#i don’t even really ship them like that this dynamic is just too good

[ike-mcswains-mortician]

is this scermie. scene partners. gotham. what the fuck did we decide their ship name was?? anyway is this anything

[source]

[automatic-midnight]

My biased, really unpopular take is that I think rit/su/maya is an objectively boring ship.

[yamujiburo]

Why I Love Hanamusa

I get this question very frequently but have never given a really in depth, definitive answer. All just kinda implied through my comics and spread out asks. So here's this I guess! Long post ahead:

First, as a Pokémon fan in her mid 20s, I love seeing a ship where the characters are both in their mid/late 20s. Already, they’re much more relatable to me and my current experiences. Most Pokémon ships are between preteens, which can be cute but ultimately don’t interest me as much as they used to when I was a kid myself. Not enough to get super invested in and draw a lot of fanart for anyways haha.

I’ll also start by saying that canon doesn’t always influence whether or not I’ll ship something. I’m much more drawn to potential. Could the characters work together? Do their personalities work together in a nice way? I feel like this so much of fanon is anyways. Especially with queer relationships because they’re rarely depicted in the first place. A lot of the context for these ships is usually up to the fans to piece together or make up in general. And that’s the fun part to me!

Jessie and Delia have only met in the anime a handful of times. Any interaction they’ve had has either been pleasant, or just a typical Team Rocket interaction, with Delia dismissing them/not seeing them as a threat. Already a great jumping off point for me since, truly, they don’t have any actual beef or true, ill feelings towards each other. It’s not TOO out of the realm of possibility for them to potentially fall for each other. “But Jessie chased Delia’s son around trying to steal his Pokémon!” That’s where that dismissive and aloof attitude that Delia has comes into play. I’ll go more into Delia’s whole deal a bit later but I do think this aspect of her personality is a large reason why this ship can work. It’s not that she doesn’t care that Jessie has a bad past, but she can tell that, on the inside, Jessie’s a good person. And, in a scenario where Jessie is trying to become a better person, is forgiving enough to give her a shot. I feel like this is such a solid foundation for a ship. A character who has done wrong but is trying to be better and another character who is willing to help them be better. A classic dynamic!

It’s not just one-sided though; where Jessie is the only one benefitting and learning from the relationship. I believe Delia could get a lot out of being with someone like Jessie. To understand why, I think it’s important to know these characters’ respective backstories.

Jessie is an orphan/foster child who grew up in poverty. Her mother Miyamoto (from The Birth of Mewtwo) was a Team Rocket operative herself, who went on a mission to find Mew. In order to do this, she had to leave Jessie when she was just a toddler. Unfortunately, Miyamoto went MIA on her mission leaving Jessie to more or less fend for herself. Jessie went through life with zero stability, evident by her MANY different careers and constant moving around. It’s implied in the show that she went from foster home to foster home, and later in life tried being an idol, weather girl, florist, wine connoisseur, actress, most notably a nurse and finally a Team Rocket field agent. And even while in Team Rocket, she, James and Meowth were always doing odd jobs to get by. We see that Jessie used to be a sweet kid, and even adult, but the world and her circumstances repeatedly did her dirty, leading her to become the character we know today. Hot tempered, mean, selfish, etc. But despite this, her soft side does still shine through for the people and Pokémon she cares about. She is incredibly loyal.

Delia, unbeknownst to a lot of fans, also had a rough past (see Pocket Monsters: The Animation). Like Jessie, she had a lot of dreams and aspirations like wanting to be a model and even a trainer. But when she was 10, her mother didn’t let her, telling her that she had to stay home and learn to run the family restaurant (she’s an only child). Delia’s father left her and her mother to be a trainer, and never returned. When she was 18, she married Ash’s father and became pregnant shortly after. But right after Ash was born, he also set off to be a Pokémon trainer. And soon after that, her mother passed away, leaving Delia with just the restaurant and baby Ash. This gives so much context to Delia’s attitude in the show. We see that Delia is pained whenever Ash leaves on a journey, but she never shows that pain to anyone. ESPECIALLY Ash. She’s very quick to shoo him off when he shows any sign of wanting to go on another journey and even when he returns home, she acts more excited to see Pikachu than him almost every time. Without all this backstory, it’s easy to just read this as a funny gag, BUT with context, I think it really shows how quickly Delia shuts down and detaches in order to not confront her own feelings. She’s afraid of losing people and getting hurt again.

All that said, I think Jessie and Delia provide each other with EXACTLY what the other needs. 

Aside from becoming rich and famous, Jessie’s biggest aspiration is to get married. In my opinion, this is more so an underlying want for love and stability. There is no one more stable in the show than Delia. Delia’s lived in Pallet her whole life, she’s worked at the same restaurant since she was young and she is always there when Ash comes back home. She has all the love, patience and stability Jessie needs and craves. While forgiving, Delia’s not stupid and can keep Jessie in check. Delia’s also just an angel, which I feel, would make Jessie want to be better. And on top of all this, on more of a surface level, Delia’s a chef and excellent cook. She shows love through cooking and Jessie, who grew up poor, regularly starving and eating snow, happily receives that love. Jessie’s able to live a happy and healthy life with someone like Delia.

Delia, as stated, is very stable. Likely pretty monotonous and solitary, especially living in such a small town like Pallet. This isn’t a bad thing but it’s a little sad when you consider that Delia also had dreams of traveling, being a model and a trainer. She had to give up so many dreams in order to fulfill her duties as a restaurant owner and mother. And even now, when Ash is off on his journey, she feels the need to always be home and be that stable pillar, leaving behind any ambitions she had, thinking it’s too late for her (she’s only 29 btw). But then along comes Jessie, dangerous, passionate, an absolute firecracker. Someone who’s whole life has been about chasing dreams and either, never giving up on them or finding a new dream to chase. Upon learning about Delia’s past aspirations, I could see Jessie pushing her towards them, letting her know that life’s too short and she has nothing to lose from trying. On top of this, Jessie’s also loyal. She, James and Meowth are depicted as doing anything for anyone who gives them food or shows them kindness. Delia does both so there’s no way Jessie would leave her. This fulfills an essential need for Delia, who is afraid of the people in her life leaving her.

There’s so much potential for mutual growth and learning between these two and I adore that. They compliment each other, they help each other and they bring out the best qualities in one another.

I’m not really sure how to end this and I could truly talk about them even more but I don’t want this to be tooooo long haha. OH I could end it with maybe the most funny aspect of this ship that I've brushed over and also what drew me to it in the first place. Jessie. As Ash’s stepmom. THE END.

[ironunderstands]

Yapping about why I love Aventio and what I feel makes it a great ship 

(If you hate it I urge you to read this, because you don’t have to agree with me, but I want you to get where Aventio shippers are coming from at least)

I’ve just really wanted to talk about why I love Aventio because the people do not get it like I do and GODDD ITS SO GOOD WHEN DONE CORRECTLY UGHHHHH

Also this is gonna be VERY stream of consciousness I do not have a plan besides dragging you through my brain so enjoy the ride.

I guess the best place to start is the fact that Aventurine and Ratio are my two favorite characters in the game. Like even if they have no interactions with each other ever and might as well be from different pieces of media I would ship them, because I like seeing characters I like interact and the fun police cannot catch me. That’s a really shallow personal reason though and I feel like the rest I have will be able to be appreciated by others.

GOD THE DYNAMIC IS SO GOOD RAAAAAA

Two emotional constipated dumbasses circling around each other like black holes trying desperately to deny and run from their feelings when they have both fallen hard. The lack of acknowledgement of feelings on both ends is TRAGIC and it makes me want to rip my eyes out in a good way, let’s start with Ratio.

Unfortunately my glorious king Ratio has been mischaracterized to hell and back but we will get to that (and the Incorrect Reasons Why People Hate Aventio) later. Instead I will go over his actual character; a deeply insecure, intelligent man who desperately wants the rest of the galaxy to come to the realizations he has long since stumbled upon, but has been so isolated from his peers from such a young age that he’s doomed to fail in literally every social interaction he has and be misunderstood by both the audience in universe and irl (the autistic coding isn’t helping him either).

Ratio is tragically misunderstood again, both in universe and by the audience, which is why it means so much that Aventurine Gets Him. Aventurine pushes his buttons, tears down that literal cold marble facade masking the deeply silly and caring man beneath (this man bathes with rubber duckies in the privacy of his own home 😭), and that scares the shit out of Ratio. People aren’t meant to see through him, Ratio acts rude not just because he believes it’s the best way to help people, and because he believes he himself is mundane and the conclusions they come to should be their own, not his.

No, it’s also because on some level Ratio is afraid to be vulnerable around people. As much as he pretends like it doesn’t affect him, Nous’s rejection has hurt and haunted Ratio for his entire life. And I do mean his entire life, even in high school he had already set up a strict routine for himself, something commented on by his teacher, Ratio has quite literally always been striving for some sort of perfection and the fact that he cannot achieve it kills him.

Moreover, the guy just grew up way too fast, he didn’t have time to develop social skills. We see it in that afformentioned relationship with his teacher, in which they recommend Ratio (who is again in high school) to be moved up to college level stuff and transferred due to his success. He has quite literally never been able to just relax in a environment of his peers, Ratio for some reason we don’t yet know has always been dedicated to constant improvement and that leaves no room for dealing with failure.

On some level, he knows this too, that he can never be perfect. Ratio is part of the Mundanites in the Intelligenica Guild for a reason, he doesn’t just see himself as mediocre because he believes everyone is and that’s ok, but also because he looks down on himself for being too mediocre for the Genius Society, being too mediocre for Nous’s acknowledgement, being too mediocre for anything.

Which is tragic because Ratio is very accomplished and he is very smart, and his character stories aren’t even told from his pov, but rather in the style of documentaries and letters (his professor) and other works on his well acclaimed life. We don’t ever get to see how Ratio really sees himself, just the tiny cracks in his marble facade that let the real man behind the character shine through.

Because that’s what he’s playing 90% of the time, a character. Whether it be at the Herta Space Station in which his real goal was to uproot the researchers blind worship of the Genius Society, or in Penacony in which he plays up the arrogant, narcissistic scholar both people in universe and irl make him out to be, both to serve a goal bigger than himself. 

Sincere moments from Ratio are RARE but god are they beautiful, his conversation from Screwllum in 1.6 and his note to Aventurine in 2.1 will forever haunt me in the best way possible. If you want to understand Ratio as a character, yes read his character stories, but just watch that damn scene with Screwllum it is phenomenal. He cares so much and is so, so bad at expressing it, he drives me nuts, Veritas Ratio the man you are. 

And the thing is, it seems like he’s always been playing a character and doesn’t know where the real him ends anymore so he just sticks to the way people perceive him a lot of the time. Like as a kid he was constantly striving to be the best so he missed a lot of necessary developmental shit, and as an adult he’s a celebrity so it’s hard for him to attach himself to others anyways because society and his students will hound him for it.

And then you throw Aventurine into the mix, and oh boy does shit get interesting.

Veritas Ratio, perfect “unfeeling” Veritas Ratio and the one person who gets him well enough to push all his buttons and expose the vulnerable underbelly he thought he hid so well. On a fundamental level, Ratio understands this, which is why he doesn’t bother with the alabaster head, as pretending the real him is just as unfeeling and uncaring is easier.

So he brushes off Aventurine’s jests as if they are an insult to his very existence, he can’t look in Aventurine’s eyes when he “betrays” him because his poker face would break, he leaves as soon as he’s done talking because lingering would allow the weight of their conversations to sink in. Part of it is because for pretty much all of Penacony, up until the note Ratio gives him, Ratio is acting, trying to play up the role of the arrogant, unfeeling scholar to make Sunday buy the betrayal plan, because to Sunday this behavior is signs of a bad relationship between the two (honestly the fact that the audience also interpreted it this way makes me mad like did yall seriously not pay attention, but also happy because if even the players were fooled that means Sunday buying it is believable). 

However, even if it feeds into his insecurities, Aventurine knows that false facade and loves tearing it down. It’s very telling that the second time we see Ratio really freak out (the first being at Herta Space Station) is at the suggestion that he came to narrate Aventurine’s demo not because of knowledge or respect for the show or whatever, but because he genuinely likes the guy. What makes it even better is that Aventurine is the one who suggested it, and already figured out the excuses Ratio was going to use to deny it. Ratio can fool everyone else in the galaxy, but he cannot fool Aventurine, and on a fundamental level that is what makes their dynamic work, because Ratio knows Aventurine in the exact same way.

Aventurine can shove away people who care about him, out of distrust and fear that they will leave him like his family did. He can believe he’s unloveable and a person so detestable that even the actions he performs in order to stay alive condemn him to hate himself as much as the rest of the galaxy hates him. But, Ratio doesn’t see him that way.

Aventurine doubts his intelligence, if he has really earned anything he’s done and in his voiceline about Ratio, doubting if Ratio even sees him as smart or worthy. However, Ratios voiceline about Aventurine is about how he believes Aventurine is smart and worthy, and that his doubt will be his downfall if he doesn’t come to the realization that he isn’t worthless. 

Ratio knows Aventurine’s one weakness, the one thing that could stop him; himself. That’s why he gives him the note urging him to stay alive and keep on living because ultimately Aventurine will only ever fail if he gives up. And The Note Is Enough, Aventurine walks into the event horizon of a black hole, confident he can return alive on the other side because someone cares about him, BECAUSE RATIO CARES ABOUT HIM, and wants him to live on even if Aventurine doesn’t feel that way towards himself.

In the metaphorical and literal manifestation of the meaningless of the universe, in the face of overwhelming nihility, Aventurine survives because someone loves him, and with that love he’s strong enough to brave even that. 

Even if they can’t admit it out loud, these two deeply, deeply care for one another and trust each other perhaps more than anyone else in the narrative. The betrayal plan would have never worked if there was not mutual trust, Ratio wouldn’t have gone to Penacony in the first place if he didn’t trust Aventurine, and Aventurine wouldn’t have asked him to come if he did not trust him. We don’t just see this trust between Aventurine and Ratio either, and Jade and Topaz both trust him with their cornerstones, but ultimately it’s Ratio who’s physically with him the whole time, risking his life alongside him for the sake of their plan. 

As much as people like to ignore it, lying to the Family members, to Sunday, is extremely dangerous and puts Ratio’s life in danger as much as it does Aventurine’s. Ratio is not an irrational person, he wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t have faith Aventurine would succeed, he would not have done if he didn’t think he would return. They have absolutely faith in one another and it’s beautiful. 

Aventurine’s first constellation is named “Prisoner’s Dilemma” for a reason. A social experiment in which two prisoners are captured and separated, if they sell the other one out and remain silent, they go free but the other remains in jail for 20 years. If they both sell each other out, they get a sentence of 5 years. 

But if they both remain silent, trust the other, they even if they physically can’t communicate and don’t know what the other says, they get the best possible outcome, only one year in jail each. It requires a sacrifice on both ends, they both still have to go to jail, but only for a year, and only if they trust each other completely, as if the other sells them out they will be in jail for 20.

The prisoners dilemma relies completely on trust, and it’s the exact situation Aventurine and Ratio face in the Penacony quests. Aventurines doubts if Ratio’s betrayal was real or not, even if he set it up himself, and Ratio worries about Aventurines survival, if continuing this plan will end well. “You can’t expect a featherless bird to take flight” isn’t just Ratio chastising Sunday, he’s genuinely worried that this plan will put Aventurine at too much of a disadvantage to continue on. 

But they both trust each other, and if just like in the Dilemma neither come out completely unscathed (although it’s much worse on Aventurine’s end), they ultimately achieve their goal. 

God is it sweet and corny in the best way possible 

I want to kill this fandoms perception of stoic, emotionless Ratio because once people realize he’s actually the corniest mf ever is the day I sleep easy. He makes statues of himself doing Jojo poses, he plays chess versus himself, he named himself Veritas (truth), he loves rubber duckies, he literally sits in a bathtub couch, and Aventurine breaths and he gets flustered.

Ratio so deeply silly, chronically corny, it’s a crime he needs to be locked up someone stop him. 

And Aven brings that out of him. His teasing reveals the goofball trying so desperately to disguise himself as a serious scholar. Ratio is very smart of course, but that only makes his silliness better, as you watch this absolute genius of a man behave like a tsundere schoolgirl. 

It’s not like Aventurine is some paragon of seriousness either, he’s the one teasing Ratio, fucking around even in a serious mission. Yeah it’s partly because he wants Sunday to think he’s incompetent, but it’s also because Aventurine genuinely is having fun, enjoying himself before the serious part of the plan kicks in, and the meantime he does that by messing with Ratio.

Their dynamic of Aventurine messing with Ratio, and Ratio trying desperately to pretend like it doesn’t affect him is as hilarious and heartwarming as it is tragic, and that dichotomy is why I love them so much. It’s fun and it hurts so so much because their interactions being this flavor of silly leaves almost no room for the sincerity they both desperately need from one another. 

