#just saying if you're seeing this and didn't want to get spoiled you should update your blocked tags with the spoiler tags for this game <3

[chubs-deuce]

T h e S e w e r s

I walked into this part of the game entirely blindsided on release day and boy did it catch me off-guard.

Kind of in a good way though? It did make it stick all that more poignantly, but I do hope for those sensitive to scopophobia, trypophobia and the body horror-ish elements of the Zurks were appropriately warned <3

[thatoneguydownthestreet]

Yo! I really love your apocalypse yuu writings I keep coming back to see if it has updated.

I read the Lilia finds out part and when I read the "Epel gave Yuu an apple and he didn't know what it was" it got me thinking about it all night.

How would the first years react to Yuu not eating anything at all(probably other than bread) because he doesn't know what those foods are?

________________________________

FEM ALIGNED DNI

Yuus pronouns are he/him, although they're mentioned briefly

This is barely proofread so please excuse the grammar mistakes.

Featuring: Epel, Ace, Duece, Jack, and sebek (there is implied lilia at the very end but it is literally one sentence)

Warnings: Talks of starvation, Yuu's illness, and survivers guilt, so skip this if you're uncomfortable with any of that.

Also I know it's been over a month. I have no excuse. I just didn't feel like it. But I have been teaching myself how to draw so I can be a bigger simp to Jamil so that's fun ig.

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Damn bro, you really don't know shit huh?

Epel was excited, to say the least.

I mean, could you really blame him? It's not everyday that you get a big ol' crate full of the apples that you were raised with.

By all means, epel should've been long sick of eating apples. Having them almost everyday for majority of his life, dried and dehydrated in the winter, and fresh and juicy in the spring and summer.

But no, no epel felmeir loves those apples. Every single one he ate seemed to effortlessly send him back to the simpler times of his childhood. Where he would send hours upon hours avoiding his siblings and playing games with his cousins in the orchards and taking naps in the sun while he waited for his meemaws infamous apple pies to finish baking. And meemaw would almost always let him have the first slice! Of the ones she wasn't going to sell at least.

He really missed her...

He'd have to ask her to bake him another one this winter.

But just getting to read the letter she had wrote, along with his parents and one of the towns kids that always followed him around like a lost baby duck, put a smile on his face.

Yeah. He'd get to see them soon, and once he graduates, he can get them more money, and be strong enough to protect them if it ever came to that.

Unfortunately, as great as his parents apples were, they couldn't fight the natural forces of time.

Dear sevens- they'd sent him nearly three dozen apples! All high quality too... it shouldn't effect sales too much. The orchards were big, and his parents would rather give up that expensive family heir loom necklace that his mother always wore than start selling spoiled apples.

But still, epel couldn't possibly eat thirty-six apples before they all started to rot. Plus, he didn't know how long they took to ship to the isle of sages, so that cut the time frame even shorter.

.....Does Jack like apples?

Should he even be considering giving Jack an apple to begin with? Their relationship was pretty vague. We're they actually friends or just study buddies?

Study buddies can give eachother gifts too right? And plus, it's food, not a 24 carrot gold ring or something crazy like that.

It should be fine. Maybe he'll give one to ace too. They were friends. Surely.

.

.

.

Ace trappola would say he was a good friend. I mean, he wasn't the best by any means, but he was decent.

Yeah, he could be kind of a dick. But who isn't at this point, honestly, even deuce, even cater had their moments.

But he was still someone the people in his life could go to for things, usually physically, tangible this like food or an extra ball or something, but he wasn't completely useless when it came to emotions either.

You could come to him if something was bothering you. He probably won't help you actually fix it but he can at least make you laugh.

So why didn't you want to laugh?

You had taken your mask off a few weeks ago. And like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on him he realized it was the first time he ever saw you eat any food here at all.

Were you eating at all before then? What about water?

Thank the seven you were only here for around a week. But surely, you were dehydrated.

(You were definitely dehydrated. Deuce gave you a water bottle and you chugged it like it was your only chance at life. Which, to be fair, it probably was your only chance at life.)

Ace didn't know what your life was like before.

Ace didn't want to know either.

He didn't do well with heavy topics, always changing the subject when one came up unless he was personally involved in some way.

Other people life didn't concern him, and that was something he lived by.

...but still.

This was going a bit too far, don't you think?

Ace shot a look to deuce, clear concern instead of the regular teasing, which caught his roomates attention faster than he thought it would.

Ok. So deuce had noticed too.

Just goes to show how obvious it was that something is very wrong here.

Now, because ace had never asked, and he probably never will, he didn't know what your relationship with food was like before you came here. But. It couldn't have been this right?

A person couldn't only survive on some bread and room temperature water, right?

You sat across from him at your guy's unofficial table in the cafeteria, drinking the water at a moderate pace, as you didn't want to deal with another scolding from a certain housewarden, doing your best to keep a careful eye on grim as he went to go get his food from the lunch line.

And thank the seven for that, really. If grim turned back and saw that you weren't watching him for even a second, who knows that kind of ruckus would result?

But all that aside, you were still scarily underweight. Seriously perfect, how were you even alive?

Ace looked at deuce again. Deuce looked back.

He sighed.

Ace never, ever thought he would do something like this.

But for sevens sake, you were one of his best friends. And Ace will be damned if he just let you do this to yourself.

So with a deep breathe, he looked at you, and then turned back to what he was pretty sure was an ex-gang member, and nodded.

And for once, deuce understood.

They had to do something.

.

.

.

You reminded Deuce Spade of that stray cat that his mother would always feed when he was a child.

Underweight, scared, scarred, and confused.

Always having an air if caution and paranoia, ready to react, as if anything could just jump out and grab you at any time.

But you weren't a cat, were you?

No. You were a person. Someone his age, maybe younger, that had obviously seen horrors he couldn't even understand. Which just made this whole situation even sadder.

Because if you lived like this, then what the hell was stopping him? What about his mother? What was stopping her from having the same fate?

Duece ignored the memories of his mother giving him food and taking none for herself, saying she wasn't hungry.

But he couldn't quite ignore them, nor could he ignore the pit in his stomach whenever he looked at you.

...Listen perfect, he doesn't know what you went through to be like this, but he knows damn well this isn't normal.

It can't be normal. Hiding this much food underneath your floorboards couldn't ever be normal.

The two of you were just hanging out in your room in Ramshakle. Grim was in the lounge, he was sure, and you had stared off into space before asking the date.

When he told you, you had a look of slight panic as you ripped the rug off from its place on the floor, and started pulling apart the boards.

And what for?

The reveal of a large stash of food, mostly non-perishables, but a few snacks here and there too.

Snacks that were about to expire, apparently.

You turned to look back at him, a sheepish look on your face, and what looked like a bag if chips in your hand.

Deuce didn't know what face he was making.

He just knew it wasn't one he'd want you to see

.

.

.

If someone were to ask Jack howl if he was your friend. He wouldn't know to to say.

I mean yeah, you helped save his entire dorms ass way back when, yeah, you and him absolutely went throught it during azuls little "episode", and yeah, the two of you had plenty of mutual friends.

But we're the two of you friends?

Jack wasn't sure.

Because by all accounts, you should be.

It didn't change the fact that you weren't. Not really. Not by his definition and not by yours.

So what were you?

Well, you weren't friends. That was already established. And you were too close to be acquaintances (he didn't think acquaintance fell asleep on each other in the botanical gardens, only to wake up five minutes till curfew and just haul ass back to their respective dorms with smiles on their faces), so...what did that leave?

Well... I guess it left this.

"Eat it"

"....huh?"

Jack didn't know you that well. But that didn't mean he couldn't see..this happening. And it definitely didn't mean he didn't care.

So here he was. Holding a pastrami sandwich about an inch away from your face, silently begging you to just shut up and eat it.

Come on perfect, he bought this with his own money. Just humor him, please.

You eyed the sandwich like it was the most untrustworthy thing you'd ever seen. Jack's not going to lie, it kind of hurt.

But it wouldn't matter if you ate it, so he sucked it up.

...at least he would if you'd actually take the fucking sandwich.

Seriously, it was starting to tick him off.

Jack briefly considered just varying off and giving the sandwich to ruggie or something, or just eating it himself. He wasn't the biggest fan of pastrami but who knows, maybe the school made it better.

Honestly, he probably would have done just that if the image if you leaning against the wall looking ready to pass out from, what he knew, was malnutrition.

The event itself actually happened around two weeks ago, give or take. Jack thinks the only real reason he remembers it so well is because, well, it was the moment.

The defining moment, the moment where it just clicked that something was very wrong here.

He already knew that of course, I mean, look at you.

But as it turns out, watching someone actively starve to death in front of you will keep you up at night.

His mind turned to ruggie for a split second, before forcibly shoving that thought down where all the other thoughts he didn't want to think about were.

Like that time when he was a kid with a crush on Vil....yeah, Jack's happy he got o er that one to say the least. Nothing against Vil, he's a great friend and all (they were friends right?), but them in a relationship? Yeah. No. Not happening. No thankyou.

...yeah.

Jack mentally slapped hi.self and proceeded to shove his weird thoughts down yet again and refocus on getting his not-quite-friend to eat.

You were leaning back a lot farther than you were a second ago, if you did that anymore you'd probably just end up on the ground.

...jack sighed. This was going to take a while wasn't it?

By the end of the lunch period, you had come to a compromise, jack you slip the sandwich with you and take the other half for himself.

You ended up splitting your half with grim, who reluctantly took it. You had actually eaten yours too!...after you took the while thing apart and inspected and obsessed over it like how he'd seen Rook do to his housewardens that one time!

But still, it was something.

It was a start. And that's really all he could ask for at this point.

.

.

.

Sebek didn't notice anything about you at first. And he didn't particularly care much either. He was a guard for sevens sake! He had a deep responsibility!

He had a crown prince, that he oh so admired, to protect! Not to mention silver, who he had to wake up at every given turn, and not to mention Lilia, who had recently been going harder on their training sessions.

So to waste his time with a human? With a weak little human that didn't even come close to his current list if priorities?

That's time he simply did not have!

...So why was he here?

He was supposed to be looking for his charge. His charge, who always seemed to wind up around the old, abandoned Ramshakle building and just dissappear in the nick of time.

It had been happening more and more lately, especially since that new perfect moved in.

He would be lying if he said he cared too much about him. Again, he didn't have time to be curious about some strange human boy with some strange past.

But still, he couldn't quite contain the way he jumped back when he'd first seen them.

Whoever he was, he looked so...sick.

...he didn't have time for this.

Turning back on his heel, he refocused his mind on finding his lord again, and quickl- wait- silver. Oh great sevens. Silver wake up!

Ok. Sebek really didn't have time for this.

...and yet.

Here he was, standing next to you, arms out ready to catch you at a moments notice if you really were going to collapse like he thought you were.

He hadn't been this close to you before.

And now he could see that you weren't just sick.

Great seven, you looked like you were dying...

Sebek zigbolt had always known humans were weak, fragile creatures. Never able to even light a candle next to faeries. Never able to light a candle next to him, and certainly not his young master.

But this was just pushing it.

Sebek was stronger than his human counterparts. He would long outlive them. He thought of silver for the shortest second and then quickly pushed that thought to the side. This was not the time. Buteven with those facts, sebek still knew that humans weren't made of fine glass. Even if the people in his homeland liked to act like it, Sebek still knew that humanity wasn't completely hopeless.

One strong gust of wind wouldn't knock them over.

One missed meal wasn't enough to do detrimental damage to their health.

Pulling one all nighter would barely put a dent in their day to day lives, aside from the obvious fatigue and.

But with you?

With you? Alwats looking like you could kneel over and die then and there on the classroom floor?

...

Sebek want so sure anymore.

.

.

.

Epel had eaten more apples than any normal person should ever be able to eat.

Sevens help him, his stomach.

Despite the waves of pain that shit through him every now and then, epel wasn't mad.

Yeah, maybe eating a whole eight apples in the span of two hours wasn't his smartest idea, but the sweet nostalgia that seemed to wash over him and warm his very soul? Yeah no, it was worth it.

So no. Epel felmeir wasn't mad.

And laying in a bed that was much too soft for his taste, a direct contrast from the slightly itchy blankets and the hard mattresses back home, epel glance over to the almost empty crate of apples that were sitting just under his work desk.

...As much as Epel wanted to eat them, he wanted to do this even more.

Epel sat up, ignoring his stomach pain the best he could, and began a mental list of all the people he knew. And then a silent debate over who deserved his families apples in the first place.

Ok. First up Ace.

Epel would say they were friends. Not close friends by any means, but friends nonetheless.

Epel could give him one.

Next was Jack.

...In all honesty, epel didn't know. We're they friends, or just simply homework buddies that occasionally hung out?

...he could spare one for Jack, maybe they'd be friends then if they weren't already.

Duece.

Yes. Just- just yes. That day on the beach had changed their relationship forever. Duece was like a brother to him at this point.

He was goddamn getting an apple.

Epel chuckled a little at the realization that he was treating this like one of those elimination gameshows his meemaw liked.

Ok...he had two apples left after that.

Sebek wasn't really his friend was he? He certainly didn't make it seem like he was. If anything, Sebek was trying his damnedest to make them all belive the exact opposite, really.

....maybe he should just give the apple to Rook.

Or Vil.

Maybe.

Ok. He has one apple left.

The two of you weren't really friends. But you were friendly. If nothing else, you had been nothing but kind to him so far.

And plus, you looked uh. Half dead. To put it nicely.

And so, with a smile on his face, epel took out the crate of apples and began placing them on a bag that would make them easier to carry around tomorrow.

He couldn't wait.

.

.

.

It's funny how your whole life can change in a single moment, especially when you don't even know what that moment was.

Why were you here? Where is here anyway? Surely, magic didn't exist right?

The air wasn't always this clean right?

Water wasn't readily available at the turn of a handle right?

People didnt...people werent...weren't....

Heh. Heheha.

Why.

Why were you here?

Why were you here?

