norm feels guilty about hiding during the big fight, but which also isn’t fair because when Lucy wanted to go to the surface, Chet wanted to go with her and she had to drug him to stop him. 

I really can’t believe that the show has a tortured canon cousins relationship, with sympathetic unrequited love and the two of them forbidden from marrying. 

While of course Lucy has a canon love interest on the surface and likely won’t be back to Vault 33 anytime soon, it is kind of fun that her arranged marriage, her “real thing” ended up being a man who tried to kill her. It’s like, Chet is looking pretty good right now, isn’t he? 

[stendysolos]

silly rant about wendy and stan :3

but like the rants are seperate

so to whoever wants to read this shit i think wendy doesnt work with anyone else besides stan. if you say "kyle can treat her better!" first of all stfu u kyndy shippers are annoying asf and second of all no he would not. he would clearly get jealous of other guys and he would be really controlling (not in earlier seasons) and lets just be fr for a sec... wendy would either fall out of love or get back with stan again because yknow they always go back to eachother. and plus an arguement between wendy and kyle would be ugly especially if theyre together, they both can get mad asf and the arguement would last ATLEAST a few days. and atleast stan can handle her disagreeing and yelling at him. now lets see who else shes paired with. i wanna talk abt wendy and token. first of all i dont believe wendy ever loved token because we never see theyre relationship outside of raisins. what i believe is that wendy only dated token to try and get stans attention because he did neglect the relationship and maybe she was attention-hungry. and now the final one i wanna talk to about is cartman. i hate wendy x cartman (more than i hate kyndy) because we know it would never work. she even said that she lost all feelings towards cartman after chef goes nanners. and even if you argue and say that they had good chemestry in that episode let me remind you that she ran back to stan at the end of the episode. she clearly hates cartman and clearly would rather killherself than date cartman. i dont think cartman deserves to be with anyone (except maybe yentl) because he's pretty much unlovable.

now onto stan, i dont think he works with anyone but wendy. lets take a look at style. first of all kyle has left stan several times before. he left him for token and he also never helped him with his depression in your getting old. but guess who was there to cheer him up? wendy was. wendy was one of the only people that didnt get sick of him in that episode and it really shows how much she cares for stan. and in you have 0 friends even though wendy was kinda being... weird, stan did listen to her and tried to edit his settings on his facebook.

also i wanna bring up... best friends doesnt = dating.

also i wanna talk abt stendy as a relationship. i think that they might be able to work as friends but as partners is when theyre dynamic works best. girlboss and loser bf. in all honesty stan and wendy might have the best dynamic/healthiest relationship out of everyone. theyve been shown to care about eachother lots of times and in the older seasons was when they really had their cutest moments. modern stendy isnt bad either, wendy is able to forgive stan at the end of the chat gpt episode because she loves him. and stan really cares for wendy too. he went with wendy to see shitty movies just to spend time with her and he also wrote a song for her. stendy is my absolute favorite ship and i hate when ppl make them cheat on eachother. stan would never and wendy wouldnt either. and one thing i noticed is that stan is loyal to wendy, sure he may have had a few crushes on other girls but, he never actually tried to make a move on any of them (except ms ellen) but through out all their break ups, stan never dating anyone besides wendy, which shows he really does love her enough to the point where he would hit on anyone while she was gone

also this section is just random but i wanted to put it here:

would stan work with other girls?

theres 3 main people i wanted to pair stan with. heidi, bebe, and red. first i want to talk abt is red and stan. i feel like they would be more friends than lovers. we dont really see much of reds personality but we do know that she acts like the other girls. stan doesnt really interact with girls that much so we dont really see a certain dynamic between them. another girl i want to talk abt is bebe. bebe is an interstening character, she can be nice, outgoing and funny but she can switch up to be sassy and rude. stan and bebe are like the listeners/jocks of their groups. they both have their hobbys that go on the field (stan plays football and bebe is a cheerleader). i feel like stan and bebe would be besties shit talking everybody. and lastly i want to move onto heidi. i feel like they could work as an alternate incase stan and wendy have a permenant break up (lets be honest thats never happening). i feel like heidi likes/ is fond of stan. she went up to him for advice abt cartman and he's probably the one that knows cartman the least. and in the bracelets episode he asked her for glue which i find funny. and i feel like their love of animals would help them bond.

ok i think im done with this rant

so basically:

wendy and kyle dont get along prob, stendy is a healthy relationship, cartman and wendy hate eachother, stan and red are mutuals, stan and bebe are prob besties, and stan and heidi could work but like... stendy solos.

ok bye yall

[minhosimthings]

Je Te Veux:A Jay Fic

Chapter 1: Sugar Bowls and Handsome Strangers

Summary : Lee Y/N, youngest daughter of the Lee empire which rules of South Korea, meets a stranger one night at a party. Only fate knows what happens to both of them.

Pairings: Fem!Reader × RichHeir!Jay, includes rest of Enha. Mentions of Itzy, stray kids and other groups in the coming chapters!

Warnings: Mentions of food and alcohol, mention of bullets, reader fantasizing about Jay's fingers, Reader wears a dress and a sports bra.

A/N: This is my first work everyone! I don't have much experience in these things so please give me mental support. I'm just a delusional girl in my Jay era.

No poet, musician, lyricist, author, scriptwriter or painter could explain the love you had for Park Joengsaeng. And yet here you were standing in your garden,trying to deny your feeling for him as you ramble to your older brother.

You had met him at a nice little party hosted by your filthy rich parents. You were bumbling off on your own by the dangling lanterns when you noticed another boy fiddling with his glass of Champagne. He had a black Burberry suit on with an emerald brooch stuck to his breast pocket. And he looked like the most handsome person in the crowd of rich people and their snobbish children. After all, your parents were the owners of the biggest jewelry company in South Korea and quite frankly, the entire world. All of these old men and women and boys and girls dressed in silk and chiffon were the owners and heirs to luxurious companies. You had known every person at that party because of forced introductions from your parents, but still you had never seen this peculiar boy standing at the christmas tree all on his own. He looked simply dressed compared to all the other boys there, who were dressed in suits of reds, greens and purples with pearls hanging from their trousers and their necks. But yet, he stood out and looked more sleek than anyone else. And in a flash, his eagle- like eyes pierced yours and you were slightly startled. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did he make your soul leap up? You quickly looked at your Jimmy Choo heels and then at the skirt of you green Versace dress which your mother had finally allowed you to wear. The dress wasn't anything immodest. It was a half shoulder cotton dress, sparkly and knee length which attracted many teenage heirs who flirted shamelessly with you. Thankfully you knew how to get rid of them with your quick tongue and sharp wit, which your mother despised and you father was proud of. Although you thought that perhaps it was your brother, Heeseung who scared them off. Ah yes your brother. Mr Lee Heeseung, heir to the golden empire of the Lee Family which has been handed down for centuries. He was a charming young lad who had girls swooning over him 24/7. Unfortunately for them, he had a girlfriend, Shin Yu-Na of the silk empire of the Shin family. She was sweet, beautiful and the greatest future sister in law you could ever wish for. Your brother always had his gang of six heirs around him. They were his best friends from childhood as your parents were partners with their parents. You had met all of them and were on first name terms. Well, all except for one. Park Jay on the vast Park empire of weaponry and alcohol. He had a younger brother Park Sunghoon, who you were already friends with. But Jay was, invisible to say the least. You had never seen him in person and had only known him from what your brother spoke of him. Even your parents had never seen him. But you weren't curious. You were always focused on your writing career and plus, you had your brother's friends with you too. You mind snapped back to reality as your mother called you over to the champagne table. You looked to see where the stranger was but he was gone. Shaking your head, you led your way towards your parents, your brother, his friends and Yuna. All of then were sitting with their fancy suits and dresses and raising their glasses filled with bubbly alcohol to their mouths. You sat down next to Heeseung and Yuna and joined the conversation. Heeseung looked at you and remarked "Ah Y/N you've finally graced us with your unholy presence."

You playfully slapped his arm and turning to Yuna, you asked "How are you Unnie? How's Ryunjin Unnie?" Yuna answered "You brother has been spoiling me awfully after forgetting our anniversary. Ryunjin's fine. She's focusing on dance for now." You nodded and looked down the table to see Sim Jayeun or Jake, the eldest son of a vast empire of fuels, talking to your father. Next to them were Kim Sunoo and Yang Jungwon, step brothers who ran the cotton buisness in the country. Further down the table were Park Sunghoon and Nishimura Riki who was the youngest son of a Japanese empire who ruled over the ocean and its belongings.

