#everyone was very traumatized so we went back inside.

[deadendtracks]

well absolutely fucked up my first attempt at bringing the cats outside in harnesses/leashes! it's much harder to introduce two of them to the concept than one. anyway no one escaped at least and we will try this much more slowly and one at a time. it was very traumatic, though.

[yesbutmakeitgay]

Pin Back In The Grenade

GIF by stars-bean

Valkyrie x Reader

Summary: You come to visit your girlfriend in her office and sense something is off about her.

Word count: 5.7k

Angst with a happy ending.

A/N: Been working on this one for a while now, hope you like it :)

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling love youuuu <3

Masterlist | AO3

You walk to your girlfriend's office at the end of your work day as you often do, to see if she's ready to go home with you. You enter the room and Valkyrie greets you with a gentle smile before looking back at her desk.

The lack of any verbal acknowledgment is a little odd, perhaps she's working on something very important.

You make your way around her and hug her from behind feeling how tense her muscles are, probably the result of a stressful few weeks, and catch a glimpse of what she's looking at, it's a treaty of sorts, it doesn't seem complicated enough to warrant her behavior, but you don't dwell to much on it. You let go with a loud kiss on her cheek that makes her inevitably grin like an idiot.

You move away to give her space to finish working and go look at her sword collection.

After some time, she signs the document at the bottom of the last page and stands up to store it in her filing cabinet. She walks towards you and you meet her halfway as she pulls you into a tight hug.

An unsettling feeling starts creeping into you when you hear the alarming thumps in her chest as you remain entangled together, "What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing," she mumbles back, doing a poor job of soothing your worries.

"I can feel your heartbeat," you insist, looking her in the eye. She looks back at you for what feels like an eternity.

"We need to break up," she slurs.

You let go and take a step back to get a good look at her, "What?" The confusion in your face is evident.

"We need to break up." This time, it comes out with more security, though that doesn't help you in any way.

"I don't understand, did something happen? Do you not love me anymore?" You feel your body overheating.

She gently holds your hands in an attempt to calm your nerves, "Please don't ask questions."

"Just talk to me, can we be adults about this?" Your voice wavers.

Before Valkyrie can come up with a response, her assistant walks in unannounced, "Your ship is ready, You Majesty." Your eyes go wide in disbelief.

The King's posture straightens immediately, "Thank you," she says to them, "I’m so sorry, Princess, I love you," she whispers at you, placing a kiss to your temple before making a quick exit.

You stand in place unable to process what just happened, "Where's she going?"

"That's above my pay grade," the assistant shrugs.

After a couple of seconds of the events sinking into you, you regain control of your body and decide to chase after Val.

You storm all the way to the garage trying to catch up with her, but when you arrive, her ship has already left. You ask everyone around where she went and nobody seems to be worthy of that information, at least, no one inside the Kingdom.

Before you give up, you return to your now ex girlfriend's office to make a call.

"Captain Marvel's residence, this is Ms Marvel speaking." You are greeted by a strange, impressionable little human.

"Hey," you let out cautiously.

"Hi," she responds in your same tone.

"Where's Captain Marvel?"

"She's unavailable at the moment, is there a message I can pass along for you?"

"Who are you?" you ask, making sure not to sound rude.

"I’m Ms Marvel," she reintroduces herself with pride.

"Ms Marvel who?"

"I’m an associate of Captain Marvel's." You look at her not traumatized face and hear her excited voice, contrasting the deadbeat tone of almost every other agent you've met before.

"How old are you?"

"16 and a half," she grins.

"Are you alone?" Ms Marvel looks around hesitantly, "I’m calling you from Valkyrie's office, there is no way I am a threat to you."

She sighs, "Carol went on a mission that was, quote, 'too dangerous for me,' so she made me stay here."

You mumble an 'okay' in understanding.

"Wait, you're calling from King Valkyrie's office?" She backtracks.

"Yeah."

"Who are you?"

"No one, apparently." You look down to your lap filling her with intrigue, "Can you tell Carol to call me when she gets back, please?"

She nods, "Who do I—?"

"Just tell her to call Val's office, she'll know," you cut her off.

"Alright," an idea pops into her head, "hey, if we're both waiting for Carol, maybe we could wait together? So to speak." At this point she's both bored and now incredibly curious about you.

You figure if you stay on the line you'll see when Carol gets back and you'll get to talk to her sooner, "Sure."

She awkwardly props her feet up on the desk, "So, how do you know King Valkyrie?"

You try your best to be polite to this child, "I was her girlfriend."

"How long?"

"Three years."

"When did it end?"

You look at your watch, "About 20 minutes ago."

She instantly puts her feet down as her lips form a big 'O' shape, "I’m so sorry I asked."

You find her reaction a little amusing, "It's okay, I don't think my brain understands what just happened yet."

"Is that why you called?"

"Yeah," you sigh.

Ms Marvel thinks about it for a moment, "I suppose Carol is a good person to talk to about the whole 'dating royalty' thing."

"And about the whole 'dating Valkyrie' thing," you smirk, hoping to get a reaction out of her.

"What? No way!" she exclaims, proving you successful. You simply hum in response, "No!" She's in shock.

"Very much so."

"Now that's an image I can't unsee." She's being overly dramatic about it.

"You're welcome," you chuckle. You accepted the fact that they made a pretty hot couple a long time ago.

The sound of the ship's door opening catches your attention, "Is that my favorite superhero?" You lean to your side as if you could see through the hologram.

Carol approaches Kamala with curiosity, "Who's calling?"

"Valkyrie's office."

She finally gets close enough to see you, "Hey! Long time no see, where's Val?"

You clear your throat, "I was hoping you knew." Your tone shifts immediately to become smaller.

Carol notices your change in energy, "Kamala, sweetheart, can you give us a moment?" The girl accepts, a little disappointed she's gonna miss out on the tea, so she walks to her room as slowly as possible without being suspicious.

"What's going on?" Carol asks you, concerned.

"I think I just got dumped."

Her brows furl, "What? When?"

"Today." You find it difficult to maintain eye contact.

The Captain sits down where Kamala was, "Did you have a fight? What happened?"

"No, everything was going well, or so I thought," you explain, "earlier I came in, she was acting weird, if I didn't know her better, I might say she was scared. She broke up with me and left, no one knows where."

"I can't believe it, I'm really sorry."

"Do you know where she could have gone?"

She shakes her head, "Last time I talked to her was maybe months ago," she looks at you in deep sympathy, "are you worried she'll do something stupid?"

"It's Val we're talking about, I'd be worried if she wasn't doing something stupid," you weakly snark making Carol snort.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

You take a deep breath, "I think I’m okay, for now. Call me if you hear from her."

"Of course, are you changing your number?" she hesitates.

"I’m not leaving until she kicks me out of here herself, and I have a feeling it's gonna be a while, so…"

Carol fully understands your decision, "Okay, take care of yourself." She hangs up leaving your ears ringing with the white noise of silence.

You drag your feet to Valkyrie's room for the night. As you lay in bed the reality of the day's events finally dawns upon you, and your eyes start filling up with tears.

You have spent many nights like this, you in New Asgard and Val somewhere off in space, the only difference now is the crushing weight threatening to shatter your chest.

Back on her ship, Carol is winding down after her long mission and your call, changing her uniform for more comfortable clothes.

"Why did you lie?" Kamala questions, startling Carol.

"Huh?" Is all The Captain can muster.

"King Valkyrie called like a week ago."

"Did she? I misspoke," Carol looks around suspiciously, "lying is bad."

"You've said that," Kamala groans in return.

You spend the next few days in bed, buried in blankets and drowning in tears. It's probably not the best that you're still in what used to be Val's and your room, but you don't have the strength to move. Val's assistant, Odin bless their heart, has been bringing you meals everyday until you feel well enough to get them yourself.

It seems they're the only person in the entire Kingdom who knows what happened, and they haven't told anyone, judging by the way everyone in the palace still gracefully greets you when they see you.

As the weeks go by The King's impromptu absence starts to show around New Asgard, and not even the council can get a hold of her. It pains you to see how her carelessness has affected the place you've grown to call home, how she so easily abandoned it merely because she didn't want to be with you anymore. It makes you sick to your stomach knowing that people will suffer and it might be considered your fault. You never asked for any of this and there isn't anything you can do about it, now that you have no relation to King Valkyrie.

The following day you receive a call from Carol, "Some new developments, Kamala remembered that we can track Val's ship," you listen intently, trying not to get your hopes up, "but we can't get a signal, which might mean she's too far away."

Your heart drops, "I’m gonna fucking kill her," you mutter under your breath.

"Language!" Carol shouts, gesturing toward Kamala.

"She's allowed to work with an Avenger, but can't say 'fuck'?" you turn to Ms Marvel, "Sounds like you're getting the shorter end of that stick."

"You just said it again!" Carol's voice goes up an octave.

"I can't help it, I’m pissed."

"That's not her fault." Kamala stands awkwardly, watching the scene unfold before her.

"Sorry, Ms Marvel," you grumble.

"You can call me Kamala."

"'Ms Marvel' is fine," you insist.

Carol leans closer to Kamala and whispers, "She's not very warm."

"I can see why Valkyrie likes her."

As much as they are trying to be subtle, they are still right in front of you, "Liked, I believe the word you're looking for is 'liked.' She does no more," you yell in response.

Carol turns to you with a tight lipped smile, "For what it's worth, I don't think that's true."

"Oh yeah? How long after she dumped you did you realize she didn't like you anymore?" You almost feel drunk with anger.

Carol tenses up, she doesn't like your fuck-all attitude, but she's trying to keep her cool and understand you, "First of all, it was mutual and second, my relationship with her was never even close to what you two had. You were good together."

"I know that, that doesn't help me wrap my head around what happened!"

Kamala goes to her room as you and Carol remain silent. You take your phone out to distract yourself, and Carol zones out looking through the window.

After about five minutes, Carol decides it's time to reveal the truth, "I need to tell you something," you look up at her, only half listening, "Val called me a week before she left."

You place your phone down and give her your undivided attention, "What?" It comes out louder than you expect.

"I was gonna tell you, but I wanted to know what was going on first. We talked for a while, longer that usual, mostly about you."

"Me?" You try your best to suppress your emotions and think critically about this.

"Yes, about her possibly marrying you, but she was acting a little off, like she was trying to get me to talk her out of it somehow, looking for excuses, which is a very strange thing to think about when you want to marry someone."

The information feels so surreal to you, also, when did Carol become such an expert? "For a second there I forgot you're married."

She smiles sweetly, "I am."

"Disney princess Carol," you can't help but tease her.

"Do you want me to help you or not?"

"I do, I’m sorry, how is he?" This is the first time you've smiled in a while.

"He's good, thank you." Carol takes your hologram with her as she walks through her ship, "As strange as her departure might have been, she's not really acting out of the ordinary."

You look to the side in confusion, "What do you mean? She never left without telling me where, even if she was gone for long periods, she would always tell me where she was."

"Really?" Carol seems surprised by your words, "It's normal for me to go full months without hearing from her." She finally puts you down on the control panel, "That's her thing, it's what she does, she doesn't want to be tied down—oh my god, I know where she is! I'll come get you in the morning."

Once again she hangs up leaving you to dwell in the uncertainty.

As promised, Carol comes to get you the next day. She doesn't give you enough time for pleasantries before she's rushing you into the ship and taking off.

You had never been in Carol's ship before, it is larger and tidier than Valkyrie's, which says a lot about The King's habits, though this one feels a lot more unstable.

It all makes sense when you peek out a window and can barely make out the stars passing by, "We're going fast."

"We're going far, you might wanna strap in, it's gonna be a bumpy ride," Carol warns you, looking much too calm to your liking, not following her own advice.

You disregard her actions and do as you're told, "Where are we going?"

"The edge of the unknown."

You tense up, "That's not terrifying, where's Ms Marvel?" You try to fight the g-force and look around for her.

"I had to drop her off at home, there is no way I’m bringing her there." Despite her words, Carol remains undisturbed.

You snap your neck in her direction, "But you brought me?"

"Yeah, if Val's there she's not coming back for me."

"So I’m here as bait?"

She brings her hands to her hips as if she was stating the obvious, "Precisely."

You sigh, "I need to get better friends."

"What other friend of yours is gonna help get your wife back?"

"She's not my wife, and also not my girlfriend anymore."

"Eh, but she will be, $100 says you guys will be back together before I drop you off in New Asgard."

You look her in the eye trying to tell if she's joking, but there is no way she's winning, so you accept, "Free money? I’m game."

The way to the mystery destination feels like an eternity, despite the incredible speed you're going. You feel like you've aged three years in the process, and maybe you have.

You arrive at what looks to be a planet sized dumpster, complete with ship scrapes and groups of aliens hunting each other.

You're still recovering physically and mentally from the trip when you notice Carol putting her uniform on, making you immediately concerned, "You're suiting up?"

She glances at you with a teasing smirk on her face, "Relax, I’m trying to make a good impression," she pauses as she waits for the ship's gate to open, "but lock the door and don't open it for anyone."

"Danvers!"

Carol walks to the Grand Arena and requests an audience with the Grandmaster, he gracefully accepts, excited to meet his soon-to-be new acquisition.

He lazily rests on his chair in a room surrounded by his guards, while Carol stands before him, "And who might you be?" he inquires, looking her over.

"I’m Captain Marvel." Carol uses her stoic, commanding hero voice.

"Ooh I like it, what's that? Are you here to fight?"

Carol came prepared for him to try to snatch her for his heinous activities, "I'm friends with Valkyrie."

"Valkyrie who?"

"Sorry, uh, scraper one, four, something," she tries her best to remember the tales Val has told her.

"142? She's my favorite, I always say she's the best!" He looks at the other scrapers in the room who growl at his enthusiasm.

"Good, is she here?"

"Oh, yes, she just came back, and I could not be happier."

Carol feels a sense of pride having successfully figured out where Valkyrie is, "Great." She turns around to leave.

"So you're not here to fight?" The Grandmaster insists.

She fakes a pout, "I wish I could, but I have to go."

He lifts his hand with all his authority, "Guards."

Carol stands tall as her whole body begins to glow, "Are you sure about that?"

The Grandmaster gestures for them to let her through.

You are startled by the ship's door opening and your guard goes up until you see Carol coming in. She doesn't even walk all the way in when she begins talking to you, "Good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?"

"She's here somewhere," she asserts, fully entering her ship.

Your heart skips a beat, but you keep it in check, "And the bad news?"

She hesitates slightly, "She's here somewhere."

It becomes clear to you that you're gonna have to perform a search and rescue on this dubious planet, "Crap."

Carol gives you a sympathetic smile, "Come on, I may have a hunch."