Why you and not one of the kids? What the hell have you ever done but use up medical supplies in a fruitless effort to keep you alive.

Why was this world so...pretty. happy. Clean.

Why this world and not your own? What had this world ever done to deserve this luxury of life.

...What had yours?

What had you?

Out of all the base commanders, the medics, the farmers, or children, or any of the other apprentice kids that you sometimes had to work with.

You were here. And they were still trapped inside of that hell.

...You didn't deserve this.

You died. You were on that beach and you died.

You woke up in a coffin, but something told you this wasn't the afterlife.

That something being the blood that you coughed up the other day.

It wasn't from internal bleeding, you k ew that much. Rather, it was from you coughing so hard that something in your throat had ripped.

It really didn't matter. You had spent nearly half an hour in a panic, choking and trying to unclog your airways, while grim and the ghosts you had come to somewhat love, stood behind you, offering what little comfort they could.

It wasn't the first time this happened after all.

You were still bedridden for a good two days after that. Thank God for the weekend.

Time passed in a blur while you were like that. It always did, mostly because you were asleep ninety percent of the time. The other twn being dedicated to medicine and a vain attempt to get food you knew you couldn't stomach to stay down.

So no. This wasn't the afterlife.

It was just a beautiful second chance that you didn't deserve.

It was so confusing.

And this was so confusing.

What..is this weird red thing being handed to you?

Epel looked at you with a hopeful expression on his face. It reminded you of the little girl you used to look after...

You take the..thing.

Glancing over to your right, you watch Ace take a large bite out of it with a smile on his face.

Ok. So not poisonous. Good to know.

You saw Duece do the same thing.

You felt Jack staring at you, but you didn't dare look at him.

[ihavemadequestionablechoices]

Yan!C!Awesamedude x GN!Reader

Summary: Living in a kingdom with someone in charge who you see as a tyrant, you weren't afraid to take your shot and attempt to murder him. Unfortunately, he survived, though barely, and you'd been arrested. Now, you're one of the very few prisoners of Pandora's Prison: the dungeons for those who are, to put it mildly, fucked.

Genre: angst, horror

Warnings: swearing,

Pronouns: I/me

Request: [YES]/[NO]

AU: Medieval-inspired

Note: because I'm on vacation and thusly can't update my fics, I decided to make use of the free WiFi in this hotel ((: Note that they're written on phone, and so likely have mistakes.

Pandora's Pen

Day 1

Welp, guess what? I failed. I didn't think I'd end up here, but I did. Pandora's Prison. The moment that spoiled prince sent me here, I knew I was fucked. I hoped I'd be given a fair trial, but of course, a "royal" can't deal with criticism.

So, now I'm just living a death sentence, basically. Everything in this place (including a bed) has to be bought by my money. You believe that? I'm lucky to have Niki make sure I remain alive as long as I can afford (I trust her with my life, so also with my money), but I said I only want her to give the money to stuff like food and drink. I'll just pee and shit and whatnot in the bucket the Prison did provide, and she'll pay with my money for the meals. But I refuse any other luxuries. The only other thing I asked for was this notebook, to be returned to her, so all know the true cruelty of this nation.

I'll start out by describing what happened when I was brought here. While I stayed in the dungeons of the Royal Palace, a bunch of soldiers came in and forced me into handcuffs. They blinded me with a blindfold and told me to remain silent once I started (naturally so) asking questions. They didn't say where they were taking me: I assumed to court. However, I was eventually forced upon a wagon and brought to somewhere easily recognizable.

The Prison is darker for one who knows it'll become their home. They stripped me of any belongings I had left, and forced me into this weird uniform, which admittedly isn't that bad, it's just hard for when I have to piss. It's like a dress with trousers, if you get what I mean. I don't know, man, never been big on clothing.

Anyway, the main Warden hadn't spoken at all during this, until he explained the money part. Ugh, I already hated this voice. He said I wouldn't see anyone except the other wardens, so I should get used to it. Well, he said it more formal, but it was clear to me he wasn't going to treat me like a normal fucking human being.

I was one of the few criminals there too. The other one was Dream, who's infamous for his "war crimes" or whatever they're called. However, I'm never going to see him. He's stuck in the big lava cell, while I'm just stuck in a dark-ass chamber with only the light of outside through railed windows to prevent me from going blind. While he's stuck in a poisonous warmth, I have to do with a bone-chilling cold.

My cell is pretty small. I think a guy of two feet would have to constantly keep his head down, and the cell itself is like 3 by 3 metres. I already mentioned the bucket (fucket) and there are carvings in the walls that have probably been made by a former prisoner. There's only a little light: that of outside and of the small window in the door, whenever someone with a torch comes by. It stinks. Unsurprisingly so, but I expected more urine-smell and less... well, death.

Anyway, I'm writing this before I'm going to try and sleep on the cold floor. I want to make sure I sleep enough to prevent any health problems that come with this... life, if that's what you can call it, from escalating.

And well, I am tired. Extremely.

Day 3

So, today one of the wardens came to bring me food. He smelled like alcohol and I'm pretty sure he was drunk. When I spoke to him, he answered kindly, though I think that's because he wasn't really there. The guy was called Bad, he said. When I asked him why he was drunk, he said it was to block out the screams. At first I thought he was trying to scare me, until I heard them too.

The Warden (the green one) passed by my cell, so I asked him about it. He seemed... shocked. He stopped by my cell and looked at me through the small window. I could only see his eyes. They looked as exhausted as mine.

"You're not allowed to speak to me, 7."

Yeah, 7 is the number assigned to me, for some reason. I think it's because I'm in cell 7. Not sure, though.

"I'm going to die in here anyway. If you think I give a shit about your petty rules, you're mistaken. But who was that? What was that?"

Despite apparently not allowing me to talk to him, he still answered.

"That's none of your business, 7."

"Don't be sassy to me, Warden. You know I'm going nowhere, so why hold that information a secret?"

I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about the notebook (he might, but he didn't mention it). He just snarled at me and then left. Rather amateur behaviour, if you ask me. I'm sure he wouldn't have reacted that way had he had more energy.

The food sucks, by the way. I have no idea how expensive it is, but it's not worth my money.

Day 16

Guess what, something exciting happened, finally. After two weeks, I am already mentally derived of life, but today, I finally had someone visit me. The spoiled prince himself.

For some reason (that reason being privileges), the Warden came into my cell and cuffed me, blindfolded me and brought me to his office. Honestly, I will admit, he did not have as expensive things as I thought he would have. I was cuffed to a chair while he kept his eyes on me all the time, warning bitch hoe (that's what I name the Prince) that I would be provocative. Can't say he was wrong, but I decided to hold myself in, just to make his life a little more miserable.

The Prince, of course, started proudly talking about how his father lived and I was a failure and blah blah blah. I'm pretty sure I even heard the Warden sigh at some point, but I may have imagined it. Bad sleep + bad food + no social interaction -> hallucinations. Two weeks have passed and I'm already going insane. Every day is the same: I avoid writing those down because they're as predictable as you can imagine.

God I can feel myself going insane.

The Prince ended up leaving and I was brought back to my cell. I hadn't said a word to him, just smiling at him as he arrogantly spoke. The Warden returned me to the cell and immediately brought my food, which was less than yesterday. I know my money shouldn't be running out already so I expect some asshole (either he or the prince) took some.

Day 20

I've just realised I've either been in here for way too short, or I've not been keeping track of the days at all.

Anyway, I wouldn't write this down if it wasn't the same. Some guy passed by my cell today, and after that, the screaming started. The Warden passed by my cell as well, so I told him to, you know, explain to me what the hell was going on. Though he never answered my question, he just started to... talk.

His name is Sam I now know, and he's been the Warden of Pandora's Prison ever since the start. I must admit, his sudden decision to talk to me (despite me not being allowed to start conversation) felt kinda weird. Maybe it's normal for him, but I'm pretty sure it's not.

In any case, he ended up by saying "until next time", so I assume this will become a habit of his.

Day ???

I'm not kidding. He made it into a habit. But this time - I don't know how much time passed - he actually entered my cell. He went inside and just sat down and talked to me. When I asked why, he said I was right.

"You're not going to get out of here, so there's no reason to follow the rules. You'll die here. I can tell you anything, and nobody would ever know."

He didn't share any sensitive information, unfortunately, but it was still rather... terrifying. He refused to answer any questions, but threatened to seriously hurt me if I were to avoid any of his. I'm not kidding. This place is messed up, and the power is clearly rising to his head. I said this and he just shrugged.

He then notified me I was nearing my last coins. I knew this would happen and admittedly, I'm glad. Sam's presence has been nauseating. To a certain extent enticing and comforting, but also really scary.

Day WTF

I should be out of money right now. Why am I still getting food? The meals have increased in quality and I've gotten things Niki would know I don't enjoy, so why am I getting it?

Day uhhh

I've stopped eating the food Sam gave me. It smells weird. I think he's trying to poison me? I mean, I may also just be going insane, but him just sitting down in my cell each day (or twice a day - I wouldn't know) is really suspicious. He's insisting I eat, but I'm just waiting to die of starvation.

He also said that he could provide me with a luxurious cell??? It's fucking weird, man. I don't trust it. None of it.

Day FUCK

He got touchy. I'm not joking. He got touchy. Said it'd be a shame for a beautiful one like me to go to waste and he stroked my fucking cheek. I told him to fuck off, and he told me only if I ate. I don't trust it. None of it.

Day damn

I'm hungry. I'm so fucking hungry. The smell of food is enough to make me drool, and I think he knows that. He has to. In any case, I refuse to. I've told him that if he can provide me with a dagger, I'd do it.

His... weird behaviours have been starting to cross a line too. I think he likes being a Warden?? In the way one shouldn't?? He's started calling me pet names, talking about how much of a shame it is I'm a prisoner, though he clearly seem to enjoy that exact bit. It's really freaky. I'm scared to go to sleep.

Dagger day

He's given me it. I'm going to eat my last meal (he made one very tasty, and I'm pretty sure he poisoned it). When he gave me it, he held a whole speech of how much he loves me (fucking hell, I know) and I'm worried. But it also made me more determined. His touchiness and the memories of what I'm fighting for, have made me certain.

I'm eating my last meal. Then he'll regret ever giving me the dagger.

Farewell.

Sam, if you're reading this: haha L bozo

[inkblot22]

can I just say …. how absolutely enthralled I am with your content … it’s not often I find someone who writes DARK dark content, I’m not saying that it’s bad n all but I find most dark content fics nowadays to not give me that sense of toxic or possessive love supposedly radiating from the s/os but with yours I can definitely experience the tingles and I love ittt!

also .. can I say how much I LOVE the pregnancy trope in media? **especially** if it’s forced or just accidental but they make u keep it anyways .. not sure if it’s implied the fetus is gone or not, but I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes us!!

Wow okay hello! Thank you so much, you're very sweet! It's rather funny that you say that about this series in particular, because Idia is insistent that he does not love his kitten lmao.

I apologize for rambling here, but regarding the toxic/possessive love thing, I think about it like this: the driving force behind an action will translate into said action whether the person wants it to, or not. I also grew up reading copious amounts of toxic or taboo fanfiction and stories. For instance, I remember when Infatuation was still getting weekly updates. Not sure if that helps or shows in any way, shape, or form, but The Dimensional Tune series and anything written by Rita Redswood (Darkened Warrior) also really lent to my creative exploration as a teenager. Wattpad has really gone downhill now, huh?

Beyond that, I am personally absolutely terrified of bearing a child. It is one of the only forms of horror that actually gets to me in a very genuine way. The very concept of having a life grow inside of you, whether you want it to or not, is nightmarish, not to mention the way that people who happen to birth a child are very often boiled down to simply being a womb with legs following bearing the baby. Not sure if that's a thing that happens everywhere, but a lot of birthing parents that I've been around have had their entire personalities removed in a social way and not by themselves following their children's spawning. Imagine having your personage ignored and deleted by people who knew you before you had a kid?

You caught me at an interesting time since I'm seriously trying to figure out what the next thing I want to post is. I have a few too many ideas bouncing around (read: four or so) Gonna put this next bit under a cut so no one gets spoiled if they aren't caught up on the Pants on Fire series.

Anyhow, what I'm getting at is that there is another part planned for the Pants on Fire series, so hopefully it answers any other questions or thoughts that happen to cross your minds. Also! To clarify, no, the fetus is still forming in the reader, miraculously so after that shock. They didn't get past their cervix with the hanger, either, possibly from trepidation or a loose grip. It's up for interpretation, but I absolutely should have been more clear. Later, when Idia said he would take care of their "little problem twofold," he was, in fact, talking about going back to The Isle of Woe for abortion/more permanent contraceptive purposes.

[softguarnere]

Like A Girl (Like A Man)

Shifty Powers x OFC

Chapter 23: Turkey and Hooch

Summary: Gene’s hands shake more than before as he passes the picture back to her. He doesn’t look at her. “She just . . . looked familiar, somehow.” A/N: Sorry for missing last week's update! I was on vacation and so busy hiking in the middle of nowhere that I didn't have much of a chance to work on this. There are so many details in this chapter that I want to point out, but at the risk of spoiling things, I'll add them to the author's note for the next chapter instead. (But if you're impatient like me, you can find them in the endnotes for this chapter on AO3) 😊 Warnings: language, death, grief, mentions of war, injury Taglist: @lady-cheeky @liebgotts-lovergirl @latibvles @lieutenant-speirs @ithinkabouttzu @mrs-murder-daddy @hxad-ovxr-hxart

Belgium, 1944

Like wildfire, the news spreads through the company – they’ve found a woman disguising herself as a paratrooper!

Zenie drops her spoon in the middle of the chow line. It’s just hit the snow when Bill ducks down to pick it up, pressing it into her hands like nothing happened. No one seems to notice.

“No shit?!” Skip cocks an eyebrow, a look that makes him appear half surprised and half skeptical.