Slowly you turned your head towards your father. You watched as from the shadows behind your father's chair emerged a boy in a black suit. It was him! The mysterious stranger! He slowly smiled at you and Heeseung as he made his way to sit next to Sunghoon, but not before giving a warm hug to your brother and muttering "it's been a long time brother". Heeseung and Yuna beamed at him while you looked at him more clearly this time. Gosh he was handsome. You wondered absent-mindedly of his age when Yuna leaned in and said " It's Jay. Thank god he came. Heeseung was dying. He's your age Y/N. And he's handsome. Might wanna think about something with him ya know?" You flushed red as you got up with everyone else to head to the dining table to for dinner. You locked your arms with Sunoo, who was probably the closest to you and questioned "Sunoo, why have I and hundreds of other guests here, never met Jay?" Sunoo looked at you with his fox eyes, smirked and answered "He's a mysterious man noona. The only people here who have met him more than one time are Heeseung hyung and Sunghoon hyung. They say he's shy and likes to keep to himself. Even I have only met him on three occasions. He is attractive though and your age, if you still want a ring on your finger." Sunno giggled under his breath and you playfully slapped his arm and went to sit down somewhere and pounce on your food. Unfortunately as you reached the table, Heeseung called out to you, motioning to a seat between him and Jay. "No, Oh no I can't sit next to him! I'm gonna puke" Your brain started on its anxious train of thoughts again as you sat down next to brooding man with dark hair and piercing eyes. You tried to avoid his gaze, but still couldn't help but look at his handsome arms and fingers that could keep you up all night. He ate his food with such grace that you thought he must have been brought up by a ballerina. You didn't try to talk to him and instead scanned the table trying to catch the eye of someone you know. You thankfully caught the eye of Jake and motioned subtly towards Jay as if to say 'help me'. Jake, however only smiled and proceeded to put mashed potatoes on Riki's plate all the while taking about how thin he's gotten. You rolled you eyes at the Mama bird Jake moment and instead reached across for the sugar bowl to top your tea with. As you sipped on the warm liquid, a soothing voice cut across and asked "May I please have the sugar bowl?"You looked to your right at Jay, who was looking at you with those beautiful galaxies in his eyes and extending a hand towards the sugar bowl. "Oh" you stole your eyes away from his and took the sugar bowl "Of course." You handed him the wooden bowl as your hands brushed against his and smiled as he thanked you and gave you a small smile. As dinner finished and the sugar bowl moment still lingered in your brain, you father called you and your brother and his six companions (including Jay) over to the wine fountain where their parents were also present. You walked along with Jungwon and stood next to Yuna and your mother as everyone engaged in small talk. Your brother took you in hand and guided you over to Jay who was staring at the skyline from the large glass windows. "Jay. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Lee Y/N, an aspiring writer and my younger sister" Jay turned to you and looked you up and down, as if checking a dress on a mannequin. He extended his hand and you shook it, taking note of the scars that decorated it.Turning to you, Heeseung said "Jay is the heir to the Park family and he's your age. He barely comes to see me because apparently his work is his lover." He shot Jay a smirk while Jay looked on nonchalantly. "He also wanted to be a writer you know? I wonder what happened to that dream." Jay furrowed his eyebrows and said "That dream is impossible to accomplish with what I do everyday. Plus, didn't you wanna be a car mechanic when you were younger hyung?" Heeseung chuckled and replied "That's exactly what Y/N says whenever I bring up her writing career."

Yuna came over soon and putting her hand on her boyfriend , she said "You mother is asking for you Seungie. Why don't we leave Jay and Y/N to chat for a while?" Heeseung nodded and left with Yuna by his side, but not before both of them threw you devious smirks.You awkwardly picked up two glasses of wine from a tray and gave one to Jay. He muttered a thank you and stared out the window again at all the bulidings. In an attempt to make conversation with him you started with the sentence "So, how are liking the party?". Jay looked at you as you mentally slapped yourself for asking such a boring question, but you couldn't think straight whilst admiring his visual. His stunning eyes and his glamorous hair, styled in curls and his eagle like stare put you in a bit of a temporary limbo."It's nice. Never been to one outside of my parent's parties actually. I usually just stay in the corners until everyone leaves and then I stuff myself with food up in my room", he confessed and you heart took a turn as you said "Me too actually. I just attend for the alcohol and to judge everyone's dresses". You hoped that he hadn't taken those last words in a wrong way but he chuckled and smiled. "Surprisingly you do the exact same thing I do." He sipped his wine again and you took in those beautiful fingers again wondering what they would be like inside of you. "So Y/N," Jay leaned against the window "I might ask you a boring question but what are your plans for the future?" You stole your eyes away from his lips ( with much difficulty) and replied in what you hoped was your normal voice "Well, as my brother mentioned, I do have plans to be a writer. I interned a bit as an editor at a publishing company. But my parents have hopes that I will run the designer part of the company one day. They seem to think I have a good eye for fashion, but in all honesty, I just know about a goose egg's worth about it." Jay's mouth twitched a bit as he asked "Did you choose the dress and shoes yourself?" "Yes. This is one of my most favourite dresses but unfortunately for my mother it's too 'distracting'. Thankfully she let me wear it." You took note of the small smiles Jay gave you in between sentences, which you hoped was him saying 'hey this conversation is interesting'.

Your brother soon came to get you as you had embarked on the very interesting topic of emeralds and sapphires with Jay."Hey lovebirds. The party's over and everyone's left. Well almost everyone" he said glancing over at the 5 boys trying to stack wine glasses. Your heart leapt again on hearing the word 'lovebirds'. Jay however looked unbothered as he kept his wine glass on the table and made his way to hug Heeseung again. "I'll see you tomorrow brother. Hopefully in better clothes. Miss Y/N" He said bowing to you. You bowed back as he took your hand and kissed it. Yep if you weren't in love earlier, you certainly were now. Jay made his way to the door with Heeseung's arm around him and you slowly made your way to Sunoo and the rest of the boys, all the while admiring Jay's broad shoulders. "I don't care what my parents say. I'm crashing here tonight in Heeseung hyung's room." Sunghoon stretched and put his arm around Sunoo, who started blushing like crazy. You smiled warmly at Jungwon who smiled back and glanced at Sunghoon and Sunoo, who you knew had a crush on the former. "Well if you all are gonna sleep here, shouldn't we ask our parents first?" You questioned Jake, who was busy wiping a stain on his white blazer. "You're right and we have already done that Y/N. All of them are getting drunk in the cellar now. I expect they won't wake up tomorrow that soon to discuss deals again." He wiped the sweat on his forehead and continued "I had hoped Jay would stay but seems like Heeseung hyung is already dropping him off." You don't know why but that sentence made you weirdly sad. "Noona, noona look what I can do" Riki's voice rang in your ears as he tried and failed to do a handstand. He stood up and looked at you with puppy eyes as Jake chuckled and whispered "He's had five drinks and he's already drunk. Kid has the lowest tolerance I've ever seen". You smiled to yourself and called Jungwon to take Riki upstairs to the guest bedrooms as Riki muttered something along the lines of "I can take care of myself Jungwon hyung. Let go". You prepared to go upstairs yourself as the oak doors opened and Heeseung and Jay stepped back in. You froze at the sight of Jay's messed up hair and his slightly opened shirt. Heeseung wore a proud look on his face and said "Well I managed to convince mr grumpy here to stay the night cause we need to discuss buisness tomorrow anyway so Y/Nah would you please take him up to the guest bedroom next to your room?" You threw a glare at Heeseung as he innocently smiled and pushed Jay towards you. "Of course. Come on Mr. Park." You guided him upstairs and showed him to the brown oak door next to the blue one with your name carved in. "There you go Mr.Park. I'm sure you'll be comfortable. Ring the bell if you need anything". You pointed towards the tiny golden bell attached to the door as Jay smiled and said "Please Miss Y/N. Call me Jay. Thank you for your kindness. I'll see you tomorrow." He threw you a wink and quickly shut the door as you went into your own room and kicked the air as you mentally fed yourself the delusion that Jay was definitely your soulmate.

The next day, you woke up in your bed and tossed around on your red pillows for 5 minutes before getting up and walking sluggishly to the bathroom. You definitely only had two glasses of champagne and a glass of wine last night but your head said otherwise. It was still 7:48 by the time you got out the bathroom and into your sports bra and gym shorts. You went down and were greeted by a very quite hall. You usually got up early to take a run around your garden and work out before heading to breakfast with everyone else. You made a mental note to remind Heeseung of his promise to play basketball with you today. You heard snoring noises from the other guest bedrooms and assumed that it was all the parents and their heirs crashed out from last night's party. Passing by Jay's room (and ignoring the urge to open it like those K Dramas you watch) you noticed it was locked from the outside. Your family's mansion had a unique key system where you could figure out when it was locked from the inside and when it was locked from the outside. Shrugging it off, you made you way downstairs, drank your very sweet coffee, ate a banana half heartedly and made your way out the doors. The bodyguards were still there and they smiled as you greeted them. You always had a great relationship with your bodyguards. Being the daughter of one of the most powerful people in South Korea meant that a sniper could be roaming anywhere. Your bodyguard, Chan, was six years older than you and a great father figure. He was always by your side and had even took two bullets for you once.

