#god...i don't think it's possible to have a prettier game than this even if i spent 5 years perfecting a modlist... i forfeit...

[audrite]

[rimunagenius]

Would you be down to do a Kate fic where reader is a new transfer and Kate keeps seeing her all over campus and is quickly crushing on her (like she’s down BAD) Then one day when she’s going to meet Caitlin for lunch/coffee/something lol she sees her walking with r laughing then saying goodbye. Kate immediately starts interrogating CC the second she’s within earshot because she wants to find out everything she can about her mystery girl. CC laughs and says she transferred to play soccer and they’re in x class together. Then she’s like as fun as this is I’m starving so can we go eat now. From there she literally sees her everywhere because her and CC start to hang out outside of class, once she finds out r also played basketball in high school and college (focusing on soccer when she transferred) she invites her to pickup games or practice when she knows they’ll be using the managers to scrimmage and this is where Kate finally meets her and is officially smitten. R thinks she’s absolutely adorable and hopes this is the girl Cait said she wanted to introduce her to.

Everywhere

ʚ paring: Kate Martin x reader

ʚ word count: 2.2k words

ʚ warnings: RPF!! , other than that, none that i can think of other than the use of y/n.

ʚ rimunagenius speaks: okay so anon, i love this idea!!…i loved it and im so sorry it took so long to write it and i may possibly consider writing a part two! I love the idea of Kate being so smitten for reader. she’s a sucker for a pretty lady! also i hope it’s okay that i kinda made the reader a ghost to kate..like kate needed to be actively LOOKING so it’d be better for when she actually saw her and i feel like this could’ve have been better so im sorry if it didn’t meet your expectations 😭

Everywhere. You were literally everywhere. She was definitely not complaining about it though. You were actually so beautiful. You were everywhere but near her. You took over her whole mind since this morning.

She saw you on what she assumed to be your first day. You looked like a lost puppy walking around looking for your class. "Hey, you doing okay?" Kate approached you, sliding one of the sides of her headphones behind her ear. God, you looked even prettier up close.

"Uh, yeah? I don't know where the science building is. I've been looking for about twenty minutes and no luck." You sighed, checking your phone, your friend Caitlin texting you while you pulled your schedule up.

"I can help. If you want?" Kate gave you a warm smile, looking down at your phone. She recognized the professor, having had him her sophomore year. It was a general education requirement for her major. "Oh, I've had him before. I can walk you and show you."

"That'd be great, thanks." The walk was quiet, kind of awkward. Kate was nervous to make small talk. She never thought this far ahead. Hell, she didn't even know she was walking up to you until you responded to her.

Kate thought about it the whole way to her next class. She thought about it the whole way back to her home. She thought about you. The way you smiled at her when she offered her help. She didn't know what was happening.

She's seen many pretty girls before and felt attracted to them but not like this. She's barely known you—talked to you for a total of three minutes...It wasn't possible. It wasn't going to be a thing. She'd probably never see you again. This campus was too big.

Kate had thought about you, and she wouldn’t lie and say that she didn’t try looking for you either. She’d take her time walking to classes throughout that day and to Carver Arena. She’d stop to get coffee and snacks she wasn’t going to finish. She just wanted to see you. You were the most prettiest girl she has ever seen. She tried to find you all the rest of the day. With no luck, and her taking her sweet time to get to practice, she didn’t see you.

When she left for a later class, right after practice, after practice had ended at six pm, she had finally seen you and Caitlin walking together. It was the most shocking yet, anxiety inducing thing she’s seen since she left you earlier that morning.

She was a ways behind you both, recognizing Caitlin first, still in her practice uniform. You were both heading the same way she was, so she just decided to stay behind instead of going to talk to Cait. She wasn’t going to go anywhere near you both, scared of being that close again and having to introduce herself. She’d be an absolute mess. It barely worked this morning, and she was not taking her chances.

It wasn’t until she saw you walking away, meeting up with this other girl, and saying goodbye to Caitlin, that she decided to catch Caitlin before she left. “Caitlin!” Her walk speeding up, looking in your direction making sure you didn’t hear her.

Caitlin looked behind her to see her frantic teammate running up to her. “Yes, Kate?” She smiled nervously, watching the blonde dart her eyes between you and her.

“Who is that?” Kate looked to you, blushing. Pointing subtly towards you to make sure Caitlin knew exactly who she was talking about. That’s when Caitlin smiled. “That’s my friend! She just transferred here. She’s playing soccer now.”

“What do you mean ‘she plays soccer now’? What did she play before?” Kate wanted to know everything about you. She already knew you were the prettiest girl she’s ever seen. But she wanted to know more.

“She played basketball too. Got a full ride to UC Berkeley with it.” Caitlin nodded her head, continuing on the path she was headed to. “We were on our way to our class, but her soccer teammate needed her for a minute so I said i’d meet her there.”

“Oh, okay. How do you know her? Has she always been that pretty? How many classes do you guys have together? Maybe I can “walk” you to it?” Kate started to ramble any question that came to mind about you. All of which were about anything and everything besides your name.

“Oh, my god. Kate. Slow down. Why so many questions?” Caitlin laughed, already having a small idea as to what was happening. “Just ask her tomorrow.”

Kate’s throat went dry. What did she mean? “I’m sorry, what?” Kate choked out. Caitlin gave Kate a blank stare.

“I invited her to our pickup game tomorrow. Just talk to her then.” Kate was already so excited but dreading tomorrow.

She really really wanted to see you, but she started to think about how you’d see her play and she’d have to possibly guard you. This was a lot. Kate definitely did not let this go. She was starting to get too nervous. She was getting self conscious. She wanted to impress you.

Kate got up the next morning to a text from Caitlin asking to get there earlier than planned for a shoot around before the pickup game. The reason why was very vague but she decided to go early. Caitlin had asked her multiple other times to meet up and practice shots. That’s where Kate had developed better confidence in her far-range shots. Her three game improving significantly.

But the more Kate thought about it, she didn’t even get your name yesterday. Not even from Caitlin.

Her nerves were through the roof as she walked out the house and set on her way to Carver.

Her face grew hot and red, suddenly her relaxed and otherwise friendly demeanor turned shy and antsy as she got closer and closer to you both, standing on the court while she set her stuff down. That’s why she wanted her early…forgetting to mention the why.

“Hey, Cait.” Kate walked up to Caitlin, her eyes darting between you and her. She was so nervous. You were just so pretty and so close she just couldn’t take it.

“Hey! This is my friend, y/n.” Caitlin looked to Kate, and then to you. You shook Kate’s hand. Immediately recognizing the pretty girl who had helped you find your class yesterday.

You smiled. Yesterday after she walked you all the way to your class, before you had walked in you thanked her and watched her go on her way. She looked nervous but so did you. You walked up to the door but stopped to look behind you. What made it more awkward is you both caught eachothers eye at the same time.

Cait💕

“You find your class okay?”

“yeah! some really nice girl helped me find my class.”

“Oh, awesome! The people here are way nicer than the people from California huh?”

Caitlin and you had grown up together. Two girls who loved the game of basketball. You got a full ride to UC Berkeley. Iowa skipping over you for an offer but getting Caitlin. You honestly wouldn’t have had it any other way.

You got to experience life outside of Iowa. It was a fun experience. You loved California but still keeping in touch with back home. You would’ve stayed if your injury your sophomore season didn’t pull you out of the sport completely.

Tearing your meniscus, ACL, PCL, and MCL. You tore them over a span of a couple years. Your ACL and PCL being the first to go in your junior season of highschool. The MCL your freshman year of college. You had been halfway into your sophomore season at Berkeley when you tore your meniscus.

You were told you were able to recover and go back, but your coach didn’t like that you were getting injured and submitted an appeal to have your full ride taken. That’s when the dean advised you to find a different career outside of basketball. So, you entered the transfer portal, losing your full ride, and ended back up in Iowa for senior year. You had played soccer growing up as well with your brother. You kept up with it outside of basketball only small scrimmages, nothing too serious so you weren’t injured for basketball. But Iowa had a great soccer team and you missed home, so you decided to come back and come back to soccer.

“They’re way nicer for sure…and wayyy cuter😉”

“Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyyy”

“you laughed at, ‘Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyyy’ ”

You were excited to meet the friends Caitlin made here in Iowa City after you left. Wanted to meet the women she talked so highly of. So when she texted you last night asking if you wanted to shoot around before doing a pick up game, you immediately said yes. Something about wanted to introduce you to a friend, hence having to get there early.

“Oh, you walked me to my class yesterday!” You stuck your hand out and waited for Kate to shake it.

Kate had been staring at you. She didn’t mean it in a rude or freaky way. She just was in shock. There was no way you knew Caitlin. “Uh, yeah! I’m Kate. I don’t think we formally introduced ourselves yesterday.” Kate giggled.

Caitlin raised her eyebrows. There was no way Kate was the cute girl you mentioned to her yesterday. No way. And there’s no way you had Kate Martin giggling at a handshake. This elicited a random giggle and ‘no way’. You and Kate turned your heads and looked at her confused. It finally clicked to Caitlin.

“Oh! Nothing nothing. Just that—Oh! Look! My ball!” She walked away to the ball she left at half court, leaving you two to stand in awkward silence before opting to get started. You guys were going for about an hour before Caitling and Kate walked up to the small team Caitlin put together. You watched them two walk away, shaking your head before walking over to your team.

That’s when Kate turned to look back at you. Watching you immediately make friends with the girls in your team. Which happened to be her friends too. Kate turned back to the team, a huddle being held…Kate’s face grew even more rosy when she saw her best friend caught on to what was happening. Caitlin had been giving her the biggest smirk when they made eye contact. Was it really that obvious that she had a crush on you? Could she even call it that? She just met you formally seconds ago.

The shoot around is where you and Kate really got to know each other. Exchanging stories and experiences, her asking all kinds of questions of what it was like in California.

How you knew Caitlin, which she was shocked to find out that you grew up here. That you and Caitlin were neighbors. She learned more than what Caitlin had been willing to tell her. Something about “you’ll know soon enough,” or “i’ll let her decide.”

It didn’t help that she had to guard you during the whole game, even though her being absolutely smitten from the moment Caitlin told her your name wasn’t already awkward enough.

The small praises you gave her while playing went immediately to Kate’s head. A pretty girl like you complimenting her. She returned them back, feeling less scared of her antics when she saw how you reacted to them too. It was the most nervous and overall mindfucking pick up game she’s ever played in her life. And she grew up with playing with bigger and stronger boys. Hell, she’s made it to national championship games and this by far took the cake for the most absurd and anxious game.

