#love the kindness with which you addressed all of this tbh

[bloggingboutburgers]

I thought I was aro but then you said you were disappointed by the ending of GOS2 and I really liked it so now I'm not sure. do you think that shipping people and wanting them to be together makes me less aro? is there another label for that?

Sorry if this feels rude or anything! Your opinion is totally valid and I definitely see where you're coming from, even if I don't agree with it. I'm just unsure whether or not it's an aro trait to not like romantic relationships in media at all. And by 'the writers' you probably mean Neil Gaiman who is also on Tumblr if you didn't know, he's pretty awesome! Wrote a lot of other stuff too, you should check it out. (Whoops that's kinda off topic sorry!)

Aaaaah, nonono, of course not, shipping people doesn't make anyone less aro! That's a very personal opinion of mine, everyone is entitled to have a different one regardless of orientation! I do think that me being aro-ace plays a lot into me not being into romantic/sexual shipping much, but it's not the only reason, surely, and it's not an obligation that should be expected of any aro or ace person either. Sorry if it ever comes across as that! I've said it before and I'll say it again – everyone's experience is different and I can only ever talk about my own. That doesn't mean anything for other people's experiences, if some people can relate it's awesome, but if not that's totally alright too!

By "the writers" I mean Neil Gaiman and John Finnemore, and p'much anyone who could've factored in this too, I mean, you never know. I'm fairly familiar with Neil Gaiman's work (never checked out his Tumblr but I've read some of his other books and interviews) and I agree, he seems like an incredibly smart person and his works are amazing from what I've seen thus far!! Definitely unparalleled out there, similarly to Pratchett's works (RIP). Which is why Good Omens was such an amazing book to begin with! One of the best I've ever read. So freakin hilarious too.

[catboyfurina]

Idk what precisely to call it since honorifics aren't Pronouns but vertin using she/her while routinely being addressed as Lord, sir, etc is soooooooo 🥰 it's like mixed pronouns but not.

[the-s1lly-corner]

How they react to you telling them you're pregnant

Obligatory reader is afab but like most of my posts they're gn/gendered pronouns aren't used

Slenderman;

Cue the confusion

Pregnant?

Surprised more than anything, he didnt think that he could get you pregnant considering you're both different species

And also he didnt think he was fertile; at least not in the normal sexual reproduction way

Kinda just

Accepts it

Now do I think he would be a good dad?

Maybe? He wouldn't be horrible or absent, but some human things are still foreign to him, including raising a child.. so hes probably going to need a decent amount of guidance

I feel like he'd also be a helicopter parent? He already watches you like a hawk, he'd probably start doing the same with his kid as they get older

"Hey (kid name) who's that tall white boy following you??" "Oh that's my dad"/j

Becomes more protective of you during the pregnancy and the weeks after

Takes it in stride tbh

Splendorman;

Pause

Before you start to worry he scoops you up

Also thought it wasnt possible, but is hyped when he finds out the news

He WILL pamper you... may also dip into overbearing territory, though

He just doesnt want you or the baby to get hurt

He says goodnight to the bump later on in the pregnancy tbh

Oh you know hes gonna be decorating their room and giving them loads of toys

Would be a good father but may dip into unhealthy habits

This dude struggles with toxic positivity imo, so that's definitely something that's gonna need to be addressed

Laughing Jack;

Okay obviously ALL of them are probably going to be sat down and told the news, but Jack is gonna need the most talking to given that he probably doesn't grasp the gravity of it

He KNOWS what pregnancy is, he KNOWS what a baby is; but he doesn't know the intricacies of pregnancy if that makes sense

Like he doesnt know about the soreness, or cravings, or how fragile those tiny human beings actually are. Dude already struggles with being gentle with adults

So it's going to require a long and in depth talk about everything that's going to happen if you guys decide to keep the kid

Reaction wise, he takes it seriously. Kind of uncanny compared to his usual silly demeanor

Again, due to him being a lil dumb hes almost under reacting

As a parent I think...

Okay he'd probably kinda suck

He would love the kid but he would be so so so irresponsible I'm so sorry

Gives the kid candy for meals (bro cant cook)

Get that man into some parenting classes PLEASE

Eyeless Jack;

Another "I'm surprised because I deadass thought I was infertile" one, given my whole lore/Hc for EJ

The most worried out of them all

"What if they're like me and are cursed? What if they hate me? What if they grow to hate me? What if-"

He baby proofs his cabin... before insisting that the baby stays at your place primarily (if you haven't moved in with him) because he's scared of his whole... eating people thing

Please give him loads and loads of reassurance, hes gonna need it

He'll work hard to be the best father he can be, though!

He takes the kid out for walks in the woods, teaches them different plants and bugs and tells them which are dangerous

"Oh I don't want to hold them, what if I hurt em?" *falls asleep while holding his baby after reading them a story*

Masky;

You gotta baby proof him and the house im sorry, hes feral

Another "you're gonna have to sit him down and lay down the rules" type deal

Hes already mellowed out around you but he needs to mellow out a touch more for an infant

Hard to gauge his reaction but he seems.... excited? Hard to tell when hes sitting still and wearing a mask

When the baby comes he, like slenderman, also watches them like a hawk

You will walk in on him sitting over their crib at 3am/hj

Surprisingly gentle when it comes to handling the kid, just casually walks around with them and shit

Great for looking after the kid during the night while you rest

Hoodie;

V similar to Masky but he's already naturally calm

Putting this here now before I forget but he would take his mask off to make faces at the baby to try to make them laugh

Mf doesn't take his mask off for you though ☝️🙄/hj

Surprisingly good at calming down screaming infants for some reason

Similar reaction as Masky; hard to read but way easy to guess its positive since he lightly boinks where his mouth would be under his mask to your cheek while papping your stomach

Hes a lil silly

But hes got the spirit

Good dad, me thinks

[bubblergoespop]

EA ramble so Spoilers hehehhe (it’s very long and half of it probably doesn’t make sense i’m sorry)

FIRST OF ALL the start of the audio oh em gee he’s such a horny bastard i love it. i need to stop saying that um anyway. tbh i wasn’t even caught off guard that much bc that’s just the kind of thing i expected from a porter audio.

THE SAM CALLL AAWHHH porter’s genuine shock at sam, vincent and lovely leaving the house hurts me because he can’t seem to fathom having the kind of freedom and lack of obligation to make that choice AGH and i love his attitude he’s so silly.

“i am busy with someone very important to me.” kill me now please i can’t take this anymore. this whole audio’s focus was the fact that porter and treasure don’t know each other that well but despite that, porter cares too much about treasure to just up and leave them even at the mention of his house falling apart. it’s crazy how much he cares for treasure already and I LOVE IT wow sure do hope nothing bad happens to this weak defenceless unempowered human….

speaking of unempowered, i LOVE that porter addressed the power imbalance and how that was affecting treasure’s responses to him. i know treasure seemed to be stubborn, straightforward and upfront in porter’s sleep aid audio but i have a feeling that after porter denied “talking” so adamantly, treasure didn’t want to keep pushing him. not just out of care but also a slight hint of fear. not only are they unempowered but they were also completely uninformed before porter and i’m sure they still know little to nothing about the magical world. i can’t blame them for being hesitant to push a vampire, whose abilities they don’t really know the full extent of. saying that, they do still obviously care for porter and i’m so so glad that porter addressed this to ensure that treasure’s fear of giving the “wrong answer” doesn’t hurt their relationship with him.

and on the topic of their relationship, porter’s soft “do we?” after talking about the possibility of wanting to make their relationship long-term and more in depth AAAAAHHHH he’s so cute. and him acknowledging that it’s been a while since he’s had the desire or even the time to get to know someone outside of the solaire house hurts my heart so much. the fact that even after he was “freed” of his maker, he still was too absorbed by the need to appease william that he didn’t have time to live his own life outside of that is so painful to think about and i love it. also he’s just cute when he’s unsure heheh.

ngl i thought porter mentioning treasure’s surname would lead to him revealing his own true surname. but that’s mostly just me being hopeful because it’s still quite soon in his and treasure’s relationship. he doesn’t even know treasure’s surname so i doubt he’s in any place to just drop something so personal, maybe even something that brings up such emotional memories considering even his life before turning wasn’t the best.

porter’s little darling’s hehehe erik loves that term of endearment so much i swear. OH and porter’s repeated mentions of sam, to me, prove that there is something more to sam’s friendship with porter than there seems to have been shown to us. sam himself has already said he has a sort of tolerance for porter’s bullshit, even if it has limits. and now, porter’s mentions of sam throughout a conversation that doesn’t involve him tells me that the pair are closer than they seemed to be. which makes sam leaving the house hurt even more oh my god i can’t believe how porter feels considering maybe the one person in the house he could stand to be around is leaving. and even after trying to make up with vincent, now vincent is leaving too. porter lets pack our bags too and run away together as well please, you deserve everything.

UGH TREASURE MEETING SAM AUDIO WHENNNN??? erik please give sam a chance to reflect the “sam landed you?” comment onto porter with treasure.

AAAGGGHHHHH i can’t wait to see where this relationship goes. i didn’t think this would turn into such a long ramble wow i love this man (he’s fictional) he’s such a cutie (he has no canon appearance) i wanna marry him (he’s nothing but a voice).

[drunk-on-dk]

Best Neighbor of All Time Award | Lee Seokmin (M)

✦pairing: neighbor!Seokmin x fem!reader

✦genre: fluffy? before the SMUT (minors DNI)

✦wc: ~6.4 and some change (most likely, still pending a deep proofread)

✦summary: Seokmin is the best neighbor you've ever had, making it impossible not to fall for his charms.

NSFW warnings under the cut, minors do not read, 18+ only

✦warnings: no specific pronouns used, but reader has female anatomy & wears a skirt; pet names (sweetheart); switch!Seokmin; switch!reader; mention of masturbation; unprotected sex (pls be safe and wrap it before u tap it friends); fingering; oral (male receiving); creampie; some choking? some degradation? some humiliation? some orgasm denial? some overstim? hello? am i ok?

✦a/n: hi this was created from this lovely ask here. thank you thank you thank you for sending that in kind anon. tbh, this was originally a fic for jun, but when i got this ask I felt inspired to rewrite this about DK. (i'm really hoping to get more fics out about more members, but my mind went haywire from this request)

If such an award existed, you’d grant Lee Seokmin the Best Neighbor of All Time Award. Living next to Seokmin proved to be one of your most symbiotic relationships, even if he was just a trustworthy neighbor before becoming a good friend of yours. 

You had first met him when a package of yours was delivered to his apartment rather than yours, signing for the delivery without even checking the addressee and tearing into the box without hesitation.  Only then did he realize the package was filled with clothing he couldn’t quite remember ordering, reevaluating the packing slip, and panicking when he realized the delivery was addressed to the person next door.

Flustered, Seokmin appeared at your doorstep, ears tinted an endearing shade of red as he knocked at your front door and nervously held the opened package to his chest. When you cracked the door open with a soft, polite smile adorning your very pretty features, Seokmin could have sworn he felt the blush spread from his ears like rapid fire throughout his chest and face, as he hadn’t expected someone around his age (and notably attractive) to live right next door to him. He felt even more like a fool with your package in his hand, which he had so blatantly ripped into, and felt like he had invaded your privacy before ever meeting you.

However, Seokmin felt more at ease when you greeted him without hesitation, the door opening wider as your smile broadened, “oh, I recognize you. You live right next door, right? I’m Y/N, sorry I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself yet, I just moved in about a week or so ago.”

Admittedly, Seokmin felt a bit silly that he hadn’t recognized you when you had clearly recognized him, but he didn’t bask in it as he introduced himself, “I’m Seokmin, but my friends call me DK,” you watched as he nervously ruffled his hair, eyes flickering to the package held tightly in his other hand, “and I am so sorry, but I was delivered your package and opened it myself.”

You let out the most saccharine laugh he’s sworn he’s ever heard, graciously accepting the package, and further easing Seokmin’s nerves from how pleasant you seemed. “No worries,” your expression jokingly shifted to one that was skeptical, “you didn’t see anything incriminating or suggestive in here, did you?”

You found it charming how the tall, handsome man seemed to stutter at your question, noting how easy it was to make him flustered. With a giggle, you let him off the hook as he struggled to find his words, “Just kidding, thank you for dropping this off. I’ll see you around then, DK?”

Seokmin let out a little laugh alongside you, cursing himself for acting so out of character around you, but he blames it on the unfortunate circumstances of how he had to meet his new neighbor. “Yeah, see you around,” he gives you a little wave as you tuck behind your door, closing it gently as you wave back, “nice to meet you, Y/N.”

He can hear a little “you too!” escape from the crack of your door as you shut it, finally allowing him to breathe out in relief as he heads back to his apartment. Little did he know, you were pressed up against your door, a hand gently slapping your cheek in embarrassment that you asked him if he came across anything incriminating or suggestive, unbelieving that you had asked him such a thing upon first meeting him.

Your neighborly friendship with Seokmin only blossomed from there, the next interaction you had with him being in the elevator a few days later. You had both made small talk and exchanged numbers, Seokmin letting you know that you shouldn’t ever hesitate to give him a call if you ever need anything.

Seokmin didn’t expect you to take him up so quickly on the offer though, phone buzzing later that same night with your name appearing on his screen. He couldn’t help the smile that creeped onto his face at seeing your name, quickly picking up your call and ready to tease you for calling him so soon. However, he especially wasn’t expecting to hear your frantic tone, barely able to make out your words as you spoke quickly into the phone.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Seokmin interrupted you finally, “you need to slow down, Y/N. I’m walking over now.” He was already out the front door of his apartment, about to knock at your door as you finally let out a coherent sentence.

“The door is unlocked,” you cried out, “just let yourself in.”

With that, Seokmin burst into your apartment without further hesitation, hanging up the phone to find you standing atop your counters with a broom in hand. He began to approach you, further confused by the situation, but only wanting to offer consolation.

“Stop!” You squealed, halting his movements mid-step, and pointing down at the ground directly in front of you. Seokmin’s gaze followed in the direction you were pointing; your quiet whimpers were suddenly drowned out by his own shouts as he realizes what you were afraid of. An extremely large spider stood in the middle of your kitchen, eerily standing still as you both panicked.

Seokmin embarrassingly enough found himself crouched up on one of your barstools, reaching for the broom in your hand as he continued to let out shouts of terror himself. He frantically batted at the spider, attempting to crush the damned arachnid with your weapon of choice, only for you to interrupt him mid-swat.

“No,” you wailed out in despair, “don’t kill it.”

“What do you want me to do,” Seokmin was unbelieving, saucer-like eyes staring into yours as he watched the spider scurry across the floor towards him.

You handed him the dustpan, panic clear in your tone, “I don’t know, sweep it up into this and throw him out the window.”

