#major major apologies for how flashy this is

[slipknot-sic-0]

Look Me In My Brand New [EYE]!

[pieroulette]

Did I, A Side Character Became the Male Lead's Wife?!

2023 | 13+ | ONESHOT | YANG JUNGWON × READER | -> PART 2

SUMMARY you — a side character in a royal novel doing absolutely nothing but enjoy your rich ass yet boring life, only watching over the female lead and doing your job in protecting her, only for a pair of kittenish eyes to fall not upon the female lead but on you, unfortunately.

AUTHOR'S NOTE not me writing a whole ass oneshot at 5am bcs of that sweet ask from that one anon, imma name u serotonin dopamine anon lmao- and jungwon bae u r truly my muse.. also inspired by sum manhwas cuz I binge read 90+ chapters in less than a day 💀💀💀 plus happy 900+ followers for me <333 mom wake up I'm famous even tho I'll never let u know what my secret writing blog is about 😊😊

a side character, how cute?

well, you only came to know of this very horrible (not really) fact that you're nothing close to a main character's vibes cause look at you babe, where's the sparkling shiny starry dust on you as you walked through the red carpet at the ball?

and did they even spare a glance at you? unfortunately, nope. because the female lead, Liz; was your enemy, at least in how your character was written in the novel by the goddamn author which was you.

yes, that's right!

you, a hella introverted author dwelling in the deepest corner of her room doing nothing but spent an ungodly amount of hours creating the perfect and enchanting characters after crying for major character death of a fic a few years ago. wiping your dripping tears off your cheeks in a comical way as you pull open your laptop and risk your 20/20 vision for life, just so you can reverse the aching pain in your chest that you wore a thick ass glasses now.

Liz, the female lead. Swooning over her was your religion, throwing not one but a ten whole buckets explaining how perfect she was—or how tremendously kind she was, delicate and utterly sweet. patting yourself on the back for creating such a goddess of a character, so it's only wise for you to give her a fitting male lead, right? Okay we'll talk about that later since it's about you right now.

So how did you end up in your novel? Well, because of one fateful day of you doing absolutely nothing but taking a goddamn rest, and whoever the god in heaven that just randomly decided to throw you in the novel you wrote yourself—must be utterly insane. Perfect indeed!

it took you a humongous realisation to see yourself in a dark green puffy dress that represents jealousy, envy, and betrayal—which also represents the side character standing behind the female lead on the thick cover of your book. you've originally written her as that wicked best friend that uses her seductive way of speech to seduce men, and at last turning her back at the female lead by accusing her of a horrendous crime.

her fatal fate consists of her head being snapped by the guillotine, unfortunately. but for you, not really, cause you are so in for destroying wicked characters but jokes on you—you're now in the body of that character.

pfft, can't the gods put you in a character that lives near the sea, with your straw hat on and as you drank your lemon juice away from the public drama, angsty dialogues, cringe moments you yourself have created because you don't have atleast an ounce of social skills that's why you pour it all on your characters.

"oh my apologies, milady— pfft—" three ladies sticking with each other like a super glue, had thrown the glass of wine on the female lead's gown—earning a series of gasps from everyone who saw but you were sure won't pay an ounce of consideration towards her as you had written almost everyone in this novel as "the world against the weak, fragile character."

oh, right. the hyena laughters of those you describe in episode 3 of "the flashy ball"; the three evil sisters, because why not? they added the extra spices in your tongue to the point you couldn't wait for them to get slap by the female lead or possibly someone.

ah, the tremendous satisfaction.

and you were one of that person whose hands itching to smash their skull apart, you cringed enormously at them as they were the ones that brought total trouble wherever they went or whoever are unlucky enough to get in their way. unfortunately, you seal your female lead's fate with them as she need some little obstacles, doesn't she?

you as hell were not sure what you're supposed to do, whether to just let things happen as the story goes or you do the male lead's job in protecting the female lead cause you have no idea why is he taking such a long time to appear, when he should've made his grand entrance at the freaking introduction?

and you wrote it that way cause you got fed up with male leads making their first appearance at the ball, and somehow quickly gaining the female lead's heart like Cinderella cause dear lord where's the slow burn?

just say, you're a conservative grandma type of a mindset or that you are skeptical over love at first sight. yep, you're right. that's why you ain't gonna let your precious female lead get bullied in front of your very eyes. she's like your granddaughter right now, seriously.

a shriek echoed through the entire ball, gaining everyone's attention. "oh my god! my dress! you— lady Liz! who did you even brought with you?!"

oh right, you forgot it's your first time at the ball either. "my apologies, milady. it's just that i saw a bunch of hyenas roaming around.." you rubbed the back of your neck.

"hyenas?! guards—"

"chill, what's the commotion here?" a bright dashing blonde haired man in a red royal suit came around, with sets of stars dusting upon his form which you already realise to be part of the main characters but unfortunately you forgot. you ain't having that extra superhuman memory just because you are an author.

the bunch of hyenas before you reasoned with the prince, but you slowly realise that the prince was none other than Prince Jake. Inspired by that one puppy image idol from fourth generation of kpop, you were apparently slurping your noodles in the local restaurant when you watched him imitating a dog from the tv, causing you to choke on your noodles.

it's safe to say, he's hot enough that he had to be part of your main characters. aah, that signature dashing smile of his as he defended the female lead with his wisely chosen string of words which immediately melted everyone's heart at sight.

times like this you wish you were actually the female lead, but the logical side of you beg to differ; you are not emotionally capable of spewing cringy romantic words for that's only reserved for writing. So thank you, i'll pass.

Surely, Prince Jake ain't the male lead for your precious female lead but you just let them converse with each other despite her with her absolute kindness, urging you to talk with them too, atleast a word. it sort of felt for a moment like she was trying to match you with the prince.

like no please, you'd rather not to. hot guys are hot, but they're not worth the emotional investment past the fangirling section.

plus the prince doesn't seem interested you as he doesn't spare not even one look at you which obviously you couldn't care any less, you sneakily went out the ball after a series of mishaps—for example your heavy puffy ass gown with its sole purpose to only look pretty but the reality ain't that pretty to say the least, panting like a dog as you took each step towards the entrance all while cussing yourself for ignoring your logical part of brain that you shouldn't have been adding humongous useless words to describe the gown just to make it sound extremely pleasing to the readers.

now you're the one to bear the consequences of your own writing, the fuck.

"one! two!—" a long, long, depressing sigh echoes. "three! ah!—" consequently falling upon your face, what a perfect day indeed. you just wanted to go home, tuck yourself in your comforting blanket, eat your hot cup of ramen or indulge yourself in the sea of chocolate while daydreaming of your favourite idols and fictional characters.

not this awful disaster of you getting tangled in the courts' affairs.

"i suppose, you need help, milady?"

oh no, certainly not. don't call me milady, pretend i do not exist for i certainly do not have the social skills to pretend that i like you, or form a decent conversation especially with men.

"milady?"

you curled yourself, burying your head into the comfort of your gowns. wondering quite a bit of how odd you look in the middle of the hallway.

"milady?" his voice-like whisper came closer, obviously standing beside you right now. "are you okay?"

fuck it. "please, i beg of you to kindly leave me alone as my day has been utterly ruined and—" oh wait, he seems oddly familiar. those lush fluffy hair and kittenish orbs that only softens among those he were close enough.

prince jungwon.

oh! the male lead, oh my god! your jaw hang so low it fell on the ground, your eyes sparkled in dozens of star like universe as you took in his marvelous beauty that you had spent creating meticulously after studying all the '101 rules of how to create the perfect male lead that had the readers heart evaporating & a huge ass green forest that certainly would cause blazing flames'.

"oh my god! you look absolutely gorgeous, i've done it really well didn't i?! oh my god!"

"o-oh—! absolutely, you did well!" he immediately replied back, pressing his lips tight nervously.

wait what? what did he say? oh shit, oh well, covering your mouth instantly as you accidentally let it out before the prince, your precious male lead that you solely created for the female lead. "i—.."

the prince, your very precious character—obviously taken aback with a slight blush dusting of his adorable cheeks as he raise his fist up to his lips, coughing a couple of seconds. a personality trait you very well are familiar of cause that's how you wrote him when he fall in love with the female lead.

your eyes ogled out at that familiar sight, screaming at the back of your mind—wait, wait! you're not supposed to fall in love with me, you idiot! go back! go inside the ball, she's inside there!

"that's oddly brave of you, milady. i'd certainly go as far as to say that i've never seen such traits from a lady." kitten eyes softening at you, crouching down as he lend both of his hands for you. you raised your eyebrow confusingly at what is he trying to pull at but you realise he was intending to get you up.

"u-uhm? uh, sorry. i could get up on my own, actually." yeah, that's what you did. pushing yourself back up despite his protests because you ain't gonna let him fall any further for you, nah uh, not in this life, your mission is to get him and your female lead together inside the frames of birds holding flower wreaths as they went on to their happily ever after.

not with you!

"may i have the honour to know your name, though, milady?" why the fuck isn't he leaving, what is there so interesting in you that he is still standing here asking you such generic questions.

you shouldn't be having the characters attention on you as you obviously wrote it that way, and that even though your character in the novel had tried to get the prince's heart, despite resorting to foul actions, that he never truly had been attracted to her despite this characters' seductive aura.

for you squealed so loud at the scene you wrote, with jungwon putting her in her place. "you are not her, and you would never be her." along with the bunch of your readers hosting a flamboyant celebration under the comments, screaming over how loyal he was.

so what in the actual fuck is this?

"you don't need my name." you nonchalantly answered.

"my apologies?"

"you see, my best friend is in the ball—" you gestured your hands to the entrance of the ballroom, "and she needs your help more than i do."

"wait? why would she need my help?" his eyebrows knitted together in utter confusion as you pushed him through his back.

"of course, she do! don't ask anything!"

"wait!— my name is!" he forcefully turn to face you again, but you immediately covered his mouth with your hands—kabedonning him against the wall.

an excruciating silence occured between you two in the silent hallway, Jungwon freezing to his core when your other hand shoot beside his head.

"listen i don't need your name, dear sir." you emphasise each word, you certainly don't need to know his name nor his status as a prince, not wanting to risk any possible connection with him judging by how he acted before you just now.

"b-but!" his words were muffled into the void as you cupped his mouth tighter.

"shh, shh. stop talking and listen, will you?!"

jungwon nodded slowly, what an odd situation he was in right now, he thought. but somehow he likes it.

"so first step, is go inside the ballroom. second, look for the lady in pink gown, and third—"

"t-third?"

"third is tell her your name! my best friend needs it more than i do!" you release him from your grasp as you went to swing open the huge double door, "now go!" waving a goodbye before kicking his body through the entrance, pulling the door back with your entire strength despite his protests.

oh of course, you finally let out a gag after suppressing it in front of him the entire time as you've never had a proper conversation with a male without stuttering, somewhat a sad tragedy for you, unfortunately. you felt quite guilty about your readers who swoon over the romances you wrote between your leads, weeping over how you're so good at it—not knowing you're a complete introvert with only a gigantic ass dictionary with you.

finally, the male lead and female lead's romances are about to start! you squealed with your hands clasping as you went on your way to the carriage, gesturing for the rider to embark on the way to your heavenly puffy manor with the widest big grin ever that it had him questioning you, "has any gentleman had caught your heart, milady? a couple of hours ago, you were often beyond distraught to attend the ball but insisted when you heard Lady Liz was going."

"oh, you silly." you giggled as you swayed your hand, "of course, that's one of the reasons. but there's another one.."

"may i ask what is it, then?"

you leaned in closer, urging him to get closer as you whispered. "i got the chance to become a Cupid!"

"a Cupid?" you squealed before the old man, hopping like a child for quite awhile before flying into the carriage much to his surprise, but only shook his head in amusement—appalled by how his mistress had changed so much.

"so?" you couldn't help yourself from pulling out the widest eccentric grin at the female lead, extremely curious and ecstatic over what romances had bloom between her and Jungwon.

Liz raises her eyebrow in confusion, "so?.. what do you mean, milady?"

you shrugged, falling back to your seat as you raise your eyebrow in a comical way, "that.." whispering ever so seductively, "prince."

"p-prince?

"yes!" the teacup rattles at your excitement oozing so much that you tapped the table a couple of times. "what happen? what's the tea~"

she lets out a soft giggle, a bit amused by your excitement. "i have no idea what you're trying to imply, milady."

"wait? what are you saying? didn't the prince went to you last night?"

Liz shook her head slowly, her expressions clearly stating that she absolutely don't know what and who you were talking about as a smile pulled up on her lips once again, taking a few sip from her teacup.

veins popped out from your neck as it dawned on you, your head snapped towards the castle on top of the mountain, you stupid of a prince! you cussed at him endlessly at the back of your mind, tightening your fist as your ears and nose fuming in anger. how dare he? he didn't listen to you at all? what in the actual fuck? would this somehow divert the original route? a dozen question arise into your mind one after another, causing you to let out an exaggerated sigh.

facepalming yourself as you imagined the imaginary heavenly light on top of you, weeping to yourself about how tremendously unlucky you are to have a hard headed male lead. it's impossible, you have never added a trait so irritating like this in his profile so how could this happen?

"milady?" the gentle voice of your precious female lead pulled you out of your inner desperation, you leaned in closer, whining so much over how unlucky you were and such, the rest only being in your mind as you pouted.

"ah, i remember now, the prince—"

"WHAT?—" you immediately seated yourself after giving her a potential heart attack, "my apologies, what did you actually.. remember?"

"i assume you were talking about the prince from yesterday? prince jake?"

"no not that bitch— oh certainly not him, ehem.." you took a couple of exaggerated coughs, avoiding her evident confusion. "isn't there a prince.. name jungwon with you that night?"

"oh my goodness! right! prince jungwon!" she shook her head in disbelief with her finger on her head.

right, how did you even forgot that the female lead in front of you had a "weak ass memory" in her profile description. tsk tsk, truly a forgetful author you are. you should be trying your best to remember the things you wrote before and revise it as best as you can, to avoid any possible problems in the future, atleast.