But you, made her immediately nervous. And she knew you knew. The small smiles and giggles you gave her whenever you saw her reaction to your compliments and praises, your touches to her body when you would pivot around her while dribbling, your hands brushing her hips when trying to blow past her and cut to the basket.

Needless to say, you both knew the effect you had on eachother. Which is why it was the longest yet shortest game ever. Because when it ended, and you had work to do and practice to attend, so you started to say your goodbyes to everyone.

You said goodbye to the new girls you made friends with, getting their numbers and then pulling your oldest friend aside. “Please tell me that’s her.” Your face burning up from the exertion and the thought of the tall blonde you could feel was looking at you from behind Caitlin.

“Possibly.” Cait raised her brows, mischevious smile on her face.

“She’s possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen, Cait. Please tell me that’s her.” You glanced behind Caitlin again, catching those oh, so pretty blue eyes. You both looking away immediately, you both blushing.

“I’ll talk to you after your practice.” She hugged you and you started on your way to your practice. Looking back to catch one last longing look to Kate. It was definitely her.

She was already standing and talking to Caitlin, big smile on her face, hair now down. God, she looked good.

“Please invite her to more of these.” Kate pleaded with Caitlin. That immediately earned a loud chuckle from the brunette. This was so entertaining. Her best friends having the hots for eachother was the most interesting thing to happen to her.

“I will.” Caitlin patted her hand on her best friends chest, starting to walk away. “I fucking knew it.” She said while she was a good distance from Kate.

“What?” Kate asked, already wishing another pick up game would happen or that she’d run into you soon.

“Oh, nothing.” Caitlin walked away, knowing she had to do something to keep you guys interacting. This game of trying to get you both together was more fun than, dare she say, the final four tournament??

[rillils]

OK BUT STUCKY LIVING TOGETHER WITH THE AVENGERS AND BUCKY LOVES TO WEAR FLOWER CROWNS AND OTHER NICE AND PRETTY STUFF AND AVENGERS THINKING HOW CUTE BUCKY IS AND BEING "DISGUSTED" (not actually tho) ABOUT HOW DISGUSTINGLY IN LOVE STEVE AND BUCKY ARE AND BUCKY DENYING THAT HES CUTE AND HIM DOING A CUTE POUTY FACE AND THE OTHER AVENGERS THINKING THATS CUTE AS WELL ALL THE WHILE STEVE IS STANDING THERE JUST WATCHING HIM WITH THE ABSOLUTELY BIGGEST FRICKITJN HEART EYES EVER AND AND YEAH

NONNIE, OH NONNIE MY LOVE, GOD BLESS YOU SO SO MUCH, DARLING 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 I don't know if you're the same lovely nonnie from the Thor + jealous Steve ask (if you are, then I thank you not 1000, but 2000 times!! 😘😘😘), but either way I LOVE YOU and thank you for bringing such preciousness to my inbox 💕💕💕 I simply adore this trope, and indeed I think this is one of the million opportunities the mcu wasted - so here, I wrote a silly little thing for you that I hope you will enjoy :3

1.5k words under the cut!

*

The popcorn kernels hit the bottom of the pan with a happy little tinkle, all tin-tiling-a-ling, spilling like summer hail out of the box. Steve barely hears the sound over the sudden burst of laughter coming from the living room, which – and here comes the pleasant surprise – is the baseline soundtrack of all their game nights lately, and he finds himself grinning along with it as he turns the stove on. Who knows, maybe Lucky went hurtling straight into Tony’s house of UNO cards again.

“Aw Barnes, you’re so cute, man,” Clint – of course it’s Clint – slurs through a mouthful of– possibly a pizza pocket. Could be a coupla pigs in a blanket getting shmooshed in there, though.

Bucky’s reply comes through gritted teeth and positively dripping with indignation. “I am not. Cute.”

Oh yes, ooh yes you are, Steve’s brain supplies instantly, and he steals a quick glance (do 37 seconds still qualify as quick?)– a quick glance towards the couch, where Bucky’s currently demonstrating his Eternal Glower of Profound Betrayal. Dark brows pulled tight together, pursed lips just entering the Hardcore Sulking stage, icing sugar caught in his stubble, and the sight alone makes Steve’s heart feel tender and juicy like chicken thighs after six hours in a slow cooker. Could pull him apart with a spoon, he’s so sweet on the guy.

And God but is Bucky cute; cute doesn’t even begin to cover it. In his new fluffy sweater with the kitty prints, the neon-green pj bottoms, and his arms and legs crossed stubbornly in a full-body pout, he’s just about the cutest thing Steve’s lucky, lucky eyes have ever seen.

He’s wearing his second-favorite flower crown, too – a half a wreath of the most delicate fake cherry blossoms that make the steel blue of his irises pop like goddamn fireworks on the fourth of July. The first time little Cassie caught sight of Bucky in that, she dubbed him an Actual Princess, very earnestly adding that he looked, and dare she say it, prettier than Rapunzel, thus producing the loveliest shade of bubblegum pink all over Bucky’s cheeks – a color which Steve has been trying to recreate, with much patience and dedication, with the loving touch of his fingers and the filthiest words he can fit in his mouth, if only to see how far down Bucky’s body he can get it to reach.

In other words, yes – he’s very much on Clint’s side on this one.

“The man’s right, Barton, he’s not cute,” Sam chimes in, his toothgapped grin all but glinting with mischief. “I believe the word you’re looking for is adorable.”

Amen to that, brother, Steve thinks to himself, just barely remembering to cover the pan before the popcorn starts popcornin’ right into his face.

“Fuck off, Wilson,” Bucky replies, helpfully illustrating the anatomy of a middle finger for Sam’s special benefit.

“Excuse me,” Tony pipes up, one UNO Reverse card tucked behind his ear and two more balanced precariously on top of his multi-story card tower, “I would urge all of you people to consider a true evergreen. The all-powerful, the all-encompassing, the one and only: precious.”

A chorus of cooing noises erupts across the room, rippling from body to body all around the coffee table, until Scott’s arm is shooting up, phone a-wiggling in the air.

“Wait wait wait, I’ve got one– JARVIS, if you please?”

There is a beat of silence. Then the AI’s voice echoes through the entire floor, somewhat mortified.

“As per Mr. Lang’s request, I submit for your perusal an animated Graphic Interchange Format, depicting a small child with cartoonish features, who appears to be holding an overlarge stuffed toy in the shape of a unicorn. The script beneath it reads, It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die.”

The GIF in question starts playing on loop on every screen available in the room – including the one that occupies the entire length of a wall – and the little crowd immediately explodes in a symphony of cackles and excited “Yes!”s and “Spot on”s and “Look Barnes, it’s you!”.

“I hate all of you,” Bucky grumbles, seemingly resigned to his fate; but Steve doesn’t miss the amused twinkle in his eye, nor the subtle curl in the corner of his pouty mouth.

Bucky’s gaze finds him, bright and beautiful, and they exchange a long look across the living room’s open space – intimate, somehow, even over the ruckus caused by their merrymaking friends.

And it might be the popcorn beginning to knock into the lid under Steve’s hand, but there’s something here, fizzing in the tips of his fingers, tingling at the base of his neck; something bubbly and sweet filling up his chest, that he just can’t keep a lid on tonight.

When he sees Nat perched on the backrest just behind Bucky, tugging on his half-braided hair and pleasantly threatening, You move your head again and I’ll bite your ears off – and Bucky drawls out a soft little Sorrey for her, but he keeps grinning up at Steve, his eyes like the shimmer of sunlight on clear waters.

When he finds Clint trying to stick fridge magnets to Bucky’s vibranium arm even through his fuzzy sleeve, then dragging Sam into it too like Hey man, check this out, and from there it’s all about how many times they can spell ‘DICK’ on him before Bucky notices and shoves them both off the couch.

Even when Thor interrupts his Mario Kart showdown with Bruce to offer, “Personally, I find it quite a dashing look – although in my experience, fresh flowers improve it tenfold. STEVEN! You must provide your beloved with fresh flowers for his hair every day! It’s tradition!”

And amongst all the snacks laid out before him, the teasing smile on Bucky’s lips is still the only thing Steve wants to taste tonight.

“You hear that, Steven?” Says his beloved.

Steve adores him. Steve would worship the ground his green-socked feet walk on. “Loud and clear, baby.”

Ohh, it’s worth saying it just for the lovely blush it puts on the apples of Bucky’s cheeks, rosey pink and delicious; and maybe, yeah, maybe even for the outburst of catcalls and Get-a-room’s it gets him, the second the word is out of his mouth.

“Aww, he said baby~”

“That’s so cute, you guys–”

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

“No, shut up– if you two lovebirds start making out in front of me again, I will throw up in the guacamole bowl and it won’t be pretty.”

“Nah, don’t you listen to this old sourball here, this is a PDA-friendly zone! If you guys feel like a bit of canoodling, some squeezin’ and a-lovin’–”

“Yo Rogers, that popcorn about ready or you still growin’ it?”

And. And Steve loves it. This– this, right here. It’s pure unadulterated chaos sometimes – all right, most of the time – but he can hardly picture his life without a healthy dose of this anymore.

Four years ago, he was a shell of a man; raw pulp under a too-thin rind, the chill of ice still creeping in his veins, with barely the will to see another day.

 Two years ago, he found something he’d thought he’d lost forever to the sharp embrace of a frost-coated ravine. Hope. And what a powerful fuel that proved to be.

Ten months ago, when Bucky first sought his kisses again, and slipped into his arms as easy as if he’d never ever left them at all, Steve rediscovered the meaning of bliss. He had everything he needed. Everything he’d dreamed of, night after day after night. What more could he have wished for?

Today, an unexpected answer presents itself to him.

“Hey, pass the chips, will you?”

“You think we’ve got any caramel sauce?”

“If you unleash one more of those green shells upon me, then so help me Odin–”

This. He wants this, with no name to put to it, except for the way it makes him feel inside. This thing that fills a room, warm and lovely, like hot chocolate poured in a cup, and feels so much like an embrace. Like coming in from the cold.

He never would have dared to wish for it. Hell, he didn’t even think he could afford to ask for it, but now that it’s here, he finds he’s hungry for it; and it doesn’t feel like greed at all. It just feels– good.

He’s only vaguely aware of Sam walking up to him, handing him an empty bowl to pour the fresh popcorn in. His brown eyes are gentle, knowing – but then, Sam always seems to know something Steve doesn’t.

“Happy’s a good look on you, man,” Sam says, and this smile, ah, this Steve couldn’t hold back if he tried with all his might.