You started your run from the marigold bushes and decided to run to the koi pond today, five times more than what you had run two days ago. Plugging your ear buds in you put on the 5 Star Album (go stream it again and again) and picked up the pace as the beat of the song got faster. You had reached your favourite sycamore tree when you noticed a man doing push ups by the great chestnut trees. Curious, you abandoned your run, stopped your songs and silently creeped up and hid behind another tree. Then you recognised those beautiful curls of hair of Park Jay. That explains the locked door of his room! You admired his agility for a solid five minutes while staring at his biceps which were visible from the tank top he was wearing. While wondering how his arms would look wrapped around you, his eyes caught yours just as they did the night before. He got up from his position and exclaimed, with a smile, in that soothing voice "If you're done staring, you can come out from behind the tree, Miss Y/N". Startled, you bounced out from behind the tree and awkwardly stood there. "I'm sorry. I was on my run and usually no one's awake by this time. Bit surprising you got up this early from last night's party" You hoped that your reply was enough to satisfy him. He shot you a grin and said "Well I was just about to pack up and head back. But seeing as you're here, might you want to head back with me?". Your heart was going to explode like it does in cartoons when a character is in love. You muttered a small "yes" and waited as Jay packed up his bottle and yoga mat. You took note of his shoulders again. God, he looked like Achilles and Hercules combined.

The walk back to the mansion was surprisingly calm. You ambled across the grass and Jay walked in his usual collected manner, both of you not speaking a word to each other. You shot him tiny glances now and then and hoped that he hadn't seen you creepily staring at him every moment. You reached the mansion as your bodyguards opened the doors and you were greeted by loud chatter as everyone was happily breakfasting. You cringed and tightened your shoulders, thinking about how your parents would react to your sweaty self arriving at their front door, accompanied by your brother's best friend's sweaty self. Jay, trotted slowly towards Heeseung, grabbed a glass of water, muttered a 'your sister caught me in the garden' and disappeared upstairs. After he was well out of earshot, you mother, Sunoo and Sunghoon all said at once "What were you doing with Jay, Y/N?",whilst wiggling their eyebrows. Surprised at their syncronicity and annoyed at the question, you simply replied "I was out on a run to the koi pond and I spotted Jay doing pushups and then we walked back to the house together after sweating our asses off. Happy?" You glared at your mother and ran off upstairs to take a shower and change into much better smelling clothes. Reaching your door, you noticed a pink sticky note stuck on top of the carving of your name. On it was written, in loopy handwriting "Sorry for leaving you alone to deal with that. Wanna have a glass of afternoon wine to make it up to you?". It was signed 'Jay'. Your heartbeat ran an entire marathon as you entered your parchment covered room and went directly to the shower. You picked up your coffee scented shampoo and ran the lather through the strands of your hair. Wearing your tank top and bell bottoms, you went down to finally fullfill your rumbling tummy. Reaching the now, clean table with only one plate (yours) present, you picked up your fork and gorged on the scrambled eggs.

The rest of the morning went in a breeze as you (im) patiently waited for afternoon to arrive. Jay and the rest of the boys and your parents went off to the main hall to discuss buisness while you, Yuna, Riki and Sunoo, who had thankfully escaped from the meeting went out. Sunoo and Yuna went to buy earrings and you and Riki got stuck at the arcade, trying to win some fake gold coins (which upon learning that they were Taiyaki coupons, Riki became more determined). After Riki finally won the Pac-Man game, both of you sat down to take a breath and sip on your melted slushies. "So noona, what's going on between you and Jay Hyung?" Riki innocently sipped his drink while looking at you with his cheetah like eyes. You gave him a sour glare and said "Nothing's going on between me and Jay. We literally just met last night and fate was just cruel to me today that I had to meet him in the garden" Riki gave you a confused look and replied "But, doesn't Jay Hyung like you? He always drooled over pictures of you which he saw in Heeseung hyung's photos. Eh I don't know. I'm too young for this." He took a big sip of his red slushy as you sat there, dumbfounded and wanting to burst into a thousand paper pieces.

That's it y'all. The next chapter will probably be out in a while cause I also have some college work to do too. But I will release it from the grasps of my notes app soon. Look forward to it!!!

[isagrimorie]

[initial reactions] Critical Role C3x65

(This took a while to do because the first one I wrote vanished when I hit 'undo' to undo one action and it erased everything).

SO. Many things happened!

Out of the gate, Laudna aired her frustration about how Team Wildemount seemed to have had a better time than their team. And everything FCG, Imogen, and Fearne said just made things worse.

Until Laudna let out the 'And your new best friend' thing with Imogen and Frida. Imogen looked so bewildered, her 'excuse me???'

Ashton remains the heart of the group, I love that Ashton missed Chetney and his shenanigans (even though Laudna looked like she was a second away from throttling him). And I'm glad they were able to talk to FCG to calm down a little. FCG was working on my final nerve when they internalized Laudna's frustrations and made it all about them. It feels like Ashton had an epiphany and realization after seeing Laudna's breakdown, it was a wake-up call. Also for them, Bells Hells is:

We also get to learn more about Ashton's backstory and maybe they didn't pursue the direct Hishari line but maybe they can pursue that question in Zephra.

I love the whole thing with the Duskmaven. I love the vision and the realization that Vax is still suffering in that Orb.

The vision the Matron of Ravens gave to Orym, Fearne, and Chetney was fantastic. Matt’s description was so evocative. And then the doors slamming except instead of doors its the white mask of the Matron. She’s in mourning.

I continue to adore the differing views about gods, I love that both Ashton and Laudna’s view is— they don’t need to worship the gods to save them and the world. And after everything Ashton went through, maybe it’s the gods turn to reach for him, and that for Laudna, just like with FRIDA, her faith belongs with the people she’s with.

Let’s talk about Fearne’s ‘I won’t lose anyone else’? Because she’s not as vocal about it. But she’s equally as traumatized losing people but also she might not be possessive of her sexual and romantic partners but friends? Fearne is possessive of. Orym is her best friend!

I also love that Chetney had to deal with the consequences of his actions. He forgot about it but Matt didn’t!

Fearne and FCG are scrying for Ludinus and Liliana and find… that they’re both on the Rudius moon!

Even Ira is on the moon! So. I feel like the end game for this is Bells Hells going to the moon, on a race against time to stop Ludinus for doing his final thing to free Predathos (who will then eat him). I don’t know why Lililana is still following Ludinus since it’s obvious his promises were bunk, but I suppose sunk cost fallacy is a thing.

Also as Aabria said: “Are we all dancing around the fact y’all need to go to the moon?” Because she was RIGHT! They were dancing around the fact they’re all going to have to go to the moon! Thus kickstarting Exandria’s Space Race!

And now to the MAIN THING.

I love actually, that this whole thing with them: the misunderstanding, the kiss all happened with Imogen’s ability to passively mind read shut off. I also love that it all comes in the heels of Laudna airing out her frustrations. Because this time Imogen has to really talk to Laudna, she can’t just get the mental vibe from her. They have to talk. IMO this is the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them, I think they both relied on the fact that Imogen can just ‘hear’ Laudna’s thoughts.

Laudna never minded that Imogen can hear Laudna’s thoughts. But I love that Imogen not hearing Laudna’s thoughts at first pass is actually good for them. Because now Imogen has to learn how to communicate with Laudna through words and sometimes she’s off the mark — the first part where almost everything Imogen said just upset Laudna, to Imogen’s tentative: “Can I kiss you? Because I’m not sure anymore.”

Also, ‘Can I kiss you?’ both did and didn’t come out of nowhere this is a direct continuation of Laudna and Imogen’s conversation the eve of the Solstice. It all started with:

IMOGEN: I don’t know, since you came back, I’ve been almost scared to say anything. [a beat] LAUDNA: Say what? And Imogen did confess to Laudna but Laudna didn’t get it! And then the next second, they were separated from each other.

I can imagine Imogen thinking the next time she gets to see Laudna again she’s not going to chicken out and then Laudna misinterpreting her friendship with FRIDA seems to have resolved Imogen further. Her bewildered: “Excuse me???” was everything.

And then there’s Laudna’s everything, her stress and her breakdown, and fear that her worst self is her only self when it’s the furthest from the truth. Imogen would follow Laudna into the dark because she also feels the calls of temptation. She used to hate her powers but she’s accepted her powers and learned to love it because without her powers she would never have met Laudna.

But also, Laudna being in her Regency Romance era (to coincide with Laura’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ era) they are so compatible with that Regency Romance with a large serving of Gothic romance.

I’m so intrigued at how both Laudna and Imogen are keeping their change of status from best friends to dating to themselves but it also makes sense they want to figure this thing they have with each other away from other people’s input and feelings.

I also can’t wait for Laudna’s new outfit and Pate backpack home.

And now they're in Zephra, off to one of the most beautiful places in Exandria when everything's on the edge of tipping into something. I can't wait to watch the next episode!

Also, it took awhile but I finally got to finish this not so initial reactions. Thanks, tumblr for the delay!

[nach0]

MCYT Yuri Week; Day Two - AU/ Post Canon

"You loved me?"

Wordcount: 776

AO3 Link

Being wanted for your own murder was something Gem never once thought she’d have to deal with, let alone welcome the accusations. It certainly made her job easier, even if she’d prefer not being hated by nearly every faction.

