#like i thought he'd be so rude and judgemental

[midnightmah07]

book 7 spoilers!!

OUCH– OK THAT HURT.

Is it mean if I said that I'm actually enjoying Baur being mean to Sebek like this is so good he's tasting his own medicine

Oh my goodness my sweet boy... Ty for worrying 😭

HELP LILIA NO–

[hwnglx]

this is a request i had planned in the past, but never came around to do it. felt very drawn to read on jk, so 🖤 enjoy

jungkook's real personality behind the scenes

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

+ jungkook is very likable off camera. he knows how to socialise, make friends and have a good time. there is a very non-judgemental energy to him. he isn't a fan of conflict, tries to continuously seek harmony and peace in whatever environment he is in. if a fight broke out, he's the type of person to just stand there watching everyone argue, he wouldn't ever insert himself in the conflict voluntarily. he truly does not enjoy drama, and just wants things to calm down. i see him laughing while giving in like “알았어 알았어 니가 맞아” translating to “okay okay, you're right”, even if the person is dead wrong. one of the least competitive energies i've read for till now lmao, he's just very chill and despises negativity.

jungkook is an individual, who's careful and considerate about people's boundaries. he has this nice balance between being very caring and compassionate, but still giving the people he loves the space they need. he isn't someone who will rudely dig his nose into other people's business. he just lets them be and is great at adjusting his energy to the desires and needs of the people around him. very people-oriented and polite guy with nicely established manners. huge people pleaser.

in addition, the maknae is amazing at balancing his several priorities, without neglecting one or the other. he's the type of guy who will always have an open ear for you, despite having twenty projects and obligations going on behind the scenes. he's someone who puts a lot of value into fulfilling his responsibilities in a reliable manner, and always keeping his promise. if one day he fails to do so, others would probably be understanding of it due to his busy schedule; but jungkook is likely to feel disappointed in himself. he ties a lot of his self worth to the things he can do for others, to the ways in which he can be of use to other people. he feels like he's his best self when he's had some sort of positive impact on someone else. that's when he can go to bed with a peaceful mind.

jungkook is also blessed with an incredibly passionate nature. his mind is constantly racing and full of creative ideas he'd like to realize. he's the type of person who doesn't do anything in life halfheartedly. he relentlessly pours his entire heart, soul and energy into everything he does, and is extremely ambitious. not a lazy bone in this man.

- he's very peace-loving; however once this man is dissatisfied, especially with himself, he can quickly turn into someone way different. jungkook can get very impulsive and let his frustration out on others, if he isn't happy. once he's fired up, he can lose grip on his temper and lash out on others, because his emotions can get very overwhelming. he has this habit of constantly bottling up his negative feelings and thoughts, always swallowing the criticism in order to avoid conflict and confrontation; until the dam breaks, and his emotions find their way out in a very overpowering manner. i can feel that he hates this about himself, and always ends up blaming himself for the things he said in heated situations.

jungkook is very aware of how his immense perfectionism can stand in the way of not only himself, but his relationships as well. he's very difficult to satisfy, to the extent of frequently feeling discouraged and distressed about the things he does. i can see this stressing out the people around him too, which he can feel guilty about.

he's extremely scared of failure, and disappointing people, or not meeting their expectations. this can often result in him withdrawing and isolating himself. because once jungkook finds himself in self doubt, it can feel like an endless loop, and he struggles pulling himself out of that negative state of mind. he can get incredibly lonely. like very very lonely. jungkook is amazing at putting on a show for people, giving everyone whatever they want, doing everything he has to do and playing the role of this “perfect” man, but there is some emptiness behind the glamour. during the reading, i kept thinking of him debuting at such a young age, and kept seeing this young and clueless kid in front of me. ever since he was only just starting to understand the world, jungkook lived for others. he doesn't know who he is outside of the fame, he doesn't know how to live for just himself.

note; i kept hearing lonely by justin bieber in my head during this reading. i don't know if he knows or likes it, but he seems to connect to the message a lot.

i can truthfully say, that jungkook isn't an idol who enjoys the spotlight. he can often feel disconnected from fame. he feels like it's an extremely shallow and superficial thing, that looks nice from the outside, but doesn't give you the fulfillment you need in life. for a long time, he struggled figuring out and accepting who he is as a human, not just as an idol.

a lot of imposter syndrome for him. (=not feeling like you deserve to be in the position you're in) the entire world being obsessed with you is great, it shoots your ego up to the moon; but in jungkook's head, the idol that everyone is so in love with, is not truly him. he really struggles with the pedestal that comes with being this successful, and can feel like he doesn't live up to the guy that everyone makes him out to be. he isn't the perfect man everyone portrays him as, and i can feel him hating that everyone expects him to be that. you're receiving love, but not for who you are, instead for who you have to pretend to be. it's easy for idols to be under the impression that their raw and flawed self is of little value. jungkook has struggled a lot with his self-esteem because of this.

i recommend looking “imposter syndrome” up to really get an understanding of how he can feel at times. it sums up a lot.

[vykio]

The game is flash fic Saturday and @merceyca and @billdenbrough and I spun a wheel with these reverse trope prompts. I got dating my enemy's sibling and jane pitched jeremy and neil and I have many thoughts on their potential dynamic HAHA but here's a little AU type thing about it—which I added to LOOL it is now 800 words and some change

“I don’t hate Neil,” Jeremy says, which must be as unconvincing as it sounds if the flat look Cat gives him is any indication. The thing is, he doesn’t, really, because Jeremy thinks hate is an emotion that takes far too much energy, and Neil hasn’t technically done anything to him that would warrant hating him. “I don’t. He and I just…”

“Do whatever the opposite of getting along like a house on fire is?” Cat says casually. She rolls her shoulder back then lifts the sleeveless cup of her dress again with a sigh. It’s been making her uncomfortable all night and it’s the only thing she can do to bear it. She hadn’t chosen to wear the dress tonight but her mother hadn’t given her a choice. Jeremy gives her a sheepish look, wishing he could do something for her, and she waves it off. 

Next to her, Laila shakes her head. She puts one of every buffet option she wants on her own plate, and everything she thinks she’ll like on Cat and Jeremy’s plates, for them to taste first. “More like Jeremy is the house and Nathaniel is the looming forest fire that lights him up,” Laila suggests. Her side-eye is extremely judgemental, which Jeremy thinks is unfair and untrue. Jeremy is always polite first when they’re forced into interaction, and Neil is often aloof or not secretive about the contempt he holds for Jeremy—and Jeremy can’t pinpoint when in the last year Neil became this way.

("Is Neil mad at me?" Jeremy asks Jean once, after an awkward greeting with Neil in their living room. It had  been stilted, but Neil's gaze on him had been intense, as if he'd been waiting for Jeremy to mess up—something. Jeremy wracks his brain to see where he might've misstepped with Neil, but then Jean turns towards him abruptly, bumping chest to chest and knocking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," Jeremy says, surprised, then "Hey," more suave, with a flirtatious grin. "You don't have to bump into me to get my attention anymore."

Jean rolls his eyes and mumbles, "I've never done that." He exhales, his eyes doing a slow scan of Jeremy's face before he speaks again. "He is not mad at you. He's just weird. I will tell him to be—" Jean waves his hand, searching for words. He settles on, "—less weird."

Jeremy lets out a nervous laugh because he doesn’t know what else to say to that. Though Jean apparently followed through on his promise because now Neil is more careful about being openly wary of Jeremy where Jean can see him.)

“Neil,” Jeremy says to Laila automatically, as Neil has spent much time telling them he prefers the shorter name. 

“And you know what?” Cat spins the spoon in the air once, as if it might draw her thoughts up more clearly. She points at him with the spoon when she lands on what she wants to say. “I don’t even know the full extent of the beef you have with him.”

Before Jeremy can tell her he doesn’t either, there’s commotion at the door that steals their attention. They turn to find a swarm of bodies greeting the Moreau business moguls as they arrive at the charity event with their two children in tow. Jeremy smiles and waves at Jean when he spots him, and Jeremy can see from here how he lights up. Jean is halfway to him when he gets accosted by another guest. That leaves Neil clear in his line of sight. Neil stares so Jeremy stares back, and Jeremy refuses to look away first. Jeremy lifts his hand to wave stiffly at Neil, who rolls his eyes at him, and Jeremy doesn’t hold on to emotions like irritation but they do flare up when someone is being rude. Neil turns away before Jeremy’s fake smile could falter, but he lets it slip when Neil slinks into the crowd.

“We don’t have beef,” Jeremy says lightly, picking up a spoon and gently moving the food around it so it doesn't spill over the edges of his plate. Jeremy considers adding that he’s a vegetarian and he’s not freaking scared of his boyfriend’s brother, but if 3OH!3 makes their way into the conversation, Laila might scream, which would set Cat off screeching with delight, and then they’d have a real scene on their hands and maybe more ammunition for Neil to hate him. “I have a feeling he just hates anyone who talks to Jean.”

“No, it’s just you,” Cat insists, leaning into him. “He has nice, long-winded conversations with me about Animal Crossing and how much he hates this bitch-ass falcon on his island.”

“He talks to me like a normal person,” Laila adds.

Jeremy gasps, “Traitors,” just to be dramatic, and when Cat grins at him wickedly, he grins back.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for yelling at my friend?

this ones a long one.

bg info

so we're both 15, and he's done this thing a couple times where he'll create a new groupchat and exclude certain people who he's not as close to.

to me, this is mean, and i've spoken to him calmly about it before but he kinda just brushes it off and says he's just including close friends.

its also relevant that previously i may have enabled him. like, theres a girl neither of us like and we'd make fun of her sometimes, though not to her face, which is probably worse. i'm trying to be nicer to her but i dont get along with her very well.

on top of that, the origin of the gc we use now is that there was a bigger one and he told me "i just don't feel comfortable with some of these people". so i created a new group chat and let him pick who got added, with the agreement that we'd have to come to an agreement before adding more ppl, just for the sake of everyones comfort.

not sure if this is actually relevant or if im just salty but he doesn't spend time with the people in the gc at school, he sits with a group of juniors n seniors for lunchtimes and only comes around every so often. not sure if he's just spending one-on-one time with everyone or if he's actually not hanging out with us anymore.

into the actual inciting incident

today, we were talking about the groupchat to a friend we'd made recently and added today. he offhandedly mentioned one of the smaller groupchats he'd made for closer friends, and how no one had used it. i got really mad about how casual he was about something i thought was mean of him to do, so i told him something like "i just think that it's a rude thing to do."

and he said something like "well im just including our close friends", we kept going like this for a bit, and I yelled at him "why are the only people that matter the ones YOU like?" and there was more of a kerfuffle i don't remember, but i did in fact cry (self-provoked, he didnt say anything). i apologized for being so dramatic, and he left. it was class time so i left too, and my sister drives me and she had work so i left school really fast.

we have a little routine where we watch a show together on call though and he said yes when i asked about that. after asking him abt our show, i texted him n apologized for yelling at him n asked to talk but i said that i still thought that the way he treats people kinda sucks. no response.

what people irl said

like one person said that i was brave? and that they shoulve said something. the girl we added didnt say anything, and my other friend asked if i was okay after it was all over

why i might be an asshole

i think im being kinda on a moral high-horse when ive enabled and even kinda participated in this behavior before and ofc, yelling was very much an overreaction on my part

additionally, its not exactly a choice to not get along with some people?

why he might be an asshole

excluding people on purpose and ignoring my attempts to talk things out.

with the bias filter on, this behavior is pretty self-centered, because he doesn't hang out with us much at all, and he's never very invested in any of our interests or issues, but he still gets to dictate who gets to be in the "close friends" group chat?

for any advice

i really don't want to drop him as a friend, not just because i like spending time with him, which is most of it. the other part of it is that im really scared of what will happen if he gets mad at me, because i don't want to break up the friendgroup into people taking sides, and to a lesser extent im scared that if that does happen no one will take my side in that conflict. it just doesn't seem worth it to get into a blowout with him about this when i don't want to lose anyone.

thanks for reading all that, this is mostly just to organize my thoughts. render moral judgement at will.

What are these acronyms?

[hail-brod]

Boyfriend And Girlfriend

Midoriya Izuku x Reader

Masterlist

Midoriya Izuku in a relationship!

What would it be like to have someone close to you? With eyes that stare lovingly at your form and the unsaid feelings being conveyed successfully.

What would it be like to be Midoriya Izuku's world?

And him as yours?

Midoriya Izuku is a meek person. At most.

Usually the good-natured, sweet guy in class. The one that breezes past the eyes of the other people. The kid that was always so shy around people, busting in the shade of red the moment he was the center of attention. Mumbles and stutters filled the boys mouth when ought to converse with others.

The innocent little boy. So kind and pure.

That's what everyone saw.

But Izuku wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be treated and seen as a guy that anyone would rely on. He wanted to be a safe haven to people that needs a shoulder.

He wants to be that. He can be that.

He believed so. Middle school went by like a train in the night, waking up from the nap of exhaustion. It wasn't too late to be better, he thought. High school would be just around the corner and it's his chance to start anew in this vital phase of life.

He'd tell himself that, it'll be fine. He worked so hard in his studies and tried to be social at times. Baby steps were more than enough especially since it's a territory that he rarely crosses and so he did just that.

