#i will say two things that DO genuinely irk me are a. again why does everyone have five beads WRDNFN sorry it is such a pet peeve but.

[pallases]

hiya leigh!! just wanted to say your tags on that post about the show had great points that tbh I wasn't really thinking about (<- girl who is just here for the vibes) but I agree with all those thoughts..overall what's your general feel so far are you having fun are the changes annoying you too much etc? <3

HI KIRA i too am just here for the vibes <3 most of the stuff i have to criticize so far doesn’t genuinely irk me it’s just like hm they could have done this better but i am definitely having fun!! i loveeee walker as percy he nails his expressions and tone 🫶🏻 really like the extra focus they’re placing on grover & hope we get more of it as the series goes on!! vv excited to see more of annabeth too leah plays her very cool and collected which is not really the annabeth im used to at this age who is a lot more um. prone to exasperation and openly desperate to prove herself i guess? but leah is definitely fun to watch and im really interested to see where it goes. she got more than a few laughs out of me and she’s barely even had any screentime yet so. <3 cannot wait to see more of her!!! overall positive feelings & can’t stop thinking abt getting the rest of the eps it has been on my mind all day today aghdjf

[nctsworld]

at your earliest convenience

✩‌ haechan x reader | fluff | 1.3k

SUMMARY | in which haechan is always your one (and annoying) late-night customer at the 24/7 convenience store you work at and one evening, he forgets his wallet. in lieu of payment, he asks if he can take you out on a date instead. // part of the connection series

WARNINGS | slightly insecure reader, none really!

RATING | teen+

AUTHOR'S NOTE | please check out (and maybe send in some prompt requests) @nctpromptmeme!

You ring him up, like clockwork. 

The scanner picks up a bag of the Korean brand onion rings, two Red Bulls, and an instant noodle cup.  

He’s the only consistent man in your life, ignoring the fact that the sole reason why he’s in your life is because he always comes into the 24/7 convenience store you work at during late, sometimes ungodly, hours. Tonight, it’s not that bad: 1:53am. 

Rarely, no one else strolls in during your shift (and you’re grateful it’s a safe neighbourhood). 

However, this young man lives to make your shift a painful one. 

Usually with ruffled hair, transparent-framed glasses, and a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, he saunters in as if he owns the store, often swinging his keys or obnoxiously whistling along to the song playing in the background. From the moment he steps into the store, his existence alone irks you. 

Unsurprisingly, he then takes a solid ten minutes on average (yes, you’ve timed it) to buy his items. Whistling evolves into screeches or emphatic oohs and aahs. Sometimes, he even narrates the entire process, as if he's the main character in a show. And yet, despite it all, he ends up buying the same rotation of his favourite items. 

If not the onion rings, the shrimp crackers. If not the Red Bulls, the bottles of Monster instead. He may be grabbing one cup of noodles tonight, but other times it’s three. Potentially even a completely different brand, if he’s feeling adventurous.   

On that note, predictability is in his nature. You plead internally for him to live a little, to maybe even spice up his night with a little change, for crying out loud. Heck, maybe even change the grey or black t-shirt he always wears to a shade that’s not a neutral tone or to put on a jacket for once. 

And the cherry on top is the constant annoying smirk he flashes when you tell him his total. 

You want to punch it off his face, smear it across the shiny floors with the dirty mop water you use at the beginning and end of shift.  

“How are you doing tonight, gorgeous?” he asks. Sometimes gorgeous is replaced with beautiful or cutie. It only adds to his annoyance of regularity and you have an itch he does this all the time with others, making you not take his typical endearing terms seriously.  

You can’t help but roll your eyes. “I’m not gorgeous, but, as always, thank you for the compliment.” 

His smirk melts, and you catch yourself feeling a tinge of something as his features soften. 

“You are, though,” your regular says. You quickly glance up, wondering if that pout and look in his eyes are genuine. “You know that I call you gorgeous because I mean it, right?” 

You’re unsure how to react, so you give a small nod and repeat the total, softly this time.

There’s a beat when the man gets lost in thought, but the moment quickly fades. He reaches into his sweatpants. However, he stops abruptly, before he reaches in again and pats the outside of his other pockets. 

“Fuck,” he hisses. You realize two things: one, you’ve never heard him curse; and two, he doesn’t have his wallet.

Well, that surely is different than usual.

Instinctively, you pull the snacks toward you. 

“Don’t you dare think I’m letting you walk away with everything for free,” you say, half-jokingly. Even though you’re 80% certain you can trust him, you still don’t know what he’s like.  

He smiles sweetly, quite differently than his smirks, forcing you to admit he’s handsome (just a little). “How could you expect me to stoop that low?” he whine-asks, clutching his chest in pain. 

After a moment of staring up at the ceiling in thought with his tongue running against his lower teeth, a Cheshire grin spreads over his face and he raises an eyebrow.

You don’t like it one bit and regret the moment earlier, mentally punching yourself for finding him a tiny bit attractive. 

“How about…”—he pauses as he rhythmically taps his fingers onto the counter—“...you let me take you out on a date in exchange for these items?” 

A scoff releases into the air. “Are you really telling me I’m only worth $11.87?” 

“What—no! Of course not,” he flicks a wrist upward in annoyance, then gestures to himself. “A date with me is worth way more in value, so you’ll be getting a better bargain.” 

You could not believe this guy. “Is a date with you really going to be worth it?” 

“Look,” he leans in over the counter and you catch a whiff of a light, woody scent. You fight off the desire to deeply inhale it. “No matter where we go or what happens, I’ll make sure you’ll be happy by the end of it. Isn’t that worth taking the risk of losing $11.87?” 

Squinting your eyes at him, while still clutching the goods he wants, you start to warm-up to the idea since you don’t have anything to lose (but maybe that’s due to the influence of his slightly intoxicating aura). 

“Will you choose the date location?” you ask, guarded.

He shakes his head. “Everything will be up to you and I’ll try to accommodate my schedule as best as I can.” 

You raise an eyebrow, challenging him. “And what if I want to go to the most expensive restaurant in town?”

Without hesitation, he nods. “Then we’ll go to the most expensive restaurant in town.” 

“If I wanted to order the $130 steak?” 

“$130 steak it is.” 

“If I—” 

The cute (you can’t deny it at this point) stranger cuts you off with a raise of his hand. God, you hate how cocky he is. 

Suddenly, he holds out a hand, sticking his pinky finger up. He waggles it, and you realize he’s waiting for you to do the same. You curl a pinky around his.

“There. I promise you—cross my heart and swear on my mother’s life—that I’ll uphold and adhere to whatever date conditions you ask of me.” He straightens, stepping away from the counter. “Now, can I please have my snacks and drinks?” 

The events of tonight took quite a turn. Never in a million years would you think Mr. Predictability would ask you out on a date, let alone be pretty sweet about it.  

Perhaps there’s more to him than you thought. 

You hand him your phone, and he does the same. 

When he gives it back, you shake your head at the text he sent and the name he gave himself.

“Hyuck?” you ask, unfamiliar with the name.  

“Short for Donghyuck, but yes, beautiful?”

You turn your phone towards him in disbelief. “What’s with the heart next to your name?” 

He shrugs, flashing you another smug smile. “What about it?”  

Glancing down at his phone, he beams. You wonder if it’s because you wrote the following in brackets after your name: You Owe Me a Date Worth More than $11.87. 

“And your name is just as beautiful as you are.” 

Again, another eye roll. You wonder if the date will be filled with more of it. You shove the stuff towards him. 

“I have to know: do those lines really work?”

“Well, I have a date lined up with you, so you tell me.” 

Before you have a chance to retort, he grabs something out from his pocket.

A wallet.

His motherfucking wallet, and he has the audacity to toss a $20 bill onto the counter with the same grin that you still want to wipe the floor with. Your jaw hangs. 

“Keep the change,” he says, along with your name and grants you a wink as he grabs his items. 

“I’ll be seeing you on our date soon, gorgeous.” 

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE

thank you for reading! i've been getting so much love for this - y'all are amazing. if you would like to read an informal continuation, see here!

[luveline]

hi hii jade! i hope to not bother u at all but can i ask a request for miguel being with harley quinnfem!reader? like she’s sweet, giddy and a bit girlish but at the same time vicious and extremely violent. maybe miggy likes it a bit too much being with her but gets annoyed seeing her tiny outfit during the mission. u don’t have to do it if u don’t wanna! thank you !!🤍

thank you for your request, i love it!! I'd love to write more for this pairing ♥

—harley quinn-esque fem!reader reports for duty wearing less material than usual, to miguel's misfortune. 1k

"And what," Miguel says, looking you up and down apprehensively, "is the point of that." 

It should be a question, but it doesn't sound like one. He is genuinely shocked by what you're wearing, among other things, and it takes a lot to shock him. Your top half is decent in sense of the word, a skin tight black t-shirt with a pink spider taking perch on your sternum, legs curved over and under the shape of your breasts. Your skort (and it better be a skort, or Miguel is in trouble) is high-waisted and matching in black. A slice of your midriff exposes itself when you move. 

"You don't like it?" you ask, putting on a pout that shouldn't suit you but absolutely does. 

"It doesn't do anything." 

"Well, I figure there's no need to conceal my identity when we're visiting other dimensions," you explain. 

Miguel thinks the thing that irks him most about you is that your sweetness —made up of pretty smiles and girlish whims— is authentic. You tease and twirl, you're prone to dramatics and theatrics alike, but you genuinely are a very loving girl. Especially toward him. 

"It doesn't conceal much of anything." 

"Are you trying to say something mean?" you ask. 

"Depends on your definition." 

"Could you say it in Spanish?" you ask.

"Why?" He crosses his arms across his chest, looking down his nose at you in a look he hopes says you aren't half as subtle as you think. 

"Please, Miguel." You frame your face in two hands, long, naked lengths of your arms shining with a shimmery lotion in the laboratory lighting. "Indulge me." 

Don't I always? he thinks. "Depende de cual sea tu definición," he says. "Tu atuendo es más cruel que cualquier cosa que pueda decir." Your outfit is crueller than anything I can say.

"I hear 'cruel,'" you say, "but surely you can't be talking about me?" 

"The portal's ready," Margo says, a purple image in the corner of his eye. 

"Thank you, Spider-Byte," he says, nudging you toward the platform. For the work and the end of a dangerous conversation.

You rush up onto it and Miguel follows, ignoring the spin you make with your face turned up, watching as the portal begins to form around you, orange fractals that lock you in. 

You project from one place to the other. It's best to take a running start, and there's yards to be traversed until you meet the rendezvous point. 

"Where's the Vulture?" you ask excitedly.

"Around. Watch out, he might have Tinkerer with him." 

"Two for the price of one!" 

You stretch your arms up high, exposing your stomach, fine hair shimmering in the sunshine. Miguel's annoyed because he's weak enough to be distracted, but he'd rather blame you. 

"The point of your suit was to keep you safe," he says. "I designed it to protect you." 

"I like my skirt much more," you say, spinning again. 