AND GOD I NEED IT TO HAPPEN. RATIO MENTAL BREAKDOWN SCENE PLEAASEEE LET HIS WALLS CRUMBLE PLEEEEAASEE PLEASE PELADE PLEASEEEE EPLES DOLS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 

They’ve gotten closer and closer and closer and soon something’s gonna snap because they are so close yet so distant and if something doesn’t change the tension is just gonna boil over AND I NEED IT TO HAPPEN. I need more Ratio scenes I need more interactions with him I need him with his guard down I need him to profess out loud that he cares about Aventurine I need him to break please he needs it, it would be so good for him. It doesn’t even have to be from Aventurine, just Ratio snapping and revealing the fucking mess he is under his facade and not being rejected by the people he cares about for it is enough.

I honestly doubt it will happen in the story though, as much as I want it to. Although Aventurine’s character demo somewhat changed my mind against this, I feel like hoyo is like “ok they get the vibe between these two we can move on” and the shippers are left to extrapolate how this relationship would go beyond what it is now. As much as I want a breakdown scene for Ratio in general, it probably wouldn’t happen in a while but devs if you are reading this PLEASEEEE. 

The only time Ratio ever gets slightly out of his element is with Aventurine but I need it to go further because god it would be interesting.

Well I’ve deemed that enough yapping about why I love Aventio (for now 😈) so let’s talk about why people hate the ship and why most of the reasons behind it a fucking stupid. (Massive disclaimer of course you can dislike it it’s just a lot of the “oh it’s a horrible ship and anyone who likes it sucks” shit isn’t grounded in reality in the slightest and I’m tired of the slander)

“Ratio was racist to Aventurine”

Now this is a spicy one because if this post was made in 2.0 I would 100% agree with you (during that time I shipped a non canon version of them in which that did not happen because how dare u do my boy like that hoyo). However 2.1 changed a lot and I mean a lot, and basically reframed the 2.0 quests for everyone.

Essentially, Ratio and Aventurine were both acting in that argument scene, making the things Ratio said to Aventurine not how he really sees him, and actively something Aventurine wanted him to say, so you cannot blame him for what he said. I’m not even joking or exaggerating, retrospectively it quite literally does not make sense if you view it in any other way, and honestly even with just the knowledge of 2.0 the scene doesn’t make sense if played straight, so let’s get to why.

a) Ratio and Racism do not mix fundamentally. Ratio is a person who believes that everyone deserves and education regardless of background, that it is a scholars duty to help others achieve that, and no matter who you are, you are capable of intelligence, learning and becoming the best version of yourself, and that those qualities are just limited to geniuses.

THIS AND RACISM DO NOT MIX. “Oh yeah education and improvement is possible for everyone except this specific group of people for some fucking reason!!” Like not only would this scene being serious contradict Ratios entire character, the man who believes people should not be judged for their educational background judging Aventurine for his educational background (that’s actually what the Sigonian upbringing line meant, it was mistranslated in the EN version)??!?!! Make it make sense.

Moreover, half this perception also come from the fact that hoyo made the incredible writing decision of naming Aventurines planet after a slur for Romani people, so unfortunately literally anytime its name, Sigonia, is brought up you’re essentially saying a slur. It’s much worse in the CN version, in EN it’s not obvious at all, because our version of the slur (it starts with a g and ends with a y that’s all the hints you’re getting), doesn’t look like the version of the slur that the name for Sigonia was derived from, which is partly the source of this misconception as I’m pretty certain most people assumed Ratio (and by extension Sparkle) said a slur elsewhere in the conversation when in reality them referring to Avens ethnicity/background/planet IS the slur.

Anyways terrible writing decisions aside, Ratio supposedly being racist doesn’t just contradict his core motivation, it contradicts his job. He’s a scholar, for fucks sake, and racism is inherently illogical. Mmm yes I’m gonna base my identity around finding truth for myself and I will believe government and social propaganda about specific groups of people! Very logical, very scholarly, we all clapped. 

So yeah, doesn’t make sense on a character level, to the point that in 2.0 I concluded that they must be using Ratio as a plot device in that scene to deliver some of Aven’s backstory to the audience due to how OOC it was for him 😭. However I wasn’t necessarily wrong, Ratio was delivering some of Aventurines backstory to AN audience (not just us), and he was behaving OOC in the 2.0 scene, but it was on purpose.

b) The betrayal plan 

Aventurine forms a plan in which him and Ratio pretend to betray one another in order to sneak the Aventurine cornerstone into the dreamscape by replacing it with the Topaz stone (red herring + black hole scene dialogue implies she and Jade are there for other reasons) and the Jade stone (perfect dupe). 

Now this betrayal hinges on Sunday, their main antagonist buying it, actually believing that Ratio would betray Aventurine on a mission as important as Penacony, and it requires Sunday also buying that he is winning the whole time, that the loss of the cornerstones was somehow a fumble on Aventurine’s end rather than something he planned all along. 

So, they stage the 2.0 conversation. Ratio yells at Aventurine for losing the cornerstones, something which was part of their plan the whole time. He then insults Aventurine’s background allowing Aventurine to reveal key details of his past that Sunday would not have learned otherwise, which he uses in the trial against Aventurine. Seriously, Aventurine only found out he was the last Avgin when he became a Stoneheart, do y’all think Sunday summoned that info with his mind or something during the trial (like do you guys genuinely think Sunday read his wiki or something)

Moreover, Ratio not only insults him, but portrays Aventurine as useless, disposable to the IPC because he is apparently already sentenced to death. Why does he do this? Well, so Sunday feels confident enough to do the same to Aventurine. Seriously, sentencing an IPC member, especially a high ranking one to death is a risky move, even for someone as convicted as Sunday, he would need the confidence to do so and learning Aven might already die would give him that ability. 

Because well, it doesn’t matter that much if he’s already going to get disposed of in the near future. I also think the IPC plans to use Aventurine’s “death” as leverage against the family because they were pleased to hear of his death sentence according to Dr. Ratio, meaning a) he likely did not have one from them at the time, although in the past he was sentenced to death and b) even if Aventurine succeeded in getting the cornerstone his seeming loss in the rest of the conversation wasn’t actually a loss at all, getting sentenced to death/“dying” at the very least was part of the plan all along as the IPC could still use it as leverage if things went south.

Continually, Ratio treating Aventurine in the exact same sh1tty way the rest of the galaxy does perfectly slots him into the arrogant, uncaring scholar role, which Sunday knows are some of the most easily manipulated people in the galaxy, considering he tries to bribe Ratio with knowledge about Stellarons it seems he bought this idea hook line and sinker. Sunday isn’t even subtle about it either “I heard you and your companion haven’t been getting along lately” where did he hear that from? Ratio didn’t tell him, and even though we know Sunday was 100% watching the two of them on their little adventure pre-meeting him (the bird and hound statues) that scene hasn’t happened yet so where did he get that from?

Some other interesting proof for it is that the Final Victor lightcone likely depicts Aventurine trying to convince Ratio of this plan of his, the events of which must occur  pre-Penacony for several reasons, the least of which being that we just never see it happen on Penacony which if you think it did we would see it. Moreover lightcones are canonically condensed memories and the Final Victor lightcone released in 2.0, meaning it’s the memory of something that happened before then. 

All signs point to the 2.0 scene, the one people use to paint Aventio as toxic being staged. And I have so much more evidence for this, (Ratio would never agree to go without a plan, Aven clearly formed his pre-Penaocny, so much of the plan like Ratio opening the cornerstone box, which he can’t do up until the betrayal as it’s in Sundays possession, rely on him arriving knowing how to do so, the time discrepancies, the complete 180 in personality Ratio would have to do to go from distrusting Aventurine to putting his whole faith in him, etc), but I will reupload one of my old slideshows to elaborate more on it. Basically the one thing that people use to say it’s toxic is not true and is in fact a greater show of the trust between those two. 

“The shippers are all weird and racist” 

Now this one actually has some truth to it because yes there are some incredibly fucking weird Aventio shippers and I do not blame yall for disliking them.

HOWEVER, most Aventio shippers are normal and hate that shit just as much as you guys do. Like do you realize most shippers also really like these characters and have something insane called morals so they don’t automatically excuse racist fujoshi goobers just because they are making content for their favorite ship. Trust me someone doing that pisses me (and most other Aventio shippers) off significantly more than people who hate the ship. Also free Ratio from this shit man poor guy is getting mischaracterized as a slaveowner by his fans and haters 😭

And like guys, have you ever been in a fandom before, like ever? Weirdos are always gonna be weird and it’s not Aventio’s fault they are this months victims. For a fun little example of how gross other fanbases can be, one of the most popular Overwatch ships on ao3 is Genji Shimada X Hanzo Shimada WHO ARE BLOOD RELATED BROTHERS. THERES LIKE 300+ FICS OF IT, SHIMADACEST IS LITERALLY A TAG ON THERE. I WAS IN THE TRENCHES SEARCHING FOR GENJI HANZO ANGST FICS (Hanzo killed Genji it’s complicated doomed siblings will always get me) AND HAVING TO COMB THROUGH THOSE ABOMINATIONS IN THE PROCESS.

Like please I’m relatively new to fandom culture but yall cannot be acting like this is weird for fans to do, it’s weirdo behavior but it is not unique to the HSR fandom or even Aventio. And even if understandably this makes you not like the ship, don’t paint the people who enjoy it as being the people who do this kinda sh1t. It’s not our fault peak gets tainted by miserable creatures ok, let normal ppl have their harmless fun and stop lumping people together into a monolith. 

?????

Well that’s it that’s all the “valid” reasons people have for hating Aventio, at least the ones I can remember. Everything else is just personal opinion and not at all an objective reason.

“They’re so sibling coded!”

Anyways again obviously you can still dislike it not everything is for everyone, I really just wanted to make this post to demonstrate why I and many others like it, and why the reasons people use to say it’s problematic are incorrect. Feel free to call it mid, block it whatever I don’t care, just don’t harass shippers for having some harmless fun, because the characters aren’t real but the people who like them are and in doing so you are really just being a jerk for no reason. If you somehow hate Aventio and read this the whole way through I congratulate you on your ability to actually listen to other people, and regardless of whether you changed your mind or not I respect you for doing so anyways. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts. 

[lolbital]

My hazbin hotel ship opinions!

• staticradio: my favorite, my obsession, my life. It is very obvious in the show that Vox is obsessed with Alastor. The most common opinion in the community is that it’s one-sided, but I like to think Alastor pulled away because he was afraid of his reciprocated feelings towards Vox.

•radiorose: This is my second favorite Alastor ship. They are super cute and they’re quite perfect for eachother. I just enjoy their friendship too much to actively ship them.

•radioapple: I only understand this ship because it seems like they have existing tension, but otherwise I don’t enjoy it. Alastor and Lucifer’s relationship was never expanded on beyond their immediate rivalry. Maybe if season 2 gives them more interactions or a backstory I will be able to get behind this ship a little more, but I really can’t see this as anything more than a boring rivals to lovers trope.

•staticmoth: It’s okay, but I don’t see them as much more than a sexual relationship. I don’t think Valentino is capable of genuine love.

•polyvees: I see Velvette as more of a younger sister to the other vees. To me the idea of her having two boomer older brothers is just funny. I don’t think this ship is necessarily bad it’s just not my thing.

•bombsnake: I think they’re cute. Unfortunately I don’t think Cherri really has returned feelings for Pentious. Based on their interactions she just seems interested in experimenting sexually with him because of his anatomy. I could be wrong though, so I’m very open to this ship!

•Charlastor: I see Alastor as a father figure or older brother to Charlie. Especially after the Hell’s greatest dad song, I just can’t ever see them in a romantic situation. I am not against the ship, but I personally don’t like it.

•Chaggie: I have nothing bad to say about them! Their relationship is healthy and I think they’re perfect for eachother. I particularly enjoy the fact that Vaggie was an ex-exterminator because it truly promotes Charlie’s idea of redemption. I am going to be extremely upset if Vaggie gets redeemed and gets seperated from her gf.

•radiodust: most people who ship this probably still have the pilot in mind. They don’t interact a whole lot in the show, and I see this as more of a crackship than anything.

•huskerdust: It looks like they’re going to be getting a slow burn relationship and I’m so happy about that. I like to think that Husk is refusing Angel’s advances because he knows he’s only doing it because of hypersexuality at first. I’m 99% sure that is what is canon too. I want to see their relationship grow.

•radiohusk: I am sorry but I can’t get behind this whatsoever. Husk absolutely hates Al, and Al owns him. There is no equality in this relationship, and it would get toxic very quickly.

•radiomaid: I love their dynamic but only as friends. I know Nifty is an adult, but she acts so childish and Alastor still owns her. I don’t like the power imbalance and maturity gap.

•alastor/lilith: if the theory that Lilith owns Alastor is true, then I am interested to see if we get a backstory about them, or what they might’ve been doing for 7 years. As of now I am neutral.

•guitarspear: these two menaces belong together. It seems like Lute really cares about Adam too which is an added bonus.

•Adamsapple: definitely a crackship. I don’t know what to say other than I find it amusing.

•valdust: I despise this ship. There is a very abusive power imbalance and it is proven that Anthony is nothing more than an object in Val’s eyes. There is no love here, just manipulation.

•royalhalo: cute, but even better if It’s poly with Vaggie. If emily becomes a fallen angel, Charlie could have two gfs and I stand behind that.

•lucilith: I hope they get back together. Lilith better have a good reason for leaving.

•Vaggie/Angeldust: most probably ship this because they were likely a longtime viv follower. I’m not against this ship necessarily, but I could never get behind it. Maybe I just adore chaggie and huskerdust too much.

[its-your-mind]

Some Thoughts on the importance of physical touch and connection for the Hells: A reflection on the new animated intro.

In general, I think the Hells are a really strange and special group, especially for a dnd party. They pretty much laid all their baggage on the table within the first week of meeting each other (What the Fuck is Up With That?) almost as a litmus test: "hey, here's all the shit that comes with being me, last chance to run away if that's too much."

and none of them did. and they all kept choosing to stay, even as shit got even weirder and more and more disturbing answers came to light. I think that continued choice from all of them - to stay - is what makes the bonds between the Hells so deep and so special.

okay trauma analysis and party dynamics is a DIFFERENT POST but it was all RELEVANT INTRODUCTION bc the CHOOSING TO STAY and the KNOWING EACH OTHERS' SHIT are like. key components to understanding why I am so feral about this. okay hopefully you will understand. the body of my essay is below. it has pictures. it got... too long. so. it went under a read more. yw. anyway click below if you want a very detailed analysis of an animated intro that is literally only one minute and thirty seconds long

For the first bit, character intros for Fearne, Orym, Imogen, Ashton, there’s no physical contact.

BUT. First intro of hells as a team. Ashton Trauma Flashback interrupted by laudna approaching slowly from beside him with her hand gently in front of him to signal her presence without startling him, and THEN just talking at them. Bringing him out of those flashbacks. Reminding him where he is and who he’s with.

And tbh? For Ashton? Touch is always iffy, so this is almost a more understanding and kind way to bring them out of the flashback. Just physical presence is good! UNLESS. (unless) first actual touch. Fearne stealing their coin purse, so gently that they don’t even notice it (FLIRTING THROUGH THEFT callowmoore my beloved)

(also grabbed the cap that shows her with his coinpurse these fucking ANIMATORS)

okay pt 2 FLYING OFF THE AIRSHIP

Ashton's first instinct and priority is grab laudna’s hand bc he KNOWS she is made of paper mache and he is ALWAYS watching out for her out of the corner of his eye bc she is breakable and he’s not gonna let her break bc he KNOWS what it’s like to be breakable and need someone to catch you when you’re falling but ANYWAY. he grabs her he uses his hammer as a fulcrum to throw her at Imogen

because OF COURSE he knows that the safest and most comfortable space for laudna is in imogen’s arms. and the two of them wrap their arms around each other and hold tight Superman style bc ofc they do and once laudna is in imogen’s arms she’s absolutely delighted by this whole situation bc OFC SHE IS

(tf do you mean I can’t add more than ten images on mobile UGH fine I’ll finish writing then draft and move to PC the images are IMPORTANT TO MY POINT anyway insert lesbians here) (note from future mind: I have decided that these pic descriptions i left for myself to grab the right images are fucking hilarious so they’re staying in yw)

Then fearne (who had been on her way in that direction already) swoops under Ashton to catch him as he flips over from the momentum so he can land on her giant bird back and she can fly him away.

(Pics: It’s fine to touch Ash if you’re saving their life)

(also not pictured: chet staying on the ship but losing his hat, orym grabbing it out of the air, imogen casting fly on fcg right before she catches laudna, fcg flying over to grab orym) All of this happens in six seconds by the way. One round of combat. These animators are fucking incredible.

