#hi i have problems you can obviously tell I who my favorite character is in the whole show based on how long this post is

[kokofromwattpad]

CUDDLES

Featuring: Dorm leaders

Plot: The way how different twst characters sleep with and without you and their sleeping habits.

Cw: fluff, spooning(Riddle and Vil), snoring (Leona and Azul), mentions of boobs (Kalim), drool (idia)

Note: You can obviously tell who my favorite is. Word count: 913

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS:

Before you:

He sleeps like a old man. Like, fingers crossed over his stomach, or he sleeps like a corpse. He is very silent when he is sleeping only letting out very soft breaths.

With you:

Riddle is either sleeping fetal position into your arms or being spooned. I feel like after having an extremely long day, all he wants to do is be held.

Without you:

He has zero clue what to do with his hands. So all he does is take one of his pillows and cuddles with that. Sometimes he gets mad just as he is about to fall asleep and just chucks the pillow across the room.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR:

Before you:

He snores like a dad. Like, you know you sometimes when your dad is busy snoring and then he chokes on his own saliva mid snore... yea... thats Leona. Also he sleeps like a hot mess. Half of his body is off the bed and the other is barely hanging on.

With you:

Living blanket. Like, he just lays his entire body weight on top of you like a blanket. At first it felt like attempted murder, but after a while you got used to it and now you can't fall asleep without weight on top of you.

Without you:

He twists his blankets into a long noodle so that it (kinda) feels like he's cuddling you. Also, his tail is swishing the same way an angry cat does the entire time he is sleeping.

AZUL ASHENGROTTO:

Before you:

Completely normal. Maybe a hand under the pillow(?) Snores. The tweels used to make fun of him for that when they were kids but got used to it eventually.

With you:

Koala mode: activated. His legs are twisted through your legs and arms attached to your torso like superglue. He nuzzles his face in the crook of your neck and sometimes even leaves little kisses there.

Without you:

He refuses to sleep without you. Period. He got so used to sleep with you in his arms that it has become a condition for him to sleep. He will either stay in his office, busy with paperwork, studying for an upcoming test or reading a book you recommended him in his bed.

KALIM AL-ASIM:

Before you:

I headcannon that he sleeps fetal position. But like, on his stomach. His face is smashed into the pillow, which causes bedhead and he becomes scarily still (Jamil sometimes comes in and checks if he's still alive.)

With you:

He does not give a shit if you have tiddies or not, he is shoving his face into your chest like it's no-one's business. You have never slept so damn good until the day you started sleeping with Kalim in his fucking king sized bed made from swan feathers or something close to it.

Without you:

Tosses and turns, ruining the sheets and making it dirty. He usually gets up and starts pacing the room, trying to tire himself out, but failing miserably. Kind of just lays there.

VIL SCHOENHEIT:

Before you:

Looks like a fucking angel. His hair perfectly frames his head and he just looks so damn peaceful. I bet he listens to nature sounds whenever he can't sleep since him losing sleep is a big no-no.

With you:

He likes to spoon. He only big spoons, if not, then he's pushing you (affectionately♡) off the bed. He has gotten accustomed to your light snoring, kind of using it like a non-verbal lullaby.

Without you:

Can sleep, but not as nicely as when you do. Kind of turns a bit, but he does fall asleep normally. Gets a sad gut feeling whenever he wakes up without you next to him.

IDIA SHROUD:

Before you:

Probably never sleep willingly. He probably would just pass out from exhaustion ever once-in-awhile. But when he does sleep, he drools like a fucking dog. Like, entire pillow case damp from his drool. He has gained mild control over this, but is still considered a problem.

With you:

He wants to cuddle like how anime couples do. He specifically likes it when you sleep on his chest, your weight feeling the same as when a cat lays on him. He also gained a condition in order to fall asleep. He must stroke your hair gently while you mutter in your half-asleep state on how much you love and adore him.

Without you:

After he started dating you, he finally decided to get a better sleep schedule so he could spend more time with you, rather than being passed out, looking half dead. So he got a plain body pillow (He didn't get a cover as he thought it would be a betrayal of your trust) He cuddles the body pillow the same way he does to you.

MALLEUS DRACONIA:

Before you:

He slept the same way as Riddle, like a corpse. He is completely silent and does not move at all in his sleep.

With you:

He became absolutely addicted to cuddling once you introduced it to him. He would shove you into his chest, kind of like the two of you were hugging, but he has an absolute death grip on you.

Without you:

The skies have a green hue to them as lightning cracks. He is pissed at who or what made you not want or have the time to sleep with him. He would sneak out of his dorm and (break in) sneak into your dorm. He would then climb into bed with you and then instantly fall asleep.

[churipu]

hiii !!

this is my first time requesting smth so sorry if I’m not making sense !! 😭

can u do jjk boys / men with short reader ?? can u also include megumi ?

thank you !

SHORTIE — JJK MEN + SHORT PARTNER

featuring. megumi fushiguro, toji fushiguro, gojo satoru, nanami kento x reader

warnings. none

note. hii jelly!! don't worry love you're doing great, and thank you for requesting! sorry it took so long :( i hope you like this. also, guys, omg you don't know how thankful i am to reach 500+ followers in a short amount of time, i'm going to sob. i love you all so much <;33

MEGUMI FUSHIGURO. i feel like he doesn't mind at all, he did say his type was someone with an unshakable character — so he could obviously care less about your height. in fact, he'd be pretty much delighted, he finds you adorable (but let's face it, he'd never tell that to your face).

it sounds cliche but megumi would be the one to help you get things from higher places, and when he can't reach them either — he'd carry you up his shoulders to let you grab it. if there's one other thing that he loves besides your personality, it's your height.

so when anyone tries to bring you down with that, megumi would definitely be up to defend you; saying there's no problem with your height and how much he likes that about you.

"what're you talking about? they look just fine." megumi mutters out, scratching the back of his head, his eyes averting to the side.

"so what if they're short? why does that matter?"

"'t doesn't matter what you think, i like them, so what?"

just, he's always going to defend you about your height so the next second you feel conscious about it — he's going to ask you if anyone said anything, and if you said yes (he'll make sure to find out who it is behind your back), and if you said no (he'll tell you how much he loves you, your height, and everything about you).

TOJI FUSHIGURO. big tease, will definitely make fun of your for it, he calls you "shortie", it's just his default nickname for you. the first time het met you, he's just decided that he'd go with the name "shortie" instead of "y/n".

he's going to ask you to grab something for him, and when you realized it's something out of reach, it's just his act to make fun of you, "hey shortie, grab my favorite mug for me."

and when you opened the mug cabinet, his mug is just sitting on the very top — you looked at him with a defeated smile and let out a laugh. he would always end up taking it for himself, patting your head on the way with a satisfied laughter.

though sometimes, you feel a little self-conscious when he makes fun of your for your height, and toji would caught up to it almost immediately.

"what's up, shortie? why'd you look so sad, hm?"

"am i really that short?" he cocked his eyebrow and hummed out, signaling that it's a yes indeed. but he scoffs after.

"so what?" he mutters out, laying his hand on top of your head before walking away, don't worry it's just his way of telling you he loves you. you'd feel so much better after that.

that's why he kept calling you shortie, no matter how self-conscious you get, he ends up encouraging you about it. so he never bothered stopping (and he never thought of stopping the nickname).

GOJO SATORU. like toji, i feel like gojo is a big tease as well. he absolutely loves your height, he's a tall man, and having such a short partner is a fun thing to him. he loves making fun of you (in a cute way) — and so you didn't mind it at all, since you know that gojo didn't mean it literally.

"oh, i didn't see you there! you're so small i could just step on you." he marvels out with a toothy grin before scooping you into his embrace.

with that being said, gojo absolutely loves carrying you on top of his shoulders, and when he has the chance to, he won't waste the chance to ask you how it feels like to be so much taller. you always comply with his jokes as well so he loves teasing you a lot, cause you give out reactions to him.

"how does it feel to be tall?" he asks you, hand gripping on your hips, holding you in place so you wouldn't fall.

"not bad, definitely could feel the heat up here, must suck being so close to the sun," you replied back, patting his head gently and gojo chuckles, letting you down.

being short isn't so bad when you have a giant to protect you from the heat, he's like your personal umbrella. so, you weren't going to complain about it at all.

also, gojo wouldn't let you talk bad about your height. he's your number one fan, don't tell me otherwise.

NANAMI KENTO. he absolutely adores you. he loves how his shirt looks big on you, he loves how small you look next to him, he loves how you always use him as a shield for anything, he just loves you.

most of the time, you'd feel a little bad about your height — but nanami would tell you how it doesn't matter and how much he loves you. he has his ways of showing his love to you and your height. nanami would sometimes use you as a place to rest his arm, at first you thought he was making fun of you, but he wasn't and i guess it's now just a normal thing for the both of you.

nanami loves tucking your head under his chin when you're both relaxing, watching a movie, cooking, anything — he just loves pulling you close and laying his chin on top of your head. he tells you it feels comfortable, and so that has also been a normal thing for the both of you.

having a small height means teeny tiny body parts. your hands, especially; he's in love with how small they are compared to his. how your hand always tugs on his shirt when you're out, he's hand would engulf yours completely, and he makes sure you're well taken care of when you both go out (it would be hard if you'd get lost in the crowd).

one thing he adores is a habit that you always do when he's busy. of course you wanted attention, and when you wanted his attention — he'd find you tugging at his shirt, his suit, his hand with your own while muttering out a, "boyfriend, boyfriend".

he's just so in love with you and everything about you, and with that, you've slowly come to love your own height. thanks to him.

© CHURIPU 2023 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE !

[aventoru]

when you take pictures in his phone

character(s) : sae, rin, kaiser

warning(s) : none

a/n : this is another repost from my old acc!!

SAE ITOSHI

usually, sae itoshi would be pissed off if someone touched his posessions without his permission

but with you, it’s a different story

maybe it’s partially his fault for inviting you out for dinner after his practice session

he shouldn’t have asked you to come to along with him knowing full well you would get bored

but he did, and that’s how he ends up scrolling through his photo album, dozens of selfies of you fill the 3x3 layout

if it’s anyone else, sae will not hesitate to insult their…photography techniques and immediately delete the photos

but this is you, his long-time friend and maybe—sae wishes in his heart— something even more than that

he looks up at you with a deadpan expression, trying to formulate the words to tell you off, but he doesn’t have the spirit to do that

“y/n, what is this?” he starts

“well, y’know, i got bored so i decided to pass time by messing with your phone. i didn’t get the chance to delete the pics but you can delete them now,” you admit

sae feels his heart drop for making you feel guilty about something seemingly harmless. but to be fair, he has no rizz doesn’t know how to react to situations like these, you are simply too cute

from the look your face, sae knows you think he’s mad at you when in fact, it’s quite the opposite

he finds your pictures stunning. you are softly smiling in them, sometimes even winking playfully

the poses and hand gestures in the photos are iconic, although the 0.5x zooms are his favorites

he has to resist the urge to set one as his lockscreen (but sadly you two were only friends for now)

sae decides, that one day he would tell you his feelings but until then he’ll continue giving you…hints

“why would i delete those pics? you look cute,” he locks his phone and stuff it in his pocket

sae’s decision to keep the pics is final as he beckons you out of the facility and into his car

you follow along with a blushing face and a stuttering heart

and oh- is that a smile on his face?

RIN ITOSHI

rin is scowling when he catches you red-handed as you take selfies on his phone

in your defense, it’s a joke, and you are planning on deleting the pictures

you’re good friends with rin, and naturally, you assume it’s okay for you to do that. you do that to all your other friends all the time, so there shouldn’t be a problem with rin, right?

you’re midway through pressing the round button for another selfie when you feel a presence next to you

you don’t even need to turn your head to know who it is, considering rin’s black hair is in the frame of the camera

you hurriedly put down the phone and immediately start to select the previously taken photos with the intent of deleting them

“what are you doing?” he questions as he peers down at your administrations

you regret your previous actions, considering this is itoshin rin, the most blunt person you know.

perhaps he doesn’t find this as funny or casual as you think he will

“i’m deleting these photos, sorry for invading your privacy,” you unconsciously pouts and he notices it

“what? hey, no, don’t do that,” he snatches his phone away from your grip

“why not? you’re obviously upset,” you gesture towards the scowl on his face

“i’m not upset, i just have a resting bitch face,” he clarifies, not daring to look at your face.

“it’s just…if you do this again, i want to take pics with you, too.”

“oh,” you raised your eyebrows, dumbfounded

OH. MY. GOD. HE WANTS TO WHAT???

“so you wanna take pics with me, huh?” a smug expression appears on your face.

rin stares back unimpressed

“i’m deleting these pics,” he selects all the pictures threateningly

“no don’t!!!” it was your turn to stop him now

MICHAEL KAISER

kaiser loves to tease you at any chance he gets

so when he catches you taking selfies on his phone, he is ready to make an embarassment out of you

but considering he’s head over heels for you himself, he thinks maybe he won’t embarrass you too much and let you off the hook for once

and besides, you’re quite bold for taking the michael kaiser’s phone and filling it with pictures of yourself, if he isn’t intrigued by you before, he definitely is now

so when you hear kaiser’s laid back tone calliing for your attention, you immediately hide his phone away from view, hoping that you would be able to delete your pics in time

but kaiser is faster, and he easily snatches the phone away from your seemingly vice grip

“daring to take pictures of yourself on my phone, i see?” he smirks and you so desperately want to wipe it off his face

“just delete those pics then,” you retort back knowing full well you’re in the wrong

“i never said anything about not liking them,” he teases, handing the phone back to you

“since you wanna take pics so much, let’s take one together,” he continues after seeing the perplexed look on your face

your eyes widen but you obey nonetheless, extending your arm to capture both of you in the frame

meanwhile, kaiser takes this opportunity to make you more flustered than you already are

he gingerly wraps his arms around you waist and pulls you close and proceeds to hide his face in the crook of your neck

the only thing visible to the camera was his side profile and the cocky smirk that still adorns his face

the proximity made you nervous and you hope he doesn’t make out your quickened heartbeat

you could feel kaiser’s hot breath on your collarbones and since when did his cologne smell so good???

