#i have my own ideas but too but it'll probably take me a while to put it together gdsflg so if i post something it wont be soon

[tmpttion]

i'm a bit overwhelmed with the amount of edits i've seen so just in case im letting you all know that i will be rbing them only it'll probably take me some time bc i like to comment on them in the tags :)

[envy-of-the-apple]

LOVE the new fic. The betrayal literally made me tear up.

I was just curious would Gojo have given up on Ms. Moon if she were married or maybe had a kid.

oh fu c k such a good idea whydidn'tithinkofthis- (this got so long i am so sorry)

in the fic, ms.moon is pretty traumatized after the gojo incident to have any real relationships after.

But maybe ms.moon gets into therapy, works through the issues of intimacy. You meet someone, nice, kind. You settle down, have a kid. It'll be nice for a few years...but when gojo comes back into your life. he'll shut it down quick.

Gojo's worse than his high school self now. He might not beat your husband up, but that might be a blessing compared to the tsunami he's about to havoc on your family. Using his connections, he'll make sure your husband never finds a job in the entire city, the entire region even. He might even dig up something your husband did in his past, a small drug problem he had with highschool-something that would get swept under the rug normally, but with Gojo's scrutiny, it's about to become a lot bigger.

You could stop it. With enough begging. After you'd cry your heart out, he'd shush you, wiping away your tears, saying that he'd forgive you for your transgressions.

You'd be expected to divorce your husband. Your husband would be pretty pissed with your flimsy reasoning of 'my childhood bully isn't done with ruining my life' but then he'd remember that there is a reason the Gojo family is so big. And they don't take kindly to competitors who stand in their way. You'd understand why he lets you walk away without a fight, but a part of you wished he would have pushed more, even if the result would have remained the same.

It's your child who suffers the worst through all of this. Maybe you had a daughter. Perhaps gojo would be a bit more tolerant towards her if she looked like you but she was clearly her father's daughter. In the past, you adored it, now it's another curse for you.

You have to keep her away, for her sake. Gojo is already more than upset that you dared to start a family without him. Besides, why would you want her with you? Why would you want her to suffer under gojo's whims?

A part of you has to admit that it's also for your sake. You don't want your daughter to see you like that. Weak, rolling under that man's thumb.

She's probably just a toddler when you have to leave. She's too young to understand when you say 'mommy's going away for a while'. Maybe you'd lie to her, say that you're going overseas and when she asks if she can come with you, you'd shake your head because talking anymore would be too much because Satoru's waiting in the sleek black car right on the curb. It doesn't matter what you say, she screams and sobs the entire time.

You don't touch your ex-husband, you don't even hug because you know Satoru's watching. You just ask him to take care of her before you walk into the car, getting into the passenger seat. Your daughter's still begging you to come back. You make sure the car is out of her sight before you start sobbing.

There's a hand on your thigh, squeezing, a mocking act of comfort. You're sure Satoru's grinning.

"Aw. Don’t cry, baby," you can barely hold yourself back from slapping him, though you doubted even pain would wipe that look off his face.

The hand drifts up your thigh, playing with the hem of your pants.

"Once we have our own kids, you’ll get way too busy to think about your old one.”

[callanton]

datey dates! ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

about. what type of date riize would bring you to! warnings. foods, fish?? (idk if it's counted) cursing.. pairing. bf!riize x fem!reader author's notes. this has been on my mind too many times, so i had to type it out..

𖦹 shotaro..~

an arcade date with shotaro! i think this suits him very much. i knew that he was totally going to bring you to the dance stage to show off his dancing skills. he would probably catch the attention of people around him, but he didn't care; as long as your eyes are on him, he'll continue <3 the others were astounded by him! like, who doesn't?? crazy.. and you'll be his proudest gf ever. then he would drag you to the hockey ice or basketball (totally not by force) and teach you how to play it (if you dk) after that, he'll wrap up the day by taking some pictures at the photobooth, will prettily decorate it together with you!

𖦹 eunseok..~

picnic dates are so him. he will prepare all the foods and set up the place! he felt like falling in love with you all over again after seeing you dressed up, and he'll think he's the luckiest man ever by having you as his gf. he will even learn how to cook your favorite dishes :( (you see him in the riize's contents on yt?? he can cook cook) not a particularly good chef, but he is determined on everything about this date!! making sure it'll be the perfect date you've ever had in your life. feeding you while having love in his eyes is true true. half of him is anxious, wondering if you like it or not. when you say it's good, he'll be letting out a relief sigh LOUDLY, as if the world will end if you don't like it.

𖦹 sungchan..~

and for this.. i think sungchan would perfectly fit with the grocery dates. like, if you see this man, he'll have the most boyfriend material pictures ever?? (pls give me one sungchan in my life, i'm going crazyyt) goofiest man who will tease you by putting up your things on the air. oh! oh! escape room dates >:) my man looks all confident, thinking he will get out of the room easily. but oh boy.. he's wrong, probably gonna cry out at the staff, begging them to let him out. he can't stand the thought of separating from you, which drove him crazy (when it had just been 10 minutes)  treats you an ice cream as an apology for ruining the date </3 and he would totally repeat the same things all over.

𖦹 wonbin..~

aquarium dates!! wohoo we all have been waiting for this >_< hear me.. so, wonbin + aquarium dates = literally perfection. he watches you from by his side, you were looking at the fish swimming around you. he just nodded along with you when you told him facts about fish when he had zero knowledge about any creatures living in the water. the smile on his face stayed from the moment you both stepped inside the aquarium until the end of the day. he will buy you a matching keychain (totally not an idea from wifty) and have it hanging on his bag. take lots of pictures with you!! his wallpaper? changed to the pic of you pointing at the stingray. holding your hands all the time and will not, ever, let go. even when you said you needed to use the bathroom.

𖦹 seunghan..~

romantic dinner at home!! he is the most gentle person i've ever seen (bring my boy back! he did nothing wrong) he has the house all set up. the candle, the flower path for you to make your way straight to the table after the long day you had. he'll be embracing you with warm hugs. then he'll kiss your forehead and lead you slowly to the table. you don't care if he bought the food from delivery! he has already prepared everything for you using all his efforts and ideas. he will pull your chair like a gentlemen himself. then he takes a seat in front of you (tripped over his own chair, because he fell for you lol) at the end of the day, he will massage you and prepare your bath.. he is so sweet!! drying your hair after the shower and will carry you in his arm to the bed.

𖦹 sohee..~

a movie date with sohee is the highlight!! you don't get him like i do.. study your favorite genre of movie, actors that you like, and types of cartoons that you watched. he had all your favorite snacks prepared.. like oh my god how much do you love him for this.. he will also prepare the fluffiest and most comfortable blanket you have ever felt in your life. cuddling session is all he can think of all the time.. boy just wants to cuddle you and 100% will not focus on the movie playing, when he has his arms all wrapped around you (even if it's his favorite movie) play with your hands, tracing some sweet words like "i love y/n" on your hands. he'll be the one who slept first, and i can imagine him snoring mimimi kind of thing.

𖦹 anton..~

my love!!!!!!! he is the most loml out of all the lomls.. my man will bring you to the nearest cafe in the city. study dates with you ^^ he already ordered your fav drinks and desserts for you, and trust me, this man will not focus at all, like how can he? your beauty distracts him. those serious faces of you making him melt at his place. he wants to kiss those pouty lips of yours so bad. how can you look all cute like that when you're just doing your assignment??! then later, he will start to do his work (just after you scolded him for wasting times) but you know what? he doesn't give a fuck. staring, looking, and watching you are the only things he can do. he is so so whipped. he is that down bad for you.

© CALLANTON 2024. all right reserved. please don't copy or steal any of my work/post! ʚɞ

[cerastes]

Hey. It's been a while. I think it's right to update you on stuff so tl;dr I'm probably not going to be around for some time, and if I am, it'll be in a diminished capacity, but if you're interested, do check under the cut. I'll also immediately state that I am not in any dangerous situation, it's other stuff, but I'll immediately dispel that before the cut just in case you just wanted to know that in particular.

Let's talk for a bit.

Long story short, the economy here is in shambles. The idea was for me to already have a new job, but that's not gone according to plan. I've been eating into my savings for a while now, and the people that told me that I had a job lined up for me September or at the latest October, meaning, this month, have been ghosting me. It seems to not be an option anymore, and no explanation was ever given to me. A shame, because it came from a place of relative trust.

This has eaten away at my nerves somewhat, and though it is the month of my birthday, I can't help but notice that, between the economy being this bad here, how hard it's been to land another job, and the fact that I'm eating into my savings, well, it's got me more than a bit worried. I'm not in any immediate danger of losing the roof over my head, or starving, or anything like that, but after a few months of "well, my savings take yet another hit this month with no end in sight", it's been rather rough, you'll understand, and it's compounded a bit. For just a second, and not as a primary, secondary, or even tertiary plan, more like a twenty-eighth measure if anything, I did entertain the dark idea of maybe asking for a bit of help here, and the moment that thought came up, I realized, "Ok, this is truly and well affecting me, I never want to do that", because, again, it's not like I'm in any immediate danger of homelessness or anything that grave, but it's been weighting on me enough that, even as a distant glint in the horizon of an idea, I did consider it. I don't want to sound like I'm blowing my own horn here, but for over a decade that I've had this blog, and the community/following/whatever you want to call it that has grown around it, I've never once asked for something like monetary help, because I think that can be a slippery slope. I've seen people far bigger than me, and some smaller, too, get addicted to asking for donations or help, or simply start taking it for granted when they ask for such a thing. My friends will tell you I writhe in agony when I receive a gift such as a game or something over the mail. My logic is that I don't need it, not in a proud way, but rather, in a "I wish you would spend this money on yourself instead, or on someone that truly needed it". With this in mind, I realized that, for me to even slightly consider that as an option, for the first time in my life, it meant that it was biting away at me far, far more severely than I thought. It's translated to other parts of my life as of late; I've not been depressed or anything, but I've felt this itch, this remarkably implacable feeling of "my man, you don't deserve to be taking it easy right now, something has to change, progress needs to be made".

I went out to wander for a few days, then arrived at my cousin's farm. He and his wife live a humble, hard working life, he invited me to stay for a while, I accepted, it was real nice, we hanged out, went exploring creeks and mountainsides while knocking back a few beers, the whole shebang for two guys that grew up in the middle of nowhere. Anyhow, it's true that the whole exposition that was the previous paragraph is something at play, but I also just... Haven't really wanted to be online at all. I don't want to check anything, read anything, and I feel a deep sense of alienation that I've not really felt in a long time. I suppose this is one of those good ol' Bro Is Going Through It, if we're to summarize it in a few words. It's easy for me to dispel negative thoughts and bounce back normally, because I've done a great deal of personal building and homework on knowing myself inside out, but not even this black belt in Drimobrain has helped this time around, and well, it bothers me, obviously, bwahaha. It's the first time in a few years that I really sincerely do not understand what's up with me, and while it's not really something I would consider me being rock bottom or anywhere near those depths, I do think I'm still below surface level, which is something I don't admit to easily, but have no choice to. I would love to be able to give this malaise shape and firmness through written or spoken word, but right now, it's a work in progress.

