#skip stop being an instigator

[iceunhie]

— phaethetically in love !

premise. belle thinks her brother is the most oblivious person in sixth street. the reason? one: because his (super obvious) crush on you is practically the worst kept secret in new eridu, and two: because he can't even see that said crush is reciprocated! good thing he has one (1) amazing, wonderful, nosy sister to help him out, yeah?

or, belle thinks the two of you are a prime example of an s tier romance movie; and she really wants to skip to the final arc already.

pairing. wise x gn!reader.

warnings: kinda ooc wise (i just started the game), wise is a loser (lovingly), belle is an instigator (proudly), comedy, facepalm moments.

a/n: for @vxnuslogy and @milksnake-tea bc yes wise kissers yes

MY (rlly cool btw 🥺) MASTERLIST || INBOX !

“you're in love with [name], aren't you?”

like all siblings in the world—or what's left of it, belle schemes.

(against wise, of course. obviously.)

her brother bursts into a mess immediately, nearly spilling his cup ramen all over his new shirt, chopsticks sticking out. laughing nervously. general chop would not be proud. “who told you that? i mean— haha, who said that, belle?”

his sister rolls her eyes. “me, myself. i.” she emphasizes, leaning her elbows against the table and putting her palms together; the grin she wears right now is so serene, but not in the angelic, nice way. belle smiles and wise finally thinks, oh. my sister may need to book herself to the closest self-help guru in new eridu.

“i have reason to believe that you, my dearest brother, are in love with [name].”

her voice goes up an octave at the last bit, leading wise to stuff her mouth with potato chips. already, heads have turned. “mff.”

“keep your voice down! and stop broadcasting it to everyone here-”

“what, i am right, aren't i? they clearly like you back, so why haven't you confessed yet?”

“keep. your. voice. down.” wise says, and belle's shit eating grin only widens as she sees her brother's ears tinged with pink. “and... how did you even know that?” he asks, mortified.

“well, one: because it's obvious—like, have you seen how obvious you are?” belle huffs, taking a bite of the potato chip with force (personal grudges are involved). “and two, because they like you back, dummy!”

because when belle sees the two of you together, it's like wise focuses on no one else. you are the center of his world—and he is just being pulled to bask in your light. his eyes soften like they melt only for you, and wise looks like all he is is, all he wants to be, is to belong with you.

(and, wise likes to stare at you for ungodly amounts of time. belle even caught him staring when you were petting a cat by the street and decided to name the stray ‘wise’; courtesy of him, apparently. the cat literally just had grey fur.

“wise.”

“hm?”

“you're practically spawning heart eyes now.”)

it's sickening. (in a oh my god my brother is in love kind of way, mind you.)

“so!” belle says, a devilish sparkle in her eyes. “allow your dearest sister to help you out, 'kay?”

wise nearly coughs up blood.

“what?!”

so at present, belle compiles her (hastily written) list of romantic moments you and wise have shared. she's not surprised—the number can be counted on one hand. diabolical, disappointing, world-ending! she resists the urge to cough up blood.

first, a coff cafe date with tin man's help: a fail. tin man's wingman capabilities were very superb, but she never heard the end of it when wise was lecturing her about how tin man kept sending over heart shaped desserts and little fortune cookies. the fortune cookies in question which said ‘you can do it!’ and a latte with art of caricature tin man making a heart. (you were very confused). belle thought it was motivating. wise thought it was mortifying.

next, even instilling help from fairy to calculate statistics about what event would you two be likely to be together. fairy said, and belle quotes: “probably never. that kind of pining's for the long run, with the other master's current experience. give it a year or six, master.”

so, she's currently face-palming.

did her brother really have zero game? why were the two of you just dancing around each other?! she's tried everything—from letting you two spend more time with each other in commissions, her inviting you over more to leave you to chat with her brother, and even the entirety of sixth street has lent their aid! how were you two not dating yet?!

“didn't they go on an arcade date at random play yesterday?” belle mutters. “that should've increased your progress by a long mile, bro! even general chop said you two were really, really close in the noodle shop....”

just what was she going to do now? at this rate, her brother would be relationshipless in no time! in fairy's words again, it would be phaethetic. and that would be a phaethal blow on her pride.

“...master, i said no such thing.”

“well, now you did.”

“The Ethereal Reckoning,” there's a pep in your step, the boxes full of movie DVDs in your arms as you walk back to the movie store. it was heavy, but at least you got to walk with the grey-haired proxy beside you. “That movie was great! Thanks for recommending it to me.”

Sporting a dopey, lovesick grin in response, wise nods at that, content to listen to your voice. it was actually belle's idea to let you lend movies you like over so the two of you could talk about it back and forth. wise would need to (begrudgingly) treat her to a bowl of ramen later on.... she saved him—he probably wouldn't even be talking to you for this long at this point, let alone hang out with you without her. for someone so nosy, he guesses his sister was a pretty good wingwoman.

“the main character was pretty similar to billy, you know?” you ramble on as wise listens. “i mean, because they were an android too, and...”

he finds that he's content to listen to anything you say, really. (right now he doesn't really know what you're saying, something about a horror ethereal movie, but you could just tell him anything and he would listen).