He looks over to the couch, where Bucky’s holding his belly as he laughs, head thrown back and flower crown drooping perilously over his eyes. Steve is smiling so hard, it hurts.

“Thanks, man.”

[hella1975]

my god my fucking god im so powerful i actually amaze myself sometimes okay okay so. picture me at the races with my friends circa this time yesterday. it was absolutely full of students bc the whole reason we went was bc it was student day and there was a whole deal on for it organised by the uni, so it's just students as far as the eye can see all dressed up. as a bisexual, i was in heaven. EVERYONE looked hot. we had the lads in suits and the girls in their nice dresses. i didn't know where to look. i cannot stress enough how many hot people there were.

but one lad really stuck out to me. i genuinely have never seen anyone prettier than this fucking boy. i literally did a double take when i first saw him and i could NOT get him out of my head. literally drop dead gorgeous i was flabbergasted to the point i didnt even do the usual 'i've spotted a fit lad' with my friends bc his level of fit just seemed to exceed casualness. so i played it cool and did my usual little Eye Contact game (basically just glancing at them a shit ton and hope to catch their eye, and it looks like an accident and you dont look desperate, but once you get that moment of 'oh we've made eye contact by pure chance' then don't look away. if they're interested, they'll hold ur gaze and u can hold it long enough to be suggestive before looking away, and then usually they'll come to you and it's really funny bc they play right into it and they think it's their own idea but you're like ha ive been plotting this for 15 mins now. if they're not interested, they'll look away. im so clever and hot right)

one problem, this boy WOULD NOT LOOK AT ME. like it's purely a chance thing but every time i looked his way he was just doing his own thing. i gave up in the end bc it just wasn't happening and i literally forgot all about it, but later on i'd had a few drinks and i always get VERY sociable when ive got a bit of alcohol in me, and me and my mate saw this guy who had a star wars themed suit on. and id seen this boy earlier BECAUSE HE WAS STOOD WITH HOT GUY so i knew they were friends, but he was on his own this time and hot guy was nowhere to be seen. still, i was a little tipsy and i genuinely thought his suit was cool, so i went and told him his suit was cool. there was literally no ulterior motive here bc how could i possibly even scheme that much????? yet star wars guy was really friendly, asked for my instagram, and that was that. me and my friend walked off. no biggie.

EXCEPT I JUST GET A NOTIF ON IG AND DO YOU KNOW WHO FOLLOWED ME???? THE FUCKING HOT GUY FOLLOWED ME the hot guy who DIDNT HAVE MY INSTAGRAM which means his friend would have had to not only bring me up again upon us literally having a three second conversation but also speak highly enough of me that hot guy asked for my instagram AND THEN LIKED ME ENOUGH TO FOLLOW ME???? HELLO????? and he has his spotify linked in his bio HIS MUSIC TASTE IS GOOD and he has a playlist for spike spiegel. im in love

[elegyofthemoon]

fweedom, dendwo, spiwal abyss, tank!

THANKS WENDY!!

genshin ask

freedom: if you were blessed with a vision, which one would you want to have (and which one do you think you’d actually get)?

hrmm I wouldn't know like what I'd be blessed with... I feel like based on what my friends have said, I come off v Pyro !! so I guess I'd trust them with that as what I'd actually get

As for which I want, I wish I got a Hydro one. I mean, come on, that Vision is sOOOOOOOOO pretty. I'd abuse it so much lmaooo

dendro: what do you wish mihoyo would implement into the game?

I feel like they already did with the whole "logic game" thing as per Sumeru. I just really like my logic games LKAJSHF

spiral abyss: what’s your favorite part of genshin: puzzles, exploration, domains, building characters, or lore?

It's between exploration and lore, whether that's character lore or world lore! There's something way more satisfying for me about learning about the world that the characters are in and learning the context of the world. And moreover, I don't think there's ever been a game beforehand where I found myself falling in love with the world of a game than I have in Genshin. Like I love places in this game the same way I'd fall in love with characters just because there's so much history and lore that they had put into a place and it makes it all the prettier and more satisfying to explore. Not to mention, the satisfaction of being able to pull out the pieces of the story by your own hands than to be handed it. It's super satisfying and makes me fall in love w it all the more

tank: which character do you feel is criminally underrated?

GOOD QUESTION I feel like I'm the worst person to ask this about because my "underrated" would be the faceless characters that are less talked about because you only know them if you read artifacts and books and etc.

Like I am obsessed with Rostam for example. And I'm obsessed with the Sunchildren and Clymene. I'm obsessed with Orobashi, the Princess of Sal Vindagnyr, and Imunlaukr because I love thinking about the possibilities of how their story would go/play out till its end. We're given all these pieces of their story but my god do I want to see it all play out before my eyes, but I guess that's all for my own imagination

...As for the playable and characters with actual faces, hrm... I feel like the character I rarely see talked about is...probably Kokomi? At least in terms of characters I like but is not super praised or anything. I say this but even my appreciation of Kokomi also comes from the fact I've been swimming in Enka/Watatsumi lore for like a good few months so like seeing the connections between her and her land makes me love her character more AND OH MY GOD THE WAY THEY INCLUDED ALL THE WATATSUMI LORE INTO HER CHARACTER PREVIEW???? DUDE.... ITS AMAZING and gave me more appreciation for her character pv. downright my fave pv <3

[chasingpj]

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤

pairing: percy jackson x child of aphrodite! gn reader

requested?: yup!

warnings: mentions of underage drinking, one curse word, and mentions of sexual tension

category: fluff, shy boy x obviously interested girl trope

a/n: don't mind me I'm just projecting and I got carried away

you’re not sure what gravitated you to percy more

the crystal green eyes, the freckles over his nose, the disheveled dark curls, or his clumsiness

the first time you laid eyes on him, he was walking back to his cabin after sword-fighting practice

his tan skin gleamed in the sunlight as a hand came up to swipe away the damp hair sticking on his forehead

for an action so mundane, it made your stomach flutter like crazy

and then the beauty of the moment was ruined right when he trips over the steps of his cabin

you heard stories of the kid killing the minotaur, blowing up a volcano, and rumors of being the suspected child of a huge prophecy

yet, he was not immune from tripping over his feet

and you’re sure the dorky charm of that moment made you think, he’s mine

for the next few days, you were determined to approach him

but you didn’t just want to come up to him and introduce yourself; that would be too plain and forgettable

you ended up finding your opportunity during a capture the flag game

silena gave you instructions to distract percy, and you headed over strong, ready to make your first impression while also taking him down for your team

sure, he had water powers and done a bunch of cool things, but your father made sure you were well trained in sword fighting and martial arts even before you knew about the camp

you planned to take him by surprise, and luckily it worked

with ruthless attacks, it didn’t take long for you to sweep him off his feet and knock his sword out of his hand

by pressing the flat of your sword under his chin, you forced him to look up at you, and you peered into those clear green eyes

gods, he’s cute, you thought

“hey,” you said

percy was stunned, not sure if it was because you effortlessly took him down or if it was because you were one of the prettiest girls he’s ever seen

“... hi,” he sputtered, gawking for a moment as you offered your hand

you swore you felt sparks when his fingers brush across your palm... even though the contact was a little sweaty

in the distance, you heard the satyrs blow the horn and the roars of celebration from your team

“i should go back to the others. catch you later, ocean eyes,” you flirted

percy’s shoulders tensed up when you blew him a kiss; awkwardly frozen in his place as you waited

“well, are you going to catch it? you can’t just let my kiss fly away.”

percy shifted on his feet, not sure if you were serious or not, but when you held your ground with arms folded over your chest, it was clear that’s what you were waiting for

and so with a flushed face, percy awkwardly grabbed the air in the front of him, and you couldn’t help but giggle

“good, i wouldn’t want it flying to a stranger,” you commented playfully. “you know, i don’t really like this whole outdoor camp life thing, but seeing your pretty face around here makes it a lot better”

“uh… oh, thanks?” he stammered, not having the words to respond

you winked at him before walking off, more than satisfied with your first impression

after that, you were contemplating your next move

children of aphrodite can see all the possibilities in a potential relationship

you were able to see you and percy eating ice cream in central park, holding hands at camp, a shy kiss on your first date

you wanted all of it, and you going to make sure you get it

of course, silena and your siblings were your wing women

if percy was in the strawberry fields, you were picking strawberries beside him

in the fields, you got to know him and his sarcastic humor, which made your crush flourish

you even took sword fighting classes at the same time as him and made sure he was your partner most of the time

whenever you had a chance, you’d affectionately fix his hair or his armor just to hear his shy thank you’s

he’s never had a girl show this much interest in him, so you definitely made him a little nervous, but despite that, he opened up to you pretty quick

sometimes he’d help you out in the stables, and you noticed how he’d fumble with the harnesses or knock things over when you would flirt with him

you loved his reactions so much that you always took it up a notch just to see how he’d react

you suppose the pegasi didn’t make percy’s shyness any better

there were times where he’d shush them, or the tips of his ears would grow even more flushed at a neigh or huff from one of the pegasuses

as the summer came to an end, you gave percy your email and made sure you stayed in touch

you didn’t live very far from one another, but you didn’t dare ask to hangout

you wanted to be asked first!