"right, how did i even forget, the prince asked me for your name, milady—"

"huh?" you look at her with confusion, as you were out of reality a couple of seconds ago. your orbs terribly widened as her words slowly sinking in to your brain. "HUH?"

ask your name?! why your name, why not hers?! what did the prince ate that night before stumbling onto your way that he had to ask for your name before the female lead—his own lover?!

laughing awkwardly, you raise your leg on top of another as you nervously swayed your hands repeatedly. "oh dear, oh dear. you might have heard it wrong, the prince?—" snorting outloud as you gestured to yourself, "asking for my name? what a funny news!"

"i didn't, milady. the prince came to me and asked me for your name, as he was immensely curious of who you are so i—"

"so what?—" you can't believe this, you really can't bring yourself to believe any words she was uttering. you should have been bestowed by the news that the prince had taken an interest in her, a hand in marriage, or anything, anything as long as you're out of the picture! "y-you didn't tell him my name, d-didn't you?"

"of course, i did!" exclaimed she did with the widest grin ever.

why are you so freaking happy over this?! clasping your head in your hands as you tragically fall on your knees causing the lady to gasp in shock, ushering to your side to get you up.

"milady?! what's wrong?"

"d-dear," you pouted as you look up to her, "you didn't tell him where my manor's at, r-right?"

she simply replied, "i did? the prince informed me that he's going to send a letter for you to be his partner to the ball."

an imaginary arrow struck back to your heart, forming a humongous hole that threatens to give you a panic attack. what? what in the actual fuck? did you accidentally did something to divert the original story you yourself created? but you didn't even do anything! you tried to do your best to keep the interaction with him as short as possible and he dared to take an interest in you?!

"milady, a letter from the royal palace had arrived for you."

"discard it. throw it. keep it away from my sight."

"milady?!" Liz and the head of the maid exclaimed in utter shock at your nonchalant answer.

"forget about it, forget about it." you clasped your forehead in utter disappointment, yet your brain were creating another plan b for this unexpected turn of events. what should you do? even more so, what would you do now that the prince had asked for you to be by his side to the ballroom?

this won't do, you won't let this happen—you had to look as unattractive and ugly as possible for him to cringe on and finally divert his attention back to the rightfully person who deserved it; the female lead.

your maids could only fall apart every single time you pluck out the enchanting gems they attached on your hair, ears and wrists. their efforts deemed futile as always as you had no mood for any sort of events, it was like a slap to their face as you initially weren't like this. you overheard them that they couldn't get used to how you were adamant in staying behind the spotlight as you often did your very best in dressing yourself up before, with the sole intention of gaining the favour of men and even more better, a prince.

of course, they are totally oblivious to your real identity. only a series of jaw gaping one after another with your change of character, at first—you had a dilemma over whether you should act like the character you created but you later scrap the idea as soon as the anxiety of being engulfed in the crowd suffocated your chest. opting to avoid as many as balls or public events as possible, but that obviously didn't work out that well since you heard of the female lead's arrival from the country side—just like you intended it to be.

and being the proud mother (writer) you are, of course why wouldn't you take one single look at her and see of how far she had came? but alas, one interaction leads to another one and so on—till finally, you became her best friend throughout her entire journey. waiting for the male lead's arrival, and watch their romances blooming and per se—but oh well, look at the situation you were in right now; total disaster.

you truly despise being in such an extravagant puffy gown and the numerous accessories hugging your skin, it's tremendously uncomfortable that you wanted to rip it off part in front of the prince standing before you right now, and right here.

asking for your hand to dance with that odd kittenish smile, that you swore you had never ever written in his personality profile; he should never have been this casual and chill over a person he had just met. he should've been cold as fuck, icy to touch, and a spiralling disaster if you dare to talk to him, so why?

plus how could he have taken an interest in you? you couldn't possibly have added a dose of the love at first sight trope, didn't you? you despised that trope to your very core.

"milady? may i?" he extended his hand before you, patiently waiting for your answer.

you had decided that you're going to reject him quick and efficient—just like the local fast food restaurant your mouth kept drooling over for, smashing a five star review for their inhuman speedy delivery.

"you see, prince jungwon. i have no desire to have a connection with you, a relationship, as a matter of fact."

he raised his eyebrow, seemingly unfazed by your bold words. "i'm curious milady, why so? have i done something that perhaps had annoyed you?"

cliché question, you loathe that. "what if i said you did?"

"then tell me, milady. i'll try my hardest to own up to you—" he took a steps forward, which causes you to immediately step back as well with a frown on your face. you can't, not in this life, to even give him a single chance to get close to you. nah uh.

"no need, and stay one meter apart, please." you pointed your index finger towards the floor and he hesitated, but complied immediately.

"i." you raise your index finger back to yourself and then at him, "don't like you. do you understand?"

"b-but?"

"stop questioning me, prince jungwon." you stayed firm in your spot, "i believe it's a common decency to step back when a lady had voiced out her opinion, a prince like you certainly would understand, am i right?"

Jungwon was clearly taken aback, the fact that you didn't give him a single chance to utter a word nor take a step closer was a hard punch to his face. It feels as if he was trying to reach for you, but you efficiently dodged it with ease. It kind of.. annoys him.

"base on how you didn't say anything anymore, i assumed we're done here! well then, goodbye prince jungwon." you turned your heels towards the entrance, not bothering to waste any time at this goddamn ball. "i hope this will be the very last." you scoffed inside your mind, eager for the story to return to it's original route, and that the prince would soon deem you useless and such—returning to the female lead's arms.

hm, now where's your precious female lead? she should've appeared right now and right here, strike the pot while it's hot!

"i'm afraid i can't back down that easily, milady." jungwon took a few steps forward, wrapping his hand round your wrist as he spun you around to face his eyes filled with blazing determination. one that you specifically added on top of his profile so that your readers would kept it in mind.

your breath hitched down your throat as you remembered there's only two reasons he could have this; one that reminds you when he was at war, shouting at the top of his voice to encourage his soldiers as they push through the enemies, and another reason of it appearing is when he have to get what he wanted, or else all hell will break loose, chaos will ensue.

right, you're truly an idiot. staying a few years in this novel without any memories, and only for it to surface back when you stumble upon the library—dozens of books flickering a series of eccentric images in your mind. It had cause you to lose all memories of important details, only emerging everytime you are presented with a situation you couldn't comprehend. such as when you forgot that the female lead had memory problems and such.

"i'll only present this choices to you, milady. since you tremendously intrigued me over how well spoken you were and fascinating indeed—" bitch, you don't even know how you had the sudden ability to confront him but you were just sure as hell that you don't want to ruin your own novel. no fucking way.

you can't let him have the upper hand on you.

"let me go." irritated to your core, you tried untangle Jungwon's tight grasp on your wrist but he won't budge even an inch which only had you fuming in anger. "i said let me go, bitch!"

the crowd emits a series of gasps and murmurs as you spun around—twisting the prince's arms which had him yelping in pain, and ultimately pinning him onto the ground. with rage consuming you that nothing was going in your way, you slammed your hands on the both side of his head. clenching your jaw and gritting your teeth as you emphasised each word. "you are one a dumb hell of a bitch, when i said i do not want to see you anymore. i mean it. so—"

"so what?" his smug look resurfaces, one that emerges whenever he was being challenged. yes, do that! he should despise you, not take an interest in you! he should loathe you so much that he can't even gaze at you for a second. excitement surged through your veins as you open your mouth, preparing for the last blow.

"so, get lost. just because you're a prince doesn't mean every girl would fall for you, idiot."

an even more louder gasp emits from the crowd as they clearly heard what you said, their jaw gaping and some covering their mouths with their hands as their mind are now bombarded with random questions over how exceedingly brave you are to insult the royal prince, and of what fate will you met now that you've done such an atrocious act.

a low giggle sent shivers down your spine, and goosebumps to riled over your neck as you realise the prince under you had the widest smirk on his face. you frowned deeply, he shouldn't be smirking! he should be fuming in anger and throwing you out of the palace at this moment. so why?!...

"oh milady, how truly fascinating you are." you let out a loud yelp when he grabbed both of your wrists, pulling you closer to his face—a dangerous close proximity against his fluttering eyelashes and lips that your breath caught up in your throat which causes your cheeks to heated up in embarrassment of what kind of position you two were in right now. "i like you, you would certainly be a perfect fit to be by my side."

"what?!" you exclaimed, jaws dropping and eyes about to pop out at his very words. "i don't want to be by your side—"

"a lady like you, i'm afraid to say, intrigues me very much..." Jungwon shots a kittenish wink right through your heart. "be my wife, milady. i'll show you how good I can be for you."

「 © talesofyuan on tumblr 2023 」 all rights reserved. do not copy or post without permission.

[solomons-poison]

◇ What being married to Buggy is like ◇

Buggy is the type that, once you two are married, he's constantly bringing up "My wife" to his crew, his enemies and victims, and just generally to people he doesn't even know because he's just so damn excited that you actually agreed to marry him.

The wedding was beyond flashy, possibly the noisiest and brightest celebration you've ever seen. And you can be sure everyone in a 50 mile radius is aware of your wedding. But you have to admit, your new husband can really throw a party. (He also sobs very loudly when you two are alone because he's just so in love with you and can't believe you agreed to marry him).

If he's got a ring, you can bet he's showing it off to everyone. He's likely even got a picture of you in a wallet or something and shows it off while going off on a tangent; the edges are clearly worn from how much he handles the picture.

Steals all kinds of goods to show you like some kind of courting bird, leaving you with a pile of things you don't know what to do with. Especially if it's shiny and expensive, you can bet he's bringing it back. Ends up being called "blue jay" or just "blue" for short for his colorful hair and love for shiny objects.

Buggy is quick to anger, even with his beloved wife. Arguments can end as quickly as they start, or it's a grudge that lasts ages; there is no in between. Sometimes it's over dumb shit, and sometimes it's a major miscommunication or an insecurity. It's very very difficult for him to admit fault first and apologize, sometimes causing another argument. But when he does apologize, expect some (stolen) flowers and chocolates.

If you two argue and you decide to sleep somewhere other than his bed, he WILL have a breakdown and come crying to you telling you not to leave him.

He's clingy but won't admit it. Latches on to you in his sleep and complains if you try to leave his arms, or if you mention about him holding you. He doesn't like when you leave his sight and gets noticeably grumpier until he can see you and touch you again.

He puts up a good front when around others, but in private that all changes. Might have a nervous breakdown about the fact you're married, wondering if he's worthy of you or if he tied you down to a nobody. Chances of him confessing this to you significantly increase when he's drunk, his face completely red from effects of the alcohol and he's lying across your lap or generally slumped over you. He's totally embarrassed when he wakes up.

Definitely wanted a tattoo of your face on his body and had to be convinced that it's a bad idea. Doesn't understand why.

Gets cheeky and flirty in public, especially if there's someone else that he feels is more confident or better than him around. Gets a little handsy if he sees anyone eyeing you, definitely using his detachable hands to his benefit.

Mihawk and Crocodile don't hide from openly flirting with you/checking you out, even if they're not serious about it, and it makes Buggy explode.

Completely melts when you call him all sorts of pet names, regardless of how silly they are, and will always reciprocate. "Buggy boo", "honeybunch", "sweetie pie", "sweetheart", "Bugs", "blue", are some favorites. Even when you call him "crazy clown", he loves it. However, his ultimate favorite will always be just plain "husband" (or "hubby").

He's the epitome of "my wife can do no wrong"... except when you do something that angers him or you're in an argument lmao. But only he gets to be angry at you; if anyone else complains or starts something, they're dead.

Generally, married life to Buggy is a wild one full of ups and downs. But he tries his best to make it a fulfilling one.

[sidneyprescottswhore]

fade into you

mattie franklin, anya corazon, julia cornwall

okay so i watched madame web in theatres last weekend and omfg?? they were so cute and definitely giving me major throuple vibes i canttt

also i havent written in awhile i am so sorry! and im also so sorry if this isnt what you wanted from me, also this is just a quick writing i did in 30 minutes so PLEASEE bear with me 🙏

also title is from the mazzy star song obv and it has nothing to do with the song whatsoever i just didnt know what else to put.

it was a simple thing.

nothing to be jealous over, or make a fuss about, but yet anya was sitting alone in the swivel seats, staring across the diner.

staring at them.

mattie and julia, the three of them had just met in a life or death situation, and that was just what made this more special.

compacting.

primal, even.

she was jealous, jealous of those boys at the booths cheering the two girls on as they danced on the large-sized table.

julia, with her button up shirt tied up into a hairtie, showing off her stomach, asked anya to come join in on the fun. but all anya could do was nod a simple “no” in response.

her glasses were in the side pocket of the button up, not wanting to seem “nerdy” or “uncool” infront of the boys.

but a real man wouldn’t mind that.

a real man would love her nerdiness, her innocence, the way she tried resolve every situation with her apologies.

a real woman, wouldn’t care at all.

mattie, with her flashy attire and skateboard, danced with julia while laughing off. anya couldn’t just see how it was fun to dance on tables for boys, it just felt too seen.

mattie didn’t care what people thought of her, but anya did. every once in awhile she would catch one of the boys give her a dirty look, as if she was too eye-catching.

but since when was that a problem?

again, a real man wouldn’t mind that.

a real man wouldn’t care about the way she shows off, the way she acts and plays around, but these weren’t real men were they? no, they were boys.

a real woman, wouldn’t care at all.

every once and awhile the two would glance back at anya, finishing up her food. mattie would shrug, pulling julia back into a dance, while julia would crook a soft but sad smile, her guilty conscience taking over.

it wasn’t until anya caught one of the boys staring up julia’s skirt, and one of the boys eyeing too hard at matties pair, that she had finally decided to shut this shit-show down.

“alright come on.” anya scolded, she felt bossy, and mean, but this was just plain out weird. who would she be to not say anything?

mattie just looked at julia like she didnt hear anything behind her, whispering to her quietly, “pretend you don’t know her” and julia just responded with a look of both worry and guilt.

“toxic” by britney spears was still blaring through the diner’s speakers as anya caught one of the guys eyeing julia a little too hard. with too much sexual intention. she spoke up once more, this time towards the boys instead of the two dancing ontop of the table.

“could you quit that? you would think that guys like you would have the decency to not look at a girl’s body like that? it’s just fucking disrespectful. come on, can we just go?” anya finished off, looking at the two with almost a pleading look.

the two just stopped, hopping off of the table. mattie tipped the waiter, and julia untied her shirt, reapplying her glasses.

“im really sorry.” was the first word said when the three left the diner together. which had, obviously, came from julias mouth.