What bothers me the most is the sense of alienation I spoke of before: It makes no sense for me to feel this way, I'm treated with love and kindness every day, no one's silencing me in any way, I don't deal with barbs or hostility. So why is it that that's how I feel? Or perhaps it's something that feels similar, but I've no clue what it is, so I'm compounding it with alienation?

Regardless, it's all compounded into me just... Not wanting to be online. In the words of a friend of mine, "Dreamer has a fetish for self-development and growth", and, well, yeah, she's got that right despite the wording, I like to feel as if I'm improving every day and becoming better every day, even if slightly, and right now I feel like I'm just degenerating. Is it because my mood has been sour overall? Maybe. It might as well just be the fact that I Just Don't Want To Be Online For A While, and capricious clown that I am, if I want to do something, I do it, and if I don't want to do something, I don't do it. I'm tied to nothing and no one except my desire and drive to do or not do things. I can't change that, nor do I want to change that. And in this case, my heart's said to me, "fuck going online, go out, do things, try to get a job".

I also almost got recruited into something fucking vile that I thankfully noticed in time to avoid, but that's a story for another time.

There you have it. Am I leaving the internet/blue website forever? No, of course not, I like it here. Are things hard right now? They are, to be honest. Are they the worst it could be? Not at all. Do I have complete clarity of what's up with this fog inside of my head? No, and that bother me quite a bit. Are things going to be alright? Yeah, I think they will be.

I do regret it's in October of all months that this is going on, because it's where my shitposting power is at its apex due to my birthday, but hey, things happen, not necessarily for a reason, but they can be handled in such a way that it gives them meaning. I'm a fervent believer in that. I'm sorry this isn't the update you may have been hoping for, full of Lucina cosplayer blowjobs and other such hijinks, but hey, they can't all be Rainbow Road, haha.

So in case we don't see each other for a while, I hope you're all doing fine and dandy. I'm alive, I'm trying to be well, and most importantly, most fundamentally, most quintessentially,

I stay silly.

[silverskye13]

how did you get the confidence to write fanfiction? i always worry that i won't portray the characters properly so any ideas or wants to write fanfics that i have go away or i talk myself out of it :(

Well! First and foremost: Most people don't start writing,,,, anything with confidence. Let alone fanfic, where you know other people are going to be looking at it, with their own ideas of how the characters are supposed to act and feel influencing what they're coming to the story with. My first fanfic I was very insecure, which I feel like was evident, reading through the author's notes now. Apologies whenever something that required a lot of suspension of disbelief happened, a poll so readers could decide the ending so I wouldn't disappoint anybody, only to end in me writing and posting three different endings. Long justifications for why I chose certain things in the author's notes. The fic nowadays reads to me like a very rough apology.

"Hi I'm sorry I tried. Be kind I'm very scared."

But the thing about writing that fic was, it was the writerly equivalent of jumping into the deep end of the pool for the first time. After I bobbed back to the surface and realized a shark hadn't like, taken my legs off while I was down there, jumping in again got easier. And kept getting easier. And now I just write and post things.

There's kind of two schools of thought that I've seen people subscribe to, when it comes to taking the first leap. The one that's really popular around here on Tumblr is: Do it scared. It is simple and straightforward. You are scared. You will be scared. You probably never won't be scared. So do it scared. Write your thing, close your eyes and hit send [either to post it or to share it with one or two friends, or even just hitting the "save" button and not deleting it]. Get scared, do it, close your eyes, finish. When you open your eyes again and nothing terrible has happened, you can breathe a sigh of relief and do it scared again. It's a little nerve-wracking at first, but the idea is giving your mind the association of jumping and not falling. I did it and I didn't fail, therefore it is safe to do it again.

The other school of thought [the one I specifically subscribe to] is: Do it once. What you think or feel about it doesn't matter. What matters is you did it once. Maybe it will be hell, or it'll suck terribly. Maybe you're really excited! And it turns out great! Maybe its a wild ride of ups and downs, and by the end you need a few months to catch your breath and decide if it was worth it. Regardless: you did it once. Now you know, if you want to, you can do it again. Now you can decide if its worth doing again. For me, the euphoria of finishing a project always far outweighs the trouble getting there, so the step forward of "Do it once" is powerful for me. And that can be broken down too. "Write one chapter." "Draw one drawing." "Clean one room in the house." There is no pressure to continue if its really that terrible, but you at least get to decide if one was worth it [and a solid 9 times out of 10, one was worth it enough to do it more.]

Now, all that said, if what you're worried about is writing the characters right and nothing else -- don't worry too much. Most people care less about how true to life the characters are, and care a lot more about consistency in the story. An example from RnS: In canon, Helsknight is a cartoonish villain with one motivation, and that motivation is taking over hermitcraft Doofenschmirtz style. To date, no one has come into my inbox demanding I change him, because he's so OOC he's basically an OC at this point. What people have come into my inbox about though, is "Hey, you established X in this chapter, but he said Y in this chapter. Was there a reason for that?" which is them saying, "Why didn't you keep your character consistent?" If you tell your audience what the expectations are for the story and you stick with them, they will stop caring about OOC moments and characterizations, and will trust you're going somewhere with your writing. Suspension of disbelief, your powerful friend! They put the world on their shoulders and carry and everybody watches and claps.

If you're also worried about consistency, then start out with one shots! There's a lot less room for error, no large, sweeping character arcs to keep track of. And stringing a bunch of one-shots together can give you practice with character consistency and progression without committing to something massive and overarching. If you're truly worried about making the characters exactly like Canon [or the Canon in your head], I recommend making little lists of character traits, or important things you want to keep in mind. At that point you're scared of your own consistency, and you just need a framework to keep yourself consistent enough for yourself, if that makes sense?

Hopefully! This helps! Sorry I'm a little scattered today :'D

[dazyskiie-luv]

Overblot mc/yuu but...????

TW — mention of vomiting, fighting Crowley and winning (sorry Crowley lovers), past death. I like thinking a lot tbh

not necessarily angst but it is in here! Same with fluff...this was really just me rambling.

* EDIT: WHY DID IT TAKE HOURS UNTIL I FINALLY GOT TOLD I WAS WRITING OVERBLOT WRONG.

I think about MC overbloting a lot and I also think about adding it into my own books because of how??? good??? the idea???? is???????

I genuinely imagine that even from the start MC was in danger of overbloting themself, with the stress and despair of finding out they aren't in THEIR world, away from their (family and/or friends) with possibly NO WAY BACK EVER because of some egocentric crow refusing to do more than he wants to???????

They would obviously be hella upset, stressed, depressed, anxious, etc because they know NOTHING of this world and is practically a BABY among people who lived here THEIR WHOLE LIFE.

So as more overblots happen, the more their OWN overblot is brewing. Bubbling, waiting to enter the game. Especially with the magic always getting slashed onto them. I think the only reason why they HAVEN'T overbloted just yet is because of grim

a more personal headcanon; Grim's fire, when you have a close bond with him, sorta starts erasing your blot and fueling HIS flames, making it more powerful. Essentially, think of when you're close friends with someone... you'll find it easier to fight for them right?? like you have more power to do that??? that's what its like

Now think of when MC is just TOO deep in their mind, TOO deep into their emotions and its the ONE TIME grim isn't there to help. They go to throw up blot and after panicking for a bit they just accept it. They accept that "I'm gonna overblot and probably die" because they're just too tired to worry abt themself

They don't tell anyone and since the overblot is already taking over the entire inside of their body, grims flames can't really???? get it all???? It'll always be there and it'll continue to grow and slowly grim notices that when he's feeling more powerful than ever while MC is showing obvious signs of getting ready to overblot

Grim choosing not to say anything to other people would be like... i guess out of character but at the same time i think In character????? He knows how tired MC is with dealing with everyone and honestly he's tired of it too so YASSS SLAY HENCH-BESTIEEE!!!!!

Sooner or later the others would notice too and it would be a little late to help MC since the overblot is already seeping out of their skin like they're crying. and honestly? their body IS crying. it's crying blot. And even as everyone is screaming and panicking about MC, they're just... sitting there.

Like they're annoyed everyone is making a big deal out of it considering no one cared before, and they're just like "stfu we're in class" and then focus on the teacher going "u can continue im sorry abt that."

And everyone is just??? confused?? because why aren't they going haywire or like.....???? idk..... crying in pain....????? what...........

MC just chilling the entire day while overbloting, even their overblot monster just floating behind them in peace and waving at times when people look for too long while everyone else is wary and giving them (+ grim who's always in MC's hold) a bunch of space while the teachers and dormleaders have their pens/wands/wtvr thr fuck at command just incase

but then everyone just realizes that??? MC isn't gonna???? do anything?????? and it kinda irritates them because why aren't you doing shit its freaking them out.

And lets say,,, ortho... as discreetly as he can... scans you. And it shows that you're perfectly fine??? like you aren't dying or in pain. It even shows the Blot monster being alright too like its just a guy standing there.

And now the confusion is up to 100 because WHAT????

MC and the Blot [+ Grim] just doing their everyday assignments and eating in the cafeteria with their friends being visibly tense and MC just raises an eyebrow like "whats wrong with yall tf" before continuing to absolutely DEMOLISH a burger they got for free. FREE!!! best day ever fr they'll tell you that much

I feel like the Blot would get sorta aggressive/protective when it comes to people who has like hurt MC to the point they had to take a nurse visit (half of the school but its alr we gang fr) but when it comes to crowley....??? They'll see the FULL POWER of a magicless blot monster which is actually more terrifying than the others.

The blot going hulk on crowley is so funny to imagine for me cause he'd just be running away and suddenly gets smashed into a pillar from a literal stomp. just one. and it was relatively weak compared to the Blot AND MC picking up and swinging that SAME PILLAR to smash it into crowley.

All that anger and other negative emotion finally coming out the SECOND they even so as HEAR that crows heartbeat nearby. It gave everyone whiplash but then again they also all collectively thought that he deserved it considering he hasn't truly done anything to HELP the students but just to HELP the schools reputation.

I'm half certain a student died there and he just covered it up and they turned into a ghost that haunts places. (i mean... look at the three ghosts in Ramshackle. they used to be students there I'm pretty sure????? i forgot.)

As MC is beating the DOG SHIT out of crowley the Blot is just cleaning everything up slowly because they realized that they dirted up the place :( and when MC is done they help too as the teachers all circle around a throughly beaten and bruised Crowley who has blood seeping out of his mouth while being half awake.

Of course they help him don't die because they honestly don't want the one helpful person to go to the equivalent of jail in twisted wonderland for committing murder and ykw thats so real.

I feel like as Mc stays in this overblot form everyone thats close-ish to them gets memories of things that's happened to them in the past like how MC did. But it's worse. I want an mc thats traumatized im sorry and i want it to be worse than what half of these guys went through.

I need them to feel guilty even more. Like. "Oh my god I really said that when— holy shit" FEEL BAD!!!!! Grim would already know their past because I know I would be cuddling into Grim's stomach and crying about everything.