and you were disappointed when the invitation never came despite the two of you being consistent with sending emails

the year flew by fast, though, and you were excited to return to camp for an array of reasons; percy being one of those reasons, of course

when you saw him for the first time that summer, you were in awe at how different he looked after a year

he was taller, broader, and just more handsome overall

your stomach went into a frenzy when he greeted you with a boyish smile while his hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously because he didn’t fail to notice how, somehow, you were even prettier than he remembered

unfortunately, having the prepare for the war meant you guys were too busy to hang out as often as you did the previous summer

but when you did have time to see each other, it was still fun

there was an unspoken rule between you and percy that any talk about the war wasn’t allowed

it allowed you guys to just bask in the nights where you would watch the sunset while joking around and sharing funny stories

those nights were calm and still; they brought a sense of normalcy amongst the chaos and growing tensions

because of this, percy had sought out your company whenever he could get it

being with you made him feel like time slowed down

inevitably, the battle of manhattan occurred and passed, causing the summer to end with the grief of losing your siblings

while campers arranged the ceremonies to honor their siblings, percy hopped around to help

losing silena as a counselor meant it was time to pick a new one, and to your surprise, your siblings nominated you

you were silena’s right-hand person, the oldest in the group after her, and the strongest fighter, so your siblings felt it was fair that you took the role

but it didn’t feel right to you; the pressure of being a newly elected councilor while still grieving silena weighed hard on your shoulders

after the nomination, you needed time to get away and sit with your thoughts, and you were only there for a moment alone until percy had found you

his eyes studied your somber expression, and he was quick to ask what was wrong

as you poured out all your worries, percy was quiet and attentive

you cuddled up to his side for comfort, and even in your sorrow, you didn’t fail to notice the way he tensed up

finally, when you let everything out, he chimed in to soothe your worries

your expression was a little lovestruck as he said everything you needed to hear, and well, his strong arm around your shoulders definitely helped too

you were so elated that you couldn't help but press a kiss on his cheek to thank him

his flushed face was enough to lift your spirits for good that day

by the time the summer officially came to an end, you could feel that percy’s feelings for you were becoming stronger

the romantic possibilities you envisioned became more apparent, but percy hadn’t asked you out yet

and like, you guessed you could have asked him out, but that wasn't fair in your book

you were already making the first moves; it was his turn to do something about it

then you were sure your mother pitied you because finally, after a few more months of emailing, percy asked if you to go ice skating with him, and of course, you agreed

but then, you concluded that it was more like a cruel joke from your mom because percy never showed up

you waited hours for him before you trudged home in defeat

heartbroken wasn’t even enough to describe how you were feeling

being stood up with no follow up from him made you conclude that he just wasn’t interested and you just needed to move on

it wasn’t until you went to CHB for christmas break did you find out percy was missing

you were crazy worried about him and helped as much as you could to try and find him

when it was confirmed that he was still alive, you were more than relieved

from that day on, you were itching to see him again, and finally, after the giant war, you were able to speak to him

you only said a hello before you got sucked into a game of truth or dare with your friends

the game was self-explanatory; spin the bottle and the person who’s chosen is submissive to the person who spun it

you made up some lousy dares for the first few people until you spun the bottle in percy’s direction

“truth or dare?” your voice was challenging, and a little flirty

percy shifts in his place, “truth.”

“do you want to kiss me?”

“dare.”

“kiss me.”

the instigating coos of your friends made you smile, which contrasted percy’s stunned expression

“never have i ever-”

“that’s not even the game, percy!”

your friends laughed at your interaction, but you were honestly a little annoyed

he liked you; you could feel it, so what was he even waiting for?

“it’s fine. you don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to,” you say with a playful smile in an attempt to hide your disappointment

“shit, i’d kiss you,” leo joked, and you suddenly perked up at the request

a new idea came to your mind

“so kiss me,” you snapped your gaze to leo, a smirk on your face

leo gasped so hard; he choked on his own saliva

while he coughed erratically, showcasing all his shock on his face, you announced, “new rule! you can only give up a dare if someone else in the group offers to take it for you.”

your gaze fixed on leo, “so, are you going to kiss me or what?”

“uh, only if you want to,” he stammered, and you smiled, moving to lean over in his direction

suddenly, percy cut in, “i didn’t give up the dare.”

your attention shifted to him, and you didn’t fail to pick up the jealousy radiating off of him

your stomach flipped with anticipation at the success of your idea

if percy needed a push, you were going to push him

“you’ve given leo false hope then,” you joked, and playfully leo sighed.

“man, so close,” he mumbled.

you bit your lip as you leaned in percy’s direction

you felt his attraction to you; his eyes told you everything you needed to know and more

and before you knew it, your lips were against his

the kiss was short, but for a moment, the world around you was drowned out; you barely heard the coos and cheers of your friends around you

with a satisfied smirk, you pulled away, settling back in your spot as percy’s eyes averted elsewhere, too shy to look at you

you and your friends played the game until you grew bored and found something else to do

because the festivities kept pulling you in one direction to another, the only interaction you had with percy was the occasional longing glance and nothing else

as you escorted a few of your sisters who drank a little too much back to your cabin, you were sure you’d have to wait another day to talk to him

lost in your dismay, you automatically denied piper’s offer to finish the task

it wasn’t until she scoffed did you pull out of your thoughts

“are you kidding? go. i’ll get them back. you find percy.”

“oh yeah. you guys need to do something about that sexual tension. are you gonna date him or what?” another one of your sisters slurred

before you could even protest, you were shooed away by not only piper but by the rest of your siblings too

you stayed in your spot, making sure they had at least made it to the steps of the cabin before you pranced up to percy’s cabin

you figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask if he wanted to go on a walk with you

your knock is followed by a few moments of shuffling before he opened the door

and, whew, you were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a shirtless percy

“hey." you leaned on the door frame, your eyes trailing down to admire his toned torso

“eyes up here," percy playfully demanded

you were almost hesitant to avert your eyes, but you obliged.

"i wanted to ask if you wanted to take a walk. you know, i just haven’t been sleeping well."

percy leaned against the door frame, amused at the dramatic pout on your face.

“sure, let me put on a shirt firs-”

“oh, you don’t have to. i don’t mind,” you cut him off, and his head tilts back just a little as he laughs

“i’m putting on a shirt,” he declares playfully, and you whine in fake disappointment

on your walk, he told you all the crazy things that happened while he was missing, and even though his stories were a lot more interesting than what you had to say, he was eager to hear about what you've been up to

your conversation persisted as you walked around the camp and as you arrived at the docks, another idea came to mind

suddenly, you cut yourself off mid-sentence, your gaze fixed on the water

“perce, you know, i can’t swim,” you mention, stepping on the wooden dock

“really?”

“really.”

it was quiet for a moment, and percy's expression was laced with confusion as you kicked off your shoes

you didn’t even care that you were wearing designer clothes, running straight off the dock and into the deep lake water

you heard percy yell your name right as your body completely submerges in the water

and it wasn't even more than 3 seconds before percy jumped in, one arm immediately wrapping around your waist to swim up to the surface with you

his baffled expression sent you into a fit of laughter

“what? why did you do that?!”

“cause i knew you’d come and get me.”

percy’s lips curved up into a smile, and you took the time to admire his features in the moonlight

you swore you saw his eyes flicker to your lips for a second, and the action made you hyper-aware of how close your noses were

"kiss me!" you thought in your head as you circled your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer

you could feel his admiration, the accelerated thump of his heart, the fluttering in his stomach that mimicked yours

the kiss you shared earlier was far too short for your liking, and you were already looking forward to the next opportunity to kiss him again

“i haven’t forgotten that i owe you a date.”

you smiled at his words, half-distracted at the proximity of his lips

“so it was a date all along?” you asked, and percy nods, amused

“you know, i was thinking now that there isn’t another big prophecy and the chances of me disappearing again aren’t likely, that, maybe, you and i could-”

“yes! gods, yes.” you cut him off, and percy laughs at your eagerness

you waited too long for the question that you couldn’t even let him finish asking

he isn’t able to say anything else as you pull him into a passionate kiss

it was as if the years of anticipation were being poured into the movement of your mouths

the kiss was long, growing in eagerness until the harpies had ruined your fun and the two of you had to run back to your cabins

a part of you had wished that all of this would have happened sooner

you had plenty of nights where you were stared at the ceiling with conflicted thoughts, wondering if you guys just weren't meant to be, if you somehow made up his attraction to you in your head, or if you should ask him out first and save yourself the potential regret

but when you returned to your cabin full of enthusiastic siblings asking why you were soaking wet and why your lipstick was smudged, you realized you wouldn’t have changed a single thing

masterlists taglist:@xxyrr @nct127bee @mochabreezeee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @Slytherclaw-kitten @-thatgirloverthere- @passionswift @nanskidoodle @s0urcru5h @ilikefluffygingercats @all-hailreyna @autmngirlworld @sunkissedskin1328 @Hermioneswifeee @quteez @hajigayy @aleksanderwh0r3 @drayshadow @tonyedwardstarkk @londoncherry @ashookykooky @lotusnegra666 @loverstyless @yelenabel0vaswife @t0xicmuse @ohmydamgods @jordannfields @tomriddles-wh0re @amy-writes-blog @muted-mayham @shawkneecaps @dreamerball @earthtokace @thehighladyofday @theverydramaticcabbage @lala-llama123 @tootsdoll @slytherindaughterofposeidon0 @black-rose-29 @somekidnamedkai @possiblylostchasecousin @silver-gemini @hamdehlesmis @shadowsndaisies @cami05sworld @does-anyone-hear-me @scarlets-widow @sol-the-salmon @hipsdofangirl @tatofan @missusstark @atryx0-tal @iamparou

if your username is bolded that means i can’t tag you ! you probably have your visibility settings on !

[stargaze-issei]

May I request a Angst of Shoto x (fem) Reader where the reader get Jealous and insecure of Shoto hanging out with Yaoyorozu more than the reader (Shoto and Reader are together) and you don't have to write it if you don't want to

ohh yess!! i'm so in the mood for some angst right now, thanks for requesting, love!

— "𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡" (𝐭. 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭; in the request.

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞; angst.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; a few curse words maybe, self loathing, insecurity in general.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; i wrote this based on my own feelings, because i have been in that situation. no matter who you are, you are beautiful and worthy, and i love you very much. nothing that you read here is real, you’re not ugly, not annoying. please, read with caution.

everyone knew how good looking todoroki was, specially you. he was your boyfriend, and even before that, you could stare at him for hours. he was perfect, there was no more to it. you knew you weren't the only one who thought that, and your presence wasn't exactly... intimidating. no man or girl approached to you, too afraid to face the might todoroki shoto, son of endeavor himself, but you? you were a nobody who had gotten into u.a. by pure luck. that's what you thought, at least. he had gotten tired of telling you how wrong you were, that he loved you. yes, todoroki didn't lie, but it was so hard to believe. he had friends like uraraka and tsuyu and yaoyorozu, god, yaoyorozu. she was the epitome of beauty and grace, the most perfect girl you had ever seen, you were supposed to believe todoroki would choose you over her? you knew she had feelings for him, those smiles weren't friendly smiles, her fingers always touched him a second too long, her hair flipping whenever he appeared. how could you compete with someone like that?.

it was excruciating, watching them together. somehow he seemed to be more with momo than with you, his current girlfriend. no matter how hard you tried, she was always there. she'd sit right next to him at lunch, invite him to study sessions.