BACK TO CHARACTER INTROS laudna who is ofc alone and in the dark at the bottom of the Sun tree, reliving her past…

(Pic: sad lonely laudna)

right up until Imogen puts her head on her shoulder, and the darkness burns away into light. She doesn’t say anything, or talk with laudna - all it takes is that physical reminder that she’s not alone anymore, that there is warmth, that she is surrounded by a family who loves her so much they chose to turn down comfortable beds in a lord’s manor so that they could join her in sleeping at the bottom of the Sun Tree. (Fav lil detail - fearne wrapped around Orym like he’s a teddy bear, and holding tight to laudna’s blanket to make sure she can’t go anywhere.)

(Pics: THE POWER OF LESBIANS AND FOUND FAMILY)

fcg. Fuck. Starts with their flashback, with their red eyes and their buzzsaw, but almost immediately we see Ashton reach out to grab their shoulder and Orym whip out a vine to tie up their saw.

(pics: reaching out even if it might hurt youuuuu)

Imogen goes on her knees and wraps her arms around FCG’s other side, and the rest of them all gather around him, holding him to keep him and each other safe, but mostly just grounding him in the present by surrounding him physically until the flashback fades and he’s once more aware of his surroundings.

(Pics: what the fuck they just need to be held)

(once shit has calmed down fearne uses this opportunity to pick Ashton’s pocket again. Flirting through theft).

(Pic: fearne is a menace to society)

final fight scene. fuck yes.

(Pic: IT’S THURSDAY NIIIIIIIIIIIGHT)

This is mostly just giving all of them room to be badasses (as they deserve) - but there are some things!! First!!

(pics: THESE WITCHES BE BITCHES minus fearne sry fearne we miss u but you are on fire and laudna is made of wood currently)

Imogen and laudna casting spells back to back, trusting each other to take care of what’s on their side. Inseparable, even in a battle where their party has scattered to fight other enemies.

BUT. The BIG thing though in this sequence. Maybe my favorite part? Idk I don’t have a favorite. But!! Orym. taking out four of Otohan’s shadow knights. then facing off against her personally!! And it’s one-on-one, because this was Orym’s task alone - to find the person who attacked his leader and killed his family. He’s angry, but mostly he’s honed-in and focused and determined. This is his mission.

(Pics: WHO’S JUST A LIL GUY NOW HUH)

But then, when Otohan pushes him back…

(Pic: fuck. shit. fuck. im. fine. anYway. them.)

FCG and Ashton are there right behind him, and they put their arms out and catch him so he doesn’t fly back any farther. And there’s this look of surprise on his face, because once he lost Will, he never expected there to be anyone else standing behind him, ready to catch him. And yet, here they are.

(Pics: fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes GOOOO ORYM!!!)

They give Orym a push forward and follow behind him, and he walks back towards Otohan with confidence. Lil grin on his face, brisk walking pace - he even does a little fancy sword swoosh! Because maybe he’s not strong enough to take out Otohan on his own. But the thing is, he’s not alone anymore.

(Pic: THEY.)

None of them are alone. And whenever any of them forget, or slip into old habits and memories, the rest are right there to reach out a hand to remind them.

Building a family out of broken pieces is difficult even without an apocalypse. But the Hells have shown each other, over and over and over, often with their actions even more than their words, that they really are dedicated to this family that they've built together. This intro fucking slaps so hard and the animators deserve so much praise for how incredible this intro is

[auras-moonstone]

Hey,

Can you write a mini story of Jack and the reader. And can the trope be a fake dating for the media. Also can you the reader as an actress as well. And during their fake dating fling, they developed their feelings for each other but weren’t that sure to admit. So Jack calls it off and starts dating another girl. Later on, he realizes he still has feelings for the reader. And you can write the ending, please surprise me!

hi! i love this trope😫 hope you enjoy it🤍!

lost in translation — jack champion

word count: 2,944

pairing: jack champion x fem!reader

summary: y/n and jack are working on a rom-com together and are asked to fake date. feelings bloom and jack calls it off, breaking y/n’s heart and, as collateral damage, their friendship.

author’s note: this is me claiming my love for louis partdrige (he’s so pretty😫) and lynn painter (read her books she’s amazing)

Y/N HAD ALWAYS BEEN A BIG ROMCOM LOVER, SO WHEN SHE GOT THE ROLE OF LIZ ON THE ADAPTATION OF BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, SHE WAS ON CLOUD NINE. She met Jack (the boy who was going to play Wes, her love interest) on the chemistry read and the director instantly fell in love with their dynamic, and that’s how they got the role.

During the shooting, Y/N and Jack developed a close friendship. But the fans of the well-known rom-com book started shipping them even when the content the community managers shared was very scarce—just a few pictures of them on their breaks or during the filming, and some bloopers. The whole media kept talking about them, about how good they looked together, how their chemistry transcended the screen; and so the people involved in the publicity of the movie made a decision.

“You want us to what?” Y/N asked dumbfounded.

“To fake-date. The press tour is about to start, and we think you two dating can really boost the excitement for the movie” the head of publicity stated. “We can’t actually make you do it, as it wasn’t originally in the contract, but we think this is a great idea. The people love you”.

Y/N looked at Jack, who hadn’t moved a muscle ever since the suggestion. “Jack? What do you think?”.

“Can we talk about it? Alone?” he asked to the man in front of them, who reluctantly nodded before leaving the office. “I honestly don’t know shit about publicity, but if they think it’s going to help, then we should do it”.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Jack nodded “It’s you the one who doesn’t seem sure”.

“I don’t have a problem with fake dating you, I just don’t want our friendship to become weird or anything, because I value it a lot” Y/N told him. Jack’s heart broke, knowing how hard it was for her to establish friendships after her old friends started acting weird and became more interested in the events she could take them to rather than in her well-being and life. He knew he was one of her only real friends and now felt bad she had been put in such a spot.

“Hey, no. It won’t, it’ll be just like when we were filming, right? Just that we will do it in public” Jack tried to reassure her, pulling her into a hug.

“Okay… let’s just promise that if we get uncomfortable or if it’s becoming too much, we’ll be honest with each other and call this thing off, okay? Our friendship is way more important that the publicity” she said, looking him in the eyes.

Jack smiled, and showed her his little finger “I pinky promise”. Y/N laughed, wrapping her pinky with his.

And so their fake relationship began, not knowing that no promises could stop the feelings that were meant to evolve.

THEY COULDN’T REALLY TELL THE EXACT MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED. The shift in their relationship was so natural and gradual that they almost didn’t notice.

Everything was done more often—dates, kisses, hand holding—, physical touch seemed to be a need now—it could be just intertwined fingers or his arms wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist—, longing glances when the other wasn’t looking, eyes drifting to each other’s lips everytime one of them was talking. They even had dates out of the public sight—even though none of them called it a ‘date’, they simply convinced theirselves it was a friendly hang out. They slept at each other’s houses, waking up the following day with Jack’s arms draped around her waist while her back was pressed against his front or, their personal favorite, Y/N’s head on his chest and arms around his torso while Jack’s was wrapped around her shoulders pressing her more against his chest.

So yes, it was so slow and felt so natural that it took them time to realize they had fallen for each other. Both of them had completely different reactions—while Y/N decided she was going to take a risk and confess her feelings, Jack’s fears blinded him. It’s not that he didn’t want to admit his feelings, but everytime the option of confessing crossed his mind the words she spoke came to him: “I just don’t want our friendship to become weird or anything, because I value it a lot”. Y/N had been so scared of their friendship being ruined because of the fake dating thing, Jack knew keeping his feelings hidden was the best option. But also, he couldn’t keep hurting himself and that was exactly what he was doing by pretending to be her boyfriend when he wanted it to be real.

Friday came around, meaning it was their sleepover day. They had just finished eating the spaghetti Y/N made, and were about to choose a movie to watch when Jack decided to speak up at the same time Y/N opened her mouth to confess.

“Oh, sorry. You can tell me” Jack told her. Y/N shook her head, signalling him to go ahead. “I have been thinking and I think we should call the fake dating thing off”.

Y/N’s mouth was open, yet no words came out of it. She had been thinking for days what the best way to express her feelings for him would be. She had a whole speech planned and was now left speechless.

“Oh… okay, if you feel is the best thing” she faked her best smile, while trying not to fall apart right in front of his eyes. “I just… need to ask, is everything okay? I mean, this is very sudden”.

“I just feel this is becoming too much, and you said we should be honest with each other” he simply answered.

Y/N nodded playing with the remote control in her hand. It was clear, he felt uncomfortable being her fake boyfriend because he only saw her as a friend. “Right, yeah. Thank you for telling me, then. We should talk to the head of publicity tomorrow. The press tour is almost over, so there shouldn’t be any problem”

“Cool” Jack nodded. He should’ve felt relieved that she took it so well, but instead, he felt sad. Maybe even disappointed in the fact that she didn’t fight the decision. And he also felt angry at himself for expecting so much of her part when it wasn’t her fault that he had fallen for her and she didn’t feel the same.

Jack had wanted to save their friendship so bad, he didn’t realize that the conversation had been the first crack in the glass.

Y/N REALLY DID TRY TO NOT LET THE CIRCUMSTANCES INFLUENCE THEIR FRIENDSHIP, BUT THEY WERE SLOWLY DRIFTING APART. The texts were becoming less frequent and drier, the hang outs were brief and filled with awkwardness and so were their conversations.

The publicists thanked all the gods that the press tour was over, because they had never seen two people have less chemistry than Jack and Y/N. It was so hard for everyone to comprehend how two people whose eyes used to spark when they were around the other suddenly became lifeless.

But their breaking point came a few weeks later, it was the thing that made them stop talking for good. No more texting at all, no hanging out—alone or in public—no conversations, no looking at each other, no interactions at all.

Y/N was watching a movie with her friends, Millie and Louis, when Millie suddenly gasped. Y/N and Louis laughed “Mills, if you are with your phone while we’re watching a movie at least be discreet” the girl said, but Millie didn’t laugh or apologise, she just stared at her with saddened eyes, which made Y/N frown. “Is everything okay?”.

“When was the last time you opened social media?” she asked, while Louis took her phone to see what she was looking at.

Y/N saw him clench his jaw, which made her feel more confused “Um, I barely use my phone anymore, just to text… why? You’re scaring me, guys” she laughed nervously, trying to take a peek at the phone but Louis hid it quickly “Lou, give me the phone”.

The boy sitting next to her shook his head “It’s not the best idea”.

“Tell me what is going on, please. You’re making me anxious” Y/N’s voice was almost begging.

Millie sighed “It’s a picture someone took of Jack… he’s with a girl. They are… holding hands and exiting a restaurant”.

“Let me see” Y/N said extending her hand, but Louis just refused to do it. “Louis. Phone. Now”.

“Come on, Y/N/N, don’t be a masochist” Louis told her.

“I’m just going to see it on my phone later, so what you’re trying to do is useless” Y/N pointed out.

Louis sighed in defeat and gave her Millie’s phone. Y/N stared at the picture—Jack was looking as gorgeous as ever and her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She missed him so fucking much, she hadn’t heard his voice in days (now she knew why, he was too busy). And then her eyes trailed to the girl holding his hand. She was very pretty—tall, long legs, blonde, muscular, stylish—and Y/N couldn’t help but compare herself with her.

“Stop it, I know what you’re doing and just don’t” Louis said, turning the phone off. “You’re gorgeous and way too good for him. It’s his loss, and he doesn’t deserve you”.

Y/N broke down for the first time in weeks, her feelings had been bottled up and the glass that held them inside finally exploded. Louis quickly put his arms around her, and Millie joined them in a heartbeat.

“I still have the fucking premiere” she cried harder when she remembered “What if- what if he goes with her? I can’t go”.

“Are you kidding me? You’re not going to miss the premiere. You work so hard for this! It’s your favorite rom-com and you are the main protagonist!” Millie said. “This is your dream. And you’re not going to let this ruin it”.

“I know, Mills. But I won’t be able to handle it. He’s going to be there, and even if she’s not there, I know he’s with her and looking at him knowing that will kill me” Y/N said, brushing away the tears. “Besides I can’t face that alone”.

“You’re not going to be alone. I’ll go with you” Louis offered.

“You actually had a great idea for once!” Millie exclaimed, making Louis roll his eyes and Y/N let out a little laugh. “Lou will be there for moral support, and you won’t feel alone. But you are definitely not going to miss your premiere”.

“Thank you, guys. I love you”

JACK’S MIND HAD BEEN A MESS LATELY. Y/N stopped responding his texts, it’s been two weeks with no signs of her. He would’ve been worried if he hadn’t seen the instagram stories her friends, Millie and Louis, posted with her. So it didn’t take a genius to realize she was ignoring him on purpose, and he didn’t have a clue why. He missed her so much, it was driving him insane. Jack wanted to go back to that night and take back everything he had said, they still would be fine if he hadn’t opened his mouth.

Jack thought that by cutting off the deal, they would go back to being friends and his feelings would have eventually faded away. He even started dating a girl he meet at the gym, but Y/N lingered on his mind all day, every day. And when the day of the premiere came, his eyes searched for her figure as soon as he arrived to the red carpet.

Jack’s smile widened when he saw her. She looked absolutely breathtaking—as always—but then his smile fell when he realized she was with someone else.

“Can you at least be a little less obvious?” Kate asked.

“Sorry” Jack apologised. “Thank you for coming with me, even after our breakup”.

“It isn’t a break up if we weren’t really together. It was just a couple of dates to benefit the other. You needed to get your mind off her, I needed to get my mind off my ex” she answered. “Although I have to say, I don’t know if me coming was the best idea”.

“Maybe not” Jack said, stopping for a picture “I just couldn’t face it alone”.

“He’s with her” Y/N said to Louis, faking smiles as the photographers flashed their cameras at them.

“I know. I’ve been feeling his stare ever since we arrived” Louis replied. “He’s totally jealous, I can feel it”.

Y/N shook her head “You’re speaking nonsense”

“Nope, I know what I’m talking about. And I get it, you’re looking incredibly stunning and you have an eye-candy with extremely good bone-structure on your arm”

“And with a big ego” she added with a laugh. “Let’s go, eye candy”.

“Don’t you need to take pictures with him?” Louis asked in a whisper as they approached Jack and his date.

“Yeah” Y/N sighed, chest tightening as they reached them. “Hi” she greeted, looking at Jack—who looked beyond handsome—and then set her eyes on the girl next to him. “I’m Y/N, nice to meet you”.

“Kate” she greeted with a smile “And we both not that’s a lie” Kate laughed, surprising her. “It’s okay. Just, take the pictures and please, for the love of god, talk to each other!”

“Hi, I’m Louis and I’m very confused” the tall boy next to Y/N spoke up. “But I agree with the last part” he added, then looked at his friend “I’ll see you later to see the movie, okay? Let’s go…”

“Kate” the blonde girl reminded him as they walked away.

The two teenagers looked at each other, not knowing what to say. “We should… pose for the picture maybe?” Y/N broke the silence.

Jack nodded nervously “Yeah, yeah”.

He put his hand on her waist, and they both tensed. It had been so long since they were this close, their skin felt like burning and their hearts were beating at a dangerous rhythm. They only posed for a couple of seconds, yet it felt like an eternity. But once it was over, the awkwardness came back.

“Let’s go inside, our dates are waiting” she spoke up.

They entered the place, but as Y/N began to walk away, Jack’s hand grabbed hers making her stop in her tracks. “No. We need to talk first”.

“Jack, the movie is starting in a few minutes”

“A few minutes is all I need. I—we—can’t go on like this” Jack said. “I’m sorry. If I’m being honest, I don’t know exactly what I did, but I’m sorry for not trying hard enough to save our friendship”.

“That’s the thing, Jack. It isn’t your fault, it’s all on me. I’m the one who drifted apart because I didn’t know how to handle my feelings” Y/N let her guard down, willing to be completely honest. After all, their friendship was already dead.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked confused.

“I love you, Jack. I- I wanted to tell you. In fact, I planned on telling you during our last sleep over but-“

“But I called our deal off” he finished, cursing himself.

Y/N nodded “I understood that acting as my boyfriend was too much for you, because you only saw me as a friend. But I just couldn’t go back to being just your friend, I tried for a while but it was really hard. And then, you started dating her and… it killed me. I just couldn’t talk to you knowing you had someone else”.

Jack shook his head, wanting to laugh at the situation “The reason I called it off is because I fell for you, Y/N/N. I didn’t think you felt the same, and I knew how important our friendship was to you. I wanted to protect it, but instead I messed it up”

Y/N looked at him with her mouth open, and then laughed drily “Really? All this time we felt the same thing and we ruined it because we got lost in translation?” she said in a tone of disbelief “And now it’s already too late”.

“What? Why?” Jack asked surprised. “I still love you… you don’t love me anymore?”

“Of course I love you Jack, but you have a girlfriend”

“Kate is not my girlfriend. She never was” Jack told her.

“I saw the pictures, Jack”

“We went to a couple of dates, we both needed to get our minds off the people we loved. But we stopped once we realized how silly it was, we’re just friends” he explained. Jack took one step closer to her until her back touched the wall behind her “I love you and I want to be your boyfriend… that is if you aren’t dating Louis”.