When she goes to an old ally for help, long kept secrets are revealed in a way neither expected.

Gem knew contacting the villains was risky. She knew it would only push the public’s opinion of her further from vigilante than it had ever been.

(She knew having to face her old friend, twisted into someone dark from rage and grief, would hurt more than leaving her behind the first time.)

But it was something she had to do. If she wanted to take down the organisation, if she wanted to stop anyone else from becoming like her, Boatem was her best chance. She just hoped they’d send anyone for the meeting except-

“You’ve got some nerve, Refraction. Asking us, asking me for help, after what you’ve done?”

“Eclipse. I thought I was going to speak with Conductor.”

Gem kept her voice even despite the knife at her throat. Refraction didn’t show emotion. Refraction couldn’t show any form of weakness. Maybe she would come clean after her job was done, but it was safer for everyone if she remained detached.

“He decided to let me take the lead on this. My first real mission as one of them, deciding whether we help you…” The knife pressed further into her throat, a trickle of blood warm against the cool of the night. Gem tried to pretend the thumping of her heart was from adrenaline. “Or whether you bleed out right here, right now.”

She let out a long laugh, high with a hint of madness, and nothing like the warmth her laughter used to hold. But it wasn’t productive to think about the past. Not yet.

“Is this how Inferno felt? When you trapped her in a burning building? I’m sure you thought it was all very ironic, or maybe you thought it was justice,” Eclipse hissed into her ear. “You make me sick.”

“I don’t see how she’s relevant to this. Villains aren’t supposed to be attached to heroes, and you don’t have to like me to give me the information I need.”

In a moment Eclipse had withdrawn the knife, flipping her onto the ground with a force that took the air from her lungs, showing nothing but rage as she shoved a knee into her chest to keep her down.

“Inferno was a better person than you’ll ever be. If anyone would have been able to change the system from inside it would have been her. But you robbed her of the chance to even try.”

“Inferno was an idiot!” Gem shouted, anger shattering her carefully even tone. “She was just another pawn for the heroes, never once questioning them! She wouldn’t have changed anything!”

Admittedly, it wasn’t a smart idea to piss off the villain currently in a murderous mood, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being martyred. She hadn’t ‘died’ a hero, in any sense of the word, and she’d certainly never been smart enough to see through the cracks of the organisation in life.

The knife slashed across her face and she had to scramble to keep her mask attached, caring more for her identity than the wound itself.

“I was going to get her out.” Eclipse’s voice was flat. She was never calm, always full of emotions, and the emptiness was almost scarier than her mania. “We had a plan. It was just a matter of waiting for the right time to explain things. Then you took that chance away.”

“Why do you even care? She wasn’t your partner, and I know you wouldn’t be this worked up if it was someone like Glacier.”

“I care because I loved her!”

The world stopped. Eclipse’s breath was harsh and her eyes were wide, like she hadn’t meant to admit it, but the words seemed to echo through the otherwise quiet night. Gem couldn’t help the response that slipped out.

“You… you loved me?”

After a pause, a devastatingly long moment in which they were the only two people in the world, Eclipse reached down to tug away her mask. 

“...Spark? You’re- why didn’t you tell me? You let me think you were dead, I was about to kill you for- for murdering yourself!”

Gem allowed herself a moment before she acted. A moment to imagine reaching up, pulling Eclipse, Ray, Golden, whichever of the thousand little nicknames they’d come up with together, into a hug so tight they could never separate again. 

The moment passed.

She shoved Eclipse off her, scrambling up and pulling the crystal from her neck to hold it towards the sky. The moonlight shone through it and she used her power to amplify it until it was blinding.

By the time it cleared, Gem was gone.

Conductor delivered the information she needed three days later. 

~

@mcyt-yuri-week

[moonlit-mystery-writer]

Ranking reveal please ! "5 most compatible with the oc of your choosing amongst khr cast' ✨️ ( — romantic ! or not! it is up to you.) maybe, with explanations?

Gonna try my best to answer this with Fina and Hideko lol.

Fina

1. Levi - I know you’ve read the explanation as to why, but I’ll link it here for anyone else

2. Lussuria - We’re jumping from most likely to maybe in some distant timeline lol. Because Lussuria is the head of the Sun division, I headcanon he oversees medical things that happen in the Varia at least a little bit. Therefore, he knows all of Fina’s issues and spends a lot of time with her for her treatments. For Fina, Lussuria reminds her of the more vibrant side of her big sister. It’s a comfort to have him around just as much as it can overstimulate her. Thankfully years by Xanxus’ side and tending to others has helped Lussuria learn how to dodge things thrown at him in a rage.

In the normal verse for her, they’re just friends. And that’s even a bit of a stretch.

3. Spanner - This would be exclusive to future him. But even then, she’d feel a little awkward as a woman in her 30s and he’s like vaguely in his twenties? (Pretty sure he’s Shoichi’s age when he shows up in the present day, so???) Either way, they’d mesh pretty well.

If she met him in normal verse, they’d be just friends.

4. Shoichi - Same reasons as Spanner above, this time the two can also bond over gut issues.

In normal verse, she’d also only be friends with him.

5. Bianchi - Future arc version again, since present day Bianchi is only 17. Honestly, I’m putting her here because these two would have such a toxic yuri relationship lol. Bianchi is basically everything Fina’s sister wasn’t as a sister and that would drive Fina crazy. She views what her sister did for her growing up as what an older sibling should do for their younger sibling. But she also wouldn’t be against eating poison cooking. What’s the worst the could happen? Fucking up her body even more than it’s doing on its own?

Hideko

Before I start her rankings, I wanna say, not only is she a lesbian but she’s also technically taken already by a different oc of mine. (Whether they’ll be poly lesbians or not is up in the air right now)

1. Haru - So! This’ll get into some of the plotting I have for the Rewrite. But in the arc Hideko shows up, Haru’s the one who tries to fight her first because Hideko hurt Tsuna and they just happen to go to the same school. By the end of the arc, the two are still antagonistic towards each other when around each other, but neutral any time else. So while Haru ranks high, their relationship would be extremely rocky at first.

2. Kyoko - The relationship is very similar to Haru’s above, but with one step up in difficulty. As unlike Haru, Kyoko doesn’t get to see Hideko actually improve her behavior a little at school.

3. Hana - The closest to a neutral option I can give Hideko! However, the fact Kyoko dislikes her much makes it even more unlikely.

4. Adelheid - These two could almost work! Except one crucial detail; Hideko thinks Enma is a bigger loser than Tsuna. And like she is with Tsuna, she’s very shameless and vocal of her opinion. This would drive Adelheid insane.

5. Shittoppi - These two ultimately have very little chemistry. She only ranks because Hideko is used to odd people thanks to one of her own guardians being odd. But that’s where it ends. Their lack of chemistry plus Hideko’s thoughts on Enma as stated above would ultimately drive these two apart.

I didn’t do friendships here, as none of these lovely ladies would actively want to befriend Hideko. At best, pleasant business partners with her.

[drowninginredink]

Any aro/aro-spec hcs for asoue? :)

Yes! Absolutely! Let's go in order from most to least canon!

Lemony Snicket is the most demiromantic and demisexual character to have ever existed and I don't need to say anything else about that.

Montgomery Montgomery literally said "I always meant to find a wife and start a family, but it just keep slipping my mind." That is the single most aro thing I have ever heard.

Similarly, I do not remember what the exact quote is for this one, but Justice Strauss has never married because her one true love is the law. I hate Justice Strauss but that is pretty solid proof that she's aro.

Bertrand Baudelaire. I love aro Bertrand so much. I've got a post about a particular way aroace Bertrand could play out, but like, even if we aren't going with that version of events, I still love aro Bertrand. Aroallo, aroace, just aro, whatever. I love the idea that he was Beatrice's aro best friend that she ended up marrying when romance proved to be too risky in their field.

I really love the idea of Kit as aro (allo) and Dewey was the one relationship she was really able to feel comfortable in. I mean she's probably more aro-spec than aro, but I don't feel like she's a microlabel person. Her and Dewey's relationship is officially romantic, but there's something of a QPR-esque understanding between them. Also they are the most bi4bi couple I have ever seen. Kit is polyamorous and Dewey is monogamous but is totally fine with her having relationships outside of theirs. Look, I know no one ever likes the canon ships in anything, but I really love Kit and Dewey and have spent a lot of time thinking about them and have written almost 4k words of a Kit/Dewey fic I'll probably never finish but do really like.

I have no actual reason that Fernald is aroallo except that I say so and one day I want to write a fic about him and Kit in a situationship. But. He is. He is alloaro and that's the truth.