“i feel like the heroine's death was unnecessary, though.” you sigh, “too much tension just for it to end like that? how anticlimactic.”

your voice was so nice, so warm and easy to listen to, and wise can't even say anything to retort, simply staring with a growing (lovesick) smile on his face. talking to people was hard work, and talking to you? it might just make him combust.

“...ise? wise?”

“ah, huh?” he snaps out of his trance, only to find you mere inches away from his face, the only thing keeping you apart the boxes full of movies he's carrying. “...!”

“are you listening?” you furrow, and someone really might be out to get him right now because in that moment, wise flinches from the proximity, bumping into you.

then, because the universe thinks his life couldn't get more dramatic than it already was—you stagger, about to fall forward.

he moves before he thinks. “watch out!”

and wise.... practically astral-projects to another plane when he feels you fall into his arms, his hands on your waist. he can feel the warmth of your skin on his, the flustered look on your face. (he feels like he's going to die).

the two of you lock eyes for a moment, and wise feels like he's about to so something very stupid and his hands are still on your waist—

“....”

“.....”

someone save him.

“ah...”

“sorry!” you recover first, hurriedly letting yourself pull away from him (much to his disappointment). “i wasn't looking, and i- are you okay, wise?”

“no, no, it's fine.... i-i'm fine....” he hopes his voice isn't as small as it is, he couldn't be smooth to save his life; and wise helps you gather your bearings, his hands brushing against yours, blood rushing to his ears. sheepishly rubbing at his nape. “sorry, i was distracted.”

perhaps in the mood to lift the atmosphere, you sputter out, “no worries! it's fine! besides, you listened to me all this time.... i really enjoyed the movie, really.”

“of course i'll listen.” and before wise can think to stop his traitor of a mouth, the words spill out of his lips like it always wanted to be.

“you're worth paying attention to.”

it's automatic—your face heats up, warming like the sun on a hot day in new eridu, and god, he is such an idiot-

“you think so?” wise gulps. you looked bashful, and were way too adorable right now, and his face felt like it was on fire.... wait, that's not the point! he has to answer you, at least. this is a chance to make progress!

“y-yeah. definitely. i enjoyed... watching the movie with you.” he says. did his voice just crack just now? “we can hang out more often too, even without belle.”

he feels bad for throwing his sister under the bus like that, but—wait, did he just ask you out on a date? (accidentally)

well, it didn't matter because wise feels like he won the lottery right now, because you brighten up immediately. “really?”

then you cough and compose yourself. “i mean, sure! i'm sure it'll be fun, haha...”

awkward silence ensues. uh oh, did he say something wrong? was he too forward? he wants to say something, but something is lodged in his throat, and wise can't bring up a response. (his heart was beating like crazy right now, though).

“uh...”

“....”

then, something soft brushes against the side of his cheek. as fast as it was felt, wise felt the sensation leave just as easily. did you just-?

you just kissed him. on the cheek.

“thanks for hanging out with me, wise.”

“you're welcome- wha- huh?!” he nearly drops the stack of dvd's he was holding. you pull away, an enigmatic smile on your face. face flushed.

before he can even respond, the two of you finally arrive at the movie store. damn it, gods of the world. why did his luck run out now?

“i guess this is your stop.” he blinks, your voice coming back to him. “and, wise?”

“ah, uh, yeah?”

“it's a date, then?” your eyes sparkle and shine a light through his heart. super effective!

is this really happening? is he really going on a date with you—oh, he's so thrilled he could actually burst into song and kick his feet, but belle would tease him ruthlessly after. nosy sisters were so much work....

“yes!” he almost yells it out, but because he didn't want to look uncool in front of you, wise composes himself. play it cool, play it cool. don't mess up this chance! “yes, definitely. it's... it's a date.”

you put down the other stack of dvd's down the table, flashing him a dizzying, lovely smile smile. wise swears he falls even harder for you.

“then it's a date.”

BONUS.

“seriously?! you're going on a date with them?!” belle shouts, so unceremoniously that wise slaps a hand on her mouth.

“not so loud! but, yeah.” he says, face heating up. “your plan worked, sis.”

“yes! yes! finally!” his sister practically cheers, “i can finally be free of your sickening heart eyes... and finally, our street's most anticipated couple is here!”

wise can't help but sigh in fond exasperation. he guesses he'll let her have this one today.

“also, belle?”

“what?”

“you didn't tell anyone about this, did you?”

...

“uhh....”

(on the day of the date, wise receives an abnormal amount of good luck posters. he also gets a disturbing amount of thumbs up from the neighbors.

the last straw? tin man, giving him a baked cake with the words ‘rooting for you!’ covered in pink heart sprinkles.

he facepalms. belle...!)

a/n: d d do you guys get it..... phaethetically...... phaethon..... wise is phaethon and he's awkward in love lol hahahahaha (💀)

@ ICEUNHIE: do not repost translate or plagiarize my works.

