#i suspect i know what will win and it also happens to be my favourite but i shan’t say… though i think it’s pretty easy to guess

[djljpanda]

Hydrogen Anon, I know I'm back rather quickly, but I'm gonna talk about Creme Republic in the Self Aware AU because it's my favourite location in the game.

Some Cookie Odyssey Spoilers--

The Creme Republic would probably first take notice of Gingerbrave and company sometime around Chapter 10, possibly before, seeing as at the start of Cookie Odyssey, it's established they had tabs on the Ancient Heroes. Though the small group of people with access to this information would all be rather confused..

How are a group of young teens with a thief no less, able to go to all these locations and manage this?? So they keep even closer eyes on the group, maybe even sending some cookies to watch them in their travels. This is when they find out about MC, which is seemingly this mysterious sentient being, hiding away, yet advising them every time they get into a fight..

Weird.

I also imagine that if MC ever ends up in Earthbread by some ridiculous circumstance, this would probably be a very, not bad per se.. (there is duskgloom and beast yeast after all). But just not great place to land in. You're in a city with no money, and people are giving you weird looks because you clearly aren't from here and don't know where you're going.

(Going thru some characters) - beware very ooc.

I feel like Clotted Cream would just be completely thrown for a loop, it kind of made sense until he was told that the cookies had never actually heard this figure "speak", MC just guided them into a battle formation and then they'd win. It sounds completely ludicrous. I think that CCC wouldn't suspect MC to be a higher power initially, but would suspect MC, whatever they were, had some level of strategic genius to lead a group that effectively, all while never actually being seen.

Financier and Madeleine don't initially think MC is a celestial or anything, that's jumping the gun a little, in fact when the Council of Heroes happens they find MC a little unnerving, MC has eyes everywhere, nobody can see them, and they never say anything. MC just keeps watching. By the time Ch.2 and 3 roll around they get convinced though. MC literally guided all of them, helping in fighting the masked cookies, as well as defending the republic when DE attacked, when they finally witness MCs bizarre guidance in person they walk away with a really different perception, MC being some kind of celestial isn't completely impossible.

When news of the weird entity reaches the elders, they've all got radically different perceptions of MC, (I won't go thru them all it will take forever) - I think Caviar wouldn't care in the slightest what they were, if they really are some higher power, and so far, mute, they probably won't be telling anyone anytime soon, speculation is fine, but the more important issue is if they're a threat or not, and so far, despite their suspicious demeanor they haven't *really* done anything bad.

Honestly I have no idea where Oyster would stand on this, wherever she stands though, she probably keeps her opinion very secretive, though. Or holds off on making assumptions until they have more information.

I'll do Expresso too, screw it. He subscribes to the belief that you're a cookie with incredibly powerful magic, plain and simple. (I could also see him not caring either, but in this case I imagine curiousity getting the better of him).

Though--out of the lot he finds MC the most unnerving, for exactly that reason. If they are a cookie, why do they never show themselves or speak, even in emergencies??

I hope you liked my *very* out of character rambles about the Creme Republic, use these HC how you want, they aren't very good lmfao.

Hello again Hydrogen, welcome back.

I do believe that CCC are very confused about Mc and want to find some understanding not liking how they know nothing of them.

I think when Mc first landed in Earthbread I felt like everyone at first could see them but for right now so unknown things happen where they are not invisible but only those they chose can see them.

And I think that the Mc can talk but when that unknown thing happened it kind of messed up their way of speaking. Kind of like tinkerbell where all you hear are bells when she speaks or they don't need to say anything but yet they still know what they are saying, or some form of sign language.

Just imagine those cookies shocked and confused when they see Mc leading them to battle. But I think Mc really cares about the main squad as to them they are also confused about this new place.

But I do think after Mc helps out with fighting the masked cookies more about their existence started to be talked about.

I do like your self aware hc better than what I can do, does make me want to write oneshots.

[wifeyreid]

Together forever.

loosely based on a prompt from @shywhumpauthor

Haven’t written fanfiction in a few months so, I’m quite rusty! Also, this hasn’t been proof read, so if there’s any errors in it, ignore them I guess? I think this could be classified as a whump? it’s angst with no happy ending atleast! which is my least favourite to read, but most favourite to write hehe. anyway, enjoy!

Word count: 629

warnings: Use of Y/N, unsub!Spencer, death, kidnapping, and guns. 

You liked it, when he held the gun right to your forehead. The cold tip of the barrel, pressed flush. You knew he would do it eventually. That soon enough you would become a burden. He only kept you around because you were useful. And sure the sex was nice, but he’s a wanted man. You were delirious if you thought he would keep you with him, let alone keep you alive. You had too much on him. Sure, he could get a few months head start, but they would find him eventually. His team, that is. You didn’t know who he was anymore. Who he had become was miles different to who you married. Or maybe he was always like this, just hid it for everyone else? At this point you didn’t really care. You knew this was your only way out.

Dr Spencer Reid and his wife Y/N Reid had gone ‘missing’ two years ago. Really, Spencer and his wife had gone off the grid. Technically Spencer kidnapped his wife, but, he like to think she agreed. Even if she had no other option but to. He had been planning this for years. Felt he was never enacting any real change. Sure, the unsubs were being put into prison. But Spencer knew they could always escape again, or be bailed out. Plead not guilty and win, somehow. He wished he could just kill them. Point blank, quick and cold. So that’s what he did. Only, he didn’t expect it to last this long. Spencer felt disgusted with himself. He could scrub the blood behind his nails but what he saw, will never leave his head. He knows he can’t trust you not to tell, so here he is, gun pointed at his wife’s head. Right between the eyes. He tells himself it’s for her own good. That he’s doing it to save her. Rid her of the horrible memories. Like he will soon do himself. It was a long time coming really, he thinks. Should’ve done this a lot sooner.

You aren’t tied to anything. Just sitting on the bed of the motel you’d rented. He knows you could run out the door and scream bloody murder if you wanted to. But you don’t, that he’s sure of. You don’t even know the door is unlocked. It was silent for about half an hour. Spencer thinking about his options. Sure he could shoot you. Right now he could shoot you and kill you. But, what would he do with himself. What kind of a man would he be without his wife? Sure, they could probably go back to the life they led before. Spencer could return to the BAU, maybe retire, and live out his days at home with his loving wife. He knows it wouldn’t be exactly the same, but his team doesn’t suspect him of the murders. They were erratic, in differing states, and none had the same MO. They never killed the same way twice. He could go back to them today and they’d be glad they were okay. He might have to think up a story of where they were. What happened to them.

Spencer didn’t want life to go back to the way it was. That’s why he was here in the first place. It’s funny how quickly he did it. How little he hesitated. Pulled the trigger same way he did every time. Same emotionless expressions on his face. She fell back, dead. Before he could have time to talk himself out of it, he turned the gun around. He leaned forward, presumed the same positioning of the gun, except toward himself, and shot. His lifeless body fell right on top of his wife.

Together forever.

 That’s how they found them.

[berrypass-de-murdler]

76. Hooray for Hollywood!

The transition between the last episode to THAT title, lmao

Here we enter the fourth and final season of the murdle cartoon! Featuring new characters and a lot of random shit. I very much hope you enjoy these new developments as we head towards the series finale we've all(?) been waiting for!

In finishing-the-last-few-characters news, Cryptozoologist Cloud is now active!

It took three tries to make sure he matched Fletch's vision, and wow what a specimen. They're half Samoyed and half isopod, with some yeti crab vibes, and they're at least 90. Funny how they're a 'cryptozoologist' when WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL ARE THEY And for the debuts,

Fletchinderat's Executive Producer Steel is just AAAUGHGH she's perfect!! The perfect money-grabbing asshole design. It's rumored she's the archnemesis of the Editor Trio!

And here is the hilariously weak Hack Blaxton, a literal hand puppet! How is this little freak supposed to intimidate anyone? His arms don't even work! If you try to look underneath him, you'll see a person in a fullbody black suit operating the puppet. Does 'Hack Blaxton' even really exist?...

Background Marengo is one of the few that is not finished yet, although her design is essentially complete because she's a faceless mannequin! She's forced to play all the victims in the movie, and she hates it a lot...

DON'T READ THE EPISODES UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK!!

Rain pours on a monochrome background. Crammed into an apartment about as big as his self-esteem lies Deductive Logico. He ‘drinks’ coffee, fraught with depression, and stares out the window at the crying clouds, all in black-and-white.

LOGICO: [narration] When you look at me through the window, I know the first thought that comes into your head. ‘He’s a detective’. And you’d be wrong. I, Deductive Logico, am not a detective. Not anymore. The past month of my life I dedicated to revenge, driving me through countless more insipid little cases that led to nowhere. And when I’d solved them all, I learned that the person I wanted revenge for and the person I wanted revenge on were the exact same person. And I was done. No more of this. No more silly mind games. No more chasing shadows. Detective work is over. I cannot and will not put myself through this again.

The color never returns. But a phone does ring.

His first boss.

MIDNIGHT: Would you be interested in making ‘Murdle’, a spectacular film based on your award-winning book and recent occurrences.

Logico says nothing, and just hangs there. Thoughts swirl in his head. He’s done with detective work, but is he done PLAYING a detective? But then again, this movie is based on his life… a life he does not want to re-live. 

MIDNIGHT: Never mind if it’s a good idea, let me tell you what it pays.

Logico’s pupil shrinks in amazement and he drops his phone into his coffee. A number never sounded so good. 

The theme song happens, so the color is back.

He’s at Hollywood now. 

MIDNIGHT: Good. You came. I didn’t want to get an actor. LOGICO: I AM an actor. MIDNIGHT: Also, someone is dead, so you have your favourite job too.

Some film workers are the suspects. They are called Executive Producer Steel, a cyborg woman, Hack Blaxton, an actual puppet, and Background Marengo, a sentient mannequin. And that dumb kid Smoky is there.

LOGICO: How did you get into Hollywood? SMOKY: I LOVE movies! I wanna make one myself! MARENGO: Move over. I want to get MY movie made.  BLAXTON: HAH! Good luck.

Marengo slaps him. 

LOGICO: I presume all this is some kind of publicity stunt. STEEL: [gasp] Are you for REAL? I would NEVER EVER want to sell a script. UGH. How DARE you think that way of a WOMAN. BLAXTON: I hate you, I do! The only PURPOSE of working in the movies is to sell scripts! My GOD!!!

Well, that’s their motives cleared up pretty quickly.

BLAXTON: Picture it: Background Marengo was in the Argyle Talent Agency. LOGICO: I understand what you were going for, with the ‘picture’ having to do with the film industry. But it is not working.

Damn, Logico is reverting back to his old obnoxious self...

SMOKY: Oh, wow! A film strip was at the Midnight Movie Studios. LOGICO: For one, I probably could have figured that out myself. Also, your catchphrase is terrible and annoying. 

I rest my case. But this mystery is shut tight. Like, aside from the motives, there’s close to nothing. Could this be…

A MYSTERY LOGICO CANNOT SOLVE??

Of course not! It’s only the start of the season! But how can he solve this? He’s gone through the locations over and over again… He rolls under a car and pouts.

Irratino is in his giant-ass house. He is trapped with an ankle monitor, doomed not to see the sun for a long while. He sobs hysterically into pink silken pillows as he watches telenovelas and drowns his sorrows in unhealthily large mouthfuls of cheese popcorn. His phone rings, and he forces a heavy swallow and inhales his tears back. He picks up the phone like a badass.

IRRATINO: Mom?? LOGICO: This is Logico.

Half the cheese popcorn comes back up. You can very much tell that Logico is trying to do the most pained, awkward fake smile, even though he can’t.

LOGICO: I [ahem.] [MM.] I need your help with a… with a murder. IRRATINO: H-H-H-HELLO??? HOW?? WHY? DUDE!! LOGICO: Just do your thing please… IRRATINO: Uh-huh, uh-huh! Um… [slaps himself] WAIT A SECOND! NO! NO I WILL NOT, DEDUCTIVE LOGICO! You can’t come running back to me for help now! Is it even okay for you to be calling me while I’m under house arrest??  LOGICO: Tino I don’t have time for this… IRRATINO: WHAT?? You punched me IN THE FACE, SO HARD!! I couldn’t talk normal for DAYS! [manly crying] And there is NO way, that I am just gonna DO STUFF, with the THINGS and the STUFF now!! Right??

Silence. Then, some liquid noises.

LOGICO: Did you take the phone into the bathroom. IRRATINO: NO!!! [ahem] My, uh… my tea leaves say that Steel was in the Great Park. So… BYE!

Silence.

IRRATINO: …This is where you hang up now ;;

That makes Logico blush just a teeny tiny little bit. And he already knows the answer now. 

LOGICO: Why… WHY would you need to murder to sell a script? Don’t you already have a great career? BLAXTON: HA! HAHAHAHAHHAHA! I had a great career yesterday. NOBODY has a great career TOMORROW. LOGICO: Especially when they’re murderers. 

Logi gives him a tap on the head with a magnifying glass and knocks him unconscious. He probably shouldn’t have done that, but it felt so good.

The end!

Jumpscare gacha cloud

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[hebimoonlightwrites]

Hiii! Omg I didn't know I can already request not only for Valentine's event, so glad!!!! ^^

Can I please request Yandere hc for Doppo, Rio and uhhhh it's sound so cringe and embarrassing but can you make a yandere hc for Rei too please? Thank you for your work! <3

Writer's corner: Hi, sweetheart! I'm so sorry for being this late with your request! Also, of course you can request for Yandere! I really hope you'll enjoy reading my content for you! If not, please, let me know! So I can fix something here or make something else for you!~ Enjoy~♥

mc's pronouns: GN!- THEY/THEM

Warnings: YANDERE CONTENT, insanity, kidnapping, slight hint of spoiler... (I DO NOT SUPPORT VIOLENCE OR STALKING. THIS IS ONLY A YANDERE-VIEW FOR CHARACTERS)

⭐𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄⭐~𝐃𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨, 𝐑𝐢𝐨, 𝐑𝐞𝐢

⭐Oh, well.. Yandere Doppo would have his own charm in my opinion...

⭐Just think about how cute he looks to mc's eyes the day they meet each other.. just think about how innocent and pure he does look to everyone!

⭐Oh.. But he won't be that innocent..

⭐Nor that pure for so long...

⭐"H-huh? Y-you think I'm... adorable...? Hehe....Thank you, mc..!"

⭐What a terrible mistake mc would do by telling him that they think he's adorable..!

⭐If at first he had a simple crush on them... if at first he only thought that they were cute, kind...

⭐...soon he'd start to have a real obsession for them..

⭐Doppo would start dedicating himself to follow them, shyly trying to know what their favourite things are..

⭐Maybe mc wouldn't notice it.. And they would never notice it..!

⭐After all... mc would never suspect.... they would never think that their sweet and innocent friend is actually a crazy yandere man who's fallen in love with them...

⭐...wouldn't they~?

⭐The more they would spend their time with him, the more they would think of Doppo that he's just a sweet and innocent man..

⭐That he's also strong enough to keep going.. to keep working.. even if his boss gives him so much to do each day..!

⭐Mc would occasionally start feeling sad and pity for the type of life he's leading..

⭐Maybe they would even fall for him...

⭐...who knows~?

⭐Even if Doppo's described to be an ordinary man.. one of those appaerance who don't conquer the memory or mind of people around them..

⭐...well.. he'd indeed conquer mc's heart with his sweetness and cuteness.

⭐"O-oh.. mc..! Uhm.. I.. I've seen this while I was walking to my work-place and... uhm.. I thought to buy it for you.. Hehe.. I hope you like it..... ..I really do hope you love it~..!"

⭐Mc would give him a strange strength..

⭐...especially if he saw them with other men or women...

⭐That's when mc would see him changing slowly..

⭐He'd start thinking that he cannot live without them..

⭐They would see him becoming clingier and possessive.. even more obsessed..!

⭐Doppo would constantly ask them where they are when they're not around him..

⭐He'd be scared of losing mc..

⭐And he cannot let it happen..

⭐..Not now that he have found his strength next to them...!

⭐So he must have mc all for himself..

⭐And.. in a way or another he'd know how to do it.

⭐If mc is lucky, they will understand..

⭐If not... well.. he'd win.

⭐And they would see his usually tired and sleepy eyes... lost in insanity.. all because of the tireness of work and.. their love.

⭐"Hahahahha!!... Hahahahah...!! Mc... Huh? Why are you crying...? Are you not happy that you're with the innocent and adorable Doppo...?!!... Ahahahahah....."

⭐Rio is very difficult to be imagined in Yandere version, because he's such a sweet man! But I'll try my best~

⭐Since Rio's such a generous man who likes to take care of his friends..

⭐Well.. I cannot hide the fact that I headcanon him falling for someone and trying his best to take care of them!

⭐But... what have you understood, sweetheart?..

⭐Haven't you read the title..? It's a Yandere~

⭐So.. Here Rio'd try to take care of mc and wouldn't tolerate to see them with others..

⭐"So... Your friends gave you a piece of their cake since you didn't have anything to eat during the break-time...?.. O-oh..."

⭐Since he's an ex military man.. He knows how to fight and other stuff like that..

⭐So he'd probably even manage in kidnapping them, especially if he noticed that mc is usually surrounded by other people he doesn't like..

⭐I'm sure Rio wouldn't show them that he's actually jealous and obsessive.

⭐At first mc even wouldn't notice it!

⭐I mean..

⭐We're talking about Rio! Our sweet and tall boy Rio!!

⭐How can someone thinks that he's a kidnapper?

⭐So one day mc would open their eyes and find themselves into Rio's tend.

⭐They would be confused and almost scared by the sudden change of place their mind would see..

⭐But they would calm down only for a few seconds after seeing the ex military man standing there, looking at them.

⭐However soon mc would open their eyes wide in fear after realizing that he has actually kidnapped them and that he's staring at them with two unusual cold eyes..

⭐Mc would try to speak but words wouldn't leave their throat.

⭐What... what does he want to do....?, they would think to themselves, feeling some sweat running down their forehead.

⭐That's when Rio would get closer and slowly wipe it from their forehead..

⭐"Don't be scared, mc.. I simply want to take care of you... I'll be the best partner for you..."

⭐His voice would sound even lower than usual.. mc would feel some shivers running down their spine somehow as he'd caress their cheek.

⭐With a cold expression he'd even give them his food..

⭐Mc have to eat something, after all..

⭐And he's the one who has to take care of them, no?

