#okay but on a serious note i kinda like that even the heavy scenes have bloopers

[transboykirito]

the dub cast went through the seven stages of grief recording those bloopers god help them

[scekrex]

I’ve had this idea for a while and I like your writing so I figured Id ask you! If you don’t like it, please feel free to ignore!! Can we get Lucifer’s reaction to sinner!Adam being with someone who seems to genuinely love and care for him. I always kinda saw Lilith and Eve as people who wasn’t into the idea of being with Adam in a serious manner (Lilith a lot more than Eve) which is why they turned to Lucifer.

I just find the idea of Lucifer seeing someone genuinely care for Adam more than any of Adam’s past lovers really fun. Like, would he be low-key jealous? Would he be happy for Adam (as much as he definitely would not admit it)

I also would find it funny of what Lucifer would think to Adam dating a guy. The first man, progenitor of humanity, Mr. everyone came from these nuts himself, discovering he’s bi waaaay too late into his after-life, and after he becomes a SINNER no less! I can’t help but chuckle about it

Have a nice rest of your day!! ❤️❤️

Okay so this turned into some Adam x male!reader n Lucifer being jealous over reader. Basically one-sided adamsapple. Hope you enjoy, xoxo/p

Part 2

Maybe you can call me Eve, standing here under the forbidden tree

pairing: one-sided adamsapple/Adam x male!reader

warnings: language

note: not beta read bc fuck you I don't have beta readers

It was a little weird, that the devil had to admit, it was a little weird to see Adam so happy, so relaxed, so lovingly. Ever since the former angel had arrived in hell after Alastor's little demon girl friend had ended him he had been even worse than before. He had constantly insulted the residents of the hotel, whenever there had been the possibility to pick a fight with Charlie, Adam had done exactly that.

And it made Lucifer feel strange.

Adam was laying on the couch, you were laying on top of him - chest to chest - his guitar was gently placed on your back as he played for you. Has Adam ever played for anyone but himself? Lucifer certainly didn't think so. Sure, he had played concerts in heaven, but he had mainly played for himself, for his own entertainment, so that people listened to him had just been a nice bonus. But actively played for someone? No.

And your curious, loving eyes were watching his every move, an adoring smile was on your lips and Lucifer's heart felt heavy at the view. The thought was small but it bloomed in him, the thought that this could have been him, that he could be the one laying on Adam's chest while the first man played for Lucifer instead of a random sinner. It wasn't fair, but Lucifer had already known that. Life - or afterlife - never played fair. Never.

“Dad?” Charlie's soft voice made him tear his eyes from the scene, her hand came up to rest on his shoulder. “Are you-” she interrupted herself as soon as she spotted you and Adam and a small sigh escaped her.

Adam played the last chord and then proudly looked down on you, a cocky smile on his lips as you placed a small kiss on his stubbled chin. One of your hands moved to ruffle through his hair and Lucifer suddenly remembered Eden, back when it had been just Adam. Just him and Adam. Those times were long gone though, and the devil knew it, he knew that what they had back then would never return, especially now that Adam had you.

He was thankful that Adam had finally found someone, that he wasn't feeling as miserable anymore and that he actually seemed to try and redeem himself. And yet Lucifer couldn't bring himself to be happy for the first man, not when the person laying on his chest was you instead of him.

The fact that Adam was dating a guy didn't make it easier to deal with though. If you were a girl it would be different for Lucifer, that way he could trick his brain into believing that Adam was straight, that he had no chance anyway. But you weren't a girl and Adam wasn't straight. The possibility had been there, the possibility had been right in his damn hands back in Eden. The bond he and Adam had back then had been special, it had been a connection Lucifer had never felt again in that way. Yet Adam had always denied being queer once his soul arrived in heaven. The image of him kissing your forehead so softly however shed new light on it, Adam didn't deny being bi anymore, he had grown comfortable with it actually. The credit for that went to Angel Dust.

Why you? Why not him? That's a thought that constantly occupied Lucifer's mind. What did you have that he hadn't? The devil didn't know.

Charlie's hand squeezed his shoulder apologetic, she knew. Of course she knew, Lucifer had told her himself after all. He had told her about Eden, back when Adam had been the sweetest creation of God's, right after ducks, that was. A thing Adam had named. Adam had named most of the things, if Lucifer was being honest with himself, it had been his job after all. But when Adam had named ducks, Lucifer had been there, he had been with Adam when the first man had spotted a duck for the first time.

Oh how bittersweet that tasted now.

You looked over, spotting the devil and his daughter as you happily waved them over, Adam simply rolled his eyes in annoyance but remained quiet.

Lucifer tensed up, Charlie however led him over to the two of you.

Oh fuck him.

[himbeereule]

I want to like the demo but I think it needs some work. the intelligence director's introduction doesn't serve it's purpose, we learn nothing about the character and really have no interaction with them. They are just kinda there because you need to introduce a RO. At the house after being executed you go to talk to the people and it pretty confusing. You now get 3 ROs thrown at you without a proper introduction of the characters we learn nothing about them as characters. There is no clear explanation from the characters in that scene of what the situation is like, the need to evacuate, what forces they have available. No one asks how the MC is doing emotionally or physically not even the friend character. It just jumps to what do you want to name your army and all the people in it missing all the important humanizing moments. Also why are there cat ears in the clothing options I want to take the story seriously but I really can't with that

Okay, so... yes, of course it needs some work. That's what "Work in Progress" means.

Since you refer to them as "the Intelligence Director", I'm guessing you didn't get any of Yakov/Liliya's scenes, which... is an issue. As stated in both the release notes as well as in the posts leading up to the release post on this blog, this is the only route that's finished. Which means what's left is the strategic meeting scene, which, due to the other three's routes not being finished, is only like 15% done, and what's missing is precisely the characters' introductions.

So... not sure how to answer you. You're basically telling me "the things that are missing are still missing", which, yeah... I knew that. Everyone should know that, since it was announced multiple times.

Now, about the other things you mentioned:

Strategic situation: it's made clear that a) your own forces are very small, so you have to leave the Capital; b) this is possible, since the rebel forces in the suburbs are even smaller, and ill-equipped; and c) there's reinforcements waiting to link up with you outside. I don't really know what else you would need to know, and getting told in more detail wouldn't make sense story-wise, because all four characters have their own agendas. MC is not in control and holds no power at this point in the story.

Which brings me to the next issue: none of the characters has a reason to ask for MC's well-being. On the one hand they already know about MC's exact health situation - they were the ones who organized your rescue, after all, and you didn't magically recover, there must've been medical treatment organized by, well, guess who - and, on the other hand, apart from Yakov/Liliya (who isn't the type to show concern in a room full of people), none of the characters care about MC as a person at this point.

Cat ears in clothing options, well... I'll consider making a slimmed-down wardrobe selection for this specific scene instead of linking to the general wardrobe (though it might cause people to miss options), but I will not remove any of the silly stuff. Despite its serious themes, this is primarily a romance and dress-up game apart from the later strategy/army-building aspects, so it doesn't need to be that serious. I understand why people would misjudge that considering all the heavy stuff in the Prologue, but they'll have to adapt.

[keef-a-corn]

Dat’s right, People, it’s time for ‘Keef watches TFP and you just get the notes!’

This is for season 1, episode 19: Rock Bottom.

Genuinely started crying when I realised. No. You cannot be serious. I can’t do this again…

I write down the timestamps, but I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (an Australian streaming service) so they may be slightly off.

ALSO! I try my best to note points for every character, but tend to get a little caught up by Bee (although I think I do a pretty good job with the notes regardless) so do be warned.