[hannieehaee]

18+ / mdi

content: fratboy!mingyu, same couple as this fic (can be read as a standalone tho), established relationship, mingyu is whipped as per usual, wonwoo's mentioned to be reader's brother, afab reader, smut, soft sex, riding, penetrative sex, etc.

wc: 1459

a/n: was so happy to hear ppl liked this couple :D here's a link to the main fic! i'll periodically write more lil drabbles for them so if u have any ideas my asks are open <3

masterlist

"g-gyu! i have to go. i cant keep being late!", you whined at him as he nuzzled his head into your neck, kissing and nibbling at the sensitive skin there.

it was yet another night you'd spent over at mingyu's frat. you were currently in bed with the man, pinned down by his strong arms.

despite having shared rooms with wonwoo before, mingyu had made a case to allow for him and wonwoo to have separate rooms, arguing that they'd been members of the frat for over a year by now and deserved some privileges due to seniority. fortunately for mingyu, his insistence was not met with much pushback, leading to wonwoo moving his things out and into one of the empty rooms in the frat about a week later. what the rest of frat members hadn't known however, was that mingyu's insistence was born purely out of his need to sneak you into his room night after night without having your brother get in the way.

he continued kissing at your neck without a single care in the world, still holding you against him, "baby, it's fine. i used to skip my freshman year all the time. they won't miss you."

"gyu! i wanna keep my gpa, ive been late three times this week. i'll be back in an hour, just be patient," you managed to unwrap yourself from him and wobble your way up, legs still weak from last night.

he dramatically groaned, allowing his back to flop onto the bed, "why do you hate me?"

jesus, he was so dramatic.

you sighed to yourself and approached him again, pulling at his hands to get him to sit up again. he let his body be limp, causing him to end up leaning against you once you'd pulled him all the way up. he took advantage of the angle and wrapped his arms against you once more, not pulling you against him this time but still keeping a light hold on you.

"stop being dramatic! we had sex last night! we'll have sex again today! just wait for me to get back, okay, baby?"

he chuckled at this, leaning up once more to try and kiss at you, "is it bad that i want you, baby?", he was teasing you, you could tell, "i've only had you to myself for a month. can you blame me for wanting you every day? i waited for years to have you, remember?", with this, he began to pull you towards him, easily getting you to straddle his legs on the bed.

"of ... of course not," you sighed out as his kisses became more and more sensual, now running his hands up and down your bare back.

you were too weak for him. you'd only managed to get off the bed for a few seconds, not even getting a single article of clothing on before he got you right back on his bed.

"so you'll let me take care of you, right baby?", he breathed against your ear, placing a playful bite on it as his hands lowered and lowered until landing on your ass, groping and toying with it. he instigated you, encouraging you to begin grinding against him at a slow and sensual tempo. everything felt slower in the early hours of the morning.

this was a common occurrence for you two ever since you'd first confessed your feelings for one another a little over a month ago. he'd expressed to you how badly he'd wanted you for years, knowing you'd only recently began to like him and wanting to give you time to process your feelings before confessing. but once you'd confessed, it led to endless time together. you were even more attached to the hip than you'd been as best friends, if that was even possible. with full support from both wonwoo and all your friends, you and mingyu had become inseparable, leading you to spend most of your nights being snuck into mingyu's frat.

you'd grown thirsty for each other, having had to hold back on your desires for each other for too long before growing to desperate and resulting in the night mingyu finally had you in his room a month ago. ever since then, mingyu had insisted on keeping you to himself day after day, just like last night, when he'd insisted you stay over (again) after having fucked you into the mattress late into the night.

the issue was, mingyu was a bit insatiable. even after that first night, even after being caught by wonwoo immediately after, he had insisted on fucking you again in the morning. just like now, as he managed to get you on your back again, legs spread as he laid his weight on top of you and ground his bare length against your folds.

you whined at him, wanting more than just friction. if he was gonna keep you from going to class, the least he could do was actually fuck you. you somehow managed to flip the gigantic man over (ok, he mightve let you do it ..), positioning yourself on top of him before lowering yourself on him.

"fuck! yeah, baby, that's it. such a good girl ..." he groaned upon feeling your walls close up around him. "gonna imprint my dick in you, baby. keep you all to myself," one thing about mingyu was his constant need to whisper filthy things in your ear as he made your eyes roll back.

he quickly took control of your hips, holding them down whenever he wanted to cant his hips upwards against yours, or sometimes simply guiding your hips to allow you to grind your clit against him at a speed that made your toes curl.

"g-gyu! shit! just like that!"

"right there, pretty? shit, is that the spot?", he took your whines as confirmation, beginning to ram his hips into yours even faster, lowering his hand between both of you in order to toy with your clit.

you threw your head back, feeling lightheaded at the way in he covered all bases of your pleasure, not only hitting your g spot consistently but also rubbing your clit at a tempo that had all air leaving your head. he was even at some points alternating between sucking your tongue into his mouth and lowering his head to lick and bite your boobs. in the very short period of time you'd been dating, mingyu had figured out everything you liked. every weak spot, he had dominated, knowing what brought you pleasure even better than yourself.

"'m gonna cum, fuck! don't stop!", you knew he didn't need any warning with how familiar he was with your body, but you just couldn't help but be vocal when around him.

"i know, pretty. cum for me, yeah? want you gushing all around me- shit! then ... then im gonna fill you up like a cute lil creampie. okay, baby?" he said this as he felt you tighten around him, a clear tell that you were seconds away from reaching ultimate bliss.

your orgasm triggered his, making him bury his head in your chest as you rode your high still tightly wrapped around him. even when you tried to unglue yourself from him, he kept you shoved against him for a few more seconds, lightly grinding against you for some extra stimulation despite how sensitive you both were after yet another intense orgasm shared between the two of you.