Seokmin obliged, trying not to make himself look like any more of a coward in front of you as he hopped down from the stool and swiftly swept the spider up into the dustpan, hauling across the kitchen to shake the spider out of your open window. Of course, all of this was done with consistent hoots and hollers on his end.

After all was said and done, Seokmin found himself breathlessly leaning against your window, absolutely taxed from the whole event. Seokmin only came back to reality upon hearing your melodious laugh, turning around to see you still on your countertops, curled into a little ball as you uncontrollably laughed.

“Hey,” Seokmin shouted, approaching you with his finger pointed in your direction, and he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips as well. In false seriousness, gently poking at you as you held onto your side to contain your laughter, “are you laughing at my demise? Who’s the one who called me in sheer panic?”

“I’m sorry,” you managed to squeak out in between laughs, “but this whole thing was just too funny in hindsight.” Your cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, only laughing more as Seokmin joins you, but still seeming a bit embarrassed as he shoves your broom into a corner of your apartment.

You feel bad for laughing, so you slide off your countertop and walk towards him with your arms out, a cheesy smile on your face. “C’mon, bring it in, big guy.”

Hesitantly, Seokmin accepts your hug, an awkward hand patting your shoulder as you embrace his much larger frame. He’s stiff and he’s not sure why; eyes still wide when you pull away and lift his hand up to high-five your own. Honestly, you’re not sure why you went in for a hug, only trying to offer some consolation, but your already pounding heart seemed to only get worse.

“Thanks for coming over and helping,” you suddenly feel a bit sheepish, but still try to make ease of it all, “even though you seem a bit scared of bugs as well. I appreciate it, I owe you one, neighbor.”

Seokmin relaxes a bit, noticing you’re a bit embarrassed yourself, “no problem, Y/N. I told you to give me a call anytime.” He’s ready to dismiss himself, ready to head back to his own apartment. Why must every interaction with you be slightly embarrassing for him?

“You better watch what you offer out,” you joke, earning a chuckle from Seokmin as he exits your apartment.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Good luck getting sleep tonight after knowing that was in your house.”

You giggle a bit, bidding Seokmin a goodnight as well as you watch him shut your door, heart still pounding erratically in your chest.  You were done for; you absolutely knew it. How could you get so lucky, having an extremely handsome neighbor who is just the right amount sweet and chaotic? You refused to fantasize about any relationship with him though, knowing it was extremely premature of you and you didn’t want to get carried away with a crush on someone right next door.

You did everything to suppress your excitement when you’d see Seokmin within the halls of your apartment complex, when he’d send you texts informing you of local events, or when you could slightly hear him singing to himself through the thin wall that divided your apartments.  

Once you had made yourself a bit too large of a batch of brownies, deciding to bring a tray over to Seokmin’s as a treat for being so welcoming and helpful to you. You won’t ever forget how his eyes lit up upon opening the door to you, excitedly exclaiming what a delightful surprise it was to see you and inviting you inside with your tray of brownies. You especially won’t forget the way his smile extended to his eyes when he took a bite of the treat, letting you know that these were the best brownies he’s ever had in his life.

He made you feel like a high schooler all over again, feeling giddy from his praise as he continued to snack on the chocolate treat. You took this time to look around his apartment, the space being just as comforting and warm as he was. Seokmin offered you a glass of wine that night, asking if you’d like to try some of the new bottle of red wine that he had started sipping on. You obliged when he claimed that it was the least he could do after you brought over the brownies, but you would have agreed regardless to spend more time with him.

You weren’t sure if it was the wine or Seokmin that made you feel tingly that night, mirroring Seokmin’s smile when he asked if you liked the wine, “I like it a lot,” you claimed. I like you a lot, you thought.

After that, Seokmin had gifted you wine occasionally, handing it to you with that signature smile of his, and always including a handwritten note tied around the neck of the bottle. Sometimes he’d come over with a six-pack of beer. Sometimes you’d invite him in to join you on you couch; you both would end up drinking the entire six-pack, bent over in laughter after making fun of whatever stupid rom com you had been watching. Sometimes you’d find yourself getting a little too drunk, tears spilling out over nothing as Seokmin held you to his chest, hushing and consoling you even though he’s not sure why you are crying in the first place. Sometimes you’d both end up dancing to the credit scene music, laughing and talking the night away. Nothing ever came of these nights though, other than your budding friendship, and your burgeoning one-sided crush on him.

One morning you had seen Seokmin in passing, the usually lively man looking sickly and bundled up, still sending a smile your way to greet you. You had asked him what was wrong, and he claimed he just had a simple cold. You couldn’t help but feel guilty every time you heard his cough from the other side of the wall.

Later that evening, you were sure to bring over some homemade chicken noodle soup, herbal tea, and medicine for him. You had texted him prior to bringing the remedy over, making sure he wasn’t sleeping, and he let you know just to let yourself in. You found yourself keeping him company all night, even if it meant you risked getting sick yourself, claiming that these were part of your neighborly duties and that he’d do the same for you. Seokmin was a bit skeptical, but he sure did enjoy having you around (and he would do the same for you).

All these events and more have led to an undeniable friendship, both of you living symbiotically and constantly being there for one another. It was hard to suppress any emotions you felt for him at this point, and you found yourself reading into his actions a bit too much. You were even guilty of inviting dates over purely in hopes that he would overhear you conversing with them through the walls and become jealous. You’d always end up unsuccessful, booting them from your apartment before they ever had the chance with you.

You’d become shameless when you’d find yourself in bed later at night, touching yourself to the thoughts of Seokmin, crying out his name upon your release. This was the only time you ever wished Seokmin couldn’t hear you, cheeks heating up in embarrassment after realizing how loud you may have been from just a little fantasy and feeling a bit dishonorable.

It had now been months into your friendship, consistently being good neighbors to one another, and you were excited to say you were learning all the small things about Seokmin, as he was about you. He had become your movie and tv-series watching partner, wine and beer-drinking partner, shoulder to cry on, and overall hype man.

You were the same for him, being sure to cheer him on even when it hurt deep down. Even when he showed up at your door with a bouquet of roses, nervously chewing at his bottom lip, you did everything to contain your excitement. Which quickly died down when he asked if he looked okay, letting you know he had a date tonight and wasn’t sure if he was overdressed.

Trying not to sound dejected, you put on your best smile and gave him a thumbs up. “You look absolutely handsome, Seokmin, they are extremely lucky whoever they are.”

“Thank you, Y/N,” he’d smile the widest you’d ever seen him smile, hand slipping behind your head to pull you in for a quick forehead kiss. “Don’t forget I’m having some people over tomorrow for a party, you’re invited, I want you to meet all my friends.”

All of this made your stomach erupt in butterflies, the spot on your forehead where his lips had pressed against tingled uncomfortably and the thought of being introduced to his friends made your cheeks heat up even more. You were sure they’d all be just like him, and you weren’t sure you could handle it. “I’ll be there, don’t you worry. Have fun tonight, Seok!”

You’d watch him disappear into the elevator after he bid you goodnight, jokingly scolding you for not having something fun planned for a Friday night, but you weren’t sure you’d be able to enjoy it anyways knowing he was out on a date. It’s not something you're proud of, but that night you prayed that the date went horribly, attempting to stay up to hear if he had brought his date home, but your heavy eyelids betrayed you before you could ever find out.

The next day, you found yourself preparing in advance for Seokmin’s party, taking your time in the shower, and performing a whole self-care routine. You were someone who always thought to hell with the male gaze, so why did you care so much about what you looked like tonight, you only ever dressed or got ready for yourself. Seokmin has also seen you at your worst; bedhead, matted Hello-Kitty robe, wine-stained teeth, and all.

Maybe you were a bit overdressed for a simple apartment party. Maybe the leather skirt, tights, and boots were a bit of an overkill if you were being honest, but you could argue that Seokmin’s outfit for his date last night was a bit of an overkill, especially with those roses. Maybe you were being a bit petty, and you should reconsider your outfit for your own self-preservation. However, the skirt and tights were already on, and it was an achievement in itself to not rip the nylon fabric.

The music next door for Seokmin’s party had already begun, hearing the celebratory cheers in the hall as his friends seemingly began to arrive. It all made you extremely nervous, even though you consider yourself friendly and sociable you were still shy in nature. The loud chatter through the walls only made you anxious, taking a shot of the untouched vodka that had been in the back of your freezer in hope that you’d gain some confidence. Grabbing the rack of beers that you had purchased in advance for the party, you had finally mustered up enough courage to march over to Seokmin’s apartment, not wanting to arrive too fashionably late.

To your surprise, an incredibly handsome man that was not Seokmin opened the door. He was tall, with sharp canines that made his pretty smile even more charming. The man quickly noticed the rack of beers in your hand, the heavy case making you a bit unbalanced as you anxiously stand at the front door.

“Y/N?” The man asks, his soft voice surprising you, and you feverishly nod as he reaches to grab the case of beers from your hand, noticing your struggle. “I’m Mingyu, come on in. DK can’t stop talking about how he can’t wait for us to meet you.”

You shuffle in behind him, muttering a thank you as he turns to the rest of the crew in the apartment, holding the rack of beers up victoriously as he announces your presence. Seokmin is quick to dash over to you upon noticing your arrival, excusing himself from the group that he was in the corner of his kitchen and making his way over to you.

An arm of his snakes around your waist prior to introducing you to all his friends. “All, this is Y/N, my neighbor who I seriously don’t know what I’d do without,” he chuckles, and you feel extremely self-conscious under the gaze of his unexpectedly large group of friends. Still, you can’t hold back the smile as he tugs you a bit closer to him, seeming to notice your discomfort.

“Nice to meet you all,” you smile, feeling more at ease as the group welcomes you in, introducing themselves one at a time as Mingyu slips a chilled beer into your hands.

You quickly feel comfortable, the group of friends being delightful as you had suspected, all of them being as funny and charming as Seokmin is. You’re also quick to pick up on some of their dynamics, especially after the one named Soonyoung, who made it clear that he really goes by Hoshi, seems to spill a bit too much information about the group to you.

“That’s Jeonghan,” he slurs as you follow his gaze, remembering him as the overtly sweet boy with a cute chuckle, “he seems all innocent, but be sure to keep an eye on him when you play any games tonight. Then, that is Seungcheol and his girlfriend. He acts all tough, but he’s an absolute simp.”

Hoshi continues dishing all the gossip as you sip down your first beer. It’s quite enjoyable, laughing at all his jokes as he shares all their little nuances. Seokmin finds himself watching you most of the night, unable to hold back his smile as he watches you bond with his friends.

As if Mingyu could sense you had finished your first drink, he appears at your side and hands you a fresh beer, sitting closely next to you. The feeling of his thigh on yours is enough to make your body heat up feverishly. Not that you notice, but Seokmin is sure to take note of how close his friend has gotten to you, as well as the painstakingly pretty blush on your cheeks.

“Ah,” Hoshi unexpectedly raises his voice, making both you and Mingyu jump a bit in shock. “That’s Mingyu, he’s fun to pick on. Anyways, what do you want to know about DK, Y/N?”

Both you and Mingyu chuckle at Hoshi’s antics, and you hum in thought, “hmm, what is something you think I don’t know about him?”

Hoshi chuckles evilly, “well, you should know that –,” and as if Mingyu knows what he is going to say before the tipsy boy can even utter another word, he reaches across your body to cover his mouth and pull him away from you.

Finally noticing Seokmin’s attention on you from across the room as Mingyu pulls Hoshi away, you make your way over to him as he watches you intently, sipping on the beer in hand.

“What was that about?” Seokmin chuckles, feeling slightly nervous about the interaction and still a bit unsettled by Mingyu’s not-so-sly advances.

You laugh, leaning against the counter with Seokmin, head subconsciously resting on his shoulder as you watch his friends mingle amongst each other. “Your friend Hoshi is a hoot; you should hear all the tea he was spilling about you guys. He may be my favorite other than you.”

Seokmin’s heart warms at your last statement, but he can’t hide the little green-eyed monster that burns inside of him. “What about Mingyu?”

You seem confused by his question, head turning from his shoulder to look up at him with starry eyes and pouty lips. “What do you mean?”

Seokmin feels the fire within him burn a bit hotter, feeling lost for words when you look up at him like that. “Nothing,” he mutters, realizing there is nothing for him to worry about at this moment. He takes this chance to dip his lips down towards your ear, brushing your hair back gently as he whispers to you, “you look very pretty tonight, Y/N.”

His fingers burn into the back of your neck, goosebumps littering your skin from his touch and the way his hot breath feels as he whispers in your ear. You’re suddenly shy again, muttering out a bleak "thank you" as your freehand grips his forearm, arousal pooling at your core from the way his dark eyes bore into yours. Something has finally shifted, and you both can feel it.

When he pulls away, you’re taunted by that smile of his, and you know he feels accomplished by his effect on you. This ignites something in you, scanning the room to see what state of mind his friends are in, and taking note that they are all irreparably drunk and in their own world.

It’s your turn to whisper in his ear now, standing on your tippy toes as you ask him a simple question, “I’ve never seen your bedroom before, Seokmin. Care to show me it?”

No time is wasted as Seokmin wraps his fingers through yours, guiding you hastily to his room at the end of the hall, exactly like the layout of your apartment. You feel a bit embarrassed, realizing that his bedroom is indeed opposite of yours, remembering all the nights you’ve coaxed yourself to orgasm just from thoughts of him.

Your disappearance seems to go unnoticed, the music and lively conversations continuing in Seokmin’s living room. Not that it even matters, the sound dying out the second Seokmin slams his lips against yours. Your ears are ringing from the contact, the absolute bliss of feeling his soft lips on yours wracking your entire body with delight, hungrily kissing him back as you wrap your hands around his neck and press your torso closer to his.

His kisses are so rough, yet careful, long, and desperate as his hands begin to roam your body, playfully squeezing at your hips and ass. You keen into him, nose nudging his as your tongue begs for entry, teeth biting at his bottom lip. Seokmin lets you lead, drinking you in for the first time, loving how sweet you still tasted after drinking beer all night with his friends.

Seokmin’s surprised when your lips move down his neck, letting out a gasp as you nibble at his skin. He’s holding onto your waist as if you’d disappear on him, hands pulling out the shirt tucked into your skirt, and slipping the top off you as you suckle on his neck. He’s thankful for the brief loss of contact, the feeling of you on his skin becoming all too intoxicating for him. You’re swift to reattach to him though, plush lips roaming his jaw and neck before reattaching to his lips.

Seokmin is desperate to keep kissing you, needy hands roaming your back before unclasping your bra expertly and enjoying the way you moan into the kiss as he pulls the garment off your chest. You don’t hesitate to guide his hands towards your breasts, encouraging him to touch you, and he takes your cue. He massages at the soft mounds, the kiss between you two becoming hotter as your lower half grinds against his, his fingers tweaking your nipples and making you cry out pathetically.