⭐And what if mc don't want to eat his food?

⭐Well...

⭐They better eat it.

⭐Mc doesn't want to know what would happen if they didn't eat it, for sure....

⭐"You're eating... Hehe.. You really were hungry, weren't you?.. Don't worry, love... There's still some food... ...Are you happy with me... RiGhT..?!~"

⭐Well.. Rei is such a charming man!

⭐And even if most of the time BusterBros' stans do not like him because he has been such a bad father to Yamada brothers (I'm trying not to make any spoilers for those who don't know what happen, sorry-)...

⭐Nobody can deny the fact that Rei has his own charm.

⭐And he does know about it too, though!

⭐He's aware of being such a charming and smart man!

⭐He's arrogant and cunning, especially when it comes to his plans..

⭐Nobody can really stops him when it comes to what he wants to do!

⭐However Rei is really good at hiding what his true intentions are so...

⭐He'd be a perfect yandere sugar daddy-- *no wait---* He'd be a perfect yandere man. *great!*

⭐So mc better pray for themselves..

⭐Because if this man found them to be attractive or interesting enough..

⭐Well...

⭐he'd do everything to have them.

⭐But the scary thing is that he'd manage to do it in secret, without making others realize about his plans, about what he really wants or about his intentions..!

⭐(He'd be part of Scarabia--- OOOhhh.. Hebi!! You're talking about Hypmic characters! Stop doing crossovers!... Okeeee, Hebi n.2---)

⭐So imagine meeting Rei and picking his interest...

⭐He'd act so elegant and gentle..! I can totally see him inviting mc to have dinner in a restaurant!

⭐He'd act like a usual fascinating gentleman, occasionally even flirting and complimenting mc for their beautiful eyes or clothing too..!

⭐"Oh, good evening, mc..! You look so beautiful..! Here.. have a seat~! Let's have a great dinner together.. Oh.. Don't worry... It's on me~"

⭐But when did he start behaving yandere?

⭐Well.. it's hard to realize when he'd start acting yandere..

⭐Because nobody can really tells what Rei's planning or thinking about.

⭐But once he's near to be exposed, he'd be sure to let mc know that they are his and only his!..

⭐After all.. he's the one who invented Hypnosis microphones...

⭐So... Who knows what would happen if mc decided not to be with him or-worse- if they tried to escape him?..

⭐And they better not to make him angry...

⭐Mc.. you don't want to see Rei's angry side..

⭐"Where are you going, darling~?... Don't tell me you're trying to get away from me.... Hehe... I know you don't want to... You're too in love with me... You can't stop loving me... You cannot go away... You must not... otherwise...-"

©hebimoonlightwrites_tumblr Please, do not copy my contents nor repost it without my permission.

[crossdressingdeath]

Kyvir: Think of Bhaal, think of blood. Narrator: *Your soul opens to their divine power.* Narrator: *Father claws into your heart and stops it for a single moment. As you begin to fear for your life, you know his love is close.* [...] Kyvir: Make an offering to Bhaal. (1000) Narrator: *You offer your paltry gold to the void, like a child at the sweet shop.* Narrator: *There is no response, and you know why - Bhaal will accept the world from you, and nothing less.*

I would like to kill Bhaal please. 0/10 worst father.

To start with the slightly less horrible bit, 1000 gold being referred to as paltry is bad enough to begin with (that's. that's quite a lot of money actually. Dad's so greedy) but the way he gives you nothing in return because nothing short of the whole world will ever be good enough for him is... y'know, awful. There's also an element where... okay, I'm getting this dialogue before the fight with Orin (which. I'm going to have to come back here after that whole situation has played out just to see what happens) and Kyvir did kill Isobel so he's Father's favourite little fantasy Antichrist. He's going into this fight at a pretty severe disadvantage what with the serious brain damage! You'd think Bhaal might want to give the child he wants to win a leg up, at least enough to put the two of them on a more equal level! But Bhaal offers nothing. Durge is expected to end the bloody world, and Bhaal won't even give them something to help counteract the damage Orin did to them or some shit? Bhaal demands Durge end the world and all they get is the promise of dying on his altar at the end of everything. And the worst part is that before Orin broke their brain Bhaal managed to get Durge into a headspace where they seem to have genuinely wanted that. Either that or they got really good at faking enthusiasm for kick-starting the apocalypse... Honestly both options are upsetting, either Durge was in a state where they actually wanted to kill everyone in Faerûn and then slit their own throat in their father's name—and whether that was out of them being "put them all out of my misery" suicidal or them being conditioned to believe that this truly is the "right" course of action or whatever else it's. bad—or they had to follow a path they really didn't want to knowing it would end in their death and the deaths of everyone currently alive. Such a light and cheery story, the Durge origin.

And Durge views Bhaal stopping their heart until they genuinely fear for their life as a sign of love. Or possibly given his love is "close" when he stops their heart maybe he'll only truly love them when they're dead? God, the way love is talked about with Durge is so much. It's very much tied to fear and pain for them! Which I suspect has something to do with the implication that Bhaal may have made something of a habit of forcing them to kill anyone they grew to genuinely care about, or at least saw that as an excellent punishment when they slipped up. I'm really looking forward to actually talking to Bhaal, I'm sure it'll be deeply upsetting. From the moment they remember who they are at least part of them is longing for their father's love and they remember him as being devoted, and then it turns out they actually feel closest to his love when he's killing them. That says... absolutely nothing good about what their time in Bhaal's temple serving him directly was like. Also the fact that he can just stop and start their heart at will, at least when they're actively reaching out to him, is... concerning. I don't think that's normal...? I suspect this will come up again.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

hi bpp,

i hope this isn't a controversial ask. i really want your opinion. do you think another kpop group can win a grammy before bts? another group or singer winning a grammy first or even getting a nomination before bts returns - do you think it is possible?

***

Hi Anon,

Of course it's possible. BTS isn't the only group in k-pop putting out incredibly good music, after all. So it only tracks that before BTS returns in 2026, another k-pop artist or group may get Grammys recognition. In fact I expect it because of BTS, because BTS has put the spotlight on k-pop in a way no artist or group before them has ever done. Not even BoA and she's a legit g.o.a.t. in the industry. BTS has elevated k-pop to what is still widely considered to be the highest echelon in music. There's more attention on k-pop globally than there's ever been, and BTS is a big reason for that. So it's only a matter of time before good music coming out of Korea is more widely recognized.

Personally (and some of my friends agree), there's no group in the history of k-pop that has put out a better song than Dis-ease by BTS. And I do think they are the absolute best performers in the business. So my verdict is if the universe was fair, BTS would've been walking away with a Grammy every year since 2015. Nobody ever has done a better remake than Come Back Home by BTS, Fake Love by BTS is the song that caused the decisive shift in the dominant 4th gen sound or formula. I mean, much of what we understand as k-pop today is undeniably influenced (and to some degree, even forged) by choices and achievements BTS has made so far. Including the music, and some of that music happens to be pretty good.

There's also the fact the k-pop industry will push very actively for that sort of recognition, and they certainly see an opportunity to do that while BTS enlists. Expect any of the groups people try to force into the 'next BTS' discourse, the usual suspects being Blackpink, Stray Kids, Twice, Seventeen, and any random SM group (for some reason the animus is especially high with SM). Just calling a spade a spade...

In any case, let's hope good music wins because the Grammys don't have a good track record on that note.

Some favourites in the current Grammys eligibility period (October 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023):

On The Street - J-hope ft J. Cole

Indigo - RM

Set Me Free Pt. 2 - Jimin

Ay Yo - NCT127: The song is decent but it’s the performance that elevates it to something special. Too bad the beauty of the performance is in the details which would be lost in a grand concert setting.

NewJeans' Summer 2023 Release

Hurt was the best non-BTS k-pop song to be released in 2022, but NewJeans was much too green to submit their debut EP for consideration at the Grammys. So I really do hope they take the chance to be considered for the Grammys next year by dropping another smash-hit album/EP before August/September 2023. Ditto and OMG are nice but we know they can do better, and I expect them to in their upcoming album this summer.

*

This isn't to say I don't think BTS will win a Grammy ever. I'm personally indifferent, but I do think if they ever win it, it won't be soon. But I’ve been told I’m a k-pop pessimist, so please take all I’ve written with a pinch of salt.

[mcheang]

Shadow and Bone S2 E8 recap

Spoiler alert

Nikolai’s team and the Crows enter the Fold…they do know there are volcra there, right? Oh wait, they are going to Nikolai’s base. Well they can hide inside. But the nichevo’ya cannot be held back with doors. You know when it attacked Nikolai, I wonder if it left something of it inside his wound, like the stag with Kirigan. normally Nichevo’ya just rip apart or crush their victims. This one just held pinned Nikolai in place rather than a quick kill. Anyway, Alina kills Mal, she destroys the Fold on her own. Honestly surprised since her 2 amplifiers light dome was not that impressive. But this is. Kirigan talks to Alina but as she defies becoming like him after she is alone in the world, her act provokes nichvo’ya. As Kirigan tries to order them to stop, the monster knocks him back. Inej saves Alina, who realises Kirigan cannot control his monsters. Kirigan confesses the only time he thought he had control and peace was when Alina first kissed him. Aw. He really did love her. As he remembers his peace, Alina kills him with the blade. He warns her that without a darkling to hate, the people will come after Alina instead (even Kaz thinks so), and to not give them a body behind to bury. No grave to desecrate. His death made me cry in R&R, and it made me cry here too. I had to pause the video so I could watch with clear eyes. Despite all the pain he caused, I’m sorry for Aleksander, for all he has suffered. I still blame Anastas for starting this whole mess. Alina uses merzost to resurrect Mal since Nina is having trouble. Tolya finally finds a fellow poetry lover with Kaz Inej Neyar’s blade to Alina to return to the Shu saint. Alina also plans to make alliances with Shu Han while doing so. It sounds like Mal is breaking up with Alina. He feels his life had been pointing him to Alina to sacrifice himself for her, and wonders if his love is influenced by that. Now he is alive, he doesn’t have special tracking powers anymore and is not sure what his life’s purpose is. later they both agree to take a break from each other. Mal will become a privateer. What happened to farming? Matthias is letting his hate against Nina win and wants to be put in fights, but Kaz has paid the guards to keep him out of it until now. Yeah, going to a criminal who killed his friend is a bad idea. Matthias finds this out when he is set against wolves. Fortunately they do not fight him when he stands down. But when the guards starts to whip them, Matthias kills him and the other guards arrive to beat him. Nina’s pardon for him is not accepted because Pekka now has influence in Hellgate. Genya believes David is dead (without a body, I’m not convinced he is dead) and that he would have proposed to her with a ring set with her favourite gem stone: ruby. Alina says Zoya and Genya have the most right to burn the Darkling’s body. I was kind of annoyed at Alina for not saying his name before he died or anything really. But she says it now to him in farewell as she burns his body. Ah a bee lights on Zoya’s sleeve. Elizaveta, is that you? I think her stained glass window is in the chapel where Kaz gives Inej a lead to track her brother. He also sort of confesses his feelings but Inej wants a physical relationship with him too. She joins Mal (now Sturmhond) on the privateer ship to stop slavers Crow club is back in business. The Apparat survived?! Really?! Anyway, his warnings to Nikolai do not warm the latter to him. Nikolai realises that the nichevo’ya did infect him. (I suspected as much). Alina looks fab in her crown but the dress is…not my style.

Queen Alina at last. The offense i felt from RoW is now appeased.

Jurda Parem is introduced dramatically at Nikolai’s coronation where a heart render starts to kill everyone until Alina kills her with a SHADOW blade!

Well, that showdown was over quickly so that most of the episode focuses on the aftermath. Hm…whose idea is it to introduce parem when there is currently a saint with 2 amplifiers and just destroyed the Fold? For the Fjerdans to attack Alina like that and introduce her to a substance that can make her more powerful, that was pretty stupid thinking on their part to take a risk like that. Not that happy with the ending, but I’m glad Alina still has her powers and is queen now; the darkness in her and Nikolai, and the bee, gives me hope that Aleksander will be resurrected. I guess it makes sense. He knew he was dying and planned to make a resurrection by having a piece of himself in Nikolai. It is better than Ruin and Rising’s ending. And if he returns, Alina may have a more ruthless personality to join his side.

[blitheringmcgonagall]

What are your Marauders era headcanons? Especially surrounding Jily, Wolfstar, and Regulus

@regulusandpandora I have so many!!!

They are all in Boys Don’t Cry (why Sirius told Snape about the Whomping Willow, what happened after SWM, how Remus reacted after the prank) and We Can Be Heroes (basically all about why Sirius left Grimmauld Place/got disowned, how Sirius and Remus made up after the prank, how Wolfstar and Jily got together, what happened with the three times Jily defied Voldemort, how Jily got engaged, how Remus agreed to move in with the rest of them post Hogwarts, Jily wedding, the first wizarding war, why Lily got pregnant (hint: it’s linked to Sirius’ birthday!!!), how Sirius reacted to being asked to be godfather, how Remus was asked to spy on werewolves by stupid Dumbledore, Harry’s birth, how and more importantly why Peter turned spy, why Sirius suggested they should use Peter as secret keeper, why Sirius suspected Remus was the spy, how and why Regulus turned against Voldemort etc etc including why nobody would have bothered checking Sirius’ wand after Peter kills the 12 muggles and frames him, and why neither James nor Lily had their wands with them on Hallowe’en 1981, except I headcanon a happy ending with wolfstar wedding and Harry has lots of siblings but anyway!!) ….

I will tell you a few small things…

💗I headcanon that Sirius was equally good at ballroom dancing as he was at muggle dancing; and he teaches James how to dance to muggle songs and Lily how to dance the tango and foxtrot and they only find out on the day of the wedding. But someone else teaches Remus to dance… 😉!

💗And Regulus? I have so many headcanons about him!! He’s also the one who used to use the phrase:

“I have always said, if you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals,” Regulus said. “I used say it to my brother all the time. I said it to my peers too…”

💗The first time Remus fell in love with Sirius but didn’t realise it was when he heard him playing the piano in the Shrieking Shack for the first time (he played Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy).

💗James pining for Lily before they get together:

She was everything. She could beat him in an Arithmancy test and have him swooning over her mastery of Potions. She could win his eternal favour by wearing a teal blue hooded robe or wearing a scuffed pair of runners with torn jeans. By standing up to Mulciber, fearlessly, and by helping a confused First Year. By accepting Remus' Furry Little Problem without a second thought, by teasing Sirius and by joining in with Peter's antics. Every little thing she did was magic. The way she placed her hair behind her ear, almost coy, the way she jumped up and down and screamed her approval when Gryffindor won that last match against the Hufflepuffs, screaming his name. Screaming his name…

💗 If you don't think Lily was every bit as smitten with James as he was with her, you are wrong...

💗 Remus’ favourite smell:

The air smells of things growing, honeysuckle, sweetness and ripe citrus, wet earth, tall grass. The smell of ozone. Life, exploding. Dizzying. His heart is growing, threatening to burst with the sheer overwhelming joy of it all. They both take a deep breath.

“Petrichor,” Remus says, his hoarse voice full of longing. “The earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. It’s my favourite smell.”

Excuse my excessively long answer…!

[legobiwan]

Greetings, I've been oogling your blog for some time and as fellow Dooku, Obi-Wan and the lineage crisis enjoyer, i was wondering if you've read Star Wars Clone Wars: Wild Space.

In case you haven't (you should!) in my ask there are no real spoilers to any of the juice in the plot aside from the basic premiss.

Aside from it being a brilliant book. I noticed something regarding Dooku' role in the plot i thought was interesting and would like your thoughts on:

Sidious orders Dooku to plant a trap for Bail Organa via his own information network. Dooku is "eager" to serve this request fully agreeing and stating that everything is in order.

Sidious then says that this trap will lead both Organa and Obi-wan Kenobi to their doom. Now i quote:

"Dooku's hologram chuckled: 'what a tragedy, Master'"

To which Palpatine replies

"The tragedy will be yours Tyranus, if you should fail."

Now Obi-Wan and Bail do end up surviving Zigoola, obviously, but barely, with Kenobi especially, tethering to sanity at the end of this adventure. It's nothing short of a miracle that they did live. I'm however proposing, that it wasn't entirely through luck and sheer willpower alone that they managed to make it out alive and that they wouldn't have if it wasn't for Obi-wan getting certain favouritism from a certain local sith lord, whos job happened to be overseeing this "elimination" instead of Sidious. Because Sidious doesn't leave things up to chance, (technically speaking at least) by the off chance that Organa and Kenobi managed to survive, Dooku, was supposed to be the contingency plan: finish both of them off when they were clinging to life and light.

I quote:

(Palpatine pov) "He had not bothered to persue the Zigoola gambit himself. He has assumed...he had accepted...That Dooku would keep track of that. That was his function. That was his purpose, that's what an aging apprentice was for."

Palpatine clearly does not understand why Dooku did not intervene and after some rationalising away; about how both Organa and Kenobi can still be dealt with, continues:

"And as for Dooku, i will deal with him... when it's time"

Now i think there's reason to suspect that Dooku spared Obi-wans life here. In a way where he didn't actually have to disobey Sidious, or alert him of his actual motives, merely release the reigns of the situation. Giving Obi-Wan a fighting chance would be good enough. It of course would also prove an excellent character study for Dooku on Obi-Wan to see more of what his grand-padawan and perhaps future apprentice is made of. I do think Dooku expressed his honest but disguised opinion here, when he called it "a tragedy". Disguised as an arrogant sarcastic remark on the fate of our heroes, but i find it curious that he calls it that only after Sidious groups in Obi-Wan as well.

Perhaps Dooku thought it would be a win win situation? It does seem like he out-played Sidious here without the latter even knowing there was a play at all, possibly because he doesn't realise Dooku's underlying motives.

Should Kenobi succumb to Zigoola would he be unworthy then? Or does Dooku think this then mental break is exploitable and gets him his prized apprentice a lot quicker because Dooku is there to pick up the pieces when Obi-Wan is alone and vulnerable? What would have happened if Obi-wan slipped further into the hallucinations and did something he couldn't forgive himself? (am not typing this out for spoiler reasons)

It also begs the question: Palpatine assumes Dooku is keeping track of the situation, so is he somehow monitoring the goings-on on Zigoola? Perhaps to see if his plan is working out? Or knowing not to show his hand after Obi-Wan and Bail manage to contact Yoda for rescue?? Hmmmm

What do you think of all this?