“for?” was all anya could respond with, she was just too angry. not from the two, but from that booth. she never thought that people could just be so disrespectful and disgusting.

“i.. nevermind.. ” julia answered, she could feel herself about to cry, cutting herself off. mattie was completely silent as she kicked rocks in the dirt, suddenly feeling a warm touch to her cold hand.

anya was grabbing her hand, bring it to a soft hand-hold. mattie glanced over, seeing her holding julia’s aswell. “well there’s nothing to be sorry for, it’s not your fault people are just assholes” mattie responded to julia.

“can.. can i be honest with you both?” anya asked, scarce and worrisome.

the two nodded, looking back at anya as she spoke. “i feel like.. i have this responsibility to look out for you both.. and not just because i feel like its right, but because i feel like ive genuinely caught a liking to you guys. the both of you.”

the rest of the walk back to the forest was silent, just quiet steps through leaves and sticks.

and it stayed that way, stayed that way until mattie made her move.

she pulled anyas face towards her own, kissing her softly on the lips, and all anya could do was kiss back because she knew thats what she wanted. what she has been thinking about since they first met.

julia just stared from far off, stared at the two. she didnt know what to do, if she should feel left out or not. but even then, she didn’t have time to think as anya pulled away from mattie, then pulling julia into her lips.

it was different than kissing a boy, mattie thought, while julia thought about how it was different overall, as she has never kissed anyone before.

but a thought that the two both shared was the fact that her lips were soft, beautiful, like pillows.

but a thought that the three of them shared was love

and that thought was strong. but there’s nothing wrong with that.

[feelbokkie]

One Last Dance | Chapter 15

pairing: Minho x fem reader

genre: smau, crack, angst, fluff, non!idol au, major character death (I am apologizing now), friends to lovers, soul mates, first love, roommates

pov: 1st/2nd person (depending on how you view it)

warnings: suggestive (well I mean more than suggestive but it's not smut), mention of food, swearing, non consensual kissing (twice!)

summary: Childhood best friends Lee Minho and L/n Y/n are in their final year of university. While both of them are in love with each other, the only thing keeping them apart is Minho’s fear of change. As both dancers prepare for their lives after college, will Minho finally let fear rule him and his emotions or will he finally gain courage before he loses Y/n forever?

word count: 6,168

screenshot count: 11

taglist: closed!

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©feelbokkie (2023) — all rights reserved. reposting/modification of any kind is not tolerated.

In hindsight, you should have told Chan that you wanted to have a more low-key celebration. Maybe at a nice, quiet restaurant. Or even movies and ice cream. Things, you're now realizing, that you'd do with Minho whenever something good happened in your lives. Minho passed an English test? Ice cream. You nailed a particularly difficult dance routine? Lunch at a restaurant you like. The two of you got into your dream school? Celebratory trip to Lotte World.

Chan, on the other hand, appeared to like more flashy forms of celebration. He brought you to a bar, which you might as well consider to be a club. The music is way too loud, you can feel the beats in your chest. The lights are too dark to be considered safe. And while you weren't opposed to the idea of hanging out in a bar, you work at one and don't like the idea of spending your night off with drunken idiots after a week of doing so.

"Sorry, what was that?" You shout over the music. Chan has been trying to hold a conversation with you but you can't hear him over the music.

Changbin, who sits on your left, is making out with some girl he met within the first 10 minutes of you guys getting to the bar. Jisung is at the bar, talking to two girls who look like they're already too drunk to be having any sort of meaningful conversation. Chan brought them along so it would feel "more like a celebration." Right now it just feels like another pointless party.

Chan's arm snakes around your waist, resting his hand on your upper thigh. He pulls himself closer to you than he already is. The scent of his cologne and the soda he is drinking fills your nose. He smells good, familiar. Like the practice room after class as all the guys quickly spray themselves before leaving. But something is missing.

"I was just asking if you knew which offer you were going to take yet?" Chan lowers his head so he's talking directly in your ear.

"Not sure yet," You lean in close to his ear, "I have to sit there and think about each company. Plus looking at how much they're offering me wouldn't hurt. I still have a few months before graduation so there isn't a huge rush right now."

Chan pushes your drink closer to you. Chan is the only one not drinking, taking his responsibilities as designated driver seriously. But as a result, he's been pushing you to drink. So that you can "drink for the two of you" so to speak. You take your cup and take another large sip.

"If you choose the one in Australia, I can show you around. Like your own personal tour guide." He adds after you take a sip.

"Yeah? Show me your old haunts? And then to one of your infamous hook-up spots." You tease.

"I'm not like that Y/n. Honestly," He takes another sip of his soda, "you should have a bit more faith in me."

"You told me not too long ago that you were purposely blasting your music to get my attention. So, I have zero faith in you."

"Did it, or did it not work?" He asks after thinking for a moment.

"Running into me on a girls' night out while I was plastered worked. You playing your music that loud worked in getting through my auditions."

"Still, it worked because here you are." You think to yourself for a moment. He's not exactly wrong.

"Changbin hyung, come up for air!" Jisung says as he walks to the table with the two girls in tow. He sets down about 10 bottles of soju before sitting down in between both girls.

"Why!" Changbin whines loudly, making the girl he's making out with laugh.

"It's a celebration, let's play some drinking games." He adds as he passes out the bottles. Chan takes the bottle Jisung passed to him and places it in front of you.

"I'm driving," He tells Jisung.

"That's fine, just keep drinking your stupid soda." He throws back. He has to be a little drunk, you know he wouldn't talk to Chan like that otherwise out of fear of repercussions.

"Or noona can drink for him," Changbin adds. Chan turns to you with quirked eyebrows.

"Don't worry, I'm good at drinking games. Plus, I'm the only sober one here so I have an advantage."

You think for a moment. He is the only one who is completely clear-headed right now, even if you're feeling a bit buzzed. You probably wouldn't have to drink much anyway, you're relatively good at games in general.

"Yeah, okay," You hum.

***

It doesn't that Chan is good at playing drinking games, you are the absolute worst. You're beyond drunk and you're about to get drunk as you watch the shot glass of soju sink to the bottom of the beer glass.

"Drink, noona, drink!" Jisung yells as he slams a fist on the table.

"Wow, noona, you suck at drinking games." Changbin laughs as you pick up the glass and start drinking.

You're so drunk you can't hear a single thought in your head. It's like your conscience clocked out for the night and you were alone with your impulsive thoughts. You're leaning into Chan with your right hand resting on his thigh to keep yourself upright.

"'m shit a drinking games but I can out dance all of you. Let's have a dance battle right now!" You shout, standing up quickly. You immediately stumble from how fast you stand up and fall back down, landing in Chan's lap.

"Okay, I'm going to take Y/n for some fresh air," Chan says as he places both of his hands on your waist to help you up. He keeps his hands on you as he leads you out of the bar.

His grip on you is tight as he maneuvers you through the bar, past all the couples making out and hammered dancers. Eventually, the cool, fresh air hits your face, a sigh leaves your throat. You didn't realize how hot and stuffy it was inside the bar until right now. You were hot when you were inside, naturally, but you thought it was just the alcohol warming you up.

"Look at the moon!" You shout excited when you get outside. The moon is big and full.

"Wow, you really are drunk, huh." Chan laughs, still holding on to you.

"'m not drunk." You hum, twirling around in Chan's hands.

"I don't see how you're not. You drank about 5 bottles of soju by yourself. How you're still awake right now is a miracle."

"'m not a lightweight. Look, I can prove I'm not drunk." You wiggle out of Chan's grip and walk a little bit away from him.

You wink at Chan before managing to do 6 pirouettes. Just as you put your foot down to stabilize yourself again, you become dizzy and stumble. Before you can fall, you're suddenly in Chan's arms again. It feels nice, to be held in his arms, but it feels cold and unfamiliar. Not like Minho's warm and familiar hold.

"Okay, I believe you. Let's not do that again, okay?" He chuckles as he pulls you upright.

He walks you backward until your back is flat against the wall. Your head is still spinning so you grab his forearms to keep yourself from falling. As if it would help. You squeeze your eyes shut, slowly opening them only when you feel a little less dizzy. Your eyes focus on Chan's face illuminated by the back alley lights. On his hooded, yet soft brown eyes. The curve of his perfect nose. His soft pink lips.

"Has anyone told you that you're pretty?" You breathe.

"You think I'm...pretty?" Chan's mouth quirks upward into a smirk.

"Mhm!" You nod quickly at him.

Chan's hands leave your waist and move to the wall behind you, resting on either side of your head. He leans in closer to you, only stopping about halfway to your face.

"Am I still pretty?" He whispers. If your face isn't already red from drinking, it definitely is now.

Your breath gets caught in your throat. All you can do is nod in agreement. Chan smirks yet again and pulls in even closer. He's right in front of your face, his breath tickling your face.

"How about now?" His lips barely brush against yours.

"If...you get any closer 'm gonna get cross-eyed." You mumble.

"Is that a promise?" He whispers before pressing his lips into yours.

The sudden feel of Chan's lips on yours sobers you up a little bit. It's not unfamiliar, you've kissed him before under similar circumstances. You're drunk and heartbroken just like you were the first time. The only difference is, Chan's not drunk. Maybe he wasn't drunk the first time either. But something about this time feels...different. His lips are just as soft and desperate as you remember but they feel wrong. This feels wrong.

Chan's hands drop from the wall back down to your waist, slightly lifting your shirt. His touch feels hot against your skin, burning you almost. Chan pulls away from your lips and attaches himself to your neck, nipping at the soft skin and sucking. He slides one hand down, his thumb toying with the waistband of our jeans. His other hand moves to the small of your back. Each act seemingly wakes you up slowly, his touch still burning your skin.

Wrong. This is all wrong.

"Channie...stop," You whisper, trying to push him off.

"Hmm...?" He hums against your skin as he moves down to your collarbone.

"Chan, please stop."

"Why?"

You're not sure if it's your natural fight-or-flight instinct or something else entirely, but you can't stop yourself as your right knee quickly jerks upwards. Chan quickly pulls away from you and doubles over. You wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, trying to process everything that happened.

"What the fuck, Y/n?" Chan turns back to you, holding his stomach. You must have missed, but you still hit him hard enough.

"I told you to stop!"

"If you waited 2 seconds, I was going to." He grits through his teeth.

"You should have stopped the first time. This isn't...it's...you're not--" You stammer trying to find the right words. As you do, Minho's face pops into your head.

"I'm not who?"

You squeeze your eyes shut and shake your head. Nothing is making sense. You didn't exactly hate Chan's touch or kiss. And you were starting to enjoy the night with Chan. And normally, drunk or not, you would have simply gone along with Chan, no matter how disgusting the back alley of the bar is. So why are you thinking about Minho?

"Are you serious, Y/n? You're thinking about him? Right now?" Chan scoffs, finally standing upright.

"I--I'm not!" You lie.

"Y/n, it's been months. He doesn't give a single fuck about you. Never has, never will. While you're rejecting the guy who's right in front of you, he's probably out fucking some girl he doesn't know the name of."

"Minho isn't like that." You shake your head again. Minho isn't like that.

Sure he can be cold at times, but that's when he's trying to hide how he's really feeling. He's the type of person who will drive down to your job at three in the morning, even after a day of classes and a full work shift just to make sure you get home safely. Sure, he'll complain about it the whole time, but you know he doesn't mean it. He's the type of person who will spend hours cooking you a meal he's never made before because you mentioned it once. He's the type of person who will give you his last pudding cup if you ask. And if you didn't he'd give you the first and last bite. He's the type of person who will learn your entire dance routine to help you figure out the one part you're struggling with. He's the type of person who will stay home with you when you're sick just so you're not alone. He's the type of person who cares. Always has been, and always will be.

"You really are fucking pathetic. You know that, right?" Chan says, cooly.

"What...?" Your breath escapes your throat, unsure where this new version of Chan is coming from. Your head swirling in confusion.

"I tried being nice. I tried being patient but there's no point. You're forever going to be hung up on a guy who doesn't care for you anymore. And I'm right here. Hell Changbin and Jisung are probably in line waiting for me to be done with you. But you know what? You're not worth it." Chan laughs.

"I...I don't understand. What's happening right now?" You rub your hands over your face as if that will help you sober up faster.

"You don't understand?" Chan walks closer to you, keeping his distance this time just in case. "Princess, I was only being nice to you so I could sleep with you. And I was going to toss you aside when I was done. But you're not worth all that effort. It's not fun anymore. You're all looks and no substance. I've fucked bimbos with more personality than you. And they're not still hung up over their--Well I'd say ex but you guys weren't even together."

"You're a dick," You spit.

"Maybe, but it's all good fun." He smirks. You've never wanted to hit someone more in your entire life

"Take me home, now." You quietly demand.

"Find a new way home. I'm going back inside to have some more fun." Chan leaves you standing there in disbelief in the alley, confused as to what just happened.

You hate to admit it, but he's right. Not entirely, but he's right. You are pathetic. You're hung up over a guy who would rather let you walk out of his life than be with you. You're holding out hope, for what? That one day he'll wake up and take everything back? Would you even go to him if he did? You're wasting time on him when you could be happier with someone who would be happy to be with you without any fear.

You crouch down to the floor, hugging your knees to your chest. Today, you were meant to celebrate you and your accomplishments. Now, it's a complete shitshow and you can't help but wish Minho was there to comfort you. To stroke your hair and tell you how proud of you he is. To hug you and make you feel better. To make some dumb joke that would make you giggle. You need him, and you hate that you do. Hate that you allowed him to consume so much of your life. Even if Chan wasn't being a total asshat, you know that you would have pushed him away anyway for the simple fact that he's not Minho nor will he ever be. And for that, you hate yourself a little too.

***

"Ugh..." You groan as you wake up. Your head is pounding and the room is spinning. You can't even bear to open your eyes, scared of the light that you know is awaiting to burn your retinas the second you open them.

You lay there in silence for a moment, letting the cool air hit your face. You furrow your brows in confusion. Ma-Ri likes the room to be warm, so why is it ice cold? You slowly open your eyes, trying to minimize the burning sensation you know you're going to feel from the sunlight.

You blink a few times, allowing your eyes to adjust to the light. Still, with your eyes barely open, you look around the room. Everything begins to look familiar. The pictures on the walls. The hoodie slung over the desk chair. The organized mess on the dresser.

"What the hell...?" You mutter as you sit up.