You can’t wait any longer, detaching your lips from Seokmin’s to drop down to your knees, shaky hands working at his belt as you watch him from under your eyelids. Seokmin swears he could cum right then and there, loving the darkness in your typically bright eyes, and losing it over how swollen your lips are already from just kissing you. It’s sinful how you look beneath him, with no top or bra on, just in your skirt and tights as you desperately pull his pants down. He’s a whiny mess, hand finding itself in your hair as he waits in anticipation.

“Is this okay, Seok?” You ask, voice like honey as you palm at his erection through his boxers. Oh, you can already tell he’s big, his cock feeling hot through the thin fabric, and holding back the temptation to lick the bit of precum that has leaked through.

“Fuck,” he’s groaning out lowly, “this is more than okay, sweetheart.”

Your heart flutters at the endearing pet name, never usually liking that sort of stuff, but when it’s him, it works for you. You pull his boxers down finally, his length hot and heavy exactly like you expected it to be, precum leaking out of the tip and making you hyper-aware of how wet you are yourself.

You take your time licking up his shaft, the man above you shuttering in bliss as you slowly wrap your lips around his tip. You’re completely in control, loving the way he shakes at your touch as he pleads for you to take him in completely. Your eyes flicker back up to his, a darkness in them that you’ve never seen before, and Seokmin’s hips buck into your mouth uncontrollably.

He’s quick to pull you off him, shocked by his own reflexes, and muttering out apologies. However, this only turned you on more, taking him back into your mouth and wasting no time to start messily sucking his cock. He’s groaning out, hand tangling itself even more in your hair as he refrains from bucking into your mouth.

Your hands are clawing at his hips, trying to keep him from fucking your mouth too roughly, but you love it. You didn’t think Seokmin had it in him honestly. Moaning around his length, your tongue works at the veins of his shaft as you hollow your cheeks out. He’s painfully hard, you can tell, and if you could, you’d mutter out praises as he does a good job at not thrusting into your mouth.

You can feel the saliva spilling from the sides of your mouth, Seokmin loves how much of a mess you look below him, tears forming in your eyes at the way the tip of his cock the back of your throat occasionally. He loves how you continue to moan around his cock, watching as your hips desperately grind against nothing as your fingertips dig crescent moons into his hips. He groans as your moans get more and more wonton, loving the way the vibrations feel as you needily suck and lick at his length.

You finally find yourself wrapping a hand around him, the lubrication from your spit providing more than enough glide as you work at his shaft. You can feel him pulsing in your mouth and hand, his groans and whimpers becoming more frequent as he uncontrollably thrusts into your mouth. “Shit,” he’s groaning out, heavily breathing as you continue to jerk and suck him off, “so fucking messy, sweetheart.”

“Be a good boy, Seok,” you finally pull away, noticing how his length is throbbing and how his thrusts are getting more desperate. He’s trying his best to refrain and listen, but your mouth just feels too fucking good and you look so fucking sexy.

He’s crying out softly, nodding as you take him back in, spitting on his cock lewdly as you continue your ministrations. Humming against in cock in praise does not help him one bit, immediately disobeying you, and you pull away to remind him who is in control.

“I’ll be good,” he’s groaning, his erection feeling almost painful at this point from how overstimulated he felt. “Fuck, I promise.”

You tsk out, feeling confident from your effect on Seokmin, and you continue to work at his shaft with your hands, lips shiny and swollen, driving Seokmin deeper into oblivion. He feels so close to his orgasm, hoping you’ll let him finish just this once, swearing internally that he’ll make it up to you.

“You’re not being so good, Seok, you keep fucking my hands and mouth. Are you that needy?” You’re pouting out, hand tightening at the base of his cock and making something in him snap.

Much to your surprise, Seokmin is lifting you from where you’re kneeling on the ground and throwing you face down onto the bed. He’s quick to unzip your boots, roughly tugging your skirt and tights down before running a finger over your sopping cunt.

You’re pushing back into him, the feeling of his fingers over your heat making you chase his hand as he teasingly gathers your essence before rubbing your clit briefly. His fingers gently slap your folds, making you moan out in shock.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Seokmin is bent over you, cock heavy against your ass as he whispers in your ear. “Be a good sweetheart for me now.”

Gasping out, you’re nearly crying when he dips two fingers in between your folds, and your walls immediately take them in. He’s chuckling lowly, fingers scissoring in and out of you as you squirm against his sheets, unable to take back control when his other hand is quick to hold your hips down. He’s much stronger than you ever expected, shocked, and further turned on by how quickly he switched roles on you.

“Who would have thought the sweetheart next door would be creaming all over my fingers,” he coos out, loving the squelching sound of your pussy as he continues to curl his fingers inside of you, denying you of your orgasm when you inevitably clamp even tighter around his fingers. You can feel his smile against your back, teeth and lips working against your skin as he leans over you, no longer applying enough pressure to your clit and making you feel empty again upon removing his fingers. “See how that feels, Y/N? Doesn’t feel so good when you’re on the other side, hm?”

“Seok,” you’re whining out, grinding your hips back into his, and you feel a bit of satisfaction when you feel him keen into you, hot breath running down your spine. “Please, no more games. Just fuck me already. I’m tested and on the pill.”

He no longer has any self-control, but he makes sure he keeps his dominance as his tip prods at your center, fighting the way your tight walls try to suck him in. It proves to be difficult as Seokmin shallowly thrusts inside of you, hot, slick walls clamping around his cock as he bottoms out.

It all feels so dirty, Seokmin thrusting into you, loving the way your walls flutter around his cock as he teasingly pulls in and out. The distant sound of music and his friends in the background, only remembering their presence when he hears a celebratory cheer from the group, assumingly from the intense drinking game taking place in the living room.

You’re a whimpering mess beneath him, crying out about how good he feels inside of you, how big he is, and how full you feel. This only makes him fuck you harder, loving how vulgar and lewd you are in his grasp, pulling out to only slam his hips into your ass, his tip hitting deep inside you exactly where you need him most.

Seokmin shamelessly watched the way your ass bounced against him, hands finding purchase in your hair as he pulls you back up against his chest. He whispers in your ear like he did earlier, mercilessly fucking into you as he says, “you look so fucking pretty tonight, Y/N. All dressed up for me, weren’t you?”

Your head lolls back onto his shoulder, his hand loosening its grip on your hair as they make its way around your throat. He’s still gentle, long fingers wrapping around your neck to hold you in place as he nips at your ear, waiting for your response. “Yes,” you gasp out, feeling him repeatedly hit the spongey spot inside of you, the pleasure becoming almost unbearable as the coil inside of you tightens. “All for you, Seok.”

You’re holding onto his forearms, bouncing against him as you feel his pace start to become a bit sloppy, and you’re only tightening around him even more, loving how carnal he is when his grip tightens around your neck, pulling your lips against him. You feel so breathless, so consumed by him in all ways possible.  

“Are you close, sweetheart?” He’s mumbling against your lips, and you can tell he’s close himself, feeling him throbbing inside of you as you rock back into him to meet his thrusts. You’re nodding desperately, enjoying how his fingernails dig into the delicate skin of your neck, teeth pulling at your bottom lip as you moan into his own. One hand makes its way down to your clit, thumb working circles at the bud and almost making you collapse. “I want to hear you cry out my name then, sweetheart, just like I hear you do through those walls.”

Just like that, you’re spasming around him, pleasure taking you over like pure ecstasy as you cry out his name, slightly humiliated but beyond sated as you feel yourself gush around him. “Seokmin,” you still cry out, feeling overstimulated, but needing him to fill you. “Inside me, Seok, please.”

“Fuck, anything since you’ve been so good for me, sweetheart,” and with that he is painting your walls, hot cum spilling deep inside of you as he pulls you in for one more harsh kiss. You continue to slowly grind back on him, getting off on how he shakes behind you and groans into the kiss.  “So, so good,” he is mumbling against your lips, slowly pushing you off him and you cry out a bit from the loss of warmth and fullness.

Seokmin begins to take care of you but allows himself to watch as his cum drips from your folds, down your thigh. He comes to when you giggle a bit, shaking your hips at him to remind him that he’s supposed to be cleaning up. Seokmin lets out a puff of laughter, helping to clean you up before assisting you in getting dressed. Slowly, Seokmin pulls your tights back up your legs, leaving a trail of kisses as he gently pulls the fabric up, ensuring not to ruin the integrity of the delicate nylon.

You feel love drunk, soaking in the way he treats you so well after fucking you so roughly. You giggle uncontrollably when he nuzzles his nose into your neck, blowing affectionate raspberries into the skin before kissing your cheek.

He can see all the stars in your eyes like this, staring into them between each peppered kiss as he praises you for being so good for him, whispering sweet nothings of how lucky he is to have met you.

You’re overwhelmed by it all, pulling him into a deep kiss again, but Seokmin, unfortunately, pulls away. “Y/N, please don’t get me worked up again, all my friends are out there. We have so much time to do this again.”

“You’re right,” your lips betray you, pulling him in for another kiss. You feel giddy at him mentioning doing this all again. He gives you a serious look that molds into one of endearment. “Okay, okay. No, you’re right.”

Finally, sitting up, you both compose and fully dress yourselves, sneaking kisses every so often.

“Your friends are going to hate me, Seok,” you chuckle when he pulls you in for one last embrace, pulling you close to him after spinning you around, taking in how beautiful you look.

“Nope,” he smiles, knowing that you’ve already bonded enough with his friends, and he’s sure they all have had an inkling he was obsessed with you from how much he’s spoken about you, “you’ve absolutely won them over just like you’ve won me over.”

Seokmin was right, the group soon would become some of your closest friends. Other than cringing at how sickeningly you and Seokmin were in love, his group of friends was thankful he’d found you. Similarly, you were thankful you found Seokmin. You’ve never felt so at home and loved, all thanks to moving in next to Seokmin.

Really, if such a thing existed, you’d grant Lee Seokmin the Best Neighbor of All Time Award. Never mind that title, instead, you’d now grant Lee Seokmin the Best Boyfriend of All Time Award.

[luffyvace]

Hey there brook! I hope u having a nice day! Can I ask for a luffy x heroic fem reader headcanon? by heroic I mean that she completely dedicated her life to help and save ppl and that her purpose in life, she's strong and seems cold but when u get to know her she has empathy more than anyone else, I feel like this is the perfect character that luffy would fall in love with, pure kindness hiding behind a tough facade, she doesn't even like being called a hero, yet she is willing to do anything for those in need, slaves, poor villages, she goes against anything unjust without any fear, cause thats her purpose in life (sorry if that was too long 💀)

Hi anon <33 (it makes me so happy that someone finally addressed me as that💗)

today was a very chill day 😊 thank you! How’s yours?

Reader sounds so genuine with such a good background for a op character!!

(Don’t worry it’s not too long—I love to read:3)

Ngl luffy subconsciously sees a little bit of himself in you!!

like your hearts are so similar—gold!

of course he doesn’t directly think that way- but he feels the connection!

which is through helping!

you two never turn your backs on those who have never wronged you

its not even about if they’re on your side or not, as long as they haven’t wrong you? and they need help?

the both of you are on it 🤜🤛👍

you wanting to save others becomes admirable to more than just him, to all of the straw hats—chopper and usopp especially!

I’m gonna go ahead and say it here and now you remind both Jinbe and luffy of whitebeard and fishman island type thing

LIKE THAT’S HOW IT IS!!

Y/n is just her tbh 🤷‍♀️

and if the ops don’t like that? 🤨

🤜💥

how you like that? >:)

your strength may or may not be hereditary but either way if you don’t continue training or working out your gonna loose that strength eventually

which shows just how hard you train everyday!!

bro works harder than zoro 🗿

and we all know he don’t sleep on workin out

so y/n is a gorilla the og

its no wonder you be cookin the ops like breakfast👩‍🍳👍

this is literally turning into a rant about me being (name)’s biggest fan ok let’s move on

luffy saw you cold exterior and was like

😍😍😘🥰😘💍💋💋💋

LOLOLOL no but fr he looked straight past that

he always does- he ignored law’s and zoro’s why wouldn’t he with you-

and once he sees your true kindness???

Locked in like a booty hole 🔗

(ANYWAY I HAD TO🧍‍♀️)

yeah he pretty much busts right through that

he pretty much instantly demands you already are is nakama after that

Your empathy is what really swoops him off his feet tho

like luffy has a good sense of empathy so much so he can hear the voice of all things

and you probably can too! It’s highly likely!

(y/n could have her own anime at this point 🤷‍♀️😚)

But seriously the way he can just feel the way you long for others when they’re in pain just gets him right at the heartstrings you know?! 🥺❤️‍🩹

you comfort them so assuredly and keep your promise to win every time !!

luffy would admire himself more than he would know if he realized how alike the two of you are

tbh you probably admire luffy!!

like it’s a mutual thing, where you pretty much don’t see your own coolness you only see the other’s

so you admire each other unaware that your the same 😂💗

he absolutely adores and admires that empathetic part of you thoo!

he loves how your kind and tough

he wholeheartedly believes the strong should protect the weak, cuz that’s what a man does.

especially with nakama.

so he definitely understands your need to protect those who can’t do it for themselves

there are many times he can recall where he had to rely on others

so he loves that your the one who does that for people

and you don’t do it for the money or fame!

you don’t even view yourself as the hero and savior that bystanders see you as!

that’s so cool to him!

you background/past might’ve caused it! Like maybe you had no superhero! So you decided to become one!

he kinda looks up to you in a way 🤩

as someone who has also helped slaves and the poor he completely understands where you come from in your kindness

and it’s even cooler that you charge head on into battle for others without a second thought

that’s just how tough you are ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

not an ounce of fear in your eyes as you walk up to someone 20x the size of you to simply get back the bread they stole from a poor little child

LIKE HOW COOL IS THAT?! 💥💥

your a super hero!! Dundun duh-duuuuuun!!

🦸‍♀️‼️🤩

you have a goal just like him!! He wants to be the king of pirates and you wanna help others!

With the type of pirate he is?, those things go hand in hand 🤝

”STRAW HAT LUFFY AND PIRATE HERO (NAME) IS HERE!! RUN AWAY!!”

says the pirates who know they’ve done wrong doing!! 😎

also excuse (name)’s lame pirate alias i couldn’t think of one 😊💖

(Name) is so cool 😎 I admire her 💓

hope you enjoyed your hcs anon!! *super heroes away🦸‍♀️🚀*

[rinhaler]

I Pick a Tail Number and We Could Be Tourists

CHAPTER SUMMARY: you're stranded out of town and it's all Megumi's fault. Time to find a hotel to crash in!

boyfriend!yuuji itadori x f!reader x bully!megumi fushiguro

WARNINGS : 18+, alcohol consumption, arguing, name calling, strong language lmao, PG chapter tbh!