"babe, do you want to go for a w–?" being a saturday afternoon, you went into shoto's room, hoping to hang out with him. what you weren't expecting was to find her, the major object of your jealousy, sitting on his bed, way too close to him. no one could argue how oblivious todoroki could be, but that? there was no way he didn't know what she was trying to do. his face when he saw you didn't change a bit, if anything, he was confused at why were you about to cry. you hummed a soft apology, leaving there as fast as possible. why were you the one apologizing? why were you the one leaving? why couldn't you straight up tell him that he was screwing everything up?.

he will leave me if i complain, was all you could think. the fear of losing him was bigger than your fear of destroying yourself. right now, it was like with him, someday, everything will work out just fine. but he hurt you, badly. he never realized, too busy with yaoyorozu to notice that you were sadder and sadder. somewhere in you, you knew it wasn't okay. if youwere watching one of your friends going through all that, you'd totally tell them to get out that relationship now, but this was different, this was todoroki we were talking about, your todoroki. was he still yours, though?.

you got out of the dorms, avoiding the curious looks your classmates were giving you. no one was supposed to be out at night, not that you hadn't broken that rule before. your vision got blurry just as you entered the small forest in the compound, the air was cold and you had left with your bare shirt. it didn't matter. you wanted to cry, to scream. a thought cross your mind, maybe you were wrong, maybe it was your insecurity playing games again. what if it wasn't? should you just turn a blind eye? god, why everything had to be so hard. you wanted to be enough, you wanted to feel worthy, to look in the mirror and be happy with what you saw. you wanted to be yaoyorozu. 

"y/n? please, let's go home, you'll get sick" his monotonous came from outside the trees covering you. you must've looked pathetic, shivering and crying, that's not what you wanted him to see. "i know you're out here, i saw you getting into the woods" when you didn't answer, he sighed heavily. he's tired of me. his footsteps were closer and closer, but you were also way to tired, so you stayed there, waiting for him to come. "there you are" you had your face hidden between your knees, a feeling of shame overflowing every vein in your body. the last thing you expected, was to feel his jacket on you shoulder. when you looked up, he was sitting in the dirt, right next to you. "are you going to tell me what happened?".

you felt your hearbeats in your ears, the anxiety increasing  by the second. you had to tell him, but it was so hard. the words were stuck in you throat, fighting your will to talk.

"i know there are prettier girls out there, and that you could have any one of them" your voice broke in the middle of the sentence, as todoroki glared at you in confussion. "she's all that i wish i could be, so if yo-you're after her, just tell me, because i can't do it anymore". 

"who are you talking about?"

"yaoyorozu! i'm talking about yaoyorozu! she so obviously likes you, and you just... let her! i'm sorry i can't be like her, i'm sorry i'm not pretty, or smart, or polite because believe me, if i could change my whole self, i would! i want to be someone you deserve, not somone you had to settle for" you were a mess of tears and snots. 

todoroki was completely lost, did you really feel that way? he knew you had a hard time talking about your emotions, but have you kept that inside for so long? now that he thought about it, you always seemed sad whenever yaoyorozu was around, even when you were such good friends before. you'd hold his hand a little tighter when she asked him to do anything with her, like begging him to say no. you may not be good with words, but you did leave small hints for him to figure out. which he didn't, of course.

"i-" he shut up there, afraid to make a mistake "i don't feel anything for yaoyorozu, because i love you. i-i think you're beautiful, and smart, and kind, and strong, i thought you knew that" you knew todoroki's mind, everything was literal. and he had told you a bunch of times before his feelings for you, to him, that was enough.

"to know and to feel are different things, shoto" you were starting to calm down, he saw that, but were still very upset "right now, i feel you like yaomomo more than you like me". 

he didn't know what else to do, so he did the only thing he knew of showing a feeling. he kissed you, slowly, trying to pour as much love as he could in that touch. he wanted you to feel how his heart beat for you and only for you.

"i love you, more than i have loved anyone else before. i'm sorry i made you feel that way, i'll never do it again, and if i do, please tell me before you are so hurt" to anyone who didn't know todoroki, that was cold-hearted, but that wasn't the case. his eyes never left yours as he talked, "if you need me to stay away from yaoyorozu, i will. nothing is more important to me than you."

he meant it, you knew that. and he proved it to you. that same night, he told yaoyorozu that she needed to take a distance from him, if she couldn't do it, then he would stop talking to her. he snuggled you in his bed, burying his face in your neck. he would do anything to hold you like this forever.

[anobscurename]

ocean eyes – chris evans

previous part: PART XV — masterlist

concept: the three times chris comforted you, and the times you returned the favour. the slowest of slow burns, the angstiest of all angst. part sixteen of many.

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 3,8k

warnings: drinking, so much fluff, heartbreaking angst

author's note: this one, guys, gals, and non-binary pals, is for @fangirlovestuff because it's her BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABYYYY (and i'm sorry in advance). the songs are linked, so if you don't know them, you can check 'em out :)

In your ten months of knowing him, Chris had always known how to cheer you up, irregardless of how big or small the issue was.

You would even go so far as to call him a master of distraction – because by the end of the day, you wouldn't even have known you'd cried at all.

You could recall three times he had been there for you, and the two times you returned the favour.

The first time he had seen you cry – about three months into your living situation – he had been by your side immediately, pulling you flush against his body. He held you in his big arms for the longest time, and just waited the sobs out.

He wasn't the type of person to press, and he knew you'd tell him what was wrong if you wanted.

Instead, he asked you what you wanted.

You were lightheaded and cry‐drunk, so it took a moment to come back to yourself. "Huh?"

"Do you want to be quiet or loud?"

"I just..." You struggled to find words that didn't make you sound needy, but you found none. "I don't want to be alone."

"That's out of the question," he smiled knowingly. "So, what will it be, {your last name}? Quiet or loud?"

He had a twinkle in his eye, one that suggested his question delved deeper than the words implied.

"Quiet."

And then he was pulling you up off the couch and out the door in total disregard of your chosen attire.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Chris, I'm literally in my pyjamas–"

But he was already opening the garage, the creaks of the gears overshadowing your weak protests.

"You're wearing pants this time," he winked at you. "So we have that going for us."

And then you were in the car, location still a mystery.

Any attempts to get a modicum information was shut down with a simple "it's a surprise."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise."

And you were glad he hadn't told you, because soon, you were pulling up outside a place you hadn't been to since you were a kid and going on school trips. You'd never been to any L.A. ones, having moved there only half a year ago. But the way your whole body immediately was overcome with such calm...

It was like you had been hoping to come here since you'd woken up that morning, and had received the news of your grandfather's admittance to the hospital earlier that night.

But there was no way for Chris to have known that your grandfather had taken you to the aquarium when you were young, telling you about all the fish, helping you make up increasingly bizarre backstories for them.

He just knew you had to leave the house, and go somewhere quiet.

And it was a weekday, so the chances of kids screaming and running through the aquarium hallways were slim to none.

So while you walked in the tinted blue light, eyes scanning over information plaques and watching the multi-coloured aquatic animals lazily drift past the glass panes in a comfortable silence, you reached out to give his wrist a gentle squeeze.

His hands had been sitting in his pockets, giving you your space, but hovering close enough to you to let you know you weren't alone.

"Thank you," you croaked out softly.

When you turned your head to look at him, he had been looking at you, a smile of heartwarming endearance on his face.

If you hadn't been so consumed by the exhibits, you'd have known that he hadn't taken his eyes off you the entire time, and you'd have known he also hadn't stopped smiling. Smiling at you, seeing just how happy you were, even though your eyes were still watery and worry was still thick in your throat.

He slid his hand out of his pocket easily to lace your fingers together, loose enough for you to pull away if you had wanted, but tight enough for you to know that he had no intention of letting go first.

But you didn't pull away, instead strengthening the intwining grasp.

And so you continued, walking through the aquarium in that comfortable silence. And at some point along the way, you found laughter again, pointing out the ugliest fish and saying it was him, only to have him gasp in mock surprise.

"My God, you're such a flirt," he'd say.

And then he'd point out the most beautiful fish he could find.

"That's you."

——————

The second time was a week later.

It was your grandfather again, but the issue had been more serious than any one of your family members initially believed.

You didn't cry this time, but Chris could sense the immeasurable sadness in your posture, the way you sat on the couch, staring blankly ahead.

He came to stand in front of you, and gently knelt down so your eyes would focus on his. Everything about his stature screamed concern as he caressed the hair away from your face.

"Quiet or loud?" He had asked so softly, so simply.

"Loud."

He helped you up, careful with your fragile state. He walked you to your room, into the bathroom, and left you to take a calming shower by yourself.

When you'd gotten out, gotten ready for whatever surprise excursion was next – dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, scuffed sneakers on your feet but Chris would claim you looked prettier than he'd ever seen you – Chris was waiting for you by the front door.

You knew better than to ask him where he was taking you this time. And honestly, you were too drained to even muster the words.

You wanted loud, to drown out the misery.

And you got what you wanted.

Chris had taken you to a local pop-up carnival, and in spite of the cloudy weather mirroring your emotion, threatening rain, it was filled with screaming kids and the sounds of joy.

"They come by once every six months," he explained while you waited in the line to enter. "I wanted to take you under different circumstances, but..."

"It's wonderful," you assured him, although your tone didn't sound like it.

He paid your entrance fees – buying a large roll of game tickets for the both of you – and with his hand ghosting over the small of your back, he guided you inside.

Your smile first came when you were on the ferris wheel, and it didn't fade until you were back home, saying good night.

You had spent the whole afternoon there, and even most of the evening, until around ten, when they had begun to take down the stalls and unpitch their tents.

"I'm totally going to crush you at this," you had grinned at him at some game or another. And you did, but only because he wasn't entirely focused on the game, but watching you.

He would tell himself later, as he lay in bed, the reason he couldn't take his eyes off you was because he had wanted to make sure you were alright, and having a good time. But that was a half truth. The full truth was simply because he couldn't stop looking at that smile he loved so much, on the girl he loved more.

A sense of pride would swell in his chest at the very thought of him having played a part in your happiness.

And so you did absolutely crush him. But only because he'd been distracted, and, if truth be told, because he let you.

You held your prize – a hilariously massive teddy bear, drowning you in its fluff – with both arms, laughingly taunting him for his loss, which had got him a much smaller bear (a participation trophy at best) which he carried in one hand.

You had also gone to the circus they had there, your teddy bear seated beside the two of you, taking up a whole seat by itself. You marvelled at the trapeze artists, the charisma of the ringleader, the fire juggler from Prussia, and even found it in yourself to giggle a little at the clowns who you thought you'd be irreparably prejudiced against since you watched Stephen King's It.

And if you were to now scroll back in your camera roll, you would find the hundreds of pictures you had taken together in the hall of mirrors, and the beautiful twinkling lights of the distant city that sparkled like their own constellation from your view at the top of the wheel.

But you wouldn't scroll back now.

Not now.

———————

The third time had just been a bad day.