You're in your room back at Minho's apartment. You're not entirely sure how or when you go here. The last thing you remember is arguing with Chan in the back alley of the bar.

"Whoever this is, you better be dying."

"I hate you,"

"Y/n?"

"I really, really hate you. You keep ruining everything for me. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Y/n, where are you right now?"

"I wish I never fell in love with you. I wish...I wish we never became friends in the first place"

"We'll talk about that later. Just tell me where--"

Click.

That's right, you called Minho last night while in your drunken state. He must have gotten worried and came to pick you up. Why he brought you back to the apartment and not the dorm is beyond you. You're not even sure how he got you home. If you called him just to tell him that you hate him, there's no way you willingly went home with him.

"Minho, put me down!"

"So you can be a brat and run away? No thank you,"

"Put me down, put me down, put me down!"

"Jesus, you're loud as hell-- Ow! Did you just bite my back?"

"Put. Me. Down!"

"You're never allowed to drink again."

...He carried you home like a sack of potatoes because you refused to go with him. You sit up and hold your head in your hand out of embarrassment. He came all the way to you in the middle of the night to take you home, and you acted like a brat.

"I'm never drinking again," you groan, regretting everything that happened last night, even the stuff you can't remember.

You slowly swing your legs over the side of your bed. Immediately, as you start to get up, you notice something is off. You look down at your clothes and notice you’re wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts.

“C’mon, put your arms up,” 

“I’m sorry,”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I shouldn’t have been carrying you like that.”

“Yeah, but I threw up! That’s not cute,”

“You threw up and you’re worried about looking cute?”

“Don’t laugh at me, asshole.”

“Okay, okay. Here, put your shorts on yourself, I’ll go get you a toothbrush and some mouthwash.”

If there was ever a moment for a whole to open up and swallow you whole, now would be the time. Why, why did you have to call Minho? For all you know, he thinks you're spiraling even though you've been doing just fine without him. He had to come to your rescue on your one off day.

You slowly walk over to your closet to find something to walk home in. If you're quiet enough, you might be able to leave without running into Minho or the cats. You know that if you run in Soonie, Doongie, or Dori, you're going to want to stay and cuddle with them. Hopefully, they're sleeping in Minho's room with him. In your closet, you find your favorite pair of sweatpants and and the matching hoodie. You grab a random shirt and get dressed as quickly as the pounding in your head will allow.

After you get dressed, you scan the room, looking for your phone, student ID, and key to Ma-Ri's dorm. You find them on your bedside table. Your phone is charging and faced down with your ID in the case and key attached to the case. Sitting right next to your things, a bottle of water and two aspirins. You let out a deep sigh and take the pills, silently thanking MInho.

You take the bottle of water with you as you quietly leave the room, looking back one last time to see if there is anything you want to take back with you. Your eyes fall on your half of the seashell necklace at your desk. You contemplate taking it for a moment, before closing your door. You slowly close the door, being careful to not make too much noise. Once you turn around, you lock eyes with Doongie, who is sitting on the arm of the couch,

"Fuck," you mutter under your breath.

Doongie hops off the arm of the chair and walks towards you. Doonige begins to purr as he walks between your legs, pressing his body against you. You bite your bottom lip and look up at the ceiling. There is nothing more that you want to do than to pick him up and hug him. But you know you can't you don't have time. Soonie and Dori come from their hiding places and start meowing at you, being more vocal than you remember them being.

"I know, I know. I miss you too but I really need you guys to--"

"Guys, I know you're excited but mom needs to--Oh, you're awake. Minho walks into the living room in an apron, holding a wooden spoon. The front of his hair is up in a ponytail with one of your clips that he stole. Stole is too aggressive. You clipped his bangs up for him during a dance practice because it was frustrating him and he never gave it back.

"I...I am. Thank you for picking me up...and taking care of me. I need to get going." You say quickly, averting your eyes.

"Wait, don't leave yet. I made you haejang-guk." He says quickly, putting his hands up as you start to walk away.

"You made me haejang-guk?" Your head tilts to the side.

"I figured you could use something in your stomach after last night. Eat some before you run away again."

Ba dump. Ba dump.

The idea of Minho waking up early just to make you hangover soup makes your heart skip a beat. It's not a complicated recipe, a fairly simple one. But you also know that when Minho cooks for someone, it's a labor of love. And for that, your heart is a little hopeful.

"Yeah, sure," You nod.

The two of you quietly walk to the dining room. You sit in your usual spot like usual, not thinking much of it until Minho freezes for a second, staring at you with a small smile as he brings you out a bowl of soup. You silently thank him and wait for him to come back with his own bowl out of habit. Once he's back, he gestures for you to start eating.

You pick up the spoon and blow on it for a second before putting the cooled spoon in your mouth. The saltiness of the soup hits your tongue, quickly ridding your mouth of that nauseating bitter aftertaste you were starting to notice. The heat from the soup starts to warm up your body. It's hard to explain, but Minho's cooking reminds you of home. His cooking tastes nothing like your mother's, but it feels like home. You're more homesick for him than you are for your parents.

"How's your head?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"Better," You take another spoonful of soup and quickly swallow/ "Thanks for the aspirin."

"No need to thank me. I know how cranky you can get when you're not feeling well. I did it for Ma-Ri's sake." He teases.

It feels almost normal, sitting here eating breakfast with Minho. Like you haven't been ignoring him for the past couple of months. Going home for the holidays was difficult. You two almost got into a fight on Christmas morning in front of your parents when you opened one of your gifts from Minho to find your half of the scallop shell made into a necklace. And now the two of you are being civil as you eat soup. Maybe you're too tired and hungover to fight right now.

"I have a question," Minho asks again.

"What?"

"How does Ma-Ri sleep with your snoring?"

"I don't snore. You know I don't snore."

"Must be new. You were snoring last night." Miho smirks.

"How would you know that I was snoring last ni--"

"Minho, wait,"

"What's wrong?"

"Can you stay with me?"

"I don't know that's a good idea."

"Please?"

"Y/n,"

"What...What if I throw up again? I could asphyxiant."

"Don't roll over then. I put you on your side for a reason."

"Minho, please. Just this once."

"...Fine. But only until you fall asleep."

Seriously, you're never drinking again. You put your spoon down and hold your head in your hands just as Minho starts laughing. You let out a pained groan at your stupidity. How could drunk you abandon your morals like that?

"I probably only snored because I was so drunk." You mumble as you pick your spon back up and start to eat your soup again.

"Surn,"

"Minho," You set your hand on the table, "Why are you being nice to me?"

"We'll talk after breakfast," He says quickly.

"I'm going home after I finish eating." You watch as Minho's face slightly twists when you say home because he knows you don't mean the apartment.

You watch as Minho's eyes shift up like they normally do when he's thinking. Like the thoughts are written on his brain and he is trying to physically see it. Cute.

"Y/n," He says suddenly.

"Yes?" You quirk your eyebrow at him.

"Let's talk," He places his spoon down on the table.

"Are we not already talking?"

"No--I mean yes, we are--but that's not what I mean." You watch in confusion as Minho starts to get flustered.

"Min?"

"None of this is how I planned it but something tells me that I'm not going to get another choice."

"Another chance for what?"

"Y/n," Minho sits up a little straighter in his seat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for telling you that we should pretend that we had a one-night stand after we slept together. I'm sorry for being a coward for all these years and hiding my feelings from you. And I'm sorry--"

"Min, breathe." You say as Minho speaks fast, not taking a single breath.

"Sorry, it's just-- I love you, Y/n. I am truly, madly, deeply in love with you. And these past couple of months without you have been hell. I need you in my life. And I want to be with you, and I mean really be with you. Even if it scares me. Especially if it does." Minho stares at you, maintaining eye contact with you. There's a twinkle in his eyes, determination maybe.

The two of you sit in silence for a moment. Minho waits for your response, feeling as if he's said everything I was able to. You, on the other hand, process everything that just happened. You can't help but let out a small laugh.

"Why...are you laughing?" Minho asks, his voice laced with concern and fear.

"Because you have shit timing." You explain as you set down your spoon.

"What do you mean?" He tilts his head as he stares at you.

"I love you too, and if you asked me months ago, I would have asked for this exact scenario."

"I need context, I can't guess. You know I’m not a mind reader."

“I’m not going the be here in a few months.” You say simply, unsure of how to explain. Or if you should even try to.

“Neither am I. We’re graduating.”

“No I mean,” You take a second to let out a sigh, “I don’t want to go back home and run the dance studio. That’s always been more your thing than mine. I want to travel and being in Japan last summer made me realize that. I spent most of the school year auditioning for overseas companies. And I got a few offers."

"Oh," Minho's expression drops to an unreadable one.

"And judging by that reaction, you're not going to be able to handle a long-distance relationship."

You pick up your bowl and quickly drink the rest of your soup. Once you're done, you use your spoon to scoop the leftover veggies from the soup and shove them in your mouth before quickly standing up. Soonie, Doongie, and Dori come out from under the table and follow you as you walk towards the front door.

"Y/n, wait! Let's talk about this." You hear Minho's chair fall to the floor as he quickly gets up and rushes to you.

"You've been so scared of me leaving all these years. Wouldn't me moving away after a little over 2 months of dating be the same thing for you? Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't start panicking once I'm gone?" You turn back to face Minho, who is standing about three feet from you.

He stands there puzzled, unable to answer. Or, he knows the answer and is unwilling to share it with you. Both of you know deep down that it'd be difficult for him, that his fear would settle in and he'd up breaking up with you. Or maybe that's your own fear and it's just easier to project that onto him.

What's wrong with you? You've wanted nothing more than to date Minho since you two were 15. And now that he finally got over his fears, you shut it down. Maybe you were a little grateful over the years for not being with Minho. That being near him was enough. But now that the opportunity to be with him, fully and deeply, you're terrified. You've spent years making fun of Minho for being a coward, but at the end of the day, you're just like him.

"That's what I thought. Maybe it's better we stay friends." You open the door and hesitate leaving Minho for a second time. "I wish you had this epiphany sooner. Maybe we would have had a chance."

You pause the music and let out a frustrated groan. For some reason,y you can't nail one of the moves in your routine. It's making you want to rip all of your hair out. It's a simple move, you've done it before in other routines, but for some reason, you can't hit it now and it's pissing you off.

You don't look up when you hear the door to the practice room open, too focused on the dance tutorial on your phone, hoping to see if there is anything you can do differently to hit the move and call it for the day.

"I still have this room for another hour," You call out, not looking up to see who walked into the practice room.

Still focused on the video, you don't notice that the door doesn't open again. You don't notice the rapid footsteps that make their way to you. Nothing you feel two hands cup your face and lips press to yours. You freeze for a second, alarmed by the sudden touch until you see that it's Minho kissing you. Your eyes slowly close as your heart begins to pound in your chest. It's a simple kiss, not going past his lips touching your lips, but it's enough to make you melt into his touch. His calloused fingers rough against your skin. Your hands find their way to the front of his shirt, barely gripping the fabric between your fingers.

After what feels like an eternity, Minho finally pulls away. Your eyes remain closed, afraid of opening them and Minho disappearing. Your grip tightens on Minho's shirt as you slowly open your eyes. You blink a couple of times to make sure he's really there and you're not dreaming. With each blink, Minho's serious face stares back at you.

"What…what the fuck was that?" You whisper. Minho's simple kiss seems to have taken away your voice.

"I don't care," Minho says softly.

"Excuse me?" Your grip loosens on Minho's shirt.

"I don't care that you're leaving. Go, live your dream, I'll be here. I just want to be with you. And if that means I can't physically be with you, I'm okay with that. I did some thinking. I'm perfectly okay with being long-distance with you. I just want to be with you. I'm tired of being scared."

Minho's hopeful eyes, stare into your confused ones. Realization and hope settle into you the longer Minho is quiet. He means it, truly. You can tell. You've known him long enough to know that he does. You can feel his hands shake against your face in anticipation. Part of you wonders if he can feel your heart pounding. You can feel your heart banding against your ribcage in every inch of your body.

"I'm going to be living overseas." You whisper slowly.

"Did I break your brain?" Minho laughs, "I told you, I don't care. I can come visit you. Or, I can move with you. I can find work as a dance teacher anywhere."

You shake your head, gripping his shirt so tight you're almost certain that you're stretching out the soft blue cotton.

"No, taking over the studio back home is your dream. It always has been. I can't let you give that up." You say firmly.

"No, you're my dream. Always has and always will be. I wanted to run the dance studio with you because I wanted to be with you, not because I love the studio. As long as I'm near you, I'm happy. I don't care where we are."

Minho looks down with downcast eyes, slowly losing hope the longer you take to reply. You love him, with your whole body and soul. You want nothing more than to be with him, so why are you hesitating? You know you've always held a special place in Minho's heart. But how do you know that this isn't just his anxiety talking? What if you two start dating and he says that it was a mistake again? Like he did after you two slept together. How can you truly know that he loves you in the way that you love? The way that you want--no need?

"Y/n?" Minho whispers.

"Yeah?" You whisper back, closing your eyes.

"I first fell in love with you during Dream a Little Dream of Me." He says suddenly.

"My jazz solo from when we were twelve?" You cock your head to the side in confusion.

"It was your first dance solo. And you placed. First place to be exact."

"I remember,"

"Do you want to know what I remember?" Minho's hands slide down from your face down to your waists and just rest there.

"What?"

"I remember watching you struggle with the routine for weeks before the competition. Hell, I was worried, I thought you weren't going to nail it in time. You even refused my help and didn't hang out with me in our free time between school and our extracurriculars. I remember you getting yelled at by the instructor because you were struggling so much. And I remember you walking on that stage the day of the competition and I was in awe of you. I remember standing in the wings waiting for you, ready to comfort you just in case something went wrong. I remember that pale blue dress and the way it sparkled under the stage lights. I remember how gracefully you danced on stage and thinking you were just like a butterfly. I knew that I always wanted to be there to experience you in all your glory. I knew in that moment, you were it. You're still it for me, I don't want to be with anyone else."

You remember that competition. Jazz wasn't your strongest dance style but your coach had faith in you. You'd practice in all of your free time to make sure you got the routine down perfectly. As tiresome as it was, that was the same time you decided to take dance seriously and pursue it professionally.

"That…that was twelve years ago." Your voice cracks, tears welling in your eyes.