I will say that compared to my last episode notes, I’m a bit more upbeat. I finished ep 18 then went straight onto this, so I have no explanation as to why I’m more calm.

~~~~Transition~~~~

00:08 - mm delicious quality. Look at those smexy rocks.

00:31 - After Operation: Breakdown, if I were to theorise that it was actually a Cybertronian body, no one could say otherwise.

00:46 - They need one of those backpacks with a leash attached.

00:51 - especially considering that the conversation had very heavy implications that the mine was a dead end. This show would be a lot shorter if they put Miko on a leash. Could’ve been longer if they gave bots the recovery arcs they deserve though-

00:57 - Bulkhead’s father skills. I love it… Okay been a bit deprived of Dadimus and Bee content, so there’s a part of me that’s wants to redraw this scene so it’s Optimus running after Bee.

01:01 - Kinda vibing with Jack in these past few episodes.

01:29 - *throws into the crowd of Megatron and Starscream fans* FEAST!

~intro~

02:23 - Please tell me someone has a hc that Megatron goes spelunking in his free time.

02:38 - Would it be wrong for me to say I’m kinda vibing with Megatron rn?

02:42 - Starscream has an outline for some reason. Probably lighting.

02:47 - indulge: To allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of something.

So he d o e s like spelunking.

03:08 - it absolutely would not :D

03:31 - A lot of the time when a character uses a bunch of buzzwords, it’s just a bunch of gibberish. TFP writers really said ‘hold my beer’ because I’d be lying if I said that the explanation didn’t make sense.

04:17 - mmm beautiful camera angle. Really shows the power imbalance.

04:22 - *throws to the Megatron fans* FEAST!

04:24 - What’s going on? Why does Starscream look so cute??

04:43 - excuse me how the fu-

04:54 - … HC Megatron reads body language excruciatingly well. Use that for your fanfictions if you so desire.

04:57 - Why would be so that?! C’mon. Ya could’ve used that.

05:00 - I cannot b r e a t h e ! Can he even see Starscream at that point?!

05:08 - Mmmm walk cycle. Also heavily animated Megatron(?), he’s very expressive in this moment.

05:30 - I adore the contrast of Megatron being expressive, but also unapologetically confident, while Starscream’s stiff and moves like a pigeon that hasn’t quite worked out that it should be flying away.

05:35 - Megatron’s like a theatre kid. It’s so compelling. I feel like I should be bored, but there’s another part of me that cannot look away.

05:51 - He said the title! Wee Woo!

06:20 - how did Arcee not hear them? I get that Megatron wasn’t exactly loud, but they were making noises that was most likely amplified by the tunnels.

06:22 - Megatron’s looking up, not at them.

06:47 - Smart choice, Starscream.

06:51 - let us take a moment to question wtf Megatron thought was going to happen. He had every intention of killing Starscream, but once his attention was drawn away, did he really think Starscream was going to stay back? It’s not like Megatron would need any help anyway, it’s Arcee. As much as she’s a girl boss, she doesn’t really stand a chance against Megatron.

08:27 - that shot lasted too long. + Apart of me was kinda hoping that it would cut to Optimus being like ‘My Primey senses tell me Arcee and Bulkhead are in trouble.’ Then Ratchet there like ‘your what?.’

08:54 - Jack using an Autobot curse. Really getting into the lingo aren’t ya, Jackie boy?

09:05 - Is that a reference?

09:16 - cue Surface Pressure

09:26 - this is a Metaphor for his emotional maturity and how he’s able to carry himself without being emotionally charged nor emotionally constipated. It isn’t- but it totally could be.

09:45 - okay but like, what if he did let go? Slowly, of course.

10:16 - There’s something so enjoyable about a character reacting in a way that is so unbelievably in character for them.

10:39 - Damn. Using your head there, ain’t cha?

11:24 - okay but why has no one come looking for the bots yet?

12:36 - Maybe the rocks are a metaphor for emotions? Arcee let’s her emotions get the better of her, Jack’s learnt to roll with the punches, Miko need to work on it but finds herself getting tired and having to give in, Bulkhead ends up in over his head and needs to let out steam otherwise he will get hurt, Starscream will always be on the run, but will work on himself too and Megatron’s buried too deep.

12:44 - *cri* noooo Bulkhead

13:09 - Aside from that being Optimus’s line, good job, buddy ol’ Jack.

13:35 - I hope Miko’s learnt her lesson.

13:47 - aww sweet pea!

14:10 - world’s most beautiful visual. Megatron’s got some very strong lights in his eyes.

14:25 - Even Megatron knows when he should be defeated.

14:38 - I know he’s right but like… man how I wish he did kill Megatron, or at least try.

14:45 - Why not with Bee? You two have tea together after all (IYKYK)

14:56 - from the way he moves it’s safe to assume he wiggling. Is Megatron secretly a worm? Perhaps.

15:24 - Somewhere in some universe Bulkhead’s a parent.

15:47 - hit me baby one more time. + If Bulkhead’s arms locked would he be able to continue to hold it?

16:43 - this camera angle really puts into perspective how large Starscream is.

16:56 - Ayo 🤨

17:48 - but the way Starscream said Miko- damn

18:17 - Her tears look like they were made on ibisPaint X

18:40 - Power imbalance shown through the angle

19:23 - Bulkhead’s mouth guard is fraggin hollow? Excuse me??

19:43 - The nicknames *cri*

19:50 - Why is that such a ‘main character’s bully gets told off’ scene?

20:20 - depends what from.

———————

And that was Rock Bottom. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Ain’t a favourite but that’s alright. It's a good episode, not my style, but certainly one that deserves love.

[manofmanymons]

do you have any tips for writing?

I feel unqualified to answer this question because 90% of my writing process is me throwing words at a paper and hoping something sticks but like I do have some things that I’ve learned are helpful to me (also I tried answering this like three days ago but tumblr force quit and deleted everything I typed and I was too tired to redo it I’m so sorry)

Although I almost feel the need to put a disclaimer here that my writing kinda falls into a very specific niche of like…dialogue heavy lighthearted character interactions written in the third person limited perspective because that’s what’s fun to me so idk if what works for me is remotely helpful to anyone else

But I would say my #1 tip would just be to make an outline

I am so serious my life got so much better when I stopped trying to write things in one straight shot and started outlining them first

The last fic I wrote had an outline that was 1.2k words long because that’s how many words I needed to organize my thoughts before I could write the actual story

Because sometimes you have certain scenes or lines of dialogue that exist very vividly in your head and you just want to write those but you don’t know how to start the fic or how to transition between the parts you wanna write and rather than getting lost in the weeds tryna write those in-between parts I say just write the part you wanna write first

Get every last little thought out of your head before you forget it

If I can’t think of the right word for something in the moment, I won’t waste time tryna figure it out, I just keep going and then come back to it later (e.g. my brain will blank on the word “asserted” so I’ll write something stupid like “said in like a confident? Authoritative way?” and then come back to it)

And once that part is over, then I’ll worry about putting those scenes in order, and I’ll write vague ideas of what I want to happen in the in-between parts. It’s hard for me to explain what I mean so I’m just gonna humiliate myself on the internet and insert this screenshot from my aforementioned 1.2k word outline

It's literally bullet points, the one paragraph I knew I wanted to write, and then more bullet points.

And that applies for dialogue too! Sometimes I don’t even know what I want these mfers to say. I will make in depth notes about how I want a conversation to go before I even think about most of the words.

And when I do write the words, sometimes my outlines will be so adverb heavy an actual writer would cry like I will legit have a whole conversation of “they said nervously” “they said awkwardly” “they said uncomfortably” “they said irritably” and then go back and fill in better words for said or add actions that convey nervousness or whatever later

BUT ALSO PERSONALLY THIS ISN’T A REAL TIP THIS IS JUST LIKE AN OPINION TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT I do not agree with people who act like you have to replace ALL of your adverbs in writing I think adverbs exist for a reason and as long as you’re not abusing them, people who complain are just being annoying alkfjdaj N E WAYS

On the topic of dialogue (like I said I write a lot of dialogue-heavy things so most of my brain power goes into dialogue okay I’m sorry) several things I like to ask when I write a line are

-Did that come out of nowhere or would a person actually say that? If it did come out of nowhere, how can I bring it up more naturally?

-Would this character react that way or did I just write what I would do? (and if it’s the latter, fix it) Here’s where I admit I cheat a little bit by heavily gravitating toward writing characters who already act similarly to me so I don’t have to think about it too much. That’s not a tip. I’m not telling you you should do that. It’s probably bad that I do that. I just felt like sharing.

-Similar note as the last one, does this line sound like something this character would say, or does it sound super generic like I could swap in any other character to this role and it would make equally as much sense?

-This tends to work better for me if the thing I’m writing for has an english dub (so you can imagine that Survive regularly gives me panic attacks when it comes to character voice and characterization and I’m in a permanent state of second-guessing myself and crying inside) but I also like to try and see if I can read the line in the character’s voice. I feel infinitely more confident in a line if I feel like I could really hear them saying it.

I realize I’ve talking mostly in terms of fanfic writing specifically but like other than that last one it can apply to original stuff too y’know like you wanna write your characters consistently and make sure you’re not randomly changing their personality and how they talk just to fit a situation

Obviously I'm not infallible and I've probably fucked up my own advice before but to quote alice in wonderland, I give myself some very good advice but I very seldom follow it

Uhhh, use whatever perspective you’re writing in to your advantage. I like third-person limited because it lets me convey certain thoughts/feelings through the style of like,,,the paragraphs themselves without always having to write their exact thoughts + I can really hone in on the perspective character.

But like if you’re a fan of first person then you can really go ham with writing the whole thing in their voice, and if you’re into third-person omniscient then you don’t have to confine yourself to the knowledge of one character, you can flat out say what everyone is doing/thinking and why they’re doing/thinking it.

If you are like me and you like to confine yourself to a specific perspective character, one thing I have a hard time doing sometimes but I think you just gotta do is…leave some things unsaid. Y’know like as the writer you know why a certain character is acting a certain way, but your perspective character doesn’t. You can say why they think the other character is doing something, but I think you gotta ask yourself “is this character good at reading people/do they know this person really well or would they more likely misunderstand?” Sometimes they can be an unintentionally unreliable narrator, as a treat.

Don’t be afraid to use the ctrl+F if you think you may have accidentally used a certain word or phrase too many times. I’m a California valley gal do you have any idea how many “likes” I have to edit out of my rough drafts

Other than all that I guess I would just say…fuck around and have fun with it. Sure I write in a certain perspective now, but I messed around with first and even second person pov before. I’m not trying to sound wise or motivational I am being 100% serious when I say just write for yourself. Don’t even think about whether your writing appeals to others. Go girl (gender neutral) give us a fic about that character/ship that only you like.

Literally my first fic in Survive fandom was a painfully self-indulgent deep dive into a character that at the time I was like 90% positive no one but me gave a shit about and I had more fun with it than you could ever imagine

Write in a weird format. Write 0 dialogue. Write only dialogue. Get overly descriptive or poetic. Refuse to describe anything. Try imitating a writer you like. Write a canon x OC fic. I cannot stress enough how much I think you should just do whatever you want.

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

heyo your imagines are amazing and i like reading them so much. i really appreciate you for writing for Alice in borderland as there isn’t a lot of content out there~ can you please write an imagine for niragi where the reader has been at the beach for quite the time and when she gets to know niragi she somehow falls for him because she sees right through him, and that he maybe starts to develop feelings for the reader too because she’s fearless and very confident. if it’s not too much trouble, could you make it a bit suggestive as well? thank you in advance~~

Of course I can! I’m not the best at writing with suggestive themes so I’ll try my best! 😅 I’m sorry but I changed the story line a little bit for it to fit more, so I hope this is still kind of what you had in mind.

Unlovable | Suguru Niragi

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

Character(s): Niragi (ft. Ann, Aguni, Hatter, Mira, Chishiya, Arisu, Last Boss)

Summary: Niragi finally finds you, who loves him for who he is, well, not exactly. And he gets a bit too attached.

Warnings: toxic relationship, suggestive themes, a lot of gaslighting, obsessive themes, a little bit angsty, threatening, choking, swearing, name calling

Word Count: 3.2k

*reader is female

Author’s Note: Sorry this took a while to post. I was busy for the past couple of days so it’s kinda rushed 😣

“Y/N! Come quick!”

You jolted awake as Ann burst into your room, shaking the door frame from the force. You blinked your eyes to adjust to the light, looking at her dazed.

“What?” you murmured, sitting up and out of the comfy sheets on your bed. 

“The executives have called a meeting. They say it’s urgent,” she stressed, rushing up to the side of your bed and ripping the duvet off of you.

You shivered and sighed loudly in disappointment. “Why? It’s too early for this shit,” you whined, rolling back onto your side and closing your eyes again. These urgent emergency meetings have become ridiculous, always taking place in the morning when everyone’s still sleeping. You would gladly have quit having the higher place at The Beach if it meant for you to have some peace and quiet.

“Now!” Ann pushed again. You groaned in annoyance and got out of bed. She seemed serious, so you didn’t want to anger her more.

You both quickly made your way to the top floor where the meeting room for the executives was located. You noticed Ann’s heavy breathing and worried expression, making you anxious as to what she thinks could have happened.

Hatter had left the night before to replenish his visa, having a big celebration as he drove off with Aguni and a few more of his men. Things had been becoming more tense as time went on. It felt wrong watching Hatter drive away so reluctantly. You offered to assist him in his game, seeing as you earned yourself a high number at The Beach from clearing many difficult games yourself. But Hatter declined, insisting that he would return to The Beach safe and sound before you knew it.

But unfortunately, he was wrong.

You and Ann rushed into the large room. You saw Arisu and Chishiya standing near the end of the table placed in the middle of the room. You strolled over to them and laid eyes on the scene before you.

There, Hatter laid dead on the table. Limbs spread out lifeless, skin pale and dead. The horrific sight made you feel sick, making you cover your mouth with your hand. The scene almost felt unreal, this shouldn’t have happened. Hatter wouldn’t be dead if you just went with him.

Ann walked over to his body to examine it, but before she even had the chance to touch the bullet wound embedded in his bare chest, Niragi barged into the room with his usual cocky and obnoxious aura filling the air like a bad smell.

“Oi, don’t touch him as you please. You dissection maniac,” he growled.

Your eyes followed him closely. Now that Hatter was gone, people like him could start dangerous trouble at the hotel. But, as long as you said something about it, you would make sure Niragi wouldn’t start any fires that he’s not willing to put out himself.

After all, you were the only person who knew his true self, and how he perceived everyone around him. It was pathetic really. In a way you took pity on him. Such a simple tactic for the brain to protect itself, become a heartless and cold monster towards others so no one could ever do the same to you again.

With Niragi, unfortunately it was hunt or be hunted.

You kept your strong gaze on him as he lifted his eyes to meet yours from across the table for a hot minute. His dark orbs glistened as they locked with yours, making the tension in the room become thicker as every second passed. He smirked in your direction before turning away.

“He was shot by a gun,” Ann stated, breaking the thick silence in the room. She looked over the small hole in his chest in fascination.

“What will happen to The Beach?” a young man asked who was standing nearby you. You stayed silent, not wanting to start anything that may end in chaos. You always had good points and valid arguments, but sometimes you knew when the best time was to bring them up. This was not it.

“I mean it’s only reasonable for the strongest to become the new leader!” Niragi exclaimed over everyone. “We need someone who can take good care of The Beach and keep order,” he yapped on, swinging his sniper rifle all around making a few people flinch when he aimed it at them.

You rolled your eyes at his behaviour. Trust him to be the most opinionated.

“I say, how about Aguni as our new leader,” he suggested, leaning forwards onto the table and watching everyone like a hawk. Aguni held no reaction, keeping his usual cold stone expression while having Niragi speak for him.

After no one reacted, all looking down to the ground to avoid Niragi’s gaze, he stood up straight and pulled a bored expression. “That’s not a good reaction,” he mocked, “Last Boss?”

You glanced over to where the hooded figure stood, watching in fear as he unsheathed his katana sword and rushed over to Ann, holding the deathly sharp blade a few inches from her throat. Your heart leaped to your mouth. If he was to try anything, you were ready to start chaos.

But nothing of the sort happened. Ann simply sighed frustratingly and held up her hand obediently. Niragi hummed, approving.

“This isn’t a majority vote,” Mira hissed from next to him.

Niragi stood and leaned his face close to hers, holding the barrel of his weapon close to her face to threaten her. “But it is! Isn’t it? After all, you’re all free to vote as well.”

One by one, he slowly circled the table, each person being scared for their life the closer he got to them. But you remained calm next to Chishiya, knowing that considering the relationship you have with Niragi, he wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you. He didn’t have the guts to.

As he moved from Chishiya, he finally locked eyes with you. He quickly strolled up to your still frame, stopping suddenly very close to you in an attempt to make you feel threatened. ‘As usual,’ you thought to yourself. ‘The old “I’m taller and bigger than you so I’m stronger” stupid tactic.’

“And what about you princess? Care to raise your hand for a vote for Aguni?” he hissed into your face. You held your neutral expression, becoming bored from this act he was putting on. It was purely for show, and yet wasn’t everyone’s personality? But Niragi, his act of this scary psychotic man angered you to your core.

“What if I don’t?” you snickered, walking towards him in an attempt of intimidation. He took a step back in shock. “It’s not like you need my precious vote, you already have so many.”

Niragi’s usual cocky smirk melted from his face, turning into a frustrated scowl. You felt him put his rifle underneath your chin, forcing you to lock eyes with him. “Be careful with that tongue of yours sweetheart, you wouldn’t want to lose it,” he growled quietly.

His threat made you smirk, almost bringing butterflies into your stomach. “I think you should be more concerned about that head of yours. You wouldn’t want to get it stuck too far up your own ass.”

You flinched as you felt his rough hand shoot from his rifle to your neck, instantly tightening around your throat making you widen your eyes in surprise. You lifted your arm and gripped his wrist in case he tightened his hold anymore. The look on his face was deathly. If looks could kill, you’d be already a few years into the afterlife.