Nothing set it off, but you'd woken feeling like trash, and it really didn't sit well with you.

It had been post kiss, post Vegas, in that week Chris had returned, and he could feel it the second you stepped into the kitchen.

His usual morning greeting of "good morning, Sleeping Beauty" fell short on his lips.

"Both," you said to him, already knowing the question he was going to ask.

You had managed to get yourself dressed that day, thinking that that one step into productivity would pull you out of your slump. It hadn't. So you told him "both," and he immediately complied.

Setting the mug down, coffee unfinished, he grabbed his keys off the counter. He called for Dodger, and you were in the car again.

This time, you already knew where you were going. It wasn't a difficult puzzle to solve, especially with Dodger there with you.

And your suspicions were confirmed when he pulled up to a remote beach, a hidden gem that only locals would know about.

And in the secluded bay, you walked alongside each other, Dodger prancing ecstatically into the water and darting across the sand.

You watched him greet other dogs, tail wagging. You encountered very few people, giving them a greeting smile in passing.

It really was the perfect mixture of both – serene in the best way possible, ocean waves loud in their crash on the shore.

Chris made no effort to hide his gaze on you this time, aside from a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose, obscuring his eyes.

"Why are you wearing those?" You chuckled.

"What?"

"You're wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Did it not come with instructions or something?"

"Oh, that," he grinned. "I wear the cap for the aesthetic, sunglasses for the disguise."

You had to reach up on your tippytoes to do what you did next – which, if you were so inclined, could be referred to as theft in the court of law.

You easily snatched the cap off his head, and, dancing out of his reach, put it on. It was a size too big, and dipped into your eyes, making him laugh through the stern demeanor he was jokingly putting on.

"Give that back," he warned. "You're ruining the aesthetic."

You repeated him mockingly, and then he was chasing you down the beach, your squeals of delight interrupting the peace and grabbing Dodger's attention.

You weren't being chased down by one Evans anymore, but two, and hoping to find sanctuary, you made your way into the water.

The sea lapped eagerly at your knees, stray droplets clawing to soak into the frayed denim of your shorts.

Chris had been wearing jeans – not exactly intending for a beach day that morning – and you'd hoped that would be enough to halt the attack.

"If you think that some water is gonna stop me from righting this injustice," he began, equally as out of breath as you were. He had been holding himself back from outright catching up to you, and you knew that – Chris was the epitome of fitness. What did you expect? To outrun Captain America? – "nay, this crime, then you are dead wrong."

"I'm in international waters!" You called back, flicking the peak of his cap teasingly. "I'm out of your jurisdiction!"

"Fuck jurisdiction!" He yelled out, and then he was wading towards you.

Water slowed both of you as you tried to keep out of his grasp, but he had the benefit of being naturally quicker. He had you in a bearhug, trapping your body against his as you struggled to break free.

"Give it back," he playfully growled into your ear.

"Never! You'll never take me alive!" You fought the words out through your laughter.

And then Dodger was there too, all but pushing you over into the shallows of the shore.

You both lay there, allowing yourselves to be drenched, through and through, Dodger licking your faces excitedly.

And as the laughter slowly subsided and the cold the breeze introduced to your wet forms finally registered, you both got up.

"Alright, have your stupid hat back," you sighed, moving to take it off.

He captured your hand in a lightning quick grip, stilling your movements. "Keep it," he smiled. "Looks better on you anyways."

You smiled back sarcastically, rolling your eyes, before pushing him back down onto the sand playfully. "All this?! All this for me to keep it?!"

He propped himself up on his elbows to peer up at you, sunglasses knocked askew.

"Dodger, as my head torturer," you said to the exhilarated mountain of a dog. "I command you to execute this man."

———————

It was hard to watch a strong man crumble, and there were days when that happened, too.

It was the day of Dodger's operation – a hip surgery, nothing too life threatening – but Chris, with all his quick wit and charming smiles, was a shell of himself.

Of course, you were worried too. But Chris needed you more than you needed him, and so, in the mournful silence of the waiting room, you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He flinched a little at the sudden contact, but didn't pull away.

"Quiet or loud?"

In all definitions of the word – in the hour he had been in that waiting room, leg bouncing – he never thought he could hate quiet as much as he did now.

"Loud."

It took some effort to tug him to his feet, his body sluggish with worry. But he was up, and you were guiding him to the door, leaving your number with the vet secretary for any updates.

You didn't want Chris to be worrying and checking his phone every five seconds, because you knew how that dread felt. No, he needed a distraction.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

You had never understood why Chris enjoyed doing that to you, never telling you where he was going to take you, but with the thrill of him not knowing, you got it. Spontaneity ran in his veins, and he didn't press like you so often did in the past.

You had been in L.A. long enough to find your own little secret spots, and to know exactly where you were without much guidance.

And if you were being honest with yourself, you didn't really know where you were taking him until your legs had absentmindedly taken you to an old vintage diner you knew had once been the talk of the town – filled to the brim with hipsters – before once again slipping into obscurity.

It was late into the night, but the diner was open 24/7, and you knew Chris hadn't eaten in a while.

When the bell jangled upon your entry, the waiters jolted, having taken to sitting down in the vacancy of their restaurant.

A few customers lingered here and there, club goers drunkenly scarfing down fries to try and sober up a little before hitting the next party and insomniacs downing their third cup of coffee that hour.

But for the most part it was empty, and, unfortunately, quiet.

"You here for karaoke night?" A bubblegum popping waitress asked. It really felt like the cliché, but it weirdly added to the charm. She stood, perched on the rubber stop of her roller skates, waiting for your response.

"Oh, hell yes we are," you grinned.

She took you to a table situated in front of a makeshift stage, a jukebox-karaoke machine hybrid standing proudly to one side.

Chris sat down, anxiety still heavy in his bones. You quickly ordered – two burgers, and a milkshake to share – before you were shedding your jacket and making your way on stage.

You didn't care about making a fool of yourself. The only thing you cared about was seeing Chris smile again, and in that moment, you'd do almost anything to make that happen.

You hummed in thought as you perused the songs available to you. You didn't expect much from the collection, given that the whole vibe of the diner was 50's through to early 90's. A total pocket dimension in time.

A song caught your eye and you grinned, selecting it immediately. Chris didn't want quiet – and you were going to be the loudest bitch here.

You could hear the whir of the machine as it came to life and you made your way to the vintage microphone. It crackled and whined when you pulled it closer to yourself.

You had caught the eye of the sobering-but-still-quite-drunk party animals, and they had come over to investigate.

"Sorry," you winced, voice booming on the mic. "This song goes out to my good friend Chris."

And then the music started to play, and he groaned. He knew the song decently enough, it having been one of your most replayed disco bops of the week.

"This is Sunny, by Boney M," you said over the intro. "Hope you enjoy."

And then you started to sing, intentionally bad at first to wheedle that cry strained laugh from Chris, and then finishing off in that voice he knew you had.

Every time the song mentioned "Sunny," you'd look directly at him, giving him an exaggerated wink. And at "I love you," you'd point at him, smile growing on your face as you danced ridiculously with the mic.

He was laughing, whole body shaking at how over-the-top you were being.

And when the song wrapped, you whooped into the mic, feedback squealing. "Thank you, everybody!" you panted.

The club goers applauded, screaming their drunken praises.

"YES, QUEEN!"

"YOU GO, BABY!"

"FUCK YES!"

"BEYONCÉ WHO?!"

That last one earned some shocked gasps and scolding. "Woah, dude. Too far."

"Thank you, thank you," you grinned, feeling alive. You could see the laughter starting to fade from Chris again, and so you moved to put on another song.

"This one," you whispered into the mic, "is a duet. So, please. Good friend Chris, wouldst thou riseth to the occasion?"

He shook his head, cheeks flushing at being called out.

"Oh, come on," you whined, the music already beginning to play out the intro. "For me?"

He narrowed his eyes at you, already smilingly weighing the pros and cons of his embarrassment. You batted your lashes. "I know you can sing, Evans. Don't start this shy shit now."

"COME ON, CHRIS!"

"YEAH, COME ON CHRIS!"

"Give the people what they want," you wiggled your brows.

He shrugged, muttering "fuck it," and reluctantly rising from his seat, he hopped on stage with one jump.

"You were working as a waitress at a cocktail bar, when I met you," he started singing flatly, eyes on yours, letting you know how much he didn't want to be up there. You arched a brow, pushing him let loose.

Slowly, with the encouragement of your smile, and the cheers from the drunk, he lost himself in the performance of "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League, even taking to dancing at your part of the duet.

And that's how you spent the rest of your waiting period – singing bad karaoke, shovelling food into your mouths between songs, and returning the favour of cheering on the clubbers when they had resolved to stay and sing because they decided the best time they were probably going to have that night was in that stuffy little diner on a street they probably would've walked right past on a regular day.

And when your phone rang for Dodger, you paid your bill, leaving a hefty tip in apology to the staff for having to endure your wailing. You said your goodbyes to your newfound friends of the night.

And Dodger was fine when you took him home.

And Chris was smiling again.

———————

You couldn't bare to dwell on the second time you took it upon yourself to cheer up Chris Evans, because the fact of the matter was, that just reminiscing about those other four had you muffling sobs all over again.

You thought about that day – the road back from Vegas, pulling off to Route 66, taking him to the food truck park – and the alcohol you urgently gulped down did nothing to numb you.

You had often looked back on those memories fondly. But now it was a gaping hole in your chest.

You were sitting on the balcony, overlooking the beach. In the distance, under moonlight, you saw a couple walking hand-in-hand, and you knew it was them.

"Thought I'd find you out here," a familiar voice said. It wasn't Chris', and that had you swigging another shot from the near empty bottle in your lap. "You holding up okay?"

"Ask me again in a month," you stated blankly. You hadn't even moved to address the newcomer, nor had you shifted over to make room for him. He sat all the same. "If you want to put a number to how long it takes to move on, ask Chris. The answer is a month."

It had taken a month for him to move from you to Lily. But it wasn't exactly like any of you had made your feelings and intentions known, aside from a kiss that you had claimed you'd been drunk for, and a confirmation of friendship.

If you let yourself think about it too long – which you had, on more than one occasion, this one specifically – it was your fault.

Sebastian reached over and gently pried the bottle from your iron grip. He looked at how much was left, surprised. And still, you gazed numbly ahead.

"This is how day one looks, huh?" He attempted a joke. Even he knew it fell flat, and instead took a sip to ease himself.

"The alcohol content in that bottle is directly proportionate to how many fucks I have left to give," you shrugged, voice monotonous.