So does Miguel. He looks up into the sky with a scowl, confused as to where the Vulture and his henchmen are. They're supposed to be right here, which can only mean— 

You leap for Miguel with your baton extended, the little heart sceptre piece atop of it striking the Vulture square in the jaw as the villain descends. With a spatter of blood, a shining white tooth flies across the open air, and you love it. You shake with excitement, his hands against your ribs to stop you from falling. 

"Yes!" you cry, jumping out of his arms and whacking the Vulture again. You're lucky: you manage to hit him in the eye as he retreats, prompting an outraged and pained scream that shakes the trees surrounding. "You suck!" You batter him like he's a pear under your pestle. 

"Y/N, that is more than enough," Miguel chastises, though the sight of you satisfied and in control is one that twists his guts. 

"Box him in, Miguel!" you call, blood dripping down the sceptre and onto your bare hands. 

"Woah." A third voice echoes as feet touch down to the ground, the wet thwap of webbing like an anchor, the Tinkerer deposited at Miguel's feet. "Who the hell are you guys?" asks Spider-Man.

"It's hard to explain," you say. 

"It's not," Miguel says. 

"Is she… on our side?" Spider-Man asks, eyes of his suit widening with a mechanical clicking. 

"When she wants to be." 

"I'm definitely on Miguel's side!" you say, raising your baton to give the downed Vulture another whack. He groans and raises his hands. You giggle at the fear on his face and twirl your baton around in a circle above your head. "Just kidding." 

"Y/N, come here. Now." He wouldn't be so forward in his command if you weren't as prone to ignoring him as you are. 

You traipse to his side, putting your hands on your hips to mimic him. 

"That was quick, huh?" you ask, looking up into his face. No matter your act, he can see the want for approval in your eyes. 

"Eres muy linda," he says. You're very cute. 

"What does that mean?" you ask, eager for praise. 

"You did great," he says. 

"I think you're lying," you say, and his heart skips as you lean into his space with a knowing smile, "'muy' means I did really great, right?" 

"Actually–" Spider-Man begins. 

Miguel waves a hand at him. "You did really great," he confirms. He doesn't need Spider-Man telling on him.

"And I didn't need all that extra protection after all," you say, sliding under his arm. 

Miguel doesn't react. The Vulture groans and Spider-Man hits him with a web to make sure he doesn't get far. 

"You like it really," you whisper.

Miguel glares at you. Of course he likes it. He just hates how much danger you're potentially putting yourself in. He double hates the appreciative up and down Spider-Man gives you when he thinks no one's looking.

"You have blood in your hair," Miguel says. 

"You can wash it out for me." 

He takes a calming breath. 

"Hey, guys? Do you mind explaining what the hell is going on here?" Spider-Man asks. 

You both ignore him for different reasons, you with an adoring smile sent Miguel's way, and Miguel with a long-suffering sigh as he summons a temporary entrapment for the bloodied Vulture and his squirming lacky.  

[devilsrecreation]

More thoughts on TLG episodes

The Savannah Summit:

First things first, major kudos to Makuu for actually being responsible and caring about what’s best for his float

You really can’t blame Kion and everyone else to be super skeptical about Makuu. I know he changed for the better, but he’s done…a lot since he beat Pua

“but to invite him to the Savannah Summit? With all these other peaceful animals?”—I hate to break it to you, Kion, but just bc an animal is an herbivore doesn’t mean they’re peaceful and friendly. If anything, it means survivor

Crocs at the Summit worked with Pua cuz everybody loves him 😎

“Makuu has more enemies than friends!”—So does Bunga lmao

The song is great. I love how everyone seems annoyed at first but near the end, it’s all 🎶Kumbaya, my lord! 🎶. Except Makuu…dude looks like he’s lowkey regretting his life choices he did NOT ask for a bs song

I’m totally on Makuu’s side. He was genuinely trying to be civil here, especially when it comes to Bupu

At least Beshte was trying to be the mediator cuz he looks at Makuu AND Bupu, Kion was just being kinda speciesist

Shut up, Bupu, you started the whole thing

Vuruga Vuruga saying “buffalo eat whatever we want” is actually pretty accurate. They, like other animals, don’t care. I read that buffalo will occasionally eat insects if it were an option. Even Twiga could sucking on a bone if she wanted to. Seriously, look it up

If Zazu had a nickel for every time a rhino used him as a chair, he’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice (great nod to the OG movie)

Rafiki is such a mood “not the official painting” you old ass gremlin/aff

I remember Athena P criticizing Simba for blaming Kion about ruining the Summit after Makuu understandably leaves and I agree. Wtf Simba he’s 10. Go easy on him, come on 😭

The part that irks me the most is that when Mufasa asks “What has Makuu done to make you think this way?”, Kion says “Nothing, really”. BRO WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘NOTHING REALLY’?! I understand Mufasa meant what Makuu has done today but there are a LOT of things Makuu’s done in the past that Kion should have told his grandpa. In fact, here’s a whole list:

-Taking over Big Springs when he became leader, resulting in all the animals to scatter

-Challenging kids to fight

-Taking over the flood plains

-Trying to eat Basi which would have been just him being a crocodile if not for the fact that the reason is so he wouldn’t have to follow any rules (says so on the wiki)

-TAKING NALA HOSTAGE (seriously did Simba even KNOW about that? Did Nala or Kion bother to tell him?)

-Generally being a dick to animals

Makuu I know you did nothing wrong in this episode, but you can’t blame Kion for acting this way

I’m not placing any blame on Mtoto. He’s a good boy and all he did was tell the guard what he heard and that’s it

Twiga and Vuruga Vuruga coming up with the trap doesn’t surprise me. Cape buffalo are actually really vengeful irl so it makes sense how she wanted to teach Makuu a lesson. They ain’t called “Black Death” or “Widow Maker” for nothing

It’s cool how Makuu took the prank well. Respect.

Wonder how Makuu felt about animals fighting over him lmao?

Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

Once again this episode would be VERY different if my oc Piga was still alive

Kiburi has a right to be mad. I’m not excusing what he does later in the episode but I’d be pissed too if someone woke me up

Okay but Nduli sleeping next to Kiburi is adorable. Adds to my hc how close they are

Serious question: Why exactly can’t the crocs go back to sleep after they’ve been woken up? The obvious answer is bc it drives the plot forward, but is it true in actual crocodiles? I kinda wanna know the scientific reason

Good on Makuu for going the pacifism route. He’d really do anything for his float

Love how Kiburi was like “Yeah yeah, whatever you say” but the second Makuu left, he was like “ANARCHY!”

Idk if any of you caught this, but when Ushari’s like “we reptiles will rule the pridelands under your leadership, right?” Scar actually hesitated before going “sure bud”. That makes me think he was going to betray Ushari the moment he and his army get rid of Simba and the Lion Guard

Crocs really DO need a lot of water, otherwise their lives are on the line. Makuu was really more concerned than upset

“KIBURI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”—Fighting a child, what’s it look like

Side hc: I like to think something similar happened with Pua, Piga, and Kujivunia. Pua saw Piga antagonizing some poor young animal and he was all “Piga! What in the Pridelands do you think you’re doing?” and Kujivunia (who happened to be there), with her typical sarcasm was like “Performing a dance number, Pua 🙄”

There go the skinks again. Njano with his cuteness and Shupavu…doing her best Grinch face

“At least you’ll be close to all your friends!”Awww Beshte trying to be positive 🥺

Kiburi saying “we crocs deserve better!” brings me back to my hc that Kiburi had good intentions (again, until further in the episode), he just went about it the wrong way. He’s almost like an activist in a way. He’s not trying to be selfish, he just wanted a better watering hole. Now going as far as to rule the Pridelands…..yeah too far

The background crocodiles who were like 😦 when Kiburi called for the mashindano are so me. I’m the one going “Ooooooh shit!”

Still not getting over that super gay conversation between Kiburi and Ushari

STILL CAN’T GET OVER HOW KIBURI AND HIS FLOAT LAUGH AAAAA (Neema’s laugh tho)

Nduli looks so derpy I love him

I LOVE HOW SELF-AWARE TAMKA IS WHAT AN ICON

Lmao Nduli just gave up like “Fuck it you win”

Love the parallels of Makuu pinning down Kiburi like he did to Pua

Kiburi, I love you but what the hell did you expect? You literally confessed to like 500 animals about your plan and then you get surprised when Simba and Makuu banish you? What did you think was gonna happen? You got way too cocky, I swear

Saying this again, Tamka and Nduli looked worried/traumatized when they were exiled

“Now you’re calling me a reptile?”—My love, you ARE a reptile. I thought crocodiles were supposed to be smart omg

Kiburi’s actually showing emotion for the first time

OMG JANJA HEY BABY HOW ARE YOU?

Full disclosure: “I have a plan” is mediocre at best. It has nothing on Be Prepared. That being said, I love Kiburi’s “Aiight I’m in” smile

That’s pretty much it. Maybe I’ll do more in the future

[cinnamonest]

Ever since i saw your whiney darling stuff i fell in love! Please tell us more! Maybe like how some characters would react to a really mean bitchy darling who always fights them! Or a rlly whiney prissy girl, like one of those entitled brat darlings, maybe for kazuha or childe where she thinks their whole life style is too gross for her

Ohhhh noooo those two would be so awful, albeit for different reasons... also making note of a few others worth mentioning for this concept

Kazuha is a better fit initially, but becomes progressively more frightening, whereas Childe is just an absolute menace overall. Childe finds your brattiness cute, at least for a while. He goes out of his way to provoke you and mess with you, especially anything that gets squeals and panic out of you. For example, if you're grossed out by blood and keep complaining about his tendency to come home practically caked with it or freak out when he tries to touch you with it all over his hands, he makes sure to do so to a greater extent, just for you! He's basically just awful because he'll pick at the things you dislike and actively do anything he can to upset you because it's just so cute.

That being said, he himself is picky about your behaviors in the sense of timing. He wants you to be all pouty and upset, but only when he wants it. Like, he'll do something to mess with you and get your reaction one minute, but now he's done with that, moving on, and wants you to be all affectionate and... you're not. What do you mean, you're still upset about what he did 5 minutes ago? Now this is a problem, he's supposed to be able to just sort of shift your moods around like a light switch. He doesn't want you to be irked anymore, he wants you to be happy and nice now so why are you mad and not immediately conforming to what he wills you to feel like at any given second? Unbelievable.

Kazuha on the other hand... he manages very well, in terms of his own emotional regulation, and he's better at first than Childe because he's accommodating, tries his best to please you. He doesn't get outwardly angry or loud or volatile, no, he handles it the same way he does everything, with a soft smile on his face that's starting to seem a bit eerie the more you complain and the quieter and more twitchy he gets. He can actually take quite a bit of your abuse with a soft smile on his face, only trying to gently dissuade you. Hey, now, let's be reasonable..., or it's not so bad, see?, or don't worry, we can stop and rest soon, so on and so on... for a while. He has his limits.

Something you do eventually pushes him over the edge. His smile doesn't drop, but you'll just be whining and complaining and all of a sudden his hand is around your throat with a crushing, asphyxiating grip.

Hey... let's try to be more positive for a little bit, okay? Can you do that for me?

