#i don't really feel either here nor there about them. i only listen to maybe two of their songs

[sanstropfremir]

I'm not sure how you feel about Stray Kids and this ask isn't actually about their latest comeback but I just saw their rapper Han on Lee Mujin's show and his acoustic-ish cover of Twice's Alcohol Free is actually so good??? Honestly I've always been a hit or miss with their songs but I think I'm just not a fan of how they rap because the first time I heard Bang Chan sing I was like he's actually pretty good please give this boy a slow song and now I'm like why doesn't Han sing more too

he doesn't sing more because they locked up their members into dance, vocal, and rap categories so on official songs they can't actually have one of the 'rappers' sing more/better than their vocalists. also their whole thing is that they're a 'self-produced' group and their producers are rappers so.............

[sweetkpopmusings]

how they feel before they know it's love with seventeen <3

a/n: i'm genuinely obsessed with "i don't understand but i luv u" like i have been listening nonstop since it dropped and i cannot get enough <333 i thought it'd be cute to do a lil post somewhat inspired by the song, so here it is !! i hope you find some comfort in the sweetness of these :,-) pics not mine~

content: fluff, sentimental and cute vibes only | wc: 2.6k | warnings: none really! | pairing: seventeen x gn!reader | requests: open

seungcheol♡‧₊˚

seungcheol, as a leader, knows how to step back and support his members, even when it comes to holding back what he wants to say to let the others continue the excited conversation. with you, it was an entirely different story. it’s not that he ever spoke over you–he would never dream of such a thing–but he talked with you nonstop. there was an effortless exuberance in your conversations because he knew that you’d always listen to him. anything, truly anything, that popped into seungcheol’s head was something he wanted to share with you. sometimes he worried that he was annoying you with his endless chatter, but speaking his mind to you was instinctive. he wanted to share every one of his thoughts and perspectives with you because he wanted you to have all of him. every word he said to you was filled with a deep desire to share himself with you. the vulnerability that flowed through each conversation with you convinced him that maybe, just maybe, there were some important words he had not said to you yet. 

jeonghan♡‧₊˚

jeonghan’s an extremely caring person. everyone knows that about him, but his thoughtfulness towards you went to a whole different level. he thought of you first for everything. everything. he could be on tour and trying a new drink, and the first thing that would pop into his head is “y/n would love this drink.” he did not care that you were hundreds of miles away from him; at that moment, all he would want to do is send you the drink in his hand, so you could try it and then tell him what you think about it. he never realized thought of you constantly until one of his members–probably joshua–pointed out how he always said your name in conversations or bought two of everything just in case. jeonghan would never intentionally try to bring you up, nor was he aware of how he ended up with duplicates of small items. in truth, your name was always on the tip of his tongue, and you were always on his mind. one day soon, something else would be on the tip of his tongue when he said your name. 

joshua♡‧₊˚

joshua tried to play it cool, but he was fascinated by you as soon as he laid eyes on you. the nuances of how you speak, the gestures you make when you’re telling a story, and the way your favorite songs exposed the most important parts of you–shua was obsessed with memorizing each of these things. when something about you was engraved in his mind, he would show you he knew it by teasing you. his imitations or remarks were always spot on, but they clearly came from a place of fondness and attention. he teased you effortlessly with a soft smile and a sparkle in his eyes, something that made you melt each time. he wasn’t aware of the look on his face or the tone of his voice because the adoration came out so naturally when he was with you. if other people were around when shua poked fun at you, it was completely obvious to them what he was actually saying when he flawlessly imitated your facial expressions while telling a funny story from when you two went to a coffee shop over the weekend. even before either of you could put words to it, you could clearly feel the love behind every teasing jab.

junhui♡‧₊˚

junhui is so very unique, and that shines through in the way he treats you. from the moment he met you, he felt a very intense urge to make you smile. he thought about you constantly, and, one day while shopping around in a random city the day before a show, he found a small figurine that reminded him of you. he was so excited to give it to you that he couldn’t stop smiling every time he looked at it. from that point forward, he collected small trinkets and keepsakes for you, as a way to bring you a little burst of joy, even when he was away. sometimes he bought them, and other times he would just hold onto a sticker from a music shop you went to together, giving it to you when he was proud of you for a specific accomplishment. to junhui, it only made sense to write you a little note with your favorite jokes and hide it in your bag for whenever you had a bad day and needed a pick-me-up. through each thoughtful gift, it became clear that he wanted to give you the world, and junhui most certainly would, one snowglobe and ticket stub at a time. 

soonyoung♡‧₊˚

soonyoung always felt strongly about you, so he never really stopped to put an exact word to it. how he felt about and with you was something special, something only shared between you two. it was just the world you lived in together, and, in his mind, there was no reason to analyze his natural state of existence when it felt as wonderful as life did with you in it. one thing, however, that made his head feel light and his stomach feel frenzied was a new habit he developed after he met you. whenever he said something funny, even the smallest comment that made someone else laugh, he immediately had to tell you. he’d call you, send you a voice message, or rush over to you from across the room, just to tell you the story and repeat his silly little joke. soonyoung, from the first time he ever heard you laugh, knew that he needed to see that smile on your face and hear that sound fall from your lips every chance he got. he wasn’t quite sure what to call that. soon enough though, he’d figure out how to express his deepest feeling for you with words that weren’t tied to a punchline.

wonwoo♡‧₊˚

wonwoo always excelled at observing everyone and everything around him. after he met you, however, most of what he saw, heard, tasted, smelled, and touched made him think of you. everywhere he went, something reminded him of you, and he’d always smile. the shoes a stranger on the subway was wearing could be similar to a pair he saw you in the other week. maybe, in the back of the restaurant he ate at with friends after a long day of work, there was someone who ordered a drink he’d ordered for you a hundred times. no matter where he was, what he was doing, or whom he was with, wonwoo found something in his surroundings that tied him back to you. even when you two were together, you’d catch him smiling in a quiet moment. he’d brush it off, say “it’s nothing; i’m just happy to be here,” but, really, he’d want to say “the sound of the car horn made me think of that movie we watched together a few weeks ago, and every time i think of you i feel so comforted and happy, like nothing could ever go wrong.” he’d stay quiet, pondering what it truly meant to always find you in his surroundings regardless of the distance between you, and he’d squeeze your hand a little tighter as he discovered the answer.

jihoon♡‧₊˚

it was extremely easy for jihoon to find inspiration for his music from you. what he didn’t realize was that you left an indelible mark on his taste in music. whenever you two spent time together, he would give you the aux (literal or proverbial) because he was interested in what music made you happy, sad, want to dance, relax, etc. he listened very intently, and it took almost no time at all for the songs you introduced to him to make their way onto his playlists. more than that, he would frequently hum the melodies of songs you showed him as he walked around his place and cleaned. no one would ever point it out to him because they had no way of knowing that the new songs he obsessed over were all tied to you, but, eventually, jihoon realized that all the songs he associated with you were the only ones he ever had stuck in his head now. memories of you permanently embedded songs into his mind, a playlist only for him to listen to in the quiet moments of life. as he wrote lyrics that expressed this occurrence, he understood that it all came down to the fact he could never, and would never, get you out of his head. 

seokmin♡‧₊˚

seokmin was so fond of you, and he naturally expressed that fondness by giving you at least one thing to smile about each day. it started as a way to break the ice during conversations when you first got to know each other. once you two didn’t need icebreakers, the habit stayed, and seokmin’s habit became one of the strongest aspects of your relationship. seokmin never relied on anything fancy; he would send you a wholesome meme in the morning, so you could start your day smiling, or he would show you a funny video clip when you met up for dinner, starting the night off with a hefty dose of laughter. there was a sparkle in his eye when he laughed with you, one that only showed up when he saw your smile. he would be particularly proud if he made you laugh until tears fell or you smiled so big your cheeks hurt. whenever that happened, he would boast to his members, showing them the picture or video while beaming with excitement as he recounted your reaction. alongside his excitement toward your joy existed the fact that he couldn’t rest easy until he knew you had at least a little bit of serotonin in your day. truthfully, he never felt more at peace than when he was the source of that happiness, and he wanted to feel that for as long as humanly possible. 

mingyu♡‧₊˚

mingyu has a real presence. from his height to his goofy personality, people know when mingyu is around. those charms were how he caught your eye, and he always got an energy boost when you were around. as he grew closer to you, more comfortable, mingyu’s behavior revealed an even sweeter side of him. whenever he spoke with you, his voice was soft and careful, every word meant for you only. his looks always held you gently as he soaked up every word that you shared with him. any times jokes or teasing comments wove their way into your conversations, he laughed hard but quietly, just loud enough for you to hear, even leaning closer to you, enclosing the both of you in the joy of the moment. if you had physical contact with each other, mingyu’s touches were as soft as everything else about him. it was never out of the belief that you were fragile. rather, tenderness radiated from mingyu whenever he felt you near, and it enveloped his entire being when he looked at you. mingyu was always caring, always considerate, but his loved ones often commented that they had never seen him so soft before. mingyu knew, without knowing how to explain it quite yet, that you were the difference.

minghao♡‧₊˚

minghao values peace and quiet. life is chaotic for most people, and this was especially true for someone in his line of work. he tried, as best as he could, to create pockets of calm whenever and wherever he could, through meditation or simply waking up to watch the sunrise by himself. searching for that peace grounded him in his toughest times, and he depended on that calmness to get through it all. as he got to know you, searching for that peace became easier. minghao was calmer, knowing you were there, and he instantly relaxed whenever you were beside him. there was not anything specific that you did; you could just look at him, and his whole body would relax, proving just how stressed he had been mere seconds before he laid eyes on you. to minghao, you were the ultimate source of serenity. he never wanted to lean into clichés, but it was true that, even in a crowded room, he would know you were there by the way his heartbeat relaxed into a natural, happy rhythm. it didn’t take long for minghao to notice that you had this effect on him. it also wouldn’t be long before he admitted this, and something just as meaningful, to you.  

seungkwan♡‧₊˚

everyone knows seungkwan is an entertainer through and through. when you two were introduced to each other, he performed as well as he could to keep you laughing, and, unbeknownst to himself, to impress you. as time passed, however, he realized didn’t have to perform in front of you. he felt comfortable enough to be his most authentic self, and he only ever wanted to be his most authentic self with you. he still loved to do bits around you and be dramatic when the moment called for it, but he wanted to show you other sides of him too. for seungkwan, he felt a connection with and appreciation for you that could only be expressed by him letting his guard down. what mattered more than entertaining you was showing you every part of himself as honestly as humanly possible. showing up exactly how he was whenever he was with you was all he could think of because he always wanted to meet you exactly where you were. it wasn’t long after he realized this that his truest feelings toward you came out. it wasn’t something he thought of before he said it; it was something that slipped out when you asked him, “how was your day?” 

hansol♡‧₊˚

hansol’s mind is expansive. his perspectives reflect his astute introspection and deep compassion, and he would never cease to amaze–or entertain–those around him with the thoughts inside his head. to hansol, however, your mind was the most fascinating. he was deeply curious about the things that made up who you are: your hyperfixations, the dreams you had at night, your favorite snack for each time of day, etc. he was endlessly entranced by everything that colored your life. he wanted nothing more than to color his life with them too. this genuine interest meant that hansol’s eyes were filled with childlike wonder whenever you shared something about yourself with him. he committed every minute detail to memory, and he often retold anecdotes from your life during conversations with his friends. even to them, it was endearing to see his delighted laughter as he recounted stories of small social faux pas in your adolescence that became inside jokes between you two now. it was during one of those conversations, while smiling at the thought of you, that hansol started to uncover what influenced his infatuation with all things you.   

chan♡‧₊˚

chan took to you immediately. your personality charmed him, regardless of how charming you thought yourself to be. he couldn’t get enough of the conversations shared between you two, existential or lighthearted. chan genuinely wanted to talk to you as much as humanly possible–without annoying you or taking you away from the other people you cared about–and that’s why he started calling you whenever he was done with his schedules for the day. it could be the hardest practice of the year, but chan, drenched in sweat and barely able to walk, would light up the second you started to say “hello” on the phone. the sound of your voice literally put a pep in his step. he developed a liking to walking home, just so he had an excuse to talk to you for a long time without any interruptions. neither of you needed convincing, however, because everything flowed so seamlessly between you. chan didn’t know exactly how to tell you this, but, with you, he was eager to say even the simplest things until his voice gave out, just so he could keep on talking to you.