I think while barely mentioned Dooku' role here is of considerable importance beneath the surface and that he won this round, atleast against Palpatine.

Strictly regarding Obi-Wan, i'm not sure if he got what he wanted exactly...

Sorry if this is looong but this keeps me up at night.

heeheehee

So first of all, anon, I have read Wild Space although I'll be the first to admit that it has been a hot minute since I have done so.

Second of all, you have touched on one of my all-time favorite topics in Star Wars - the Dooku-Obi-wan connection. And I'm going to come back to what you are talking about in Wild Space, but to get there, I need to outline my thoughts about Dooku vis-a-vis his relation to Obi-wan, because oh boi oh boi is it a spicy tomato!

Theory:

Dooku did not want Obi-wan to die. Now, did he want him to turn dark? In as much as Dooku wanted Obi-wan to defect from the Jedi, yes. But also, I have a feeling he would have been just as happy with a morally-grey Obi-wan who absconded with Dooku to far reaches of the galaxy after the Republic and Jedi went kablooie. What he wouldn't want is a Kenobi wholly untethered to reality and eaten alive by his id - because that's essentially where Anakin (and Maul) are at and we know exactly how distasteful Dooku finds them.

The thing is, though...Dooku is so far down "The Nile" (denial) that his self-sabotage (in terms of actually carrying out Obi-wan's execution successfully) is almost entirely subconscious.

Respect

We know Dooku holds Obi-wan in pretty high esteem, even before having met him during AotC. "Qui-gon always spoke very highly of you," he says during their interrogation scene, which, of course, is a manipulation tactic (and may be an outright lie as events are presented in nu-canon); "You disappoint me, Master Kenobi. Yoda holds you in such high esteem," he mocks a few hours later as they duel on Geonosis. And yeah, maybe it's all lies and manipulation - maybe Dooku thought Obi-wan an absolute rube who wouldn't for a moment take his claims that a Sith Lord was heading up the Republic seriously and therefore create more chaos in the Jedi Order by asserting so in front of someone who would just go running back to the Council and parrot his words. Maybe.

But!

Dooku comes back to this conversation near the end of the war, in the episode, "The Lost Ones" (which is one of my favorite TCW episodes of all time).

On some level, the offer was genuine, even if Sidious had ordered Dooku to make that claim. Which means on some level, Dooku really had meant to try and get Obi-wan on his side, to reveal Sidious's identity and together, take him down (Dooku reveals he has doubts throughout the war, which I'll get to in a minute).

Even beyond this, however, time and again Dooku praises Obi-wan with faint mocking or mocks Obi-wan with faint praise nearly every time they encounter each other. "Oh yes, most impressive, Master Kenobi" (The Gungan General) Well done, Master Kenobi. You are a worthy adversary." (Crisis on Naboo). (And to get into the whole Rako Hardeen arc for a moment, which I have so many thoughts about, when Moralo Eval reveals that "Rako Hardeen" killed Obi-wan Kenobi, Dooku's immediate reaction is "Doubt." Obi-wan Kenobi was a better Jedi than to be offed by some bounty-hunting sniper).

Hell, Dooku goes out of his way and makes a last-ditch effort to try and convince Sidious to bring Obi-wan to the Dark Side instead of Anakin in the RotS novelization.

Equivocating

While Dooku has thrown in his lot with the Sith due to his loss of patience and respect for the Order, there are times we see him begin to doubt.

In Dark Rendezvous, Yoda is about .3 seconds from getting Dooku to re-evaluate his entire defection to the Sith when, unfortunately, it is brought to Dooku's attention that Anakin and Obi-wan had arrived on Serenno.

And then there are these two passages from Labyrinth of Evil.

And this delightful outtake from the Revenge of the Sith novelization.

And just to go a little more in-depth on the RotS novel, there are two full pages of description how Dooku sees himself as not knowing how to form relationships, only seeing people as assets, etc. And literally 30 pages later, he's calling Obi-wan the equivalent of his grandson and chastising himself for sentiment.

Dooku may be a lot of things, but in touch with his emotions, he is not. In fact, I would argue that he keeps those emotions far, far at bay and truly pretends not to care, which is how he ends up subconsciously aiding Obi-wan (or at least not killing) Obi-wan on many occasions. Dooku is not as firm in his treachery as he would like to believe - while I doubt he would ever rejoin the Jedi, in another version of the GFFA, I could see him leaving the Order and peacing out to the Outer Rim/edges of Wild Space to rule a few planets, deal in art, and form alliances against a far greater enemy than the Republic or Sith (Do I have a story in mind where Dooku ends up in an uneasy alliance with Thrawn to fight the Yuuzhan Vong and Rael is an art smuggler who followed Dooku out to Wild Space and an Obi-wan who ran away from the Order at 12 is taken in by Dooku? Yeah, that's an idea I might have had percolating for some time).

Anyway.

Does (Not) Go In for the Kill

Alright, so the meat of this. And yeah, Dooku might be letting Obi-wan off the hook because the war machine needs to grind on until Sheev can ensure Anakin and the Republic and the Jedi will fall, but Obi-wan's execution is ordered enough times by Sheev that I don't believe Dooku's actions are any kind of stalling tactic.

AotC: Why in Seven Corellian Hells does Dooku only use Shiim on Obi-wan as opposed to lopping off one of his limbs? Yes, Obi-wan is the better duelist than Anakin, but it would have been easy enough at that point for Dooku to seriously injure Obi-wan at the end of that fight and he just...doesn't. I mean, no, I personally wouldn't want to be used as a plasma skewer the way Obes was, but those were warning shots, not meant to kill. (And to go back to the "there's a Sith Lord in the Republic" scene, no way that wasn't a test of some sort by Dooku, to feel out Obi-wan's emotions, to get to know the man and what exactly he is made of).

Zygerria: So at the end of the Zygerrian arc, Rex and Obi-wan are brought before Argus, who then initiates a holotransmission of Dooku, who orders Obi-wan's death. (To which Obi-wan mocks, essentially, afraid to get your hands dirty? The answer to which, in Obi-wan's case, might be yes). Does Dooku really think Obi-wan is going to let himself be killed by these guys as the slave compound is being attacked? Again, #doubt. I'm more curious about the conundrum Dooku left Obi-wan in. Dooku has to know Obi-wan is playing along with the whole enslavement thing and could break out at any point. Obi-wan reclaims his lightsaber, to which Argus mocks, "A Jedi won't kill an unarmed man." Obi-wan then silently orders Rex to kill Argus with the smallest hint of a smirk. Talk about not wanting to get your hands dirty. Also, can I just mention that Obi-wan literally broke his chains (the collars) and then was an accessory to the murder of a sentient being? *cue theme from Fiddler on the Roof* Corruptioooooooooooon, Corruption! doo-doooooooooo-do-Corruption!

Anyway, a subconscious test perhaps, one in which they both failed (or passed, depending on how you look at things).

Hardeen arc: You cannot convince me for one minute that Dooku did not know Hardeen was Obi-wan in "The Box" sequence. He knows. But that's not even the best part. Obi-wan/Hardeen beats the tar out of Moralo Eval with his fists, and looming in the background is Dooku, is even gives a slight smile as Obi-wan is whaling on Eval.

Dooku orders Obi-wan/Hardeen to finish Eval, which Obi-wan refuses to do, finally coming to his senses, to which Dooku replies

Dooku. Knows. Dooku is testing Obi-wan. And does not, at any point, give his identity away. Yes, because there's more plot with Sheev's kidnapping, but also - you could argue - to subconsciously both protect and tempt Kenobi.

I've already talked about The Lost Ones episode and I wish we got a fully animated Son of Dathomir arc because Maul and Dooku engaging Obi-wan at the same time is a fascinating dynamic. The last thing I want to talk about here is RotS.

Dooku had ample time AND opportunity to kill Obi-wan here. The whole thrust of Sidious's plan (outlined in the novelization) is to kill Kenobi so Anakin is "orphaned." If not kill, Dooku could have paralyzed him or something. But he goes through the effort of bringing down an entire balcony on a semi-unconscious man and doesn't do it hard enough to kill him? #DOUBT Talk about your subconscious rearing its head.

And this is a situation which fascinates me. What if Anakin had been killed during this duel? Or if Obi-wan had gained consciousness to see what Anakin was about to do? Would Obi-wan have joined Dooku?

And so to get back to Wild Space and who ultimately "won" - in the long term, Sheev lost because Obi-wan survived (we're not considering Grampa Sheev in this calculation) which was in no small part due to Dooku's subconscious acting up. Dooku won, to a certain degree, because I feel that if the Republic had not fallen, Obi-wan a) would have been in an enormous amount of legal and military trouble due to machinations on Mandalore and b) would have been very susceptible to joining Dooku given the correct circumstances. The shadow that encroaches on Obi-wan as the war slogs on is not inconsiderable. We see him mirror Dooku on Zygerria, nearly kill Eval with his fists on Serenno, twice he disregards Republic military law to intervene with Mandalore, and in the Utapau arc, he basically pulls another Dooku by telling Anakin to open fire and slaughter a bunch of sentient enemies all while boasting how he doesn't like to use blasters. Dark. I mean, really dark, Obes. (And there's some kind of metaphor in there about Grievous being to Dooku what Anakin is to Obi-wan in a twisted way that I haven't quite fleshed out yet).

And sure, Obi-wan wins in that he continues to breathe and ultimately helps reset the course of the galaxy by protecting Luke on Tatooine. But the whole thing is such a game of subtleties between two men who bury their emotions (one, his darker emotions and the other his sentiment) and it's just such a fascinating dynamic, even before you bring Qui-gon and Rael into the equation.

So yeah, I find it wholly plausible that Dooku was protecting Obi-wan to a degree, even while he was convincing himself otherwise. Like I said, he wants Kenobi alive AND he wants that beautiful, big brain of his fully rational so he chooses to give in to the Dark Side and can control it (and say what you will, but both Dooku and Obi-wan are control freaks).

[alicanta77]

NCT Dream Reaction: Attending the same award show as their idol!s/o

Mark:

if your relationship was a secret

if he ever makes eye contact with you he looks away immediately

his eyes go super wide as well so it’s pretty obvious that he’s done something he wasn’t supposed to

it’s the kind of reaction which you don’t initially notice but as soon as you do it’s all that you see

people just initially assumed that he was nervous around you or your group

if your relationship was public

becomes record-breakingly shy when he comes up on the big screen

looks away from the camera with that little smile of his

this makes the fans go wild

when you win an award he’s still cheering about five minutes after your name has been called

he always thanks you in his acceptance speech

“to all those who supported us through this journey, for me especially, my parents, my brother, my members and of course my y/n”

the ‘my’ before your name makes fans go wild again

they scream so loudly he almost can’t finish what he was saying

“yeah i know you guys love her, so do i”

*cue screams once more*

Renjun:

if your relationship was a secret

literally acts as though you don’t exist

but somehow isn’t overly dramatic about it

like bows to you when you pass

and claps for you politely when you win an award

whilst bursting with pride on the inside

but the fans would have literally have no idea that you two even knew each other

let alone that you were dating

if your relationship was public

is always on his feet clapping when anything to do with your group is mentioned

pulls the rest of the dreamies up too

death glares them if they’re not cheering loud enough

you deffo get nominated/awarded the prize for couple goals

catch him singing along to every one of your songs during your performance

gives you his suit jacket to cover your legs with or wear when you’re cold

jokingly but no so jokingly complains if you don’t win every single award that you were nominated for

Jeno:

if your relationship was a secret

i think he’d be the best at having an interaction without people suspecting anything

he wouldn’t go out of his way to avoid you

but also wouldn’t go out of his way to make some kind of contact with you

just goes about his job and if he sees you then he’ll greet you politely

overall a very smooth and lowkey interaction - management was always pleased with this

if your relationship was public

he will rarely stop smiling

fans have noticed this and probably made compilations of your moments

but if you’re in his line of sight

he’s smiling enough for all of the members

fans love it when he comes up on screen when you’re performing/speaking cause he’s always staring at you with the softest look on his face

doesn’t even notice that the camera’s on him until Jaemin hits him and points it out

no one can say that he doesn’t love you with every fibre of his being

Donghyuck:

if your relationship was a secret

would do anything he could to see you or meet you in some way

you’re always meeting each other backstage

or standing next to each other on stage

or sitting at tables near to each other

gets in trouble for this when fans get suspicious as to how the two of you always seem to have an interaction of some kind when you’re at the same events

if your relationship was public

the most embarrassing motherfu- on this damn planet

doyoung would just disown him

every time you come up on screen

he’s pointing you out to his members and fans

“LOOK THAT’S MY S/O!”

*sigh...* “we know hyuck.”

is probably dancing along during your performances

if he comes up on screen when you’re talking/performing he definitely directs the camera back to you

“PAY ATTENTION TO MY BABY!!!!”

Jaemin:

if your relationship was a secret

is surprisingly good at hiding your relationship

which provokes him to be bold and see what he can get away with

and it’s shocking just how much manages to fly under the radar

since your interactions gradually got longer and friendlier

fans assumed that the two of you were becoming friends

and since jaemin is known to be an affectionate person

he became more openly affectionate with you

until management told him off for it

if your relationship was public

yeah this boy isn’t letting go of you

“Jaemin I need to go perform...”

“Yeah okay good luck angel”

“... you need to let go of me so I can perform” - cue the pout

i doubt there’s anyone who doesn’t know about your relationship

like hyuck

he is obnoxiously supportive of you

literally jumping out his seat when you win

thanks his fans for being supportive of you

also 10000% asked them to vote for you and your group too

Chenle:

if your relationship was a secret

avoids looking at you as much as possible

just cause he KNOWS he will either burst out laughing

break into the largest grin

he’s just so happy around you that it doesn’t matter where he is

if chenle sees you, nothing can stop the smile from taking over his face

if your relationship was public

his goal at every shared event is to make you laugh at the most inconvenient times

sings along to EVERY performance you have

he probably gets named the president of your fan club too

proudly nods and shows the camera a thumbs up if it pans to him when you’re talking/performing

“yep that’s me I’m their bf! i’m the lucky one!!!”

goes you hug you immediately if you/he wins an award

doesn’t really care who sees your interactions

“what we’re together and nothing is gonna change that so people should get used to me supporting them. what do they expect me to do, ignore her?”

he just wants the world to see how lucky he is to love you

Jisung:

if your relationship was a secret

he would avoid eye contact with you at all costs

would sit on the furthest table from you

if your groups are standing next to each other he’s standing on the furthest side from you

but just because he knows that if you’re standing next to / near to him he would go as red as a beet

however this has led fans to believe that the two of you have some kind of beef

which the rest of dream probably find pretty damn funny

if your relationship was public

anytime he comes up on the big screen he gets SUPER SHY and looks away

there are probably compilations of jisung getting shy when you get mentioned

likes to keep most of your interactions off camera

so people make the absolute most out of them when they happen

their favourite is when you got your first win for your latest comeback

there’s about 5000 videos of jisung gently pulling some confetti from your hair before you turned around and hugged him tightly

yall are just so damn cute together

[absolutepokemontrash]

MC’s Half Demon and They Look Awfully Familiar

(Part 3! Starring Mini Mammon and Mini Asmo!)

Part 1 Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Underground Tomb special Group Retreat Lessons 10-12 Part 4

MC names:

Lucifer’s kid=L!MC | Mammon’s kid=M!MC | Asmo’s kid=A!MC

Why did bad things happen to good people? Well... Lucifer being a good person is up to interpretation. He hadn’t done anything too heinous recently, his instruments of torture were collecting dust for goodness sake! So why oh why was he staring down two half demon children who looked suspiciously like two of his brothers?

The first kid to step forward was Mammon’s without a doubt, but their general demeanour was very different from their father’s. Perhaps their other parent had done a good job-

“What the fuck was that?!”

Never mind. The kid had Mammon’s pottymouth.

The other child surveyed the scene with a nervousness that their suspected parent never possessed. The kid’s gaze fell on Lucifer, their eyes began to glow ever so slightly. “Uh-um...” the kid cleared their throat. “Someone explain what’s going on!”

Was this child seriously trying to use manipulation powers on Lucifer? He almost laughed at the mere idea of someone trying. The child didn’t even seem to be aware that they were doing it. When their question was met with blank stares, they instantly shrank back and practically hid behind the first half demon. Despite the severe self-esteem difference, this kid was Asmodeus’.

Lucifer’s own child cleared their throat and smiled. “Welcome to the Devildom!”

The Uncle That Looks Like he Has his Shit Together but he Leaves the Reunion Drunk off his Rocker (Lucifer)

Ah shit here we go again-

Okay- okay. Normally he’d scold L!MC for taking Diavolo’s line, but Dia had recovered from his shock and was now gushing over the new exchange students like an excited puppy.

“Okay... L!MC you’re going to need to share your room.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Unless Belphie is willing to give up the attic as a nap spot-”

“OVER MY DEAD BODY!”

“You’re sharing your room.”

RAD was buzzing with gossip for the entire first month of the second attempt at the exchange program. The threats of being eaten were once again stamped out very quickly.

(Special thanks to L!MC for being a good bodyguard)

Now, Lucifer didn’t exactly know what to expect when it came to the child of his favourite brother. Mammon was a dumbass, but this kid... this kid...

Was smart.

For the first time in Lucifer’s very long life he felt compelled to place someone in a higher echelon than himself.

Mammon’s child managed to successfully budget that dumpster fire of a house. On the first fucking day. Not only that. This kid managed to skim FIVE THOUSAND GRIMM OFF THE TOP AND THE BUDGET STILL WORKED! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT-

Lucifer and Mammon thanked whatever spirit was watching over them because they truly believed their financial woes were over.

Shame that M!MC also spent their money on dumb stuff they didn’t need. Like father like child.

It’s no secret that Lucifer does have a bit of a soft spot for Asmo, I mean, who doesn’t love Asmo? But A!MC was a blessing sent right from the Celestial Realm.

They were just... too sweet. Way too sweet. Lucifer was actively getting cavities just being near them.

Anyone who bothered A!MC and M!MC during the first month ended up getting... uh... suspended.

(We can assume the threat of suspension would have extended to those who bothered L!MC but all the lesser demons were already terrified of them.)

Normally when Lucifer called someone into his study it was to lecture them for at least four hours and then send them to their rooms, but he was having quite the difficult time actually being upset with M!MC and A!MC.

A!MC looked close to tears and M!MC just stared right back at Lucifer with little to no fear in their eyes.