The intensity of your windpipe being crushed is so unmatched with his pleasant expression and soft tone that it leaves you reeling. But he's waiting on an answer, and you find yourself frantically nodding your head so he'll let go. Needless to say it keeps you quiet and well-behaved for a while. Until you inevitably act out again, leading him to another slow build-up of frustration until you get him to snap again, and next time might be a little more aggressive.

Also worth mentioning: there's another tier of being a bad fit, but in a different sort of way: Kaveh, Thoma, Chongyun and Bennett. All four poor things try so hard to bend to your every whim and are so desperate to make you happy that they'd wear themselves ragged trying to fix anything you whine about. Problem is that if that's just your nature, eventually it's going to reach a point where they get genuinely depressed and discouraged. At the very least, Thoma can probably accommodate your tastes a bit given that he's living on a very nice estate, and Chongyun can sometimes get a certain friend to donate some funds for him to use to make you happy, but the other two are screwed. Kaveh doesn't exactly have a lot of spending money, and even on the rare occasion Bennett finds a chest that has actual mora in it, something always goes wrong with trying to buy you something. So you'll just have to live with their frugal lifestyles... please, they'll get hurt if you're too mean about it, and can you really live with yourself knowing you've made them sad? Could you really look into those eyes and be mean?

Diluc is somewhere in the middle actually, but leaning more towards a good fit simply because he has the resources. He does have a disdain for snobbish behavior on your part, but to be honest, he quickly realizes that just giving you what you want is far easier than trying to reason with you, and he actually has the means to do so, so, he thus ends up admittedly often just giving in. Less whining that way, and frankly, whining irks him very quickly. Oh, and not to mention, he gives in easily because he still holds out hope that tending to and appeasing your pickiness will hopefully endear him to you, and he's desperate for anything that can accomplish that. One could argue this makes him both a good and bad fit for such an individual -- good in the sense that he can fulfill your desires, but bad because by doing so, he's just making your spoiled tendencies that much worse.

Xingqiu is primarily difficult because frankly, you having brat tendencies makes you two of a kind. As much as he tries to maintain his chivalrous humble aura, as always, that chivalry thing tends to suddenly dissipate when he starts not getting his way. And when that happens, you'll find he can be incredibly stubborn.  And when you're stubborn and picky and he's stubborn and picky you two are going to reach an impasse very quickly. Because he wants to do this, go here, eat this, get up and go to bed at this time and have you wear this and do this thing together, but what you want is totally different from everything he wants, and that's an issue. Obviously, logically the less important opinion (yours) should be the one that gets overridden, but you seem pretty reluctant to agree. Truly baffling.

He's pretty pushy about it, but with a smile and pleasant demeanor, trying to maintain the charismatic image of himself he likes to exude. After a while, though, you can whittle him down further and further to the point that he snaps and his spoiled rich child side comes out in full force, but only for a few seconds before he catches himself and corrects it. Only now, he's even more irritated at you for making him do that, treats it as if you actively committed some transgression against him.

And lastly, Albedo is also one that can't really be categorized as good or bad -- he's technically good at dealing with it, but in such a way that is very bad for your sake. He's definitely the most humiliating to deal with, and he nips the brat behavior in the bud very quickly. He doesn't get angry very easily, he stays calm and collected even if you throw tantrums and get furious. Eventually, after enough of him silently taking your complaining, he finally speaks.

Mm. Alright then.

You don't like the tone he uses, and it's ominous foreboding of what's to come.

Basically, he takes the route of malicious compliance. You complain about his presence, and you find yourself being dumped outside the front door in the freezing cold.

Well, you did say you didn't want to spend another second with me in the room, so I suppose you'll have to wait out here. Unless you'd like me to let you back in.

Complain about food? Alright, then you can just not eat. Complain about sleeping in the same bed? Have fun on the floor with no blankets, at least until you nicely ask to be allowed back in bed. Complain that he keeps staring at you when he's fucking you? You can be flipped onto your front side and get choked and railed from behind instead. Complain about the clothes he gives you? Okay, you can have none.

Basically he's a little bastard about it, but the most infuriating part is that it works, and very quickly too. You inevitably find yourself watching your tongue more often, and complaining less, and being more submissive. But if it gets to where you're a little bit too compliant, he might start going out of his way to do subtle little things to pull some more bratty outbursts out of you... after all, said outbursts are cute, so he doesn't want them to disappear completely, and your teary eyes and humiliation later on is even cuter.

[patrocles]

hii, i saw on ur twitter account where u said that the amethyst empress/bloodstone emperor theory was dumb can u elaborate on why im just genuinely curious because i personally find the theory plausible and every person i've met is of the same opinion ur like the only person i've met who dislikes it and im just so curious on why?

hey there!!

so first let me just say that if i sounded dickish and mean spirited about it, that was not my intention. i never wanna yuck anyones yum, i personally love a wacky theory!

(also when i say ‘you’ i mean the general, not you personally)

don’t get me wrong, there are parallels or similarities between the two side by side, but I think it kinda ends there? i think a lot of the DEEP lore of twoiaf, one can read as having echoes and similarities all over over the map, but i dont think is meant to be taken entirely literal.

but really, why i don’t like that theory is because i think it totally misinterprets what the Dance was about and why it’s important to the overall lore of asoiaf and the themes of the main series.

i think it also kind of unfairly paints the story as Good v Evil, which again, wildly misinterprets and simplifies the Dance as a big evil done to Rhaenyra personally by an evil little brother Aegon.

it’s about The Family and how it tore itself apart under the weight of its own hubris and the feudal system that built the tinderbox for the whole thing to implode eventually.

it’s very much about the unfolding tragedy one after another after another until all that’s left are two deeply traumatized children. it’s about the dangers of dragons and why history doesn’t remember them fondly. it’s the pretext on which arianne tries to put myrcella on the throne. it’s about the needless deaths of innocents over a family squabble that got out of control, and the fundamental flaw of a feudalist system that nation could be torn apart because of an inheritance dispute. it’s a History Story. it’s not really about the Long Night at all.

Plus this kinda wildly misinterprets Aegon as a character? he has a lot of flaws, for sure, but the harbinger of primordial evil because he got caught up in a bit of legal drama? that’s giving him way too much credit lol.

And again, I really dont care about theories, even if they’re ones i dont personally agree with. i’ve been in the general asoiaf sphere for a very long time so that’s nothing new. but i think what irked me about this one, is for a number of people, having this specific theory and framework in mind totally alters the way they watch and engage with the show at all.

so like when the posters were dropped, people are genuinely mad that it was rhaenyra and alicent and not rhaenyra and aegon bc duh its about This Theory … and it’s like? no? you made that up..

so if people are watching the show with that theory in mind, then it does completely cloud how you think about these characters and i think restricts one’s engagement to a Good/Evil dichotomy. and if i’m being really honest, a lot of people who i’ve seen go really hard on this theory are people who already hated alicent/greens and invented it to justify diminishing alicent’s role in the story, and amplifying why rhaenyra is basically the main character of twoiaf, second to dany. which is doing just too much.

but the big, and i think the most important one, is that it’s absolutely absurd for people to confidently and definitively say that THIS is what the show is about and the marketing/show not aligning with that is a total failure based on niche asoiaf lore that most show!watchers don’t even know about, wasn’t even mentioned in the previous series, and only exists in a separate book of lore and stories that may not even be true anyways.

[allamericanb-tch]

you signed up for this thoughts (1)

currently riding off the adrenaline rush that was doing my final project for english literally 30 minutes before it was due. will i be pulling an all nighter? i hope not. i have things to do tomorrow. but it is entirely possible. it is currently 12:11 am on may 4th. i will be back with the time when i stop reading. ok. it’s 1:50 am and im done with chapter two. i’m tired but also im not but im going to force myself to sleep bc ill regret it if i dont. 

chapter 1

guys i need long rosekiller fic recs. this is so irrelevant but

cruel summer! i love swifties.

modern AUs are really starting to grow on me

guys i love dorcas so much she’s so cool i’m in love with her 

celsius jump scare (i just looked up the conversion and 30°C is 86°F which is PERFECT WEATHER what is regulus yapping about)

“honestly, straight guys. a mystery to regulus.”

“dorcas is almost too gay to function.” we should totally just stab caesar!!!

they’re in spain why did i think they were in australia

BARTY?!

yes dorcas you ARE a bad bitch

i’m living for dorcas and regulus friendship

lily! my love <3

remus!

JAMES POV!!! james is my favorite guys i love him so much

is james hispanic in this omg (wait yeah that would make sense if this takes place in spain…) hispanic james is so dear to me

MARLENE!!!! just a mention of her but i love marlene. so. much.

no why is he being mean ☹️ i mean i get why but james fleabag potter is the most Genuinely Nice Guy to every Genuinely Nice Guy

peter!

frank!!

hogwarts spa and resort 😭

regulus pov again!

rip bartylus ☹️

six weeks!

the tired is setting in i might just read one chapter and then go to sleep

omg black brothers reunion when??

james pov again! i’m glad this fic clarifies the povs i like that

eeee jegulus

sex wax mention

regulus pov again again! 

dorcas calling remus “tall dark and handsome” genuinely that phrase confused me so much for so long (it still does) like im just imagining them being enveloped in a perpetual shadow

what the fuck is a half british half american accent with a spanish twang

this fic is irking me, but generally all modern AUs do

“there go his plan for ogling” REAL

james pov again again!

sirius!

not lily thinking regulus is dorcas’ boyfriend

sirius is a short queen and i love him 

remus pov!!!

eeee sirius

wolfstarwolfstarwolfstar

PANDORA!!!!!!!

i love remus and regulus friendship

i love long end notes

chapter 2

“But also, he’s so freaking tired.” james being the realest ever

enemies to lovers wolfstar

SIRIUS BEING 5’5 i love it

regulus pov! 

oooooo

jegulus is jegulusing

i have to pee SO BAD rn omg

eee james pov

oh me oh my 

remus pov! 

dorcas!!!!!

regulus pov again 

chapter 3

i am back many hours later (i am driving to prom) (don’t worry i am not the one driving)

excited for this one

i have no idea what the work aspect of this fic is about

STOP DONT CALL SUNSCREEN CREAM AHHH

“i’m weird. i’m a weirdo. i don’t fit in. i don’t want to fit in.” 

platonic prongsfoot ❤️‍🩹

“i want to be marlene when i grow up” REAL

i hate the way paraphernalia is spelled so much

dorlene!!!!!!

marlene 😭 i love her so much

ew stop saying tall dark and handsome it’s so wattpad

dorlene is dorlening

i think regulus is going to stumble upon sirius rn

I KNEW IT AHHH

and he’s running away

AH james

jegulus is jegulusing

oh my god

this is so wattpad and im living for it honestly

“hello brother” BAH STOP

regulus having a canis major tattoo ❤️‍🩹

chapter 4

i stopped reading and it is now one more day later

james is so. james.

“Grumbling under his breath, he connects his phone via Bluetooth and finds his one sad playlist. It exists for emergencies only, but he thinks this qualifies.” HELP

regulus has been found 

jegulus jegulus jegulus

james 😭 

regulus having a peanut allergy

jamessss whyyyy ☹️

barty jump scare

stoppppp omg ew

lily!!!!!

pandora!! i love her so much

🎶you look like stevie nicks🎶

pandalily ?! eat. 

i love pandora so much omg

greyback ??

james and sirius 

chapter 5

what is 1700 in normal time

sirius leaving the note for regulus ❤️‍🩹 

remus “i can’t fucking stand you” lupin and sirius “you’re welcome to kneel” black

dorcas!

arepas mmm

dorcas!