"I've loved you for twelve years. And I'll love you for twelve more. And twelve years after that. I'll love you in multiples of twelve for all of eternity. Until death do us part, and even then I'll still love you beyond death. Like I said, you're it for me."

You bite your bottom lip, the butterflies in your stomach doing somersaults. If he didn't feel your heart pounding before, he surely can hear it now. Something in you tells you to trust him. The same thing in you that's always told you to trust him, even when that trust was baseless.

"And you're it for me," You pull on Minho's shirt, bringing him closer to you. His lips crash into yours, you can feel his lips turn into a smile as you both decide to trust that everything is going to be alright.

—

Buy me a coffee?

—

Taglist

Red means that it wouldn't let me tag you (either at all or properly)

@amyyscorner @aaasia111 @weird-bookworm @allaboutyej8 @kangaracharacha @lilcutieana @jungkookies1002 @lanatheawesome @hanniemylovelyquokka @jiisungllvr @marked-unknown @kitheat @spearb-99 @chlodavids @veedoesntknaur @yongbbokkie @warlockwithoutcharisma @fennecnco @aslou  @babygirlsuna @jihanlovic @kalopsian-thoughts @reianagarcia @sunshinessky  @brain-empty-only-draken @f9clementine  @jaydebow @phtogravi @mal-lunar-28 @jhstayy

[ya-zz]

Heyhey! So I just got a haircut (super short! Think of a fluffy boycut) and my cat HAAATES it!! When I walked in she puffed up at me, but she is getting used to it. Just didnt expect my head to change haha. But I was thinking, itd be kind of funny if Ramattra acted that way with his s/o? so if you're able I'd love to see you write about it😳😳❤️

Omg that is hilariously adorable!

Apologies this took awhile to get to, but I hope I have done it some justice ♥ I am running on two hours sleep so I do apologise if there are any mistakes!

Ramattra x Reader (gen)

Word count: 1029

Omnics used to all look the same. Same make, same model, neither one had their uniqueness until they gained their own thoughts and feelings. Months after they gained their sentience, omnics around the world began wearing clothes, dressing how they saw humans dress, whether that was to be casual or smart, punk or floral, they followed those around them. 

Soon after, workshops popped up around the villages and cities with new parts were being made, upgrades and cosmetics suitable for any and all omnic. They began appearing with hairstyles, new attachments while some altered their look completely. There was a rise within omnic fashion; a sudden competition between human and omnic, one that broke several news reports yearly.

One omnic, however, kept his appearance as close to his factory model as possible. Save from a colour change here and there, his appearance rarely changed. Then again, his kind was feared. A ravager seeking customisation would’ve been talk of the town. 

He kept to himself, only changing when he deemed it absolutely necessary. The only major change he went through was to make his appearance more friendly, despite his previous nature. Cabled hair attached, signature red wire down one was all he wanted, nothing too flashy. It was simple and he appreciated the work done. 

He had always thought humans changing their style was frivolous, never any true meaning behind the changes, so he refrained from going over the top. He wasn’t seeking affirmations from anyone, he didn’t seek compliments, but when the words of “you look great” and “I like this on you” came from your mouth, he felt somewhat more comfortable within his chassis. 

You were the first one to see him like that, and it brought a new and warm feeling coursing through your body. He definitely looked more approachable and even on occasion he would let you style it, keeping his thoughts locked away as he enjoyed the gentleness of your touch.

Ramattra had known you for several years, before, during and after his time at the Monastery. After saving his life, you stuck by his side for the years coming. You two became close friends, never anything more until he brought himself out of his robotic shell and confessed that he had liked you. 

It was a day that you would remember for years to come. You had never seen an omnic such as him be so shy, so when he spoke to you that day, servos twitching and avoiding your eyes, you knew he had put a lot more thought into it than he would like to admit. 

He planned it. He plans everything. The omnic loves to follow a schedule, never deviating from it unless absolutely necessary. Change, while he admits is a good thing, sometimes doesn't need to happen. He’s used to his surroundings, used to those he is around, so when you suddenly changed your appearance, all hell broke lose within his systems. 

At first, his systems detected an enemy human, something of which he had yet to calibrate and turn off. System warnings flared up, blocking his vision as his body froze on the spot. His vocaliser became threatening, tone low and dark as he spoke out, demanding how you got this close to him without him realising it. 

The familiarity of your voice sent his systems into overload, errors upon errors clouding more of his vision as he stepped back. He was angry and confused. 

Part of him thought it was a joke, that someone had taken your voice and put it into another human, but he realised quickly that it was impossible for humans to undergo such a process… Unless it was a synth. His hands curled into fists at the thought. A sick joke indeed. 

Once your hand made a connection with his, it felt like his entire body just overheated and froze on the spot. His systems shut down momentarily, lights flickering before his systems rebooted. A familiar voice and touch broke him out of the spell he was under. 

Change was something Ramattra was getting used to. Sudden, unexpected changes were never going to go down well with him, and it was a lesson learnt for you. He apologised profusely, gentle servos holding your hand in an attempt to comfort you from his anger. You didn’t blame him, of course, you figured there was going to be a reaction, but this was not the one you had been expecting. 

Ramattra stayed with you that day, complimenting your look, glancing at you when you weren’t looking in his direction. He’d steal looks as he’d burn the images into his memory files; video files followed after, the gentle curve of your smile with your new look, eyes glistening in the warm sunlight. You were an angel within his optics. 

He would sit behind you, hands getting tangled within your hair, strands getting caught between his joints and being gently tugged. Ramattra mimicked the motions you showed him whenever you would sit behind him and play with his cables. Fingers brushed through your locks, sometimes a gentle squeeze of your scalp as he massaged your head. He enjoyed the time shared between you as he would style your hair the best he could. Of course, he’d miss a few strands, but the look and effort was too cute to change.

While Ramattra was still getting use to the sudden change of your appearance, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted as he stared at the back of your body, hands still playing. Why did you change? You were perfect before. I mean- you still are, of course. You will always be perfect to me. I just wondered what brought this upon you? 

His hands continued to play, moving down the side of your neck, rubbing the tight knots in your shoulders. A sigh filled his receptors, a sweet noise he enjoyed hearing from you. It made him chuckle as he continued his motions, basking in warmth of daylight as the two of you sat together.

“You are perfect, [y/n].” He finally spoke out, leaning down and resting his forehead against the back of your head. “Always will be.”

[wartakes]

Firewatch (March 2024 edition, Part 1)

Yes, finally, the first War Takes essay for 2024. In it, I decided to take some time to consider some of the major flashpoints for crises and conflicts in the world, and I ended up writing so much I had to divide it up to post it on Tumblr (lmao). Part 1, under the cut. Enjoy.

It occurred to me recently, looking at my feeds on social media, that I've been (for the most part) laser focused on what's going on in Palestine and the broader Middle East. To a lesser, but still strong, extent, I've also primarily been focused on the state of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. While I think there are very good reasons for the focus on those two conflicts, its also made me realize how much more that has been going on in the world of conflicts and crises that has passed me by (or that I've intended to talk about and then completely forgotten about by the end of the day).

With all that in mind, for my first quarterly essay of 2024, I decided now was a good time to go around the horn, widen the aperture, and identify some other ongoing armed conflicts and burgeoning crises that are important to keep an eye on. It's been a while since I've done one of these in general, so I felt it was overdue (it also works out well for me because I had exactly zero ideas on what I wanted to write about for this one so consider this my equivalent of the teacher wheeling the big TV into the classroom when they're hung over).

I want to try and formalize this as a recurring piece that I do (at least) once a year to update folks on important goings on in the field of conflict and warfare, so with that in mind I have a fun new flashy name for it: "Firewatch." This isn't just me trying to be cute, but putting it in the context of "fires" also actually helps me a bit with trying to categorize things by severity and level of concern that (in my opinion) you should probably have at this moment in time.

Before we get into things, a few up front disclaimers. First: these are all entirely subjective assessments based on my own personal analysis and knowledge, with my being stronger in some areas and admittedly weaker in others; take it all with a grain of salt and know I'm not perfect; in that same vein, I picked conflicts that I thought in my opinion were the most important to keep an eye on at the moment, but that doesn't mean that others aren't worth your attention (again, this is all subjective and I'm not trying to overtly dismiss anything). Second: these are all based on what information I could find at the time of writing, and the situations could all change rapidly (my Haiti piece in this was literally changing as I was writing it), so keep that in mind too and know that this could all be made out of date rapidly by new events. Third and final: again, I'm not perfect; if I missed anything, I swear it wasn't a purposeful omission and I apologize and please let me know so I can reassess my analysis; I'm only one guy, and the internet is getting harder to search these days; I'm doing my best to just try and keep folks on the Left informed about what's going on.

Ok, with all that out of the way, let's dig in to what's going on with the fires out there.

Roaring Flames

These are the conflicts that are at the point that not only are things on fire, the flames are rising and being actively fanned in many cases. These are conflicts you've probably already heard about in between other pieces of news, but may not have as much depth on compared to other ongoing events (unless you're a weirdo like me who soaks up conflict news like a sponge).

Sudan

Sudan has been locked in a civil war (its third since independence, if you're counting) for what will be a year this coming April. Coming on the heels of years of political upheaval and a prior coup against a civilian transitional government launched by the Sudanese Armed Forces in 2021, the war was sparked by an attempt by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to then seize power from the SAF back in April of 2023 amid a power struggle between the two forces. When the RSF coup went off half-cocked and failed to immediately take over the entire country from the SAF, you'd probably have been making the smart bet by putting your money on the SAF as opposed to the RSF. While both forces were roughly comparable in numbers of personnel (a lesson in why you shouldn't build a parallel military to compete with your military), the SAF had all the advantages in heavy firepower, possessing tanks, helicopters, jets, and so on.

However, the SAF has proven unable to snuff out the RSF over the past ten months or so of fighting, with the group proving remarkably resilient in its ability to take and hold territory throughout Sudan. This is despite the fact that the RSF is widely feared and hated, descendant from the infamous Janjaweed militias that were used by Bashir's regime during the War in Darfur to commit numerous crimes against humanity. In fact, after much of 2023 being a stalemate for both sides in Sudan, the RSF has made notable gains against the SAF in recent weeks and months, with the momentum of the war seemingly shifting dramatically in its favor. Part of this has had to do with increasing international involvement, with the leaders on both sides of the civil war seeking and gaining foreign support on the battlefield, such as supposed weapons support provided by the United Arab Emirates to the RSF, or even reported support by the Ukrainian special operations forces to the SAF (facing off against the late-Yevgeny Prigozhin's Russian PMC Wagner Group who have also been providing support to the RSF). However, in recent days the SAF appears to have had a rebound of its own, securing some high profile reversals against the RSF, showing that the outcome of this war is anything but certain just yet.

The international involvement in Sudan belies why this conflict should be on your radar. Obviously, a civil war in any country with almost 50 million people, like Sudan, will have widespread repercussions. Add in the fact that Sudan is located along the strategically important Red Sea (very topical at the moment, as you may have noticed), and also lays astride the Nile river, and you see even more reasons why international interest in Sudan is high. Add in the potential of the RSF winning the war and taking control of Sudan after having cut a swatch of indiscriminate destruction across the country, and more problems seem almost immediately around the corner (let me be clear, the SAF junta is by no means 'good', but the RSF is a unique kind of bad in its own right). An additional complicating factor comes from Sudan being between Egypt and Ethiopia, which have both sparred and threatened one another over usage of the Nile River (to say nothing of Ethiopia's own internal issues, which will come up later). But if you don't care about any of that, there's the sheer human cost in terms of civilians brutally killed, forced to flee their homes, and potentially starve. In so many words: this is a conflict to keep a close eye on if you haven't been already, both for reasons of geopolitics and of simple humanity.

Myanmar (Burma)

Thinking about Sudan makes me depressed, because all I can think about is all the innocent civilians caught in between bad (the SAF) and worse (the RSF), just trying to survive it all. But if there's one conflict going on right now that actually gives me some degree of hope for the people involved – and for humanity in general, really – its the ongoing civil war in Myanmar (AKA: Burma), which I've covered to varying extents in several past essays of mine.

Like with Sudan, the initial spark that eventually led to Myanmar's war was a coup d'etat. The Myanmar Armed Forces (commonly referred to as the "Tatmadaw" - or more preferred by those resisting the military: the "Sit-Tat") had already previously been in total control of the country of decades, and the coup came after years of apparent shifts towards democratization in the country. However, this was all dashed in the course of a day on February 1st, 2021, after the election held the previous November failed to deliver the result the military wanted.

An ethnically and religiously diverse country, Myanmar was already host to a number of political and paramilitary organizations that have waged low-level conflict against the central government (largely dominated by the Burmans or Bamar ethnic group, which makes up around two thirds of Myanmar's population) for decades, in search of better treatment and varying degrees of autonomy. But the brazenness of the 2021 coup and the incredibly brutal and violent crackdown by the military that ensued against those who openly opposed the usurpation of democracy, has served to not only energize and encourage resistance to shift to outright armed opposition, but also galvanize a broad front against the Sit-Tat and create a new sense of unity between the People's Defense Force stood up by the anti-coup National Unity Government to fight back against the Sit-Tat (many of their members overwhelmingly young people and students from the Bamar majority who protested the initial coup) and the preexisting ethnic armed groups.

The unity and energy that the combined opposition is bringing to the table seems to be paying dividends, as in recent weeks and months the junta appears to be on the ropes. Previously propped up with support from Russia and China, the Sit-Tat has been left wanting in that department as Russia has been increasingly distracted by its own war of aggression in Ukraine and China has been perturbed by the junta's inability to control Myanmar's shared border with China (which is one of several factors that has led China to lend support to some of the opposition groups and attempt to play a double game and preserve its relationships and influence in the country no matter how the war turns out). Due in no small part to the drying up of support to the junta and increased coordination and unity among the opposition, Sit-Tat has lost significant ground to the resistance in a series of offensives that have been ongoing since late last year. The situation has become so dire for the Sit-Tat that it has reportedly had to resort to enforce conscription for the first time in years (a move that has made many living in Sit-Tat controlled territory reportedly very eager to move out of it, for obvious reasons).