WORDS : 9.2k

notes : dangerously close to running out of old chapters to edit and repost LOL

       LAST CHAPTER ┊ MASTERLIST ┊ NEXT CHAPTER

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Megumi didn’t wait for you as he re-entered the aquarium and you had to work double time to keep up with his brisk strides.

He said that you should go inside together so you could figure out this mess you found yourselves in; and yet it sure feels like he’s trying to leave you behind.

He only slows down when he starts to text, which of course, piques your interest. It’s probably his dad or his sister, letting them know what happened and asking for a ride. He comes to a complete stop as you arrive at the café. Megumi pulls out a chair, he intended it to be for himself, but when he looks up and notices your worried gaze, he gestures it to you and takes another seat.

You must look terrified if even Megumi is showing you that much kindness.

“Are you texting Toji?” you ask him, and he scoffs immediately.

“No? Why would I?”

“Because we are fucking stranded and you said we were going to plan what we are going to do!” you whisper-shout at him, doing all you can to remain level-headed and keep your fury to a minimum. You’re so overwhelmed and angry you know the smallest push will have you freefalling into tears.

“I’m gonna call that asshole teacher of ours and see if they can turn around.” Megumi tells you, scrolling through his phone until he lands on your lecturer’s phone number. You hear a faint ringing through the speaker again and again. A vision of rage flares across Megumi’s features as the ringing goes to voicemail.

“Call Toji!” you demand. It prompts Megumi to kiss his teeth and roll his eyes to look at you, he studies your body language and expression, and he has to hold back a smile when he sees how serious you are. “Or I will.” the threat causes Megumi’s vague amusement to fade into annoyance as he adjusts his seating position to sit up straight.

“Go on then.” he challenges, moodily. He rests his ankle over his knee and slouches more in his seat, avoiding eye contact with you as he proceeds to play on his phone and ignore the gravity of the situation you’ve found yourself in. You tut, quickly finding Toji’s name in your contacts and dialling.

Ring… Ring… Ring…

“What did he do?” he huffs, answering the phone sounding a little out of breath.

“N-Nothing, Toji. Well he, I guess he—“

“What? What’s going on, princess?”

Megumi’s eyes are burning into yours as he warns you to choose your next words carefully. Part of you wants to protect him; you aren’t sure if it’s out of guilt for your tattling earlier this morning or if it’s out of fear for what he’ll do to you. Your mouth hangs open as you consider, and then turns to a smile that you’ll hope Toji will hear through the phone.

“He’s been fine. But, uh, we missed the bus home.”

“Was it his fault?”

“W-Well, umm…”

“Just tell me sweetheart. Was it his fault you missed the bus?” he questions, a stern, authoritative tone in his speech. You do all you can to remain composed and not expose yourself to Megumi. A small little gulp travels down your throat as you find the confidence to croak out a singular word.

“Technically…”

“Put him on.”

“But—”

“Put him on the phone right now.”

He’s never spoken to you like that before. It was a condensed version of how you hear him address Megumi. You quickly hand the phone to his son and hear a quiet ‘for fuck sake’ under his breath as he presses your phone to his ear.

He looks cute, you think, with a pink love heart phone case on the side of his head. With this and the colouring book, you’re starting to think he’s not all bad.

Maybe he even has a softer side.

He at least has a sort of nice side if today is anything to go by.

You’re brought out of your soft ideation as you see a vein bulge against Megumi’s temple and his teeth grit whilst his father screams bloody murder at him down the phone. Even without speaker phone turned on, you can still hear him.

“Enough!” Megumi bites back, finally, and Toji actually pipes down once he hears his son snap. “Can you come get us or not?” he hisses through his teeth. His eyes bulge open as he hears a response he hadn’t expected. “What do you mean no? Where the fuck are you right now? It’s loud.”

“I mean no, shithead. I’ll talk to you about it later, I can’t get you though. I’m sorry, kid. Tsumiki is at work too so she can’t.” Toji tells him. Megumi sighs and shakes his head in your direction. It’s odd, considering Toji said he’d drop anything and everything to rescue you if needed be. But you suppose things happen, life gets in the way, it can’t be helped. You know he would if he could. “Give her the phone back.”

He does, holding it out for you to take. He gets up, trudging towards the barista to avoid listening to whatever his father is going to say to you.

“I’m so so sorry I can’t come get you, baby. You’re a credit card kid though, right? I’ll be able to wire you the money tomorrow if you wanna get a cab back. It’s only fair I fucking pay since it’s my dumb kid's fault.”

“Three hours in a cab? I can’t, I’m not really talking to my parents right now and I’d feel obliged to if I spent that much money on their card.” you tell him. He nods, despite you being unable to see it. He understands. “Megumi’s gonna try and ring our teacher again, maybe they’ll come back for us.”

“Yeah, maybe.” he responds, “I know it isn’t ideal but… if there’s no one else, maybe you could book a hotel room for the night or something?”

“Oh! Absolutely not!” you reply. The chipper tone in your voice with such a funny answer makes him snicker down the phone. “I’ve just remembered Gojo exists, I’ll call him!” you beam, impressed with yourself as the idea strikes you.

“N-No, princess, wait—!”

“Bye Toji!” you hang up, albeit a little guiltily. But you waste no time searching your contacts for Gojo.

You jump a little when you hear the sound of glass thump against the table you’re sitting at. He got you and himself milkshakes. Banana for you and strawberry for him. There’s something quite endearing about Megumi and the colour pink.

“Thanks. Did you know banana is my favourite or was it a guess?”

“I’m gonna try that fucking idiot teacher again.” Megumi speaks, totally ignoring your question. There’s no way he could have known it was your favourite, you’ve never told him and you doubt Yuuji had. He gets up and walks away from the table as he listens to the mind-numbing ring of his phone attempting to connect him.

Your call to Gojo is useless. His smarmy voice immediately grates on you as he asks how you got yourself in such a predicament. It only edges his theory more that you have a thing for Megumi now that you’re stuck with him. And you are stuck, since he’s also unable to help.

“Didn’t think you’d need me today so I’m out of town. How about your favourite Papaguro?” he taunts.

“He can’t. I don’t know what he’s doing but he said he can’t.” you tell him, coldly, hoping your tone of voice will quell his curiosity and put an end to his teasing.

“Oh really? How interesting. Let me talk to Megumi—”

“Goodbye, Gojo.” you cut him off before he can continue anymore. Your blood is boiling, but you manage to relax as you see a stream of texts from Toji begging you not to call Gojo.

Oops.

Megumi returns, tossing his phone onto the table. You think if he fell into his seat any harder he might have put a hole through the floor. He looks furious. A face like thunder and his arms folded across his chest. His foot begins tapping against the floor speedily, almost like a tick of some sort and soon it travels up his leg so that he’s bouncing it. You don’t stare, but you look over to him wondering when he’ll be ready to talk. He looks at you when you lean forward to sip the straw of your milkshake.

“I thought it was weird that they left without us,” he starts, copying your actions and slurping the pink liquid he purchased through his straw. “Whenever I’ve been on trips in the past. They say a certain time to be back, but they never actually leave until everyone is accounted for on the bus.”

“Right? But this isn’t like school, we’re adults. It’s university. So they don’t fuck around when it comes to this stuff, I guess.” you respond. He shakes his head though, disregarding your statement.

“I went on a trip with my old university and they waited for a bunch of mature students who were late back to the bus. Like, thirty minutes late. They don’t leave students behind on trips, ever. Unless…”

“Unless?”

“Guess what that useless excuse for an educator just told me.” Megumi smirks. You shake your head, giving up on his little game before you even begin. You see his eyes roll over white before he leans in closer to you across the table, his chest almost spilling his milkshake over. “Apparently I sent a text to those stupid ugly girls telling them that we caught a ride home from Toji. And that idiot believed them.”

“Did you?”

“What?”

“Did you text them, Megumi? Because this seems like something you’d definitely do to try and fuck with me.”

“Don’t be dense. I’m not fucking with you anymore, am I? If I was fucking with you I would have left you here alone.” he assures you. You nod, finding his explanation believable enough to dispel any doubt. You’re at least glad he isn’t angry with you for doubting him; he’s given you more than enough reasons to, after all. “How was your call with Gojo?”

“It’s a no-go,” you smile. You even manage to coax a little smirk out of Megumi as well. “He’s out of town, busy. And I assume a charming boy such as yourself doesn’t have any friends who could get us.”

“I assume the girl who pissed herself at Independent doesn’t have any friends either.” he bites back. He scrunches his eyes as soon as the words leave his mouth. Regret, you deduce. You look away from him to stop yourself from crying, and you know he won’t apologise to you for saying it.

Keep it together. Don’t let him see you cry.

“Call your parents.” Megumi demands.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I said no. I’m not fucking talking to them and you’re not going to bully me into doing it. Especially after what you just said. I cannot believe I thought—”

“Don’t fucking start. Sorry, alright? Just slipped out.” he mumbles, and you huff out a sigh. It’s a huge deal, honestly. You didn’t think he was capable of apologising. Hell, you didn’t even know he knew the word sorry. You shake your head, dismissing him and his bullshit as you try and come to terms with your situation. “No Toji or Gojo or bus coming back. No cab. No friends. What’s left, O’Keeffe?”

“I- Toji suggested something but I said no to that, too.” you hesitate to tell him. He looks at you, curiously, waiting for you to elaborate. A scoff escapes you as you recall the idea and debate on telling him or not. It can’t hurt to mention it, you suppose. “A hotel.”

“He’s smart sometimes, I’ll give him that. Why did you say no?”

“I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary with you, let alone share a room.” you tell him bluntly, and he laughs at your brazenness. He catches himself, though, his face returning to the stoic expression it’s used to. He can’t let you think he finds you funny.

“Why would we share? The rooms will be dirt cheap. It might not be what you want to hear, but, we’re stuck here for tonight at least.” he tells you. And unfortunately, you’re starting to think he’s right. You’re shit out of luck. There’s no escape from him and you are stranded in town until someone can come and get you both. Of course, the reasonable thing to do would be to call your parents and just get over your petty grudge and talk to them. But it wasn’t a viable option.

You can’t.

You just can’t.

You pull your laptop out of your bag and connect with the hotspot on your phone. Megumi is squinting incredulously. As if you’re the type to come up with evil plots and schemes.

“I’m looking up hotels in town, apparently there’s only three. Do you want to call?” you wonder. He grabs your laptop and turns it to face him, dialling the number for the first hotel. You start calling the second and it rings for an awfully long time.

“This one’s fully booked, give me the last one.” he demands, you turn your screen for him to see and he attempts the next number.

“Oh hello, I was wondering if you had any rooms available for—”

You’re cut off by the most unwelcome answer you could have possibly imagined. The look on Megumi’s face is telling you that he doesn’t have a much better answer for you either. His teeth are grinding and his face is almost completely red. Instead of one bulging forehead vein you think you can see three of them.

“No rooms.”

Fuck.

“I— We’ll take it. Is it okay if we pay on site? I’m not sure how many days… Yeah, sure. That’s fine, uh, Fushiguro for the booking, I guess. Thanks so much.” you sigh, hanging up the phone.

“Nice one, O’Keeffe. And you’re putting it in my name so Toji has to pay, real smart. At least we’ll have our rooms for the night and we can get some—”

“Our room.” you correct him.

“What?”

“They only had one fucking room available for us.”

“No.”

“It’s two double beds so it’s not like we’re sharing. Listen, I’m not thrilled about it either, Megumi.” you snipe at him, unwilling to tolerate his attitude when you’re already in a foul mood.

“If you weren’t being such a petty, stuck up, bitch, your parents could have—”

“You can eat shit along with my parents. Fuck this,” you moan, standing to your feet and heading for the exit. You’re quickly stabbing the letters of the address into Google Maps so you can walk your way to your hotel.

Megumi knows he’s going to have to catch up with you at some point, but he’s stubborn, unable to admit defeat or appear weak.

But he is at fault for everything. He is the one that got you both into this mess and he is the one that keeps pushing your fucking buttons.

He does get up, though. It takes him a while to see you when he gets outside into the pouring rain. But when he does, it doesn’t take long to reach you. And almost as if to protect his fragile masculinity, he deems it necessary to overtake you like he’s leading the way. Guiding you to safety.

He doesn’t even know where he’s going, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure he’s going the right way. He stops at an intersection looking completely out of his depth. You don’t help him, if he’s so insistent on leading the way then he can take it from here.

You don’t mind catching hypothermia in pursuit of proving a petty point.

His eyes wander around. And suddenly they settle. He knows he’s lost and clueless about what he’s doing. But ever the bullshitter, he comes up with a valid excuse for a pause in the journey.

“Should we get some clothes?” he asks. You scrunch your face up, not understanding why such a random question left his lips. He points in the direction of a department store, hoping to clarify his reasoning. “We only have what we came in and we’re drenched. I hope you aren’t planning on sleeping naked since we’re sharing a room.”

You suppose he has a point.

“Fine. Let’s go, I’m not buying your shit, though.”

“Bank of Toji, O’Keeffe. A pair of piece of shit credit card kids stranded in the middle of nowhere. Classic.”

“I’m not a piece of shit credit card kid, Megumi.” you inform him.

“Oh yeah? Who’s paying for that cosy little love den again. You and Yuuji must be working so hard to pay the bills.”

That shuts you up fairly quickly. Maybe he’s right. Are you really nothing but a trust fund baby? A useless girl who can’t get by without help from her parents. You never thought about it before, but it seems that way the more you think about it.

They’re the only reason you’re able to spend as much as you want at the drop of a hat.

They’re the only reason you have a nice house to live in instead of a gross little shoebox dorm room while you’re studying.

Megumi is a lot of things. A lot of awful things you couldn’t even begin to list. But it’s not often that he lies. And it’s even rarer that he’s wrong.

The store is nothing special. It’s nice and cheap which makes you feel real good inside. You may be spending your parents’ money, but at least it isn’t anything for them to call you up about.

You pick out a few outfits and some pyjamas to wear in the hotel room. You look over one of the clothes rails and see Megumi flirting with one of the shop assistants.

You feel hot all of a sudden. Angry. Why is he fucking flirting with her? Is now really the time to be doing this? He’s acting like everything is fine. Normal. Like you aren’t stuck here for however long.

You aren’t sure why, but something snaps in you. Before you can even ask yourself if it’s a good idea you’re marching up towards the girl and Megumi, rudely intercepting their conversation.

“I’m done buying stuff. Have you got everything?” you ask him.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t— Is this your girlfriend?” she asks. You scoff quickly and Megumi laughs at her assumption.

“Long story. Here, babe,” he smirks as he holds her hand and pulls a biro out of his back pocket. He scribbles his phone number on the top of her hand and winks at her. “Might be in town for a few days, call me up if you wanna have some fun.”

“Ugh.” you mutter, earning an elbow in the ribs from him.