As for the Baudelaires, I don't have any solid orientation headcanons for them. The answer is usually "I don't care" unless I'm writing a fic where being queer makes them more interesting (shout-out to that lesbian Violet fic I wrote that's on FFN and one day I'll completely overhaul and put on AO3). That said, I do absolutely see Violet and Klaus as not getting into romantic relationships at the very least until after Beatrice and Sunny are adults, because they'd rather stay together as their own family unit, if they ever get into them at all. I see Violet and Klaus staying together even after Sunny and Bea move out and have their own lives. I think they would just rather have each other around than anyone else. Does that make them aro? Not necessarily. Plenty of alloromantic people never get married/have long-term partners, and plenty of aromantics do. But I still think it bears mentioning here. (Sorry to everyone who thinks they'll join back up and get together with the Quagmire they prefer to ship them with, but uh... yeah no, I don't think they see the Quagmires ever again)

[ikkaku-of-heart]

“Why Ikkaku Ships LawNa” TED Talk

Stepping onto the stage, Ikkaku was dressed fairly professionally. A crisp black blazer, pencil skirt, and oddly enough, glasses she did not need in the slightest. Adjusting those glasses, she cleared her throat before unbuttoning the blazer to reveal a t-shirt underneath, LAW X NAMI 4 EVER printed in bold black letters over a yellow heart.

“So. Trafalgar Law and ‘Cat Thief’ Nami. Allies. Friends? No, lovers. That’s right, Law and Nami are banging. But they’re doing more than just that, aren’t they? Nami’s sunk her claws into him while Law’s stolen her heart. Or maybe it’s the other way around? Either way, it’s undoubtedly one of the best things to ever happen to my captain.”

Staring out at the audience, Ikkaku continued, “I’m sure many of you are asking ‘how the fuck do those two work?!’ Well, I can understand how you small-minded fools could think that. He’s a grumpy bastard while she’s a greedy minx. He loves doing horrible experiments while she loves conning people out of their money. But you only think that way because you aren’t looking very hard at them, are you?” She took a sip of water, paying no mind to the people who grumbled or tried to leave.

Yeah, good luck with that. She had the other Hearts barricade the doors. No one was leaving until she said so.

“That’s why I’m here; to educate the masses on why these two work. So let’s get started, shall we? We’ll start with the surface reasons. Nami is more than just a ten; she’s an eleven, just like Law. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and yeah maybe it’s shallow to say but I think Law deserves someone as pretty as him. They are very aesthetically pleasing as a pair, and it makes my inner fashionista happy to see them getting dressed up and looking damn fine when they go out together.

“But she’s more than just good looks. No, this girl is everything I think Law needs in a partner. She’s his intellectual equal. Seriously, she’s one of three people on the Thousand Sunny that Law can have an actual conversation with about hundreds of different topics. Politics, history, weather, science, economics, culture, she even knows a little bit about basic medicine so he can talk to her about his work without getting a completely blank look in response. She’s also wily as fuck. Like, her deviousness rivals his at points and that is damn impressive. Do you know how rare it is to find someone who can get the better of Law, even for something as simple as stealing a wallet? And even fewer people he likes enough to not plot murderous revenge against. Just petty payback. It’s great to watch.”

Had it been anyone else, perhaps Ikkaku would have been offended on her captain’s behalf that someone would be bold enough to even attempt to pickpocket him, but Nami was a rare, extremely endearing exception. A woman who had managed to capture his attention and can keep him on his toes was exactly the kind of woman she could picture Law falling for.

“Next, she’s also a great balance to his personality. I’m not blind to the fact that my captain is a fucking grumpy ass and a bastard. All dark and edgy and full of spite towards the world. Nami’s not quite pure sunshine but she’s bright, you know? She’s gone through some shit too but is still smiling despite that. Still fighting to achieve her dream. Kind of a warm summer sunbeam to counteract his winter gust of wind if you want to get poetic about it. But she’s also not totally innocent. She’s done some dark shit for the sake of survival. You don’t spend years working for the man who murdered your mother for the sake of freeing your village without doing some morally questionable things. Yeah, not nearly as bad as Law has but she’s still got a bit of darkness balance out the brightness. I think someone who was too much joy and sunshine would utterly repulse a cynic like Law. Gotta have a bit of both. But she’s definitely more light than dark which is what he needs.

“And then there’s the fact that she doesn’t stand for his bullshit. She’s willing to call him out when he’s being too much of a bastard or a stubborn ass. Law needs more people who care about him enough to do that. I can’t always be the one pointing out when he’s being an ass. It’s nice to have someone I can tag in to take over an argument when I need a breather.”

One could argue that was a somewhat selfish reason, and perhaps it was just a little, but Ikkaku would stand by her statement. Hell, having a second person willing to come in and tell him off was a good thing for all parties. It was easier to ignore the scolding from his engineer after all these years, so a second opinion telling him he was being reckless or not taking proper care of himself might actually manage to convince him to do what was best.

“But I think the biggest thing that makes them work is that Nami understands Law in a way I don’t think anyone else really can. She’s told me about what her life was like before Straw Hat saved her, and Law finally spilled his guts to us after Dressrosa. It’s impossible not to see the parallels, even if their stories are kind of opposites. Like, both of them became pirates at a young age and were forced to deal with the guilt that came from the death of a beloved parental figure sacrificing themselves for them. Both were haunted by the shadow of that murderer throughout their lives until Straw Hat stepped in and kicked their ass. So, they can relate to each other in ways I don’t think others really can. Not even me and the crew.

The thing is, Nami’s gotten closure in a way that Law hasn’t. She’s learned to let go and even forgive a little. To smile with all her heart and keep moving forward with her life. So I think Nami’s really fucking good for him because she’s an example of what he can be. She went through a hell that wasn’t totally unlike his, but she came out the other side with a smile despite it all. Hell, you could even argue that she went through something even worse than Law, since he at least didn’t have to work under the person he hated the most through most of his life. I think if their situations were switched, neither would have survived.”

Ikkaku gave a sigh. “Straw Hat kicking Doflamingo’s ass isn’t the closure Law needed, and anyone who thinks it is doesn’t know my captain. He spent ten years plotting to kill that man. To burn down his empire and destroy him in every way he could think of just to ensure the man truly suffered. And yeah, the pink bastard’s in jail now and no longer ruling Dressrosa, but this was never about freeing a kingdom or putting the bad guy away. This was about revenge. Revenge Law was willing to die for. Straw Hat may have beaten him, but it wasn’t the victory Law needed. It wasn’t like what he did for Nami. Yet while I know Law’s never going to fully get that same peace Nami has so long as Joker is still alive, but I still think it’s important for him to see that there is life after the pain. That if Nami can get through it, so can he. I feel that because she’s gone through something similar, she can kinda…get through to him in a way we never could.”

There was a pause as Ikkaku looked out at the audience. Some had begun to nod while others were looking at her skeptically. Understandably, really, as she was a rather biased party, but thankfully she had come prepared for this argument. Helped that she’d had it with Law himself once.

“Now, before anyone thinks this is just me projecting what I want for Law onto Nami, I think he’s good for her, too. Don’t get me wrong, I know she loves her crew, but that girl is surrounded by the likes of Straw Hat, Zoro, Franky, and Brook 24/7. She needs someone on her intellectual level she can talk to. Someone who understands the difficulties of running a ship and that she can bounce ideas off of. Law can advise her on the quartermaster duties I know she takes on and how to run things most efficiently. Someone who can appreciate her sexiness without becoming a drooling mess and who doesn’t fall for her seduction tactics too easily. Hell, I think he can turn the tables and seduce her right back!

“On top of that, you know how I said she can help him get closure for his past? Well, I think Law’s good for her in that he can understand the anger and frustration she must have felt while working for that Arlong bastard. He understands her pain in a way not even Straw Hat could. And, let’s be honest, the guy’s not actually dead. If he ever got out, I feel like Law’s kind of the ideal guy to go to for help. He’d understand why she needs revenge and could get her to him no problem. Luffy of course gets first dibs because he’s her captain, but if Nami wants Arlong dead instead of just beaten to a pulp, well, Law can sure as fuck make him suffer before finally crushing his heart in his bare hands.”

The morbidity of the image had a few people cringing, but Ikkaku merely adjusted her glasses and smiled. “Law’s also good for Nami in that he’ll protect her with his life. The man doesn’t let people into his heart easily but when he loves, it’s like a force of nature. It’s powerful. He would bring the world to its knees for her. There’s also pretty much nothing he won’t do to save her if she’s sick or injured. He’ll protect her, heal her, give her the world if she asked it. And doesn’t she deserve that?

“Speaking of giving her stuff, Law is ideal for Nami because he can give her pretty much anything material she might want. Do you have any idea how much treasure is at the bottom of the sea? We Hearts have basically the whole ocean floor at our disposal, with all the sunken treasure, rare materials, and relics of lost cities we can get our hands on. Law’s loaded. And anything he couldn’t buy for Nami, he could steal with his powers. I doubt she’d even have to ask. Just point and it would be in her hands. It would be worth the cost or trouble to keep her happy.”

Glancing at the clock, Ikkaku decided it was about time to wrap this up. If she kept her captive audience, well, captive for too long, people might start asking questions. Like where the person who was originally going to be giving a presentation had disappeared to. Or they might do something extra stupid, like call the Marines to come arrest the Heart Pirates. That would be so awkward and annoying.