Y/N laughed, her smile now impossible to erase “No, he came as a friend”

Jack smiled in relief “So…”

“So, boyfriend, we should get inside, our dates are waiting” Y/N said, a teasing smile on her face.

Jack laughed “Can I kiss you first?”

“I’m begging you” she said, grabbing the collar of his suit to push him down. Their lips met in the middle and they both smile through it “I missed this, I missed you”.

“God, I missed you too. You have no idea” he said, kissing her harder.

“Hey, this is a family friendly place” Louis’ voice interrupted them “Get inside, love birds, your movie is about to start”.

Jack and Y/N looked at each other with lovey smiles and, hand in hand, they entered the theatre to see the movie that brought them together.

[a-certain-romance]

She can hardly wait

Characters/Ships: Yae Miko x fem!reader & Dehya x fem!reader

Synopsis:

Warnings: Smut written by a minor, a/b/o dynamics (both) possessive tendencies (Miko), biting (Miko), fangs (Miko), mentions of blood (Miko), Praise (Dehya), Riding (Deyha)

In actuality, you had nothing against not wanting Miko to help you through your heat. But you couldn’t help but be somewhat wary of the person she would become when the cycle gets to her.

So when your heat came around the corner and you avoided her as best as you could, this sly fox decides to make no interference whatsoever. If you really think you can handle it alone, so be it. She won’t stop you. Miko knows you’ll need her eventually. It’s only a matter of time until you come crawling to her with tears in your eyes.

In fact, she’ll do things to purposely tease the shit out of you. Showing off her legs more, whispering in your ear with a breathy voice, lingering touches too close for comfort. “I’m sure you must have a good reason to keep this from me. But dear, wouldn’t your rather let me take it from here, hmm?”

She wants you to beg for it. Her favorite part about this whole process is how weak and willing you would undoubtedly become. Miko can smell your desire from a mile away so it’s only a matter of time. She finds this whole idea laughable. What am I going to do, break you? She’s debating it.

It’s all fun and games to her. That is until, your scent starts to attract the attention of others. Left and right, men & women approach you more often, offering their their “assistance” to help satisfy their your needs.

And it ticked Miko off. Tch, like they can do any better. Perhaps she spent too much watching you tremble and not enough time doing anything about it. It’s about time she gives you what you’ve been aching for.

“My, you are desperate little thing” her index finger slides slowly down your stomach. “Tell me. Would you have said yes to them? Those faceless scoundrels who don’t know you like I do.”

“Never, Miko—“

“That’s right, because you’re mine. I’m the only one who can make you feel this good” She taps her finger firmly at your entrance in a familiar pattern. Three, two, one…one, two, three.

“Alright, I believe I’ve teased you long enough. It’s about time to let the world know who you belong to, don’t you think?”

Her pointed teeth pierce the skin right above your collarbone. At the same time, Miko slides the end of her cock past your folds. With that, every sensation becomes heightened. Even though it’s only the tip, you arch yourself close to her.

“Well aren’t you needy” She swipes a bit of blood off her pointed fangs as she smirks down at you. “It’s only just the tip. I’ve barley touched you yet.” Miko leans down to lick your wound clean.

“There. If anyone should dare to defy this mark, they shall answer to me. Now let’s finish this, shall we?”

Dehya on the otherhand is the polar opposite of Miko. She would drop everything to be with you if you called for her. She’s on you in seconds the minute she smells you flare up. Deyha’s managed to keep track of the time of your cycles so she can prepare accordingly. She’s been with you long enough to know the signs: flushed cheeks paired with a stronger scent and a little bit of extra clinginess. It makes her wonder why you’re hiding this time around.

Deyha brings a bag of overnight clothes to your place where you’ve been isolating yourself. She finds you huddled in a pile of blankets, sweating profusely. Only this time it wasn’t because of Sumeru’s intense weather.

“Missed me?”

You mumble out a response to which she shakes her head at. Before tending to your sexual needs, she forces you to drink a cup of water and removes a few blankets from your bed so they won’t get in the way later. You explain afterwards how Dehya’s involvement with Sumeru’s chaos lead to you decide to go through this one on your own since she seemed preoccupied with other matters. She lightly scolds you for not mentioning this sooner. Dehya doesn’t stay mad for too long though. Now that she’s here, she’s going to make you spend your day and night working through your heat.

“That’s it..that’s my girl. Think you can take it all the way?” Dehya opens your legs wider around her waist and pulls you close to her chest. It never fails to shock you how she can go from pampering you to pounding you at a moment’s notice.

She groans into your neck when she bottoms out. “You’re taking my cock so well baby”. Her hand caresses your cheek, “I’ll make you feel so good. I’m gonna start thrusting now, okay?”

Her stokes are languid as you get used to the position. But your intoxicating scent triggers a rut of her own. Her breath hitches. A new feeling suddenly being awoken. She brazenly pulls you you closer by the hips to meet her thrusts. The closer you are, the further she fucks her shaft into you.

“Nnh, please just hold still for me, like a good girl would” Dehya changes the angle to hit deeper than before. The way her cock drags against your walls feels heavenly. Despite this being your heat, she’s a whimpering mess trying to please the both of you.

“Baby, you feel so good,” she whispers close to your ear, “Such a good girl. I need to—“

Her the throbbing head repeatedly knocks against your cervix. She swells, pulls out, and shoots her load on your stomach. Your slick still continues to drip from between your legs; your satisfaction not entirely met. You still need Dehya’s help. And that means you’re going to let her take you however she wants, right?

[getawayfox]

Happy birthday, darling @wolfpants! I’m bringing you a banner with Draco on it since you share a birthday with him, what a fun coincidence! When deciding how to celebrate you and your writing, I knew I wanted to do an author’s reclist but wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it because every single fic in your catalogue is worth a rec of its own. So I took inspiration from an ask game - a list of categories I could fill with my rambling. I hope you have a wonderful birthday full of nice things! ILY! 🤍

🤍 A fic I want to read again for the first time: Under Giant Mountains (Drarry, E, 34k)

I thought about it for a long time because I would give anything to experience all of them for the first time again but eventually, I landed on Under Giant Mountains. It feels a bit sacred to me and I think it’s because I relate to this Harry a lot; because it’s a gentle story about healing; because it made me cry but in that really good, cathartic way. I think it will do the same regardless of how many times I read it.

🤍 A fic I reread the most times: Pages of You (Drarry, E, 102k)

According to AO3 the fic I have visited the most is Pages of You, which is no surprise. Do I share how many times I clicked on that fic? Is it embarrassing? Probably. Oh well, here it is:

Look, it’s my comfort fic, okay? What can I say - an 80s coming-of-age story? Sign me the hell up. In all honesty, I don’t really have words to describe how this fic makes me feel - it’s like a safety net for my inner child maybe, or something similarly, horribly cheesy. It’s a book I want to own, have on my bookshelf, and return to it over and over again. Maybe one day it will be.

🤍 A fic that made me (re)consider a ship: Spellbound (Draco/Albus, E, 2k)

So here is the thing - I’m pretty faithful to my favourite ships and don’t often read outside of them, except when it’s a rarepair that catches my eye and then I’m happy to be persuaded. And Wolf is brilliant at that, honestly, they could talk me into anything. And so even when it comes to a ship I didn’t know I needed, like Draco/Albus for instance, I just know that in their hands, it’s gonna be layered and thought-provoking and just so, so delicious. Here is the proof: Spellbound, a Dead Dove fic that is just the perfect flavour of dirtyhotwrong. Yum.

🤍 A favourite rarepair fic: Galvanize (Scorpius/Ron, M, 1k)

Speaking of rarepairs. Wolf has a whole collection of kinkuary fics, which is a rarepair heaven, go forth and pick your poison. I’m gonna go with Galvanize, in support of Hot Ron Agenda ™. It’s an M-rated Scorpius/Ron fic and the dynamic here is unmatched - so innocent and yet. Gah!

🤍 A line from a fic that’s haunted me: Waiting for the Moon to Rise (Drarry with a hint of Bill, E, 9k)

This is hard because I can think of many (see QQR) but if I had to choose just one, it would have to be this masterpiece:

—his voice had been thick, Draco remembers that, because he’d been eating an apple stolen from the kitchens on their way outside. He kept trying to get Draco to eat it too, playfully pressing the bitten edges to his mouth, damp like a kiss, until Draco had pushed him off him with a laugh— “stop that, Potter, or I’ll shove it someplace where it’ll hurt ”—and all the while, his lips had tingled with sweetness, a phantom caress he would take to his bed later that night and think about with his hands while the rest of the Eighth Year boys would sleep and snore, none the wiser—

Which is of course from Waiting for the Moon to Rise, featuring an intimate friendship, lots of UST and Bill the matchmaker 😏

🤍 A fic that ripped my heart out (but it hurt so good): The Hollow (Remus/Draco, E, 12.5k)

Oh boy. We’ve all read The Hollow, right? Right. It’s one of those fics I think about so often it can’t be healthy and yet I can’t go anywhere near it again because I don’t think I would survive a second read. It’s so, so, so good. It’s so painful. It’s everything I want from the pairing. I never want to see it again. It carved itself into my heart and will stay there forever.

🤍 A fic that made me laugh: Romp and Circumstance (Drarry, E, 33k)

So. Many. Wolf’s banter in fics is unmatched but for the sake of this game I have to say one, so I’ll go with Romp and Circumstance - and as much as this fic is hilarious, it’s also so full of love and longing and romance. It’s so vibrant! A perfectly executed AU with characterizations that are just chef’s kiss!

🤍 A song I now associate with a fic: Everybody Hates a Tourist (Drarry, E, 52k)

I will always associate Common People by Pulp with Everybody Hates a Tourist. I remember sitting in a beach cafe last year and the song started playing and immediately transferred me into the holiday vibes of the fic. I’m obsessed with both Harry and Draco in this story: with who they are, separately, and eventually together. Their characters are written so brilliantly here; they’re both given space to grow into themselves, into what they want out of life and their getting together feels like the most natural thing in the world.

🤍 A fic that’s between me and my AO3 history: Seat You Higher than the Stars (Ron/Harry, E, 1,8k)

Ha! I have no secrets or shame. Nothing is just between me and AO3, I’m an open book and will shout about it, and especially about this fic I thought was fitting (pun intended) for this category - just look at the tags: emotional vulnerability and fisting (elmo fire emoji). This is Seat you Higher than the Stars, a Ronarry fic that has got to be one of my favourite things ever written. It’s so tender and beautiful! 

🤍 A fic that feels like a warm blanket: Thickets (Drarry, E, 17k)

That is *exactly* how reading Thickets feels. Oh, this fic. So gentle and mature, full of soft, quiet pining and second chances. It’s so atmospheric and nostalgic. Layered with complicated grief and vowed with humor and warmth, this fic is simply stunning. It’s a getting back together story that feels like a deep exhale. It’s melancholic and hopeful and it has one of my favourite characters of all time - a portrait of Young Draco to perfectly illustrate just how far current Draco has come.

🤍 A fic I want to be made into a film: Led by Light of a Star Sweetly Gleaming (Sirius/Remus, E, 53k)

My Wolfstar-loving heart could not forget this story - in a way a prequel to Pages of You but also a standalone fic set in the '60s. Wolf’s worldbuilding and attention to detail really shine here - it would make such a stunning film! But it’s not just that, it’s the characters, too, where the magic lies: completely in awe of each other and unbearably lovely. “You’ve no idea how much I want to worship you.” will be forever my favourite thing Sirius has ever said.

[ginnsbaker]

In Losing Grip On Sinking Ships (7/?)

Chapter summary: Despite the detrimental effects, you and Wanda continue to engage in this destructive dynamic.

Chapter word count: 6k+

Trigger Warnings: mildly dubious consent, smut, toxic relationships, mention of drug overdose

Author's note: Please read the trigger warnings before proceeding. Also, didn't want to spoil anything in the chapter summary, so read on :) Eight will be released this Sunday.

Next chapter: Eight

AO3 | Masterlist 

Taglist: @blackluthxr | @esposadejoyhuerta | @secretbackrooms | @justgotlizzied , @casquinhaa | @marvelwomen-simp | @sunsol-22 | @wandanatlov3r | @kyaraderuwez | @justyourwritter69 | @stanolsevans | @sayah13

-

Seven

Wanda’s still twitching when you pull out your fingers and casually wipe the moisture from them in front of her pants. She reaches for the waistband of your trousers, silently asking your permission to touch you, but you shake your head without meeting her eyes and turn your back on her to fix the creases on your shirt. 

Aside from a few words exchanged during your tryst (“open your mouth”, “suck”, and “don’t come yet”), you haven’t spoken a single word that suggests you’re interested in anything beyond fucking your ex-wife–which, in essence, has been happening for almost a week now.  In fact, this is the fourth day in a row that you have visited Wanda in the middle of the day, just to shove her inside the cafe’s tiny stockroom and give her orgasms that blur into each other from your relentless pursuit of them until she begs you to stop.

It's a desperate and intoxicating experience, one that sends shivers down Wanda's spine and makes her toes curl in pleasure, despite it being anything that’s remotely healthy.

Wanda gets to kiss you during these times though; she gets to skim her nose along your jaw when you’re too distracted to care, gets to hear your intimate sighs and feel your erratic pulse, but it’s all overshadowed by a sense of distance.

You couldn’t have been farther inaccessible than you were before this implicit arrangement began. Somehow, your walls are even higher, your armor more impenetrable. When you look at her, your eyes are empty, reflecting her own hollowness back at her. 

Wanda surmises how everything about her ex-wife is simultaneously familiar and a stranger; you look like her, you smell like her; you don’t fuck like her, because you’re even better–bolder and more animalistic. But she knows–hopes, really–that somewhere inside of this enticing stranger, is you. Her Y/N. And if she has to use her body to peel through the layers in order to find the person she fell in love with, then so be it.

Wanda winces at the discomfort of having to keep wearing her ruined underwear. She decides to forgo it altogether and keep her panties in her purse to wash later. There’s no mirror or any smooth surface in the room for her to check her reflection, so she resorts to running a hand through her hair a couple of times while you search for the tie that she had ripped from your collar earlier. 

You eventually find it at the lowermost part of the shelf where the bags of flour are kept. 

Wanda’s fingers itch to do your tie for you, just like old times. “Do you want me to–”

“I got it.” you dismiss stiffly. 

Wanda nods, sheepish all of a sudden. The silence has become even harder to fill now. 

“By the way, I cooked your favorite meal last night. I was going to bring you some later today, but I also packed a container of it when I came in this morning. It’s in the kitchen if you want to try some.” she says.

“Thanks,” you say, quite disinterestedly. “But I have to go. I’ve got an interview in an hour.”

“Oh,” Wanda mutters under her breath. She meant to ask why you came to the cafe wearing a suit, but she got distracted fast when you started backing her into the stockroom with your lips attached at her neck. “Good luck. I hope you get the job. Can I ask where?”

Although it’s unfair to blame Wanda for being terribly proper these days, it still irks you anyway. It’s not like things would improve between the two of you if she just avoids tripping the wire around you each time. 

Frankly, you’re past the point of caring about progress.

(While it’s all Wanda cares about.)

“Stark Industries,” comes your curt response. 

“Sounds like a huge opportunity.” 

You shrug, adjusting your tie for the final time.

“You know, I can make you a packed lunch if you–”

Her words are cut off by the sound of the door unlocking and then shutting behind you.

Just like that, you’re gone. Wanda sits dejectedly on the floor, thinking that she probably should wait a minute or two before following after you.

Agatha’s right outside, cradling a bunch of empty jars in her arms, when Wanda emerges from the stockroom. 

“Agatha!” Wanda exclaims, trying to keep her voice low. “H-How long were you…?” 

“Oh, just,” Agatha smiles awkwardly. “Just the whole time.”

Wanda’s face glows red. The walls are thin and the closet can barely fit two people. She’s aware that she needs to set even just the barest minimum of boundaries, but she’s too afraid that you’d stop showing up no matter how worse she feels every time you leave. 

And, well, Wanda never really knows how to bargain any more than she knows how to fuck things up when it comes to you.

“I’m so sorry.” Wanda says, hiding behind her slightly disheveled hair.

“I didn’t hear anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Agatha tells her.

“That’s the least of my worries. But good to know.” Wanda says with a tight smile.

“Actually it should be at the top of your worries, dear. You don’t want “random sex noises in the backroom” written on our Yelp reviews.”

Wanda swallows dryly, blushing further. Agatha takes pity on her. Leaning against the wall adjacent to where Wanda’s shifting her balance in discomfort, she sighs and says, “What are you doing, hon?”

Wanda presses a hand to her throat, scratching the nerves and muscles there as if trying to alleviate an invisible pressure. 

“I’m still figuring it out,” Wanda fidgets, toying with her wedding ring that she still wears. “This is… new territory for us.”

Agatha gets straight to it. “Are you back together?” 

Wanda’s eyes are downcast, having to face the truth of the matter. “I don’t think so.”