“Starting a fight during the first week of school is not how I expected the exchange students to behave.” Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose, and prepared to continue the lecture, when he heard a sniffle. There wasn’t enough Demonus in the entire Devildom...

“I-I’m s—sorry...” A!MC sniffled, quickly wiping at their eyes. “Th-they were being r-really scary and we did-didn’t know what else to do...”

“So you threw them out of a window?”

“I threw them out of the window.” M!MC huffed. “They were bein’ a dick.”

“So you threw them out of a window?”

“That um...” A!MC mumbled. “That’s not all... I may have... told them to stick their head in a toilet first...”

“You made them stick their head in a toilet,” Lucifer turned to M!MC. “And then you threw them out of a window?”

“Yes.” M!MC and A!MC replied. Lucifer downed the rest of his glass of Demonus and debated whether or not it would be a show of weakness to slam his forehead into the desk in front of the children.

Lucifer looked between the two for a moment, then shook his head and sighed. “It’s my job to deal with threats to the exchange students, not yours.” Lucifer stood in front of the two, he rested his hands on their heads and gave them a quick pat, before knocking their heads together. “Next time someone bothers you, tell me. If I hear even a whisper of you two getting into another fight, I’m hanging you from the ceiling. Is that clear?”

A!MC and M!MC looked at each other, then back at Lucifer and nodded. “Yes sir!”

“Good.” Lucifer removed his hand from their heads. “Now shoo.”

Flying lessons for the two of them went way quicker than it did for L!MC, mainly because L!MC was a way better teacher.

As much as Lucifer loved his newly found niblings, he couldn’t show it too much. Outward softness was reserved for L!MC and L!MC only. M!MC and A!MC were stuck with silent acts of affection.

Every once and a while a little present or two would end up in M!MC or A!MC’s possession. Some ice cream money for M!MC when they blew their part of the budget on fancy sunglasses, a multiplayer video game that the three half-demons could play together, new shoes when A!MC accidentally ruined their’s...

He’s a good uncle. A scary uncle. But a good uncle. ^_^

(Don’t tell him I said that, I’m still in trouble for advertising Mammon’s escape Go Fund Me and I don’t want to have to write the rest of this HC hanging upside down.)

He’s Not Like the Other Dads, he’s a Cool Dad! (Mammon)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (Fear)

He’s a dad?! HE’S TO YOUNG TO BE A DAD! Hang on- he’s over five thousand years old...

Oh would you look at that! His kid pulled out a calculator.

...his annual income? Uh... why do you- HEY! WHAT’S WITH THAT FACE?!

M!MC puffed out their cheek as they continued to add the ever growing list of numbers into the calculator. Mammon was trying to get a peak at what they were calculating. M!MC suddenly looked up and practically lit up the room with their smile. Aw, their fangs were growing in!

They had a devilishly charming smile, just like their pop! A real chip off the old block! It almost brought a tear to Mammon’s eye and he actually felt compelled to give this kid all the money he had on him. Maybe even his Rolex too!

“Mammon, Avatar of Greed,” M!MC said sweetly. “My... dad.”

“Yep! That’s uh... that’s me!” Mammon awkwardly ruffled his kid’s hair, the kid laughed good naturedly.

M!MC’s sweet as honey smile flipped from elated to malicious in a manner of nanoseconds. “You owe over thirteen years of child support. Dad.”

Everyone say thank you to Lucifer and Diavolo for getting M!MC to compromise and not try and sue their father.

If you thought Mammon spoiled L!MC you’ve got another thing coming. Mammon’s wallet never stood a chance against his kid.

Poor Goldie, press F to pay respects.

Mammon also tried to teach A!MC and M!MC to drive, M!MC has no regard for their safety, the safety of others, or the laws of the road, buuuuuuuut they manage to get the car back with no dents and no property damage bills are being delivered to the house sooooo...

A!MC can drive fine... it’s just that they adhere to literally every law known to demonkind, which means neither Mammon or Asmo are allowed to open up the sunroof and do that movie thing where they pop their heads out and yell something. ITS NOT SAFE!

Our beloved dummy also tried to teach his kid how to play poker, with... limited success.

“Aw, come on kiddo.” Mammon smirked, flicking his kid on the nose. “Your poker face is awful, I can also see your cards from here.”

M!MC growled and held their cards closer to their face. “My poker face is fine!” It was in fact, not fine.

Mammon scratched his head and thought for a moment. Was he sure that this kid was his? I mean, they weren’t good at poker, had terrible luck in blackjack and roulette, and could barely understand the rules of craps. Craps! While he was lamenting the loss of possible gambling winnings, an idea hit Mammon at a thousand miles an hour.

“Hey kid, you’re damn good at math like your great and amazin’ father, have you ever thought about learnin’ how to count cards?”

Fancy outfits on, hair done (sorta), car ready, the two were off to the casino after quite the intense training montage. It appeared that casinos in the Devildom allowed children inside... Diavolo should really fix that.

“Okay M!MC, you remember what to do, right?”

“Yes. Remember the signal, and if someone catches on, deny deny deny.”

Mammon gave his kid a slap on the back. “Damn straight! You got this, bud.”

As the night dragged on, M!MC and Mammon had made their weight in money, paper money, they had made a SHIT ton is what I’m saying. Tragically, neither the Avatar of Greed or his child had any sense to leave before their luck crashed like the Stock Market in 1929.

They were both Icarus, and they were playing chicken with the sun... and by 3 am they were also playing chicken with security.

“GO GO GO!” Mammon shouted as he and M!MC sprinted towards the car, the night’s winnings in hand.

“I think I lost a shoe!” M!MC gasped as they scrambled into the car, security on their heels.

“I’ll buy you new shoes JUST PUT ON YOUR SEATBELT!”

Re-enacting every Fast and the Furious movie in twenty minutes was how that lovely night of father/child bonding should have ended... until they got home and realized they were locked out.

“The window to my room!” M!MC whispered, pointing up at their window. “It’s usually unlocked, we can climb up to get to it.”

“Good idea!”

M!MC tucked the bag full of their precious money under their arm and began the climb to their window, their father close behind. They had almost made it, they were so close, M!MC could literally touch the window-

The window swung open and the smiling faces of L!MC and A!MC greeted them.

“Oh my, it looks like we have some delinquents breaking curfew~.” L!MC cooed, resting their head on their hand.

“You shouldn’t be gambling this late! A-and your accessories don’t match!” A!MC huffed.

“Oi! L!MC, A!MC! What are ya doin’ up this late! It’s not good for ya!” Mammon whisper-yelled.

“My sleep schedule should be the least of your concerns right now, right A!MC?” L!MC elbowed A!MC, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep! Those who break curfew are hung from the ceiling by their toes.” A!MC shuddered.

M!MC rolled their eyes and stuck out their hand. “Come on L!MC! Let us in! You should listen to your older cousin!”

Upon hearing M!MC pull the older cousin card L!MC smiled deviously, grabbing both of M!MC’s hands. “Of course, dear cousin.” They leaned in. “Long live the king!”

L!MC shoved M!MC downward, Mammon caught them, but lost his own grip and they both lost hold of the money, which fell out of the bag and onto the ground like snow. Paper snow...

Oh well, at least Mammon and M!MC landed in some of the bushes...

“Ya know,” Mammon said as the money fell around them. “I’ve had dreams where this has happened.”

“Wow,” M!MC smiled. “Me too!”

Yep. This was his kid alright.

Not all his father/kid time revolved around money, it also revolved around both of them trying to avoid horror movie night without making it look like they were chickening out.

“Okay, I’ll fake a medical emergency!”

“Kid, no! They’ll never believe that!”

Since A!MC had their father’s eye for fashion and none of the judgemental comments, the kid became Mammon’s unofficial style coach.

“U-um... I hate to say it but those shoes don’t match with the rest of the outfit, the silhouette is confusing...”

“What’re ya talkin’ about? I look fantastic!”

“Are you blind? You look like a thrift store threw up on you.”

“Who invited you, Asmo?!”

“I’m here to support A!MC! You’re doing great by the way, sweetie!”

He may have cried a little when M!MC was able to fly without help... sniffle... they grow up so fast...

Oh- oh fuck they both crashed into the tree-

Oh My God he Actually Showed Up?! (Levi)

That... that couldn’t be real life! A shut-in’s worst nightmare! More people he needed to talk to!

Considering Mammon and Asmo’s track record with taking care of his things, Levi was incredibly hesitant to invite the two to binge anime with him and L!MC.

It seemed that the two normies inherited their fathers’s level of respect for closed doors. What I’m saying is the two crashed anime night.

“I have never seen such bullshit before.”

M!MC’s hands were stuffed in about five pairs of socks each, effectively turning their hands into useless nubs.

“You be quiet! This is to make sure that you don’t take any of my things and try and sell them on Akuzon!” Levi hissed, turning back to make sure his figurines were safe from the mini Mammon. A!MC was standing awkwardly next to L!MC, who was sitting in Levi’s gaming chair reading manga.

“So what are we going to watch..?” A!MC piped up. “I haven’t really watched much anime but I did watch Digimon...”

“I was more of a Beyblade kid.” M!MC hit their sock-stumps together to make a thumping noise.

Levi looked like he was ready to have a stroke. “L-listen! Those are gateway anime! You two need to watch proper anime! Non-dubbed anime!”

A!MC let out a shriek and stared at their reflection in a very shiny looking gundam figurine. “Have I been wearing off colour lip gloss the entire day?! O-oh no... I’m a mess!”

Levi let out a strangled wail and snatched the gundam out of A!MC’s hands. “D-don’t touch that! It’s worth more than a house!”

“It is?!” M!MC perked up and tried to wrestle their way out of their sock-gloves.

“Don’t make me stick you in a straight jacket...” Levi growled. He turned to L!MC with a pleading look on his face. “Please make them stop...”

L!MC grinned deviously and closed their book. “Of course I’ll help you, if we watch season two of The Promised Neverland.”

Levi shrieked and nearly pulled out his hair then and there. “It’s manga divergent! MANGA DIVERGENT! THEY SKIPPED SO MANY ARCS!”

M!MC and A!MC continued to wreak both purposeful and accidental havoc on Levi’s room, he was just about ready to summon Lotan then and there when L!MC shrugged.

“The ball’s in your court, Levi.” L!MC leaned back in the chair and resumed reading their manga.

Levi’s willpower shattered the moment he heard something fall off one of his cabinets. “WE CAN WATCH WHATEVER YOU WANT JUST MAKE THEM STOOOOOP!”

Quick as a flash, L!MC was out of the chair and had both M!MC and A!MC by the ears.

“HEY!” L!MC growled. “STOP ACTING LIKE IDIOTS OR SO HELP ME GRANDFATHER YOU TWO WON’T LIVE TO SEE GRADUATION!”

M!MC and A!MC became the most well behaved children in the Devildom after that... and L!MC and Levi got to watch their anime in peace.

Okay, Levi wasn’t heartless, he loved his lame normie niblings. They were just very very loud...

Though, M!MC was very good at finding merch for way lower prices... and A!MC actually really liked some of the anime they watched... Maybe they weren’t so bad.

M!MC’s attempts to budget that financial dumpster fire of an otaku was not going well, at least until M!MC convinced Lucifer to dangle concert tickets in front of Levi like a carrot on a stick until he agreed to do his best to stay within the monthly budget.

Levi had learned his lesson from L!MC’s flying lessons and steered clear of them, but luck was not on his side. The ONE time he willingly stepped outside of the house...

Both M!MC and A!MC crashed right into him.

The Uncle With the Cat You Never See and Aren’t Really Allowed to Pet. (Satan)

Oh fuck him sideways the house was going to be so much louder... Say goodbye to his quiet reading time...

On the bright side, the look of pure disbelief and exhaustion on Lucifer’s face gave Satan the biggest rush of serotonin he’d ever had in his life.

To be honest, he got on well with Asmo, and he... well it’s Mammon.

Could have been worse.

Could have been ANOTHER child of Lucifer.

“So... who do you think did it?” M!MC asked as the opening to the fourth episode of the murder documentary they were watching began. “I think it was the sister.”

“On what evidence do you make that assumption?” Satan asked.

M!MC shrugged. “Chick’s shifty.”

“I um... I think they disappeared on their own accord.” A!MC murmured. “I mean, so far it seemed the two’s home lives sucked...”

“Good theory.” Satan nodded to himself. “But both of you are wrong, it was very clearly the mother and the neighbour.”

“On what evidence do you make that assumption?” L!MC asked, imitating Satan’s voice. Detective Toe Beans was sprawled out on their lap.

Satan glowered at L!MC and leaned over to scratch Bean behind the ears. “The step-mother and neighbour are backing up each other’s alibis and they have a motive, access to a possible murder weapon, and a way of disposing of the corpses.”

L!MC rolled their eyes. “That’s a load of crap. It was just the step-mother. The mother had the motive, she and the father were on the outs, she wanted the father’s inheritance all to herself so she got rid of his kids.”

“How many more episodes of this are there?” M!MC asked. “This seems like a really dragged out way of just saying: I don’t know.”

“Sh! They’re explaining possible corpse disposal methods!” Satan hissed.

The four of them traded theories until the documentary series eventually ended with an unsatisfying ‘we dunno’.

“This is such shit...” M!MC muttered. “How have they managed to fill eight episodes with all these leads and evidence and the case is still unsolved?!”

“It’s because everyone involved was incompetent and stupid.” Satan sighed.

“You know,” L!MC smirked. “With all the true crime stuff the four of us watch, we could create the perfect crime.”

“We really could.” M!MC nodded in agreement.

“Using A!MC’s powers no one would suspect us...” Satan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Uh...” A!MC shifted uncomfortably. “On an unrelated note... I’m going to go...”

As A!MC scampered out of the room, L!MC turned to Satan and M!MC.

“There’s always the one weak person in the group who’s not down with murder.”

“A sad truth.”

“Hang on I thought we were talking about theft or something-”

Satan and M!MC are surprising study buddies, hell, they even help Mammon study. Or... it’s more accurate to say that they try to help Mammon study.

A!MC is good company, they’re quiet when they read, unlike most people in the house who felt the need to provide commentary on every single event that occurs in the book.

After proving to be quite useless in L!MC’s flight lessons, he just reminded the two new half demons to wear protective padding.

The Hot Single Dad That’s In Every Romcom That Features a Child (Asmo)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (excitement)

Oh... his... father... HE WAS A DILF NOW-

He practically vaulted out of his seat to coo and fuss over his new found hellspawn, they were just SO CUTE!

Their wings were just like his! So adorable! Oh and those little horns! They were so cute Asmo just might have combusted then and there.

Of course, he couldn’t combust without finding out which of his flings had made such an adorably shy mini-him.

“Ah! I remember that party!” Asmo squee-ed as he looked at a picture of A!MC’s parent. “They looked so hot in that outfit I swear I was completely-”

“Asmodeus.” Lucifer grumbled. “That’s a child in front of you.”

“Oh! Right! Mind if I call your ren, A!MC?” Asmo asked, ruffling their kid’s hair. “I want to see if they remember me fondly!”

As Asmo chattered with A!MC’s parent about just how adorable and perfect their kid turned out, Asmo leaned over to A!MC to ask a question.

“A!MC, I know this is sudden but how do you feel about getting a sib-”

“ASMODEUS IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE I WILL FEED YOU TO CERBERUS!”

“Tsk. Rude.”

It’s safe to say Asmo adores his kid. I mean, they’re 50% him, how could he not.

He didn’t exactly have experience with the whole... being a big part of his kids’s life thing. Sure he held the unofficial record for most kids but that was because effective birth control hadn’t been invented at the time when he was allowed to run rampant in the human world, not because he was an A+ dad.

None of that mattered! He was going to be a 10/10 dad to A!MC!

They were so shy... so... mouse-like...

“Um... dad?” A!MC awkwardly twiddled there thumbs as they stood in the doorway to their father’s room. The sweet smell of whatever essential oil was being spread with the diffuser did next to nothing to calm the poor half-demon’s nerves.

Asmo popped his head out of his walk-in closet with a sparkling smile. “Yes, child of mine?”

“I um, just wanted to ask...” A!MC was desperately trying to stave off an oncoming stutter-spiral. “H-h-how- *ahem* how do- ugh...”

A!MC steeled their face and straightened their posture.

“How do I be confident like you?!” They blurted that out a little too loud for comfort, but Asmo’s near-immediate joy quashed any embarrassment A!MC was feeling.

“You want to be like little ol’ me?” Asmo gushed, clearly trying to hide just how flattered he was. “Well, of course you do! Your dad’s got your back. So first what we’re going to do-”

The Avatar of Lust had done the stereotypical early 2000s movie makeover many times before, but never with so much enthusiasm. His kid’s style was fine, it wasn’t a lack of pizazz either, it was the lack of confidence in the pizazz.

“Okay, now stand up straight.”

A!MC straightened their back as much as they could.

“Perfect! Chin up, shoulders back, and there you go!”

A!MC didn’t look too different on account that Asmo felt like their fashion sense was perfect, but dear not-old dad coached MC on a new walk, better posture, and Asmo filled their arms with about seven boxes of self-care supplies.

“What’s all this for?” A!MC asked, shifting the weight of the boxes slightly so they could actually see their dad.

“That, A!MC, is all the stuff you need to have confidence.” Asmo explained. “It’s not required of course, but it sure does help.”

“I’m not sure I follow...”

“Oh sweetie, it’s simple really. When you take care of yourself, you feel better, and when you feel better, you look better, and when you look better and feel better, your confidence skyrockets!” Asmo shifted some of the boxes A!MC was carrying around so they could stand up straighter and not be held down by the weight of the self-care arsenal. “Good posture stops your back from hurting, dressing decently helps you feel better about your appearance, as does taking care of your skin, aaaaaand all this will culminate in you being your best!”

A!MC still looked a bit skeptical, but they nodded anyway.

“Remember MC!” Asmo said as he led MC back to their room to help them sort their new stuff. “Confidence in yourself doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t let Mammon try and sell you a fix-all potion because it’s just boiled Gatorade.”

“O-okay- wait did you just say-”

“Yes, boiled Gatorade.” Asmo shuddered. “Let’s not talk about that.”

Dear uncle Asmo? A financial dumpster fire?! It’s more likely than you’d think.

Sure, Asmo’s got a job and makes his own money, but Geez Louise... one demon does not need that much hand cream! Or that many questionable Akuzon packages that everyone is too afraid to touch...