“The most important thing, though, is just that Law’s happy around her. He softens in a way that I usually only see with the crew. And I think he makes her happy, too. I know he’ll insist this is just a fling, but I honestly can see this working out for the long term. Mostly because I don’t think either one would try to pin the other down. Neither is going to be leaving their crews for the other, and that’s ok! They don’t actually need to be together all the time for things to work. They can be apart in person but together in spirit. Nami can continue to work towards her dream of making a map of the world while Law continues exploring the ocean with us. Nami’s incredibly loyal and like I said, once you’re in Law’s heart you’re not getting out, so I can’t see their feelings fading or anything just because they don’t see each other for a while. Hell, I think it’ll be good for them since the distance means they’ll appreciate their reunions more and won’t be smothering each other. And I’m sure Law would let her come along with us for a bit anytime she wanted to explore the underwater currents or islands in the Calm Belt she might be interested in adding to her map.”

Hands on her hips, t-shirt still proudly on display, Ikkaku concluded, “Don’t get me wrong, Law’s a stubborn ass who’s going to take a while before he actually accepts those feelings. Man does not like being vulnerable and these are dangerous, scary, unfamiliar waters for him. He sure as hell won’t be telling her ‘I love you’ anytime soon, but I think she’s ok with that. I’m not sure she’s the type to say it too quickly, either. They’re both smart enough to read between the lines and know what’s up without needing to say the words. That tells me they’re definitely in sync and can handle each other’s unique quirks and qualities. It’s why they’re good together, and why I’ll gladly be captain of this ship, even if it sails into Hell itself. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. As you leave, please take a LAW X NAMI 4 EVER t-shirt. Anyone who tries to leave the room without one will be mauled by Bepo. Or bitten by Shachi. Or maybe Jean Bart will just snap you in half. Depends on which door you leave through. Anyway, goodnight!”

[slimthicksonnett]

2 with trin rodman if you're comfortable with it:) if not then maybe with Sophia Smith??

‘I’m not jealous. Never say that again’ / Trinity Rodman (1,069 words)

“Come onnnnn pity party of one, hurry up in there!” AD sighed, banging on your bathroom door.

Before she could bang another time, you threw the door open angrily and fixed the older woman with a glare. 

“First of all, it’s not a pity party, it's a washday. Second of all, don’t you have anything better to do?” The bite in your tone was clear as you stood there in just a towel but it didn’t seem to affect AD in the slightest.

“You’re my little sister and it’s our first free day together in ages, obviously I don’t have anything better to do. And as your big sister, I also know that you don’t do washdays in the middle of camp. It’s okay to say you’re hiding because you’re jealous that Sanchez and Trin- '' AD had meant it jokingly, but she couldn’t even finish the sentence before you were slamming the bathroom door back in her face.

“Y/NN!” The keeper groaned, banging on the door again.

Meanwhile on the other side you had slid down the slammed door, sitting down on the floor and hugging your knees into your chest.

‘I’m not jealous. Never say that again!” You refuted, only barely managing to keep your voice from shaking as you raised it to be heard through the wood.

You could hear your sister sit down too, no doubt mirroring the exact position you were in.

“Y/NN…I was only joking.” She spoke softly, the same voice she’d used with you when you were younger and so easily overwhelmed. If anyone else spoke to you in that tone you’d probably have screamed, but hearing it from AD was always soothing. 

“Are you? Are any of you?” Your muffled voice answered while you absentmindedly counted the tiles on the floor around you. 

The silence in response was an adequate answer, earning a bitter laugh from you. Ever since Trinity and Ashley had started earning consistent callups, it was an ongoing joke among all the girls about how close the two were becoming. An ongoing joke that Y/N was on the outside. The thing was that back in Washington? It wasn’t a joke. Where Trinity used to be your built-in bus buddy, roommate, and warmup partner, it was like since she’d gotten to the national team she had been avoiding you. Been avoiding getting closer to you. Meanwhile, the consistent closeness of her and Ashley at the national team level as they experienced all of their firsts together made their bond tighter than ever. Slowly but surely, you’d felt like the young player you’d bonded so closely with in her rookie season was being taken away from you.

“Does it feel like we’re not joking?” Your sister whispered, the same soft tone to her voice. 

“I don’t know.” Was about all you could manage in response, your vision slowly getting cloudy.

“Are you actually this upset about Sanchez?” AD asked, and you couldn’t help but laugh a little.

If only it was that simple. You didn’t resent Ashley for it at all! How could you? The other midfielder was basically an angelic ball of sunshine and was one of your other closest teammates back at the Spirit. Except now instead of working alongside you, it felt like the Ashley and Trinity show with no room left for you.

“Why would Sanchez upset me?” You responded, voice wet with emotion.

“Well if you don’t feel like we’re joking, do you feel like she’s taking your best friend?” She pushed, earning an eye roll from you that she couldn’t see.

“Trinity Rodman was never my best friend.” You scoffed and you could hear your sister's deep sigh.

“So what was she, Y/N?” AD’s question was met with silence. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to answer, it was more that you couldn’t. Which AD was quick to realize when she heard the way your breathing was a little bit louder, coming out shakily.

“Y/N?” AD asked, being met again only by the sound of your pained breathing.

“Y/N? Y/N! Open the door.” Your sister commanded, the concern evident in her voice. When you didn’t move to open it, AD rattled the handle.

“Y/N Franch, I swear on my own daughter if you don’t open this door…” The mention of your niece gained your attention, and for a single moment you steadied yourself. Scooting forward on the floor, you reached up and unlocked the door.

At the sound of the click, AD slowly pushed in as she was careful to avoid your crumpled form.

“Oh, Y/N. Come here kid.” The older woman whispered, shutting the door and sitting down against it before pulling you into her strong arms. Whispering sweet nothings, your sister ran her hand up and down your back, pulling you close in a way she hadn’t since the night she’d left home for the first time.

Eventually, your wheezing turned to slow breaths and the tears that had been streaming from you slowed to a drip. 

“I didn’t mean to push you, I’m sorry.” AD apologized, placing a kiss to the top of your head.

“You’re fine. I jus- I hadn’t let myself think about it.” You sniffled in response, nuzzling closer to her.

“Think about what?” She asked in confusion as she stared down at you in concern.

“Trinity. What she is to me.” You answered, glancing up through wet lashes.

“Oh? Wha- OH! Oh…” Watching the realization wash over her of your words meaning, you managed nothing more than a sad smile before leaning back into her arms.

“Y/N, I hadn’t even thought about…You’ve got to talk to her…” Not sure exactly what to say, you could feel your sister processing the information you’d given her as she certainly tried to formulate some sort of plan or something.

“Sure, some day.” You conceded, telling her the same thing you’d told yourself since you first realized that losing Trinity was hurting you maybe a little more than it should have. The thing you hadn't let yourself think about.

“Y/NN-” AD started but you just shushed her, shaking your head as you leaned against her.

“Please, Adri. Not right now. Okay? Some day.” And with that, safely wrapped in your older sister's arms, you let your eyes close and gave way to the weakness that had been eating at you for months.

[eluvixns]

no one asked for it but since i am trapped beneath a cat who is biting me every time i try to end this cuddle session here is some haylin lore

- comes from a pirate hyur mother and an elezen gridanian father

- has an older brother that got smoked with their father during the calamity when he was fighting on the frontlines

- has no contact with ma bc ma abandoned them

- came to gridania hoping to find some sort of life and home but instead found ghosts and ruin

- would never have gone down the path of adventurer if she wasnt so in need of a few bucks

- only went with yda and paps and to the waking sands bc she needed that cash money your girl was BROKE

- stayed with the scions bc of minf and her understanding of the echo

- got super attached to alphie bc she missed the sibling feeling and only continued to stay for him

- and bc she thought thancred was tasty

- and bc where else would she fucking go at this point

- DEFINITELY had a few choice words for lahabrea when the big reveal happened and definitely told alphie if he strayed too far from her side she would drag him around by his ankles

- definitely wanted g'raha during the crystal tower quests and definitely cried a bit when they were over

- canonly bothers urianger when she's bored and he knows this but humours her anyway bc he eventually peaks her curiosity and he knows this dumb bitch cant resist acting on it so now he can infodump all he wants and shes just chin in hands the whole time bc shes basically learning history tea

- definitely has not recovered from the vault and the crippling guilt

- definitely cornered hancock when he first showed up and told him if he fucks with tataru shes gonna serve his balls on a kebab skewer seasoned and fried to him

- the scions have definitely come to her room to go out on jobs and she's definitely opened the door butt ass naked. now they just call over link pearl ( and when she doesnt answer they send y'shtola )

- has thought about how she'd kick the asses of every scion except y'shtola bc even she knows better

- tried to be a white mage like dad and it didnt fit. tried to be a dragoon like brother but it didnt fit. tried to be a warrior to try and connect with her mother but it didnt fit. became a dark knight when the anger she held after the vault kicked in. became a reaper when she figured out being a real warrior of darkness has more appeal than being the golden child of a god who was never there

- the only reason she isnt a mercenary for hire for the highest bidder is bc she loves the scions too much and alphie is her north star

- that being said if she ever lost him or g'raha or thancred or estinien she'd probably kill the source herself bc whats the point in living in it if they're not there any more?