Even though he was still the same mumble and stutter boy, he knew being bolder was a necessary step for him to grow.

Sure, an eye contact here and there was hard enough but he knows he can manage. He'll get used to it.

It's not that he has a lot of trouble socializing. The first ever judgement he ever receives were the eyes that would look down on him. Girls that would gossip behind his back because he was too nerdy for their own taste. The whines that he would hear whenever a student gets partnered up with him in a school project.

It's a terrible feeling that he put up with all that as he grew up. A mere nervous chuckle was all he could let out in those situations. As if saying that he was sorry for being a bother, a defense mechanism that he got used to.

Everyone had their own group of friends, duo, trio or whatnot. All he had was...himself.

He spends the slot of his time writing on his notebook or reading his top favorite hero mangas. Other students would stare at him as he would absentmindedly mumble to himself while intently focused on his own business. Just reading and overly analyzing the characters' quirks or personality.

That ends with him snapping up from realization that he was, once again, being a bother.

He was lame, alright. Everyone thought that. He knew.

First day of high school came, and it started quite....well?

He couldn't be the judge of that yet. Everyone was someone new on his eyes. New people, new friendships. Everyone was still trying to adjust and with eyes skimming across the class, trying to feel in their gut whether who to befriend or to approach. It was as if, a scouting was taking place in the classroom.

He then imitated their antics.

It was ridiculous in some ways but he felt calm. Somehow, he doesn't feel like he's falling behind. He received stares and smiles but that was it.

He's fine with that. He could only smile back so as to not come off as rude.

Though, it was still the same experience. Him, seated on his little circle, fumbling his thumbs. It took him seconds to decide that, yes, he should fly out of his nest.

"H-hi..!" A stutter right away.

Seated on his right was a girl. He greeted her with all his might, trying to initiate a conversation.

He lately realized she was busy reading a book.

He paled.

No...not again.

He was being a bother.

Or so he thought.

The said girl turned to him with a questionable look, eventually blinking at the sight of him as she processed his intentions.

"Hello..." She replied, breaking out a smile that highlighted the mirth in her eyes. "Do you....need something?"

"Ah, huh? I- I....I don't. I mean, I think its fine now. You're doing something so I don't really- want to bother you. Yeah." He nervously chuckled.

He tried.

The girl listened to his ramble as she could only widen her eyes. "No, no, no. I wasn't busy or anything. This book is, uh..." She eyed the object between her hands as she gave her own nervous chuckle. "I was just looking at the....animal...pages...."

She would love to be slapped for being so childish.

The said girl flushed over the thought of being busted and how ridiculous she was being. Izuku witnessed the embarrassment as he froze, only for him to resist the urge to giggle at the girl’s response. Though, it’s not that he found it stupid but rather, quite meek. Just like him.

And it felt relieving for him.

The paused silence gave way for a stray mutter from the downcasted girl; “This is so embarrassing…”

It landed on no deaf ears as Izuku commented back. “It’s okay. Uh,.. that’s a normal thing to do so there’s really nothing to worry about.” The green head tried to shakily reassure as he chuckled. The girl then turned her head slowly back at the sight of him, taking in the face of her new classmate.

She was met with a bright smile.

That made her instincts get blocked as she felt herself become shy at the interaction. But since this was the first day of high school, there was no helping in having all nerves shake from getting to know one another. So she closed the book and faced him.

“Y-yeah, I guess.” Nervously scratching her cheek, she continued. “And you weren’t even really bothering me… I was just bored and- Oh! What were you about to ask me earlier?”

Izuku lit up in surprise as she gave her full attention to him, making the conversation continue. She looked as if she was rather fine with conversing with him than continuing her thing in skimming through the animal book. A few short-circuits here and there in his mind made him realize he was doing fine.

“Nothing really! I just wanted to- to…” He nibbled with his blazer’s hem as he searched for the right words. He pressed his lips together until his eyes landed on a keychain hanging from her bag.

And the sight of it made him blaze in delight. “Is that…an Eraserhead keychain?!!”

That made the girl eye her bag as she herself grinned at the excitement of the boy, nodding at him. Izuku didn’t mean to shift topics but as a fanboy of comic heroes, he couldn’t just shake the feeling of bedazzlement at the existing object. He soon realized something.

“You’re a fan?” He asked, almost with a hint of longing.

The girl stared back and giggled. “Of course!! Now why would I have it if I’m not a fan? I take it you are too.”

The boy’s green hair bobbed to nod. A growing smile was painted on his face. “Though, I’m more of an All Might fan…I know people say he’s overrated but he’s truly amazing!”

“I know how you feel. There’s no harm in that.” The girl chirped a satisfied smile as she nodded in agreement. “My name’s [L/N] [Y/N].”

Izuku paused his excitement as he pondered for a second. The girl, [L/N], was introducing herself to him. He almost forgot that he was trying to make friends as much as he can and yes, he was actually managing it.

He was actually doing it.

The girl was a comic hero fan just like him (maybe not as hardcore as him) and he finds it comforting to have and share an interest with someone else. Typically, he would be blushing and crazing in consciousness the moment he spouts exchanging words with girls but right now, [L/N], although still managing to make him feel shy and flushed, was lighthearted to talk to.

So he shoots his chances.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku!” He exclaimed. Not without his breath hitching.

“Well then, seems like we’ll get along well, Midoriya-kun.” The girl beamed at him.

They did.

Perhaps, they did got along well.

Too well enough that everyone else thought it’d be weird to see the two of them separated. Not like they were always at each other’s tail but because, they came to have their own little world that no one else could compare to. Even to the point that assuming both of them were having a little thing together.

Izuku begged to differ. There was definitely nothing going on with him and her.

But there was definitely going on with how they felt for each other.

Day by day, the friendship he had with her became much more heartfelt and tender. He never thought he could experience such emotions with someone and also share many things with them that just made everything else feel right.

He came to like the idea that he was comfortable with her. He was safe and felt belonged.

And the moment he heard she felt the same, he couldn’t look at her for a few days.

He couldn’t bring himself to stand near her nor speak to her without flushing in many different shades. That, of course, worried the [H/C] head. But it’s not that she was oblivious towards the reaction she was given to. She knew Izuku well enough as a friend and although, a spark of something was starting to bloom in her, she wouldn’t want to assume any hidden feelings.

Though, the distance made between him and her bothered her a lot.

Thankfully, Izuku gathered himself up and found his way near you again. He had already committed to himself that he was going to be upright and be a confident figure to lean on so it was not cool of him to retreat away from her after just a few pleasantries of sentiments.

The time he had did made him consider some things. And he’s at a loss for words when he straight up walked to her, gaze connecting with each other, and blurted the words he thought he would never say.

“Doyouwannahangout?”

He felt stupid because as friends, they already hang out a lot. He butchered his intentions.

Lips pressed together, he blushed immensely at his friend’s shocked expression who was holding out a bag to him.

Oh. His bag…

He was wondering earlier why it felt like he was forgetting something.

“Sure…” She replied with blinking eyes. “Where do you wanna go?”

Izuku mentally facepalmed.

Grabbing his bag from her grasp, Izuku tried to murmur; “That’s not what I meant…” Which only left him to receive a tilt of her head with a questioning look.

Before he could blush further, her expression lit up as if she was realizing something. Izuku’s pupils dilated.

And he definitely didn’t miss the way her cheeks flared up at what she put together. He knew she wasn’t dense to go past over his annunciation but witnessing it first-hand, he couldn’t help but match her flushed state. With him creasing his brows together as he dived his eyes into her own, he gave her a shaky smile. A simple gesture to signal that yes, that’s what he meant.

She blushed harder.

.

.

“I’ve never seen him smile so much like that. Especially at his phone. Doesn’t he always bury his face on one of those comics?”

“It’s obvious. Look, he’s got a special someone. You don’t smile like that for a simple reason.” A blonde boy with a lightning streak on his hair replied towards his black haired classmate.  “You gotta know these things, Hanta.”

“Come to think of it… [L/N] is absent today.” A pink haired girl added, bringing a finger to her chin. “Aren’t they always together?”

A gasp ensued from the blonde. “Oh! Oh! It might be [L/N]!”

Like the romantic girl she is, the pink head lit up after connecting the dots, now squealing alongside her boisterous blonde friend. Their friend Hanta could only sweatdrop at their nosy attitudes.

But one glance at the green head again and he was looking at their direction. Izuku flushed when he was caught staring and retreated back unto staring at his phone in embarrassment.  “Uh, hey guys…” Hanta called to his friends as they brought their attention to him. In a lower tone, Hanta informed.

“You might’ve mentioned [L/N]’s name too loud…”

The blonde and the pink head exchanged glances, as if seemingly saying in unison; “Oops.”

“I think we busted him.”

“Denki…”

“Just stop gossiping you guys. That’s not cool.”

.

.

It didn’t take long for the word to spread across the classroom that Izuku and his dear ‘friend’ were somewhat—a real thing now.

Of course, courtesy for the two of them, the pink head and her two friends kept their mouth shut but it didn’t take long for the other classmates to catch on the closeness of the two.

It did prove to be true when their stares would mean something and the [H/C] haired girl starts to drag her chair towards the green head, sitting side by side. Sure, they would always do this a lot but this time it became clearer.

Because after [Y/N] yawned, Izuku shyly offered his shoulder for her to rest on. And she did.

No one even saw how the boy combusted on his seat since they were seated in front but everyone very well knew he was fluctuating.

The prying eyes of their classmates like the pinkette and her friends, widened as they watched the back of the two.

“I fucking knew it. You owe me 250 yen, heh.”

“Shut up.” Hanta bit back at his blonde friend. “I didn’t signed up for this.”

.

.

“Izuku…”

“Hmm?”

“Your umbrella isn’t here…” Behind him, his girlfriend rummaged through his bag.

“It’s not there?” He asked her with disbelief, snapping his eyes outside of the school. It was pouring quite hard and he was the only one between the two of you that brought an umbrella.

Except, he actually didn’t brought it. He paled.

He would never forgive himself if his girlfriend ended up with a cold just because he forgot to bring what he said he would. It was only a simple gesture and he couldn’t even be good at it. Sometimes he wonders if he was worthy to be with you if he’s just going to act like an airhead.

He eventually snapped out of it when he heard the zipping of his bag and her voice ringing out with a chuckle. “Do not fret. I can already sense your paling face.”

Though, she never failed to make him feel like everything he does is just nothing to be upset about.

Izuku flushed at her comment, embarrassment taking over him. “Is that even a thing?” He whimsically replied with a frown. He then watched his girl turn around until he was facing her own bag, as if telling him to open it.

“I have quite a massive jacket in there. We’ll shelter under it while speeding through the rain.” She replied almost giggly at the idea of skimming through the rain like little children. Izuku can’t help but smile at her antics as he proceeded to unzip he bag, looking through her things.

“That sounds like a bad idea.” He retorted teasingly as he earned a hush from her and saying ‘It’ll be fun.’

He finally found the trusty jacket and placed it atop his head. He looked to his side, glancing at the girl as if signalling her to come closer beside him. A moment like this was definitely a valid reason for him to flare in a blush.

The [H/C] head girl was no different. The thought of getting closer so much with her adorable green head boyfriend was one of the many things she looked forward to. For the past few months of them dating, she was already painstakingly familiar with the warmth of the boy and it didn’t fail to send her chest bursting from all the flutters of mirth.

It felt too illegal to be this giddy.

Sliding in on the open arms of her boyfriend, her jacket hovered above her as she grasp the left side of it while Izuku did on the right.

“You okay there?” He asked with a shaky breath. She nodded.

Underneath the hovering jacket, both of them snuggled deeply into each other’s arms. Alas, moving their legs to take on the pouring rain as they tried to speed through the streets until they could find a shelter to rest for a bit. Luckily, their houses weren’t that far from school although they weren’t neighbours, there was still a far distance between their houses.

But when they moved together through the rain, basking in each other’s closeness, the cold weather no longer affected them. The heated cheeks and body contact made it hotter than it should be but no one is complaining, it’s their own little world.

So when the rain slowly faded into small drops whilst the sky turned brighter, they were left with each other’s normal distance, the jacket long gone above their heads.

“Let’s just hope none of us gets a cold soon enough.” [Y/N] murmured, tugging her backpack after Izuku placed her jacket back where it belonged. The same thing that worried the green head. The girl nervously chuckled beside him. “Then again, it was my idea.”

“Don’t beat yourself over it. I couldn’t even stop you from being that reckless, it’s on me.” Izuku gazed at her pointedly.

“Now, you make it sound like I’m a child.” The [H/C] haired girl pouted, a speck of blush on her cheeks.

The boy chuckled. “You know that’s not what I meant…You’re just really playful sometimes.” He tried to justify just like the gentleman he is. As much as he can, he always tried to dissipate any layer of misunderstanding with his girlfriend but sometimes, he knows when to be teasing.

In any other situation or time, he wouldn’t believe he would be having a girlfriend as sweet as [Y/N]. His qualities as a shy and stutter boy was always the thing that made him into a blushing mess when a girl talks to him.