M!MC had their work cut out for them is what I’m trying to say.

Of course... once M!MC realized what a lost cause getting Asmo to stop with the obsessive bath bomb purchases was and a few too many insults were thrown at M!MC’s dear dad... some of Asmo’s things went uh... “missing”

But would you look at that! No one went over-budget!

Even though their dads have a fierce party related rivalry, A!MC and M!MC get along great. It’s very wholesome.

The Uncle That Helps You Pester Whoever is in Charge of the Food at the Family Reunion About Dessert (Beel)

Yay! More kids :)

Do you think any of them know how to cook? No? Okay... :(

Beel adores his new niblings with all his heart and soul, and Belphie’s out of the attic and is able to meet them with everyone else this time! Yay!

I didn’t mention this in the other parts- but Beel totally gave L!MC piggyback rides whenever they asked, but now that two more kids have arrived... it’s now a fight to be tall.

But yea- kids like uncle Beel. Strong contender for favourite uncle.

“Do you think this is right?” A!MC asked as they fiddled with the settings on the stovetop.

“No clue. Do we put the cheese on while the meat is cooking or do we wait until after?” M!MC asked, they flipped through multiple cheeseburger recipes on their DDD, their frustration growing. “Hang on- do we have a deep fryer?”

A!MC rummaged around the cupboards and shelves for a good fifteen minutes and came back empty handed. “No, but I’ve seen videos of people making fries without a deep fryer, I think we just need to heat up vegetable oil and drop the potatoes in.”

After setting up the make-shift deep fryer, the two cousins carefully dropped the first fry into the oil, then screamed like banshees when some oil splashed close to their hands.

“Did you get burned?!” M!MC asked, A!MC shook their head.

“No, you?”

“Nah...” M!MC eyed the oil warily. “We should do this one at a time to be safe...”

It was an awkward process, grab potato, place potato, scream, make sure no one is burned, repeat. As... decent as the process was, with both of them manning the deep fryer, no one was manning the patties that were now completely charred.

“What’s going on in here? It smells like Solomon’s cooking.” Beel poked his head into the kitchen and saw two very upset children and the world’s messiest kitchen.

“We’re failures. That’s all...” M!MC murmured.

“We wanted to make lunch for all of us and we ruined it...” A!MC added.

Beel’s heart was set to explode then and there- but his stomach growled. “You tried your best, don’t feel too bad. Let’s get cheeseburgers somewhere else with Belphie.”

M!MC and A!MC nodded enthusiastically as the three of them left the destroyed kitchen behind them.

After Beel had to sling a sleeping Belphie over his shoulder, the now four of them were halfway out the door before they heard L!MC scream bloody murder.

“YOU IDIOTS COME BACK HERE AND CLEAN THIS MESS UP RIGHT NOW!”

M!MC and A!MC made eye contact, then sprinted out the door. “CHEESEBURGERS FIRST!”

A!MC and M!MC probably go to all of Beel’s games like the little super fans they are. Beel is very grateful for the support! :D

Flying lessons? Nnnnnot again. He’s here for moral support and moral support only. And to catch the two babs when they inevitably fall.

The Uncle Who Was Like... Really Racist the Last Time You Saw Him But He’s Not Anymore (Belphie)

So he uh... he didn’t try and kill these two. That already gave the two newbies a better first impression than what he gave to L!MC.

The Anti Lucifer league ALSO grew, just by one member though. A!MC was very easily persuaded to snitch on whatever prank the group concocted.

The attic nap club gained two new members, but Belphie still had to deal with wings hitting him in the face and waking him up. He’d usually return the favour with a swat from his tail.

“M!MC I swear I will throw you out of the window if you kick me again.” Belphie murmured, mashing his face into his pillow.

“Mmmph.” M!MC threw a pillow in Belphie’s direction.

“Quit whining, Belphie.” L!MC huffed. “You’re doing better than me.”

A!MC had attached themselves to L!MC like a sloth to a tree and would not let go or stop drooling. Ah schadenfreude, the best feeling in the galaxy...

“Stop with that look.” L!MC hissed, Belphie snickered. “I’m telling you to quit it because you’ll wake up Beel, and Beel is solving your M!MC problem.”

Belphie turned to see Beel practically crush M!MC into a bone breaking hug in his sleep.

“Should we do something about that?” L!MC yawned.

Belphie smirked his little douchebag smirk. “Eh, let them stew for a few more minutes.”

“Help me...” M!MC rasped.

Out of the three, A!MC is probably the best nap buddy, they bring in their own pillows and don’t hog the blankets.

Belphie is once again at the forefront for taking videos of the flying lessons, at least till M!MC accidentally broke Belphie’s DDD.

Just a friendly reminder, the sleepy cow man would kill for these kids.

Look at them funny and no one will find your body.

Okay! That’s part 3 done! I had to cut Belphie’s and Satan’s short because of post limit stuff, but the stuff with the side characters is coming soon! Also, Mammon would like me to inform all those who donated to his Go Fund Me that you will NOT be getting your money back, he has a kid to deck out in full Gucci now, he needs the cash!

[no-pucks-given]

TYSON JOST | LIGHT MY WAY HOME

A/N: More than 12.000 words later, more than a month after the initial request from Taylor popped up in my notifications. What a freaking ride. My longest fic I've ever written, and maybe even my favourite one. Thank you, to everyone who hyped me up, send me inspo and send me sweet asks. I couldn't have done this without all of you. Special thanks to @dumb-and-dunner, @chicagoblackhawkslover96, @heybarzy and Chrissy (who doesn't have Tumblr unfortunately).

Warnings: Angst, ‘can I strangle him yet?’ Tyson, swearwords, some major character development and (how could I not?!) a happy ending.

Also: Gabe and Melissa Landeskog play a big part in this fic, so if you aren't comfortable with them, you might want to skip this one.

Word Count: 12.1K

Requested: Yes.

The NHL lifestyle, or the ‘popular’ lifestyle was attractive to all young, hormonal boys. You’d known that for a long time. You stood by Tyson’s side when he got drafted into the wicked world of the NHL. Parties, drinking, sex, training until you can barely move, fights, games, wins and losses. It all had it’s charms, but it also had its dangers. Just like any other guy Tyson wanted to experience it all, the whole package,

You assumed you fell under that ‘whole package’, you were his girlfriend for a reason, right? And you did, for a while. You partied together, came home together, did everything together. But the moment Tyson became older and ‘known’ outside the regular hockey fans, that title didn’t mean much anymore. He became more and more the type of guy you didn’t fall in love with, the type to take you for granted, the type to enjoy the attention of other people, other women in particular. You weren’t the jealous type, you didn’t want to claw out the eyes of every woman that looked at him, but you were at a breaking point. Maybe you were jealous, you weren’t jealous of those other women, you were jealous of the attention Tyson gave them. Attention he should’ve been giving to you, his freaking girlfriend.

You were however the loyal type, the type to come home after a long night. And that’s exactly where things went wrong with Tyson. While you were waiting for him at home with a meal, a warm bed or just simply anything else, he was out. You had no idea where he was exactly, he was simply ‘out’, whatever that might mean. You tried to talk to him, you tried to make him see that this wouldn’t end well for either of you, but he simply waved off your concerns, shrugged his shoulders and moved on.

How do you talk to someone who rediscovered himself? How do you talk to someone who thinks he’s on top of the world? How do you save someone from the downfall of success when they don’t want to be saved? You knew one day he’ll come down from this high, one day he’ll realize that he screwed up. One day he’ll come to the conclusion he let something special slip through his fingers, and for what? Fame? Drinks? A rush of adrenaline? One day. But you knew that it wouldn’t be today.

However today is the day that you’re done. Absolutely fed up with all the bullshit excuses Tyson has been feeding you, all the coming home late or not even coming home at all. You have no idea what he’s been up to these last months, he’s barely home. Even when he’s home it’s like he isn’t really there. You can’t even remember the last time the two of you slept together or the last time you actually went to bed at the same time. Breakfast together? A lifetime ago. A lazy day together? Can’t remember. Date night? Months, months ago. Even thinking about it pisses you off to no end, the pain and hurt slowly making place for a new emotion: anger.

It’s frustrating to say the least. You love and take care of him like he means the world to you, and he does. Tyson on the other hand seems to take you for granted, or forgets you’re here at all. It seems like you’re talking to a brick wall instead of your boyfriend. No matter how hard you try, your words have no impact, your tears don’t make him feel anything. It’s like he’s a totally different person. You barely recognize him anymore these days, he feels like a stranger inside the body of the man you love. It feels like you’re both living your life, besides each other instead of with each other. It hurts, that’s for sure.

Like any other day you’ve prepared dinner, put it on the table and sat down on one of the chairs. All you can do now is wait, wait and pray he’ll show up this time. You even texted him, begged him to come home and simply eat dinner with you for a change. Of course you didn’t get a response, of course it’s complete radio silence from his side. God, you were desperate at this point, you don’t even try to deny it.

With every passing minute your hope disappears little by little. You stare at the food on the table until it’s completely dark outside, no sign of Tyson. Hours passed and you barely noticed it, it isn’t until you try to stand up and your muscles ache from sitting in the same position for a long time that you realize how much time actually has passed. “Fuck this, why am I even trying anymore?” you mutter to yourself, shaking your head. This isn’t worth it, it hasn’t been for a long time. Maybe, just maybe you’re finally ready to admit it to yourself.

Deciding to choose yourself over Tyson is a major decision, one you probably should’ve made sooner. It doesn’t matter, what does matter is that you’re choosing you now. You make the split second decision to just grab your stuff, just the necessary stuff. You remember Gabe’s offer, at the time you waved it off with a smile, pretending it wasn’t as bad as it might look to the outside world, but now? You want nothing more than to take him up on his offer. So what’s stopping you?

Even though you were excruciating calm this whole time, the moment you step into your bedroom, or Tyson’s bedroom, you break. This is real, this is really happening. You grab your bags, filling them with some of your stuff. Some clothes, some toiletries, your makeup, everything you might need. It’s a tough job, it’s even harder when you almost can’t see past the tears. At some point you lose track of things you did and didn’t grab, just shoving random items into your bag.

You let out a frustrated sigh, your body sinking down on the floor. In your hands the box containing all your high school love letters, all the small gifts you made each other. Tyson was quite handy, who would’ve thought that? You smile at the memories, sorting through the box. You frown at the feeling surging through your body, is this how heartbreak feels? Looking down at the contents of the box you sigh, wiping away the tears streaming down your face. Why couldn’t life be as simple as it used to be? It shouldn’t be this hard, right? You grab your prom picture between your fingers, smiling sadly at the two people in the picture, both smiling like they just won the lottery, both utterly in love with the other. How time can change..

You throw the box on the bed, maybe it will remind Tyson what the two of you had was special, maybe he’ll realize what he’s about to lose. If it doesn’t, well, it’s his loss. Hauling your bags downstairs is a full workout, you intended to bring ‘just the essentials’ but you have way more important stuff than you originally thought. You aren’t planning on returning to this house any time soon.

Shutting the car door after you loaded in your stuff gives you some form of relief. You let out the breath you’ve been holding in. You made your decision, it’s time to follow through now. You make your way back inside, and into the kitchen. Cleaning up all leftovers from dinner, which obviously is a lot more than you expected. Although.. did you really think he would show up? You shake your head again, putting the leftovers into the fridge. After you finish the dishes you retreat back to the living room, falling down on the couch with a loud sigh. All you can do now is wait.

You could’ve just left and never look back, but that isn’t your style. If you’re going to leave, you’ll do it the right way. You won’t leave without giving him a piece of mind, letting him know he fucked this up for good. You try to focus on the movie playing on the screen, but your heart keeps beating harder and harder, at this point you wish you would’ve just left instead of waiting for Tyson to show up. God, why did you have to do it the right way? Because you know, deep down, you would’ve wanted him to do it the same way. It’s the humane thing to do, it’s only right after spending such a long time together.

The front door opening brings you out of your thoughts. Honestly you don’t even know what time it is, but frankly you don’t care. All you want right now is to get this off your chest and leave. Tyson’s eyes widen when he comes face-to-face with you, surprisingly he doesn’t seem that intoxicated. You suspected he went out, but at this point he could’ve been anywhere.

“You’re still up,” Tyson says, walking past you and flopping down on the couch.

“Yep, and you missed dinner,” you counter, crossing your arms. Tyson simply shrugs his shoulder, clearly not caring enough to explain his absence. “I texted you to make sure you would be here,” you say, even though you know it doesn’t make a difference.

“Yeah, I was busy,” Tyson answers, looking down at his phone.

You almost feel the need to chuckle, to start laughing at his stupid behavior, but this is anything but funny to you, it fucking hurts. “I’m done, Tyson. I’m fucking done,” you say, shaking your head, trying so hard to keep the tears away.

Tyson looks at you with dull eyes, no emotion visible on his face. “Then go to fucking bed, I really can’t deal with your problems right now,” he sighs, turning his head back to the phone in his hand.

Right now, at this moment you know you made the right decision. This isn’t behavior of someone who’s in love, this isn’t even behavior of someone who loves. “You don’t have to deal with me anymore, because I’m leaving. I’m done, we’re done,” you tell him, emphasizing the last part. Tyson’s eyes shoot to yours, the panic clearly written all over his face now.

“No, we’re not. You can’t break up with me, y/n!” he almost shouts at you, standing up from the couch.

“Yes, I can and I will. You don’t get to act like you care all of the sudden, Tyson. You haven’t acted like a boyfriend in months. You haven’t given me any reason to stay, so I won’t. I’m done with whatever this is,” you say, waving between the two of you. Tyson grabs your wrist, tears starting to pool in his eyes. He opens his mouth to say something but you cut him off. “No. No. You don’t get to do this. It’s over. You put on quite a show, but I can’t say it was very entertaining. This curtain fucking closes right now, show is over. You can act like you care, but I know by now that you don’t,” you tell him, ripping your arm out of his grip.

You walk over to the front door, keeping your head high. Now is not the time to break down, your time will come. You hear Tyson behind you, muttering how sorry he is, excuse after excuse leave his mouth. You open the door, turning around one last time to look at Tyson. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry, ‘cause you’re not,” you say while shaking your head. You close the door behind you, not looking back at what you’ve left behind, only looking forward to what’s yet to come.

It’s when you’re in your car mindlessly driving around when you realize you have nowhere to go. You forgot to call Gabe, and it’s probably way too late now. You quickly check the time, 2am, shit that’s late. You doubt he’s still awake, you feel bad for even thinking about waking him up. Two young children, both of them under the age of 2, and being a professional hockey player probably cost him enough energy already, you don’t need to add to that. “He did say I could always call him when I made my decision,” you say out loud, more to convince yourself that it’s okay than anything else.

You easily find Gabe’s contact, immediately pressing the dial button before you change your mind again. The line only rings twice before Gabe picks up. “I’m guessing you either finally broke up with him or there’s a fire somewhere,” Gabe says from the other side of the line. You chuckle, shaking your head. “And since you’re calling me and not the fire department, my guess is on the first one,” Gabe continues, trying to make you smile some more.

“I did it, I broke up with him, couldn’t stand to be there any second longer,” you sigh, brushing your fingers through your hair.

You hear Gabe’s sigh of relief. “I’m proud of you, y/n. I know this isn’t what you had in mind, but it’s better like this, I promise.”

Gabe turned into one of your best friends over time, Melissa is the older sister you never had and you love their children like they’re your own. Gabe and Melissa welcomed you into their family immediately after meeting you. You hadn’t expected to make friends and you definitely didn’t expect to make friends with the captain and his wife, but you’re so grateful you did. The support you receive from them is overwhelming, you couldn’t wish for better friends. So when Gabe first made you this offer, you were thankful he did, although you were still convinced at that point that Tyson would change.

“Uhm, you know.. that offer you made me? Is that still on the table?” you ask, praying he’ll say ‘yes’, praying you don’t have to sleep in some random hotel tonight.

“Of course, the guestroom is already prepared. Melissa expects you to be here as soon as possible, apparently she ‘really needs to cuddle her little sister’,” Gabe chuckles, you can almost hear him rolling his eyes at his wife.

“Thank you, Gabe. I owe you,” you say softly.

“You don’t. You’re family, y/n,” Gabe says, and you know he means every word he just said. Family. “Now get your ass over here, before Melissa starts a search party,” Gabe chuckles, making you laugh some more, because you know she would. You quickly say your goodbyes, promising you’ll be there in a few minutes. It’s just a short drive from your apartment, or Tyson’s apartment now, to Gabe and Mel’s place.

You kept up your appearance, keeping the tears at bay, but the moment you step out of your car and into Gabe’s arms you’re done. “Come here, I’m so sorry,” Gabe says softly, his hands rubbing soothing circles on your back.

You stand there for a few minutes, simply crying on your best friend’s shoulder, until Melissa squeezes herself between the two of you. “Hush, I need some sister time. Why don’t you grab her stuff?” she says, smiling sweetly at her husband.

Gabe sighs dramatically, sending a wink your way. “Whatever you say, wife.”

Melissa pulls you close to her, an arm around your waist, her head resting on your shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you your room,” she softly says, leading you into the house. You’ve been here so many times already, but never like this. You’ve never been in a situation like this before, you’re not sure how to handle this. “I can hear the wheels turning in your head. It will be okay,” Melissa says, rubbing your arm soothingly. You sigh, shrugging your shoulders, not sure what to say.

Melissa leads you to your room, pushing you down on the bed, while she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “I know you’re probably exhausted, but do you want to talk?” Melissa asks softly, her face showing nothing but compassion.

You lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about all that has happened. “I don’t even know what to say, Mel. I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just so...” you trail off, not knowing the right words to describe everything that you feel and think right now.

“Confused, relieved, mad?”

You sit back up, looking back at Melissa. “All of the above, I guess? It hurts, but I’m glad I did it. But I also regret it, because I love him, you know? I’m mad he didn’t try harder for me, for us,” you say, trying hard to keep the rush of tears away.

Melissa wraps her arms around you, pulling you close to her. “I know, sweetheart. It will take time, but you’re going to be okay.”

You sigh, knowing she’s right, even though it probably will take more time than just ‘some time’. You did just end a long relationship, it will take a lot of patience and time to work through that. “Thank you, Mel. For letting me stay here,” you mumble against Melissa’s shoulder.

“No need for that. You’re my sister, remember?” Melissa smiles at you.