"shit .. it was worth it, wasn't it?", was his immediate response to you finally catching your breath.

"you're gonna make me flunk out of college," you deadpanned, not serious at all.

"good. that way i can keep you he-"

"can you guys shut the fuck up? i'm still sharing a wall with you, jesus christ," the sound of banging against the wall had interrupted you, wonwoo's voice cutting through.

the both of you remained silent for a minute, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"dude! you didn't tell me wonwoo was staying right next door!", you whisper-shouted, embarrassed your brother might've heard you.

"i didnt know he could hear us!", he whispered back. he got up and stuck his ear to the wall before speaking up again, at full volume this time, "how much did you hear?"

wonwoo waited a beat or two before you could hear his response through the wall.

"i put on my headphones every time i see you sneak her in. just go to her dorm, for fuck's sakes."

well, so much for not getting caught sneaking into the dorm past the allowed visitation hours.

mingyu hummed at this, turning to speak to you now.

"he kinda has a point, baby. how come i haven't fucked you in your dorm?"

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

If it’s alright, I have a question about Vil and Epel’s relationship. I understand that the accent changing plot line is just a cultural politeness thing that didn’t carry over outside of Japan, but the other parts of changing Epel’s behavior don’t quite make sense.

Why exactly is Epel being forced to call macarons his favorite food? And act very soft-spoken? I can’t see how these fit in with the politeness aspect of the table manners, no abrasive language, etc. It just doesn’t give a very good impression, especially in combination with the unfortunate implication of giving Epel a Southern accent for the “change your accent” plot point.

Before I get to responding to the questions posed by this ask, allow me to explain for those who may not be familiar with this controversy! This is so we can all go into reading this post from the same starting point.

I've made titles to denote the explanation of background knowledge and to denote responding to the questions actually asked to me! If you're already familiar with the Vil-Epel-accent debacle then feel free to skip the first section!

Disclaimer: I’m speaking on these concepts as I personally understand them. However, I am not a native Japanese speaker so I’d advise that you consult additional resources with a better understanding of the language and culture. Two resources I enjoy are Yuurei and MysteryShopTLs, who have both also addressed Epel’s accent and how it was localized.

The Accent, EN vs JP

It’s well-known that Epel is a character with a heavy accent who has been explicitly told by Vil, his dorm leader, to alter the way he speaks. In EN, Epel speaks with what appears to be a southern (as in, “from the southern United States”) accent. Therefore, when Vil tells him to stop speaking in the accent, it feels as though Vil is shaming him for his southern roots and culture. This has also led to fans (especially of the EN-only sphere) thinking that Vil believes Epel’s accent is “unrefined” and “makes him sound uncouth/uneducated”, which is why Vil tells Epel to cover it up. I have even received asks conveying as much in the past (here is one example).

In the original JP, Epel speaks in a way that does not closely resemble any real-world Japanese dialect but rather a blend of them. If you ask a native Japanese speaker, they would likely tell you that it is difficult to understand what Epel is saying and that it sounds as though he is speaking rudely or too casually. People could genuinely take offense to the accent because it can be mistaken as something else entirely. This is obviously very different than the real-world accent (which many people can still understand and wouldn’t perceive as rude) that Epel was localized to have. The decision to give him a southern accent, then, does not completely carry over its original JP connotations into EN.

What remains the same in both EN and JP is the reason Vil provides for telling Epel to adjust the way he communicates. As he says in EN, “Speak properly" to which Epel immediately assumes the command comes from a place of elitism/classism and Vil thinking Epel's manner of speaking is beneath him. Vil responds with, "Stop misinterpreting my instructions. I have nothing against your home or its dialect. What I object to is your attitude. Being proud of your home is all well and good, but there is a time and a place for that. The way you address your superiors is entirely unacceptable." (Keep in mind that before this, Epel was the one instigating a fight with Vil and subsequently got his ass whooped for disrespecting an upperclassman. As the victor, he declares that Epel must do as he says--that's the "culture" of NRC. The weak obey the strong, so if Epel wants to do whatever he wants, then Vil challenges him to beat Epel in a fight. Until then, the loser must obey the winner. Epel agrees to these conditions.) This may be a little hard for western English speakers to wrap their heads around, but MANY Asian countries, Japan included, run on a hierarchical system which is embedded even into their languages. Japanese, for example, has honorifics to denote the relationship between the speaker and the listener, as well as variations on the same word depending on the context ("boku", "ore", "watashi", "atashi", etc. are all valid ways to refer to oneself, "onii-san", "onii-sama", "aniki", "kyodai", etc. are all ways to refer to a brother, whether blood-related or not). In some cases, it's considered rude to call others by their first name unless you know them well, and even then it's not common to see a first name without an honorific. This is not as strictly adhered to in English, which is perhaps where a cultural disconnect occurs. What Vil is referring to in his instructions to Epel is what is known in the world of linguistics as "code switching", or changing how one communicates to suit the situation. Part of code switching is changing one's "register", or the level of formality you use. So for example, I could use a colloquial/casual register when I speak with my friends, but I may shift to a more polite and formal register when I speak with my professors, a boss, or an older relative. Vil, then, is critiquing Epel for not speaking politely to his seniors (something which is expected in Japanese culture, but not expected among those in similar grade levels in western cultures).

