#okay he wasn’t even my fave and definitely not my favourite route

[disownedbytiime]

Returning from my social media break to wish Skeletiano a happy death day like I do every year. I truly loved him and I wish to play the Niflheim (or any other shall we date game) again someday.

[amphtaminedreams]

Sitting Front Row at...(On a Budget Obvs): Lookbook no.15

Hey to anyone reading!

And welcome to my fave lookbook I’ve done in a longggg ass time! Yes, that’s partially because it involved making collages and doing the low effort work of scouring Vogue Runway for “research purposes”, but I promise, that statement wasn’t made out of COMPLETE laziness-I am super happy with it too. It’s been a good use of pre-part-lockdown-lift time in the interim between that brief period of Christmas celebrations and eateries finally fucking opening again because let’s be honest, I always knew I was gonna get distracted by oat milk vanilla lattes and veggie all day breakfasts once I could actually sit down with them at my fave local cafe. You could say I was very much operating on a self-imposed deadline.

The “what I would wear to sit front row at...[insert designer here]” TikTok/Instagram reel trend was something I wanted to get on board with ever since I first saw one and whilst the option of doing my own live action take-I really cannot bear the thought of having to edit footage of myself awkwardly attempting to sit nonchalantly in front of a camera for hours on end-was off the cards considering my complete lack of screen presence, I decided a Tumblr text post would work just as well, and if not even better in a way. Given the absence of the time limitations you face when you’re making a reel or a TikTok I thought it’d be cool to present the looks as part of a mini moodboard for each designer which adds a bit of context to each look even if you aren’t familiar with their past collections and establishes the general vibe of the brand I’m attempting to replicate. Not to sound snotty or as if I am the font of all knowledge on anything high fashion related but even with my amateur knowledge I noticed that as the video trend took off and was adopted by big name influencers, it became less about the average person putting their own personal spin on the aesthetic of the labels we can’t ordinarily afford and more about them building outfits that only vaguely resemble the general public perception of the brand around the real corresponding (and often gifted and thus inaccessible to someone who doesn’t makes thousands for a sponsored post) pieces they own SO I thought I’d take the trend back to its roots and get a bit resourceful. All that being said, in no particular order, here are the outfits I would wear to sit front row at Gucci, Vera Wang, Miu-Miu, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Brock Collection, Alexander McQueen, Etro, Burberry aaaand Saint Laurent based on their past collections and guess what? They didn’t cost a shit tonne of money :-)

-disclaimer: will include an asterisk before any new purchases if from a high street store though to be honest, I don’t think there are any, we shall see! I do include where I got old purchases from in case anyone wants to search anything on Depop/Ebay-

1. Saint Laurent (formerly Yves Saint Laurent)

-blazer from identityparty on Depop, pleather trousers from Zara, jewellery from Dolls Kill-

I know technically abbreviating Saint Laurent to YSL doesn’t really make much sense anymore given the brand’s name change in 2012, but I’ll always think of it as that in the same way I’ll always associate it with the slightly dishevelled yet simultaneously glitzy rock n’ roll aesthetic. The thing is, whilst YSL hasn’t done anything wildly out of the box for a long time, it’s rare they put a look on the runway that I wouldn’t wear; they never end up being a fashion week standout but the Parisienne take on grunge we’ve seen Anthony Vaccarello establish as his go-to will always have a place in my heart. 

2. Alexander McQueen

-embroidered leather jacket from Ebay (originally Topshop), harness from Amazon, dress from ASOS, boots from Koi Vegan Footwear-

Alexander McQueen is a brand that is pretty much universally liked, from the historically extravagant and groundbreaking shows the man himself put together to Sarah Burton’s more toned down but still beautiful collections. Obviously I didn’t attempt to do justice to the former, so I tried my hand at putting together a look inspired by Sarah’s blend of delicate femininity and nomadic edge, and it went...okay? Like it’s definitely not my favourite of all the looks because it does give off slightly cheap copycat vibes buuut outside of the context of this lookbook it’s cute.

3. Brock Collection

-boater hat from Ebay, midi skirt from morganogle on Depop, corset top from ownmode_, heels from amybeckett1, bag from Primark-

Brock isn’t as well known a brand as most of the others in this list but I adore everything Laura Vassar Brock does and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try and channel the vision of one of the OG pioneers of the cottagecore vibe through my own wardrobe. I mean fr, this woman’s work as a steady provider of meadow photoshoot worthy dresses and corsets and skirts is v slept on and I will not stand for it. I will sit in front of a camera and then write a paragraph in my blog post begging anybody who reads to give LVB (an abbreviation I acknowledge is unlikely to catch on because Lisa Vanderpump anybody?) some form of acknowledgement for her services to period romance novel inspired moodboards everywhere.

4. Marc Jacobs

-coat from House of Sunny, white shirt from Retro World Camden, co-ord from Sugar Thrillz, bag from Poppy Lissiman-

If there’s one thing Marc Jacobs always does, it’s COMMITS. TO. HIS. THEME. I just KNOW he has a secret Pinterest with separate boards for every fashion era of the 20th century and he is putting those boards to good use providing us with collections that are as immersive as they are eclectic year in year out. 

5. Miu Miu

-beret from H&M, hair clips from H&M, jewellery from Primark, coat from mollyyemmaa on Depop, shirt from YesStyle, sweater vest from YesStyle, skirt from Depop, diamanté belt from Brandy Melville, shoes from Koi Vegan Footwear-

We all like to talk about Bratz dolls and Monster High dolls and Barbies as fashion inspo but can we all focus on Cabbage Patch dolls for two secs so as to acknowledge the fact that a Miu Miu collection is basically all their fits grown up? And made boujie as fuck? If I want my fix of Wes Anderson meets Scream Queens (what a combo) inspired outfits, if I want prissy and girlish but also glam, if I want to look like a bratty rich girl whose one redeeming quality is her eye for vintage clothes, I know where to look and that is the Miu Miu section of Vogue Runway. 

6. Vera Wang

-blazer as in no.1, velvet bralet from catdegaris on Depop, harness from Amazon, skirt from Ebay, knee high socks from Ebay, lace up boots from Ebay-

Vera Wang’s RTW aesthetic, a blend of the ethereal, ultra-feminine bridal designs she’s known for and British style punk rock influences, is something I feel has only become firmly established in recent years but it is everything I ever wanted and more. I always find myself trying to balance the part of me that loves everything girly and delicate and pretty and the part of me that would love to be in a biker gang and Vera’s collections are always an inspirational reminder of just how well it can be done.

7. Burberry

-coat from charity shop, suit from emmafisher3 on Depop, top from simranindia, shirt underneath from Zara, jewellery from ASOS-

Now I’m not gonna lie, I’m not the biggest fan of Burberry but there have been a few looks over the past few years I’ve really liked and as someone who owns numerous trench coats, high necks and way too much plaid, I thought it’d be an easy one to replicate. Plus, if you can count on Riccardo Tisci for nothing else you at least can rely on him giving you some layering inspo which is very much needed in a country where it literally just snowed in April and where my plans for today have just been cancelled because the iPhone weather app did a Karen Smith and didn’t predict rain for today right up until it started raining so thanks for that one British meteorologists. Your incompetence strikes again.