Gabe softly knocks on the door before opening the door. “Brought your bags, thought you might need them before you go to sleep,” he says, smiling at the sight before him. Your friendship might be unconventional, but he couldn’t care less what other people think about it. Gabe absolutely adores the sister bond you and Mel share, he hoped the two of you would get along, so this? Picture perfect.

“Thanks, Gabe,” you smile at him.

“Do you mind if I steal my wife from you?” Gabe asks, making you and Melissa laugh out loud.

“Nope, she’s all yours,” you chuckle, waving at their retreating backs when they walk out of the room.

You strip out of your clothes, pulling on a sweater. You sigh, realizing you packed some of Tyson’s sweaters out of habit. His smell infiltrates your senses, making it damn hard to keep your emotions under control. It’s right this moment you know exactly how you feel. Heartbroken. The realization that your relationship with Tyson is really over doesn’t give you the satisfaction you hoped for, it doesn’t give you peace, it just fucking hurts. You simply feel hollow, even though deep down you know this was the right choice, this was what needed to happen. You know damn well why you feel so empty, you gave your heart to Tyson a long, long time ago, never expecting to be in a situation you might get it back. You don’t want it back, but you might need it back.

You realize it’s morning when the light softly shines into your room. You sigh, knowing damn well you’re lucky if you slept more than an hour this night. Rolling over you look at the clock on the wall, 9 am, perfect. Deciding it won’t do you any good if you stay in bed any longer, you force yourself out of bed and into the shower. The hot water warms your cold skin, soothing your sore muscles. All the twisting and turning you did all night surely didn’t help the way you feel right now. Why couldn’t life be a bit easier by simply letting the shower wash away all of your hurt, all of your pain? A fresh start, a clean slate.

You slip on some skinny jeans and a soft sweater, not in the mood to even think about doing your makeup. You dry your hair, before making a quick ponytail out of it. You walk down stairs, the chatter and laughter greeting you as soon as you walk into the kitchen. “Morning, guys,” you say, smiling at all the happy faces before you. A round of greetings sound throughout the room.

“How’d you sleep?” Gabe asks you as soon as you sit down next to him with a bowl of cereal.

“Can’t even tell you, suddenly it was 9 am,” you chuckle, shrugging your shoulders at Gabe’s raised eyebrow. “Do you have any idea where my phone is?” you ask Gabe, knowing he grabbed all your stuff out of your car.

“Uhh, I do, but I don’t know if you really want to look at it,” Gabe says, scratching the back of his head before pointing towards the kitchen counter. It’s your turn to raise your eyebrows, walking over to where Gabe’s pointing at.

You unlock your phone, quickly checking your notifications. “Oh damn,” you mutter, looking at the absurd amount of missed calls and messages left by none other than Tyson himself.

You sit back down next to Gabe, dropping your head on your arms. “What do I do now, Gabe?” you groan. “Why does he care all of the sudden?”

Gabe rubs his hand over your back before answering your question. “Because he lost you, y/n. He never thought he would.” You turn your head towards Gabe letting his words sink in.

Gabe gets ready to leave for practice shortly after you settle on the couch with Lucas in your arms. The little man has a fascination with your hair, maybe it’s all babies who have that, but you like to think that you’re special. “Don’t pull out all y/n’s hair, baby boy,” Gabe chuckles, giving his boy a soft kiss on his head. He gives you a kiss on your cheek, softly squeezing your shoulder. You open your mouth to say something, but Gabe cuts you off. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry about it, I’m his captain, but I’m your friend, okay? Just relax, make sure Lucas doesn’t puke on you and go do whatever it is that you women do all day,” Gabe chuckles, knowing you better than you know yourself. You mouth a quick ‘thank you’ to him, wishing him good luck with practice before he runs through the house trying to find his girls to kiss them goodbye.

“Your daddy is a good guy, you know that, Lucas?” you smile at the baby on your lap. Lucas coos, his hands grabbing onto the strands of your hair. “Your daddy and mommy make me feel so loved, even though their children like to see me in pain,” you joke, trying to free your hair from Lucas’s small hands. “Buddy, you’re way stronger than you look,” you mumble, when Lucas pulls on your hair again.

Melissa laughs out loud the moment she walks into the living room. “How many times did I tell you that you need to keep your hair away from him and his grabby hands?” she says, expertly freeing your hair from her son’s fists.

“Apparently not enough times,” you chuckle at her. Melissa joins you on the couch, while Linnea Rae plays on the ground with some of her toys, happily showing you what she got every now and then. It’s times like this that you’re extra grateful for Melissa and Gabe, the way they welcomed you into their family has been nothing but perfect.

“So, what’s going through that pretty head of yours?” Melissa asks, while scrolling through series to watch on Netflix.

You shrug your shoulders. “I don’t know, I’m kind of worried about practice, I think? I don’t want to put Gabe in this position,” you say, keeping your eyes on Lucas.

“You know Gabe would do anything for you, huh? You don’t know how many times he came home utterly frustrated by the way Tyson treated you. He never said anything, because you were still with him, I can’t promise you he will stay quiet this time,” Melissa says, squeezing your shoulder. “He’ll be fine, this isn’t Gabe’s first rodeo.”

You look at Melissa, who simply gives you a wink. “I know, I know. I just don’t want him to get in trouble or anything,” you say, smiling back at her. You trust and know Gabe, so hopefully there won’t be a lot of trouble today.

“If he does though, he probably deserves it.”

Gabe surprises you all with some takeaway when he gets home from practice. It’s been nice eating with other people for change, it’s been way too long. The amount of lonely dinners has been through the roof lately. Gabe nudges you with his elbow, causing you to look up at him. “No frowning at the table.”

Melissa rolls her eyes at her husband while you just stick out your tongue at him. “Sure, dad,” you say, causing Melissa to almost choke on her bite of food before she lets out a loud laugh.

“Yeah, dad. Leave us alone,” Melissa laughs, winking at her husband. Gabe shakes his head at you and Melissa, a grin plastered on his face.

It’s during dessert you find the courage to ask about Tyson. You weren’t sure if you needed to ask Gabe, you weren’t even sure if you wanted to know anything, but now you know you do. “So, did anything happen during practice?” you ask him, playing around with your spoon.

Gabe shakes his head, giving you a small smile. “Not much, just some chirping. Told him I’m his captain and he needs to fucking focus on practice. That seemed to do the trick,” Gabe says, shrugging his shoulders, continuing to eat his dessert.

You look across the table at Melissa who has the same expression on her face as you. Not convincing at all. ‘Sure,’ Melissa mouths at you from across the table. You shake your head at her, furrowing your eyebrows at Gabe’s statement. ‘Nope,’ you mouth back at her, finishing your dessert. You decide to let it go, you don’t even know why you care so much. You shouldn’t, right? You broke things off with Tyson, so why do you care so much what he does and thinks? The answer to that question is pretty simple the longer you think about it. Because you still love him, that’s why.

You thank everyone for dinner and dessert, promising to cook something from them later this week. Right now all you can think about is your bed and a decent night of sleep. God, that sounds like a true dream right now. You strip out of your clothes, crawling into the soft and cozy bed. It doesn’t take long before you fall asleep, showing just how exhausted you truly are.

The weeks that follow are filled with all kinds of activities, the 5 of you falling back into a comfortable rhythm, surprising you considering the situation you’re in. It isn’t every day you take in the ex-girlfriend of one of your teammates, or your best friend, whatever way you want to see things. When you aren’t working you spend a lot of time with the kids, trying to make things easier for Melissa and Gabe whenever they are busy or simply need some time for the two of them. You happily take on some of their care, even if it’s as simple as making sure they get their food in time. Honestly they are two of the sweetest children you’ve ever come across, they always find ways to make you laugh, even though most of the time it isn’t on purpose.

It’s been quiet around the house tonight, Melissa went out with a few of her friends, while she left Gabe and the kids with you. Apparently she needed some ‘alone time’ which didn’t include kids, and definitely didn’t include Gabe after he mentioned he wanted some ‘alone time’ with her as well. You love their friendly bickering, the love they have for each other visible in everything they do. So when Melissa gave her husband a dirty look and flipped him the bird the only logical thing to do was to start laughing at their exchange. “Have fun with them, sweetheart!” Melissa had yelled at you when she walked through the door, leaving the four of you behind.

Together you decide to just have a movie night. It’s late enough for both children to be asleep already, yet early enough to squeeze in a full size movie marathon. “Gladiatorrrrr!” Gabe exclaims excitedly while scrolling through the movie selection on Netflix, pausing on his all-time favorite movie.

You groan, covering your face with your hands. “Please no, have mercy, Gabe,” you laugh, knowing damn well you’re going to sit through this movie again. How many times has it been already? 12? You wouldn’t even be surprised. This dude really loves his movie. You look at Gabe from between your fingers, seeing the look on his face which makes you groan even more. “Fineeee, one more time, Gabe. One more time,” you whine at him, secretly enjoying his taste in movies, something you don’t plan on telling him ever.

It’s a little after 10pm when the doorbell rings. You look at Gabe, who looks just as surprised as you are. “It’s a bit early for Mel, don’t you think?” Gabe asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Definitely, unless she drank the whole bottle of champagne again,” you chuckle, thinking back at one of the craziest parties you’ve ever been to with Mel and Gabe.

“Oh God, please don’t remind me of that,” Gabe shudders at the memory of that night, standing up to see who’s on the other side of the door.

Gabe hates to say that he isn’t surprised to see Tyson’s face as soon as he opens the door. Honestly he had expected him at his door days, maybe even weeks ago. The moment Tyson found out you were staying with Gabe he broke, Gabe expected him to fight, to yell, to scream, he expected him to do anything except cry. Which is exactly what Tyson did, breaking down in the middle of practice. For a moment the whole place went quiet, only Tyson’s cries echoing throughout the building. No one knew how to act, no one knew what to do, until Gabe realized he’s the captain for a reason. On and off the ice. It was a weird experience, one Gabe still feels extremely conflicted about. He comforted his teammate, his friend, while his other friend was at his home, utterly heartbroken, trying to get over the guy who was bawling his eyes out on the ice.

After Tyson got over the initial shock the anger took over, just as Gabe expected. It made him almost drop the gloves, something he tried to avoid, not wanting to hurt Tyson. He let him say his things, things that absolutely didn’t make any sense, until he got everything out of his system. “Now can we continue this fucking practice, Jost?” Gabe told him after everything calmed down. Gabe tried to avoid the Tyson/y/n topic as much as possible after that, not wanting to get in the middle of things more than he already was. Until tonight apparently.

Gabe raises an eyebrow at the boy before him. “Why are you here, Tyson?” Gabe sighs, already knowing the answer to that question.

Tyson looks around, eyes flickering from left to right, clearly uncomfortable being here. “I, uh, can I talk to y/n? I know she’s here,” Tyson asks, scratching the back of his head before putting them back in his pockets.

Gabe shakes his head at him. “You can’t, if she wants to talk to you she will find a way to contact you. As long as you don’t get your shit together and prove to me, but most of all to her, that you’ve changed, I won’t let you anywhere near her,” Gabe declares, starting to get annoyed with the way Tyson acts. There’s no way he lets him close to you until you feel like you’re ready to see him again, no way.

Tyson opens his mouth, but Gabe gives him a look that immediately shuts him up again. “I’m saying this as your captain, and definitely not as your friend right now. Go home and leave her the fuck alone. You had your chance, you fucked up and now you have to deal with the consequences. How you deal with those said consequences is up to you, but I suggest you leave now and think about everything you did and didn’t do, okay?” Tyson nods his head, turning around to walk back to his car.

When he’s a few steps away from his car he turns around, smiling sadly at Gabe. “She’s my home, Gabe. Home doesn’t feel the same without her. You out of all people should understand that.”

Gabe chuckles low, shaking his head at his clueless teammate. “I do. I do know what home feels like, but I never, never choose anyone or anything over my ‘home’. Never. You sure as hell did, time after time,” Gabe says frustratedly, before shutting the door, leaving behind an even more frustrated Tyson.

You didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you caught the sound of Tyson’s voice when you walked to the kitchen, grabbing some more popcorn. You didn’t mean to listen to their conversation, but it felt like you were glued to your place, unable to take another step, unable to do anything but listen.

Gabe walks back into the room, the look on your face immediately letting him know you know. “How much did you hear?” he asks softly, approaching you slowly.

“Enough,” you whisper, before breaking down, no longer able to keep the tears locked away, no longer able to keep your emotions to yourself.

With two steps Gabe is in front of you, grabbing the bowl of popcorn you held onto between your trembling fingers. He guides you back to the couch, urging you to sit down, which is a true challenge for someone who can barely feel the ground they walk on. Gabe wraps his arms around you the moment you sit down, allowing you to cry onto his shoulder as much as you want and need. He whispers sweet nothings while softly brushing your hair out of your face, making sure you have room to breath. Time after time Gabe proves what kind of friend he is, always making sure to be there for you when he’s needed, always doing things with the best intentions. Even if it’s just holding you until you calm down, even if it’s just speaking the truth against Tyson, even if it’s just simply being there for one another.

“Sooner or later he would’ve realized what he lost, what he gave up for an evening of clubbing or God knows what. Apparently it’s sooner rather than later, however make sure you make him work for it, if you ever decide you want to give the two of you another chance,” Gabe softly advises you, when you finally calmed down a bit.

“I will, you know I love him, Gabe. But I don’t know if I should?” you mumble, not sure if it’s a question Gabe has the answer to.

“Sometimes the heart wants what it wants. If he’s serious about you, he will work his ass off to earn back your love and trust, I promise you,” Gabe comforts you, after knowing Tyson for so long he’s positive he knows that Tyson goes above and beyond to get what he wants in life.

Maybe it’s Gabe’s comforting words, maybe it’s knowing deep down Tyson still cares, maybe it’s your own strength, but for the first time in a while you feel a tiny flicker of hope, a little bit of light at the end of the dark tunnel. Maybe, just maybe this was all worth it, maybe this is what needed to happen to get better and move forward. Maybe this is how it was supposed to go.

It’s a weird feeling, knowing your ex still cares about you, but also knowing you aren’t ready to let him back into your life like that. You don’t feel like you’re capable of seeing him yet, let alone talk to him. The need to know how he’s doing, how he’s holding up grows, but also confuses you. It’s simply a weird and confusing situation to be in. Choosing between two, maybe even more ways to handle this, while also waiting for Tyson to make a move, which he obviously can’t since you don’t want to see him or speak to him, is a hard task. A task that will require a lot of thinking. You just need a bit more time to gather your thoughts, give all of your confusing feelings a place, while making sure you put yourself first, you need to put yourself first this time.

So when Gabe invites you to one of his home games a few weeks later you say ‘yes’ right away. It seems like the perfect time and place to see Tyson from a distance again, without putting too much stress on yourself, you can just watch and enjoy the game, you don’t have to force anything. Of course your seats turned out to be way closer to the ice than you expected them to be, although... what did you exactly expect with Gabe? You know he’s been talking to both of you, kind of acting like some sort of messenger. He tried to keep it casual, just slipping in some information during a conversation, but you noticed what he was trying to do. Frankly you’re thankful for his meddling.

Steadily your heart starts to beat faster and faster the more players appear on the ice to warm up. When Gabe appears you aren’t surprised to see Tyson close to him, knowing Gabe they probably had a little chat before they went on the ice. Tyson’s eyes shoot to yours the moment he’s close by, completely forgetting the ability to skate. You gasp when he lands on his ass on the ice, earning himself a round of laughter from the people around him, including Melissa and you. Gabe skates over to him, extending his hand and helping him upright again, but not before clearly telling him he’s ‘a dumbass’. Now that’s something you can agree on.

You know Tyson has something up his sleeve when he skates off to the bench, clearly busying himself with something you can’t see. After a few more stolen glances at each other Tyson skates closer and closer to you, until he’s right in front of the glass. His left hand catches your attention, until he gives you a small and almost shy smile. “Look at him, he’s blushing!” Melissa whispers next to you. You shoot her a quick ‘shut up’ look, before you focus your attention back on Tyson.

Tyson shows you the puck in his gloved hand, mouthing to you to catch it. It takes him two tries before the puck lands on the other side of the glass, safely in your hands. Tyson gives you one last quick smile before he skates off to get ready for the game. Melissa nudges you softly, bringing you back from your thoughts. “So, what’s on there?” she asks, knowing damn well you haven’t even checked.

“I don’t know if I want to look, Mel,” you tell her honestly. Melissa gives you a sad smile, throwing her arm around your shoulders.

“Let’s look together?” she suggests. You don’t know why you’re so nervous, how much can you actually write on a puck? He seemed happy to see you, so there’s no need to be nervous that it’s a bad thing. You look at the puck, turning it around in your hands so you can read the whole thing. ‘Talk after the game?’ is written on the puck, you immediately recognize Tyson’s handwriting and his little smiley face, or.. something that should resemble a smiley face.

“That wasn’t that bad, right?” Melissa asks softly, squeezing your shoulder.

“What if I’m not ready?” you ask her, a question that has been on your mind a lot lately.

“Then you take a step back, you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, you don’t have any obligations. But he’s trying, y/n. You’ve heard all of Gabe’s stories, you’ve seen it yourself just now. It can’t hurt to at least talk to him.” You think about Melissa’s words, she does have a point there. Talking is something you should’ve done ages ago, or at least Tyson should’ve done that. So this is progress, he’s at least trying this time, that’s more than he used to do.

It’s hard to keep the smile off your face, you can’t even pinpoint why exactly you’re smiling. Whatever the reason is, it’s a good feeling to smile again. The game sure as hell plays a big part in it, the guys are on fire, scoring goal after goal, never giving the puck away for long. There’s barely any time for you to give Tyson a thumbs up, indicating you’re up for a talk after the game. Whenever you look at Tyson when he’s off the ice he’s smiling, whether it is to himself or to one of his teammates, that smile won’t leave his face.

You follow Melissa down to the locker room after the game is over. You’ve done this so many times, but this time it couldn’t be more different. You greet all the girls who are patiently waiting on their man, getting enough comforting words from them to last you a lifetime. When the door to the locker room opens you come face-to-face with Mikko, someone you haven’t seen in a while. Mikko’s face lights up when he spots you outside the locker room. “y/n! I haven’t seen you in so long,” he says, while hugging you tightly.

“I missed you too, goof. It’s great to see you,” you smile at him, wiggling out of his iron grip. Dude’s definitely stronger than he looks.