When Mc finally stops "Overbloting", the Blot would still be there but as its own person :D How does this work????? it works bc I said it does.

The Blot™ would help MC a lot and vice versa, basically acting like parents now with how worried they get over everyone and the other. Grim is eating the attention up though as both Mc and The Blot cuddle as therapy (and bc they wanna)

Everyone (especially idia) would need time to like... get used to that because there's "NO FUCKING RECORD OF AN OVERBLOT BECOMING ITS OWN PERSON AND BEING....NICE?????"(shrouds words not mine ong) and when they do get used to it its like everyone is genuinely happier because! gasp! they are!!!

kick the crow out the seat. Both the Blot and Mc are the new headmaster contrary to the students voting them when Crowley got demoted from it.

I also feel like....??? Instead of MC goinf back home cause they realize just how BAD it was back home, they choose to have a bridge between both realities so that its their (friends and/or families) choice on if they want to be with them in twisted wonderland or not.

MC & Blot beating the shit outta Crowley as everyone watches (and cheers)

[palettepainter]

EDIT: So I totally forgot about the line where Vox is like "And hey, you still have him under contract" Sooo this entire idea is false. But the idea of Vox saying Angel quit is still an interesting one, since it implies there is a possibility sinners can "quit" in some way from a contract

So two things real quick: I know I've been talking about Hazbin a lot, but tbh If I were to do anything with that fandom it would be with my OC's/NG's, I'm still not crazy over the main cast (besides the potential dynamic between Vox and Angel, and Fizz x Ozzie from Helluva Boss, the characters don't grab me as much as characters in other fandoms do)

And second thing is I do wanna bring up an interesting point I don't think anyone else has mentioned yet

Vox specifically says "Oh Angel quit?". Obviously this happens in ep 2, but by ep 4 we know Valentino has Angel under contract, Valentino even says "I own you (Angel)". While we don't know a great deal of lore about how contracts work in Hell, I think it's a given to assume they're a big deal. More so, they're not something you can just "quit" and move on from

I just find it really interesting how Vox asks if Angel "quit" rather than saying something like "Oh you fired him?" to Val.

Is Vox even aware that Valentino has Angel under contract?? His brighter mood when he asks if Angel "quit" could be because, for all he knows, Angel is somebody who causes Val to loose his cool, somebody Val chooses to keep around, which causes problems that he ultimately has to sort out. Indirectly, Angel causes problems for Vox (I assume the reason Vox pulls out his phone while Valentino is ranting is because it's likely he's done this song and dance a hundred dozen times and doesn't take it all that seriously anymore).

And if Vox doesn't know about Angel's contract, he's left to believe that Angel is causing problems on purpose. It's probably likely Vox knows Angel is important to Val because of the money he makes him, but he also probably knows that Valentino is a literal tyrant and employs dozens of people who, all together, make him a lot of money

I think the idea of Vox perhaps not being aware of Angel's contract is further supported when he turns to Val later in the episode, when the V's are discussing about having somebody infiltrate the hotel, and asks "Do you think Angel would do it?". He phrases the question casually, like there's a chance Angel could say no, phrasing it a way that makes Angel the one who decides

Alternatively, he could have said "Can you (Valentino) get Angel to do it?" or "Can't you (Valentino) make Angel do it?"

It's very possible that this is just me thinking too deeply into stuff. While I do want this show to do good for the animation world overall, praying it'll draw more attention to other Indie Animated projects (cuz god knows Disney isn't pushing out good movies like it used to-) the writing in some episodes - looking at episode 3 and parts of episode 1 - isn't brilliant. Plus with how some of the writing is in Helluva Boss also I don't have a lot of hope that THIS much thought went into the script for the show.

It's very likely that Vox isn't written this deeply, but if it turns out I'm right and some of what I've discussed does end up being true though trust me I have my doubts, I'll be surprised

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 56]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.2K

Time skip: 8 months...

"Indigo!" Yoojin catches you in the hallway as you were heading to your studio. You stopped and turned around to face her as you blinked in confusion. Seeing you, Yoojin burst out laughing, resting her hands on her knees.

"Why are you balancing 3 coffee cups?! Here, let me help you." She giggled, taking one coffee cup in each hand.

"I left my mug in the studio and the cups at the cafe are too small. I didn't want to make multiple trips to I ordered 3 at one go." You explained to her.

"You're so amusing, Indigo." She continued to laugh. You rolled your eyes and walked to your studio with her in tow.

"I'm guessing you yelling out my name didn't have anything to do with my coffee cups?" You raised an eyebrow at her as you walked.

"Oh yeah! Ateez is coming later today and we wanted you to show them around since you've worked with them before." She informed you. You cleared your throat.

"I didn't even know they were in town." You lied. You knew Ateez was in America, you got messages from Jongho and Seonghwa about it. They even sent you concert tickets with backstage passes.

"Are they working with HYBE?"

"They're coming to work with some content creators." She shrugged, following you into the studio. She set the coffee cups down on the desk while you poured all the contents into your regular big coffee tumbler. After spending six months with you, Yoojin was a lot more open and comfortable around you.

"The production team got some tickets for their concert tomorrow. You should go support them!" She said.

"I'm not sure... With my schedule and all..." You told her.

"You're always busy, Indigo. You need to let loose a little and live!" She slapped your shoulder. You rolled your eyes yet again and sipped your coffee, moving to your desk.

"So we're entrusting them to you later, okay? You're the new superstar of HYBE!"

"It might not be a good idea, Yoojin." You sighed. She tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what you meant.

"Think about it. I left KQ to join HYBE. I was their producer before I came here for a bigger, better opprtunity. You get where I'm going with this?" You explained. It took her a while before she nodded her head slowly, her mouth forming an 'o' shape.

"But you're still friends right? It'll be fine. They would understand why you did what you did." She assured. Honestly, you knew that they did understand, that's why you didn't want to face them.

"I don't know..."

"See how you feel! They'll be coming at 3 and will be in the shooting studios after." She said.

"Why don't you just do it, Yoojin? You're the relations person, you're better at this stuff than me. Plus, I have a meeting later and I don't want to rush." You persuaded.

"Fine. Only because you have a meeting." She shot you a glare before patting your head and leaving your studio to let you get back to work.

You were contemplating going for the concert since you knew Haneul would want to see them, you've been thinking about it since the tickets were mailed to you. You would set aside your feelings for her, since you unfairly took her out of Korea and made her move with you to a new country, away from them.

'We're going to HYBE later to use the filming space. Just letting you know if you don't want to run into us. Are you working at the office today? - Seonghwa'

'I am. My colleague just told me. I have a meeting so I probably won't run into you guys. But thanks for the heads up. - Indigo'

You have only recently established contact with Seonghwa again. Luckily, he played it cool and just spoke to you regularly, not even bringing up the rest of the members in your conversations.

"Ah, whatever." You weren't going to harp on it for now. You needed to get ready for your meeting.

Seonghwa sat in the car, chewing on his thumbnail in worry. HYBE America was big, the chances of you running into each other was slim right?

"Seonghwa hyung? Are you okay?" San blinked in confusion, seeing the oldest act nervous.

"Yeah. My vocal warm up didn't go too well this morning so I'm worried my voice cracks." He lied. Jongho handed the oldest his bottle of lemon water for his throat. The relationship between Ateez was still in recovery. More like, they had to set aside their feelings to continue to work together harmoniously. Within the 8 months, the company also moved them to live in separate dorms.

Needless to say, his relationship with Hongjoong was still a work in progress. But Hongjoong was mature, he knew he needed Seonghwa and as the two oldest, they needed to make up somehow.

"We're here." The managers stopped in the carpark and the boys got off. They walked in together.

"Hello Ateez. Welcome to HYBE America. I'm Yoojin, it's nice to meet you all." Yoojin bowed as she greeted the 8 boys at the door.

"We look forward to working together. Thank you for taking care of us." Ateez bowed to her. She chuckled, having missed the Korean hospitality while in America.

"Follow me. I'll take you guys to the filming area." Yoojin waved for them to follow her into the building.

"Sorry, do you guys have a place we can get some coffee?" Wooyoung asked. Yoojin nodded and brought them to the cafe on the first floor. The boys entered the cafe space to buy some coffee. As they were patiently waiting for their turn in the queue, the person at the counter was on the phone.

"Mmm, I'm buying coffee... Well, I wouldn't be late if you had come down to pick me... I forgot my pass at the hotel, okay? I'll buy you a coffee." The male chuckled.

"That kind of looks like EL CAPITXN." Yunho leaned down and whispered to Hongjoong.

"It is... I guess it's not surprising to see him here since he's in Big Hit." Hongjoong shrugged, turning back to the menu board.

"Iced Americano for me, hyung. I need to use the bathroom." Mingi ordered. With Yoojin's directions, Mingi went to use the bathroom since the drive here was so long, he couldn't wait anymore.

"This building is seriously so big." Mingi said in awe as he exited the bathroom and walked back to the cafe where the others were waiting for him.

"There she is." Mingi heard EL CAPITXN cheer and greet someone.

"You're too loud, Yijeong." Mingi's eyes widened at the familiar voice. It made his heart stop as he whipped his head around. He watched the producer sling his arm around someone, who jabbed his side to let him go, but Mingi could only see the backs of their heads.

"I flew all the way here to see you AND I bought you coffee, you could be nicer to me." The male complained.

"You should buy me coffee since you're late. Come on, we're wasting time." The person with him snatched the coffee and walked with him to the lifts.

"I told you I left my employee pass in the hotel. And the security won't give me another one." Mingi watched the person took EL CAPITXN or Yijeong through the secure gate.

"Mingi? We were waiting for you." Hongjoong frowned when he saw the taller just standing there, staring into space.

"What's wrong?" The captain asked.

"I... Nothing, I think I just need coffee to wake myself up." Mingi shook his head. Yunho handed Mingi his iced americano and he took a sip.

"Alright, let's go." Yoojin smiled and led them to the filming space. Mingi knew he needed to focus, his mind was playing tricks on him or he was too sleep deprived from the jetlag that he thought he heard you. There was a slim chance since he knew you were in America but was that really you with Yijeong?

"Okay, so this will be the filming space that you're using." Yoojin said to them, walking into the big space.

"Thank you." They bowed gratefully to her. She bowed back and waved to them before leaving. Hongjoong gestured for them to stand in a row.

"8 makes 1 team! Nice to meet you." They all greeted the film staff and the MC in the room. Hongjoong and San did most of the talking since they were fluent in English.

"This is the brief for the filming and how to programme will go. Feel free to ask any questions." The assistant director handed them notes.

"Thank you." They took a few minutes to flip through the pages. Thankfully, they were printed in Korean.

"If you're ready, we can start." The manager told them. With their game faces on, they put the notes aside and walked onto the set, getting into the seats to begin filming.

Yijeong was in America to work with some artists here at song camp and with you. Despite the two of you chatting online and meeting occasionally over the past 8 months when he popped over to America, you've never actually physically worked together before.