But with the girl beside him, he grew from that. Not that he doesn’t feel the intense consciousness when he’s around her but because he grew to be comfortable in her presence. Still, he can’t avoid the racing heartbeats and the nerves that made him flush frantically.

Inwardly, he is a mess.

Reciprocating the green head’s feelings was one of the important things that [Y/N] always do. And not because she felt the need to but because he deserved to know how much he made her heart swell. How much she mentally coo over his cute reactions and his awkward attempts to be intimate.

How she constantly thinks of him that gave her something tender to look forward to (other than just reading comics and surfing the internet).

How she long to see him as much as she can and the urge to just hug him like he was the most vital thing in her life.

Both of them don’t always go for what their thoughts tell them to do since, it’s just basically too endearing. But there are times when one of them initiates the most unexpected move they could ever do and that’s how their relationship progresses to greater heights. Especially since both of them didn’t possess the nature to be always bold, they always thought about breaking their shells, even just for each other.

Just them and no one else.

As they neared [Y/N]’s house, Izuku didn’t waste a second to slip his brushing hand with her, intertwining it gently on the gaps of her fingers.

The girl jolted at the sudden contact. Heart lighting up to swell as she walked stiffly beside an embarrassed Izuku. He didn’t eye her reaction, only walking forward with flaring cheeks as he frowned, fighting the urge to combust into a series of frantic excuses.

There was definitely no need to hide from excuses anymore. As a couple, holding hands are justified.

So they stayed quiet for the whole duration of their walk home, feeling their hand squeeze from time to time as if saying that, yeah—

I like you a lot.

[time-is-restored]

im seeing so many people say that sophietexas said shit she unequivocably Did Not Say so like. just for my own peace of mind.

when dream asked what she'd said about him/george, she explained that she had tweeted a friend's misogynistic experience with george (without details), which she took down because it 'caused more harm than good' and 'it was becoming more about me [than the victim]'.

they shared a screenshot of the tweet with him

dream, assuming there was more to the story (apparently he'd been told she was talking shit about him?) asked what else she'd said. he also asked why he/george wouldn't know what incident she was referring to if it was 'that bad'

sophie clarified they only tweeted about george, and said the interaction in question was not assault, and they wasn't accusing george of that

dream asked for more details, accusing them of not wanting to 'hear another perspective'. basically saying it wasn't fair that they'd say this shit when it could be a 'miscommunication' or not true

sophie said again she wasn't going to say anything else because it wasn't her story to tell

dream said that was ridiculous, and asked why they'd had positive interactions in the past if she was so negative towards them now

sophie explained george had ignored them + therefore been rude, didn't mention the context, and DREAM said it 'probably happened' in an among us lobby. made a comment about how he'll 'never know' why they don't like him

sophie said she didn't like his attitude. dream said it was hard to have a nice attitude when he was getting texts from people asking why everyone on twitter thinks he's a 'serial rapist'

sophie said that the conversation was getting unproductive, and that she wasn't going to expose her friend. she said she doesn't wish for dreams downfall, and she just wants the creator space to be safer

now, about what she DIDN'T say/do:

she did not accuse george of 'being a misogynist because he ignored her in an among us lobby'. she mentioned that they had been in among us lobbies when dream said he didn't remember her. separately to that, she said that george had ignored her when they'd spoken. seperately to that, the misogynistic behaviour accusation was her sharing a friend's personal experience. all she ever said was that george was rude to her.

they did not accuse george of assaulting anyone (aside from expressing support for caiti), and they clarified that their friend's negative experience was Specifically Not Assault before they deleted all related tweets.

she did not accuse dream of literally anything. i cannot emphasise this enough. dream clearly thought/was told that she said something abt him, and kept asking what 'else' she said apart from the tweet (which she willingly showed). again, all she said about dream was that she thought he was nice, and now thinks he has a bad attitude.

sophie did not share her friend's story in detail because that wasn't what the friend wanted. if you think that's shady, please consider that dream went public in order to accuse connor + sophie of saying shit about him/george without having proof. if sophie had named her friend, or given details, that knowledge would've become public too. then please consider the reaction that caiti has received these past few weeks, after accusing george of something george admitted to. consider the ways people are still calling her a liar, or a clout chaser, or of exaggerating/changing her mind and calling it assault after the fact, after george has agreed that what she said happened happened. would you, knowing that context, want to expose your friend (who already didn't want to come forward personally!) to that level of scrutiny and judgement?

leave sophie the fuck alone come on guys. their 'crime' is not liking george or dream and expressing that to dream's face. they made a tweet on behalf of a friend which they took down bc they felt it was detracting from caiti's story. that's literally it.

[rederiswrites]

My mom took my son's pizza again. This time the last slice of the pizza he got for his birthday, which he discovered when he eagerly went to eat it. Furious, he decided to go and challenge her. Because, in his words, he knew no one else would have done it, so if she denied eating it, he would know she knew it was wrong. I was both impressed and depressed by his insight.

She denied it. He left her without saying anything more, because he'd gotten all he expected to get out of her.

I'm going to finally talk about her a bit under the cut, because I have to work it out, because I have to get through to her somehow.

When she moved in with us some eight or so years ago, it was supposed to be temporary. She had the entire plan worked out to build herself a tiny house--it would be on a trailer, and therefore not count as a structure on our property, and also move with us when we moved. She was also going to work--at a job she already had work for--to make up for the fact that she'd retired early and in a somewhat precarious financial situation. She could have worked longer, almost definitely should have worked long enough to get her full benefits, but she was depressed and hated going to work, and so she used the excuse that she wanted to help me with the kids, since I was struggling with my health. At the time, we believed her, even though we did also know that fundamentally she really just wanted to not go to work any more. We expressed our concern but trusted her judgement. I trusted and loved her and saw her as a tough woman who'd made it on her own this far.

She never built the tiny home. She never started. She never did the job that was already in her hands. Never helped much with the kids, either. She was still in our third bedroom years later, when we had an eight year old still sleeping in our room for lack of anywhere else to put him. Because she was in the room meant to be his. She did not care about that at all. By this time, we'd learned never to leave the kids alone with her, because she would use our absence to be a dictatorial asshole to the kids. She shouted at them for making noise, basically any noise, and randomly lectured them at the slightest sign of a "teachable moment", usually with things that they knew, sometimes with things that were objectively wrong.

We'd had to demand she stop driving our car, because she had hit several things with it. Twice, she ran over and destroyed the kids' toys that were left out in the drive, after which she would shout at the children about leaving them out. The last straw was when she backed directly into a whole-ass riding lawnmower with a trailer in our driveway. She refused to admit any fault. How could she have seen it, she asked. Ma'am, it's nearly the size of a car.

She was routinely rude without the slightest inkling that she'd been rude, she was a thoughtless and inconsiderate housemate, she rarely cooked, and only did the dishes in bursts. We marveled at how many times we lowered our expectations and found that she fell short even then. We learned not to ask her to do things, because they were often so badly done that they had to be redone. She responded to any criticism by going into a screaming rage that we thought she was stupid and obviously she couldn't do anything right. She never went out, and then acted like it was because we needed her, and we needed to give her permission to go out. This was one of the little ways she started to talk as if her situation was our fault. I talked to her for years about depression, explaining that it didn't always mean feeling sad all the time. That it often meant exactly the symptoms she was displaying. I even got her to go to the doctor with me once, and got to sit there and watch as she told the doctor she was "tired".

By this point, we'd long since started to find her presence a burden.

When we moved here, there was no obvious building for her to convert and live in, but we were open to the possibility of her making over part of the detached garage. Yes, we did really kinda need that space ourselves, especially as we have no barn, but you make sacrifices for family. There was a spare room in the finished basement, and we all knew it wasn't ideal, but we were happy to let her stay there at the same rate of room and board we'd decided years ago at the old place--$400 a month. $400 for the room, the use of the house, internet, electricity, food, Netflix, everything. A price that we had calculated to be cheap years prior. A price that pretty much guarantees that we're subsidizing her life as it is.

She stopped paying. She hasn't paid since we moved. That's around $14K back due, now. She said she was saving it to make her place with. We said that wasn't a unilateral decision, and that we had to agree. She said nothing. Repeatedly, we had this conversation. But what would we do? Kick her out? We know she can't afford anything else. I'm an only child. The rest of her family is estranged.

When she brought us her "plan" for remodeling the garage, it was incomplete, couldn't be permitted by the county, and cost everything she had even without the parts she hadn't given consideration to. We rejected it. For TWO YEARS, she would just periodically bring up some minor variation of this plan and we would explain, increasingly furiously, that we had already said no, that it was still a bad and unacceptable plan, and that no, we did not think it was reasonable of her to expect us to break the law to make it work.

Over the years, we've suggested various alternatives. We looked at used office trailers she could convert--refused, because "trailers are for poor people." We pointed out rooms for rent at a rate she might be able to pay--refused, because she wants to stay near us. God knows why; she shows no interest in our lives. She has not helped with any of the events we've hosted. She sometimes doesn't come out of the basement when we have guests she knows. I don't tell her when I'm especially sick, because she will immediately declare that she has fallen ill and any chance we might have had of her doing a few dishes evaporates. She doesn't notice that I'm sick on her own.

Finally, a couple of months ago, she came to us with a New Plan. She wants to build a prefabricated outbuilding behind the detached garage. It is MORE expensive than the previous plan, taking every penny of her savings plus the aforementioned $14k she refused to pay us, meaning that ANY expenses she encounters after that that exceed her Social Security payment will fall on us. And since, despite saying that she can never do anything because she's saving money, the only money she's actually "saved" is the money she didn't give us, she has no prospect of being able to repay that money afterwards, either.

In the course of the inevitable fight when she ignored everything we had to say about that, she finally said that she "wasn't going to pay for that basement!" and had no intention of paying that money back. The basement, by the way, has huge comfy couches, a bar and sink, a microwave and electric kettle, big tables, wall to wall carpet, lovely art, and a library. Then when we still refused, she called a mediator. Which we readily agreed to, because SOMETHING has to change, but I don't have much hope that that will help.

Because fundamentally the problem is that she's blamed us for her failings. She won't take ownership of her behavior, so she's convinced herself that we owe her. We owe her a place to live--but of course she'll be totally independent there! We owe her whatever financial needs she incurs as she ages. She is angry at us for offering her a place to live while she figured herself out. She is angry at us for not catering more to her tastes while she eats our food that she is never going to help pay for, and that she never cooks. Because the alternative is to admit that she failed herself and is a burden to us.

At this point, and for a long time now really, but especially the last couple of months, she is a constant drag on the mood of the entire family. She's completely lost touch with reality. The simple act of calling for mediation is an excellent illustration--her plan is unaffordable and probably not legal, and requires our funding to take place on our land, and yet she thinks that an independent mediator with side with her. Which isn't even how mediation works. They won't side with anyone. They certainly can't force us to cooperate.

She's so sure she's in the right that when she went out with Jacob's mother for one of their periodic date days, she excitedly explained her plan, which she is still routinely talking about as if it is going to happen imminently. My mother in law asked a few basic questions, like, "How will you manage as you age without a bathroom," and her answers were such nonsense that later that day my mother in law called us and apologized profusely for having previously sympathized with my mother. She'd sympathized with what she saw as a fellow older woman struggling with depression, which is certainly true, but somehow she hadn't believed us that my mom is straight over the edge until she saw it for herself.

So there you go. My mother, the solid ground of my childhood. Taking birthday food from my children and lying about it while she squats in our basement. And every night she insists on kissing me on the cheek goodnight, as if she were a good, loving mother.

[nuttytani]

Hold my chai, aunty has arrived in the Mansion

(adventures of aunty in the ikemen vampire universe. into the ike-verse!)

It was just a normal day of work for aunty. You know, the usual, kicking her husband and children out for work and school with their tiffin and bags in tow.

Finishing cleaning the house like a sonic with extra energy drinks and taking the rubbish out,

Then finally! A hot shower

She was only left with making her sweet and relaxing lunchtime tea when her doorbell rang.

She opened the door and.....everything turned white and aunty's life turned upside down. Or did it?

Actually it turned up. I mean her life was already up but now it's better-ish?

She's basically on a month-long vacation! Away from her husband and children (I mean sure she's worried about the state of the house but they can manage by themselves right? They won't miss her.....right? Ok fine maybe she's kind of sort of worried about them and missing them but she KNOWS she can go back so haha!)

The mansion people were quite warm and welcoming towards her so it didn't take much time for her to adjust.

Except for the food and... tea.

YOU CALL THIS FOOD? DEAR SEBASTION, WHERE ARE YOUR MASALAS? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE SALT AND PEPPER-- THAT'S NOT MASALA

And the tea! How…. she won’t even describe how she feels except for pure disappointment. These people had no ingredients for chai

Comte had no choice but to order some.....groceries for dear aunty. He couldn't say no to her. Especially with how disappointed she looked while eating food or having her tea.

He also had to turn the wine cellar into a grocery store room. But he sure had great company with aunty! Joining her outside in his garden. 

Smoking who? Comte got rid of his cigar and now constantly has a cup of chai in his hand (mostly because aunty would yell nonstop for him and leonardo to stop smoking. Because 1) she doesnt want to be a chain smoker 2) smoking is bad for your health and makes you look like a gangster…. Aunty’s words, not mine!)