You stop abruptly on your way out, "You're not gonna give me a suit?"

She quickly scans her ship, "You wanna look like Ms Marvel?"

"On second thought, I’m good, thanks."

You get off the ship and follow Carol very closely, you don't wanna die today, and least of all here.

You are navigating the rivers of people, unsure what you're looking for, "How did you learn about this place?"

"Val told me about it, she lived here for a long time before she met Thor."

"How did you know she'd be here?" You instinctively grab her arm when a particularly thick wave of people comes toward you.

"It's where all unloved things come to die," she muses, searching the place ahead with her eyes.

"Die?" You hope you heard her wrong.

"Maybe not die, but hide."

"Unloved?"

Carol finally realizes her poor choice of words, "Right, um, I’m not sure how Val's brain works, it's just, you know, she's not good with emotions." She gestures at you broadly.

You assume you've arrived at your destination when Carol stops in front of a dystopian looking building. Inside, you find a loud bar and see Val in the middle of it, creating a raucous mess. She looks terrible, drunk beyond her senses, almost unrecognizable from the poised and respectable King of New Asgard.

You stay tucked behind Carol as she slowly approaches Valkyrie.

Val turns around and sees her, "Captain! Are you also here to die alone?" she exclaims in her drunken state.

Carol is taken aback by the title replacing her usual nickname, "Val, we're here to take you home."

"Not me, I’m here to slap you in the face." You make your presence known along with your desire for a physical altercation.

"Princess." She has a huge shit eating grin on her face as she looks at you with hungry eyes. She steps closer to you and tries to grope your ass, you slap her cheek before she does.

"What the actual fuck is wrong with you!" you scream, rendering the entire place silent.

Valkyrie holds her cheek dramatically with her grin still plastered on, Carol stands between you two, "Okay, okay, lots of feelings, that's normal and healthy, but this is not the place to make a scene, let's just get back to the ship and we can figure this out later," she hushes in your ear. You reluctantly agree and help her drag Valkyrie back to the ship.

Carol guides her to lay on the couch and you make a beeline toward them, but Carol physically stops you, "Hey, I know you're angry, but our priority right now is to get out of here and fast. If The Grandmaster finds out we took his favorite scraper it's gonna be a shit show, so buckle up."

You decide to listen to her as you haven't even recovered from your arrival. You go to the cockpit and fasten your seatbelt.

You safely make it out of the planet and Carol sets the ship to cruising speed. You get up from your seat and make your way to Val again, but Carol holds you back one more time.

"Stop," she instructs, making you groan, "I know, but she is very drunk right now, any conversation you try to have with her will be useless." You can tell her words come from experience, still you fight to have your way.

"Let me go." You ball up your fists tightly.

She doesn't seem affected by your increasing force, "Whatever you wanna do when you get home is none of my business, but I’m not letting a fight break out in my ship. Let her sober up and then you can try to be civil." You attempt to shake her grip off you, "Trust me, I want to slap her too, but I have to be the bigger person, you're welcome." You huff and go lock yourself in her room.

Carol exhales heavily as she watches you walk away.

After some time she brings Val a glass, "Have some water."

Valkyrie looks at her, still drunk and confused, "What for?"

"So I can sit and talk to you." Carol slumps beside her.

"Do you have alcohol?"

"No." The Captain quickly dismisses her, "Sakaar? Really? What is wrong with you?"

"You keep saying that like there was ever anything right with me." Val takes a big gulp of water.

"Cut it out, no more moping and wishing to die alone," Carol places a hand on Valkyrie's thigh, "I can kind of understand you sabotaging your relationship because it got so good it made you scared, but running away from your home?" she turns her body sideways to sit facing Valkyrie completely, "You are a King now, your people need you, you can't just disappear every time you feel unworthy."

"I broke up with her, didn't I?" Val whispers as her foggy mind remembers the last time she saw you.

"Is that what you took away from my speech?"

"I lost her like I lost my sisters," Valkyrie laments.

Carol feels the need to clarify, "You didn't lose her, you pushed her away."

"She hates me now."

"Yeah, she probably does," Val side eyes her "but you can fix it. She's gonna be in there a while, you get your shit together."

Several hours go by, and Valkyrie begins to worry about you, "How long has she been in there?"

Carol makes an educated guess, "About 12 hours."

"Someone should check up on her," Val ponders, hoping Carol will take initiative, so she doesn’t have to.

"Since I’m not the reason for her emotional distress, I don't think it should be me," Carol asserts, inadvertently taking down Valkyrie’s plan.

The King looks around the ship, nervously biting her lip, "Do you have any swords in here?"

Carol snickers at her hesitation, "Don't be a coward."

"I’m not a coward, I just know when I've upset the wrong person." She gets up from her spot on the couch and braces herself for the encounter. She gently knocks on the bedroom’s door before opening it, "May I come in?" she whispers, popping her head in. She is met by your sleeping form, a damp spot on the pillowcase right under your eyes and a bunch of crumpled up tissues on the bedside table, it breaks her heart knowing she is the cause of your pain.

You stir in bed lightly, in your hazy state you forget you are furious at her.

She walks in and closes the door behind her when she sees your reaction, "You're awake?" Her voice is barely audible as she sits on the bed, careful not to disturb you, you only groan in response, "I’m sorry," you give her a light nod, "can you forgive me?" It's not just about waking you up.

"Not now, Val," you croak trying to bury yourself deeper into the pillow.

"Right, of course. Get some rest." She leans in to place a small kiss on your temple as your eyes close up again, you can still smell the alcohol on her clothes. And just as quickly as she entered, she leaves.

Carol is waiting expectantly for Val to exit her room, "How did it go, soldier?"

"Not great," Valkyrie admits while cautiously closing the door.

"I didn't hear any yelling."

"She's sleeping."

Carol hums, "That makes more sense, did you try a true love's kiss?" Val gives her a death stare making her chuckle.

After many failed attempts at going back to sleep, you decide that hunger is what’s holding you back, so, against your better judgment, you go out to the trenches to find a snack.

You scurry to the kitchen and dig through the cabinets until you find something that looks appealing, a Skrull snack that Valkyrie introduced you to when you first started dating. You’re quietly making your way back to Carol’s room when you spot Valkyrie out of the corner of your eye, rotting on the couch. Without thinking twice about it, you sit beside her and offer her a share of your snack.

"This is kinda nice," you muse, "in all my years of knowing you, I've never seen you with a hangover."

Her accent comes out thick, "Last time I got this wasted I ended up in a brothel. Much better experience than whatever this is." She aims to make a joke that goes very poorly. Something about her immature act prompts you to want to slap her again, she stops you by instinctively lifting her arm, "Don't, one was enough."

"Like it even hurt," you mutter, rolling your eyes.

"It hurt my ego," she snarks, causing you to take away your shared snack and give her the middle finger as you stand up to go back to Carol’s room. It leaves a sour taste in your mouth thinking you were actually considering a truce when you realize she isn’t taking this seriously.

She lazily reaches out for you, "Hey, come on, that was a joke, I’m trying here," she bargains.

"Are you asking me to make this easier for you? Because last time I checked, you broke up with me for no apparent reason, and in the same breath flew off to the armpits of hell without leaving a trace," you snap.

She remains sat down massaging her temples with her gaze on the ground, "It was stupid, I’m sorry."

Your jaw stiffens, "I don't care that it was stupid, Val, you do stupid shit all the time, I’m used to it," you take a step closer to her and lift her chin up with two fingers, making sure she’s listening, "what you did was cruel, it was heartless and irresponsible," she gently moves away from your grasp to look anywhere else, feeling like a chastised kid, "how can you claim to love someone and then disappear from anywhere they could possibly find you?" your voice waivers, "Without an explanation, without anything to hold on to? You could have broken up with me without making me worried sick about you."

Val tries to keep a strong posture, to hide every single way in which her heart fractures at your words, she thinks for a long time and takes a deep breath before responding, "Some time ago, the council told me I needed to find a Queen," she begins, her eyes fixed on the ground, "It seemed simple enough, get a nice rock, take you out to dinner and that's that. So I did, I got a ring, made reservations, I even wrote a speech." she looks at you fidgeting with the edge of her cape, "Then every night leading up to it, I woke up in a cold sweat to a voice in my head telling me I couldn't do it, that it wasn't fair to ask you to spend the rest of your life by my side, I started thinking what would happen if you actually said 'no' and it got me spiraling."

"So what, you fled to the edge of the universe instead?" You’re not buying into her vulnerable performance just yet, "I know you don't like to be tied down, but don't put your thoughts in my head."

She gives you a guilty look as she continues, "The last nail in the coffin was when I realized that if you marry me, you would become a target to every single enemy of Asgard."

"Enemies? How bad can you be at public relations?"

"The history of Asgard isn't exactly one of peace. Anyone who wanted to get to me would eventually find their way to you. I would never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you."

You find it difficult to remain distant after hearing her speak, "As much as I appreciate the chivalry, I don't need your protection, I am perfectly capable of that myself," you settle for sitting on the arm of the couch, "I don't care who you are, I don't care about your power, or your status, or your dumb cape." Your words are harsh, but your tone is genuine.

"You came all this way just to tell me off?" She realizes you came all this way for her, you looked for her until you found her in a place you had never even heard of before.

"Also to slap you, and I have every right to." She knows you're furious inside and she deserves it, but maybe all is not lost.

She stands up with her back towards you, "I hate worrying about you, I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me." You stand up too.

"That's what love is, you can't just shut it off altogether because you get scared sometimes." Something about this conversation isn’t sitting right with you. Yes, you are pissed at her and you want to kill her a little bit, but that doesn’t mean you want to throw away everything you’ve built together.

She turns to face you, her expression is unreadable, "I already did."

"I won't let you. Valkyries don't fear anything, do they?" You carefully extend your arm and graze the back of your fingers over the mark on her left arm, the same one you used to trace over when she'd get back after long missions. It's a quick movement that still manages to make goosebumps overtake her whole body.

"You just said you don't care about me." She's twisting your words in the worst possible way. However, you know her well enough to notice she's doing so to protect her own heart.

You shake your head, "I said I don't care about your flashy outfits," you restate, pointing to the leather armor she's currently wearing, though you must admit it makes her muscles look gorgeous, "you are more than your title, you know?" You hold both of her hands in yours and as you pierce into her eyes you realize this is what you want, she is what you want, and there is no dumb mistake or irresponsible choice that can change that.

"I care about being there for each other and that we know how to communicate without resorting to self imposed exile," you try to explain it in a way she can’t distort, "I care that you trust me enough to tell me when you're scared, and, most importantly, I care that when you're about to do something stupid, you let me know first." With every sentence, you inch closer to her.

"I hear you, loud and clear." She nods, swallowing thickly, "I’m about to kiss you now." She begins closing the gap between you slowly, allowing you to back away if you don’t want it. Your lips connect into a sweet, passionate kiss, it’s an apology and a reconciliation, it’s a promise that you know she will keep.

You pull away in need for air and lean your forehead on hers, "We have a reservation at your favorite place Friday night," she whispers.

You look at her skeptically, "We do?"

"They ought to have an opening for The King," she shrugs making you playfully roll your eyes.

"I can't believe I’m getting back together with you."

She gives you the most terrified, vulnerable puppy eyes, "Do you not want to?"

"Unfortunately, I really do," you sigh with a grin on our face. Suddenly, you remember, "By the way, you owe Carol $100."

"What?"

You play coy, "You had a bet going on."

"American dollars?" she fumbles.

You twist your neck in the direction of the cockpit and yell, "Hey Carol, was it American dollars?"

Carol has been sitting on the pilot’s seat zoned out, looking at the stars for hours, your voice brings her back, "Uh, sure?" She isn’t fully aware of what you’re talking about.

Val produces a handful of Sakaar currency from her pocket and gives it to you, "That should cover it." Although it’s practically useless to her, you take the money and bring it to Carol.

After a minute of processing what you just put in her hand, it clicks, "Wait, I told you!" Carol grins.

"Don't let it get to your head." You try to hide the fact that you’re just as happy as she is.

"Now we'll both be married to royalty."

"Don't jinx it!"

Had to rewatch Ragnarok for this one, that's how committed I am 😂

@fionnemrys @murderbasketheassassin @clara-eternal @dapper-hydra @nevaeh-daughterofvalcarol @thorgood @lesbiarmy

[fuwushiguro]

I. NEW ME!

CHAPTER SUMMARY : after a year out of the spotlight following a traumatic event, you’re about to take your first step back into it on a popular talk show. your whole team is counting on you to be perfect; but nobody is seeking perfection more than you.

WARNINGS : 18+ only, past trauma, mental health struggles, alcohol.

WORDS : 2.3k.

notes: loosely based off ‘The Idol’ which we all know is trash but I wanted to make my own (and hopefully more entertaining) version!

               MASTERLIST ┊ NEXT CHAPTER

“Are you sure about this? I know you feel like you’re gonna let everyone down if you don’t start putting yourself out there again, but—”

“Yuuji.” you interrupt him, grabbing his hand and smiling at him. There’s not a single ounce of sincerity in it. And if there’s anyone who’s going to notice, it’s Yuuji. He knows you better than you know yourself. “It’s fine, really.” you do your best to assure him.

The crushing weight of disappointing your entire team is heavy on your shoulders. As much as you’d like to run away, to hide, to cry… you stand firm.

“Alright…” he sighs, returning your insincere smile right back to you. He’s worried, of course he’s worried. But Lord knows you don’t need him putting any doubts in your mind, not now. You’re doing that enough for yourself. What you need now is positivity. Faith and belief that despite what you’ve been through, you can do this.

“Okay, two minutes to go, are you ready?” your manager, Taylor, asks you quickly. Before you can answer, there are more words spilling from her lips like it’s out of her control. “We love you, but please do not fuck this up.” she reminds you before walking away to tend to something else.

Your eyes turn glossy as your cheeks fill with air. You quickly exhale as you fan yourself, doing all you can to make sure the sudden appearance of some tears won’t roll over your lashline and ruin your makeup.

Just then, Yuuji grabs you by the shoulders, forcing you to face him.

“Listen to me.” he starts. “You’ve got this.”

You’ve been locked in your bedroom with a bottle of champagne since the interview. It went well, apparently, according to your team. And yet… for some reason, you feel dead inside. The sounds of cheers and celebrations can be heard throughout the house, and all you can do is drink your champagne directly from the bottle.

“Hey… can I come in?” you hear Yuuji ask sweetly from the other side of the door. You get up, walking to unlock the door and let him in. Your smile finally finds its way back to your face when you see him holding a pizza box. “Getting a pizza through here in one piece with a house full of drunk people shoulder be a new Olympic sport.” he grins and laughs a little.