“O-Okay, Megumi. I’ll call you. And nice to meet you, uh—”

“Bye.” you speak, assuming she was about to ask your name. You had no intention of giving it to her and watching them drool over each other for a second longer. “Not very professional of you, is it? Flirting with customers?” you tell her as you walk towards the checkout counter. She scoffs lightly, looking at Megumi for reassurance.

He does nothing but laugh, shrugging his shoulders as he walks after you. He’s silent for a while as he watches the woman at the counter ring up your purchases. You’ve got a face like thunder and he can’t even begin to describe how amused he feels. He waits for you to pick up your shopping bags before putting his own clothes down and waiting for the same service.

“What’s wrong with your face?” he asks you.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re pissed. Clearly. But I’ve never seen you look like that before. Is it…”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Jealousy?”

“You’re a fucking idiot. I’m not jealous. I don’t want you bringing girls back to our hotel room and listening to you cum in thirty seconds and think you’re impressive.”

“Right.”

He picks up his bags and heads for the exit. You know he’s winding you up on purpose when he winks at the girl again. It’s like he’s pouring salt and vinegar into a wound just to see how long it will take you to scream. You’re already fragile. Vulnerable. Lonely. He’s treating you as if you’re some social experiment to see how much he can get away with. He knows it’s a lot. He’s put you through a lot already.

What else is left?

—

You finally make it to the hotel.

Megumi had given in and decided to let you show him the way while he attempted to get through to his dad again. It took a few calls until he answered. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary either, both of them yelling and getting angry at each other until they finally got down to what they needed to talk about.

Paying the front desk.

He hands the phone to the man checking you in while he takes down his card details.

“Could you speak up, sir? It’s a little loud.” he requests.

“I said that earlier. Where the fuck is he?” Megumi wonders, facing you. You shrug your shoulders, assuming he didn’t actually expect you to answer.

How are you meant to know? It’s not like you're in cahoots with Toji just because he has an attentive interest in you and your wellbeing.

Megumi might annoy the life out of you and make your life hell at any opportunity, but you’re not the type of girl to keep information from him just to get the upper hand.

“All sorted. We’ve got his details, enjoy your stay.”

“Can I ask why it’s so busy? I noticed a lot of uh… interesting clothes at the store. And this was the only hotel with a room, is there a reason?” you ask him.

“It’s our big town festival this weekend. The anniversary of its founding. We get dressed up in gaudy clothes. Hold a parade. A beach party. Don’t be fooled by the weather, it’ll be scorching for the parade.”

“We need the key to the room.” Megumi states, bluntly. Clearly not giving two shits about the upcoming festival. The man nods and holds the key out to him.

“There’s a shop around the corner that sell condoms and lube.” he tells you both.

“He’s NOT my fucking boyfriend!” you yell, storming towards the stairs with your bags. Megumi laughs, again, saying goodbye to the receptionist as he follows after you. “The fuck do I look like? As if I’d date someone like him.” you mumble to yourself.

“You’re gonna hurt my feelings.” Megumi teases.

You ignore him, picking up the pace and running up the stairs so you can escape him. You know you need him to unlock the door to the room, but you need at least a few seconds of peace from him.

You can’t stand it.

You can’t stand him.

He doesn’t chase you. He doesn’t pester you anymore. You rest your back against the wall beside the door to your room as you wait for him. You’re almost at your breaking point. You can feel it brewing. Your chest is aching and your mouth is filling with water. You can even feel your jaw begin to ache.

What could you have done to deserve this?

Megumi arrives and doesn’t say a word. You’re thankful. You aren’t sure if he’s doing it for his benefit or yours. Does he know if he prods at your sensitive skin any more you’ll crumble to dust?

The room is quaint. You take the bed closest to the bathroom; leaving the one nearest to the window to him. Both of you drop your bags on each of your beds. He’s pacing around a little while you sit on the mattress.

Looking around is getting to you.

This is real.

You’re really stuck in a fucking hotel room with Megumi Fushiguro. What would Yuuji think if he could see you now? What were you fucking thinking by giving him the benefit of the doubt? Maybe you’d have been better off if you let those girls bully you on the coach and harass you in the art gallery.

At least you’d be on your way home.

At least you wouldn’t be stuck with him.

The spiralling thoughts in your mind are the final straw. You burst into tears and you couldn’t be anymore humiliated if you tried. Megumi looks over his shoulder to see you sobbing.

He feels awkward.

He’s not used to seeing anyone get emotional, let alone you. He’s only seen you like this because of him. And he can’t deny that this is his fault as well.

So, why can’t he find it in him to feel bad?

He goes in the bathroom and picks up some toilet roll for you. He doesn’t hand it to you, though. He just throws it at you. It makes you laugh a little. It’s just so him. You have to admit despite his obscure approach, he’s really been trying with you since the coach trip. You get yourself a handful of toilet roll and start dabbing it at your cheeks.

“Why did you do this to me, Megumi?” you ask so quietly it’s barely audible. “You keep fucking with me. And… this was without trying. Or was it planned?”

“Shut up. What good is this doing, huh? We’re in this, now, there isn’t shit we can do about it so suck it up.”

“You walked out of the aquarium and fucked everything up. You said you were going to piss but you were outside on the phone! Who was it? Tell me!”

“I won’t tell you again, princess. No business of yours so shut your fucking mouth.”

“It is my business when you get me into a situation like this because of it. You made this happen. And now you’re planning fucking dates and doing all that you can to make this experience even more miserable than it already is!” you yell, eyes and nose running quicker than you can keep up with. You must look a total mess and it’s making you even more embarrassed. It’s just more ammunition to fuel him with, more he can hold over your head and make you feel shit for.

“Who I’m on the phone with is my business. Who I go on dates with is my fucking business. Stop being a bitch. Are you on your fucking period? You’re so quick to shut down any chance of you being my girlfriend but you’re acting like you are since you’re being a nagging cunt.”

“Megumi—”

“Shut up.”

“Please… Please, don’t bring her back here.” you beg quietly. It makes him huff in annoyance as he turns away from you. You see him shaking as he grabs hold of the wooden dressing table as he tries to stabilise himself. “You at least owe me that, Megumi. You’ve done so many fucked up things. Unforgivable things, but here we are. I’m… I’m sobbing in a hotel room that I’m sharing with you. I’ve never asked you for anything other than to stop bullying me. But please, please don’t bring her here.”

You see his eyes screw shut in the mirror. He’s biting his lower lip as he thinks everything through.

You’re right.

He knows you’re right.

There’s an awful lot that he’s done to you and you’ve forgiven him without him even saying sorry. It shows how big of a person you are. How kind and sweet and genuine you are.

But he doesn’t care.

He just doesn’t fucking care.

Why does he get such a kick out of making you suffer? There’s something so enthralling and hypnotic about you that he can’t get over. You’re always in his fucking head and even seeing you bawl your eyes out he can’t find it in him to feel bad.

“FUCK!” he shouts, angrily trudging over to his bed to pick up one of the bags.

It’s the bag he held up earlier outside of the aquarium when you finally found each other. You never got a chance to ask what was in it. It had the logo for the aquarium on it, but you were too distraught and angry to question what he had purchased.

“Here.” he speaks, hurtling the bag towards you. You duck out of the way before it can hit you.

“Megumi!” you yell back, wiping your tears with your hands as your eyes widen in anger at him. He’s not paying attention though. Searching through his pockets for a cigarette and heading towards the exit.

“Goin’ for a smoke. Sick of the sight of your miserable fuckin’ face.” he tells you, slamming the door behind him. You throw yourself backwards so that your head is in the pillows. You’ve never felt so alone as you practically wail into the desolate hotel room.

What you’d give to have Toji pick you up right now and take you home.

To tell Megumi off for being so cruel to you again. Or even just to have Yuuji hold you in his arms. You’d kill to hear his voice. Hell. You’d even settle for a text at this point.

Why is he avoiding you?

You manage to calm yourself down the longer Megumi is gone from the room.

Deep breaths. One. Two. Three. Four.

You get up and look at yourself in the mirror. You’re thankful you packed some of your makeup into your tote bag for emergencies. Your face is a mess, you look like you’ve just been dumped on your wedding day.

You decide to go to the bathroom to rinse it off completely. The cold water splashing on your face almost stops your heart. But once your face is clear, you dab the water dripping down with a towel.

As you steady your breathing, you run your fingers through your hair once you leave the bathroom. The bag that Megumi tossed at you catches your eye. He threw it like it was yours. But you didn’t get anything from the aquarium. You’re approaching it like it’s a fucking bomb. He’s probably put insects in it to bite you or filled it with something else equally disgusting.

But you can’t help having a curious nature.

The bag is light when you pick it up. A single tear rolls down your face when you look inside.

“Oh, Megumi…” you sigh.

It’s the shark. The shark plushie from the aquarium you thought was so adorable. It doesn’t excuse everything he’s done. Anything he’s done, actually.

It certainly isn’t worth being late for the bus.

It isn’t worth you being stuck in this hotel room. It didn’t excuse everything he’d done and how he treated you in the past. But you can’t help but wonder how different things could be if he had shown this side of him from the start.

You get cosy in bed and cuddle your shark. You decide to name him Gerald. He’s softer than you remember him being in the gift shop, and that is by no means a complaint. It’s such a nice feeling to have something so adorable and soft to hold.

There is a split second you think your heart might have actually stopped when you hear Megumi open the door. You jump out of your skin but remain comfortable lying under the covers of your bed. He walks in, chuckling, when he sees you. He shakes his hand through his hair, messy water droplets falling from the ends.

“Thank you for Gerald, I love him.”

“S’not a gift, you owe me for him,” he tells you. At that, you sit up. Wide eyed and humiliated that you actually thought he’d do something so nice for you. You set down Gerald and open up the quilt to go and get your purse. “It was a joke. Gerald, huh?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. People names on animals is funny, I guess.” you answer. He nods lazily, like he isn’t fully committing to agreeing with your opinion. He throws his jacket to the ground and sits on top of his own bed. “Why did you do this for me?”

“I saw you left him when I went back to find you.” he speaks, “I- you seemed like you really wanted it so I just got it for you. That’s it. You’re welcome.” he finishes, leaning backwards on his elbows as he stares you down. It’s incredible how uneasy you can feel in such an instant whenever those intimidating green eyes study you.

It’s like you forget how to breathe.

How to be.

How should you act when you’re worrying whether or not every action you take may be used against you?

“I’d… look, I have a lot of thoughts and I just can’t say them without feeling stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid, Megumi. You’re just a dick.” you laugh, and he laughs back. You aren’t wrong. “I’m scared of you, I don’t think I’ll ever get over that feeling with you. You’re compelling. Forceful. Dominant. It scares me, but getting me a plushie… standing up for me with those girls… colouring a fucking kids book in with me. They’re such kind, human things I didn’t expect you to be capable of.”

“Human? Do you think I’m a monster?”

“Sometimes. Most of the time, Megumi. You became a monster under my bed that kept me up at night.” you tell him. He shakes his head at that. You can’t decipher whether it’s self-reflection or disregard of your statement. Maybe he thinks you’re just being dramatic. “I don’t know what we are right now but I’d never think you’re stupid. So, if there’s anything you want to talk to me about or tell me I won’t… I won’t judge you for it. But if you want to keep it to yourself that’s fine too. Thanks for giving me a gift.”

“The girl from the store sent me a text. She asked if I want to go on a date tonight.” he admits. The admission takes you aback slightly, not expecting that to be the thought he was wanting to speak of.

“O-Oh.”

“I’m not bringing her back here. You’re right, I owe you that much. And I… I told her I can’t go on a date, ever.”

“Why?”

“’Cause it’s my fault we’re stuck here so I shouldn’t leave you alone, right? You’re fucking me up, O’Keeffe. Got me growin’ a fucking conscience suddenly.” he complains, but it makes you smile.

“I can look after myself, you know. Don’t let me stand in the way of you getting a nut.” you smile. He shakes his head putting another cigarette between his lips. He only left the room to smoke because he wanted space and to give you the same, not because it’s a rule of the hotel. There’s even an ashtray on his bedside table for him.

“Don’t care if you can or not. I don’t want to see her, anyway. I wanna go out with you.” he tells you.

“I’m sorry?”

“Get ready. The receptionist told me there’s a bowling alley nearby, ‘m not sulking in this shit hole room all night so get dressed.”

—

He’s a little jealous that he didn’t think of your genius idea of buying a raincoat. He did buy an umbrella, though, not that it did much to protect his new clothes or his hair. The bowling alley is a fifteen-minute walk away from the hotel. You’re glad you had opted to wear your favourite trainers instead of a pair of heels for your trip. Walking around today had been a breeze. And you were both hoping this would be the type of bowling alley that allows you to wear your own shoes.

You’ve always enjoyed places like this. Arcades that are dark with neon lighting. You look over to the lanes while Megumi pays for both of you and see an assortment of neon-coloured pins.

“Could we have a lane with pink pins, please?” you ask, sweetly. Megumi looks up from the card machine to grimace at you. But the man nods kindly, agreeing to your request.

You’re guided to the furthest lane away, right next to the wall. The desire to take a few pictures is too strong to ignore. Megumi scoffs but doesn’t comment. You get a few snaps of him while he’s entering your names into the system. It shocks you that he’s letting you go first. There might be a gentlemanly side to him, after all.

“Do you need the sides up?” he asks, patronisingly.

“Don’t be a dick about it. Yes, please.” you respond. He rolls his eyes but does as you ask. The sides come up for you to take your turn, and they’ll retreat for his. “Ah this is so cool! I didn’t know lanes could do this now.”

“Hurry up and take your turn. Does princess need a pink ball to match her pink pins?” he questions. Whenever you bowl, you always choose the lightest weight. Either a six or an eight. There’s only an eight here and it’s a hideous lime green colour. But it’s fine. You watch the ball zig zag off the sides before knocking down seven pins. “Not bad.” he hums. You saunter back to the bowling balls and pick up another. You only manage to hit one pin, but it’s one more than you had expected.

“You’re up, Fushiguro. See if you can beat that.” you tease, sticking your tongue out.

He swaggers over to the machine with as much confidence as an A-lister. He picks up the heaviest, pink, ball with ease. He raises his eyebrows twice in quick succession, like he’s gloating he got to use a pink ball and you didn’t. He poses triumphantly before he’s even rolled the ball. Like he’s some sort of fucking pro.

The ball flies from his hand and skids down the lane quicker than you can blink. It doesn’t roll until it connects with the centre pin. One of his legs is dramatically behind the other, a position he chooses to hold until he sees each and every pin knock down.

Megumi turns around and grins at you, smirking with pride and the state of shock your face is currently displaying. You point to the lane and then back to him as your words get jumbled in your mouth. He lazily points back at you, a fake look of contemplation overcoming him.