“It’s what I heard,” Lieutenant Compton is saying. “The American soldiers who captured her said they never would have known if they hadn’t made her take off her helmet. That’s when they saw her braids.”

“God-damn! Did the Krauts know she was a girl?”

Compton shrugs. “I don’t know. And I don’t think they kept any of them around long enough to find out.”

“Well shit. I mean, that’s really something.”

Bill’s posture loosens. They’re not talking about her – just someone like her. Someone who has been caught just as easily as she could be. Any thoughts of wandering to the OP to find Shifty vanish from her mind. What if she takes a wrong turn like Babe did and ends up in a German foxhole? Hinkle wouldn’t be so kind to her.

Luckily, even in the snow-covered forest, Shifty’s powers of navigation cannot be thrown off. No one has ever doubted his abilities as an outdoorsman, but it’s still a nice surprise when he drops down into Zenie’s foxhole that evening.

He smiles, the warm air from his mouth creating a puff off steam against the cold that perpetually hangs around them. “Siyo.”

“Siyo,” Zenie echoes.

The joy she feels at seeing him is not reflected on Shifty’s face. All the worry in the world settles into the crease on his forehead as his brows scrunch together. He taps her sling.

“You really were hit.”

“Just some shrapnel.”

“Just?” The corners of his mouth twitch despite himself. “You act like you didn’t feel a thing.”

Try as she might, Zenie will never be able to forget the pain and the heat zipping through her arm as the shrapnel cut into her, or the discomfort as Gene and Renée dug it out of her flesh. Her friends’ sentiments keep echoing in her mind, though: it could have been worse. So, yes – just.

With no one around, Shifty leans closer to her, his shoulder pressing up against her uninjured one. “Sorry I didn’t make it here sooner. Shames kept sendin’ me out to scout. I couldn’t say no, bad as I wanted to.”

“You can’t ignore orders,” Zenie agrees. Shifty hums, frowning as he stares at her sling. She nudges his ribs with her elbow. “You’re a good soldier, Shifty.”

“I should have just come. Especially when I heard they found a woman . . .”

“Not me, though.” Somehow, the situation pulls a breathy laugh from her throat. God, what are the odds? She gets hit and keeps her secret intact, but a German girl gets found out just because she got captured when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could have been worse. What was it Renée said? That someone was watching out for her. Well, that just might be true. She’s made it this far. Some would classify that as some sort of miracle.

Keeping their shoulders pressed together – keeping their connection established – Shifty leans back a little so that he can study her. “Are you okay though?”

She’s alive. Even in this icy forest with its daily explosions and its lack of food, she’s still here. Sitting in a hole in the ground, sure, but at least not laying in one in the horizontal sense.

“I am now.” She doesn’t bother hiding her smile. “I think I’d be more okay if you stayed here.”

“Am I stealing Bill’s spot?”

“He won’t be mad. Especially now that he knows.”

Shifty’s eyes go wide. “Bill knows?” Other questions remain unspoken: does that mean that everyone in the company will know within the next few hours?

“I trust him,” Zenie assures him. The Italian’s words from their earlier conversation echo in her mind. She repeats them, for Shifty’s sake. “We’re going to be fine.”

Bastogne is changing them.

Babe is not the same when he comes back from his patrol. Julian’s death weighs heavy on him in a way that feels similar to the way Bill’s grief clung to him after his brother’s death. He’s quieter. Silence does not suit him. Often the only sound he makes is the harsh, rattling cough that settled into his chest soon after they arrived here. A shame – he has a face that was meant to be happy and a voice that was meant to tell jokes and to laugh.

Zenie recognizes the hollow expression on his face all too well. It’s the same one that stared back at her in the mirror for so long after Granny died. She slides Babe her extra cigarettes and hopes that he understands what she’s trying to say by giving them to him. I’m sorry, I know it hurts, I’m here with you.

Gene is constantly on the move, running from foxhole to foxhole trying to fix everything. Several people have started whispering that he’s going crazy. There’s never a day when he doesn’t drop into her foxhole to ask how Zenie is doing or to check her arm. Besides the snow and the miserable temperatures, it’s the one constant thing that she can count on each day. Although he seems . . . distant, now. They were never close before, but he doesn’t stick as closely to her as he did before Bill knew her secret.

Zenie, too, feels different. The old sense of urgency returns. The same one that haunted her back in her room as a teenager, then the one that caused she and all her friends to live fast and reckless before and after D-Day.

Whenever Shifty isn’t all the way out at the OP, he’s sharing a foxhole with Zenie. And whenever they’re sharing a foxhole, she presses up against him, relishing the short time that they spend together. As cold as it is, no one can say anything about her leaning into his side or his arm around her. Anything to stay warm in this place – if anyone notices, no one gives them a second glance, because they’re all doing the same.

Pressed against each other in their foxhole, they peep over the rim, exchanging worried looks with men doing the same from their foxholes nearby. Today it’s not the cold that’s set them all on edge, but an unexpected foe – thirst.

“Jesus Christ, he’s actually gonna do it,” someone says as Babe lifts himself from his foxhole. He crouches low, glances up at the sky above them, looks around at all the faces peering out at him from the frozen earth, then takes off like a shot.

Zenie holds her breath, listening, just like Shifty taught her to all that time ago back in the woods of Clinchco. The second she hears the humming of a plane engine, she’ll shout a warning to Babe. After all, that’s what had taken the kid from I Company the day before. He had attempted the same mad dash to the little frozen creek nearby, only to get hit by strafing from an American plane flying overhead. All for some water.

His body is still there. Stiff, motionless, and frozen to the ground. Babe lifts the corpse’s hand and pries the handle of a jerry can from its fingers. He glances up at the sky again before slamming the bottom of the can into the film of ice that covers the creek. Zenie counts the seconds as he plunges the can into the water, holding it down as it fills up with water.

Finally, the deed is done. Still crouched low to the ground, Babe begins the two-hundred-yard dash back. A few feet away he pushes himself sideways, sliding over the icy ground and landing beside Bill in a foxhole, like a baseball player sliding onto home plate – safe!

A collective exhale is released from those watching. After a moment’s pause to make sure they’re still in the clear, Bill and Babe climb out of their foxhole, motioning for everyone to follow their lead.

Men scramble from their foxholes and form a line. One at a time, Bill opens people’s canteens and holds them steady while Babe fills them with water. He hardly finishes filling them before men lift them to their lips, greedily gulping at the cold water.

At the back of the line, Zenie’s tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth as she waits. If they run out of water before she gets there, she’ll make the dash to the creek herself, she decides, injured arm be damned.

Babe squints down into the jerry can to gauge the water level as Zenie and Shifty approach.

“Goddamn it,” he hisses. Water sloshes inside the can as he shoves it under Bill’s nose. Take a look! the gesture screams in defeat.

“Je-sus Christ!” Bill turns the jerry can so that Zenie and Shifty can see for themselves.

In the darkness of the can and with the lack of light from the cloud covered sky, Zenie squints, trying to make out what her friends are looking at. Bill gives the can a slight shake, and that’s when she sees it.

Despite the dryness in her throat, Zenie swallows thickly. “Is that - ?”

Shifty curses under his breath when he realizes what he’s seeing. There, in the bottom of the can, are floating chunks of something spongy looking. Zenie has never seen anything like it before, but it doesn’t exactly take a genius to deduce that it’s pieces of human brain. Specifically, those of the dead man from I Company.

Babe grimaces. “What do we do?”

For a moment, Bill hesitates – something that he seldom does. He sighs through his nose. “We gotta drink somethin’ if we don’t wanna die.”

“Hey!” Babe calls to the men who have already received their water. “Use your water purification pills. Now!”

Without letting the Philadelphians fill her canteen, Zenie screws the lid back on and walks back to her foxhole. She would rather take her chances with dehydration than drink water with brains in it, thank you very much. Bill and Gene will just have to try to understand this time.

Lots of things feel very big at sixteen. Any misfortune or slight can feel earthshattering enough to end it all. Now at twenty-one, with the distance of time and an ocean between that stupid Christmas party, Zenie realizes that 1939 was not the worst Christmas of her life. Sixteen-year-old Zenie had been wrong; she had no idea how much worse it could get. Especially because, if the rumors are to be believed, the generals are out there somewhere enjoying a dinner of, in Colonel Sink’s words, “turkey and hooch” in the lovely company of such bright shining stars as Marlene Dietrich . . . and Rebecca Sadowski.

But – at least this time she’s not quite so alone. In the cold of the foxholes, Shifty is pressed up against her right side and Gene is on her left. Somewhere across the snow, German voices ring out in familiar melody. They might sound beautiful under different circumstances.

With shaking hands, Shifty tucks his pictures and letters back into his jacket. Zenie shuffles through her own one last time, wanting to look at Granny’s kind face before trying to sleep for the night.

“Who is that?” Gene asks suddenly as Zenie is about to tuck one of her photographs back into the pile.

She stops, staring down at it before tilting it so that Gene can better see it. Through the darkness settling around them, Matthew and Marilyn smile up at them from their graduation picture.

“My older brother and sister,” Zenie explains. Shivering, she hands the picture to Gene.

He holds it very close to his face, squinting. For all that he does know about Zenie, there’s also a lot that he doesn’t. Besides the fact that she’s not a man, she realizes, he really doesn’t know much about her. In fact, from what she keeps hearing Babe complain about with the nicknames, he doesn’t seem to have that level of closeness with anyone.

With a finger stiff from cold and stained from his work as a medic, he points to Marilyn. His lips part slightly but he doesn’t speak.

“Marilyn. She married the boy next-door – her teenage crush. Didn’t want to be left at home without him, so she joined the Red Cross after he joined up.”

Gene’s hands shake more than before as he passes the picture back to her. He doesn’t look at her. “She just . . . looked familiar, somehow.”

Back in Bastogne’s church, for a split second, Zenie had thought that she caught sight of her. Maybe Gene has seen her, in all his trips back and forth between here and there. She’s about to ask when she realizes that Gene has closed his eyes. His breathing is starting to even out. With his job keeping him in constant motion, she couldn’t wake him up just to ask him. Tomorrow morning. She’ll have to try to remember to ask him then.

She tucks her photographs and letters back into her jacket and leans into Shifty’s side. He slips his hand into hers, tilts his head so that it rests on top of hers. The German voices are still singing somewhere across the snow.

“Ulihelisdi danisdayohihv,” she says, adding her own language to the mix. Then, with the foolish optimism and determination of her sixteen-year-old self she thinks, When I get out of here, I’m going somewhere warm. If she can’t stop Christmases from getting worse, at least she can stop them from being cold.

[teruthecreator]

As someone who started reading Side Quest based on the fanart I saw and was blissfully ignorant to most of the problems you pointed out, I just wanted to thank you for your post. The thing that stuck out to me while reading that fic was the entire Toichiro rewriting. Every interaction he had made me so angry while reading and looking back I think a big part of that has to do with how out of character he's been. I had been partway through chapter 11 when I stumbled upon your post and decided to finish it through that new perspective. Tbh, I don't even think I would have needed it to ask myself wtf was going on because once it hit Reigen encountering Toichiro in the tower Toichiro instantly starts calling Reigen a slut. This chapter was already kinda slow compared to the rest because it was just a retelling of what happens in the episodes, and what was interesting about this fic when I first read it was the new scenes that were added, but simply adding unnecessary comments to a known scene and focusing on how Reigen doesn't have sex and doesn't know where he got these accusations from was very off-putting.

As for everything else, aside from not having dealt with anything like that and not immediately noticing how things were worded, I want to say I likely chalked it up to plot. I think I read a lot of things passively just to see what people write about without thinking too much about how they're writing about it. And maybe that's a flaw on my end, just being bored and randomly throwing a dart on a dartboard to consume more media regardless of what it is (mostly, I do have limits).

But I do agree that the author should be more ridged with her tags. I've written fics before and I always try to include every little things I can think of in the tags, even if that might get me less views or "spoil the story" because I'd rather everyone know what they're getting into instead of them getting surprised by it. When I first started reading I was surprised to see that it was labeled "explicit" even though none of the tags clued me into why it was written like that, unless the grooming was more intense than what my baseline thoughts on grooming are, but if said grooming does lead to anything more then it should be tagged as such.

Another thing that has been bothering me about this has been the fact that since chapter 9, the author has mentioned that "there is a fairly explicit scene, marked by <3... it's not just porn... etc." I can somewhat understand not fully tagging an unfinished work, since in my experience I didn't think I'd post a second part to one or I started posting without having the entire story fully fleshed out so things take a different direction than what I originally expected, but I always go back and make sure the tags are fully updated every time I post. The fact that this was mentioned and then nothing in the tags were updated was kind of strange. I skimmed through chapter 12 since it was posted yesterday to see if this scene was finally going to be put it, and low and behold I did see the <3. There's something about continuously reminding people to watch out for the explicit sign each chapter and then it not appearing until 4 chapters later. What's the point of unnecessarily making your reader expect this to show up after every paragraph they read only for it to be 40k or however many words away. Personally, I'd understand warning of this the chapter before it happens and the chapter of (or, you know, in the tags as well), but that far away feels like you're trying to string the readers who want to get to that scene along and just scaring those who are ready to skip it. I haven't read it so I can't say what the scene is about and how fair this warning is, but again being surprised about the fact that this fic has an explicit scene somewhere is something readers shouldn't have to deal with if tagged properly.