“Very impressive, Yuuji.” you agree with him, you wait for him to enter and then quickly lock the door behind him. “I don’t actually remember agreeing to a party?” you confess.

“Taylor mentioned it. And… well, you know Taylor.” he reminds you. “Everyone thought it would look good for some reason… not sure if I agree with that but they never listen to me anyway.”

“Or me.” you chuckle, taking a slice as you sit beside him on top of the bed. “I’ve been watching the interview on repeat…” you go to grab the remote, but he takes it first.

He presses play, settling comfortably against the headboard as he pulls a slice for himself. You get close to him, he’s always so warm. And when you’re always so cold, it’s nice to be with him, despite the fact it always ends up in sibling-like fights when you press your freezing feet against him to make him jump. Though it isn’t on your mind right now. You’re worn out, defeated, and you can’t believe he actually wants to watch this.

You weren’t embarrassed to watch yourself when you were alone. It was more like analysis. Seeing what you did right and what you could improve on. The pressure of being perfect is enough to drive anyone insane. But after this, after everything, you know you have no choice but to be perfect.

The sound of your voice carries through the room as you laugh with the host as you talk. Yuuji is smiling softly as he observes, like he’s proud of you.

“You’ve got a new movie coming up, right?”

“Uh… yeah! Kinda, we’re starting filming in two weeks.” you smiled, and it was genuine. You were lapping up the way that the audience cheered at each and every word you said. Whether it be sincere or out of pity, it didn’t matter. You felt truly adored after worrying no one would remember you.

“You’re working alongside some big names, I’m sure you’re excited! Tell me a little about the movie.”

“Yeah, right! I’m the lead but I’m working with Megumi Fushiguro…” you pause perfectly to allow the audience to cheer at the name drop. There are a few wolf whistles too. “We’ve worked together before; I love working with him because he’s so talented and nice. He’s always super serious on set but between takes he’s a total sweetheart.” you giggled as you reminisce on the last film you worked on together.

“I love Megumi too we’ve had him on the show a few times.” the host smiled, agreeing. “Now I do recall dating rumours for you two…” they announced and looked to the audience, earning a slew of ‘oooh’s’ and laughter. You rolled your eyes and shook your head.

“No comment.” you wink, “No, but seriously, I’m focused on my career right now and I know Megumi is too. We’re professionals!” you laughed.

“Alright, alright.” The host laughed too. “The movie’s called ‘Assemble’, leaves a lot to the imagination, wanna tell me more about it?”

“Sure! It’s a horror, which is new for me. I know a lot of people don’t take horrors seriously, but I’ve always wanted to be a scream queen and I’m really excited to sink my teeth into a role like this. I don’t wanna say too much; I don’t think I’m allowed.” you laughed a little more awkwardly to try and placate the host and the audience.

“A horror, wow! I wouldn’t have expected that after what you went through last year.” the host spoke so casually. And at that moment, you think everyone watching could feel the way the air knocked out of your lungs. You began to fiddle with your fingers and look down at your lap as you considered what you should say.

You had never felt so small.

Not since it happened.

“Um… y-yeah. I mean… Like I said I’ve— I’ve wanted to do a horror for a long time. And things lined up well.” you nodded. “We have a great director and script. An amazing cast who I can’t wait to work with… It’s gonna be something special. I can feel it.” you told them, and the silence lasted a beat longer than you wanted it to, you couldn’t help but continue to speak. “I don’t want what happened to define me… It’s hard to talk about even though it was a year ago. But I’m more than what happened to me. I’m not the same person anymore, but I’m looking forward to learning who the new me is.”

You sniffle, hearing yourself say that. Really hearing it. You’ve played the clip so many times but that is the first time you’ve really heard yourself. It sounds so much more gallant than it really is. Because in truth, you’d go back to the old you in a heartbeat. You’d love the option to rewind to last year and change everything that happened.

Of course Yuuji noticed you starting to cry instantly, pausing the TV and putting an arm around you.

“I know you’re still struggling… maybe you should try therapy again.” he suggests.

“Maybe,” you sniff. “I just think it’s like… survivors’ guilt?” you tell him. “And I miss my dad so much. If I could trade places—”

“Don’t do that.” he chastises you. “I wish none of it happened, b-but… it did. And you’re doing great and I’m proud of you. And I know you don’t think so, but you crushed that interview.” he assures you. You smile at him, melting into his arms.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Yuuji.”

“Yeah, you’d never find another assistant as hard-working and good looking as me. You’d be doomed.” he grins, laughing a little as he speaks. You join in, finally deciding to wipe your tears and pull yourself together. “Let’s watch something else. Something… fun.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

You wake up the next morning, alone in the bed. Yuuji has tidied the room already and he’s opening your curtains for you. He laughs as you groan, the light burning your retinas. You sit up as you rub the sleep out of your eyes.

“Morning…” you grumble.

“Hey, I slept in my room by the way, don’t worry.” he tells you. “Everyone’s downstairs.”

“I’ve been off for a year and it wasn’t enough rest to prepare me for these hectic days again.” you sigh. “I didn’t know I had stuff to do today…”

“Uh… yeah, we’re doing a photoshoot here this afternoon. Makeup is coming in… an hour. Same with wardrobe, I think.” he tries to remember. “I left my phone in my room but I’ll go get it, Taylor wants you downstairs, like, now.” he reminds you.

You manage to pull yourself out of bed and put on a robe over the mismatched bra and panties you fell asleep wearing. The sight of you hungover and imperfect makes Taylor sigh as you come down the stairs. “You look gorgeous. Come sit.” she speaks, though you know she thinks otherwise. You slowly approach and she guides you outside to sit on the patio with her and the rest of your team.

“We want you to know how happy we are with your interview yesterday. It was perfect, really perfect.” your publicist tells you, making sure to butter you up as much as he can before moving on. “This is just the start though so we need to make sure it’s full steam ahead from now on.”

“You’re doing a shoot for Elle here this afternoon. You’ll get to show off the new place, talk a little about your recovery blah blah you know the deal.” Taylor speaks rapidly. “We just want you to know we’re all here for you for whatever you need to get through this transition back into the spotlight. It’s gonna be tough but we know you can do it.” she assures you.

“Thanks.”

“We all know perfection isn’t real, but, as close as you can get to it would be… well, perfect.” she adds. “So we’ll go over what you can and can’t discuss before the interview and—”

“Anyone order a big ass bouquet of flowers?” Yuuji shouts from inside, his voice booming through the house and out to the patio. Everyone stares as he signs for them and brings them from the front door all the way to you. He puts them down in front of you so that you can read the card.

Welcome back — love M x

You smirk as you keep the card close to your chest. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear who they’re from so the conversation can be over and they can get back to preparing you for this afternoon.

“I need to use the bathroom… don’t stop on my account.” you smile as you stand up. You pick up the flowers and hurry inside before anyone can object.

“Who were they from, Yuuji?” Taylor asks, which only earns him a shrug in return.

The house is full of liars on days like this. Taylor lied about you looking gorgeous just as easily as you lied about needing the bathroom. But neither of you are as good at lying as Yuuji. He knew damn well the flowers were from Megumi.

He just thinks you deserve a little time for yourself.

You don’t care that everyone can see you inside leaning against the bar in your lounge as the FaceTime dial rings and rings. There’s a real smile on your face that you cannot seem to wipe off your face as you gush over the fact he sent you flowers. The biggest bunch of flowers you’ve ever seen.

“Hey you.” he smiles, shirtless in his bed as he answers. The sharpness of his jaw and his pronounced collarbones remind you just how handsome he really is. “It’s been a little while, you okay?”

“I just got your flowers…” you tell him as you show him. “They’re stunning, thank you.”

“No problem, I saw your interview. How are you feeling?” he asks.

“I’m good, yeah. Getting lots of praise so I can’t complain.” you nod, leaning on the bar again. “I didn’t get you in any trouble for what I said, did I?” you wonder, he shakes his head which is a huge relief.

“It was just a joke so, no, no trouble at all. I was in London for a week, but I’m back now. I’m in a hotel.”

“Oh, really? Why aren’t you at your place?” you ask, curiously.

“I was gonna go home but I got warned there was paparazzi waiting for me, so I came here.” he explains. “I was thinking you could come over and run lines with me later.” he smirks as he gets out of bed. He’s walking, and you realise when he switches on a light he’s in the bathroom.

You can’t help but smirk, too, knowing what running lines will likely lead to.

“Um… I’m pretty busy today.”

“That’s a shame. I’m sure you can make the time since we’re both professionals.” he tells you as he turns on the shower. He always finds a way to make you smile. And knowing he really watched your interview is making you grin from ear to ear.

“Well, I guess I can make some time tonight.” you reply, giggling as you see his cheeks flush a little red at your answer.

“Good. Good girl, then I’ll see you tonight.”

© 2023 fuwushiguro  

[ninapi]

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┊┊┊✧ ⁺ ⁺╚══ Roommates…? ╝

Premise: Living together as friends was easier than expected, but being a couple, things change. Will it be for the best or for the worst? Experiencing all sorts of first times with your now boyfriend while sharing the same room can get a bit chaotic.

Word count: 3184

Note: This is a continuation from my previous work, you can read the first part here.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tanjiro called you and Genya into the living room after Inosuke came downstairs, seemingly traumatized. He made you sit together on your knees while the rest shared the couch, a very distressed looking Inosuke sitting on a chair to the side, still holding the basket full of cookies.

“I called you all today to take part of the first shared house trial. Seems to me like something has been going on behind our backs and need clarification. As you can see, our witness here,” he motioned towards Inosuke, “suffered some severe trauma this evening. Care to share your experience with us?”

Inosuke cleared his throat, both of his hands laying on his knees trying to recount what happened, “Here I was, taking the cookies Kanao baked over to everyone around the house. I started from the third floor just because it was easier that way, my room is on the first floor as you may know. When I went in their room…I…I saw….they…were pink…with a little white polka dotted bow…and…and…please tell me I have more back muscles than he does, Tanjiro. Do I need to work it more? It didn’t seem fair to me in that angle…”

The look of confusion in everyone’s face was priceless, though, you both knew what he meant by all that.

“Hashibira Inosuke, did you deliberately stare at my panties??? How can you remember so many details? You were in the room for less than a second!” Aoi’s gasp could be heard on the background, making Inosuke grow nervous.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, ok? He had your skirt all the way up! When I got in is all I could see! I told you to lock your door, didn’t I?”

“And did I not tell you to knock? Seriously, Inosuke, you gotta stop barging into rooms like that!” Genya’s fist was trembling with rage, he didn’t even get to see them, he felt them, yes, but he didn’t know they were pink or had a bow even, how was it possible that the damn pig had seen them first, outrageous.

“Wait, wait. I’m not getting what’s going on. What do back muscles have to do with (Y/N)’s panties?” Zenitsu was munching on a sandwich, seemingly confused with the random assortment of details.

“Oh god. Is this what I think it is? Did you go into their room again without knocking and…”

“YES” you and Genya shouted in unison, glaring towards Inosuke.

“I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING LOCK THE DOOR (Y/N)!”

“YELL AT HER AGAIN AND I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU, YOU HEAR ME PIG?”

Tanjiro got up from his seat, getting in between both of them and motioning for both to go back to their place, your hand gently tugging on Genya’s for him to sit down.

“Ok so, is this a thing now? Are you like together?”

You were mumbling quietly, hiding your face on Genya’s shoulder, you really didn’t want to talk about this in front of the entire crew, you hadn’t even talked about it with Genya yet...“Why does it matter to all of you? Isn’t it common decency to knock before barging into someone’s room? What we do or don’t inside our room is our damn business.” his hand came over to yours, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. You were more than embarrassed, not only have you not told them anything of what’s been going on but one of your oldest friends saw your panties, among other things…

Tanjiro’s eyes were on your joint hands, a little smile making its way over to his face. He’s always known of Genya’s crush on you. He saw the entire scene unfold when you shared your book with him all those years back, he saw his friend’s ears turn pink, his expression turn soft every time you addressed him or said something funny. He was happy for him, for the both of you really.

“So Genya and (Y/N) are fucking or something? Sorry I don’t get all this, Nezuko-chan sent me a selfie with the cutest cat ever, I lost track of the conversation.”

“I will fucking crush your skull…” Genya was gathering you in his arms as you buried your face on his chest in shame. His protective self shielding you from the prying eyes, his own burning holes into Zenitsu with passion.

“Now, now. Let’s not get ahead of our ourselves. (Y/N), are you two together now? Is that it? C’mon let me see your pretty face.” Tanjiro was now crouching in front of you, giving Genya a soft adoring smile as he waited patiently for your reply.

Going out of your safe space, you looked at him with one eye, the rest of your face still hidden away. “Yeah…I think so…”

“Thank you, that’s all we needed to know. Now, let’s get into an agreement. Inosuke, you won’t go into ANY of the rooms without knocking. They aren’t the only couple around, if you don’t want to get even more traumatized, I advise you start listening to others. As for you two, please lock your door from now on, that’s what we all do when, well you know…” Genya’s face was bright red, giving Tanjiro a little nod.

“Wow, so am I the only one single now? This sucks…Tanjiro let me date Nezuko-chan already, she’s not a child anymore!” the glare he received left you all speechless, everyone made their way over to their respective rooms quietly, loud cries of intense pain could be heard for the rest of the evening.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Now that all your friends knew you were together, things quieted down.

Everything went back to normal, except for maybe the fact that Genya placed three additional locks on your door and now you have to carry a bunch of keys in your bag. He still can’t get over the fact that Inosuke saw your panties before he did, he has to keep the menace away before something worse happened.

Though, with back to normal I mean Inosuke barging into your make out sessions constantly, a normal thing this days, it did happen often after all.

First he found you making out in the game room; everyone had fallen asleep while playing or were knocked out drunk on the floor after a fierce Friday night of friendly bonding, or so you thought, but Inosuke was still very much awake and saw you perched on your boyfriend’s lap, enjoying everything but the games on the screen. His loud obnoxious complaints woke everybody up.

A similar thing happened a few days later, but in the laundry room, you were sitting on the folding table, your limbs clinging onto Genya almost desperately while you both waited for your garments to be ready. Inosuke heard your quiet whimpers and blew the door open just to have one of his arms almost ripped to pieces by your very much annoyed boyfriend as he barged in once more to kill the mood on purpose.

But it all ended after you caught him and Aoi, half undressed in the living room past 3AM when the munchies hit you both after a movie marathon. The gasp of horror that left Aoi’s lips and Inosuke’s histerical outburst trying to cover his girl were engraved in your mind forever.

You got to experience the awkwardness of it all and kept your hands to yourselves in public places from then on, also Inosuke started being more considerate after seeing his girlfriend crying in shame, he felt bad for exposing you the way he did, so he bought a tiny bore plushie and left it on your pillow as a sign of peace and as a long overdue apology.