Chishiya stood beside you watching the whole scene. He knew better than to intervene, as he could tell that Niragi wouldn’t ever intentionally permanently hurt you.

Niragi held you still as he leaned down to your ear, his hot breath hitting your sensitive skin. “Shut your fucking mouth you brat. You wouldn’t want me to hurt you too much later, would you?” You cringed as you felt his tongue slide behind the back of your ear, the piercing making you shiver.

“Niragi,” you heard Aguni say, saving you from the public embarrassment of getting felt up by Niragi in front of everyone you knew. “That’s enough, I think she gets the point.”

Niragi grunted in annoyance before loosening his fist on your neck. You sucked in a huge gasp of air, coughing slightly. Chishiya placed a gentle hand on your back in a sign of care, hoping that you’re okay.

Niragi aimed his rifle lazily at Chishiya’s face. “She’s fine, don’t touch her. A little choking is nothing she can’t handle.”

Chishiya immediately took his hand off of you, being taken back by Niragi’s comment.

You stood up straight after recovering, laying your eyes back on Niragi as he continued terrorizing the executive members.

God you hated that man. You hated how much you loved him.

*************

The room was now empty, consisting of no one except for you and Ann, who was still looking over Hatter’s body for any other injuries. You watched curiously, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

“Seems a bit weird, doesn’t it?” you spoke up through the silence.

“What does?” Ann answered, not bothering to look at you.

“Someone with a hundred percent winning streak dies now? Just as the tension between the militants and the others was getting to its peak?” you questioned.

Ann rolled her eyes sarcastically and turned towards you. “Took you long enough to figure out. Really? You didn’t suspect that from the start? Even after that shit-show that Niragi pulled earlier?”

You were taken back by her sudden anger. Ann never became mad at you, even if she had a legitimate reason to. You looked at her as she stared into your eyes intensely before sighing and turning back to Hatter.

“Sorry Y/N,” she apologized. “I’m just stressed. This shit is getting too heavy to handle, and now with Hatter gone and Aguni in his place, who knows what will happen to people like you, me, Mira, Chishiya and Alice. They could kill us if they want to.”

Her words hit your heart heavily. It was true. Aguni and his militants were never a particularly predictable bunch. And you weren’t exactly on all their good sides, well, except for Niragi’s.

“Sorry Ann,” you muttered out quietly. You thought it would be best to leave her alone. She obviously was quite distraught from Hatter’s death.

You shuffled out of the room, head held low in despair. Who knew what would happen to this place now? It was like a ticking time bomb only no one knew how long there was left until it exploded.

As you walked through the large door frame that led outside of the meeting room, a sudden grip on your arm brought you out of your thoughts and made you yelp. You were yanked into a hard chest, being held close and tight.

“Hey love. How are you feeling?” the person growled. You looked to see it was none other than Niragi himself. Of course it was, who else would treat you so roughly?

You stared into his ominous eyes, trying to read him. He ran his hand down your back slowly causing you to shiver. “Niragi,” you breathed out. You pushed against his broad chest to separate you. “Sorry, but I’m not in the mood right now.”

You stepped away from him and tried to escape down the hall, but he grabbed your hand before you could go anywhere. “Bullshit. You’re never in the mood. And the sass you were giving me in there in front of everyone says otherwise.” He pulled you back towards him, pushing your head onto his shoulder and nuzzling into your neck. “I didn’t like how you treated me, it made me upset.”

He was lying through his teeth, knowing that making you feel guilty for defending yourself against him would bring him more of your attention. Simple gaslighting, worked every time.

You chuckled against him then leaned back and cupped his face with your hands. He held a sad expression on his face, obviously to make you sympathetic.

“You’re such a big baby,” you laughed. “Try to act so tough and dominant in front of everyone, but look at you now. Crying into my shoulder about your feewings?” you mocked him. Niragi scowled and pulled his head out of your hands. “Shut up, as if you’re any better.”

It was true. That’s why you both clicked together. He was a gaslighting maniac who knew how to put up a fake ‘nice guy’ façade around you and you were a tough and snappy woman, who felt much too much empathy for others.

That’s how you fell into his trap. He used your empathy to his advantage, making you fall in love with him so he could have what he’d always wanted. Someone who loves him for who he is, no matter how many masks he had to put on for them.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, leaning up and pressing a small peck onto his lips. “Can you promise me something?” he suddenly asked after you pulled away from his face.

You grew anxious about what he wanted and nodded your head slowly in hesitation.

“When the chance comes, can we leave The Beach together? Like, run away?” he questioned, snaking his arms around your waist and squeezing tightly.

You laughed at his question, making him frown. He was being completely serious. “And go where Niragi? There’s not exactly a place we can go to.”

“Anywhere,” he answered sharply. “We could find a nice little hideout in Tokyo. Just you and me, no one else.” His grip on your waist tightened, making you flinch in his arms slightly.

He could see you tossing between answers. It wasn’t working, he had to try something else. He put on the fakest sad face he could do and pressed his forehead against yours while pouting. “Please? I promise I’ll take care of you.”

You practically melted as his begging. “Okay,” you sighed.

“Promise me,” he reminded you, running a hand through your soft hair.

There was a short moment of silence before you answered. “I promise.”

*************

You laid in your room with the sheets tossed lazily over you. Niragi was called to go talk to Aguni again before he went to sleep, so you were waiting for him.

Your eyes scanned your book quickly, wanting to finish the chapter you were on before Niragi returned. Because god forbid you having your attention on something that wasn’t him when he was around.

You glanced over at the door when you heard it creep open and Niragi stepped in, placing his sniper rifle carefully on the ground nearby and removing his boots.

“You took your time.” you teased, putting your book on the nightstand and sitting up in bed. Niragi groaned tiredly, stumbling over to your shared bed and collapsed dramatically face down onto the duvet. You giggled at him, running a soft hand though his midnight hair and pulling it out of it’s hair tie.

If he was a cat, he swore he could’ve purred at your touch. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Not having physical affection for years on end does that to a person.

He sat up and crawled over to you. He grabbed your chin and pressed your lips together roughly, running his tongue across your mouth as he did so. You groaned into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, making him smirk against your lips.

After a few minutes, he detached his lips from yours and started licking and sucking your sensitive skin on your jaw, slowly making his way down your neck. He felt shivers run down his spine as you gripped his shirt in your fist on his back. He loved having this power over you, and having you accept him and love him enough to not fight back.

You leaned your head back and closed your eyes, giving him more access to your neck. As you did so, he placed a hand on your lower back and pulled you towards him, forcing you to lie down on the bed with him hovering over you.

He pulled away from your neck and looked down at you, admiring your anxious expression painted across your face. He chucked. “What’s wrong baby,” he cooed, leaning down and continuing kissing your collarbones.

His voice was dripping in sweetness, so sweet it could’ve made you feel sick. It sounded fake, but you didn’t pick up on it. It was a shame. You saw Niragi as nothing but a victim of his own mind, but you weren’t able to see yourself becoming a victim of it.

“I’m just...” you mumbled out, feeling weak and vulnerable under his touch. “I’m scared Niragi.”

He pulled back again and looked into your eyes with a worried expression. “Why are you scared? It’s just me and you here angel. You’re perfectly safe,” he whispered out, stroking his knuckles down your cheek lovingly.

You knew you loved Niragi, but knowing he can change his personality in a blink of an eye unsettled you. Who knew when he would do that to you? You heard him speak up again.

“We’ve slept together many times before, why are you becoming shy just now?” he teased, lifting a hand and slowly running it up along your tummy underneath your shirt. Your breath hitched as his cold hands made contact, making your stomach muscles tense.

“So sensitive,” he cooed again, snuggling his head into your chest, just above your breasts. “I love you.”

The confession made your heart skip a beat and you tensed. Niragi noticed this, making his body fill with anxiety. Did he say it too soon?

“Sorry,” he mumbled against your shirt. “That was a bit much, you don’t have to say it back,” he gaslighted.

“No,” you cut him off. “I love you too.”

Niragi’s heart filled with warmth and he felt all his nerves tingle around his body. He hadn’t heard that since he was a kid, and hearing you say it did nothing but make him more fall in love.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he sniffed out. You looked down to see him staring at you, tears filling his eyes. It made your heart ache.

He took his body weight off you and hovered himself above you again. “I promise, I won’t let anyone ever hurt you,” he mumbled, voice cracking slightly. His arms that laid on either side of your head acted like a cage. Whether you were trapped willingly or forcefully was beyond your guess.

As he leaned his head down again and pressed his still wet lips against yours, you felt his lanky arms snake around your torso underneath you, keeping you in place.

You laid there, moving your mouths together and holding each other as close as possible. It would’ve almost been romantic and loving if it wasn’t for the context. While one was preying on their victim to achieve what they’ve so desperately wanted their whole life, the other believed that that person was the victim themselves.

Such irony, to love someone who has a ‘unlovable’ personality, when it’s not even the one that you fell in love with.

The one you fell in love with was nothing but one of his many masks. And no one could determine whether he would ever take it off in front of you.

Author’s Note: I’m so sorry this one was actually hard to write. It’s a bit all over the place but I hope it was still enjoyable to read! Also I’m not going to do a Part 2 to this fic, but if you want to read something similar to this kind of yandere theme with Niragi, read my other fic called You’re Everything You Once Hated. I’m going to be posting a Part 2 of that one soon.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Trapped Secrets

Dr. Spencer Reid x Reader, Derek Morgan Platonic x Reader

Words: 3692

Summary: With no time to lose, you and Morgan storm an unsub’s house before the rest of the team gets there. After not hearing back from you, Spencer and the team start to panic. Injured, trapped, and keeping a major secret, you and Morgan have to stay alive in a frightened unsub’s basement. 

Notes: I picture this in season four because that’s where I am in the series. Plus I really like Spencer’s hair cut at the beginning of this season.  I am totally in love with Spencer Reid so expect to be seeing more imagines for him and for Criminal Minds in general! I hope you guys are as excited as I am. 

Find more Spencer and more HERE

-

“You’ll be careful, right?” You asked, straightening your boyfriend’s tie underneath his vest. 

“Only if you are.” Spencer gave you that little awkward smile that he always gave you. “Besides, I’m not going with Agent Action Hero.” He motioned to Agent Morgan; your search partner for the evening. 

“He’s not an action hero.” You laughed, strapping on your vest. “He just really likes kicking in doors.” Spencer snickered slightly, but his expression was still uncomfortable. 

“You jealous that I’m riding with your girl Reid?” Morgan laughed, patting the younger agent on the back. 

“Morgan.” You hissed, jerking your head towards Hotch. 

“What? We all know about you and the brainiac.”

“Yeah, and Hotch doesn’t exactly like being reminded about it.” The relationship between you and Dr. Reid wasn’t exactly protocol, especially on the same team. You hadn’t quite been able to figure out why SSA Hotchner hadn’t reported you or told you to put an end to it. 

“You guys better get going. We only have about five hours before he’ll likely kill Audrey Lang.” Spencer hooked his finger with yours, only for a moment, but it sent a sweet, tingling feeling up your arm. With both of you being new to any kind of serious relationship, you stuck to pretty small signs of affection. You didn’t mind. It was personal and perfect. Spencer went to join Hotch and you headed to the car with Morgan. 

“Is it just me, or did Reid actually look kind of worried?” Morgan asked. It was more to tease you than from concern. 

“Shut up.” You couldn’t help but grin. Morgan had that effect. You got into the passenger side and waited for his list of snarky comments. He wasn’t done poking fun at you yet. 

“I have to say, you’ve got ‘rule breaker’ all over you, but I honestly did not see this coming from Dr. Teacher's-Pet.” He shook his head with a smug smile and started the car. You just sat and rolled your eyes. Any response would just mean more provocation. “But dating a younger man… I always pictured you as more of the ‘Silver Fox’ kinda girl.” Now that pressed your buttons.

“Okay, first of all, just because I like Richard Gere, doesn’t mean I like older men.” You retorted, “Secondly, I’m not even that much older than Reid. There’s what, three years, between us?” 

“Uuuhuuuh.” The side eye he gave you made you want to slap him. Morgan chuckled. “Come on, you and I are friends, right? Don’t I get a few little details?” From the smirk on his face, you knew what he was talking about. 

“Derek Morgan, we are on a case. We are professionals on a case about three murdered federal employees. I will not divulge information regarding my sex life!” 

“I never said anything about sex, Agent Y/L/N.” His grin grew and you begrudgingly turned your face to the window. Morgan laughed at the red flushing your cheeks. You would be mad if he wasn’t your best friend. 

In the other car, Reid rode beside Hotch in tense silence. Spencer knew that his relationship with you could potentially get both of you into trouble with the bureau. Every time he was around Hotch, he waited for the reprimand. The unusual quiet was almost worse. Hotch turned a corner and took a heavy breath. 

“It’s a bad idea. You know that right?” 

“I know it’s against the rules, if that’s what you mean.” As intimidating as his superior could be, Reid was sure of himself. 

“The rules are there for a reason, Reid.” Hotch sighed. He would give anything to not be having this conversation right now. 

“Have either of us proven to be less efficient?”

“That’s not the point.” 

“If our relationship complicates our work, I can assure you that Y/N and I will be the first ones to address it.” 

“Reid-”

“You know, if anything, I think that we’ve working better together than we have in the past, which is saying something because Y/N and I-”

“Are you happy?” He asked a little more aggressively than he had intended. Reid just blinked at him blankly.

“What?”

“Are both of you happy?” He glanced over at the younger agent and Spencer shifted in his seat. He was awkward, but assertive. 

“I can’t totally speak for Y/N, but… yes.” He sat and waited for his superior’s response. Hotch fixed his eyes on the road. 

“Okay.” 

“I’m sorry?”

“I said okay.” Maybe he was going soft, but he’d never seen Reid or you like this before. If this relationship could help the both of you get through the horrors you saw every day, then turning a blind eye might not be the worst thing. 

“Thank you.” Spencer felt a small smile creep onto his face. Hotch scowled. 

“If a single problem arises, and I mean any dispute or laps in judgement-”

“You didn’t know anything about it. Got it.” Spencer stared at his lap to hide his smirk. 

You were still avoiding Morgan’s inquiring gaze when Garcia’s voice came through your earpiece. 

“Guys, Audrey Lang’s phone just turned on.” 

“Where?” Morgan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. 

“157 21st Street.” Your stomach turned. As selfish as it was, a part of you had hoped that someone else would be closer. Morgan whirled the car around. 

“That’s just around the corner from us. We’re right on top of him.” He slammed on the brakes in front of the house and the two of you jumped out of the car. The house was about what you expected from a paranoid, conspiracy-obsessed unsub. The windows were boarded up and two different cameras looked down at you from the roof. 

“Morgan.” You pointed to the devices. Jacobs knew you were here. He nodded and spoke into his radio. 

“This guy has surveillance everywhere. He’s going to panic.” He glanced back at you, waiting for you to have his back. Despite your building panic, you didn’t have time to hesitate. You gave him a strong nod. “We’re going in.” 

You pushed your fear to the pit of your stomach. If you showed even the slightest panic, Morgan would know and you could jeopardize everything. So when he kicked in the door, you were right behind him. 

The house was silent. With guns raised, you both covered the first floor, finding nothing but scattered notes and ‘Big Brother Is Watching’ flyers. You located a flight of stairs leading to the basement and cautiously followed Morgan down. Similarly to the floor above, the basement seemed other than a desk with a few surveillance screens. Across from the stairs was a large metal door. It was open.  

Morgan charged towards it, but something wasn’t sitting right with you. 

“Hotch, how close are you and Reid?” You asked tentatively. 

“Five more minutes. Have you found Mrs. Lang?” 

“She’s in here!” Morgan announced. You stepped into the room, but kept close to the door. Morgan was kneeling over the unconscious body of Audrey. While she was out cold, she was still breathing. 

“What about Jacobs?” Hotch asked. 

“We looked everywhere upstairs and he wasn’t there.” 

“Reid, when you went to the other crime scene, you said that the victim had been covered and made to look like part of the rubble, right?”

“Yeah, Jacobs wanted to hide the body. If the construction worker hadn’t been working there, it likely wouldn't have been found.” Spencer’s voice wavered as he figured out where you were going with this. You looked at Morgan with wide eyes. 

“Then how did we get here so easily?” 

Hotch yelled into the radio. 

“It’s a trap. Get out of there. Now!” 

You whirled around and came face to face with Steven Jacobs. You fired your weapon, but didn’t get the chance to see if you hit him. Instead, you stumbled backwards and the large metal door slammed shut. 

“No!” Morgan shouted, throwing his weight against the door to try and break it down. “Hotch, can you hear me? Reid!” The radio connection was dead. Morgan slammed against the door again. 

“Derek.” 

“We’re going to get out of here.” He searched the door for any point of weakness.

“Derek.” 

 “Let us out, you son of a bitch!”

“Derek!” You finally yelled. When he turned around you watched his face morph with panic. Blood leaked through your fingers, your hand pressed against the wound in your shoulder. It wasn’t your gun that had gone off, it was Jacobs’. And you were hit. 

-

The street swarmed with teams from local police, S.W.A.T, and the BAU. In the middle of all of it was Spencer. He just stared at the front door. Somewhere in the basement of that house, his girlfriend and his closest friend were trapped by a paranoid schizophrenic with a gun. Neighbors reported already hearing a shot go off. Judging by the lights still on in the house and the fact that you and Morgan still hadn’t come out yet, it wasn’t one of your guns to make the shot. 

“He must be using something to jam the signal.” Prentiss huffed, her attempts to get a hold of either of you failing. “We need to get in there.” 

“We don’t know what Jacobs has in there.” Rossi said gruffly, joining them after meeting with the S.W.A.T leader. “For all we know, he could try and blow the whole block.”

“The longer we wait, the longer he has Morgan and Y/L/N.” Spencer ran his fingers through his hair. “Audrey Lang is probably dead and we don’t know who shot the gun or-”

“When they found her, Morgan didn’t say anything about Lang being dead.” Hotch said sternly. 

“He didn’t say she was alive, either.” Spencer’s voice was harsh considering he was speaking to a superior. 