"The jetlag is a killer." He said as he leaned back in the couch. You snorted and drank the coffee he bought you.

"Are you here to sleep or work with me?" You asked.

"Geez, you're so fierce." He groaned. In a way, you've grown to become good friends with him. He was chaotic and playful but someone you got along with well.

"When they told me they were planning for a trap piece, I knew I was doomed." You complained.

"That's why you have to gain more experience by accepting more trap pieces. Don't worry, I'll help you out." He came to sit with you.

"Also, I saw Ateez downstairs. Did you know they were coming or that they were here?" He asked as he set up his laptop next to your keyboard on the desk.

"I knew. Yoojin told me earlier." You hummed.

"No ill feelings?" He side eyed you. You shrugged, showing your indifference. While you were both friends and have gotten closer, you still wouldn't tell him about your time with Ateez or anyone for that matter. That was between you and the Ateez boys only, and you would like to keep it that way.

As expected, your time with Yijeong was very productive. He was a good teacher and you picked up on things quickly, even if the style of music wasn't something you were used to.

"I have to go or I'll be late again." Yijeong said as he packed up.

"I'll walk you down and get another coffee." You told him and stretched your arms over your head.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the last part about coffee and only acknowledge that you said you'll walk me down." He winked, making you roll your eyes.

"You've got your Uber?" You asked, peeking over to look at his phone. He nodded, showing you the map.

"So, when are you coming back to work with the team in Korea?" Yijeong teased, putting his arm around your shoulder.

"I already told you I don't know. I have projects here too." You crossed your arms and tried to shrug him off. He chuckled, lightly knocking his head against yours playfully.

"I promise to take very good care of you when you come back. The kiddo too." Yijeong smirked. You've learnt or realised that this was just how Yijeong was, he would playfully flirt with you this way. But he was harmless.

"You're annoying, you know that?" You clicked your tongue as you stepped out of the lift.

"But you still love me." He cooed, trying to pinch your cheek but you slapped his hand away, adjusting the mask.

"Can you just leave already?" You pushed him away. He shook his head and glued himself to your side even more, knowing it would rile you up.

"Next time you come, don't forget your employee pass. I'm not going to come pick you up anymore. I'd rather let you stay down here and suffer." You scolded. He held his head in feign hurt.

"I don't know if anyone has ever told you but you're a terrible friend, Indigo ah." He ruffled your hair.

"I told you not to do that." You slapped his arm.

"Okay! Okay! Just stop hitting me." He shielded his face. When he saw that his Uber was pulling up, Yijeong hugged you goodbye. With a sigh, you did wrap your arms around him to reciprocate the hug. You predicted it but he did squish you, even lifting you off your feet. He put his hand on your head.

"Be good, Indigo." He cooed, the playful glint in his eyes as he lightly shook your head.

"Bye." You shoved him towards the car. But even as he got in and the car was driving away, you stood there and waved to him. Letting out a tired sigh, you turned around to walk back.

But when you looked up, you froze, seeing 8 pairs of eyes stare back at you. The noise of your surroundings faded into nothingness and all you could hear was the pounding of your heart in your ears.

It was deafening.

How were you supposed to react? What were you supposed to say? Do you acknowledge them? You couldn't breathe.

"Indigo." Hongjoong spoke first. Your eyes immediately moved down, you didn't want to meet any of their eyes, you didn't want to risk meeting Mingi's eyes.

Every defence you've built up in the past 8 months started to crumble down. You felt so small and you wanted to run away from them, to cower and cry in a corner like a coward.

"Indigo! There you are!" Yoojin appeared, calling to you. You took a deep breath to collect yourself, wiping away any tears that may have fallen with the end of your hoodie sleeves. The mask was able to hide any other emotion you showed.

"Looks like you've already had your reunion. Did you say hi?" She asked as she looked between you and Ateez. You nodded stiffly.

"How was your meeting with Yijeong?" She tilted her head.

"It was good. I'm gonna go, I need to pick Haneul." You told her softly. She blinked, a little puzzled by your demeanour but nodded. You awkwardly bowed to Ateez and ran off.

"Oh, gosh." The moment you entered your studio, you slid down against the door, ripping the mask away.

You leaned your forehead against the heels of your palms as you tried to catch your breath, all this between the choked sobs that bubbled up your throat.

How were you going to bring Haneul to their concert if you couldn't even look at them for a few seconds without breaking down?

It should be fine, now that they know the truth behind you leaving. There shouldn't be ill feelings. But why were you frozen? Why did panic and anxiety fill you when you saw them? You thought you would be better prepared for the conversation that you were bound to have with them.

After all, you couldn't run forever. But all your head told you to do was to run away. You weren't afraid of them, you were afraid of reconnecting with them. Because what happens next?

You've worked hard to settle down here, to build a routine for yourself and Haneul in this new life.

Even if you did reconcile with them, you knew things would never be the same. You weren't ready to go back to that life yet.

Your plan was to stay here for 2 years at least before going back to Korea, to be able to let go of everything and leave what happened in the past, as a part of your memories.

Your wounds were still fresh. You knew, all Mingi had to do was ask and you would pack up to move back to Korea with him.

You were that weak, that vulnerable, you missed him too much. Your heart felt empty, your bed felt cold, your life felt incomplete. Because you knew deep down, Mingi was your home.

-

Meanwhile, Mingi couldn't believe it. So he wasn't hallucinating earlier, it was really you. Even if you didn't look directly at him, the way you stared at them in shock made his chest tightened. Just hearing your voice made his heart swoon again. For that short moment, he tried to take you in.

You've definitely lost weight. You looked a lot more tired but you hid it behind a gentle demeanour when you spoke to Yoojin. Your hair was now kept at shoulder length with wisps of purple carding through.

"Ah, that's Indigo. Always busy running around. Anyway, thank you for coming. We'll see you at the concert tomorrow." Yoojin smiled.

"Of course. Thank you and we hope you and the team enjoy the concert tomorrow." Hongjoong replied and reached out to shake her hand.

"If you'll excuse me." Yoojin bowed and walked away first to attend to other business matters.

"Mingi." Yunho shook his best friend.

"T-That was her, right? I haven't actually lost it." Mingi let out a bitter chuckle. Yunho nodded his head in confirmation.

But his heart lurched at the look at you gave them. You looked at them like they were monsters, people that you should be afraid of, people you want to run from. Mingi had clutched onto the side of his pants to prevent himself from going over to hug you.

He wanted to hold you, comfort you, tell you he's sorry and that he didn't mean what he said. He wanted to tell you that he still loved you. He wanted to apologise for not protecting you like he should.

"Let's go collect ourselves somewhere else." Hongjoong said knowing he couldn't let himself get affected in public as the leader of Ateez.

"Yeah." Seonghwa nodded in agreement. The two oldest moved everyone down to the vans.

The ride back to the hotel was pin-drop silence. Everyone was still processing what happened and what they saw. They all gathered in Hongjoong's room, away from their managers.

"So Indigo is in HYBE now." San spoke first.

"She looked so scared of us..." Wooyoung said sadly. Mingi nodded in agreement, his head hanging low. He didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say?

"Seonghwa hyung and I invited her and Haneul to our show tomorrow, we sent her tickets. But she hasn't told us if she would be coming or not." Jongho said first, in case the others got upset that they didn't tell them about knowing you worked at HYBE. Seonghwa nodded in confirmation.

"Let's not push her to come. But if she does, let's prepare ourselves to talk to her." Hongjoong said.

"What are we supposed to say, hyung?" Yeosang asked.

"I don't know, Yeosang. I'm barely figuring this out myself. She belongs at KQ with us." Hongjoong groaned in frustration, scratching his head.

"I agree." San replied. The others nodded, all except Yunho. He didn't know if he was supposed to want you to come back, not when he saw what Mingi went through after you left.

"Okay, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. Our aim is to talk things out tomorrow." Seonghwa said.

~

Series Masterlist

[66sharkteeth]

more thoughts (positive for a change)

sorry to keep treating this like a personal journal when most of you are here for CoB content but it remains the 1 place where i feel semi-safe talking about things w/o blasting them to 10k+ people while also having more than 0 people listening

but just feeling a little hopeful for once! i got invited to speak on my 2nd ever panel today. it looks like it's a small convention and it's far too early to know if it'll actually pan out (not even responding today bc im trying to be more strict about giving myself wednesdays off), but it's still just...really cool that i'm actually being recognized as a professional and invited to things.

i still think so much about how when i was like.....12....or something, we had to do one of those like...dream life assignments. and i remember exactly what i said- i wanted to be a mangaka in japan with a studio apartment (yes, i was a very cringy kid. i called my friends -chan and -kun too). then i got older and more realistic. realized i could do art, but never my own project, and yeah, that's what i did for a long time.

yet... here i am now?!! granted, i never moved to japan (which i'm fine w/ lol) and it turns out studio apartments kinda suck and i much prefer a 1 bedroom...but i'm making a living off of that comic i came up w/ in middle school when had 0 concept of reality and how unlikely the chance to do that would be. and... i dunno! for a kind of rare moment, i feel like i can keep doing it (knock on wood)? if it's not obvious by now, i can get kinda doom and gloom about my future (and i wont even think about the industry as a whole w/ AI becoming more of a problem every day), but just for this moment i feel kinda optimistic?

i still have no idea what my future holds with webtoon. I have no idea when I'll have something ready to pitch again or if they'll even take it, but for once I feel like that uncertainty doesn't mean all or nothing. I kinda feel confident for once that even once CoB concludes on Webtoon, I can keep doing this to some capacity, whether that's through another series, physically printing CoB, somehow continuing CoB, I dunno yet. like i dunno. i think i'm just finally having this dawning realization that i am a professional? and other people see me as such? ik, probably a dumb thing to just now be realizing but blah blah, imposter syndrome or something, etc etc.

not sure where i'm going with this but just thank you guys for your support. if you're one of the like 100 people who actually follow me here, tbh you're probably one of my more dedicated readers, so thanks for being part of making this quite literal childhood fantasy dream come true. and shout out to the people actually inviting me to stuff on the super slight chance they actually follow me here. it seriously gave me kind of a reminder that oh yeah, i am a professional and good at this

[mikodrawnnarratives]

TW IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH

TW BLOOD

(Just like last time, it isn't really graphic but I'm tagging just so you know)

@naffeclipse

Part 1 | This is Part Two | Part Three | Extra

It. Probably won't need a part 4

I'm doing this all on one cps file so I sure hope so kjlfdkfljs

i'm at like- 750+ layers i'm so sorry my file

...there might be a part 4 but it'll be small sketches and aftermaths

Once again, long post under the cut:

I am not the only traveler, who has not repaid his debt.

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

Take me back to the night we met

- The night we met by Lord Hurdon

Alright, I didn't make too much of an effort to hide it but how many of you guessed it was gregory and how many of you didn't see it coming?