Agatha haughtily snaps her tongue. “So that was a one-time hookup, yes?”

Wanda doesn’t answer, only gnaws at her lip guiltily. 

“Oh my god, Wanda, how long has this been going on?”

Wanda bites her lip. “A week.”

“I didn’t know Y/N had it in her,” she says, looking rather impressed by that part. “How did this happen?” Agatha asks, but her tone and the look of passive condescension on her face says, How could you let it?

“Vision–” Wanda starts.

Agatha gasps. “Wanda!”

“It’s not what you think, ok? That wrong decision is over, I swear. He came by the cafe last week by accident–or so he claimed–and Y/N happened to drop by the same time.” 

“Ah. I see,” Agatha backpedals. “How did that go?” 

Wanda recounts the abridged version of the story. Where you fled the cafe but not before telling Wanda you never wanted to see her again, and then showing up unannounced later that night. She leaves the part out where you were drunk and refused to let her touch you. The part where every one of your actions was an intention to claim her and inflict hurt that Wanda knows she deserves anyway. 

Those are the details that she’d bring to the grave. She’d never betray you that way–or ever again. Despite Wanda being careful with her tale, a shadow passes over Agatha's eyes.

“I’m not an expert or anything, but aren’t you just drawing out the pain of your breakup?” she says, voice dripping with reproach.

Wanda slumps her shoulders. “Hasn’t it been drawn out too long? I don’t know. Maybe I’m just hoping that the physical reconnection would eventually translate into something more.” 

“Is it reconnecting or vengeance on Y/N’s part?”

Wanda decides she doesn’t want to answer that.

“Be careful, Wanda,” Agatha says. “Fucking through the problem won’t solve things. It can’t end well.”

“I know. I-I’m okay. I can handle it. Anyway,” Wanda clears her throat, wanting to change the subject. “Can I help you with those?”

Agatha scrunches her nose and then nods. “You just had sex there, honey. Please, don’t make me go in there.”

Wanda almost drops one of the jars that Agatha has transferred in her care. “I'm so sorry. I’ll scrub everything clean, I promise. Also, could you please–”

“–don’t tell Pietro? Of course, I won’t. But he better find out from you.”

She’s never had to worry about Pietro’s tendency to go overboard when it comes to protecting her because you were the perfect partner. Pietro loved you for it. But he had set that aside when he learned about your decision to end your marriage with Wanda. Wanda wouldn’t want to further color his opinion of you when she considers both of you her family. He doesn’t need to find out because it will get better.

Wanda promises it would.

-

The interview went terribly. In your own assessment, it was potentially the worst interview you’ve had including those where you failed to even show up. It didn’t help that half the time, your mind wandered from the sweet smell of Wanda’s sweat-riddled skin, to the petrified look on Vision’s face as he came face-to-face with his attacker.

Attacker. The word makes you sick to your stomach, but only because it’s true. You did attack him and he nearly didn’t wake up from it. Then you separated from your wife and went back to New York like it was nothing. What your mind had buried and only haunts you in your dreams, was abruptly unearthed–and for it to be standing so close to your ex-wife with the same lovesick look almost blinded you with guilt and rage.

But of course, you can't reveal any of those personal details and use them as an excuse with your potential employer. A violent incident like that easily warrants a criminal record that you’re just lucky enough to circumvent. 

No one would hire you if they knew.

“We’ll reach out to you for the result of your application. Thank you for your time, Y/N.” The interviewer offers her hand for you to shake. Getting up from your seat, you square your shoulders and you accept it for what it is: a commiseration.

You thank her with a subdued smile and leave her office. You feel a small amount of regret while walking down the busy halls of Stark Industries’ headquarters. You briefly ponder if things with Wanda would have ended up the same way if you had this. It’s only now that you’ve come to realize that you took your work for granted. It could have saved you by filling those empty hours of the day instead of wasting away in a pub just because you caught your ex-wife and her ex-lover in the same room. Eventually, you have to go back out there. Stark Industries could have been the perfect place to make a comeback. 

As you round a corner, you find a familiar brunette from the back. There’s no doubt that it’s Wanda waiting for you at the lobby with a paper bag in hand. 

“Wanda,” you call to her softly. “What are you doing here?”

The smile on Wanda’s face is instant as she looks over her shoulder. She stands up from her seat.

“I ran some errands in the area and thought to deliver you this packed lunch since you mentioned about your appointment here.” Wanda says in a rush like a well-rehearsed speech. 

It’s thoughtful and somewhat melancholic. For one thing, you don’t believe she ran any errands in this part of Manhattan–everyone knows the surrounding towers are occupied solely by corporate giants. 

“You shouldn’t have bothered. I got a Subway takeout right here.” you say, taking out the aforementioned footlong sandwich out of your bag and waving it a little in front of her. 

A weak and self-deprecating laugh escapes Wanda. The way you’re looking at her and being surrounded by men and women in their Armanis and Diors (while she wears a simple combination of a pair of jeans and a plain, black sweater) has her feeling naked all of a sudden. 

“I would’ve texted you first but…you still have me blocked, I think.” she murmurs, looking down at her sneakers. 

Wanda runs her tongue over her lips and sneaks a glance at you through her long lashes, trying to see how you’d react to that piece of information. While you know she probably doesn’t mean anything by doing that, your craving for Wanda returns like it was never sated just a few hours ago. 

Acting on pure impulse, you pull her by her arm and lead her to the nearest restroom you can find. Straightaway, Wanda knows what’s going to happen next as she carelessly drops the paper bag on the tiled floor the moment you lock the restroom all to yourselves. 

You don’t waste any more time mapping out open-mouthed kisses along her neck, making sure to nip at her pulse point when you land on it. Wanda’s breaths are gradually becoming short and shallow as you continue your ministrations and lift her sweater over head. Her own hands travel across your back, feeling the contracting muscles as you undo her bra and then pull her hips flush against yours. 

Wanda ducks her head and attempts to run her own lips along your jaw, starting at the spot below your earlobe. But your head falls back all of a sudden, so that she narrowly misses her target. 

“No.” you say firmly. Wanda’s disappointment doesn’t last long as your fingers unbutton her pants and, for the second time that day, dip inside her wet cavern. It’s hot and humid where Wanda wants you, and at your next sharp intake of breath, the smell of Wanda’s arousal fills your nose. 

It’s heady and you just can’t help but want more. 

Quickly dropping to the floor, you bury your nose against the source of her heat. Wanda’s hips involuntarily bucks against your face when she feels your tongue probing her cunt even through the thick fabric of her jeans. Rapidly losing your patience, you pull down her pants past her knees, making Wanda gasp at the roughness of the action. 

You take your time to appreciate her pussy and use your thumbs to open her up further for your viewing pleasure. For a few moments you just stare at her, mouth watering at the sight, until you feel Wanda squirming, aching to feel you where she needs you the most. 

Threading her fingers through your hair, she scrapes her nails on your scalp–desperate for you to do something–anything.

“No,” you say, painfully digging your nails into her cheeks. You don’t capture her hands like you did before, restraining her with just your words and warning look. “Touch me again, and I’ll stop.”

Wanda would soak through her panties if she was wearing one. And before she can complain, your mouth is on her. 

It doesn’t take long for Wanda to reach her peak, not while she’s looking at you on your knees, inflicting the sweetest punishment she’d ever have to bear.

“Turn around, grab the sink, and bend over.” you instruct her. Then, you undo your pants and pull them all the way down to your ankles, stepping out of one pant leg to allow yourself a wider range of movement. Pulling her ass towards you, you spread your own pussy to expose your clit and grind against the curve of Wanda’s ass. 

It's evident that you're using her, and the realization becomes even clearer that she's nothing more than a means to satisfy your frustrations and fulfill your own desires.

Wanda moans as she feels your pelvic bone hitting her backside. She expects nothing less of a bruise in that area later on. Her knuckles are white from gripping the sink too hard, trying to hold herself steady through the sheer force of your thrusts. 

“Fuck. S-Stay still. I’m close,” you say between groans, so adamant to chase your impending release, giving Wanda the impression that despite being the one to initiate it, you’re too keen for it to end. 

And the end does come soon enough, with your teeth biting into Wanda’s shoulder, practically tearing through her skin. Wanda yelps in pain, which is quickly dampened by your fingers going back to her clit while you ride the last waves of your orgasm. Wanda isn’t far behind and comes for the second time. Or was it third? Wanda’s lost track because none of it matters. 

They all conclude the same way. Not one of them has made a difference. 

"Are we still on for tonight?" Wanda asks, her limbs feeling like Jell-o. She lacks the energy to pull up her pants and finds herself sliding down onto the floor. The cold sting of the porcelain tile provides an oddly comforting sensation.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” you reply. 

“I just thought that maybe because we’ve done it twice already–” Wanda struggles with her words; she doesn’t know how to phrase it without making what you both were doing sound so cheap. She would’ve read a dictionary from cover to cover if it meant she could tell you another way that with the rate of how often and how fiercely you’re fucking her, it’s not entirely impossible for her to grow an aversion to sex. 

“Fine. I won’t see you tonight.” you say evenly, zipping up your pants. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Wanda says meekly as she gets up on shaky legs, pulling her pants up with her. 

“Then what do you want, Wanda? Tell me.”

“Maybe we could just talk–”

“I don’t want to talk.”

Wanda stares at you longingly. She studies the crease between your brows, the bottom of your lip jutting out just slightly, the slick baby hairs along your hairline–because otherwise there’s just her reflection. Wanda can’t bring herself to take a peek. Or else it will break her resolve if she's faced with the evidence of how much you’ve come to hate her. 

Once you’re done fixing yourself in the mirror, you pick up her discarded sweater and bra from the floor. Your breath hitches when someone from outside starts twisting the knob, but then a moment later you hear stilettos clicking away accompanied by complaints over maintenance.

"Get dressed before I unlock the door," you say, your tone firm and devoid of any warmth.

Wanda nods silently. She quickly gathers her clothes and begins getting dressed. You wait for her to be at least half-decent before walking out on her again. 

As she hurriedly puts on her attire, Wanda's eyes catch sight of something on the floor nearby. It's the packed lunch she had brought, now forgotten and abandoned next to a trash bin. A pang of sadness and neglect fills her heart as she realizes that even her thoughtful gesture went unnoticed in the midst of everything else.

-

Wanda sits primly in her kitchen, sipping her wine as she waits for you to arrive. She didn’t hear from you again when you left Stark Industries, but there’s no doubt in her mind that you’ll show. 

The ice pack she’s been using for the bruises on her neck and hips has long ago been discarded on the sink. Her hair is still wet from the shower, and she’s wearing her most worn-out shirt, oversized enough to cover her thighs as she lounges in just her underwear. 

At 9:30 in the evening, a familiar knock wakes her from her stupor. 

It’s a premeditated dance: putting Sparky in another room far away from you and Wanda’s nightly activities, walking to answer her door, you standing there at her doorstep, looking like some goddess of vengeance (though that’s probably the wine talking), then her inviting you in, before a tug-o-war of misconceptions and truths would lead to Wanda on her back, powerless as you rip an orgasm after orgasm from her. 

It’s a dance that should be calculated and predictable already–where expectations are set in stone. And it comes with the guarantee of leaving her breathless and somehow emptier than the last time. 

A spark of concern flashes in your eyes as you take in Wanda’s appearance. But it’s gone in a second before Wanda can make out what it means. She doesn’t wait for you to make the first move. With a silent agreement between you, she firmly grasps your hand and leads you towards her bedroom, seeking your punishment once again. 

-

“You're leaving,” Wanda has learned to stop posing it as a question. She grips the sheets more tightly around her chest, the cold breeze in the room becoming increasingly unbearable now that you’ve left her bed. 

“Have to be somewhere.” you mumble, turning your shirt the right side out. Your phone buzzed a while ago, and since then, you’ve become more anxious to leave right away. Although still withdrawn, you were gentler with her and studiously avoided the marks you’ve left from previous encounters. To Wanda, it almost felt like it meant something more than you let on. 

Maybe it’s a night of firsts; maybe she can convince you to stay this time. 

"You should consider staying a little longer. It might be challenging to find a ride, especially in my area, at this time," Wanda suggests.

“I was going to take the subway, actually.” you say, scanning the nightstand for your wristwatch. 

“At this hour?”

You shrug and then crawl on the floor to search under the bed.

“I-I made dinner, by the way.” she says.

“I already ate on the way here.” 

How convenient, Wanda thinks. It’s ridiculous that you have an excuse for just about anything. Needless to say, it’s beginning to push her buttons. 

“Can we at least talk about Sparky?” Wanda says exasperatedly, not meaning to use him as a final resort.

You pause, shoulders dropping at the mention of your–Wanda’s dog. “What about him?”

“Don’t you want to take him with you some time? He misses you.” Wanda says, forcefully.

You glance over at Sparky. Somehow, in the middle of this, he found his way to Wanda’s bedroom. He’s lying on one corner, belly up, as he dozes with a light snore. You wonder if he understands what’s going on; what you’ve been putting Wanda through these days, lacking the enthusiasm he usually has around you. Sparky was a casualty of the divorce; at the top of the list of things you signed away. Wanda knew that as well. If anything, your heart hardens at the thought that maybe Wanda is just using him as an opportunity to get to you. 

Seeing her with Vision opened your eyes. Liars make great schemers, don’t they?

You abandon your search for your watch, and say, “I thought I made it clear that this isn’t what you think it is?”

Feeling rather bold tonight, Wanda drops the sheets, exposing her naked torso as a result. She smirks at the way your eyes flit nervously to anywhere but her. It could be the wine she had earlier or you–when you straddled her face and came into her mouth because you were too far gone to care whether she touched you or not. Wanda would tell you that was the first crack in your armor, and you would dismiss it with a scoff. 

But if there’s one thing about the new you, it’s that you’re not as complicit as you think you are. 

In Wanda's perception, it's not hatred but rather denial that seems to be poisoning both of you. 

“Tell me,” Wanda snaps, feeling her jaw harden. “Tell me, what do I think?”

“I–you’re–” you mentally curse yourself at being reduced to a stuttering mess. You should not be having this conversation; you should be somewhere outside of this apartment, with a blonde that had just sent you a heartfelt voice message because you couldn’t make up your mind. 

“What? You can’t say it, can you?” Wanda eggs on.

She knows she’s gunning for a fight–but it’s how battles are won in the first place. 

“I’ll tell you what I think this is. This? This isn’t even the result of what happened last week at the cafe. I told you that Vision was there by chance. I did not invite him. I haven’t been seeing him all this time. And no matter how many times you tell me you don’t believe me, I think deep down you know the truth. But I also think–”

Wanda’s voice breaks. She told herself she wouldn’t cry; you don’t even know how tired of crying she was. But while this has gone for only just a week, it already feels like a lifetime of heartache.

“I think it freed you from holding back on what you really felt all those months ago. And it’s okay, Y/N. If it’s only catching up to you now, I’m here for you. You can be angry all you want. Hurt me all you want. Whatever it takes to makes us ev–”

“Don’t you dare,” The desperation for her to stop leaks around the edges of your trembling voice. “If you think this makes us even, then you still don’t–” You’re unable to finish your sentence as your eyes blur with unshed tears. You catch the first drop with a finger, and then more with the heel of your hand, until you’re openly crying into your palms on the floor.

A second later you feel Wanda behind you, soft breasts pressing against your back, her arms wrapping around you like chains. She puts her head over your shoulder, so when she speaks you feel her breath with every word. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Please, Y/N, you have to believe me. I wish you could read my mind, see for yourself it’s just a coincidence that he was there. I asked him to leave, and I didn’t want to make a scene, so I–”

“Enough, Wanda,” you say, and it almost comes out like a bitter sigh. “I-I need to go.” 

Wanda’s arms stiffen around you, and then they cling harder. Tighter. A frantic, “please, don’t leave, please believe me, how can I make you believe me” slips from her lips as she presses closer to you, like a child clinging to a parent when they scrape their knees. 

But then you’re planting your feet firmly on the ground and rising from your position amidst the weight of gravity and Wanda’s stubborn clutch.

“Y/N.” Wanda tries, at least one more time. She’s left with her arms now dangling uselessly to her sides, bare as the day she was born–except for the ring on her left hand. You’d think that seeing Wanda like this would bring some closure to the resentment that’s eating at you since the night you started sleeping with her. And not for the first time since this started, you ask yourself what the hell you are doing with her. To her.

Presently, it’s no longer about who deserves what. By all accounts of the past week, you’re both so damaged in ways that would only warrant the both of you to deserve each other. 

It’s a mistake for you to come here tonight. As well as all those nights and mid-mornings you allowed yourself to indulge in the past; to see if there’s another perspective to be had without your inhibitions; if maybe the darkness inside would ran out if choose to let it free, together with the hurt and the regret of losing the person you’ve built your world around. 

And it turns out, there’s none. There’s just the bruises on Wanda’s skin, the bruises on your soul, and the never ending push-and-pull that your shared existence has come to. It took Yelena’s tearful voice message to drag you out of Wanda’s bed; and while you might not have cared about how this torrid affair affects you or Wanda, you’re not going to let Yelena near its path of destruction.