“So, out of curiosity, do you think I beat that?” he teases. He takes a seat and waits for you to take your next turn, casually looking through the drinks menu that had been left for you both to peruse.

“Are you some sort of bowling prodigy?”

“Nah.”

That’s it. That’s all he’s giving you as he orders himself a beer on the screen menu. He orders a drink for you, too, though he doesn’t tell you that. You take your turn again and manage to somehow get a spare.

By the time your drinks come he’s taking his next turn. You’re surprised that he ordered you a strawberry and lime cider, but it isn’t unwelcome. Maybe he’s trying to get you drunk so he wins even easier than he already is. He comes back, swigging his beer and silently gloating about his second strike of the evening.

“Thanks for the drink.” you smile. He nods and he drinks, his Adam’s apple bobbing dramatically with each glug of his beer. “Are those strikes just luck, then?”

“Does it matter?”

“A little, I guess. Did you just bring me here so you could feel superior?”

“Take your fuckin’ turn. You need to get it into that thick head of yours that not everything I do is about you.” he speaks sternly. It feels like you’re five years old being scolded by your parents. You tuck your hair behind your ears and get up to bowl again. You’re elated when your ball zig zags perfectly enough to earn a strike. It fills you with false confidence, a belief that you might actually be able to keep up with Megumi.

You sit and sip your drink as you watch him take another turn. He lets his head loll backwards as he exhales in annoyance.

“Unlucky.” you mock, as he cranes his head to face you. A split. He manages to get two out of the three pins left standing. You wonder for a second if he might have done it on purpose to placate you, and then you remember who you’re dealing with.

As tense as the atmosphere seems to be between the two of you, you’re managing to make fun for yourself. The music is loud, something you’d hear in a nightclub. You can’t help but shake your hips whenever you get up to roll. You drink your cider a little quicker than intended and you start ordering more. They go down smoother than water and your turns become messier. It’s going to be an easy win for Megumi, but it doesn’t stop either of you trying.

“Let’s go again!” you yell before gasping when you realise what song is playing. Love Myself, by Hailee Steinfeld. “I LOVE ME! GONNA LOVE MY—”

“That’s enough,” Megumi interrupts as he yanks you away from the lane. He’s holding your hand impossibly tight, guiding you in the direction of the exit. You can tell he’s embarrassed but your tipsy mind decides it’s a good idea to keep pushing his buttons anyway.

“Aw, Megs, don’tcha wanna teach me how to bowl? Since you’re such an expert?”

“I- I don’t want to do that. Shut up, we’re going home.”

“I wish we were going home. You fucking idiot. Letting us get stranded here because you had such an important fucking phone call that’s such a big God damn secret.”

“Oh for crying out fucking loud.” he says, stopping in the middle of an alleyway he decided to take to save time. “You’re so lucky you’re you right now, you have no fucking idea.”

“W-What does that mean?”

“I hate you. I hate you nagging and bitching in my ear constantly. But most of all I hate how pathetically weak you are. I could leave you here, you know. In the middle of this shady alley to let whatever piece of shit do whatever the hell he wants with you. And I’d sleep just fine. Do you understand? I despise you.”

“But you’ve been so—”

“So nice? The only reason I’m not gonna do that is because you’re you. Let me say it simply enough for your stupid little mind to understand. I don’t wanna deal with your family, my family, Gojo, and fucking Yuuji jumping down my neck because I left a spoilt bitch to rot in the middle of nowhere.”

“You’ll never change, will you? Why do you keep doing this to me?”

“Enough.” he hisses, clenching your wrist and pulling you out of the dingy alleyway and back onto the main roads. The streetlights glittering as rain lashes down across the yellow bulbs. You’re crying, again. You probably would have been able to hold it together if you were in your own sober mind.

How could you be so stupid? After what he did to you last time there was alcohol involved, you’re such an idiot for letting your guard down for a second around him. Granted, he didn’t do anything particularly evil to you. But he definitely has a way with words that make you feel like you’re a speck of dust in the grand scheme of the universe.

You’re nothing.

—

He shoves you into the hotel room ahead of him and slams the door behind himself. The hideous flickering fluorescent lights are making you feel sick. You’re wobbling on your feet without Megumi guiding and supporting you. You begin to lean, to slope. Your feet are staggering until finally you collapse onto the ground.

“You are a fucking embarrassment. Get up. You need to sleep this off.” he demands. You get onto your hands and knees and start crawling towards your shopping bags searching for your pyjamas. He watches as you feebly rifle through them before he gets sick and helps you. He pulls out the purple fluffy vest and shorts you purchased and throws them in your face. “I didn’t have you down as being such a lightweight. It’s hard to watch, should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Didn’t use—”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t used to be, Megumi… I haven’t touched a drop since you…”

You begin to sob as you think about what a fool you’re making of yourself in front of your bully. It humbles him, though, hearing the reason you couldn’t hold your alcohol is another thing that’s down to him. He almost feels sorry for you. It’s enough for him to help you to your feet and lead you into the bathroom to get dressed in private.

“Fuck!” you yell, knocking over a multitude of complimentary bathroom products as you stumble to the ground yet again. Megumi rushes in to see you on the floor, still fully dressed and struggling to get your clothes off. You’re sobbing, now, face shining with sticky tears and regrets. “Megumi, I can’t—”

“Alright.” he picks up your pyjamas and sits on the ground with you, pulling you between his legs. Your shirt is lifted over your head for you before he replaces it with your new soft vest. “Bra on or off?” he questions.

“O-Off, please.” you answer. His hands slip under your vest as he unhooks it. He pulls down the straps and reaches around your front and under your clothes again. It’s awkward. Intimate. But he doesn’t cop a feel. He’s being a genuine help to you. Yanking away your black bra and tossing it aside. “Thank y-you.”

He stands up and helps you to your feet as well. You’re forcibly turned to face him as he undoes the button on your jeans and pulls down the zipper. He turns you again to pull them down to your ankles.

“Do you sleep with your panties on or off?”

“Um, I—”

“I won’t look, just want you to get ready for bed.”

“Off…” you sigh, nervously. You look over your shoulder and see him nod. He keeps his gazed fixed on the bathroom tiles as he hooks his fingers into your simple black thong. They’re pulled down so you can step out of them and into the purple shorts. You wiggle your hips so he can put them onto you comfortably. You’ve still got socks on. You’d managed to force your trainers off when you fell over next to your bed, but who knows if you were able to keep them together.

Megumi stands up and throws you over his shoulder, carrying you to your bed and throwing you onto the mattress. He takes your socks off for you and tucks them into your trainers, leaving the beside the door to the hotel for you to find tomorrow.

“Under the covers.” he instructs, and you obey.

“Why are you so… it’s like you’re two different people.”

He ignores you, tucking you in until you look comfy enough. You’re cuddling Gerald and he hates the way his heart flutters when he sees how sweet you look with the gift that he got you. What the hell was he thinking? He goes to the bathroom and comes back with a glass of water, setting it on your side table in case you need it during the night.

“Megs, I’ve got some aspirin in my tote. Would you mind?”

He gets it for you and throws it your way. It hits off the glass, spilling a little water but nothing too damaging. Megumi starts to undress, uncaring of your presence. He bought himself a pair of sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt to sleep in. He walks around, turning out all of the lights before he gets into his own bed.

“’m not tired.” you tell him.

“You will be. Lie there and be quiet ‘til you fall asleep.” he tells you, not that he thought you’d listen to a word he had to say.

“Can we talk until we sleep?”

“No.”

“I wanna know why you’re so nice to me one minute and awful to me the next. Please, tell me why?” you request. He just grunts, though, not liking the thought of having to listen to you drone on until you pass out.

“You annoy me.” he says simply. It’s clear it isn’t a good enough answer when he’s rewarded with silence. But it’s the truth. You do annoy him. Like nobody else ever has before. “You piss me off and you make me feel angry. But you’re nice so it fucks me up, alright? I don’t know how to act around you because you make me feel too many things.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Drop it.”

You wrack your brains for something else to talk to him about. You’re sure talking about yourself isn’t a good idea, and talking about him might be even worse. Anything to do with Toji has the potential for an all-out war in the hotel room. You think asking about his history with Yuuji might be a sore subject, too.

“How come you’re so good at bowling?” it’s perfect. It’s about him but it’s not a heavy subject that can trigger him into another fit of abuse and rage. And it’s a valid question, too, considering he just schooled you at the bowling alley. He rolls onto his side to face you, and you do the same. He can see Gerald peeking out of the duvet and grins.

“Practice. Used to skip school a lot and play at the arcade.”

“Ever the bad boy, ‘Gumi.”

“Cut that shit out right now. I hate that nickname.” he demands. It makes you laugh knowing four letters has such a heated reaction from him. “Wasn’t doing it to be bad, just didn’t like school. Or people.”

“Were you… bullied? Or something?”

“No. Just didn’t care about shit. Toji was in and out and I was just angry about it. And I lost my mother and didn’t really have anyone to— Why am I telling you this? Stop asking me dumb shit.”

It’s the first time you’ve heard Megumi even come close to opening up about his mother. When you hear the vulnerability in his truth, you can almost forgive him for taking his anger with the world out on you. Toji is incredible to you, but the same can’t be said for his son. To abandon him right after he lost his mother is unforgivable. Of course he’s fucked up like this. He had nothing and no one. Not a shoulder to cry on or a word to say. Why would he care about his education or school when nothing in the world gave any care for him?

“Tsumiki isn’t your real sister, is she? So how did she—”

“Her mother and my father had a thing after mine died. So she’s not technically any relation of mine but we were all a family, only for a little bit. But after our parents ran off, that’s when Gojo took us in.”

“Wait, what? Gojo, as in—”

“Yeah, Satoru Gojo. That’s why I was surprised he was giving you a ride home that day after class. He’s like my weird other dad. That’s why him and Toji hate each other. Toji’s possessive and I’m his. But Gojo is the one who actually raised me most of my life.”

“Fuck. That’s so… fucked. Seriously heavy drama. Plus, I can’t imagine Gojo as a father. He’s annoying as hell and so immature.”

“He is. But he was good to us.”

You roll away and face the wall, happy with your answers and the conversation you’ve had. Your eyes are feeling heavier, watering with desperation to sleep. Yawns evade your lips and it makes Megumi chuckle. When your mouth is closed your teeth begin to chatter. Maybe shorts and vest wasn’t the best idea for sleepwear given the current weather conditions.

Despite all your best efforts to conceal the volume of your teeth, Megumi hears them. He doesn’t react, though. Not straight away at least. He isn’t sure if he wants to get involved. The worry of saying something pointless swirls through his head. What could he say, anyway? It’s not like he could do anything to make it better.

“You’re cold.” he says, plainly. He curses himself immediately. Why did he state it as a fact as if you aren’t already fully fucking aware of what temperature your body is at? You’re covered head to toe in goosebumps and worried you might actually freeze into a statue.

“Uhm, I… a little.” you confess, weakly. He clears his throat. His mouth is moving faster than his brain can tell him to shut up. It’s a mistake. A colossal mistake he needs to stop himself from making. But he can’t. The words are already pouring out. What the fuck is wrong with him?

“We, uh, do you want to get in? With me. Share body heat until you warm up.”

It shocks you, significantly so. He’s offering to spoon with you. What would Yuuji think? What would anyone think, actually? What do you think?

You think it’s absolutely ridiculous.

You’re constantly at each other’s throats and now he’s offering you comfort and warmth in such an intimate way. Yuuji wouldn’t be happy. Would any man be happy about their girlfriend getting into bed with someone else? No matter how innocent it is. You know he wouldn’t like it.

But you know it’s innocent. You don’t want anything from Megumi. Just…

“Okay.” you whisper. His eyes bulge, he hadn’t been expecting you to agree to it. He opens his duvet up for you. You pick up Gerald and rush into bed with him. Your body moulds against his and you immediately feel better. He’s so warm. You’re cuddling Gerald and his arms are wrapped around your waist as he holds you close, attempting to transfer as much as his body heat as he can onto you.

“Feel better?” he mutters after around ten minutes. You nod, and he holds you even tighter.

“I feel your… your dick is hard, Megumi.” you groan back, he snickers, uncaring.

“I know. Sorry, your ass keeps grinding against it. Just ignore it ‘n go to sleep, princess.” he commands. You giggle back at him. It isn’t his fault. If anything it’s yours. You should have said no to getting into his bed. You shouldn’t be letting him hold you like this. How a lover should.

How Yuuji does.

It’s so wrong and inappropriate. But you’re so toasty and warm, you really don’t care.

“Sweet dreams, Megumi.”

“Night, O’Keeffe.”

—

© 2022 fuwushiguro | © 2024 rinhaler

[odessastone]

NEW LIFEWEAVER AND SYMMETRA LORE BITS FROM "REBUILDING RUINS"

So I got my copy of Heroes Ascendant today and THERE WERE SO MANY GOOD LITTLE MOMENTS IN THIS STORY I MUST gush I MUST

So here are some new bits of Symmetra and Lifeweaver lore that we got! I bolded my personal favorite ones. 😚

(spoilers!)

Satya and Niran "grew up together" as friends, so they were friends in childhood too, not just at a teen or university age.

Apparently when Satya would get overstimulated and need recovery time, Niran would keep people away from their room and tell them she was sick so she didn't have to face anyone 😭

He also used to hang out and watch her practice her dancing for hours on end, without ever getting tired of it.

Satya considered (possibly still considers) Niran her closest friend.

Niran is late to everything (CALLED this one). He's even late for their meeting LOL

"He looked good. Satya almost wished he didn't." Bits like this are going to feed my Symweaver ass for YEARS

Satya is (still) extremely hurt by Niran leaving all those years ago, and perceives it as him having left her, not just Vishkar. She still misses him dearly, even though they've been apart for eleven years.

Speaking of which, being apart for eleven years means Niran was twenty when he left the Academy. For all you fellow fic authors out there 😊

Satya's autism is stated, full-out, no dancing around it or talking about being on "the spectrum". They flat out say "her autism" in a sentence. Cool!

One of Niran's first questions upon reconnecting with Satya is if Vishkar is mistreating her, if she needs help. Of course she denies this, but...

Niran can read Satya's emotions without her saying them, and even while thinking she's hiding them 😭 Several times throughout the story she's surprised because he cuts right through her stoic bullshit and gets right to how she feels about something.

The Architech Academy was really overwhelming for Satya, and it sounds like they made no effort to accommodate her needs. Unsurprising, considering they didn't accommodate Niran's, either.

Vishkar fiercely discouraged her from stimming, instilling in her a fear of looking "immature, or distracted, or rude, or strange".

She gave a speech at graduation, then had to spend a full week in bed afterward to recover from all the stress. And there was no Niran to guard her by then ☹

Even now, she finds many things about Vishkar overstimulating and uncomfortable, such as her uniform's fabric, and her living quarters.