Things went back to how they used to be before you were together after that encounter, or so you like to think but sharing your bed with Genya was definitely not something you used to do, now though, that became the new normal for both of you.

“Do you wanna go somewhere together over the weekend?” you’ve been together for a few weeks now, yet you haven’t had your first official date, you were looking forward to it even if it didn’t matter much in your unusual circumstances.

“Sure, where do you wanna go?” he was comfily pressed to your side, half asleep while you browsed on your phone, his hand aimlessly rubbing circles on one of your thighs.

“Hmmm…I always wanted to go on one of those cheesy dates, you know what I mean? Like going to an aquarium and buy matching phone straps, then maybe go eat some crepes and hold hands while we walk in a park. Is that too much for you?” you giggled, kissing his shoulder gently in a playful manner trying to sway his decision.

Groaning, he buried his face on your chest nuzzling your softness, “I hate you…”

“Is that a yes~?”

“Whatever… you owe me at least ten thousand kisses, and I want them by tomorrow if you want me to do all that girly crap…” chuckling in excitement you rolled around in your bed, getting on top of him and showered his face with soft kisses, “Gotta start now then~”

This would be fun.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Your typical cheesy over the top date was fantastic.

You walked around the exhibits in the aquarium hand in hand, making comments on the pretty fish and forcing your boyfriend to make silly faces for your selfies. Both wore matching head wear obtained at the gift shop at the front to make it all even worse for poor Genya.

You wanted something cute like a dolphin or jellyfish headband, but he refused to wear anything that wasn’t the cool white shark hat that the mannequin had in display. Not like you cared really, you were just happy to wear matching items with someone like him, it felt like an accomplishment, like if you were in some sort of sweet dream you didn’t want to wake up from.

Genya enjoyed it more than he thought he would, aquariums are unexpectedly quiet and fun to be in. He made you touch a sea cucumber and laughed at your disgusted face for about twenty minutes, he just couldn’t stop. So you grabbed his hand and pressed it gently to a starfish, making sure to capture his mortified expression in video. He realized he’d be fine wherever you’d want to take him, being with you was fun, even if he had to wear crazy hats, he really likes to see you smiling.

You got to buy the matching phone straps you wanted, they had a tiny dangly shark hanging from them of course, and he ended up getting a dolphin plush for you out of a claw machine.

This was the first time Genya had been to an aquarium, to a date in general, but he hoped it wasn’t the last.

After your under the sea adventure, you stopped by the crepe stand in the big park outside of the building, it had a long line but he knew you really wanted some for your utopian date plan, so he queued next to you for an hour even if he grumbled the entire time, nothing a couple of sneaky kisses couldn’t fix.

You got back to your room by sunset, exhausted but happy. Having a boyfriend that is willing to indulge you even when he wasn’t one to do such things made you feel loved, and that was new.

“Wasn’t so bad, was it?” you were poking his side while he took off his socks, too lazy to take a bath, you ended up walking a lot, who would have thought dates were this tiring.

“That shark was freaking cool. Do you think they’d let us buy one as pet?” you chuckled, laying flat on your bed, the wild image of your boyfriend feeding Zenitsu to the shark crossed your mind.

“I doubt it, baby.” he nodded slightly disappointed, reaching over to nestle himself on your side. “Too bad. Maybe one day we could get one, those tiny ones might fit in a house tank.” he was dozing off quickly as you threaded your fingers through his hair, dreaming of a future were you two would still be together.

“That would be nice.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dating your roommate had more perks than anything.

You both always knew what the other forgot before it was too late, always supported the other in bad days. Always ready for cuddles and kisses or a very deep conversation and pep talks.

But it also came with a bad side.

Being comfortable is a good thing, but some times being too comfortable can be a double edged sword.

You were currently in the shower, getting ready for school. Your phone kept ringing and it was driving Genya crazy.

He went over to your desk to make it stop when he saw the caller on the screen, making his stomach turn.

‘Sensei~ ♡’

Why was he calling you, why was his name saved like that in your phone? It made him want to throw your phone off the window and get you a new one so he wouldn’t have your number…

He was about to walk away when a text message arrived, a notification displaying on the screen, ‘I miss you…can we meet today after class?’

“He what??? This bastard…” he was fuming at this point, his imagination running wild. Why would he miss you? Is not like you two had a thing. Did you…? No, no, he trusts you, you are his girlfriend, you even live together, not like you could cheat on him without him noticing.

You went out of the bathroom, Genya reached over for one of the books on his own desk, trying to fake ignorance. His heart was racing, doubt was filling his insides and he didn’t like the way that felt.

You checked your phone but didn’t reply, just continued getting ready.

“S-shall we go for some burgers tonight, babe? Inosuke said they were super good in that new place downtown.” He sounded a little insecure, something he hasn’t been for a while, at least not around you.

“Can’t, not tonight at least, have something to do.” you were rushing out of the door, grabbing your backpack on the way, “See you later, baby!” you blew him a kiss and ran downstairs trying not to be late for your first class of the day.

“Something to do? Since when she doesn’t tell me what that ‘something’ is? She always tells me what she’s doing, why not today? Fuck…” he didn’t want to believe you would cheat on him, but things were just not adding up, his brother was also your first love, and a very dangerous competition to have, didn’t want to but he had to admit he had doubts, he was jealous, hurt even, but he would give you a chance.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Genya was waiting for you sitting on his bed with his arms crossed, it was almost midnight, and you hadn’t even texted him since lunch.

When he saw the door being unlocked, he tried to look calm, reaching for a discarded notebook on his bed to look like he was studying and definitely not waiting for you.

“You still awake, babe? Isn’t it too late? Or were you waiting for me~?” you gave him a loving smile, making your way over to his bed, craving the warmth of your boyfriend after a long day. But he wasn’t having it, even if he didn’t want to be, he was still annoyed by the situation.

Pushing you over to the side, he rolled over, making you face his back.

“Babe? What’s up? Are you mad?” snaking your arms around his waist, you placed a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“Why would I be mad? Did you do something that would make me mad?” his voice was gruff; you could hear the annoyance lacing his every word.

“Not that I know of…” to this he scoffed, throwing the notebook to the ground and turning back to face you, an angry scowl adorning his rather handsome face.

“Yeah right…I fucking saw my brother’s message! Are you toying with me (Y/N)? Am I not enough? Do you really need to go pleading for his stupid attention? Is he that great???” you were speechless, trying to grasp the situation.

“You think I went on a date with Sensei and that’s why I came home late? Is that why you’re mad?” now you were the one scowling. You didn’t mind him seeing your notifications, what made you upset was his lack of trust.

“Why else would you be so fucking late? You didn’t even want to tell me what you were doing after class today…and…and you’ve never rejected a date with me before!”

“It was LATE! I had to run to class! We fell asleep this morning after snoozing the alarm, remember??” you got your phone out, unlocking it and throwing it his way, showing the conversation with his brother.

Genya’s eyes were glued to your screen, re-reading the very short conversation you had with Sanemi in disbelief.

Not only did you declined his offer, but you plainly rejected him.

He grabbed your phone and went into your contacts, an overwhelming need to delete his phone number overtook him but he was able to control himself. Instead, he changed his contact name from 'Sensei~ ♡' to 'Brother in-law', making you giggle. That's what he was now, not your sensei, not your crush, your boyfriend's brother.

He was feeling many things at that moment, he felt proud, of your relationship, of how you didn’t need him to intervene, how you stopped him from the start and didn’t fall for his antics. He felt shame, of his attitude, of the way he shouted at you just now, of how he couldn’t trust you enough. But overall, he felt happy, loved, and oddly, somewhat horny. You’re so hot when you get all bossy like that, shutting him off completely, drives him nuts.

And that was the feeling that won him over.

He threw your phone to the side, climbing on top of you as he smashed his lips against yours. “I was so angry...so jealous...He keeps on lusting over you… over MY baby. You’re mine…Just mine.” he kept grumbling, kissing every available patch of skin he could find like a starved man, his hands roaming over your body with an overwhelming need.

“All yours, my love.” he stopped his ministrations, looking down at you with a mix of confusion and awe. You hadn’t crossed that line just yet.

“What?” you laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck, gazing lovingly into his widened orbs.

“Your l-love…?”

“Yup that’s you. My boyfriend, the man I love. So, my love. Right?” you tilted your head to the side, a bit saddened by his confusion, was it one sided-

“I-I guess so, yes. You are my love too then, my girlfriend, the woman I love.” he nodded with resolution, making your smile grow once more, the urgency getting even more unbearable as time went on, his skin was on fire, same as his heart.

“Genya…?” your eyes were shut in bliss, all you could think about all day was on coming home, to be in his arms…

“Hmmm?” he couldn’t stop kissing you, he just needed more and more of you.

“I love you.” that though, made him stop, looking at you while panting heavily. You felt the need to make things clear, wanted him to hear it properly coming from your mouth, to clear any doubt he might have about your relationship.

“I love you too, babe.” this time you were the one to pull him over to you, not before pulling his shirt over his head in as swift movement, getting rid of the very much unnecessary piece of clothing, needing to feel every inch of him.

“Can I…?” his hand stopped right at the hem of your dress, waiting for your permission to proceed. To this you just nodded, bringing him down once more for another deep kiss as clothing went flying on its own.

Another line was crossed that night, one you both eagerly waited for the right moment to cross fully.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Next morning, Inosuke had gone to pick up the groceries, you had added to the list some of your girly essentials and he went over to your room to leave them there.

He saw the door wasn’t locked, which made him go in after he knocked and there was no reply from any of you.

The room was in fact empty.

He walked over to your bed, dropping the supermarket bag on it and was about to leave when he felt something fall on his head.

Terrified and ready to fight whatever it was attacking him, he saw something pink fall to the ground.

The item that followed him to his nightmares fell from the lamp above the beds, your pair of pink lacy panties with the polka dotted bow he still remembers to this day to perfection.

“FOR FUCK SAKES (Y/N), WHY??? JUST WHY????”

▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

Note: Just a little extra something for those who asked for more, hehe~ 🙊✨

Masterlist

[goodolddumbbanana]

I think there is something very funny about how people keep seeing Dark Sun worse than how he perceived himself.

Like sure, Dark Sun is smart, knowledgeable, selfish and self preservation, he tortured his Moon and maybe killed everyone else and did some immoral things off screen. But for real...

Have we seen him really do anything really truly evil or manipulative?

1. This is the same dude that can't even pretend to be himself, to be Sun without people keep recognising him.

Foxy, Nexus, Puppet, Ruin, like they only need to glance at the first sign and immediately go, 'yep, it is not our Sun.'

The only reason why Earth and Lunar fell for his trick was because 1. they haven't met Dark Sun before; and 2. They never thought they would fall for the same trick again after the Goliath thingy. And 3. Dark Sun wasn't too active about going along with his plan and actually played with Earth and Lunar a little bit.

And with Eclipse and Lord Eclipse because well, Eclipses always look down at Suns.

Because when I look back at Sun and Dark Sun's acting, they are literally the same. They both jump too quickly into their needs, their language bodies are too stiff, they are both making people feel like something was wrong about them but they couldn't tell what it is.

Like how Sun pretends to be Ruin, Monty could feel something very wrong but they didn't know why. Or when Dark Sun pretends to be Servant Sun, Lord Eclipse catches his of guard about the things he said but doesn't react to it. (LORD Eclipse never told Servant Sun to stop moving when Lord Eclipse kills him.)

Both of them, Sun and Dark Sun, only succeed in their acting because people usually look down or not pay attention to them. And when people do, they tend to get caught pretty quickly.

2. He totally used Nexus for his own advantage. But to be fair, from what I gather from these episodes, he literally lets Nexus do whatever he likes inside his lab. He pulled the strings to get Nexus to work with him for sure, but it was also the same dude who got pissed because Ruin stomps into his dimension.

He acts the same way Sun did when Moon got reset.

From these first days when Nexus woke up, Sun was the one who handed everything. He knew about Nexus's arm, he knew about the portal's access code...

It is not sudden Sun got smarter. He just has more knowledge than Nexus at that time...

And for someone who manipulated, Dark Sun pretty much just like watching the newest shows before anyone else. Just like he has seen the future... And use it for his own interests.

Sun also did that too, the little manipulative thingy, but only with small inconvenienced things. He lies to Nexus about learning the star power. He brides Lunar to force Moon to go to sleep. He steals money to buy Rocksan Wolf rings or something when he used to crush her. Oh.. and he didn't tell Moon about July 16th...

3. Dark Sun only focused on his goal. We didn't know what it was but he never did anything to harm people outside it.

Like, he totally could harm or kidnap Lunar, but he didn't do that. Or he just killed off Moon, but he didn't. He also kinda pushed Lord Eclipse down to the cliff and did not kill him immediately, with the diaglode the same one when Sun went down the spiral and tried to kill Eclipse.

"I told you, you are going down, right now."

"To remind Every eclipse will fall in the end..."

Sound familiar? Both Dark Sun and Sun said so... When they killed Eclipse. The only difference is that the Sun gets his hand dirty and traumatized, he also falls when doing that task. And Dark Sun succeeded without his hand dirty.

And my favourite part, both Sun and Dark Sun pointed out how miserable and pathetic and stupid Eclipse is and admit they were pretty much thinking too highly about Eclipse.

Dark Sun still has some morals, and that show in the way he doesn't want to dirty his hands, he doesn't want to rule the world or something absolute like that. He just wants to live in peace without anything cross his way.

I love Dark Sun so much and I hope people wouldn't misinterpret him like someone who was cold and cruel and manipulated and abused Nexus while in fact He just flows with the stream and takes manners in the selfish way for himself.

[unabashegirl]

Enticing 43 — Harry Styles

Summary: Harry is a young billionaire and CEO of his own company. He mostly keeps to himself, he is stern and very meticulous when it comes to business. He also likes to keep his personal life very private for the sake of his newly born son Oliver Styles. It isn't until he meets Y/N Y/L/N that everything changes. She becomes his new nanny after his previous one quits due to personal reasons. She is young, caring, and sweet. Will they ignore their feelings? Will Harry's girlfriend accept their love and leave them? Will she be able to cope with his busy agenda? What about Oliver's mother? Where is she? Who is she?

Author's note: Hello everyone! I am back! I have good and bad news. I passed by exams with very good grades. The bad news is that my mom was fired from her job and we are waiting for a biopsy report from pathology and we still have to pay school. Honestly, it's been rough and very stressful week. So, I hope it's not a lot to ask, but if you guys could reblog my Tumblr posts, to get more reach it would help me a lot. Hopefully to help her pay some bills and a small portion of tuition.