PLEASE barty and regulus texting i can’t with them

i lpve moonwater

chapter 6

dinner ahhh

beer is literally just bread soda

james is such a mom friend

midnights !!!!!

NOAH KAHAN !!!!!

sirius has excellent music taste

jegulus ahhh

peter 😭 i love him so much

stop this is giving me the ick

WHAT THE F

i’m eating this enemies to lovers wolfstar up please they need to kiss so bad

jegulus

chapter 7

regulus just pining

yes sirius you’re absolutely right lost the breakup IS a banger

MATILDA IS NOT A SKIP

omg is it called you signed up for this bc of the maisie peters song. 

“There are only two reasons Sirius will get out of bed before eight am. Mortal peril or good waves.”

sirius and remus alone together ?!

KISS ALREADY

AHHHHHHH

wolfstar is wolfstaring

oh they’re really going at it

yeah that was really. hmm. i mean good for them honestly but

“Remus’ mouth twitches, then he looks at Sirius, who is trying very hard to avoid his gaze for some reason. It’s odd, and Regulus doesn’t like it. Did they have a fight or something?” yeah or something

sirius and regulus ☹️

marlene 😭 icon as always

james!

yay i love dancing

regulus being regulus (pining after james)

chapter 8

oh? hanky panky in this chapter ?!

no hablo español

regulus calling james mr darcy

THE HAND FLEX SCENE yes it is a classic

mcdonald’s so america core

james carrying an epipen for regulus ❤️‍🩹

omg they’re going dancing

james respectful king

omg daddy yankee mention we used to listen to his songs in middle school spanish class 

jegulus is jegulusing omg

sirius pov 

eeeee wolfstar happenings

moonwater friendship <3

CANNON FODDER 😭

chapter 9

lily!!!!!

pandora ?!

i love lesbian lily

pandalily!

keeping it platonic my ass

yeah inside joke. sure.

“If Mary finds out he took Remus into the staff corridor, she’ll neuter him” 😭😭

wow this author just loves the phrase “kisses their teeth”

i love sirius and regulus

BAH REGULUS AND THE TAYLOR REFERENCES i love him so much

regulus having no friends his whole life he’s just like me fr

james you menace

STOP SAYING CREAM IM BEGGING YOU

“While Regulus is having a small, private crisis” that’s one way to put it

i really don’t like barty in this which is sad for me because i love barty

“Do you really want to faint in front of Sirius like you’re a Victorian lady?”

what are they doing

please stop saying “#/10 would ___” it’s so millennial 

i was gonna stop here but i think i will read one more

chapter 10

hanky panky hanky panky

i love dorlene 

i love pandalily

we need more wlw centric fics if i was confident in my writing abilities that is what i would do

dorcas!! 

guys i love dorlene so much

being a multishipper is so fun bc i love marylily so much but pandalily eats every time

i love forced proximity

sirius having to run after remus bc sirius is Very Short and remus is Very Tall so real

oh they’re in the backseat now

oh jegulus

oh me oh my

THEYRE KISSING AHHHHHHH

stop i can’t believe it’s only been a week

they’re really going at it aren’t they

ew stop this is giving me the ick

ok im going to read another chapter

chapter 11

this is the last one i swear

sirius telling lily! underrated friendship frfr

marlene!

i love jegulus so much omg

i love the word magnanimous 

remus telling regulus

poor dorcas ☹️

“You’re like a pesky mosquito, you know that?” Remus groans, shaking his head. Unbelievable.

“Hmm, yeah, I guess. I mean, I’d like to bite you.” 😭😭 sirius you menace

regulus you menace

“You are a menace.” this is exactly what i’ve been saying

sirius jump scare

oh me oh my

i love pandora

oh ?!

ok reading the next chapter

chapter 12

oh me oh my

not imagine dragons 😭

hospital 🫡

eeeeee they’re kissing

wolfstar

sleepover ?!

why is this hilarious

sirius is such a menace

i love sirius and regulus so much

“Barty made Regulus feel like the world was against them. James makes Regulus feel like it’s them against the world.”

dorcas! 

dorlene ☹️

jegulus is jegulusing

ew stop this is giving me the ick

ok i actually have to sleep now 

[sokkas-first-fangirl]

I absolutely love “You Used To Tell Me I Was Brave”! It’s such an interesting take on the Link/Zelda role reversal AU. Out of curiosity, what do you think the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity story would be like in this AU? Would Link be the one who invented Terrako?

Thanks so much! 💕

I’ve got a whole plan regarding Age of Calamity. Doubt I’ll ever write it, but I know how I’d want it to go

Buckle in, lads, this is gonna get long

So, first things first, the battle at Hyrule Field. Nothing really changes there; Zelda kills some moblins and catches Queen Lianna’s attention. Finds Terrako, meets Impa, they kick ass together

The only real change would be dialogue from the soldiers. There’s whispers against Queen Lianna, wondering why she’s not using her golden power to help them. She’s trained in combat and highly skilled. Her own mother used to join the knights and soldiers, and fight by their side. Hylia’s blessing could vanquish the monsters so quickly. So why is the queen only watching from the walls?

When Impa and Zelda find Link, he recognises Terrako. His father, the late King Oberon, created him when Link was 5. Since Link was such a sickly child, often stuck in bed, Oberon made Terrako so Link wouldn’t be alone. Terrako acted as a friend/nanny/walking music box. But Queen Lianna took Terrako when Link was 9, shortly after Oberon’s death. Lianna claimed she had “that nuisance” destroyed. So how is Terrako here?

No one knew that King Oberon gave Terrako the ability to fight. No one knew they were meant to double as Link’s guard. Even Oberon didn’t know Terrako could time travel- that part was a genuine fluke (though Oberon would be pretty smug he managed such a thing by accident)

Link fully expects Lianna to destroy Terrako again (if indeed she ever did in the first place), but when Lianna hears Terrako has information on the Calamity, she instructs Link to bring “that thing” to Purah and Robbie.

On the way to the lab, when the group is attacked by a “rogue” Guardian, both Zelda and Link use themselves as bait to lure the Guardian into range for their attack. Impa despairs of them both. She’s stuck with TWO reckless gremlins now

The response to Terrako’s images of the Calamity is mostly confusion. After all, Lianna and Princess Lia have their powers. Does this information mean they don’t find Hylia’s Chosen knight on time? Did they not recruit pilots for the Divine Beasts? What exactly went wrong?

When it comes to recruiting the pilots, Mipha and Zelda immediately click. Total besties. These two get along like a house on fire. Mipha is incredibly protective of Link and Zelda notices how quiet and stiff Mipha gets when Queen Lianna and Princess Lia are brought up.

Daruk takes one look at all these teenagers and says “Guess I’m a dad now.” (Zelda is horrified when Link actually eats a rock roast. Highness, please, she’s meant to be guarding you. Don’t break your teeth on her watch.)

Revali’s pride is admittedly ruffled that the scorned prince is sent to recruit him. The powerless prince, the “useless” twin that the royal court openly ignores? It irks him. But, more than anything, he’s pissed that Zelda fought him to a standstill and everyone saw it. And Zelda isn’t Link- she sasses him back and returns his insults and has a temper of her own.

As for recruiting Urbosa, the Yiga still infiltrate Gerudo Town and Kohga disguises himself as Urbosa…but the Yiga are pissed that Link is here. They were hoping to get Princess Lia, maybe even Queen Lianna herself. The queen sent the useless one? You’ve gotta be kidding! Kohga feels cheated, but his anger makes him sloppy. Urbosa nearly kills him before Sooga rescues him.

Urbosa gladly accepts the role of pilot, but Zelda notices that Urbosa addresses Link directly, no mention of the Queen; “You are precious to me, and you need my help. I cannot refuse.” It interests Zelda, but also confuses her a little. After all, Link’s not a Champion. No magic powers. He’s meant to help the Sheikah. But Zelda’s noticing, more and more, that regular soldiers and peasants love Link, even if the court doesn’t. And now Lady Urbosa herself says she’ll join to help Link. It gets Zelda thinking

Of course Queen Lianna doesn’t thank Link for doing all the work. Neither does Princess Lia. Zelda comes across a difficult exchange: Queen Lianna confiscating a Sheikah relic from Link. It’s the first relic he ever found on his own, no help from the researchers. Link couldn’t figure out what it was, and neither could the Sheikah. Still, the researchers let Link keep it. It’s a unique relic; nothing resembling it has been found since. The Queen scolds Link for focusing on a “dead end” and orders him to go to the Spring of Courage and “make himself useful” by praying for their success.

Zelda’s pissed. The Queen orders Link to help with research and then confiscates his relic?? She calls him useless but she’s sent him all over Hyrule to recruit the pilots??? What the actual hell???

Zelda goes and beats up many, many knights in training. So many, in fact, that people begin to whisper about her abilities.

Just in time for the Master Sword to enter the plot! The main difference here is that Zelda is…Zelda. A girl. Everyone was expecting a boy. Once Astor flees, Zelda meekly asks if she should put the sword back for the “real” hero. The Deku Tree reassures her that she is the real hero; she’s been chosen, the first Heroine in a long line of Heroes. The Deku Tree then addresses Link, telling him he has more power than he knows.

Not much changes until the Calamity hits. We see a few moments of tension between Lia and Link. We see Rhoam pressuring Zelda to uphold a strong and fearless image. We see Zelda and Link grow closer and a few flirty remarks from Zelda. We see commoners getting help from Link and how quiet they get when the Queen rides by. We get some bonding moments between the Champions.

Then we have the Calamity. Link, Zelda and Impa race through the castle, fighting hordes of monsters. A surprise comes in the form of Crown Princess Lia. She speaks directly to Zelda; “Your orders are to protect my brother, do you understand?”

Lia seemingly dies as the trio flee. No one has seen Queen Lianna. Once they’re hiding in a safe spot, Link begins to panic. The Divine Beasts aren’t firing at Ganon. His sister just sacrificed herself and there’s no sign of his mother’s magic. How can Zelda possibly fight Ganon alone? It’s only made worse by Terrako’s images of the Divine Beasts being possessed by Ganon, just like the Guardians. Link has a full blown panic attack and Terrako begins to play an old lullaby. Light shoots from him, up into the sky. As far as the trio can tell, the lights didn’t do anything…but it helps calm Link down. Impa rallies Link and Zelda, reassuring them that, so long as they work together, they can do anything. They can save their friends. They can save Hyrule.

Of course, the “future gang” has arrived to help! Link, Zelda and Impa help save the Champions and team up with Zelda’s father, Captain Rhoam to free Akkala Citadel. Rhoam and Zelda have a heart to heart; he expresses his concerns for her safety, apologises for pressuring her since she drew the sword and tells Zelda he has complete faith in her.