“Reid, I want to get them out just as badly as you do, but if we try and storm in there, Jacobs will likely kill them and himself.” Hotch’s tone was stern and surprisingly calm. 

“You thought you had me, didn’t you!?” A voice boomed from the house. Every agent in the street tensed and raised their weapons. Prentiss was the first to lower her gun. 

“Look in the bushes.” She pointed to the shrubbery on either side of the door. “Speakers.” 

“You all thought you would silence the truth! Well I’m smarter than you. That’s right. And I will not be silenced!” 

Hotch looked at the hostage negotiator, who gave him the okay to talk. 

“Mr. Jacobs we don’t want to silence you.” 

“Tell that to the three spies in the other room.” Underneath Jacobs' voice was the sound of banging. Like fists against a door. Listening closer, Spencer could hear a yelling voice. 

“Morgan.” He whispered to the others. They listened to the sound of their coworker- their friend- trying to break free. 

“Jacobs you son of a bitch, we’ve got two injured people in here!” Derek screamed. You closed your eyes, trying to drown out the sound that was just making the pain worse. 

“Derek, don’t antagonize him.” You grimaced, trying to keep pressure against the still gushing bullet hole in your shoulder. “It’ll just piss him off.”

“Y/N, we need to get paramedics in here. Audrey is barely breathing and you’re bleeding out.” He knelt in front of you, lifting your hand slightly to look at the wound. 

“I thought you weren’t supposed to tell the patient they’re going to die.” You teased, trying to get your mind off of the guilt and regret. Derek winced. 

“You’re not going to die. I didn’t mean that.” 

“Go check on her.” You motioned towards Mrs. Lang. “I’ll be fine.” You adjusted slightly so your vest was in your lap. You had to take it off in order to tend to your wound and it left you vulnerable. 

As Derek crossed the room, you felt your vision blur with tears. You should have told him. You should have told him. 

Outside the tension was only getting worse. Jacobs had gone quiet and the team was itching to break the door down. Spencer was pacing, running through plan after plan in his head. If Garcia could hack into Jacobs’ system, they could cut the surveillance feed and go in. But if Jacobs noticed the hack, he would kill everyone inside. Finally, the shrill voice came back over the speakers. 

“One of your spies is dead.” He laughed frantically, a madman slipping more and more into his delusion. Spencer froze. “She said she didn’t know anything, but I knew she was lying. You train them well, you know.”

“She.” Spencer whispered, the panic making his hands shake. 

“Mr. Jacobs, which woman is dead?” Hotch asked carefully. Jacobs laughed again. 

“You have chips in all of them, you tell me.” 

“Mr. Jacobs, I need to know who died.” While he kept his gaze focused on the house, Hotch could tell that the team was holding their breath. 

“Damnit!” Derek exclaimed, slamming his hand against the floor. Audrey was dead. 

“There was nothing you could do, Derek.” You said grimly. You looked around at the metal walls and felt the last bit of hope leave you. “He’s going to kill all of us.” 

“No, no, you don’t get to talk like that.” Derek crouched in front of you and put a hand on your cheek. “We are not going to die in here.” A tear slipped down your cheek and you shook your head. 

“I never even got to tell him.” Maybe it was shock, but you started to hyperventilate. “I didn’t tell him, Derek.” 

“Sweetheart, what are you talking about?” 

“I didn’t tell Spencer.”

“Tell Reid what?” Derek’s eyes searched yours until you watched the realization on his face. “You’re not…”

“Yeah, Derek. I am.” You wiped another tear away. “I found out a couple of weeks ago.” 

“You’ve known that long and haven’t told anybody?” He sighed, sitting down beside you. You laid your head on his shoulder. 

“I’m telling you now, aren’t I?” You laughed humorously. “I know I should have told Hotch as soon as I found out, but I couldn’t tell him before I told Spencer and I just couldn’t figure out how to tell him.” Your voice cracked and Derek pressed a kiss to your temple. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” 

It was eerily quiet. Jacobs had stopped his rambling and the sirens outside seemed distant now. Your hands fell to your stomach and you smiled sadly. 

“Help me think of names.” 

“Hmm?”

“Come on, distract me from the pain. Help me think of names for the little genius.” You shifted so that you were looking at Derek. “I was thinking that, if it’s a girl, I want to name her Diana. Spencer’s mom has always been such a big part of his life and I think that’s what he would want.”

“Diana is a beautiful name.” He gave you a sweet smile and took your hand in his. “What if it’s a boy?”

“See, I can’t make up my mind on that. I’m sure Spence would want some super smart author’s name or something, but... he’s the smartest person I know.” You spread your fingers over your belly, thinking about everything you had to lose. 

“Well if Spencer Jr. doesn’t stick, you could always name him after your favorite profiler.” Derek chuckled. His smirk fell when he looked at the sorrow on your face. 

“I need you to tell him.” 

“What?”

“If I don’t…” You gulped. “If I don’t make it out of this, I don’t want him to find out from some doctor. I want him to hear it from you.” 

“Don’t go there. Don’t you go there, you hear me?” He stood with new determination. “We are getting out of here and you and that wonder baby are going to be just fine.” He brought your hand up to his lips before turning towards the door. 

“What are you-”

“Jacobs!” He pounded on the door. “I’m ready to talk! I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” 

“Derek what are you doing?” You struggled to stand and Derek moved you to the wall beside the door and motioned for you to stay still. 

“I’m ready to talk, Jacobs! You win!” You both readied your weapons and Derek stood in the corner. 

It didn’t take long for Jacobs to take the bait. Slowly, the metal door opened and Jacobs cautiously stepped inside. His wild eyes locked on you and your gun and he charged towards you. Before he could get far, Derek kicked the door into him. The impact made him stumble forward into you, shoving you against the wall. Your head hit the concrete hard, disorienting you long enough for Jacobs to aim his gun at your stomach. 

This time the shot wasn’t his. And you didn’t miss. 

-

The second shot had everyone ready to go in. Teams were prepping when the front door opened. 

“Hold your fire!” Morgan shouted. “I’ve got an injured agent here!” He emerged from the house walking as fast as he could. He was carrying you. Spencer broke into a sprint, rushing alongside him and trying to examine your injuries. 

“What happened? Is she okay?” Before he could answer, paramedics swarmed them. 

“She was shot in the left shoulder, no exit wound, and she’s lost a lot of blood. She also hit her head pretty hard, but she’s remained conscious.” He informed them. 

“Sir, you’ll have to come with us so we can examine you as well.” One ordered. 

“I’m coming with you.” Reid said firmly. Nobody argued with him and so they all climbed into the back of the ambulance. 

They sat Morgan and Reid down and got you onto a gurney. 

“Agent Y/L/N, can you hear me?” 

“Agent Morgan, did you sustain any injuries in Mr. Jacobs’ basement?”

“Dr. Reid, I need you to stay over there.” 

So many things were happening at once, Derek could barely get a word in. 

“There’s something you need to know before you give her anything.” He told the woman tending to you. He finally looked at Reid. He’d been avoiding his gaze since he stepped out of the house, but now he had to keep his promise to you. He had to tell him. “She’s pregnant.” 

The paramedics acted accordingly and Spencer just stared at him. 

“What?” 

“She’s pregnant, kid.” Derek put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off, his gaze shifting to you. 

“That’s not… she would have told me. She would have-”

“She wanted to tell you. She was just scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“I don’t know, kid.”

“Don’t call me that!” Spencer pushed away from him. 

“Sir, I need you to calm down-”

“Reid-”

“You should have waited! If you had waited for the rest of us, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“We were trying to save Audrey Lang.”

“Audrey Lang died!” Spencer snapped. “And now so could Y/N. She could die and could my…” He trailed off, his anger fading quickly into a devastated panic. 

“This is really not the place for this argument.” One of the paramedics warned. 

“She’s going to be okay, Reid. Her and your baby are going to be okay.” He pulled the younger agent into a hug, trying to convince himself as well. 

-

The whole team was in the waiting room. Hotch watched Reid carefully as he paced relentlessly. Judging by the tension between him and Morgan, there was something the two weren’t saying. 

The bodies of Audrey Lang and Steven Jacobs were found in his basement. Hotchner would be filling out the paperwork as soon as they found out your condition. When the doctor finally approached them, everyone was on the edge of their seats. 

“Agent Y/L/N will have to wear a sling for her shoulder injury and she’s suffering from a concussion, but in time, she will make a full recovery.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor continued. “As for the other matter,” She gave Spencer a small smile, “she’s asking to speak to Dr. Reid before any other visitors.” 

With everybody’s eyes on him, Spencer followed her back to your room. You looked a lot better now and you were giving him a nervous smile. 

“Hey.” 

“Hey.” He stood in the doorway for a moment, unable to move. 

“I’m going to go fill out some forms, but I will be just down the hall if you need anything or have any questions.” The doctor said before leaving the two of you alone. Spencer shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly shuffled forward. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. “I mean… is the… are you-”

“We’re both fine, Spence.” You held your breath, waiting for him to react. Spencer pulled up a chair and took your hand in his. His hands were shaking slightly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Spence…”

“Were you that afraid of how I would react?”

“No!” You exclaimed, laying a hand on his cheek. “Spencer, I was afraid of everything. I was afraid of facing it. I love you and I want this child, I do. But… I know geological profiling and how to link victims and what to say to a grieving family. I don’t know how to be a parent.” 

“You think I do?” He laughed anxiously. “I don’t know the first thing about being a dad. But…” He gulped. “I know that I have been happier with you than I have in my whole life. I don’t know a lot about love, but everything I do know, I know because of you. And if you can do that, then we can figure this out.” 

A grin spread across your face and you pulled his lips to yours. You were too distracted by each other to notice the other figure at the door. 

“I believe I was told something about naming a certain baby after me?” Derek smirked. Spencer gave you a look. 

“You’re delusional, Morgan.” You laughed. Derek looked at Reid. 

“Are we good, kid?” 

Spencer smiled. 

“Yeah. We’re good.” 

[max--phillips]

Some more things about irl sex (not specifically kink, also) before I go to bed bc I gotta work tomorrow

It’s like, objectively awkward at times, and bodies make weird noises and people get cramps and it can be kinda silly sometimes. It’s okay to laugh and be silly during sex. It doesn’t have to be serious and sexy. (Sometimes it’s sexier to have a sense of humor)

People w penises: please stop aiming for the cervix. There’s nothing fun there. It’s just uncomfortable.

Very few people with vulvas make enough natural lubricant to ever be “dripping.” On top of that, it can take 20 minutes OR LONGER for a person with a vulva to become fully aroused. That’s why it’s so important to take your goddamn time and do foreplay and USE LUBE. LUBE IS YOUR FRIEND. (Personally I’m a fan of Wicked Aqua)

On that note: very few people with vulvas can orgasm through penetration alone. That’s fine! The clit is your friend. But be nice to it, it has tens of thousands of nerve endings and it can be TOO much (or even painful!) if you go in for direct stimulation right away. Stimulation over the hood is your best bet.

Cum doesn’t taste like… good. At least, to most people, I’m sure there are exceptions. Don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong if you don’t want to swallow that shit after you gave someone a bj. Sometimes all the pineapple in the world won’t solve that problem.

Anal is messy. It just is. Unless you’re prepared for it with an enema and the whole meal deal, it’s gonna be messy. Be prepared for that. Condoms (and gloves) are your friend. And once again, so is lube. But that’s a whole post in and of itself, so I’ll tackle that in another post. Biggest tip: start slow and with your fingers, and if anything hurts, STOP.

Don’t be afraid to use your safe word. It’s there for a reason, and you are not a bad sub if you use it.

Doms can use the safe word too!! If a scene is getting too heavy and you don’t want to continue, it’s okay to tap out. Doesn’t make you a bad dom.

Pee after sex for the love of GOD

[night-fallz]

Jason Todd x Avengers Crossover

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Ao3 // Wattpad

previous II next

Unexpected (part 3)

If he knew that he would be blamed for murdering someone the moment he got back to Gotham, then Jason would’ve waited another week or two before returning.

No matter what a lot of people said, Jason wasn’t stupid. He knows not to expect things that were unlikely to happen.

Jason couldn’t risk raising his hopes when it came to the bats.

He knew that he wasn’t gonna receive a warm welcome filled with hugs and cupcakes. Honestly, the most he expected was a nod of acknowledgment. And if he was lucky, then maybe- maybe he would’ve gotten a smile with the quiet whisper of a welcome back.

It made his heart twist in all the wrong ways to know that his family didn’t trust him as much as he thought. Jason genuinely believed that he and the bats were on good enough terms to earn him the benefit of the doubt.

He forced himself not to flinch as he met Batman’s harsh, distrustful gaze.

“I wasn’t even here when he was killed,” Jason tried to say as calmly as he could, knowing that if he loses his temper, everyone would use it against him. “I was following a case up in New York.”

He couldn’t go back to Arkham! Not again. Not with the Joker only a few cells away from him, taunting him with his laughter— his voice filled with cruel exhilaration as he continuously promised Jason that they would play together once again. How he would soon be reunited with his favorite playmate.

His favorite Robin.

He heard someone suck in a breath behind him.

Jason didn’t expect anyone to defend him. Not against Batman. But still-

He didn’t expect them to just stand and watch as Batman tore him into shreds once again. Batman threw accusation over accusation, yet he never once provided a single piece of evidence that proved it was Jason that did it.

He took a step towards Jason and he had to force himself not to flinch. Batman wouldn’t… not with his kids in the same room.

He ignored the rising panic in his stomach. Jason was safe.

He was safe.

Bruce wouldn’t beat him in the cave. Not in front of everyone. Not in front of Damian.

Jason would be able to walk out of the cave with his ability to walk. He was gonna be okay.

“Look, B. You can even ask them,” he pointed at the spot where Dick and the others were standing. “I told them that I was leaving Gotham for a while.”

Batman turned to where Jason was pointing. “Well?” he asked expectantly.

The cave was engulfed in eerie silence before Tim opened his mouth, faltering a little when he met Jason’s pleading gaze. “He’s not lying Bruce. He told me that he had a mission out of Gotham while we were hanging out a few weeks ago.”

Jason could feel his chest loosen up for a few seconds, thankful that Tim confirmed his statement.

He remembered the day that Tim was talking about. The bats were getting even clingier than usual. They weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were following Jason anymore.

Tim asked Jason if he wanted to watch a movie and Jason agreed.

The bats were gonna be watching him anyways— they didn’t even try to hide the fact that they bugged him and all the known safehouses he has.

At this point, Jason didn’t know whether he should feel offended with how much they underestimated or relieved.

They already viewed him as dangerous and unpredictable. If they ever find out that Jason’s been holding back, even if it was just a little-

He won’t let them throw him back to Arkham. Jason would rather go back to the League of Assassins.

If Jason wasn’t watching Batman so closely, he would’ve missed the sliver of a nod the man-made.

Jason tried not to think of the fact that Bruce immediately accepted Tim’s answer without hesitation.

For the millionth time in this conversation, he wished that he was wearing his helmet. Instead, he forced his expression to remain calm. To remain bored as turned back to Bruce an eyebrow raised.

“Is that good enough proof for you, old man?” he couldn’t help but spit out, bitterness clear in his voice.

Batman remained unaffected, not even bothering to verbally answer Jason’s question. Instead, he just nodded.

Jason’s heart clenched, of course, he wouldn’t get an apology. Batman was too prideful for that.

“Truth.” Cassandra’s voice rang across the cave, breaking the heavy silence. “No… not lie.”

Batman nodded once again and Cassandra’s eyes met his. It took everything in him to stop a retort from coming out of his mouth.

Couldn’t she have said that a few minutes ago? Before Batman ripped him apart like he was nothing but flimsy paper.

Still, he guessed he should be thankful that she defended him. Even though it was too late.

After a few seconds of no one saying anything, Dick broke the awkwardness with an annoying smile on his face. “Now that that’s settled, why don’t we get that movie started?”

It was only because of all his training that Jason didn’t break down right there.

Of course this was just another thing that they’d sweep under the rug. Something that they would never want to speak off again.

Discussions of what movie they were supposed to watch erupted the room. It didn’t take long for an argument to break out between Damian and Tim.

Jason watched the scene for a few seconds before looking away.

They looked like a real family.

He turned away, these things happened frequently enough for Jason to know that he wasn’t welcomed.

He blocked out all the noise as he walked towards his helmet, eager to put it back on.

It was only a matter of luck that the universe hated him so much that he knocked something down, the thumping noise alerting everyone that he was about to leave.

Jason couldn’t help but feel relieved that he put on his helmet as soon as he got his hands on it.

At least he didn’t have to go to all the trouble to force his expression to remain impassive anymore.

Batman could use it against him.

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed, “Where are you going, Jay? I thought you were joining us tonight.”

“Yeah, well maybe I’m not in the mood to watch a stupid movie tonight.” Jason spits out.

Was Dick being serious right now? There were so many things wrong with that question.

One: Why would Jason want to spend more time with the people who thought he murdered someone and didn’t even bother to defend him.

And two-

No one invited Jason.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jason hopped on his motorcycle. He needed to get out of the cave.

He could feel their eyes on his back but no one bothered to stop him.

The last thing he heard was Cassandra’s voice assuring the bats. “Be back,” she said with enough confidence that one would think that she could command Jason to turn around with only her words. “He will be back.”

Jason held in the harsh remark that threatened to leave his lips.

Plus, it wasn’t like Cassandra was lying. He knew it— and hell, the rest of Bats probably knew it too.

Jason would come back. He always did.

It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go.

But for now, he needed to get away. He thought that one week would be enough to calm the pit.

It wasn’t.

In fact, he feels like the interaction with the bats today just made it worst.

He’ll stay away from them for two weeks. That should be enough time for the pit to stop screaming at him.

But who would he stay with?

Jason had enough experience to know that the best way to calm the pit was to surround yourself with people you trust.

Kori and Roy were still in space.

And Talia was busy with the civil war against Ra’s.

Jason had no one else.

Except-  

His phone grew heavier in his pocket and he remembered that an Avenger owed him a favor.

Clint said that Jason could text him whenever.

And the more he thought about it, the more Jason decided that he did trust the archer in some way.  

Jason soon found himself staring at the side mirror of the vehicle and poisonous green eyes stared back.

He quickly averted his eyes.

Clint was his last choice. And Jason couldn’t risk being in the peak of a pit episode without anyone to keep him in his place.  