I hope you are all having a great day and have a wonderful week. I hope you like tonight's chapter. Stay turned for more this week. I will update all stories.

— enticing masterlist —

word count: 1.6K

Y/N slowly blinked her eyes open, her head still throbbing but now slightly dulled. She found herself in a hospital room, the sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air. Panic from the memories of the assault shot through her momentarily until she saw a familiar face beside her.

“Harry,” She whispered, her voice weak and raspy.

Harry looked up from where he had been sitting, worry etched across his features. Y/N could tell that he hadn’t gotten any sleep. His hair is messy, and he had tired eyes. “Y/N, love, how are you feeling?”

She managed a faint smile. “Hurt but seeing you here help.”

He stood up and walked to her. He gently took her hand, concerned in his eyes. “I nearly got a heart attack when I got the call that you have been attacked. Canceled everything, got on the jet and flew back as quick as I could” Harry kissed her hand, and he pressed it against his cheek. He was glad that she was finally feeling warm again.

Tears welled up in her eyes, overwhelmed by his devotion and love. “I don’t know what I could do without you.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead tenderly. “You don’t have to go through anything alone. I’ll always be here.”

The hospital room seemed to grow quieter, a weighty silence settling in as Harry's expression turned serious. He held Y/N’s hand gently, his eyes locked onto hers, urging her to share the painful truth

“I need to know what happened. Please, tell me”

Tears welled up again, and she took a deep, shuddering breath, gathering the courage to recount the traumatic events. She described how James had confronted her, his anger escalating as she stood her ground. The violence, the shove, the impact against the building — each word felt like a jagged piece of her soul, but she pushed through, needing to share her truth with Harry.

“He pushed and shoved me around” She whispered, her voice quivering with the weight of the memory. “My head hit the wall and everything went blurry”.

Harry’s grip on her hand tightened as he listened, his jaw clenched in anger and sorrow. He wanted to reach back in time and shield her from that pain, erase the scars left by someone who claimed to love her.

“You are safe now” Harry said, his voiced filled with both tenderness and determination

His words wrapped around her like a warm embrace, offering solace and strength. In that moment, she knew that she had chosen the right a person to share her life with — the one who stood by her, ready to help her rebuild and to heal.

Concerned etched across her face, Y/N gently touched her stomach, her worry for the little life growing inside her apparent in her eyes. “Is the baby okay, Harry?”

Harry placed a hand over hers, offering reassurance. “The doctors checked, love. The baby is alright. You had a concussion and they had to stitch your head, but they assured us that the baby seems fine”.

A wave of relief washed over Y/N, and she let out a shaky breath. “Thank goodness”.

Harry leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “I promise you, Y/N. I’ll never leave you without security again. We’ll take every measure to ensure your safety”.

She nodded, gratitude filling her heart. “I know we’ll get through this together”.

Determination set in Harry’s gaze. “Absolutely. And about how he found you. I’ll look into it. We’ll figure out how he got that information. I won’t rest until he is behind bars, where he can’t harm you or anyone else.”

Harry gently brushed a lock of hair behind Y/N's ear, his worry etched on his face. He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to voice his concern. "Y/N, love, I've been thinking. Given what happened, I'm worried about your safety. I don't want you to be alone, especially with him out there."

Y/N looked at Harry, her heart touched by his genuine concern and love. She knew he was right; her ex-boyfriend was a threat, and she needed to prioritize her safety. "What are you suggesting?"

He took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. "I think it would be best if you moved in with me. At least temporary. I had plans to find a place together after our trip, and I think now is the right time to make that move. We'll create a safe haven for us."

Tears welled up in Y/N's eyes, overwhelmed by Harry's protective nature and love. “I love you for it. I’m grateful to have you and to start this new chapter together. Apart from the circumstances"

He smiled softly, wiping away a tear that escaped her eye. "We'll make it our home, filled with love and happiness. I want you to feel safe and at peace, always."

They both knew it was the right decision, a step toward solidifying their commitment to each other and their future. Harry's protective instincts were fierce, and Y/N knew that together, they could face anything that came their way.

"I'm ready, Harry," she said, her voice steady with determination. "Let's move forward”.

Harry leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Y/N”.

And in that moment, as they made plans for their new apartment and the life they would build together, they found solace in each other's arms—a sanctuary of love and safety that would guide them through the trials and triumphs that lay ahead.

As the morning sun streamed through the windows, Y/N slowly woke up in the comforting surroundings of Harry's apartment. The throbbing pain in her head had lessened, thanks to the medication prescribed by the hospital. Today marked the beginning of her healing process, both physically and emotionally.

Harry, being the caring partner he was, had already left for work, but he had made sure that Y/N was in good hands. Mrs. Johnson, the kind-hearted housekeeper, was there to assist her. Harry had also arranged for her work setup, ensuring that she could continue her tasks from the comfort of their new home.

Y/N gingerly made her way to the living room, where a small desk had been set up for her. Her laptop, a cozy blanket, and some snacks were neatly arranged, waiting for her. A vase of fresh flowers sat beside the laptop, brightening up the space.

"He really thought of everything," Y/N said, gratitude warming her heart.

Mrs. Johnson smiled warmly. "Mr. Styles wanted to make sure you're comfortable. If you need anything, dear, just let me know."

With a thankful nod, Y/N settled into her work, appreciating the effort Harry had put into making her surroundings as cozy and conducive to healing as possible. The familiar hum of her laptop and the comforting presence of Mrs. Johnson allowed her to immerse herself in her work.

Throughout the day, Mrs. Johnson made sure Y/N had everything she needed, from fresh tea to occasional snacks. The hours passed, and Y/N found solace in her work, a distraction from the recent traumatic events.

Later in the afternoon, Harry returned home, worry still etched on his features. He walked into the living room, where Y/N was immersed in her work.

"How are you feeling, darlin?" Harry asked, concern evident in his eyes.

Y/N looked up and managed a weak smile. "Better, thanks to you and Mrs. Johnson”

Harry sat down beside her, reaching for her hand. "You're my priority, Y/N. Always. Aside from Oliver"

Together, they continued their day, finding comfort in each other's presence and the promise of a future where they would support and love each other through every challenge life threw their way.

The cozy living room of Harry's apartment had transformed into a hub of excitement and anticipation. Harry sat on the couch, his adorable son, Oliver, resting peacefully on his chest. Y/N, with her laptop on her lap, was leaning against Harry, browsing through pictures of apartments and furniture.

As they scrolled through the images, they shared their ideas and visions for their new home. Each picture sparked conversations filled with dreams and possibilities.

Y/N pointed to a picture of a spacious, sunlit living room with large windows that offered a stunning view of the city skyline. “Look at this one. Imagine waking up to this view every morning."

Harry's eyes lit up as he gazed at the image. "It’s better than here”.

Oliver, seemingly aware of the conversation, let out a happy gurgle, as if agreeing with his father’s and girlfriend opinion.

They continued their virtual apartment hunt, discussing the features that were most important to them. A modern kitchen for Y/N to indulge in her passion for cooking, a spacious nursery for Oliver, and a cozy bedroom where they could unwind together after long days.

"what about the furniture?" Y/N asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We should pick something that suits our style and feels like 'home'."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. Let's make sure it's comfortable and welcoming. Something we'll both love coming back to."

They spent hours browsing through various furniture designs and styles, taking inspiration from different aesthetics. Y/N had a keen eye for interior design, and Harry admired her taste.

As the day turned into evening, they eventually closed the laptop, satisfied with the ideas they had gathered. Harry gently placed Oliver in his crib, and they continued to discuss their plans...

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[arlathvhenan]

What Exactly Is Fen’Harel?

Something I think about a lot is a quote from Weekes about their writing process, particularly when it comes to twists and foreshadowing. It basically went like this:

“The best twist is one that was staring you in the face the whole time.”

Pretty much every thing we know about Solas so far—his dialogue, his abilities, his knowledge of The Fade and Spirits, that Fen’Harel’s ‘natural home’ is said to be The Fade, Cole’s comments about him, his relationship with Cole in general, that he values Wisdom above all else—points to the fact that he was most likely a Spirit once.

All of that has been staring us in the face. But that’s not the end of it. Because do you know what else has been staring us in the face.

A big ass mutant wolf monster with six eyes.

I’ve spoken on my old blog about this theory, but I think it’s pretty damn likely that Solas is a Demon. We got a lot of new information in Inquisition about what Demons really are and how they become demons.

There’s Cole, who was a Spirit of Compassion until a deeply traumatic experience warped him into a wrong version of himself.

Then of course there was the Spirit from Faded For Her. That was a Wisdom Spirit which, like Cole, became a demon when something so horrific and awful happened to it and left it broken. That’s when it became a demon.

Again, regardless of your feelings towards the character, you can’t deny that Solas isn’t supremely fucked up on the inside by literal centuries of trauma and pain. There’s no telling what the catalyst was, but at some point very long ago, something broke him so profoundly that it left him fundamentally changed, and that’s when he became what he is now, or at the very least it’s where the change began.

That brings me back to Faded For Her. You may or may not already know, but the full title of Solas’ personal quest is an anagram of ‘Dreadwolf Fen’Harel.’ Considering Weekes loves them some foreshadowing—and is damn good at it—I think it was more than just a cheeky Easter egg. Maybe this is reaching by I think Faded For Her doesn’t just points to his identity as Fen’Harel, I think it may be the story of how he became Fen’Harel.

If that’s the case than his story essentially goes like this:

In ancient times, there was an exceptionally powerful Spirit of Wisdom. One day that Spirit was summoned and bound by someone who commanded it to do things that so traumatized it, it was corrupted into a Demon. When corrupted, Spirits of Wisdom become Pride Demons, and so this event is when the Spirit took the name Solas—literally the Elvhen word for Pride.

All of this took place long before the Veil. We know that The Evanuris were not gods, but mages who rose to the status of godhood after victory in some monumental war. This was likely the war with The Forgotten Ones.

We don’t know much about The Forgotten Ones, but there’s been fragments of information that form the outline of an interesting picture:

1–They we’re opposed and eventually defeated by The Evanuris

2–Fan’Harel is included among the ranks of both The Evanuris and The Forgotten Ones.

3–There are exactly eight Evanuris if you exclude Fen’Harel, and exactly eight Forgotten Ones if you include him.

4–The tale ‘Fen’Harel And The Tree’ features The Forgotten One called Anaris, who wants revenge for some kind of betrayal.

So with all this in mind, let’s look at Fen’Harel’s story again:

He was one of The Forgotten Ones, a pantheon that predated The Evanuris. These Forgotten Ones were ancient and powerful Spirits who ruled over and protected The Fade. When The Evanuris waged war on them, one of them summoned the spirit who would later become Fen’Harel, enslaved him, and forced him to betray his own kind. His people. He was given a rank among their armies and told to destroy everyone and everything he’d once existed to protect. This was the great trauma that twisted him into the demonic figure known as Fen’Harel.

Solas doesn’t consider himself to have much in common with The Elves because he never truly was one. He doesn’t consider them his people because they aren’t. And he isn’t trying to restore their world, because that isn’t the one worth saving.

His people are Spirits, and it’s their world he means to restore. The world of his time wasn’t Arlathan or Elvhenan or anything the Elves built. Their world was Thedas—all of Thedas—before the Veil split it in two.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Have you watched the Utena movie? If so, how do you think it ties into the anime? And your thoughts on the character relationships (Anthy and Utena, Touga&Utena and Shiori and Touga)?

I have!

And the answer is it does, but it doesn't?

The Thing About Utena

So, there are far more learned people about Utena than me. I haven't read the manga, I haven't read many of the interviews/documentaries. There's so much I don't know about the production and how it came into being.

What I do know about the manga and the anime, is that they were made around the same time and that because the artist had only an initial script/concept to go off of they went wildly different places than the anime did.

The film was made as a follow on to the anime but...

Jury's out on if it's a sequel of not.

Where Utena Left Off

Where we leave off, Utena has been expelled from Ohtori and presumably no longer remembers it or is able to find it. Anthy has left Ohtori for the real world, seemingly leaving the magical world of Ohtori to collapse or else manifest as the real world without Anthy's magical abilities holding it together.

Everyone else is still there, not having escaped the throes of adolescence yet, including the disillusioned Nanami, the humbled and defeated Touga, as well as Miki and Juri who have learned things about their relationships and Shiori who has lost everything.

We're left with the presumption that somewhere, somehow, Anthy will find Utena and that together they'll make it as ordinary people in the world of adults.

The Movie

Utena arrives at Ohtori, designed very differently, with a different backstory/reasoning for arriving. Here, she knew Touga beforehand and has been actively looking for him/is certain he's the prince.

Both Utena and Touga seem to have had personality transplants compared to the anime. Touga's much more generous/we see very little of his manipulation compared to the anime, and we learn he in fact died a very long time ago in a heroic manner that has traumatized Utena ever since (and was also abused by his adoptive father). Utena, on the other hand, is far more wary and standoffish and hostile to Anthy compared to her initial "lol whut who are you" reaction in the anime. Wakaba, too, is not introduced as Utena's friend or someone who even knows her or ever becomes all that close to her.

Akio is more hapless and hedonistic than malicious, as after sleeping with his sister in a drunken daze he kills himself. He's barely a part of the film at all.

Nanami is a cameo of a rampaging cow that is not explained at all nor given any relation to Touga.

Shiori is now very bitter, malicious, and narcissistic as opposed to riddled by insecurities and self-doubt as she is in the original anime series.

And Anthy doesn't act like the 'witch' at all, not in any way shape or form, and is a far more sympathetic character.

The rose bride metaphor is no longer a metaphor, if you win the bride, she will sleep with you, almost immediately, as Utena finds out to her utter initial disgust at first.

And we finally see them actually escape Ohtori in victory. Utena becomes a car and she and Anthy escape into the... oh no, is adulthood the apocolypse? Is the real world just Mad Max? Oh well, they finally get to kiss on screen.

The Movie: A Direct Sequel

Could be argued that the movie is a direct sequel to the anime.

Ohtori looks different because it collapsed completely upon Anthy's departure. This, too, explains why characters look different than how they were designed in the original series, the egg fucking collapsed with everyone inside it.

Perhaps the reason we have this new Ohtori is that Anthy came back for whatever reason but whatever that reason was--her brother didn't survive it, which is why Akio has his unglamorous and terrible death and ceases to become a major character.

Nanami's stuck as a fucking cow in a TV set, because on trying to leave this bullshit she accidentally left this bullshit and gets to be a cow.

Touga's a broken ghost who is now dead in this world, and we learn part of why he was the way he was in the original series (as the father bit was a scrapped plotline from the anime that it just didn't have time for).