“Between you and me, Tyson’s a good kid, he just needed to grow up a bit,” Mikko whispers against your ear, before leaving you alone again.

You raise your eyebrow at Melissa, who just shrugs her shoulders. Weird. After a few more minutes Gabe and Tyson appear in front of you, both of them joking around. Tyson nervously looks around, not sure if he should come any closer. Gabe hugs you swiftly before throwing his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Make sure you bring her home safely, Jost,” Gabe warns him, before quickly saying goodbye to both of you.

You watch them leave, your mouth agape by the way they just left you here. Rude. “Did they just really do that?” you ask no one in particular, still shocked by their actions.

You turn around, looking back at Tyson, who still appears to be nervous. Is he nervous to talk to you? Why would he be nervous? It’s just you. “Hi there,” you smile, looking up at the man in front of you.

“Hi beautiful, it was nice seeing you tonight,” Tyson softly says, giving you a small smile.

Your insides flutter with his use of words, it’s nice hearing them even though you’re not completely sure if he means them the way you hope he does. “It was. You played great, I had a lot of fun,” you say, smiling at the proud look that crosses Tyson’s face for a moment.

Tyson leads you back to the rink, which is now completely deserted, thinking it would be a nice place to chat. For a while the two of you fall back into small talk, ‘how’s life?’, ‘how’s work?’, all that bullshit. You know Tyson and you are avoiding the actual topic that needs to be discussed, or topics? Whatever it is, there’s a lot to talk about. “I missed it here, I forgot how much I loved being here,” you tell Tyson, looking at the lights that lighten up the place, thinking back at the memories full of fun and happiness you both created here.

“I missed you, baby,” Tyson blurts out, completely catching you off guard.

Your eyes shoot back to his, you feel the panic rising inside your body. “Tyson...,” you start, warning him he’s walking on thin ice here.

Tyson’s face falls a bit, seeing the anxious look on your face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” Tyson groans, rubbing his face harshly, utterly frustrated with himself and the situation.

It’s quiet for a minute, both of you completely lost in thoughts. “Why is this so hard? We used to be able to talk about anything and everything. What changed, y/n?” Tyson wonders out loud.

You feel a painful pang in your heart, because you know damn well what changed. “You did, Tyson. You changed,” you almost whisper, the truth behind those words more clear than ever before.

You watch as Tyson’s whole composure changes in the blink of an eye, in just a split second he goes from the ‘happy’ guy to the guy who’s just as heartbroken as you are. “I did, didn’t I?” Tyson whispers, the tears pooling in his eyes. “I fucked this up, how could I be so stupid?” he mumbles, burying in face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, I regret this more than I could ever admit to you. I’m so sorry, baby,” Tyson cries, trying to keep his eyes focused on you. It’s hard to keep your own tears at bay when the guy you love so much has a breakdown in front of you, so you don’t. You just let them fall.

You don’t make a move to comfort him, you do give him room to let it all out, give him time to gather his composure again. “I looked through the box, the one you left on our bed?” Tyson says, his voice still broken, still thick with emotion. You nod your head, it was something you hoped he would do. “I had no idea you kept all of that throughout the years,” Tyson smiles weakly at you. “It made me realize what a moron I have been these past few months, maybe even longer,” he continues, shaking his head in disappointment. You listen intently at him, this, this is what you hoped for all this time: realization.

“I’m not telling you that you weren’t a moron, because you absolutely were. But I’m glad you came to the same conclusion.”

Tyson chuckles at your statement, giving you half a smile. “I know, I’m a dumbass. I’m a dumbass for acting this way and a dumbass for letting you go. Any guy would be on top of the world with you by his side, and I just let you slip through my fingers,” Tyson tells you, finally showing he knows he’s been a fool all this time, he knows he let something special go.

“Is it too late for us? Can you give us another chance?” Tysons asks you, his eyes flickering between you and the ground.

You sigh softly, knowing this question would come. It’s something you gave a lot of thought, something that crossed your mind daily. “I don’t know, Tyson. I really don’t know. You really fucking hurt me, you know? I can’t just look past that, I need to heal from that,” you tell him. Tyson nods his head, a guilty expression on his face. “You made me feel worthless every single day. You didn’t even give me a second of your time day after day. All you cared about was being away. Being away from me?”

It’s right that moment Tyson interrupts you by grabbing your hands. “No. No. That’s not true, you need to believe me,” he tells you as fast as he can.

“But how can I believe you when you never gave me a reason to? Your actions showed me exactly that, Tyson. I need answers, I need to know why,” you exclaim, starting to panic again, your anxiety taking over.

“Easy, baby. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, everything you want, but right now I need you to breath. Breathe, baby,” Tyson says softly, trying to calm your shallow breathing back down to normal. “Listen to my breathing, try to follow the way I breathe.” You do as he says, following the rise and fall of his chest, gaining back control of your own breathing.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize, while Tyson just shakes his head at you, letting you know it’s okay. “Can you take me home, Ty? We can talk later, okay?” you ask him, suddenly feeling the need to crawl underneath the covers of your bed and just simply sleep for a while.

“Anything you want, y/n,” Tyson says, leading you out of the room and back to his car. You’re pretty sure he mumbled something under his breath, something very closely resembling ‘your home isn’t there, it’s with me’.

The drive to Gabe takes longer than expected, giving you more time to think about Tyson’s earlier question. You still need and want to know how he spent his nights, where he spent his nights, and why he acted like you didn’t exist. That conversation might need to wait until another day, you aren’t up for any more information, any more realizations, you still need to process everything you heard, saw and felt today.

Tyson stops the car in front of Gabe’s house, looking back at you with hopeful eyes. You know he still hopes he gets an answer to his earlier question, and you want to give him at least that. “You need to show me you changed, Tyson. Show me you changed for real and I’ll try to get past everything that happened. I can’t promise you anything,” you tell him softly, meaning everything you just said.

Tyson nods his head, a smile of relief on his lips. “I will, I promise you I will show you I changed and that you’re everything to me. I promise, baby.”

So that’s exactly what Tyson does the next few weeks, every free moment he tries to show you just how much you mean to him, without smothering you. Whether it’s taking you out for dinner, although you’re still waiting for Tyson to actually make you dinner by himself one day, to small coffee dates and fresh flowers at work. It’s been a lot to process, a lot of adjusting to this ‘new’ Tyson, or rather seeing the ‘old’ Tyson again. And you missed him, God you missed him so much.

Tyson seems happier, more at peace with himself these days, it’s a pleasant change. Often you wondered what was really going on inside his head, but you stopped trying after he waved it off again, and again, and again. The late night phone calls, or facetiming during road trips have become a habit again, something you didn’t think you would ever experience again with him. You still take things slow with Tyson, deciding to rather allow yourself to slowly start trusting him again than diving head first into a relationship again. Maybe it will never come that far again, you don’t know how the future will look like for the two of you, but for now it’s enough.

You come face-to-face with a smirking Melissa when you get home from yet another ‘iced coffee and donut’ date, even though you’re pretty sure Tyson isn’t allowed to eat any donuts. “Oh no,” you groan at Melissa’s expression.

“It’s time we have a little sister-sister conversation, don’t you think?” she asks you, ushering you into the living room.

“Do we?” you groan again, not in the mood to handle whatever Melissa wants to talk about now, because you already know it’s either about you, Tyson or you and Tyson.

Melissa flops down on the couch, patting the place next to her, indicating for you to sit your ass down. “Did you already talk to him about it?” she asks, straight to point in pure Melissa-style.

You let your head fall back against the cushions, sighing loudly. “I didn’t. We’re doing great, we’re having fun. I’m going to ruin it if I start asking questions again.”

Melissa stays quiet for a minute, trying to figure out the right way to approach this sensitive topic. “You know you deserve the truth, right? You can’t rebuild a relationship when not everything’s on the table, sweetheart,” Melissa says softly, knowing you’re struggling with this.

“I promise I’ll talk to him after the road trip, I don’t want to create any unnecessary negative energy before,” you promise Melissa, although she gives you a ‘who are you trying to fool here’ look before switching topics.

A few days later you find yourself back at Tyson’s place. It’s weird being here, knowing you don’t live here anymore. Nothing changed, absolutely nothing, Tyson kept everything the way you did, whether it’s out of laziness or out of hope you’ll come back on day. Either way it’s weird coming back to a place that’s no longer your home. You came here to talk, nothing more nothing less. You promised Mel you would, and if you’re being honest with yourself it’s time to know the truth, time to reopen old wounds and finally get some answers. You’ve grown closer and closer to Tyson, without knowing everything, without knowing you’d be able to forgive him if he ever made a misstep. It’s time.

Tyson has been a nervous wreck ever since you called him last night after he returned from the road trip to St. Louis. He knew this was coming, but he prayed you would simply forget, even though he knows that’s not fair at all. He can’t excuse his behavior, and he won’t, not anymore. You deserve nothing but the truth, the full truth. He’s not proud of it, but you leaving him opened his eyes, showed him he really needed to change. Tyson feels like that’s something he truly did, he changed for the better, he can only hope you’ll feel the same way. He can only hope you’re still on the same path after tonight.

“You did great these last games, Ty,” you smile at him. You’re proud of the way he’s been performing these last couple of games, he really stepped up his game.

“I know you didn’t come here to talk about my performances on the ice, so can we please skip the pleasantries?” Tyson sighs, catching you completely off guard with his rather harsh approach. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, I’ve just been so fucking nervous since you called me,” Tyson curses, frustratedly brushing his fingers through his curls.

“You’re right though, I did come to talk. I think it’s time we lay all our cards on the table,” you tell him, nodding at your own answer.

You nervously bite on your lip, playing with the cup of water in your hand. It isn’t every day you ask your ex these questions. Questions you want the answers to, question you maybe don’t even want to hear the answers of. “I need to know if you cheated on me, Ty,” you blurt out, keeping your eyes on the ground, not wanting to see the look on Tyson’s face.

“Look at me, baby,” Tyson says, urging you to look up at him. “I never cheated on you, I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise.”

You shake your head at him, not knowing what to do with these emotions surging through your body. “It doesn’t make sense, Ty. Where were you all those nights? Where were you every time I lay in bed alone waiting for my boyfriend to come home? Waiting if he actually comes home this time or stays out all night again? Where were you?” At this point you’re past the civil conversations, past the friendly banter, you need answers, you need to know why he did what he did. The reason doesn’t even matter at this point, you need to know why. Why did he leave you alone so many nights, worrying about his well being, worrying about if he would come home at some point?

“Fuck, y/n! I know I fucked up, I know I did. But I swear on everything, I swear on my career, I swear on you that I never, never, touched another woman. I never kissed another woman, I never even danced with another woman, I did not cheat on you,” Tyson exclaims, hoping, praying you hear what he’s saying, that you’ll believe him. He didn’t do anything with another person, it was always you, it still is only you and he’ll do everything in his power to prove that to you every damn day.

“Then where were you, Ty? If you weren’t with another woman, then where the fuck were you every night you didn’t came home? Please enlighten me, because I’m so lost, so fucking lost,” you say, feeling utterly frustrated with yourself, with Tyson, with this shitty situation.

Tyson takes a deep breath, placing his cup back on the table. “Shitfaced drunk to the point I couldn’t even remember my own name, or so stoned I saw freaking elephants running all around town. Spending my money on unnecessary shit at clubs and bars, all to forget, trying to forget the fact that I had a perfect girlfriend waiting for me at home, while I did stupid shit. Fuck, this sounds even worse out loud than in my head,” Tyson groans, burying his face in his hands.

“But...,” you start, before Tyson cuts you off.

“I felt ashamed and guilty, y/n. Ashamed I let it get that far every time, guilty I didn’t tell you, guilty I didn’t come home again. One of the guys would just take me back to their place out of sympathy, letting me crash on their couch, trying to sleep off my haze.”

You try to come up with words to say, with anything but nothing comes out, you just feel.. empty? “I don’t understand, Tyson,” you say, at this point not even sure what you don’t understand.

“I tried, y/n. I tried to just come clean, but I couldn’t when you were so nice all the time, I couldn’t when I knew you would hate it, hate me. You know I’m a fucking lightweight, that makes it even worse. But those are no excuses, there aren’t any. I fucked up,” Tyson sighs, giving you a sad smile, “I couldn’t face you, I didn’t know how to show you my vulnerable side without letting it change the way you saw me. I didn’t want you to see me any different, but I didn’t notice I changed until you packed your bags and left me standing in the doorway.”

You’re absolutely speechless, there are so many things you want to say but you can’t form any sentences, any words. You just stare at him, your mind racing with an unlimited amount of thoughts. “Are you okay, baby?” Tyson asks softly, reaching out to put his hand on your arm.

You shake your head from side to side, wiping away the tears that spilled out. “I’m not okay, I’m definitely not okay,” you tell him. “I feel terrible knowing you didn’t feel like you could come to me, like you couldn’t talk to me. I’ve always been your biggest supporter, nothing would’ve changed that, Ty.”

Tyson gently wipes the tears away from underneath your eyes, scooting closer to where you’re seated. “Come here, baby,” he softly says, opening his arms for you. You hesitate for a second, not knowing if this is the right thing to do. Fuck the right thing, you definitely need a hug right now, and judging by Tyson’s facial expression he needs one as well. You lean forward, putting your arms around his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of his body. How long has it been since you hugged each other? You can’t even remember, way too long. Tyson closes his arms around you, pulling you as close as possible to his own body.

“I missed this, Ty. I missed you,” you confess, the feeling of his arms around you, the feeling of Tyson, bringing back so many memories, so many happier times.

“I know we still have a long way to go, but I hope we’ll do this together. I can’t even tell you how great it feels to have my arms around you again, even if it’s just for a moment,” Tyson says, after you both let go of each other.

“We do, but I’m in if you’re in, Ty,” you agree, wanting nothing more than to work through the issues you still have. It’s time to forgive, time to let go, time to change and time to move on.

“I’m all in.”

The talk you had with Tyson that Wednesday evening did wonders for the both of you. You still had a long way to go before you were even remotely close to where you used to be with Tyson, but the most important thing was that you were working on things. Slowly, but steadily the two of you worked on trusting each other again, telling each other important things again, just simply working on being in a healthy relationship again. Although the word never came up, you were nowhere near ready for that commitment, so you settled on something less intimidating. Friends.

It was supposed to be a regular, normal Friday evening with just Melissa and the kids. Gabe and Tyson were playing one of their most important games this season, both of them begged you to come, but it was too late to find a babysitter. Not wanting to be by yourself there and leaving Mel alone, you decided to sit this one out as well, promising to cheer them on in front of the tv. It’s the least you could do. So there you are, seated on the couch wearing your Jost jersey for the very first time again, just as you promised. Weird, like nothing ever changed, even though the exact opposite is true.

You’re bouncing a giggling Linnea Rae on your knee, looking down at her adorable mini jersey. “Look it’s your daddy!” you exclaim excitedly, pointing at the closeup shot of Gabe.

“Daddy!” Linnea Rae giggles just as excited.

You catch Mel softly smiling at your little interaction with her daughter, enjoying the love you share for each other. It’s been a blessing to have you around here, the way you care for her children, but also for her and her husband has been phenomenal. Mel couldn’t wish for a better friend, for a better sister than you.

“Oh no,” you whisper when Tyson gets slammed hard into the glass. Melissa grabs your hand, squeezing softly.

“He’s going to be fine, he’s a tough guy,” she says, trying her best to comfort you. And he is, like the tough guy Tyson is, he gets up again, shaking off the hard hit. The game continues and you’re glad Tyson is fine, skating like he didn’t just get squeezed between a glass wall and a 200 pound hockey player.

All goes well until Gabe decides the best place to smack his stick is directly against Tyson’s face, again. “Not his face, Gabe! Not his fucking face again!” you yell at the screen, thanking Mel for already putting the kids to sleep.

“Shit, that looks bad,” Melissa almost whispers, squeezing your hand again.

You don’t know many things for sure in life, but you sure as hell know Tyson will be spotting a black eye for weeks. But like the tough guy he already proved to be, he just goes on with the game, trying his absolute best to work as hard as he can, giving himself completely to the game, anything to get his team the victory.

“That’s the second time you gave my man a black eye, Gabe. Why do you keep hurting him?” you whine the second Gabe walks into the living room. For a moment the room stays awfully quiet, until you realize what you just said. “I really said that, huh?” you ask, fighting to keep the smile off your face.

“You sure did. But I’m sorry, it was an accident. Again,” Gabe chuckles, shrugging his shoulders.

“Uhu, again,” you say, rolling your eyes at your best friend.

Gabe grins at you, flopping down on the couch next to Mel. “I’ll try not to hurt his pretty face again, okay?” Gabe laughs, shaking his head at you in a playful way.

“Is it weird if I, you know.. went over to check up on him?” you ask your friends, suddenly insecure about the thought of just showing up at his door.

Gabe gives you a soft smile. “I’m absolutely convinced he’d love that, y/n,” Gabe says, pulling Melissa closer to him.

“I know he would, sis,” Melissa agrees with her husband.

“Fine, okay. I’ll be back in a few. Don’t enjoy yourself too much,” you tell the two lovebirds before finding your stuff and almost running out of the front door.

You’re giddy the entire drive to Tyson’s apartment. This could go two ways, either it goes extremely well or this backfires completely. You’re hoping for the first one. Seeing Tyson get hurt gave you some realizations. One of them is that you absolutely hate to see him hurt, and you want nothing more than to be there for him, care for him, to tell him everything will be alright. Which brings you to your second discovery of the evening: you still love him, you’re still completely and utterly in love with Tyson. You can’t, really can’t imagine your life without Tyson in it. It’s your turn to tell him you need him, tell him you don’t want to do anything without him, tell him you still see a future together.

You pick up his favorite comfort food on the way over, cake. You know his nutritionist will hate you for this, but he deserves a treat after taking a stick to the face. You chuckle to yourself when you think of the small cake you bought, it’s stupid and childish, but you love it. The fun you already had makes it absolutely worth it. You park in front of the building, hopping out of the car and quickly making your way over to the floor Tyson occupies.

You rummage around in your coat pocket for the lighter you bought alongside the cake. Quickly placing the cover back into the bag, and lighting up the ‘2’ shaped candle. You snicker to yourself, enjoying this way too much. You knock on the door and patiently wait for Tyson to open up. You hear Tyson approaching, making it harder and harder to keep your composure.