The international isolation of the Junta and its constant reversals on the battlefield seem to suggest that its living on borrowed time. However, many questions about this war remain to be answered; not simply when the Junta will fall, but what comes next? There is admittedly a possibility that the situation in Myanmar may not improve once the Sit-Tat is gone, or could even become worse – with some worrying the country could be ripped apart entirely. The prospect of infighting among the diverse members of the opposition shouldn't be ignored given Myanmar's history of internal ethnic conflict, but the idealist buried deep down under my cynicism holds out hope that this time things may really be different for the country. While the number of armed groups opposed to the Junta in Myanmar is vast and varied, most seem to be generally united under the ideas that authoritarian rule is unacceptable and that there should be some kind of confederal or federal democratic system in Myanmar with respect for the rights of all the groups of peoples that live there. While a lot could still go wrong and many issues that will need to be worked out in the aftermath if and when the resistance forces win, I say that's at least a good starting point for a new Myanmar and worth supporting and hoping for. This is why I continue to keep a close eye on what's going on in Myanmar even as other crises and conflicts fill me with more negative emotions, and I continue to hope the best for Myanmar and its people.

Haiti

Haiti is a country that has been plagued by a myriad of issues since it first gained its independence from France, many of them the result of outside interference. The state wasn't even recognized by many countries for decades for reasons of outright racism and slavery, with France later forcing Haiti to pay it reparations for the loss of French planters' slaves in the revolt that won them their freedom. Haiti then suffered imperialism in another guise through a twenty-year long occupation by the US Marines starting in 1915, with the US later helping to prop up the brutal dictatorships of the Duvalier family that lasted from the late 1950s through the 1980s. The 1915 US intervention was only the first in a series of 20th and 21st century outside military interventions by the United States and the international community as a whole that typically did nothing to substantively improve the conditions within the country (and arguably making them worse in some cases).

Even given the scale of the prior trials and tribulations Haiti has experienced, be it coups and earthquakes and various interventions, the country now faces a crisis unprecedented for it in modern times, with the country in the midst of an open revolt by armed gangs that is bordering on civil war. The current crisis began with the dramatic assassination of then-President of Haiti Jovenel Moise in July 2021, when a group of foreign mercenaries (primarily Colombians but including two Haitian Americans) that were reportedly hired by a Haitian doctor with Presidential aspirations stormed into the President's home in the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince and gunned him down. The President's murder created a power vacuum in the country, which was filled by Prime Minister Ariel Henry. In the time since taking over, Henry has failed to hold fresh elections on multiple occasions as tensions mounted and conditions worsened inside of Haiti, with armed gangs steadily expanding their control of the capital and levels of violence rising.

It was the most recent delaying of new elections – despite an agreement to hold them and pass on power by February 7th of this year – that served as impetus for the violence to escalate to its current level. Gangs and other armed groups have stepped up their violence to outright attacks on government buildings and institutions and stretching already overtaxed and under-resourced police and security forces to the limit and reportedly taking control of over 80% of the capital. These gangs appeared to have coordinated their actions, launching their wave of attacks as Henry was out of the country on a visit to Kenya in search of foreign police and troops to intervene in the country on his behalf. As Henry struggled to re-enter his own country, the gangs called for his ouster. After days of stonewalling and radio silence, following a conference of the Caribbean Community in Jamaica, Henry did just that.

While Henry is now on the outs (and will likely be missed by few in Haiti or elsewhere), the crisis in Haiti appears to be far from over. While their principal demand has been met, the gangs appear in no mood to back down, refusing to accept any new government imposed from outside forces. Instead, the gangs themselves seem to be aspiring to power – in particular, their unofficial leader, Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, a former police officer and leader of the gang known as G9 who has been crystal clear about his willingness to seize power violently if necessary. But Barbecue also faces competition, such as from fellow gang leader Johnson Andre (aka "Izo"), and former attempted coup leader Guy Philippe – recently returned to Haiti after serving a sentence in the US for taking bribes from drug traffickers, and making no illusions about his own desires to take power.

As the violence in Haiti continues with an associated and worsening humanitarian crisis, the United States and other foreign powers have debated and struggled to put together troops and police for some kind of intervention force and stabilization mission for months, with few governments seeming particularly eager to step into the breech after the past few interventions. Among those that are willing, such as Kenya, they've experienced various domestic roadblocks.. All while the and number of dead and displaced continue to rise amid worsening conditions (with some migrants to the neighboring Dominican Republic being forced back across the border into Haiti). However, in recent years Haitians have been understandably apprehensive if not outright hostile to the idea of yet another foreign military adventure in their country that will likely not solve any long term problems and potentially make them even worse yet again. Even as the gangs wage war in Haiti, its important to remember that there are regular people who are also protesting their frustration with their prior, ineffective, corrupt governments, in addition to foreign interference. The right path forward for Haiti remains unclear, all while foreign governments, the gangs, and other aspirants to power seem set on a collision course if nothing changes. Given conditions seem unlikely to change for the better at this moment in time, we should be prepared for things to get much worse in Haiti – and potentially the Caribbean as a whole – in the near future. (Note: I'm dumb and didn't realize how stringent Tumblr's character limits are now, so find part two here, with the rest of my thoughts and a conclusion) Photo credit: @operation1027 (on Twitter)

[asshlyyyy]

That Tour Life (Austin!Elvis x Reader)

This may have taken a couple of months to come out... but better late than never I say! I hope this came out the way you wanted it. I’m not the biggest fan of it, but I love the ending. This is the second thing I wrote today- Like who even am I?

I know my fics have been more on the shorter side, well... short for me, and I apologize. Yet, when they are shorter, it means I can get more out. Which is great for you guys! 

Requested by Anonymous, check out the original ask here!

Masterlist

Pairing: Austin!Elvis x fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, Sickness, Mentions of throwing up, Spelling and Grammatical Errors. 

Word Count: 1.4k

"Elvis, please, you have to let me go." You begged Elvis for what seemed to have been... the twentieth time. Elvis let out a sigh and shook his head. You immediately began to frown. 

"Y/n... It's not goin' to be what you expect it will be." He pointed it out to you. 

"It's better than just sitting home and not doing anything." You threw your arm out. Elvis turned his head to look at you. 

"Fine... fine, but don't say I didn' warn ya." You let out a squeal and threw your arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you!" Elvis chuckled at your response and returned your embrace.

You have been trying to convince Elvis to let you join him on tour ever since he first announced it. Which, was... just about a week or two ago. Of course, you bugged him immediately to let you join. 

You never been with toured on him. He claimed it was because he didn’t want to make you suffer. All he did was ride on his plane, never really have a full nights rest. Eat junk food… rinse and repeat. Which did not sound exactly so nice… But you would make it work. 

You pulled away from Elvis and ran into your bedroom, only to just run back out. “I have to start packing!”

Elvis chuckled at your foolishness and went back to what he was doing. Elvis mostly had it easy. He had his wardrobe all ready for him, he hardly ever really needed to pack a bag. He just showed up and everything he needed was right there for him. 

Yourself on the other hand… Well, you had to pack for lord knows how long. You could find time to wash clothes… What else would you be doing when not around Elvis. You made sure to pack more then enough clothes, and some jewelry and what not. 

Once you were done with that well… what was there to do? Wait you supposed. But you were antsy. You wanted to be on tour now. You wanted to go through Elvis’s day to day life when he was touring. 

It wasn’t too bad of a tour lined up. I think in total… you were going to be gone for a few weeks. Elvis has mentioned that once a show was done, he was on the plane for the next show. Which sucked, but you got to be with Elvis… and that was the most important part. 

Before you knew it, you were on the plan and going to your first location. You were ecstatic. Mostly because you haven’t been on a plane since forever, but also just because well… this is something you wanted to do.

“Ya okay there, darlin’? Ya lookin’ a bit sick.” Elvis asked as he turned to look at you. 

You shook your head quickly and looked at him with a smile. “I’m just excited. I get to go to cities I’ve never been before… See more of the world. Well… more of the states but still.”

“Well, if you get sick let me know.” Elvis said. It’s like he knew you would get sick. Of course you wouldn’t though. Why would you? There was no reason to. 

“I won’t get sick, Elvis. I’m a big girl.” You stated. Elvis hummed in response. 

“Mmm, sure you are.” Elvis chuckled and went back to the book he was reading. You knew at some point you would be in Las Vegas for a couple of days. That would give you time to look around the city and actually sightsee. You would have to pull Elvis out one day to force him upon your adventures. 

There were a view more major cities thrown in there as well, but let’s be honest… You were most excited about Vegas. You wanted to see the city that never sleeps. All the beautiful flashy lights. God, it sounded like a dream. 

The days went one and honestly you were feeling pretty great. You saw Elvis do sound check, you watched him and his back up singers. The band. Everything was just amazing honestly. Sure, there were some moments when you were just sick and tired of hotel food, but you would usually just go ahead and get something from a restaurant close by.

You can see why Elvis can be so tired by the end of every day though. Yet, he was glad you came along because you made it easier. Somehow you did… you weren’t going to question it… but.

When it got to the final week, you were over it. You were getting more and more sick with every flight. Thank you, Elvis, for jinxing it. You’ll have to remember to smack him when your well. 

Truth be told you wanted to go home. You were honestly over it, and you didn’t understand how Elvis was able to do this so often. God, you need to have a kid quick so you can use that excuse.

“You okay?” Elvis asked from across the way. You looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. 

“I’ll be okay. Just need to rest is all.” You answered. 

Elvis nodded and reached out for you. He gave your leg a light squeeze. “If you need anything let me know.”

“I will,” you smiled smiled and closed your eyes. It will take awhile for the next location, and thankfully the last, so you decided to at least try and sleep. 

“We have to make a pit stop. Need more gas,” someone came around to tell Elvis. You opened your eyes and looked over at Jerry who just told him. 

Most of the guys rode on different planes. Mostly because this was Elvis’ own private jet, but a few close friends of his… like the Memphis Mafia rode alongside with him. It was mostly Jerry though. Jerry was the one who stuck around the most. He was also there to hang out with you when Elvis was busy.

“Where are we landing?” He asked. 

“In Memphis funny enough.” Elvis turned to look at you. 

Before he could even get a word out you started to agree. “Yes.” Jerry looked at you confused. Did he just miss something? Was this that weird twin telepathy but with couples? God he needed to find someone.

“Y/n will get off then. She’s feeling sick so she’ll just go home. Have a car sent out?” Jerry nodded at Elvis’ request and walked out.

“So, was it as lavish as you thought it would be?” Elvis asked with a smug look on his face. You let out a sigh and looked away from him. You knew what he was trying to get at, and you didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. 

“It was nice, I think it’s more or less… not having a home cooked meal.” You replied. Which was honestly a good response. You didn’t really hate it. 

“Yeah, that’s the one bad thing. I miss ya home cooking. If ‘m having a bad day… your cooking brings me right up.” Elvis said. You blushed at his words.  That’s when you felt it inside. Your stomach was not happy, and your lunch was about to come up.

“Oh god-“ you whispered and got up from your seat. This has to be an all new low. You scrambled to the bathroom and closed the door behind you and let it rip. You were embarrassed… Throwing up on a plane?! I mean… not to mention throwing up in general. 

You just knew Elvis would try and throw this back at you. He said it in the way beginning, and you just knew it… God. You wanted to cry, and surely enough… you did start to cry. Your throat was now burning, your insides were just emptied out.

Once you finished your… You stood up and washed your hands. You needed water. You need mouth mouth… You needed anything to just clean your mouth out. Your breath smelt disgusting and you already knew that. 

As you came back to your seat, you found that there was a glass of water and a mint. You smiled softly and felt the tears fall down your face. Elvis may have been right, but he would still look out after you.

“Jerry talked to ma daddy. He’ll come pick ya up at the airport and take you home. He said he’s already speaking to ya mama and she’ll be at Graceland.” Elvis explained what was happening. You nodded taking in the information and sat down. You drank your water and pooped the mint in before leaning back.

“Thank you, Elvis.” You said softly.

“No need to thank me, darlin’. Just lookin’ after what’s mine.” You smiled at his words and opened your eyes once more to look at him. You were Elvis’ and no matter what… he would put your needs first before his pride.

Want to join my taglist? // Let me know If I spelt any wrong! I have updated my form for my taglist. You will be tagged under everything now in that selected fandom/person. Just makes my life easier.

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[qqueenofhades]

US-centric racial bullshit is even a problem in Canada. We LOVE pretending that we’re so much better than the United States and that our prejudices aren’t nearly as bad, but the way we’ve treated indigenous peoples has been abysmal for centuries, and most Canadians who aren’t Gen Z weren’t even aware of the worst of it until 2021. I’m not sure how many people outside of Canada know this but in 2021 they found a mass grave of 215 indigenous children outside an old residential school in Kamloops in BC, and everyone was scandalized for approximately two weeks. They’ve since searched like maybe five more schools out of over a hundred and found thousands of more bodies, and the initiative to even look has kind of fizzled out. This was my parents’ first exposure to the idea of residential schools, we’ve been sweeping this shit under the rug for decades, and we still get off to “not being the US”.

All this to say that Canadian history isn’t as flashy as the US but is still worth taking a look at. There’s a lot of harmful institutions still in place left over from like 1873 that symbolize incredibly tense political situations that continue to this day. And even our black history gets boiled down to “Underground Railroad”, oh aren’t we nice, when that’s really not all that happened.

Because I read international news and follow international politics, I am personally aware of the Canadian residential schools scandal, but it absolutely is something that fizzled out after a few weeks and was attempted to be covered up with a few boilerplate apologies and nothing in the way of real change or action. I would therefore gently question your phrasing of "US-centric racial bullshit," since the whole point of your ask is that while Canada pretends to be better than the US, it has its own specific racial and cultural blind spots relating to its own practice of racism. So would this not be more accurately called "Canada-centric racial bullshit?" After all, you're talking about something that happened in Canada, was perpetrated by Canadians, is directly related to the modern Canadian state, and as such as has been denied by white Canadians. After all, the big Trucker March of right-wingers that shut down Toronto took place in Canada, not the US. So yes, there's definitely a need to talk about Canadian racism in and of itself, and not just Canadian racism as a corollary of the US.