Gee I wonder who Gregory's companions are

Okay if you don't have a nugget of who these companions are then my rambling below makes it a little more obvious

Anyway, this little comic of self indulgence to mend my broken heart says "YO what if Gregory and other characters saved Vanessa like they did in canon"

It certainly would NOT be easy for Vanessa once she wakes up to that realization. But there are factors that make it a little bit easier for Vanessa to cope compared to other children.

Since Gregory and others proved they could fight and free her as Vanny, it gives her mind a little reassurance that they aren't completely helpless.

Plus, I like the idea of the GGY story (Dr Rabbit) existing as this au's equivalent of the same experience, that would mean Gregory has had his own bad experiences with Glitchtrap and so it wouldn't be like some random kid going against a threat he was unfamiliar with

She still distances herself a lot earlier on and the more time passes, the older Gregory gets, the less he looks and sounds like a kid.

Those make it much easier for Vanessa to stand being around them as time goes by. Earlier on, she only really interacted when absolutely necessary. But she did grow a small soft spot for them.

She remained pretty closed off about herself over the years and never delved too deep about her past. Ness left frequently for her own hunting jobs and at one point Gregory asked where she went. Somethings made it seem like these hunts weren't just random and different

He didn't get an answer of course. But later that day, Vanessa told him about Y/n. In vague terms. This is the most information he ever gets about Vanessa's past.

So Gregory's got no idea who to expect to see showing up to the gravestone ltr on and is just like

Gregory: cool, ur mysterious enough for it to be believable ur related to my mysterious older sister/mentor figure Wanna hear a story

Y/n: ...yes.

Forgive him his brain is ever so foggy from grief and no slep

Anyway, Y/n picked a day to visit Vanessa when they knew they were stable enough not to lash out and attack any humans that may happen to also be visiting the graves. They had eaten pretty recently but not so recent that they were vulnerable.

It's pretty early in the morning where it is still dark and the rain provides some more protection.

If you couldn't tell before, many MANY years have passed since Y/n has been human. Think somewhere between 20-30 years. And while, they still hate who they are now and aren't mentally okay, they've gotten a semi-solid understanding of their limits and what they can and cannot tolerate and when.

And, even though they are nervous, they can manage to have this conversation with Gregory for now.

Why are they talking to Gregory so willingly? despite the risks?

well

the next part will explain that

[beanghostprincess]

Okay but that comment about Buggyvand Shanks just.... finding a baby in a treasure chest gave me the silliest, goofiest, saddest idea ever.

On the one hand - the fates align perfectly for that. It just comes full fucking circle with them finding a baby in a chest, so similar to Shanks being found.

But Uta.

If Shanks and Buggy find a baby in a chest together, it'll absolutely go full Oh Ours Now, but Shanks would have this overhanging terror. He failed one child already. With a story so like his daughter's Uta's, will this baby be cursed too? Is it him? Is he the curse? This thread of connection, is that going to be the nail in the coffin of this fate? Is it even alright for him to be happy, to have a child, when he's already failed one so thoroughly?

It would be agony. Therefore I propose two options.

1) Uta and Buggy finding one another very early on in their respective times. Buggy somehow through a series of incredibly unfortunate events winds up on Elgia. She takes one look at Uta, goes "well, I guess I HAVE always had a soft spot for redheads. And this one is only half so it's fine probably" and offers to take her away from there. She gets the story from the child later on, in tiny increments, and it has a big reveal when Uta happens to go to her after a horrific nightmare, just to find her throwing knives at a bounty poster of Shanks. There's panic and tears and questions and suddenly two girls find themselves holding one another and finding solace in someone hurt by the same man's best intentions.

Uta joins Buggy on the down low. When she hits an age where she can feasibly, safely perform, Buggy helps her find her footing, helps facilitate opportunities, and Uta is a star, a singer, and she's so successful and happy. ((And if Buggy had a recording of an interview when Uta first started out, when a reporter asked the split haired girl who her biggest supporters are, when Uta gives a blinding smile and says "I am who I am today thanks to my mom!", well... fuck off and mind your own business))

Marineford goes down, a traumatic experience for everyone. When Buggy got arrested, Uta took a leave of absence from the spotlight, went home, and Cabaji, Mohji, Ritchie, they all were there for her as best they could be. Alvida, too, to an extent, and Uta was surprised because while Alvida was her auntie, she hadn't expected the woman to be such an anchor for her. They get word of an execution, and the crew is docked at a small island for the week for supplies, planning, etc. Uta is in a bar with Alvida, both pouring over maps and eating, when there's a commotion. Someone is setting up a projector Denden, it's chaos, and suddenly Uta can't fucking breathe because that's her mom on the screen, bruised, exhausted, pale, and in colors she'd never be caught dead in, on a battlefield.

She watches the entire streamed events of the war.

She bites back a scream when she sees Luffy, she chokes when he calls Ace his brother. She can't look away, can't miss a single second of it, she isn't there why isn't she there but she's viewing it so if watching is all she can do, then she will do it.

She is knocked breathless when she sees her dad Shanks on screen. When she sees her mom and him fight, when she sees that look in his eye and when did he lose an entire arm?? But that little piece of her that never learned to let go, it uncoiled because if nothing else, if Shanksbwas there, her mom would be safe - traumatized, maybe, hurt without a doubt. But she would live. And Luffy would live. And that's all she could ask and pray for.

Shanks offers Buggy a lift home. Uta is torn between relief and bristling fury, but she decides to be grateful. Buggy agrees, if only because the enemy you know is safer than the one you don't. Uta can read the lies on her tongue as easily as breathing.

Buggy calls them that night.

Uta is in a daze, but Buggy asks her if she's alright if Shanks drops her off. "You don't have to see him," she tells the girl softly, voice hushed, "and he doesn't know. It's on your terms, baby, I just need to know where to tell Limejuice to dock."

Uta's speaking before she can think. "Come to us, mom. I'll be fine. I just need to see you."

And she. She is alright. Part of her aches for could-have-beens, for what-ifs, but therapy has helped, and she isn't that blind little girl anymore. She's strong. She's successful. She's human and hurt and that's alright. But more than anything, she is her mother's daughter and Nothing Will Stop Her. Nothing Would Dare.

The reunion is comical. Shanks is speechless and Uta just arches a brow at him before turning to Buggy, giving a mischievous grin, and loudly calling out, "Mama, I missed you!!"

Redhaired Shanks, Emperor of the Seas, The Man Who Stopped A War With His Arrival, faints flat on his deck. Uta doesn't bother stopping her cackle.

Things are... rocky. Buggy immediately gets fussed over by the medics in their little troupe, then set on a strict order to rest and recuperate. Alvida proceeds to threaten Shanks with further dismemberment if he upsets her sister or niece. Uta flits between helping around on ship, sitting with her mom, and Thinking.

She has some things to say, after all.

Things she goes to tell late one evening about three days after the meet up. Turns out Buggy had already beat her to tearing the redhead a new one the night they all met up and Uta unflinchingly met him face to face. He hears her out. Listens to her ramble and rant and rave. And at the end, he asks if he still had the right to offer her a hug. She barrels into him, and it's different, him having one arm, but he smells the same, squeezes the same, and he feels so safe, even years of heartbreak later. She asks him why.

And he explains.

They work on it, on their relationship. And in doing so, it opens an avenue for him to work on things with Buggy as well. It's new and hard and complicated but it's worth it. It's worth every ounce of effort and then some.

Then one day, on a rare date, Buggy and Shanks happen across this little treasure chest. It's exciting, the adventure fir Shanks, the rltreasure fir Buggy, and they're both so excited, they pop the hinge, flip it open and-

Two big florid eyes blink up at them, pink eyes framed by green lashes, bright emerals wisps of hair on a tiny little head. The baby hiccups softly, a tiny little fist escaping the bundle of blanket, and Buggy is furious. "Who the fuck leaves a BABY in a treasure chest in the fucking WOODS," she's screeching. Then she freezes, worried to scare the infant, but the baby just giggles, little arm waving, and Shanks is staring the child down like a man seeing a ghost. Buggy scoops the baby, pausing at the odd feeling. She moves the blanket, and a soft little oh leaves her mouth. He's missing an arm. He's... oh. That's why.

They bring the baby back to Karai Bari, debating what to do. Buggy is adamant they at least find him a place where his needs will be met. He's too tiny for a prosthetic, not yet, but she's seen too many people be dropped for less. He's innocent. He needs someone to be there and love him and raise him right.

Uta is taken by him, his infectious laugh and curious fingers. "Why not just keep him?"

Buggy and Shanks stare at her, the Seraphs looking up from their blocks, Croc and Hawk glancing up from their books/maps. Theyvstare, a sioent question. And Uta just smiles, shrugs. "I turned out alright. Besides, dad, with mom, Father and Papa around, you're not gonna do anything monumentally stupid this go around. I think I'd like another baby sibling. What do you guys think?"

She holds the baby put towards the little seraphs. Birdie hums softly, shuffling closer. "Brother," he asks softly. Uta nods. "... I am fine with this." He then proceeds to poke the bake's little cheek, earning a giggle and grasping little hand gripping his own. He even smiles.

Angel just hums softly before looking back to the adults. "I... want to keep him." Then he grabs a green crayon, a pink crayons, and goes back to work on his family portrait. "Ours now."

How can they say no to that?

So Shanks and Buggy get their baby, Uta has a family bigger than she ever dreamed of, Crocodile and Mihawk are along for the ride- everyone's happy.

Now baby just needs a name.

This is precious to me. Perfect. The bond between Buggy and Uta always makes me so emotional,, Buggy would be such a great mom to her and Uta finally finding a home after what happened with Shanks is,,, Perfect. But then they meet again and they start a little family with the new baby and,, This is just so well-built, imo. Perfection. Also, Buggy and Shanks getting back together romantically would be great because it's not like there's anything stopping them anymore and Uta keeps saying Buggy deserves better (kind of to tease her dad, but yeah) but she actually is extremely happy about it. Not to mention Crocodile and Mihawk there in the middle of all the drama makes everything better, tbh. That family is HUGE. And both Uta and the baby are extremely protected (not that Uta needs protection because she's a menace to society, but whatever). This is extremely sweet 😭 My girl Uta deserves a family like this and a happy ending.

[starcurtain]

Haikaveh Fanfics I Really Want to Read (Part 1)

Part 2. ->

1. A run-in with a cursed artifact on a research trip leaves Alhaitham intangible and invisible. He can't be seen, heard, or even open his precious books (which is the real tragedy here). Things go from bad to worse when it's discovered that the only person who can break the curse is someone who "knows Alhaitham by heart."

Problem is, nobody does. The only one who might even come close is Kaveh, and will he really be willing to go out of his way to research Alhaitham's deepest secrets just to bring his scathing roommate back?

Turns out the answer is yes, and Alhaitham is left invisibly watching over Kaveh's increasingly desperate attempts to learn more about the most private person in all of Sumeru.

Yeah... Alhaitham's probably doomed.

(Or: The Akademiya's erstwhile scribe has nothing better to do than stalk follow his roommate around unseen, gets a front row seat to Kaveh's tough life, undergoes the mortifying ordeal of being known, and realizes just how much his own cold nature has left him isolated from the world.)