8. Etro

-corset from Urban Outfitters, vinyl trench coat from Topshop, boots from Ebay, black slip dress from kaoanaoleinik on Depop, fur trim afghan coat from louisemarcella-

Like with Brock Collection, Etro isn’t a hugely well known brand, but it is always one of my favourites-to add a spanner into the works of any attempts to cultivate a firm sense of personal style, I live for the ornate Bohemian look that Etro does so well just as much as I love both grungy and girly pieces, and so I really wanted to include a brand whose collections go down that route. It was a toss-up between this and Zimmerman, the flirtier, free spirit counterpart to the dark romance of Veronica Etro’s designs; her vision really shines through the most when it comes to the brand’s winter collections, imo, and given that I live in a country where winter or some weather state resembling it does seem to take up 70% of the year, I did decide on channelling her work rather than that of the equally talented Nicky and Simone Zimmermann this time round.

9. Dolce & Gabbana

-flower crown from ASOS, tiara from Amazon, earrings from YesStyle, dress from alicealderdice1 on Depop, opera gloves from Ebay, boots from Koi Vegan Footwear-

D&G is a brand I felt really conflicted about doing-I don’t include their current collections in my fashion week reviews based on the actions of designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce over the last few years because I don’t want to mitigate the collective effort of fashion critics to push them towards irrelevancy. Though people like to claim the brand has turned a corner since Lucio Di Rosa was brought on board as the manager of celebrity and VIP relations last year (they are as prolific a force on red carpet fashion as ever), we haven’t seen any real meaningful apologies or reparations made by Dolce and Gabbana themselves which once again leaves us in the all too familiar quandary of whether or not we can separate the art from the artist especially when it is far too much of a simplification to only credit the two men for their work given there’s a whole design team behind them. There are a LOT of shitty people working in fashion, the whole industry is a bit of a cesspit if we’re honest, but I don’t think that should stop us from at least being able to appreciate old collections if we make sure we aren’t engaging in any kind of promotion of current works whilst doing so. D&G are a brand of high highs and low lows, with looks that range from hideously ugly to showstoppingly beautiful in a single show-when the looks are good, they are GOOD-and their presence in the fashion world is most definitely felt whether we want it to be or not. It would just be shit to refuse to recognise the existence of some real iconic runway moments, the practical work that went into the ornate detail and opulence that helped cement D&Gs place in sartorial history, the styling that’s made goddesses and fairytale queens out of modern day women as they’ve glided down catwalks, the far more extravagant and, let’s be real, sexier version of our world D&G shows have transported us to in the past. Will I talk about D&G ever again? No, and if you Google the scandals their brand has faced over the past few years, there are more than enough reasons why, but just this once I did want to pay homage to some of the collections, the snippets of which I saw on my Tumblr dashboard back when I was about 13, that first got me into fashion.

10. Gucci

-fur coat from Topshop, clips from Zaful, glasses from Ebay, dress from gracewright246 on Depop, shirt from Boohoo, blazer from charity shop-

Now last but, if you ever read any of my fashion week reviews (the likelihood of someone actually having read one of them and reading this is incredibly, incredibly slim lol, I wouldn’t read me either) you’ll know, definitely not least, is Gucci because Alessandro Michele comes through every!! single!! time!!

The man is truly the king of quirky throwback maximalism and it hurts my heart that a lot of people seem to think of it only as a brand associated with ostentatious displays of wealth. Year after year since Michele was made creative director he has released purposeful, fully-fleshed out collections which unravel themselves to us on the runway like time capsules containing the belongings of the rich and whimsical and yes that can sometimes result in outfits which are *ahem* a bit mismatched but it doesn’t matter because through fashion he manages to take us to a vivid version of the past where people could dress as freely and lavishly as they wanted to, into the wardrobe of a person unaffected by the side-eyeing of others. You get the impression he doesn’t design so much as plays around with some kind of enchanted dress up box and takes inspiration from there and to give that impression is only a credit to his talent-to make outfits so kooky and extravagant look like they were meant to be takes a boldness and genuine love for clothes that I do tend to feel a lot of the big name designers have lost in the pursuit of profit and the necessary placating of the dying customer base that keeps that coming in. Of course I'm not for a second saying Gucci does not care about profit, but at the very least, they have on board a creative director who genuinely has fun with what they’re putting out there and wants to make a statement too and that really shows; you can rest on your laurels and sell tweed boucle jackets to rich old white women for eternity but nobody’s going to mention your brand name and the word groundbreaking in the same sentence ever again unless they’re talking about what it was a century ago, you know (mentioning no names...unless...did I hear someone say Chanel)? That feels like such a shady way to end, lol, but I’m sure said brand will survive-to be fair, they’ve been included in every other What I’d Wear to Sit Front Row At video I’ve seen so although I’m always slagging them off for doing the saaaaame thinggggg year after year, for that same reason their aesthetic is instantly recognisable and so will always be a source of imitation. There are obviously pros and cons to being a brand which constantly reinvents itself but I think it’s totally possible to do that whilst maintaining an overall mission, and Alessandro Michele’s work at Gucci demonstrates that with ease.

Anyway, if you got to here, thanks for reading! I know I’m super behind on this whole TikTok trend and I know a Tumblr post instead of a video is a bit of a cop out but all the real, physically awkward ones out there know that watching yourself back is excruciating lmao, so I hope this does the trick. After this, I’m gonna get back to the reviewing S/S21 collections post though knowing me I’ll probs take a few days to get back into that because I feel like since I left full-time education (RIP me going back in a few months) writing continuously like this for any longer than about 15 mins fries what brain cells I have left. Again, thank you for reading and if you are, sending many good vibes your way! Stay safe!

Lauren x

[ethanramseyyy]

OPEN HEART: THIRD YEAR CHAPTER 1 thoughts and opinions

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a start to the new book. I am so excited with the start of the third book. One because I missed my husband and two because Open Heart is just my favourite thing ever. One thing though @playchoices where’s our baby Naveen?

Obviously the chapter opened up with explaining the changes to the hospital which by the way are INSANE. As much as I love the new and mordenised look, a part of me does miss the classic Edenbrook Hospital we have seen in the past 2 books. I really hope we get a fourth book and I know that the third book has only just started but when Elijah was talking about what was going to happen after their last year of residency, it really made me want to experience the rest of MCs career and obviously the more time we have with Ethan (Or whoever you are romancing) the better. I also like how ALL of the LIs were incorporated into this chapter and it wasn’t entirely Ethan based, because I know that annoyed a lot of people during book 2. RAF. I am so unbelievably happy that they kept Raf in the book, I mean they kind of had to but that’s besides the point. I am so happy for the Raf stans. YOU GOT YOUR MANS BACK.

I picked Ethan to tell me more info because I need to spend as much time with him as possible since I have to wait an entire week to see him again. BITCH when he took our hand I nearly choked. It is so so so strange to see him actually make a public display of affection considering what we went through in the past 2 books to even get him to admit he was in love with us. And our friends reactions. I adore the fact that they are so happy for MC and Ethan. I don’t think I will be the only person to say this butttt.... Leland DEFINITELY has a hidden meaning for taking on Edenbrook. There is something dodgy about him and I am glad that Ethan has also noticed it. I have a feeling Leland Blooms storyline about the takeover of Edenbrook is far from being over.