This turned out to be a way bigger reply than I originally intended, but if you'd like a few more screenshots to add to your collection here's all of the out of pocket Toichiro replies:

first off, you rlly don't need to thank me for that post, but i appreciate it anyway :-) its something thats been on my mind for a while, and with its rapid popularity i was simply confused how people weren't seeing what i was seeing. i do wanna say that nobody should feel bad/guilty for reading this or liking it without seeing the content i mentioned. as i mentioned at the end of that post, people's personal experiences will inform how they consume media and what blindspots they may have, and i'm certainly not here to judge anyone for that. i Am happy to hear that someone who had been reading the fic was able to hear my criticism and consume the fic in a new light, so thank You for sending this ask!

you brought up a topic that i wanted to touch on but didn't rlly have room on the other post, but yeah toichiro's characterization throughout this fic is strange and Extremely ooc. it feels like she was purposely building him up to be the worst character in the story--a true villain, as it were. which is funny bc mob psycho doesn't even have true villains bc the show is about second chances and connections and trying again. but with the racism, plus the eugenics/creepy remarks, plus the overtly sexual manipulation and grooming, she turned toichiro into a kind of cartoon caricature of a villain. which was wholly unnecessary and, in fact, creepy! and not funny! and strange!

but the thing that annoyed me more than that was how she tried to walk it back. there are several moments where toichiro is calling out to his ex-wife in his sleep, asking for forgiveness and shit. which, for one, would not have happened at this point in the story. it is very explicitly shown through wd arc that toichiro's First moment of realization is when he's down in that basement area with mob, when he flashes back to his ex wife leaving and suddenly realizes what he missed. toichiro before this moment was not thinking mournfully about his wife. he wasn't thinking about his wife At All. he pushed the memory of his family out to make way for his plan, something that then becomes a key point to him accepting help from other people! so like. there's that. but Also having toichiro have these quiet moments of vulnerability feels like the author's way of rolling back her own characterization, which just makes the whole thing messy and hard to read. from the way she's written him, toichiro is NOT a character people should be empathizing with. he is a groomer and a racist and a creep and all of that together is like. a recipe for someone who needs to just be shoved off the face of the planet. but she works in these moments of "humanity" to try and bring toichiro back to where he's at in canon, likely so she can write out some kind of silent redemption (or hint at redemption) like how canon does. but in this case that redemption would feel gross because she turned his character into something so statically evil that it feels impossible to forgive.

and yeah, those quotes are absolutely ridiculous. like they border on comedy, but really they just sound awful coming out of his mouth. i know this phrase has been used a million times over but HE WOULD NOT FUCKING SAY THAT!

also to talk on the topic of tags (which i do agree with you on), i do find it strange that she refused to put ANY tags on the fic with the proper warnings for explicit content, but seemingly had the time to make that reminder each and every chapter. because in reality she really only needed that warning on ONE chapter--the chapter that has the explicit scene! but i do agree that simply tagging it would save her readers the emotional labor of having to keep an eye out for a sex scene they might not be ready to deal with. especially with the content of some of these later chapters (the ones ive seen, anyway), having the looming threat of an explicit scene could make some readers uneasy!!! (im talking specifically abt the chapters where toichiro is making moves on serizawa in an effort to manipulate him. i understand the author did mention in an authors note that this wouldnt happen, but i'd also like to point out that she HID THIS PART OF THE AUTHORS NOTE. so you had to make the decision to "spoil" yourself just to see if someone was going to be sa'd or not. which i think is wrong; an author should always prioritize the safety and comfort of their readers above any potential "spoilers")

and to wrap up with one last thing, just a more general thought: i think there is a difference between content that includes dark topics in a thoughtful way and content that includes dark topics in an edgy way, and this fic definitely leans towards the latter. a lot of these outlandishly mature topics are treated like throwaway jokes or shock value items, which feels inappropriate when we are dealing with topics of such weight like racism, transphobia, child impregnation (again. What.), etc.. i am not trying to police people on what content they are or aren't allowed to talk about--i am saying that, if your story NEEDS to have this content in it (which i would argue that here it doesn't), then you need to treat it with the care it deserves to be treated with. if not for your own sake, then for the sake of your readers. at the end of the day, i just want people to be safe out there

thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, and thank you for being so respectful <3 have a wonderful day!

[bunny-hoodlum]

In AWY is Hinata ever gonna date someone? I mean, she feels hella pathetic waiting around like that. Idk I just think she should explore a bit outside of Naruto. Tho I guess her personality in there won’t allow her. I can’t lie, it’s kinda painful to read. I liked when she talked to Itachi and Sasuke. She felt more of her own character than someone who’s waiting around helplessly for Naruto and doing whatever he does or says. Like a puppet or a dog without a master. It seems like she’s always the one reaching out to him even when he’s in the wrong. I wish Naruto for once will do the reaching out. You can see even in the text messages, she’s the one texting him the most and sometimes he doesn’t respond at all while she always does no matter what. Tbh I don’t know what I want from her. She’s kinda confusing and too hard on herself. When it comes to Naruto, I feel like she lacks a backbone. Sometimes it feels like he walks all over her without considering her feelings and she just allows it. She frustrates me but I can’t help but keep reading and rooting for her. I guess I want her to make Naruto jealous instead of her always being the one feeling it and forgiving him real quick and reaching out and doing the heavy lifting. Anyways, I’m happy you’ve updated AWY and glad you’re doing better!

(I apologize if this ask was rude and harsh. It wasn’t my intention. You’re one of my favorite NH fanfic writer.)

It's all good!! If this means the fic still has your investment, then you're totally fine. Sorry for putting you through the unrequited stress, haha! 🙈

Keep in the mind, the texts were from their second year of middle school, and yes they did fall off even further between then and this chapter.

At risk of telling you what you already know, they were friendly in school but uninvolved in each other's lives and it was getting that way increasingly. They finally actually talked, like, Naruto didn't just go and get distracted and forget to reply to her like before, so the old pattern in their texts was just another form of proof of how things looked before to contrast to the development happening in real time.

Hinata's pining and putting Naruto first will always be there, but as his sister. And vice-versa, that's what they're going to keep working at. I like to think that Naruto got miffed when she had to leave because he was projecting prior experiences onto her, otherwise he's all in with being the best brother and friend ever. He was ridiculously happy spending time with her the night before, that hasn't changed.

So... As for Hinata developing a life outside of Naruto, that already happened with her club and her committee responsibilities. She even believed she might be getting over him, however that in of itself was incredibly painful and she grew to believe that the distance was exacerbating her feelings, not dulling them. That's why they are where they are now. So there's no intention of revisiting that because it would be backtracking, but whatever happens to them after high school is a different matter.

As for Hinata ever dating outside of Naruto, that is planned to varying degrees of 'seriousness'. I hope to get to the Rinne Matsuri in Ch 9, as that will be the first example of this. 😘

And more jealous Naruto? I say 'more' because he's been quite weird towards Itachi and Iruka already when it comes to her and it has been my intention to play with that further next chapter. 🤔 I do have overly protective, ignorantly jealous Naruto planned as they spend more time together. I also have Naruto disappointing her by going back to his old habits of forgetting her, I just won't spoil exactly how that happens ofc.

All in all, life is gonna happen to them, and yes they should try to outgrow their worst tendencies and habits and such, figure out their boundaries, etc. I agree that it's been rough for Hinata to love him all this time and that she should only do as much as is healthy for her. I do want that to be part of the narrative, absolutely, if it hasn't already lol.

Even Naruto needs it too.

On Naruto's end, he belatedly realized that he felt scammed by Neji for entrusting her wellbeing to him. He's felt less like family over time and more like an unwilling bodyguard coerced into the role with the promise of being loved and accepted for his efforts. I think on some level, all of his forgetting about Hinata was just a reaction to having been convinced into caring about their sibling bonds when all along his own needs were going unmet, if that makes sense. That's why they had that falling out, because Hinata's words about Neji being her only family made his own repressed resentment valid.

Anyhoo, omigosh, I hope my rambling wasn't patronizing somehow. 😭

Thank you so much for reading my stuffs! I'm so honored to be among your faves! 😭💖💖💖

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Dear friend, I would like to lovingly express the hope that you will one day jettison the internalized ableism in you language that has you calling yourself 'spoiled' and 'a pissbaby'. You deserve so much better, and so do all of your disabled followers. You are not spoiled, you have simply experienced how it feels to have your readily accommodatable needs accommodated. You are not a pissbaby, you are understandably anxious about going back to NOT having that accommodation. It's SO EASY to accommodate you. Someone just has to sign a form that says, 'yep, Steph can keep working from home.' It will take all of 4.5 seconds for them to do that. The fact that they think nothing of making you go through doctors visits and tele consultations and anxiety specialists and submit forms and letters and evidence all of which takes up hours of your time suggest that if ANYONE in this scenario is a spoiled entitled pissbaby who wants to have everything their own way, it's NOT YOU.

Big hugs and much respect. You are asking for something small that will help you do the job that helps them run the organisation. It's a reasonable thing to ask for. They are the weird ones for acting like it's so hard.

Courage.

(referencing this post)

Gleeeeee~~~~~ I'm so sorry, I'm sobbing. You're far too kind. I apologize... I've just been SO used to hiding my mental health issues in real life for at LEAST 25 years (closest word I can come up with is "masking" that everything is okay and that my daily life doesn't feel like a constant chore... I know that's not the right terminology, but it's what i'm coming up with), because of my upbringing/generation (essentially, I just remember growing up and being told by society that mental health issues were bad, and then my mother didn't want to hear at all about any problems I had). And my biggest worry is this: ALL I have is my job, and in the past, one bloop of mental health issues and it just seemed jobs were not accepting of that. It's just only been in recent years that mental health has been taken seriously, especially with Covid.

All it took for me to even START stewing on this for myself was to have ONE single boss who was SO accommodating and LISTENED to me (and a job that encourages mental health support, but even then it took me 3 years to even tell one of my bosses), and then learning one of the people I respect so much at work took a mental health / stress leave for a couple months and he's still working and wasn't let go... it really opened up that door for me, and all I had to do was walk through it.

I've been preaching self-care for years, but felt undeserving of that advice for myself, I guess.

It just feels doubly hard and discouraging because I DON'T have a family doctor and I rely on the Walk-In Clinic Group I'm registered with, so it's never the same doctor I see, so it felt hopeless to get ANY help.

Covid and lockdowns destroyed whatever mask I was able to cover myself up with in my day to day... Just... I know I have internalized ableism about it all, and it HURTS me so much that I do. I'm going to try SO hard. I have my insurance paperwork updated now for psychotherapy so I can get any help I need covered if my job's mental health services can't cover it. I have a referral to an anxiety specialist for assessment. And I REALLY hope the ADHD doctor will take me in to assess if I have ADHD and/or if i should start the process of being diagnosed with adult autism. I FEEL like I'm on the right track now.

Sorry for worrying you, Glee. I tend to keep all this stuff bottled up because I don't like upsetting anyone. Thank you so much, you and all of you, for caring, for being there for me when I feel so alone, and for taking time out of your day to send me such a tough-love message. Thank you.

[apompkwrites]

reader impact || fan service scene: resting with you

series masterlist characters: diluc, xiao, zhongli genre: fluff summary: the creators of genshin impact have graciously gifted the players with a fan service scene featuring you! notes: i know dill's doesn't contain sleeping in your lap,,, i'm sorry but i hope you like what i provided :))

diluc -

diluc isn't one to have many sleep issues.

until the nightmares kick in.

whenever he can't sleep, he tends to just sit in his house.

it's always quiet.

not something you'd want after a nightmare, but he deals with it.

it's better than trying to expose himself to thousands or even millions of people.

but one night, after a particularly harsh nightmare, he remembers that the next day was supposed to be when he streams the newest genshin update.

but, he's already up...

and...

he probably will try to take a nap later today anyway...

soooo.

"i know it's a bit of an early, or late, stream but i was already awake."

his stream is definitely worried because this is the first time he streams at like 2:00 am.

he won't address it, though.

they don't need to know, anyway.

he pretty much tries to ignore any questions about his sleeping habits and opts to answer them very vaguely.

he is excited to play the update because he knows there's some more (name) content :))

he'll get everything done that he needs to do like commissions and events from them nice nice primogems.

and then here he is, ready to start the newest feature.

go to the angel's share.

ah yes, the place his character officially met you for the first time.

(he definitely has issues with interacting with patton before going inside)

the quest basically has diluc go around to collect more things needed for the winery.

pretty simple quest.

canonically, the quest takes the mc a few hours to complete because the materials are everywhere.

so a cutscene plays when he gets back to the dawn winery, which is where charles told him to bring the materials.

he walks inside and there you are.

greeting him with a brief nod and a wave of your hand.

mc drops the items on the table, ready to turn around and leave for another commission.

until you call out to him.

"ah, traveler."

mc turns back around and walks back to stand next to you.

you stand up from your chair and place a hand on their shoulder.

you stare at them for a moment.

"...i apologize. you must have been traveling for a long while to get the materials."

mc tries to wave you off.

"no, no. you'll hurt yourself. hm... come with me."

you literally CARRY MC TO A SPARE ROOM.

EXCUSE ME YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT SO CASUALLY?!?!?!

anyway, you pull up a chair next to the bed before placing the mc on the bed.

you simply sit in the chair, quietly stroking your thumb along the mc's arm.

"take a break. i'm sure the adventurer's guild will do just fine for now."

diluc is trying his hardest to hold back tears.

he just... really needed this.

xiao -

it's widely known amongst xiao's community that he has insomnia.

he talks about it a lot on how he has trouble sleeping and he even streams on the nights where it gets so bad he doesn't like being alone with his thoughts.

such is the case here where a new update drops and he's up and ready to play.

he greets everyone briefly as they enter the stream, rubbing his eyes and letting out small yawns every once in a while.

they always know when it's an especially hard night for him, so they come prepared with (name) emotes to try and cheer him up.

they don't have the heart to spoil him about the new update and what it includes.

of course, there will always be that one person who tries to spoil something.

the chat sees that and just spams (name) emotes to hide it.

and since xiao is pretty sleep deprived at this point, he doesn't notice.

now he's ready to actually play.

he'll complete his daily commissions and anything else he needs to get done before checking out the newest features.

he does know that there's a part in the update that features you :0

he doesn't know what the actual update is but he just knows that he'll be able to see you again :))

so he's going through the update, right?

just admiring you even if he's half asleep.

and here comes the part that actually almost put him to sleep right there.

his mc and you are walking down the streets of liyue and it's all dark.

there's a few lights here and there.

you two are walking down to the inn he had first met you at.

passing by the boss lady at the front counter.

walking up the stairs.

and there you two are, on the very balcony he ad first seen you on.