Rest under the read more:

2. Another research trip gone wrong: While Kaveh's out of town on a job and without a shield this time, Alhaitham takes a nasty knock to the head during a fight. Although he wakes up all right, he doesn't have the faintest idea who or where he is. Quick-thinking nature intact, Alhaitham decides to fake his way through on context clues for a while. It's an interesting experiment, after all, to learn about his own life from an outsider's perspective.

Too bad a very silly series of coincidences occur (i.e. Kaveh took most of his work things with him for his trip, so his room is pretty bare; they wash their laundry together to save water; and everyone keeps asking Alhaitham why some mysterious "Kaveh" guy isn't with him), all of which lead Alhaitham to the absolutely incorrect assumption that this missing "Kaveh" person is his significant other. Imagine Kaveh's shock when he returns home to a very out-of-character greeting...

(But I mean, really, does Alhaitham need his memories back? This is kind of nice, you know...)

3. Requirements for a Desirable Life (According to Alhaitham):

1. Match your actions to your talents (read as: go with the flow) 2. Low stress, high paying job (read as: the balancing act between making oneself seem indispensable while underachieving as much as possible is a talent) 3. Nice home with a short commute (read as: at-home lunch hours every day) 4. Books (read as: soon as possible) 5. Kaveh (read as: the light of my life who I moved into my house through admittedly somewhat underhanded tactics just to keep him close to me, but what was I supposed to do--tell him I have actual feelings? Impossible, in the most literal of senses)

Or: Alhaitham pursues his plan for an ideal lifestyle in an utterly single-minded and undeterrable fashion... except when comes to his roommate, who--for someone so good at drawing up his own designs--also seems terribly good at ruining Alhaitham's.

Just fall in love with me already.

(Basically, I just want to see Alhaitham be the pining one for once. He is one checkmark away from his dream life, but he'd rather sell his soul to Lord Sangemah Bay than confess without knowing how Kaveh feels first.)

4. Alhaitham is preeminently capable. He's beyond a genius. His research could rewrite the laws of reality if he tried hard enough. But he's also... terrible with people. Actually, terrible is an understatement. If Alhaitham is murdered one day, it'll be because he finally committed one too many social faux pas and honestly the masses will probably say he had it coming. Thank the lesser lord that the Akademiya's scribe has someone as gregarious as Kaveh around to help him learn, right?

Or: Five times Kaveh tried to teach Alhaitham social skills, and the one time Alhaitham put all those lessons into practice... on Kaveh.

5. The very silly comedy one: If someone were to ask Kaveh what the very worst thing about living with Alhaitham is, he'd say--well, first he'd say "Who told you?!", but after that, he'd say something that might come as a surprise. The worst thing about living with Alhaitham isn't their constant snarking and diametrically-opposed mindsets. It isn't the tacky, asymmetrical furniture Alhaitham keeps bringing home because it was "practical and inexpensive." (Kaveh's skin is crawling.) It isn't even the fact that his so-called "landlord" reminds Kaveh all too often about his unpaid rent while never lifting a finger himself to do the dishes.

Nope. The worst thing about living with Alhaitham is the experiments.

"How many books can I leave on top of Kaveh's sketches before he yells at me?"

"How angry will Kaveh get if I drink the expensive wine he brought home last night?"

"How many days will it take Kaveh to notice I keep rearranging all the stuff on his shelves while he's out?"

"How many times can I suggest he add Aranara statues to his designs before he tries to strangle me?"

It's bullying, is what it is! There's no limits to Alhaitham's behavior when his curiosity is piqued--the only thing that matters to him is the answer to whatever outrageous new question he's thought up in that thick head of his. And of course, the louder Kaveh shouts, the more "experiments" Alhaitham seems to dream up...

Honestly, someone ought to give him a taste of his own medicine!

(Or: Alhaitham and Kaveh end up in an exponentially escalating social experiment competition, pushing as hard as they can to find the other's boundaries. One of them has to break and give up soon, right?! Too bad Alhaitham's the god of stubbornness, and Kaveh's eternal peace of mind is on the line--if he can just win this, Alhaitham will finally give it up and quit bothering him! He can't chicken out first!

Because they're both very Normal™, it turns out there's not a single boundary to be found.

Well, at least answering the question "How many times can I walk in on him in the shower before he kicks me out of the house?" might save them some money on the water bill?

By the way, Kaveh wins. It turns out the answer to "How many dog ears can I fold into the pages of Alhaitham's books before he tries to kill me?" is 0.)

[multifandoms27-blog]

Painting your nails with the demons | Fluff

• ───────────────── •

Content: Akaza x gn!Reader, Kokushibo x gn!Reader, Douma x gn!Reader, Gyutaro x gn!Reader (all separate)

Warnings: Douma LMAO

Notes: I just painted my nails after a breakdown (I'm fine lol dw) over college and suddenly got the urge to paint their nails too. These hc's are incredibly short, I apologize <3

• ───────────────── •

❥ Akaza

Akaza had walked in on you painting your nails a (color), and looked at his own pink nails

Turning to see him after you finished the first hand, you gave him a little smile

"Wanna join me, Aka?"

He'll happily sit with you, letting your hands hold his steady while you paint the same color on him

He loves matching with you, so this just makes him excited

Absolutely demolishes Douma if he makes any kind of comment about it

But the bastard just begs for more pain. He's got the fucking "Wow...your punch really turned me on!" energy going on (please tell me SOMEBODY gets that reference...)

Whenever you take the nail polish off, he's gonna wanna be there so he can take his off too. Then will probably ask if you're going to put on another color or not

• ───────────────── •

❥ Kokushibo

His multiple eyes scare the shit out of me, but I'd rather them be freaky than not utilized at all

I still love him tho <3

Koku's nails aren't painted like some other demons, but he suppose he'll do one hand in black if it'll make you happy

He's silent and keeps a neutral expression as he sits beside you, allowing you to paint his right hand and you can paint your left, so that when you hold his hand, it seems like you're joined together

He just likes the subtle domesticity

"Well, what about my other hand?"

"Do whatever you want." Koku spoke slowly.

"And what about your other hand?"

"No."

He only wants one hand painted, slightly questioning if Muzan would disapprove of his nails being painted in the first place

But then he remembers Douma's, Akaza's and Gyutaro's nails are painted, and then he suddenly doesn't care that one of his hands are painted

Wont do anything but direct a cold, neutral look at someone if they make fun of his nails only being painted on one hand

They were done by his s/o, eat shit and die, peasant

• ───────────────── •

❥ Douma

Is ecstatic

Immediately takes off his own blue nail polish to math whatever color you're putting on

Gives you kisses as you paint his nails, sometimes making you mess up and get the polish on his skin

"Not to worry, darling! I can always take it off my skin, you just keep painting!" Douma grins, continuing to kiss you

Parades your matching nails around like it's the greatest gift ever

Brags to Akaza about how he has "such an amazing s/o" and how Akaza doesn't

Of course he gets hit, but Douma then salivates for more negative attention from Akaza

Once the polish begins to chip away, he's going to sit you down, take off the polish from both of you and then paint your nails again himself, in a different color

"We should switch turns every time!" Douma exclaims

"Oh, maybe we could even mix and match depending on the upcoming holiday! How fun! Oh, this is the best idea you've had, darling~!"

• ───────────────── •

❥ Gyutaro

Okay, Gyutaro probably needs a serious manicure (and this is coming from someone who never gets manicures, but at least has a nail filer)

Would also probably do his skin some good to have his nails filed down, cause then it can't...y'know...COME OFF

But I do think the gray color on his nails is the natural color they are now, but I also like to believe that sometimes he paints his nails black to feel better <3

When he sees you painting your nails, he immediately wants to join. Ume is probably not too far behind, so she'll probably join in before Gyutaro

If the color you're painting your nails with isn't black, then he'll paint his nails himself while watching you and Ume match your colors

If it is black, then he'll happily let you paint his nails for him (the teasing from his sister later on is so worth it, because you touched his unworthy hands!!!)

Gyu would also probably keep re-applying the nail polish whenever it got slightly chipped, believing you'd grow angry and upset at what he deemed as "decimation to your art"

Whenever he sees black nail polish he thinks of you now, so have fun with that lol

Probably keeps a shit ton of black nail polish on standby cause he keeps stealing yours

• ───────────────── •

Here is my Masterlist in case you want to request, or look for more of your favorite character!

[sideprince]

What are your thoughts on Snape's parents/childhood/upbringing ?

Sorry it's taken me ages to get to this ask! I wrote a meta post about Eileen Prince recently ("recently." It sat in my drafts for about a month as I whittled away at it) but I can go off a bit on Tobias and the kind of home a young Severus might have lived in, though it'll be a bit of a messier convergence of meta and headcannon, probably.

The tl;dr of the Eileen meta post is that I think she may have come from a family with reasonable wealth and reputation, and ended up stuck with Tobias as the result of an accidental out of wedlock pregnancy that led her family to disown her. @vulnus-sanare left one of my favorite comments on that post, which I'm just going to quote in full:

"It is hard to not think that Severus may have been the outcome of an unwanted pregnancy. It is harder to believe that "love" was ever in the foundation of the Snape family. My theory is that Eileen and Tobias had a fling, it had consequences, the Princes disowned Eileen for getting impregnated by a Muggle, and Tobias was forced to marry her out ... Patriarchal honor. However, the first time Eileen and Tobias had a violent argument, Eileen threatened him with her wand for defense. He didn't sleep at home that night. The next morning, Eileen found her wand split into two unsalvageable pieces on her bedside table. Tobias was home. And there would be no more magic."

My personal take is that we see clear statements in the books that depression can sap a witch/wizard of their powers (Merope Gaunt), and also that existing powers can't be suppressed, they'll find a way to come out and with terrible consequences if bottled up for too long (Ariana Dumbledore, and basically every underage wizard). Because of this, my own interpretation is that Eileen probably lost much of her powers due to despair. We see Severus in a memory shooting down flies with his wand alone in his room as a teen, and that casual use of magic makes me think that the Ministry still had magical activity registered at that residence on Eileen's account, otherwise Severus would have had to deal with the repercussions of violating the Statute of Secrecy and, if that was the case, he certainly wouldn't have used his wand and done magic so nonchalantly. Eileen's magic would have been too weak to stand up to Tobias, but still enough to warrant the Ministry thinking there was an active witch at their house.

Nevertheless, I love the idea that Tobias split her wand! It's a striking and complex statement on what that relationship might have looked like. Tobias must have been insecure (secure people don't tend to abuse their loved ones). Eileen had power over him that he would never be able to match. Even so, every person with power has a vulnerability - for any wizard it would be that their power must be channeled through a wand to be effective. A wand which, despite the power of the witch or wizards who wields it, can easily be snapped in two. What might its core have been? Would Tobias have been surprised to find it wasn't merely a stick carved on a lathe, that there was something running through its center that he couldn't identify? I love the irony of such a mundane, muggle act stopping the power of magic in its tracks. And, after all, if Eileen had no money of her own and she and Tobias had little to live on, she wouldn't have been able to buy a new wand. Or perhaps she eventually did, but her powers remained weak (or perhaps she bought a cheaper wand she could afford, maybe even secondhand, and it never worked as well as her own had). As for her magic struggling to get out without a proper way to channel it, perhaps her wand's destruction may have been the final straw for her spirit, which broke as a result of her isolation from her family and her world, and her being tethered to such a man.