[rh3maji]

Lil rant abt Caine

Caine is just a lil guy, despite it all. From a design standpoint I thought I was gonna absolutely fucking hate looking at him because those chattering teeth toys make my skin crawl- but the art direction really helps make him look more appealing and whimsical than a disembodied pair of talking dentures sounds on paper.

The thing with Caine is I didn't initially like him that much after the pilot. While his interactions with Bubble were quite funny, that one episode left me feeling like he'd just end up being kinda one note or at the very least one note in a way that'd get on my nerves. Then everything changed when Pomni Wake Up Time to Go On an Adventure! attacked

The comedic timing throughout that announcement video was so fucking funny and thanks to his line deliveries and animation/model [?] upgrades- CAINE LOOKED AND SOUNDED SO ADORABLE!!

Legit it wasn't until this came out that I realized I actually could be on board with Caine as a character and it's been uphill from there. Episode 2 was better than the pilot not only comedically and visually but also in terms of showcasing just how actually unsettling Caine can be as an antagonist. Not because he's vengeful or malicious, but because he's so oblivious to how people work. His mind's always buzzing with terrible ideas and he's so so eager about these adventures, but at the end of the day he really really doesn't get the circus crew. Try as he might to include them, keep them engaged [ZOOBLE WAIT!], or even give them what they want [Exit doors] he doesn't realize how traumatic and distressing their current situation can be. The very nature of being trapped in a digital world is bad enough but it's especially rough here bc not only does its god have limited capabilities, you also are very well acquainted with him, and he can't fully understand your pain nor can he truly save you from it. He won't mourn your abstraction. He will not attend your funeral. He will not understand the distress of your arrival, nor the weight of your departure.

This isn't just sad from the pov of the circus gang, it's also very sad for Caine- not because i think he'll ever feel sad about it himself necessarily, but instead because the situation is sad. New members appear over and over, you craft adventures and games and distractions like [i'm assuming] they'd asked you to, but over and over, one by one, they abstract. They stop laughing at your jokes. They don't like you. They want you to leave them alone. It's confusing and maybe even inconvenient.

Where I'm hoping the series takes Caine is that this dissonance between Caine's intentions and the distress of the circus gang gets worse and worse and worse until something's got to give. I'm hoping that maybe at some point a character will try to sit down and talk with him and for it to either sorta get through to him but completely backfire in some form because he misinterprets what the others want from him OR i'd also be down for him to listen, but not understand any of it and proceed as tho nothing happened. I don't want Caine to come around really, it'd be interesting to see how Goose would go about having him come around to being a better host that empathizes more with humans, but personally I do prefer him to keep on keepin' on being this oblivious and eager antagonist.

My favorite Caine lines/line deliveries so far:

"You, my friend, stumbled into an incredible world of wonders, where anything can happen!…e-except for swearing."

"And here we have THE GROUNDS! Drown yourself in the digital lake, or engage in ridery at the digital carnival!"

"What do you think of XDDCC? You're right, terrible, LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN!"

"Kaufmo abstracted? Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"Bubble you can't say that"

"-ZOOBLE WAIT!"

"Why are you all just standing there?! The- The Canyon- C-Candy Canyon Kingdom needs you now!" [according to his VA, this was an actual line flub but hoo boy am i glad they use it bc it's hilarious]

"I know you guys love your NPCs, but if I start losing track of who's a human and who's an NPC, who knows...what. could. happen..."

That last line there specifically surprised me the most because up until he said that I was under the impression Caine was linked to every single NPC. I even thought he could see through their eyes if he so chose thanks to his "hundreds of all seeing eyes" line in the pilot. Him saying this here implies lots of things. Has Caine forgotten before? Is someone in the circus secretly an NPC ooooooooh~

"Who knows what could happen..."

Honestly, when Caine first said this I did immediately theorize Jax as being an NPC but now that it's been *checks calendar* three months since I watched episode 2, I don't think this is the case anymore. Jax being an NPC would be...something. Jax not knowing he's an NPC would be interesting [i like it when ppl's realities get shattered], but honestly I think this line was a way to telegraph to the audience that no Caine isn't actually all knowing. He didn't know Gummigoo was coming through that portal until he saw him with his own two eyes. My theory is that Caine is only able to teleport, create, censor, transform, and destroy the world around him, but isn't able to see all of it at once unless he tries to. I think Caine's default state is one where he only knows what he sees directly in front of him/what he himself has left waiting for someone else. And rather than implying someone in the gang is an NPC, I think that line in episode 2 was mainly implying Caine can be tricked, that it's possible to hide something from him, to surprise him even. Though I'm not opposed to an NPC we haven't met trying to join under the guise of being human, it'd potentially create some fun tension assuming the audience was given enough reason to care about them.

Jax is actually my favorite character in tadc, but i couldn't fill an entire post with things to say abt him. Caine seems to be- at least as of right now- the easiest of all the characters to try and wrap my head around. I'll probably have a lot more to say about Jax as he exists in canon as the episodes come out [EPISODE 6 MY BELOVED]

but uhhhh yeah, that's all the things i had to say abt Caine. Pls go watch/listen to the fansong Digital Land bye!

[babsisbakery]

How far will you take it?

Lia Wälti x fem!reader part 1

Do you love me or do you love that you have a gf. That you aren't single. That you don't have to spend nights alone. Someone in your arms or someone to hold you. Would you love me if i wasn’t ur gf or just when I am. Maybe you just love the idea of love but don't actually love me. Or maybe you only “love” me because you are bored and have nobody else. I'm just here and showed you affection, so you took it. Took it, to be in a relationship, to get as close as possible to actual love. In reality it isn't though. It's just a fantasy you create. But what about me?

You love being in relationships. Exes of you have warned me, multiple, so so many. I ignore your red flags. As if I had a red and green colour deficiency. I give and I give, do I receive anything in return? No. Because you need, want the affection. But when I need it, you are nowhere to be seen. When I'm clingy or want some attention. You take your sweet time responding. Time away from me.The cold shoulder, silent treatment, no response after I shoot a text. Even Duolingo messages me more than you and that's sad to admit.

I'm wondering if you leave me on-read on purpose too. I know you do sometimes on insta. Why's that? Did I offend you? Lia, you leave me with crumbs. Crumbs of your existence. Which I absorb like a greedy vacuum. This isn't healthy. It makes my mind spiral every night. Wondering if you love me. Wondering if you are cheating. Wondering if you have found the one but stay with me out of convenience. No-one in a relationship should have to wonder if their partner loves them, yet here I am. You give me almost nothing. Stop messing with my feelings, don't drag me around if you don't feel the same. Let me find someone who does in fact love me if you don't. I want a relationship where both sides give 100 percent. A balance. Yet still all my words fall to dull ears, Words spoken to someone who doesn't want to change or listen. Someone who wants to live their life to the fullest, but why drag me into this chaos of a life. 

So either you get a grip of yourself or I'm done. I'll not only leave you but Arsenal as well. I wouldn't be able to look you in the eyes. So I'm giving you an ultimatum. Yes, like one in the show but without a ring, I want to sense your commitment. Because those restless nights are plaguing my brain. I want to become a mother eventually and for that I need a partner. If it's you or not, I can't foresee. If you can't imagine a future with me, then don't. I'll go. I'll be gone. Just say the words. I’ll be out of your hair once and for all.

- Your dear friend/gf

This is the letter Lia found on the counter top after returning from a cruel training session. Lia sat down on the sofa, still in her gym clothes. She initially assumed it was some sort of grocery list, she wanted to ignore it. But something in her mind nagged her to take a better look. She was shocked and ashamed of herself. She had really broken you. This wasn't in her plans, to destroy your whole being. She simply wanted to have some fun, have you as her girl. Yet there wasn't a trace of you. Not in this apartment, albeit your belongings were still at their places, nor in training today. Now she knew the reason why you were out of sight this evening. You are gone for now. Somewhere you felt loved and cherished. She had led you to exile with one foot in the door. The question is will Lia convince you to stay or will she set you free to be at peace? Which path will she choose?...

[derangedanomaly]

I saw your new post and I was like 'hmm, interesting' can you write about the bad sans a few more of your choice reacting to their Fem S/O who was Overly blessed?, Like She was literally God's favorite in most things

And every time someone is going to hurt her lightning strikes them or something else happens and she just shrugged like she's used to that, bonus if she's absolutely beautiful and she's being flirt with regularly resulting in half of these people being fried or Almost killed by the God's

I love this request lmao.

Thank you anon! Hope you enjoy! :D

Masterlist

BAD SANSES X OVERLY BLESSED S/O

(Nightmare, Killer, Dust, Horror, Error)

NIGHTMARE:

Oh, he will absolutely HATE YOU. (Not for long though. 😉)

You tried flirting with him the first time y'all met, and that was basically the kick-starter for him to hate you. He tried to kill you after your flirting attempt, but got immediately striked with lightning.💀

He literally can't stand you. From your breathtaking beauty, your smoothness all the way to your flirtiness!! (<- his words, not mine 🤷‍♀️)

The gods hate him too. So SO much. It's actually wild.

He literally can't believe the amount of bullshit you've gotten away from. Like, what do you mean you've 'accidentaly' killed someone?! And- excuse me- but did you just say that you ROBBED A STORE ONCE?! Bro is flabbergasted.

Doesn't want anything to do with you. You're just a stupid pest only in his way!! So why's he itching to be in your presence now?

He's so frustrated that it's actually really weird... That's the king of DARKNESS, negativity, and here he is, craving after a little touch from this mortal.

You're actually not part of the Bad Sanses. But you are part of the Star Sanses, which should make Nightmare feel good. He knows he should feel better! But he feels so much fucking worse...

After many fights between the Star Sanses, (which now includes you too), he finds himself subconsciously chasing after you.

Normally, he goes after Dream in fights, but now... His target changed. And he's not slick either. Everybody fucking noticed! And you know who noticed it right away? Yes, that's right, Dream.

I swear, your fights just includes you two flirting with each other while tussling. The Gods don't even notice how flirty you guys are, when you're saying stuff like: "I wish you'd wipe that stupid smirk off of your face, it's annoying." "You want me so bad.." "SHUT THE FUCK UP"

Nightmare doesn't know it yet, but he's slowly falling for you the more y'all are away from each other. Maybe you return his feelings back?

KILLER:

"Mamma Mia... that's one hell of a woman...." I swear, Killer's in love with you from the first time he saw you. And it wasn't because of your looks nor your flirtiness! The first time he saw you, you literally killed someone on the spot because he tried to take your food. (The God's are back at it again 💀)

Listen, Killer's NOT the shy type. That's for sure. But right now, he felt more shier than ever before. You were just so ethereal to him..

He went up to you and greeted you. Safe to say that y'all clicked together right away! Maybe.. you also fell for him from the first sight? (THE ZING FROM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA CONFIRMED??!)

The Gods for sure striked him at least 3 times. Until you had something to say about it. The Gods stopped attacking Killer so much after they saw that you genuinely loved him back.

You two have a little flirting competition every now and then. (You always win)

He's at awe when you tell him all the crimes you've gotten away from. Cause, like, since when??!

He doesn't like it that you're a part of the Star Sanses.. "your love is not meant to be" (He's just being dramatic. As always.)

He can't help but sneak off with you when there's a fight between the Bad and Star Sanses. He just wants to be with you. And I don't mean that as only spend time with you. Nah...he WANTS you!

He actually confesses to you, he says that he loves you and that he can't help but yearn for you. Now comes the question...will you accept his confession?

DUST:

Oh baby, oh BROTHER. He's so annoyed with you. He doesn't like it much when people are as outgoing as you..

Listen, the Gods don't have much an opinion on him.. but they WILL fry him at least 5 times until getting used to seeing him around you.

While Dust doesn't like you much, you in turn LOVE him. You're flirting with him almost all the time. Which rewards you with a very blushy Dust that quickly teleports away. (Not before giving you a side eye. 💀)

Don't worry, he will also start to slowly fall for you the more y'all are conversing. (You fell first but he fell harder >>>>)

Wants for you to prove to him you did those things that you're saying you got away with. Just to fuck with you 💀

His mouth literally dropped open when he finds out you, in fact, was telling the truth. I mean, you did just get out of a store with a shitload of money in your hands.

He was about to ask you how you did it so quickly, but he was interrupted with loud sirens. Welp, looks like you're busted. He smirks at you, as if saying that he was right with you not getting away with it- until you did the most shocking thing ever. You flirted your way out of the prison by flirting with the police officers.