Revali and Teba find and save Tulin in the Lost Woods. Revali accidentally reveals he’s got a major soft spot for kids. Urbosa and Riju fight off Yiga. Riju learns that Urbosa and Queen Lianna used to be friends, but Lianna’s treatment of Link and growing arrogance destroyed their friendship. Sidon and Mipha save Gopongo village (and Sidon bonds with his tiny self). Yunobo and Daruk save Kakariko village from monsters.

Then Fort Hateno. During the battle, Link’s sword is shattered by a Guardian. While the Sheikah slate is useful, it’s not going to keep him safe during a fight of this size. When the Blights and Astor appear, Zelda orders Impa to take Link and run. But Link runs after Zelda. As the Blights prepare to strike, Link pushes Zelda behind him and the impossible happens: light explodes from him, the Triforce appears on his hand, and the Blights and all nearby Guardians are destroyed.

Link just unlocked Hylia’s golden power. Everyone is stunned. Link’s a boy. This shouldn’t be possible. But he’s done it. The tides of battle turn in their favour; Link wields the power like he was born for it, like he’s always had it. They secure Fort Hateno and, as the sun rises, Link kisses Zelda. (Impa says that Revali owes her 20 rupees.)

It’s a big character development moment for Link: he actually gives a speech, in front of hundreds of people, using his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. He still glows, casting a further sense of awe on the scene. Kohga joins the ranks, seeking revenge for his slaughtered friends, especially Sooga. He finally understands that Ganon will not reshape the world or spare the Yiga.

The gang receive word from one of Urbosa’s soldiers; Urbosa is at the Great Plateau, trying to save Hylian soldiers who were trapped there. With the Sheikah towers up and running once more, the gang races to give Urbosa back-up. They’re in for a shock; at the end of the battle, they find Princess Lia outside the Temple of Time. The royal twins embrace and Lia apologises again and again for how she ignored Link for so long. She sincerely thanks Zelda for protecting him. Inside the Temple, they find Queen Lianna. She’s still badly injured from Ganon; malice burns on her arms, legs and torso and a badly broken arm. It turns out the relic she confiscated from Link was an Ancient Shield, which protected her from a Guardian blast as she tried to hold Ganon back. When she tries to go to Link, he pushes right past her, asking where Urbosa is. When Urbosa comes in, Link runs right to her, and Urbosa keeps him close to her. Queen Lianna seems stunned, maybe even a little jealous.

During the final battle, Terrako is still possessed, forcing Zelda to fight them. Ganon kills Astor. When it comes to facing Ganon, Queen Lianna is too injured. Princess Lia, to everyone’s surprise, urges Link to go with Zelda to the Sanctum. She’ll help hold the monsters off as the blood moon rises.

Together, Link and Zelda defeat Ganon with their friends cheering them on.

The future gang has to go home and there’s many tearful farewells. The Champions (with surprising help from Kohga) work together to restore Terrako. Queen Lianna tries to apologise to Link, but he doesn’t forgive her. After years of verbal abuse and neglect, with his growing confidence he finally has the strength to stand up to her. Zelda is not surprised, though many courtiers are. They expected that, since Link forgave Princess Lia that everyone would be forgiven.

Queen Lianna, finally seeing things as they are, begins to realise how much the commoners of Hyrule dislike her, and how it’s the same for many knights and soldiers. She’s been harsh, passing unfair laws, raising taxes, holding herself so above everyone and looking down on everyone and everything that didn’t fit her world view. She’s forced to see that, during all those years she called Link useless, he was helping people and they love him. They don’t love her. They don’t even love Lia, not yet.

Lianna is left sitting on her throne, wondering what the future holds.

Princess Lia joins the Champions for bonding activities and goes into Castle Town with Link to help with repairs. Finally a real part of the team she was expected to lead, finally getting to know her people and finally bonding with her twin.

Terrako is restored and the Champions celebrate. Link and Zelda finally go on a real date- or at least their idea of one. Anyone who doesn’t know them expected a fancy dinner or something. Their friends know Link and Zelda won’t do something so simple. The duo takes a weekend trip around Central Hyrule, exploring the area, visiting other towns and villages and racing their horses.

Things aren’t perfect. Hyrule needs to recover from the Calamity. Queen Lianna, though she’s thoroughly been humbled, is still an unpopular ruler with the masses. Link still has years of abuse and neglect to recover from. Urbosa and Mipha both offer to let him stay with them for a while, to get a break from his mother. When Link points out he’s not allowed in Gerudo Town, Urbosa bluntly states she’s willing to make him an exception to the rule if it means keeping him safe.

The future has been drastically changed. All everyone can do now is work towards a better future and hope things go well.

[bsd-elle]

A Hypocrite’s Dream

Misaki Unasaka’s untimely death.

Tbh, I really hated this plot point, at first. The fact that Kazuki and Rei seemingly had their paths cleared by the death of Miri's father and mother, irked me.

But I also completely understand, given there are only 12 episodes of content, they had to wrap things up quickly, I get why they decided to proceed the way they did.

And I'm glad they gave Misaki her moment to grieve and regret, because it's really unfortunate.

She went through so much throughout her life, finally had the chance to rewrite history and create a new future with her daughter, but her own past mistakes eventually hurt her.

Speaking of Misaki, even though it's clear that she's working really hard on trying to be a better mother, I also think that she's FAR from being a good mother, tbh.

The moment that really set me off, is even Miri is talking about her papas, to which Misaki completely turns the conversation around to be about how she should've never let Miri feel lonely. Which completely invalidates Miri's emotions considering the fact that she was happily talking about spending time with her papas, to hear her own mother say that she wouldn't let her feel lonely... Idk..

I think if Miri heard, 'oh, I'm so sorry I made you feel lonely, I'll try my best not to make you feel that way', she could internalize that as, 'Should I have felt lonely in that moment? Am I a bad person because I felt happy, even though my mom is telling me that I should've felt lonely?'.

And this same feeling is carried over to when Misaki says to Miri that she'll work hard to be a mother Miri can love, and we can see Miri in that moment look upset and cling to get and say that she does love her.

And again, it's very easy as a four year old, to internalised that as your mistake, that you aren't showing your love strong enough to the point that your mother doesn't recognise it.

Now, am I saying all this because I think Misaki deserves everything that happened to her?

Absolutely not.

She was genuinely trying her best to be a better parent, and was doing with what she had and the knowledge she possessed, and isn't that what both Kazuki and Rei are trying to do too?

Even with her dying breath, all she wanted was for Miri to be safe and be protected, that's all she ever wanted, and it's really unfortunate that her story had to the in this manner.

But, I do want to highlight that even though Misaki was trying her best, she's definitely not the perfect mother, and neither are Kazuki and Rei.

But what's interesting is that, the one time Kazuki teared up, he made sure to hide his face from Miri, and I think that comes from years of having to see pain upfront, that conditioned him like this, but it is interesting to point out, the contrast in the two.

[bigblueoctoling]

One of the things that irks me the most about the splatoon fandom is when people notice a trend among multiple characters, and then proceed to treat this trend like it's a rule they need to follow when designing characters and that not following this rule is thus bad design.

I specifically bring this up because I see a common complaint from people who complain about Acht's appearance in Side Order, saying that they look "too human"- Which feels completely fucking insane because they're literally supposed to look humanoid and also they are fucking green how do they look too human compared to people who are not green

But I realized what it was- It's the fact that Acht kind of has a taller-shaped head, as opposed to the commonly-seen oval-shaped heads of most inkfish.

For starters- I absolutely hate this mentality of seeing a design trend breaking the mold as being "incorrect", like they made Acht "too human"- it's just introducing an arbitrary limitation for design variety for absolutely no reason. It's not like Acht looking """more human""" in this way makes them homogeneous- the reason it stands out is because it's unique. I wanna know how on earth that makes it bad aside from just "it's not what I'm used to seeing".

But secondly, I also hate this mentality because people act as though it's inconsistent, when... it literally isn't. This is a huge through-line for all of these little 'rules' people invent about Splatoon's designs.

One of Splatoon's biggest strong suits is how diverse its artstyle is and how wildly varied its designs are. Like, literally from day one, inkfish have been shown not to be physically homogenous.

Like... there has never been consistent rules on how you Need to design a species in splatoon, for the better. It's a part of, at least to me, what gives Splatoon its very accepting sort of identity.

Also just to raise a stink and to provide another example of the splatoon fandom doing this, I hate the whole mentality that all inkfish need to have a number of limbs matching squid/octopi. That was never, like, a canonical thing- it's a cute little coincidence, or at most, a cute little nod, with the designs from splatoon 1, but like. Why does this need to be treated like a rule that needs to be followed? Again, people complain about Acht's design, complaining about their tentacles and saying like oh they shouldn't only have three tentacles that's inconsistent, totally ignoring the fact that this has never been a universal trait among all inkfish- Pearl doesn't, a lot of hairstyles in Splatoon 2 don't follow it, and plenty of splatband designs don't seem to follow it either. But more than that, why the fuck would it matter? What are you, a fucking cop? Oh sorry we can't make a unique hairstyle because of this arbitrary rule we made up, inkfish NEED to have THIS amount of limbs because it's imperative that they have this one completely random arbitrary thing in common with squid and octopi.

This also reminds me of Shiver and Frye, because people were the exact same way about them:

"Shiver's tentacles don't look like octoling tentacles!" "Why are Frye's ears so big!" "Why are Shiver's eye markings so small!" "Why are Frye's teeth so pronounced!"

Literally because they wanted to make unique and interesting character designs? I'm sorry, I wasn't familiar you were the God of the world of Splatoon and that you personally knew every inkling and octoling that ever lived and decided that these two are sins against nature and don't look Correct to you.

Genuinely it's just like the most loathesome behavior. If you hate any splatoon character's design for looking abnormal, you're my fucking enemy.

[passingdaysthings]

05.05.2024 - Overwhelmed

Today is Sunday.

I am currently trying to work on 2 overdue assignments I have for class, but I am a bit overwhelmed by them. I am working on a new concept called web scraping which I have never done before, and it has been confusing me for a few days. I am not sure what I have to do or if I am doing it correctly because I am not getting what the instructions are telling me. It's been a like 2 days of trying it, and it's just the first part of the assignment. It's not even the whole assignment, so it is really bother me. I also tried to move on to the next assignment, but that one was giving me trouble too. I am so so glad that I am almost done with this program because the professors are shit. Like... I am doing this web scraping assignment, but they didn't teach us how to webscrape. Unless I just blacked out during lecture which I do, but watching the recording didn't help me. I hope the offline lecture helps me. I just feel like I am not actually learning anything because the lecture is usually pretty different from the hw assignments. Th lecture will touch on parts I need, but it's never enough to actually start the assignment and finish it. I usually have to google everything. It's really annoying. I also do not enjoy the office hours.