As for Tobias, I think that while he may have had a proclivity towards abuse, it didn't truly come out until sometime after Severus' birth. I think he was always working class, and possibly fought in WWII like every man of his generation, but that the crippling poverty of the family was brought on by some kind of workplace accident that left him unable to work and dependent on welfare. Eileen wouldn't have worked, having few skills and weak magic, but back in the 60s many working class families only had one breadwinner. There are signs that Severus was both poor and also neglected, particularly his ill fitting, mismatched, hand-me-down clothes that no one even attempted to sew to size for him (let alone use magic to do so). Eileen would have made sure Severus was out of the house as much as possible, if Tobias was home most of of the time, and tried to take the brunt of Tobias' anger when possible. Severus wouldn't have understood this for a long time, and would have felt rejected and isolated as a result.

As Severus grew older, got a wand, and expanded his knowledge of magic, he would have stood up to Tobias more in the weeks he was home from school. He wouldn't have trusted his father, and would have eventually realized that their power balance had shifted. I think there may be a parallel with Voldemort there, too: as Dumbledore says, all tyrants fear that one day someone will rise up against them. I think perhaps Severus felt more able to be that person and undermine Voldemort, because he had already done so with his own father. He had learnt, firsthand, that terrifying people, people who intimidate with violence and brutality, are not infallible. It makes sense for his character: throughout his school years we see Severus reject his bullies and fight back against them, even though they attack him four against one.

As for his own experience of growing up in that small house on Spinner's End, I think Severus must have been a lonely child. We see the way he feels the need to pick his moment when first meeting Lily; he doesn't have the confidence of a child who's been able to spend much time playing with others. His parents fought a lot, and if his mother tried to protect him, he would have spent a lot of time alone in his room listening to them do so. We see him as a teen shooting down flies with his wand, in a dark room, alone. I think his world at home was small and often painful. Like many children of abuse, he wouldn't even have been aware how much pain he was in, or how constant it was, it was just a part of his internal wallpaper. I don't imagine he had much of a relationship with his dad, though the need for approval from him would have been buried in him somewhere. Perhaps, as he grew older, his relationship with his mother grew more complex and there was a bond.

My own headcanon is that Tobias, a middle aged, disabled, working class man on the dole, wouldn't have survived austerity under Thatcher. I like to think that Severus, living on a teacher's salary in a prestigious school and not needing much beyond the room and board that his job provides, would have used his savings to take care of a widowed Eileen. Perhaps he visited her once or twice a year. They were never sentimental, and talked very little. They would have a cup of tea and a game of chess, or maybe even Gobstones. When Voldemort returned, Severus would have made sure that, if he should die, Eileen would be taken care of. He would not have been able to leave her a letter or any kind of explanation, for fear of it being found. She would have been proud to learn he had been appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts, though he would not have taken pride in it, knowing it was a tactical appointment, and not an earned one. She would have been prouder still, maybe, to learn of his heroism after his death.

[lilacmingi]

SCROOGE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Grumpy Seonghwa x Christmas enthusiast fem reader

Word count: 3,480

Note: Another imagine from my Christmas series on Wattpad from 2021 <3 since this imagine originated on Wattpad, there will not be any continuations

You brought your hand up, tapping your knuckles against the door of your soon-to-be home. The hinged barrier swung open, revealing Seonghwa, the owner of the apartment.

"Hi. It's Y/n. We went out for coffee last week to talk about me possibly being your new roommate." You told him.

"Yes, I know. I called you yesterday saying you could move your stuff in."

"Right." You chuckled, nervously. "I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine. Do you need help?"

"Yes, please. It's not much, but it'll take me a while to move it all by myself."

Seonghwa stepped aside, allowing you to roll your suitcase inside.

"Wow. This place is nice. Very spacious." You commented.

"Thanks. Let me show you to your room."

You followed him down the hallway to the empty bedroom that would soon be full of your stuff. When you saw an ad for the opening online, you were quick to contact Seonghwa because you heard the room was mostly furnished. There was a queen sized bed that just needed sheets and a comforter, a few shelves and a desk. Just the basics, but it was enough for you.

You thanked Seonghwa and placed your suitcase by a wall before leading him to your vehicle where he helped you take out boxes, carrying them up to the apartment.

As much as you wanted to talk with him and get to know your new roommate better, you couldn't. Carrying the boxes from your car and to the apartment left you breathless.

Seonghwa walked behind you, his eyes catching sight of writing on the box he was carrying. Glancing around the side, he saw the words CHRISTMAS STUFF scrawled on the box in bold sharpie. His top lip curled in disgust. Just thinking of the holiday made him want to hurl. Too much cheer, too much happiness, too much music, and too much for him. You seemed like a nice person, so he tried to give you the benefit of the doubt and attempt to look on the bright side.

She's just got this one box. She's probably not one of those overly cheerful people who are obsessed with Christmas. He thought.

You let out a huff as you set down the last box.

"Finally. Thank you for helping out."

"No problem. I'll leave you to it. If you need any assistance, just let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

Seonghwa gave you a small nod before closing the door and leaving you to yourself.

"Okay." You rubbed your hands together. "What first?"

It didn't take long for you to get settled in. Before you even knew it, you had all your boxes empty and everything was put together. You had your sheets and comforter on the bed and put all your little knickknacks and other items onto the shelves. You smiled to yourself as you took a gander around your new room. Thought you had just moved in, the place was honestly already starting to feel like home.

You had been staying with Seonghwa for almost a full month now. It was nearing the end of November and you couldn't help but notice the lack of Christmas decorations in the apartment. Normally, people would have their trees and decorations up by now, but the whole pace was bland and didn't give off any holiday cheer at all.

"I noticed you don't have any Christmas decorations." You mentioned as you waited for yours and Seonghwa's ramen to cook.

"I'm not really a Christmas person." He answered.

"Oh." You frowned. "Well, to each their own."

As you stirred the noodles in the pot of boiling water, an idea popped into your head.

You decided right then that you were going to take it upon yourself and decorate the apartment, making it look festive for the holidays.

The next day, you left to go Christmas shopping. You had brought a few Christmas decorations with you from home, but it wasn't enough—you needed more.

A few hours later, you returned to the apartment with an armful of bags. Thankfully, Seonghwa didn't seem to be around as you lugged the newly purchased items to your room.

Once you had everything unpacked, you started to decorate, stringing garland along the shelves in the living room, placing little nutcrackers along the windowsill, all while listening to Christmas music.

You hummed along as you strung tiny fairy lights across the coffee table, maneuvering them around the tiny reindeer and snowmen figures.

You heard a door open, followed by the shuffling of feet. Turning around, you saw Seonghwa standing at the end of the hallway that connected to the living room. You thought he wasn't home, but it appeared he had been in his bedroom the whole time.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Decorating." You answered with a smile. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"I don't love it." He answered. "But you live here too, so I guess it's fine."

"Ah. Good." You turned your attention back to the task at hand, bobbing your head to the festive music.

You heard Seonghwa's soft footsteps for only a moment before the sound ceased.

"Could you turn off that noise?" Seonghwa asked, seeming a bit irritated.

"Oh. Sure. Sorry."

"It's fine." He muttered, walking out of the room.

You did what Seonghwa asked and turned the music off, opting for headphones so you could listen in peace and enjoy the music without disturbing him. His reaction kind of stunned you. He said he wasn't a Christmas person, but his reaction almost made it seem like he hated the holiday. You didn't think about it too much, as you still had a box of Christmas stuff from your house to put up.

By the time you were done decorating, the place had a cozy and festive feel to it, one that made you feel warm inside. Seonghwa may not care much for Christmas, but there's no way he can't like the bright and festive decorations you put out. A proud smile spread across your face as you admired your handiwork.

Seonghwa returned to the room, walking over to the wall where you had hung two stockings. His face scrunched in distaste as he lifted one of them up.

"What is this?"

"That's your stocking." You told him. "It has your name on it."

"Well, I don't want it."

"What? I painted our names on the stockings myself."

"I didn't ask you to get me a stocking."

"You didn't have to."

He grumbled in response.

"You know, it's proven that Christmas decorations lift your mood." You told him.

"Not mine."

"We'll see about that."

A few days later you and Seonghwa were sitting in the living room watching TV. Your eyes drifted from the screen to a huge empty spot in the living room. As happy as you were that you decked the place out with Christmas decor, something was missing.

"We need a tree." You commented aloud.

"No we don't. What you did is plenty."

"Come on, Seonghwa. You can't have Christmas without a tree."

"If you wanna go, by all means, knock yourself out, but I'm not going."

"Don't be such a Scrooge." You ruffled his hair playfully. "Plus, I could use an assistant to help choose the perfect tree."

Seonghwa gave you a hard glare, but stopped when he saw the bright expression on your face. As badly as he wanted to say no, he couldn't.

"Alright, fine. If it'll make you happy, I'll go." He gave in.

"Wonderful!"

Once the both of you were all bundled up, you jumped in the car and drove off to the nearest Christmas tree farm.

"There it is!" You pointed.

You pulled your car into a parking space and stepped out into the lot. A sign at the entrance of the tree farm read: Get your Christmas trees here! You hurried across the small parking lot, Seonghwa dragging behind. Closing your eyes, you took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the trees.

"Do you smell that?" You asked.

"Not really." Seonghwa muttered.

You ignore his response, scanning the selection of evergreens.

"Let's look at this tree." You pointed. "It looks really nice."

You walked over to said tree and began inspecting it, running your fingertips along some of the the needles as you walked around the fir. Upon inspection, you shook your head.

"There are some dead limbs on here. We don't want that."

"Of course we don't." Seonghwa remarked sarcastically.

You continued your search, passing by trees that didn't catch your eye. You finally came to a stop when you spotted the perfect tree. It was the perfect height, not too tall, but not too short either. The fir was perfectly healthy and had deep green needles.

"This is the one." You stated.

Glancing around, you called one of the employees over, showing him the tree you wanted.

"Alright. We'll get it all wrapped up for you." He told you before walking off.

As you waited, you spotted a man dressed as Santa Claus sitting in a large, red chair under a small awning. There were no kids around, so you decided to have some fun.

"Hey Mr. Claus." You greeted the man as you approached.

He smiled warmly. "Hello, young lady. What would you like for Christmas?"

"Oh." You were surprised he asked. "I didn't expect that." You chuckled.

"Why? You're never too old to get a Christmas present from Santa."

You smiled, then began to think about what you wanted. You knew Santa wasn't real and that this wish couldn't be fulfilled, but you wanted to tell the man anyway. You leaned in, whispering something in his ear.

"Oh a very kind wish." He responded with a nod.

His eyes trailed over to Seonghwa who was watching you from a distance, a soft expression on his face and a slight twinkle in his eye.