And this right here, was the exact moment when Dust found out he loves you. He gave the officers the hardest glare. He was FUMING. At last, he couldn't take it as his Gaster Blasters appeared and killed the humans. 💀

Becomes miserable when you join the Star Sanses. Damn..and right after he found his feelings for you :(

You both still sneak off from your respective groups to see each other.

Dust keeps comparing your situation to Romeo and Juliet, except no one's dying. He has the biggest genuine smile on his face as he says this.. he's so cute istg..

HORROR:

He just tilts his head whenever he sees you "kill off" people you flirt with. (The Gods are at fault here yet again.)

He approaches you, without a word, looking at you in silence. You both just stare into each other's eyes. It's...kinda awkward from another point of view.

Oh.my.god. THE GODS (and you) FIND HIM SO SWEET WHEN THE FIRST THING HE DOES IS GIVE YOU FLOWERS 😭😭 (some of them are ripped, but that's fine. //Bro ate them//)

He immediately becomes ok in The God's eyes. (The amount of times the Gods strikes him/fried him: 0)

BRO'S WINNING

The best part of it all, is that it was all done subconsciously. He just saw these flowers, thought they were pretty, so he tried to eat them, but then he saw you and thought that they'd fit better with a pretty woman like you.

You try flirting with him, but he either doesn't get your flirting, or he doesn't acknowledge it.

He likes listening to your crime list. He always lays down on your lap whenever you tell him these stories.

He doesn't want you to be a part of the Star Sanses, he wants you with him!! So he'll just kidnap you in the middle of the night. 🤷‍♀️ (And he does that so casually too 😭)

He always compliments you, whenever he can. You're just so pretty in his eyes. 😭

Horror tends to avoid talking much, as it takes him a little longer, but he'll try to talk to you more than the others :) (My HC)

ERROR:

This dofus is so amazed. He knows that you're probably the Gods favorite right away.

He's interested...I guess.

He tries to be sneaky as he creeps up behind you, and greets you. (He's just shy.. I mean- a beautiful girl like YOU? And in his territory?? He doesn't bring much people there 💀)

The God's immediately striked him btw.

Fortunately, you find him quite fun to be around. But the Gods don't like him much.

It becomes kinda difficult talking with him, when the Gods just fry him right away.

You quickly become frustrated, and try to let them somehow know that you LIKE him and want to be around him. So...you become the MOST FLIRTIEST MF THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.

Error just becomes a blushing mess at your ministrations. "*Some flirty line*" "O-Oh- Uhm..thanks?" He doesn't even know how to respond to them.

But after awhile, it was a success and he doesn't get fried anymore! (The Gods probably became too tired of him to care, or they finally took a hint.)

Error doesn't mind the flirting much, (because he loves you) but please- for the LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY- Don't touch him. You'll immediately lose his trust if you touch him. (His Haphephobia)

Actually kinda thrives in the fact that you're a member of the Star Sanses. He's just a sucker for "prohibited love".

It also doesn't bother him much, because he's not actually an official member of the Bad Sanses. He rejected Nightmare's invite, but sometimes comes to their side if he's needed or he's just bored 🤷‍♀️

He makes sure that you're safe during battles. Even if you're on the other team.

Wants to hear EVERY bad thing you've done. (It...gets him kinda- going? I guess. He just finds that attractive.)

[star-dust-stuf]

Albert Shaw x fem!reader

title: in your embrace, I will stay

warnings: cursing, angst, rotting fluff

a/n: as always this has nothing to do with sex or abuse. listen to the song pretty girl by 4ever falling. I hope you like it, it's a little sad but as always, with love!

-

I woke up in a cold sweat, on the mattress. The moon was shining in from that small window up top making light in the dark basement. I sat up a little dizzy and tired, it wasn't the usual time id wake up nor did I even think Albert was down here either. 

I stood up, my bare feet on the cold pavement, I destinctivley remember when he left the basement before I went to bed he left the door unlocked. 

I walked to the door and open it. I didn't think anything of it of course I was either stupid or didn't care. When I took the first step on the stairs I saw the warm light from the top, it made me go up further so I did. 

When I reached the top I saw the kitchen it was small and to my right there was a table, to my left there was garbage can and a fridge. 

And then him... He had his mask on, only the top half, a belt in his hands, he was asleep. Why did he leave the door unlocked and was he waiting for me?

I was oblivious to the situation at hand, he snored softly and I couldn't help but smile a little, I looked at him for a moment but then something happened out of my control.

I stepped not feeling a bit of need to hide in fear but that was only as of right now. I reach my hand, I gently touch the side of his temple, his soft wrinkles. 

His eyes opened just as fast as I could step back, he stood up and gripped the belt in hand. I fell back on the floor a little shocked by my heart stopping for only a second.

"What did I say... Didn't I say if you came up here, I would make you beg me to stop!" He yelled.

I flinched, it was hard to see his eyes so angry. "Albert..." My voice was only a whisper.

"The shit you have to make me worry about-." He sounded so sad yet so mad.

"I wasn't going to escape, you know that!"

He held up the belt, I cover my face in absolute fear and start to cry, he just couldn't do it. Watching me as I cried in fear and confusion, he knew I wouldn't leave him and he knew he'd never hurt me no matter how hard I can be on him, he really only knew I didn't understand. 

He groaned in anger, he threw the belt to the floor and yelled aloud thrashing the dishes on the counter and breaking them, he was so angry at himself, he could bring himself to hurt me. I yelled for him. "Albert!" 

He was breathing heavily, his heart aches at the sound of my desperate voice. He got to me, he grabbed my wrists and made me look him in the eye, he didn't say anything cause the fear, the sadness in his eyes said a lot. He pulled me back down the stairs. "Albert, you're hurting me!" 

He pulled me to the bed, "do you not understand why you stay down here..." 

"Yes I do!" I shout at him.

He grew even more angry, he grabbed my wrists and pulled me to him. "ID FIND SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY LOVED ME BEFORE I WAIST MY TIME ON YOU!" 

I fell against him, sobbing in his arms. He didn't know what came over him, he wrapped his arms around me, he was so tall only my head reached his chest and he was able to cradle me. I look up at him, sobbing. He wiped my tears gently. "Shh, shh, shh." He cooed. 

"I-i though maybe s-since you l-left the door open I'd be a-able to see you. I d-dont want to sleep alone!" I cry.

He wiped my tears with his thumb, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I left the door open... On purpose." 

was confused, "Why? You didn't think id actually run away from you." 

He sighs, "Bunny, you make me worry." 

"You don't trust me?" My eyes water and his heart aches at the sight.

"No, no bunny. I needed to make sure you weren't scared of me." I tilt my head. "I couldn't hit you with that belt. You stood there confused and scared but I knew you weren't scared of me." 

"How could you know that?" I ask.

"Because you looked at me like you didn't know me at all." He put a lock of hair behind my ear. 

"I just wanted you." 

His eyes gazes down at me, his large hand cupped my cheek and he sighed softly bending down to my level. "Go on, Bunny. I'll tuck you in."

When I got on the mattress and pulled the little blanket he gave me over my legs. He sat beside me and rubbed his thumb over my forehead. "I won't ever let you go, you know that?"

He covered my eyes, I heard a rustling and a kiss on my head, he took off his mask though he covered my eyes I still felt his warm breath on my forehead. Another rustle was heard until he uncovered my eyes. his mask was back on.

"I'll sit right over here until you fall asleep, okay Bunny?" His voice was soft as he crouched down against the wall on the far left from the mattress. 

[xdinaryvamp]

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ 🩷 ` ricky “three point shot”!!

where you love to watch basketball games, even if you know nothing about the game, and a player loves to watch you, even if he doesn't even know your name.

genre : fluff, gn reader. 

pairings : basketball player!ricky × spectator!reader.

when you needed to distract yourself a bit, you always went for a walk in a park that wasn't too far from your house.

sometimes you walked while listening to music on your headphones, completely losing yourself in the landscape. other times you stopped in the shade to read a book, or to review some topic for the next exam. and sometimes, instead, you sat in the stands of the small basketball court in the center of the park, watching the people playing.

you had never been particularly good at basketball, nor did you know the rules well, but it was a sport that, for some reason, you had always enjoyed watching. and you weren't the only one doing it either: there was always a small crowd of people watching the games, even if they were mostly young kids.

a "serious" game had never been played on that court, and in your city there wasn't even a real basketball team, but some boys and girls often met to play games, momentarily becoming the celebrities of the park. one of these, in particular, had already noticed you sitting in those stands for a while. match after match he met your gaze, but you promptly forgot about it, concentrated as you were on trying to understand which team was winning (it was difficult when they didn't wear the same shirts).

one day, before a match, he sat next to you. and you, at that moment, didn't even recognize him as one of the players, but simply as another spectator.

"you really like basketball, huh?" he asked you, exactly a moment before you decided to lean over a little to have more space.

“uh?” 

“when i play,” he explained, pointing with a finger at the basketball court "i almost always see you sitting here. i could almost start thinking i have a fan.” he smiled, looking back at you.

“oh” for some reason it made you feel a little awkward knowing that there was someone who had noticed you for so long "i really like watching the game, even though I don't actually how to play it." you added, out of fear that he would invite you to play because maybe he was missing a player. but that wasn't the reason he was talking to you.

“so i don’t have a fan.” he joked, resting his chin on his hand. “what a pity.”

you laughed, purposely pretending to think about it. "i just told you that i don't know much about basketball, how would i identify the best player?” you explained, though not very seriously, “i only become a fan of the best.”

he smiled amusedly, then rose from the stand to stand in front of you.

“if u won the match today, would you do me the honor of going to eat something out with me?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“why should i do that?” you asked, confused as to what this had to do with what you had just said. but not against the idea; he was still a charming boy to say the least.

“well, if i won i'd be the best, and then you'd know who to be a fan of,” he said, counting the explanations he was giving on his fingers, “i would also take advantage of the hangout to explain the game to you. unless you want to do something else.” he crossed his arms over his chest, looking at you with an expression that must have seemed confident, but to you it simply looked funny.

you laughed again, shaking your head. “fine. if you win, i'll go out with you.”

he smiled at you, before being called back by one of the players who was waiting for him to start the game.

“i'm ricky, by the way.” 

“y/n.”

“such a beautiful name.” he said, before running onto the basketball court and winning the game.

i literally haven't even reread it, but i needed to get some cliché fluff out of my head. and what better than a classic basketball player? ( i'm a slvt for them, send help )

[trainsinanime]

I sometimes reblog posts about US Americans being weird here, but honestly I don't love how angry or smug most of these posts are. It's just that angry and smug posts tend to get more traction, and so they get reblogged more, and so I tend to see them and reblog them myself. Hm, maybe there's a lesson for all of social media and for me in particular here.

Anyway, what I want out of these posts is not for any US Americans here to feel bad; it's just "funny" and perhaps, perhaps a tiny bit of consideration for how being US American means you experience the internet on easy mode.

This is not your personal fault. Nor is it ethically wrong. It's just a thing that exists, and it may be worth thinking about it.

Examples of that easy mode include:

It's your language. The vast majority of people on the internet need to know a second language to at least participate passively, let alone actively post. It's not just the internet; for e.g. my job, all documentation for all the tools is only in English, and I was required to listen to English lectures and write both my bachelor's and master's thesis in English, my second language, to pass. That's why e.g. posts about bilingualism tend to cause a bit of a discussion, because knowing a second language isn't a special skill but a necessary survival tool.

It is your world-wide culture. The list of most popular video games, TV shows, movies and songs tend to be fairly similar across the world (in particular the part of it we call it the western world, another discussion that I'll get into below), and they're dominated by the output of US media. There is no equivalent to e.g. Disney anywhere outside of the US.

It's your debates and discussions. Because of the huge importance the US has economically and culturally (not to mention militarily), we tend to discuss US topics a lot, and we tend to discuss them from an American point of view.

This introduces American oddities into a lot of the world. For example, I'm a STEM guy, I have a STEM education, a STEM job and my primary hobbies are also STEM based, so what I notice are imperial measurements like feet and inches. Those are not "one of two equally valid choices", they're the unique hobby of the English-speaking countries, and within them, increasingly only the US. But we still tend to see them here as if they were a normal usual thing, and often europeans (including me) feel compelled to provide translations into these units.