“are you gonna take the picture or not?” he speaks up, breaking your train of thought

“of course i am,” you clear your throat

you internally hold your breath as you snap a pic and try to detangle yourself from kaiser right after

“hey, where are you going? i never told you to take just one,” kaiser holds you back in place

the way he looks at you tells you everything you need to know : he’s already figured out your little crush on him, hasn’t he?

[fallingdownhell]

Hello! Can I request some slightly possessive Zhongli, Tighnari, Cyno, Kaveh, Tartaglia, and Xiao? Like, maybe someone’s flirting with the reader, and the boys start to become slightly possessive in a non-toxic way.

I do love your writing, and I would really love it if you could write one (or all) of my favorite Genshin boys in this scenario!

I do love me some possessive men sometimes:)

Characters Included: Tighnari; Cyno; Kaveh; Xiao

Content: gender neutral reader; mentions of jealousy; possessive behaviour but not extreme; slight teasing im Xiao's part

Word count: 2,2k words

Everyone, please enjoy the meal<3

Tighnari

He knew that you could handle yourself..

There was no need for him to interviene in every little conversation you had with another person. He wasn't THAT jealous.

Then again, this situation probably didn't count as a normal conversation in the first place.

He has kept a close eye on you for the past 15 minutes, observing you and that researcher you were talking to.

As it so happened, there were a couple researchers coming to Gandharva Ville for a few weeks to gain some deeper insights on ther fields of study, but this particular man seemed to have more of an interest in you than his academic education.

While he was obviously flirting with you, yoir entire body language told Tighnari everything he needed to know, that you were not interested in him in the slightest.

Which, of course you wouldn't be, since you were his partner already. And he always made sure to keep you happy with him, that you didn't lack anything. He prides himself on taking good care of his partner.

Yet, that researcher just didn't seem to get your hints and Tighnari could tell that you were starting to feel uncomfortable. At least, if the way your bidy was facing away from the man was any indication to that. If not, then your searching eyes were indeed a decicive clue.

As he was still debating wether he should interviene or not, the guy suddenly grabbed you by the wrist and tried pulling you along with him. You resisted of course, but that was also the moment Tighnari snapped into action.

He quickly, but sternly, made his way over to the two of you. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, pulling you away feom the guy and into himself.

You tensed up for a second at the unexpected touch but quickly relaxed as you realized who it was.

Tighnari kept his arms wrapped around you while resting his chin on your shoulder, his cold gaze fixed at the researcher in front of him.

"Is there a problem here? Do you have any questions to my partner?", Tighnari asked him, his voice sounded friendly, but there was an underlying layer of sheer coldness.

"N-no.. I.. gotta go now.", the guy mumbled as he walked away swiftly, not looking back one. Tighnari kept watching him until he was out of sight and turned to look at you as he felt one of your hands reach up to pet his ears.

"Are you alright?", he asked, trying to ignore his tail swaying behind him from side to side. He enjoyed your touch but didn't want to sucumb to it out in public like that.

"Yeah, I am. Thank you for saving me there.", you smiled up at him, turning in his arms to place a soft kiss to his cheek.

At this, Tighnari cleared his throat, trying to will his tail to stop with the intense swaying, while a blush also started to appear on his face.

"That's good then.."

For the rest of the day, he kept you close to him to ensure that no other guys would try to come up and talk to you.

He might not get jealous often, but if you let him act on his jealousy, he can get quite protective of you. Not that you mind that, though..

Cyno

Being the General Mahamatra meant that he would be gone on missions often, some of them even taking a couple of days where he would not return home.

Though you weren't always happy with that particular aspect of his job, you knew what you got yourself into when you decided to date him and you've come to terms with it at this point.

At least he makes an effort not to go out on missions when there's an important date coming up, like birthdays or annyversaries.

But it can get lonely from time to time, bot for you and for him. Every time youbwere apart, you would yearn for the other, praying that he would return sooner rather than later.

And for once, the prayers were answered. A job that Cyno thought might take him a week was solved within only three days, meaning that he could return to you much sooner than anticipated.

He was excited about this turn of events. As soon as he came back to the Academiya, he quickly organized things so that he got the remaining four days off, planing to surprise you with the great news.

As he was on his way to your place, excited to see you again, he halted when he hears a sudden commotion on Treasures Street, noticing people whispering among themselves.

At first he wanted to ignore it, seeing as he was officially on leave, but quickly found that he couldn't. So, he made his way to where the heart of the commotion was, and boy was he glad that he did not ignore it.

He was surprised when he saw you there in the middle of the street, but even more surprised, an furious, about the guy who was clearly pushing himself onto you.

You were looking extremely uncomfortable as the guy kept getting closer to you, leaning his face close to yours. You kept trying to escape him but he would always chase after you, not leaving you alone.

"Come on, baby~ one kiss won't hurt anyone. Your guy doesn't even have to know!"

"No! Leave me alone already!", you yelled, trying to slap hin away but the guy caught your hand mid-air.

But before he could do anything else, you were suddenly pulled out of his grasp and pulled into another person. A huge wave of relief washed over you as you glanced back and saw Cyno there. You quickly got around and hid behind him, shielding yourself from this creep.

"Uhh.. uhm.. G-general Mahamatra.. what-!"

"What do you think you were doing with my partner there? Trying to force yourself on them?"

"N-no! Not at all!", the guy yelled, awkwardly laughing before quickly bailing out of the situation, running with his tail between his legs.

Cyno let out a deep breath then turned around to you. "Are you alright?"

"I think so.", so nodded, still shaken up by what just happened. Cyno understood that. He placed an arm protectively around your waist as he guided you to your home, keeping an eye on his surroundings at all times.

He made sure that nothing was out of the ordinary as he got you home safely where he proceeded to take care of you, getting you a glass of water and telling you to relax for now.

It might not have been the best start ibto his four day break, but it could only get better from here on out..

Kaveh

He wasn't usually one to get jealous easily. He really wasn't..

So why was it, that it ticked him off so much that you were enjoying your conversation with this other man?

Maybe it was the fact that you were SUPPOSED to be on a date right now!

After all, he just won the Interdarshan Championship, so he invited you out for a nice dinner to treat you, his beautiful partner.

But, somehow, you became engrossed in conversation with your waiter. This guy has been standing by your table for at least a few minutes now, after he was done taking your orders.

It ticked Kaveh off, how you laighed at what he said. How the guy was blatantly ignoring him and how he was obviously flirting with you!

Did you not notice? Or did you not mind this?

But you should mind, right?

Because, Kaveh is still your boyfriend, after all. So you should pay attention to him!

But he said nothing. Instead, he simply continued to stare daggers at you, but mostly this waiter. He just wanted him gone already, this guy was ruining the date.

An exasperated sigh left Kaveh's lips, which finally caught your attention.

"Are you alright, Kaveh? Not feeling well?", you asked, worry present in your voice.

It made him blush slightly, feeling cared for by you.

He was about to answer you, telling you not to worry about him. But his gaze shifted to the waiter, still standing at your table, and the guy had the nerve to throw a nasty glare at Kaveh!

That's when an idea for petty revenge came into Kaveh's head..

Instead of simply answering your question, he took your hand into his, bringing you close to his face and placing a chaste kiss to the back of your hand.

"I'm fine, my love. No need to worry about me. I'm just happy to spend time with you."

You blush at Kaveh's words but let him act on his antics, since you're already used to it at this point.

Too caught up in what your boyfriend was doing right now, you didn't notice the waiter leaving without another word. But Kaveh did, and he smirked as he watched the guy storm off into the kitchen.

For the rest of the night, he acted like that, offering up his affection at any chance that presented itself to him.

And after you were done eating and on your way out, he placed a hand around you hip, guiding you out the crowded building. While doing so, he threw a glance back, seeing your waiter staring at the two of you.

And Kaveh just couldn't hold back the triumphant smirk he gave this guy before he leaned down and captured your lips in a short kiss.

He felt the stares of the guy but paid them no mind anymore. He already won this battle, and he would fight a thousand more if he had to, knowing that he would imerge victorious every time because he has already won over your heart...

Xiao

Knowing that you were his significant other still felt like a dream to him. One he never thought he deserved to live.

But life thaught him different, especially with you by his side.

He never felt so comfortable with another person by his side, he never thought he wouldn't mind feeling vulnerable, but he didn't care for that so long as it was you.

You thaught him many different things, and he appreciates you for that. Even more so because you helped hin learn things about himself and how to become in touch with his own feelings and emotions.

One thing that Xiao realized during all of this... was that he was feeling quite possessive over you. Or maybe, protective would be the better word.

For example, he always had a strange feeling when he saw you talking to other people, especially other men. It's not that he didn't want you to, he didn't want to lock you up or anything. He was just concerned for your saftey. You never know who the other person was and what they might do to you. He just wanted to look out for you.

But he also knew that he couldn't always act upon those feelings, so he kept them down. But he still followed you around from time to time, only to make sure that you were safe throughout your day.

Currenrtly, he was just finishing up dealing with a group of monsters near the harbor. He looked around the area close by, trying to find any leads on other monster activity, but couldn't find any, so he assumed this problem to be done.

Thinking about you again, he decided to check up on you. His body vanished in a mist of green as he imerged only a few seconds later again at Wangshuu Inn, his first destination in trying to find you.

Luckily, you were here, apparently on your way up towards the balcony he often resided on, but you were apparently in conversation with another guy.

Xiao couldn't quite make out what the conversation was about, but he didn't like it. This guy was standing way too close to you, smiling at you like he wanted something from you.

When looking at you, he noticed the slight hint of uncomfortableness in your eyes, yet you tried to remain nice and friendly with this man.

"Like I said, I already have a boyfriend, so-!"

"That Yaksha guy? Come on, if you wanna lie to me, at least think of something better! Now come on, one date won't hurt anybody, right?", the guy smirked as he leaned down closer to you.

That's where Xiao's patience snapped. He quickly teleported right between you guys, making the dude jump away from you at his sudden appearance.

"Is there a problem here? Do you have business with my partner?" His look amd tone of voice was stern, focused on this man in front of him.

"Wait.. you're really..?", the guy glanced between you and Xiao, before bolting away, not daring to say another word.

Xiao looked after him before turning around to you. "Are you alright?"

You nodded, smirking at him. "Were you jealous there?"

Immediately, his face turned red as he turned around, trying to hide his expression from you.

"D-dont you dare-! I-I'm not-!"

"Cute!", you say while still giggling. And as much as Xiao was embarrassed and wanted to be mad at you, he couldn't.

Although he did wish that you wouldn't tease him like that all the time..

[shima-draws]

OK, so thinking about a Sanlu au where Luffy is a Pirate King who gets so many marriage requests but does not want to get married. And so he instead insists that he gets to choose his partner through a contest where all the princes and princesses of like the countries around them or other pirates can like bring him a meal and if he likes it, you get married. The problem is that whenever people bring him food he'll just eat it and move on.

And so obviously the vinsmokes are like. Oh s***, we should get in on that. New Ally? And so they try with some of Sanji's others brothers, but none of them like work because they just made their cooks make their meals and everything.

Then eventually sanji, who wants to escape hears about this. And he knows that he can cook so he makes this amazing meat dish He is ready to present his meal towards the Prince in hopes of like maybe escaping his country and living there with Luffy. But like as he's on the way there, there's like this little girl who's starving, and so he gives her the meal instead. It was a one in a million shot anyway.

Anyway, either Luffy sees him doing this or if this was like the true test for kindness for all his partners, and sanji passes the test. Luffy's like get bring this man to me! So sanji goes before him, and luffy asks if he has a meal for him. All sanji has is like, this old sandwhich that he made for himself for the journey here, and sanji tells luffy that. Luffy tells him to bring it to him anyway, and after a lot of protests, he does. Luffy finally eats it and says that its delicious. He and sanji definitely get married.

Sorry for dumping this on you, but your artwork made me literally fall in love with sanlu so I wanted to share this middle of the night idea with you lol.

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP ANON THIS IS EVERYTHING.......I'm a SUCKER for AUs like this, ones that kinda give off that Cinderella vibe? The whole 'Well if I have to get married to a random stranger I'm gonna do it my way' trope is always so fun to explore

Luffy's one requirement for a spouse being that they have to cook well is SO on brand for him tbh. I feel like that's something that would be canon too. (Thinks about a situation like that in canon where Luffy's like well nobody can cook better than Sanji so I'll just marry Sanji! And Sanji double takes like wait what hold on a second--)

Even funnier would be if Luffy just met Sanji's brothers and was like. I don't like their vibes they seem mean. And all three of them being SO offended at that lmao

SANJI GIVING HIS DISH TO A STARVING GIRL THO AAAHGFHFHF THAT'S SO. CLENCHES MY TEETH he's so selfless and giving he would absolutely give up all of his dreams just to make sure someone doesn't go hungry I am GOING to cry. And Luffy immediately noticing that, pointing at Sanji and going "Him. I want that one" AGHHH 😭😭😭

ALSO YES THE CALLBACK TO WCI with Sanji's little lunch basket...the food is a total mess it's been rained on and dropped and looks awful but Luffy eats it anyway and says it's delicious...and Sanji's like oh oh oh I think I'm in love with him. Uh-oh.

DON'T APOLOGIZE THIS IS SOOO ADORABLE I'm so glad I got you hooked on Sanlu they are so underrated!!! Going slightly off topic here but I think it's really funny how predictable I am when it comes to getting into new media. Step 1 I watch a show and slowly discover who my Favorites are. Step 2 I end up shipping those favorites together. Step 3 I make that everybody else's problem. Also that ship almost always ends up being the less popular one for some reason?? Which is SO funny to me. Looks at Trustedpartner/Diode, Yujikiri and Tododeku as the most obvious examples of this along with Sanlu

ANYWAY anon I really want to write this can I write this. No guarantees to me actually finishing a full blown fic but oh my godddd this is such a cute idea and is so in character for both of them I'm weeping real tears

[rebeccathenaturalist]

hey there! fellow naturalist (albeit less experienced!) here! in regards to the AI-generated ID guides, do you have any advice for helping the general public learn to recognize them? are there any giveaways other than incorrect information a layperson might not pick up on that we can tell people to watch out for?

Hi, @fischotterkunst! It's a messy topic, to be sure, but here's what I've been seeing of these AI-generated texts, at least on Amazon:

--If you sort your search for "foraging book" or "mushroom hunting" or whatever search string you use by "Newest Arrivals", you'll notice that there is a glut of books that have come out in the past few weeks. Yes, there are always new books, but this is at a higher than normal rate, which suggests AI is behind at least some of them. There ARE occasionally real authors' books that just happened to come out recently, so don't dismiss every single book that is a fresh release. Use the other criteria below.