"...you seem tired."

his character doesn't say anything (as expected) but just rubs their eyes and nods.

pain is floating beside you two before going off towards the kitchen downstairs.

now it's just you two.

"you should take a rest."

your voice was so soft :))

you look around the balcony before sighing, taking a seat on the ground.

his character stares at you for a bit before you pat your legs.

"i told you to rest, didn't i?"

?!?!?!?!

YOU'RE TELLING HIM

TO LAY DOWN

ON YOUR LAP????

ASJHAKDHAK

ahem.

anyway.

his character takes a bit before finally letting their head rest in your lap.

he's thanking whoever animated this part because it's a POV shot from the mc.

he's just staring up at you.

you're looking down at him with the softest expression he's ever seen.

"...rest now. i won't let anything harm you."

his chat is freaking out.

he's almost asleep at this point.

life is good.

zhongli -

zhongli doesn't have a lot of sleep issues either...

if he did, he'd probably just drink some tea and try to sleep again.

he isn't the type of stream late at night/early in the morning.

because of this, he plays the newest update for genshin at his scheduled time.

some people who watch him are going to bed though, so it's late at night/early in the morning for them :)

he knows this and tries to tell his viewers to get proper rest.

"it isn't good for you to stay up so late."

he really cares about them :))

he's happy to talk to them though.

(he definitely knows people like his voice so he's happy to help them sleep by talking to them)

his daily objectives take longer considering he's taking the time to read to his viewers.

of course, all of the things he's reading are genshin based.

more specifically you, but they don't mind.

anyway, he FINALLY gets his stuff done.

now he's finally ready to start the new (name) quest.

he's like... one or two hours into the stream already.

but he doesn't mind longer stream, especially when it concerns you.

go to third round knockout

ah yes, the little restaurant you go to for stories about yourself.

and, of course, there you are sitting at your usual chair and drinking tea.

you invite him over to sit down, which causes another cutscene to play, talking more about your adventures as a god/dess.

and, to zhongli's delight, the quest fully begins.

the quest follows you and mc going around lie, exploring different areas while you talk about what you've done there in the years you've been alive.

it's a more chill quest that features lore and character building :))

and then you get to a more secluded spot in lieu.

just the two of you.

the sun has already set and the stars are shining down on the two of you.

zhongli isn't saying anything, reveling in the silence as if he were actually there, standing next to you.

and then your character takes a seat in the grass.

and mc follows suit, sitting beside you.

it isn't long before zhongli's character begins to drift off to sleep.

and that's when it happens.

you reach over and pull mc into your lap, your storytelling continuing as if nothing happened.

"this may be awkward, but i noticed you were falling asleep. go on ahead. i'll be happy to share my stories to help you rest."

zhongli, once again, isn't saying anything. he simply lets the cutscene play.

you're still recalling tales of your past, calmly telling them to whoever was listening.

it's calm and quiet.

and zhongli now knows why people love hearing him tell stories as they sleep.

because he is definitely getting that same sensation hearing you recall your past.

[beels-burger-babe]

Lady Harlow Headcanons

***Since I am currently incapable of stringing together a sentence apparently since I am experiencing My Time at Portia brain rot, I'm afraid this is all I have to offer you all for the time being. I am sorry for not having an actual update to give you. So here ya go, @lovevictoire Hope you like it! -B *** Don't know who Lady Harlow is? Meet her in my fic, The Facade of the Suitor, HERE

A tiny bit of a spoiler for upcoming chapters, but Lady Harlow would only originally pursue you for her own needs.

Sure, you're attractive to her, and yes, she can absolutely see what all the hullabaloo about this powerless human is about.

But as the Demoness (or Lady if you will) of Manipulation, she has always worked by her own agenda first and foremost (which I shan't spoil 😘)

She comes on strong and hard, pulling out all the stops. She wants to woo you and have you wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger.

There will be eloquently written love letters, invitations to private dinners at the fanciest restaurants in town, gift baskets delivered directly to your room with all of your favourite things, not to mention invite you to her house where she will offer drinks by the fireside.

However, let's say that as she did all this she, much like the brothers, began to catch feelings for the squishy human.

She'll be careful to maintain her big bossy lady, over-the-top energy, but will start making an effort to get to know you more.

She'll become more personal, and dare I say softer, as your words begin to light up her eyes and the sound of her laugh makes her melt into a pile of goo.

She'll become a little cheesy in her compliments, but one look in her doe-like, love-filled, violet eyes will tell you that she means every word.

Should she succeed and capture your heart, she will first and foremost want to rub it in the brothers, mainly Lucifer's, face as much as possible.

*sees Lucifer downtown* "Oh, Lucifer! I didn't know you shopped here (totally did). I was just coming to pick up my partner, MC's, favourite food. I do love to take care of them. Such a pity you boys were never quite able to do so. *begins to walk away* Well, I guess there really is nothing like a woman's touch~"

She's definitely clingy and always wants to be near you and touching you in some way or form. Whether it's as simple as holding your hand, or as risque as her hand on your ass (only if you're comfy of course).

As a partner, she is greatly attentive.

She doesn't have anyone in her life that isn't just another means to an end or who she actually sees past the labels and MANY past misdeeds that she has committed.

She doesn't want to lose you and is new to this whole "genuine affection" thing. She'll need reassurances that this is real and that she's doing okay.

She's wanted many things in her life but has never wanted a person as badly as she's wanted you.

And if she somehow gets you, she'll refuse to let go.

That being said if she catches real feelings and you don't reciprocate them, you can expect her to go full yandere.

TAGLIST @thegrimgrinningghost @henry-and-the-seven-lords @satans-beloved-riv @cosmixbun @sufzku @pebblethepetrock @lovevictoire @obey-mes-treasure @kissed-by-a-dementor @yukihaie

[merakiui]

welcome to the day a duck ruins your perception of items in genshin impact. i uh. made some items in genshin impact as yandere boys and what they're like sort of?? you could try and burn your eyes now. ;) adepti seekers stove- he's going to be a tsundere no buts or uhts. he's the type of yandere that's trying to be protective and failing miserably everytime. so being impatient and angsty. so, he resorts in kidnapping you instead. but hey look on the bright side! even when you're kidnapped you can have delicious meals and snacks! secretly likes to cook for you a lot, but he won't admit it even in death. just don't question why there's a lingering scent of sleeping potions in your meal and you'll be good as jolly jee! probably wants you to help him in the kitchen, since he once heard that couples do that. would probably give you self esteem issues down the line. "didn't i tell you to not get hurt? are you that much of an idiot?? here. have this it'll lessen the pain just a bit so we can walk back home. just drink it already." windsong lyre- smug bastard, smug shit. he's probably a player or just overly dramatic with everything. maybe he's righteous or something.. likes to show off his music skills a lot. he sucks at it tho. gaslights you probably in public places to add more pressure, because people are staring like you're having a performance or something. calls you love even if he's pissed at you for not listening to him, or accusing him of being toxic or suspecting him of being your stalker that always watches you from your window at 2am! would make you paranoid a lot. loves kissing your cheek and tickling you. he's a closeted pervert. you're gonna have to move in an isolated place too, he will spread rumours of you being his lover. "love, I'm sure that you're just overreacting. plus even if i was the stalker that you're talking about I wouldn't be oh so casually talking to you in public when I could've been hiding! jeez it's like your going crazy." wind-blessed harpastrum- such sweety! just so wholesome bakes you a pie in tuesday sweet. seems patient too but beware he will break your legs when you get a little bit too bratty for his tastes. touch starved too and it shows, that's why he loves to cuddle you lots! really obsessed with what you think of him. if you say you hate him he'll tear up and try to convince you that he's good, but if you pretend that you like him he'll shower you with uncomfortable affection and confessions. really great at making bombs and torture weapons too. probably sewed in a bomb inside your body threatened that he will kill you with it if you leave. bad at darts and archery. if you say that to him he'll laugh and take out his diploma saying that he's too smart for those childish games. he's impulsive in decision making. "haha. you know. you almost escaped from me back there. but hey! now you won't do anything stupid like that ever again if you can't walk." windblume balloon: listen man. im going to be killed but he's an airhead, pun intended right there. probably lowkey manipulative and doesn't even know it yet or chooses to ignore it. protective of you a lot. really delusional to the point that he rationalizes your escape as someone kidnapping you. so say goodbye to whoever poor stranger who was trying to help you escape they'll be greeted by an arrow through their head once he finds you. has a habit of holding your hand because he's afraid you might disappear from his line of sight and leave him all alone. if you let go tho he'll gorilla grip your hand, might crush it too. just very overprotective. he also doesn't know that he's an airhead. yeah."hm? why do i like holding you hand..? i just like it.. your hand makes me feel... uh. safe..? is that the word for it? ah. it was the word loved." wind catcher- he's a full on sadist. throw all of your escape plans out the window, this guy will climb a mountain and ride any wind current available to catch and torture you. persistently trying to make you like him atleast a bit. yeah, he's that kind of delusional. would teasingly push you

of a cliff as a 'light' punishment. dark humour and likes to joke about killing you from time to time. note: he can kill you. and he would also do it by ripping you in half with the wind current so just stay in his house and be a good lover that'll shower him in kisses, okay? okay. he mostly sees you as a tool of interest, but not just any tool- you're his favourite tool. "pfft! hey stop crying now! you're making me feel bad! hm? oh? why am i doing this? well i mean maybe I'm angry that someone was trying to escape. again." warming bottle- he will absolutely leave you in the cold if you were being a brat towards him. lives in dragonspine to spite you, also because he can just turn take away your blankets and anything that can give warmth so you gotta ask him to cuddle you to survive. he usually does this when he's feeling a little petty. which is so frequent. that you can almost give it a schedule. but don't tell him that. kind of a tsundere but only when it comes to physical affection since he's shy. that's why he has to take away your blankets so it looks like he's just mocking you but not because he's touch starved. he's not at home that much too but don't worry, he will make it up to you by uh.. physical activities.. "what? you're freezing? no shit we're in dragonspine. oh? you want me to hug you..? hm. fine. I'll indulge you for a bit. I am quite merciful." parametric transformer- businessman that scams you a lot lol. he's going to be a masochist because i said so, yeah i know the electric stone thing gag that's why i made him a masochist. really likes to collect useless stuff and spoiling you, so expect your room to be filled with a lot of random things from jewelry to mushrooms and crabs. has a you should be grateful i even give stuff mindset. thinks that giving someone something of vaue would make them fall in love with him instantly. also probably loves it when you fight back especially when you successfully land a hit on him, he will enjoy it. but be careful he has different responses whenever you hit him. pick your poison. spends a ton of resources on everything to keep you in line. that rope costed him 700 pinecones. "why do you even wanna escape? i give you a ton of stuff so you won't get bored! hah. maybe if i had picked up someone else they would've been grateful." portable waypoint- throw out your escape plans the season sequel. he's very quiet but has a small temper that won't last that much. maybe he's like that since he tries so hard to repress it. listen he's trying okay? escape always fails so quickly. one minute you're in springvale shouting, crying, begging for anyone to help you and then back to his house to see him sipping some tea. his punishments are cruel too- he makes sure to leave you in a den of monsters and ruin guards, waits until your in the brink of death and teleports you back to him. has a superiority complex over everyone too. probably likes to make you feel weak when you have to rely on him. loves to crush your self esteem. wants to be affectionate but thinks that you, as an inferior being, should be affectionate with him instead. so tsun. "see? this is what i was trying to tell you. you're too weak to actually survive out there. you even had to rely on me to save you. pathetic." memento lens- mysterious and elegant. he's quite cryptic to say the least. likes to watch you from a far if he's feeling a bit angsty. you try to make sense of what he says and it just leads to you being confused even more. and he likes that about you. you actually try to understand him, even if what you guess is wrong. you're going to have a tough time with this guy if you wanna escape. just avoid any fox statues and you'll be good. the problem is the shrine maidens. they basically want the two of you to end up together so they don't have to deal with him. he's actually very gentle with you punishments still suck but atleast he doesn't do it physically, he just makes you write that you're sorry over and over until your wrist are tired. loves poetry and solving puzzles, riddles, scriptures. he's

smart but soft. "spring blossoms even in the darkest depths of uncertainty, is that why you have the courage to try and escape me..?" kamera- perfectionist stalker. wants to make sure that the photos he takes of you are perfect to every extent. colour, lighting, and expressions. even if it means going inside your room and having the possibility of waking you up from your sleep. likes to take pictures of everything too. kind of like this; both of you are walking somewhere and he stops to take a picture of a sunset. he takes twenty minutes trying to find the correct angle. but the sun is already gone so he sulks. maybe- you can cheer him up by volunteering to be his model? you'll do that? right? also worships you like a god so if someone dared to even say something breath near you or celestia forbid insult you, best to say they'll be quickly disposed of by blackmail and fake shit. would not steal any of your belongings, he would just take pictures of it. so he's not that bad. "i consider everything in this world is beautiful, but you have surpassed that. so that is why im keeping you here. no one deserves even a glimpse of you!" waverider toolbox- he's such a gentlemen and a sweetheart. always there to help you with repairs, sometimes he'd add some updates to it too. just ignore the stuff going missing inside your boat thing. he probably guilt-gaslight you into staying with him in his waverider then bam your in an island stranded. ahaha, now both of you just have to survive by working together ya know? like a loving couple likes hugs and physical affection a lot! bonus points if it's given when he's tired from doing his job. as i said tired guy so appreciates all the things you do for him whether it's paying for his meal or giving him a gift. next time, he'll make sure that you won't leave the island permanently. thinks that stranded island equals date smh. " ahh? oh! is this for me? really? thank you.. i don't usually receive gifts but that just makes this even more special! say, do you wanna go on a trip? i just fixed the waverider from last time." red feather fan- mischievous little shit. likes to scare you a lot by appearing on trees and just jumping on you. knows that you're trying to escape but pretends not to since he likes to try and guess which direction you would run to. hugs you a lot even before he kidnaps you really touchy even if you say no he'll use the good ol puppy eyes! doesn't work? okay he'll just smell your clothes when you're sleeping as compensation. he likes to flirt with you a lot. some pickup are cheesy.. but others are a little- personal? acts cool by making a dramatic entrance everytime even. you know those radical superhero landing stuff? that's him. he would build a nest as your house even being a dick and placing it on top of a mountain, goodluck on trying to get down. "caught you! going to the shore was so predictable by the way. maybe you should try a different place next time, dear? hm? maybe a restaurant so we can have date? sounds great right?" serenitea pot- unhinged malewife that wants to make a the perfect living space for you- ehem. probably a perfectionist if you squint hard enough. he's delusional but just a little lucid about the stuff he does to you. likes to make a ton of furniture too! personalized the room you're trapped in with a ton of valuable and expensive materials. just don't try to escape he'll cut your limbs off just like a damn tree shawtie. owns a shit ton of pets ranging from boars to cats. all of them are like bodyguards to you during your stay. dreams about having a peaceful life with you in the realm someday, sigh. he sometimes has burnouts where he just places a bunch of furniture on a single room and call it a day. "and here is your room! do.. do you like it? i made it just for you! i didn't know what wood you would prefer so i just settled on whatever i can find! ahaha. we're kind of like a married couple living together now... right?" nre menu- he's probably going to be from the adventurers guild. really awkward and shy. takes for him a long time to