He could do this.

It wasn’t like he had another choice.

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notes:

Balancing out school and volleyball was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Only one month has passed and I am swamped with work.

I don’t know how I feel about this chapter. It’s not my best work but I wanted to put something out for you guys!!

I hope that you liked it.

I’m gonna spend this weekend to try and get my life together so hopefully, that means that next week will be easier for me.

Especially since I still need to finish my permit course. (If you couldn’t tell, I’m kinda hating sophomore year of high school right now)

Like always, please leave a comment. i love reading them and they just motivate me so much! And they would help an extra ton these days.

And once again, if you have any fanfic requests, questions, or just suggestions for a specific fanfic i’m writing, just leave it in a comment down below or you can just message me here on tumblr.  

[tl-notes]

Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S2 Episode 11 Notes

This is ラジオ体操 radio taisou, lit. radio exercise(s). Basically it’s a short series of light stretches intended for general health. It used to be broadcast over the radio (and I guess still is), but is also on TV and internet these days too.

It’s generally popular as a morning thing to kind of get the blood flowing—some companies (apparently around 1/3rd) even have a few minutes in the morning set aside to have everyone do it. Some neighborhoods will hold outdoor public gatherings during summer break, as a morning routine thing for children while school is out. It’s also a kinda stereotypical old-person thing to do.

There are two “sets,” known as radio taisou dai ichi, and radio taisou dai ni (basically “the first” and “the second”), and each has a standing version and sit-down version for improved accessibility.

“Pound (shoulders)” here is 肩たたき kata-tataki, a type of shoulder massage that involves lightly bopping the recipient’s shoulders with the bottom of your fists. It’s a stereotypical thing for kids to do for parents/grandparents (remember the shoulder massage tickets Kanna gave Kobayashi for Father’s Day in ep 8? same thing).

I honestly have no idea how effective it is.

小林さんは安く済ませようとして、色々物を買ってしまうタイプなんでしょうか？

For clarity here, the idea is less that Kobayashi tries to buy lots of stuff for cheap, but that she wants to solve whatever problem on the cheap, and ends up wasting a bunch of money on several cheapo purchases that don’t really help.

Another angle on it might be like:

“Could she be the type who tries fixing a problem cheaply, but ends up paying more for less?”

Just a bit of trivia, but in the manga Elma answers this question about computer chairs by saying “Yes, a good one costs as much as 1,000 cream buns.” 

That’s our Elma.

Takiya’s word for “logic” here is 理屈 rikutsu. Rikutsu does mean “logic,” but it has another use too: referring to something that relies excessively on “theory” vs. practical application/real experience, or a kind of “forced” logic. 

Basically here he’s saying this out of modesty, not like “the solution was only logical.” 

This “concerning” is 危うい ayaui, an adjective describing something that’s in a perilous situation, kind of like something you’d say “balanced on a razor’s edge” of. It’s typically for less immediately physical types of danger (which would use 危ない abunai instead).

In this case, while it’s true such situations are typically “concerning,” he’s not saying this because he’s concerned per se; he’s saying that situations like Tohru’s, where emotions run high (e.g. romantic relationships), are often fragile because of that strength of emotion.

For “a little hard,” Tohru says グサッと gusa-tto. (“Sharp” was 鋭い surudoi, which is basically one-for-one.)

Gusa-tto is one of those sound effect words mentioned in previous notes, used to describe a heavy stab or pierce (literally or figuratively). (If you’ve seen that anime/manga visual gag where someone says something and the words/speech bubble “stab” the other person, that’s a more light-hearted use of this.)

I mostly bring it up here because the “he’s sharp”→”what he said cut deep” was a good pairing of evocative phrasing that we didn’t really get in the English.

この程度でいいですか？　kono teido de ii desu ka? この程度でいいよ。　　　kono teido de ii yo.

Kobayashi’s answer here is repetition of the question, but changing the “question” marker for a declarative one. Like “Is this enough?” “This is enough.”

I bring it up here for two reasons. One is just because I mentioned the whole repetition thing in a previous episode’s notes, so as an example to help drive that home.

The other is that I have a bit of an issue with the choice of the word “perfect.” Kobayashi is generally a lowkey person (with some exceptions), prone more to understatement than overstatement, so a relatively strong word like perfect is a little out of character for this scene, I would say—especially given the Japanese.

The use of the particle で de in these two lines is also worth noting. In this context (where you’re talking about whether something is what you want), de ii and ga ii have two distinct meanings. With de, it’s “good enough.” With ga, it’s not just enough, it’s actively what you want. If you’ve seen romance shows where one person has low self-esteem, you’ve likely heard a question like “boku de ii?” answered with ”kimi ga ii.”

If there’d been some sort of twist to the phrasing like that, “perfect” might have been a good choice, but as it is I’d have probably stuck with something like “Yeah, this is plenty.” (if maintaining that sentence structure anyway)

そういうもんですか？ そういうもんだよ。 分かりました。そうします。

Just one quick note for clarity on this exchange; the “that/this” they’re talking about is the “what Kobayashi wants” topic, not specifically this tail-chair thing or how fast the tail-vibrations are etc. You likely got that anyway, but I figured I’d mention just in case, since the Japanese wording felt more obvious about it.

Notably here Daddy Tohru says 知り合い shiriai, which is very explicitly a level or two removed from “friend.” (it’s often translated as “acquaintance”)

They might actually be friends and he just phrases it that way because tsundere, but either way I don’t know if I’d use “friends” here.

If you’ll recall from the Elma episode, “clairvoyance” there was 千里眼 senrigan. This is actually not that, but instead 未来視 mirai-shi, which is more or less literally “future sight.” It probably won’t really come up again(?), but just as a world-building thing I guess, know that this guy and Elma don’t actually have exactly the same power (at least in this instance).

The word for “lost control” here is 暴走した bousou shita, which does basically mean that.

I would, however, like to point out that he’s not necessarily saying Tohru lost control of herself. Bousou means that [whatever] is running wild, but that ranges from a runaway train, to someone going berserk, to someone acting rashly without consulting others.

My point in bringing it up is that “lost control” sounds like Tohru had little/no agency in the decision to storm the enemy’s home ground, which is not really the case and not necessarily implied in the Japanese.

When Kobayashi responds here, she says she, Kobayashi, will be the one getting looked after by Tohru, not the other way around. She flips it 180 degrees from how Dad here says it.

(Since, y’know, Tohru’s the maid and everything.)

Example alt text:

“Make sure you take good care of Tohru until your lifespan runs out.”

“Yessir, I’ll have her take good care of me.”

It’s supposed to give this very heavy and serious scene a bit of levity to end on.

(For the Japanese students: she says [面倒を]見てもらいます, meaning that Kobayashi is having Tohru do the “looking [after].” If she was the one doing the looking after, it would be something like 見させてもらいます instead.

When you stick もらう or いただく after a verb, it’s you having someone else do that verb, not you doing it, so to make it work for “you” being the verb-doer, you have to flip the verb to a passive form. It’s kind of like the difference between “please [verb]” and “please allow me to [verb]”.)

どうしてトールがうちに来てくれる気になったのか

Two small things about this line. First: the “came here” is うちにきてくれる uchi ni kite kureru. The two words I want to mention are uchi, which is like “my/our place” (like “wanna come to my place?”), and kureru, which is used as a helping verb to denote that a verb was done for someone else.

So basically the Japanese adds two extra layers of… emotion(?) to the “came here.” That is, “here” is specified as Kobayashi’s home (vs “here” being more vague and could just mean “this world”), and the “came” is conjugated in a way that expresses Kobayashi sees Tohru’s .

The second, more minor, is that it seems like the English took the 気になった ki ni natta and changed it from talking about Tohru to talking about Kobayashi.

Ki ni naru can mean to take an interest in something (“I’m curious”), or when attached to a verb, can mean “got the will/motivation to do [verb].” In this sentence, it’s attached to the verb phrase uchi ni kite kureru, so meaning more like “why you chose to come here.”

(That said you could easily leave the “curious to hear” part there in the English too though, since that still makes sense for her asking a question like this.)

(Basically the English reads like a translation of どうしてトールがここに来たのか気になった instead of the line in question.)

So like as an example alt:

“I’m curious what moved you to come live with me.”

Which still doesn’t fully grasp that kureru, since that’s a hard thing to just “slip in” in English, but does hit a few other relevant notes and should still be okay length-wise (cursed subtitle restrictions!).

The phrase for “[move] to the big city” here is 上京 joukyou. It combines the characters for “up” and “capital” (of a state/country) and is used as a verb for moving to the capital—these days, specifically Tokyo.

(It used to mean moving to Kyoto, and I’m told it annoys some old-school Kyoto-ites if you use it to say moving from Kyoto to Tokyo, lol.)

[thelostguardianau]

The Lost Guardian- Chapter Eight

“Heed the Silenced”

(Authors note: aha.. yknow I should probably stop making promises for this fic. Months later, w/ a chapter that doesn’t have Thomas in it, three different outlines down and i’m really just at the mercy of this fic at this point xD considering midway through writing this chapter I had to cut and rewrite an entire scene i’d spent a month on bc I’d decided that Dee had a chance at redemtion that added an actual direction and a tangable end goal to this story. So. Yeah. And!! A loud Thank You!! to @bumblebeekitten for helping me bounce ideas back & forth for this au and being my beta for this chapter!!)

Character Info & Art:

Patton | Logan | Roman | Virgil | Remy | Deceit | ??? | ???

Chapter Seven | Chapter Nine

Fandom: Thomas Sanders Sides

Pairings: Eventual Polyamsanders (LAMPR/CALMR-a.k.a LAMP/CALM + Remy ‘Sleep’ Sanders)

Warnings: THIS CHAPTER IS KINDA DIALOG HEAVY!(sorry) Currently depicted as morally grey Deceit(subject to change in future chapters), though the side of Deceit from his first appearance doesnt make an appearance in this chapter and it is explained why, mentions of past betrayal and dark descriptions of bodily concepts, curses, limitations, and changes only really explained as possible through the lore of this au. Deceit speaks in riddles because he has to, ominous warnings. Virgil still isn’t okay mentally. Mentions of indifference to death, lack of selfworth or self preservation. (Let me know if I need to add anything!)

[[MORE]]

Brown eyes flutter open at the chilly breeze of a fan, and the ravenette’s mind comes to realize that he’s been moved from resting on his stomach to laying on his back. Groggy from his much too short nap, it takes a few moments to realize there are no warm bodies near him or under him, no breathing or chatter of familiar voices to sooth him.

The room, he realizes, is empty.

The room itself is, in fact, not Remy’s bedroom at all.

Shooting straight up, Virgil’s first clear thought is that he’s back at home. At his apartment, this time in his hoodie yet still roughed up from his latest ‘adventure’. The scene is eerily familiar, and yet he knows this time that work is not where he needs to be. It’s already daylight and his mind now knows this familiar scene, he should feel alone. Yet, this time he can hear the sound of honking cars and people, his loud neighbor from upstairs stomping around.

It doesn’t make sense as he walks to his window and peers out to see vague cars and people, he can’t even seem to make out any individual faces. It’s grey and raining outside, but there is no pattering sound against the foggy window. ‘What’s happening?’ Virgil wonders.

“Life seemed so simple a week ago, even months ago, did it not..?” A familiar voice drifts from behind him. Ice cold fear shoots down the ravenette’s spine as he recognizes the voice.

“I can hardly believe you were able to leave it, your routine. It was your everything, back when you came to terms with what you had left. Am I wrong, Virgil?” Whirling around to face the voice, Virgil finds the terrifying ex-Guardian sitting on his couch looking quite at home, if a little sheepish.

“What do you care?” He spat back, stepping back against his window.

“I am only looking out for you, you know. I have been protecting you all your life. Of all people I think I would know what is best for you, don't you think? We are connected after all, you and I.” The man sighed, making a surrendering motion with his hands.

“Why would I trust you?! You tried to kill me yesterday!” Virgil growled. “Why--h-how are you even here!?”

“False, my dear Virgil. I tried to warn you. Sure,” The guardian rolled his hand as he spoke, “I am forced to have a round-about way of speaking my truths, it is just part of my consequences it seems. But how else was I going to get you to listen to me after the others fed you lies about me? I do sincerely apologize for my other half being rough, though. I cannot quite.. Control.. Him.” The guardian tilted his bowler hat down to guiltily hide his eyes, regret briefly twisting his expression.

Finally the Guardian stood, dusting himself off as if his immaculate attire had acquired dust from just existing in his apartment. “I needed my physical body to reach yours and make our soul connection strong again, so that my soul could reach yours. However.. The pain I caused you was far from my intention. I am deeply regretful that it came down to.. That awful encounter.

“To answer your question though, Virgil, I am here because I created ‘here’. A realm made to form this illusion of being home, sweet home, just on the corner of the little street you had come to live on for the past year. It is all my doing. Where you stand is simply an illusion only you and I can access, a manipulation of your dreams and memories. The only place where the real me can talk to you mostly unhindered.” The guardian gestured to his surroundings.

“It takes only one person to flip your life on it’s head, a matter of hours to make the decision of a lifetime, and a matter of days to have completely changed your life’s direction,” He turned to Virgil, and looked him straight in the eyes, feeling distant and lost.

“And only a matter of years to succumb to the depression of the lonely consequences..”

Virgil blinked at that. The sad, longing tone had him thrown for a loop; it almost felt like the Guardian wasn't even quite talking to Virgil. “I-What..? I.. I don’t understand.”

The Guardian shook his head, snapping out of it and refocusing himself. "Nevermind that. It is time I talked to you for real, if you will have me?" The Guardian held out a hand politely, though there was no real expectation for Virgil to take it.

After a pause, Virgil gave a slight nod, still suspicious of the other's intent. The Guardian returned the nod, and his hand fell to his side.

“I am limited to the time that you rest and for now I will not be able to explain myself thoroughly, so, I ask you to understand that I do not expect you to trust me when I am done. I honestly do not expect you to ever trust me. With the mistakes I have made, I firmly believe I would not deserve it.”

Virgil blinked in surprise, not having expected his captor to admit to his faults straight off the bat.

“Okay.. Well, we’re here, might as well hear your side of the story. So.. Shoot.” Virgil said lightly, distrust and suspicion still evident in his tone and stance.

“I would assume at this point you are well aware of how the story you have been told paints me as the villain, a mastermind seeking power, immortality, and revenge? At least, that is what I am led to believe is still the story, it has been many years since I have heard the tale first hand… And... Well. Would that not be so lovely?” Virgil made a face, eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I am serious. Life would be so much easier if it was all black and white, true or false, good and bad, would it not? If those who meant well knew everything and those malicious few could not corrupt anything?” The Guardian frowned a bit, frustrated with his words that couldn’t seem to cooperate with him.

“Would it not be lovely if I could talk to you without fighting to keep from turning every honest thought into a question or theoretical statement just to let it be said? That my words could hold a meaning not forcibly disguised in the forms of fables and riddles?” The Guardian looked down lamely, his words tapering off in agitation. For a moment, Virgil waited as the Guardian was silent, contemplative. Then, the next moment the Guardian’s face scrunched up in sadness and his words were soft as he placed a hand over his golden wrist markings.

“My story is complicated, and twisted with shades of grey. One could say what I did was an attempt to keep you safe, another could say that what I did was outlandish and impulsive, and stupid. But no one will be able to tell you that what I did went according to the plan I had... at first. No one will tell you that my intention was to save you, to keep your fate safe. No one will tell you that my plan was ruined. Because there is no longer anyone who remembers what happened that night except for me,”

The Guardian’s eyes flicked up to meet the ravenette’s, a hurt look passing over his face as he continued. His steady voice now just barely trembled with uncertainty as he continued.

“No one but me and the soul who wants so desperately for everyone to forget. The soul who ripped my own in two to bury the secret, and ruin you and I both.”

“My final warning is this: Beware of the man who carries the world on his shoulders unflinchingly, he will be watching you closely. You have immunity to his power thanks to our connection, you might use this knowledge well to find the truth that lies in plain sight. However, your fate lies in the decisions you chose to make with this knowledge, I can only warn you of what might come.” The Guardian nodded solemnly, choosing to finish his cryptic warning there.

Virgil stood there, reeling with the information. Sure, he definitely wasn’t completely convinced he could trust this cryptic stranger, Guardian? Foe? Friend? Virgil wasn’t really sure what to call him anymore. But damn, his life was already so fucking crazy, this was all just fucking crazy! He could just be dreaming for all he knew.

But… Deep inside, he was hoping he wasn’t.

This was, well. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear when facing the man whose, er, body? Had originally tried to strangle him? Now he’d heard his sob story and, well, Virgil wasn’t that easy to fool, but he’d also been told that it wasn’t expected that he’d trust the guy even in the end and he didn’t really want to.

He’d been on the path to death for so long, and then just two days ago everything had changed. So much was happening, it was frankly exhausting. What the fuck was he, some book protagonist? Couldn’t he get a little time to think about all this before he went crazy?

Still, something under all his incredulity begged to hear the guardian out. He vaguely wondered how Stockholm Syndrome worked before he gave in a little. What difference did a little more crazy make in his life at this point?

“Fine, I’ll heed your warning, or whatever the fuck. But only if you can tell me what you mean when you said that this guy ripped your, uh, soul? In two.” Virgil huffed, partially relaxing. It was odd how comforting he found it to be, floating in this weird feeling imaginary world, where he could interact with objects that weren’t real. It felt like he was really standing in his home, and yet it was just built from memory.

The guardian’s solemn expression formed into a grim smile, eyes distant once more before nodding. “I will do the best that my words will allow.” Virgil nodded, and waited for the now very familiar stranger to gather his words and take a breath. Then he began, his markings lightly flashing gold.

“You find yourself whole one day, as you have always been. To be whole of body, whole of mind, both human and guardian in nature. To have conscious thought and control over your whole physical being and soul..

“You find that yourself and others of the winged variety are capable of separating your soul from your being, though only the most Elite can do it well. You find out the family you made would soon be in danger. You then find yourself lost and alone when you once had a home to call your own.