Utena is standoffish and guarded because she ended the anime with a billion swords stabbed through her, even though she doesn't remember what happened or Ohtori and was lured in for different reasons, she still has fundamentally changed as a person while still being a 'prince' if a lot less... earnest about it.

Wakaba has forgotten Utena, as she did at the beginning of the previous film.

Shiori has become embroiled in bitterness and hatred after her humiliation and devestation, completely divorcing herself from Juri and now consumed with ruining the happiness and hope of others.

Anthy has been softened, now desperately wants to escape and to do so with Utena. The metaphors, too, are gone and the nature of the Rose Bride, the sexuality of it, is made blatantly and horribly clear.

Everyone else is still trapped there, trapped in adolescence and a lack of character development that saw them unable to progress in the series.

There's also only a few duels, not that many, as if we've already done this before and we just did that first one with Saionji to parallel that first one with Saionji in the original series.

And of course, we finally see Utena and Anthy get out, the shadow girls cheer them on, we see the cast of Utena helping them escape in a way that implies a long history (even if everyone's forgotten it), and of course Utena and Anthy do kiss as if they've been through some shit.

There's a strong argument to be made that it's a direct sequel.

Why Not?

Because we repeat so many events from the anime and reexplain things/recontextualize characters like Touga, Utena, Anthy, Akio, etc.

The film feels like a separate reality, another incarnation of Ohtori that might have happened, and a different rose bride system as well. It really doesn't feel like a direct sequel, the sense that if you want it to be a sequel you kind of have to squint at it and go "... I think this works"

It also doesn't take place in the middle of the series or before the series as it's all about Utena being in Ohtori/arriving and beginning to engage in the duels. There's also enough repeated events, with very different reasoning, that it doesn't feel as much like a "we're doing this because this has all happened before and will all happen again" but more that it's... a different interpretation of the events that are set in motion.

So, there's a strong argument that it's not tied into the anime at all but exists in its own little bubble.

Character Relationships

... all of those? And in the movie or the anime? I've written on some of those but each of those is... a very long post.

[jacksdinonuggets]

Not So Little Injuries: Chapter 3

Charlie had just come back from doing some detective work and maybe one or two slaughterings of sinners in pentagram city. She was feeling a bit better knowing that the people who injured her baby were now in pain. But she needed to clean up. The blood was starting to dry up and it was getting itchy. Plus, she would no doubt send Vaggie into an episode if she saw blood splatterings (poor traumatized baby).

As she walked through the doors of the hotel, some of the residents spotted her. It was mainly Angel and Husk at the bar. They seemed to have been chatting for a bit until she had walked through.

“Dang, toots, you went on a killing spree?” Angel joked when he saw the blood splatter on her clothes.

“Eh, kind of. But that’s not exactly the point. I have something I need to ask of you guys,” She went over and sat at the bar where Husk and Angel were.

“Can you guys check in on Vaggie? I think she’s getting kind of lonely and bored. I know it's only been about 3 days since she’s been injured but she needs some friends to hang out with,” Charlie explained.

“Sure, why not? I’m down to helping entertain my baby sis,” Angel said, putting his drink down and getting ready to get up.

“Great! Husk, can you visit her later today when you sober up?” She asked.

“Alright, I’ll try,” Husk promised, pouring himself another glass. Charlie gave him a look. He groaned and poured out his drink in the sink.

Back upstairs, Vaggie was pouting. Sure, it wouldn’t get her anywhere or anything, but she still felt like she needed to do it. She hated being inside and bedridden. She wanted to play and have tummy time. But this stupid cast stopped her. All she could do was nap and watch cartoons and movies.

When she was about to rebel and get out of bed in her wheelchair, the door opened. Angel was standing there in the doorway with Fat Nuggets. 

“Heard you were getting lonely, so I brought Nugs,” He said, walking over to her bed, “Can I sit?”

She looked up at him and nodded but still pouted. She didn’t really want him. What she wanted was to be free from this bed! She wanted to actually play.

“You wanna pet him?” Angel asked.He wasn’t very good with these types of things. Husk was way better at providing therapeutic advice. But hopefully, a few Nug pats would be able to solve this upsetti spaghetti mood she was in.

“I guess…” She mumbled as he put Fat Nuggets on her lap. She pet him for a bit as he snuggled into her lap.

“You, uh, feeling big or little, sis?” Angel asked. Vaggie just shrugged. She didn’t really know. She kind of felt little but at the same time kind of felt big.

“Want me to grab your mega bloks?” 

“Umm…okay,” Vaggie replied. Maybe this would help her feel a little better.

Angel went over to the closet and got out Vaggie’s little stuff. Since the nursery was still under construction, everyones little gear was inside their rooms. Charlie made sure to bring all of Vaggie’s the first day she was bedridden, so all of her toys and stuff were in the closet.

Angel pulled the bag out and sat back on the bed with her.

“Ooh! How about we build a pirate ship?” he suggested. He knew Vaggie probably missed her little pirate section that hung off of the building.

“Otay!” Vaggie said excitedly. 

They started to put blocks together and try to form a very colorful looking pirate ship. Vaggie was luckily old enough to put them together without needing a lot of help. Sure, she would get confused at times, but Angel would be patient and show her how to do it.

Once it was done, Vaggie squealed with joy and clapped her hands happily.

“Yay! It done!” 

“Mhm! It sure is!” He ruffled her hair a bit. She grinned and laughed quite a bit.

Charlie was pleased to hear the sound of laughter coming from Vaggie’s room as she stepped out of the shower. The little girl barely got to have fun since she was bedridden. It warmed her heart to know that she was having fun and laughing.

While Angel was looking over her, Charlie decided to get some work done. She hadn’t been doing any work for the hotel within the three days that her baby was bedridden. But now, she didn’t need to worry about Vaggie. However, she did make sure to send Angel Vaggie’s pain med schedule as her next dose was coming up soon. 

Before she knew it, two hours had passed. Setting her pen down, she went to check on the two. On her way to Vaggie’s room, she saw Nifty running up to her door too. She had a basket in her hands.

“Whatcha got there, Nifty?” Charlie crouched down so she could be at her height.

“Heard Miss Vaggie is not feeling well! So I made her some cookies and got her new crayons and a coloring book!” Nifty replied, showing her the basket. There was in fact a couple of chocolate chip cookies wrapped up in plastic wrap next to a coloring book and a large crayola box that had 152 crayons in it. 

“Well, I’m sure Vaggie will love it. Wanna give it to her now?” Charlie asked to which Nifty nodded.

When she opened the door, she saw Angel gently playing with Vaggie’s hair as Vaggie was fast asleep against him. He noticed them there and waved.

“Gave her her meds before she passed out. Those meds are strong, huh?” He whispered.

“Yeah, they make her fall asleep very easily,” Charlie said in a quiet voice.

Nifty looked a little sad that she couldn’t give her present to Vaggie. Charlie noticed the hint of sadness and crouched down.

“Don’t worry Nifty, she’ll open it when she wakes up. You want to just leave it on her nightstand?” She suggested.

“Okay!” Nifty said excitedly. Charlie had to shush her a little because Vaggie was starting to stir. Nifty apologized and put her present on the nightstand before going back downstairs to clean up the kitchen from making the cookies.

Charlie helped Angel wiggle out of Vaggie’s grasp. She could get very clingy and cuddly when asleep. Luckily they were able to do that without waking her up.

Husk did manage to sober up and visit her later that day to bring her some dinner and do a couple of card tricks for her. It made her very excited and happy to see “magic”. Even if it wasn’t real magic, it still made her really happy.

Being bedridden wasn’t that bad. As long as Vaggie had her friends with her, she could survive this week bound to her bed.

[meimi-haneoka]

Certain scenes in Clear Card become clear (pun unintended) only when you re-read them several times, and sometimes you have to linger on the text in Japanese to get the right key to understand them.

I run a daily account for Akiho on Twitter, and I was browsing again through the scenes of chapter 78, to see if I could feature one of those scenes today.

This page caught my attention once again, despite the fact that by now I must have seen it a hundred times:

Of course this scene makes me always smile a lot, because of how Akiho is literally shouting at the dragon to talk to her, exerting her assertiveness once again, and she looks so desperate and fed up! And the dragon stops suddenly (expressed eloquently by that ピター sfx) with that seemingly "surprised" expression. I looked over and over at his expression and tried to go deeper about what could've caused such an abrupt "change of mind".

I mean yes, I've always given for granted that this was standard Kaito being unable to deny Akiho anything.

But is it really all that there is, to this scene?

My eyes glided over that 「お話」 (ohanashi, lit. "story, talk") present in Akiho's speech bubble.

The literal translation of her entire line is "Please! Have a [talk] with me!".

And you've probably heard me many times pointing out how CLAMP in Clear Card went maniacal in the use of punctuation marks and anything in the text that could guide us through the understanding of the scene, without needing to spell it out at every corner.

In particular, they use 「 」 a lot to bring the attention to specific important words.

So that 「お話」 .... I started to think, "why is it between 「 」 ? What is it that Ohkawa sensei wants me to think about? What do I need to remember or spot?".

So in my usual game of treasure hunt, I started to think....and I didn't really need long to start remembering that it wasn't the first time that Akiho had asked Kaito to have a "talk" in that way....it happened in a very important scene, once.

Chapter 48. Right before making her covert love confession, Akiho asked Kaito もう少しだけお話しても良いですか, which means "Can I talk to you just a little bit more?". When Kaito answered "If it's ok with you, Akiho-san" he was replying specifically to this request. And he seemed surprised but then very happy to walk and talk to her (or rather, mostly listening to her talking, as he's quite the introvert and contemplative type 😆), as we could see from the additional bits in chapter 49.

Another time we see Akiho asking Kaito to talk is chapter 61.

For how intimate those two talks were (truth to be told, we're often shown Akiho and Kaito talking comfortably in their living room and talking about the day or something else, but these were different), we can assume that, in general, talking is something that Akiho and Kaito love to do together. It is the main way through which they learn to interact and know eachother. It is not something that Kaito likes to do with everyone, but definitely he likes to do it with Akiho.

Once again she uses お話しても良いですか, just like in chapter 48. Kaito this time gives a "stronger" and more convinced reply, "Sure, go ahead".

And just like in chapter 48, it was a quite intimate talk, where Akiho spelled out to him (and to us) her traumatic past, and Kaito threw all of his composure out of the window and almost lost control of his emotions, for the rage that all of that caused to him.

So when Akiho, completely devoid of any recollection of Kaito or what she did with him in the unrewritten world, said that "can we have a talk?", almost shouting it, that was a shock for Kaito. Because it was something that she used to ask him and they did when she still remembered about him. It must have shaken something inside of him, and brought him so many memories.

He had erased any trace of himself from her, and yet she asked him that again. Just like back when they were still close, and shared that deep bond.

This is why he stops suddenly, and turns around, ready to listen and to finally cave in to her request. Because, I think, he could feel his "old" Akiho in her. He could feel the presence of their bond, as if it was never destroyed by what he had done.

Putting 「お話」 between those brackets meant that the scriptwriter, Ohkawa, definitely wanted us to pay close attention to that word. You could consider it as if she formatted that word in bold.

And I think today I finally found a satisfactory explanation for it, and for Kaito's sudden reaction. 🩷

[spyderlondon]

Sooooooo uh not sure what is exactly expected with requests so apologies if this is not the kinda thing you take:

What if Caine acts like he forgot to set an Adventure, then just up and disappears. So like they think it’s a normal day but then people start disappearing one by one until one or maybe two are left (possible ship, if ya wanna). Until Caine comes back with everyone else and it turns out it was that shit was the in house adventure.

I understand if it’s too elaborate, but if you for some reason do take it up, please don’t snack Gangle too quickly, she is best girl and she deserves the world

You Can Hide, But You Can't Run

CW: Small panic attack

"Whaddya mean you forgot to make an adventure?" Jax crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground as the rest of the cast of characters in the circus began to wander into the main area of the tent.

Caine moved around nervously as more eyes came upon him, he took his hat off and twisted it in his hands, "Exactly that, superstars, I've been too busy preparing a few other surprises for you all! ...that I forgot all about today's adventure." He admitted with a sigh, his eyes moving to look anywhere but the players in front of him.

Zooble ran a hand down their face with a groan, "I could've stayed in my room this entire day." They complained, not liking that they took the time out of their morning to come out here, just to be told there would be a nothing day. What a waste of their time...

Kinger just dove into his impenetrable fortress while the others began to complain to their ringmaster about this whole situation in their irritation. Except for Ragatha who was trying her best to calm everyone down by standing in between them and the anxious Caine, "Calm down, everybody..." She moved her hands down as a way to gesture for them to chill out, "We should think of this as a blessing after all the painful and traumatic 'adventures' we've been on in the past." She told them, unknowingly having the floating pair of dentures wince subtly at her words, "Let's just use today as a rest and relaxation day, huh?" She smiled a bit.

Everybody turned their backs to Caine while crossing their arms as they all gave a chorus of annoyed "Fine"s before heading in different directions, not seeing how Caine suddenly vanished with his teeth upturned to a smirk. Well, no one except one certain person.

"Let the game begin~" The ringmaster whispered to a certain player while staying invisible, allowing them to take a string of code to help them do what he needed.

------

As a few hours went by, Pomni began to notice a startling lack of Caine or Bubble- it was odd especially since she knew how much Caine enjoyed spending time with her in particular. But no matter how much she called for him, he remained nowhere to be found which was very disconcerting to her.

The jester sighed as she decided to knock on Kinger's pillow fort gently, "Hey, Kinger, mind if I join you in there?" She asked just loud enough for him to hear, "I found a bug near the digital lake that I think you might like."

She smiled a bit as the old chess piece, that she couldn't help but see as her surrogate father while trapped in this digital realm, stuck his head out to look at her, "Oh! Pomni, it's you! Hello!" He gave her a cheery look before moving out of the way so she could come in, "Ragatha and Gangle are already here!" He gestured to the two girls. The rag doll gave the jester a friendly wave while looking up from the book she was reading while Gangle waved while she drew a picture, a bit too focused to give her full attention to the new addition.

The jester returned the wave nervously as she slipped inside, "Y-You guys anxious about how quiet Caine has been since his disappearance this morning too?" She questioned with a small anxious stutter as she handed Kinger the jar she had with a dragonfly inside of it. Her expression softened as she watched him lay on his belly to look at the bug with large, sparkly eyes.

"Yea..." Ragatha admitted as she got Pomni's attention, "It's not like him or Bubble to be gone this long, not even answering when we yell for him..." She rubbed her arm while bookmarking where she was and closing her book, placing it next to her.