open up to you. when going on quests he's the one in charge of carrying the food and healing shit you need. really patient and nice! slightly uh mean with other people trying to talk to you but other than that everything is normal. everything is normal the long loving gaze he gives you every now and then and some food being left on your doorstep. yeah let's not question it i mean he's just so shy! he would never do anything wrong? right?? he's a closeted pervert, cliche i know but he's a pervert with a line to not cross. he just checks you out. good for him. would cry if given any ounce of affection. sweet baby. "t-that was a tough commission.. oh u-uh.. do you need some food to replenish your energy? we need to do the other commissions you know.. hm? why aren't you eating it.. something wrong with the food..?" seelies- spoiled. that's the word to describe him. really straight forward with his courting kind of dumb? but he's so damn lucky for some unknown reason that your plans to avoid him always fail. yeah the high quality rope you just bought for 1000 mora? it broke and you fell into his arms. he's probably rich by sheer dumb luck too. finds a ton treasure chests even in the places you didn't expect. people pressure you into spending time with him. since he's just so cute! how could say no to such a face? it really feels like the gods are on his side ya know? he throws a lot of very very aggressive tantrums if you're not with him. thinks he's doing a good job at courting you, with rationalize rejection as a playing hard to get. "tada! look i got you this crystal i found while i was walking! it looks like a diamond and it has a ton of colours too?? is it valuable?? would you kiss me if i give it to you??" endora- majestic, regal, and likes to explore a lot. he uh. probably trapped you in a bubble once or twice too. really curious about his surroundings, also has no personal space since it's first time going out. he would cuddle you when he feels like it homie. kidnapped you and made you his tour guide. don't try to fool him he learns quickly about stuff. fast swimmer, so no joining any expeditions in water if you don't want their ship to be wrecked by a mysterious being of the teyvat seas. he likes to see you cry. it's not a kink he just feels connected to you when you cry. doesn't have a house so you just live in a run down boat. he's doesn't know when you're lying to him sometimes. god complex bastard. "this world. at first i wasn't sure if i was going to like it or not, but ever since I've met you... I've grown to tolerate some parts.. so you should be thankful, you've convinced me. mortal." intertwined fate/older twin- listen. he's just so smug about everything he does. and he knows you love him. probably invites you out on dinner only for him to not show up. so basically he's an asshole without a doubt. toxic boyfriend that gives you false hope and has a ton of admirers. you probably think he won't settle for you right? ah, he's not that cruel. so picks you as his lover out of all the billions of people. you should be grateful! he even kidnapped you! do you know how hard it was for him to go all the way from his home to yours? anyways yeah. asshole. he likes to do the open the door for darling trick where he just gives you a small crack on the door and watch you make a decision. it's an act of your loyalty. if you escape he'll make you feel pain. if you don't then he'll reward your patience. god complex bastard 2."sigh. did you try to escape? again? patience is the key to everything you know. maybe you should learn that. i expected more smart from you." acquaint fate/younger twin- cinnamonroll he's such a sweet guy. he's always there for you when you need him. okay- he has a nice guy complex, fucking damn it. probably uses the but I've been there for you since the start trick unintentionally a lot. he just doesn't know he wants some action, so be thankful that he didn't just jump on you like a barbarian. he's kind of contradicting himself too. one hand he wants you to love him, on the other hand he doesn't

believe he deserves you. loves to give you the same things, remember that one painting you liked from two years ago? he got you that. quantity beats quality. surprisingly, he's really patient but would have bursts of anger every now and then. has a self value issues?? yeah, but did i tell you he's a touch starved guy. punshments are just him softly lecturing you about what's good and what's wrong."i always viewed myself as inferior, that i didn't deserve anything.. but this time. i want to be greedy just once." that's it- :'D i haven't proofread this but here you go mer! ill probably continue with more humanisations of items in genshin later.. if you ask why i ruined your day with this crazy idea i was watching that one video of a person humanising social media and got this idea. also i discovered how to bold out texts... i have power..ejwjdhshaj

so yeah have a great day! -🦆anon

I AM IN AWE?!?! WHOA OMG!!!!! 🦆, THIS IS FANTASTIC!! AAAAAA (≧∀≦)

All of the various characterizations… *chef’s kiss* It’s literally so good! With each one I read I kept thinking okay this guy is my favorite and then I would read the next description and my heart was stolen again. I can’t pick a favorite now. T_T

[supermoviemaniac]

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MOVIE SPOILERS...

Don't worry, there's no spoilers in this post - just a rant about people's insatiable need to spoil things.

If you're reading this, it's probably because you're a fellow movie enthusiast. Entertainment by any means has the ability to bring people together. We can anticipate and experience things, then discuss and share said experiences. Sometimes we have to wait an agonizing amount of time - often seemingly forever... but when it finally arrives, we're happy we waited, and most often than not, it's usually worth waiting for too.

As a kid, spoilers were never really a risk I encountered, partly due to the internet being not as, let's just say, socially collosal and expansive as it is today. I was able to enjoy movies, games, TV shows and comics from start to finish and get surprised along the way. The duration between a piece of media being announced/confirmed, and the time it took for it to release and be ingested was never a spoiler minefield, partly because such a minefield didn't exist.

Flashforward to present day, and we all have the same social media apps installed. We use these apps to discover content and stay updated with friends and family, though for some reason, in the last few years, all I seem to encounter on a daily basis are just spoilers for things I care about. The argument could be made that the algorithms are attempting to tailor content to me for convenience. I'm not denying that this is a beneficial system in theory, but when I'm forced to see spoilers against my will purley due to it relating to something I'm interested in, it gets a little annoying.

Another argument could be made that I don't have to use these apps, which is certainly true, but I shouldn't have to deprive myself of near-infinite entertainment that I do care about, just because a portion of people/organisations make it their mission to recklessly splurge out exclusive content for the sake of views.

These spoilers range from rakishly explicit images, to implicit news headlines trying their hardest to be allusive, though fail to realise most people aren't stupid and will probably know what a cryptic headline is implying, without needing to read the actual article. I've seen screenshots from upcoming movies that I would've rather not seen, I've seen people posting pictures of merch and figurines for things before we've even seen a trailer. Yes, merch/toys aren't always accurate, but they still give you a good idea of what's in store.

I miss being able to just sit and wait for a trailer, enjoy the hell out of it, wait in anticipation for the movie to release, and then just be able to f**king enjoy it when it's out! Now, everyday just feels like I have to dodge spoilers no matter what I'm doing. If I get a whiff of a spoiler, I have to double down on my vigilance to ensure it remains unspoilt. I have to make sure that remains the case right up until release day, and then let out a sigh of relief when I finally rest my cheeks on the cinema seat. If you're excited about something, why the hell has it become an obstacle course to make sure that remains the case?

I understand that some people are okay with spoilers, and I understand that some outlets try to share spoilers with some sort of security attached, for people that don't want to inadvertently see things, which I definitely appreciate... but to some degree, you have to acknowledge that there is nothing stopping a fellow reader taking that spoilery information and passing it along without the same degree of care.

Posting spoilers is easy content. It comes with an element of exclusively that is bound to pull in a larger audience, but I dislike this severely. If you have encountered a spoiler deliberately or accidentally, it is your responsibility to make sure others aren't forced to learn about them. If everyone else around you is posting spoilers for views, don't worry, it doesn't suddenly make you uncool for not taking part. If anything, I find it admirable if you're making the conscious effort not to participate in sharing spoilers.

At the end of the day, seeing spoilers isn't life or death, and in the grand scheme of things, this issue seems petty, but when you're passionate about something, you want to be able to enjoy it properly. If you bought a new book, you'd be annoyed if the person next to you skips to the last page and bellows out the ending. If you're queuing up to watch the final of a football tournament, you'd be annoyed if a time traveller teleported in front of you and spoiled the outcome. The irony of these over the top examples is that we're actually encountering this for movies/shows, however they're in the form of mundane social media posts.

This issue is just getting worse by the day, and I imagine every new movie that's set to release will just breed more and more spoiler content. I think there needs to be greater consequences for the initial leakers, and more of a deterrent for the people/outlets that are itching to share them. I'm not a tech whiz of any kind, but why can't we have something similar to an AdBlocker which censors potential spoilers? Silly, I know - ideally though, it would be nice to not have to suggest desperate ideas to avoid things I don't want to see. These are first world problems for sure, and I'm not denying that in the slightest, but it still sucks. It shouldn't have to be like this. Why is there such a need to declare you know something before other people? I honestly don't remember the last piece of content I experienced that hadn't had an aspect of it spoilt. I watch the trailers, featurettes and interviews as it's the quantity the content makers want me to see prior to the movie. I look at the poster because they want me to visualise what's in store. It should stop there. This is what we should discuss, speculate on and get hyped about and nothing more.

What are everyone else's opinions?

[jaycewrites-192000]

Growl: Chapter 1

Charcter:

Kyotani Kentaro (Mad Dog)

Warnings: None. Slow updates

Summery:

It all started with a growl...

...Which was odd considering it came from a human.

(There might be some lacking in the teams/teammates and matches and I'm sorry if there is. I'll certainly do my best to describe the events of matches and the different personalities of each team members. That's all, thank you for reading!)

(just let me know if you want to be added) Tags: @etroman @theravencawsatmidnight

Your P.O.V

The shrill alarm shook me awake from my sleep, with a groan you sit up and slam the top of the alarm to shut it up. Groggily opening my eyes I grab my phone and turn it on, suddenly my tired eyes filled with panic as I saw the day and time. Monday, 7:20am. I was late for school! I was never late! I toss my phone aside and scrambled to get dressed and brush my teeth and hair. Because I was in a hurry, my hair ended up looking more messy than decent. But there was no time to fix it right, so I hurried to grab my school bag and phone before running downstairs.

I noticed that my mother wasn't here, which would explain why I didn't hear her yelling for me to wake up. I walked over to the fridge to see a note that read: "Y/n, I was called in early for work. Hopefully you remember to wake up early so you can eat breakfast. If not, I left you some cash so you could grab a snack on the way to school. I'll be back before dinner. Love you, -Mom." I internally thanked my mom before grabbing the cash off the table and running out the door. "I don't even think I have time to get some food on the way there." I sigh. Guess I have extra money for lunch then.

Finally I made it to the front gates of the school, Aoba Johsai High, I checked my phone. I had five minutes to spare. Picking up the pace I ran into the school, and through the halls, narrowly avoiding people while doing so. Avoiding all except for one, partially tall person. I yelped, tumbling backwards, I somehow managed not to fall over. The person I ran into turned back to face me. I felt my stomach drop slightly at the sight of the boy. He was tall, with a blonde buzzcut that had two black lines that started from the right side of his head that looped around to the left side. It kinda resembled a bee pattern. His glare shook me down to my core, piercing yellow eyes shot right through me. The dark bags under his eyes only made his glare more intimidating. But what scared me the most, was when he spoke. Or...growled?

"Watch it." His voice was gravely and deep. It was almost like he was snarling at me. Like an angry dog maybe? "I uh...sorry?" I mutter. The boy only clicked his tongue before walking away. "...What the hell was that?" I breathed before picking up my bag and walking into my classroom.

"Miss L/n. You're late." Said my teacher, turning away from the chalk board, book in hand. Ah! I totally forgot! Embarrassed, I bowed my head and apologized before taking my seat. I might have made it too, if it weren't for that angry guy earlier. I sighed and opened my books and got to copying what was written on the board. "Heeeey, L/n-Chan~. You've never been late before, what kept you?" A familiar voice whispered, interrupted my writing. I knew that voice all to well, with another sight you turned to see my, I guess friend, Oikawa Toru.

"I overslept." I whispered back. "I almost made it too." Oikawa chuckled as he leaned on his hand. "That's so unlike you L/n-Chan. What kept you up last night? Have a boyfriend you don't want me to know about?" He smirks. "No!" I whispered-shouted back. "I...I was watching anime." I mutter. Oikawa failed to hold back his laughter. "Oikawa, L/n! Keep it down!" The teacher scolds us both. "Y-yes sir!" We apologize.

"Hey. L/n-Chan, meet me after class in the gym. There's something I want to tell you." Oikawa whispers. You nod before getting back to work.