But it's not limited to that, court room dramas are another example where courts in the English-speaking world tend to work very differently from those in the rest of the world. E.g. there's no pleading guilty or innocent in most of the world. There are boundless more examples of that, and these things can be grating every once in a while.

As I said before, I don't think there's any moral value here either way. You're not wrong for being an American (but you're also not better because of it). As I hinted at before, I'm still in a very privileged position myself, being from a wealthy European country, and my culture even without Disney is still far closer to that of the US than it is to most of the rest of the world. I'm sitting in the very same glass house, just maybe a different corner (TODO fix this metaphor before posting).

For example, I'm talking about court rooms and inches versus meters, but if we're thinking about history and ethics, there's deep issues in both of them. When it comes to measurements, it's ultimately the question of whether you use the measurements of London or those of Paris. For most of the world it's a colonial imposition either way. You can make arguments for why one is better for technology than the other (and as you can probably guess, I have strong opinions here), but in the grand scheme of things, neither of them is more "ethical" or more "universal", not really anyway. Same with the way legal systems work, where again, countries either adopted (and more often than not were forced to adopt) either the English system or the French system (with quite a few countries choosing to adopt the German version of the French system as well).

I know that's a boring digression but it's something that's usually missing from these posts, especially ones written by europeans, including some I've written myself. I don't really have a conclusion to any of this either, except perhaps that this is something that's worth being aware of.

[acescorazon]

Title: Changes

Chapter: 13

Rating: M

Word count: 3614

Warnings: Crocodile and Mihawk are being dicks, ANOTHER damn flashback, language, minor violence.

Chapter Excerpt:

It's been blatantly obvious from the start that Mihawk and Crocodile want nothing to do with him. He doesn't know why he even tried fixing their relationship, they were never going to be three people who got along.

This isn't the Oro Jackson and he's not dealing with someone like Shanks, nor is he dealing with a random stranger or even a member of his own crew. He should have realized all his efforts would go in vain and that Crocodile and Mihawk came to the island with a deep-seated hatred and lack of respect for him embedded in them already. Whatever, it's fine. Buggy's not mad or upset or even disappointed. He's completely fine.

|Ch1|Ch2|Ch3|Ch4|Ch5|Ch6|Ch7|Ch8|Ch9|Ch10|Ch11|Ch12||

At this point, Buggy is unsure of what he can do to improve his relationship with Mihawk and Crocodile. He's tried throwing them a dinner, but that didn't work. He's also tried giving them gifts, but that was another failure and it turns out they're a lot more difficult to please than Buggy thought they'd be. He's at a loss and is unsure what to do at this point to make his two new 'subordinates' like him.

Perhaps his best option is to just be direct and try to talk to them, even though every time Buggy tries to speak to them or do something nice for them, they just push him away or reject him. He can't just leave his relationship with Crocodile and Mihawk as it is though, that'd never work and surely it'd grow tiresome sooner or later.

Buggy decides to make his move the next time Cross Guild has a meeting. He waits patiently for Crocodile to finish going over all his plans as well as announce any progress the newly formed group has already made, remaining silent the entire time so he doesn't annoy Crocodile any. After Crocodile wraps everything up, Buggy quickly clears his throat and speaks up before Mihawk or Crocodile can leave, "Uh," he mutters, his voice trembling slightly, "Can I talk to you guys about something?"

At the sound of his request, Mihawk and Crocodile turn towards Buggy and narrow their eyes at him, giving him a judgmental look. Neither of the two say anything but the look they have on their faces says it all: 'What now, clown?'

Buggy chuckles and finds himself growing uneasy by the other two's hardened glares. He shifts in his spot slightly before continuing,  "So, uh... look, guys. I'm just going to come out and say it. I know you're probably thinking I'm being so annoying by constantly trying to be you guy's friend but I want you to know I'm really trying my best here!" He states and afterwards he tries to read Mihawk and Crocodile’s expressions, but there's not much he can decipher about their mood.

They look as irritated as usual.

"I don't want to fight with you guys all the time or have you guys hate me or anything like that!" Buggy explains, "Look, everything has pretty much been out of my control. I don't know why everyone thinks I'm the boss or whatever, but I never wanted that spotlight and I still don't. What I really want is for us all to get along and for Cross Guild to be successful!"

Mihawk and Crocodile continue to stare Buggy down, but they're silent. No bitter insults, no rejections, no fighting. Just silence. The two don't even leave the room immediately or tell Buggy to go away. Perhaps this is them willing to finally give Buggy a chance?  "I'll just go ahead and say I'm sorry if I've made you two mad or offended you in the past. I promise I can change and that I can be someone useful to you, so... Uh, can we maybe give being friends a chance?" He asks, giving them both a sheepish grin.

There's a long pause after Buggy finishes speaking, and with every passing second, he can feel his anxiety growing in his body.  This is the first time that he's actually been listened to by either men, and this really feels like his one and only chance to make things right.

The three of them don't even have to be best friends, Buggy just doesn't want to be constantly threatened or beaten up, but if they could develop a close relationship that would be perfect because Buggy realizes with his newfound status as emperor of the sea he needs all the allies he can get. "Uh, what do you guys think?" Buggy asks when Mihawk and Crocodile fail to answer him.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Crocodile asks and then afterwards he begins to laugh. His loud, mocking laughter booms throughout the meeting room and Buggy's ears, "I already told you this, but I guess you forgot. I don't need no friends, especially useless ones like you." He tells Buggy, and it's like a stab to the chest. "How would being friends with you benefit me? You're penniless and weak, and you can't do even the simplest task. The only thing that you have going for you is your status as an emperor, but to tell you the truth, I don't care about that."  

Buggy's face begins to heat up and he wants to argue. He wants to tell Crocodile that he definitely isn't a useless clown like he's always saying he is. Buggy has done so much in his lifetime and yet everyone always underestimates and belittles him. Buggy isn't weak and useless, there are people out there who actually fear and or admire him. 

"Your title really is just for show," Crocodile chuckles, "You're nothing compared to Red-Haired Shanks or Blackbeard. Hell, you're not even on the same level as that brat with the straw hat."

Being compared to the other emperors of the sea makes Buggy want to scream. Okay, but... He's at a loss for words. His pride is telling him to fight back and not let Crocodile put him down like this, but another part of him is saying that Crocodile’s right.

No, no, that's not right. Buggy's accomplished too. He traveled the Grandline as a child, he studied under dark king Rayleigh... He took over Orange Town... he... he almost executed Monkey D. Luffy, the same Monkey D. Luffy Crocodile is comparing him to, in Loguetown... He.... He was in the war...(not that he fought in it.)... He started Buggy's delivery service... He...

Maybe he didn't defeat a previous emperor for their spot and maybe he's not always causing a stir like the other three are, but... Buggy’s done things too, and it's not fair to compare him to the other three...even if his status does seem more or less like a fluke sometimes.

Buggy bites his bottom lip, "You haven't given me a chance to prove myself," he says, but for some reason, he doesn't deny Crocodile’s previous statements...maybe he is right. "I've purposely been lying low and doing my own thing. I-"

Crocodile cuts him off, "Bullshit. You haven't been lying low, you just can't do anything. You're useless both as a leader and as a potential friend. In fact, the only reason why I haven't snapped your neck is because Hawkeye here thinks you're a good little distraction." He snorts, "But the government hasn't tried to attack us yet, so who knows? Maybe you can't even keep a few measly Marines distracted."

Buggy takes a deep breath and tries to remain calm. He should have realized trying to be Crocodile's friend was pointless. He’s such a cruel, foul mouthed man who cares about nobody but himself. He doesn't want a loving supportive friend, he wants someone he can boss around and use for his schemes. If you don't prove your worth to him, you're useless...

Crocodile’s thought process goes against everything Gol D. Roger taught Buggy to believe in. Buggy’s former captain always told him that a friend is someone you should love, appreciate, and support unconditionally. Our friends may not be related to us by blood, but they’re just as important as family and should be cherished as such because life is so short. A friend is someone who you can depend on and won’t judge you or leave you behind during your toughest battles. It doesn’t matter how rich, smart, or powerful your friends are, what’s important is their heart and character.

Eh… Now that he thinks about it, his beloved former captain was always a bit cheesy and sentimental, but that’s besides the point. Buggy wouldn’t treat Crocodile as if he were just some pawn in a scheme or some glorified bodyguard. He doesn’t need Crocodile to prove his worth (but it certainly isn’t bad that he’s a well-known and very powerful pirate), and Crocodile shouldn’t need Buggy to prove his worth either, that’s not how a genuine friendship works. Whatever, though. Buggy’s over trying to be friends with that self centered prick.

Buggy forces himself to look away from Crocodile and turns to Mihawk. He swallows hard, "...Hawkeye," he calls out in a small voice, and, oh, how he hates how vulnerable he sounds right now. "You don't feel the same way, do you?" He asks, clinging onto hope that Mihawk really is the lesser of two evils.

Mihawk remains quiet for another painfully long moment before finally speaking up for the first time since their meeting ended, "More or less." He says in a cold, blunt voice. Oh, of course he feels the same way as Crocodile, Buggy thinks bitterly. "I won't waste my breath belittling you, but I don't need any friends either." Ah, that's Dracule Mihawk for you, he's always so cruel and direct.

"Okay, we don't have to be friends." Buggy states, looking between both of his fellow members of Cross Guild, "But could we at least treat each other with respect?!" He begs, more than willing to settle at this point.

The laugh that Crocodile lets out when Buggy asks him to do something as simple as give him a little respect is disheartening to say the least. "You actually think I'd respect a gutless coward like you?" He mocks.

"I..."

"Get fucking real!"

"I...I…" is all Buggy manages to stammer out because he feels more embarrassed than before. Crocodile treats him like he's nothing but a tacky, piece of gum here for him to chew up and spit out when he's ready. 

Somehow Mihawk's reaction is the same as Crocodile’s but different. He raises an eyebrow at Buggy, and if Buggy had to guess he'd say Mihawk's probably thinking something along the lines of: 'ME? Respect you? Respect is something you earn, and you definitely haven't earned my respect.'

"Forget it." Buggy mutters, "I'm just going to get back to work." He tells the other two men before lowering his head and rushing out of the meeting room. As he leaves he can hear Crocodile continue to mock him: "Did you hear that shit, Hawkeye?!"

Okay, Fuck them. Fuck Cross Guild. Fuck Buggy too for being so stupid and for even trying to be on good terms with Mihawk and Crocodile. It's been blatantly obvious from the start that Mihawk and Crocodile want nothing to do with him. He doesn't know why he even tried fixing their relationship, they were never going to be three people who got along.

This isn't the Oro Jackson and he's not dealing with someone like Shanks, nor is he dealing with a random stranger or even a member of his own crew. He should have realized all his efforts would go in vain and that Crocodile and Mihawk came to the island with a deep-seated hatred and lack of respect for Buggy embedded in them already. Whatever, it's fine. Buggy's not mad or upset or even disappointed. He's completely fine.

Why would the great and mighty Captain Buggy The Clown let two assholes like Mihawk and Crocodile determine his worth? Why would he let them get to him? He hasn't, he's fine. He's totally fine and he doesn't care what happens moving on. He'll just try his best to coexist with Mihawk and Crocodile and try not to get on their bad sides or whatever.

He says that he wants to live peacefully among Crocodile and Mihawk, and yet he does the one thing he probably shouldn't. He finds someone to angrily vent to, Cabaji and Mohji always listen to him without judging him and they always offer up the upmost support and advice, but Buggy doesn't need advice. He just needs to rant, and so maybe that's why as soon as he sees his two most trusted crew-mates, he disregards his current location and begins to air all of his grievances about both Mihawk and Crocodile.  

Buggy's mouth runs a mile a minute as insults, complaints, and anything you can think of come flying from between his painted lips. He tells the two other men how frustrated he is that Crocodile and Mihawk just can't play nice, and how they think they're the boss of him and can push him around. He tells them that they're both so stuck up and rude that it's unbelievable and that he's never met two people as insufferable as Mihawk and Crocodile. "I really tried!" He complains, throwing his hands up.

At this point his face is beet red and he's more furious than he'd like to be. "But nothing I do makes them happy!" He tells Mohji and Cabaji for what has to be the hundredth time. The two try and calm Buggy down but at this point he's a lost cause. "Can you believe they're acting this way? And for what reason? Because the world government made me an emperor and not them? Because they're stuck in some shitty organization with me? I didn't ask for any of this!" He tells them as his voice continues to steadily rise.

"But whatever. I don't care." Buggy laughs bitterly.