Satya called Niran "Bua" way back when, possibly the first person to use the nickname for him. Partway through the story the narration (from Satya's POV) actually switches to calling him that, which is cute.

The Arcology seems to have uh, basically no real protection against attacks... Null Sector just shows up on a train and starts blasting lol. This is something I address in my fic The Light You Deserve, so it was kinda funny to see that I was right in predicting that.

She feels comfortable enough around Niran by the end to stim around him without realizing it (apparently she taps her fingers together and twirls her hands in circles, I guess kind of like flapping). She immediately stops and is embarrassed when he points it out, but Niran encourages her instead. She then uncertainly stims in front of him, growing more relaxed and confident as she lets herself do so (this had to be my favorite part of the story).

Toward the end they double down on Satya's belief that she can change Vishkar from the inside (girl....) but then at the VERY end, Niran suggests she look more into the founder of Vishkar and his ideals, and then says that "The Arcology will be delighted to have you". SHE MIGHT DEFECT TO THE ARCOLOGY IN CANON AND BE WITH NIRAN HHHHH AAAA sorry this was supposed to be an unbiased list I'm cool I'm cool

AAAAAA I'M NOT COOL I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE WANTED IN A STORY BETWEEN THEM okay minus the random Null Sector attack tbh that was weird

Anyway the very last line says that Satya now has "whenever she needed it, a friend to return to". So they're definitely gonna interact more going forward!!

[teojira]

[ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴛᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴀʀ]

ᴛᴇᴏᴊɪʀᴀ (ᴇꜱᴛ 2ᴋ24)

《Introduction》 +

《! Please read me !》

¤ Hi! My name is Teddy and this blog as it says on the tin, is a multifandom blog! I'm into a wide range of characters and interests, so I'm sure I have something that'll strike your fancy!

¤ This is an 18+ blog. This is to keep me and you safe should you be a minor. Please stay away! I can't police you, but use common sense.

¤ I will not deal with discourse here, don't like what I write or who I write for? Block me and move on, I don't care.

¤ I am a woman person of color, no hatred towards ANY group is tolerated here. It will end in an IP address block.

¤ My interests fluctuates alot, I have severe adhd and some characters will get special treatment depending on which mood I am in!

¤ I'm always down to chat and make conversation but please remember I'm human and I have a job outside of tumblr, this is just a hobby for me! Please be kind and understanding.

《RULES/GUIDELINES》

¤ Every character I will write romantic ideas for must be of age. Any minor will ONLY be platonic. (Exception being the tmnt brothers, they are aged up accordingly.)

¤I write comfort, fluff, angst, pretty much anything tbh.

¤ My own rule of thumb is that if a furry character is sentient, can consent and is of age, and speaks/thinks/acts like a human, it is akin to monster loving. (Harkness scale pretty much). I don't care for your take on it, block me if you disagree!

¤ I will not write nsfw if you are on anon, your age must be somewhere on your blog. I will delete it from my askbox.

¤ A please and a thank you go a long way!

¤ I usually write with she/her pronouns or gender neutral pronouns.

¤ I am not looking for critique, this is all for fun. This is a heavy boundary, I will block if you do this.

¤ NSFW will be tagged accordingly so you can black list, if I forget to tag something, kindly let me know. I am not responsible for your experience beyond that, act accordingly if I write something you don't like.

¤ Please include some details with your requests, such as character and a general idea on what you'd like me to write! Please don't write an essay in my ask box.

¤ Things I will not write: Pregnancy, Underage, harder kinks (Scat/Noncon/vore/piss), Character harming reader physically, Parenthood, character x character.

Not sure if I write something? Just shoot me a text!

¤ Do NOT share my writing anywhere else (Quotev, Ao3, wattpad, Tiktok). A Simple reblog is appreciated here and only on tumblr.

¤ Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! It's nice to know something I wrote was loved!

And finally what we've all been waiting for, put your hands together for the :

《 Fandoms I write for》

Genshin impact

Honkai Star rail

Transformers

Tmnt

Monsterverse (platonic only for the Kaijus)

Planet of the apes (remake) (NO nsfw)

My hero academia (Dabi and Tomura only)

Demon slayer

Overwatch

Twisted wonderland

Devil may cry

Apex legends (Revenant only)

Fire emblem three houses

Puss in boots: the last wish (Death only)

Stranger things (Eddie Munson only)

Red dead redemption 2

The Wolf among us (Bigby only)

Five nights at freddys: Security Breach

Sonic (platonic for everyone except Shadow)

DC comics/ DCEU

Horror icons/slashers

Countless other video game characters probably lmao.

Though I write for many fandoms, I'm more comfortable with specific characters so I'll let you know if I'm comfortable enough to write for them!

Don't see a character you're sweet on? No worries, shoot me a text and I'll see if I know anything about them to whip something up for ya!

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴏɴ!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

[theprinceandthewitch]

I still don't see how people can legitimately argue TOH was subverting romantic expectations when it doesn't... actually do that.

In order for this kind of subversion to work, you need to address why Luz and Hunter getting together is detrimental to them. But at no point do the writers actually show us WHY Hunter and Luz aren't a good fit for each other. You'd expect them to be very careful in how they go about writing Luz's and Hunter's relationship - like making sure Willow is the most important character to Hunter's arc.

But they don't actually do that - instead of having Willow act as the catalyst for Hunter's arc it's Luz. She is there for all of Hunter's important moments... which is not what you would do if your goal was to actually subvert romantic expectations. Another thing you don't do is make Luz and Hunter parallels to past lovers who are deeply tied to the story's villain.

People tend to use Witches Before Wizards as evidence of a subversion of romantic expectations... but that was used to foreshadow Belos' true nature and Hunters' relationship to him [Sense and Insensitivity does this as well... like they rlly wanted to make it clear Belos' and Hunter's relationship was something integral to the story]. I also need to point out WBW comes right after the first episode - which has a talking point about how you shouldn't punished for something as innocuous as shipping. So to have the first episode be proceeded by an episode that establishes Luz's relationship to a prince as something VERY IMPORTANT because of how it relates to the story's villain is... hmm... suspicious to say the least. I don't think this is something they'd do if their goal was to create an argument against Luz and Hunter getting together.

Even if you wanted to make a case by using Eclipse Lake as evidence for Hunter and Luz being bad for each other - it still doesn't work. Yes, Hunter, in Eclipse Lake is technically making a choice between Luz and Belos like he did in Hunting Palismen. But here's the thing: this choice isn't used BY THE WRITERS to argue why Hunter and Luz would be bad for each other. If it was intended to be used against Luz/Hunter then Luz's perception of Hunter would have changed and his choice would be used as a point of contention between them. This would have been a perfect way to insert Willow into Hollow Mind instead of Luz.... but they don't do that.

They don't do that because Hunter's and Luz's relationship was never intended to be painted in a negative light.

In fact, Hollow Mind goes so far as to parallel them with Caleb and Evelyn. And I'm not talking about making Evelyn's appearance more like Luz than Willow. I'm talking abut stuff like this:

Must I rlly point out why this is so crazy... just look at the bottom left corner...

here's a more HD version of the painting:

There's also the parallel of Caleb/Hunter being "lured away" from Philip by a witch from another world... with the bonus points of Evelyn/Luz expecting the arrival of a new family member. Which is unbelievably haunting to me btw LMAO.

Thanks to Them takes it even further by telling the story of Caleb and Evelyn.... while Luz is dressed as a witch and Hunter is cosplaying as a human... and they made sure Luz was sitting right next to Hunter when the story was being told... I'm not making this shit up - that's literally what happened. Once again, this was another moment that could have been given to Willow instead of Luz.... but it's not.

[A/N: Seeing Luz sit next to Hunter with her gf right before the writers release the Caleb/Evelyn bombshell on them is so fucking funny. This entire episode is a joy to sit through because it reads like an episode written by someone who doesn't like Lumity and Huntlow. I don't know how they could have written the most anti-Lumity and anti-Huntlow episode in the show accidentally, but they did. 10/10 episode tbh.]

Then there is Luz's association with wolves highlighted by Hunter's newfound love of wolves... then there is Flapjack only letting Luz use him during their fight with Belos... then there is Flapjack flying to Luz instead of Willow when he's on his deathbed... FINALLY, there is Hunter coming back to life looking like Caleb and pleading with Luz - who is still dressed as a witch - to help him fight his grand-uncle-brother.

I also want to note Willow's costume in TTT takes design cues from Evelyn's stereotypes. I don't think this was intentional, because if it was then that would have been used to foreshadow Hunter NOT ending up with Willow. But it is very funny to me and I like to think that it was a sneaky move done by a Huntlow hater in the crew... I know I would do something like this if I was forced to make Hunter and Willow a thing LOL.

So yeah, you'd think they'd give all this stuff to Willow instead of Luz, since they intended to culminate Hunter's arc with him holding pinkies with Willow instead of helping Luz fight Belos.

At this point you're probably thinking... hmm... if the writers always intended to make Luzs and Hunters relationship detrimental to their stories, then they're not doing a very good job at it. And you'd be right... because they never intended to write an argument against it in the first place.

Even though they wanted Hunter to be paired off with Willow, they never bothered to make sure she's there for all of his important moments. Instead, Hunter's important moments are given to Luz - the only character in this show who has a thing for angsty warrior princes with tragic yet compelling backstories.

And I havent the faintest fucking idea why they though this was a good idea... but I sure do know it wasn't because they wanted to create a compelling argument against Luz/Hunter.

[bloggingboutburgers]

First of, I'm a big fan of your work. I love your comics and art and was happy to hear about the engagement 😁

As for my question, I love writing stories and creating OCs/characters. In your recent comic you called out that the only ace/aro rep always seems to be "the creator said so on Twitter" (a problem with a lot of rep. in media).

So I was curious, if I wanted to create an aroace character (and write a story with them), how could I naturally show them being aroace? Do you perhaps have any idea?

Thank you so much for the kind words!^^

Arguably my complaints are ironic because I myself haven't done proper aroace rep in my own fiction thus far – though I guess I'm compensating for that with my current comics, haha 🙈 But also, I've said it before and I'll say it again cus I'm annoying like that – Bojack Horseman did it, in my opinion, so that gives the rest of the media less excuses I guess.

So, again these are my personal views, and they're possibly demanding, but this would be my checklist for ideal aroace rep:

The aro/ace character needs to... BE a character. Actually have arcs, that matter within the story. Whether they're about being asexual or not doesn't really matter as long as THEY matter as a character.

...Ngl I feel they need to matter BEFORE they're revealed as aro/ace too, and obviously after. If they don't, they'll just feel like a placeholder who's just there to tick a box to me.

The fact that they're aro/ace needs to be addressed and not pushed under the rug or left up to interpretation. Leaving things up to interpretation will have so many people interpret them as allo for sure (just like in real life). And conversely, saying they're aro/ace may spark some curious questions and possibly awkward conversations (just like in real life). (...Again tbh Bojack Horseman was great at doing it naturally. The confusion from the ace character themself, the ace character's friend assuming they're gay because yeah that always happens, the MC having a friendly yet clueless "haha you're lucky that'd save me so many problems if I didn't have sexual attraction"... I could go on.)

By that I also mean... Actually NAMING the orientation at some point. If it's not named people who consume the media and don't know such an orientation exists will be none the wiser. (I'm guilty of that myself tbh. In one of my webcomics I had an alloaro character but never had the orientation mentioned within the story, I left it at showing he has sex and him having a conversation with his family explaining he doesn't have a favorite person because he just can't, but I feel like that's not enough, and I've been feeling a bit bad about it.) A good way of bringing that up fairly naturally would be to have the character figure out their orientation within the story, as a way to have the audience learn alongside them; but it could also be played for drama, which I don't think I've ever seen and would like to dabble with myself at some point – like, imagine you have a friend you hold dear who's key to your personal development and suddenly you find out they see you as sex / romance prospects and not as a friend like YOU do? That'd be crushing but that could definitely make for a good conflict. I should try writing that. I'm rambling anyway. Bleh.

Another thing that, to me, is key to the aro/ace experience is that the character may have some moments of questioning their place in the world. Our world is obsessed with sex and romance and fiction exacerbates that to the point where some characters barely even exist if they don't have romance. This could range from "Do I NEED to even identify myself as something" (again, Bojack Horseman did that great) to "Friendship is the most important relationship to me but not to my friends, what if they all abandon me once they find the one person they consider 'more important'". I dunno. I feel like there could be some interesting storylines there. I definitely would love to dabble into that myself a bit more, though I lack the time and talent – those concepts and the lack of things that are done with it live in my head rent-free.

...Actually I feel it could be good to show aro/ace characters as full of heart (if it fits their personality), having their own feelings and emotions outside of the usual romance spectrum, to show that they're just as human and compelling as the other characters. (...AGAIN Bojack Horseman did that great imo, I feel bad that I'm only ever quoting that show but that's still the best example I can ever think of.) Like – betrayal, loneliness, grief, kinship, literally ANY other form of love than romantic love... We feel all of those too, and those deserve to be addressed in stories just as much (if not more) than the pining or simping that's kinda everywhere.

Oh yeah and speaking of being human... Yeah, human. We need more human aro/ace characters. Making it so that only the aliens/gods/demons/robots/whatever are ever allowed to be aro/ace only serves to dehumanize these orientations.

...IIIII think that's it. I might be forgetting some things I'd wanna add on later but I think that covers everything that would make for ideal rep in my own opinion

[hood-ex]

Your post about that dialogue from Gotham Knights (the game) made me think back on how much I miss Bruce and Dick's relationship tbh. Like obv it was never the healthiest thing ever, and Bruce was always emotionally constipated, but it always felt a little more... equal? Recently it's just felt so toxic, like Bruce will be an asshole, and Dick will be hurt by it but will still come back to him and will remove the burden of Bruce apologizing for anything from him. Like the scene between them in Nightwing 100, where Bruce is rightfully apologizing for his crap and Dick says he doesn't have to. I do like that scene (even if it was over the top), but that's not right. Like, no sir, he has a lot to apologize for lmao. But that's literally been their dynamic for so long. Whenever Bruce should be called out, Dick just forgives him and Bruce goes back to doing the same old shit again, and Dick forgives him again, and rinse and repeat.

Honestly, it feels like whoever wrote those scenes took a look at that one meme of Batman slapping Robin and said "hey, they like that, let's do that!" Like, you can't go a long time without Bruce hitting Dick. Because they think fans eat that shit up ig. They are so attached to their shock value Bruce and Dick fights and their image of brooding Bruce that they won't address their fucked-up relationship and won't change the status quo. We have gotten many scenes of them being great together and having sweet moments, but those all feel tainted by the rest of it. It's as recent as the amnesia arc where Bruce re-traumatized Dick and then didn't help him when he was living in his car and then pretty much emotionally manipulated him to become Nightwing again. Recent comics really have forgotten what Batman is about.