“You find yourself knowing a truth, a perilous truth. Your home is in shambles now that you are gone, yet they do not know it. This truth is at fault, but the blame is not fully your own in a world built on lies.

“The source of truth tucks itself into blankets of grey, drawing itself further from discovery with each passing day. Now only you know the truth. The source of the truth finds you, it seeks to hide you too.

“You find yourself split one day, as you have never been before. Forced apart from the body, trapped within the mind. Guardian in nature, to have conscious thought and your dying soul trapped within, a false mind piloting the puppeteered confines of a broken body with a blind goal.”

“You find you cannot control what you used to, you are a prisoner to a body that is no longer your own, mostly unconscious to the world around it. Crazed by the false emotions that fuel it.”

“The you that used to be is no longer, and has not been for over a hundred years. The world that knew you knows not of what you’ve become. Knows not of the shackles that bind you.

“The you that used to be is no longer, and will never be again.” The Guardian finished, hesitant yellow eyes meeting Virgil’s carefully. Phantom goosebumps trail down Virgil's arms as the final sentence strikes a cord in him.

Virgil found he really wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, the rawness in the other’s tone spoke volumes of the sore spot they’d reached.

“Your body rests, but your mind also needs time to process today. I shall see you when you next rest, though only if you wish to seek me. Rest well knowing that you will not be scooped from your safety once more, as I hope I’m never to do so again. And...” The guardian paused, considering their next words very carefully.

“I know it is selfish to ask... but, I hope and wish that Thomas is alright, after all this time... Do take care of him, would you?”

Virgil paused and stared, finding only concern and longing in the guardian’s expression. And, well, fuck. What a way to pull at a guy’s heartstrings.

“Er, yes. Yeah. I’ll try my best.” Virgil gave his signature mock salute, the Guardian tipping his hat in return.

“Trying is all I could ever ask of you, Virgil. Rest well, you will need it.” And with that final sentence, the world around Virgil gently grew dark, and he sunk into the comforting arms of sleep.

Despite it all, Virgil still found his mind vaguely conscious. Sluggish at best, but awake nonetheless.

He figured it was likely some lingering effect from the Guardian’s dream realm, but didn’t dwell on it. His life had way too much else going on to be debating the side effects gained from Guardian powers.

First, he’d been pretty damn convinced two days ago that he was going to be a goner by the end of the month. Completely resigned to die believing that his very existence was scorned by the world he’d been unwillingly born into.

Then Patton had stumbled onto his shitty apartment’s roof, found him in all of his resigned and depressed glory, and changed his life forever.

They’d mostly skipped the whole ‘Human nature is a series of life, death, and rebirth’ spiel that guardians were known to give in these situations because... Well, It wasn’t like they’d really had time to address it before the truth about his soul had come out. That he wasn’t exactly human to begin with.

Virgil didn’t think that Guardians had ever had a situation like his before. There wasn’t a protocol for comforting a kidnapped guardian soul. It’d never been a possibility before!

So it wasn’t surprising then, that Virgil didn’t have any better of a time processing it.

His whole life, all that he’d known to be true, all that he’d believed in? Everything had been uprooted and turned on its head. He’d apparently been living a life that was not supposed to be.

Perhaps for the first time in two days, Virgil realized that the thought of his death at the end of the month had not been consistently worming into his brain. It had once been something he could never seem to stop thinking about.

The death indicated by his soul timer was now perhaps the farthest thing from his mind.

Perhaps the strangest thing so far was that he wasn’t alone anymore. He’d possibly had more physical contact with other people in the short two(three?) days since this adventure started then he’d had in the past 16 years.

And wasn’t it just the cherry on top that he’d also gotten nearly choked out by the very guardian accused of kidnapping his soul in the first place? And now he was considering trusting the damn guy.

Virgil hollowly wondered why he even cared.

Why did he care about staying alive now when he’s spent his whole life believing he never would? Up until two days ago, that belief had still been true. But now? Avoiding death was the goal, Logan had stated as much.

Really, would Virgil lose anything by trusting the banished guardian? Even if the guardian was trying to trick Virgil and got him killed, what difference would it make? That’d always been the goal before. What did he, Virgil, really have to lose?

If it happened that Virgil lived past his twentieth birthday, if he became a guardian like he was supposed to be in the first place. Would he want that? Did he want that?

He wasn’t sure. Didn’t know if he ever had been.

His life had been built on resignation to the inevitable. Nothing seemed to motivate him towards liking or hating that possibility. He was just that.

Indifferent.

And wasn’t that just the greatest revelation of the night? Finding out that you’re indifferent to living or dying.

Once this was all over, if Virgil lived that long, he would make a note to see a therapist. He knew very well that this kind of mindset was unhealthy to keep. It just couldn’t be helped that the nineteen years he’d lived with this particular affliction couldn’t be fixed by a few extra hugs and comforting words.

Even if he didn’t like the fact that death sounded like the more peaceful option.

His thoughts paused, mentally sighing at the downward spiral he’d caught himself in. It was tiring, and going nowhere.

‘For now,’ he decided, ‘I’m just going to see how this plays out. The Guardian said that none of the others remember the truth, or whatever. So, It’s a ‘he said-they said’ situation right now...’

‘I’ll have to keep an eye out for the guy that he warned me about, then. Who knows if he's as dangerous as The Guardian made him out to be. It’s hard to tell with the weird way he has to talk..’

Virgil paused again, a realization striking him. If he could have groaned, he would have. Not once had he been given or even remembered to ask for the name of said Guardian. What was he supposed to call the rogue Guardian now? He couldn’t just keep calling him The Guardian!

Amidst the disbelief of such a slip up, a foreign yet familiar feeling prodded questioningly at his conscious mind. Adding confusion into the mix of emotions, he returned the feeling with a questioning thought of his own.

He briefly heard the Guardian’s whispy voice once more, now acting with permission.

“You may call me Janus”

Then all at once, Virgil woke up.

.

.

.

Chapter Nine

[backtothestart02]

Just Best Friends - 2/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: So...I completely took out the Mardon side plot and everything Harrison Wells-related that was suspicious in 1x15. I'm all here for just the relationship dynamics and messy westallen. Enjoy! FYI: Most of this chap is just scenes from the ep expanded upon, so I hope you don't mind that. Happy reading!

...

Chapter 2 -

Eddie didn’t come home till late that night. Really late. Iris had gone to bed even, but the sound of him opening the door, his key in the lock, woke her from the in-and-out sleep she’d been experiencing. She expected him to come in and check on her, see if she was up, maybe tell her about his night and what had all gone on, if Barry had been of any help. She was sure he had. Maybe Eddie wouldn’t tell her that though. She had a gut feeling he wouldn’t.

At any rate, she expected him to at least come in the bedroom and say something.

He didn’t even try though. That’s when she knew that somehow she’d screwed up. He couldn’t just be tired. She heard him grab a beer from the fridge and collapse on the couch. She waited for him to come in to see her, but it never happened. She heard him sigh as he stretched out on the couch and kicked off his shoes.

She frowned and laid her head back on the pillow and waited. She waited a long time, long enough for her to get genuinely tired again and fall asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, he was gone.

There was no note, no breakfast even, nothing. She had definitely screwed up, and they needed to have a discussion pronto.

She went to work as usual, eyed Linda across the room and wondered if they would be as at odds as she and Eddie were. She focused as best she could on her work and made a point to head over to CCPD on her lunch break.

She found her dad, Barry, and Eddie all standing together. She easily hugged her dad and snuck in a nugget about wanting something to report about, but Eddie made a bee line for his desk as soon as she did, and she knew this couldn’t wait any longer. They had to talk.

Her dad and Barry made their exit, and she went straight to Eddie’s desk. Serious face on, reporter face even.

“Hey, ever since last night you’ve barely said a peep.” She took a seat on the side of his desk. “What is going on?”

“I didn’t like the way I felt watching you and Barry last night.”

At first she thought he was joking, and she cracked a grin…until it became obvious he wasn’t.

“Eddie, Barry, he’s just-”

“Like family.” He leaned forward. “I know.” He stood up. “And I know you two have a long history that predates me, but Iris, we live together. You’re my girlfriend, and someday hopefully, you’ll be more. I don’t like feeling like the odd man out every time you and Barry are together. I shouldn’t have to.”

“Eddie, Barry is always gonna be a part of my life.”

“I get that. But something’s changed between you two.”

I love you, Iris flashed before her eyes. Christmas. A confession that took her offguard. That still had her shaken to this day.

“Whatever that is,” he continued. “I am not okay with it.”

He moved past her, not attempting another word.

She sat there for a while, contemplating what he’d said and what it meant. Was he right? Had something changed between her and Barry? Did it have something to do with Barry’s confession? That had been weeks, if not months ago. It couldn’t still be affecting her like this. It shouldn’t. It wouldn’t.

She was determined to not let it. She could help whether it did or not…right?

Shaking the conversation off, she moved to leave the station. With her dad and Barry gone, along with Eddie, she had no intel for her stories and no one to eat lunch with. She might as well head back to CCPN and work through lunch. She could always snack on some food later after she’d made genuine progress.

Though how she was going to make things up to Eddie was still up in the air.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, she stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor. Then she swiftly stepped outside and headed back to Central City Picture News. One thing she could focus on was work. There was nothing she could do about Eddie right now.

…

In the car during their lunch break, Barry felt a feeling gnawing at him. Guilt? Angst? Depression? Elation? He didn’t know, but he knew he had to talk to someone about it, and with Iris the center of his thoughts, he knew Joe was his only option. His only nearby option at the moment at least. And really his best option if the past had proved anything.

“Food was good, Bear, thanks for that,” Joe said, oblivious as to what was on Barry’s mind.

“Yeah, no problem. Felt like…time.”

Joe smiled and nodded.

Barry wrapped his hand around the back of his head as they walked and Joe immediately shot him a glare, which Barry neglected to notice.

“What is it?” Joe drawled.

“What?” Barry asked, immediately letting his arm fall to his side. “Nothing. It’s…nothing.”

“Come on, Bear, it’s me. I know you’re in love with Iris. I know…” he lowered his voice. “You’re the Flash. You can talk to me.”

And he knew he could. He’d been planning on it. He was just nervous about what his answers or advice would be. He was nervous about the whole situation actually.

“All right,” he said reluctantly. “I could use some advice.”

“Lay it on me.”

“You know, just…relationship stuff.”

“Oh, like, you mean that girl, Linda?” he asked, seemingly knowing exactly what was on his mind.

“No, actually, um…” Things with her were great. As far as he knew. He worried about that for a beat. “Iris,” he clarified. “Things between us have gotten a little…complicated again.”

Joe started to laugh.

“You’re asking your adopted father for advice about being in love with his daughter, who just so happens to be dating his partner.”

Barry looked away, shaking his head. He’d known it would sound worse out loud. He’d known it. But he had to tell somebody!

“I know, I know.”

Joe couldn’t stop laughing.

“Things have gone way past complicated,” he chuckled.

Barry strode on full speed ahead.

“Sometimes me and Iris have these moments.” Flashes of the night before at the bowling alley suddenly appeared before him. Her hand on his face…and then some. “And, when I’m looking into her eyes, it’s hard not to think that she’s feeling the same way I am.”

Joe managed to put away his remaining laughter.

“Look, you already told Iris how you feel, so unless she comes out and says she feels the same way, all you can do is hold on to those moments.”

It wasn’t anything that he hadn’t expected, but he still didn’t like that advice.

“Right, yeah, I know.” He hung his head.

“I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

“It’s all right, Joe.” He forced a smile. “Really.”

…

At CCPN, Iris was in the middle of a report when she felt her eyes start to droop. She was badly in need of some caffeine. Luckily, the station kept some tanks on stock at all times. She got up and headed straight for them on the opposite side of the room.

There was someone else there. She didn’t recognize who it was at first, then it hit her like a sledgehammer, and she felt dread well up inside her.

“Linda.” Trying to push past the nasty feeling, she scrambled for something to say. “Last night was…fun.” Though based off the girl’s current reaction and Eddie’s earlier, she was starting to think only she and Barry had thought so.

“Mhmm,” Linda said, noncommittally.

“Oh, yeah.” She moved aside as Linda gestured to wanting something on the other end of the table she was unintentionally blocking. “Look, I just wanted to apologize…”

Linda raised her eyebrows in ironic amusement. Iris didn’t see it.

“Apologize…?” She let the question hang.

Damn, she was really going to make this hard, Iris thought. She braced herself for what would come next.

“Well, for interrupting your date with Barry.”

That was a safe apology…right?

“I…I shouldn’t have done that, and…I’m sorry.”

Linda shook her head in disbelief, the possessiveness she’d felt the night before taking hold again.

“You know, Iris, when you told me that Barry had feelings for you, I thought it was just the typical weird crap that women do to each other.”

Iris couldn’t find a response to that. It had been the truth.

“But last night I realized…what you didn’t tell me and what’s kind of irritating is that you have feelings for him too.”

She was quick to deny it.

“N-No, Linda, I mean, it’s not like that.”

Linda could not be dissuaded, however.

“One thing you’ll hear about people when you work here, Iris. It’s usually what isn’t said that’s the real story.”

Linda walked away from her, not even really a glance back as she returned to her desk. Guilt weighed heavy on Iris, as did frustration. First Eddie and now Linda? Maybe she should talk to Barry. Maybe he could clear all of this up for her. She couldn’t be the only one who didn’t see what their significant others were seeing. She and Barry had just acted…well, like them.

Right?

…

When Iris called later that afternoon, Barry had picked it up immediately. He was off work now, and besides, it was Iris. When she asked to meet him, he got even more excited. She sounded concerned on the phone, and he knew that should worry him, but for some reason it didn’t. He was just looking forward to the meeting, to her having reached out. Up until recently they hadn’t seen much of each other, so it was nice…for once.

They saw each other outside of Jitters and raised a hand to acknowledge the other’s presence. They came together and walked inside after their respective greetings, heading straight for the barista in the center of the coffee shop.

Barry leaned against the counter as their orders were made.

“So, it sounded like something was kinda bothering you on the phone. Is everything all right?”

Iris hesitated divulging everything she was feeling but decided to go straight for the plunge.

“Yeah, I mean…the other night was fun, right?”

“Yeah,” he said assuredly. “Did Eddie have a good time?”

“Yeah,” she said instantly, though from their latest conversation she knew it was the farthest thing from the truth. “Linda?”

He shrugged helplessly. He hadn’t talked to her since. He’d kind of forgotten about her until Joe brought her up actually.

“I think so.”

Uneasily, Iris sat down at a high table.

“You don’t think we were too…you know?”

Barry thought back to Iris’ finger in his mouth and her legs splayed across his spread-out ones, and his heart started to race.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. If anything, he wanted more, wish she’d have done more. Would she do more while they were together? Right now? He could barely control his heartbeat.

“Okay, good,” Iris said with a laugh.

God, what he wouldn’t give to bottle up that laughter and keep it forever. It was intoxicating to listen to.

Iris swallowed.

“Actually, no, not good.”

He frowned.

“What…do you mean?”

“Eddie has been skittish since last night. When I talked to him about it today, he…and well, Linda too actually-”

“Linda talked to you?” he asked, and she could hear the nerves in his voice.

“I started the conversation, apologized for interrupting your guys’ date.”

“You didn’t interrupt the date, Iris. Not really. I mean, we were both there. It was a double date. It was fun. It would’ve been more weird if we were right next to each other and not interacting. Trust me.”

She winced.

“Maybe…either way, after talking with Eddie, I felt like I had to apologize. And…”

“What did she say?” he cut in, unable to help himself.

She blew a lock out of her face.

“She thinks I have feelings for you, and she’s pissed about it.”

It took him a minute to respond, then finally…

“Oh.”

“Yeah…obviously it’s not true.”

“Right.”

“It’s just the way we act when we’re together.”

“Of course.”

“Eddie thinks something’s changed. And he doesn’t like it either.”

“I see.”

She caught a glance at him and saw how he wasn’t meeting her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be unloading on you. I definitely shouldn’t be venting to you about my relationship problems. You were the one who told me you were over me. This is probably really upsetting to you, and irritating. Just like Eddie and Linda.”

She started to get up. Barry was quick to reach for her hand and pull her back to the table.

“Hey, no, Iris, I’m your best friend. If you can’t tell me stuff, who can you tell?”

She looked at him a bit pathetically before biting her bottom lip, fighting for what she definitely shouldn’t be saying right now. She looked down at their hands and rubbed her thumb over his fingers.

“Thanks, Barry.”

His shoulders relaxed.

“Of course.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I love Eddie, and I respect your relationship with Linda. How do I prove to them something that they’re certain isn’t true?”

He shrugged helplessly.

“Maybe just give them time? You don’t work directly with Linda, do you? I could talk with her in the meantime, set things straight.”

“No, I don’t want to ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me. I haven’t talked to her since last night. I’m sure one romantic night with her will put all of this to bed. Trust me.”

“And with Eddie? I live with him. I can’t just give him space. I refuse to let him sleep on the couch two nights in a row.”

“He slept on the couch last night?”

She nodded.

“I probably shouldn’t have told you that either.”

She put her head in her hands.

“God, I’m a mess.”

“Hey, no, you’re not.”

He rubbed her arms gently and she peeked through her fingers to look at him.

“Okay, maybe you’re a little bit of a mess.”

She scoffed.

“A lot bit,” she amended.

“Nah, def just a little bit.”

She snorted.

As much as he hated to suggest it, he put himself in the best friend shoes and forced the words out of his mouth.

“Why don’t you plan a romantic night with Eddie tonight too?”

She blinked. “Really?”

He nodded, forced a strained, “Yes.” He paused. “I mean, if it works for me and Linda, it should work for you two, right?”

“Right, yeah.”

She gripped both his hands and smiled gratefully.

“Thanks, Barry. I really appreciate it.”

He felt gutted, but he only nodded and smiled.

“Of course. Any time.”

[ererokii]