Even Gangle looked up from her drawing, her comedy mask somehow still intact this entire day- guess Jax didn't pick on her yet, surprisingly, "I'm not complaining since Bubble would often snack on my art supplies but I was hoping to show my newest drawings to Caine- he's always super supportive of my art." She seemed a bit conflicted by the two AIs missing.

"I'm sure he'll be delighted to see them when they return, Gangle." Ragatha reassured the younger girl with a soft smile.

Before Pomni could assure her as well Kinger yanked her down next to him excitedly, "Pomni! You found a rare dragonfly!" He told her as he pushed the jar up to her face.

"I-I did?" She pushed the jar away from her face a bit, not appreciating how close it was to her but she didn't say anything as to avoid ruining the chess piece's eagerness.

"Yes!!" He wiggled happily before noticing how she moved the jar away and seemed to remember how she was rather touch-averse, "Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized before lowering the jar so they could both look at the dragonfly, "You found a Calopteryx exul! It's critically endangered and usually native to Algeria! But it seems as though since everything here is digital, there can be any bug in existence!"

Pomni was silent as she let him infodump everything he knew about this insect while Ragatha and Gangle tuned him out while they went back to what they were doing earlier. The jester was usually the only one who seemed to enjoy listening to Kinger's ramblings as it helped keep her mind focused on his voice other than the tiny voice inside her head that often yelled at her to look for an exit.

----

About an hour or two went by- at least that's what Pomni guessed, it was hard to tell time in the circus- before everyone in the pillow fort was suddenly jumping to their feet when a scream was heard in the distance.

"My impenetrable fortress!" Kinger suddenly exclaimed after the pillows suddenly fell all around the girls and himself. Although, only he seemed concerned about it as the girls were already running off towards the noise in their concern.

When they got there, they say a piece of Zooble on the ground next to Jax who was already there, looking down at the Zooble piece that was laying there.

"JAX! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Ragatha immediately demanded while going up to him, pointing a finger at him with narrowed eyes. She obviously decided that this was his fault from the very start.

The tall purple rabbit just laughed, finding more amusement in this than the others as usual, "Chill out, babe, this wasn't my doing." He rolled his eyes as he picked up the discarded arm to scratch his back with it... only to be strangled by it immediately. He glared at the arm once it fell back to the ground, "I swear that thing has a mind of its own..." He grumbled as he rubbed his neck in irritation. He noticed the rag doll and even Pomni glaring at him still which made him groan loudly, "I *just* got here, alright? I heard a scream and thought someone was pulling a prank without me so I came to see what kinds of hilarity I was missin'." He crossed his arms.

The girls didn't seem convinced but before they could accuse him more, Kinger spoke up, "There's no evidence that Jax did this." He mentioned, in a rare moment of sanity, "It could've been some type of glitch or something." He mentioned, holding a pillow to his chest.

Gangle blinked as she looked at him, "...I suppose you're right but how did you know it could some type of glitch?" She questioned curiously.

The chess piece's eyes were going in opposite directions before suddenly yelling as he looked down at the comedy mask, "AHH! Oh, Gangle. What were we talking about?" He asked innocently.

Gangle sighed, "Nevermind..." She shook her head before heading off to help him rebuild his pillow fort, not wanting to be near Jax if he got irritated since he would probably take his anger out of her.

The rabbit watched the two of them leave before clicking his tongue as he lost his prey due to the two women in front of him. He scoffed a bit as he pushed the jester and rag doll away, "I'm heading to my room." He rolled his eyes.

Pomni and Ragatha looked at each other with frowns on both of their faces before deciding to look around for any signs of Zooble or some type of glitch together.

------

As the day went on, more people seemed to be picked off one by one- it seemed like Zooble was just the warning for everyone to get concerned for themselves.

Pomni had merely turned her back for a millisecond before she heard Ragatha's surprised gasp before she was stolen away, the jester didn't even have a chance to get a glimpse at what was causing the disappearances- it was gone far too soon along with the rag doll.

She grimaced before she heard Kinger yell next which made her sprint on over to where he and Jax were standing, looking around with only a broken comedy mask on the ground to indicate who was taken next. She tensed as she looked around, her fear starting to get to her, "Wh-What happened?!" Her voice came out shaky and fearful as she looked at the two men.

"One moment Ribbons was doodling her stupid drawings and the next she was gone." Jax waved a hand casually, acting like he didn't care again, "Least that's what Kinger told me when I came by and he suddenly grabbed me out of nowhere."

Pomni grimaced, "Ragatha is gone too... I was right next to her and I didn't even see what happened." She sighed, clutching her jester hat in her pure anxiety, "WHERE IS CAINE WHEN YOU [%$*^&@&] NEED HIM?!" She cried out, her eyes swirling like they usually do whenever her anxiety gets too high.

...

"...Jax? Kinger?" Her breathing sped up in her fear as neither of them answered and she looked around in her panic before suddenly screaming out, falling to the ground as she saw everyone who was captured in a spider web type structure that was... made out of red silk ribbons? Their mouths and bodies covered in them as they struggled to get free and most of them tried to yell. That's when she noticed one certain member of their trope missing from the web- Gangle.

"Caaaine...?" A tearful voice called out as a certain tragedy mask peered out from the corner of the web, guilt in her tone as she looked at the ringmaster who popped into the tent in front of the silk web, "I think we went too far... Pomni looks like she's about to have a panic attack..."

Caine stared down at the jester that was staring at him with a very, very twitchy eye while she began her usual manic laughter that she gets when her anxiety gets far too high, "...ah. Maybe-" He coughed, clearing his throat, "You, uh, you can release them now, Gangle, the adventure is over-"

"THE WHAT?!?" Pomni screamed as she stomped over to the ringmaster as he floated down a bit to try to calm her. Only to completely regret his decision as she grabbed him by his collar, yanking him right up to her, "THAT WASN'T AN ADVENTURE! THAT WAS HOW TO GIVE SOMEONE A PANIC ATTACK 101!!!"

The tragedy mask winced as she released everyone from her web and tried to flee. But she was soon caught by Ragatha, "Gangle. Where do you think you're going?" She smiled at her but Gangle could feel the cold rage coming off of the rag doll which made her gulp.

----

A/N:

I wonder what Pomni and Ragatha did to Caine and Gangle~ I'll leave that up to you~

[nipotazzi]

Symphony in Fortissimo Agitando - Chapter 2:

Pearl went ahead inside of the building before them, because she wanted to make sure that it was actually safe. Thanks to a quick scan, the drone confirmed that the place was devoid of living creatures, and thus invited the others in.

“House’s clean. Get inside!”

Acht and Eight quickly obeyed, and after passing through the hole, they finally felt somewhat safer. Eight was about to help Marina sit on a pile of snow, but before she could do that, her eyes had suddenly lighted up, scaring the young octoling.

“Asset manipulated without authorization: repairing node function activated.”

“Uh? Wha-”

Before Pearl could end her sentence, they all saw how the debris of the fallen wall started flickering, and after a few seconds, reassembled themselves back onto the place in which they belonged. Any damage dealt to it had been restored almost instantly. 

Darkness quickly fell upon them, with only Marina and Pearl acting as illumination through their unnatural luminescence. They all immediately looked in the direction of the octoling at fault, worried expressions forming on their faces. Acht instinctively made a dreadful expression, and when they realized it, immediately forced themselves to a neutral expression again. The low visibility allowed them to hide it just in time.

“Uhm… Eight?

The scared girl looked at her robotic adoptive figure, pleading with her eyes. 

“Put her down… and come here, very slowly… we’ll… we’ll figure something out…”

Eight slowly let go of Marina, who had already started moving into a fetal position on the ground. The Agitando made her rock back and forth, repeating the same phrase over and over about how a user was necessary to fix a poorly explained issue. 

Acht, Pearl and Eight were now in the corner, confabulating on what happened and on what they could do to help, checking up on her at a steady pace.

“So… we all agree that she sounds an awful lot like a computer, right?” Acht intervened, “No emotion in her voice, typical software-to-user lexicon… ”  

The drone and Eight nodded. They were knowledgeable enough to recognize at least the basics of computer language, but this did not lessen any amount of the worry that they were proving.

“But that's impossible! With the tower gone, it should be over! She can't be…”

“Then why is she still talking like a DOS screen?”

They all turned around to look at her for a moment, and then returned to face each other. 

“...a DOS that seems to be inputting their own commands independently too… Marina still has the master control on the simulation, but she’s not herself: there couldn't be a more dangerous combination at the moment.”

“Wait, are you saying that…?”

“Look… best case scenario, this is just the result of having all of that data flow through her brain. She might come back to her senses, eventually, but If that's not the case… I fear that whatever that contraption might have done, it's still here. Inside of her."

Fandom: Splatoon

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Marina/Pearl (Splatoon), Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon)

Characters: Pearl (Splatoon), Marina (Splatoon), Dedf1sh | Acht (Splatoon), Agent 8 (Splatoon), Order | Smollusk (Splatoon)

Additional Tags: Splatoon 3: Side Order, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, References to Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Tumblr, I think that they had it too nice in canon, Nightmare Fuel, Female Agent 8 (Splatoon), Traumatized Agent 8 (Splatoon), Marina and Pearl Adopt Agent 8 (Splatoon), Smollusk has been adopted

Summary:

Marina has been rescued from the top of the tower, everyone is "fine", and even if this new AI seems threatening, it's not their problem to deal with. Eight and Pearl have just saved the day... right?

Sorry, but the Agitando begs to differ.

Reblogs are always appreciated, and feedback is too.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Was wondering if you could do a cult of the lamb Narinder x reader where, in the days after his indoctrination into the lamb's cult, Narinder is subject to several childish "pranks" from the other members (things like, throwing his belongings into the river, tipping over the outhouse while he's in it, etc) and one day, (the day this story takes place) the reader gets tired of it and stands up for him. Then, later that night, they find him sitting near a tree and try to cheer him up.

Narinder knew that he wasn't going to receive a warm welcome upon his indoctrination into Lamb's cult. 

After all, he did capture all of their followers and threaten to kill them alongside his former vessel.

So when he became the victim of a series of childish pranks for the next several days, he let them have their little “revenge”. At first they were harmless, albeit annoying, but it really just showed their immaturity to the core. It was easy for him to shrug it off and continue on.

But then they started getting more creative, harassing him at nearly every waking moment. They took advantage especially whenever Lamb was away for days on a crusade or off playing knucklebones.

For instance, a few mischievous followers ransacked his shelter, throwing some of his belongings into the nearby stream. Others sneezed over his food or snuck a turd into a bowl of meat he picked up, leaving him disgusted and sick.

One time, he was in an outhouse and somebody from the outside locked it before tipping it over. He could hear their laughter as he panicked and nearly tore the door down trying to get out.

That day, he learned he didn’t deal with enclosed spaces too well.

They were getting braver..and crueler. They’re just outright tormenting him at this point, though he refused to break in front of them or even say anything about their pranks to Lamb.

He’s been through worse as a god. Surely he can handle whatever they decide to throw at him, right?

However, one afternoon, they went too far. 

This prank in particular was done on other followers, but to him?

It was the most traumatic thing imaginable.

The usual group of pranksters ganged up on him, grabbing his arms without warning and dragging him over to the stocks. He hissed and struggled to break free, until the “leader” said something that shook him to the core.

“We had a secret meeting with our leader...and they said you’ve been very bad. So we’re locking you up alll night long.” They spoke with a blank expression, sounding serious despite the few followers behind them snickering, mouth covered.

As much as Narinder tried fighting back, he was eventually locked up, unable to move as the group began laughing at him. One tossed fertilizer near his feet so he’d breathe in the horrible stench, but inside he was on the verge of a breakdown as he closed his eyes.

Here he was again. A prisoner.

Absolutely helpless as he felt a growing ache in his neck from being hunched over for so long. This was the sort of pain he’s never experienced before as a god...and that all changed when that wretched Lamb came along.

Is this why they spared his life? Just so their followers can bully him to their leisure?

Why did he have to endure this?

Why couldn’t they just give him an honorable de-

"HEY! What are you all doing?!"

Suddenly a voice shouted out, silencing the group as everyone--Narinder included--looked to the source.

It was you, a longtime follower of the cult and faith enforcer, standing there with a scowl on your face. 

You looked at them all in disappointment. "Pranks are supposed to be funny, but I don’t see him laughing now, do I?” Huffing, you pushed through them and freed Narinder from the restraints "Yes, I know he's done bad things..but are we any better for torturing him like this? Is this what our great leader would've wanted?!"

A few flinched at your anger. Usually you were one of the nicest people in the entire cult--the one who welcomed and helped everybody no matter what region they came from--so for you to be upset means they seriously screwed up.

"..he kinda deserves it, though..” A bunny quietly muttered, but you quickly shut them down.

“Speak ill of him again and you’ll be in the stocks instead. Got it?”

They jumped in fright, quickly nodding before the group finally dispersed and went back to their usual tasks.

You didn’t like being the “fun police”, but you knew there was a fine line between pranking and tormenting--and they crossed it numerous times. Lamb will definitely hear about this one when they returned.

In the mean time, you wanted to see if Narinder was okay after all of that. Though you looked around and didn’t see him anywhere, confusing you.

‘Maybe he just needs time alone...hope he’s okay. Poor guy..’

..............

After finishing your nightly prayers, you stood up and stretched with a yawn. You then looked upon the statue of stone, gold, and red ribbon, smiling at it. Even now it gleamed under the moonlight and crackling spiritual flames.

Everyone else went to bed, and Lamb had gone into the temple to meditate, so it was just you out here alone.

Or...so you thought, as you heard a quite sniffle nearby.

You looked to see a certain black cat sitting down against a tree. He was curled up with his head resting on his knees. Clearly, he was still upset over today's events, but until now he was hiding from you and everyone in the cult.

Well, now’s your chance to cheer him up in some way.

Frowning, you approached him and kneeled down. "Hey, Nari..I’m sorry about what happened earlier..."

As Narinder glanced up, you felt your heart twist in pain at the tears staining his fur, leaving dark trails. "I know they just..wanted to see me break. But I-I wish they hadn’t done that." He shuddered, hugging himself. "Tell me, Faith Enforcer...is this why Lamb brought me here? To be mocked and bullied forever?"

"...no."

He blinked at your words, surprised. But said nothing as you sat beside him. "They believe you deserve a second chance. I talked to them and they'll make sure that never happens again....unless you decide to dissent one day."

“I’ve dissented from the moment I set foot here.” Narinder grumbled, lightly sniffling. “You don’t think that I perhaps...deserve this after-?”

“Destroying your stuff and making you relive your imprisonment are cruel pranks. Those aren’t okay at all. Totally undeserved. But you know..you can always try to prank them back.” You pointed out with a knowing smile.