Outside of school, I am kind of hanging out, and it's been rather normal. I did overhear my mom talking poorly about me, and it was upsetting. Once again, she just demonstrated her favoritism towards Tracy, and it's crazy how delusional she is. I think the biggest thing she was complaining about was how she has to pay for my schooling and how I always ask for money, but Tracy never ask for money. She gave Tracy 70k to buy a house... I ask for her to pay for my school. My schooling has probably cost her around 18k which is much less than 70k. The 70k she wired to my little sister to help her buy a house. I am not comparing myself to my sister, but for her to say that my sister doesn't ask for money is crazy. Just last month, my little sister charged $600 on my credit card, and then, she asked me to tell our mom to pay for it. Where does my mom think my little sister never ask for money comes from? At least I asked for money to do more schooling... not to buy a house after quitting my job. It makes me sad that I even have to think that way because I know my little sister hated her job, but my mom could wake up a bit and think about what she say a little more. I also never try to compare my sister and I because we are two very different people, but my mom makes it really hard. She legitimately goes around telling our family about how I am useless and do nothing, but my little sister makes a lot of money. My little sister quit her job in January and has been jobless since.. Idk what she is talking about. Of course, I went through like 3 years of no job and no income, so I don't have much to way on this matter, but the fact that my mom is complaining really irks me. This is why I plan on moving away from this shitty family and be on my own. I just feel sorry for my dad because he genuinely supports me unconditionally, so I will miss him. I will most likely stop talking to my mom when I leave too because she thinks I owe her. She evens tells people she "loans" me money while she doesn't mention the money she gives my little sister. If she wants to act like a loan shark then I will treat her like one too and avoid her and my "loans" LOL. I can't wait to find a new job and move. I think that's when I will just cut off and type of financial support my mom gives me. I'll just pay for my own stuff. I guess she can just keep paying the phone bill because we're on a family plan. I just need to endure a little bit more. I can do this! I got this! I just have a little bit more to go. Just 3 more months.

Now we have Taylor. To be honest, I just feel less and less about him, and he seems to irritate me more. I don't get why he acts like he hates spending time with me or I annoy him, but he constantly talks to me? I typically stop talking to people I am annoyed with. These days, I don't feel much when I don't talk to him, and I don't particularly feel the need to talk to him. I also don't have much to say to him. I also don't have the patience to deal with his attitude anymore. I immediately clock out and try to leave when he gives me attitude. I don't particularly hate him or anything. I still value him as a friend too, but I just find myself wanting him to find a girlfriend to do all these things with. Sometimes I feel like I fulfilling a duty? Ig I feel that way given the nature of our relationship. I am not his gf, but I do a lot of gf type things which I don't push away, so I don't blame him. I am just as guilty when it comes to things because I just go along with things. We also made birthday plans to watch scary movies on his birthday. I absolutely hate scary movies, but I don't mind watching them with him. As it has been, I just continue going with the flow when it comes to our "friendship", and I am just waiting for the day it blows up in my face or his.

Oh well. You got this, Paula. Remember 2024 is the year that we are going to be disgustingly educated and work on ourselves. Let's get this MS!

-P

[hbogirls]

9, 18, 29

9) Character you used to like but now dislike? this is hard. I feel like i tend to go in the other direction, having gained more empathy for characters and their motivations as i've rewatched again and again (except ryder and marley! there i cannot and will not budge, which i've written about at length to a different unsuspecting anon). i think i'm going to say will, for two reasons. the first is just that, when i first watched the show in middle school, i don't think i realized or cared about how weird and annoying he is, but i certainly do now. the second reason is that the first few times i rewatched, i think i thought of him more as a plot device to move things along, but now having thought more about his actual actions i'm like... wait he genuinely sucks, and not just in the generic tiktok "omg mr. schue was so creepy" way but in the "why does he continually cross emma's boundaries with her ocd?" way and the "why does he pretty much let finn out santana?" way, amongst others. so it's not so much that i particularly liked him to begin with, but over time i've certainly become far more irked by him than i originally had been.

18) Favorite noncanon couple? faberry <3 once you know to look for it, it's just unmissable. the season 2 prom bathroom scene and the scene with quinn in her cheerios uniform right before her car accident made me a believer. there's just so much there, and i think quinn's character progression became stagnant at a certain point, like they just didn't know what to do with her after a while, so there's a lot of blank space to mess around with and work within to make faberry very rich for exploration

29) Best vocal duo? rachel and santana!! pretty much every song they did together on the show i consider to be a favorite of mine. naya and lea's voices are my two favorites of the cast, so it stands to reason i suppose. brave! so emotional! every breath you take! be okay! truly hits, one and all.

[wondereads]

Review of I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang

Summary

Sadie has always been an overachiever; she's got perfect grades, she's an amazing athlete, and she's the captain of her school. Everything would be perfect if Julian, her rival in practically everything, didn't also have all those things as well. Sadie and Julian are constantly butting heads, but Sadie would never do anything to affect people's opinion of her. Whenever someone annoys her, including (mostly) Julian, she writes an email and then hides it in her drafts to never see the light of day. At least, that's how it should have been, but when all her emails are sent, Sadie has to figure out how to deal with the backlash.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ann Liang is really doing something right because I was consumed by anxiety for the first half or two-thirds of this book. The horror of having Sadie's personal, not very palatable thoughts aired out like that had me literally nauseous. I think there's a pretty good balance between showing how Sadie was genuinely taken advantage of and how she does overreact and take things too far. So while I definitely empathized with her and wanted her to be able to mend her relationships, it didn't feel like she was being completely wronged. As this is a romance book, it's pretty light on the plot, but Sadie's efforts to win over her classmates again don't just feel like set dressing. It also has a pretty satisfying conclusion.

I'd say the one thing I didn't like was that the setting was very vague. Due to my own bias and the fact that the book is in English, I assumed the book was set in the USA until it is mentioned that Julian has a "pretentious American accent." Ann Liang herself is from Australia, so that's probably where this is set, but just a throwaway line about a landmark or something about the country to establish the setting would have been nice.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I really like Sadie. Like I mentioned with the plot, she is definitely in the wrong sometimes, but it is very easy to see things from her point of view, and there are just enough moments where she is obviously the one being wronged that the reader will really want to root for her. The story behind her obsession with perfection fits well, and I like that we take the time to also address her family issues, outside her academics and the romance. Julian is a great love interest; it's very clear why he likes Sadie, and he also has a good reason for their rivalry.

Concerning their relationship, it was so fun to see a genuine rivalry. Sadie and Julian are constantly snipping at each other and it seems Julian is just as irked by Sadie as she is by him. The way they are forced and then gradually grow closer together is very cute, and they're a great match. I just know their class has a betting pool around them.

Abigail is Sadie's best friend, and she plays a very interesting role. There is some conflict concerning her, and I appreciate how her flaws are set up very early in the story so it doesn't feel like something out of left field. Finally, Sadie's family is pretty great, especially for how they bring out Sadie's character and provide a good side conflict for the story. Sadie's brother being much more go-with-the-flow and noncommittal is a good foil to her, especially with the development at the end.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ann Liang's writing style is pretty standard for YA, she's not particularly flowery or unique, but she does a great job at capturing Sadie's character and values in the way she narrates. The way she tries to convince the reader to side with her against Julian tells us a lot about what she considers important and hints at her people-pleasing tendencies.

Also, the pacing is quite good. There's a great sense of tension that makes you want to keep reading; I likely would've finished this book in one night if I could stay up that late during the semester. With only a couple of exceptions, major scenes lead into each other pretty smoothly, creating that feeling of "well, I can't put it down now!"

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This was an absolutely adorable contemporary romance with an amazing main character and lovely love interest. The plot is, of course, not a focus, but it strikes a good balance between fluffy wish-fulfillment and being somewhat grounded in reality. The side characters are quite well-developed, and it has that feel of un-put-down-ability with pacing that pulls you in. There are some oversights in terms of small details, but other than that this was so much fun to read and Ann Liang continues to deliver when it comes to academic rivals-to-lovers. I can always trust her with this trope!

The Author

Ann Liang: Chinese-Australian, has a labradoodle, also wrote If You Could See the Sun and This Time It's Real

The Reviewer

Hi, I'm Rose, and I review, recommend, and just talk about books. I take recommendations for books to review, and you can learn more about me in my pinned post :)

[hitnran]

OBSESSIVE EX (gender neutral! reader)

how they deal with you having an obsessive ex

includes: ran, rindou

CW: obsessive behavior, cursing, stalking (ran), phone harassment (rindou), the haitani brothers lowkey kinda scary here (not to the reader) 💀 but i’m just trying to make it fit within their character

— RAN HAITANI

Getting into a relationship with someone like Ran, half of the charismatic brother duo that ruled Roppongi, almost means guaranteed safety wherever you go. His title itself is one that is feared when murmured. Whenever you two leave, he always has an eye and a hand on you. Ran knows well that even if he is feared, he can also be challenged and the last thing he wants is for you to get involved — you would make an easy target for his enemies.

You two were out together on a stroll around the city. Although there was nothing neither of you needed, Ran’s favorite thing is showing you off. Sometimes you start to feel similar to his younger brother, thinking that you’re just a shadow and only known as ‘Ran’s partner.’ But Ran’s intentions were opposite. He wanted everyone to know that it was him that belonged to you and it is him that people would have to deal with if you were ever tested.

As you two are walking, Ran noticed your eyes consistently checking itself to the side. He took note of that and eventually brushed it off since you stopped. But then he noticed that you were being especially keen and scanning the whole area.

“Are you okay, love?” Ran slightly hunches down, getting your attention as your face turns his way. He lightly smiles at you. “Did you see something you liked?”

You swallowed down hard. You could’ve sworn you saw a familiar face, but after trying to scan the area numerous times for the past few minutes, you thought it was just you being paranoid. The last thing you wanted was to worry Ran and cause a scene.

“I’m okay,” You shook your head, returning a light smile. You grabbed on his arm, this time a little tighter. “Let’s turn into this corner.”

Ran knows when you’re lying. He knew something made you uncomfortable, but he wasn’t going to force you to tell him. Instead, he’ll make it his own problem too and deal with it himself.

This area was his territory and everyone knew it. It was almost as if Roppongi, a city known for liveliness, calmed down ever so slightly if one or both of the brothers were out. Everyone’s gaze wound be kept low and their conversations would go mute as they walk by.

At that moment, Ran could feel a pair of eyes staring your way. He won’t make it obvious though.

“Love,” Ran called out to you. You looked up his direction and he placed a hand against your lower back. “Rindou’s gonna throw a fit if I don’t bring back food for him. How about you go into the restaurant and order first while I call him and ask what he wants?”

You felt at ease hearing that you two were finally going to be in somewhere indoors, but it made you nervous that he would be separated from you for just a little while.

“Don’t wanna bring something back he won’t like and have him complain,” Ran lightly laughed, trying to ease your clear discomfort. He placed a hand over your head. Taking out his phone to add to his act. “I’ll be quick.”

After some hesitation, you gave in. It was a public space after all, so it shouldn’t have been anything to worry too much about. He watched as you entered the place before turning around, sending chills to the person who had been following you two around this whole time.

“Would be a shame if I left them alone for too long, wouldn’t it?” Ran gave off a sinister grin, slowly walking towards the person. “Wouldn’t want anyone to take them away…especially someone like you.”

Ran knew who this person was. He was an obsessive ex of yours that just would not leave you alone and accept the separation despite it being years passed. He gulped hard, nervously stepping back, not thinking that he would get caught.

“You were so bold to even follow us in the first place, why so shy now?” Ran smirked, hiking up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “This is the first time you’ve heard of me or something? I should introduce myself to you well and hard then.”