"Capt-"

"No, seriously I don't give a fuck anymore! I'm done trying to be nice to those two assholes. They said they don’t do friends, but is that the real truth? Do they not have friends because they don’t trust anyone and they’re too stuck up, or is it because they're both two insufferable assholes who no one wants to be friends with in the first place? I mean, really, who’d want to be their fucking friend? They’re two extremely bitter old men who can’t hold a conversation let al-"

"Captain Buggy..." Mohji calls out in a shaky voice, but Buggy continues to rant and rave about how much he hates the situation he's in. He hates that the world government takes him seriously and considers him to be a big enough threat to be an emperor of the sea, but that Mihawk and Crocodile think he's some weak, small time pirate. He was fine being just an errand boy before but now he's genuinely frustrated that Mihawk and Crocodile see him as beneath them and won’t treat him as an equal. "What gives those assholes the right?!"

"C..Captain..." Cabaji and Mohji stammer out at the same time. There's an intense look of fear on both of their faces that Buggy failed to realize before. He stops his rant long enough to give them both a confused look, "...What?" He asks, and when his two crew-mates gesture to something behind him with their heads, Buggy realizes just how badly he fucked up in an instant.

Buggy inhales a deep, shaky breath. Please tell me they aren't standing behind me. He thinks, about ten seconds away from pleading with the universe to just cut him some slack for once in his miserable life. Of course, though, Buggy has nothing but worst luck. In fact if he didn't have the most vile, atrocious luck imaginable, he probably wouldn't have any luck at all.

Buggy slowly looks over his shoulder and his stomach drops. He really has no luck at all, but perhaps this has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with the fact that Buggy foolishly trash talked Mihawk and Crocodile as soon as he got the chance to and in public.

Mihawk is the first to speak, "No, don't let us interrupt you. We want to hear more of what you have to say, Buggy The Clown." He tells him in an eerily calm voice, "By all means. Please elaborate why you think that we're insufferable and stuck up some more."

Buggy doesn't even know what he should say at this point. He laughs nervously, "Hawkeye....Crocodile...when did you two get here?" He asks, feeling like he's seconds away from hurling. Actually now that he thinks about it, maybe it's better if he doesn't know when Crocodile and Mihawk came and how much they heard.

Buggy realizes he's in deep shit, but he still takes a step back and raises his arms up in the air, "Oh, you know I didn't mean any of that stuff, you guys. I'm a clown, remember?" He laughs but no one laughs with him, "I like to joke around! I didn't really mean all those things, I was just joking..." he lies, feeling trapped.

"I for one didn't find your little joke amusing." Mihawk says and Buggy can notice the subtle shift in his expression and how irate he looks with him right now. "Did you, Crocodile?" He asks.

Crocodile's expression isn't any better, in fact it's ten times worse because Crocodile never hides his emotions, especially not ones like anger. "Of course i didn't." He replies with another mocking laugh, and it's at this point that Buggy realizes that he probably shouldn't try to talk to them anymore and that he should instead just run away.

So that's what he does, he takes off in a sprint, trying to put as much distance between him and Mihawk and Crocodile as possible even though he knows that it's pointless. He can't outrun Mihawk, the world’s strongest swordsman is too fast, but even if he could, he still has another man after him. Crocodile may not be as fast as Hawkeye, but he’s good at cornering Buggy and trapping him in a cloud of sand, and Buggy knows that he’s no match for either of them no matter how much he runs, ducks, and hides.

 

They catch Buggy with ease and once they do, they unleash all their anger, frustration, and pure hatred on Buggy. Their assault isn't just physical, it's verbal as well, of course it is. Crocodile and Mihawk’s cold, cruel words hurt a lot more than their fists do sometimes, depending on what’s being said, and Buggy finds himself quickly feeling overwhelmed as tears pour from his eyes.

"I knew you were just spouting a bunch of bullshit in the meeting room."  Crocodile hisses as he punches him for what has to be the tenth time, and Buggy wishes he were exaggerating when he says that. Crocodile’s wrong, though, Buggy was being one hundred percent genuine when he said he wanted them all to get along and treat each other with respect, it's just that he grew frustrated with Mihawk and Crocodile’s constant rejection and coldness towards him.

What else was he supposed to do? How else was he supposed to feel? He’s hurt and frustrated, can’t they see that? Buggy tries several times to explain himself, but it’s no use, Mihawk and Crocodile just continue to beat his face in and mock his every cry and scream until they finally get tired and storm away, leaving Buggy to lie on the ground a clobbered mess. 

Buggy’s entire soul feels shattered into pieces as he lie there, crying his eyes out. Mohji and Cabaji rush over to his side just as soon as Crocodile and Mihawk leave (He never expected them to intervene and if they did, it’d only cause more pain for him.) “Oh my god, captain, are you okay?” Cabaji asks.

No. 

Buggy doesn’t have the heart to respond to the question and the moment he realizes that Cabaji and Mohji are be his side, he tries to hold back all his pain and suffering. They sit him up gently and tell him that they’re going to get him all patched up and softly mutter how much they hate Crocodile and Mihawk just as much as Buggy does, and how Buggy is so brave and strong for putting up with them.

…Is he, though?

Buggy doesn’t feel very brave and strong, he feels like a loser who has no control over his life, but he doesn’t tell Cabaji and Mohji that, how the hell could he?

Things become more hostile between Buggy and Crocodile and Mihawk after that. It seems that his one little slip-up was enough to make Mihawk and Crocodile’s disdain for him grow ten times worse, but then again, maybe it doesn’t matter what Buggy said or did. Maybe things would have always ended up like this, after all Mihawk and Crocodile have absolutely no respect or sympathy for Buggy.

[yallemagne]

I'm never going to be able to work on Orice in this state. Let's talk about Jack Seward. I have so much. Soooo so much to say about him.

Warning: I am going to be looking at Jack and his motives and attitudes, and I am going to be treating him like any ol' guy that you could find in the world. I'm not gonna take "it's just a fictional story, it's not that deep". I am a writer. It is that deep. This post is critical of Jack for reasons other than the obvious fact that he abuses his patients. Don't proceed if you don't want that.

And additional warning: if you ship Lucy and Jack and are going to get mad at me that it isn't book canon, you can take it up with Bram Stoker instead. This warning will seem petty, and it is. I have been yelled at simply for engaging with canon in a way that goes against other people's headcanon, and I will not tolerate that here.

I'm thinking about men and their entitlement. I don't like the idea of the story ending with Jack and Arthur being gifted two nameless, faceless trophy wives. One can explore for themselves in writing how those two got hitched and construct developed OCs to be the wives... but the truth is that the reason why those two got married is that Bram looked at two bachelors who had no women of their own and said: "that isn't a happy ending". The idea that these two men went through this entire story fighting for women, and neither "got the girl"? That's preposterous! Hence why Bram hastily adds that the two are married seven years later. I take full advantage of the vague wording -- of the fact that it is not technically confirmed that they are married separately to two women -- because the idea that these men were just given wives because that is what is expected of men gives me a weird feeling in my stomach. Or maybe I just need to eat, but oh well--

There is also the problem of Jack's entitlement in particular.

Just look at his marriage proposal. I analyzed it back then. He comes to Lucy, telling her how much this prospective marriage will do for him, how happy he will be, how she will be fixing his life, his problems. Nothing about what he has to offer. All he has to offer is himself and, it goes without saying, his wealth... but that's a given since she doesn't have her own income nor control over her assets-- he NEEDS to be able to provide fiscally for her. That is the least he can offer. But that's all that he really brings to the table. What he talks about during his proposal is all the things Lucy has to bring to the table, all the things he expects of her, and she hasn't even said yes!! Of course, she cried, hot damn.

Lucy herself lamented how good and noble men are and that women don't deserve them! And it is because of that general attitude that Jack listed all the blessings he would reap from the marriage but never focused on how Lucy would benefit-- because it's thought that all a woman needs is a man! That women are lucky to have a man regardless of circumstances! This is why I'm so damn happy that Lucy listened to her heart and chose the man that she loved regardless of all the pressure being put on her by two others. She knows herself in a way Jack doesn't know either of them.

Do I think Jack is an awful person for this? No. But I also don't think he was proposing to Lucy for the right reasons. I'm not entirely sure he was really in love with her. I know he thought he was, but with how shortly they knew each other, I believe he saw Lucy as a pretty face with good marriage prospects. And that's exactly how Lucy sees him! Just a pretty face and a good prospective marriage candidate-- but she's not in love with him. Lucy knows that love isn't the only thing that makes a marriage, but it's still very important to her. If she can find a man she loves who loves her back AND can support her? Woo! And she did with Arthur! Meanwhile, I think Jack doesn't feel love so much as fascination. That's not a bad thing, it doesn't make him bad.

Rolling this back around to the idea of just giving him a wife in the epilogue. That's part of why there's a sour taste on my tongue thinking about it. Men feel entitled to marriage because it is one of the expectations put on them -- they need to find a woman and keep her, and she needs to be a good one. She needs to make his meals to his standards, clean up after him, provide him with children, clean up after them. She also needs to love him and express that love through the previously mentioned chores and sex. If a man doesn't have this, is he really a man? Can his life ever be happy?

Jack wasn't happy with his work. He was in a very unhealthy place, and instead of addressing the issue, he thought bringing in a woman to dote upon him would brighten the place up. Like buying a new piece of furniture to make a dilapidated house feel more homey.

I think Jack is worthy of love, but the problem is that, like most men in this patriarchal society, he believes he is entitled as a man to receive it from any woman he chooses, and I don't think he ever has that worldview shaken over the course of the story. Hell, I think he kind of had his worldview validated! The happiest he ever was in his own home was when Mina made him tea, and he could pretend for a moment that she was his wife. That's cute for a fictional character. But imagine if you were a married woman and your male friend fantasized the reason you were nice to him was because you wanted him. Not so cute.

In a post-Dracula story where Jack gets a nameless, faceless bride, I don't see him ever leaving the asylum. No, instead, he stays, and he wonders why being married hasn't cured his depression. He wonders why his wife seems unsatisfied with him constantly working and neglecting her when one of the things that attracted her was his high position. God forbid she tries to drag him away from his work-- he needs this job to feel like a man!

In a post-Dracula story where Jack has instead married Arthur (yeah, not a legal marriage, but gay couples have always had ways of being together), I see him in a better place. I see him with a man who knows and loves him, who recognizes that the esteem that the insane asylum brings Jack is not worth his unhappiness, and who can actually get through to Jack because Jack respects Arthur's opinion as a man! I see Jack finally self-reflecting and eventually rejecting his faulty belief that a woman would "fix" him.

This is a lot, Jesus.

[mlmxreader]

Nowhere To Run | Simon Ghost Riley x gn!reader (🍋)

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ Ghost

3 “Don’t you fucking threaten me, sunshine”

46 “You’re mine, only mine”

100 . “What if we get caught?” “Let ‘em watch” ❞

: ̗̀➛ Ghost isn't happy when he brings you along with him to a gala, only to find that everybody has eyes for you.

: ̗̀➛ anal sex, sex without lube, praise kink, light choking kink, mentions of free use kinks, threats of violence, swearing, possession kink

: ̗̀➛ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

It all started out just fine. Just a small little gala hosted to celebrate the end of the year where servicemen could bring their partners and everyone could relax for once, but as you stood beside Ghost, you could feel him getting more tense by the second. He wasn't happy, clenching his jaw as he glared at everyone who dared to look at you for even a second too long.

It wasn't that he was usually jealous, and nor was he often possessive either, but what he didn't appreciate was the way that people so obviously ogled you. Their eyes shamelessly raking over your body even when their spouses were stood right next to them.

Sure, Ghost knew you looked good, and in fact, that was the reason why you were both late to attend as it was; but as you clung to his arm, you couldn't help but to notice someone looking at you in a way that you didn't like. You tugged at Ghost's arm, clearing your throat to grab his attention; he immediately focused it on you, cocking a brow.

"Over at your three o'clock," you mumbled softly.

"What about it?" He asked quietly.

"Just..." you let out a sigh. "It's making me feel weird."

Ghost looked, clenching his jaw tightly; he could see Otter checking you out shamelessly, even making a few gestures for you to follow and to go over to him.

Letting you go, Ghost nodded over to where Price and Laswell and her wife were, and told you to stay with them while he dealt with it; you weren't sure what he was going to do, but you still headed over to them regardless.