"How much more are you going to put yourself through before you've had enough?"

"I've had enough," you sighed. "But I'll probably suffer a little more."

"You have more strength than I do, then."

His sympathetic arm wrapped around you, and you melted into his side, the comfort another person brought acting as a placebo salve to the pain. Like an ice pack on a shattered femur.

And you realised why you were so sad. Those memories meant nothing to you now.

They had lost their meaning because he wasn't there with you, on this roof, asking you that question when you needed it asked the most. Quiet or loud.

He wasn't there, and the taste of whiskey was chased away by ash.

[christophersymes]

Celebrity Status

Celebrity Status, an ongoing L(G)B(T)+ story also on Wattpad and Quotev. 

Next –>

Prologue: Interview With Jordan Hall

"Alright," talk show host Jordan Hall cleared his throat, taking an excited breath, "I've got to be absolutely honest. I've been nervous about this week's guests ever since I knew who it was going to be." 

He comically rubbed his hands down the sides of his pants. "My hands are clammy, my hair's— tell me the truth, is my hair a mess?" He ran a hand through his coiffed hair.

The audience shouted dissent, then laughed as a few viewers in the front row complimented him.

"Okay, good, good." Jordan grinned, gripping the mic a little harder, posture straightening as he walked across the stage. "I've been bugging my wife all week, blasting their music and trying to hide my hopeless crushes, I've been listening to them for way longer than that, and now I think I've stretched this introduction long enough. Without further fanboying, here's Mason, Austin, Chris, and Andrew, the boys of Nosam!"

The audience drowned out most of Jordan's words, whose noise was liable to render a person temporarily deaf. Behind them, a screen showed clips of the band, Mason shirtless and sweaty, ever the theatrical frontman. Chris and Austin nearby, bass and guitar, making faces at each other, and a shot of long hair momentarily covering Andrew's face from behind a drum set. The boys shook Jordan's hand and sat alongside the host. Jordan had to signal the crowd to quiet down when they showed no signs of stopping.

"Jordan, hi, you're like, my favorite host of all time," Chris said as he sat down between Austin and Andrew, getting a playful flick of the ear from Andrew.

Mason, closest to Jordan, leaned in close, whispering loudly. "He's only saying that because he's a kiss-up."

Jordan laughed, "You say that as if it makes a difference to me. Chris, you're my favorite bassist of all time, and I'm not only saying that because you're the only bassist whose name I know."

Chris laughed, blushing lightly after having gotten up to shove at Mason.

Jordan exhaled, looking at them. "You're all even prettier in person," he breathed wistfully, cueing laughter from everyone. He grinned, leaning forward, "Seriously, you guys are unbelievable. You took over the world so fast, and you've still got conspiracy theorists reeling. Are you aliens? Are you a government-formed group intent on putting a trance on the masses? Is there a Nosam fan cult working to boost publicity and further adding to your talent?"

Mason was leaning forward in his seat, an amused grin slowly growing on his face. Andrew looked mildly disturbed by the words coming out of the host's mouth, Austin was trying not to laugh, and Chris looked like he wanted to Google all of this.

"I don't— I think they don't want us to comment on this..." was Austin's ominous response, trying to hide a smile. Andrew nodded, expression blank.

"We will say this, though," Mason glanced at his bandmates, "we don't think Andrew's human."

Jordan gasped at this, glancing at Andrew. "Andrew? Is this true?"

Andrew met his eyes, staring and not blinking. Jordan moved as if to look away, but kept the eye contact, biting his lip nervously. Someone backstage played a suspenseful piano melody. Andrew cracked a smile that made Jordan laugh.

"I guess that's another theory to look into. So, you guys are about to go on another tour, of course. I've got to say, and I'm sure everyone else agrees, it's impressive how much energy and dedication you have. Every time I look, you guys are performing! Doesn't it get exhausting?"

Mason looked to the others. "Sometimes, yeah, but... I don't know, I guess we're addicted. It's a rush, it's being as close to fans, to people, as possible. Making them smile, feeling that intimacy, that joy. What we were always after was performing, it's our favorite part of being Nosam."

Jordan smiled. "Very lovingly put. That love and passion definitely shows at every one of your concerts. You've recently come up on five years of being together. How's that feel?"

Chris made a face. "You make it sound like we're married."

Mason laughed, pinching the cheek of the closest victim, Austin. "God, I wish, sweetheart." "Not this again," Austin groaned, moving away into Chris, which caused him to knock into Andrew, who pushed at all of them, making everyone crack up.

"As bandmates, it's interesting," Chris announced, pushing away from them and rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "But, really, it's been unbelievable. Going from cover sessions alone in my room with Mason to playing at the O2 and Madison Square Garden and The Forum— tens of thousands of people— it's— it's just more than I— we— could have ever imagined five or even two or three years ago."

Andrew had his head in his hand, leaning on the armrest as he listened to Chris, but he frowned and stared at him as he talked about the venues. "The only place we haven't played is the Bubble Bowl."

Mason wheezed loudly, joined by Austin, Chris, and the audience's equally loud laughter.

It took a second for the penny to drop, and then Jordan laughed and nodded as he responded to Chris' words. "To be honest, some people expected the Nosam hype to die down a while ago."

"But it's only gotten stronger!" Mason grinned, blowing kisses at the crowd.

"Yes, to the point you're being called the biggest boy band in the world— which, I know you guys are a little sensitive to being called a boy band—" Jordan couldn't help but laugh. "Especially with Starlight's endless teasing."

"Did somebody say Stella?" Austin joked, whipping his head towards Jordan.

Mason smirked, "Down, boy, your master's not here, so you can— ow!" He pouted as he got a well-deserved whack in the head from the guitarist.

"That is another very interesting factor in conspiracy theories. How three of you managed to date— and not just date— but fall for all the members of an all-girl band is astounding."

"Even more astounding is that Mr. Frontman is the one left single." Austin grinned mischievously, making Andrew laugh and Mason roll his eyes.

"Ha. Ha. Yes, I'm single." Mason looked to the crowd, winking. "I don't think you guys mind that much, do you?"

The crowd whooped and hollered, some of them wolf-whistling.

Jordan put a hand on Mason's arm. "It's okay, Mason. I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

"Aw, come on. Why're you guys bashing being single? Nothing wrong with it. And I get to enjoy the company of many lovely ladies. I'm charming and sociable by birth."

Jordan chuckled at that, shaking his head. "You've got a point. I do believe you on that. Oh, to be young and as incredibly attractive as you, Mason!" He put a hand to his chest, looking up to the ceiling.

Mason pouted, pointing a finger at him and getting up to hug him, "Oh, Jordan, don't do that. You're a beautiful man."

"Stop it, Mason, I'm starting to rethink my entire marriage with you holding me like this."

The audience loved that, and they cheered for everyone to give Jordan a group hug. Jordan happily drowned under the boys, making sure to remind the camera that he loved his wife, but he wouldn't mind sharing. When they finally let him go, Jordan was still smiling. "Regardless, Mason, everyone finds it hard to believe you won't find someone to tie you down." "On the contrary, I'm usually the one doing the tying." Mason wiggled his eyebrows as they sat down. "I'm not easily tamed."

"We'll see about that," Jordan grinned, motioning for the boys to follow. "I've got a game I'd like to play with you guys, it's sort of a dating game— Austin, feel free to opt out, I don't really want to get you murdered..."

Austin blushed, but actually seemed to consider it before saying, "Don't be ridiculous, Jordan."

Jules giggled at something Austin said in the interview, leaning against his twin, Rosaline's shoulder. "God. I fucking love them so much."

Rosa laughed, shoving back at him. "I know you do, dumbass. Your entire fucking life revolves around them!"

Jules scoffed. "Does not. I have a job. And school."

"And the fansite, and Nosam, and your love for Austin, and your irrational hatred for Mason–"

"I don't hate him," Jules groaned. She always said he hated Mason. He didn't hate any of them! "He's just an asshole sometimes. And he's so easy to pick on, Rose. He's a bigger whore than you!"

Rosa faked being offended, laughing a little. "No one is a bigger whore than me! Hear that? No one!"

Jules stared at her in amusement, then shook his head. "You're an enigma, Rosie."

"What did you just call me?"

"...An enigma?"

Rosaline jumped on Jules, dislodging the laptop as she tried to hit his head in retaliation for calling her Rosie. He laughed, just yelling the nickname instead, tackling her back onto the bed.

The fight ceased after she shoved a pillow over his face, and Jules laughed into it, kicking her lightly on the chest. She fell down next to him, sighing heavily. Jules pulled the pillow off his face and shoved it under his head, turning to look at her. The talk show was still playing in the background, but they'd both seen it twice already. By now, Mason was being an idiot and flirting with Jordan all over again, singing some song to him to seduce him.

Rosa looked over at Jules. "Hey, I've got a question."

"Yeah? You're my fucking twin, just spit it out."

"How come you're still at home putting up with Mom? It doesn't make sense, Julesy. She treats you like shit, and so does Derek half the time. At least with him, I understand it, he's twelve, he's rotten. But Mom..."

"I'm her kid," Jules sighed. He shrugged a little. "What she said earlier... It's just her still coming to terms. She's being pretty shitty, yeah, considering it's been about five years, but I expect it this time of month anyway. It's when the bill usually comes."

Rosa sighed. "But she's our mom. Shouldn't she love us all the same?"

Jules rolled his eyes, smiling at Rosa. "I'm sure she does. She just... doesn't show it the same. I'm fine, Rosa, I'm over it again. It's easier lately."

But that was a lie. Nothing was easier lately. He was finishing up school, soon to be a graduated music student, with no fucking idea what he'd do with his life beyond waiting tables. Maybe with his psych minor he could do some kind of music therapy, but... Even then, he'd want out of Michigan and far away from his mom and her transphobic, snippy remarks on his gender, the monthly bills from the hospital from five years ago, how he was never home to help his brother learn guitar, how he was totally unexpected when he came out just after Rosa in birth...

"I know when you're lying, baby brother," Rosa said quietly. She smiled softly at him, then kissed his forehead as she leaned up to grab the laptop again. "Hey, dude, isn't there a new interview coming out in a bit?"