--They will invariably be self-published or from some publisher with zero online presence. Not a problem by itself; my own chapbooks are self-published on Amazon KDP. But they come out every three months, not every three days, because I am researching, writing, and editing them all myself, rather than churning out content with AI.

--The titles and subtitles are often very long and stuffed with keywords. They are obviously optimized for search engines rather than being descriptive of the book and they have a rather clunky fashion.

--Look for obvious typos and other errors; for example, in the image above we have "WILD MUSHROOM COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNER: The complete guide on mushroom foraging and cooking with delicious recipes to enjoy your favorite". It should be "for beginners", and the subtitle just...ends prematurely. Favorite what? Favorite mushrooms? Favorite cartoon characters? Favorite color? Also, while there are lot of variations on name spellings, "Magaret" instead of "Margaret" stands out as a possible fake in combination with other clues. (All her other books also have this spelling, though.)

--This is a BIG one: Who's the author? Check their bio. In the above image you'll see that "Jason Cones", the author of "The Wild Edible Plants Forager's Handbook: A Beginner's Guide to Safe Foraging, Including How to Identify Edible Plants, Learn About Their Medicinal Properties, and Prepare Them for Cooking", has a very generic picture and bio that has pretty obviously been generated by AI. If you search for him online, the only page for an author named Jason Cones is the Amazon author page--no website, no social media, no interviews, nada. Even a brand new author will at least have something other than their Amazon page, and they'll mention experience, credentials, other biographical info.

--Look at the author's other books. Magaret seems to focus on cookbooks of very specific sorts, but again they've all come out in a very short time. They also tend to often be on really super-specific niche subjects--this, again, is not a red flag in and of itself, but it's a common pattern with AI "authors". Jason Cones, on the other hand, has written over two dozen books not just about foraging but anger management techniques, acupressure, and weed gummies, and all of his titles have come out since last December.

--If all the books have the same cover but slight differences in title, it's also a big red flag. There are reputable publishers of regional foraging guides like Timber Press, but their books are written by multiple authors and have come out over a long stretch of years (plus they're a well-known publisher with a solid track record, online presence, etc.) Also notice the typos in the title and subtitle; everyone says "Mushroom Foraging", not "Mushrooms Foraging", and "Keep Track Your Mushroom Sightings" is missing "of".

--Compare the descriptions of multiples of these new books and you start seeing patterns. If you look at the images above, you'll notice that both Lorna K. Thompson's "Foraging Recipe Cookbook" and Kevin Page's "The Ultimate Foraging Guide for Seniors" have a very similar formulaic description. They start with a brief story about a person in a town or village who discovers some foraging secrets and then transforms his life, and then a list of things you're supposedly going to find in this seemingly miraculous book. This basically reads like "Hey, ChatGPT, tell me a story of a person who improved their life with foraging in two hundred words or less!" Also, the ends got cut off of my screen shot, but they both end with "GET YOUR COPY TODAY!"

I have not purchased any of these books to verify how awful the content is, but what little content I can see in the previews is uniformly formulaic and, again, reads like someone asked an AI to write content on a topic with some specific keywords thrown in. Needless to say, I do NOT recommend any of these books.

Also, I feel really bad for any actual authors who released their books in the past few months. They're likely getting drowned out by this AI junk, though hopefully they're getting enough attention for their work through their publishers, social media, etc. to get some sales. Support your real-life authors, and boycott AI!

Finally, PLEASE reblog this! It's really, really important that people know what to look for, and the more posts we have floating around with this info, the less likely it is someone's going to get poisoned by following what these books have to say.

[tenten-shi]

"Moon is a good sister" is a common sentiment in the rain world community. To be honest, i have never seen a single post that talks about her in a critical way. That made me decide to share my observations and thoughts on why i think she is not a good big sister.

I'll start off saying that i like Moon with all her issues and quirks. If you are a fan of Moon, and consider any post that criticizes her "an attack" on your favorite character, please do not interact with this post. Discussions and additions are welcomed.

The main topic that needs to be addressed is her behavior in the situation with Pebbles (all the way from Spearmaster to Saint). Was Moon a good sister or was it just a facade?

The reason why she calls herself that way

It is stated in the Light Blue Industrial Complex broadcast that Moon chose the name Big Sister Moon because of her seniority status above Five Pebbles.

Evidently, Moon openly presents herself as his older sister both inside the local group, as well as outside of it.

Her attitude towards Five Pebbles

Moon doesn't know a whole lot about Pebbles, aside from his mental state that she learns about through the received neuronflies. The gifts from Pebbles' structure are not something she minds at all, on the contrary this behavior is encouraged.

In Rivulet's campaign, she reassures the slugcat to not make his situation worse by bringing her new neurons.

Still, she continues to accept them without any protest.

For the first time after their long separation Moon sees Pebbles only after the end of Rivulet's campaign. If the player visits him again after finishing the main story, they can see new projections showing the two playing some board game.

It is unknown whether they have talked to each other or not. But If i had to guess, their conversation must've ended shortly, turning into a silent game.

During Saint's campaign Moon doesn't express any interest in Pebbles nor does she try to see his state for herself. Her overseers do not spawn in Silent Construct and his collapsed chamber. The only way for her to discover that he's alive is by bringing his Music Pearl.

Her reaction indicates that she hasn't checked on him for a long time for unspecified reasons.

Was Moon a good big sister for him?

The situation between them can seem complex and confusing. It's hard to tell who's truly right or wrong.

I'll pose an analogy:

Imagine Pebbles getting a hold of a grenade. Moon is standing in close proximity. She doesn't make any attempts to see what he's got in his hands or what his plans are. He pulls the pin out, still holding the safety lever. He keeps slowly loosening his grip on it, putting Moon's life in danger, as well as his own. Moon tries to talk to Pebbles, disrupting his focus. When Pebbles almost lets go off of the lever and tries to throw the explosive away, Moon stops him. The grenade goes off, Pebbles gets heavily injured and Moon ends up in a coma.

Would a responsible older sister beat around the bush for so long in a situation that is threatening to not just her but also her younger brother? Obviously, no.

Moon is not a good sister, she's only trying to present herself as one. She's created a semblance of a great big sis, when in reality she's unsuccessful at that.

She wasn't

Did Moon have her chance to stop him before everything has gotten out of control? Yes. Suns brings up exactly that in one of the broadcasts, pointing out her seniority privilege.

Moon did not care about Pebbles' endeavors or interests. She's noticed the problem only when it had put at risk her own life.

Even after she has acknowledged the deadly danger, she kept on stalling. She wanted to talk to Pebbles and "shake him out of it".

As if what Pebbles is doing does not pose any danger at all. As if Pebbles is some disobedient, naughty puppy, whom, once scolded, is going to settle down. It feels like she looks down on him. She cannot imagine Pebbles doing something serious and important, therefore it must be easy to make him stop whatever it is that he's doing. If Moon legitimately was a good sister, she would've immediately stopped him and only then tried to talk.

Besides, Moon has demonstrated an odd demeanor towards Pebbles in the final Rivulet broadcast. At first her words sounded like something a genuinely good sister could say. But that shifts after Moon, almost jokingly, says how protective she is as his Big Sis. When in reality everything points at her carelessness.

Of course people could say that she's just excessively kind. But even if she was acting out of goodness of her heart, she's made a mistake. Instead of understanding and accepting Pebbles' personhood, she treated him only as her little brother and nothing more.

In conclusion, Moon's attempt to keep the face of a wonderful sister has led to a catastrophe, proving that she has failed as a Big Sister.

[i-am-a-secret-ssshhh]

Obey Me X Twisted Wonderland Prompt

Sort of a Solomon x MC prompt! 

This goes for an MC that goes to Twisted Wonderland after they go through Nightbringer, but the Obey Me Boys from the OG game come to get them from Twisted Wonderland.

I think that if this were to happen, MC would immediately turn to Solomon before they even considered happily and affectionately greeting the brothers or the others. Because they don’t know if these Obey Me Boys come from the past or the present, but they do know that no matter where they were, Solomon was himself and was there for them. 

Obviously, the brothers would be hurt, but if Solomon told them about what happened during Nightbringer, they might understand. If he hadn’t, then they will be extremely jealous, wondering why they’re human is acting like this with the Shady Sorcerer. 

I can imagine MC seeing Solomon, stopping whatever they were doing, and immediately rushing over, tackling him into a hug. Like this, maybe,

.

MC: No, no, Crewel wanted us to measure it in percentages of weight, not percentages of volume. No wonder you’re not doing too well in that class.

Deuce: How do you know all this? I don’t have it anywhere in my notes that we’re supposed to do it that way. 

MC, glancing down and thinking about their favorite person: Just, had someone tutor me a while back. They were a very good teacher.

Epel: Was it Vil? He’s good at potions, but I don’t know anyone who could last against his teaching.

MC, laughing: No, it wasn’t Vil.

Vil approaches angrily.

Ace: Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

MC, trying to avoid another Overblot: What’s up, Vil?

Vil: The new exchange student put in my dorm!

MC, realizing he’s come to vent all his problems to them, as they’re the unpaid therapist: I forgot Crowley was doing that today. I wasn’t invited because my dorm is unofficial and too small for new students. What’s wrong with your new student?

Vil: He’s just so infuriating! It’s like he’s only ever relied on his looks, and acts as though the world revolves around him!

Epel, under his breath: Reminds me of someone else I know.

MC, smacking Epel: Well, surely there has to be something good about him?

Vil: His social media skills are commendable, and he seems very good at reading people. But it’s hard to approach him. He seems rather attached to two of the Diasomnia exchange students.

MC: That’s a little surprising. Most people are afraid of Diasomnia students.

Sebek: Clearly this new exchange student just has good taste!

MC, slowly putting the pieces together: You know, the description of the exchange student reminds me of someone I know.

Ace: Think it’s them?

MC: It’s possible, but doubtful.

Solomon, approaching the group: Never doubt my abilities, dear apprentice.

MC immediately drops their notes and other things, rushing past Vil and their friends towards Solomon.

MC, tackling the sorcerer: Solomon! I missed you so much!

Solomon, laughing, and patting their head affectionately: I missed you as well.

Asmodeus: Did you miss me, darling?

Solomon, helping MC up, waits to see their reaction.

MC, unsure of how to approach the demon: Of course I missed you, Asmo.

Asmo, blinks when he is not also bombarded with affection like Solomon was: Then, where’s my hug?

MC: Did you want one?

Asmo, pouting: Of course!

.

Or with any of the brothers and others. 

If MC is dating Solomon they could tackle him into a hug and then start kissing all over his face. It’d be really funny if the brothers and others didn’t know they were dating and were just so shocked to see them being so romantically affectionate with Solomon. 

Or, if they got married as a sort of formality, they were practically already married in Nightbringer as they lived together and acted like a married couple, and no one knew. Like, just one day they went and filed a marriage certificate and didn’t tell anyone so when the Twisted Wonderland characters ask who this person is, they very easily respond with “My Husband”, and everyone on both sides is in shock

[thewritingmagician2022]

Hi! I have a bit of an uncommon ask; would you be willing to write the brothers+dateables (just the dateables if that's too many characters) with a MC that...just seems to know things before they happen? They never say anything about it or redirect the conversation, but they've snagged Luke on the collar seconds before a demon comes sprinting around the corner or a car speeds the red light, and always seems to know what a person's saying before they even finish saying it.

Idk, I like the idea of an MC who's been through time shenanigans before (bc time shenanigans be like that), I think it could have some really interesting effects, especially around lesson 16

This is a fun ask and it’s interesting to me because I tend to be someone that dreams about things before they happen - usually years in advance and it’s such mundane moments that I don’t even think about it until it happens in real life and I’m like hey! 👀

Despite the coolness of this ask, it’s obviously very delayed and not very fleshed out because I couldn’t find it in my brain/creativity to do it justice. I’m sorry for that and I hope you were able to find it elsewhere!

Lucifer: Lucifer is more than a little suspicious at first. It’s one thing to have a human down here in the Devildom but quite another to have one with the ability of precognition. It puts him and his family and the kingdom at potential risk; if you’re having visions about the future, it’s hard to keep any secrets or keep you in line as you may be a step ahead of him which really throws him off his game. So he’s keeping a careful eye on you at first and instructs you tell him about all of the visions you have, at least until he’s sure that he can trust you. Then he’s going to use that nifty little powers of yours to help stop his brothers before they can cause too many problems for him.

Mammon: Mammon thinks it’s both cool and freaky. He definitely wants you to keep it a secret just between the two of you so you can use it to his, excuse me, your advantage. He would absolutely bring you with him while gambling in the hopes that you’ll be able to see the winning numbers or colors or machines. It would make you even more invaluable to him, especially when you save his hide by warning him pre-emptively about bounty hunters or Lucifer coming after him or even just a RAD project that he may have forgotten. He’s a little in awe of you honestly.

Levi: Levi thinks you’re super cool! It’s like you have a superpower like one of his favorite anime girls. He can’t wait to be your sidekick as you work your way through the Devildom with your secret powers. He gushes over them/you every time you use them, especially when you use them for something nice like making sure Luke doesn’t get plowed over in a hallway or you keep something of his safe from Mammon. Occasionally, he does let you use it for gaming. He won’t let you warn him ahead of time of things in his games because it feels like cheating but if you’re playing co-op, well, he can’t exactly stop you and if you become practically undefeated realm-wide, that’s just a bonus.

Satan: Satan loves a good mystery and research so this is perfect. You have no idea where this elusive power comes from nor do you have any idea how to control it. That means he’s going to do a full deep dive getting your history, learning all about what the preminitons are like for you and what their usual subject matter is, tracking them to see if there’s any triggers or precursors he can identity. It’s like a fun game for him. He absolutely loves it when you get information that involves Lucifer because he and Belphie want to use it to their advantage for pranks, and he also loves how incredibly human you are with your gift - you use it kindly for everyone around you, always saving them from danger or distress or even just to spare their feelings.