In the Harveston Sledathon event, we get to venture to Epel's hometown and hear how the locals speak. Indeed, we get more instances of people who speak in the same way Epel does. It's the Harveston dialect, which is so distinctive that it basically sounds like a whole different language. (There are also languages like this in real life; consider Mandarin and Cantonese; technically they are both "Chinese" but Mandarin and Cantonese speakers would not be able to comprehend one another even if they use the same written language). However, it's notable that Marja (Epel's grandmother) and the mayor of Harveston are able to code switch flawlessly into a more standardized tongue. They explain that this is a skill they have developed because it helps in communicating with tourists/visitors to the village and for whenever they travel to the nearby city to sell their wares. This reinforces Vil's point that there is a "time and place" for certain ways of speaking, which Epel needs to consider.

Macarons and Soft-Spokeness

Accent thing aside, some English-speaking fans take issue with Vil's stern treatment of Epel, particularly in instances in which Vil seems to be exerting significant control over his underclassman's behaviors. (Japanese-speaking fans largely do not hold the same sentiment.) Examples of this include Vil forcing Epel to state that his favorite food is macarons, as well as making Epel present as soft-spoken even when he's just among his peers. I will now be addressing both of these points. TO BE CLEAR, I am NOT trying to defend Vil but rather I'm just going to speculate about why the circumstances are the way that they are and/or why perceptions of his attitude may differ.

Starting with macarons! It is stated in Epel's official profile and by Epel himself in his Birthday Boy vignettes that his favorite food is yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat). However, macarons are also listed as his favorite food, and this is notable because he's the only character with two foods listed instead of just one. In the aforementioned Birthday Boy vignettes, Epel is quick to qualify his love of meats with, "Well, I do have one thing I like even more. It's, ah, macarons." When asked what he likes about them, he says, "They're... cute. And sweet! And they come in lots of different flavors." His voice here sounds hesitant, so it's not clear whether he's being entirely honest or not. He even admits in a whisper that, "[Macarons] are not very filling, but still." Epel again complains about macarons being good but not very filling when he has some in the City of Flowers/Fleur City. To this, Azul asks, "Why do you look so unimpressed, Epel? I thought macarons were your favorite food. [...] But was my intel mistaken? Would you prefer something with a stronger flavor profile?" Epel insists he is fine, and Azul responds with, "Excellent, then my intel bears out." This creates some confusion over whether Epel actually likes macarons or not. I doubt that the information Azul has on others is inaccurate. Plus, Epel states of his own free will to the player (who is interviewing him) that he also likes macarons. This leads me to believe that while Epel doesn't outright hate macarons, he does like them alright (but still prefers grilled meat more). The only thing he seems to have an issue with is how unsubstantial macarons are as a food item.

Now... why does Vil make him state that macarons are his favorite food instead of grilled meat? It's sort of touched on in Epel's Ceremonial Robes vignettes. In them, Vil chides Epel for his poor table manners and asks him to state his favorite food. Epel responds with grilled meat/barbeque, which earns him a smack from his dorm leader. (Vil actually smacks Epel multiple times in these vignettes as punishment, which ended up being another source of ire in the English-speaking part of the fandom; such a thing is more common in Asia and its media, so it's not seen as too outrageous in Japan.) "Do my ears deceive me?" Vil says. "I could've sworn I heard a word unfit to be spoken in this noble dorm. I will ask you again. As a student of Pomefiore–a dorm founded upon the tenacity of the Fairest Queen–what is your favorite food?" From this dialogue, it can be surmised that Vil's reasoning for drilling the macarons in as Epel's favorite food is because it is something that is more befitting of the regal "image" of the Fairest Queen and the dorm made in her honor. Vil seems to regard grilled meat as an inelegant food which does not suit the Fairest Queen nor Pomefiore.

The second thing the asker brought up is Epel's soft-spokeness. I guess I'm a little confused by this??? Soft-spokeness is a part of being polite; it ties back to volume control (ie "indoor voice" being softer than "outdoor voice"). I also don't recall a specific instance of Vil chastising Epel for NOT being soft-spoken at all times. He allows Epel to be loud sometimes and raises his voice himself. I feel like volume is not something that Vil harps on as much as other things like cursing or speaking politely to the correct authority figures (unless, of course, volume is important to the level of politeness required for the current conversation). I could be wrong on this though, so please let me know if you know of any specific instances of Vil being mad about Epel speaking loudly that I may have missed! What I do find odd is how... consistently (?) Epel tries to keep polite even when Vil is not around to monitor him. When Vil and Epel first met, Vil makes it clear that there is a "time and place" for Epel's accent, and it's not when addressing seniors. So... by the logic, shouldn't Vil be okay with Epel acting more relaxed or rowdy around first years or more casual settings in general? Why does Epel need to maintain the facade of being polite even when not in the presence of his superiors? Why does Epel seem to even act fearful about word of his misbehavior/rudeness getting back to his dorm leader and even make others swear they won't divulge the incidents to Vil?