“Y/N?” Wanda calls out softly.

One last time. Though it figures that Wanda wouldn’t stop trying to make you stay. A person drowning into the depths of the ocean wouldn’t just stop breathing. Pain demands you to see it through. 

Quietly, you pick up the blankets from the bed and wrap it around Wanda. She looks up at you, eyes red and watery but brimming with hope. 

“Maybe we’ll talk. But for now, I’m sorry. I really have to go.” you say.

Wanda closes her eyes and draws a sharp breath. 

At the bottom of the ocean, darkness and coldness envelop everything, while time's relentless march shows no mercy. Wanda becomes acutely aware of this truth as the echo of the door slamming shut reverberates within her, reaching the depths of her being.

-

There are two cars occupying the parking slot designated for Yelena’s shared apartment. You don’t give much thought about what it means as you climb the stairs to her unit.

Yelena.

You hadn’t noticed that you weren’t returning any of her texts or calls last week, right around the time you started showing up at Wanda’s place in the middle of the night to succumb to warped desires that had unconsciously been accumulating steadily since god knows how long. 

With a deep breath, you raise your fist in a tentative knock. You listen to hurried footsteps approach and brace yourself.

“Hey, Yel–” 

Someone who isn’t Yelena opens the door for you. A woman with dark hair and even darker eyes you’ve never seen before regards you with familiarity. She sweeps you with a sly gaze, and then says, “You’re Y/N?” 

That’s when you remember her name–Kate Bishop.

“I am,” you confirm with a nod. “Yelena left me a voice message. It was a little disconcerting, so I came here to see if she’s okay.”

Kate purses her lips. “I’m Kate by the way.”

You shuffle your feet awkwardly against the carpeted floor of the hallway, uneasy at the fact that she hasn’t tried to invite you in. “I kinda already knew. Yelena talks about you.”

She raises a skeptic eyebrow at that. “I haven’t heard of you until today.”

“Oh.” you say, unsure of how you should react to that information.

“What did she say?” Kate inquires coolly, arms crossed in front of her.

You squint at her, puzzled by the question and quite frankly, puzzled by her passive-aggressive attitude. 

“In her message.” Kate clarifies.

“That’s, uhm, private,” you say, tilting your head to the side. “Should I go back another time?”

Kate offers you a calculating look like she’s weighing something, but then she steps aside and says, “Down the hall. To your left. Knock first, hm?”

You don’t knock, seeing that the door is slightly ajar. The first thing you notice is the freezing temperature of the room, which isn’t surprising at all since there’s quite a few empty bottles of vodka on the floor, and you can only imagine how hot Yelena must be feeling after drinking that much alcohol. A Maisie Peters song plays in the background, and you recognize it because Yelena’s been humming her songs around you and you were curious enough to Google the lyrics you were able to pick out. 

You almost backtrack when you immediately don’t find Yelena, thinking you must have gotten the wrong room (or Kate’s instructions were wrong on purpose), but then you catch sight of a tuft of blonde hair, peeking out from underneath the covers. You round the bed and sit beside the cocoon Yelena’s made for herself. 

Placing a hand over what you think is her shoulder, you give her a little nudge. 

The body beneath the comforter stirs. 

“Kate?” Yelena’s usual husky voice sounds rougher to your ears.

“It’s me.” you mutter softly. Yelena emerges from the covers, a bit hesitant at first, but then she sees you and her hands come flying to your cheeks, squeezing them together. 

“Y/N!” Yelena drags out the last syllable of your name in a sing-song voice. “Are you really here? Oh, wait–did I booty call you?” she laughs; boisterous and unrestrained and pretty much vodka-induced. 

“N-No… Y–” you close your eyes when blinking several times doesn’t help the blurring of your vision. Then, when you’re sure that you can look at Yelena without your emotions running away, you hold up your phone and say, “You sent me this.”

“I did?” Yelena frowns. “I didn’t mean to, Y/N. Just forget about them.”

“How could I? Y-You’re blaming yourself.”

“I’m in love with you, Y/N,” she says with a teary smile. “Of course there’s only myself to blame for that.” 

“Yelena–”

“I wish I never left you to study overseas. I wish I never left New York if I had known I’d only end up back here. I would have been a great wife to you. A good mother, eventually. We’d be having a very different conversation in our home somewhere in Montauk, because you said you’ve always wanted to retire there…” Yelena trails off but there’s no tears in her eyes even as voice becomes thick with grief.

“You love me,” you mumble in resignation, looking down at your lap. “You shouldn’t.”

“But I do.”

You shake your head. “I’m not good for you.”

“It’s just how it is.” Yelena whispers. 

And the words struck you as you’ve heard it before; spoken by eyes that are similarly green, but entirely different.

You can’t ignore how much they hold the same essence of what they speak about–love; no matter how difficult it is for you to believe the other. 

"She's asleep," you inform Kate as you begin to put your boots back on. Yelena wasn’t in the right state to talk about where they stand, so you laid on the bed with her until she dozed off, her head on your chest and your arm around her while you traced invisible lines on her back.

“Will you ever take her seriously?” Kate says.

“Excuse me?”

Kate doesn’t repeat herself, instead she blurts out, “I like Yelena.”

Seeing the dumbfounded look on your face, it doesn’t take her a second to put two and two together. 

“She didn’t tell you,” she sounds downright disheartened by her own conclusion. “I like Yelena. I want to take her out on dates. Gift her expensive things. Make her happy. All those things you want to do when you lo–like someone.”

Ah. Suddenly, it all makes sense. You’re done lacing up and there’s really nothing else to do but take your leave. Your legs feel as heavy as your heart, and you can’t seem to move an inch from where Kate’s pinning you with an accusatory look. 

Kate sighs at your aloof reticence, and then continues, “And I don’t see you doing any of that for her. So, let me rephrase my question–do you see a future with her?”

A future? What does tomorrow even look like? You’ve been stuck in a limbo for so long, you didn’t consider that everyone else outside of your bubble could be making plans, mapping out milestones and basically trying their best to live their lives with purpose.

Were you a wrench in Yelena’s plans? Or Kate’s? Have you been really this self-absorbed all this time? In between these thoughts, your mind unwillingly drifts to your ex-wife. 

For a decade, ‘future’ meant her. Kids. Old age. Death. They were all meant to be with Wanda. 

You shove your hands deep into the pockets of your coat, finding a dried mush of receipts as an acute rush of discomfort overwhelms you.

“Just as I thought.” Kate’s smirk is simultaneously smug and a little sad. Afterwhich, Kate leans into your personal space and takes a curious whiff. Your eyes widen in surprise, but you resist the urge to back away. 

“Hypnotic Poison?” she asks with a grimace. 

This time, you do back away. “What?” 

Kate laughs, eyes twinkling with mirth. “The fact that you don’t know what I’m talking about suggests you’re wearing someone else’s perfume. For your information, the fragrance I smell on you–it’s called Hypnotic Poison.”

You didn’t think the new scent that Wanda wears nowadays would come back to bite you in this way. It’s such a trivial detail that you couldn’t care less about. 

“I–”

“It’s not my place to tell Yelena anything. But I hope you do the right thing.” Kate says. 

And with that, she motions for you to get the hell out of her home.

-

Somewhere, the sound of a siren pierces the air. Some time later at a hospital near where Wanda lives, Pietro Maximoff finds himself pacing restlessly outside the emergency room. 

He unleashes a string of curses at himself, mind reeling from the events of the past hour. How could he have not seen the signs?

If he had been even a second too late, then she’d be–

Pietro buries his face in his hands. 

People survive drug overdose all the time, right?

Yet, in the desolate waiting area, all he finds are worn-out chairs and abandoned coffee cups sitting on them, offering no answers or reassurance.

[fumifooms]

Namalin

Namari x Falin

Easy short rarepair spotlight post for prosperity~ This one I didn’t think of on my own for once, I don’t know if it’s just I forgot the decided-on ship name or what but I remember seeing really nice art and a couple posts about it that I can’t find again 💔 Namalin warrior you are out there and not forgotten ty for making me see the light

I like that Namari’s critical of Falin! I have a whole character analysis on Falin if you’re interested, but it’s generally well noticed that people around Falin idealize her a lot. Laios, Marcille and Toshiro all put her on a pedestral of ultimate goodness in the world, a saintess if nothing short of perfection. Sounds like Chilchuck felt sort of creeped out by her vibes, uncomfortable because he couldn’t read her, so unlike Namari it seems he preferred steering clear of her rather than debate opposed ideologies like he usually does. Makes sense if unlike Namari his issue is with her cryptic aura rather than the stances she does show. "… The dungeon is no place for soft hearts" my ultimate namalin scene <333 It’s fun because while this scene is there to show us a lot of things, mostly to establish Falin’s characters better as it’s the first flashback of her we get, the conflict in it is more than anything else Falin vs Namari in how they contrast and clash and approach situations differently. Namari wants security in swift effective violence and thinks Falin too soft for her own good when she prefers a pacifist approach and promotes compassion even for the "undeserving" in Namari’s eyes. Falin steps between the battle ready Namari and the ghost, fearless. Falin effortlessly gently exorcises the ghost without one step back, quickly. Falin proves someone wrong. Falin proves someone wrong.

I love thinking of Namari being surprised when she learns new aspects of Falin. I like Falin having the power to shape people’s views on her. With Falin ships the most fun part for me is usually that point where Falin/the relationship becomes a clean slate: the person realizes they haven’t been seeing all of her, realizes there’s more of her they hadn’t noticed or that she hadn’t shown, that there’s change, a shift in the views on each other and the dynamic a bit.

Namari often feels like an external view looking in to me… I need to make a proper analysis on her but like. I made a lamari post once (analytic more than personally invested rip sorry) and I go with the same Namari take here, I think she’s someone who tends to have an outsider view on people and relationships if that makes sense, she’s a coworker before anything else and she’s content staying at a distance, she’s not objective per se but she tries to keep feelings out of her choices and how she sees people (her lil arc on not staying to save Falin despite the existing camaderie but in the end asking to work for the Flokes more because she wants to stay with them). She’s serious no nonsense on the job but friendly off the job and likes having casual friends, but she’s not… She doesn’t really feel connected to the group. She’s so focused on doing her job, even if she does get impulsive and passionate and too assertive for her bosses’ tastes, so focused on working her reputation and life from the ground up that that professionalism and attitude limits her social life. It doesn’t help that her reputation makes her widely judged, so she probably enters social spaces on the derensive. The closest person she was to pre-canon as far as we knew was Chilchuck and even they have a very "coworker I get along with" dynamic more than friends, with a similar sense of boundaries, humor and world view. Also like canon says a few time, the party didn’t really try to get to know each other well pre-canon, didn’t hang out after work often no one knew where Marcille was from and no one thought that was weird (also how no one had the instinct to ask about Senshi’s past) etc, the notable exception is we’re shown Namari and Chilchuck hitting taverns together and having a grand time. Everyone’s fine with things as they are, they get along decent even if not everyone considers each other friends exactly. Where I’m getting at is that to me, it feels like she tries keeping emotional distance. Emotional distance from people in general being something which in my interpretation of Falin is also present, which would make it a theme and common thread interesting to explore imo. But yes like, Namari looking at Falin, and how everyone treats her, and being more skeptical, seeing her for what she is a little more, maybe even uncharitable. "Why is everyone treating her like she’s all that? She’s gentle sure but seems like a doormat to me" and then one day she comes running up with her mace ready to cave in someone’s face to protect Laios. So yeah… Keeping her distance but one day Falin offering her some gentleness that feels very too personal for someone who’s not used to being genuine and simply showing that they care… Them talking a bit which leaves her stumped and mindblown in a quiet way when Falin defies her expectations. Namari growing on Falin when she stays and decides to open herself up more, or when Falin ends up reading her really well like she’s shown to do with her parents and Marcille’s worries. She’s very attuned to worrying and why and when different people do it especially when it comes to when they worry for others, perhaps because she does a lot of that too, so I think she’d nail down how Namari does care for the rest of the party and it’d make Namari feel seen both in a warm validating way and in a scared naked way.

We see in the tentacles chapter that she’s someone’s who’s very protective and looks out for her peers in a tough love way. She’s overbearing but it’s because she wants everyone to have the best chances. I like that she’s very confrontational and somewhat pushy and rude, but it’s tough love, it’s protective care: asserting herself to better protect and defend. The opposite of Falin’s type of care, quiet and self-sacrificial devotion. They’re barbarian x healer but they’re also bodyguard x bodyguard in their attitude and role. … What I want for them is slow burn slice of life of being coworkers and slowly getting to know each other better, pretty fluffy, but god, put this way they’d have the potential to be such a hot layered mess of insanely mutually devoted codependence… Falin taking a hit for Namari and Namari being scarred by it forever, lots of arguments about it, my god.

I like that she’s the fighter to Falin’s healer. I looove thinking of scenes of Falin healing Namari, necessitating touch and like, a moment of slowing down and sitting together in silence, too intimate, the perfect opportunity to connect that neither truly want to take until one day they do. I love how onesided I imagine the relationship would be at first. Again, as per my interpretation of Falin, I think Namari would have all these little observations and opinions on Falin meanwhile Falin really doesn’t think of Namari much at first. So Namari thinks a lot about Falin and thinks she’s got her pinned down but hasn’t (not that she’s fully wrong, she’d have credit and confront Falin on some of her flaws like the doormat thing), while Falin is very passive about Namari and doesn’t think deeply about her or anything but she read Namari’s insecurities and logic well. Not unlike how Laios was the one who seemed to understand Namari’s way of care the best in the party in the tentacles episode, and how he was very understanding of her choice and reasons. In Falin’s case it’s more like, the objectivity of passivity… She cares about Namari less than Laios who generally seeks to form bonds, so her lack of investment allows her a neutral perspective. In that way another parallel with Namari that I’m drawing, except Namari lets feelings from her opinions seeps in more… Onesided beef my beloved. I’m going insane save me this post was a mistake. I think Falin takes the crumbs of friendship and love where she can without expecting or asking for anything more than what’s offered, and I think her relationship with Namari (or anyone really) would start out the way it did with Marcille: the other takes the initiative and they end up spending time together, Falin is friendly but unattached until the bond gets gradually and wordlessly strenghtened through regularly spending moments together. So! I think Namari would need to take a lot of the first steps, which since again she’s confrontational & argumentative and doesn’t hold herself back on that front that could spark a lot of conversations I think. Ooor since Falin cares about Namari less than Laios and Marcille she allows herself to be bolder herself lol. Or also circumstances force them to spend time together like dungeon party getting separated shenanigans.

I think their personalities match cutely, I think falin would try to protect namari like she does others but also Namari simply doesn’t need protection, just support. And I think they’re complementary in that way that Namari’s friendly but also won’t sugarcoat things, and I think if she takes an interest in Falin it could go from there and she could develop some understanding of her and idk like an intrigued crush….

Namari wants stability & security & to, like, not be judged and rejected and exiled lol, to find her nest her pack the place where she feels good and wanted in. I think having a fitting partner would help in that (similarly to how the found family with the Flokes seemed to. Oh another parallel, Falin’s top priority is protecting Laios her brother and what Namari are a family figure) and I think Falin would fulfill that cozy protection and that warm ‘being seen and not judged’ feeling. But also Namari would run up to her and yell about her trying to sacrifice herself ever.

Another fun thread to explore: post-canon guilt for not having gone to save her. Sure, they weren’t close, but they had some nice memories, didn’t they? Namari cares, and it stings despite herself when it feels like people think she doesn’t. Oh it wasn’t a lost cause after all, oh it’d have worked out, oh I could have stayed loyal and it wouldn’t have compromised myself in the end. Wanting to apologize to Falin, or just ahnging out with her and sharing a moment after she wakes up. And tangent but that’s interesting to think about… Narratively, I think the purpose of Namari and Toshiro in the story, beyond strenghtening the theme of "seek to understand what is different from you and promote unity despite them" and fleshing the cast and worldbuilding, is Toshiro’s purpose was being a foil & tool in Laios’ arc (trouble connecting with people) while Namari’s was being and a foil & tool in Marcille’s arc (standing up for ideals without being out of touch with harsh realities and needs). They are the conflict that push our protagonists to grow— and they explore different ways of dealing with a situation or topic, different ways of growing into themselves on that end: Laios needing to listen to others more and Toshiro needing to focus on voicing himself more to be able to connect, Marcille needing to learn ideals sometimes cost too much and Namari needing to internalize that ideals are sometimes worth risks (not only to be able to find a reasonable but fulfilling life balance, but also to get in touch with their compassion: Namari restricts her own too much and Marcille is too harsh on people she deems to be breaking values, like Namari not risking her life and career for a friend with no promise of success, or even like how Namari is harsh on Falin’s way of doing things : too gentle, too soft, too idealistic) (similarly to Chilchuck’s arc with Marcille too, and he also plays a hand in advancing that arc in the Namari chapters). We are getting far from namalin sorry ummm preview for future analyses like Toshiro’s contrasting approach to grief and accepting loss.