Canada is likewise a white settler-colonial state founded by Europeans (English and French, a split still prominent in modern Canada), and that therefore involved equally horrendous legacies of displacement and genocide against the First Nations people. Because Canada is so much smaller population-wise (300 million+ in the US vs just 38 million in Canada), it has thus to some degree been forced to expand its population by relying on immigrants and refugees. And to its credit, it has been more proactive about accepting refugees than the US. But there are still plenty of right-wingers who think that a geographically enormous and empty country like Canada, with only 38 million people, is getting too "crowded" with "foreigners." Likewise, Canada is still officially a part of the Commonwealth, aka the lightly rebranded British Empire, so its formal head of state is the UK monarch. And to the best of my knowledge, there haven't been any serious conversations about breaking that link and reorganizing as a republic, the way there have been in Caribbean Commonwealth countries like Jamaica and Barbados (which in fact just did it). That is because white first-world Canadians can see association with the British Empire as a "prestige," instead of the legacy of slavery and exploitation that was the British Empire against majority-black countries in the Caribbean.

Anyway: Canadians are always stereotyped as the nice people who apologize for everything and mind their business, and yes, the flaming dumpster fire of America would make anyone feel superior about not being that. But it doesn't mean there's no problems or that it's a perfect society free of its own flaws and failures, and Americans are also definitely guilty of treating it as some magical escape valve: witness the "I'm going to move to Canada" refrain when something political goes wrong here. In some ways, yes, that would be preferable, viz. free healthcare and strict gun laws. But yeah.

[system-of-a-feather]

McLean Hospital DID Video Controversey; Our (+ our Fiance's) Take

I'm really going to probably primarily summarize our takes in this post. If you want to see my raw chicken scratch notes (changes from scratch to REALLY scratchy due to me putting back on my finger brace for my sprained pinky) you can try to decipher them here. If there is any part you want me to translate, reblog and/or send an ask or something, but ya know

I have a saved copy of the video here.

Anyways some context to mine and my fiance's background and relevancy to this topic that reflect our opinions and biases on the topic

Me: I have been diagnosed with DID for a while. I've been on social media (briefly on twitter for 2 seconds, but arguably I think one of the larger DID blogs on tumblr maybe? *bless invisible follower accounts*) and use it with a DID focus on one of my social medias. Used to follow DID Youtube. I am also a research nerd and actually, back in university, would try to find time to come out to seminars like this at the place I used to be a research intern on. I very much enjoy these environments and seminars that summarize present concerns and ideas in the research community. I've also basically cleared "stabilization" phase of DID and according to some have achieved what might be considered "functional multiplicity" yet am still progressing with my recovery.

Fiance: He's my partner since 2016 and has been actually living with us for about a month now. He's a communications major with specialization on advertising and marketing and as a decent part of his education focused on how social media is being used and how that stuff plays into effective advertising. He also has a close relationship with his mom that - until he started dating me and I got diagnosed - did he not know that she also had DID as she is of the type that is very ashamed, confused, and embarrassed by it. Between the both of us though, when his mom, him, and I go out to dinner, he is really the only one checked in and its kinda really funny cause he looks like the weird one for not entirely spacing out.

Yes, we made this a mini date night.

Anyways, the point.

The seminar had a lot of really good points, a few alright points, and a few really EHHH points. They also did directly use videos without censoring the users or doing much to protect their identity / reduce risk of harassment which I do feel is problematic cause he did - in part of his discussion about social media and DID - acknowledge that harassment is viral in the DID community for both people who have it and people who don't. I think that in itself is the largest issue and the largest fuck up that he really should honestly put an apology out for imo cause he really did comment on how huge of an issue it is, and did little due diligence to not add to it. While I don't think that is "malpractice" it is unprofessional. Do I think we should take his license for it? No. Do I think he should be held accountable / he owes an apology for that? Yeah probably.

Beyond that huge fuck up, the overall take away I got was that his concern for malingering / maladaptive use on social media on people who DO have DID and those that don't but might think they do / might be faking is absolutely valid and I do think it is someting that needs to be talked about; however he presents it in a kinda problematic way with a clear attitude and perspective that is both very (ironically) trauma stuck and - as my fiance and I started putting it in our conversations - "Boomer Takes"

He comments on how a lot of it is very flashy, performative, and sensationalized and comments on how that can be harmful / dangerous and I do agree, but I also don't think that inherently has anything to do with validating or invalidating how their diagnosis.

I DO absolutely agree with him calling out the trend of monetizing the disorder which I have strong opinions against and I do find it extremely uncomfortable for people to be trying to monetize the disorder outside of genuine extreme situations where support is needed.

I had a lot less of a notable take on the comment on the switches being overt because I actually never seen someone switch in person (his mom is very covert and not the most talkative about hers), but my fiance had a very loud laughing fit over how dramatic and weird they were commenting that neither of the ones he showed looked anything like either of how me or his mom show things.

There was a REALLY good S tier section on the Fantasy Model VS Trauma Model as well as how DID forms and the nature of it in the middle that I think was actually VERY well done and informative and I would like to chef kiss the air at it.

Again, there were a lot of good points to it and it was informative but I do have a few complaints.

The overall issue I find with his rhetoric are

a lot of his points sound mostly anecdotal which is not really the best (he did have some studies but, a lot of "this is not what we see"

he really has a set mindset that seems to summarize to "if they are not completely shocked and traumatized when they switch and are used to it, then they are faking / malingering" which is pretty problematic

he doesn't leave room for the fact that some people with DID do heal and recover from trauma and while most might be experiencing it in a way that is horrifying, people DO heal and discounting the lack of shame and acceptance as reasons to suspect malingering / faking is kind of problematic and against healing ideas

he doesn't leave account for generational gaps in how mental health is approached and while he focuses a lot on how people are inappropriately using DID "content" he only brushes over and vaguely hand gestures at what he would suggest "healthy" usage to look like which once again doesn't serve to be the most productive of conversation

his very understanding of the disorder in short is very dependent on the idea that people with DID "are usually ashamed" and "very traumatized" which the latter is true but again, healing exists

a point my fiance brought up is that while he has a lot of good concerns and points, a lot of his points come from anecdotes and how he "doesn't see these things in his practice" but he never really talked to any of the people he is commentating on the behavior of and the thing with social media is those with the largest following tend to be the extreme ends of whatever niche they are in so it is likely that those with extreme followings likely have extreme (ie atypical) experiences of the disorder simply by the nature of how the disorder is

Anyways, theres probably a few more details worth commentating on or transcribing from my notes but my pinky is sprained and i already wrote a shit ton for this so Imma give it a break and not type it all up.

TLDR: its not the best delivered video but it does have its merrit and the overall concept / concern is valid and important, but the dudes a boomer and has an issue of "poor traumatized and broken meow wows" about people with DID that is kinda annoying and out of touch

TLDR 2: Guys he didn't do fucking malpractice. People who are saying he did malpractice honestly need to get off the internet and learn how to use those words correctly cause yall are watering it down. (insert world heritage meme on the word 'gatekeeping' and 'gaslighting')

Absolutely feel free to reblog/send asks for more elaboration and all on it, but thats just my notes and take from it.

[vhvrs]

i’ve been going crazy for viktor lately, please tell me some of ur favourite things about him

huge lying dweeb, sooo driven by emotion in everything they do both negative and positive. cant let go of a grudge for ten+ years but also cant let go of a crush either. relationship dualities. borderline queen

you can see that viktor has a specific style they like in their mechanical designs between blitzcrank and their own suit that comes from not just lack of high quality materials but needing things to look that way. blitz is more rudimentary but even his more advanced suit + body parts are this clunky design where you can see each plate and bolt (and the work put into it)

the genuine softness she has towards naph in their short story and something like recognization to his situation. viktor's ability to turn their bullshit off with kids or delicate situations is sweet - even if they still have a warped understanding of what's considered soft lol

even if it got them into major trouble and ruined her life, the idealism n relentless belief in herself is key viktor charm. type of overconfidence that makes them come at jayce with killing intent for the sake of utopia but keeps him focused on advancement

their ability to almost apologize for being a cunt in the LoR champions path and helping jayce out is cute. i think it's cute how much they still care and are considering maybe. Maybe theyre the problem. maybe.

the flashy cape and skirt belt over the otherwise nude robo suit for no reason

made it to round 3 of fuckable robots <3

[halamet-chalamet]

hello!! I saw your Spencer Reid headcanons and I LOVE IT!! I'd like to put my own in, if that's okay! I'm around 5'5, I have short brown hair with matching eyes. I've always felt super SUPER insecure about my nose, though-- it seems too flat for my face. my style completely ranges, but I stick more towards a 'flashy' esque-- I like being impressionable to whoever I see, even if I've known them for years! I'm an ENTP. My interests are musical theater, art, basically anything in the fine arts and I love it! except for instruments... not very good with those. though I am trying to get back into piano! I'm (ironically) learning "The Smile of a Child", better known in it's appearance in the episode "Coda". I love singing, it's a huge passion of mine. I'm very outgoing, and I like meeting people, but I'm more than a bit awkward while meeting new people. I only like eye contact after looking over someone's body language, and learning their name. I'm insecure about my laugh but I rock it-- I just think I'm a bit too loud and obnoxious at times. I study psychology in my free time-- especially the aspects that sleep has on our lives. Just last night I talked to my friend about getting more sleep! I'm caring, and I stress bake A LOT-- I won the "Betty Crocker" award in my company. Another thing I do to wind down is to listen to music-- I usually listen to Bruno Major to wind down for the night. I'm an insomniac, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD, which most likely explains all of the above!! tysm and sorry for the infodump omg <3

Never apologize for info dumping me! You sound like you’re so beautiful! I love unique noses they’re so beautiful!! Also I’m an ENTP tooo so… twinsies! Okay you and Spencer let’s gooooo~

Spencer needs someone kind of exciting!

He loves your fashion sense!! And your boldness and how it’s truly you he just adores it!

Spence kisses your nose ><

He’s not a big lip kisser in general, in public especially

So he would give you a quick nose kiss. Even if you told him to stop he would pout like “nooo why?” And do it again.

I think he also loves theatre!!! And for a date would buy tickets to a show you’ve really been wanting to see.

asks you to sing him to sleep but only once and it was after a really bad case and poor baby was so embarrassed and so surprised when you said yes..

Giggles but is so encouraging while he watches you learn piano

Always hits you with the “it’s sounding nice honey”

In the most domestic adorable way

Also he loves your laugh

I think he himself is insecure about his because he thinks it sounds dorky

But Spencer thinks your laugh is the most adorable sound in the world

He probably has some weird facts about laughing let’s be honest

Spencer gets so happy when you’re excited to meet the BAU team! He loves seeing you interact with them!!

Imagine since you study psychology and like to observe people the way you do. You and Spencer at some social gathering just profiling, analyzing, observing, and slightly judging everybody. It would be the funniest thing

Spence and you can trade sleep psychology facts! He’d fall deeper in love lets be honest.

Bake for or with this man

If you bake for him he’s so thankful and continually compliments it.

He’s all “this is actually the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. Ever.”

If you bake with him tho??

He’s super precise about all the ingredients and probably throws flour at you once :0

Helps you however he can with your anxiety and ADHD!

If you’re ever uncomfortable in a situation he gets you out quiiiick

Spencer just loves you okay osbaixnaonapmzjaiwpjfoakd

Okay thank you for listening to me rant!! I hope you like it :) have an awesome super extra fantastic lovely day/ noon/ night. Love you byeeeee

A/N: Thank you guys for all the ship requests! I might (key word might) be closing them soon to catch up, but so far I’m pretty on top of them! Just a reminder that I also write blurbs and stuff if you ever have a request like that! I need to find out how to link my request rules in my bio tho.. anyway love you all byeeee 👋💕

[ibyte13]

I keep seeing posts about how awful biden is and that we shouldn't vote for him blah blah blah. The problem with this is that there is a misunderstanding happening on how our political system is currently functioning and whatpart of its life span we are in. I went off in the tags of a post earlier and i apologize for that I'm just gonna make an actual post about it now.

Right now we are at a tipping point in old politics vs new politics. Old politics being that the majority of important shit that matters is happening behidn the scenes. You don't get to see that as the general public for a number of reasons. The things going on are delicate political maneuvering, anyone whose played a political intrigue game knows this. It's a lot like a game of chess except the pieces you are playing with are also other players and you are also a piece on their board. This makes control of information very very important, so keeping it out of the public eye is tantamount to success. These are the rules biden is playing by. The man is an old school politician and he's very good at it. He's a repair man, not a hero.

What trump is doing is playing new politics rules where he's essentially shattering the screen that hides all the pieces and moves that are happening from the public eye and dragging them into the light. People are reactionary. The public as a whole are awful at playing chess and cannot see even three moves down the line from where they are now. So when someone playing by old rules, who speaks vaguely in order to try and placate the masses without revealing their hand is faced with someone who plays with half a deck up their sleeve and their hand face up on the table, now the ones holding their hands close look suspicious, even though you can see the other guys sleeve has a distinct card shaped lump in it and he is not subtle about pulling cards out.

New school politics is the equivalent of a high school popularity contest. "He said this and she said that, then this person did this and can you even imagine the audacity they had to even thi k of saying such a thing" that's new politics. It's an excellent manipulation tactic in the age of social media where the distraction is the key. "Here look at this flashy thing of a politician not being in the know about queer people" or some such while the same person who said that is actively making it so that queer people can't marry or what have you. This is just an example.

So back to Biden v Trump. Biden is old school. Trump is new school. The fact that they are both old dudes matters not. The thing about both is that they are just people and people are not perfect. Biden is not condemning Israel's actions in Gaza which is fucking terrible and worse is bending over backwards to give supplies to israel in fact which is double fucking terrible. We will face the consequences for this. Problem, he's operating under the fact that we have a treaty (i think don't quote me on this and in fact feel free to correct me here) with israel. We are their allies and as their allies we cannot just condemn them outright. Not by old politic rules. But new politic rules are making it a necessity and using it as a manipulation point. What Biden is doing is about a hundred other things that will not make news but ultimately improve our lives here in the states, for example he's working to make marijuana a schedule 3 drug instead of schedule 1 meaning it'd be federally legal for recreational use much in the same way ibprofen or aspirin is from my understanding. No more piss tests, veterans would be able to use it if they're reciving VA medical care etc. Not making headlines. The rail workers strike, Biden forced a stop gap resolution to save infrastructure and critical economic functions, then kept working to get the union members everything they wanted. Again, no headlines about that second part. Airplans are being required to be more disability friendly and required to have bathrooms large enough for an on board wheel chair if need be. Again not making headlines, and these are just the things I've had to dig for recently.