- is v adventurous though like DO NOT ENTER signs are like moth to flame for her shes just too curious she HAS to know

- flirting with nero so he gets uncomfortable and weirded out is her favourite hobby

- she does the same to estinien and this is my reasoning as to why he took so long to join the scions it it wasnt the commitment issues it was fucking haylin lurking in the shadows ready to tell him he holds his rod well

- is alisaie's number one fan she would kill for this kid she would fight anyone

- insists g'raha goes with her everywhere they're joined at the hip she wants him bad

- her crush on thancred turned into 'this is my partner in crime my best friend my brother in arms'

- urianger is her person though

- worships the ground y'shtola walks on like her word is law

- scar across her nose is from wandering too far into the forests alone as a kid and getting smacked by the beasties in there before her brother came to the rescue

- has a multitude of scars from various things and her story for each one is never the truth ( it's easier and better that way )

- you can bet ur ass she tried to see where things would go with aymeric but stopped when she realised he really is that kind and noble and she didnt want to ruin that bc she is utterly convinced she's not worth a damn thing

- which is probably why she throws herself into harms way so willingly. not just for the scions, or the people, or the weak. but bc she thinks she deserves whatever pain is coming

- and because she KNOWS she can take it. she can withstand it

- she's just too stubborn to not stand up again after it

[tillidontneedfantasy]

A Track-by-Track Breakdown of Taylor Swift’s 10th Studio Album: ‘Midnights’

You would expect by the time a pop star has spent over 15 years in the spotlight that they would run out of steam. But on her 10th studio album, Midnights, Taylor Swift is as energized as ever. Even more impressive, the debut numbers are the biggest of her career yet, landing on a whopping 1.578 million, 1.1 million of those in pure album sales alone. These first week numbers are even larger than that of 1989, which is a huge feat.

Many pieces factor into success like what we’re seeing in this case. One is Swift’s exceptional marketing skills. Her dedicated fans will come out in droves to purchase her art, and the mysterious buzz that centered around the album intrigued the public to tune in. The star’s highly acclaimed releases of folklore (2021’s album of the year) and evermore (a 2022 album of the year nominee) during the pandemic certainly brought in a ton of new fans who perhaps overlooked her sharp lyricism before. But Taylor wants you to know that despite her magical stay in the forest and woodlands, she is in fact still bejeweled, and ready to remind everyone how much her shine still shimmers as a pop titan.

Presented as a loose concept album, Midnights centers on 13 sleepless nights throughout Taylor’s life (plus 7 songs on the “3am edition” that also fit the theme). Surely as she has been re-recording her albums as Taylor’s Versions, old feelings and memories have come to the surface that she is revisiting from a new perspective. Midnights still showcases Swift’s unmatched lyrical ability while taking us on a Jack Antonoff led synth journey.

1. Lavender Haze “All they keep asking me is if I’m gonna be your bride,” Swift laments on the opening track “Lavender Haze.” Which is funny because she spent 2019’s Lover with a bridge of wedding vows and a song about marrying her boyfriend of 6 years now, actor Joe Alwyn, with paper rings. But it is also an astute observation on how the world sees women, as she rejects “the 1950s shit they want from me.” She doesn’t want to follow anyone else’s wishes or timelines, or answer anyone’s questions, she just wants to stay staring at the ceiling with her partner, immersed in the lavender haze (a saying she caught from an episode of Mad Men). She knows that’s where she’s safest, because she’s “damned if I do give a damn what people say.” As an opening track, it delivers sonically and melodically, even in its smaller moments (the little “yeah oh yeah”s in the pre chorus are addictive), it’s a grand number.  Best lyric: “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say.”

2. Maroon The title track of Swift’s project Red is placed at track two. So it’s no surprise that Swift placed a song with red shade as its title in the same spot. “Maroon” details all the little scarlet moments throughout the ups and downs of a relationship, some examples including wine, hickeys, the sky, and rust. The first verse shows the relationship at its peak, “laughing with my feet in your lap, like you were my closest friend,” and the second verse juxtaposes it with its breakdown, “sobbing with your head in your hands, ain’t that the way shit always ends?” The final chorus on the track holds some of Taylor’s most interesting (and sensual) vocal delivery to date, her lower register extremely impressive and underrated. Best lyric: “The rust that grew between telephones.”

3. Anti-Hero Do you remember in 2012 when everyone and their father would make jokes that Taylor Swift should write a song called “Maybe I’m The Problem” as a response to her breakup songs? Well, ten years later, she gave them something very close to what they asked. “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me,” she sings in the chorus of the lead single “Anti-Hero” (though not released prior to the album), which Swift claims to be one of her favorite songs she’s ever written. On folklore and evermore, Taylor sang about mental health struggles without explicitly saying that she was the subject of those songs. However, here, it is clearly autobiographical without question. As a fan, to hear her so blatantly say “my depression” in a song was both jarring and relatable. The track lays out her intrusive thoughts about herself, her maladaptive behaviors, ignoring people or pushing loved ones away instead of letting them in. While she sings “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror,” the song shows how much her music is safe haven for her to sneak a glance at her reflection.  Best lyric: “Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism, like some kind of congressman?”

4. Snow On The Beach (ft. Lana Del Rey) The dreamy “Snow On The Beach” is a romantic love ballad in which Swift is mesmerized by the fact that the person she wants actually wants her back. She can’t quite believe their love, and she’s afraid if she speaks of it, she’ll find out it was an illusion all along. Throughout Swift’s music, and especially in this song, she uses light to describe her partner, singing “I’ve never seen someone lit from within, blurring out my periphery.” While Lana Del Rey, someone Swift hails as one of her musical idols, mostly singing background vocals might seem like an odd choice, just like seeing snow on the beach, it’s “weird, but fucking beautiful.” Best lyric: “Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful.”

5. You’re On Your Own, Kid “You’re On Your Own, Kid” is a journey through Swift’s life and career thus far. The song starts by detailing an unrequited love, which leads her to writing songs in her room and playing them in the parking lot, eventually running away and pursuing her dream of becoming a star. And although her dreams aren’t rare, her success surely is. But even at the height of her success, no longer sitting by herself at the lunch table at junior high, she still found herself alone. “I hosted parties and starved my body, like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss / The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money, my friends from home don’t know what to say.” She was degraded by the public and degraded herself. And just as things got better, her life’s work that she put her blood, sweat, and tears into was sold out from under her. But the Taylor’s Versions have been able to give her some solace, “Everything you lose is a step you take.” She ends the song on a hopeful note, reminding herself that she doesn’t have to be afraid; she’s always been on her own and she’s always made it through, and she always will. And the listener can resonate too. We’re all truly on our own at the end of the day, but we’ve gotten this far; we can keep going. Best lyric: “I hosted parties and starved my body, like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss.”

6. Midnight Rain On “Midnight Rain,” Taylor highlights the differences between the life she could’ve had and the life she pursued. “He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain / he wanted a bride, I was making my own name,” she (and a distorted voice) sings in the chorus. That life of a small-town girl is far away now, and not one she ever truly wanted, but one she sometimes sneaks a peak at through postcards and time portals and wonders what it might be like. Similar to “Lavender Haze,” this track establishes Swift’s aversion to societal standards, and her embracement of constantly changing and evolving, as evident through her music and career to date. It’s a real catchy ear worm, and after a few listens you really learn to love that voice distortion. Best lyric: “He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain.”

7. Question…? While Taylor leaves many hints as to what or who some of her songs might be about, “Question…?” Has one of her most obvious clues to date, as the song starts with a sampling of her song “Out of the Woods” from 1989, a song famously known to be about her relationship with Harry Styles. Not only is there the sample, but also lyrical parallels. “The rest of the world was black and white / but we were in screaming color,” she sings on “Out of the Woods.” On “Question…?” She says, “I don’t remember who I was before you painted all my nights a color I’ve searched for since.” One could assume while going back and rerecording 1989, she may have reflected on the relationship, with questions popping up. While it seems as if Swift knows the answers to these questions already, she still wants to ask them and get the confirmation and closure she’s searching for, a very relatable feeling. Just like in life, though, she doesn’t get any explicit answers in the song, but maybe she doesn’t need them anymore, anyway. Best lyric: “Does it feel like everything’s just like second best after that meteor strike?”

8. Vigilante Shit When listing the things that kept Taylor up at night, serving as inspiration for this album, one thing she cites is plotting revenge. In the revenge fantasy “Vigilante Shit,” Swift tips off the FBI about her enemy (presumably Sc**ter Br**n) and his “white collar crimes,” and assists his ex-wife in winning their divorce. “I don’t start shit, but I can tell you how it ends,” she croons. Which, historically, is true. Swift has rarely been the instigator of a feud or fight, but when she’s targeted, she comes back on top every time. After all, karma is her boyfriend. Best lyric: “Ladies always rise above, ladies know what people want / someone sweet, and kind, and fun / the lady simply had enough.”