When I saw the nurses desk it was so bitter sweet. For a second I expected Danny to pop up from behind his desk and say Hey. He did not deserve to die and I will NEVER be over it. But anyway I obviously had to play every single diamond scene given to us for the opening chapter and so I accepted the chance to spend some time with our friends and take a tour of the new and improved facilities. I have to admit the new hospital sounds amazing. Almost too good to be true if I am being honest. I LOVED the little playful scene between MC and Elijah. We can all appreciate the fact that Elijah needs to be protected at all costs. And then it got a bit awkward for me because we had to choose who to have a massage with and obviously I am romancing Ethan and he wasn’t an option so I picked Bryce because why the hell not. I obviously didn’t pick any romantic options with him but I do love Bryce just not like my main man Ethan. I appreciate that the other LIs aren’t being as sidelined as they were in the previous book. Even though I am romancing the main LI of the book, it still angered me that so many people missed out on any interaction with their chosen LI in book 2.

My poor baby Baz. When it showed how sad he was, I was ready to fight anyone who had made him feel that way. And then he dropped the bombshell at the end of the chapter that he was leaving PERMANENTLY. I WILL NEED 2-3 WORKING DAYS TO PROCESS THIS INFORMATION. If he actually leaves I will be heartbroken. I love his character but I am very interested to find out why he is leaving which I presume we will find out in the next chapter. DR HARPER EMERY IS DEAD MEAT IF SHE THINKS SHES GETTING ETHAN. Is it just me or was she flirting with our man the ENTIRE time. Little does she know we spent some quality time together in a certain on call room 😏. I swear if she try’s anything with him, I will not hold back. It’s such a strange route for PB to go down with trying to make MC jealous over Ethan and Harper. To be honest I’ve always loved Harper but she WILL NOT have Ethan. Leland taking away Ethan’s leadership privileges was not okay. I enjoy dating my boss husband thank you very much. I think it makes MC and Ethan’s relationship that much more scandalous if you ask me. I did enjoy the bit were everyone agreed with Ethan despite Leland clearly trying to undermine his power. Never going to happen Leland. Get over it.

Then came the diamond scene where MC, Jackie and Sienna went shopping for the cocktail mixer. I did like the fact that we got a small scene of us actually going shopping for the outfit rather than having to pay diamonds just for the outfits. As I said before I did every diamond option possible considering the fact it is the opening chapter and to be honest I would have done it regardless because MC looked BOMB in that dress.

What made purchasing the dress even better was the fact that all eyes were on MC when she walked into the party. I chose to talk to Elijah because I just love him and I couldn’t say no to him. This meant that I got to see Zaid. Now I am not sure if everyone got to see Zaid or it was different depending on who you chose to speak to but I loved seeing him. I feel like we saw Zaid all the time in the first book and then he kinda just disappeared during the course of the second book so I am glad he made an appearance.

ETHAN GOD DAMN RAMSEY. Did you guys see that suit?!?! I almost choked to death he looked that good. And then that little cut scene!!! I think my family thought I was being murdered I screamed that loud.

OBSESSED.

And then we got the option for a ‘private, passionate end to the evening’ and lord knows I said yes. I know I keep saying this but I love that all 4 LIs were an option. The fact that scene was ONLY 18 diamonds. Bargain if you ask me. If any of you have watched Greys Anatomy it really reminded me of when Meredith and Derek had THAT scene at the prom. If you have watched it you know what I am talking about. Anyway, every single bit of that scene was perfect. When it gave us the option of him taking charge or MC, I was like BITCH we are in for a real fucking treat today.

After the absolute dream end to the evening spent with out man, we found out what was wrong with our patient because hello MC is the best damn doctor at Edenbrook. And you all know I picked the option that said ‘I am surprised that Emery didn’t figure it out’. Yes I know I am petty but Ethan and her are getting on TOO well considering they are exes so I have to claim what’s mine. Then Dr. Baz Mirani thought it was okay to announce that he was leaving the diagnostics team permanently. That better not mean he is leaving Edenbrook because I will put a stop to that straight away. Also, I need to know why because Baz is genuinely one of my faves and I really don’t want him to go.

I would LOVE to hear what everyone’s thoughts were on this chapter. Did you like it? Why do you think Baz is leaving? Do you think Leland has good intentions?

[emilycollins00]

Hello hello uwu, would I be able to request a gamer s/o playing their fave game with Taichi, but he ends up failing miserably? Then overnight he spends all night on it trying to get better at it to impress them and play their favorite game with them more? 👉👈😔

Hello sweetie, thank you for requesting! 💕 Just have to say, loved the prompt and love Taichi, so it was a really cute writing overall! 

Without any more a due, let’s go and see if you guys like it too. Enjoy!

Title: Gaming expert

Pairing: Taichi Nanao x Reader

Theme: Fluff

-

“Oh boy, I’m so excited!”

“Me too. We should have bought these second-hand controllers earlier!” you smiled brightly at Taichi, connecting the second control to your TV. You had been talking to your boyfriend non-stop about the game in question that had come out a few months ago, turning into one of your favorites quickly.

Grabbing a cushion, you sat next to him on the floor, excited to share another hobby of yours to him. Your game was a one-player usually, but with another controller, people could make pairs and groups now “Okay, it’s easy! First of all, as I told you…”

Taichi hummed in understanding as you explained to him the bases of the game, although from time to time he had to stop himself from glancing at you and focusing on the screen. His face gaining a blush at the closeness.

He couldn’t help but smile at how adorable you looked when you were focused, your cheerful tone as you pointed your favourite aspects of the game and possible routes you two could take.

He was overjoyed to be able to enjoy another thing together with you!

A few hours later, however, he found himself preoccupied, haunched over the side of the bed “Oh c’mon, I definitely could have avoided that!”

You laughed as he groaned, rolling on the floor. A ‘LEVEL FAILED!’ shone on his side of the screen. He had gotten absolute beaten up on the first rounds and when he thought he got the hang of it, the next levels got harder and harder.

“No, please, don’t go for me, don’t go for me, don’t…!” Taichi kept yelling as another failing level title appeared. You patted him on the back, trying to reassure him it was okay. You hadn’t called him to go to your house to play at the highest level so soon.

“You know what, why don’t we take a break? Let’s have something to eat and come back with a health restore” you saw him slightly pout as he scorned at the screen. You tried to hold back your laugh “Come on, Taichi, I’m having so much fun! And I’m sure you’ll do better later. You are already doing pretty good!”

The redhead looked at you and got up from the floor, sighing. You might be right, he was just getting tired. He would blow you away when he had rested for a bit!

                                           ……………………………..

Well, that had been a disaster.

In gaming terms, of course. He had had a great time with you, as always. Taichi loved to spend time with you, feeling your enthusiasm and enjoying how comfortable he could feel around you.

Deep in thought, he put his hands inside his pockets as he walked down the street, heading to the dorm. What had he expected? You had told him a million times you loved the game so much you had spent hours and hours on it. Obviously, you were going to be better at it than him.

However, Taichi couldn’t help but wish to have surprised you. If only he could-

The autumn troupe member stopped walking. How awesome would it really be to see your face when you saw how good he had become? With a smile appearing on his face and not thinking twice, he ran what was left of the way, a plan already forming in his head.