Asmo: Asmo is easily freaked out by your power. Don’t get him wrong, he adores you and loves how special and unique you are - of course everyone should be super jealous knowing he gets to have the superpowered human. However, he is lowkey creeped out by it because he is so easy to startle. Pulling him out of the way of a random food fight? He shrieks. Snatch something out of his hands because it’s actually cursed? He’s got tears in his eyes both of gratitude and fear, also maybe a little bit of arousal because wow, you really do take such good care of him, don’t you?

Beel: Beel is the definition of the surprised pikachu face meme every time you use your powers. It’s like he has short term memory loss when it comes to this so whenever you manage to answer a question that’s so far unasked or catch something flying at you or you save one of the brothers from falling down the stairs, Beel looks at you like you’re a superhero. He’s just very impressed with you all the time anyway and he does his best to make sure that no one bothers you about or for your gift. You’re not some little sideshow pony for people to use for their gain and he’s going to make sure no one treats you that way.

Belphie: Your gift breaks his heart a little. Belphie wonders how much you knew, how much you know now. Did you always know that he was going to betray you and did you still choose to befriend him, to heal his family, to love him anyway? Did you know it would work out in the end or did you just hope for it? Or did you have no clue about his betrayal despite being aware of so many other things? He doesn’t know what’s worse actually - if you were ignorant and blinded or if you walked into his home a knowing martyr. It makes him want to project you, especially when all you seem to do is protect others with your gift. You’re always rescuing everyone else, heedless to the danger of the present and the pain of the past. He does his best to support you in any way possible, especially when the visions are something stronger and deeper than just making sure Beel doesn’t eat his last cookie.

Diavolo: Diavolo had no idea when he selected you as the exchange student that you had such a wonderful gift. He sees it as a sign from the universe that he picked the right person; it’s just another reason that you’re perfect for here, for him. Especially because you actively use your powers to do the good and right thing. Where others could and would choose to be selfish or manipulate others or gain power, you do your best to ensure everyone’s safety and happiness. He finds you and your gift incredibly endearing and wonderful. He’s just so thrilled that he has such a talented little human around to prove their goodness and usefulness. He also very much enjoys watching you have fun with your gift, whether it’s causing some trouble with Solomon or Mammon or Simeon, and he doesn’t let anyone scold you for it because he thinks it’s so much fun to watch you make your own way down there.

Barbatos: Barbatos was at first a little unsettled by this power of yours. He’s grown quite used to being the unsettling, omniscient person in the group. It’s not every day you meet someone who can see through time, even with visions as mundane and innocuous as yours usually are. It makes him suspicious in the beginning but, as he grows to trust you, he helps you deal with your powers both in terms of handling the visions/honing your skills and in terms of coping with the things that you may see. Once you’ve built that strong relationship between you, he absolutely loves to create chaos with you. You both like to be as ominous and vague as possible, using your unspoken twin bond thing to communicate and leave the others in a constant feeling of being a step behind the both of you.

Solomon: Solomon is deeply curious; he’s a man who knows everything about the past and you’re the person who knows everything about the future. He’s met humans with powers before, some even with the power of pre-cognition, but yours are the most erratic and it’s a very interesting coincidence that you happened to be brought in as the exchange student at RAD. He’s definitely going to ask to run tests and experiments on you, a bit like Satan but much more hands on his approach. He wants to figure out the origin and the extent of your powers, and he’s certainly okay with stirring up some trouble. It’s not unusual for him to use your powers as an excuse for why he did/didn’t something, even if it’s not true, and he uses his magic to help you harness your gift to turn into something consistently useful.

Simeon: Simeon is almost as curious as Satan and Solomon (must be an S name thing?). He does wonder where your gift comes from - if it’s a Gift from his Father to be used to better the world around you, which he sees happening every time you save one of them from a near death experience or even just give them the answer in class in RAD because you knew the professor would ask them, or if it’s a curse because he’s seen the haunted, lonely, terrified look on your face when you’re confronted with the visions of darker things than the others can even comprehend. He knows you don’t share those visions with everyone; you tend to keep them to yourself and work to make sure they don’t happen. Simeon is the one who sees that look and steps in to stand by your side and support you so that you don’t have to bear the responsibility alone. To make things a little light for you, Simeon encourages you to use your gify for fun. Between your visions and Simeon’s angelic grace, no one doubts whatever you two say and that means you can get away with so many things and keep yourself out of trouble. It might be a little bit naughty of you but you think you both do more than enough for the Devildom to have earned this little mischeif.

[lawrencespen1777]

Hello! I hope you are doing okay :)

I’ve just recently found your blog and must say that I’ve definitely enjoyed your dialogue prompts!

Are you okay with writing requests? In case it’s fine for you, could you please consider writing a dialogue where two characters have to stay some kind of a hotel, because one of them is too sick and feverish to travel?

No pressure, I understand if you don’t want to write this!

Sincerely yours, anon with whumperflies.

Anonnnnnn, I know you said dialogue but I got carried away. Obviously. Hope you enjoy. This has been my favorite to do so far. You keep requesting. I’ll keep writing. Your prompts are good. ;)

Hotel Hell

“How you doing?”

W shivered unresponsively underneath the jacket he’d donned as his makeshift blanket. C hoped that meant that he’d finally drifted off.

“I’m alright,” came the quiet voice.

“Still feel nauseous?”

There was the sound of a thick swallow. “Yep.”

C burned away their nervous energy by drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “Can I…do anything?”

“Pull over.”

“What?”

“Pull-“

W had the back of one hand pressed firmly against his lips. The other hand fumbled with the door handle of the still moving car.

“Wait, wait, wait I’m going! Give me a second!”

W was exiting the car even as it slid to a stop on the side of the highway. C followed soon after. The spray of vomit trailed from the car to a large tree where W stood doubled, steadying himself with one hand on the trunk and the other braced on his knee. He heaved again, bringing up another slough of last night’s partially digested dinner.

C stayed by the car. Doesn’t make sense for them both to be puking. “You good?” C called. A shaky hand returned a thumbs up although W remained doubled. “Okay. I’m uh…I’m gonna sit in the car. Just…take your time.”

It was 10 minutes before W shut the door behind them again. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s not a problem.”

W sighed and leaned his head against the cool glass. “It feels like a problem.”

“Hey.” C pulled W’s arm so that he could see his eyes. “Really. It’s-shit.”

“It is shit.”

“No not that. I mean you.” He pressed the back of his fingers to W’s temple. “You’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell me you had a fever?”

W shrugged. “I just want to get there.”

“Well it’s not happening today. We’re gonna stop somewhere for the night so you can sleep it off…-in a bed,” he finished, sensing W’s impending objections. “I’m not pulling over every 10 minutes for you to puke. Sorry about it.”

It was almost an hour before they reached the motel that would be their home for the night. C pulled into a parking spot underneath a street light that was long burnt out. “That’s promising,” he muttered, then noticed the paint peeling off the walls. “Great.” He shut the car door behind him and heard W do the same. “At least it still has all four walls right?” He glanced over at W who had his head resting on the car. “Hey, you alright?”

W swallowed a few times. “Yeah but…I think I’m gonna th-row up again.”

“Okay just…hang out alright? I’ll go grab the key and be right back.”

For a motel that barely registered on the not haunted list they sure required a lot of information from their “guests”. “For the security of all,” they’d told him. Here’s a thought: streetlights that work.

Fifteen minutes and a quarter of a century later he rejoined W in the parking lot. “Sorry it took so long. They wanted my grandmother’s maiden name before they’d give me a room key.”

“C.”

“Yeah?”

“I think something’s really wrong, man.”

“…okay. Like what?”

“I don’t know. I’m really dizzy. I’m freaking out.”

“Don’t freak out. You’re alright. Let’s just get in the room. You can drink some water. Eat something small. You’ll feel better.” He took W by the arm and guided him towards their ground floor room. W leaned against the wall as C pulled out the room key, but C could definitely see him swaying. He fumbled with the lock. Who has manual keys at motels anymore?

W was swallowing hard and breathing harder. He stared at a single fixed point on the sidewalk, but didn’t appear to be looking at anything. He stumbled sideways and C dropped the keys in an attempt to catch his arm. Then, without warning, W retched again. He tried to cover his mouth with his hand, but the vomit won. It spilled out onto his shirt and dripped down his arm, splattering onto his pants and shoes as it hit the ground in one sickening wave followed by a second. “I’m so-,” he choked as another heave brought up a thick slurry into the hand that he’d forgotten to move.

“Jesus.”

“I’m so sorry.” W was a mess with vomit covered clothes and tears streaming down his cheeks. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” His voice hitched again, but he only spat out bile.

“Don’t be. You’re-yeah-something’s wrong.” He pushed open the door and held it with his foot. “Do you think you’re done for a second?”

W waited a beat, then nodded.

“Can you walk straight?”

“I think so.”

“Okay so we’re gonna have to burn those clothes. Just take them off and while you take a shower I’ll run down to the 24 hour store we passed on the way in and see if I can find you…something…to help all this. Are you gonna be okay for a few?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Yeah I’m okay.”

“Okay. Fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes.”

Twenty-three minutes later (why is everyone so slow in this town??) C was working the finicky door key again. W opened it for him and his pale skin immediately stood out against the lamp lit room. “You’d make a good ghost.”

“I would’ve been one if you’d taken much longer.”

W rolled his eyes, but was relieved to hear some sarcasm come back from the dead. “This was all they had.” He threw W a pair of basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

“It’s fine.”

“I also got a thermometer, Tylenol, and Dramamine.” He laid each item out on the bed in succession.

“Dramamine? Isn’t that for like seasickness?”

“We’re close enough to the water.”

W took the pill bottles to the bathroom sink where he downed them with questionable tap water out of a plastic cup. He grimaced at the flavor and tossed the cup into the trash can.

“I also got you,” C rummaged in the grocery bag, “Everyone’s favorite. Peanut butter crackers.”

“Mmm,” W shook his head. “Mm-mm. Nope. Can’t do it.”

“You gotta eat something.”

“It. Won’t. Stay. Down. Were you not outside half an hour ago?”

W’s cheeks tinged with the slightest red. C pretended to not see. “Alright we’ll give the meds a minute to sink in. Then you’re trying them. I paid three bucks for these.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“…three dollars?”

“Yeah it’s the only store in this godforsaken town. They know they got you.” C opened up the boxed thermometer and tested it on himself. “Good news. I’m fine.”

“Fantastic.”

“I knew you’d be excited. Stay still.” C held the thermometer up to W’s forehead. “102.2. Damn…”

W crashed onto the bed and fell over sideways. He groaned.

“What?”

“What was in those pills you gave me? Whole room’s spinning…did you drug me?”

“Yeah I roofied your tap water.”

“I’m not putting out.”

“Uh yeah please keep in. Nobody wants to see that.”

W’s eyelids began to droop and C knew that the Dramamine had kicked in. He grabbed the bathroom trash can and put it beside the bed. “If you wake up before next week it’s right here alright?”

W’s eyes were almost shut, but he gave a small nod. C threw one of the blankets over him and walked over to his own bed. “Have a good coma.”

“Hey.”

C turned back. “Hey.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

[heliza24]

Being a physically disabled Dimension 20 fan breaks my heart sometimes

I’ve been thinking about this since last Wednesday’s episode when we finally got a real scene with Lydia, one of the few physically disabled characters in the entire canon of the show. It was nice, but it was really just a lore dump. An excuse for exposition. A moment for Kristen to look good by expending sympathy/pity. (I’m a little frustrated about how that interaction went down. Extending the help action was nice but patronizingly touching the neck of a full-ass adult without consent was not. It was weird and not something she would have done to a nondisabled character).

I have watched almost all of D20 (still missing a couple of seasons) and as far as I know here’s where our list of canon physically disabled characters stand: Lydia Barkrock, Jan de la Vega (who feels pretty problematic to me, maybe more on that in a later post), one of the Dwarven statues in the temple in The Seven (who is not given the dignity of being brought to life like Asha), and Pete’s coworker in TUC2 who is in exactly one episode and is so unimportant I have forgotten his name. I guess you could make an argument that Gunny is disabled, but I don't feel that Lou or Brennan really talk about him or play him through that lens. So in terms of canon physically disabled PCs-- that leaves us with 0.

We do a bit better with neurodivergent characters and characters with mental health problems; Ayda (my beloved) is very well developed and Adaine is a PC. There have been some openly neurodivergent players, like Omar and Surena, whose characters also read ND to me. But that isn’t labeled or discussed in canon, so it's hard for me to know where to class that. I am going to focus the rest of this post on physical disabilities, since that is my area of lived experience. If another fan wants to write about their perspective of neurodivergence rep in the show, I would love to hear that, and will happily amplify.

There has never been a character with a sensory disability or a limb difference or a chronic illness (not a fantasy one, a real one) on Dimension 20. The only NPCs we have are nondescript, similar wheelchair users. And there has never been a physically disabled player at the table. On the flagship show of Dropout, a company founded on diversity and inclusion. It feels extremely pointed to me.

In fact as far as I can tell there has only been one (1) physically disabled performer on any of Dropout’s shows. (Shout out to Brett, you were great on Dirty Laundry.) Obviously I haven’t seen every episode of everything they have produced. If I have missed someone, please do let me know in the comments/reblogs. But it’s a problem. And Sam Reich even agreed with this criticism when I asked him directly about.

I do really hope they’re working on it, as Sam says. But why has it taken so long?

Dimension 20 has had trans and nonbinary and queer players. It has had players of many different races. I’m not saying that the diversity here is perfect; there should always be more POC in the dome, more queer people. We should keep pushing for that. (And we should also push for performers at the intersections of these identities!) But we’ve seen the ways this diversity has expanded and improved the different seasons, because diverse players create sensitively drawn, diverse player characters. They add details to their PC’s experiences that make them feel rich and alive. I’m thinking about each of Ally’s PC’s incredible capital G gender and Aabria “all my characters (even the stoats) are Black” and how excellent they all are. D20 would not be the show it is without this input.

And yet. And yet.

There are 1,000 interesting and complicated themes to explore around disability. Dealing with access. Dealing with ableism. Dealing with compassion and community care. Dealing with none of it and just being a cool fantasy or sci fi character that happens to be disabled. We don’t get any of it.

I watch my favorite show and I see myself in the ace rep and the female characters. But I don’t see all of me. I see a silent but ever present message: you aren’t quite welcome here.