Trump did nothing like that. He made capitol hill the laughing stock of the modern world for all four years he was in office and tried to stage a coup on live television. There is a maifesto circulating called Project 2025 and if you haven't heard of it go look it up. It's 90 almost 100 pages detailing what will happen should trump or another republican be elected president in this coming election cycle. The long story short is that if that happens, we will not have another election and US democracy as we know it will die.

Now rag on Biden all you want, critcize him, let it be known that you are not happy with how he has handled Israel and Gaza. But don't pretend for a second that Trump would handle it any better or any republican for that matter. They'd've handled it worse most likely plus a whole lot of other shit to boot.

Another tidbit you might have pop up into your mind: but ibyte! There's more than just Trump and Biden to vote for! And to that I say yes, there is, but let me let you in on a secret about American politics: if you do not vote for Biden, you are voting for Trump even if you are voting for a canidate that is arguably better than Biden and here's why. The democratic convention and democratic party have thrown their weight behind Biden as the incumbent President so any third candidate already won't have the backing of one of the two major parties. The republicans are throwing their weight behind Trump or someone slightly left of trump (i haven't had a chance to keep up with that the past month or so). Problem is that the democrats and republicans tend to be so.e of the most right leaning parties in this country, so people who hate democrats and will not vote for them sure as shit ain't gonna vote for someone more left of democrats which is where a majority of the small but better candidates lie on the spectrum, they're gonna vote for Trump or whatever Trump replacement republicans have on deck. Thus is you vote for someone more left than Biden, all you are doing is taking vltes away from Biden because everyone more right wasn't gonna vote for anyone but a republican anyway. This is why it's important that you vote for Biden.

This election period is not about Biden vs Trump: round 2. This election is about Democracy vs Dictatorship. A friend of mine likes to say that history doesn't repeat itself, but it sure as hell rhymes. We are quite literally watching a rerun of the events leading to World War II right on schedule. The US will become the fourth Reich if we do not take this election seriously and the facist corners of this country know it and are doing everything in their power to be loud about how badly biden is fucking up the israel gaza tragedy.

Yes be critical, but do not pretend for a minute that Biden and Trump are equivalent choices.

[mlynar-nearl]

Do you also think that it is easy for Toland to reach or get to My, since he knows where he works, lives, what bus he tskes, what lunch he orders and papers to read lol. But here's the prompt, when Mlynar wants to send a msg to Toland, how does he do that?

Oh, yes, Toland knows everything about Młynar's life and patterns, and Młynar knows much less about Toland's. You'd think it uneven, but...

--

A thing:

On the front porch of the Nearl estate in the Kawalerielki, there is a series of potted plants that were once kept as a tiny hobby by Yolanta Krol Nearl. As a gesture of goodwill shortly before her marriage to Schnitz, she entrusted a few of them to her future brother-in-law, and Młynar, for all of his work-focused routines, keeps a close eye on them. Often, if someone wants to leave him a note, they'll pin it under one of the small pots so that the wind doesn't carry it away. Młynar, who looks at the flowers whenever he gets home for the night, will always notice it- as a rule. It isn't just Toland who knows how to leave a letter for him this way. But sometimes, if Młynar knows Toland is in the area, he will leave a letter under the plants- not uncommon to see on their front step- but this one is meant to be taken by an outsider, not by the residents.

Another thing:

The Kazimierz Bounty Hunters' guild is technically illegal, and therefore, exists in the rat holes and empty spaces of the Kawalerielki. Every year after the Major the city grows, and as the city grows they gain yet more spaces to hide. It's not easy to remember them all, keep track of all of them, but Młynar Nearl certainly knows a few. Like many secret brotherhoods, the guild has its signs and symbols that denote membership. Whether to prospective clients or fellow members, there is a signal there, though with a degree of plausible deniability. Młynar, though, knows what clothing makes someone a guildmember in disguise, what way they walk, what they carry. The small quirks that a normal salaryman wouldn't notice, but that Młynar Nearl does. Coming across one of them makes contacting Toland by word of mouth simple, because if they know all the conventions for being part of the guild, well, Młynar does too. After all, he is the lifelong partner of the guildmaster. It's little work to see one of them, at the bus station, on a street corner, or somewhere else he has a few moments to talk.

-For the Guildmaster. Tell him to make contact with M.

And he leaves that there to lay, not acting any different from normal. For all that someone observing knows (provided they can't read lips), he remarked on the weather, or apologized for bumping into that stranger.

Sure, there is the chance that they won't report back to Toland, but Młynar knows that Toland is much too good at his job to let his juniors keep secrets from him. Everyone tends to think bounty hunters are flashy, but several, at any given time, are tracking a target the smart way, or looking for a trail. And so many trails lead right through the Kawalerielki, that Młynar can always find a way to intersect with one.

No matter what happens between dropping that message on one of Toland's juniors and the response, it's the same every time.

Toland arrives, at great personal risk, and asks what he needs.

Młynar has only done this once or twice, and only for something very, very important. But it's worked, with flawless efficiency and consistency. A bit like him.

[myrhymesarepurer]

🌹🌹🌹🌹

Thank you <3 You submitted 4 roses, so you get two pieces, one angsty and one lil flashback. If anyone else would like a little exceprt from my WIP, send a 🌹 to my asks. :) I'm trying to kickstart writing this again, so it'll help me.

Again, from my WIP Four. Obviously, a sequel to my goofier fic of Three, based around the Elric wedding. Four was once a short silly sequel but is now my personal love letter to Royai so. we're chipping away at it. --------

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, Sir.” “You’re lying.” Of course, she was. 

Not only had Roy never had the pleasure to be so close to Riza’s heart, but he had only ever once before seen just a glimpse of it shatter, the mask overwhelmed, the dam breaking. Not even when she turned pale before him, gushing blood from her split artery, did Riza Hawkeye appear in such disarray, at a loss, sufficiently defeated. 

Heartbreak even in spite of her renowned resistance.

“Then I have need to apologize,” Roy ran a weary hand through his hair, “about everything.”

“Everything,” she muttered under her breath,  “Everything,” Riza knew exactly what he meant, and she refused to let it happen again. 

Ink, Sand, Blood, Flame,  everything. 

Roy Mustang cared and he cared too much, so greedy for his guilt. She knew what he meant and he knew what he started. He knew he was in for it. No, Riza fought. 

This was a conversation that continuously persisted year after year, simultaneously in past and present, a routine they ran through too many times to waste even one more moment on it now. 

Questions already asked, answers already known. They repeated their argument as they had many times before, behind closed doors, alone in hospital rooms, broken record, scratches and cracks, same old song. Riza started them off, and he fell seamlessly into lockstep. 

“I gave it to you for a reas-” Riza said. “Yes, you’ve told m-” Roy replied. “You are and always were to be the Flame Alchemist. We wouldn’t be here without that.” “Exactly, we wouldn’t be here without that,” Riza pointedly and defiantly ignored Roy’s deliberate double entendre.

Relentlessly, she persisted. 

“Regardless how grave the outcome, Sir, that decision was-” “Yours and yours alone,” Roy rubbed at the pain behind his eyes,“Yes, I know, I know.” “If you know, General, then why are we here nearly a decade after the war, years after the promised day discussing this still.”  --------

“Oh and concerning lunch, Lieutenant Colonel, do stay inside.” Hawkeye stuck up a finger and pointed to the windows behind him. Mustang glanced over his shoulder and grimaced at the rain just beginning to form a downpour. “Not even a quick walk?” Roy exhaled and raised an eyebrow, “Test your response time?” “I assure you there would be no response time, Colonel. I’ll be in here, picking up your slack”

“Ok, ok” Roy surrendered to Hawkeye’s sharp tongue with a soft smile, “Rest assured, I’ll be safe, Lieutenant. You’re dismissed.” 

“Thank you, Sir." Satisfied, Hawkeye pivoted toward Hughes seated across from Roy, clicked her heals and nodded, "Major Hughes" Maes lifted an informal hand in farewell, but the very instant the Second Lieutenant left the room, Hughes leaned in and cut a most dramatic whisper. “What was that!? “What was what?” Roy mumbled in monotone to his forms and flipped the page. “I mean, when you’re not sucking up to the brass, you’re the grumpiest fool I know. You haven’t even looked me in the eyes since we started talking - well, since I started talking. Heavens knows if you’re paying attention, and yet you were so wonderfully nice to her.” “You’re mistaken, Hughes. I’m nice to everyone.” Roy looked up to him, “Idiot.” Hughes ignored his jest altogether, too eager to prove his point, “I mean, you were always rather soft on her in the desert, but now as her boss; If anybody would take the chance to use their flashy new rank to be an asshole for the fun of it, it’s you.” Roy snorted, straightened his stack, and picked up his cold coffee. “You haven’t seen her when she’s angry.” he muttered into the lid idly, “It’s best to keep her onside.”  Hughes barked a laugh, “Well if you want to keep her onside, you certainly shouldn’t tempt flirting with her at work.” Coffee spewed from Roy’s mouth as he fell into a cough, “I’m sorry. Flirt!?”

[rhetoricalrogue]

It’s almost 4 am, so I’m thinking of my characters and their fighting styles, as one does when they’re still wide awake.

The Main DA group

Moira: taught by Highever’s finest tutors, but never had to actually put things in practice until the night her family’s home was attacked. Knows how to fight, but she has a learning curve for her to follow through with her attacks with the intent to kill vs running practice drills. Later, Zevran takes her under his wing (pun intended) and picks up where her instructors left off.

Vivian and Gavin (wonder disaster eldest twin duo): mix of quick, practiced knife fighting and using the environment to their advantage. Pretty much anything is a weapon before Gavin’s forced to throw a fireball at their enemies as a heavily ingrained survival tactic. “Take care of your brother” is also a heavily ingrained phrase, so Vivian puts herself in the line of fire to shield and/or take attention away from Gavin without even thinking.

Rolfe: scarily efficient, get the job done quick and move on just as quickly without anyone noticing tactics. The only times he’s flashy is when there’s an audience and he knows he has a role to play for certain perceptions.

Vincent: would rather talk things out, but will fight when given no other option. Normally takes a defensive stance out of habit: casts shields, arcane blasts, etc. but can wipe multiple people out with chain lightning or fire. Has learned how to summon flame in a way that it looks like he’s breathing fire purely for intimidation purposes, earning him the title of the Dragon of Ostwick.

Ravena: had some mandatory weapons training from the Chantry guards and resident templars, but when Rolfe found out that his favorite cousin needed training, he took it upon himself to provide it. The end result was a mix of sneaky, stabby knifework with some dirty fighting tactics thrown in.

Marian, the Sprouts: they fight dirty and every single one of them got their first dagger lessons from Uncle Rolfe (or dad, in Marian’s case.) Bryony and Primrose will bite without warning. Rolfe is incredibly proud of his daughter and nieces.

Alex: WHY would anyone want to fight this boy? He’s a 6’4” human version of a golden retriever who would rather buy you a drink and make friends than actually fight. He can hold his own, but really, you have to get through his sister first and Marian is scary. Takes more after his mom with sword and shield fighting. Has also, like his mama, punched a tree while suffering from seasonal allergies. (He apologized to it later.)

The Detectives

Lucas and Zoe: (if ever there were an AU where any of my detectives were siblings, it would be these two) straight up brawlers, no real finesse save for some self-defense training. Lucas has a more predictable boxing style while Zoe swings fast and hard and angrily without really having an easily telegraphed shot. Both are good for quick fights but lack the stamina and speed for anything more prolonged.

Charles and Rowena: “can we talk this out???” Both of them have little to no experience in combat and would rather find a non-violent outside the box solution if conversation was out of the question.

Astrid: as the result of having a former battle goddess/fey nanny who basically raised her in the place of an absentee mother, she’s trained since practically childhood in multiple forms of combat. (Fiona figured that running practice sword drills = tired kiddo who didn’t fight bedtimes and she was 100% right.) She was on her way to being an Olympic fencer when injuries from a major car accident shut that path down, but Fee modified some training, pulled some strings, and got her really into longsword competitions and LARP tournaments for fun. Adam still hasn’t agreed to sparring with her after finding out that his underground Fight to the (almost) Death opponent is her instructor, but she feels like she could hold her own against him. She also bites, like full jaw power, “I bit Murphy’s nose off when he had the audacity to kidnap me” bite strength. Fiona cried when she heard what her wee beastie had done, she was so proud.

The Oregon Peeps

Paxton: he’s a lover, not a fighter, but used to play baseball in college and still has a hell of a swing with a nail studded and barbed wire wrapped bat.

Rita: the sharpshooter in the relationship. Prefers the quieter crossbow instead of firearms for stealth reasons. Has used a wrench in a pinch, but doesn’t like having to get up close and personal with the freaks while on supply runs.

Elena: silenced handguns are her go-to weapon of choice when out in the shit, but she’d rather be stealthy and avoid conflict with marauders and infected alike before she has to use her sidearm.

The D&D crowd

Briel: “I’m a cleric, but…” main way of healing her friends is to beat up the bad guys before they can actually hurt her friends. Carries a big hammer she’s named Helga and goes into a rage when calm doesn’t quite work.

Molly: fluid, almost graceful moves with a cutlass. She moves like the sea she’s most at home in.

Merwin: “MY WIFE IS SUCH A BADASS” support, but also a stormy brute force to be reckoned with. Fights with a trident he stole claimed as a birthright from his family home.

Daniella: long distance archer who prefers to stay out of harm’s way and offer support to more heavy hitters. “My version of help from above is a sniper on the roof” combat method.

Lilian: can use a longsword, but you can definitely tell she’s not comfortable doing so. She traded Sunny music lessons for sword tips, but is more at home with a well-placed eldritch blast or other offensive spell (preferably at a distance, as she’s almost died three or four times already and would like to Not Do That.)

Damian: he just wants to be left alone with his books, thank you very much. Will throw a fireball if pressed, but would rather work on his illuminated manuscripts in peace.

Darien: fighter with a structured, strategic combat method that he learned from his background as a knight. Tries to keep to a code of chivalrous conduct when possible, feels extreme guilt when he can’t.

Mouse: small, quick, takes the “fuck shit up and get out of harm’s way fast” lessons the Queen of Thieves taught her to heart. Stab, stab, disengage and/or try to pick her target’s pockets before running away is her usual tactic. Has bitten and will bite again.