“Welcome Taichi, did you…?”

“One-sec Omi-san, this is important!”

Omi blinked as he saw the red whirlwind sprint towards the rooms “…okay? Dinner will be soon though!”  

“ITARU-SAN, I NEED HELP!!”

The gamer blinked at the sudden yelling directed towards him from his door, finding an exhausted Taichi there “…You know I’m not going to be as helpful as Tsumugi-san with your homework, right?”

The redhead entered the room and knelt in front of him “Please Itaru-san, I really need to get better at this game as soon as I can!”

As if by an invisible click, Itaru’s mood changed. Smirking, he sat straight as he took off his headphones to focus better on what the teen was trying to say “See, that’s a very good way to catch my attention, Taichi. Go on”

                             ………………………………………

At the sound of your doorbell ringing repeatedly fast, you hurried to open it. Taichi was breathing heavily, leaning on the wall. Had he come here running? You had just seen each other yesterday!

“Taichi, are you okay?” you grabbed him by the arm. He looked tired but as soon as he focused on you, you notice an eager smile reaching in his face.

“Did you get my message?”

“Your message…? The one you texted me this morning about the game?”

He nodded furiously. Itaru had made him a spartan regimen that had lasted the whole night. They had brought food and had dinner in his room too which… well, got them a lecture from Izumi and Omi when they discovered them. On the bright side, he had become fairly confident in his skills sooner than he thought! That is, as long as he didn’t fall asleep.

He could very well have waited but he was just so excited for you to see the changes that when he noticed it was morning time, he had texted you and ran to your house “Let’s go again!”

You stared at him confused but did as he asked.

A few seconds after the game started, to say you were surprised was an understatement. Something definitely had changed.

“Y/N, look at that! We passed another level, sweet!” his sudden shouting had scared you. You focused to see what had made his so happy; You two had barely even got to level 10 yesterday, now you were moving onto the 14.

Taichi hadn’t been able to move this fast yesterday or get to the places to get bonuses, which was understandable, so it felt strange. Had he been watching videos on the internet? You glanced at him and noticed his eyes narrowing more and more. Had he even slept? “You… are very good, Taichi. I’m shocked ”

The autumn member blushed. Yes, good job him! Totally worth the overnight work in Itaru’s room!

He saw you suddenly pausing the game, focusing on him with a worried frown “You what?”

…Had he said that out loud?

Seeing your upset face made him think he had screwed up. He had thought about the possibility of you thinking he was being over the top… You would be right if you did though; most people would find it weird if another would spend such a big amount of time over one thing for a silly reason like impressing someone but…

Taichi stared at the control, twirling it between his hands “I just… wanted you to see how cool I was” he whispered quietly “Play with you more time too…”

That answer took your breath away. This boyfriend of yours, you swear.

You placed your hand on top of his. He looked up and averted his eyes blushing when he saw you eyeing him so tenderly. That wasn’t the face he had expected you to have.

“Taichi?”

“Y-yeah?”

The sighed that left your lips was a soft one “I appreciate the gesture, truly. But you were cool before, I really need you to implant that in your head, impressing me with victory games or not”

He lifted his head. You didn’t think it was too much? “But… “

You squeezed his hand. It had meant the world to know how much he just simply cared about you and your likes and how he dedicated time to work on it “Sure, we might have to talk about taking care of your own health in the process…” however, you needed to tell him your thoughts “But I’m so happy I get to have such a wonderful person like you. Thanks”

Taichi saw you leaning on him for a kiss, one that he responded happily, feeling as if a volcano had erupted in his stomach on the process. Man, he could totally spend a few more nights awake if it would make you call him all those things. After separating, he pressed his forehead against your shoulder, relieved “I’m so glad…we can play more now…”

“Taichi…?” you turned and felt his weigh giving in. Now you had a snoring teen laying on you and a videogame asking you to start a new game.

Smiling, you turned off the tv and leaned on to him, enjoying his warmth.

You loved games, but without a doubt, spending time with Taichi was your favorite thing.

_________________________________________________________

I definitely squealed a few times as I wrote this 💕

[crossdressingdeath]

Okay let’s try rephrasing this! Part 1- me talking about how I like seeing characters have the opportunity to redeem themselves in shows/movies/books, and how some of my favourite characters in other series were ones that started off as asses and had a chance to learn from their mistakes and grow into better people. JC never had the chance to do that canonically, and it would have been interesting to see him acknowledge his mistakes and get some character growth because of it. However

2/7 it might have been unrealistic given the amount of time they had, and the extent of JC's issues...if he is ever going to acknowledge and learn from his mistakes, and actually move past all of it, it's going to take time for him. However, I find it disappointing how few fics there seem to be that actually want to explore this route. I see way too many that just create this whole new character that definitely is not JC, and suddenly he's this loving brother, as if the things he did

Part 3 - I was talking about how people ignore the things he did, or his previous desire for WWX to die (and way too many fics claim that he didn’t really want WWX dead which makes no sense), and then there are fics that have WWX continuously going back for more abuse from JC. We do get fics where JC admits he was wrong, but they only ever extend to him admitting that WWX wasn’t completely to blame for JYL, or that he wasn’t to blame for

4/7 for Lotus Pier. We never see JC acknowledge the Siege of the Burial Mounds, leaving WWX in the Burial Mounds to deal with the Wen remnant situation alone (because this 'abandonment' goes both ways), the numerous times he tried to kill/torment WWX since he came back...we continuously see WWX owning up to his mistakes, both in canon and fanfic. That's one of the things we all like about him; he doesn't just go "oh woe is me, I'm a victim" he KNOWS he's done things he shouldn't have, and even

5/7 if there were extenuating circumstances, he still doesn't try and make excuses for himself. MDZS is full of characters who have done some pretty awful things, some with better reasons than others, and I have read redemption fics for a bunch of characters. JGY for instance - he has plenty of fans, but the difference is, the majority of JGY fics I've read, particularly AU post-canon ones or at relevant points in the story, don't shy away from the things he's done. You can't just paint this

6/7 picture perfect character and ignore the mistakes they've made, or the crimes they've committed, because then they're not even the character you liked in the first place. If people like JC, then they like him despite his worst traits, and that's fine. But you can't just ignore that those things exist, or what's the point? I'd love to read a fic that has JC actually realises that he's done a lot of not great things, and that he isn't the only one who's suffered. I don't think he's a lost

7/7 cause, but I feel like some of these JC stans just really do make it seem that way, because of their inability to even try and let him own up to his mistakes, even if it's just in fanfic.

Well said! If you want this picture perfect character who is the perfect brother and has never hurt WWX ever in his life... make an OC. You can do that! You don’t need to erase 99% of a character’s past actions!

It is a weird thing with JC fans, this complete refusal to acknowledge all the horrible things he’s done. Like you said, even with JGY and XY the fan reaction is basically “Oh, I hate him, let me write ten thousand fics about him being redeemed and/or not evil in the first place/less evil than he is in canon”. With JC fans it’s all “He’s never done anything wrong ever!” despite that being... obviously untrue. It would be much more interesting to explore him having to come to terms with all the horrible things he’s done and how much he’s hurt the people around him (you know, the way WWX does? Even though most of the stuff he says is his fault wasn’t?), but I guess that’s so OOC all people can do is pretend those things never happened.