I have this fantasy that I play in my brain sometimes that someday I’ll get to talk to Brennan in person, like maybe if I buy a VIP ticket and risk Covid to go to a live show or we run into each other on the street or something. I am able to look him in the eye and articulate why he NEEDS to include a physically disabled player in an upcoming season. I reference the ways he’s talked about inclusion and writing diversely on Adventuring Party. Maybe I hand him a handwritten letter, or hell, a printout of this post. And because he really cares about diversity and his shows and his fans he would listen to me, and cast a physically disabled performer in the next season.

But I think that might be giving that nondisabled man (whose work I adore, who I respect so much) too much credit. Because he’s had Jennifer Kretchmer, a physically disabled actual play performer, on adventuring academy to talk about access in gaming. He’s hired disability consultants. He knows about physically disabled people, enough to give us shoutouts as inconsequential npcs. And he still hasn’t thought to include us at the table. In over 20 seasons. None of that other stuff matters if we aren't given a seat at the story telling table, and the agency to craft our own narratives equal to other participants in the game.

When Lydia was telling her story in the last episode, I kept wishing for a prequel, where she is more than a plot delivery device and a kind but unimportant parent. I want to know about her adventures with her adventuring party. I want to see a talented, wheelchair-using actor play out the scene when she decides to put the gem in her chest. I want to hear about what happened after. I want to know how she survived. I want it so badly it hurts.

I am in the process of trying to find new indie actual plays that feature more disabled talent. I am learning how to GM myself so I can tell these kinds of stories. But it’s not the same as being a fan of something. Sometimes I don’t want to have to make my own representation. Sometimes I just want to turn on my favorite tv show, the one that I have cosplayed from and written metas about and loved whole heartedly, and see myself included.

If you’re another disabled or neurodivergent fan I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you’re not, I’d love for you to reblog this. I would love for the absence of physical disability in this show to be a topic of fandom conversation, at the very least.

[pomegranate-pen]

Hello! May I request More exam x gender neutral reader? Who's his roommate and usually helps him if he's wounded when he comes home? The j you for your time!

A/n: ahh this was quite fun to write! Mordecai is my second favorite character in Lackadaisy, so writing this wasn't much of a struggle heh. though I must warn you all, I wrote this based on his personality in the comics, since they're much much fleshed out there than in the pilot (though that's not really any problem, it's a pilot after all. it had to sell the main story first then character lore, which they did drop hints of here and there in it!!) anyway- hope you all enjoy this!

Mordecai Heller x gn! reader

title: It's a date.

warning: mentions of blood and a small hint to a huge fight- jealous Mordecai lol, and obviously heavy spoilers for the comic

----

It was not unusual to be alone here, in this small tidied-up house that steeps closer to the forest than the city.

Though sure, one could say that all the fun in having a roommate is having the house not be so quiet, you’d argue that noisy roommates were always seen as a complaint at the end of the day, no matter how fun it was at first. Or at least, that’s the excuse you give your friends and co-workers when asked about your peculiar roommate, Mordecai Heller.

Not much of a talker, and certainly not much of a loud noise-loving type of guy, Mordecai can either be seen as an annoying bossy roommate, who has an obsession for cleanliness and tidiness alike, or a weirdo who barely ever is in the house and comes back home with a bloody axe yet a sharp and clean suit. For anyone else, this, and many other things, would be the warning sign, the flags that’d beg them to leave.

However, if asked you on what living with Mordecai is like, you’d merely shrug and summarize it on a much more positive note than others would, and add that sure, following those set of rules and chores he has for the house, with his idea of perfectionism in everything can be quite an annoyance at times, the worst nights aren’t that, the worst ones are the times when he does come home soaked in blood, body cut and stabbed at and his stubborn behavior toward it all when confronted about them.

The thought which, brings you back to reality, as you finally remember what your main goal here is in the first place.

“And for what is the purpose of your gawking?”

The stern, cold, and proper voice of your patient at the moment makes your brows furrow, as you click your tongue and grab the cloth, washing the small, yet sharp gash off his back, thankfully not deep enough to cause any infection of sorts, yet seeing the deep pure red of the blood shine through his normal dull-colored body made you hiss, unable to not feel horrible when seeing him like this. Especially when his favorite white cloth in the kitchen had to be used for this and most likely disposed of after, and his face looked frustrated with the turn of events. That critical face of his made you even more irritated than before.

 Mordecai was not the type of guy who’d come home like this, not one to open the door to the house and drop dead on the floor from exhaustion. Something has happened, something is wrong and he won’t tell you a word about it. Typical; but also infuriating this time.

 If this was a usual day, you’d see him not answering your questions or telling you about some worrisome parts of his job the norm. After all, the relationship between you two, no matter how much it had grown over the years, has still strictly started as professional.

It was a deal struck between you two, the landlord of the house was always quite suspicious of the man, and wouldn’t give him the place unless he found a suitable roommate, Mordecai tried to suggest his friend Viktor, which the landlord immediately denied, becoming a bit too afraid at the power the two duos could have over him if maddened enough. Mordecai spoke to Atlas about it and Atlas spoke to Mitzi. And she, always the fan of teasing Heller, has suggested you help. Newcomer to St. Louis, a pianist, and in need of a good home after your last one was littered with the loudest neighbors you’ve ever met. Mordecai was displeased with the idea at first, but given how the house was a perfect fit for the job he had, he had no choice but to accept.  

Rules were set, boundaries were given. The relationship has always had a professional and begrudging beginning, since you for one didn’t want to be roommate with him either, being baffled by the idea of living with the guy who could stand in front of a mass of corpses yet care for his lost cufflinks more. Yet, you didn’t have the heart to say no to Mitzi at the time, since she was the one who found you doing a gig in an old dirty nightclub and was generous enough to give you a job here. Your reason makes you feel bitter now, given how easily you left when everything started to crumble.

 “I’m not gawking.” You grumbled. “ I’m just shocked. That’s all.” You spoke, as you pointed to the torn to bits coat dripping with what smelled like gasoline. “where were you?! was it some psycho circus?” you scoffed. “ I’ve never seen you this messy since-“

He flinched in his seat, and you weren’t sure if it was because you were putting too much pressure or the amount of embarrassment he felt from that day.“Don’t, bring that up.”

“And it wasn’t a circus, mind you.” he surprisingly answered, most likely to run away from the latter subject. “My partners decided to make a simple task into an outnumbered fight. It was impossible to not get injured.”

“Partners?” you wanted to ask more, given how this is probably the only time he’ll share the details of his job in Marigold. “you mean those two cats that drove you here last night?”

He nods as he lifts his arm, letting you pass the roll of bandage through the front and behind his shoulders. You hum, shocked by this new information, given that, “You know, they visited me at my job today.”

To that sentence, Mordecai seemed to have startled. Turning around you and looking at you with widened eyes. “Seriously?” his brows shift in concern. “You’re certain it was them?”

“I mean, they did approach me.” you shrugged and added,” suddenly started flirting with me too. It was weird, but kinda cute.” They were pleasant to speak to, in their own way. There was this sort of charm they had, a strange trance that made you easily speak to them, though being cautious enough to not spill anything about Mordecai’s life while doing so.

Mordecai’s brows even furrowed more, yet he turned back around to let you finish the task at hand. Moving on to the next scar as he spoke. “That explains their behavior tonight. ow-” He then hissed a bit in pain, and you mumbled out a sorry. “I didn’t expect them to ask what your ‘type’ exactly is. “He grumbled. “It has distracted me much throughout the fight.” He seemed quite annoyed by it all, his expression being just like the times when he sees a vermin trying to crawl through your windows. “And why on earth would they flirt with you?” he grimaced, and his nose scrunched. “Why would they find the need for such an act?!” this, was the Mordecai you knew. It was the same Mordecai that Viktor and you have grown so accustomed to. The cat who likes order and is strict about attire and presentation, since he believes it’s a mirror to one’s personality, the guy who has debates about different books you’ve both read, a man known for his lack of understanding of social situations, something that he always goes to you for help about it, or just to rant about the ‘absurd’ situation he was put in. this was your roommate, and perhaps that’s why you haven’t left him. Even after Atlas’ death.

“Maybe because I’m gorgeous,” you joked. “Have you ever thought of that as a reason?”  

He went quiet in response, and you gave a fake gasp of distraught.

“Mordecai Heller, do you think I’m ugly?”

As the roll of bandages was now cut, he turned around to you as you sat down on the bench near him. “No,” he replied, yet there was a conflicted frown on his face. “ I have no thoughts on your appearance. I don’t care much for it….though…I…” he seemed to be in thought, as if he didn’t know his own feelings or opinions on the subject either. “…I don’t like this.”

“You don’t like…what exactly?”

He shifted at that, his gaze still deep in frustrated thought as he sighed and looked up at you with stern eyes. “Why so many questions?” he tries to stir the conversation away. “I don’t see why you’d be so interested in them.”

“Well, you might not, but as someone who‘ll go on a date with Mr.Savoy soon—“

“NICO?!”

You held back your snort as you leaned into the chair, looking back at him with a teasing smile. “Well, to be fair it’s on trial for now.” You shrugged. “But he seemed quite the charmer, pretty handsome too so— why not?”

Mordecai became silent, and you wondered what you’d done wrong to not have him ramble on about why a date with him is preposterous instead. Living with Mordecai for so long has made you learn how he truly feels by just his posture or movements. And of now, with the still, almost like a statue form and furrowed brows, with his green eyes staring intensely at you, you knew something was up. Something did happen, a situation that is much more likely involved with the Savoy siblings.

After an uncomfortable few minutes of silence, he finally speaks. “Well, I wish you luck on the date.” He clears his throat.” But….” He looks away, but from his voice and years of experience, you knew he was concerned, and his eyes though gazing away from yours are full of subtle worry. “I advise you to not associate with them for long.”

You take a breath, shifting in your seat a bit and straightening your posture, looking at him questioningly. “And I shouldn’t because?...”

“They’re dangerous.” Says the guy who has the same job as them. Your eyes squinted a bit as judgment and he rolled his. “I mean personality-wise.” He continued. “And in any case, you’re not much of a good fit with Nico….” His arms crossed and he muttered. “You’re certainly better than that.”

The words make you smile a bit, some tensity of the situation now slipping away. “Alright then, I’ll decline him…If…”

He gave you an annoyed frown, eyes showing a complete grimace over letting you add a deal with this. He sighed. “Yes, yes I’ll do your dishes for a week-“

“No. that’s not my deal.” You cut him off, and he looked at you with shock.

“Then what do you want?”

“A date.” You answered. “With you.”

“…”

Silence seemed to be your answer. He looked baffled, yet a bit endeared, his form jolted a bit when he caught you staring and awaiting his answer. He looked flustered and hesitant as he spoke once more. “I don’t see why you’d want that.” He nearly mumbled.” Dates— are for people who’d like to see each other every day, but due to some circumstances cant— so they pick up a time to do so.” He clasped his hands together. “You and I, however, are roommates.” He tilts his head a bit forward. “Though I must admit I do enjoy your company, I already see it every day, so then— what would be the goal of this date?” he gives you a confused look. “It would be pointless and an annoyance given how two should be in a crowded, extremely social place for dates.”

You nod a bit, and start sitting a bit more comfortably in your chair and start to debate. “Well then, I’d have to disagree.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Well, to start off,” you looked at him with a small smirk. “Dates— are not just for people who can’t see each other every day. If that is the case then why do married people still go on dates in this day and age? Dates can also be seen as a change of atmosphere— and though I enjoy your company as well.” You nod your head. “ I’m a bit tired of this routine I’ve trapped myself in, day in and day out I just work and come back home— surely you’re tired of your work as well- given your state at the moment.”

He huffs and tilts his glasses back. “I suppose I am.”

You gave a grin. “And third of all—“you lean back on your hand. “There’s no need for it to be someplace crowded— you just think it must be social because you’ve only seen it in such places. We can go somewhere quiet, so how about a library?”

He pauses for a moment before answering. “Library sounds nice.”

“So it’s a date?”

He hums for a moment. “It’s a date…if…”

You scoffed. “Well played. What’s the catch?”

Mordecai gives you a small smile. He gives a glance at the bandages on his back. “It’s settled if I can acquire your assistance with wounds next time as well.”

“Fine then. That is if you do get injured. Tonight was a rare one.”

For a moment in his thoughts, Mordecai considered if he should get injured up a bit more again. “It’s a date then.” He concludes.

“It’s a date.”

-----

A/n: BTW the 'that' day line is basically a hint to the canon day in the comics where Mordecai gets drunk for the first time and just acts straight out of character and starts praising Viktor a lot and talking about him happily to others mdfenkgt

[the-lark-ascending69]

I'm sorry but I have a very real problem with Vickie as a character. A fan-favorite character is revealed to be queer in the previous season and gets a love interest shaped appendix with no plot relevance or personality, created only to be Robin's trophy girlfriend, in a way that is so painfully and obviously different from how they did it when they tried to make a new character entirely to give her a love story with an already existing main character.

I'm talking about Robin herself, and how, despite not having the deepest character arc in S3, she still had some meat on her bones. She still had some stuff to work with. She was actually important and involved with the plot and had real chemistry with her would-be love interest, Steve. Making her a lesbian at last second pretty much saved both her and Steve's characters and made the Scoops subplot, the only redeemable subplot of S3, actually salvageable. By recontextualizing Stobin with that revelation, you go from a forced, heteronormative/amatonormative "love story" with mysoginistic undertones (because what are frmale characters if not trophy wives for male characters!) and 1) you give Robin actual stuff in her life that has nothing to do with Steve, turning her into a real character on her own, yet also shows why their friendship is so valuable to her, giving her a mini-arc in the process about overcoming isolation, alienation and loneliness, and 2) you wrap up Steve's arc the way his character clearly needs to be wrapped up - by moving on from his immature pursuits of women as romantic/sexual fulfillment and his highschool persona constructed on that, and embracing maturity by working on himself with the help of the people who challenge him the most, his platonic bonds (Dustin and Robin). Like I'm being 100% serious when I say making Robin a lesbian somewhat saved season 3.