(Psssst she also taught Sebastian how to make chai 101 until he got the recipe right till perfection.)

The other mansion residents weren't having that much....fun tho. It felt like having a mom after many years. Which is funny because technically, they’re wayyyyy older than her, and they’ve told her so many times, and each time she replies with a: but you all act like children, that’s not my fault is it? Now my dears, would you please pass me that newspaper? 

One day, Arthur was walking around half naked around the mansion only to receive the MOST judgemental stare in his entire life

“Put some goddamn clothes on, child! You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”

“Aunty, that's not possible for vampires….”

“Do I look like I care? Put some clothes on.”

Or the first week in the mansion, practically staring daggers at everyone 

“Shoes inside the house? Who’s going to clean this… Sebastian? Mitsuki? Your mom? Me? Well definitely not any of us.”

House slippers became a thing ever since and now NO ONE dares to wear shoes inside the house. 

Vincent had to learn cooking as well, like proper cooking.

Aunty found it shocking that even her daughter's terrible cooking wasn't as bad as his. So that was saying something.

Dazai stopped using the windows as a way to enter the house 

Actually there were a lot of positive changes in the house, at least for Sebastian and Mitsuki 

They had SO much help in the kitchen. They wouldn’t let aunty do the cleaning and laundry though, that’d be rude and she’s basically on a vacation. She needs to relax! 

Her favourite weapon of choice to discipline the mansion boys is her handy dandy jharu (broom).

She'd pass it to Mitsuki or Sebastian when they'd go wake up Napoleon. If he tried to do his sleep-kissing thing- he'd get one smack on his face with the broom.

Idk how she got it but she somehow has it so we roll with it okay? 

random thoughts that had to be written down. they don't really make much sense but heyyy who cares?

I've brought back my taglist, fill it in if you're interested!!!

here's the link

[mxr1na]

*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐༘⋆Reaching For Stardom-002*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐༘⋆

Prev - Masterlist - Next

A/N: LONGER CHAPTER RAHHH ALSO THIS IS NOT PROOFREAD CAUSE I PULLED AN ALL NIGHTER ACCIDENTALLY (AGAIN)

Gojo places down (or rather, quite rudely tosses) his phone on his unmade bed, right beside his wrinkled tuxedo.

Mei is so annoying sometimes. She just HAD to pick out the most plainest tuxedo ever and an itchy one of that.

Honestly, you'd swear she gets off to it the way she treats Gojo.

It's almost night, he should probably get something to eat.

Check the cupboard? Nothing.

The fridge? Nada.

The pantry? Not a single crumb.

The thought of warm ramen with pork chop was enough to make his mouth water.

No.

Bad Gojo.

Water/milk only, with supplement pills 2 times a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening. Maybe a carrot if he was feeling extra cheeky.

He didn't like the prospect of the gross orange peels for dinner, so he'd best just go to bed and sleep it off.

And that he did.

~2 days later~

As soon as you stand out of the limo, cameras flash in your direction, making you genuinely feel like you are going to pass out from the flashing lights alone.

Nonetheless, you walk as elegantly as you can across the carpet. You see some girls that you recognized, Maki Zenin and Utahime Iori. They must have vaguely acknowledged you aswell, because they ushered you to take a photo with them.

"Hey, let's go inside," Utahime murmurs.

You stand your ground, apprehensive. You still need to wait for the others to arrive.

But then again, you'd look awfully ridiculous standing alone on the red carpet.

Nanami also mentioned that you'd have to mingle with the cast a bit....

So what's the harm?

"Yeah, let's go,"

༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌙༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌙༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ

"So, you're Y/n l/n, correct?"

You nod as you clutch your drink in your hand.

"I haven't seen you on set before, why're you here?" Maki's voice wasn't judgemental or condescending, genuine curiousity soaked her tone.

"Oh uh, just a new project coming up from Endless... Not sure If I'm able to say anything about it right now"

"Mm I see," She was about to say something else when a shrill voice makes you jump out of your skin.

"Y/NNNNNNN!" You're greeted by Nobara with her arms around your shoulder. After locking eyes with Maki, she flushes and looks away. Maki raises an eyebrow.

"Well, uh Maki, this is Nobara, and-"

"Hey, I've seen you before. You've acted in that one detective movie before," She makes a knowingly nod at the brunette.

"Your acting was great in that movie, it's one of my favorites," Maki places a hand on Nobara's shoulder for a brief moment.

"Well, see you two around," She dissapears admist the crowd.

You turn to your best friend, who was absolutely whipped.

"Well, that just happened,"

"I am going to relive that moment for the rest of my life," Nobara squeals.

"Pinch me so I know this wasn't a dream- Ow! Itadori what the hell?"

Yuji had crept up on the two of you along with Megumi.

"You're outfits look better in real life, dayum!" You playfully tug at Yuji's tie.

"When is the premiere going to start? I'm dying for some popcorn?"

"Of all the things on the table in front of us, you want popcorn right now?" Megumi rolls his eyes.

"Ah Megumi lighten up," You pinch his cheek, like a loving grandmother to her angsty teenage son that "is surely getting all the ladies"

He slaps it away.

"Ow, touchy much? Anyway, I'm sure they'll make an announcement when it's time. Meanwhile.." You grab Nobara and Yuji by the wrist, "Let's Dance!"

༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌊༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌊༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ

"Go and talk to her already,"

"What?"

"Satoru, don't act stupid. I know you're looking at that girl over there," Geto nods towards you, who's talking with your friends oblivious to what's going on in the opposite corner.

"No, I'm not!" He harrumphs, and slumps.

"Okay I am...."

"Stop snarfing down food and ask her for a dance or something. You're acting as if you haven't eaten in days,"

"I-" before he could defend himself regarding his food consumption, he decides to drop it.

"I'm not talking to her Getooooooo,"

"Why? Too scared she'll reject you?"

"No, she won't reject me. I'm Satoru Gojo,"

"Okay how about a bet?" Geto pours some wine in a glass and sips tentatively.

"When, I mean, if she does reject you... I get to make fun about it and you can't retaliate,"

He continues.

"IF you get her number, I'll buy you mochi during practice for a month,"

"Deal," Gojo says, and goes to the dance floor where you were. Something about the beauty and or confidence of you was intriguing, hypnotising...

And terrifying.

He quickly walks to where Geto placed the bottle of wine and took a great swig of it.

"Toru you dumbass! You know you are sensitive to alcohol," Suguru tries to pull him back, but Gojo was a man on a mission. He looks around, seeing you weren't on the dance floor anymore, and caught you slipping away and out the door.

He follows suit.

༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌙༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹🌙༘⋆`✦ ˑ ִֶ

Despite your attire, you were still able to have a great time on the dance floor.

Breathless, and humid with the amount of people in close proximity, you tell Megs that you're gonna step out for a bit.

You open the door out and sit on a bench close by, and you shut your eyes.

"Needed a break?"

"Gah!" You snap up straight with a jolt, with a young man with white hair and blue eyes sitting next to you.

Wait a minute, white hair and blue eyes?

"Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but are you, Satoru Gojo?"

"The one and only baby," he winks and clicks his tongue at you.

Now you're the one feeling flushed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Y/n L/n" You extend a hand, but he puts his hand up in objection.

"Please, I utterly despise formality, call me... 'Toru," Before you can answer, he grabs you into a hug.

"See, we're friends now!"

For the approximate 3 seconds of his embrace, you could tell three things.

1: His figure was extremely lean, though that wasn't a shocker

2: His perfumes are just heavenly

And 3: he's drunk.

He stretches a bit.

"I like your dress, I'd wear it myself if I could,"

"Oh, thank you! And I don't see the reason why not?"

"Blehh, something to do with management and meh meh I don't know. I'd much prefer it over this stupid ass suit my manager forced me to wear, I look like every basic white guy at the Met Gala, "

Wow. He was, brutally honest.

Or maybe that was the alcohol.

"Yeah, well I think it "suits" you. Hahaha get it?"

Gojo- I mean, 'Toru looked at you blankly for a moment and started giggling.

And you started too.

That was the start of a 20 minute tangent of back and forth, talking about stupid shit and making the most dumbest dad jokes ever.

Talking to him was no harder than talking to your friends, even though you've barely known him personally for half an hour. You then heard a booming announcement that the premiere is due to start in 5.

"You're really funny, yknow that? Here, give me your phone?"

"Whatever for? To run away and sell it for a top dollar?"

Satoru acts insulted. "Excuz moi? No, I was gonna give you my digits,"

"If that's the case, then why don't you give me your phone?"

"Whatever for? To run away and sell it for a top dollar?"

"You bet"

Taglist: @an-ever-angry-bi

Mxr1na 2024. Do NOT copy, rewrite or claim work as your own. If you see my work elsewhere, please send an ask :3

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: LIKE, COMMENT, OR REBLOG IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE TAGLIST otherwise I'll delete you from it! Not to be rude I just kinda feel like I'm spamming accounts without meaning to jsdjsd -Danny Words: 2,706 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'As A Child' -by Madeline The Person

II. Thanks for Checking In! I'm Still a Piece of Garbage

Ara's doing her best, but Leo's not listening, he's just trying to remember where he's seen Ara before.

"Do I get a sword?" He interrupts her as soon as they walk past the arena.

"Your cabin makes its own weapons."

"My cabin? You mean Vulcan's?" He smirks. 

"Hephaestus," Ara replies plainly, Leo wonders if she's capable of smiling.

"Festus?" He tries again. "Sounds like the god of cowboys."

"Hephaestus. God of blacksmiths and fire and all that stuff Annabeth said," Ara repeats absently.

Leo makes a face, he's thinking of the term "God of fire", but Ara doesn't know that. "So the flaming hammer over my head—Good thing or bad thing?"

"Normal thing," she shrugs. "Everyone gets claimed as soon as they get here..." She glances in the direction of the forest.

Percy doesn't look at me like I'm a hindrance, he needs a friend, and I want one, so there is understanding between us. Also, I'm very low maintenance so he appreciates the simple company. I'm weaving with the naiads while Percy and Grover talk beside me.

"How was your conversation with Mr. D?"

"Fine," Grover pouts. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?"

The satyr yelps. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's licence?"

"Well... no. He just said you had big plans, you know... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

"Mr. D suspended judgement. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

"Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

"Of course I'd want you along!"

"What about me?" I ask distractedly.

"I don't see why not," Percy grins. 

"Ara?"

She gives a start. "Whatcha say?"

"That dude from a while ago... he mentioned a curse."

Ara dismisses it with annoyance. "Cabin nine's fine, their old counselor passed away and—"

"What? Like, painfully?" Leo asks in worry.

"There was a war," she answers briefly. "Don't ask."

"Why are you giving me the tour?" He proceeds quickly, too curious to think about one thing for more than just a few seconds. "Are we siblings?"

"No, that would've made things easier in the past..." She makes a face.

"Which one's your cabin, then? That thing Annabeth called you... What was it? Daughter of—"

"Olympus," Ara sighs tiredly. "It's a long story."

Leo's getting tired of her ambiguity. "Alright. Whatever. But you have divine blood, right?"

"Yeah," Ara admits. "But don't dwell on it too much, it's nothing special."

"Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

I open my mouth to speak, but Grover shuts me up. I look at him in annoyance, being the guardian of a demigod as powerful as Percy is a great opportunity for a satyr like him! Why doesn't he want Percy to know? 

"Listen, don't think like that," he replies. "If you were—you know—you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my licence. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?"

Percy nudges my leg once Grover leaves. "You were about to say something."

I don't want him to get angry... but also, children of the big three never get happy endings. Percy's destined to fight for his life until he yields. That sucks. I won't be the one to break it to him.

"I had a satyr," I say quietly. "And I'm nothing special. Don't worry."

"That old lady..." the boy tenses. "What's she doing here?"

Ara freezes, her voice comes out frightened. "You see her too?"

Leo notices her reaction and gets even more nervous. "She's not supposed to be here... right?"

"Listen... you see something like that, you walk away. Nothing good comes from old ladies," Ara pushes him forward by the shoulder.

Leo pulls out pipe cleaners from the pocket of his army jacket and starts playing with them. "Do you know who that was, though?"

"No," she wraps Nico's jacket tighter around herself, the camp doesn't let winter in, but she's feeling a chill. "Let's go to your cabin."

"Alright," he tries to keep up the lively tone in his voice. "I'm in the mood for a good curse." 

The last time she saw weird things at camp, was during Percy's first arrival. Ara keeps throwing nervous glances at Leo, she can't shake the feeling that he's got something to do with it.

He whistles lowly as cabin nine comes into view. "They got a steampunk theme going on, huh?"

Ara looks at her old cabin wistfully. "Yours is one of my favorites, but you didn't hear it from me."

Leo's eyes brighten a little as he continues to look, then he shakes his head, and his expression hardens for a moment. Ara considers checking on him, but if a person doesn't want to talk about their feelings, she should respect that.

The rest of the campers avoid Percy after he gets claimed, I approach him and greet him like always, but he glares at me. "You're still talking to me?"

I stop halfway, and my smile falters. "I'll stop if you want."

Percy stops. "I didn't mean... everyone's acting like a jerk."