And yes, can people please acknowledge that the whole “abandonment” thing was a two-way street? JC left WWX to rot in the Burial Mounds because he wouldn’t come home and go back to how things were, leaving the Wens to die! It wasn’t just WWX leaving! Please acknowledge that your fave did fucked up things, it’s so much more fun!

[emeraldtawny]

Why I Love The 7 of Hearts

...I said I would do it. And now that it has officially been one month since his route release, the official banner for spoilers is now lifted! That being said, I’ll put a disclaimer now: I will be talking about key aspects and spoilers from Kyle’s route. Be warned.

Alright, now onto my thesis. Title: Why Kyle Ash Is My Favourite Otome Husband To Date - An Incredibly Biased Review, by Tawny ^w^

Part 1: Before his route

Before we talk about the actual route itself, let me explain to you guys why this man already had my heart before even getting to date him. I’ll be honest; when the game first came out, he was already in my top 3 but he was not the best boi (that went to Fenrir and stayed like that for a bit). That is, until I played through Lancelot’s route. Being able to get more interactions with Kyle gave me more insight into the kind of person he is, and I honestly liked what I saw. He condemned Lancelot for throwing his life away needlessly without concern for his safety (important note to come back to) and made it clear that his affiliation with the Red Army didn’t mean anything when there are lives on the line (another impotant point to revisit). I honestly respected that about him and sure enough, he snuck his way into top spot and has stayed there since. And if I’m being real, his route has completely solidified that. He ain’t moving. Ever.

Personal Rambling #1

Okay, now comes the fun part hehehe >:3

With the question “did you enjoy Kyle’s route?”, is there an option for “everything” and also “yes yes yes, holy shit yes”? Because, Kyle’s route is a big fat YES out of 10 for me, and I say that as unbiasedly as possible. I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any dev notes released before Kyle’s route dropped (my poor boi getting shafted :c), so allow me to give you my own variation:

Kyle

Recommended if you like: Yukimura (brusque yet sweet, kind of an idiot but means well) and Mitsunari (oblivious genius)

Sexy…7

Drama…7

Romance…9

Dev Notes: For a man so smart, he’s awfully clueless when it comes to you. This weirdly approachable doctor may lack tact, but that doesn’t stop the blood pressures rising and the hearts racing - both yours and his. Get ready for an angst road bump at part 20 (as well as his Dramatic Ending), but rest assured that the doctor is here to see you now.

When I say he’s a combo of Yuki and Mitsunari, I’m not kidding. He’s basically Yuki without the full-on tsun tendencies (he has a few, but you could call it more embarrassment and awkwardness compared to being a tsundere) and then a touch of Mitsunari’s infuriating obliviousness and bam, you got Kyle!

I won’t give a synopsis of the route, since you’ve all likely read it or know most of the story (why on earth are you reading this far in otherwise?) so allow me to share with you, my personal favourite chapters/parts of his route!

Chapter 7 - the first (and definitely not last) instance of a blushing Kyle in his natural habitat. Bonus for glasses uwu

Chapter 14 - the introduction of Goo, the new best pet in Cradle (sorry Chutney). Legit, I recorded that entire section where Kyle and MC are naming Goo and I was just squeeing like a deranged lunatic because I loved it so much like bdjxbgdkfnxfkd

Chapter 24 (His POV) - DRUNK KYLE POV. Of course, he’s still cognitive to have proper thoughts, it wasn’t Masamune levels of drunkenness. But...jealous Kyle. That right there is a rarity but WOW, it’s a treat ;3

Towards the end of the route when MC finds Kyle’s confession written on his freaking hand (Kyle you doof) and just...him burying his amused smile into the crook of his elbow when she says she likes someone…..HNNNNNGGGGGGG yes

Part 2: Character Development

This man has such strong convictions to his profession that it’s honestly admirable. He may only have one pillar to stand on, but that pillar is strong and immovable. I’m of course talking about this line: “I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives”. Sound familiar at all? Remind you of...a certain Red King? Honestly though, this commitment to his work as a doctor when he seems to do nothing else except drink himself into a stupor most nights (if not every night) is awe-inspiring, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.

The MC in Kyle’s route is my new favourite. I love how the romance she develops for Kyle starts off as simple admiration, just her wanting to follow in his footsteps and prove useful to people without provoking the war occurring around her. She’s grounded and has a clear purpose, which is refreshing compared to other iterations of her being more meek and more better categorised as a “damsel in distress”. Don’t get me wrong, I”m not criticising those types of MCs. It’s just nice to see a driven MC with a clear goal and a motive for why she wants to do the things she does, enough for her to stay longer than the allotted month (something NONE OF THE OTHER ROUTES DO, HELL YEAH KYLE!). She actively chose to stay in Cradle - even when her ticket home was right in front of her - because she wanted to help Kyle save lives. It’s refreshing. And it makes for some great interactions between her and Kyle, especially later in the route when they’re more comfortable with each other. Which leads me onto my next point…

It felt like a real relationship. The slow growth and blooming of feelings, the cute interactions they’d share (every time Kyle stroked her hair or bopped her on the head, my heart exploded into confetti), and how awkward they both were with each other. God, if you guys could have seen me reading his route with my dumb dopey grin and squeaking like a lovesick children’s toy every 10 seconds...I was a mess gielkdsnglkd.

I love how they let us see into Kyle’s world. It may be a simple outlook on life, but you can’t fault the man. His strong conviction to save as many lives as he can because he feels it’s what he was made to do, and his importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (remember the line “People are like mirrors.”. It’s important.). He’s a very “my pace” kind of person, and it was fun to just kind of...relax a bit. Sure, war preparations were happening but wait one moment, please. I need to educate Jonah on what is needed for a balanced nutritious breakfast. It was refreshing to see a route that was surprisingly chill for most of it until the ending crescendo, and I welcomed it.

Alright….angst time. All of the little hints we were getting, like his role of the 7 of Hearts not being “set in stone”, had me squinting at the screen like “boi, what you hiding?”. When we got to drinking with Kyle, Oliver and Blanc and the conversation of Kyle having a brother came up, I was like “....oh. This is gonna be baaad.”. And this wasn’t even including Colin (because when a character gets named, you know they’re important.). But…..Chapter 20. It actually came out of left field, sucker-punched me in the kidney, cracked my heart and left me crying as I’m just reading this whole thing unfolding. Colin’s heartbroken cries, Kyle’s unmoving unresponsive form as he lets Colin punch him, the symbolism and connection of both Kyle and Colin having lost an older brother because of the war. I’m….. ;~; aaaaaa. And then in the Avatar Challenge following the angst, MC throws the “people are like mirrors” line back at him to get him to break down a bit, to let some emotion out, and I was just a blubbering mess at this point. The route is generous enough to give you a floof and mild spice break, but then if you choose the Dramatic Ending…..you…..you visit...his brother’s grave...and the waterworks begin again.