And it sucks, because Dick is my fave of all faves, but I also love the hell out of Bruce Wayne, and it's so sad to see him be reduced to this... only brooding, borderline abusive asshole. They won't let him grow or develop. I don't mind conflict, and I like that they have a complicated relationship. I didn't even mind Bruce punching Dick, because it's interesting. Once was fine, twice was fine, the same thing happening all the time without addressing it and with no change across years is kind of a problem. I'm only keeping up with the Nightwing run out of loyalty to my boy, but from what I've heard of the events that are happening outside of that, it seems that they are having issues again, and I'm waiting for the next Batman issue that features Nightwing to also feature another punch or something. It's always Bruce being coddled by the story and never being asked to make the step forward, it's always Dick that has to give in and make Bruce feels better about his flaws and free him of any responsibility for his actions even when it's time for Bruce to step up and grow up.

It's why I prefer the animated adaptations or the retellings. I think world's finest did a good job with their relationship, I feel like Robin: Year 1 from back in the day did too, and Young Justice animated for its many flaws has a solid dynamic between them. They still have a complicated relationship, but it isn't so dramatically awful. It allows for a more balanced and well-rounded portrayal of the character when you aren't pandering to some people by flanderizing the character ig. Anyway, sorry for ranting, you're like my fave Dick Grayson blog so I just wanted to share. Hope this wasn't a bother.

No yeah I hated that aspect of Nightwing #100. If TT wanted to do a scene like that, he should’ve built up a conflict between Dick and Bruce to give us some context as to some type of thing Bruce actually needed to apologize for. Then he could’ve had Bruce apologize, Dick accept the apology, and end it with that reconciliation.

Instead, he just had Bruce apologize like, “I’m sorry I failed you, I’m sorry I pushed you away, I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I wasn’t proud of you,” which would’ve hit much harder if, again, they had shown some kind of recent conflict between Bruce and Dick to warrant that sudden apology. And for Dick to then express his own hurt and such over said conflict. And then for them to come to some reconciliation. But yeah it’s very unsatisfying for Bruce to just list things he’s sorry for, and for Dick to hug him and just reassure Bruce. Like nooo let Bruce feel bad. Let Dick feel bad because of what Bruce did to him. Let Dick be angry. Let them both hurt. Then let them heal.

As for the amnesia arc, I feel like they really did a disservice to Bruce by not focusing enough on his trauma from the sniper incident. If they really stressed how much it traumatized him and then showed how his actions were effected by that (like giving him a dire need to have Dick return to normal bc otherwise it’s like Dick just died in his arms on that rooftop) then that is much more sad and compelling, and we can at least kind of see where Bruce is coming from by showing Dick the sniper video (though it would’ve been better if they just… hadn’t done that all).

If I had been writing that issue, I would’ve had it from Bruce’s POV where he would’ve constantly been in a state of flashbacks. Like seeing his parents getting killed and then comparing it to Dick getting shot. And then having flashbacks of Dick when he was younger but then Bruce imagining that Dick keeps getting shot in the head in each of those memories. And all of that literally just like… pushing Bruce over the edge. And then of course when Dick wakes up and asks Bruce “Who are you?” Bruce spirals even further. And we see his descent to this very isolated and dark place where he just wants his son back at all costs. That would’ve been waaaaay more interesting. Extremely dark ofc. But interesting.

Yeah the comic Dick and Bruce relationship can definitely be toxic (and I’m not totally opposed to that bc I think it makes things interesting between them), and there are animated shows that show them in a more balanced light. The Batman (2004) is one of those shows as well. Dick was Robin then ofc, and Bruce wasn’t so dark at that point in life. But when you watch shows like that, it reminds you of the character Bruce is supposed to be, and it reminds you of what you like the most about him. So definitely nice to watch shows like that sometimes to remind yourself of the Bruce Wayne that exists outside of modern comics.

[nixnephili]

Hey Nix!! Just wanted to say that i love LOVE both this au, the lore in it, and your style because 🤌 ITS JUST AMAZING!!

curious about one thing: how would Atsushi address others? ive seen your post about how everyone would address Atsushi but how would Atsushi address others????

anyways i hope you have an amazing day and hope the world of Fyo!Atsushi AU expands <33

What Atsushi calls his superiors:

Nikolai:

• I honestly think he wouldn't address him tbh. Unless necessary, case in which he would use either "Nikolai", on a personal basis or "Nikolai-san" in a public space to display a formality. But otherwise he tends to avoid most interaction or assigning honorifics to his name, as Atsushi deems them undeserved.

Sigma:

• He would address him, politely. Mainly based off genuine respect and gratitude for being allowed in the library at all hours to read. Sigma is kind to Jim so Atsushi addresses him with "Sigma-san" on a regular. In the beggining he would say "mister" or "sir"--> yet again a level of courtesy Nikolai did not earn himself due to his brash behaviour towards the little tiger.

• As far as nicknames maybe a shortened "Siggs"?

Bram:

• Ummm...he would probably just address him as "Bram" or "Bram-san" .

• When in the form of a bat maybe even "Stoker". Atsushi would prefer to set that line between Bat!Bram and normal Bram.

[jq37]

Just spitballing here: considering that Porter has everything for the ritual but Fig has laid claim to Ankarna's domain, do you think the final battle might transition to the Bottomless Pit for an epic fight in Rock and Roll Hell?

Other idle thoughts: the "skin and fuck" joke was honestly tasteless and creepy but it is hilarious that Ivy continued being irrelevant. KP is two seconds from an aneurysm because she watched her nemesis jump into lava. And where the hell is Sandra Lynn?

Hmm. On the one hand, the Gym battle specifically is a clear choice to go full circle from the OG finale. On the other hand, that would be really cool! We shall see and ten extra credit points to you for Divination Class if you're right!

Fabian has a history of saying wild out of pocket stuff in character as Fabian (there's a scene in I think Sophomore Year where he has to properly claim the Hangman for some reason and instead of some kind of Boy And His Dog Power-Of-Friendship thing he's like that dog is my SLAVE and I was like *LOU WHAT???*--he obviously didn't mean it in any type of way other than in character badly trying to posture but it was WILD) which I guess makes sense considering he was raised by someone who casually flays peoples backs off to write contracts on them. Not surprised he went hard though since she had just shot his dog/bike on top of the Mazey comment that was clearly festering all year. But I appreciate that Mazey was like...yeah not sure how to react to that tbh. Love when people have moments of reacting like real people in the middle of the ridiculous cartoon situation that's happening. And yeah, Ivy talked a really big game for someone who couldn't even last a round.

Kipperlilly giving up her insane hiding spot because she saw Riz purposefully swan dive into lava is so funny. No matter his financial struggles, Riz never has to worry about having a roof over his head because he is living in Kipperlilly's mind rent free.

And I'm also a little concerned about Sandra-Lynn given Baxter showed up without a rider two eps ago and that was never resolved. I can offer one possible non-dire speculation. I think Baxter appeared after Fig rolled really well to not fall out of the sky (it might have been a Nat 20 but I'm not sure). It's possible Brennan, as a reward for that, just had Sandra Lynn sense trouble and do that so they'd have an extra mount in case something like that happened again. But that's just a guess. We'll see if it's addressed in the finale!

[demonic-ninja-cat]

Hazbin Hotel Criticism - Heaven, Hell, & 'Rehabilitation'

I'm gonna make a disclaimer that I haven't seen the show in full, but i have listened to a bunch of the songs and watched some clips and read/watched a lot of things about it.

Also, tbh, I'm against the idea of eternal torture afterlives in general, even if it is only horrible bad abhorrent people who are sent there, so that probably gives me some bias about this show.

I also have a bunch of christianity-specific religious trauma, so I'll be talking about Hazbin from that perspective. I'm gonna be very negative about christianity and it's afterlife system, so christians don't read or interact with this post!

I've seen tons of very valid criticisms on Hazbin Hotel, and I wanted to add my own to the table; especially since I haven't seen some of what I'm about to talk about, actually talked about before.

In this post I'm mainly gonna be talking about how it's main premise fails, and how there's some issues with it that I'm pretty sure aren't addressed at all in the show, and a bit on how some of the issues add fuel to the theory that Vivziepop isn't really wanting to critique christianity at all.

Onto the premise: the 'redemption' of 'Sinners' so they can get to Heaven. Even the premise itself is very pro-Christian, other than the edgy demon/hell coat of paint that turns Christians off. If it was about humans while they were still alive, instead of demons, the Christians would love it. This(and the fact that she refuses to have God in the show) is why i agree with the idea that Vivziepop isn't try to critique christianity really.

She might be trying to critique the specific flavor of christianity that believes in predestination(as some other posters have said), because in Hazbin she shows that she thinks people should be allowed to change and work to gain entrance to Heaven, but that Heaven & Hell should still exist. However, that doesn't critique all of christianity, and it shows that she likely doesn't think that christianity itself is bad and flawed and in need of real critique.

And even that aside, there are parts of the plot that don't work, especially if the intention is to show that Heaven and it's requirements to enter are flawed. Which it seemed that she was trying to do with the “nobody really knows what gets a human soul into heaven!” twist in the show.

For example, if they really wanted to show that Heaven's entry system is flawed/biased/rigged/unfair, they should have shown more 'sinner' demons in hell who were genuinely good people but were sent to hell for stupid and/or unknown reasons. Like, all the main characters who are 'sinners' are bad people(serial killers, cannibals, mafia members, abusers, etc.), so if you think that there should be an eternal punishment afterlife, these are exactly the kind of people who should be there and the system isn't as unfair as they claim.

In order to fix this, and really show that the system is flawed and unfair, they need to have actually good 'sinners'. People who were nice people in life(and maybe even are still nice), but who were sent to Hell because they broke one of Heaven's bullshit old testament-type rules(eg. killed someone in self-defense and/or accidentally, or did intoxicating substances but never hurt anyone, or was sexually active outside of marriage, or was gay/trans if you want to go that way with it).

They would also need to change the main characters' goal from "getting 'sinners' to Heaven", into something like "change the system" or "topple the angelic government" or "stop the exterminations and make hell a better place to live". They could have Charlie want to do the 'redemption hotel' thing at first, but learn that Heaven is fucked-up and unfair, and that she should be more proactive about bettering things for demonkind in hell and fighting the system made by heaven, instead of just working within the system to 'save' individual demons by sending them to Heaven.

Also, another flaw with the 'redemption to Heaven as the end goal' thing is that not all demons would want to go to heaven, even to escape the exterminations. And i'm not just talking about the ones who are fucked up assholes who want to keep the power they have in hell either. I'm talking about actual good-person demons, who would still choose not to go to the hotel or try for heaven, simply because they don't want to live with and as the species that has been trying to wipe their kind out for thousands of years.

And like, i know i'm white so i should leave most of the discussions about this to the actual POC, so i'll keep this segment short, but i agree with what i've seen in other posts about Charlie/the plot being very white savior-y. Yes Charlie is still a demon, but she's both a Hellborn(and thus not the main target of the exterminations) and is the Princess Of Hell(and is thus on the top of Hell's hierarchy/social classes). And the whole thing with wanting to 'rehabilitate' Demons so they are sent to Heaven and turned into Angels, also gives me icky "saving the backwards evil people by teaching them to be like the advanced good people and taking them away from their horrible scary homes!" style white savior narrative vibes(think “Willy Wonka with the Oompa Loompas” type shit).

I have no problem with people who were once bad people becoming better and going through redemption arcs and such, and i am very pro-therapy and rehabilitation(though i do think that abusers and r*pists and such should not just be allowed to walk around scot-free and able to hurt more victims). However, the way it's done in Hazbin Hotel and the reasoning behind it(mostly to escape being genocided by the very people they have to join if their rehabilitation is 'successful'), makes it come off more like conversion 'therapy' or forced cultural assimilation, rather than than actual rehabilitation, at least to me.

[mazzystar24]

how would having buck/eddie be more powerful?? yeah i get that having a queer latino man would be awesome (and i support whatever direction they want to go in w eddie’s sexuality bc i think there’s a lot of options there) but it’s kind of embarrassing that people are making buck’s entire coming out about a ship. a bisexual man coming out in later life has his queer realisation with someone who also came out in later life, they’re both in a line of work that’s pretty “boys club”-esque (as shown by hen and chimney begins episodes, and it’s a shame that hen’s queer identity isn’t recognised enough in the fandom). Buck’s storyline is just as meaningful with or without an endgame of buddie. Tbh I hope they make eddie queer as well but don’t put buddie together because the only way they get together without violating workplace relationship rules is if one of them leaves, which is arguably less meaningful because we lose a main character. Sorry if this comes off as rude but y’all have had your shipping brains on for too long because you can’t recognise how much this means to bisexual fans and it’s honestly exhausting.

Okay gonna address that bottom part first just to clarify real quick that I am in fact a bisexual fan 🫡 so that assumption was 😐

As for the rest:

If you look on my page or my previous asks or anything you’d see that I’m over the moon ecstatic over finally getting bi buck

At no point did I make buck being bi just about his ships, in almost every ask about bucktommy or buddie me and most of the anons are constantly reiterating how much we value canon bi buck even if it wasn’t EXACTLY how we wanted it

At no point in any of my previous posts nor in the ask response that I’m assuming you sent this ask about did I imply that bucks coming out arc is of more value when connected to buddie

The post/ask was about bucktommy as endgame or buddie as endgame and my opinion on it and my opinion is that it would be more powerful and meaningful to have buddie

To answer your question on why- buddie yes have a lot of in common with bucktommy but the thing that makes it for me is that

1. Queer slowburns done right are practically unheard of in the media

2. As you’ve touched on yeah Eddie is a Latino man but also we got to see Eddie grow as a person get into therapy, deal with his issues with his father and being a man of the house, be a widow and raise a son

Can you name a single character who we see on screen go from this all American soldier perfect boy to seeing him breakdown, get therapy understand comp het, fall in love with his best friend and navigate how he balances coming out in his 30s while having very mixed and complicated feelings about his dead wife who I genuinely believe he loved in some way but also having to come out to his son who is bound to have his own complicated feelings about it?

3. We’ve had so much history and so many powerful scenes between these two that to me and many of the fandom nothing can measure up to, like if they do become canon like it would mean a lot because their story and scenes over the years have been so amazing and powerful

4. Theyd be listening to what the fans want/have wanted for years!! That’s huge because so many shows never make characters queer because the fans saw them as it or shipped them and when on those rare occasions they do they take the easy way out and make one half of them queer to get fans to shut up (cough cough a certain cw show)

Also I never trashed on bucktommy because I don’t ick someones yum all I said is i agree and I don’t get those who want them to be endgame and I do make jokes about my own shipping goggles but seriously I am self aware and I do keep being VERY conscious that some may misunderstand me as not valuing bi buck just because we didn’t get buddie when that couldn’t be further from the truth