"I have a feeling it'll come true." Santa told you.

Oblivious to Seonghwa's staring, you gave the man in red a gentle smile.

"We'll see."

You returned to your grumpy roommate who put on his usual sour expression when you walked up.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Oh. I was just talking to Santa." You answered with a shrug. "I thought it would be fun."

"Aren't you too old for Santa Claus?"

"Apparently not." As you answered Seonghwa, you spotted a small stand nearby serving hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies.

"Ooh. They're selling hot chocolate. You want some?"

"I don't know."

"You're seriously gonna turn down a delicious, hot, chocolatey drink? It's chilly out here. A hot cocoa would warm you up."

"Alright, fine. I guess I'll have one."

"Perfect." You smiled and headed over to the small stand, ordering two medium hot chocolates.

The man working at the stand had your drinks ready before you knew it. You started rummaging around in your bag for cash only to stop with you saw Seonghwa reach across the counter with money in his hand. You glanced up at him, but he kept his gaze ahead as he grabbed his drink. You followed suit, taking your beverage. The warmth from the liquid seeped through the cup, radiating onto your cold hands. You took a sip, the sweet, cocoa coating your tastebuds and warming you from the inside out. You let out a hum of satisfaction before taking another sip.

"Thank you for paying. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it. That was very nice."

"It's no problem." Seonghwa answered as he sipped on his cocoa.

About that time, one of the tree farm employees approached you to let you know the tree was ready. Behind him were two other employees with your tree resting on their shoulders.

"Thank you so much. My vehicle is this way." You motioned, leading the group to your car.

They tied the tree snugly to the roof, ensuring that it didn't fall off on the trip home. You paid the man who you spoke with about the tree and bid him goodbye, wishing him a Merry Christmas as you left.

"This stupid tree is making a mess." Grunted Seonghwa. "Look at all these pine needles."

"That's just part of it. We can always clean it up later." You told him, reaching for another ornament. "Why don't you help out?"

"I'm not decorating."

"At least put this one on."

Seonghwa sighed, pushing himself up from his spot on the couch. When he reached for the ornament, he stopped. Pinched between your fingers, hanging from a silvery string was an ornament of Toothless the dragon. Seonghwa blinked a few times before bringing his eyes up to meet yours.

"What do you think?" You inquired with a bright smile. "He reminds me of you, so I thought it was fitting that I buy it."

He didn't answer—he couldn't.

"Oh. Check this out. I got one for myself too." You pulled out another ornament, this one depicting the Light Fury.

If Seonghwa's eyes weren't wide already, they sure were now. Seeing you grinning brightly, holding both ornaments made his cheeks warm. Did you not realize that the two characters were in love in the movie? Were you aware of what you were doing?

Based on the cheery gleam in your eye, you were completely oblivious to the fact and he didn't know if that made the situation better or worse.

"Seonghwa?" You called.

He blinked himself out of his daze, returning to reality.

"Sorry." He murmured, taking the ornament from you.

"Look at the bottom." You urged.

He turned it upside down. Written in tiny, white letters was, Our first Christmas 20XX

Seonghwa's face was on fire at that point. First the matching ornaments, now this? It was all becoming too much and it didn't help that he had a massive crush on you.

"It's..." He started to speak again, but the words were stuck.

"You're speechless." You chuckled. "I'm glad. Why don't you hang it on the tree?"

He slowly moved towards the fir, hanging the ornament on a branch. He momentarily debated about going back to the couch, but decided not to.

"I don't mind helping out." He told you, his voice coming out quieter than he intended.

Your face lit up at his offer.

"You mean it?"

He nodded.

You let out a small squeak of excitement. "Grab an ornament and put it wherever." You told him, gesturing to the box of festive tree decorations.

He then began pulling ornaments out of the box, strategically placing them onto the tree, making sure each one was spaced out just right and filled in any gaps.

Once the tree was finished, you stepped back and got a look at it. The lights you had strung around the fir were ready to be plugged in. You couldn't wait to see what the tree looked like all lit up. As you prepared to plug in the Christmas lights, you noticed Seonghwa was out of the room. Before you could call his name, he came rushing in with a handheld brush and dustpan, dropping to the floor to sweep up the needles littering the hardwood panels.

"Sorry." He chuckled softly. "I can't stand it."

Once he cleaned up the needles, you placed the tree skirt around the metal base that held the evergreen.

"Alright." You clasped your hands together, grabbing the plug once again. "Are you ready?"

"I suppose." Answered Seonghwa.

You shoved the plug into the outlet, the tree coming to life, giving off a warm glow and illuminating the room. A soft gasp left you as you marveled at the festive sight before you.

Despite the merry spectacle in front of him, Seonghwa's eyes were on you the whole time. The lights on the Christmas tree reflected off your large eyes, making them twinkle in wonder and doubling your cuteness. He could feel himself falling even harder for you, which wasn't totally a bad thing.

"You know what we should do next? Bake cookies."

Seonghwa was quick to regain his composure, acting indifferent and pretending like he wasn't just ogling at you.

"I've had enough Christmas for today, thanks." He responded.

"Baking cookies isn't a Christmas thing." You told him.

"Still. You can bake them yourself. I'm not interested."

Truth is, he was interested. He hated Christmas for so long and suddenly you come along and start changing his mind in just a few days. The idea was nearly impossible for him to comprehend.

"Are you sure? This is my last offer." You told him.

Seonghwa sucked in a deep breath, weighing his options. If he baked cookies with you, then he would be able to spend more time with you, which he really wanted. So, in the end, he agreed.

In all honesty, he enjoyed baking with you. Did you make a mess? Yes, a little, but the important thing is you both had fun and also made some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

You were right. Baking cookies isn't just a Christmas thing, but it did somehow feel festive, which Seonghwa, for once, didn't completely hate.

Christmas approached quicker than you had anticipated. You didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to hang out with, so you opted to stay home and have your own little Christmas party with Seonghwa. He wasn't too keen on the idea, but you knew that you would somehow win him over as you had with other festive things.

You managed to talk Seonghwa into letting you play Christmas music. To your surprise, he was more easily persuaded than you expected.

You were currently baking gingerbread cookies that Seonghwa helped you make. The two of you sat in the living room playing board games and card games while the cookies baked in the oven. Seonghwa had just beat you at an intense game of UNO when you heard the oven beep from the kitchen.

"Oh! The cookies are done." You pushed yourself up from the floor. "I'll be right back."

You exited the room, going to the kitchen to take the gingerbread cookies from the oven. They looked incredible. Each one was perfectly shaped like a little gingerbread man. The next step was to decorate them, then they would be ready to eat.

"Hey, Seonghwa. If you wanna come help decorate the cookies they're-" You came to a stop when you saw him standing by the tree near the window.

"Look." He pointed. "It's snowing."

You walked over, standing beside him and peering out the window. Sure enough, there were large, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky in a flurry, coating the street below in white powder.

"Wow." You marveled. "This is perfect. A white Christmas."

"Y/n." Seonghwa called out softly.

"Yes?"

Seonghwa took your hands in his, taking a step closer just as a slow Christmas song begin to play, the music filling the room.

"Can we dance?" He asked.

You nodded, sliding your arms around his shoulders. Being in such close quarters made you feel a bit bashful, so you tried to distract yourself by focusing on the song.

Seonghwa held you close as the two of you stood by the window, swaying to the music and watching the snow fall outside.

"Look up." He told you.

You did as he said, lifting your gaze only to spot mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

"I thought you didn't like Christmas." You remarked with a smirk.

"Not entirely."

You knew what was coming next and you were more than ready for it.

"What about decorating the cookies?" You asked, your eyes glued to his lips.

"The cookies can wait."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he closed the gap between you, placing his lips gently on yours.

Your hands that were previously resting on his shoulders moved to his hair, gently running your fingers through it. You could feel Seonghwa's body relax under your touch, meaning that he was enjoying it. You couldn't help but smile a little against his lips.

"I have a confession." Seonghwa uttered once he pulled away.

"That you like me?" You grinned.

"Besides that." He chuckled shyly, his cheeks tinted pink.

"What's the confession?"

"You made me appreciate Christmas. I've never really been a fan of Christmas. It's just too merry, too happy, and too bright—but seeing the way your face would light up whenever you would do anything Christmas related, made me see things differently."

You couldn't help but smile at his confession. Truthfully, you had noticed a change in him over the past month, and knowing that you played a part in that made you happy.

"So, that means you'll participate in Yuletide traditions?" You asked, hopefully.

"Perhaps."

"Then let's go decorate those cookies." You took his hand, attempting to lead him to the kitchen, only for him to swiftly pull you back towards him.

"First, one more kiss."

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[anneapocalypse]

How the Scions failed Alphinaud.

(Note: I am still in Stormblood, so no spoilers please. ❤️)

And while I'm on the subject can I just take a moment to say how incandescently angry I get for Alphinaud sometimes?

The Crystal Braves had bad idea written all over them from the start. (It's funny to me because of how much it's like the Inquisition in Dragon Age, a paramilitary organization funded by powerful socioeconomic interests that answers to no sovereign nation, except that the Inquisition for all its flaws wasn't being run entirely by a precocious sixteen-year-old.) The question about where the money is coming from is set up pretty early and it's not overly subtle, Alphinaud is just like "Whatever, it'll be fine," and nobody really presses it. And yes, Alphinaud is really overconfident at this point in the story, but the thing is, Why wouldn't he be? He's got every single adult around him telling him he's a prodigy and a genius and basically Louisoix reborn and everything he's doing is a great idea and moreover that it's his duty to Eorzea to keep doing what he's doing!

And I just cannot come down too hard on him for how bad everything goes, because someone, any of the actual adults in the room, including all the Scions and the Warrior of Light, should have taken one look at this situation and gone, "Hang on a minute." And not one of them did, because I think all the Scions were too caught up in their own unhealthy hero complexes to realize that they should not be allowing a teenager to take on this kind of responsibility for the fate of three nations. Instead they saw Alphinaud acting like them, emulating the adults he admired and respected, and they went, "He's doing great."

And now he has to live with the consequences. Did Alphinaud need a humbling experience somewhere in his growing up years? Probably. Did he need it to be one where people died because of his decisions? He did not. I think Alisaie really had the right idea when she said, "I can't just be Louisoix's granddaughter, I have to find my own path, or at the very least I need to understand who my grandfather was and why he did what he did and the consequences of it, before I decide to follow in his footsteps." But Alphinaud. Oh, Alphinaud. He thinks he already knows who he's meant to be and what he's meant to do, and none of the older and wiser people around him ever see fit to tell him that maybe he too needs to find his own path.

I love the Scions, I love all these characters dearly, but they failed Alphinaud so badly here and honestly I haven't really seen any of them truly acknowledge that yet. They've all got other problems, it's true, but still... rather than a handful of loyal Crystal Brave proclaiming that they totally still trust their sixteen-year-old commander, what I really want is for someone to say to Alphinaud, "I'm so sorry. We should never have put this on you. We should have seen what could go wrong and we didn't."