Continuing on from the point above, this means Kyle also has connections with The Day That Went Dark, along with Fenrir and more importantly, Ray. From the way it was described in Kyle’s route, he himself doesn’t know for certain if Ray used magic or not. He only knows that Ray was there when shit went down. So even after his brother passed from the tragedy, Kyle held no animosity or desire for revenge against Ray; very fitting for his character. This route made me realise just how similar Kyle and Ray are: they’re both very determined in their ways to keep the peace and they both hold strong to their views of freedom and honesty (Ray and Kyle respectively). And you can tell that Kyle doesn’t hold it against Ray for whatever happened on The Day That Went Dark.

I would honestly love to see a scenario of the two of them sitting down together in a room and just awkwardly yet honestly expressing all of their pent-up emotions about that whole ordeal (angst writers, if you’re reading this...only if you want to ofc ^w^).

Personal Rambling #2: Gushing Edition

So those were my structured notes, but now let me indulge you on my messy bullet points that I made throughout reading his route. A lot of these are pointless to character building and things I just thought were cute and needed attention drawn to sooo….ye ^w^

Like the rest of the Red Army, Kyle was born into a family that carries the mantle of 7 of hearts. All of them doctors.

Cute theme of beds??? (his bday story and them sleeping in the same room)

“When he wasn’t talking, he’s actually quite attractive.” (wow, r00d)

His palm notes are work and other things related (and he doesn’t always remember why he wrote it down bgrkdgn)

Not a sweet tooth (dammit Kyle, that’s your only downfall :c)

Easily embarrassed despite his earnest and straightforward mannerisms

Doesn’t dote on MC and teaches her what he can

His importance on smiling and presenting a calm, friendly image of himself as he treats his patients (“People are like mirrors.” - ch 8)

Head pats. Lots of head pats

Awkward sweet love (kill me it’s too adorable)

Edgar’s silent envy yet sweet support of their romance (this boi istg…)

Super proactive MC (she’s my new fave, seriously I love her)

Lots of touching (head pats, forehead bonks), he doesn’t know what personal space is (and I love it)

His pig is the cutest thing in the entire world, I need 20

Really good with kids…...yes.

“I absolutely despise people who are ready to throw away their lives” (incredibly strong convictions - doesn’t have many, but the ones he does have he is incredibly dedicated to)

Stays longer than the allotted month (FUCK YES)

His brother’s death strengthened his convictions to be able to handle being an army doctor (direct and honest, no bs about sacrificing your life etc etc)

The “People are like mirrors” line is tearing my fucking heart apart (makes sense in chapter 20 avatar challenge)

The angst…..his brother...and Colin….I’m rdfkgndkjfnxclk ;-;

His realisation of love….and his confession….lord, IM DROWNING IN UWUS

Saving Amon despite him murdering many innocent people, a big decision that could have changed the tide for the future, but he stuck with his beliefs

MC’s insistence that Kyle doesn’t like her that way, and Kyle’s inability to realise it’s love (help me it’s so fucking cute I’m dying)

Whether intentional or not, he’s good at diverting the attention away from him when he wants it off him (maybe MC just assumes he’s an idiot?? lmao)

So his glasses are for sentimental reasons (but does he need them???) and his alcohol drinking habits are from his father (not a coping mechanism)

Incredibly kind...but not good at showing it (helping MC distract herself by giving her work(?))

MC’s obsession with Kyle’s eyes and collarbone (same sis, SAME) and Kyle’s obsession with her hair (fsekfbksfnjweksdgn kd,nAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Conclusion

Overall, Kyle’s route is very solid. It may not add much to the overarching lore of Cradle (aside from another victim in The Day That Went Dark), but the route was still adorable, enjoyable and incredibly sweet. I had no moments where I felt bored throughout his route (then again, that’s likely the bias talking) and the balance between cute floof, tear-jerking angst and then hot hot spice (that he FULLY deserves, mind you) came together into a wonderful experience that left my heart full and sad when it all ended.

My final message to you all: Kyle Ash is the sweetest, most adorkable nerd that has ever graced my presence and I hope that even a tiny portion of my love for him rubs off on you, just so you can see how amazing this boi is. Thank you for your time and for listening to my ramblings gesgnsk ^^;;

Bonus: my two favourite screenshots from his route

[isuzukuretsuki]

I just finished 7′scarlet and it was..............................okay.

While the execution kind of fell flat, it hit all the right notes and overall had a really solid storyline. I loved unraveling all the mysteries surrounding the town and the legends as well. The ~mystery~ aspects of and the storyline revolving around life and death were a lot more interesting than Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, to say the least.

My fave character order form favourite to least is probably Yuzuki > Toa > Yua > Sosuke > Hino > Yuki > Isora > Chikage > Hanate > Ichika > Yasu >>>> Tsukuyomi

I really liked Yuzuki’s route, and Toa’s true ending, but that was honestly pretty much it. This game would have been a lot better if it wasn’t an actual slog to get through everyone’s routes before unlocking those two LOL. I literally fell asleep playing Sosuke’s route (like I was lying on my bed with my vita and literally fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon because that’s how boring it was) and that’s definitely a first for any game I’ve played. Hino and Isora also really got the short end of the stick because Hino’s route was incredibly bland, and Isora’s route made me want to scream pterodactyl style. 

**SPOILERS** Hanate’s route had the potential to be really good with all the lore connected to him but unfortunately, his route didn’t deliver and it ended up being an info text dump with weirdly placed pseudo incest romance so it’s like uhh no thanks. Like I hope I’m not the only one incredibly creeped out with the whole “as her body began to mature, my feelings for her developed past a brother” like christ!!! she’s in middle school!!!!!!!! What’s worse is that there is literally no explanation as to why he’s so attracted to Ichiko in the first place. It’s like he sees that she’s about to get murdered and for some reason finally decides to stop eating popcorn. Ichiko magically realizing that she’s in love with Hanate after finding out they aren’t blood related is gross as hell too lmao. **END SPOILERS**

Speaking of Ichiko she’s................... not a good heroine, to say the least. I didn’t really have too much of a problem with her being a damsel in distress because I can’t really blame an ordinary college girl for not being able to ward off a serial killer it was grating how repetitive it got though. But with the exception of Yuzuki’s route, I felt like she had no personality lmao??? It doesn’t help that her only commentary was “kya he’s so handsome! I can’t help but feel his strong arms as they embrace me! my heart is going doki doki because of his scent!” like yes yes we know your heart goes doki doki in the presence of your ikemen, let’s move onto bigger and better things already. In the end, I still don’t know anything about what kind of person Ichiko is! We’re never really given a good grasp on her inner thoughts, insecurities, personality quirks, or just... who she is in general?? It’s like she just breathes and all of a sudden all the guys are head over heels in love with her and the only justification for that is their childhood friendship. This game had a really bad case using the childhood friends trope to substitute for actual romantic development. Like I’m sorry but you boys are in love with an actual potato. Even Hanate is in love with Ichiko for literally no reason. Seriously, a part of me wishes that Yua was the protagonist instead because Yua had miles more personality than Ichiko did.

I lowkey wish this game wasn’t an otome game. I feel like the story could have shined a lot brighter if it weren’t for the poorly developed and weirdly placed romance lmao.