One theory I'll propose is the entirety of book 5. Vil was insistent then on having Epel in the NRC Tribe. He wanted to weaponize Epel's cuteness, which he believed could compete with his long-time rival, Neige. This probably fed into Vil's demands for Epel to appear and act dainty and innocent, traits which Neige effortlessly possesses. Vil literally even refers to Epel as his "Poison Apple" that will help him defeat Neige. After book 5, Vil seems to have eased up on his rigidity. However, I will caution that this explanation may or may not align well with vignettes and/or event stories, which do not always work in a cohesive timeline with the main story.

Perhaps a more all-encompassing explanation is... this is probably because Vil is just very strict about how his dorm members present themselves at all times, since they are expansions of Pomefiore and of himself as the leader. Both the macarons and Epel's attitude are reflections of the dorm he (a celebrity who is very aware of the public eyes on him + his reputation) is affiliated with, and Vil won't have them poorly represented. He is the dorm leader, so he has the "right" to rule and impose his ideals as he sees fit. It's a similar situation to Riddle forcing the Heartslabyul students to follow silly, nonsensical rules (because they're tradition) or risk a scolding or a beheading. And again, Epel is following along because (as established in book 5), he has agreed to submit to Vil’s orders until he beats Vil in combat.

At the end of the day, I don't think Epel being forced to call macarons his favorite food is a huge deal. Is anything that big lost in claiming you like something that isn't your actual favorite food? It's not like Vil is forcing Epel to claim he likes eating something that would actually harm him (like, if Epel had an almond allergy or something).

What's more dubious is how VIl governs Epel's attitude and temperament at seemingly all times (to the point of eliciting some apprehension from Epel). Given the most generous reading, maybe it's Vil's way of teaching Epel maturity and how to keep his voice down since Epel had zero of it and acted loudly brazen when he first enrolled. It doesn't help Epel if he's quiet and well-mannered in very limited social situations; it has to be "generalized" or expand to other scenarios for Vil's lessons to truly be instilled in him. (Like... what would happen if Vil DIDN'T hold Epel in check? His classmates would not be able to understand Epel's speech, and he might get into trouble by picking fights with others.) This is a life skill that Epel lacks, unlike his grandma and the Harveston mayor, and Vil's teaching it to him via "tough love" (though whether you approve of his methods or not is up to interpretation). Recall that Vil also teaches Epel to embrace femininity as its own strength and to disregard outdated gender norms--this could be considered another "lesson". I doubt that anything Vil imposes is done maliciously, but rather comes from a place of wanting others to be better and to shine their brightest, even if that path is difficult or painful. Epel, as the rebel in this circumstance, of course does not enjoy being told what to do and misbehaves in small ways. There’s a limit on how much he can misbehave though, as it would hurt his pride to be reminded of his failure to one-up Vil. He's like a kid that doesn't want to be caught cussing or acting out by his parent. It can be seen as immaturity and an unwillingness to change or to grow up, but it can also be seen as someone who wants to freely be able to express themselves or to be their "truest" self. Epel is rowdy and headstrong, and it's difficult for him to repress these parts of himself. Given the least generous reading, Vil is oppressing and stifling Epel in many ways that extend beyond what his dorm leader position should reasonably allow him to do. In fact, a popular fan translation for book 5 is "The Beautiful Oppressor", as Vil is frequently shown limiting the liberties of his NRC Tribe members during their training arc, not just Epel's.

Which is the truth here? Why do those in the English side of the fandom decry Vil's actions and side with Epel whereas the Japanese side see little issue with this?

I wager that this predominantly comes down to, again, cultural differences. Many English-speaking fans are based in the west (particularly the USA and Canada, where the EN servers first launched), places which emphasize individuality and self-expression. Of course they would be more likely to take Epel's side, as he's the one trying to be himself and stand out in his own way. Meanwhile collectivism--an ideology which stresses conformity with a group--dominates in the east. They are more likely to see no problems with Vil's actions because, to them, he is acting in the ways he is to "guide" Epel and show him how to best "fit in" with Pomefiore and at NRC. I believe the whole "being soft-spoken" thing also ties back to cultural differences; speaking loudly is something else that can be considered rude in Japan, so it's entirely possible that Vil encouraging Epel to be soft-spoken is another element of politeness that did not translate well to English (as the western world tends to be much louder and more animated in their conversations).

What it boils down to is that the way Vil and Epel's relationship was written did not work well for a western audience, whose values and perspective is VERY different from the original audience TWST had. It appeals far more to a Japanese fanbase than a western one, and has resulted in many misunderstandings or anger about Vil's character because of this.

I'm not sure if I managed to adequately explain everything, but I hope that this at least helps you to see from a different perspective!!

[thewertsearch]

CG: WE'VE COME THIS FAR CG: SO I FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD KNOW. EB: know what? CG: I MIGHT NOT MAKE IT OUT OF THIS ALIVE […] EB: karkat??? EB: what's going on? CG: OH GOD THE HONKING CG: WHY WON'T THE HONKING STOP

Time to get you in the loop on Murderstuck, John! :)

I don’t think things are as hopeless as Karkat believes. Sollux, for one, could annihilate Gamzee, and he won't be unconscious forever. If Karkat's really on the ball, he might be able to alchemize some healing items, like John did back in Act 3, and get Sollux back on his feet early.