But you can tell the brilliance of that move did NOT come from the Duffers' mastermind because they couldn't even attempt to replicate their unexpected success with Robin and Vickie. Because even before Robin was made into a lesbian, she still had SOMETHING. Vickie has nothing. She's a non-character. And it's interesting to note the difference in treatment when it comes to straight male characters vs. queer female characters. You can make the case that Max's introduction in S2 followed a similar pattern to beta!Stobin - new character paired up with pre-existing character. But you wouldn't say Max was added just to give Lucas a girlfriend, because even if her plot relevance in S2 was rather lackluster, she still had... so much more than even Robin in S3, and she's simply uncomparable to Vickie. She feels like her own person right from the start. We know the Duffers like to add wayy to many characters, making the show feel crowded and inevitably leaving a few characters behind, but when they add new characters in a given season, they're actually pretty good at making us fall in love with them quickly. Max, Robin, Eddie, hell even Billy if you're into that - like I said before, there's always some work that goes into them that makes you care about them.

Sure, there are less important characters that don't get half the effort put into them - Heather, Benny, idk, Barb's parents? And many others I can't remember right now. Not every character needs to be a fan-favorite.

But none of these guys were a main character's love interest. Not even for like, a second-row main character like Robin. Lucas gets a girl and she gets proper character development. Steve was originally intended to get a girl and she gets plot relevance, screentime and charisma (and a bit of character development pre-coming out too). Robin gets a girl and... it seems like Robin and her girl don't matter that much.

Which makes me question, why give Robin a love interest at all if they weren't going to do anything about it. My guess is that, well, she's a lesbian, so of course she gets to kiss girls. Character arc? What is that? Just watch her gush over a girl without last name and not care about anything else for most of the season. The writers just didn't know what to do with her now that she's no longer gonna be Steve's trophy girlfriend. Just throw in a poorly put together gay subplot, because everyone knows gay people only get to kiss other gay people and there's nothing else about the lesbian experience worth talking about (like, idk, the loneliness? The alienation?). I'm of the belief that, if you're gonna half-ass it, don't write a romantic subplot at all, regardless of the characters' genders and sexuality. But what bothers me isn't a shitty romantic subplot. It's the difference in treatment that the queer characters get vs. their straight counterparts.

And it bothers me because it could have been fixed SO easily! You get three options:

Give Robin a character arc that's not a romantic subplot. That doesn't mean she doesn't get to have a crush, but it should be in the background. My idea would be to make it about her, Nancy and Barb, and their old friendship + Robin's sense of alienation. Robin learning the truth about Barb's death, and her and Nancy helping each other heal. Robin and Nancy becoming friends through long conversations about their feelings, through which Nancy gets a sort of "second chance" at having a friend again and Robin gets to connect with someone who initially hated her in her own special way. The point is to not make r0vickie obviously endgame, EVEN if it turns out to be that way next season, because if it's obviously endgame it suddenly begs for a deeper development and the lack of it becomes a problem. An easy solution would be to give Robin multiple crushes, to signal at how unserious they all are at the moment.

Give Robin a love story with a newly introduced main character. And the obvious option is *rolls drums" genderbent Eddie! Or Vickie in Eddie's place. Best and easiest solution imo. It may sound weird but if you think about it, it all makes sense - plot relevance, character development... only problem would be killing your gays if you squint, though Robin would be alive and ready for a new character arc next season, as a changed person. Sad, angry, possibly seeking revenge and seeking to assert herself as a threat after hiding and running her entire life. Robin's feelings are suddenly plot relevant now. I'm picking Eddie here (or rather, his role) because he's the most important one out if all the new S4 characters, and the one that spends time with the group the most. It's clean, minimalistic and practical.

Give Robin a love story with a pre-existing main character, i.e Nancy. As a ronance shipper, I maintain that pairing up Nancy and Robin would have been original and unexpected in the best way. I feel like I don't even need to explain why this would have been a good idea - tons of people already have. Mostly, I want to lament the impossibility of this option, which links directly to the point I'm trying to make.

Robin was never going to be paired with a main-main character, old or new, because queer relationships on-screen need to be pushed to the sides as to not interfere with or threaten the straight main characters. Nancy, as the main girl, was never going to get a romance with a girl. Vickie was never going to get the centrality that Eddie got. Straight relationships get to be taken seriously, even if they're writen stupidly, like whatever the fuck happened with stancy and jancy in S4. Queer relationships don't get to be more than silly forgettable subplots. Queer characters like Robin need to be inobtrusive. She could never fall in love with Nancy, even if one-sided-ly, because that would create a conflict straight audiences don't want to see.

And if a queer character DOES fall in love with a main straight character, like Will, it's all meant for pointless suffering. Not the kind of suffering that's vital for a character arc, or the kind that gives depth to a character. It's not a kind of suffering that leads them to change, to take any given decisions that they wouldn't otherwise have taken. It's not a suffering that could possibly interfere with the straight main couple's happiness. It's not a pain that causes conflict. Queer love and pain doesn't get to be part of the conflict in straight-dominated stories. So Robin can never fall in love with someone from the front-row sphere and Will suffers pointlessly, even though that pain has no real effect on him.

[literaila]

I need satoru and reader to actually confront some of their issues bro😭😭😭 I feel like they would after so long and them just pushing eachother away every time they get upset hurts. Like their relationship doesn’t feel serious 💀😭😭 they don’t have to confront everything all at once but I definitely think they would start communicating better and not just keep going in a loop. I love angst and hurt comfort but I need more comfort 😩

the thing about their relationship is that it is so unserious.

i mean, both of them have grown up in places where everything was overtly serious—reader had to grow up and learn how to take care of herself, and satoru has always had to be a grown up, the strongest.

so although i agree that they never really talk out their issues, necessarily (or at least not on screen)—they also don’t need to.

there’s a strong understanding between the two of them. and something a lot of people miss (or i don’t describe very well lol) is that reader needs someone like satoru—someone who doesn’t want to be serious, or talk about everything—and satoru needs someone like reader—someone to care, someone to keep him grounded.

and when they’re avoiding each other, it’s because there’s so much that both of them need to comprehend. and understanding someone like that can be very fulfilling, but also equally exhausting.

also! i must add that i really don’t write about a lot of every day things for them—because it’s not very… helpful in guiding plot purposes. but they fight a lot less than as seen. or there’s subtle corrections:

“satoru, if you keep leaving your disgusting mugs in the sink, i’m going to plunge all six of your eyes from out of your skull.”

“that’s impossible.”

a harsh glare and satoru holds his hands up in defense. “okay. no more mugs. how about bowls?”

“satoru—“

or in a more serious case:

“please stop telling megumi that he should be on the lookout for curses at school.”

“it’s a school,” satoru points out. “and megumi is basically a beacon of cursed energy.”

“that doesn’t mean he needs to worry about it every second of the day.”

“he needs to keep his guard up. it’s good practice.”

“he doesn’t need to do anything.”

satoru smiles. “sweetheart, do you want him to be hurt at school? in front of his classmates?”

“well…”

“he’s a strong kid, and he already knows about them. you can’t just expect him to forget because you’d rather him not care.”

you pout.

satoru kisses the top of your head. “he’s just going to go down to the nurses office and call one of us, just so we know.”

“fine. but i’m not dealing with it.”

“wow, you’re a real slacker, you know?”

readers biggest flaw is that she wants to deal with everything on her own, and she thinks that the world is naturally evil. she’s good at talking her feelings out—but sometimes feelings aren’t logical. they can’t be. and living with two children is definitely helping her realize that.

satoru’s biggest flaw is that he’s spent his whole life holding everyone at arms length. infinity is a huge clue to his character, and how he relates to others (it’s my favorite detail about him, can you tell??). but he has to let it go, release his limitless technique, so he can get close to reader and the kids.

they’re taking steps, albeit baby ones, but steps nonetheless.

(plus, with their relationships in the past, the moment something’s gone wrong, people leave. so they both have abandonment issues, and yes, it’s so much easier to avoid a conversation than risk losing the person you love most in the world).

it also feels important to note that parents (most of them, at least) can’t focus so much on themselves. and it plays a big role in struggling families and relationship problems. because having kids is a devotion, a huge responsibility, there’s less time for other things.

so really, i think they’re doing pretty good. i mean, if toji hadn’t died—or hadn’t existed—their relationship would be more developed, obviously. stronger. but for their circumstance, they’re two very strong and intelligent people.

and they love each other, so what else matters?

[ofstardustanddreaming]

never too much

oneshot summary: (the request) Throughout their first few weeks of being in a romantic relationship together, Nanami finds out that reader is still pretty shy and insecure of herself. She wants to hold his hand, hug him, kiss his cheeks, talk to him and rant about anything— his heart melts. Yet reader gets insecure, being told in the past that she was clingy and talkative, not wanting to make Nanami uncomfortable, she keeps it to herself instead of showing affection. Nanami makes the first moves of the mentioned gestures of affection, so she can feel comfortable around him, hopefully.

content warnings: heavy talk on insecurities, mention of shitty exes, and nanami being super comforting

fandom: jujutsu kaisen

character: kento nanami x reader

gender neutral reader

anon request

a.n. - oh anon, this tugged at my heartstrings. i always love fics like this, and i feel like nanami would be so sweet lol. i enjoyed writing it, i hope y'all enjoy reading it!

Two months is how long you have been dating Kento Nanami and every day has felt like a dream. He's the perfect boyfriend that you always dreamed of, feeling like you were in a fairytale. And today was no different really. Today marked the first weekend you'd be spending at his place, the first time either of you step in the direction of spending the night. He was the one to ask if you'd like too, and you of course have to jump on the chance.

You decide to plant yourself outside of his work with his favorite snack (and one you grabbed for yourself, obviously) from the bakery, knowing he was working some overtime and probably needed a little pick me up. You also figure seeing him after work could be a good surprise, you only hope he might want to see you after work. You had gotten out of work early, so it made sense to you, while you made the plan on the train, to be able to make a quick pitstop.

You look around anxiously for Nanami, hoping you hadn't missed him, or he had gotten out early as well. But you had nothing to fear as you see him walk out, his face brightening when he saw you, a soft smile gracing his features.

"Hey sweetheart, what a nice surprise seeing you here." He says to you, and his first plan of attack when seeing you was to shoulder the overnight bag you had brought with you to Jujutsu High, that contained what you needed for the weekend visit. It made your heart flutter when he so mindlessly did the most gentlemen of things. The next thing he did was with the opposite hand than that of the arm shouldering the bag, was to offer it to you as you both walk to his place. He doesn't live too far from Jujutsu High and it was a nice day outside. A perfect day for a walk, as he told you, making sure you knew that he doesn't live to far.

"Of course Ken, I hope you don't mind me stopping at your work so soon in our relationship. You also didn't have to grab my bag, but thank you for doing it. Oh! And before I forget, I got another surprise. I picked up some treats for us this weekend, some of our favorites." You tell him, cringing a little. You weren't sure if you had been talking too much, or jumping around in your statements. Previous relationships had always made some comment regarding your talking levels, always being roped in with being clingy. You glance over at Nanami, who is smiling down at you, eyes darting between your face and the route in front of you, making you relax a tiny bit.

"These treats sound lovely for this weekend. I also don't mind you stopping by at work, you always brighten my day. And in no way is it a problem for me to hold the bag for you." He says, noting your jumpiness around him still. He genuine about enjoying seeing you after work, even if the relationship was still relatively new. He could feel his heart blossom anytime he saw you, something he hasn't really felt with anyone else. He was hoping that he wasn't pushy at all with you though, concerned he would seem to forward and make you uncomfortable with any words or advances he has made.

He did notice that you weren't one to initiate any sort of first contact, not that he expected that at the initial part of the relationship, but he was a bit nervous if him grabbing your hand earlier seemed too forward. But he holds the observation inside, wanting to enjoy the weekend and not focus on something that could be nothing. Surely you'd say something if you were uncomfortable he truly hoped. (Although if he felt you were uncomfortable he'd sit you both down to talk about it.) But he figures you just didn't enjoy initiating contact first in such a new relationship, and besides, he loves initiating contact anyway.

"Any plans for the weekend?" You ask, changing the subject as the both of you come up to his house. He messes around with the lock, trying to find the right key, as he talks a lot about relaxing for the evening at least, leaving the rest of the weekend up to fate.

You're curious about his house, really soaking up the outside while he swings open the door. Two stories, plain looking outside. Knowing Nanami, he was a very minimalist person, and you were right in that guess. Inside the house, it was very minimalistic. As you walk through the entrance way and into the main area, you pause in the living area to really take it in while he takes your bag to the guest room.

He has a couple of hanging plants next to the long sliding doors. The light filtering through the blinds, his TV stand pushed up against the wall so it wasn't blinded by the sunlight. The couch placed in the nice sunlight of the window and a blanket hanging off it, and you could only imagine how warm it felt there. You're brought out of your thoughts when Nanami walks back into the kitchen, the sound of his footsteps causing you to sharply turn to him.

He's out of his work clothes and into more lounge wear, and it sparks you into moving into the guest room to do the same for yourself, shedding yourself from the workday. You come back out to see him making dinner, your eyebrows raising in shock.

"We could have ordered take out, you didn't have to go to the trouble of making anything." You say, grabbing his attention.

"I do enjoy cooking, you know. This is no trouble at all, really." He says, continuing his thought. "It's simple and easy, to kick off the evening."

You smile, relief at the thought it wasn't too much trouble. You sit at the table near the kitchen, still visible to each other and close enough to hear each other talk if you wanted too. It was kept minimal though as he was hyper-focused. He soon finishes the dinner though, as he promised a quick and easy make, bringing your plate over to you, and you continue what small conversation you had. And to your appreciation, it flowed. It isn't forced and awkward. This is the first time in a long string of awful exes that you've felt truly listened too by someone, without them wanting to get something in return for it.

He asks you questions, sincerity behind the tone, really listening to your answers. He looks you in your eyes as you respond, causing your face to warm up anytime he looks at you for longer than 10 seconds. You're starting to worry you're rambling too much.

"But yeah, I think that's the new idea I came up with would work, I'm just unsure how to bring it up. I'm sure they'd choose someone else's idea first though, I don't know if mine is the best." You catch yourself rambling, your breath hitching. "Sorry, not to hog the conversation. Has Gojo done anything to bother you lately?" And your eyes shift. What if he thought you were trying to find out about another man.

"Your idea is good, but that's the second time you've done that, you know. Stopping yourself from talking, that is." He says instead, and your eyes snap up to his. His eyes are ones of concern, and you aren't sure how to respond.

"Sorry. I don't notice I do it." You finally stammer out, and Nanami looks understanding.