The visuals were stunning. I loved all the cinematics and I think that’s this game’s strongest point. That being said, I couldn’t help but feel like Kurahana’s art work clashed with the overall aesthetic of the game? God especially Ichiko’s portrait, her portrait always unsettled me because she has that dead fish look in her eyes and I thought I’d get used to it but I NEVER DID. I honestly regret not turning it off because I think I would have liked Ichiko more if I did LOL. The cgs were fine but none of them really jumped out at me, with the exception of Toa’s true end cgs.

Also as far as system goes, I’m kind of bummed how the game doesn’t have an OST menu? Not that the OST in this game is anything really special, but a lot of the vita games I’ve played so far had that, so I felt it was kind of strange.

Anyway the game was .....okay. It was definitely an improvement from the hot mess that is Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, but overall it was kind of meh. It’s a real pity since the only game out of the Summer of Mystery games that I really liked was Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly. 

[authenticaussie]

ur favorite one piece pairing + your favorite au

how can you ask such a thing of me alkshdgf i have To Many Favourite AUs

haha can i just link you to the mas ao3 page nonnie bc trust me any au that has mas also has my heart ///ahhaha not joking tho the link’s right here bc im a Sucker

Okay but like one of my favourites is Totally sUPERHEROES!!!!!! so!!!! Secret Identity MAS AU let’s Go 

[mobile beware: readmore]

 Sabo’s a hero / vigilante who has a lot of powers but they’re all largely synthetic. His only ability was like….melding??? And when the govt. found out they used him as an experiment to see if they could get other people’s powers to bond with him, and they can but- Sabo can’t use them properly. He has the ability to breathe underwater but if he tries, his lungs will fill up with water and they don’t empty. He can make and control fire, but it doesn’t stop him getting burnt by it. He can turn invisible but he can’t see. Superstrength but no superbone density. All the minor parts of superpowers that people take for granted don’t come to him. 

Anyway I mentioned above the fire thing well Ace was totally the one that the govt. used to give Sabo fire abilities because they found out he was Roger’s kid (Roger, of course, having argued against having like, superpower registries and anyone not registered w/ the govt. being classified as a “villain” and maybe being the reason people had powers in the first place??? like, the govt. tried to keep it just for themselves but Roger was like whoops secrets! and revealed it all) and Ace having powers was just icing on the cake??? And they tried to take them and give them to Sabo and Sabo didn’t know about the cost of his powers until he tried to use them to get him and Ace out and he burnt. (His hands are the first things that get burnt. He gets used to using his left hand for writing and other jobs. His right is- harder to use.)

Garp gets them out because he’s- he’s terrified for these kids (and they’re just kids, he doesn’t understand this-) and gets people to give them other identities and Sabo and Ace rail against the govt. and throw them away basically and blackmail them and lots of shit like that but basically Sabo’s t e c h n i c a l l y on the hero register but the govt. hate him so they refuse to help if he’s in any shitty situations and h e y guess what.

(quick break before Ominous Shit Goes Down) Marco’s a villain! He used to be a hero, but…How do you explain to someone that you walked out of a fire that should’ve by all rights killed you, when their husband didn’t? How do you live with a bullet passing through your damn chest and hitting the child you were trying to protect? How do you be a hero when your powers are so inherently selfish? 

Sabo & Marco are in a few of the same uni classes together and though they don’t talk, Ace notices that Marco has some of the same habits that he and Sabo have; watching the doors and windows and mapping out escape routes and being uncomfortable if people get to close….And figuring hey marco probably wasn’t Fucked Up by the goverment but he definitely isn’t The Best and befriending Marco in efforts to try and help him because while Sabo’s a hero Ace has never been able to- just fight for strangers like that. But Marco reminds him so much of him and Sabo…. and they become friends and one day when Marco jumps when someone gestures a bit too quickly, Ace carefully asks if Marco needs any help and Marco looks at him and then realises what ace is asking and And Ace kind of Not So Subtly always says that his and Sabo’s home is open if Marco needs it as they become friends and mentions it again and Marco’s like are u…kidding. Dude. No. And takes him to meet WB and ace is like ohh. oh. But ace is still a bit of a Curious Fucker and ends up poking a little bit and being like

“So you’re not afraid whenever anyone sits next to you???” and Marco kind of laughs but also flushes bc he didn’t realise Ace was??? paying attention?? what other things has he accidentally given away. Like. Ace is so far off base w/ his suspicions, but the fact he’s curious about Marco makes marco kind of…Uncomfortable?? People being interesting in him only ends badly. 

Blah blah blah Ace finds out Marco’s a villain and technically Sabo’s archnemisis (even if like half the time Phoenix is just a tease and a bit of a jerk but Sabo Hates Phoenix’s puns) and he Freaks a little bit but also marco needs his help and marco’s still his friend so he pushes it to the side and spills it to Sabo later and Sabo’s like aRE YOU KIDDING ME???

Sab being a Sulky Kiddo and he goes along w/ it bc he trusts Ace’s judgment but also ACE PLEASE WHY ARE WE BEFRIENDING A VILLAIN and Ace has to placate him w/ lots of cuddles and kisses and assurances that ofc you’re my fave sab and no dont worry sab I’ll make sure to be careful around him and no sab i havent told him your identity, your safety is more important to me than him. And then Marco finds out that Ace knows Blue - like, because Sabo left his costume lying abt or smth, or Ace accidentally slipped when helping Marco fix his few seastone injuries and when Marco’s like “you’re good at this” his reply is “yeah i’ve had practice aha” and Marco can only think about what Ace thought about him before they knew each other better. 

“You know that the reverse offer…is always open to you too, right? Like…you offered your home to me, if you need to- get away from it, my home’s open to-” and ace is like wOOOOAHHH no Sabo is Not Like That don’t even??? insinuate that??? lowkey how dare you???? and he kind of goes “i do take care of other people, not just you fluff butt,” and marco’s like ??? other??? people??? and then he’s like WAIT is this why you said you had an emergancy button??????????????/ aRE YOU TAKING CARE OF HEROES TOO and ace is like fLAILING and he’s trying to lie and MArco’s like who??? who??? is it someone i know??? do you know their identity as well???

n O ace says, voice squeaking, and Marco starts laughing and puts his hands up and backs away and promises he won’t pry but Ace eventually starts sharing a few stories about the heroes he knows (because he does meet a few through Sabo) and Marco’s so obviously amused and…Ace made him promise never to use the information he’d been given against the heroes. 

(Ace makes Marco swear to never let Blue get hurt, because Blue is important to him, and Marco, who’s started to hear of the fire wielder that’d saved Ace when he was a child, starts to realise just in what way.) 

And Marco’s repertoire with Blue gets a little bit more friendly and teasing and Ace tells Sabo stories about MArco too and Sabo eventually, carefully, starts befriending Marco as well and Marco even as normal him uses sO MANY PUNS AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. DO YOU. SABO GETS SO FRUSTRATED WITH MARCO’S CONSTANT PUNNING THAT HE YELLS AT MARCO TO STOP BECAUSE HE’S HEARD ALL OF THEM AT LEAST TWICE NOW AND HE’S SO SICK OF PUNS!!!! ITS BEEN A WEEK OF HORRIBLE PUNS HOW MANY “I’M FEELING BLUE” PUNS DO YOU FUCKING NEED, MARCO???