The moment he opens the door his face shifts from slight annoyance, to confused, to happy, and back to confused again. “y/n?” he asks softly, looking between you and the cake, confusion clearly written all over his face.

“Happy second black eye!” you yell, before bursting out in laughter.

Tyson can’t help but join you in your laughter, if there’s one thing he loves about you, it’s your wicked sense of humor. “You really are something special, aren’t you?” Tyson chuckles, shaking his head softly at you, a smile playing on his lips.

“You tell me, Jost,” you say, giving him a wink before walking past him and inside his apartment.

“So you bought me a cake?” Tyson asks you, looking over your shoulder to the cake on his kitchen counter.

“I sure did, thought you’d deserved a treat after what Gabe did to you, again,” you laugh.

“He sure likes to hit me in the face with things. But thank you, this really means a lot to me, baby,” Tyson softly says, squeezing your hip with one of his hands, before grabbing two plates. While Tyson cuts the cake you look for something to drink, deciding water will do for the night.

You flop down on the couch next to Tyson, immediately bringing the fork with a piece of cake to your mouth. “Oh God, that’s so good,” you moan out, you picked some killer cake.

“Don’t make those noises, please,” Tyson groans, stuffing his face with cake.

“I’m sorry I picked such a good freaking cake, mister,” you laugh, nudging him with your foot. Tyson rolls his eyes playfully at you, grabbing your foot with his free hand before you can nudge him again and again.

“Movie?” Tyson asks after you both finished your plates, although Tyson finished the last few bites of your piece. Like he said he’s a needy and hungry man.

“Sure, but just something light and funny, Ty. Nothing dark,” you tell him, knowing he’d love to scare you throughout some horror movie.

While Tyson scrolls through the movies, you make yourself more comfortable on the couch, laying back against the cushions with your feet against Tyson. He looks at you, scanning your body, clearly thinking about something since his eyebrows keep furrowing and relaxing.

“Come here, Tyson,” you softly say when he finally picks a movie to watch, opening your arms for him. His eyes shoot to yours, like he can’t actually believe you just told him that. He gives you a quick smile, before moving towards you, laying down beside you.

He rests his head against your chest, just like he used to do so long ago, his arm wrapped around your waist. “Is this okay?” he asks you, making sure you aren’t uncomfortable, even though you’re the one who suggested this.

“It’s perfect, Ty,” you reassure him.

Halfway through the movie you can’t resist the temptation to run your fingers through his curls any longer. Tyson groans softly when your nails rake over his scalp, sending chill through your body. “That’s so good, please never stop doing that,” he groans out, pulling you tighter against him.

“I wasn’t planning on it, Ty,” you tell him, smiling at the way his eyes shoot to yours.

“You aren’t? Are you serious?” he asks you quietly, eyes still locked on yours.

“I am, love. I came to the conclusion that you’re worth all the risks in life. You’re my light, my guiding light in darkness, my light at the end of the tunnel,” you say, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead. You try to express your emotions towards Tyson, trying to make him feel what you felt when you came to the sudden realization he’s worth taking a risk.

“What does that mean, baby?” Tyson asks you softly, an uncertain smile on his lips.

“It means I’m willing to give us another shot, another go. I want to try again, Ty.”

You can’t help the smile that forms on your lips when you look at Tyson’s face, the realization setting in, the happiness and the gratefulness spreading all over his face, the relief flooding through his body.

“How does that work?” Tyson asks again, clearly trying to rid himself of any insecurities, any questions he has. You gladly take those insecurities away from him.

“A clean slate, completely starting over again to give us both a fresh start. How does that sound?” you ask him.

Tyson nods at you, the happiness radiation off him. “A fresh start, I like the sound of that,” Tyson muses. The changes on his face fascinates you, it seems like he goes through a whole range of emotions in just a few minutes. Until he reaches one you know all too well, mischief. He looks at you, the familiar glimmer in his eyes tells you he’s definitely up to something. He sends you a soft and sweet smile, that almost melts you into a puddle right there and then. “Hi, I’m Tyson,” he says, extending his hand to you. You can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of you, this is exactly how Tyson is. Funny, charming, an absolute dream.

“You’re a goof, you know that?” you tell him, softly shaking your head at him, but the big grin on your face tells him you loved that. Tyson intertwined his fingers with yours, squeezing softly. When he doesn’t make any other moves you take matters into your own hand, slowly leaning in and softly pressing your lips on his. The familiarity, the rush of emotion flooding through your body hits you like a ton of bricks. The feeling of his lips against yours light something deep inside of you, and just like that you finally feel complete again.

[kayla1507]

Hi! I was wondering if you had any favourite / least favourite chapters from DBH?

Personally, having played the game so many times, Jericho and Night of the Soul have grown a little irritating haha

TY :)

Hi, Anon! 

I’ve played through the entire game 20+ times. And I actually looove Night of the Soul! I think it gives some much needed character depth to both Leader!Markus or Leader!North. I especially enjoy visiting Carl back at home, Leo’s apology and the “you are my son, Markus” moment shared between Carl and Markus. The only chapter variation I dislike is Hank’s... for obvious reasons.

Favorite Chapter:

My favorite chapter is *drumroll*, Stormy Night. It's just the right mix between suspense, QTE action and drama for me. It also has so many different outcomes (my favorite one being the gun) and small variations that aren't even in listed the flowchart that the replay value is insane!

I really like Eden Club, too. I enjoy challenges and the tracking sequence is imo the trickiest Connor mission. In fact, I’ve seen quite a lot of players fail tracking Echo in time. There’s also the fact that Echo and Ripple’s story has an emotional impact on both the player and Connor (+ Hank by extension), whereas we don’t learn much to invoke sympathy for Daniel, Rupert or Kitchen Deviant. Echo and Ripple were the ones who made Hank start changing his mind about deviants. They’re also the suspects I personally care most about.

Least favorite chapter:

Well, you asked for it. CyberLife HQ. Not because it's so uneventful like Jericho, but because of its huge amount of plot holes, its deus ex machina whats-my-sons-name conclusion (yeah, Connor looked his name up on the internet offscreen, we get it) and the lack of consequence for the finale of a choice based game. 

A few examples to elaborate on it: 

The chapter opens to Hank being held hostage. Connor has various dialogue options, but nothing he tells RK800-60 matters. 

Connor has the option to shoot 60. But in the shoulder, which does precicely nothing.

If Connor fails every single QTE when fighting 60, nothing happens.

Remembering or not remembering Sumo’s name doesn’t matter. 

You don’t have to remember Cole’s name after seeing his photo, because the game points it out to you with a special effect.

Connor knows all about Cole even if the player never found out about him, deus ex machina per definition.

If 60 wins at Cyberlife Tower... nothing comes from it. He doesn’t show up in the crowd to assasinate Markus on stage. He just goes back to his stasis pod, you know? CyberLife just calls it a day.

It’s supposed to be Connor’s redemption arc, and I mean Connor turning his back on his blood-stained past. He doesn’t. He keeps killing. Killing a handful of humans on his way to the warehouse, killing the other RK800 to gather a massive army and force humanity out of Detroit City – with success. Neither the president nor Pacifist!Markus care. The peaceful demonstration was obviously added after the revolution-deviant route hence the lack of concept art and peaceful deviant options, but still...

RK800-52 to RK800-59 have just disappeared.

Hank executes 60 via headshot just to make sure he’s really, really dead. Then adds “maybe you (androids) really are alive.”

Connor’s LED is calm blue as Hank dies. A tense Hank laments he’ll miss Connor after Connor sacrificed him. 

The famous hug isn’t a reward for befriending Hank, the game will also force it in sheer inappropriate context. CyberLife HQ proves that our relationship to Hank up until this point, doesn’t matter. As long as both make it out alive, their relationship will automatically rise to ‘friend’, even if tense Connor was a murderous and toxic person who bullied Hank. Okay.

Which also hurt the chapter is the lack of a memorable, "boss fight”. RK800-60 is like a cartoon caricature of Machine!Connor, but stripped of all the badass and scary, into a deranged “I am disappointed in you!”-toddler. And like I mentioned, if he wins and walks out alive, then nothing comes from that. Fanfiction tells me that 90% of the fandom doesn’t recall who Connor-60 even was, but does recall Agent Perkins, Gavin Reed, Amanda and RK900. Yes, even RK900. That’s how forgettable he is as a villain.

So. My least favorite chapter because its lack of meaning, despite being the single most important character arc for deviant!Connor.

[steambend]

steambend’s end of year fic rec list [2020]

so i thought i’d just collate a list of my favourite fics i read this year. i’ll split it from completed to ongoing, and it will go from general to mature rated fics (each category is also in alphabetical order, because i’m that bitch). i’m sure most of these fics you will have seen or read before, but i wanted to get them all in one place and maybe start an annual tradition on my page!

these are all zutara fics

completed fics, rated: general

beautiful by dyce

zuko cannot stop noticing that katara is beautiful. 

brightest in the dark by soopersara

a less-than-friendly interruption in the crystal catacombs pushes zuko and katara together, and they have to work together to find a new path.

canon divergent from crossroads of destiny

completed fics, rated: teen and up

mending wounds by fictionissocialinquiry

'the fire prince is older. you can see it in the calmness of his expression, the relaxed carriage of his shoulders. he is smiling at her. she's never seen the fire lord's son smile.' while lost in the foggy swamp, searching for her brother and her avatar, katara is haunted by visions of the fire nation's disgraced prince. visions of peace after war, visions of honour and secrets...

stealing from pirates by dyce

without zuko to rescue her from the pirates, katara is captured... and finds that they already have a prisoner in desperate need of her help.

such selfish prayers by andromeda3116

katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. or, katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead.

the color of the stars by bluenebulae

“roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” ― confucius

one moment changes the course of history. katara and zuko are imprisoned by the fire nation army during the day of black sun, and when they escape, they find themselves adrift in the fire nation with no one to rely on but each other. with only six weeks before sozin’s comet arrives and four nations to cross, the pair must track down katara’s allies, save the world—and learn to trust each other.

canon divergent from part 2 of 'day of black sun.'

there are worse things i could do by orosea

she thinks of how this must be so easy for sokka, to be married at home, to someone of his culture. she has nothing against princess yue, the sickly girl is kind, and frankly, far too good for sokka. which is the problem. sokka is in love with her.

and what does katara get? a marriage to a firebender. thrown into a country she doesn’t know, like fish carcass, to the nephew of the fire lord.

for her tribe, she tells herself.

rounding the edges by sadladybug

it can take some grit and hard work to grind out the sharp edges, but the effort can produce something that shines. a zutara oneshot in which katara learns a few new things about zuko, including the fact that he may be very difficult to live without. featuring unexpected teamwork, tense training moments, and more than a few awkward conversations. canon compliant(ish), book three beginning sometime between tsr and eip.

what fortune lent by lewilder

au; the southern raiders' mission aims true and katara is taken to the fire nation as a prisoner of war. as her circumstances and the political climate change, she forms unexpected alliances and makes it her mission to restore her people and find the avatar.

completed fics, rated: not rated

and you feel your heart (taking root in your body) by raisindeatre

"no one is now what they were before the war." - catherynne valente

after everything - the comet, the war, the coronation - katara tries to find the road back to herself. somewhere along the way, she also finds the road to zuko.

ongoing fics, rated: teen and up

in the kingdom of heaven by nautica_dawn

in her later years, katara will look back on the agni kai against azula fondly. in her younger, more immediate years, she wishes she'd turned down zuko's offer.

polar nights by crystalline talisman

in order to arrange a treaty for the long standing war between the water tribe and fire nation, prince zuko is sent to the south pole to arrange a truce by fire lord lu ten, where he is greeted by subzero temperatures, sea prunes, and quirky customs. this of course, is a cake walk compared to the revelation he'll be marrying the stubborn spiritual leader, katara. au. zutara.

the chief and i by jassmarie19

when the fire nation decides to take over the world, it is the temples that go down first (peacefully, and no one suspects a thing). then their eyes turn towards the mainland and all is lost for the earth kingdoms. at this onset of war, the southern water tribe shuts itself off from the rest of the world. it is a challenge at first, but the fire nation decides they have loftier goals than the tribal people of ice and water. they are forgotten.

a century has passed. the fire empire runs the world, emperor azulon at the head with his grandson, the herald of light, prince zuko of the southern isles by his side. fresh off winning the last vestige in the earth kingdom, prince zuko travels to the south to gain the last of the free world. but they come to the southern water tribe knowing nothing but snippets saved before the conquering. the herald of light has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to convince their vexing chieftain to surrender. the fate of the great imperial empire counts on this.

this might as well happen by owedbetter

stranded in a foreign country during a pandemic, zuko has a crazy idea.

ongoing fics, rated: mature

southern lights by colourwhirled

a world where the avatar has disappeared from memory. where sozin’s conquest was successful. where the unsteady order of the empire is threatened as members of the royal family are picked off one by one and lines are slowly drawn in the sand.

one last chance for peace forces an unlikely alliance between a homesick waterbender, a carefree air nomad, a runaway earth kingdom heiress, and the fire lord's inscrutable son. together they must learn to shed old enmities and become the balance they seek to restore to the world.

or:

the avatar has four heads.

x

[[chapter 4: "and always, his eyes, cautiously watching her. even when he thinks she isn’t looking. it drives her mad"]]

waste no more time by owedbetter

'waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. be one.’ - marcus aurelius

no one knew where the painted lady of republic city came from. they only know that one day, she did. healing the sick, fighting injustice where she could, and ruining profiteering capitalist organisations when she could.

and ozai corporations will stop at nothing to put an end to this brand of vigilante justice, even hiring the elusive powers behind blue spirit investigations to seize and desist her from further damaging the chaos her revolutionary care is inspiring among the people... by any means necessary.

a tale of justice, love, and revolution.

and that is it! happy reading guys, and feel free to reblog and add your favourite zk reads of 2020

[a-very-tired-bitch]

My new favourite movie: Handsome Devil

WARNING: I will be using words such as ‘queer’ and ‘gay’ to describe both real-life people and characters. This isn’t a warning for LGBT+ people existing (because, guess what, they do), this is just letting you know that I’ll be using these words and I know that some people may have experienced them in negative context and may not like them/may feel uncomfortable with them so I just wanted to put this out there and that I am in no way using these words negatively. Anyways:

I am utter trash for good queer stories in the media because, like most people who are like me, I’m constantly looking for some form of representation. So, when my friend insistently told me that ‘Handsome Devil’ was a really good film with gay characters, I was all in (even if it was a bunch of cis, white guys again). And, as you know, I loved it. Not only was the soundtrack amazing, the actors did a brilliant job (*ahem* Andrew Scott, my beloved), I completely lost my shit and I want to talk about it.

DISCLAIMER: These are just my interpretations and I’m not criticising any opinions that are different to mine. Just explaining why I disagree or why I saw the thing differently. Also SPOILERS.

1. Conor’s handshake with Pascal.

I saw this only like twice, but the two interpretations of this moment that I saw talked about Conor forgiving Pascal with this action when that clearly wasn’t what the movie was going for.

So, up till this point, Pascal has been a homophobic character, outwardly antagonistic towards Dan Sherry who is suspects is gay, even completely rejecting Conor, despite his previous adoration of him due to his rugby talent, because he is gay. And this type of authority figure is something that has failed Conor before, most painfully in his dad.

So why would he hold out his hand in forgiveness? Inspired by Ned, he played the second half of that rugby match for himself - not for the Wood Hill College rugby team, but for his own team made up of him and Ned. And this handshake represents the growth it took for him to do that (even if he was thrown in the deep end by Ned smh), that he’s stepping up to be the bigger person and that he recognises the work that went into this win, even if Pascal turned on him in the end but that it doesn’t mean forgiveness.

And that’s a really fucking badass moment.

2. The flawed mentor figure.

This was probably one of my favourite parts of the movie. Because this is something that we don’t see often at all in queer storylines. Whenever we see a movie or show with young queer characters getting help or advice from older ones, the mentor figure is usually portrayed as idealistically as possible: their advice is flawless, their life is put together, they’re out and proud etc. And Handsome Devil upturned that.

Dan Sherry is placed literally in the role of a mentor being Ned and Conor’s English teacher, but he’s not perfect. He’s in a place in his life where he’s come to terms with his sexuality, but he’s not in a place where he’s as confident as you’d expect for a character in the role that he’s in. And his advice is representative of that: on the rugby field, he doesn’t tell Conor to go out there and own the day, he tells him to keep it to himself for the moment, to keep hiding it just for a little while, that it gets better, that one day he won’t have to hide anything. And Conor immediately calls him out, asking why ‘never use a borrowed voice’ doesn’t apply to him. Dan obviously knows that the answer is ‘because this is different’ but he can’t bring himself to tell Conor that because sexuality shouldn’t be exempt from his advice and the fact that it is hurts them both.

And so, because of his characterisation in this movie, portrayed beautifully by Andrew Scott, we see him grow. It’s not just some proud smile as he watches Ned and Conor develop as people, it’s actual character growth because he sees their bravery and brings his own sexuality to light when he invites Arthur to the rugby match. You can see his nerves and his hesitations in the same way that you see Conor and Ned’s nerves and hesitations which creates such good depth in this movie.

3. They didn’t kiss.

I know some people didn’t like this. And I understand why - it’s a deviation from the standard formula, so it feels a bit like we were cheated out of a romance. But, I honestly feel like the ending we got was the best ending for the movie.

(Before we go on, I do want to quickly clarify that there’s no way their relationship is wholly platonic because Conor has this smile that is only directed at Ned when Ned’s not looking and there’s nothing heterosexual about Ned saying ‘all I can hear in my head is your voice and it makes me want to follow you’, so they’ll probably get together over the course of the rest of their time at school.)

Firstly, I think them getting together by the end of the movie would have been a bit rushed, especially since most of the shit that went down happened in the week before the rugby finals and they really didn’t talk to each other at all for that whole week so there are definitely some conversations that need to happen before anything romantic happens. They need to forgive both themselves and each other (yes, it could be argued that Ned outing Conor is worse than Conor shoving Ned to the ground but that doesn’t cancel it out).

Secondly, the movie ending was perfect. It’s a moment of euphoria for the both of them - Conor saves the match and Ned saves his friend. They have their moment of quiet happiness in a very-not-bro-hug an the team immediately jumps on them to celebrate. It’s a satisfying high-note to end on which is so wholesome and so well rounded-off but it leaves enough room for fan works and imagination which really is the best sort of ending you could get.

Everyone go watch Handsome Devil.