Almost ten minutes had passed since you’ve been waiting for Ran. You sat patiently and waited. Your best guess as to what’s taking him so long revolves around Rindou. Maybe he was complaining about how he wanted food from a different place or being picky about menu opinions. Just as you were about to raise yourself from your seat to check up on Ran, you saw him enter.

“Did I make you wait too long?” Ran appeared, seating himself in front of you. The worse case scenario you had in mind was that he got into a fight, but in front of you, he looked just as how you last saw him. “You know how Rindou is.”

Your chest became relaxed and you gave a small smile, shaking your head, “What did he want from here?”

“I didn’t even listen to what he said,” Ran teased, opening up his menu and leaning back against the chair. You felt his legs sandwich your calves from beneath the table. “He can order it himself. All my money is going to you today.”

And that was how Ran liked it. Although Ran wanted everyone to know that he belonged to you, he knew how important it was for others to know that you belonged to him too. The image of the face of your ex is burned so clearly into his brain — face all bloodied up, mauled almost, as he failed to even whisper for forgiveness.

“I think there’s only one way I’m gonna let you outta here alive,” Ran kicked his body down with force, hearing something shift in his jaw. He couldn’t give half a damn about it. “Do you know what that is?”

Your ex was visibly beaten and weak now, barely able to even blink or properly form a sentence. Though, with his adam’s apple slightly moving from fear, Ran took it as a response.

Grabbing him by his hair upward, Ran bent down, looking straight at him, “You’re gonna leave them alone and never show your goddamn face again. If it wasn’t fucked already before, it sure is now. I promise you I’ll know if you’re even barely visible or a mile away, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Ran thought it was so disgusting how someone like you could ever have your time wasted on someone low like this ex of yours. Even if Ran saw him and his brother above everyone else, he always put you above him.

“Maybe even after this, I’ll send one of my men to go and beat the shit out of you every day so you could suffer for as long as you’ve tried to bother Y/N.”

— RINDOU HAITANI

Rindou can’t even remember what it took for you two to even reach this state of your guys relationship. He convinced himself that it was Ran, his older brother who wouldn’t shut up about how he was going to take you if Rindou didn’t make a move.

It genuinely surprises himself even whenever he looks your way, observing every detail and soaking in the idea that you are someone he can call his.

You two were watching a movie, or rather, supposed to. Rindou was too focused on side-eyeing you every now and then. You caught him a few times, but he would brush it off with comments like “this movie is boring” or “I’m just checking to see if you fell asleep.”

He would snap himself out of a trance after hearing your phone ring beside you. You eyed it once, looking at the caller ID and ignoring it. It wasn’t enough to cause Rindou to worry - it’s not his problem if you just didn’t wanna answer a call, it was your guys’ time anyway.

But then it rang once more again. Your ringtone dragged itself out halfway through before Rindou slightly raised his hand from your hip, pointing to the phone on the side of the couch.

“You not gonna answer that?” He asked.

You shook your head, eyes focused on the TV, “It’s fine. It’s an unknown caller ID.”

Rindou shrugged, ignoring it once again, but after a few more calls and your phone receiving back to back text messages, it was starting to irk him. He was close to just grabbing your phone and answering the call himself, but you were quick to act before him, just shutting it off.

“It must be spam or something,” You sighed, sitting back down.

“Yeah, well whatever it is, good thing you shut that damn thing off. That shit was annoying,” Rindou sighed, curling his arms around you again. “Let’s change the movie too or something. This one is boring.”

One thing about dating Rindou is that he seems uninterested in absolutely everything he does. Although you avoid thinking like that when it comes to your relationship with him, you always remind yourself that Rindou is someone who deeply cares for you. He shows it very differently compared to others, but you know.

He can recall a memory from a few weeks ago where you kept getting calls in the middle of your guys’ date. It annoyed him, but not as much as it annoyed you. You’ve pressed the red decline button at least five times now, stressing over it and spilling out everything about your previous ex.

At the end of your rant, Rindou grabbed your phone, picking up the call and saying words as simple as “leave them alone.” It was so simple, but for the next few weeks, it was silent. You finally thought you were free of harassment thanks to your boyfriend, but recently, they’ve been coming back as unknown caller IDs and more frequent than before.

Halfway through the movie, Rindou felt your body become more loose and relaxed beneath him. Your breath became slower and more steady. You had fallen asleep. He thought it was ironic to have someone as angelic as you in the arms of someone like him - a gang member always involving himself in trouble, even just for fun.

He stared at your phone just a reach away and then back at you. The last thing Rindou wanted was for you to be uncomfortable, or really, anything that isn’t where you aren’t happy.

When you woke up, the TV was shut off and you felt a blanket drape over your body. You realized you had fallen asleep from earlier, but you were expecting to find your boyfriend with you as well. That was when the door swung open and you were greeted with Rindou.

“Rindou?” You slowly let out, still adjusting from waking up. “I didn’t know you left.”

He raised a bag up midway in the air, it’s a bag from a bakery you often bought from, “You kept murmuring about it in your sleep. Didn’t want you to wake up all grumpy.”

“I don’t wake up grumpy!” You protested, watching as he took his seat next to you and unpacking all of your favorites.

“Yeah, okay,” Rindou joked. He listened to you puffing out before wrapping yourself around his arm.

“Thank you though,” You murmured out of embarrassment - maybe he was half right.

“It’s nothing,” He replied, softening his face into a grin. “Must’ve been hungry though if it got you talking in your sleep and drooling on my arm.”

You didn’t even know about half of the things he does for you, but he didn’t mind it, because if you were happy, then that was all that mattered.

It made Rindou feel guilty to turn on your phone and look through it. It wasn’t something that he ever felt the need to do - he trusted you and it felt wrong if you weren’t aware that he was using it. Though, at this time, he felt like it was for the better.

While you were silently sleeping, he browsed through your texts. It’s that same person - your ex back again to bother you. Rindou scoffed, making sure it wasn’t loud enough to wake you up, but he was angry. He clicked his tongue whilst composing a message.

Rindou knew you would never be so stupid as to meet up with someone like this, especially not after already experiencing it once. It was a good thing that it was just Rindou posing as you though. How delighted your ex felt to have finally received a response to you - ‘Let’s meet up here.’

Rindou thought it was so pathetic. This guy had no idea what he looked like, let alone that you even had a boyfriend. So when Rindou’s immediate reaction upon seeing him was to throw a punch, he was shocked.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Your ex cried out, trying his best to dodge his attacks but failing in between his words and attempts.

“Me?!” Rindou snapped, pushing him to the ground and twisting his arms. “Speak for yourself.”

The man beneath him screamed in pain, “I-I’ll call the cops on you and have you arrested!”

“Yeah? You think they’ll give me less time if I tell them I was just trying to teach a creep a lesson?” Rindou pulled back on his arms a little harder, tendons and muscles stretching themselves out of place.

“T-The hell are you talking about?!” He stuttered out.

“Don’t bitch around. Might end yourself up in there if you keep this act of yours up - I’ve been once before,” Rindou smirked, pulling back more and more on his arms. “It was fine for me. My big bro and I even got some respect while in there, so what’s gonna happen when they hear about your name from me? You’re fresh meat to them.”

“W-Who even are you?!”

Rindou scoffed, “The same guy who warned you once to leave Y/N alone. I should’ve honestly went to find you myself personally and beat the shit out of you, but I hate wasting my time.”

Your boyfriend let the man go. If his arms weren’t all bent out of place and dislocated, he’d be crawling away by now. It was a sight that Rindou would laugh at. Upon seeing that his phone had fallen out of his pocket, the same phone used to consistently harass you, Rindou stomped down hard, breaking it into bits and pieces.

“Don’t waste my time again. Next time you do, call the cops, I promise you I won’t care if they catch me killing you,” Rindou turned his back around.

[luvyanfei]

anon said. ooo a new blog! can you do confession headcanons where xiao, childe, and scaramouche react to reader confessing to them and the aftermath of it? thank you!  

a/n. xiao’s is kind of terrible ;; ue ue gomenasai

“i love you, [character’s name].”

SCARAMOUCHE.

huh? is this some kind of a joke? if so, it’s definitely not a good idea to mess with his feelings like this, especially when he also shares the same sentiment. scaramouche is almost impressed by your boldness. not everyone has the nerve to confess their love for a harbinger in front of their own faces, after all. when he’s hit with the realization that you’re serious, he secretly pinches himself to make sure he’s not in a dream.

the sharp pain that comes with his nails making contact with his flesh affirms that this is real. he stifles back a genuine smile, choosing to stay calm despite the bliss he’s currently feeling. “i guess it can’t be helped. hmph, you should be lucky i’m rather fond of you as well, [name].” he says that, but he’s the fortunate one to have successfully stolen your heart before others can claim you for themselves.

unfortunately, his time with you is quite limited due to his affiliation with the fatui, so any fleeting moments are captured in photos from the kamera to look back on. he secretly carries a picture of you while he’s out of town on important missions so that he won’t miss you too badly. he fondly looks at your still, yet smiling face to cheer him up after a tough work while everyone else is asleep. well, almost everyone.  

“hmm, who’s that in your hands, scaramouche?” childe asks, gesturing to the photo the harbinger is admiring fondly. scaramouche rolls his eyes to hide his slight embarrassment and hesitates a bit before he answers.  

“oh them? their name is [name], my... sibling.” childe almost gapes in disbelief as he looks at the blue-haired man in shock. 

“you have a sibling? why didn’t you tell me? they’re so cute!” the 11th harbinger squeals in delight, which honestly irks poor scaramouche. he scoots away to give himself some space as he tucks the picture in his pocket for safe-keeping. 

“you didn’t bother to,” he explains matter-of-factly. “now if you’ll excuse me,” he stands up from his crouched position and dusts himself, “i’m going to take a walk, alone.” 

he wanders through a dark forest and grassy fields, until he finds himself standing on top of a cliff, the moon glowing brightly above. he peers up at the twinkling stars in the sky and imagines you beside him, watching the breathtaking view together. humming an unfamiliar tune to himself, scaramouche muses over the past and replays your confession over and over again. if he could, he would respond differently than he did before. 

‘i love you.’ those three letter words echo in his ears like a melody and he allows himself to smile. 

“i love you too, [name].” 

XIAO.

he automatically perks up an eyebrow in confusion. what? is it just him or did you seriously admitted you love him? xiao stammers for a brief second, no words spilling out from his partially open mouth. what is he supposed to say? “thank you?” “i love you too?” 

when he pulls himself together, xiao shakes his head and frowns. his answer is clear and simple: no. you mortals don’t understand just how dangerous it is to get close with someone like him - a yaksha. drowning in the brink of debt and despair, he doesn’t need you to suffer all the same. the dejected expression on your face pains him to a considerable degree, yet he convinces himself, this is for your own good. 

since then, he avoids you like the plague in hopes that your feelings for him will disperse into flames. you deserve someone better, someone who won’t place you in harm’s way, someone unlike him. out of kindness, you still visit him from time to time while you go and do your daily commissions, but your interaction is heavily tense and an air of discomfort seeps through your gaze. why does his chest hurt as if he was impaled with a knife and so much more when you look at him like that? the thought of breaking down and revealing the truth that he’s also in love with you tempts him eagerly, but his pride and anxiety tides over his desires. 

you, on the other hand, is aware that xiao harbors feelings for you. you discovered this secret of his when you climbed the stairs to the spot on the balcony where he was to surprise him with a greeting, but your ears captured a faint voice in the night breeze and you couldn’t stop yourself from eavesdropping on the little conversation xiao was having with himself. he muttered about “rex lapis”, the fate of liyue, and etc. you were about to leave him to his own devices, but the next words he said stopped you in your tracks. 