"Hey, it's okay. Just a small observation. Sorry to put you on the spot, truly. Gojo was relatively fine today, but then again, I wasn't around him very often." Nanami continues, noting how nervous you were about the observation. He didn't mean to say it so bluntly and take you off guard, very willing to switch the topic for your sake.

You both finish up eating, where you both playfully fought over you helping with the dishes. You eventually won when you flicked some of the water in his face. (Although he didn't miss you you tense, worried you took it a step too far.) But he gently laughs at it, pulling you in close to stand next to him at the sink to wash and dry. The hand on the waist when he pulled you in made your body ghost shiver, and you hope he doesn't feel that. You swear he lets his hand linger though, for a second longer than necessary, sure that he might have felt your shiver anyway.

You fall into a peaceful silence while you wash and you so badly want to rest your head on his chest, but you refrain. As you finish up, you both head over to the couch to relax for the rest of the night. He brings over the snacks you bought as well, intending to eat them over whatever it is you both choose to do.

"Any ideas for a movie?" He asks, deciding to take a small lead. He sees how nervous you are in suggesting something new, as if he wouldn't want to do what you suggest, and he wants to help with that. He did notice in previous situations that you tend to get bashful at suggesting anything, opting to let him have the choice in what to do. He didn't want to always make the decision, always wanting to hear your input as well. At the very least here, he could start with nudge you into voicing what ideas you have about a movie.

"Something in the romantic genre?" You question, wanting to see if that's a good idea with him, and he nods. You're excited, previous relationships not really wanting much to do with romance, thinking it was one of your "tactics" to push them into doing more romantic activities. Nanami's considerations for what you want to do always took you by surprise, in a good way. He looks fine with the decision too, scrolling through the lists on the variety of streaming services. You both settle on a movie that sounds promising that neither of you have seen before.

You both lean back into the couch, and you nervously bite at your nails. You curl your legs under you as you glance over at Nanami, craving the touch of cuddling, unsure of how to ask for it without it being awkward. He's coming back from dimming the lights and closing the blinds as he sits next to you, and thankfully you don't have to worry about asking. He grabs the blanket off the couch as he also hits play on the movie. He wraps the blanket around the both of you, as the blanket was big enough to wrap around two people, and you couldn't be more happy at the invitation.

He pulls you into his chest and you feel warm as you bury yourself into his chest. His frame makes you feel secure as he strokes your arm and side. His heartbeat was soothing as you burrow into him. Your arms strengthen their grip on him as he pulls you even closer. You turn your focus to the movie, enjoying the warmth for a majority of it.

But the movie then pulls you out of the comforting trance right around the climax though, where the fight between the love characters are at a high. It reminds you of what used to be. The guy uses the woman's exes against her, saying that maybe they were right about her personality. Maybe that he should've listened to them and should have never went out with her.

What if Nanami finds about about your insecurities or clinginess, and decides to use it against you? Is your thought, and it causes you to stiffen. It's enough to get Nanami looking down at you with his brows furrowed in curiosity. He pauses the movie and you look up at him, worry at ruining movie night.

His heart hurts when he sees the gloss of tears in your eyes. He shifts you both around, the dim lighting allowing him to still see you clearly when he sits you to face him.

"Hey, it's okay. I know we've been going slow for two months, and we haven't known each other for very long, but you can talk to me." He speaks with a soft tone in his voice, eyes shifting around your face for any sudden changes in your demeanor.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." You whisper out at first, tears falling quick. He wipes them away, the pads of his fingers cool and welcome against your warming skin, letting you take your time.

"It just made me worry about previous exes talking to you. You would've found out eventually about my personality, but maybe they would've told you sooner and you would leave me sooner." You say, looking at him with your lip trembling a little. He senses your heightened anxiety, but he can't imagine what they'd have to say to him. Anything an ex had to say about you, he'd assume was a lie until you told him otherwise. He lets you collect your thoughts before you continue.

"I suppose it's better you hear it from me anyway. I'm too clingy. I'm too talkative. That's what they all said anyway when they broke up with me. It's the reason they did. And even though you might be the best relationship I've had where I was starting to not have to worry about that, it'll be the reason you break up with me too, eventually. Even though I'm trying to control myself and not be too touchy or talkative, it'll still be too much for you. One day I'll talk too much or want one to many kisses and it'll cause you to break up with me." You tell him, trying to easy your way out of his touch, worried that would even be too much for him.

You're full on sobbing now, standing up from the couch and pacing in front of him. He stands up next to you and pulls you by the wrist to try and stop you.

"That's why you primarily want me to initiate anything, huh. Darling, look at me." He wraps his other arm around your waist, the one on your wrist coming up to gently trace your face. "Hey, it's okay. I haven't minded initiating contact at all these past couple of months. I know I may not have touched you often, I can't imagine how hard that must have been for someone who loves touch. I just didn't want to cross your boundaries, I always wondered why you seemed hesitant to reach out to me or kiss me. I even wondered why you always seemed cautious with your words, as if I wouldn't give the chance to hear your beautiful words."

He sets you both down on the couch again, your breath still hitching, still also feeling bad about stopping the movie night. It's as if Nanami can sense that too, quick to get on more with his speech.

"I need you to know that they're all wrong. I want nothing more than for you to feel comfortable around me. I don't mind you touching me, I don't mind you talking to me about any and every thought you have. It's you being a regular human. And so what if you need a little more contact than what's considered a norm? That's what's normal to you, alright? I'd let you know if I need space, but that's so rare. I want you to feel comfortable enough that you don't hesitate to kiss me because that's just what you feel you need. Much like I'd pull you in for a hug because it's what I need. If anything, you should be telling me off if I'm not providing you the support you need. From now on, don't hold your breath and deny me the chance to hear your gorgeous voice. I can't imagine how starved you've been for contact you've been denying yourself and craving, and I can't believe I haven't been giving enough of that contact, especially since I've been catching on lately. How stupid I've been to not ask you outright." He cups his hands around your face and you sigh, leaning into his touch.

Your tears are stopping, he plants many kisses alongside your nose, forehead, anywhere on your face. He kisses you once, twice, three times on the lips, deepening the third one. You really lean into that one, hands balling the fabric of his shirt up. You start to let go, and he's quick to remind you that it's okay. As long as you feel comfortable to touch him.

"You may not be okay with it right away, and we'll have our boundary talks as situations arise, but I'm willing to stand with you side by side." He says, a finger tracing the outline of your face.

"Thank you Ken. I don't even know how to begin to thank you."

"You don't have too. It's what relationships are, it's about finding that middle ground." You bite your lip and threw caution to the wind for once in the relationship. You take charge and you slide your arms around his neck, pulling yourself as close as you could for the skinship, shaking in his embrace. He wraps his arms as tight as they could go without hurting you, burying his face in your neck. He maneuvers you both in the lying position on the couch, wrapping the blanket around you both, the movie you both had put on now long forgotten. As you both now take in the warm embrace, you're glad to have shared in the vulnerability. Even if it's a two month relationship, it was good to take a step forward in a new relationship, as you both drift to sleep.

[yutahoes]

Caramel

(Part Fourteen)

gif by @noyuta I can't find the gif I always include in the story so just saved it and uploaded it. I'm sorry.

characters: ex-stripper! company vice-president! Yuta x female! ex-wealthy! secretary! mom! Y/N genre: chaptered, smut, angst, fluff word count: 4.4k words

summary: Y/N has everything in her bitter life, not until she meets a sweet-looking stripper.

warnings: matured theme, ex-stripper au!, third person POV, cursing, mentions of killing but in exclamation only

taglist: @cherrymotodude @tenjyucat @justsomekpopstuff @ilhoonseyeballs @whyme11 @a-bts-world @amazinggraxia

a/n: Supposed to post this last Wednesday but the news broke and I'm just shocked, disappointed, and devastated. Had to edit a whole scene because I didn't want to write his name at all. Also had to remove a sensitive scene that is closely related to the issue. The next chapter will be the last one and I promise there won't be any plot twists.

Haechan was annoyed at Mark’s constant questions about his plan to get the two back together. He needed a window of opportunity to make his plan work. No, scratch that. Haechan doesn’t need a window, he just needs a small seep of light to make his plan work. 

A small crack that happened a week after he first met Kenshin. “Haechan, prepare for a lunch meeting.” 

The younger one coughed, “Hyung, I’m not really feeling well.” He sniffled which earned a confused look from the two older people in the room. “Can I skip the meeting today? Noona could come with you.” 

Yuta seemed to regard the suggestion by lightly glancing at the girl who was already standing up to check on Haechan. “Are you alright?” She asked in worry, walking to his table to check on him. When the younger sneezed, Yuta held Y/N’s waist in instinct to pull her away from the younger guy. Haechan wanted to smile, the skinship looked too natural. The older guy had to apologize quietly, removing his hands from her, but the girl shook her head even thanking him. “Do you want to go home?” 

“And leave the two of you alone?” Yuta gave him a pointed look. “I’ll be fine, noona. I just needed to rest a bit.” He coughed once again. “You should go prepare and assist Hyung in his meeting.” 

With a sigh, Yuta nodded. “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes.” 

Haechan had a smile on his face when his boss entered his office and the older woman went back to her desk to fix her things. They’re finally alone. Now he’ll have to wait and see where this could lead them. He should immediately tell Mark that his plan has now commenced.

Yuta was awkwardly sitting in the backseat of his car while Y/N was seated in the passenger seat, enthusiastically talking to the driver. He didn’t know what Haechan was planning but why would he decline a lunch meeting? Obviously, he’s not sick. That's a free meal and he doesn’t have anything to do but listen to the conversation on the table. What makes him more nervous is the fact that the planned meeting will happen in his favorite restaurant. 

The driver opened the door for him and Y/N came out of the car on her own. Is he even ready to show her inside? A lunch meeting with his female secretary isn’t even a problem - this is part of her job. But having lunch with the person you once loved in a restaurant where the owner surely knows your history together isn’t even normal. 

There was a familiar smile on the person by the reception which was replaced by a wide grin when the girl entered behind Yuta. “Oh my God, you two found each other!” Taeyong exclaimed, walking to where the two guests were then hugging Y/N. “I’m so happy to see you two together.” 

Yuta shook his head. “She’s my secretary.” 

Taeyong had to look at the man in surprise then at the girl who only nodded, “What happened to the chatty one?” Y/N only giggled, reasoning that Haechan was sick and couldn’t come with the vice president today. “And I thought you two were finally together,” he claimed once again, making Yuta hiss. He quickly sat on the spot by the window which had a reserved card above the table, Taeyong graciously pulled the chair for Y/N. “I’ll get the menu for you.” 

“Taeyong works here?” She asked but Yuta supplied that he owned the place. She exclaimed in awe. The interior of the restaurant is so warm, very different from the nightclub they once worked at. It was amazing. He did achieve a lot of nice things in life.   

Yuta was surprised that Taeyong pulled a chair to sit beside Y/N after he gave her the menu. The girl was quick to congratulate him on his restaurant. “When we got a huge money because of the closing of the club, I immediately opened this restaurant.” That was truly amazing, Y/N thought. She knew for a fact that it was her mom who bought the club. It was reflected in the money she took from the company when the investigation was taking place. She’s just glad that the money served a purpose and helped her friend’s life. 

“We also came to your wedding,” Taeyong shared making her stop. That was news to her. “But the guests were already leaving so we thought it was over. Jungwoo might have given us a different time.” Oh, she thought, that actually makes sense. And she thought they never came. 

The girl played with the napkin on the table before answering in a small voice, “I didn’t get married.” Taeyong stared at her in surprise. From the corner of her vision, she saw Yuta look her way as well. “Jaehyun stopped the wedding before it could happen.” 

What the hell? She didn’t get married and Jaehyun was the one who stopped the wedding? Yuta always thought that Jaehyun was perfect. He’s handsome, tall, and rich. Turns out, he might be crazy. How could you just let go of someone like Y/N?

Jaehyun must be stupid. That was the only idea running through Yuta’s mind while the president of Hikari Studios pitched his sale on how their games would help the Suzaki group grow. A conclusion came to him almost immediately, you cannot have everything in life. And he’s somewhat glad that Jaehyun didn’t get the girl. 

But what about their child? If they didn’t get married, then is Y/N the only one who takes care of their son? Is that why she’s working so hard? But surely, the multi-billionaire Jaehyun would have given her money to take care of the child if he could not take care of them. 

Or is it another man’s child? Did she fall in love with another man? 

Damn, that is more painful than the idea of her being married.

Yuta seemed out of it. Y/N doesn’t know why he agreed to the president’s idea when their company wouldn’t benefit much from the collaboration. There’s a much better way to advertise the Suzaki group without losing their profit. An idea Haechan could not understand even if Y/N kept explaining it to him. Of course, they’re just secretaries so they just adhere to their boss’ orders. And if he already agreed to the collaboration then it’s already final. 

Imagine her surprise being called into the vice president’s office because of her idea. She wanted to curse at Haechan but seeing Yuta listening intently at her made her think that he might need this. “You wanted to make a counteroffer?” He asked, staring at the file in front of him then glanced up at her from his eyeglasses. “How many days would you need to present this?” This is pretty easy. If there was one thing that she learned from her stepdad, that would be to make an effective counteroffer. She could make it immediately if she wants to. It’s just a presentation. What takes time would be her boss understanding the idea and presenting it on his own. “Can you make this in two days?” 

She nodded. “I’ll schedule a meeting with President Go of Hikari Studios.” He claimed that confused her. Two days? So she should finish it tomorrow for him to fully grasp the concept. “You’ll present it to him in two days.” 

“What?” Y/N asked in surprise. He wanted her to present it personally to the president? It’s his job, right? “I’m just a secretary. I can’t do this.” 

The corner of his lips turned up. “You’ve done this before, right?” This is just part of her work from before. She probably talked to a hundred company presidents and executives from way before. This is really easy. But Yuta had to consider that she didn’t hold any high-ranking position in his company. She is a secretary. “This is a well-thought-out presentation, Y/N. And if there’s someone I trust in making these decisions for the company, that would be you.” 

Wait. That is a heavy responsibility for just a measly secretary. “What if I mess this up?” 

Yuta stood up, removed his glasses then placed both his hands on the table that he was leaning close to her. “And what if it works out?” She visibly gulped. At the weight of his words or the close proximity, she wasn’t sure. “I trust you more than I trust myself in these company matters, Y/N. I know you’ll do great.” 