Plus, Vriska might be a killer, but her beef was primarily with Tavros. She might still behave herself around the others - and I'm sure she'd be happy to assert her dominance over any shitty clown the story throws at her.

We have options, is what I'm saying. Things are dire, but not as dire as they could be.

CG: I HAVE TO GO CG: SORRY FOR BEING SUCH A DOUCHE TO YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS. CG: I HOPE YOU CAN SUCCEED AS A LEADER WHERE I FAILED MISERABLY.

Karkat thinks these are his last moments, and all he can do is apologize.

In the end, when all the douchebaggery falls away, we're left with the real Karkat - an insecure child, who hates himself for hurting the people he loves. He cares so much, you can feel it.

This message was rather disconcerting. You urge your navigator to ease up on the honking for a while, since it is distracting, and in somewhat bad taste given the circumstances.

What John doesn't realize is that WV is also a juggalo.

EB: karkat!!! EB: hey buddy, you were making me worried there… EB: are you ok? CG: WHAT IN THE NAME OF SWEET GLOBE TICKLING FUCK. […] CG: […] HOW DARE YOU CONTACT ME WHILE I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACKWARDS MARCH OF HATE THROUGH YOUR TEDIOUS TIMELINE.

Seriously?

I feel like we have to be missing some critical piece of Trollian’s functionality. It can’t be doing this by design, can it?

CG: I GUESS MY FUTURE CONVERSATIONS WILL INSTIGATE SOME MISGUIDED NEED FOR YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME LATER ON. […] CG: I SWEAR, IT NEVER ENDS WITH THE ULTIMATE RIDDLE SHIT. EVEN AFTER THE GAME IS OVER. […] EB: ultimate riddle shit? CG: I CAN TELL THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO BE A UTTER FUCKING JOY TO PARTICIPATE IN. CG: I HONESTLY ENVY ANYONE IN THE POSITION OF NOT HAVING TO PUT UP WITH READING IT.

...we’re skipping over the Ultimate Riddle, aren’t we.

>:(

[ushiwakaout]

Yooooo. I’m feeling kinda in a angst mood so I want to like politely ask maybe a argument scenario from like angst to fluff? For kita, Atsumu, Osamu, and Suna. Or you can just do one. Love yuh lots.

I’ll make these short and good so you can get the whole experience with 3 of them.

TIME SKIP!

SPOILERS!

BETA DRAFT! srry.

[Osamu is a little ooc tbh but i think out of all the haikyuu boys he’d be the most poetic and im leaving out Suna because i cannot seem to write him correctly for the life of me, i am not satisfied.]

Shinsuke Kita

He’s not emotional. We know this. He’s apathetic, and you knew this the second you got into this relationship so why are you arguing with him. He finds this pointless. He breathes heavily and pinches the ridge of his nose, “Don’t do that! You said you would do better and you haven’t! Are you even listening to me?”

“If you don’t like what we’ve got then just leave!” He slaps his sun hat on the table, his gloves are still on. Kita literally just got back from a long, hot, exhausting day at the rice farm.

He didn’t mean to yell, and he didn’t mean the words that slipped out his mouth. It was too late. He knew that. Kita stared at his shoes, not daring to look at you. “Seriously? Kita? You promised me you’d try be more expressive with me…”

He tugs at you heart strings when he keeps his head down, he’s squeezing the chair nearby and it’s making his knuckles white. “Kita…” You try to cup his cheek, making an effort to try and get him to look at you but he swatted your hand away.

“That’s enough y/n, I don’t need you to babysit my emotions and the way i express things.”

Oh now you where upset.

You took a couple of steps back in disbelief, “I understand that you’ve been having a difficult time at the farm but that’s not an excuse for being a shit boyfriend… How about i take a load off your shoulders- we’re done Shinsuke, I-I’ve had enough…”

He doesn’t stop you from collecting your things. He doesn’t stop you from walking out the door.

It slams shut and he’s just standing there, in his empty kitchen. His house is a ghost of you. Every corner had been decorated by you. So he looks to the floor.

Tears fall to his shoes and he’s shaking.

It’s from crying he thinks, but the more he cries the harder he was shaking.

“Kita.”

Your soft whisper breaks him from a nightmare.

His cheeks are wet.

He was crying. But it wasn’t real.

“Kita? What’s wrong honey? You were having a nightmare…”

His head was still resting on your chest, the same position he was originally in before his nightmare. You caressed his hair. He loved feeling your fingers run through your hair. He felt safe. Kita tightened his hold around you, “I’m okay now.” He whispered, kissing the closes part of you before nuzzling back into your chest. “I love you, y/n… i know i can be a little apathetic… but i care for you the most in this world.”

Atsumu Miya

He’s always been a ladies man.

You hate how stupid good looking he is.

It makes you feel insecure sometimes how much he gets hit on and you don’t. “It’s because he’s respected in the male community.” His twin brother spoke. “Everyone knows your his partner… so they back off.” It made your head hurt.

At a large volleyball gathering, you decided to wear something a little more eye catching. He thinks nothing of it, he tells you how amazing you look and you’re off to the party.

He’s pissed that he’s brought you now.