“will [name] accept me if i say i love them? probably not, i suppose.” you left before he could spare a glance in your direction and a smile graced your features as you happily walked away. and being the persistent individual that you are, you inquire verr on why he’s acting so cold towards you, desperate to seek the answer you need. “xiao is, as you’re well aware, a yaksha who’s experienced hardships throughout his life, and probably lost loved ones along the way. i’m sure,” she turns to look at the setting sun in melancholy, “he doesn’t want to hurt anyone important to him again.”

you plan ahead of time for the best way to approach him without giving him any chance to escape. unfortunately, this is the only thing you can think of as you place a hand on either side of his head, trapping him between you and the wall. xiao looks at you curiously, devoid of amusement. he crosses his arms and frowns. 

“what are you doing?” your hands twitch and you chew on your bottom lip nervously before you explain yourself.

“i heard from verr why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder, that you don’t want to hurt anyone important to you, but...” you trail off to blink back the tears threatening to burst. 

“it hurts, when you ignore me like this.” your voice is quiet enough that he needs to step closer to hear you. “it hurts how selfless you are. can’t you be selfish just once? i meant what i said and i’ll say it again. i love you.” 

xiao stammers, at a loss for words, before he starts sniffling and buries himself in your arms, crying out apologies as you stroke the back of his hair and gives a closed-eye smile. “it’s okay, xiao. i’m sorry too, for not realizing how much you’ve been suffering by yourself. you don’t have to carry the burden alone anymore,” you say, looking into his tear-filled eyes, “i will always be here with you, no matter what path you choose to take.” 

“even if that path may eventually hurt you?” he whispers in a cracked voice, fingers curling around your sleeves. you nod. 

“it’s worth the pain as long as i can hold you in my arms, like this.” he chokes out a bitter chuckle and wipes away the glistening tears. 

“i love you too, [name].” 

CHILDE.

the harbinger blinks his cerulean eyes once, then twice, and... you find yourself pulled into his arms, as his lips uplift into a jovial smile. “really? you love me? [name], i had no idea you held such deep admiration for me.” you playfully roll your eyes and chuckle as you wrap your own arms around his body, fondly reciprocating his affection.

he’s the fastest to accept your confession than the other two men. you’d bet he would scamper to where he’s staying at to tell every grain of detail to his adoring relatives. 

he writes letters to his siblings about your daily dates and the progress you two are making in your relationship. they tease him for the most part, but they’re happy that he’s found the love of his life and requests that he bring you along with him on his next visit. childe smiles in relief, content that they accept you already despite never meeting you and he asks you if you’d like to come with him to his home country where you can introduce yourself to his family. without hesitation, you agree instantly, eager to meet the siblings he gushes about. 

snezhnaya is colder than you thought, as you hug yourself to preserve your warmth, even with the layers of clothing wrapped around you. “we’re almost there, [name].” childe notices your trembling and rubs his gloved hands against your back. “sorry, it’s a bit chilly here, but please bear with me.” 

you nod and continue on. when a building enters your field of sight, childe stops and grins shyly at you. “this is the place.” breath materializes in front of you as he gestures for you to head on in. almost immediately are you greeted with a little embrace as a young boy wraps his fingers around your waist and grins up at you. 

“so you’re the one who big brother said he’s in love with? have you kissed before? when is your wedding?” the child bombards you with questions excitedly and a girl has to pull him away from you, tonia, you guess. 

“teucer,” childe scolds gently, a light blush colouring his cheeks, which does not go unnoticed in his siblings’ eyes, unfortunately for him. 

a wedding, huh? seeing the sparkle in your eyes, the laughter in your voice, and the warmth of your touch as you idly chat with his siblings makes him hope, that maybe in the distant future, he’ll brave himself to take the next step to further deepen your relationship, for he wants to be with you always. 

as he tucks away the last sleeping child, childe wanders in to your shared bedroom, surprised you’re still awake. “you really love them a lot, huh childe?” he nods seriously, as you pull him to lie down comfortably into bed. 

“but do you know something else?” his breath tickles your ear as he intertwines his fingers with yours, offering a meek smile. you shake your head and nuzzle closer to him. 

“i love you too, [name].” 

[share-the-damn-bed]

Strap in, my thoughts are unhinged

I unintentionally have not slept (whoo insomnia) and my head hurts. Alright. So I finished volume 2 and I have so many thoughts. So, so many. I’ll try to keep this post to only Jancy since they are my brand. 

Vol. 2 Spoilers ahead!!

Ultimately, it was mostly what I expected. Except I definitely didn’t expect Argyle to make it back to Hawkins. I thought he was going to stay at that SBP in Nevada and Argyle 2.0 was going to help get him back to Cali. It’s an interesting choice but one I welcome. (But no Nancy introduction or genuine interaction?! booooooooooo)

Also, obviously, there were way more St*ncy moments than I anticipated and though cute and touching, I ultimately feel (as I predicted) the Jancy reunion was unearned (mostly on Nancy’s side). At least with Jonathan we have him looking at their photo and deciding to leave for Hawkins and then, when El reveals major danger for our Hawkins crew, Jonathan tries to book a plane ticket ASAP for El because he is worried. However, the fact that the two of them never really expressed concern or thought of one another irked me. It also irked me that the whole Barb thing went unmentioned. My “irk” list is long and will span beyond this post. 

I did like that Steve acknowledged Nancy’s break up helped him start to move forward in life “slowly,” (his words not mine). I’m sad that Steve apparently does have romantic feelings still for Nancy and all the St*ncy moments made me gag. 

But t he St*ncy --> Jancy switch did feel jarring. To the point where I honestly feel bad for St*ncy fans and can anticipate general fans of the show feeling confused (and unfortunately blame Nancy). Like they continued to have these moments (Nancy looking at Steve, then his lips, and then back into his eyes...) and then they had them actually talk about future plans and desires (granted, only Steve’s) and we even got a love confession (again only Steve’s) and then poof! Nancy sees Jonathan and never looks back. Like at all. I expected with everything that happened we’d get some conflicted look on Nancy’s face but nope! Which, I mean, as a Jancy fan I love, but it feels unearned. It’s genuinely bad writing. 

I still don’t think St*ncy is going to happen. I don’t have the clips yet but I do feel like when Steve was confessing about envisioning a future with Nancy (and their six kids... lol I’m willing to give Steve the benefit of the doubt here and say that wasn’t the point. That seeing the future together was the point) Nancy looked like she was going to shoot him down and even looks like she was about to shake her head. But I’m biased. And I was wrong about a lot of the St*ncy stuff being meaningful for Nancy’s Vecna-ing since it didn’t seem to make an impact. At all.

I did find the line between Karen and Nancy right before the Cali group showed up interesting. Karen hands Nancy a box of old stuffed animals from childhood and Nancy goes “Oh, Mr. Rabbit!” or whatever she called it, and Karen stated “It’s okay if you want to save him, you know?.” and Nancy goes “No, he’ll be more loved in a new home.” 

I took this to be referencing her ‘retreating’ back to Steve and her realizing that she was using him once he started confessing his desire for a future together. And that Nancy ultimately decided to let Steve go and find someone who can truly love him and have 6 kids in an RV. Or, it could be referring to Jonathan. Most likely, it means nothing and it was a throw away line. 

Did you sense that, the snark coming through? Welp, that’s because I very much do not trust the writers of the show any more. Officially. I gave them volume 2 to make sense of everything and they failed. hard. I feel like fans across the fandom even Jancy and St*ncy fans alike have pulled together wonderful theories of why things are happening and it ends up being a coincidence. Also, can we talk about how there was no story development for Jonathan and Nancy as a couple?

Episode 1: They are long-distance and are facing issues that are exacerbated by long distance.

Episode 9: They are facing the same, unresolved, undiscussed issues BUT now they are in the same town. Also maybe StEvE?!?!?

Like, we are back to where we started with Jonathan not being honest about his future plans and Nancy thinking he is planning a future with her. (I know that whole plot point might not matter now since they’re back in Hawkins and I don’t even know if they’re going to get to go to college. It’s unclear.) But I also think this brings up a point for the love triangle which they are obviously leaving room for in ST5 (hopefully the negative feedback will prevent this from happening, please?): Steve sees a future with Nancy. Jonathan is sacrificing what he wants to prioritize his Mom and brother but not Nancy (at least he was at the start of the season. we get NO insight into this by the end). But Steve’s plan doesn’t really align with Nancy’s. Idk. 

A line that made me sad was when they’re repairing the cabin, Jonathan says he’s sorry he wasn’t there, she says “to be honest, I’m kinda glad you weren’t” which Jonathan gives her a confused look and Nancy states that she means that she’s glad he was there for Mike and Will.  It just feels like it chipped away at the core foundation of their relationship which I have repeatedly stated is because they are partners and the fact that Nancy was like “yeah, I’m okay with the fact you weren’t by my side” undercuts a lot of what they’ve shown us through the years. 

Also, I’m very confused if the writers want us to think Jonathan did apply to Emerson and just isn’t planning on going or if he straight up didn’t apply and is lying to Nancy. Because the hopeful part of me thinks their little talk at the cabin does sound genuine and they just need to talk it out in way greater detail. 

But the part of me that is dominating my thoughts is STILL TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE LOVE TRIANGLE! Like Jonathan and Nancy seem like they should be good, Nancy definitely seems very happy to be with him and was misty-eyed and excited to see him when he showed up. And she has shown absolutely no second thoughts or wistful looks off to the side  implying that she’s thinking about Steve. She literally never looked at him again since Jonathan’s been there. I just don’t get why they wrote any of the St*ncy stuff. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

Which leads me to Nancy. I’ve struggled with my feelings with her this season because she has always been my absolute favorite character. I, like many people with favorite characters, identify a lot with her and have always easily understood her, her motivations, her approach, etc. whether it be good or bad. I understood. But this season especially with all the St*ncy/Jancy stuff I had no idea what she was thinking or why she was doing what she was doing. What I’ve come to realize is that I don’t dislike Nancy in ST4, not at all. I just feel a major disconnect from my favorite character and that saddens me. It’s like even though she was there and heavily involved in the story, I miss her and I wish I understood her more (like I usually do).  

In conclusion, ST4 ends with the Hopper-Byers family + Wheelers (the bonus Byers) together for the final showdown.  Jonathan and Nancy are paired off and holding hands. Jancy made it through this season by what felt like the skin of their teeth and are finally together again. And I encourage the Duffer brothers to take all the time in the world to give us season 5 (10, maybe 20 years?) because I do not trust them to not fuck it up but I do trust the many, many talented fic writers in our fandom to do the story justice. 

Anyway, come scream in my asks/comments