“How are you so sure about that?” The sentence came out before she could think about it. She isn’t doubting the vice president with his decisions, that’s the first thing you shouldn’t do as a secretary. But why her? Surely, there’s someone better than her. Haechan is better than her. Yuta is better than her. 

Yuta smiled. “Because it’s you, Y/N.” 

“Hyung,” Haechan came in the door that startled Yuta, making him sit down then stared at the file before him as if caught doing something illegal. “Am I disturbing something?” Y/N had to shake her head, excusing herself to leave. 

The first secretary placed another folder on the table before Yuta called both their attention. “Haechan, you have to take care of the Open House on your own. Y/N had some tasks she had to do.” The younger nodded. “Then grab an early lunch, you two.” 

“How about you, hyung?”

“President Suzaki invited me for lunch.” Both the secretaries just nodded. 

—-

“To be honest, noona, Open House is just a grand Suzaki clan gathering,” Haechan claimed while twirling his pasta. Y/N was apologetic because it seemed like Haechan would have more work because of this so-called Open House. Ever since Yuta had muttered the term and Haechan prepared the file for the event, Y/N had been curious. This is the first time she encountered just a thing. And if the whole company is preparing for this event, it must be a big deal. “It’s when all the president’s children come to the company.” 

“Children?” 

Haechan nodded, “Yuta hyung is the oldest then there’s like twenty other kids from different mothers.” Y/N gasped in disbelief. That is a huge exaggeration. “And every year, the number gets bigger.” 

So the rumors that Jaehyun said were true. The Suzaki president really is a womanizer but isn’t that too much? “The office will look like a huge children’s party, you should bring Kenshin.” The girl glared at Haechan. “It’s a large office and a lot of kids, I’m sure he wouldn’t notice your son.” 

“Besides, knowing about hyung would stop Kenshin from asking questions about his dad.” Y/N sighed.

The girl had been to countless meetings before. She had presented a million times before, it’s an everyday scenario when she was still the Chief Marketing Officer. An impossible feat now that she’s a secretary. A sigh of relief was all she could give when Haechan entered the conference room, cheering her on. To be fair, he came to the company before her and he should be given this opportunity first. She thought he would dislike her for that chance. But Haechan was thankful because he claimed he wouldn’t have the confidence to do any of these. Which is something that is hard to believe. 

Even before the scheduled time of meeting with the president of another company, Y/N had been asking the vice president if she really could do it. This would be huge if this pulls through. Working with Hikari Studios would boost the Suzaki company’s stocks and might evidently put them on the global market. Definitely, a huge responsibility lies on her shoulders now. 

With a heavy breath, she stared at both the President of Suzaki company and Hikari Studios who looked stern then at the vice president who was staring at her with a slight smile on his face. He believes in her. He knew she’d do great. 

She couldn’t blow this up. She needed to do her best. She cannot disappoint Yuta.  

Y/N is very charming. This was the first time Yuta had watched her in her craft and he couldn’t help but be amazed at her charm. Now he knows how she could attract those stakeholders to invest in the Kims. How every chairman wants Y/N in their company, even their family. His father, who was seated opposite him at the long table, was all smiles as he stared at the girl presenting the offer they had for the other company. What is with this fondness? She isn’t married and being a single mom hasn’t stopped his dad from adding another child to his growing list of children. She should protect her from him. 

Surely his dad might have known something. It’s impossible that he had hired her without any background checks, he should have known that she was the girl he had cried about for years. He probably knows something, right? But is his own father that evil to steal away the girl he badly yearned for all these years? Yuta isn’t too close to him to know exactly that. Just to be sure, he had to save her from him. But how? Should he marry her? 

Yuta watched as the girl made her last statement then smiled as she thanked the people who listened to her. She is very charming, very pretty. How can someone not fall in love with her? He’d kill to have her in his life, even his arms. Marrying her wasn’t a bad thought.  

It was a successful presentation, an agreement between two companies that would benefit them both. The president was so proud of Y/N that he was supposed to hug her but Yuta walked between the two. “She’s my employee, I’ll compensate for her hard work.” He claimed making Haechan laugh. 

Y/N was more nervous standing in front of Yuta in his office. She knew she did a great job, both presidents complimented her for the amazing presentation. So why is she suddenly called in her boss’ office? Yuta was signing the papers to be submitted to the other company as she watched, fingers drumming along her thigh in nervousness. “Are you going home early?” Yuta asked in a soft voice. Y/N had nothing left to do in the office. She just wanted to go home and have dinner with her son. But why would he ask that? “There’s a newly opened Michelin-starred seafood restaurant nearby. You like seafood right?” He asked in one breath, not even looking at her. 

“I don’t eat seafood.” Yuta stopped signing the paper, obviously startled. What? She loves seafood. “Can I just leave early tonight, sir? I’ll come in early tomorrow for the Open House.” Can’t they just have a decent dinner together? Does she hate him that much? 

Yuta nodded, handing her the folder that had the signed forms for the collaboration. “The party will begin at eight am tomorrow,” he reminded. “You should also bring your son along.” Y/N’s eyes were wide. Wait, how did he know that she has a son? “Haechan told me about him.” Y/N only nodded. 

—-- 

“Should I kill Haechan?” The girl asked making Mark giggle. Y/N even stabbed the grilled squid with a fork. “I shouldn’t have introduced Kenshin to him,” She claimed then bit the squid. “It’s not too late to tell Ken that he cannot come to the office tomorrow, right?”  

“After you asked him to sleep early?” Mark asked while shaking his head. The only reason she asked him to sleep early was because she wanted to eat seafood all of a sudden. While heading home, she tried to search for the new seafood restaurant her boss mentioned and craved the lobster from the homepage. Why is her son allergic to seafood when she loves it so much? “He’s already excited for the bouncy house.” 

Before Yuta mentioned her son, Haechan had made it a point to invite both Mark and Ken to the Open House. Y/N didn’t even know that her son could get enticed by a simple bouncy house. “Maybe Haechan doesn’t want any harm. It’s not bad though, Kenshin knowing about his dad would lessen his questions.” And she doesn’t know that Haechan and Mark are close. They almost have the same idea about this. 

She squinted her eyes at him, “Are you planning this with Haechan?” 

The younger guy giggled, “You know my money is on you and Jaehyun hyung ending up together, right?” The girl pouted. Jaehyun. Maybe Jahyun could help. Pretend that he’s Kenshin’s dad perhaps? But that would be very impossible. It only takes one look to know who Kenshin’s dad is and obviously, it isn’t Jung Jaehyun. “Noona, it’s a huge company building with a lot of kids. I’m sure your boss wouldn’t notice Ken.” 

Y/N sighed. There’s nothing she could do now. But nothing could go wrong, right? 

Yuta hated this event the most. All these kids running around the office building just because his father cannot calm his testosterone. The mothers of his siblings were either flirting with him or telling him to get married which annoyed the hell out of him. He blew the smoke of the cigarette, rolling his eyes at the thought. Marriage? That was a funny thing to say. How could he even get married when the girl he wants is in the building with her child? A son? Does he look like her? Maybe Jaehyun? Or maybe that other man who got her pregnant. 

With a final swig of the cigarette, Yuta smiled. If he wanted to see what her son looked like, he shouldn’t be hiding here.  

“Mommy said cigarettes are bad.” A young kid claimed that startled Yuta. The boy was wearing a Pororo T-shirt while pushing his eyeglasses up. A new face, this is the first time Yuta saw this kid. But there’s no doubt that this kid is one of his father’s sons. Those doe-like boba eyes. “You are so tall, uncle.” Uncle? “Can you carry me on your back?” Yuta stared at him, eyebrow raised. Who is his mom? Is it someone he knew? How old is he? Four? Five? “I just wanted to see if the air is different up there.” The guy had to laugh at that. 

Well, there is surely one way to know if he truly is a Suzaki kid. “Why don’t you ask your dad to do that?” 

The young boy pouted making Yuta smile. He’s cute. “I don’t have a dad.” Yes, he’s definitely a Suzaki kid. 

Compared to his other siblings, this kid is very talkative. All his siblings would either be too scared or embarrassed to talk to him. What makes him so endearing is how excited he got when he sat on Yuta’s shoulder. His giggles are so infectious that Yuta guessed he might have grown up in a loving environment.   

He was walking to the hallways of his office when he bumped into Haechan next to another guy who was wearing glasses. “Mark hyung,” the kid called. “Haechannie.” 

Wait, he knows Haechan? Both guys were looking at him in surprise. “Do you know him, Haechan?” Yuta asked. “Is he your brother?” 

The guy shook his head before another figure turned the corner. Y/N was holding a Pororo bag, about to talk to Haechan when she stopped in her tracks. “Mommy!” the kid called. “Look, I’m super tall now. The air here is very different.” 

“Mommy?” Yuta asked. His ears aren’t tricking him, right? But Y/N walked to where he was, asking the young boy to come down. She was so close to him as she carried the young boy but he remained frozen in his place. “Mommy?” Yuta repeated.    

The girl held the young boy’s hand. “This is my son, Kenshin.” She introduced then faced the younger boy, “That is my boss. Say hi to him, Ken.” 

The young boy was mirroring the same expression as Yuta, confused. “You said your boss is mean and scary.” Haechan snickered, taking Ken’s free hand and the Pororo bag. “Let’s go to the bouncy house.” 

Before Y/N could say something, Mark and Haechan were walking away holding both Kenshin’s hands. How could they meet like that? This is a huge office building with lots of kids. What are the odds that Yuta was carrying Kenshin on his shoulders? He probably knows, right? “That was your son?” She had to glance at Yuta in surprise. Wait, he doesn’t know? 

Yuta brushed his hair up. This is mind-boggling. That kid, with the infectious giggle, is his son. But he clearly has his father’s eyes. Is Y/N one of his father’s countless women? But how? It can’t be possible. But then again, those eyes. Traits that his siblings have, traits that they all got from his father. A sure sign that someone is a Suzaki. 

Then it hit. He also has the same eyes. He’s the oldest Suzaki child after all. And judging from his age. A gasp escaped Yuta’s lips. “He’s my son, isn’t he?” Y/N didn’t need to confirm his thoughts. Everything is clicking into place. “Fuck, Y/N, why didn’t you tell me?” His voice became louder and she visibly flinched. Some of the workers and guests walking in the hallway were looking at them. 

Yuta had no choice but to hold her hand and drag her to his office, closing the door behind him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I thought you knew,” she reasoned out, making him puzzled. “You said Haechan told you.” 

The guy had to clench his fist in anger. “Haechan knows?” She nodded, “Lee Haechan, that kid. I’m going to kill that brat.” He breathed heavily before looking at her once again. “He only said you have a son, I didn’t know he was mine.” Even those words seemed very weird to say out loud for Yuta. “Why didn’t you just tell me the first time? You could have just walked to my office and told me, ‘Yuta, I have your son.’.” 

“And would you even believe me?” 

“God damn, Y/N!” he shouted and she stepped back in fright. “Even if you tell me right now that you have three eyes, I would blindly believe you.” He lightly punched his table. “You just have no idea how crazy I am for you, huh?” Yuta breathed hard. He cannot be mad right now. He needed answers. “Since when have you found out that you were pregnant?” 

The girl was fiddling her thumbs in nervousness. “I confirmed it a day before the wedding with Jaehyun.” 

“Is that why he didn’t marry you?” 

She shrugged. “I didn’t tell anyone.” Her voice was so soft that Yuta had to focus just to hear her words. “Jaehyun met him in Canada when he was already three.”

“And you were alone the whole time?” 

“The couple who took me in when I was in Canada helped me.” She shared, head bent down. “They were supposed to adopt Kenshin when I gave birth to him.” What? At this point, Yuta wanted to get mad. She’s just going to give her child to other people? Their child? “I don’t want to be a mom. I’m scared to be a mom. I don’t want to be like her.” Y/N’s knees gave out and she plopped to the ground. “But he smiled at me and when I hushed him, I was reminded of you.” Yuta glanced at her and that’s when he noticed the tears falling from her eyes. “I cannot give him up. Kenshin only has me.”

Yuta kneeled down so that they were at eye level with each other. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

“I tried looking for you. I even thought she did something bad to you.” Her voice was hushed in between choking sobs. “I’m so glad to see you again. Alive and well. Better than me, in fact.”

The guy sat cross-legged in front of her, wiping the tears on her cheek. “Then why didn’t you tell me anything?” 

“I don’t want you to think I’m after your money, Yuta.”

He smiled. Yuta held her hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of her palm. This is all just a misunderstanding. He could have saved some tears. She could be in his arms right now. “We should have talked like this before.” 

“You hated me.” 

“Because I thought you married Jaehyun,” She was about to revolt when he continued, “I only found out about it when we saw Taeyong.” Once again, he smiled. “I also found out that you have a son and I was mad that you got to move on with your life when I was in shambles because of you.” Yuta breathed hard, laughing to himself at how absurd everything was. God damn, all this time it’s just a miscommunication. “The only reason I opened this company was to show Jaehyun that I can be better than him. Then maybe, just maybe, I can take you back.”     

His hand brushed against hers, threading their fingers together. “What should we do now?” She asked innocently, looking at their hands. 

The guy had to pull her closer, his free hand holding her chin to make her look at him. “If you’ll let me, I want to make up for the lost time with Kenshin.” His voice had a soft, hushed tone. “I’m also scared to be a father but you have been an amazing mom so I don’t want to disappoint you. I’ll try my best to be worthy of Kenshin.” 

Y/N’s tears welled in her eyes. When she was just imagining the scenario of Yuta finding out about his son, this wasn’t what she had in mind. She thought he'd get mad. She hid these from him for years. But here he is, whispering apologies for coming too late. “So can you please introduce me to Kenshin as his dad and not your scary, mean boss?” The girl had to laugh, nodding. 

Yuta had to help her stand up, hands still interlocked with each other. “Y/N,” he called which made her look at his face. He smiled warmly, she’s really here with him. “Can I hug you?” The girl nodded before he removed his hold on her, wrapping her in his arms. She’s finally in his arms. “I missed you.” He then pulled her closer, not wanting to let her go. “God, I missed you so much.” 

The tears fell from Y/N’s eyes. Yuta’s warmth that she had been yearning all along. His sweet scent that she had missed all this time. “I miss you too, Yuta.”