More post-canon namalin! Thinking about a timeline where… Namari is fond of Falin finding herself and going off to do her thing. "Finally!" she thinks. If she’s still for hire, maybe Falin would want her to come along, either as guide or bodyguard <3, she knows Namari has a lot of good avice on a lot of things to give, plus they’ve worked together before. She hires Namari and they travel for a bit. Travel would do Namari good too I think, even if her end goal is to settle and I think Falin’s would be too eventually. Seeing sights that light her wonder for the world and going places where people don’t know her story, don’t recognize her face or her name. Them, feeling free. Finding a companionship that feels uplifting instead of stifling or charged. Namari having been too in her head about reputation and social games and money that they hit the roads and spend time in nature and it’s like, woah. I’ve been living in a small world with made up rules.

Ahh yes romance, Namari and Falin kissing after 3 years of not really knowing each other despite seeing each other every day then 2 months of wanting to spend more and more time together until they’re an inseparable duo! Workwives. I want them to stand next to each other during campire time and Namari cracks little jokes and Namari laughs. I want Namari to gift Falin a bug caught in amber and for it to be their wedding/promised to each other thing.

TLDR

Rowdy but levelheaded barbarian x gentle healer that will also cave your face in with a mace I like it…… They’re an interesting duo of mixed stuff. Protection being your purpose and what you’re worth for, literally being a meat shield (Laios, Tansu), finding your individuality recognized and validated through a growing bond with the other. Sticking around as a love language. Also bug immortalized in amber and it being beautiful.

Nevermind this wasn’t short. Um! Anyways.

[krasytoonz]

YOU DRAW BARNABY AND HOWDY SO SWEET AND CUTE

I need you all to Understand why I ship them So much — they work so well as lovers, you see, because they are kind of opposites, yet they complement each other

Barnaby being the Funny one who always makes Howdy laugh (WHICH IS SO SO HEALTHY ISNT IT), and Howdy can just ramble about his issues to Barnaby, whether it’s his Family or anything, and he is his favorite customer and every Audio of them together always involve some sort of good friendship — IT JUST WORKS GUYS

Howdy knows how to make Barnaby’s favorite dish, which is why he’s always visiting him, and the fact that Howdy is so open with Barnaby shows that there’s a huge level of trust between them

Howdy’s personality is quick, upbeat and well, ‘confrontational’ (or better word… Sassy), while Barnaby is relaxed, loves joking around and from what I could tell, he likes to playfully tease the other neighbors (mainly Frank) BUT IT WORKS BECAUSE… WELL YOU SEE THE VISION RIGHT?

somebody Help me

I am assuming that Howdy is usually Overworked and don’t really have breaks much, but whenever Barnaby visits and tells him Jokes, it makes him ease up. And out of all the neighbors, he gets along well with Barnaby very very well

I could just imagine whenever Howdy has a bad day, Barnaby comes in, tells a joke, and it brightens up his mood. and he’ll go, “This is the reason why you are my Favorite Customer.” AND IT DOESNT EVEN HAVE TO BE ROMANTIC BECAUSE THEY ALSO WORK SO WELL AS FRIENDS TOO AND JRWOMDMDEIODMCJEKEMSMW

i am going insane

but yes I really really do love beaglepillar/laughingstock because it’s such a fun healthy dynamic they have — I’d imagine if they do argue about something, I doubt that it’s going to last long, because I know that Barnaby will possibly Apologize first, since Howdy might have a little bit of an ego — BUT THATS THE FUN PART BECAUSE he loves Barnaby, he will forgive him and apologize too AND THAT ITSELF — THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE — IS SUCH A GOOD THING IN RELATIONSHIPS

Why am I typing a psychoanalysis on two puppets’ relationship with each other I swear I am Doomed

ALSO

they are quite literally shaped differently — Barnaby being round, and Howdy being more ‘angular’/boxy — ITS JUST FUN TO DRAW AND OMFHFJFNNFD THEY LOOK SO WELL TGT HONESTLY

[macbethsymphony]

The Swordsman and the Blacksmith | Chapter 4

Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Chapter wc: 3k

Chapter rating: SFW

Content/Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Fem!Reader, Enemies to lovers, SLOW slow burn, Eventual smut

Summary: Your skills as a blacksmith have made you desirable to both the government and pirates. You know you have to leave this island if you want to escape your fate, but that doesn't make the choice of leaving any easier. Roronoa Zoro is intrigued by your skills as a blacksmith. Your work is like nothing he's ever seen before. Unfortunately, you're hot-headed and he's rude and you both definitely hate each other.

Chapters [1] [2] [3]

Masterlist

Slowly crossposting from AO3 Feel like binging the rest of it? it's all there!

Chapter 4: The promise

Your departure from the tranquil shores of your island had been hurried, leaving little time for prolonged goodbyes. Mary had embraced you tightly before you stepped onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Despite her attempts to mask her emotions with a smile, tears glistened in her eyes, betraying the sorrow she felt.

"You have to behave," Mary had admonished gently as Nami's announcement echoed through the air, signaling the ship was about to leave. "Try to be nice for once in your life."

“I will.” You had said understanding the weight of her words and the importance of fitting in with the other members of the crew.

"And try to reconcile with the swordsman too," she had added, her tone soft yet firm. The mention of Zoro had elicited a scowl from you, a testament to the unresolved tension between you and the rude swordsman.

"Promise me you'll try, (Y/n)," she had implored, her voice tinged with emotion.

“I promise.” You had reluctantly given your word, knowing that your promise held a significant meaning to Mary.

"Good," she had sighed, a hint of relief evident in her voice. "I'm going to miss you. You better write to me once in a while, alright?" With those parting words, she had enveloped you in a final embrace, clinging to you as if unwilling to let you go, before reluctantly releasing you to embark on your new journey.

The rhythmic clang of your hammer against the workbench you were building echoed in the air as a heavy sigh escaped your lips. The weight of your promise to Mary lingered heavily on your shoulders, a burden on your conscience that seemed to grow each passing day. Doubts crept into your mind about your ability to fulfill the pledge you had made. Day after day, the patience you had towards the swordsman grew closer to snapping.

But it really wasn’t all bad if you were honest. You had now been aboard the Thousand Sunny for over a week. The whirlwind of events still left your head spinning at times. But despite the abrupt and drastic changes that had overturned your life, you were slowly but steadily growing fond of the dynamic aboard the ship.

Your short temper had quickly become a well-known trait among the crew, but they had also discovered that it was mostly bark and little bite. They had grown accustomed to your scowls and variating moods, even finding amusement in them. Their laughter in the face of your irritation had become a familiar sound, a lighthearted teasing that somehow made you feel like you belonged.

One day, as you shared drinks, you couldn’t help but ask the girls what they all found so funny in the face of your outrage. The laughter had amplified, you hadn’t been able to help the tipsy smile hitting your lips at the infectious joy in front of you.

“It’s just…” Robin had started, laughter redoubling as she tried to explain.

“You look like an angry kitten when you scowl like that.” Nami had finished for her between two outbursts of laughter.

You’d blushed furiously, an indignant ‘No I don’t,’ muttered under your breath.

You smiled at the memory as you hammered a final nail in the workbench, marking it as completed. Franky had approached you the moment you’d stepped on the Sunny, different blueprints in hand for a forge, an excited smile on his lips at the multitude of ideas crossing his mind. He’d been so excited to build you the perfect workplace. The two of you had developed an easy friendship in the process, you were beyond grateful to the shipwright for the opportunity to continue your work.

“What’s got you smiling like that, (Y/n),” the man in question asked you, pulling you back to reality.

You turned to him, grin still touching your lips. “Just something Robin and Nami said the other day,” you replied, your voice laced with amusement.

Franky’s eyebrows rose, clearly curious. “Oh yeah? What was that?” he asked, setting down his tools and leaning in closer.

You chuckled shaking your head. “Apparently, I look like an angry kitten when I get all worked up.” You said rolling your eyes playfully.

Franky burst into laughter, the sound echoing on the walls of the small forge you were building together. “An angry kitten, huh? I can totally see it,” he exclaimed after a while.

You feigned an indignant expression. “I don’t look like a kitten, Franky”

He looked you over. “You’re not exactly threatening looking, (Y/n). A kitten is a pretty good descriptor if I can say so myself.” His big hand settled softly on your head ruffling your hair gently. “But hey, it’s all part of your charm (Y/n)!”

 You let out a scoff, the outrage clearly fake as happiness marked your features.

“You know I’m grateful to you right, Franky?” you spoke after a few seconds of silence.

“That so?” He said, moving to examine your work.

“Never in a million years would I have imagined you’d make this space for me on your ship.” You admitted.

Franky smiled, he knew you were not just speaking about the forge, but he also knew feelings were not your strong suit. “You can’t be serious,” he exclaimed. “There’s no way we’re letting your talent rot away on this ship.”

You smiled, hearing the unsaid in his words. You’re family now.

“Besides,” he continued after giving your work an approving nod. “Usopp and I are going to be pestering you with so many requests as soon as this is done.”

Sanji’s voice cut through the air, announcing that lunch was ready, interrupting the heartfelt moment.

The enticing aroma of Sanji’s cooking wafted through the air as you opened the door to the kitchen. Everyone was already there, the atmosphere buzzing with cheerfulness. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper eagerly occupied their seats, anticipation clear as they watched Sanji meticulously prepare their plates. Nearby Nami and Robin were engaged in an animated conversation, laughter contributing to the lively ambiance.

Taking your customary seat, you found yourself facing the brooding swordsman. His scowl at your presence darkened your mood, squashing the smile on your lips instantly. Your eyes dropped to the swords at his belt. It irked you beyond measure that such stunning swords belonged to such a brute. Ever since you’d noticed them, you’d been itching to see them, to hold them. To see for yourself the mastery of the craftsmanship behind these legendary blades. Hell, you’d tried to get him to show them to you every day now.

You gritted your teeth at the memory of your first attempt at broaching the subject. You’d been walking down the mountain path to their ship when you’d first asked him about them.

“Those are Wado Ichimonji and Shusui.” You had confidently stated.

He’d grunted in confirmation.

“And this one’s a cursed blade, right?” you had asked trying to make conversation.

“It is,” he had affirmed your suspicions.

“Please show them to me.” You’d earnestly requested.

“No,” had been his uncompromising reply.

And so had gone every other attempts you’d made as you clung to the hope that one day he might reconsider.

You opened your mouth, ready to ask him the question for the second time of the day.

“No” he cut you off before you could say anything.

“Fine,” you said bitterly. His stubbornness was as predictable as the rising sun.

The crew erupted into laughter at the refusal, a running gag that had become a source of amusement among them. Usopp, seizing the opportunity, rose from his seat, erasing the tally on the whiteboard before proudly inscribing the new score. "21-0," he announced with gusto. A small smile involuntarily returned to your lips, the crew's antics transforming irritation into amusement.

Yes, 21-0. That was the tally of how many times Zoro had steadfastly declined your request.

"Don’t mind the idiot, (Y/n)," Sanji chimed in, placing a plate before you. The delectable contents of the dish momentarily diverted your attention from the tension between you and the swordsman.

"That’s right!" Nami added, delight dancing in her eyes.

"I’m sure you’ll get to see them one day," Chopper offered encouragingly.

"Thanks, doc," you replied.

Luffy, ever the curious one, couldn't resist asking between mouthfuls, "Why do you wanna see Zoro’s swords so bad?"

As Luffy’s question hung in the air, you paused contemplating your response. The crew’s attention moved to you, waiting expectantly for your answer. In the corner of your eye, you saw Zoro shift almost imperceptibly in his seat.

“Well,” You began, choosing your words carefully. “I want to study them.” You couldn’t help the glint in your eyes, nor the excitement lacing your voice as you continued. “Wado Ichimonji and Shusui are legendary blades! I’ve read about those swords and the techniques used to create them so many times now but nothing would beat holding them in my hands to learn how they were made. And that third blade!” You point at Sandai Kitetsu animatedly “It’s a cursed blade! They’re so rare! You see, cursed blades choose their owners, only the strongests of swordsmen can wield them without consequences. I don’t know if the blade would let me hold it but if it did! Oh, the things I could learn!” you marveled.

Everyone looked at you with a dumbfounded look, your passion stunning them into silence. Zoro’s expression was unreadable as he looked you over. You felt a slight blush warming your cheeks at the crew’s reaction.

“Oi, you shitty swordsman,” Sanji said, breaking the silence. “Don’t be selfish and let (Y/n) look at your swords. You shouldn’t refuse a lady’s passion.” He kicked Zoro’s chair in annoyance.

“I already said no.” Zoro said, standing up abruptly. He looked down at you as though he was about to say something, but he decided against it.

 The crew exchanged glances, a collective sigh escaping their lips as Zoro stomped out of the room. Nami shook her head, muttering something about the swordsman being an idiot.

Usopp cleared his throat. “Well, that went as expected. I didn’t know you were so passionate about swords (Y/n)!” He said trying to lighten the mood.

“You know, (Y/n), if you really want to study Zoro’s swords, maybe you should try a gentler approach.” Robin suggested.

“What do you mean by that, Robin?” Chopper asked.

“Well, your first encounter was… rocky to say the least.” She answered giving you a knowing smile. You couldn’t help but shrink in your seat as you remembered your outrage that day. “Maybe trying to mend this instead of demanding something out of him would work better.” She explained.

She was right, you knew that. “I’ll… give it a try.” You said, hesitantly.

“That’s the spirit!” Franky said brightly. “Come on, (Y/n), we’ve got a forge to finish!”

You’d been working alongside Franky all afternoon, mulling over different scenarios on how to approach Zoro. The forge was almost done, tomorrow you’d most likely be able to give it a test run. You couldn’t help the excitement you felt at the thought of shaping hot steel into something new.

“Hey! (Y/n)! Where do you want to hang those?” Franky asked, pointing at the three swords you’d brought with you when you’d left your home.

You paused, considering the question. The swords held sentimental value to you, each one representing a different aspect of your journey and personal growth. Finding the perfect place to display them was important.

"I'm not sure yet," you replied, casting a thoughtful glance at the swords leaning against the doorway. "How about we leave the finishing touches for tomorrow? Once the forge is up and running, I'll have a better idea of where they should go."

Franky nodded in agreement, a grin spreading across his face. "Sounds like a plan.” He looked out at the horizon. The sun was slowly lowering in the sky. “How about we leave it here? Take it easy for the night.”

“Sure! Sounds good to me!” You answered, giving a satisfied look at the work you’d achieved today.

Franky had left before you, stating something about cola. You stayed behind for a few moments longer, trying to imagine how you’d make this space yours.

Zoro had been sitting on the deck sharpening his swords when you left the walls of your small forge. You’d been preparing a speech in your head for the past few hours, multiple scenarios thoroughly developed in your mind on how to approach him again. You’d settled on something you thought was… alright. As you eyed him, you pondered whether you should try that speech now or on another day. No time like the present, you thought walking up to him.

You cleared your throat, catching his attention.

He ignored you. You sighed.

“Look…I know we haven’t started this.” You started, gesturing at the two of you. “On the right foot.” You continued as you shifted your weight from foot to foot awkwardly. This was the closest to an apology you’d go.

He grunted noncommittally, still not looking at you. Irritation threatened to cloud your mind at the bastard’s stubbornness, but you persevered.

“But, one day, when you trust me.” You said. “I’d greatly appreciate it if you would let me have a look at Wado Ichimonji and Shusui. They’re amazing swords and I’d love to learn from their craftsmanship.” You blurted the rest of your speech as fast as possible, looking at him expectantly.

“No,” he said looking up at you with a glare.

The sliver of patience you’d had towards the swordsman shattered in you as you withstood his stare. You inwardly apologized to Mary as anger filled your eyes. Fuck the swordsman, fuck the promise.

“What?” You screeched indignantly, voice going up an octave. “Why not? I’m being fucking nice here.”

He scowled at that, looking past you. You followed his gaze. He was looking at one of your swords leaning against the door of your forge.

“You can’t be serious. You’re still hung up on that?” You snapped, sneering down at him.

He ignored you, quick movements of the whetstone resuming.

“Why are you so goddamned hell bent on holding Yokubari?” You asked.

“Why do you care, witch?” He retorted, his tone dripping with mockery. You seethed at the nickname coming out of his lips. You didn’t mind others using it but the way he’d always say it with such disdain just pissed you off so much.

You scoffed, crossing your arms defiantly. “Witch? Really, swordsman? How original.” You replied venom in your voice.

“It’s a sword, not a sacred relic. Let me hold it and I might reconsider.” He stated haughtily.

“It’s just a sword to you, huh? Are you stupid or something? I told you already, you’re too fucking weak to hold it.” You stated, index poking his forehead angrily as to make your point.

“The fuck you say?” Zoro’s temper flared. He suddenly stood up, whetstone clattering on the floor with his swords at the swift movement. He caught your collar in his fist. “Watch your mouth, witch.”