They made you feel safe, and always had done; the same way that walking into a friend's house immediately did the same.

ut Ghost had a different agenda, and quickly grabbed Otter by the scruff of his neck, scowling.

"Listen here, sonny Jim," Ghost growled softly. "If I catch you looking at my partner again, I'll bang you out."

Otter scoffed, shaking his head as he grinned. "C'mon, Riley, you can't really expect to being someone that good looking and have no one look!"

Ghost's grip tightened, causing Otter to buckle slightly. "I will rip your throat out... they are spoken for."

Squirming, Otter tried to break free as he snapped. "Oi! Get off me, I'll fuckin' shank you!"

"Don't you fucking threaten me, sunshine," Ghost said calmly, subtly pressing a knife to Otter's stomach with ease. "I've dealt with worse than you... lay off."

Without another word, Ghost let him go, dusting his hands off after putting his knife back; calmly and nonchalantly, he made his way back to you, quickly thanking Price, Laswell, and Mrs. Laswell before pulling you aside.

Ghost didn't waste much time in all honesty, pulling you into the bathroom and locking the door behind him; he pressed you against it, hungrily kissing you as you grinned and tugged him closer. Groaning softly under his breath, Ghost ground his hips against yours, sneaking his hand between your bodies so that he could feel just how needy you already were for him.

"Fuck," he whispered out. "It's a shame there's nowhere to run..."

"I don't mind here," you told him quietly, your words fanning across his lips. "If you don't."

Ghost hummed, kissing you softly. "What if we get caught?"

"Let 'em watch," you chuckled with a shrug, licking your lips. "Maybe then they'll stop looking at me."

He grinned, shaking his head fondly as he stole another kiss, bringing you over to the sink and coaxing you onto it; when you spread your legs, he immediately stood between them, his hands on your thighs as he pressed his face to the side of your neck.

"Just the tip," you whispered, giving him the puppy dog eyes. "Right?"

Ghost nodded, swallowing thickly. "Just the tip."

You kissed him quickly, getting off of the sink and bending over it; he didn't waste much time, pulling your trousers and underwear down before pressing his hard and slightly swollen tip to the entrance of your asshole. You immediately pushed back against him, breathing heavily as you started to touch yourself.

"Simon," you whimpered.

"I know," he grumbled, slowly stroking himself. Grabbing the sink to steady himself as he let out a shaky breath. "Just the tip..."

"Just the tip," you agreed, pushing back against him.

But neither of you could resist, and although it was painful and you had to catch your breath for a few moments, you allowed Ghost to enter your ass; it stretched, a slight burning sensation making you call out his name under your breath as you gripped the nearby metal taps until your knuckles audibly clicked.

"Simon," you panted softly. "Fuck me, please..."

"I got you," he growled, waiting to make sure that you weren't in too much pain before he slowly started to thrust into you before pulling back slightly.

His head tilted back when he felt your ass clench around him, making him mutter your name as a soft prayer; you felt so good, and he couldn't help himself. It wasn't even the first time it had happened, either.

There had been so many times where Ghost had told you that it would be just the tip of his cock, and then a few minutes later he would be fucking your tight asshole until you were screaming his name and biting the sheetsheet.

Until you were sobbing and begging for more; so cockdrunk that drool streamed from the corner of your lips and little more than animalistic grunts and growls left your throat.

Yet every time, you loved it so much. The feeling of his skin slapping against yours, the sound of it. The stench of sex mixing with his aftershave and his cologne. The sound of skin hitting skin mixed with grunts and growls and howls and whimpers, soft whispered praises and growled out encouragement.

The soft squelch when he fucked his own cum back into you, breeding you and making sure that you were so stuffed that it was impossible for it not to leak out; the way he smiled and kissed you so gently upon admiring his handiwork.

Fuck. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you guided his hand to your throat, wrapping his fingers around the delicate skin. Not caring that it would be tender later on.

You were always so needy for him, and that was why you and Ghost had an agreement when you were at home together; if you wore your Friday the 13th hoodie, Ghost knew that it meant that he could do whatever he wanted to do to you. He still asked, though, and he always made sure that you knew what to do if you wanted him to stop; three taps to the left thigh.

Four to the right shoulder. Punch whatever surface you're on. The word "Panzer". You always knew what to do if you wanted him to stop, even if it was just to switch positions. Ghost trusted that you would always feel safe enough around him to do it, no matter how cockdrunk and needy for his cock you were.

But he wasn't going to last long, and he could tell. You just felt so good, and there wasn't enough time for him to properly worship every inch of your body how he usually preferred to; you both had to be quick, but he did have an idea, and he quickly leaned forward so that his lips were right by your ear, his voice low and hoarse.

"I'm gonna cum in you," he started, "and just to prove that you're mine, only mine, I want you to leave it... don't wash it out until we get home... that alright?"

You nodded, whimpering at the mere thought. "Yes! Please! Fuck!"

"Good," he praised softly, rewarding you with a soft kiss to the temple before pulling back and continuing to fuck you.

In all honesty, you were just about ready to cum yourself; closing your eyes tightly as you felt your legs spasm and shake beneath you, your grip on the taps faltering as you panted heavily. Drooling and panting with your tongue lolling from your mouth.

But Ghost didn't stop, not until he could finally feel himself cum; his thighs shook as he paused, bracing himself against the sink as he slowed the movements of his hips and grunted your name gently under his breath. A sweet, sinful, prayer. That was all it took, you were right behind him and finished off by the time he pulled out.

Turning you around, Ghost kissed you softly, holding your face in his hands gently as he smiled. "Y'alright?"

You nodded, catching your breath for a moment. "We should do this more often."

Laughing, he shrugged as he tilted his head to the side for a brief moment. "Maybe... c'mon, I'll help you get ready and we'll head back out, yeah?"

"Yeah," you breathed out. "Just... let me catch me breath."

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hey I would like to request a good omens Crowley x reader angsty sad fic where they are pining over him but he loves aziraphale and they don’t want to interfere. Kind of Laufey’s song Let You Break My Heart Again vibes. Thx!!❤️

"Why couldn't I have what THEY had, [y/n]?! Maybe it's...it's all part of God's great ineffable plan! As if fallin' weren't enough...y'know? Why not allow him to walk outta my life and crawl back to the other angelss, too? Keep fuckin' me over, I suppose. This must be karma, I swear.."

"Crowley.." You began, only to stop as the demon on the other end of the line continued his drunken sorrowful ramblings.

He was still clearly hurting, and you were his only company left.

The only one who knew about him and Aziraphale and everything they've done together for the past 6,000 years.

You've been around for a thousand or so, not aligned with Heaven nor Hell, but living as a simple immortal being.

However, only very recently have you learned that they've in fact known each other since the very dawn of Creation.

So their history goes way back.

It's no secret that Crowley's been pining after the angel all these years, forced to pretend he hates him just because he was on the "opposite side".

But he was sick of doing all of that, and finally got the courage to tell him how he really felt. He begged him to stay, to stop taking sides, and to think about just them for once.

In the end, Aziraphale still chose the side that shunned him for conspiring with a demon, halting Armageddon, and hiding Gabriel on Earth...all because he was offered a higher position of power and couldn't so easily let go of Heaven.

Not as easily as Crowley could. He couldn't understand that, or why Gabriel and Beelzebub could go off together and they couldn't.

Now you were here, having to comfort the very same demon that you've fallen in love with yourself.

It felt like such a selfish desire, knowing that you haven't lived nearly as long as either of them. You weren't there at the beginning of Everything. You weren't there at the Garden of Eden.

You could never fully understand their deep-rooted bond.

There's no way he would ever see you in a remotely similar light.

Even still, the heart wants what it wants..even if it's unobtainable.

"Listen, Crowley.." You tried speaking again. "I'm next in line, do you want anything?"

Perhaps that was rather poorly worded, as you heard a sniffle and what sounded like him holding back a sob. "I just want him to come back.." His voice broke.

There was that feeling again, constricting your human heart with pain.

It was such a fickle organ, you often thought. It kept people alive, yet when put through emotional toil..it felt like it was killing them, and they wanted nothing more than to rip it out of their chest to be rid of the pain.

But right in this moment, you felt like that because deep down...you wish he instead said that he wanted-

"W-Wait..you're..at that café 'cross the bookshop, right?" You heard Crowley mumble. "I'll get the usual..assuming she remembers. Actually...don't bother-"

"It's fine, Crow. It'll be my treat. I'm getting something, too...not that we actually need it. But we both enjoy it, right?"

"...right." He chuckled depressingly. "Fine. I'll be outside."

That was a surprise, although when you briefly glanced outside the window of Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death, you noticed the Bentley parked next to the sidewalk. You sighed, hanging up the phone before you stepped up to the register, smiling at Nina.

"Hello, Nina. I'll have my usual..and Mr. Crowley's, too. Six espresso shots, was it? And one of those [favorite flavor] pies, pretty please." You pointed to the menu.

"On it." She nodded, already getting to work on your order. "You know, I haven't seen that chap around in a while. How's he holding up? I heard he took it pretty hard."

"Yeah." You muttered, recalling how you've talked to her about your own feelings for Crowley.

You weren't expecting a human to solve the relationship woes of immortal beings when she herself was going through her own issues.

She worried that her and Maggie's little "intervention" caused the demon and angel to split up, but you didn't blame her. And neither did Crowley, although he was torn between wishing he didn't kiss Aziraphale and wondering if he'd regret not doing that at all.

He hasn't been back at the coffee shop since.

"Well, do you plan to tell him anytime soon?"

You nearly choked on your own spit. "N-Nina...I..I can't just do that. He clearly doesn't see me that way. He talks about him every day and night. I've stayed up past midnight consoling him, letting him stay with me the moment I learned he's sleeping outta his car. But...it's him he loves, not me. And I can't interfere with that..it would be wrong."

"Then...what's your plan from here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"..I'm not sure anymore. I guess hope that one day..I'll stop falling in love with him. Maybe his angel will come back and everything will be as it was."

"Sounds like wishful thinking at this point, but I'm sure things will work out. Maybe he'll move on."

"I doubt it, but time will tell."

"Right." After finishing the drinks, she set them down into a cupholder, before giving you the pie as well. You paid and bid her farewell before heading out of the café and to the Bentley.

Inside, you saw Crowley sulking, lost in thought until you knocked on the passenger's window. He sat up with a start, fixing his glasses when he realized it was you. "S-Sorry."

The door opened, and you slid inside, passing him the tall cup with tons of espresso shots. "It's okay. So..where did you wanna go today?"

"I was thinkin'..St. James Park. Feel like I've been neglecting the ducks for far too long."

You blinked. 'Wasn't that..his and Aziraphale's thing-?'

"Yeah, I know..it...was our thing." He responded as though he read your mind. "'s just..been so lonely without him to chatter to. I hate siting all alone on that bench. But it's not like I can just walk Upstairs and tell him to screw all of them, right?"

"Sadly..no." Shaking your head, you glanced over your shoulder at the plants he's shoved into his backseat. Closest to you was a venus fly trap that had spots and other flaws, looking rather frail and wilted and sad.

Not too different from how its owner felt.

You smiled sadly and stroked the top of its head with your thumb, feeling it cease its trembles. Its mouth closed as it seemed to...purr?

How cute.

"Well would ya look at that...ya even treat the bloody things the same as he did.."

You tensed, looking back to Crowley and frowning upon seeing the tears sliding down his cheeks. But he was quick to wipe them away once you noticed them, yet a sniffle still managed to escape him.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep doing stuff that reminds you of him.." You set a hand on his back. "Do you...want me to drive?"

"No, it's fine.." He shook his head, sniffling loudly one last time before he managed to pull himself together. "Let's just..go."

You nodded, taking a sip of your coffee and a small bite of your pie, before you reached for the radio-

However, you forgot that the Bentley was sentient, instead turning it on for you and playing a song that nearly made you choke once again.

"--All I've had is coffee and leftover pie. It's no wonder why. Ooooh, still you take up all my mind. I don't even think that you care like I do. I should stop, Heaven knows I've tried..."

Even Crowley froze as he listened to the lyrics.

And not because it wasn't a Queen song.

"One day, I will stop falling in love with you."

Neither of you spoke a word, instead staring at the dashboard with looks of sadness upon your faces. You thought he would've changed the song by now, but...when you looked over, you could see his glasses now resting on the bridge of his nose.

His golden irises have almost completely taken over the whites of his eyes.

What little you saw of them..

Were growing redder and glossier.