"Yes. It's not good..." My eyes widen a little as I reply. "Annabeth thinks her quest has to do with you."

"Yeah, I heard," he sizes me up. "Hey... wanna train with me?"

"Aren't you training with Luke?"

"I could use a five-minute break in between. Only if you want though, I know you don't like swords."

"I like them plenty," I frown. "But I'm too small for the ones we have here, or that's what everyone says when I pick one up..."

"How will you get better if you don't train?" Percy offers the handle of his sword to me. "Try it."

My fingers brush his knuckles as I reach for the weapon, and my heart shrinks with an unpleasant feeling. Most of the time, I have to focus to feel stuff, but Percy's grief is lethal if I can sense it by merely grazing his skin.

"I'll train with you," I swallow the lump in my throat.

He doesn't like my reaction. "If it scares you—"

I hug him, the grief suffocating me even more. "I want to help."

Silena has grown protective of me since I told her I had this power. She says is "Empath's touch". I can feel other people's feelings and I can take parts of them to lessen the intensity. That's okay with me, no one should go through stuff alone.

"Can I ask you something? Promise to keep it a secret?" Percy inquires as I step away. "Is it normal for a demigod... to have weird dreams?"

"They're not dreams," I reply. "They're messages someone's sending you."

"Does everyone have them?"

I shrug. "Lots of campers have them, it's normal."

"You had any?"

I tilt my head. "They don't mean anything."

Percy frowns. "Fine..."

"I mean," I continue, "my dreams... it doesn't make sense to anyone, but I know I'm right. My dreams are memories. From my past lives."

"Wait, so..." he blinks. "You have reborn?"

"I shouldn't be able to remember," I admit. "Don't tell anybody, please."

He offers his pinky and I link it with my own. "You remember who you were and everything?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I just see bits of stuff..."

"That's interesting," Percy says as we reach the arena. "If you discover what that's about, do tell me."

"If you have funny dreams you'd like to share I'm here, and I like gossip."

He pats my shoulder and then spots Luke, he hesitates. "You sure you wanna stay?"

I pat his hand. "I won't leave you."

"A weed whacker?" Leo approaches the nearest wall. "What's the god of fire want with a weed whacker?"

"You'd be surprised," a boy in a full-body cast appears on a bunk bed. "I'm Jake Mason. I'd shake your hand, but..."

"Yeah, don't get up."

"Hi, Jack-Jack," the girl gives him half a smile. "You look great."

"Shut up, Ara," Jake groans, then looks at Leo. "Welcome to Cabin Nine, been almost a year since we had any new kids. I'm head counselor for now."

"For now?"

Jake ignores his question and speaks to Ara. "I hope this isn't taking too much of your time..."

"You know I'm here to help," she shrugs it off. "Where's everybody?"

"Forges. They're working on... you know, our problem."

Ara's smile goes away instantly. She clears her throat. "Right. I'll check on them in a moment. You got a bed for Leo?"

Jake eyes the boy carefully. "You believe in curses, Leo? Or ghosts?"

"Ghosts? Pfft. Nah. I'm cool. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon this morning, but you know, all in a day's work, right?"

Jake nods, missing Leo's joke entirely. Hephaestus kids don't have the quickest wits when it comes to humor. "That's good. Because I'll give you the best bed in the cabin: Beckendorf's."

Ara's breath catches in her throat, and her voice comes out slightly squeaky. "Are you sure?"

"Bunk 1-A, please."

The bed rises up from under the floor, and Leo jumps onto it happily. Ara feels a little insulted, but she bites her tongue. "I can handle this."

 "It retracts into a private room below," Jake adds.

"Oh, heck, yes," he grins. "See y'all. I'll be down in the Leo Cave. Which button do I press?"  He gives her a playful look. "Wanna join me?"

Her face twists in disgust, but Leo is used to girls looking at him that way, so he's not bothered in the least, if anything, it only makes him want to annoy her further. Jake clears his throat, wanting to save his new brother from Ara. "Well, Leo, if you don't mind sleeping in a dead man's bed, it's yours."

The boy sits up abruptly. "The counselor who died... this was his bed?" 

"Yeah, Charles Beckendorf."

"He didn't, like, die in this bed, did he?"

"No. In the Titan War, last summer."

Ara feels exhausted every time someone mentions the war. Lately, her life's been plagued with losses, and remembering takes so much energy from her... she recalls every little detail, all the moments that led to this moment, and studies them in her head one by one. She can't stop.

"The Titan War," Leo's eyes are on her, "which has nothing to do with this very fine bed?" 

"You'll be safe and comfy there," Ara replies numbly. "Kronos killed half of our campers during the battle, but we didn't fight him here—"

"I'm guessing this wasn't on the news?"

Ara frowns, intrigued by his ignorance. "Were you, Jason, and Piper together this whole time?"

"Er... no," he answers. "No, I was er... on the run, I guess. I met Jason and Piper like, a few months ago. Last August."

"When the war ended," Ara's brows furrow even more.

"You were lucky to miss it," Jake says. "The thing is, Beckendorf was one of the first casualties, and ever since then—"

"Your cabin's been cursed," Leo guesses.

"That's what they think," Ara intervenes. "But I've been working this whole time—"

"Jackson, you're the only one getting things done," Jake snorts and looks back at Leo. "She's the gods' favored one. Ara doesn't know how it is for us, regular campers."

She's never liked being pushed aside, it used to happen because she was good for nothing, but now it's happening because she's too much of everything. She doesn't know how to change that.

Ara looks around the cabin while the boys talk, and after the counselor closes his bed curtains, Leo is ready to pick up their conversation. "What did Jake mean when he said 'regular campers' as if you're not one of them?"

"'Cause I'm the Strategus, remember? But I don't feel different, I'm the same girl I was five months ago..." She leaves the cabin with Leo following close. "You want to know what happened?"

The boy smirks, happy to finally get some answers. "I'm listening."

"I knew almost as soon as I saw you," I nudge Percy's arm. "Who your dad was."

He keeps his eyes ahead, he's wet and grumpy. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to scare you. But I could tell 'cause you smell like the sea," he sniffs his armpit, but the rain makes it impossible to distinguish. "Anyway, this is nice."

"How is any of this nice?" He scowls.

"Well, I don't do much at camp, and it's been years since I was out..."

"That thing you did on the bus," he replies, referring to what I did to the furies. "What was that?"

"Charmspeak. I convince people to do things."

"Do all Aphrodite kids have it?"

"A few," I answer. "Some can change their appearance at will, some are good at pairing up people—but Silena doesn't like doing that, the real matchmakers are rare—others can sense people's feelings. I have that too."

"Like a satyr?"

"Yeah, but I have to touch you in order to feel anything, Grover can do it without contact."

"So you have charmspeak, and you feel other people's feelings," Percy recounts. "Anything else I should be careful with around you?"

I grin. "Nah, I'm not dangerous."

"So Beckendorf was popular around here?"

"He was a veteran, so we all sorta looked up to him. Jake became a counselor after we lost him, and he doesn't like it. Lots of kids had to take leadership positions without warning during the war, it was hard on all of us."

"So that's what happened to you?"

"No, I got my title after the war ended. I don't have a cabin. I chose..."

"You chose what?"

"To be of use."

"Percy's being reckless, you don't want to be like that."

"He's allowed to be angry!" I whisper in annoyance.

Annabeth scowls. "Don't be like Percy. He's dumb and impulsive."

"So am I. Impulsive I mean, not—"

"But you're..." my friend stops before completing her sentence, but I know what she was about to say. Not strong.

I sigh and shake my head. "I won't do anything stupid, don't worry."

"What's the problem Jake mentioned?" Leo continues, he's alright when he's not trying to be funny.

Ara makes a face. "After the war, their creations started to malfunction. A year ago I convinced Beck to rescue your cabin's most impressive—Oh, here we are! The forges."

Her old friends salute her, then all eyes land on Leo. "Hey," she greets them. "Got you a new brother. This is Leo... er..."

"Valdez," he scans the group, new campers are always surprised to find out they're not the only children of their godly parent.

Everyone approaches to say hi, Ara looks at them proudly, most of them are kept to themselves, but they're all sweet. She notices their injuries and her guilt increases.

"Well, all right!" Leo raises his voice. "I hear this is the party cabin!"

There is no reaction to his comment. Ara has to bite her lip to not chuckle out of pity. "Right," she clears her throat. "You think you can take care of him, Nyssa?"

"I got it," the girl steps forward.

"Cool," Leo eyes her reluctantly. "I always wanted a sister who could beat me up."  Ara snorts, and he perks up at the sound. "There we go!"

"Thank the gods!" A boy cheers sarcastically. "I was starting to think she got switched with a robot..."

"Hey, show respect to your General!" They hear a loud thud.

"Ouch! She was our friend first, wasn't she? We can tease her a little!" The boy complains.

"And at heart, she's still little Ara from cabin ten," Nyssa teases her.

"The difference is that now I can kick your ass now if you're not careful," the girl warns her, half-serious.

Nyssa smirks and crosses her arms. "Aphrodites! Always so feisty."

"Aphrodite?" Leo asks in shock. "You're from the Barbie Malibu Cabin?"

Everyone goes back to work and Nyssa whistles lowly, looking away. 

"So what if I am?" Ara's expression hardens.

The boy messed up, but he doesn't understand why. "I mean... everyone saying you're... you don't really... oh man, can someone shut me up?"

"Good idea," Ara glances at him coldly before turning away. "Oh, and watch your hands, Leo, it'll suck if you lose a finger on your first week, and most amateurs do. See you, Nyssa."

Leo scowls at her insult. Alright, he messed up, but she's acting like she's this mighty being above human error since they met, and that's getting on his nerves too.

Nyssa looks at them with a smirk. "See you, Birdy! C'mon, joker boy, I'll show you around..."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 3 Ep 1, 2 & 3

Season 3 has a totally different rhythm for Tim and Lucy. We're in the last month or so of Tim training Lucy show-wise, and they're definitely friends at this point. We can feel the natural rhythm they've built between them.

I really wanted to string these three episodes together because they're kind of one thought springing from Lucy's post-DOD trauma. I'll get into why once we're past the "Keep Reading" barrier.

SPOILER ALERT: I'm going to spoil these episodes and possibly everything that has come before. Yes, I spend a lot of time on Chenford, but there are also specific Lucy/Tim scenes I focus on because Chenford is nothing without these two separate, beautiful characters. I do try to write without too much foreknowledge of what comes after these episodes.

Are we all clear on what to expect here? Huzzah! Time to dive in.

Consequences

"Look, at the end of the day, we only think we know other people. I learned that the hard way."

Look, Tim's been burned. And burned. And burned. Almost everyone he has ever trusted let him down, shut him out, or manipulated him in some way.

His view may be jaded, but it's also informed by his own life experiences. The one time he really chose to trust was with Isabel... and that fell apart, too.

But Lucy knows Nolan. And she trusts her gut that Nolan is still the same guy today that he was before.

"Drive up to Chowchilla and retrieve the security footage from Nolan's meeting with Rosalind Dyer yesterday."

The second Rosalind's name hits his ears, Tim's eyes flash to Lucy, worry swimming in them as he gazes upon her. Lucy feels that shift as she looks up at him.

Tim's a tough guy, but he knows what it is to have to face the monsters down. He had to live with his. So, the last thing he wants to do is put Lucy in a position where she will be hurt, again.

"Sir, I'm not sure we're the right team for that assignment given Chen's history with Rosalind Dyer." "What assignment?" "He wants us to get the surveillance tape from Nolan's meeting with Rosalind yesterday." "What the hell was he doing meeting with Rosalind?"

It gives me special pleasure that they call Rosalind by her first name.

Back at my university, we had an unspoken rule in the Communications department. If you liked a professor, they were called by their last name in conversation outside of class. If you hated them, first name only.

And there was one teacher we all called by his first name. He was rude, condescending, misogynistic, tried to trick his students on tests, and hated me because I was the first person to ace one of his tests (and I did it on 2/3 that semester).

Demons don't deserve the courtesy of a last name. Rosalind absolutely qualifies.

"It's your call, Bradford. You're her TO. I trust your judgement." "Tim, it's not a problem."

Watch him watching her. Because when it comes to Lucy and this particular subject, he still questions his judgment. But he trusts hers.

She holds his gaze. "I can do this," it says. He finally agrees to the assignment.

"Now head back to the Shop while I get a statement from Rosalind." "What? No way." "It's for your own good."

They got this far, but Tim's still looking for ways to shield Lucy from this. And I doubt he'd do this for anyone else.

Look, we're nowhere near these two dancing the horizontal mambo on Lucy's too-rickety bed, but Tim has a special spot for Lucy by Season 3. It's not just because of DOD. It's because of everything they've been through.

Bit by bit, Lucy Chen has worn down Tim's walls, and he's let her in, bit by bit. Protecting her is just something he does, now.

"You have a personal connection." "So do you." "It's not the same."

Does she mean the case he worked? His connection in the search for Lucy? I've never quite known which she meant, because there are dozens of officers who worked Rosalind Dyer cases. I don't know if I'd call that "personal".

"If I can't handle talking to Rosalind while she's in a cage, I shouldn't be a cop."