9. Bejeweled “Bejeweled” is an exciting and fun pop song about letting go of the people and things that drag you down and allowing yourself to shimmer again. We can surmise that “Bejeweled” represents a night during a dead-end relationship where she finally prioritized herself again and learned she can still shine on her own right. In a radio interview, Swift said that “Bejeweled” mirrored her re-entrance into the pop landscape after her folk escapades, and that she had to pump herself back up into believing that she could still do it. The track itself proves that Swift stills rules without competition. Best lyric: “And when I meet the band, they ask, ‘Do you have a man?’ I could still say, ‘I don’t remember.’”

10. Labyrinth One of the few ballads on the standard edition, “Labyrinth” tracks Taylor’s thought process as she realizes she’s falling in love again, despite all of her fears after being burned in the past. She laments her pain and acknowledges her worries. The progression from “uh oh,” to “oh no,” to “oh,” before the line “I’m falling in love,” shows her trepidation turned to acceptance, due to the length’s this person would go to just to make her smile. While there are some synth sounds that seem slightly out of place, overall it is a song anyone who is learning to open up their hearts after being hurt can relate to. Best lyric: “Break up, break free, break through, break down.”

11. Karma “Ask me why so many fade, but I’m still here,” she sings on “Karma.” The answer? One could be her incredible talent and hard work ethic. But an additional answer is because her and karma vibe like that. In this catchy pop hit, Taylor reaps the rewards of staying true to who she is while karma takes down her enemies who never keep their side of the street clean. She knows karma is on her side, and she can relax trusting that it’ll do its thing. And so far, it has served her well. In the most Taylor Swift™ fashion of all time, she compares karma to a cat purring in her lap because it loves her. And it is! It does! Best lyric: “Karma’s a relaxing thought / aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?”

12. Sweet Nothing Co-penned by William Bowery aka Joe Alwyn, “Sweet Nothing” is a love song from Swift to Alwyn. She discusses all the negative things going on around her and the way people push and shove to get a piece of her, while her partner is just in the kitchen humming, asking nothing of her, just loving her as she is. We get a brief peak into their dynamic in the truly sweet lyric, “On the way home, I wrote a poem / you say, ‘what a mind,’ this happens all the time.” To be loved for your mind rather than your status is a gift for someone like Swift. I’m sure the poems are lovely. Best lyric: “Outside, they’re push and shoving, you’re in the kitchen humming / all that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing.”

13. Mastermind A word that has been weaponized against Taylor over the years is “calculated.” On “Mastermind,” the standard edition’s closing track, she owns the claim, singing, “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian cuz I care.” “Mastermind” is Taylor’s confession to her partner that she masterminded their entire relationship from the first night he saw her. She confides in him in one of her most personal lyrics yet, singing, “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since / to make them love me and make it seem effortless.” She thought no one could love her unless she tricked them into it. But upon her confession, his smile proves her wrong, because he knew the entire time that she thought she was masterminding their relationship, but in reality he went along with it because he wanted her too, schemes and all. She finally found her effortless love. Best lyric: “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since / to make them love me and make it seem effortless.”

3am Tracks

14. The Great War On the first 3am track, Taylor teams back up with her other folklore & evermore collaborator, Aaron Dessner of The National. “The Great War” seems to be about a fight in a relationship, and Swift’s difficulty bouncing back from it. She lays out her lack of trust from past relationships and how that has interfered with reconciliation efforts, as she sings, “And maybe it’s the past that’s talking, screaming from a crypt / telling me to punish you for things you never did.” But despite some of these maladaptive behaviors, her partner still reached for her hand, trying to make things right. And they did it, they survived, and that survival brought back her faith.  Best lyric: “You drew up some good faith treaties / I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone.”

15. Bigger Than The Whole Sky “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is a song about loss. Although the loss of exactly what is unclear, the grief is palpable. She searches for what might have caused such a tragedy, wondering if she was at fault. There are so many questions in grief to which we never receive answers. This song has resonated with many fans online, relating it to their own personal experiences of miscarriages, deaths, and pet losses.  Best lyric: “Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness.”

16. Paris In this fun pop song, Taylor compares the view of her partner to that of the city of Paris. She’s so in love that she might stop breathing, that she doesn't care about her friends’ gossip or what’s on the news. She’s transported into a world of romance where nothing else matters, where alleyways appear and cheap wine tastes like champagne. It’s the excitement of completely falling into someone as the rest of the world fades away. Best lyric: “I wanna brainwash you into loving me forever.”

17. High Infidelity “High Infidelity” is an intriguing track, produced by Aaron Dessner, about the end of an unhappy relationship. We can presume that she is referring to her ex, the DJ known as Calvin Harris, her previous long-term boyfriend before meeting her current partner, with lyrics like “put on your records and regret me” and “put on your headphones and burn my city.” In the song, Swift is implying that there was some type of infidelity, whether physical or emotional only is not quite clear, but either way she admits, “I bent the truth too far tonight,” and asks, “do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?” But she didn’t think it would matter much to him, and is surprised by his sense of betrayal and hurt, but not particularly remorseful. Best lyric: “You know there’s many different ways that you can kill the one you love / the slowest way is never loving them enough.”

18. Glitch Another Antonoff produced track written alongside Sam Dew and Mark Anthony Spears, “Glitch,” is one of the sexier tracks on the album. The concept is that Taylor can’t quite fathom how this love of hers has worked out for 2,190 days (that’s 6 years, if you didn’t know) and counting when all she’s been used to is situation-ships and dudes who give nothing. So if it’s lasted this long, it’s gotta be a glitch in the system, right? Best lyric: “And I’m not even sorry / nights are so starry, blood moonlit.”

19. Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve While “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is arguably one of the best tracks on all of Midnights, everything Swift does is for a reason. When you listen to the song, it becomes quite evident why she put it at track 19. “And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil at 19,” she sings. As an avid fan, you immediately hear the echoing of the best song on her third album Speak Now, “Dear John,” which has the lyric, “don’t you think 19’s too young to be played by your dark twisted games when I loved you so?” And it becomes clear what she’s discussing: the power dynamic in her relationship when she was 19 with John Mayer, who was 32 at the time (Swift’s current age). One could assume rerecording Speak Now (which Swift has highly hinted at being the next rerelease) brought up some old feelings. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” is a powerful track filled with intense regret. She describes him as a “promising grown man,” putting a spin on the monicker often given in defense of younger men who abuse women. She likens the relationship to religion: “you’re a crisis of my faith,” “all I used to do was pray,” “gone along with the righteous.” This was a man that she idolized, and the fall from his pedestal crushed her in irreparable ways. “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first,” she pleads with a heart wrenching ache in her voice. It’s hard to listen to this song without feeling pain for her, especially as she ups the octave for the outro, making the regret feel more urgent, more palpable. Best lyric: “God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be / the tomb won’t close, stained-glass windows in my mind / I regret you all the time.”

20. Dear Reader The 3am edition closing track is “Dear Reader,” a letter to her listeners. She gives advice about avoiding traps, starting over, keeping secrets, and aiming for the devil. But she also gives the caveat, “Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart,” supposedly referring to herself. But the best advice comes from those who have fallen, who have experience, who feel a range of emotions quite like Swift does. That’s why she is so popular; because people can relate to her words and they keep them close to their hearts. “You should find another guiding light,” she suggests. But this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read! Best lyric: “You don’t have to answer just cuz they asked you.”

Target Deluxe Edition

Hits Different The Target Deluxe Edition exclusive song “Hits Different” marks the return of Swift, Dessner, and Antonoff all together. The song feels very vintage Swift, almost like it could’ve been a recent “From The Vault” track. “Hits Different” is about a breakup that is much harder to get over than any other she’s experienced. She hears their song everywhere, she stops receiving invitations because she can’t stop slurring his name when she’s out with friends, she cries over a hat. She’s so far gone in this breakup that she thinks people are coming to take her away. Anyone who has experienced a tough breakup could probably find a lyric in this song to which they can relate. But even without being able to relate, it’s a fun, funny, enjoyable track served as a nice treat for loyal fans who actually go out and buy CDs these days. Best lyric: “I pictured you with other girls, in love / then threw up on the street.”

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In conclusion, 16 years into her career, you best believe Taylor Swift is definitely still bejeweled, and on Midnights she shimmers more than she ever has, even when touching on long-gone relationships and peering into old wounds, being more vulnerable than she has on projects past. Each album and era seems like her peak, yet she continues to outdo herself in multiple ways. With more Taylor’s Versions on the horizon, hopefully Swift will continue to gain inspiration in various ways as a result of revisiting her old work. But if she doesn’t, we know she’s always got some tricks up her sleeve.

DISCLAIMER - REVIEWER’S BIAS: Taylor Swift is the mother I never had, she is the sister everybody would want, she is the friend that everybody deserves. I don’t know a better person.