hi!! can i request an uraraka x fem!reader where reader suppresses her crush on uraraka because of her crush on midoriya and doesnt want to get in the way of a potential relationship, but then uraraka realizes her crush was a serious case of comphet and starts crushing on the reader? and they start the whole song and dance of "oh! she baked me heart-shaped cookies with a note professing her undying love to me?? she must see me as a friend :)" until one of them properly confesses to the other?

Hi anon! I’m sorry that this took so long, i got caught up with my other fics, hope you enjoy <3

You couldn’t help but nod and smile as Ochako went on about how good and cute Izuku was. You didn’t mind it, but there was a small problem.

You had the biggest crush on Ochako Uraraka for years now. You suspected she had feelings for the green-haired boy since your first year at UA. It was obvious, anyone could see it. The way her cheeks darkened as she got more giddy and upbeat whenever he was around. 

“I don’t know if he likes me though! Y/N, what should I do?!”

Startled, you jumped up at the sound of your name and looked in her direction. “O-oh! I’m sure he likes you too! B-Both of you would make a cute couple in my opinion!”

You sent her another fake smile. On the outside, it looked like a girl supporting her friend. On the inside, you were breaking and wanting to break down at any moment now. 

“Y/N you really think so? Hey...why are you tearing up?” Her tone grew worrisome as it lowered, her hand reaching out to be placed on your shoulder. 

“Nothing!” You snapped and stood up abruptly off the bench. “I’m fine!”

Heads turned in the direction of you two, eyeing the scene that was now unfolding in front of them. 

You felt a tear dribble down your face as you clenched your teeth, feeling your nails dig into the palm of your sweaty hand. 

“Are..are you sure?”

You meekly nodded and turned on your heel, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand. 

“Just go ask Midoryia already. Both of you look great together.”

She was taken aback at the sudden movement of your body running away from her, making your way to leave the cafeteria as your figure grew smaller and smaller with each step you took to get away. 

Why were you acting this way? Was it something she did? Did she offend you?

A pair of heavy footsteps grew louder and louder till they stopped right behind her. 

“What did you do this time? You make her cry like an idiot” Bakugou’s voices boomed from behind, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants. 

“I didn’t do anything” she whispered breathlessly. “She just ran off when I was talking about Midoryia.”

Bakugou laughed and shook his head. “Oh man, that’s fucking funny!” He stopped laughing and walked around to face her. 

“Do you even like the damn nerd? Or you just think you do?”

She did like Izuku. She showed her interest in him more than one time. She had to like him. She did like him. 

Then why did she feel so uneasy saying it out loud?

“I..” she trailed off and gripped the skirt of her uniform. “I don’t know”

“Hah?! What do you mean you don’t know?! It’s not that fucking hard! Well whatever that’s your shit, not mine, least someone else likes you.”

“Who?”

“Think and you’ll find out pink cheeks,” and with that he walked off, leaving her to be alone with her thoughts. 

Was it you? Did you like her? 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Since her talk with Bakugou, she couldn’t help but stay stuck on what he said.  

“Or just think you do” she mumbled, recalling his words as she placed her hands on the bathroom counter, leaning forward as she stared into her reflection. 

Izuku was cute. Izuku was intelligent. Izuku was caring. Izuku was selfless. Izuku was strong. 

She could think about his qualities but couldn’t bring herself to fully say she liked him, that’s if she even did. 

Her mind wandered off to you. 

You were beautiful, strong, amazing, intelligent. 

At the thought of you she let out a happy sigh, eyes lidded as her mouth tugged up in a smile. 

More than one time your smile greeted her in the morning. The sweet sound of your soft voice filling her ears when you would whisper good morning. The time it snowed and you were shivering, your nose red as you wore a cute beanie that made her think that you were the cutest thing on the planet.

Her eyes snapped open as she stared into the mirror, her cheeks flushed. One of her hands touched her face as she sucked in a breath. 

“Y/N, ” she whispered softly. 

She was lying to herself the whole time. She never said she liked Izuku. When the girls would tease her about her so-called crush she would just laugh it off and never think about it. 

It was you.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

In class she spotted you sitting in your chair, your legs swinging underneath the desk as you stared outside the window, mindlessly. 

“Y/N!” She called out then covered her mouth quickly. You looked over at her, head tilting sideways in confusion. “Hi, Ochako!” 

She gulped and rubbed the back of her head. “Your hair is...it looks very pretty today!” 

You touched your hair and played with a piece in between your fingers. “You think so?”

“I know so!”

“Oh well thank you then.” 

She nodded profusely and sat in her chair abruptly, hands clasped together on top of her desk as they twitched ever so faintly. 

You glanced at her from your peripheral vision and chuckled. “Nervous about something?”

“You can say that!!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

“No, I’m sure these have to work right?! She loves cookies!” 

It’s been weeks since Ochako figured out that her feelings for Midoryia were fake. When she found out, the next day she ran up to him and told him how she felt, to which he panicked and begged her to stop yelling.

“Are you sure Uraraka?! Maybe Y/N would appreciate it if you just straight up told her!” Midoryia quickly wrapped the box with a red ribbon on top, placing it back on the table. 

“Cookies are a nice gesture! I read it online! They gotta work!”

“Y-Yeah but,” he stuttered and backed off, fixing his school tie. “Can’t you just say it then give her the box instead of leaving the note?! What if she gets the wrong idea?!”

“Pfft please, she won’t! She’s a smart girl” 

With her tongue sticking out, she finished writing the note. Putting the pen cap back on she placed her hands on her hips, standing proud at her hard work. “There! It’s perfect!” 

As she slipped the note behind the ribbon she stared down at it. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Course she does! Everyone can see it, even Todoroki can!”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

He held his hands up in defense. “I don’t know! Shouldn’t you go give them to her now?!”

“Give them to who?”

With a shriek, Midoryia jumped up. “Okay, I gotta go bye! Hi Y/LN! Okay bye!” 

You stepped aside as you watched him run out of the room, noticing his odd behavior. “Is Deku okay? That was a bit out of the ordinary, even for him.”

“Yeah, he’s totally okay!” She grabbed the box of cookies and held them to her chest. “Um..these are for you!” With a push, she shoved the box into your chest. “Okay see you later now! Bye Y/N!”

Her footsteps grew quieter and quieter. You stared down at the box and noticed a white piece of paper. You pulled it out and read the writing.

I want us to get closer. You’re really cute 

             - Ochako <3

“Oh. That’s cute of her,” you picked up a cookie and held it to your mouth, biting onto it as you walked out of the room, humming softly as you enjoyed your cookie. 

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

“I’ve given her cookies, flowers, and even small drawings! She hasn’t said anything! I don’t think she likes me after all Deku!”

Ochako paced the common room, hands tangled in her hair in stress, muttering things underneath her breath. 

“That’s not true!” Midoryia shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe she’s not ready for a relationship! Maybe she’s nervous?”

Ochako stopped pacing around and let her shoulders sag, looking down at her slippers. “Yeah..that’s probably it”

“So don’t beat yourself over it! Just give her time”

“Guess you’re right again huh?”

A startled noise made both of them lookup. You dropped your bottle of water as you were now cleaning up the mess. 

“S-Sorry!” You squeaked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

Midoryia jabbed his elbow into Ochako’s side and motioned towards your body as if telling her to go help. 

She cleared her throat and approached your form. “You get more paper towels, I’ll help”

A sigh of relief fell from your lips as you stood up. “Thank you Ochako”

Midoryia sent her a thumbs up before running up the stairs quickly to his dorm, taking the steps by twos. 

Both of you fell into a peaceful silence as you cleaned the mess. Your head fell forward as your hair covered your face. 

“There is something I want to tell you Ochako”

“O-Okay, go ahead” she bit her lip and sat back on her knees. 

“I know..I know that you like Deku. And it’s okay. He’s cute and smart, I can see why you do. But um...I like you. A lot actually. I’ve liked you since the beginning of our second year. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to ruin your potential relationship with him.”

Her body tensed up, eyes bulging out as her mouth was parted, looking like a fish gasping for water. “You like me?”

“Yeah, I kinda just said that right now..”

She cried out and wrapped her arms around you, tackling you to the floor. “Why didn’t you say anything?! What about the cookies and the flowers?!”

“I thought those were friendly gestures!!”

She shook her head quickly. “No!! It was meant for me to let you know how I felt!!”

“Why didn’t you just say it out front?!”

“I panicked! Why didn’t you?!”

“I thought you liked Deku!” You laughed, covering your face. 

Her laughter soon joined yours as she cradled your face in her hands, leaning her forehead on yours. “Guess we’re both idiots huh?”

“Yeah I guess so,” you said lowly and grabbed her hand, fingers interlocking together. “Will you be my idiot?”

“As long as I get to kiss you and call you my little idiot.”

“That’s all I ever wanted.”

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Aaaanyways, I wanna put on my comic-art-nerd hat and talk about panel-to-panel action in that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow preview because yes, I have been staring at it for days, and yes, I will continue to do so until it is released next month! XD

LET’S GO:

I apologize in advance for the funky formatting, there’s an art to tumblr text posts and I...have not mastered it. XD

It’ll go image, then analysis.

Also, just to be clear: I’m not doing this so much to be like, ‘WOW THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING, STUNNING, NEVER-BEEN-DONE!’ In fact, many comics do the things I’m gonna highlight/geek out over! Rather, it’s more about, like. Appreciating the construction of the pages, panels, etc.

Okay, so! Page 1, the SPLASH PAGE

Okay, so, admittedly, I don’t have a ton to say about this opening image, largely because it is one single illustration as opposed to a series of panels. But even then! It quickly establishes that we’re not on earth--the foliage, rock formations, and GIANT WOOLY FRIEND(?) give that away. Also! Said rock formations and wooly friend’s horns frame our new character RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE, letting you know that even though she is tiny, she is important. And, I will just say, I love the dust effects on the ground. The repeated semi-circle shapes evoke the feeling of rhythmic, galloping hoof beats, even without actual movement or sound. Lovely.

And now, PAGE 2!

So, I’ve highlighted panel 3, but before I get there! Panels 1 & 2 do such a nice job of giving us an idea as to the actual, physical size of these two characters, as well as the power dynamic at play. This random dude takes up the WHOLE DANG PANEL with his bulging muscles and is framed in an up-shot; in panel 2, Ruthye is not only shown from above--we’re literally looking down at her--she is also relegated to the bottom half of the panel. Additionally, it’s a great way to show the action of her turning to pull the sword from her belt, obscuring it from both our view and his, to bring out the ‘big reveal’ in the next panel.

Speaking of! Panel 3! Our establishing shot! We’re introduced to the full interior of this tavern. We see where everything is placed--walls, furniture, and perhaps most importantly, the various patrons!

Establishing shots are so important to have in visual media because they help us, the reader/viewer, to orient all of the various components within a sequence or scene.  

It’s also helpful for the artists because then they can better maintain things like screen direction and continuity.

If we don’t have a shot like this, then subsequent action can become confusing to the point of distraction.

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED how often this is neglected or forgotten in comics! Scenes will change abruptly and it’s like, ‘wait, wait, where are we?’ 

ADDITIONALLY, the establishing shot not only gives us basic spatial information, it ~sets the mood~ XD Setting! Atmosphere! Genre! It’s all here.

I mentioned this in my prior post, that the art gives off some intense fantasy vibes, what with the organic shapes, rough textures, and color palette.

Folks who’ve read advanced copies have described the book as a fantasy/western; that extends even to the series title design! The designer revealed that the western look of the text is deliberate.

So A+ to the art team for NAILING IT!

Okay, on to page 3!

Not a ton of notes on this one, but that’s only because the prior page has done such a solid job of laying out the space, as well as the relationship between these two characters WITH JUST WITH THE ART. (Okay, okay, the words help too. XD) Once more, we see this big brute tower over Ruthye, panel- to-panel; he’s always ‘large and in charge’ regardless of the angle. Even in that final panel! Ruthye is the largest element because she’s closer to us, but the guy is still positioned ‘above’ her, literally talking down to Ruthye from over his shoulder. 

(And HMMMM. That unassuming stranger in the back there, underneath the lanterns that seem to act as an arrow pointing right at her...could she be...important?)

(Her tiny size would seem to imply that she isn’t...AND YET...)

PAGE 4!

MMMM them FRAMES within FRAMES!

Okay, but before I get into that, I do wanna briefly mention panel size and shape.

All of these pages (save for 1 and 7, which are full-page illustrations) pretty much stick to a very traditional panel structure. Each panel is completely enclosed, and there is zero variety in terms of shape. It’s all rectangles.

BUT. The size and orientation change--take, for instance, that ‘skinny’ horizontal panel up top, the way it perfectly suits the ‘shape’ of the elements/action being shown. It’s a close on Kara’s wrist/hand, reaching out for the sword in the guy’s belt. 

I mention this because often, writers don’t dictate stuff like panel layout in a script. They will give the artist the number of panels, and what needs to be included in each one, but the actual, overall organization of the page? Totally up to the artist.

So! Really knowing what you want to highlight and convey is key, because you can use the panels’ size/shape/relation to other panels to ENHANCE those images, like that sword grabbing up top!

AND! Another thing I love about that panel in particular is the way that Kara’s hand and the sword make a tiny frame for Ruthye! Who is, again, VERY TINY! 

I keep mentioning the size thing because it’s a nice bit of economical visual storytelling; the child character is going to be smaller than the adult characters anyway, but by calling attention to it repeatedly, we as the viewer are constantly reminded that this kid is small! She needs help! She needs to be protected! Which is like, the whole premise of the inciting incident. XD Good stuff!

(Also more dot eyes in comics that aren’t humor comics, please.) 

There’s another frame down in panel 3 as well! Evely uses this device several times throughout this sequence; it’s such a great use of the multiple swords in the scene, AND shows that she can really pack all of the characters in there without cutting any of them off/obscuring them behind various objects.

And like, NO TANGENTS, which takes some serious skillz.

ESPECIALLY when you consider all that beautiful linework. LOOK AT THEM INKS.

...In particular, look at them inks in panel 5! The shading on the booth is done in such a manner that the ‘grain’ of the ink defines the perspective. We’re looking down at Kara, from above. This is a helpful little bit of orientation, as there’s not a ton of room around Kara to have any other perspective lines to help sell the angle. 

ALSO, NOTE THE POSITION OF MR. BRUTE IN PANEL 4, AND THEN KARA’S EYELINE IN PANEL 5. It will be important in...

PAGE 5!

Allow me to explain:

In panel four on page 4, we see the guy reach for his sword, his body language revealing that he’s intent on moving towards Kara.

In panel 5 on the same page, we get that lovely down shot of Kara looking right up at us, the viewer. But also, the implication is that she’s ACTUALLY looking at Tough Guy, because in the next page, we see that he’s positioned himself right above her to swing that sword down!

(My apologies for the poor attempts at drawn annotations.) 

There’s no action lines cluttering up the beautiful art; Not-Conan’s hair, rather, acts as the action line/guiding ‘arc’ so that we can better follow the movement.

Kara, likewise, doesn’t have any action lines on her, but her posture and hair act as visual cues to tell us that she slides over in the booth, out of the way of the sword.

In particular, the way her right shoulder/arm draws closer to her body, and the way her left hand comes up to offset the way she’s now positioned, really sells the ‘slide’. 

More beautiful indicators of movement in panel 2; the hair, the action line on the sword, the torn fabric of Kara’s shirt.

Panel 3 brings more FRAMES WITHIN FRAMES! And, actually, as I’m looking at it? I think it could be argued that we actually have a FRAME within a FRAME within a FRAME!

First frame: Panel border, natch.

Second frame: Goofus’ sword, arm, and face frame Kara.

Third frame: Kara’s arm and sword work with Goofus’ head again to frame tiny Krypto.

LAYERS.

And now, a note about colors!

I said before that I love the palette at play. The earthy tones give the entire setting an organic feel--this is not a high-tech locale! We’re dealing with natural materials here.

BUT THEN THOSE BLUES!

Not only do we get that nice split complementary thing happening with the yellow, but it also signals the blue of Kara’s costume, a little hint of which is revealed in the final page.

And, like. It’s night time. XD

(I just gotta say, love the cold blue outside the window next to Kara’s table, contrasted with the warm yellow of the interior. Even though this is a bar, there’s still that element of like. Coziness.)

Also! Even though the overall palette is heavy on the yellows, Kara’s hair is more saturated and leans towards a warmer yellow, while the rest of the yellows in the scene are cooler. Thus! We have CONTRAST! Our eyes are drawn right to her.

And I know--I KNOW--that SG comics twitter already hates King because Kara’s DRINKING and personally I want more of the story/context before I pass any judgement but I must admit, the shapes? In panel 5? With Kara drinking in the foreground? 

I kinda love it.

Also mmmm-MMMM, more of them SOFT BLUES.

Okay. PAGE 6!

Now THIS PAGE is what inspired this whole endeavor.

Because, okay. If I’ve not made it clear by now: I read a lot of comics.

And I generally enjoy all of the comics I read!

But, what I’ve found lately, is that if I don’t enjoy a comic, it’s because I, as a reader, find myself confused by the art.

Confused as in, the art is hard to follow.

That can be because the color design/ink work doesn’t have enough contrast, or the composition is muddled, but most frequently?

It’s poor panel-to-panel action.

When there’s no flow/connection between what’s happening in one panel vs. another, suddenly it’s on you, as the reader, to do a lot more of the work as you go through the scene. And sometimes! We don’t even have enough visual information to DO that work!

So when I read this, I was like, ‘ah, thank you, an easy flow of action for my brain to appreciate.’ XD

AND SO. Panel 1! Same stuff we’ve been seeing! The ink work, hair, clothing details, etc. all work to show us which direction each character is moving. Kara’s arm and jacket all point to her slamming that mug in the dude’s face; dude’s sword serves as a GIANT ARROW illustrating the path of his stab.

Not much to say on panels 2 and 3 other than: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS! And also, HAIR!!!

PANEL FOOOOUR!!!!

Love. This. Panel.

Again, I really love that there are no action lines slapped on top of this gorgeous art, all of the movement is conveyed in the inks, body language, clothes, and so on.

Like. There’s a conscious decision, here, to not have Kara’s hair obscuring the dude’s torso, and that’s good! Because his belt/uhh...kilt? Skirt? Is showing us the speed and direction of his jab; if Kara’s hair were in the way, it would break up the flow.

BUT THEN HOW TO SHOW THAT KARA’S DIPPING FORWARD???