And what can he say to that? The rational side agrees with her. But the side that wants nothing more than to protect her is screaming at him. And we all know which side TO Tim leans into. So, together they enter the lioness' den.

"You know, I am so impressed with you."

Rosalind barely acknowledges Tim once she locks onto Lucy Chen. It's been less than six months since Lucy's harrowing near-death experience at the hands of a practiced serial killer—a serial killer under the spell of the caged woman before her.

No, Rosalind wasn't the one placing her in that barrel. But it was her legacy, and Lucy Chen's defiant survival coupled with Caleb's death ended that legacy.

For Rosalind, Lucy will always be of special interest—the girl who refused to scream. Screams were the erotic fixation of the murderer, the source of his perverse pleasure. The panic that rose in the throats of his victims as they grappled with their impending death.

But Lucy Chen didn't scream. She sang. Lucy Chen didn't panic. She persevered. She lived.

"The way you handled what was obviously a very traumatic experience, it's inspiring." "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." "Rawr. So defiant." "Let's stick to Nolan."

Tim's trying to keep things on track, and right now he's keeping himself in-check. Look, we know that Tim can turn it on the second he needs it—the energy that had him threatening a guy and slamming his head against a steering wheel.

But he's keeping it together because Lucy is keeping it together. He's feeding off of her energy. And much as this sucks, we all know Lucy can keep her head in the game.

"Just like you were when the lid came down on that barrel. You know, it must have driven Caleb crazy, denying him the fear that he desperately wanted to see in you." "How-" "Do I know that? You think the camera in the barrel was for Caleb?"

In the words of Malcolm Bright from Prodigal Son, "I have so many questions". Now, some of them are answered in this episode (secret phone in the wall), but I'm surprised neither of them questioned how she saw that video.

"Don't listen to her, Chen."

Tim's keeping it professional and clean. He's also trying not to show his hand.

Calling Lucy "Chen" at this point is a way to distance or maintain order. He calls her "Lucy" often enough, now, that we can tell it's a choice to call her Chen.

And the last thing you want to do is give a serial killer who loves mind games any hints about how you feel about anything or anyone. Emotions can get you killed.

"She's just playing mind games." "Oh, I am totally playing mind games. But I'm not lying."

She starts singing the song. Lucy's song. The one she sang to keep herself calm in the barrel. And it's a beautiful song that I've loved for years. But for Lucy it can never be just a beautiful song, again.

I have a song that I listen to whenever I'm feeling broken. Inner Light by Jay Chattaway. Listening to that song, I'm transported to every moment I've listened to it over the years... or when I hummed it for strength. And I simultaneously feel all the strength I've drawn from the clear call of the flute to the rising and falling strings.

Music is powerful. It can bond us to people and moments. And in the cold, grey room... the verse of a familiar song slices through Lucy's control and strength. She's literally back in that barrel, feeling all those feelings, again.

And that's too much for Tim.

"Knock it off."

He barks it, the veil of formality torn as the truth he's tried to conceal bursts forth—Lucy matters to Tim.

Not like a TO and Rookie, or even just friends, but as two people whose lives are enriched by the other in a way nobody else can touch. Not yet love, but soulmates, nonetheless.

Rosalind's attention has been locked on Lucy since the beginning of the conversation, but with three words, the monster shifts her gaze. She looks between the two of them, connecting the dots swiftly. There's a connection, here. There's something to exploit, here.

Tim just handed the monster a modicum of power, but he had to do it to break her spell over Lucy.

"Ah, the fierce protector."

Yes, he is. He didn't ask for it. He didn't go looking for it. But he was always a little protective of her (remember how he snatched Caleb's number away?), but it only intensified after DOD.

Lucy has seen Tim at his absolute worst, his most broken. And she didn't run away. She didn't give up on him. And he sure as hell isn't giving upon her. Not ever.

"We're done here. Let's go."

You can hear the emotion in his voice even though we're looking at Lucy on the screen. Lucy has tears in her eyes, and Rosalind put them there. The one thing Tim was worrying about happening happened and he didn't protect Lucy enough.

Lucy is right. She's a cop and she should be able to deal with a criminal in a cage. But Tim was also right. Lucy shouldn't have to be re-traumatized for a job.

Nyla often says that the job isn't worth your life. I don't think it's worth Lucy's peace of mind, either.

Tim glances back at Rosalind with contempt as he opens the door for Lucy. Oh, he hates that bitch. Me, too, Tim. Me, too.

"You were wrong earlier." "About anything in particular? Or just in a global sense."

First off, I want to talk about the growth here. He's willing to entertain the idea that he's wrong about something. TO Tim of Season 1 would have told her off, and Season 2 would have given her a glare. But Season 3-era TO Tim is willing to hear her out, and even asks to know where he went wrong.

Second, is Tim Bradford coming off a little flirty!? Season 3 is definitely the era of Lucy no longer fearing Tim and instead flirting with him. This feels like Tim's flirting a bit back and I kinda love it.

Let's be clear, this is harmless flirting at this point. They aren't flirting because they want to sneak into the back of the Shop and add their body fluids to the seat's history.

"You said 'at the end of the day we only think we know other people', but you're wrong." "Lucy-"

With no Rosalind, we're back to Lucy.

"No. When I was in that barrel, I knew you would find me. No matter what it took."

She. Knows. Him. And, damnit, he can't say she's wrong that she knew he'd try.

But even he didn't know he'd succeed. He didn't know he'd find her. In fact, he was terrified many times that day that he'd failed.

Lucy's the one with the steadfast faith. She believed that he would be okay in the Quarantine House, and she believed he would find her in the barrel. Her faith in him is so strange and magical considering what an ass he can be. It baffles him, sometimes, as much as it amazes.

"I found you because of your ring. Okay? You saved yourself. And I really hope what happened with Rosalind today doesn't screw with your head." "If it does, I'll deal with it."

Their secret. The truth that nobody knows but them. And I love that Tim credits her as much as it pains me that he refuses to credit himself. Because he still sees his perceived failing for her the night before, how he missed the signs that weren't there to tell him Caleb was a murderous psychopath.

Yes, it was a team effort to rescue her, but Tim was a huge part of it. And Lucy knew he would put everything he had into saving her.

As for the rest, he nods at her last statement that she'll deal with it. That works for him.

"And I know you'll help me."

Because. She. Knows. Him. So many times he's protested it when people point out the good in him. It's easier to keep up walls, to shield himself, to lock people out.

But Lucy's always been able to see through that. she knows who he is behind all that hurt. And that's what's truly terrifying about her, for him. Lucy has seen the worst of him, the worst year of his life. But she still sees who he really is, even when he can't see it himself.

"Uh, that's not really part of my job description." "MMhmm."

Look at that look she throws over her shoulder at him. That knowing look. Yowza, Lucy Chen has your number, Tim Bradford. You better watch yourself!

In Justice

"When you graduate. You have to celebrate. No more Tim Tests? Come on." "He's been quiet lately... Too quiet... He's planning something."

First off, I love the way these three help each other. The original OT3 of the show, it was great to see them come up together, not only as Rookies, but as people.

Second, Melissa O'Neil's read on that line had me rolling, and I love to rewatch it just for her facial expressions. Lucy thinks Tim's planning something, but I think Tim's giving Lucy a little space after the Rosalind thing.

His instincts were to keep them off that assignment, but they went because she thought she could handle it. Instead, it was stressful for both of them.

Tim stepped in to protect her, and every time he does that, I feel like he pulls back just a little to keep himself from feeling like he's crossed some invisible line.

Again, we're not at the tear-your-clothes-off-with-my-teeth stage (yet) with these two. This isn't a romantic line. It's a personal boundary that Tim keeps in place between himself and his Rookies. Usually, it's very easy to keep in place. But Lucy challenges him in ways he never imagined.

Funny enough, he does the same for her. So, much as she's eager to move past Tim Tests, I don't think she's as eager to move on from Tim.

"Why is roll call in the parking lot?" "It was all in the departmental email." "You actually read those?" "Chen does."

And your wife boot's going to be sure you stay on top of things and look good. Look, the best relationships are where two people fill in each other's weaknesses. Tim and Lucy have that in abundance.

"We need to rededicate ourselves to doing this job the right way, which means the last 25 days of your training are gonna be even more intense." "We should check the chop shops, see if anyone brought my car in." "That's what you're focused on? Even as parts your car is worthless." "Not to me."

Tim likes to tell Lucy how "intense" things are going to be. Before, it was almost to terrify her, but now it feels like a warning.

He doesn't want to scare the Rookie off anymore (Lucy isn't afraid of him anymore). He wants to prepare her so she can do her best work.

But Lucy's thoughts aren't even in that Shop. Her thoughts are on a barely-driving tin can that matters. And God bless Tim, but to him things are things. Break the thing and buy another thing.

But things aren't just things to Lucy. If you look around Lucy's place compared to Tim's, you can see the little baubles and bits that mean so much to Lucy. Tim's life is so much grey and beige.

He needs someone like Lucy to bring the color back as much as she needs someone with the structure to help her organize her thoughts. But we're not to the point, yet, where Tim and Lucy can be each other's person.

Right now, they're still learning to speak one another's language.

"Let the hunk of junk go and focus on the end of your training."

He's not trying to be insensitive. He simply doesn't understand.

"Is that what you would do? Let someone get away with stealing the thing that means the most to you? The one constant for the last 10 years?"

Roughly 10 years ago, she moved out of her parents' place. So, we're talking about her whole adult life.

And, weirdly, I just realized I've known Matthew my whole adult life because we met when I was 18. Crazy.

"It's a car." "It's the only place-. Never mind."

Tim could let this go. He could. But he knows Lucy, now. They've had almost a year together, and he can tell when something's really bothering her.

"The only place what?"

I love him being the one to draw this out. Yes, we've seen him pull things out of her before, but this is different. This isn't the harsh bark of "Boot!" when she didn't want to tell him about his learning disability. This is softer. Caring. Gentle.

Tim doesn't drop into this tone that often, so when he does, it really stands out. His inflection on "what?" is leading her, asking her to elaborate, but not demanding it. It's a request. It's a hope. He needs to know why this matters so much to her.

"Where I felt safe... after Caleb."

She can't even look at him. I mean, this is the guy who considers air conditioning a weakness. Stuff is stuff. She expects that he still won't get it.

But he does.

"There's a chop shop on Melrose. We'll start there."

Watch her react. She was hoping he'd help her with this today, but a part of her was ready to be disappointed. She's relieved. Even if they don't find it, Tim is going to help her. He's going to be there for her. And that's what she needs.

Because these three episodes are really strung together by Lucy's trauma and struggles post-DOD. You might think, "Rachel, huh?! That was sooo last season."

But 3x01 taps into Lucy's trauma with Rosalind. In 3x02 she loses her safe place, which is no doubt where she went as soon as she and Tim talked last week, and now it's gone. We'll get into 3x03 later, but right now, Lucy is in that "I know you'll help me" phase, and she. was. right.

Timmy, it might not be your job, but you're doing it anyway.

"Really? A Tim Test right now?"

Damn straight. If you've got him chasing the Tangerine Wonder all across town all day, he's gotta work in his stuff in-between.

"Does this mean you're not up to the challenge?" "No, sir, I am game for whatever you want to throw at me."

Her smile and defiance on that is borderline flirty. And I approve. Flirt on, little sister. This is the era of Lucy Chen charming Tim Bradford, a bit, and I'll take it!

"Back up. I got this."

He holds his hand out toward her as though conceding and getting the hell out of her way. We're a long way from the Tim Tests of old. This one actually feels instructive and almost... fun.

Stressful, yes. But the point system's rather cute.

"Calm, plus leaving, plus an apology. I crushed this test."

Hell, yeah, you did! And she did it with the compassion and kindness that she walked in the door with.

What I really love about this whole thing is Lucy's confidence. She has come so far from that frightened Rookie at the beginning. Yes, she is still a Rookie by the show's measurements, but there's a hell of a lot less "Boot" coming from Tim these days.

"Nice recovery." "MMhmm."

Because she knows he can't compliment her. But, that's close enough. She knows he's proud.

And she is proud of herself, damnit! Lucy loves being a cop, but she hasn't really found support for it at home.

For a while, Lucy looked to Tim for approval. I think she still likes when he actually compliments her, or says nice things, but I think she's stopped looking for his approval and has instead accepted her own. Lucy is proud of Lucy. And that feels good.

"You still go to school? Yeah, I do, and I get good grades. Anymore dumb questions?"

Oh, I like her. She talks a litlte like Tim but has the sentimentality of Lucy.

Straight up, when people told me I should get into Chenford, I thought, "I don't have time for a show like this". I don't. I don't have time to be invested in another show on a weekly basis. I tend to do one a year.

Why? Because our lives are just that chaotic. But, I watched a few clips of the show, and I saw this relationship right here between Tamara and Lucy... and it was what grabbed me first.

So, in a weird way, if you're a fan of these Metas, you have Tamara to thank.

"Is she for real?" "Officer Chen, a word."

You better put some respect on my girl's name. Two seconds ago, it was "Boot", but she talked right over him. So, he's showing her a little respect, and now she's ready to listen to what he has to say.