"Some day, someone will like me like I like you."

You felt your own eyes start to sting, too, so you looked away and opted to pet the venus fly trap that was nuzzling your hand, clearly asking for more much-needed affection.

Sentient plants were easy to comfort.

If only your demon friend could be the same way..

If only you could show him that you wished to be more than just friends..but this simply wasn't your place to tell him that.

Not here, not now...and possibly not ever. For as long as you lived on this mortal plane.

All you could hope was that one day, the feeling will pass.

If Aziraphale came back, things might be better. You wished the idiot would at least check in with you both once in a while so you knew he was alive.

If that's the last time you hear from him, well....you weren't sure if Crowley would ever want to try loving again after what he's suffered through. He poured his heart out, only for it to get broken and stomped on before being left all alone on Earth.

He couldn't go through that again.

And you didn't wanna say anything about how you felt for the centuries you've known him. He could very well perceive that as you trying to replace him and ruin this friendship.

The wounds in his heart are still clearly fresh..and they likely will be for a long, long time.

For now, you'll just be by his side and be mindful. Perhaps he'll eventually realize how you felt about him...but you doubt it.

"Until then, I'll drink my coffee, eat my pie. Pretend we are more than friends. Then of course, I'll let you break my heart again-"

Crowley's hand suddenly shot towards the button, the car filling with an abrupt silence as he shut off the music. Then he switched between several Queen songs, eyebrows furrowed as none of them seemed to suit his current mood.

If Queen didn't make him happy anymore...he was seriously in emotional distraught.

But eventually he settled for "Somebody to Love", and you smiled, wiping your eyes as you leaned back in the seat. "Good choice."

He nodded absentmindedly, before finally driving off to the park after adjusting his glasses.

No further words were exchanged. You didn't even scold him for speeding down the tightly-knitted roads of London. That's the last thing he needed right now.

Especially since you picked up that habit from Aziraphale.

But even as Freddie's voice reverberated through the Bentley, you two couldn't stop thinking about the lyrics of Laufey's song and what it meant to both of you.

Yet the people it reminded you of...were completely different.

[livinggeekchic]

I’ve been thinking a lot more about Harvey on my most recent reread of Purple Hyacinth. He is set up as this kind of bumbling but good-natured kid, whose death hits us hard—only for us to later find out that he was a spy for the Phantom Scythe all along. And we, like Lauren, feel betrayed.

But we are given clues that everything is not as it seems. To start, Bella tells Kieran that Harvey was eliminated because he wasn’t useful.

That got me thinking about this set of panels. March and Hermann are having a conversation about Lune. This is surely information that the leader would be interested in hearing about. Harvey is in the perfect position to listen in, walking by with a stack of papers. But instead, he hightails it out of there. If you zoom in, you can see the “spinning” of his feet, he’s booking it so fast out of there.

So while he was a spy, he either wasn’t a very good one, or he didn’t really want to be one. We also see Harvey mentioning that he has to do his best for his grandpa--is it possible that his grandfather needs money, and that's why he's doing it? This is just one possibility of many. Kieran says as much to Lauren, after she tells him that Harvey was a mole. Kieran knows there are many reasons someone might join the Phantom Scythe, but Lauren is still thinking in black and white--right and wrong. While it makes sense that Lauren feels betrayed, she's failing to grasp the nuance of the situation.

Nothing showcases this better than Harvey’s funeral. We see Harvey’s grandfather violently sobbing, obviously devastated. He says “you didn’t need to try so hard.” (Another indicator that Harvey was likely making choices for his grandfather’s benefit.)

And how does Lauren react? Her expression here doesn’t look like one of sympathy, or even pity. She looks shocked and almost affronted. She’s so consumed by her hatred of the Phantom Scythe, for what happened at Allendale, that she can’t even see Harvey as a person. She can stand by and watch his close family member grieve, and all she thinks is, “they don’t know what I know.” But regardless of what misdeeds Harvey committed, he was still loved. He still deserves to be mourned.

She calls him a traitor. She’s almost disgusted by the fact that everyone is mourning him. But was he really a traitor? How much information did he actually give the Scythe? He was "useless" after all. Even if he did help the Scythe stall the APD's investigations, we know he wasn't this inherently evil character. He was genuinely concerned for his coworkers' safety. Lauren tells us that he never lied or showed any signs of being part of the PS. She sees this as evidence that she was blind to the truth, but I think she's actually blind to the fact that not everyone in the PS is "the enemy." Their motivations can be complicated.

In S1, Lauren views Kieran similarly. He’s an assassin, and therefore, he is reprehensible. She can’t understand why it's so important to him that he kills only when ordered or when it's the only solution. She doesn't really attempt to unearth his reasoning for wanting to take down the leader, beyond asking about it just once. She is inflexible, and rigid in her thinking: good people don't work for the Phantom Scythe. But of course, we come to see that it's more complicated than that.

A lot happens in S2 that helps open her eyes to this, which I won’t go into now. But I will leave you with a quote from Kieran in episode 93: “all these years within this wretched organization have taught me…it’s not a monolith. Not everyone agrees nor is aware of what is truly going on.”

Perhaps Harvey truly didn’t know the half of it. Maybe he was given a chance to provide for his grandfather and took it. Maybe he was told that the Scythe was helping the poor, and he related to that struggle. Maybe he was told they would only use the info he gave them to protect themselves from the APD, and wouldn't ever go on the offense. Ultimately, we don’t know. But what I do know is that if Harvey was outed as a spy in S3, I think Lauren would try harder to understand.

[agustsmuse]

Libra | KSJ

Pairing: Jin x Reader

Genre: Non-idol AU

Synopsis: Jin surprises you with an unexpected gift on your birthday. One you'd always hoped for.

WC: 1.2k+

Posted: 18 September 2023

The air was crisp, the sky clear as you stared at the stars overhead. You just needed a few minutes, a breather, a little quiet. It was your birthday, another year swiftly passed and here you were sitting on the ridiculously overpriced outdoor couch on top of your friend’s rooftop to escape your own birthday party. You loved the gesture but so many people began to get a little too much. Hobi was hosting and he knew how to throw an amazing party.

Jin had wanted to take you out for a nice quiet dinner, that's what he'd suggested to Hobi but with Jimin's birthday just around the corner too, he simply HAD to make it a big get together.

So here you were staring at a bottle of Jack Daniels, millions of miles away from reality. Waiting for something to pull you back down but what you wanted would never come.

Or so you thought.  

The sound of a door opening caught your attention but you hadn't fully pulled yourself back to earth. The wind brought that familiar scent to you, you knew immediately who it was. You didn't have to come back to reality just yet. You were safe.

“Mind if I join you?” Jin enquired as he walked over to you. 

“It's peaceful here.” Jin assumed that was a yes and sat down next to you.

His eyes rested on you. You'd been friends with Jin for a while. He knew everything about you, remembered all the little things no one else ever cared about. There was a bond between the pair of you that neither of you had with anyone else. He loved you, but never said or did anything. The man full of confidence turned into a shy little boy whenever he was around you. 

Jin had been a serial dater for the past several months. He'd come back to you complaining about how painfully miserable the date was, how dull the conversations went and if he was feeling particularly Jin-like on those days, they couldn't handle his personality. The last one you couldn’t even remember why they broke up. Something about him putting in enough time or effort.

In the poor girl's defence, he did spend most of their relationship with you.

"Too much?" He asked, pulling you back to earth when she slipped a stray hair behind your ear. Greeting you with a soft smile. "There she is"

You blush, covering your face.

"Don't do that!" He pulled your hands away, holding them so you couldn't hide again. "It's just Jinnie."

“I appreciate the surprise” You state, in defence of your departure. Your fingertips and Jin's absentmindedly playing with the others.

“I did try to tell him but he wouldn't listen,” Jin sighed, defeated in his tone. “I wanted to take you out, have dinner, maybe a movie or both and we could have cuddled up on the couch. Just the two of us. I don't like all these people around either.”

He wasn't shy about wanting to spend time with just you, nor was he shy about his love either, admitting just how much was the problem. Jin regularly said he loved you, but you, one of two idiots in this equation, only thought it was platonic, a close friendship, the two single friends making each other feel better. He squeezed your hand to make you look up at him instead of your intertwining fingers. He felt the alcohol burn in his throat or maybe it was the words he wanted to say and really mean them. Declare that, in fact, he did not want to be just friends with you.

“Thanks for my gift” You distract from your pounding heart as you lock eyes with him. He’d given you the prettiest new necklace, one he knew you'd been eye up for quite some time. Of course, chocolates and flowers too. Your favourites, without fail. 

“You're very welcome,” he replied. "Always the best for my best girl."

Failing into a peaceful silence again, you pass the Jack between you both for a little while. 

“Can we talk?” Jin said, breaking the silence.

You nod for him to continue. Clearly something was running through his mind.

“I haven't been entirely truthful to you” He admitted, blinking nervously. Jin lied to you? He would never. You'd lose all faith in him, and men in general, if he had. He was one of the only people in your life that would never betray you. Like he could see your mind going into a panic, he quickly continued. “I met someone"

“Oh, I'm happy for you.” You lie, heart shattering into tiny little pieces. You forced a smile regardless. You'd be happy for him no matter what. 

“She's quite amazing actually.” You didn't know if you wanted to hear about this woman but his eyes lit up like dynamite and his smile was so big at just the thought of this woman, you didn't interrupt him. "She has all the right reasons to be a mean person but she's not, she's kind, patient and loving, even if sometimes people don't deserve it. I wish she knew how amazing she is and even if I told her until I was blue in the face, she probably still wouldn't believe me"

"She seems nice."

"I'm not finished" He shushed you. " You can share all of your secrets with her and know they are safe. She makes me laugh even when I don't want to laugh and without even trying too. She's helped me through some of my most difficult times and I'll never be able to tell her how thankful I am. She supports me, cares for me, loves me in ways I never thought anyone would even want too."

"Maybe you should be telling her this?" You felt sick at this point, blood boiling over a woman you didn't even know. Ready to tell your best friend and talk shit the minute the two of you were alone.

“Y/n, you’re my favourite person in this entire world, my best friend but I want to be more than that,” Jin admitted. What now? His heart raced as he scooted closer to you “I love you and I want to be yours.”  

"That's not funny, Jin." You had tears welling in your eyes.

Without hesitation, he leaned in to kiss you. He could feel you smile into the kiss, his hand caressing your cheeks.

You eventually allowed yourself to break the kiss briefly “I’ve loved you for a while. Too Long” You confessed. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“Why didn't YOU say anything?" You asked with a soft giggle. 

“I... Yeah... Fair" He laughed, His brain scrambled for one coherent thought. Instead opting for the obvious...

His lips met yours again. You moved your hand from his face to his neck. His hands slipped to the nape of your neck, pulling you closer to deepen the kiss. He didn't even care about the need for air until he heard applause, hollers and cheers from inside the house. The boys and their partners, which included your best friend, were standing behind the window. Your best friend and Hobi standing cuddled up with each other with shit eating grins on their faces. 

“Finally!” Yoongi yelled. 

His ears turned bright red, nuzzling his face in embarrassment into your neck as you let out a soft laugh.  

“Happy birthday, Y/n,” Jin looked at you once again with a soft smile before you pulled him in for another kiss

authors note: this fic was written for my amazing best friend, @lifeinakpopbubble's birthday. i wish you the happiest of birthdays and can't wait to see you open your gifts and spend the day with you!

i didn't plan on posting this so soon but she's impatient.

tags: @sopebubbles-read

[justanotherhh]

Hi! Love your blog! I have a question:

Maybe it's because I listen to a lot of crime podcasts, but I have never associated psychopathy with being aro and/or ace (despite or maybe because I'm on the aroace spectrum myself?). Is this one of those things where there are people out there equating – I imagine especially aromanticism – with being emotionless? I feel like I've mainly heard the – also horrible – comments of aroace people being "like robots". Then again, I'm not "fully" aroace, nor have I had the need to be super open about it, so I don't pay much attention to this stuff.

Anyway, while I agree that calling Alastor an "evil psychopath" is simplifying things something that frustrates me in parts of the Hellaverse fandom in general....or just fandom in general, tbf...I don't think considering him to be on the ASPD spectrum is incorrect?