[imaginetho]

Hi admin dee~ i can't see your rules on mobile sadly... But would it be alright to request the GoM's (Kurokocchi too plz) S/O taking care of them after they mysteriously became kids (7-10 yo ish if you don't mind me being specific~) thanks in advance!

hello thereee ~(◠‿◕✿)  ah i’m very sorry about that! i fixed that right after i got your request, so you should be able to see them now.

so since you weren’t able to read my rules before, you didn’t know that the only time i can accept over 4 characters are when it’s for headcannons so i hope you don’t mind me using headcannons for this! 

if this wasn’t what you had in mind then perhaps send your request again with fewer characters when the askbox is open? or anything you’d like really as long it’s not violating the rules. i’ll be more than glad to write for you again! ^^

 i may or may not have screamed at how cute shiro looks in your icon

Akashi:

Turns out Akashi wasn’t completely different as a child than he was as an adult.

Although, he was a little more stubborn and a little more enthusiastic.

Especially when it came to basketball. 

You’ve been trying to make him come into the house, and have his lunch for almost an hour, but he just wouldn’t stop playing.

“If you can win against me, I’ll come inside.” he finally said. 

You sighed, you knew Akashi was really good at basketball, but maybe this time you have an advantage since he was a child.

After another hour, you finally managed to win with a score of 6-7.

It seemed like after you won, he wasn’t as stubborn anymore. Guess the only way to make him listen to you is to suggest a challenge and hope for the best.

Midorima:

Surprisingly, so far Midorima was being a really good boy, and made it really easy for you take care of him. 

That was until he found out you don’t believe in zodiac signs, and think it’s all just gibberish.  

You never regretted saying something so much.

Not only did he ignore everything you said, but he would give you disapproving looks that for a second you had to stop and question yourself about who the child really was here. 

You realized the only way to make him listen to you again was if you told him that you’ve changed your mind.

“I’m sorry if what I said yesterday upset you, but listen!” you exclaimed. “I searched and read more about it, and I changed my mind.” you continued.

“Look, I even bought my lucky item for today!” you showed him the teddy bear you bought after reading the daily Oha Asa horoscopes.

Needless to say, he didn’t give you disapproving looks or shove you aside when you kissed him goodnight on the head.

Kise:

“___-chan it hurts!” Kise whined. 

You’ve been having so much fun braiding his hair and trying out different hairstyles. You really couldn’t help it, his hair was even more prettier right now than what it was as an adult.

You didn’t think it was possible, but Kise wasn’t actually that loud, he didn’t give you a hard time, and always obliged when you told him something.

All you had to do is just shower him with love, tell him how handsome he is, and how he’s gonna be an amazing model when he grows up.

And bam, your word will be his command.

Although, there were a few times where you had to shove the food in his mouth, because he refused to eat his vegetables. 

You couldn’t help but laugh every time he pretended to cry just so you can give him your attention. 

You spent the entire night watching movies with him until he finally fell asleep on your lap. Thank god

Aomine:

Aomine’s favorite things to do other than eat, is sleep.

You had to use everything you have in your power to wake him up.

It was just supposed to be a 1 hour nap, how did it turn into a battle of survival between you and his sheets?

You’ve been trying to take them off but they wouldn’t even budge, and he was making sure they stay that way.

You wanted to crumble down and cry, that was until you got the great idea.

Nothing works best like threatening to ruin his favorite video game. You came back with it in your hand, “You will get up right now, or you can say goodbye to your precious video game.” you raised an eyebrow.

Like a bolt of lightning, his eyes shot up and he was wide awake.

“Good boy!” you ruffled his hair grinning, you were proud of yourself.

Murasakibara:

You didn’t know wether to feel bad for yourself or to laugh. 

Apparently even the 8 year old Murasakibara is taller than you, and that did not make taking care of him any easier.

That boy will not do anything but eat and stare in nowhere particular, the only time he’ll actually talk to you is when you’re offering him food.

The only time he’ll actually listen to you, is when you bribe him with food.

“I’m hungryyyyyyyyyyyy” have literally become stuck in your mind. You could swear you can even hear his voice sometimes, even when you’re completely alone.

Something else he likes other than snacks would be naps, especially on your lap.

Since he’s always on sugar he has a hard time falling asleep easily.

Which is why you always made him rest his head on your thigh, and ruffled his hair until he finally falls asleep. 

Kuroko:

If you thought noticing him when he was an adult was hard, then this was your own made up hell.

It didn’t help when all he wanted to do was play hide and seek. 

Still he was so adorable you couldn’t say no, even though it sometimes took you almost an hour until you found him.

There were a few times where you couldn’t find him at all, but luckily you had a trick to make him come out of his own hiding place.

2 words, vanilla milkshake.

Luckily, you knew an easy recipe to make it within almost 7 minutes, so it was perfect.

And this time was one of those times. 

“Kuroko! I made you your favorite!” you yelled, and bam, there he was, right next to you.

[godstoryforme]

Comparing struggles.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "Hey, at least I don’t struggle with that?" or, "I wish I struggled with that instead, it would be so much easier to get through."

I have.

I've caught myself thinking these thoughts more often than I’m willing to admit.

A recent one would be, "At least my kind of struggle is the more wholesome kind of struggle."(lol, I like to imagine what God is thinking as He hears my thoughts🤦‍♀️)  

A big part of my life, I’ve always wanted to be someone else. Someone smarter, funnier, more confident, prettier, friendlier, happier, stronger...etc. Even now that I know Jesus I still struggle with this comparison game.

I want to wholeheartedly love God’s story for me but why does someone else’s life just look so much better?

If God loves us all the same, why can’t I get person XYZ’s life instead? Why must I go through pain, frustration, rejection, sickness in this particular way? Why can't I just be naturally smarter, prettier, stronger and nicer?

Over the years, I have learned to convince myself of a few ways to look at this, (if you ever wanted bad advice that appears to be good...go ahead take this. PLEASE DON'T😂)

I don't know her/his story. I don't know anyone's story the way I know mine. How would I know that her/his struggles are truly 'better' than mine? Maybe they do struggle more than I see on the surface. If so, then I can accept these struggles, as long as those 'perfect' people do struggle more than they seem to.

It could be worse. While there are people with 'better' struggles, at least mine is not the 'worse' kind of struggles. I can accept this, as long as I don't have the 'worse' struggles out of everyone else.

I can't change what God's given me anyways. Might as well make the most of what I've got. I can only be the best version of myself. I can accept that I have these struggles, as long as I actually do attain the best version of me.

...

I mean those aren't lies right? I could continue to find comfort convincing myself of these three points...right?

There's nothing necessarily untrue about any of the statements above, but I realised that the core of the issue is not identified.

Ultimately, when I start to compare struggles and generate all of these thoughts, what are they really rooted on? I can't deny that underneath all this comparing...are these assumptions, "God your story for me kind of sucks, I know a better story for myself that ends better.""Hey God, you got this part wrong. I reckon someone else should've gotten these struggles instead.""Yo God, I wonder if I could write my own story instead? I think I might know what I need more than you."

Maybe a more personal example would help, "God, why would you give her/him that internship opportunity when she/he doesn't even study 1/10th as hard as I do? I even contacted the employer before anyone else did! I should've gotten that opportunity."

One day, I was in this cycle of reasoning with myself (with points 1, 2, 3) when I finally realised...wait.

Underneath this frustration, am I not literally declaring that my thoughts are better than God's. That my way is better than God’s way?

Here's how I see it.

God is all powerful right? He is the God of all possibilities AND the God of all impossibilities. I meaaaan, God parted the red seas man (Exodus 14:21-23) and He raised the dead to life (John 11:43-44) and much more.

Which means God can absolutely give me everything I want (and everything you want).

He can give me the grades I want, the job I want, the body I want, the personality I want, the life I want, the friends I want, everything.

But He doesn't.

Why?

Because...

Isaiah 55:8-9;“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

What am I doing as I complain, get frustrated and upset at the struggles I wish I didn't have?

I am standing in the face of the God who created me (and every single atom within me), and declaring that I do not like His plan.

I am telling an infinite and powerful being who created the entire universe and every planet within it and questioning His lack of ability to give me a better life 🤦‍♀️

Could I create an entire universe with my words alone? Can I see into the future and the past without time as a barrier? Am I the creator of good and the infinite source of all good, love and hope?I can't even walk on water.

Struggles with broken relationships, struggles with pride, struggles with pornography, struggles with boundaries, struggles with failing uni, struggles with unemployment, struggles with lying, struggles with same sex attraction, struggles with insecurity, struggles with dating a non-Christian, struggles with body image, struggles with depression...

(man, struggle is starting to sound weird the more I say it in my head, struggle struggle struggle 🤪)

I can't deny that I often react more critically at some of the mentioned struggles more than others. Especially the ones I do not struggle with.

It occurred to me one day that God doesn't see my struggles as much holier or less holier than person XYZ's struggles🤯

I believe in a God who sees our hearts amidst the struggles, i.e. am I giving up on the struggle against sin or am I fighting hard against the choice I have to sin and surrendering it to God? I felt reminded that more than what my specific struggle is, God cares more about my responses to these challenges.

Do I allow these challenges to create a barrier between me and God? Or do I shift my focus off what I'm struggling with and Trust in the God who gave me this struggle?

I've definitely lived like someone else's struggles are waaaay less holy than mine, but it's time to surrender this particular struggle to God.

We struggle with different struggles because God created us to be different people. No struggle is better or worse than another, but it's simply just different... unique... special.

God uses all our struggles.Mine is not better than others.Mine is not worse than others.Mine is simply different.

If I had committed to live by the 3 tips above, I would've simply been ignoring the value behind my struggles and would continue to miss out on what God is really teaching me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly enjoy my struggles. But my struggle is part of God's story for me. It shapes who I am. God uses them to point me towards who He created me to be.

If God promises to work all things for His good purposes, I choose to believe in His promises more than my personal observation of how messed up life is (Romans 8:28).

Another danger in comparing my struggles is that I'm taking my attention off what God is doing in, through, and for me, and instead, focusing on what God is doing in, through and for some one else. You know what I should really be comparing my struggles with? Who I am today compared to who I was before I knew Jesus. Who I am today compared to who I was when I first started to commit my life to Jesus.

I want to always remember that my value as a child of God is not affected by the kind of struggle I have. My worth has been set and it's unchangeable. If God says my struggles do not define me, then I don't believe anyone else's struggles should define them.

I pray I will slowly surrender this toxic game of comparing my struggles and just fully embrace the struggle God has ordained in my life. I pray I will surrender all the thoughts and actions that seem to declare that my way is higher than His.I pray that especially when I'm struggling, people will be able to see that my life is not perfect, but I can still be filled with joy and hope because I know that God is good and He is using all this as part of His good purposes to save the world.I pray that you and I will experience the power of God's love and grace through our struggles.

God has a different story for me. It's different. It's not better or worse than yours or hers or his. I pray we will live like we 100% believe that this is the best story there ever could be for us.