“Oh please! Spare me! I’m quaking in my boots.” You retorted throwing your hands in the air overstating the sarcasm dripping in the tone of your voice.  

“You really think you’re something, huh?” Zoro growled, grip tightening in fabric.

You snorted in disdain, your own hand grabbing his open shirt in defiance. “I think I’m more than you can handle swordsman.” You shot back looking up at him, refusing to back down. Rage crackled behind your eyes, dark spirals starting to form around the both of you as haki started to seep out of your hands.

The tension hung in the air, both of you locked in a battle of egos, unwilling to back down from each other. The crew scattered across the deck couldn’t help but glance in amusement at the brewing storm between the two of you.

Franky chuckled as he took a sip of cola. “She’s a firecracker this one.” He said to Robin who was sitting next to him reading a book.

“Isn’t she adorable?” She answered with a smile, eyes not looking up from the page she was on.

Chopper, with wide eyes, whispered with concern to Usopp, “Do you think they’re going to fight?”

Usopp shook his head, “Nah, I think it’s just their way of communicating.”

“Really?” Chopper asked incredulously.

“Aren’t they so funny?” Luffy said laughing at the impressive display of wills before him.

Sanji leaned against the railing, cigarette dangling from his lips. He smirked as he watched the confrontation before him. “(Y/n)-chwan is so beautiful when she gets angry.” He mused.

Brook standing nearby strummed a few notes on his guitar. “Ah, young love. Such a rare thing to see,” he said. “Not that I have eyes to see out of, yohohoho.”

Sanji raised a skeptical eyebrow at Brook. “I wouldn’t call it love, Brook. More like a clash of titans.” He replied, taking a drag out of his cigarette.

Brook shrugged, his bony shoulders rising nonchalantly. “Perhaps you’re right, Sanji. But there’s no denying the sparks flying,”  he said, hollow eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Alright! That’s enough you two!” Nami said abruptly, standing up from the table she’d been sitting at, when the argument got too heated. You both ignored her. She sighed, clearly annoyed as she stomped over separating the both of you with a hit to the head.

Your hand shot up to your skull, leaving his shirt alone. He did the same. When your gazes crossed again, you couldn’t help the anger filling you.

No, not anger.

Hate.

It was a strong word, an even stronger emotion, even for you. Yet, as Roronoa Zoro sneered down at you, hate was the only way to describe the feeling coursing through your veins.

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Masterlist

[writing-for-life]

Ok, I’m not going to get involved in a certain thread because I don’t want any drama and the line of argumentation leans too much to one side already (the views of the vocal majority in this fandom) for it to make much sense to contribute, but I had a few thoughts today:

In a fandom where people write AUs full of cows and merpeople and other shenanigans that have nothing to do with canon (or the actual characters, to be frank), they can’t do that for Calliope (or any other female character, for that matter)?

She doesn’t get to play in the sandbox?

We don’t have the imagination to turn her into one of the two dolls that kiss?

We have to keep her in character while everyone else can be turned into… whatever person (certainly neither the one of the comics nor the show)?

We constantly have to remember her strife and trauma and can’t invent (!, that’s what writing is about!) a different or new side to her? Or a better future? One in which she gets to be happy?

Or we can’t turn her into someone she canonically isn’t?

While all of this always, always works for Dream? Or the hairy guy?

And speaking of said guy: Do we have any reason to think Dream would treat him better than Nada? We’re automatically assuming he’d do the same thing to Calliope, but not to him? Or: Why do we assume he would do what he did to Nada to any other love interest, because canonically, there’s no evidence for that (we wrote about this on here before)? So no, that line of argument just doesn’t fly in my view.

If Calliope and Dream have chemistry and people are able to acknowledge it (which most do), that on its own is enough to ship them. The chemistry argument works with every M/M ship. Why doesn’t it work with her?

Oh, she is allowed in gen fics (and I am a fan of those btw, but that’s past the point), or as a character with very little agency, or any personal or sexual desires. Even better if she serves the ship. That’s okay of course, I forgot. Reminds me of most of the women of the Sandman—I wonder why.

I just wish people would give the honest reason without going through all the mental gymnastics of why Dreamuse is not an interesting (or even bad or problematic) ship, and the other one is the best invention since sliced bread:

They want to see/imagine two guys together.

There, I said it, it wasn’t hard. It’s really as simple as that in fandom, it’s a predictable fantasy, and it’s the same in every fandom. The Sandman isn’t any different.

M/F ships are frowned upon because they’re “heteronormative”, and yet, (mostly) women proceed to project (mostly) heteronormative relationship dynamics on two guys of which they fancy at least one and use the other to project themselves on. Sometimes, they fancy both of them and get more of what they have the hots for. Good for them, there’s nothing wrong with it. We have oodles of research by now why some women prefer M/M porn; it’s not earth-shattering, groundbreaking or “queer-positive” (it sometimes fetishises homosexuality though, but that’s a different topic). It’s been like that since at least the times of Spirk, and probably longer. It’s actually a fairly (dare I utter the word on here?) straight female sexual fantasy. The queer-positivity everyone is so enamoured with is more than, and not singularly limited to, shipping M/M—as a bisexual woman, I personally can’t identify with that line of thinking at all, but other people’s mileage might vary…

If people are into smutty/explicit fanfic , that’s just how it works: Some women project on a female body while imagining to get railed by a guy, others prefer to imagine two guys because they fancy men. Again: Nothing wrong with it, but it’s also not as deep as people often pretend it is.

Yes, I wrote about that one before as well. That’s why I can do it again—“once your reputation is ruined” and all that 🤣

It’s ok to be horny for two guys without turning it into a brain-contorting statement every time.

It’s also okay to reflect on the wider implications of completely erasing women from EVERY fandom, especially if you identify as one.

Edited on May 27 since it’s obviously necessary:

If people’s main takeaway from this post is that it’s about criticising fetishising homosexuality, they clearly have a reading comprehension problem and should read it again. “Sometimes” doesn’t mean “always”, plus it wasn’t even a main point. I even said that fancying m/m is a fairly middle-of-the-road-fantasy, and that there’s nothing wrong with it. The internalised misogyny that shows in people who think they are “saving women from men” by completely erasing them from the narrative and only centering men is a different topic, but these two things aren’t the same.

If people’s main response to this post is, “Then write your own stuff,” they also have a reading comprehension problem and did not get at all what this is about. It’s also the slightly old getting standard response to anything that invites critical thinking, but that one isn’t all that surprising anymore. The assumption people aren’t writing their own stuff is also a bit… silly? But I imagine that misconception is down to the fact that those people never check any tags beyond one or two, and certainly never any that involve female characters.

Some people in the OP even made good points, and I didn’t criticise any of those because they are true.

This post is about the double standards people apply when they say why one ship (m/m) is more successful than the other (m/f):

Trauma? Never a problem when it’s Dream.

Relationship that somehow “shouldn’t work”? Never a problem in tropes like enemies to lovers and many others that are totally used for thee ship. Or with two people (read: men) they really want to see together.

Bending a character beyond recognition or giving them a totally different backstory, because that would solve the “relationship has run its course”-issue? Never a problem with the two guys who can be anything from a cow to a mafia boss. But the women? Nope, we have to remember their trauma and strife, keep them exactly as in the source material and protect their sacredness by completely ignoring them.

Still don’t get that this is not about a ship per se but the erasure of all women from stories bar being cheerleaders for thee m/m ship in some way? Okay, then that one’s really beyond anything I can explain, although I think some people just like to consciously misrepresent stuff or really don’t do anything but skim-read. That’s not on me I guess…

[goddessofmischief]

Hey! I adore your writing - everything feels like a character study and by that I don’t mean it’s lacking artistry I mean that each piece is so dynamically engaged with their internal worlds. Now I love me some Shanks and Mihawk but I am a Buggy Bitch and was hoping to get some time with him in this early on stage? If you wouldn’t mind, can we have a shot that shows why Buggy’s infatuation keeps going? Maybe a meaningful moment of kindness towards him or the like?

Thank you for your writing 💛

      GOLD RUSH - BUGGY X READER

A/N: Dude, I was smiling all day because of this message. Thank you so much! This is part of this series, which requests are open for! These fics are all one-shots, so they can be read separately. Also I highly recommend listening to the song linked in the title while you read.

Shanks and Mihawk had loved you, for various reasons, for their own motivations, from minute one.

...Buggy hadn't fallen for your charms so easily.

You were suspicious to him. He knew well enough that if something appeared too good from the outside, it was probably a trap. So for a long time after Roger had rescued you and brought you home to live with the pirates, Buggy treated all of your actions as if they had been the exact opposite, and always indicative of some secret evil.

You were kind to him? Only because you hated him so much. You looked pretty? Only because you were disguising some inner, deeper ugliness. You were a strong fighter? Only because of all the blood on your hands. You were intelligent? Only to deceive him.

It took a long, long time, and many months and even a few years to really wear him down. But when that had finally happened, Buggy was yours for life.

He fell for you in not one, but two moments: this, he vividly recalled, was the first.

It was a stormy day at a small port when you and Buggy stopped into a tavern for a drink. Shanks and Roger had stayed behind to fix the ship.

He had watched you with the smallest amount of interest, as if you were an amusement, as if you were a pretty bug. His original interest in you, small as it had been to begin with, had gone completely downhill when he realized you weren't really the performing type. You didn't like jokes or attention, and you certainly didn't beg for it the way Buggy did. The two of you hadn't really been able to form a relationship anyway, considering you spent most of your time with Shanks.

He'd ordered a drink too big for himself, and watched as you sipped daintily from a small one.

"That's so little," he said. "What's the point?"

You shrugged.

"I like being alert," you explained. "Makes it easier to stay safe."

Buggy snorted, rolling his eyes and turning back to his drink.

Two larger, older pirates sidled up on either of your sides', eyeing Buggy, but mostly you.

"Hey, sweetheart," said one of them. "You know this guy?"

"Yes," you said quietly. "He's my friend."

"...This clown?"

Buggy stiffened.

"Fellas, let's not-"

Shanks would have said let them talk. Shanks would have sat quietly until they were gone, or maybe just snickered at Buggy's plight.

But that's not what you did.

"He's stronger than either of you," you said nonchalantly, and the larger pirate stared at you.

"Really? The clown?"

"Really," you confirmed. The two pirates looked at Buggy, menacingly.

"He doesn't look very strong to me."

"We'll protect you, sweetheart. You don't need him."

"Honk, honk," the larger pirate jeered, reaching for Buggy's nose, and completely without warning you reeled back and punched him in the face.

Buggy was not prepared for that to happen.

The two pirates stood up and leered over you, intimidatingly. Buggy was stricken by the sudden realization of how large they both were, and how comparatively scrawny the two of you were.

But he knew he had to protect you. (If only to keep Shanks from killing him.)

And so Buggy punched the second guy, wincing as his fist hit him.

He wished he was stronger. God, in that moment, how he wished he was stronger.

(He didn't have the Chop Chop fruit yet. That would've been great.)

But Buggy was scrappy, and he didn't need much of an advantage in a melee situation. He was a kicker, a scratcher, and a biter. You were more elegant in your movements - almost balletic, and Buggy resolved to ask you about it later - but both of you managed to defeat them, and make it back to the ship in mostly one piece.

"Thanks," he said, quietly, as you sat cross-legged across from him, applying eyeliner. You had offered to fix his makeup using your own, and after a lot of protesting, he'd agreed.

Your eyes lingered over him. He looked away, suddenly embarassed.

"What for?"

"For, y'know, helping me out back there."

"Of course," you said, smiling sweetly. "You're my nakama."

You applied a bit to your own lips before holding it out to Buggy.

"Um," he said. "Can you do it? I'm feelin' kinda shaky."

"Mhm," you hummed, carefully painting it on.

"Good?" he asked.

"Good. I do happen to like your nose, by the way."

"That's nice," he responded. "I like yours."

You grinned.

"I didn't realize you were such a fighter," Buggy said.

"I'm not," you confessed. "I'm terrified. I hate fighting."

"But you punched him."

"Well, he was being mean. And I knew you'd help me."

"How?"

"I don't know, it's what you do."

"Did you mean what you said? About me being your friend?"

"Of course," you said. "You're nearly all I have."

Buggy had never fallen in love with anyone before, if only because most of the time they hated him so openly before he could even consider it. But he thought that maybe tonight, under this sky, he might be in love with you.

The second thing that made him realize how he felt was later that night, as he fell asleep in the bunk under Shanks'.

"How was it?" Shanks asked, sleepily. "...Spending the day with her?"

"Oh," said Buggy. "It was alright."

"Alright?" asked Shanks, propping himself up to look at Buggy. "She's the best, what are you talking about?"

"You think so?"

"Well, yeah, I mean - she's smart, funny, a whole lot nicer than most of us-"

And while Shanks carried on about all these great things about you, two ideas bounced around in Buggy's head - first, how much Shanks was correct about all these great traits of yours, things Buggy had never dared notice before, and second, how much Shanks cared for you. It made him think that maybe there was something special about you, something he hadn't seen before.

And so Buggy told Shanks about your little adventure, and told him about what you'd done for him, and Shanks smiled to himself, and simply said "It's just what she does..."

What could he say? Buggy just loved how you loved.

taglist: @sawendel@twinklesnake@literaturewithliz@sordidmusings@foggyturtleknightangel@toertchen@96jnie@lunanight1021

[a-grayscale]

Okay hear me out on this one, you know how during your run ins with the bishops during Crusades and such during the game they all seem relatively okay despite their injuries? (Relatively as in they’re definitely not actually okay, but they can still function just fine) Is it just me, or is that relative okayness most definitely because the crowns helped hold them together?

Like, the most obvious example of this I can think of would be Heket being able to speak during our encounters with her despite not having her throat. I feel like it’s pretty obviously the case there, right? The crown is allowing her to speak through it. I think that the other crowns allowed the bishops to function with their injuries by sorta holding them all together in godhood, yeah? We on the same page there?

Okay, hear me out. Narinder has serious, possibly chronic pain in his arms and probably also legs.

I mean, the guy was chained in place for a thousand years, there’s no way that’s not painful. More on that, considering we don’t know exactly HOW MUCH leeway those chains had(it’s obviously not a lot, but we don’t know if there was any at all or if it was one or two possible positions ever for 1000 years) there’s a good chance his bones and muscles and the ligaments and everything weakened over time to the point of being really fragile and brittle. We don’t know if he always had skeletal arms, maybe that was a symptom?

What does this have to do with the crowns holding the bishops injuries together? Well, what if the reason he didn’t move a whole lot during the boss battle was because he didn’t have his crown and thus, was in a lot of pain? I mean, we’ve all seen the boss battle, the dude hits hard but it’s almost always with chains or fire, or summoning enemies while he floats around. What if that’s because he hurt too much to move any more?

I think that’d add a really interesting dynamic between him and his desire for the crown, as well as his dynamic with the cult as a whole. A big reason he might want the crown back is because it helped dull the pain it’s bearer felt, just as the other crowns did to keep their respective bearers from falling apart.

I think it’d affect his dynamic and relationships within the cult because, like the other bishops post indoctrination, he wouldn’t have the luxury of a magic crown that helped with the pain. I’m not too familiar with chronic pain, but from what I’ve heard and seen and been told, it fucking sucks. I can’t imagine Narinder’s being any less sucky, at least not for a long long LOOOONG time. And when I say long time, I mean LOOONG TIME.

I think it’d also affect his relationships with say, the other bishops for example. Not to say that everything about them isn’t an absolute MESS already, cause it absolutely is, but I think they’d all feel at least a little guilty about the injuries they caused each other, even if they don’t admit it aloud. I mean, I’m no emotional undertones expert, but some of the dialogue leads me to believe they still at least CARE about each other somewhat as family. (Mostly mean Shamura’s dialogue during their bishop encounters, Narinder’s dialogue when receiving the silk from silk cradle, and Leshy’s line still calling Narinder his brother when asking the Lamb to retrieve his eye) Again, I’m no expert on feelings so I might be wrong here, but if you care about someone who you see is hurting, hurting BECAUSE OF YOU… I mean, even if it was self defense I’d still feel pretty fucking guilty personally, so there’s a good chance they’d probably feel the same.

I also think this pain Narinder has could affect his relationship with the Lamb(regardless of if you ship them or not, I do personally but you do you boo <3) I mean, they ARE still the leader of the flock. Narinder is now part of said flock. So he really is their responsibility. I feel like it would be a learning curve for both of them to at least SOME degree. Narinder hasn’t been without a crown that can dull the sense of pain until now so he probably doesn’t know wtf to do, and while The Lamb might have more experience from helping their followers who could also have had chronic issues, they’d still be pretty in the dark about it. I think it’d be a rough but necessary road for them both to cross in order to understand and help Narinder.

But this is all just head canon talk, so it might not matter. Idk but I hope it was interesting at least, or that it helped form some lovely little brainworms! Goodbyyyeeeee-