"Honestly, I'm surprised it took you so long." "Did you have a puppy?" "That's... not relevant here." "Mmhmm."

Wait... that's... that's it!? I wanna hear Tim's story! I love Tim stories... especially stories that help illuminate why he is the way he is.

It's not that Tim thinks he's so special that if things don't work out for him, they can't work out for others. It's that he's been burned so many times, he can't even think past his own experiences to imagine a better world.

He's not narcissistic, constantly pointing his gaze inward. He's looking out, but the blocks of his own fears, insecurities, and heartaches have created a wall between him and the possibility of something else.

"Well, she's not a puppy. She's a girl in trouble, and I'm gonna help her, okay?"

He gives her a little smile, there, that disappears as soon as she looks away. It's not his placating smile. It's not his "kill me now" smile. It's not his real smile... but it feels sincere in the moment. Almost like he appreciates her making this decision even if he thinks it's a bad one.

Again, Lucy is showing a lot of confidence in her choices and decisions, right now. She's not asking for Tim's permission to do what she thinks is right, and so long as it's within the law, Tim's good with that.

"I'm gonna give you my car." "What?" "Just until you get back on your feet. You know, I know it doesn't run great. But it took me to college, it saw me through three really bad relationships, and it kept me sane after... well, after I almost died."

In the aftermath of the horrors she endured, no place felt right. No place felt safe. Lucy settled back into her life, but there were no constants.

Her car had been her sanctuary when she's wept over relationships gone bad. It'd been her celebration spot to blast her music and sing at the top of her lungs. It was her quiet place where she could ride past the beach with the windows down, just soaking in the sand of salt and sand.

It was something that was hers that nobody had taken away. When she thought she'd lost it, she was heartbroken. But then she met someone who right now needs "safe" more.

Look, I'm not saying we ever heal fully from trauma. But, I believe we find ways to move past it, bit by bit. And Lucy releasing her car is huge.

Lucy will get a new car for the first time in her adult life. That car will have a new smell, new look, and new feel. But, she isn't afraid of it. She's no longer clinging to her old car to feel "safe".

And Lucy is making this change in her timing and on her terms. Yes, I think Tamara stealing the car gave her the push, but Lucy has no trepidation as she hands over the key.

Lucy is reclaiming her peace, bit by bit. And she's reminding us who she is—someone who loves others even when they don't think of themselves as lovable. Lucy sees the good. More than that, she draws it out.

It's the Lucy Effect. And I love it.

"Look, I hear he's a solid cop. Learn what's useful and ignore the rest."

This is the same attitude Tim was giving Lucy earlier with the car. He's trying to give what he thinks is practical advice to get through the situation. He's missing the point. He's playing to the old-school attitude of ignoring the bad apples, because it's not worth the effort to try to fix them.

But those people are still on the streets representing the badge. And Tim's not thinking big picture. It's not his strong suit. But it is his blind spot, and he needs someone to help him realize it.

Just because a guy's not out here dropping the "n" word doesn't mean he isn't racist. And racism is so ingrained in our society that it's accepted as inevitable when it shouldn't be.

Alright, I'm gonna get off my soapbox before this Meta takes a turn.

Tim absolutely has the wrong perspective on this. But he won't be able to shift it without some help from someone who sees clearly.

"If you quote me on that to Chen I'll deny it."

Jackson smirks a little at that, despite how dire the situation is. Because Tim isn't his TO, he can say things like this to Jackson. But, he doesn't need Lucy knowing she can ignore him on anything. After all, he holds her fate in his hands.

La Fiera

"Is it possible Tim Bradford is having performance anxiety? There are pills for that, you know." "Look, I've come in second behind Lopez the last four years. Now that Annie Oakley's with the detectives, I got the patrol crown in the bag." "Oh, there's only one problem with that. Me."

These two really do have a great chemistry and an easy trust. This isn't romantic relationship level, but definitely a solid friendship in the making.

Also, nice way to sneak in that exposition so we know what's on the docket for today. Firearms. Competition. And Egos.

"Care to make it interesting? 20 bucks if your Boot makes it out on top?" "I'll take that bet."

I love how he looks at her when he says it. He has full confidence in Lucy being best of the Boots. After all, he trained her, right?

"So, finishing first with the most hits, fastest time, and tightest grouping... Officer Chen."

That's My Bestie!! She is so proud of herself for being first. Above the other Rookies. Above the other Officers. Above all of them. Lucy is a badass.

Tim's right behind her, so we get to see his face as he soaks it in that, welp, he didn't come in first, even with Lopez out of the way. But, hell yeah, his girl came out on top (and Tim likes her on top).

Not only did she come out on top of the Rookies, but she smoked them all. He's a little surprised to have lost out to her (watch his face), but he recovers fast.

And I wish we had an angle on Lucy's face as he thanks the others for their money... because he bet on her.

"Uh, Bradford, Harper, you both tied for second." "I don't know what I hate more—tying for second with you or losing to a Rookie."

Lucy is smiling. She's so damn proud. And Tim actually smiles his pressed-lip smile over her shoulder as he looks down at her. Because, "Yeah, Harper. Same."

"The car is officially yours."

This blew me away. Because, she is signing over the car for good. Yes, she believes she'll see it, again, but she still lets go of it in writing. Good for her!

"How's the puppy?" "She's doing really great. Oh, she told me to tell you, uh, better luck next time at the range." "Get changed." "Yes sir."

The heat. I am living for Flirty Lucy in Season 3. Because this is so. damn. flirty.

She's not afraid of Tim anymore. And because of that, she can tease him, now. And Tim's softened toward Lucy, so he's not going to snap at her. They've eased into this Grumpy/Sunshine trope, and it's freakin' adorable on them.

No matter how "happy" Tim is in life, he's always going to have a bit of the set-in-his-ways grump about him. It's just a part of who he is. And Lucy's always going to have that ball-of-energy/sunlight glow.

They will always be who they are—they're simply helping one another find the best of themselves throughout their relationship.

"Mid-Wilshire Shooting Champ! I like the sound of that. Wait, do I get a trophy? I love trophies." "Relax. You had a few good shots."

Lucy is riding high, sure, but she also doesn't know how badly he wanted to come out of on top. Sorry, Timmy, my boy. Lucy topped you.

I'm sorry. These lines are just writing themselves.

"Come on! I rocked it! Don't be salty just because you got second place. Plus, you won 40 bucks. I should get a cut of that." "Not happening. But as your TO, your successes are my successes. So you should be thanking me for training you so well." "Wow."

Want me to cook up some steamed veggies so you have somewhere to put all that salt, Tim? Because, my man, you are jealous of your Boot.

"You gotta be kidding." "Bad puppy."

I'll admit, I laughed aloud at that one. I'm not the biggest fan of Tim's "Puppy" moniker, but this application was funny.

"I'm arresting all of them..." "What are you doing here? There are cameras all around. You nabbed an innocent man. The D.A. won't file."

Tim's heard Stanton's a good cop, so he's trying to talk to him like a good cop. He's trying to reason with him like a reasonable man—but that's not Stanton.

"These people don't respect authority." "You grabbed the wrong guy." "You're senior officer. It's your call."

And you can be damn sure Tim Bradford will make the right one, ass-wipe. Stanton is trying to appear reasonable, hoping Tim will be his version of reasonable—see it his way.

But Tim's a good person in his bones. Yes, he has a long way to go with his biases and his own blind spots—but he is willing to learn. He's willing to self-improve. He's willing to try to do better.

Stanton's one white sheet away from completing his asshole attire.

"And now you're gonna kiss their ass?" "It's called the least we can do."

Boom. Suck it, Stanton.

"Really? No comment. None at all?"

Lucy is past being afraid of Tim, and right now, she's aghast. Sure, Tim did what he could to clean up Stanton's mess. But that's not good enough.

Stanton paints the picture of one type of cop. Tim paints another. While Stanton is the blatant racist with a chip on his shoulder, guys like Tim exist, too. The ones who are complicit, who don't say anything to avoid ruffling feathers, who let things slide to keep the peace.

Until both are addressed, nothing will change. And that's the truth.

"Look, he's not my favorite cop, either, especially after he handled that family." "You mean the way he terrorized them." "Look, I've been around guys like Doug my entire career, military and police. They're rough around the edges." "'Rough around the edges', 'old-school', 'hard-charging'. Come on, man, Stanton is a racist."

Lucy Chen calling it like it is.

"You don't know that for sure." "Uh, yeah, actually I do. But, you're right. Let's just make excuses for him."

That gets Tim's attention. It's such a brief flash cross his face, but the first time I watched it, I could see that she got through. Because Tim is willing to learn, but he needs someone with patience to teach him.

Lucy breaks through Tim's defenses. He would never admit it, at this point, but it's true. They are friends, now, and she holds a special spot for Tim, even if it's not (yet) romantic.

"Bradford, we're in the middle of something, so-" "I-I think I know what it's about. Look, whatever Officer West is telling you, I stand with him."

That's my boy. Yes, Tim is a few years older than I am, but I feel maternal right now, okay!? Tim spied the conversation through the glass, and knowing that a Rookie might not be taken seriously, he threw in his word as Senior Officer.

And that got Grey's attention.

"Look I know you're pissed-" "Why aren't you?" "I am. It's just, I've been making excuses for pricks like Stanton my entire life, figured there was no changing them, so I'd let it go. I gave them a pass."

"excuses". Lucy's word. The word that got through.

"It wasn't a pass. You gave them permission. Silence is complicity, sir." "Yeah, I get that, now."

Jackson is keeping it professional with Tim, and I applaud him for that. There's a lot of emotions, here. And it sucks that Tim got this far in life without taking a stand. But, I'm glad he did.

"Look, I don't trust people who are nice to me." "I get it... trust is something that needs to be earned not bought. So, how can I earn trust with you?"

Oooh, I feel this in my bones. As a kid, any time someone was nice to me it was so they could screw with me. I was once invited to go to the roller rink with some kids. But it wasn't sincere. They had planned to stand back and laugh as I waited outside, alone. A friend who was with them told me, later.

My mom sniffed it out, called them back with Star 69, and threatened a bunch of middle schoolers. It was a thing of beauty to behold.

But, it explains why I have been so slow to trust in my life. The rug's been pulled out from under me too many times to believe that everyone is inherently "good".

"I need a safe place to keep this at night..." "And your cousin's is not a safe place?" "It's safe-adjacent."

Safe. What is it to feel truly safe? Lucy hasn't known it in a while, safe from the inside of her beater sedan. Now, about 21 days shy of ending her Rookie year, Lucy has released her safe place, and is focusing on helping someone else find "safe".

She's healed enough to help another person. And that's huge.

Tim and Lucy are both natural caretakers. Tim is more guarded of who he takes care of, while Lucy is more broad. But they both watch out for the people they love. And I love that about them.

As always, thank you for reading!! I know we're all anxious for the new episode, and I can't wait to watch it with y'all.

[koreposion]

Dust being in love with Horror in a way he doesn't understand himself is so sweet to me. There are a lot of things he's come to feel since working for Nightmare but he never really expected the attention that Horror gives him. At first he assumes it's pity because of Horror's AU and so his care must be a remnant of it.

That's not the case for Horror, knowing that Dust is always safe doesn't make him think of his AU. Honestly, he's a fan of Dust's listlessness, for someone to be so comfortable in knowing that they won't be attack. Dust doesn't flinch when Horror comes near him and never stares at him judgementally. Also he doesn't say anything unnecessary and rude which is a huge plus.

The more time the two spend together the more Dust realized that he makes Horror feel comfortable. That's the reason why Horror sleeps with Dust around. The reason why Horror always checks up on Dust first before anyone else. It's not because he's weak and incapable but because Horror enjoys being around him. This makes Dust spiral for a little, and he avoids Horror because he's trying to possibly understand why that makes him so happy.

Killer and Cross spend time with him as well and Nightmare too! Just they don't spend time with him like Horror spends time with him. The quiet awkward pauses become comfortable silence when Horror is there. Thoughts about stories and tales turn into adventures he'd like to go on with Horror. He never talks about them but Nightmare is kind enough to send them on missions together.

He gets to watch Horror dress up and ruin his outfit with dust and blood during a job. And he gets to be there to clean up Horror once he's pulled out of a waking dream. To help his bones settle and shift back into place. Clean blood and dust from cracks as Horror relaxes in scalding hot water.