Enough rambling and onto my main question: in your opinion, should I always clarify that when I call someone a psychopath and that person also happens to be aro and/or ace, that the two things are not correlated? I don't want to accidentally imply something hurtful/feed into a horrible social mentality. P.S. I want to be clear that I don't want to imply that all people with ASPD are murderers/rapists etc either. Though clearly Alastor is the former. Of course they're not. And I can only imagine how much of a struggle living with such a disorder might be.

hello hello, thank you for the questions. i shall try to be methodical and not rambly (we'll see how it pans out)

yeah there's a big ableist and queerphobic cliché around "emotionless" characters being psychopaths who don't love -- basically it's an oversimplification of psychopathy and often conflates it with being psychotic, and of course, it assumes a correlation both between psychopathy and being evil, and being aspec -- especially the kind that's further down the end of repulsed and loveless and aplatonic -- as being evil (with "love" being the opposite of these things, which, tangent, do have a whooole other post on with this show, because it's done some very fun and potentially future-interesting things on love and sex)

the key here is that aro and/or ace is often never spoken of in narratives when this happens because well... people don't know wtf that is, so it's got that similar flavour to "oh well buffalo bill isn't transphobic, because actually the character isn't trans, the cisgender psychiatrist said so!" (actually... whole other thing on that too, but not on this blog... basically jame gumb is underrated and i root for them every time i watch the movie), but it's the Idea that "love makes you human, and sex is always assumed with love, and if you don't feel those things, it's a clue that you're evil, and the shorthand for that is psychopathic" -- generally the person writing this has never actually researched the words psychopath or psychotic, it's not about being interested in those concepts in characters, it's just a synonym for Bad

and yeah, the "like robots" fully ties into this -- the other side of the coin is aspec people as children, but alastor sooo far doesn't seem to be read this way, although the whole "but if he just discovers how to do Love/Touch/Sex in [insert whatever is wanted for this narrative] he'll become better" does play into some of those tropes too, that there is inherently something mentally ill about being aspec, and that being mentally ill is a sign of Badness (there really is a whole Essay i could do on this, and the general overlap between aspec-writing and trans-writing but! i will resist!), and it's about whether or not the Badness can be cured. if not, he's a psychopath, if yes, it's through normative relationship structures/fundamentally changing the character

it all comes down to actual curiosity -- hc'ing alastor as ASPD is totally fine (i also hc blitzø from helluva boss as BPD) and can open up a lot of doors for interrogation and interest, it's whether someone is using mental health as shorthand for shutting down further interaction with the character (think Psycho's "ah yes, this character is schizophrenic and has mother issues, hence why wearing women's clothing, the end"), or if this allows further play with the character, opens up potential doors, considers the character as rounded, rather than one-note. some aspec people do have a history of trauma or have personality disorders or are autistic, but is someone actually interested in exploring the rich variation of queerness within a character, or are we "explaining it away" as something that's merely a symptom (often one that is imagined to be fixable)

generally, im so into poking at villains and i think alastor is one of the juiciest characters ive had to play with in awhile, mainly because it feels like a lot of his writing is intentional and isn't me deciding to delve into the motivations of [slasher/monster/villain/etc] that doesn't actually exist in the text -- and i think alastor definitely does have some Stuff that could be unpacked from a neurodivergent and mental health perspective, even and including parts of his aroaceness

so in the end, picturing him on the ASPD spectrum and even linking that to aroaceness... I mean, totally chill. al-old-pal does have low empathy, and a pattern of reckless, violent behaviour, and fundamentally views relationships differently from the norm. im making arguments that he hasn't been able to create the kind of intimacy that works for him, except for perhaps with rosie and maaaaybe mimzy and niffty (@creepysora has had some very cool ideas of him connecting in alternate ways that work with his way of being and boundaries), but that doesn't mean he's suddenly More remorseful or empathetic about how his actions affect others

it's about whether or not one is using that as a way of minimising or pathologising aroaceness, and/or as a way of making aspec identities all about self-hatred (and that in turn fuels villainy), and/or generally as an explanation of his villainy as some inherent degeneracy, and/or using the word "psychopath" to mean something completely different from what it actually is... that's when we get into sticky territory

and in the end, it can be hard -- something that's perfectly reasonable to one person, could be crossing a boundary for someone else and we just have to live with that, so don't wait on my blessing, i just think as long as one's caring and curious it's heading in the right direction. i watch a lot of horror, and i can usually recognise when something is well-meaning and something is lazy, and even times when it's the latter i can still find enjoyment (think angela from sleepaway camp -- on the flipside the movie they/them was well-meaning and a complete miss in its final political statement)

i recognise also im bringing up a lot of trans villainy as-example, rather than aspec villainy. that's a. because my special interest is trans horror so go figure and b. because that overlap is soooo real

(another example, not horror unless you're a karate kid 3 truther, is the character terry silver, who is never stated to be aromantic, but whose villainy on the later show cobra kai is intimately tied to an unspecified madness that includes low empathy and... no love, vs all the happily monogamous (het) relationships around him. he's not aromantic, he's not diagnosed with anything, it's not of interest to the story that he may be mentally ill or have PTSD or be aro and possibly loveless or that he may be gay -- because yes, he's coded that way too and that overlap is also real, and a whole other tangent i could go on -- it's just subtext to add to the villainy)

now another tangent, but loosely connected: was reading a transcript of the 1974 TS/TV conference (the first of its kind that was organised in the way it was) -- a series of talks over the course of a weekend discussing trans rights, especially in healthcare, and it fully contained a section of someone saying that "true" transsexuals can be recognised because before they physically transition (into binary genders)... they're asexual. because they hate their bodies so much that they can't feel sexual attraction to others. lot to unpack there, but really in this little conversation as example, what i mean is that the roots of pathologising aspec identities run very very deep, including within the wider LGBT+ community, and since alastor is quite a complex character that has done some very bad things, it's worth really thinking about what headcanoning him as one way or another says about the character for oneself. what does it add? what does it potentially demonise or minimise? what does it allow?

the neat thing about hellaverse is the sheer amount of queer characters meaning we can go beyond "if x character is Bad this represents Every person within this group" but with alastor being (so far) the only character who's not doing the whole love-and-sex game (although i think striker counts in this as well, personally + listen... sir pentious givin' real demi vibes. and if we're looking for a link between trauma and asexuality, well, angel is right there. and, and, and...), it does bear going the extra length to learn about -- especially since a lot of people really don't know that these biases even exist in the first place, which leads to a lot of unthinking perpetuating

i think a good place to start would honestly be: "would this feel like a queerphobic and ableist coding if the character were gay? trans? bi?" not because we're totally over queerphobic writing in general (lol, can you imagine), but as a starting point: are we treating aspec identity in text in a way that makes the idea of being aspec in and of itself degeneracy?

but like. hell yeah villains. hell yeah neurodivergency, mental illness, low empathy, lovelessness, unhealthy coping mechanisms, Bad Mean Queers, cannibalism, and characters you just can't quite suss out. big into a fucked up little guy

how did i do on the ramblyness

[password-door-lock]

“You know, you can stay here, if you want.” 

Saeran turns to stare at you in utter disbelief. He doesn’t need to let you know that your suggestion has left him absolutely baffled— you can tell already from the look in his eyes. He's spent the better part of the past few days doing everything in his power to break your spirit, but now, you can practically see the guilt draped over his shoulders, weighing him down as he regards you with utter confusion. You could understand if being around you were too painful for Saeran to handle right now, if your very presence in his space were a reminder of the horrible things he’s done in the name of the Mint Eye. You wouldn’t hold it against him if he laughed in your face and took the opportunity to slink off into the night.

But you don't know what kind of person you'd be if you didn't at least give him the option of staying by your side.  He might not believe that he deserves to be with you, but you need him to know that the invitation is always there for him. You want to make it clear to Saeran that he and Ray are both special to you, and that despite the nuances of your (admittedly very complex) triad dynamic, you love both of them with equal fervor. You want him to understand that everything is up to him— you won’t force Saeran to stay with you if he doesn’t want to, but you won’t let him force himself to leave if he wants to be here, either. 

“What are you talking about?” He asks eventually. There’s hesitance in his tone that you’ve never heard there before, but you suppose you can't really blame him. It breaks your heart to think of how he’s been treated— of course, he’s never explicitly told you anything about his trauma, but he’s let enough clues slip that you were able to piece together a devastating picture. You already know that Saeran won’t accept your pity, and you don’t hold that against him, either. All you want to do is let him know that he’s loved. 

“If you want to, you should stay,” you repeat, in much more decisive terms. Maybe if Saeran is sure that you actually want him here, that you’re neither trying to placate him nor being nice just for the sake of it, he’ll be more inclined to follow his own heart. You don’t want him to leave just because he thinks you want him gone— but you also don’t want him to stay just because he thinks you want him here. “You could get some rest with me, Saeran. Just for a little while. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, of course— it’s up to you.” 

“I can't,” he tells you, voice shaking almost as much as it did when he grabbed you by the shoulders and screamed that he is nothing like that woman. You get the feeling that he wasn’t talking about Rika, though you know better than to bring this up with Saeran. Three hours ago, he was still pretending that he meant you harm. You can’t imagine how monumental it was for him to give you this apology, and you won’t take his sacrifice so lightly. He can tell you what he wants to— assuming he wants to tell you anything at all— in his own time. “I— you don't need me right now. You need Ray, and—” His voice is thick with the tears that he’s restraining. Even now, he’s forcing himself to be strong when he doesn’t need to. If only he would realize that he’s safe with you— but after the life that he’s lived, you really can’t fault him for keeping his guard up. 

“I love you just as much as I love Ray,” you assure him, not wanting to harp too much on the matter of him staying or going. You hope that someday you can show him how much you love him, but the last thing you want to do is press.  You’ve done what you can— he knows that you’d be happy to have him here. “Please just listen to your heart. Whatever you decide, I trust you and I love you.” You hope he knows that this applies to more than just the situation at hand.

He swallows, and you can tell that he's still fighting off tears. You suppose he’d be good at it, considering he’s spent his whole life fighting— if not the tears, then himself, and if not himself, then the RFA, and if not the RFA, then Ray, and if not Ray, then Rika, or whoever else has done him harm throughout his life. You wish more than anything that you could steal all of that pain from him, wrench it out of his grip the way that he’s stolen so many things from you over the course of the past few days. But you know that you can’t do that— even if it were possible, you have to prioritize Saeran’s needs above your own urges. It’s true that living at Magenta breeds anger, but from what you’ve seen, the Mint Eye thrives on rage. You and Saeran both need the space to live a calm and happy life together, though if he’s planning on staying here in any capacity, you don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

 God, when will the universe just allow this man a fucking break? He has truly been through hell over and over again since the moment he was born, hasn't he? You can't change his past, but you can try your hardest to improve his future. “Okay,” he says eventually, not taking off his stiff suit jacket as he lays down beside you, on top of the covers while you huddle under them. Is he still worried about intruding, after all the things you’ve told him, or is he just concerned about the temperature? “Are you sure you still want me here after everything?” 

“Of course I’m sure. I’m listening to my heart, too,” you assure him. “Is cuddling okay?” You ask tentatively.

You already know that this is a huge step for Saeran, and you'd be happy to know that he was laying down on any bed, resting at all— the fact that he's here with you right now is almost more than you could ask for. Almost. Because you want to do everything in your power to make him comfortable, to let him know he's loved, and you want to cling to him and never let go. You're terrified of what might happen in the morning, and you're not an idiot, no matter how many times this beautiful man reclining beside you has thrown that word in your direction. You know that the moment you fall asleep, he'll climb out the window and leave you here alone— and that's just fine, you tell yourself, perfectly fine, but you know it isn’t. It's his decision to make, yeah, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't wish he'd make a different one. There has to be a way that you, Saeran, and Ray can all escape this place safely.

“Yes,” he breathes, still engaged in that uphill battle with those same, deeply pent-up tears. He makes no move to embrace you, as if he’s waiting for you to set the tone of the interaction, as if he’s unsure of what should happen next. “I’d like that.” His voice is so quiet that you can barely hear him— but you don’t need him to repeat himself. You’ve got the message. 

So you bring your arms around him and you pull him close. “It's okay, Saeran,” you breathe, “You can cry if you need to. You’re not weak for crying. I hope you know that.” You would be a fool to believe that you could pull out every last idea that Rika ever planted in his head with only that one utterance, but you hope you can at least do something to help. 

Saeran releases a heavy sigh, and then he follows your suggestion. You just hold him and rub his back as he sobs, grateful for the opportunity to offer him some much-needed comfort. After all, you love this man, just as much as you love Ray.