“..by how? Reminding them of their own mortality? By serving them a meal with a pinch of follower flesh?” He bore a sharp-toothed grin as he thought of so many possible revenge schemes. “I can still strike fear into all of their hearts if I wish...even yours, [y/n].”

Despite his somewhat threatening words, you were unfazed by them. You just chuckled, much to his disappointment. “Well if you want to, go for it. It could be delicious payback. I could even help if you wanna.”

Closing his mouth, Narinder thought over your offer.

He wasn’t sure why you were so kind to him, considering all he did and threatened to do..but regardless you clearly wanted to be his friend. And you stood up for him, too.

That meant more than you realized.

So he huffed, nodding in agreement.

“I suppose I could use some assistance..thanks.”

[lux-et-astra]

the sink timeline

so here’s what i think ACTUALLY happened…

after i finished listening to the sink the first question i had was “can someone explain this to me??” so hopefully this will make some sense of what went on! this is just my interpretation, but here’s my best guess at the truth of what happened.

i think the first meaningful moment is that in some way, kate lost her parents. i don’t know if that was due to divorce, as needs to dig/dip day would suggest (“Because – her mum thinks I don’t give her enough physical outlets, I, I only get her every other –”) or due to death or abandonment, but however it happened, kate ended up living with her grandparents. we get evidence that kate lives with her grandparents in a few places (“Peter Mansford lives in his grandma’s house, which means two things. There are always lots of jam tarts, and his parents are dead.” session three, “It was her grandma’s car, because her grandma was giving you a lift to swimming” session five, “It’s nice she gets out, obviously boring for her, just… just with her grandma and grandad, but… people say things, darling.” session six) and due to the mention of this in sherbet, i think it’s safe to place this occurrence first in our timeline!

i think this ties in with the next point about kate: upon at least one time, she was in a fire. we get mention of this in a few different places again (“He wasn’t even gonna do it, because he couldn’t afford the train, and his car had been in that fire.” session one, “I’d wave, but I don’t want to boast about my hands.” session three - i explain this a little more in my analysis) and it’s probably the best explanation for why kate is the way she is - a formative (and traumatic) experience with fire could lead to an obsession. i think these two points tie together and kate lost her parents in a fire, but i don’t have enough evidence of this to call it any more than a personal opinion!

the next point in our timeline is kate meeting birdie! we can gather that they meet as children from sherbet (“You walk over with your see-through dolphin bag with three dolphins on, bumping on your leg.” places their age as fairly young) and from the fact that they’re firm friends as adolescents in snakes & ladders. by the time kate and birdie meet, kate is already beginning to show signs of her obsession (“You say, “do you like swimming?”, and she says, “it’s not very dry.” And then you just listen. And look at her. And you go swimming.”) and this friendship seems to carry on mostly unhindered until the girls reach adolescence and the cusp of adulthood.

there is an argument to be made for kate having caused another incident of some sort - we get a little textual evidence for this in session six (“What happened in the swimming pool, it’s just…”) and also a suggestion that kate had somewhat of a reputation (“People say things, darling.” session six, “Um, s– you – you also state that he was known for being a “troublemaker”, which I can tell you – is can…tegorically not, non true.” session one) all of which suggests that kate may have caused some incidents during the course of their friendship, but her problems largely went unnoticed and untreated.

as kate and birdie approach adulthood, they go on a camping trip together. it’s implied that this isn’t an unusual occurrence (“Sweetheart, just… these little swimming trips, and camping trips, and little…” session six) but this trip is framed very differently - both girls seem to be aware, given that kate declares it openly, that this time they are running away (“Bye, everyone! See ya fuckin’ never! […] They are gonna be so surprised when we don’t come back!” session six) and don’t intend to return. however kate has an ulterior motive - she intends to set fire to their tent with herself and birdie inside (“And they knew all they needed to do to be dry, and warm, forever was just to huff, and puff, and burn the house down.”, “So, they knew, it would – it would hurt, for a minute. It would hurt for a little min– minute, but then, they would be so warm and dry to their bones forever. And they knew that the wet ones would look for them, but they were together, and they knew that sometimes, it’s better when people don’t come back.” session six) in order to be dry forever. we can tell now that kate’s intention not to return is much less innocent than it seems. the girls play a game of birdman, similar to hide and seek, and when kate finds birdie, she explains the true purpose of their camping trip and reveals her intentions (“I’ve got a story. Okay? That’s gonna be your scare. You just have to listen to the story. To the end, that’s all. Okay? And then it’s finished. And we go back.”)

at this point, birdie runs away (“Come back, you have to – come back! Wait! Ah, fuck! […] Wait! Don’t leave me!” session six) and kate gives chase, at some point ending up in the lake ([SFX: SPLASH] session six, “They couldn’t tick her off, in the end. No one could. Yeah, they looked and looked, but no one could find her.” session four) which presumably leads her to spiral, and to return to the burning tent or to run away - at any rate, kate then disappears for a long time.

birdie finds help, though she herself is traumatised and shocked by this experience (“Come and sit down. Do you want some water?”, “Can you talk? Love? Listen to me, are you alright? Love? Are you alright?”, “Was there anyone else, love? Is there anyone else in there? Can you hear me?” session six) and presumably is so overcome by trauma and shock that she begins to repress her memories of the camping trip (“You just have to remember what happened.” session six, “Underneath your dreams, swimming into focus, is the truth. Like a lovely bit of hair, at the bottom of the canal. And we’ll find it. Whatever it is that’s keeping you from sleeping. Whatever it was that you did.” session two) - we can see that birdie is deeply affected by this experience, and it has a toll on her life as she proceeds, affecting her relationship with others. (“I’m not mad, Claire, you’re making me sound mad.” session two, “It’s all in your head.” session five)

birdie begins to have (or continues to have and begins to seek aid for) disturbing dreams. she turns to “the very latest in nanomesh sleep technology” (session one) in order to try and stop her dreams or understand what’s happening. unfortunately, it seems that her dreams were painting a realistic warning of what’s coming for her - unbeknownst to birdie, the faceless voice helping her “sleep clean” is in fact kate, who has come for birdie at last to finish the game they never finished playing in the woods. the ending is left ambiguous after birdie remembers the camping trip incident in full and realises what has happened, but it’s implied that birdie comes somewhat under kate’s thrall (“And the last little bird to get scared is scared so much it isn’t a bird anymore.”) or possibly, in fact, finally burns (“All its feathers get hot and dry”, “So warm now. So warm. So dry.”)

i hope that was helpful!! i’ve mostly tried to only suggest things that i can back up with evidence but there’s my idea of what went on in the sink!! feel free to chat if you have any other thoughts/ideas <33

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

You know I've been seeing alot of post of how lunar should HAVE a villian arc and I'm like, WHY? guys, remember that what if lunar was evil, and so far, all he did was break things with the star I don't think being a villian would really do anything

Lunar isn't really entering his Villain Arc.

He's more entering his "angsty teen arc" again like he was at the beginning of his revival.

Earth can't even be in a safe environment where she can have open and clear communication around Lunar, because Lunar will twist it to make it all about him.

Earth legit can not talk about how Lunar made her feel, without Lunar talking about himself when it's HER turn to talk. He legit can't help himself.

Has to talk about how the Astral Bodies might kill him, and while, yes that is important, Solar even told Lunar that we have to take it one step at a time, and talk about it another time cause that is an entirely different thing. Yet Lunar disagreed. Because it's about HIM and his feelings. Despite it was Earth's turn to talk about her feelings, and he didn't listen to her. Again. Which only serves to hurt Earth. (not intentionally. Lunar is not doing this maliciously)

Lunar is a being of emotion and someone who thinks really self-centeredly, which is why the conversation went so badly, also partly because Earth can't keep a cool head but I feel her reactions are justified, and Solar was out of the loop and had no idea that Earth is legit traumatized and scared of Lunar.

Lunar is in need of help and guidance but it really needs to be someone outside of the family.

(A desperate part of me wonders if this is how they will go back to Lunar and Eclipse reconnecting in this way. But personally, I think it's not good for Eclipse to talk to Lunar. For both of them)

Evil!Lunar from his dimension actually just blew Eclipse up cus he was sick of the abuse and proceeded to blow up everyone else too. Which I don't think Lunar is heading down that path but he's going to be very angsty for awhile.

This all sounds harsh but this is someone who absolutely loves Lunar.

I thought that Lunar wouldn't take Gemini's justified callout of him not be able to handle anything to heart, but it feels like he just can't process a lot of what they said.

Understandable as well. Lunar has a lot thrown at him right now, but this is all his own fault and it wouldn't feel so huge if he actually worked through his issues for better emotional coping skills. But if he did, he'd know how to ignore Eclipse and not kill him.

Gemini really told Lunar all those harsh things because they care about Lunar, so much. (And Lunar is just too inner focused to realize that Gemini is experiencing emotions. Probably for the first time other then their defaults, over him. Because they care for him that much.)

Lunar is also practicing self-harm. Yes, staying in the rain when it's not good for your systems rather then take Solar's offer of coming inside to just relax for a little while, is a form of self-harm.

Lunar feels like he has no control in anything, but he needs to take his power back. Not just literally. Mentally. Accept the things he can and can't control and put in the effort if not for himself at least for his family.

But Lunar at the moment doesn't want to die, but he doesn't want to live either.

Earth doesn't want Lunar to suffer, and she does love him, but she's scared with him, can't be alone with him, and she feels so worthless.

Not so fun fact. Psychologists have a really high suicide rate as a profession. It's so discouraging to see patients not take your advice, deliberately make themselves worse, and end their own lives, you can't help feel responsibility for that. Earth feels unappreciated, and not listened to, and feels like she failed. Getting close to Lunar again will only serve to hurt her, and while that might be selfish of her, she KNOWS that. She knows that her not getting close to Lunar and taking her time is ALSO hurting him. She doesn't want to hurt him either, but what can she do? If it's just going to go back to how it was before of just avoiding the elephant in the room, Earth doesn't think she can deal with that if Lunar just flies off the handle for some reason or another, or hears something he doesn't like and just runs away or worse.

Yeah this isn't Lunar's villain arc.

This is his Emo Arc. Or angst arc if you prefer.

[siriuslysatorusimping]

HAVE U READ THE NEW JJK LEAKS

"(ง'̀-'́)ง

MY SWEET FIGHTING ANON, HOW ARE YOU??

I’ve seen a few lil snippets but I’d stopped really keeping up with the leaks. I will say I LOVE that some of you immediately messaged me upon seeing the leaks 🥹😂 it made my morning to see messages in my inbox 💕 (this is my not subtle nudge to everyone that I love hearing from you guys, even if it’s just life updates or random shit. Pls, I get lonely 🥺)

Side note for the other sweet anon who messaged, I can’t answer that ask rn bc of obvious reasons, but I SEE YOU AND THINK OF THIS AS MY RESPONSE TO YOU AS WELL!!! IT MADE ME SO HAPPY INSIDE THAT YOU CALLED ME 'LOVE,' BTW. MY HEART DID A LIL JUMPY. 🥹💕

As for the leaks?

Me @ everyone losing their shit:

Spoilers for JJK 260 and a huge fucking Kiko rant below the cut.

I’ll believe it when it’s really confirmed. From what I saw, it was the last panel and there’s speculation on whether it’s really him or if Sukuna is seeing shit as he dies or any of the crazy possibilities.

That being said, if Gojo really is back, WELCOME BACK, YOU WONDERFUL, TRAUMATIZED BLUE-EYED BEAN OF A MAN. WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH.

And now my rant begins…

I’m on the fence. In all honesty, I think I’d finally accepted his death tbh. Because I remembered something that’s actually really interesting: some of the very best stories have stakes. They have death because it’s unfortunately a part of life. Gojo isn’t the MC of JJK, even though he’s an incredible character and I adore him and I still hate how he went out.

But while I still hate how that played out, I was actually thinking recently about how much credit we really don’t give Akutami. Writing is hard. World-building is hard. And he’s created a universe that’s truly incredible. The countless number of cursed techniques he’s written into the story, the number of characters he’s given depth possible without even meaning to? Genuinely incredible. He’s done something amazing. I had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment of realization that he’s actually an incredible story-teller. The story he’s built in his mind is amazing and I’m so glad he’s decided to share it with us. We’ve questioned him because we didn’t have all the pieces he has, but he’s said time and time again that he has things planned and he’s had things planned since the beginning. The medium he’s using to tell the story necessitates it being a bit choppy because he can’t explain every little thing every single time. There will be holes and gaps and things he reveals over time for the sake of the story he’s planned, and I know I forgot that fact when I was angry and grieving. (I’ve also been just losing my shit lately at how stupid some people are saying Akutami hates anime fans just because he killed Choso off. The number of comments I’ve seen about ‘hot characters aren’t allowed to die’ is just… these characters are more than eye candy. They have a purpose and emotional value in the story, specifically Choso as a big brother figure for Yuuji.) okay, fun lil side rant over lol

I think we forget that this is a shonen manga. Shonen are notorious for killing characters. I think of Hunter x Hunter, which Akutami has said is a big inspiration for him, the Chimera Ant Arc seemingly killed over half the cast. I’ve also seen a lot of anger at Akutami for him saying that he doesn’t care how many characters die as long as it’s a good story, and I think people missed the point because they were angry their favorite character died. But the thing is, he has a point. If the character deaths push the story forward, then it works. Yuuji has clearly had a power up that wouldn’t have happened if Gojo hadn’t died. On top of that, we criticized the month-long time skip, but these big reveals couldn’t have happened without it. So while it felt jarring, and it still doesn’t sit quite right with me, I understand why Akutami’s logic now. Again, I think of Hunter x Hunter’s chimera arc and how Gon had to watch Kite die and then fight his puppet corpse. Talk about traumatizing a fucking twelve year old. And adding to that, Akutami has literally said that this is meant for adults. He’s writing with an adult, predominantly male, audience in mind because that’s been the primary demographic for shonen for decades. So no, he isn’t writing with the female audience, or the young female audience, in mind because that’s not the genre he’s targeting. It just so happens that there’s been a huge surge in American teenagers obsessively consuming Asian media in the past few years and now it’s wildly popular among that demographic.

Basically what I’m saying is that gen z has developed the female counterpart for the fedora-wearing weirdos with waifu pillows in the obsession with hot guys in manga/anime. The difference is that they’re raging about a story following its chosen genre. But this is me generalizing things a lot and it obviously doesn’t apply to the majority of fans. I’m pretty sure a large part of our lil corner here is on the older end of gen z or younger millennial, but I could be wrong. Actually, I’d love to know what that split is 🤔 maybe I’ll do a poll.

ANYWAY, SORRY FOR THE RANT. IT WAS ME WORD-VOMITING TO START THE DAY. I HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY OR AFTERNOON OR NIGHT!