Normal P.O.V

Finally classes had ended, and you were on your way to the gym. You couldn't help but wonder what Oikawa wanted to tell you. "He better not try and ask me out again." You groan. The first time he did it was so embarrassing! And right in front of his herd of fan girls too! You thought they were going to hunt you down and murder you after what he did. "Jerk. This had better be good." You say before opening the doors to the gym. Inside, was the school's volleyball team, and their captain Oikawa as well. "L/n-Chan!" He ran towards you, trying to give you a hug, but you step out of the way of his path, causing him to run into the wall. "Dumbass." A brown hair male shakes his head. It was Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa's "best friend".

"Hi Iwa-Chan." You smile and wave. "Hey! That's my nickname for him!" Oikawa whines. "Hey L/n." Iwaizumi, ignoring him, waves back. "What brings you here?" He asks. "Oikawa told me to come here. He said he needed to tell me something." Iwaizumi glares at Oikawa. "You better not try and ask her out again Shittykawa!" You laugh at the infamous nickname for Oikawa. "I'm not!" Oikawa puts his hands on his hips. "I asked her here for an important reason."

"Like what?" You asked. "Well first of all, what do you think of our team? Though, I shouldn't have to ask that, we're obviously an amazing team, don't be shy, go ahead and say it." Oikawa says with a haughty tone. "Uh, yeah I guess you guys are pretty cool." You tell him. Oikawa scoffs. "Pretty cool?" He shakes his head. "Anyway, how would you like to be our manager?" You gave Oikawa a confused look. "Like, you want me to be your manager? Uh, I mean, I don't know. I've never really held much of an interest in volleyball, let alone managing an entire team."

"Whaaaat? But you have to be! We don't have a cute manager girl!" Your eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Oh shut it! I'm defiantly not going to be your manger if I'm just here to look cute!" You snap. "Please L/n-Chan!" Oikawa begs. "Leave her alone Shittykawa! She's obviously not interested!" Iwaizumi punches Oikawa in the back of his head. "Ow!" He whines.

"Sorry Oikawa, I just don't think I'm the right fit for your team's manager." You apologize. "At least think about it! I really think you'll like it once you get the feel for it. You'll even get the chance to make more friends." That caught your attention. You didn't have many friends, just Oikawa and Iwaizumi really. You didn't know the rest of the team as well as they did, you would have, if you had more of an interest in volleyball. But you didn't. Maybe this would be good for you after all. Before Iwaizumi got the chance to punch Oikawa again you stopped him. "Fine! I'll think about it, but this is not a yes, got it?"

"Oh thank you L/n-Chan!" Oikawa's mood took a turn for a brighter one. "You won't regret it I promise!"

"For your sake, I better not." You mutter. "I'm gonna get going. I'll see you guys later ok?" Before you head out the gym, Oikawa stopped you. "Wait, don't you want to watch us play? Maybe it will help you make a decision." You shrug and set your bag beside the bench. You didn't really have anything better to do, so you might as well watch. "We're just about to start, we're just waiting for a certain trouble maker to show up." Oikawa crosses his arms. Just as you were going to ask who this "certain trouble maker" was, the gym doors slammed opened. The loudness made you jump in shock, turning around slowly, you met the eyes of someone, you wished you would never have to see again.

It was the scary ass dude you ran into earlier!

"Mad Dog-Chan!" Oikawa greets him. Mad Dog-Chan?? You blink a few times, what kind of name was that? "It's about time you showed up. You get in trouble again?" "Mad Dog-Chan" rolled his eyes and walked in, he didn't even bother to spare you a passing glance as he entered the gym. Did he even notice you at all? It was probably better that way. "You should start getting here earlier. Hurry and get changed so we can start." Iwaizumi spoke up. Mad Dog-Chan nods. "Yes sir." He made his way to the dressing rooms. "Why do you listen to him and not me!?" Oikawa whines.

You walk up to Oikawa as soon as he was gone. "Oikawa, who was that guy? How come you've never mentioned him?" You asked. "He was suspended, so this is the first time he's practicing with us in a while. And as for me not talking about him, well, you saw how unpleasant he can be." You couldn't help but agree with that, you didn't want to make assumptions, but after your encounter with him it was pretty clear he wasn't the most decent of people. "Yeah, I know. I ran into him earlier, I thought he was going to kill me."

"Really? I feel sorry for you then." Oikawa chuckles. "Who is he? Mad Dog-Chan can't be his real name." Well no duh, who names their kid something like that? "His name is Kyotani Kentaro. He's a second year." You hum in response. "Is he any good? Playing volleyball I mean."

"Oh, I don't want to spoil that for you. Just wait and see sweetheart." You punch him in the side. "What did I say about calling me that?" You mutter. "Sorry.." Oikawa whimpers.

Next

[rikiflrts]

— ꒰‧ 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐲'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 ༉‧₊˚✧

after what seemed like forever, i finally made my own prompt list! if you wish to request for the prompts that you’d like to use with a certain member, then feel free to choose any of the numbers displayed and tell me about them in the ask box (^^).

also: please be specific with the genre that you'd like to imply with your chosen prompts, thank you~ ♡

1.) "i just wanted to give you a hug"

2.) "dumbass we're lost now thanks to you!" " i already got lost in your eyes from the moment i met you but you don't see me complaining."

3.) "please don't talk to me right now, im not in the mood"

4.) "how are you so beautiful?"

5.) "my hoodie looks great on you"

6.) "how could you..."

7.) "i trusted you"

8.) "i didn't tell you to trust me."

9.) "you're leaving? just like that?"

10.) "no stop you're making me blush"

11.) "and if i am?"

12.) "just shut up and let me play with your hair"

13.) "so this is what falling in love feels like"

14.) "how are you even real..?"

15.) "are you being for real right now?"

16.) "...did you just sniff me?"

17.) "if you're that mad then why don't you just take it out on me?"

18.) "i don't mind"

19.) "you dumbass, i said i like you!"

20.) "i used to have this huge crush on you (laughs)" "used to?" "well, yeah.. i dont really like you anymore"

21.) "can i hold your hand?"

22.) "are you nervous?"

23.) "less talking, more working!"

24.) "im in love with an idiot"

25.) "but you promised me that we'd get married!!" "for the love of god, ____ we were 5 when that promise was made!"

26.) "but i still love/like you.."

27.) "this reminded me of you"

28.) "his/her/their smile is really pretty.."

29.) "just confess already!!"

30.) "you're an idiot." "yeah. your idiot."

31.) "are you even paying attention?"

32.) "does it look like i care?"

33.) "i don't really care"

34.) "it's been a while since i last smiled like this"

35.) "oh crap im starting to feel the butterflies again"

36.) "I'm scared, okay?! i can't do it"

37.) "what are you so scared of?"

38.) "im scared of falling.." "dont be, i'll catch you."

39.) "promise..?" "promise."

40.) "i guess promises really were meant to be broken."

41.) "you made a fool out of me!"

42.) "im sorry, its not you.. its me."

43.) "what about our promises??" "what about them?"

44.) "please dont go"

45.) "is/are they/he/she all you're ever going to look at?im already right in front of your attention is still focused on them/him/her."

46.) "that's it..?"

47.) "cuddle with me"

48.) "no."

49.) "his/her/their eyes were like pools; so deep. I fear that if I fall, I might never come out and reach for air."

50.) "i love spending time with you"

51.) "let's just be friends"

52.) "im sorry, im afraid of commitment"

53.) "im afraid of it too. why don't you just take this risk and overcome your fears with me?"

54.) "if its you, then i dont mind."

55.) "i love your smell"

56.) "what's that supposed to mean?"

57.) "first love really never does die huh"

58.) "hey, you look really familiar" "oh, really?" "yeah. you look like my soulmate."

59.) "if you like me so much then just marry me already"

60.) "wait i can do that?!" "your gullibility really amazes me sometimes."

61.) "are you dumb? be honest"

62.) "im not in the mood"

63.) "are you okay?"

64.) "you look horrible" "oh wow gee thanks for pointing that out sherlock"

65.) "what's in it for me?"

66.) "do you..like me?"

67.) "do you like him/her/them?"

68.) "but i wrote you letters.."

69.) "they mean nothing to me."

70.) "wow! i haven't seen you in ages, how have you been?" "we literally just saw each other 5 hours ago."

71.) "wipe that smirk off your face, its annoying"

72.) "aww, why? are you perhaps threatened that you'll end up falling for me?"

73.) "i think im going to puke"

74.) "are you blushing?"

75.) "aren't you tired of comstantly running in my mind?"

76.) "i can't get him/her/them out of my head"

77.) "your laugh sounds really pretty"

78.) "i love how your eyes sparkle whenever you're invested in something"

79.) "im falling"

80.) "oh no im catching feelings"

81.) "do you ever stop talking?"

82.) "let me get that for you"

83.) "its okay, i can pay for myself" "no. i wont let you" "but i have my own mone-" "shut up and let me spoil you!"

84.) "i refuse to stay in the same room with the likes of him/her/them!"

86.) "it was pretty obvious.."

87.) "come here."

88.) "stop doing that to yourself!"

89.) "you deserve better."

90.) "just leave. i dont want to see your face anymore."

91.) "i hate you." "the feeling's mutual."

92.) "didn't i tell you to leave me alone?!"

93.) "was it so wrong to love you..?"

94.) "if you really love me then just stay away from my sight."

95.) "you feel like home"

96.) "i love hugging you, it makes me feel safe"

97.) "i could kiss you right now!" "you're very welcome to do it."

98.) "i can't keep playing pretend"

99.) "let's put an end to this.."

100.) "i think im actually catching feelings"

101.) "this is getting dangerous.."

102.) "give me another chance"

103.) "give me one reason why i shouldnt leave."

104.) "im going to do it! im finally going to confess to him/her/them!"

105.) "you've got to be kidding me.."

106.) "i knew what i signed up for. im not surprised."

107.) "he/she/they has/have stars in his/her/their eyes and im captivated"

108.) "i love you" "nice try, but im not falling for that"

109.) "is it that hard to fall in love with me?!"

110.) "well if you put it that way, then yes."

111.) "you look happy"

112.) "you look happier without me."

113.) "can you guys please change the dare"

114.) "who gave you the right to toy around with my emotions like that?!"

115.) "i got played.."

116.) "stay out of my sight."

117.) "you're an eyesore" "you're an eye candy"

118.) "why are you still here?"

119.) "why..?"

120.) "stop making fun of me!" "make me."

121.) "was i just some kind of sick joke to you?"

122.) " i really like you "

123.) "i don't know how to express my feelings that well but i just want you to know that i'd take a bullet for you"

124.) "i'd do anything just to see you smile like that again"

125.) "what are you staring at?"

126.) "i think i have a crush on you" "you think? you're not even sure?"

127.) "take my hand"

128.) "let's get out of here."

129.) "you should wear my clothes more often"

130.) "i can teach you how"

131.) "I'm here for you"

132.) "you can use me to forget about him/her/them"

133.) "even if the world turns againt us, as long as we have each other, then we'll be alright."

134.) "you're all that i need"

135.) "you're all that i ever wanted"

136.) "you're all that i have"

137.) "please don't leave me"

138.) "I'm sorry."

139.) "look at me."

140.) "look at me and tell me that you don't love me anymore."

141.) "you're an idiot."

142.) "i don't love you anymore."

143.) "did you just drink from my cup?" "and if i did?"

144.) "im going to kill you!" "you don't scare me"

145.) "stay with me a little longer"

146.) "i knew it.."

147.) "i should've known.."

148.) "are you jealous?"

149.) "i made you a playlist"

150.) "when will you ever look my way..?"

151.) "im fine with looking at him/her/them from afar"

152.) "he's/she's/they're out of my league"

151.) "im scared of getting rejected"

152.) "back to square one"

153.) "I'm tired"

154.) "what do you like about me?"

154.) "i'd rather starve than spend time with him/her/them."

155.) "if i'm an idiot, then you're a coward"

156.) "i dreamt about you last night"

157.) "it was a nightmare"

158.) "it's the little things that he/she/they do/does that drive me insane"

159.) "i like you more than i should"

160.) "be mine"

161.) "it was too good to be true.."

162.) "i had a crush on him/her/them"

163.) "i never really thought that i'd end up falling for you"

164.) "you're adorable"

165.) "you mean the world to me"

166.) "you meant the world to me"

167.) "what happened in the past stays in the past"

168.) "careful, you might end up falling for me"

169.) "very funny, mister lover boy"

170.) "lets go out on a date"

171.) "i'm so lucky to have you"

172.) "where are you going?"

173.) "sometimes it really just gotta be like that"

174.) "hello good afternoon, what's your order?" "hell- oh wow.. you please" "im sorry, could you say that again?" "wait no! i meant- uh..oh dear.."

175.) "he's too good for me"

176.) "stop giving me mixed signals"

177.) "i guess it really just wasn't meant to be"

178.) "im not interested in you"

179.) "i cant get him/her/them out of my head"

180.) "where is/are he/she/they?"

181.) "you took my pillow so im going to use you as a pillow"

182.) "why are you avoiding me?"

183.) "did i do something wrong?"

184.) "please talk to me"

185.) "im not even his/her/their ideal type"

186.) "it wouldn't hurt to try"

187.) "you smell like me"

188.) "i like my scent on you"

189.) "that sounds weird if you put it that way"

190.) "can i call you tonight?"

191.) "you should smile more often"

192.) "i hate it when people tell me what to do"

193.) "lets wear matching outfits!"

194.) "im arresting you." "why? i didnt do anything wrong" "yes you did, you stole my heart and i want justice!"

195.) "i guess i got too caught up with my fatasies to notice that he/she/they never really liked me back in the first place.."

196.) "you're the answer to all my prayers"

198.) "you should go home."

199.) "let me come with you"

200.) "run away with me"

last updated: 12/30/20

take me back to navigation ↺

[hirokari]

↠ plaster

pairing: jungmo x reader

tags: high school!au, play!au, clumsy!Reader, fluff

warnings: minor explicit language

— “um... does anyone know where i can find a plaster?” 

a/n:  ha! its a miracle! she’s updated with an imagine! :P n e ways i think my plan is too update with an imagine once every 1-2 months...? my writer’s block is horrible :’(

Senior year.