I just....like HorrorDust a lot

[canonizzyhours]

idk if this is appropriate since it isn't about canon izzy directly but i need somewhere anonymous to complain about 'the canyon.' i'm not in a lot of fandoms so i don't know if this is normal fandom behavior or what. I hope it isn't. this has been a uniquely upsetting experience for me. I have, like, next level autism for this show so of course i had to find Every single scrap of information about it and in the course of my obsessive 'research' i encountered these guys a lot, almost from the very beginning.

at first i thought it was funny and cute, like when people are hot for hannibal lector or some fucked up little guy. they wrote the worst ever fanfiction. that was fine, I could forgive that. but then they started saying things like 'if you watch it from izzy's perspective you'll see that he's the real hero and ed is the villain.' like girl no I've watched it 96 times and never once found this authoritarian incel karen good or relatable. the one that really got me was 'in any other show he'd be the protagonist.' yeah bro that's why i like this one? go watch one of those?

by like the fourth month they already had a bizarre victim complex. I just avoided talking about him completely because they would get really rude and start in with the guilt trips if you mentioned izzy even in a neutral way, let alone if you said anything about homophobia or psychological abuse. they called people abusive and homophobic and racist (?) if they said anything negative about fictional white man izzy hands. they threatened to sue someone. remember when there was an essay about him in a zine that was actually pretty positive? and most of the comments online were about how the actors and writers would definitely read this and be heartbroken. probably cry. maybe not even want to make the show anymore. it was a fan zine.

i didn't even like izzy except as an antagonist, but somehow they almost convinced me that i was watching it wrong. i started to seriously think, like, what if the writers were on his side all along? what if they really were making the main (queer, indigenous) love interest abusive and my very favorite thing was not as good as i thought it was? why not, when i've always had to twist a story to pretend it's for me? maybe i'd done it without realizing this time. i would have been so disappointed. and the way season two was done, there was like a week where i think i really believed it. it made me feel like i couldn't trust my own judgement. probably I was depending too much on this one tv show for serotonin because I cried a lot during that time, but you know how it is. the point is, it should have been a fun time for me but it was not.

i was so happy when he died, though. that cheered me right up and i'm fine now. i know I'm being dramatic and none of my complaints are very important in the grand scheme of things (i didn't even get into the racism) but they almost fucked up my Autism Favorite Thing for me and i want it to be documented somewhere that i will never forgive them for that <3 <3 <3

#31.

related posts: #29

(so i'd have posted this anyway bc of recent posts talking about questioning their views of izzy bc of the prevalence of canyon takes insisting he's a protagonist etc. but even without that, this blog was literally created because of a need for a space to talk about canon izzy and a need for acknowledgement that fanon izzy has become very widespread, mostly due to the canyon actions you mention. so it's difficult to separate the two when the blog was partially born from people thinking they were the only one to feel this way!)

[isadollie]

(1/2) 1) name : violet

2) fandom : Obey Me except Lucifer, Belphegor, and obviously Luke

3) pronouns : she/her

4) sexuality : straight

5) would you like your match up to be a girl/boy or it doesn't matter? Male

6) likes : music, fanfiction, manga, anime, cartoons, books (If I find it interesting), family, friends, potato chips, chocolate, cakes, bread, anyone who is kind, patient, supportive, helpful, tries at least, trustworthy, responsible, fair in general, respectful, flexible, honest, open-minded, humble, sincere, accepting, thoughtful, encouraging, forgiving, careful, understanding, wise, mature, cooperative, caring, etc. That's more but that's all I could think of

7) dislikes : anyone who's rude, disrespectful, doesn't listen to others, refuse to admit mistakes, blames others for their mistakes, ignores people yet demands attention from them, demanding, won't acknowledge what you said, hypocritical, biased, irresponsible, careless, disloyal, inconsiderate, insensitive, inflexible, petty, hostile, untrustworthy, immature, uncooperative, unforgiving, judgemental, narrow-minded, self-centred, unethical, self-righteous, etc. That's more but that's all I could think of

8⁠) what do you like to do in your free time? drawing, reading manga, listening to music, fanfics especially reader inserts, and watching anime, movies, & cartoons. My favourite genre is romance but I love comedy, mystery, action, sci-fi, fantasy, and historical too! My favourite music genre is pop, but I also love ballads, & alternative rock!

9) an aesthetic you like : Tomboy

10) appearance : My height is 154cm. I'm a woman who's average looking (not ugly but not pretty either) & skinny. I have hair long enough to cover my collarbone. I part my hair in the center & always tied in a low ponytail. I wear spectacles. I usually wear dark oversized shirts (sometimes light coloured too), baggy pants, and sport shoes (I don't play sports or go out much though 🤣). Despite being in late twenties, I still don't even look 18 to strangers & they see my identification card to confirm my age 😂

— matchup —

if you'd want a matchup too, make sure to check out this! link

!! my headcannons/scenarios requests are open!! you can find it in navi, aka the pinned post; send me some requests :3

i match you with...

Beelzebub!

★ quality time and acts of service is his thing imo. especially if the acts of service is about cooking for each other, let's be real here. will also share some of his food with you, which leaves everyone shocked

★ i think Beel really appreciates people who are polite to others, as he also seems to be this way. not judgmental, just treating everyone with respect

★ he'd 100% watch movies with you, as well as listen to your favourite songs (make sure to bring snacks though)

★ Beel really is a family guy, so i can see a pattern here. he really can be kind and protective, especially about the ones he loves. plus, he's loyal

★ he wouldn't ever judge you for making mistakes or being clumsy. would get annoyed if someone else did, though, would make sure to put them in their place for that

★ he'd love to have someone who's clingy, i think he'll be a big fan of physical touch, and closeness in general, as it makes him feel loved and cared for

★ for some reason i have a feeling Beel would like to read a fanfic from time to time- or rather listen, when someone else reads it out to him

★ after knowing you for a while, he'll know when you tend to overthink something. will make sure to comfort you each and every time this happens too

[burning-fcols]

"So, you're Charlie's father. I must say that it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Morningstar. She thinks the world of you, you know, so I was quite excited when she said you were visiting," Naven greeted the King of Hell once they got a moment alone. A pleasant smile beamed at Lucifer from above. He hadn't said much the first time the man visited, choosing to stand back and observe, so he wouldn't be surprised if he didn't remember him. "Charlie introduced me last time, but my name is Naven. I've been helping her with some interpersonal communication, public speaking and all that. She's already got so much charm; she just needs to know how to properly wield it." ( It might seem innocent, but I think we both know where this is going. ) - ✧ ˖ ˙ 「 @ɴɪꜰꜰᴛʏᴀɴᴅʟᴄᴠᴇʟʏ 」 ˙ ˖ ✧

「 ☆ 」 Ever since agreeing to assist Charlie in her quest for redeeming Sinners ( doubtful as Lucifer may still be about its success ) , the King of Hell had attempted to take a more... active role in her life. Now that he's aware she actually WANTS him to. So many years had been spent wallowing in his failures, assuming she joined him in this harsh judgement. Granted, there's the bothersome voice in the forefront of his mind still chastises him for daring to insert himself into a place— an endeavor —that has NOTHING to do with him. He had his chance to impact the world and look how that turned out. If he'd stayed within the confines created for him, Hell wouldn't even be an issue... Heaven not smiting the former scum of the earth with their scorn.

Mental note, stop referring to sinners as ❛ scum ❜ , lest those internal thoughts tumble outward unintentionally... A near-eternity builds up some difficult habits to shake, but that doesn't mean Lucifer can't TRY. Even if he still feels... wary when it comes to the denizens of his ❛ Kingdom ❜ . Straightening his suit, shoving down a silent grimace at how accustomed he is to thinking of Hell as such with bitterness or shame, he offers a handshake to the strang— NOT stranger, okay... Not stranger, who felt manipulative friendly enough to greet him.

❝ O-Oh! Heh— it's a pleasure to meet you again, Naven... ❞ Emphasizing the word as if he hadn't completely forgotten the other man, handshake is a bit TOO firm in his nerves. Surprisingly-strong ( or perhaps not, considering who he is ) for someone of such a small stature, Lucifer uses his other hand to take off his hat and give a slight bow to overcompensate for potentially-perceived rudeness. Straightening his spine and placing his hat back on his head, both hands fix the brim as he continues, ❝ I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're helping my little girl. ❞

Completely grateful and not at all threatened by the prescence of a RESPONSIBLE male role model in her life because he is NOT going to be consumed by petty jealousy or insecurities... Besides, at least this guy shows the arguably proper respect, unlike a certain literal walking red-flag. Granted, that makes Lucifer trust him even less than Alastor. In an ironic, ❛ looks like nobody can win when it comes to the King ❜ , sort of way. But Lucifer does like him more... So, silver linings?

❝ She really is something special. Just needs a little bit of practice and I'm sure she'll be commanding legions of sinners ready to redeem themselves! Knowing how to properly talk to these people is so important... ❞ Unaware if his turn-of-phrase about ❛ these ❜ people is unintentionally-insulting, Lucifer sagely nods his head to emphasize his point. Eyes fluttering open to refocus on Naven, he then demonstrates his own wondrous communication skills by bluntly asking—

❝ ... Are your eyes always closed? ❞ 「 ☆ 」

[roseadleyn]

𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴;

(except these are so random)

-raymond can do ballet

-i mean, he used to pick caelia up from her ballet classes a lot, and often times he'd have to wait for her to finish class. there was a small dance floor where he would wait and he'd just.. practice there everyday because he thought ballet was super pretty. eventually caelia found out and took pity on him and taught him how.

-everytime there was a family portrait painted, raymond would stand stock still and glare disapprovingly at his fidgeting cousins and sister

-raymond has a natural sense of justice. he hates unfairness and is normally always the one to speak up in that quiet voice when everyone else is too scared to do so

-has been an addict to sword fighting ever since he was old enough to do it, and before that he used to watch his father and uncle train in absolute awe

-and he's excellent at it. everytime he trains, his expression is so intense that his life might actually be in danger, and he's eventually become better than every instructor who taught him

-loves, loves, loves green grapes. his favorite thing to do in the summers is finish his sword fighting training, grab a large bowl of green grapes, and sit underneath the big almond blossom tree and read to his younger sister. he still reads to his younger sister, even after her engagement. she whines about how it's a bit embarrassing and he denies doing it, but they both sit down together without any argument anyways

-raymond's a ride or die friend. he's super specific about what type of people he's willing to be friends with, but the group of friends he does have are never going to be forsaken. would die rather leave his friends and he's such a good friend too, if you're his friend you're never ever having a boring day ever again.

-one time xander and rosalie simultaneously forgot their notebooks and pencil cases and raymond had extras. never forgets a thing and has photographic memory.

-raymond has many talents. but one talent he does not have, however, is a green thumb. ironic when you know what his sister is like all the plants in their house are tended to by Emma or the servants 💀

-raymond is highly sensitive to smells and his own natural scent is.. you know that fresh smell right after it rains? that. he uses scents like Guerlain, because they're light and tangy and not too overwhelming. picked that up from Xander

-raymond has been in more than one war, and that is when they saw him in all his fury.

-because he might be kind, and gentle, and quiet, but he's furious at the moment, because how dare they have the audacity to attack? he doesn't just ruin the battlefield, he decimates it. he has no pity. and he tells his soldiers 'if any of you has the slightest bit of pity or mercy, i will severe his neck from his shoulders.'

-he was 16 the first time, 18 the second. and both times, the troops he led were always victorious. he's grappled with ghastly odds all his life and by God he'll get through it.

-he's very.. dry. i mean, he's super quiet because half of the time he has no idea what to say. he can come off as judgemental, too, but it's because his whole narrowed grey eyes and blank expression make him look bored 24/7 😭

-he has no social skills. if he doesn't wanna talk to you and you're bothering him he'll be extremely rude if necessary. it's why he depends on emma to introduce him to people

-raymond expects too much of himself and gets irritated with people who aren't as efficient or intelligent as he is. and by god he's really intelligent. he is the king of strategy. he's 20 steps ahead of everyone else and this is why he's such an excellent military general.

-raymond adores books like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Anne of Green Gables because they remind him of his time in Entrinnia.

-raymond knows how to apply makeup!! he even owns things like toner and brushes. this is because a) he's very clean and takes care of his appearance, and b) he has two younger female sister and cousin so when they were all small he watched the maids apply stuff to them

-raymond is one of the only four alive who can use celestial magic and live to tell the tale. (i'll make a post detailing the magical system later)

-raymond loves all of his family to the point where he'll give his heart life soul for them. yes, they've hurt each other, there's been numerous thwarted attempts at both being forgiven and forgiving. despite that, they're trying. he's trying too. he loves them.

-raymond has a few things he inherited from his mother. he took them with an unsure heart and a monotone attitude. and whoever comments on his mother in front of him will receive the most chilling glare do not try him

-he doesn't resent her. but she died so early on in his childhood, and then he witnessed the grief of his uncle and aunt and especially his father over her. he's seen his father screaming in the grip of nightmares when he was barely 6. he won't ever get over it.

-as a child raymond had a slight stutter; he was trained out of it by the best experts yet he still feels a bit nervous when he says 'Mother'.

-the abscence of his mother left a gaping wound in his heart. granted, Althea took excellent care of both him and the others; he'll forever love her and be grateful for that, but unlike roselyn he has memories of his mother. his grief is far more profound.

-raymond is very.. distant in relationships.. unless he truly likes the other person. he wants to appear like the perfect person and sweep you off your feet, but he really can't stop the emotional longing inside of himself for a soulmate. doesn't matter what type. his sister and his best friend are great, but they both each have issues of their own, and they're healing, coping. he's never been a good actor. he's extremely honest, very truthful, straightforward and blunt.

-his only hope is that someone truly adores him for the mess he is. and who would ever do that? most people he's met couldn't stand him.

-when you see the reserved, war struck mess of a man and still choose to love him, that's when he knows he'll never let you go.

Tagging; @elychee, @loekas, @mysticmeena, @parkykwho, @d10nsaint, @that-one-pretty-bitch and @rouecentric