And marco’s like Holy Shit. And sabo’s like Fuck I just Revealed my Identity. And they kind of stare at each other and then Marco starts smiling and he’s just like…”So….instead of feeling blue you’re….burning up with rage??”  aND HE GRINS EVEN WIDER AND SABO LOOKS LIKE HE’S ABOUT TO START YELLING AGAIN and!!! they don’t bring it up again but they know the other knows they just?? never?? use it against each other. 

ANYWAY BACK TO THE OMINOUS SHIT ™ so!!!!!!!!!! marco does a lot of thieving and likes to work with people because it’s easier and Look healing is helpful and all but it’s not like he can fucking fly like some other guys. (he can glide. There’s a difference, one that he’s Always been Annoyed by.) And his partners on this particular case are talking to him about how easy it’s going to be because they took out one of the most annoying things in their way and Marco thinks that they got a technopath to stop the cameras and other security systems but as he walks through the apartment w/ his from out-of-town partners that they’ve staked out before the heist and from the corner of his eye Marco sees this man tied to a chair and he’s like huh uhhh maybe they captured head of security instead???? And maybe he makes some sound, turns slightly, he isn’t sure, but his partner grins at him and signals to someone else and they tangle their hand roughly in this blond’s hair and yanks his head up. 

Marco winces reflexively because that shit ain’t nice but then his heart does a stutter in his chest and his eyes go wide, because that’s-

Dried blood crusted on his lips and a shiny, swollen cheek and this damning purpled bruise around his eye and-

He’s pretty sure those are fingerprints around Sabo’s neck

(And it’s Sabo)

It’s Sabo, mask in tatters and blue eyes half-lidded because he’s only just managing to hold onto consciousness

“You see why we said there’d be no interruptions, my friend,” Marco’s partner says, so fucking proudly, so smug and Marco can’t stop himself from taking a step forwards, can tell when Sabo sees him come into view because his glare sharpens just barely and his throat bobs (is that- fear?)

Sabo’s hair is let go and his head drops, in a way that makes him grunt because he can’t hold it up properly, and marco feels to-

Reverent to be touching sabo right now, knows his touch is to soft and gentle to be one of an enemy as he slids his fingers beneath sabo’s jaw and gently cups his cheek, tilting his head up. His nail catches on dried blood as he smoothes his thumb over the corner of sabo’s mouth, and Sabo’s still glaring but something else is in his eyes now, something that Marco doesn’t really understand-

(it isn’t relief and it isn’t gratitude and it isn’t recognition but he thinks…maybe it’s some combination of the three?)

“You utter asshole, I can’t believe I’m doing this for you, I hate you-” he kind of mumbles, but Sabo’s just barely leaning into his touch now, like it’s the gentlest thing he’s felt for days (and maybe it has been, and Marco can feel something angry growing in his chest now and it shouldn’t because this is his nemesis but he can’t- This is also sabo. This is Blue, and Marco promised Ace that he’d never see Blue hurt.) 

Gently brushes part of Sabo’s greasy, blood-matted hair from his face and Sabo blinks at him and half-mumbles, “ace….?” and Marco huffs grumpily and mumbles “wow you dick at least properly acknowledge who’s rescuing you” and he turns around to his partners and they’re staring at him like wait what what do you mean rescuing???

and Marco’s like  “oh yeah, sorry guys. Kinda promised a friend of blue’s that I would never hurt him to badly. If you hadn’t showed him to me i guess i coulda stood by….”

(he’s lying, he hates the fact that he’s lying, that omission wouldn’t have crushed him with guilt just as surely as it’s crushing him now, but he- can’t admit it to himself. How much he cares about someone he’s meant to hate.)

 “But….well, a promise is a promise. I’m sure you understand. If you could just let him go that would be great???”

“Let him go??????????? Uh no??? Do you know how long it took to catch him??? We’re not just letting him go!!!!” And Marco’s like u GAHHHH YOU KNOW I FIGURED THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN BUT I DIDN’T WANT IT TO??? and kicks ass and protects sabo and knows that his reputation is going to suffer from this but nothing hurts worse than imagining how worried Ace’s face is gonna be when he brings Sabo home. 

Anyway, as well, after that MArco is Constantly trying to assert that he is a Bad Guy and poking and prodding sabo and being a Jerk but also unconsciously seeing sabo like, limp into a room and being like oh??? hit you to hard last night did I ??? need an icepack?? and he says it mEANLY but when sabo says yes marco just IMMEDIATELY JUMPS UP AND GRABS AN ICE PACK AND ANGRILY FUSSES/INSULTS SABO //and look Ace thinks it’s fucking hilarious but sabo’s really kinda confused bc he was out of it for a lot of his rescue, and he doesn’t remember the last few hours, he just remembers someone being so gentle w/ him and then being awake at home and feeling better and he thought that it was Ace, when ace was trying to take care of him. 

Marco doing nice things for sabo but having to taunt him before hand bc otherwise it’s not Antagonistic enough. He’s failing #villain status unless he insults sabo teasingly before hand/gets sabo riled up. Ace thinks it’s kind of hilarious, especially when he sees that MArco starts getting sUPER FLUSTERED whenever sabo gets riled up and yelling and his cheeks are bright red and his powers are Doing Things

Also more on Sabo’s powers; costs are usually Equivalent to the powers, like, he can use fire but it will burn him and he can grow things but they ain’t gonna be strong and shit like that and he??? uses lower cost powers around the house to do chores???? Ace is like sabo come on do ur shit properly ur gonna get a migraine doing it w/ telekenisis and sabo’s like yeah but this is easier and it’s only a minor migraine??? and ace is like [yelling] pls u dumbass

Bu t,,, sabo being raised and trained as this powerful being,,, as a weapon for other people to use ,,,, so him getting to use his powers for himself….Ace can’t say no to that, especially if sabo wants to do it. Even if it hurts him, it’s- Sabo hasn’t had many choices in his life, he should at least get to choose this. 

Ace doesn’t get burnt from his fire but sabo who does - and has - gotten burnt,,, who’s afraid of fire ,,,,Ace who represses every urge to use his powers because he knows sabo’s afraid, and besides what good could fire do???? like, sure, he can control it to some extent but…he’s never going to be a good hero. He’s to selfish. He cares about himself and his family and his friends and like….god he’d sacrifice anything for them, he’d do anything but he’s not….kind. He’s polite and he technically cares, and he’s empathetic to people’s struggles but- unless he cares about you, unless he thinks it’s part of what he needs to do and who he needs to be he just- won’t. 

Marco calling his powers selfish bc he can only heal himself and not anyone else. Saying that he couldn’t have been a hero, what would he have done? (How do you explain to someone’s husband that your survived the explosion that killed their wife? How do you say that you got shot and walked it off, and the child in your arms didn’t? He’s never known. He thinks he never will know.)

(He doesn’t want to know. There’s- to much guilt in him for him to survive being a hero.)

For an extra dose of pain imagine Sabo asking/pressuring Marco to be a hero and work beside him and MArco’s certainly strong enough for it and Marco keeps telling him to drop it but sabo won’t and one day marco’s patience is worn through and he gets up and rips a newspaper off the wall that sabo’s never paid attention to and slams it down in front of him. “this is why i dont bother wasting my time. People are ungrateful and shitty and-” (I can’t live knowing i survived and i couldnt save anyone)