Note the ties on her cuff, and the inks on her jacket!

There’s nothing special happening with Krypto, BTW. I just circled him because he’s a Good Boy who deserves to be noticed.

Panel 5, more of the same, the inks telling us how these characters are moving through space. ALSO, the length of the lines conveys speed without needing to add something distracting/obscure the art with a ‘blur’ effect.

Final panel! I. LOVE. THIS.

Particularly the movement in Kara’s hair, just. Beautiful shape language.

But in addition! You’ve got that LOVELY line of action in Kara’s spine as she flips him over, the sword likewise curved in the direction of the throw.

And of course, the dude is crumpling in the appropriate direction, bent in the middle as he collides with the table to--quite literally--complete the circle.

Also, just. The characterization here, is PHENOMENAL.

People (read: irate fans on twitter) have expressed concern (read: complained) about Kara having a sword. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that Kara’s basically a murderer now, because she’s using a weapon.

Never mind the fact that in an episode of JLU, Supergirl used both a sword AND a gun to defend herself while in Skartaris because she had no powers. 

Except we see here that Kara DOESN’T USE THE SWORD to take the guy out, she uses his own force against him. She only uses the swords in the FINAL PAGE in a type of ‘yield’ fashion.

(This particular ‘fight’ sequence reminded me of Brainy’s fighting style in the show so of course that added to my overall enjoyment.)

Like, Kara’s got no powers here, she very well could have used the sword to defend herself, and would...kinda be justified.

But she didn’t! 

Like. Even drunk and therefore out of it, Kara 1.) Steps in to help that kid and 2.) doesn’t use superpowered lethal force on the guy. (I mean, she can’t use her super powers anyway, what with the red sun, but you get the idea.)

And like, the flourish there, of the arms, the way the jacket swirls around her, like a gymnast sticking the landing, GAAAAAHHHH I just love it. It’s great.

Okay, FINAL PAGE, #7:

I mean. What more can I say? EVELY AND LOPES, MAN.

Just some top notch art.

(Also get it guys, it’s a LITERAL shirt rip! XD)

(And look! There’s that tiny bit of blue!)

But anyways, if you’ve made it this far, I applaud you, and thank you for indulging my desire to just. Geek out over one of my favorite comic artists drawing one of my favorite comic characters.

And just to like, reiterate, I’m not suggesting that this comic is THE BEST EVER or that it’s going to redefine the medium, or anything. XD Everything I’ve mentioned here is...pretty basic storytelling mechanics. Watch any movie, and you’ll see all this same stuff at work.

RATHER, this whole post is more about...admiring two artists who clearly know what they’re doing.

And they’re doing it so well! :D

TL;DR: I’m so excited that the Supergirl book has Evely and Lopes, guys. So. Excited. 

[theyungrose]

Chrysanthemums and Daisies (Roman Reigns/Jey Uso X OC)

Chapter 4: Dates and Daylight

Jey was beyond relieved when he received Roman’s “orders” not to follow him to Raw on Monday. Anything that didn’t involve his cousin these days were the only things he found peace doing. Even better, Daisy had been texting him all throughout the weekend and he’d been returning the attention ten fold. To say he was now just as infatuated with her as she was him would not be overstating it; they were even falling asleep on FaceTime together. They were two grown people with crushes like they were in high school, and it was the cutest thing you ever did see. 

All this talking brought about the idea for their first date; they were both fans of Buffalo Wild Wings before COVID shut everything down, and since they both had plans to watch Raw tonight, it only made sense to make a catering-size order of wings and watch it cuddled up on her couch. It was perfect under the circumstances of the still raging pandemic, and Jey would never pass up the opportunity to have his girl in his arms. 

They weren’t official yet, but there wasn’t a man breathing that could pull Daisy from his grasp. 

The two watched in a terrified amazement as Roman laid waste to the Irishmen he just had trouble beating the Sunday before. If Jey hadn’t known any better, he’d believe that Roman didn’t need him by his side at all. But Jey knew better, thanks to Daisy. She’d spilled to him that after the scene with him and Roman in the hallway, Roman had met up with Chyrsanthemum; the only logical reason why Roman put himself in this match.

Whatever heel Chrysanthemum had kicked up Roman’s ass must have been bugging him the entire weekend, because there was blood in his cousin’s eyes. Malice, hate, rage; emotions that had made themselves at home in the heart of the Chief.

“Wow... that was intense.”

Daisy was the first to speak once the bell rang and the match was over. She glanced over at Jey, but his eyes stayed glued to the TV, face devoid of any emotion. Uce would never admit this to anyone (mostly out of fear of being castrated) but everytime he saw his cousin’s arm get raised in the ring, holding up that Universal Championship, it made his blood boil. His fists would clench if no one was looking, and his stomach became heavy with disdain. Call him bitter, but it made Jey sick watching his cousin tote that title around. He didn’t deserve it. For the immoral actions and decisions he’s made to claim that championship, he didn’t deserve it.

“Hey Jey...are you okay?”

Daisy, still in the highest of moods as always, giggled at her little rhyme as she poked Jey on the shoulder. Almost immediately she retracted her finger when she felt the tenseness in his muscles, realizing he was indeed anything but okay.

“Talk to me please?”

Finally Jey huffed out a sigh of pure annoyance and took Daisy’s hand in his, assuring her that he wasn’t mad with her.

“It ain’t fair D. And I ain’t one to hate on the next man because he’s doing better, but this I just can’t take. The man walked in on a championship match, signed a contract and was just able to take the title just like that.”

Daisy nodded, squeezing his warm hand and resting it between her folded legs.

“And then he sees me trying to come up, trying to make a name for my family, and he threatens to kick me out like he runs shit. And then he chokes out my brother in front of me just to prove it. He ain’t never loved no one for real. Just himself and all the money in his pocket.”

After his spiel Jey went silent again, eyes focused back on the TV right as the post-replays ended. Daisy watched his angry features silently, and wondered what it would take for Jey to challenge his cousin again. She wondered if it could be her.

On the opposite side of the states, the tired champion waltzed back into the gorilla with his chest high and puffed to the ceiling, only to find that Chrysanthemum had disappeared. Not just from her position behind the monitor, but she’d vanished from the arena completely. He couldn’t find her anywhere backstage, she wasn’t doing any interviews, and soon Roman had to come to terms with the fact that she’d up and left sometime during his match.

Anger and annoyance set in as the Tribal Chief realized he’d just got played. Alone in his locker room, he couldn’t help feeling just the slightest bit stupid; everyone in their right mind had told him not to take this match tonight and his stubborn ego had allowed his boss to make a mockery of him, make him look like he needed this match. All these thoughts in his head nearly pushed him to snap, and he considered going to Twitter to address her publicly, but after taking too long to think about it he decided not to.

After all, Roman knew that all this anger really stemmed from disappointment. He hadn’t taken this match to actually prove to her that Drew was nowhere near matched for him, he knew that already. Roman had taken this match simply because she’d asked him too. Those full pink lips and butter voice could’ve asked him anything and he would’ve nodded in agreement. He was completely sprung for his boss, and it scared him a little knowing she might just know that too.

That next morning however, he did find her. Sitting at the far end of the breakfast suite at their hotel, he might say dreamingly looking out the large windows as carved into a bowl of oatmeal and berries. He simply couldn’t resist.

“Good morning boss lady.”

Chrysanthemum grinned but didn’t avert her gaze from the window, she knew he’d find her, she’d counted on it actually. She was too proud to do it herself, and jetting on him after his match would’ve given him the perfect reason.

“Champ...good morning. You’re welcome to join me if you’re here alone.”

The small butterflies in his stomach did not go unnoticed to the Chief as she pushed out the opposite chair with her foot, her brown eyes finally meeting his as they glazed in the sunlight.

“Will you ever refer to me as Tribal Chief? It’s kinda my new moniker now if you haven’t noticed.”

Roman returned to her circled table with a breakfast way bigger than hers, Chrysanthemum noted this and giggled to herself. A big man had to eat, but damn. She could only imagine what he could do with all that energy in the morning.

“Yes, I’ve noticed. Let’s start by calling me my real name first though Roman.”

A rosy blush creeped into his caramel cheeks, he had to pull his gaze away from hers for a moment as he admitted,

“I’m not really sure how to say it.”

If at any moment in time Chrysanthemum had felt herself falling for Roman, even a teensy little bit, this was the first occurrence. She felt her entire body soften, following the actions of her heart, and she couldn’t help but look at him and smile.

See it wasn’t money that got to Chrysanthemum, she had that already. It wasn’t fame, cars, houses; she had all that too. It was humility that really had the magic touch of her heart, and seeing a man dare say as cocky as Roman become shy because he couldn’t pronounce a name, her name, gave her that little buzzing feeling.

She hadn’t felt that in a while.

“Have you seen a Chrysanthemum before?”

Roman shook his head no. Chrysanthemum nearly took out her phone and showed him, but she thought against it. A better idea sprung into her head, and if Roman was the man she believed he could be, she’d show it to him one day.

“Well they’re the most prettiest flowers, they have hundreds of petals and if you’re the right type of person, you’ll notice them as soon as you see them.

In his head, Roman hoped he was the right type of person.

Midway though their breakfast a fan stopped by Roman to take a picture, and before he left he congratulated him on defeating Drew McIntyre last night. Once the fan left Roman shot a playful glare towards his boss, not averting his gaze until she was forced to look up from her phone and acknowledged him.

“Well?”

Chrysanthemum feigned confusion.

“Well what?”

“Did you not like what you saw last night?”

Chrysanthemum leaned over onto her folded arms, a half smile on her lips let him now she wasn’t angry, but her face let him know she was serious.

“I loved what I saw from you last night, but I won’t congratulate you for it because it wasn’t a test, it was punishment.”

Roman’s eyebrow arched, slightly taken aback by her confession. All the playfulness had dropped from his features too.

“What you did to Drew last night, I knew you could do. You knew you could do. I didn’t need to see you rip Drew apart to know you were better than him, that’s why you’re on my show. However, you did Smackdown a great disservice with how you handled him at Survivor Series. I can live with my entire roster losing, it means they were bested by the competition. But, when you have to cheat in order to beat them, that means the competition is better than you.”

Chrysanthemum leaned in even closer, wary of the people who might be listening. Her intentions were not to embarrass him, but to teach her champ a i lesson.

“I don’t care what you do on Smackdown; your cousin, Heyman, you do what you need to stay on top ‘til Wrestlemania, because you will be Smackdown’s champion going into Wrestlemania. But if you ever embarrass yourself or me in front of that B-list show again, it will be the last thing you do as champion. You follow?”

Roman was shocked. Floored even. Only his mother had ever been able to put him in his place like this before, and even that lessened after a certain age. What scared him a little, is Chrysanthemum never flinched, never stuttered, and her eyes never left his. She was 1000% percent serious, and there wasn’t a single comeback Roman could think of that could possibly one-up hers.

Mostly because she was absolutely right.

Then suddenly, her body visibly softened again. The firmness erased itself from her gorgeous features, her chest fell, and her half smile grew into a full one. She probably didn’t feel it, but all 265 pounds of the Samoan jumped when her palm rested calmly on his forearm. It felt like electricity was spreading from her touch and he prayed she felt it too. With her eyes now kind and gentle, she spoke again.

“I promise I’m on your team okay? I believe in you just like I do everyone on my roster. Of all the shit talk and strife I get from everyone else, I hope you’re the one that understands.”

That small ounce of vulnerability did wonders for Roman. It felt like he was peering into her soul, and he could tell it was not something she allowed often if at all. It made the Samoan feel...special. Special to her, and that was at least a start.

The same electricity Roman felt seconds ago raced through Chrysanthemum now as his larger hand covered hers. His full lips curving up into a smile made her swoon secretly, and she hoped her blushing wasn’t too obvious.

“I see you crystal clear baby girl.

Roman’s blood ran cold in a split second as the last part slipped out; but Chrysanthemum didn’t mind. It was unprofessional yes, but the way it made her feel trumped professionalism right now.

“If you would like, you can call me Chrysa. That’s strictly a family and close friend nickname, so don’t use it in public. Especially at work. Stick to boss lady.”

Roman smirked, secretly hoping “don’t use it in public” meant they’d be meeting in private. If humility is what charmed her, then her vulnerability no doubt attracted him. Even though it came in bits and pieces.

“Much obliged... boss lady.”

Chrysanthemum grinned picking up her cup of coffee as she looked at him.

“See that was a test.”

@lavitabella87 @oncetwiceandoveragain @msbigredmachine @stellarollins @saccreigns @fatedxdestiny @thewrestlingobsessor @bigpsychicbagelauthor @jasmine03322 @yeahalyssa @lustyromantic @reigns-5sos

[lucky-jiku]

OKAY I’M NOT OKAY.

RoosterTeeth why...

Why did you do this to me?

Spoilers below the cut.

The start of this episode was very expected. I realized that it would have to pick up right where it left off from E13. 

I can’t be the only one who expected Cinder betraying Neo and her lying to Salem, right? Because I already knew that this was going to happen the moment Neo decided to trust her. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to RWBY + Jaune and Neo in the next season.

Also can someone please explain where NORA is? Because the only thing we can assume is that she went through the portal to Vacuo, but I didn’t see her there with Ren, Oscar, and Emerald. Maybe she did and is just somewhere else? idfk I just hope she’s okay.

EDIT: Because I’m stupid... I just re-watched it with my roommates and saw Nora banging on the portal. So she’s good, but definitely might think that Jaune and the others are dead because they didn’t make it through.

BUT ON THE NOTE OF BEING OKAY...

I am horribly wounded at what happened with Penny. I had the feeling she would die because of the death flags that were placed upon her (after her getting her real body and shit like that). 

But having Jaune help her most definitely did not help Jaune. Gods I can only imagine what it’ll be like to tell Ruby that Penny is gone.... I will cry even more. I did actually cry during this episode... something that happens a lot with RWBY so it seems.

Also speaking of deaths, my gods... Vine sacrificing himself tore me apart... and seeing how it tore Harriet apart made it worse. I’m happy that Marrow, Harriet, and Elm survived. But, Vine deserved to live just as much as everyone else... poor man. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Also can we assume that Watts is dead too? Based on what happened at the end with him being trapped and not being able to break the glass, he’ll eventually burn to death or suffocate. And even if he is able to find a way out, there’s no telling how long he’d last since Atlas fell. With that being said, can we also assume Ironwood is dead? We didn’t see him escape the falling city and, with the water flooding in, I doubt he had time to get out. He’d likely drown trying.

CRWBY literally was like “you want trauma, we’ll give you trauma” and decided to kill like... 5 characters (Hazel, Penny, Watts, Vine, and Ironwood... am I missing an--- WAIT I forgot Jacques.... oh that’s right nobody cares and everyone is happy he died, right? lolololol)

That sudden realization that we have no clue what happened to Pietro and Maria. Granted, I think most of us assumed the worst and assumed they both perished when Amity fell. But, who knows...? They could have both survived. At least that’s the hope. 

Also, Cinder said something along the lines of “And that’s... checkmate” before she left with Salem. Very much a reference to the opening sequence with Ironwood being on a chess board.

Speaking of the opening, I was wrong in my predictions that the order for the fall would match. It was only slightly off (with Ruby falling before Weiss). But, the post-credits scene with Crescent Rose stuck in the sand(?) is very much a mirror of what we saw in the opening with it stuck in the ground. I wonder what that place is btw. It looks interesting and kinda funky.... I like it but I’m also concerned about it.

Alright.... now that we’ve got my episode thoughts and raging out of the way, lemme get to the shit that made me fucking cry:

- Penny’s death... Obviously I have an attachment to our sweet angel and seeing her suffer like she did this episode made me want to scream. I had my hands over my mouth the entire time because I was so worried and I didn’t want to scream. When she interacted with Winter to give the Maiden powers to her, I burst into tears. Especially with the line that Penny stated: “I’ll be part of you”. That’s a direct reference to what Winter told Penny when she received the powers initially from Fria (if not being a direct re-quote... I can’t remember if it is or isn’t right now).

- Jaune’s reaction to what happened with Penny... Obviously our boy Jaune has been through a shit ton of trauma in the past five volumes. He loved Pyrrha dearly and lost her to Cinder. Now he had to help someone die.... and he saw Penny as a very close friend. Obviously the trauma from having no other choice but to “kill” her is going to weigh heavy on his mind. In fact, he might be the one who has to tell Ruby and that’s going to be even more heartbreaking. Jaune has had some serious character development and I cannot wait to see what is in store for him in V9.

- Winter’s reaction to Weiss falling + how she reacted around her family... Winter has really been a stoic character since we first met her. I was happy to see her finally gain a more “human” side (citing that she said she was the machine/robot this episode) and let her emotions out. Seeing her break after her sister fell caused me to break as well. She and Blake both turned that sadness into rage and determination, but Winter had a better handle on it because she realized what she had to do was important. She probably also thinks that Weiss is dead (since she has no idea what exists down there or if anything at all does exist down there). Adding on to that, when she saw her family (Willow and Whitley + Klein) was heartbreaking. She will have to tell them eventually and when she does, I’m sure Willow will be broken even more.

- Qrow’s reaction... You couldn’t hear what he was saying when he heard something in his earpiece, but you could tell what he was told by his reaction. And just by reading his lips, you could tell he was calling out for Ruby and possibly Yang (it was hard to tell, but I would assume he was saying Yang’s name as the second thing he said). He’s already distraught by Clover’s death last volume. Now he’s saddened by Vine’s sacrifice. And now he’s thinking that both of his nieces have died. The poor man has suffered enough. Please just let him heal, CRWBY. We need him to be happy. :(  

Edit because I forgot this part for a second. Fuck my mind lmao:

- Harriet’s agony and Elm’s pleading when Vine made up his mind.... between Harriet’s agonized screaming and Elm’s basically begging her friend not to sacrifice his life, I had so many emotions. I wanted to cry and I did. I felt so bad for those two. They had to deal with the loss of Clover and now they’ve got to deal with the loss of Vine. It’s heartbreaking.

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Welp... hiatus time and then onward to V9. Any predictions y’all? I know it’s early, but I feel like now’s a great time to start theorizing and formulating what could possibly be thrown our way... But, as we learned with this volume, CRWBY is willing to throw anything at us... and I mean anything.