The year everyone had been dreading, just one more step until they're out of this hell hole. And yet, what seems like the most relieving thing in the world, it takes one play, one role to mess it up for him.

His brown irises skim through the pinned papers on the school's pinboard, hoping for his name to turn out in the 'extras' parts. But the more he scans fir his name, the more his stomach drops.

Until he'd found his name.

Jungmo groans, the tips of his eyes dropping in sync with his grimacing lips. His fist hits the wall hard, startling one of his classmates.

"Hey, what's up man... oh, you got the role lead! Bro, that's awesome!"

It doesn't help the fact that everyone's congratulating him for something he clearly didn't intentionally aim for. He'd actually slacked his audition, but maybe that's what got him the spoiled prince's role.

"A-Ah, please, it's... not that great." He stammers, rather out of frustration more than humbleness. He rubs the back of his neck in s repeated, eager matter, the endless praises ticking him off even more.

~

"Aw, come on, Mogu! Embrace the prince in you!" Minhee emphasizes into his mic, followed by a fit of immature cackling from himself and Woobin. Jungmo clicks his tongue of annoyance, "This senior play can suck my a-"

"Cheer up, Jungmo. You're the center of attention-"

"That's just it! Sure, I'd like the fame and stuff, but for a stupid prince role? Come on, dude. No thanks."

Jungmo sighs out of exasperation, slouching further into his seat. He mutters a curse followed by the younger's name, cracking a smirk when Minhee doesn't bother to hide his whimper mixed with the sound of him shuffling against his bed sheets.

"Right, my guys, I'm heading out. I'm tired from all this fame," He concludes with a yawn, stretching his arms in front of himself, nodding in content when he hears his bone sockets pop (or crack, if you say it like that).

"Alright, g'night, princey." Minhee snickers. Woobin chuckles, "Yeah, lights out for you, your highness."

Jungmo mumbles a few sleepy slurs under his breath, clearing his throat as he disconnects from the FaceTime. He's so frustrated that he'd clicked a button one too many times, and his phone lags aren't helping.

Tomorrow's rehearsals are going to be hell.

~

"Is this okay?" A girl— who Jungmo had just realized was looking at him suggestively— mumbles lowly, her voice probably raspy on purpose as she measures his waist down with a measuring tape. She licks her lips and nibbles on the bottom one, but it really looks like she's trying to find the stuck piece of broccoli between her teeth with her tongue.

He gulps thickly, finding the situation not to his liking. "...it's not okay?" He answers rather in a questioning tone. She laughs, obviously not taking his answer seriously and resting her hand to his chest, "You're really funny."

He's had enough. He's uncomfortable, and really, really hot in this stuffy room with other people in the play who wouldn't care about his sticky situation. He's close to slapping this girl. That is, until the door opens slowly.

Jungmo's attention strays from the attempting girl to whoever had just come in, realizing that from the door was the only natural light that illuminates in the room. He ceiling lights make him sleepy, maybe because of how boring and dull it was.

Seeing the first ray on sunlight since a while caused him to squint when it shone directly at his eyes, the air now smelling grassy from the field directly outside the dusty storage room the students had (for some reason) voted to measure for costumes in.

"Um... does anyone know where I can find a plaster?" You ask softly, but loud enough to catch everyone's attention. It's quiet for a brief moment, and you panic internally, as if you'd just interrupted a starved wolf's meal.

But one of your classmates wave over for you, to which you scurry over to with a relieved sigh.

Jungmo's eyes couldn't leave your figure. He admired the nice taste in clothes you've spent all morning picking out, and your messy hair tied into a lazy style. He watched you wrap on the plaster around your finger, your tongue sticking out a little out of habit.

He doesn't know why, he really doesn't, but it makes him smile, seeing you struggle with the sticky side of the plaster.

"Hey," Jungmo finally says to the previous suggestive girl, and he fights down the urge to just cringe when she bats her lashes at him while purring out a response. He gestures his head towards your direction, "do you know who that is?"

"Oh, the clutz kid? Don't even bother-- she's lame, and always clumsy with herself." The girl rolls her eyes, twirling the ends of her hair. "She's came in for another plaster— She's clearly only pricking herself for some attention while making the play fits."

She makes the play's outfits? By hand?

Jungmo's impressed, and intrigued. He won't let this chance slip.

~

  "Craaap," You hiss out, leaning your head back against the wall. It's the fifth time you've hurt yourself with the same needle. Yui snickers, "Should I get you another coke?"

"What? Why coke?" "...well, I'm getting coke, you want some?" "...yes please. I'll go look for some plasters... again."

She nods with a playful hum, dashing off to the vending machine all the way across the building. Sucking on the sweet, metallic tasting fluid from your finger, you slowly stand up, mentally preparing yourself for another trip for plasters.

That is-- until a sudden voice calls out a 'hey,'.

Turning around, your brows ride up in surprise when you see a tall boy clad in a black hoodie leaning on the wall you had been sitting against.

"Yeah?" You answer quietly, retracting your finger from your lips. The boy reaches up to scratch the back of his head with one hand as the other rummages into his hoodie's pouch.

"Well, uh, I noticed you were looking for some plasters a while ago, and um... figured you were clumsy. So I got you a pack," He reaches out, and you see a box of plasters.

Your chest tightens at his thoughtful actions. Stranger or not, he sure knew how to swoon people-- or at least, you.

"O-Oh! So it's obvious I'm pretty messy, huh?" You jest, accepting the box from his hand. He shrugs, "Eh, who isn't? Messy is good sometimes, right?"

"Right," You repeat, tearing the box open slowly. You spot more crimson seeping from your skin, which causes you to grab a plaster in a hurried matter.

Now, five minutes later, here you are back on the floor next to the kind boy who had bought you the pack of plasters.

"Thank you, by the way." You turn to him, a smile gracing your lips. The side of his lips quirks up, "Don't mention it, uh... I didn't catch your name."

"Y/N."

You extend a palm, and he grins at the amount of plasters it's covered in.

"Jungmo."

He envelopes your hand in his bigger one, a firm shake being the first step to a great connection.

[kaldurcalm]

I've been meaning to do a black girls in webtoons reclist and I'm a little nervous about it because I'm white, but I haven't seen any comparable lists yet so. Here I go.

Note: this is based on the characters.

I haven't checked to see whether the authors are black or not because although that approach is well-meaning and has its own purpose (boosting black women who make comics), it can also lead to gatekeeping and invasive behavior on the part of fans.

The creators on the webtoons platform often use psuedonyms, so I usually don't go looking for more information than they provide.

My focus here is black girls and women who are treated well by the narrative, because I've seen from other posters that those are the kinds of stories that they would like to read.

With that in mind! I'm just going to go with the first one I see on my subscription list:

This is a superhero comic with a black female lead. She's the one who gets the gang together, and she comes from a society that has some interesting eyewear. (It's kind of a cultural thing.)

All of this is explained in the comic as a part of an ongoing plotline, and everyone's powers feel fresh and interesting.

Note: I do actually know that one of the creators is a black man! It's a team of people who seem pretty neat.

This one is probably suitable for most ages, but there's superhero violence and associated trauma sometimes. They get into social injustice as an ongoing theme for the entire comic, and the characters collectively decided to crash at the place of the richest guy on the team.

He is not thrilled about this.

I love this disaster trans girl.

Mal is a fan of a band called the Crawmamas, and her bff accidentally lands her a job as their social media manager. She is, unfortunately, head over heels for the dirty rat man guitarist.

This comic is going to have themes that are considered adult, like drinking and smoking and sexytimes.

Mal's mom doesn't approve of her wrist tattoo, but she's supportive of "her baby girl" and the other characters either don't know or are supportive (so far).

(I can't vouch for how the narrative will handle things in the future, but she's touring with a tits out type of rock band some of the crew members are gay. I'm not worried about the way the story will handle it.

Even if almost every single character is a disaster human. Help them.)

It's the story of Shahrazad! I read The Shadow Spinner when I was a kid, but not the original story, so I've never seen it like this before.

If you're not familiar: the main character is forcibly married to the rule of her kingdom.

Or, well, she volunteers for the forced marriage process so that she can get revenge on him for killing her best friend.

Along the way, she unveils a curse, and sets about trying to unravel it.

There's violence in this story, but I don't think it's super graphic. It's only a feel-good story if you're into clever, booksmart women who learn to fight injustice in their own ways.

(If you don't like the idea of her catching feelings for the caliph, this story might not be for you.)

If I were to narrow this list down to just soft love stories, this comic would be included. (Gonna be honest: I almost didn't read the whole thing because of the art style, but I'm so glad I did.)

Yani is a short, chubby black girl, and Cage is the tallest, biggest guy in highschool.

... unfortunately this means that she's scared of him at first.

The feeling isn't mutual at all: he saw on stage in a school play and immediately became 100% more interested in Shakespeare.

When their teacher sets him up to tutor her (it's not a romantic thing), he's stoked and she finds out that mostly? He's just shy.

This comic talks about sex in an informative way in the later chapters, and Yani's friends help her overcome a phobia that she's embarrassed to tell people about.

Overall, it's really sweet and wholesome. And it's pretty much completed, so no surprises here!

This is one of my favorite comics of all time, I think.

Ray is a college-age lady who's struggling to figure out her career path--as a seer in a world where you can bake magic into food.

She likes to go to her favorite bakery once a week to have a slice of romance. (Not sure if the romance is in the jam, the bread, or both, but it looks really pretty.)

She seems to have a crush on the lady who owns the bakery (who is also a black woman and happens to be a happily married lesbian), and she helps her love interest overcome his fear of (broomstick) flying (which is similar to driving in this universe-- you have to get a license.)

This one should be safe for all ages, I think! It's one of the softest, sweetest comics I've ever read.

So the actual main character in this comic is basically black gay batman in a purple devil suit, but I'm recommending it because it has two women of color as main characters in the first two seasons.

If you want a smooth recap of the entire thing, read the latest update. Here's the short version:

Honoria Crabb is a hard-nosed cop, until she sees that the entire city is corrupt and and the police force isn't what she'd hoped it would be. She's basically tying the story together right now--you might see what I mean if you click the last link.

Theresa Ferrier is a famous detective, the line of Sherlock Holmes. I say this not because of her personality, but because has a best-selling series about her adventures and has a comparable reputation in this universe.

She's also bald, uses a cane, and is married to the love of her life--Margeurite, a famous painter with a rare brain disease. (Margeurite can't see very well, uses a wheelchair, and is usually carrying her beloved bulldog. )

Theresa basically comes out of retirement to help fund her wife's treatment, and by the end of the second season she retreats so that she can devote herself to her care.

It doesn't even feel like the author is sidelining her or anything--she's influenced the other characters a great deal, and she just wants to care for her wife and be happy.

Overall, you'll like this comic if you like detective stories and masked vigilantes. There's violence and blood, and associated trauma.

I love this comic so much, and I'm a person who tries to stay away from zombies as much as possible.

...let me just show you the main cast:

Spoiler: there's healthy polyamory at the end.

...not with all of them. Two of them in this picture are involved, though, and one of them is black.

(The coach is also black. He gets bitten by the first zombie they see, so the girls have to take care of him. They do a decent job of it.)

I'm not sure how much more I can say without spoiling it because I get too excited. Ya got your jock black girl and your soft cute black girl on the same highschool basketball team, though, so that's why it made this list.

This comic is hilarious and it feels like a slice of life in spite of the fact that it's set during a zombie apocalypse. 10/10 would recommend.

(I also highly recommend the author's other work, which is more graphic and uses more colors in its palette, but that one centers a gay couple. There's some great black ladies in it but they're not the focal point, so I'm just going to mention it as an aside.

You can find it by clicking on the comic description and scrolling to the bottom.)

So the main character starts out a bike messenger. The best damn bike messenger in town.

This is how she becomes a bike messenger for the gods.

It's all very dramatic, and the new job comes with a teleporting magic vending machine for helpful bike parts that help her navigate the godly realm.

Her best friend is another black lady, who works with books and is a badass in her own right, and Dare herself is definitely not straight.

This comic is completed and everything ends well! Dare gets a satisfying love life with another woman and the world is no longer ending.

This comic is sweet, so I'm going to include it, but I don't think it's ever going to be finished.

Ola and her family are illegal immigrants. This comic is a slice of life about her trying to navigate highschool without exposing her family.

The overall tone is pretty light, but I'd you have any experience with that then if might make you nervous.

I don't want to pick favorites, but this one's my favorite.

In a world where you can modify your body the same way we can currently mod videogames, our main character notices another girl who takes the subway because she doesn't use any mods at all.

It's because she has a chronic illness, so she uses technology that others consider outdated (that seems futuristic to us) to help her navigate the world.

She's not in pain all the time, but she has to be careful. Certain types of technology in their world can affect her very badly, so she has to avoid them the same way you'd avoid allergens.

The main character changes her look frequently, but she's always shown as black and, towards the end of the comic, she shares a conversation she had with her mother as a child about the importance of her natural features.

This is an interracial relationship, and the love interest is a white hispanic. She has two dads, and the main character has a mom, a dad, and her mom and dad's partner.

...I'm not super clear on their relationship as it is in the comic but the creator confirmed that they're in a polycule.

This is the kind of comic that makes you feel like you light up inside as you read it. It should be safe for most ages, I think the most adult things in it are job opportunities and kissing. (I'm going off memory, here. I'm doin my best.)

The author also has another comic about a college age magic user who bulldozes her way into an apprenticeship because she's determined to not let her magical form of dyslexia get in the way of her life plans.

(She can't read the spell books at all, so makes herself seeing eye familiar out of what looks like a floppy stuffed animal and a ritual.

The ritual itself isn't clear yet.)

The main character isn't black herself, so I'm not including it as its own entry, but her mentor is black. She's a sweet lady with an adopted son, anxiety, and an understanding girlfriend.

This one doesn't have a final ending because the author came up against a pretty heavy duty mental block, but it did end on a series finale and although it's bittersweet, I think it's pretty good.