Who the hell told him it would be a good idea to bring his freaking partner. Osamu laughed at him when he mentioned something about it. “Now you can finally see how y/n feels…” Atsumu raised a brow. “What do you mean by that?”

Osamu regrets speaking. He lets out a sigh, “Y/n been feeling insecure lately. They don’t like the way you instigate things with them, that your flirty or that you look at them for that matter-“

Atsumu began waving his hands, trying to get him to stop speaking “You sure they didn’t you you were me? T-they wouldn’t keep something like that from me...” He glances over at you, a man from a different team was making your laugh. You fixed your hair shyly as you smile to the man who talks to you.

Before Osamu could try and stop his brother from doing anything stupid. He hand already marched towards you. “Uh yeah excuse me- this is my partner and we are leaving, thank you for keeping her company-”

“Atsunu what the fu-”

He’s dragging you out of the building and you don’t struggle, he was never one to run out of a party so the suden rush prevented you from even thinking of stopping him.

“Atsumu can you please tell me what the hell we’re doing out here! I’m freezing!”

His hand was still squeezing your bicep, “Why did Osamu have to tell me that you’ve been feeling insecure.”

You freeze. This was not, a conversation you wanted to have. Not now especially.

“Can we not- Can we not do this here, please?”

“No, i thought we didn’t hide stuff from eachother.”

“Atsumu-”

“It’s me right? Because i pretend with them-”

You’re stuttering and stumbling threw your worlds as he continues to speak.”

“Did they say something to you, I swear-”

“I DONT FEEL GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!”

You blurted out, grabbing at fabric of his shirt. “I don’t think i even have…” You’re looking at your feet now. “I know you don’t see the things they say about me for dating you, but it’s mean… I wanna give you so much love but how much sanity will i have left… they pick at me for every little thing i do, wrong or right. I love you ‘Sumu… I really do but I don’t know know how much more i can take.”

He’s the one frozen now.

“You’re not breaking up with me.”

“What-”

“Like hell you’re breaking up with me. Give me 5 minutes… stay here… please.”

He kisses the tip of your nose while squeezing both of you’re shoulders.

You’re standing there confused and sad. Sniffling and cold air brushed your chilled skin. From inside the building you could see through the glass door how he paced back in forth and spoke into the phone. it wasn’t long before he came back out.

Once we was in front of you, he cupped your hands on his. “Do you love me?” He kisses your wrist. You nod, sniffling back a tear. “Good. Do you trust me?” He kisses your other wrist, you nod again- almost choking on your breath. “I called my agent… He’s calling a press meeting for me, and i’m going to state that if any network, any fan girl, any article writes poorly about you- they will be sued by me every single time. We’ve already got a few people in mind, the paper work will go through tomorrow.”

“Sumu… you didn’t have to do any of that.”

“I will rather quit volleyball, then have you break up with me, because of an issue i can fix.” He kisses your cheek softly. “You’re perfect for me, i won’t let other make you think otherwise.”

Osamu Miya

He couldn’t close on time again.

He cursed under his breath, running towards the restaurant that you had originally picked out. He let the hostess know your name but her lips tightened and she shook her head. “You’ve just missed em, drank a glass of [liquor] and then made their way out… Sorry.” Her apology was apathetic.

He walked out the establishment and once he heard the door close behind him, he cursed loudly into the air.

He tried calling your phone but it didn’t even ring. It was off or worse he was blocked. It was late, the trains where no longer running so he walked himself home in his suit. Osamu quickly had put it on, and it was clear that he did because it was wrinkled and his tie was not tied correctly. It took him about an hour to get home. The one you shared.

He had a gut feeling before he opened the door. So he stood there, his hands in his pockets. Your stuff would be picked up and gone. He was with you because he loved that you had such a strong head on your shoulders… you wouldn’t take it any longer. Today, one-hundred percent, was the final straw.

3 year anniversary.

He let his forehead drop to the door, making a light thud. He gripped the little box in his pocket.

The reason he had been working like a dog, day and night.

This stupid little ring.

It was perfect too. He knew exactly what you liked, what you wanted. It was way over over his budget but he’s do anything for you.

“Osamu? Is that you?” Your voice chirped from behind the door. His head shot up and looked ahead. “Y/n?” You unlocked the door, slowly revealing that you had changed into you pjs, eyes swollen from crying. “I waited for you…” You whispered, your voice breaking in the process.

God he hates himself. He hated himself for making you like his. “y/n im so sorry…” he whispered. “please forgive me…” he dropped to his knees, his body lightly brushing yours as he held you. “i shouldn’t have been late, i should have never missed any of our dates… please give me one more chance, please hear me out...”

he backs up and props up a knee, digging into his pocket. there’s a shift in your eyes that he notices, “Don’t freak out, this isn’t me trying to tie you down that way… not necessarily…”

he clears his throat, opening the box that was in his hand, displaying it to you. “there is no one in the world… no one… i would rather be with than you. i can’t see myself with anyone else. i would be the luckiest man in the world if you married me, but this- you can say no to this…”

you’re still frozen, tears falling down your cheeks, sniffling. “I want to earn you… i don’t deserve you right now… i’ve been the worse boyfriend there is… there’s no excuse for it but all those nights i’ve been working late have been for you- and you only… i’m sorry i couldn’t communicate that with you. let me earn you again… let me show you that i am worth being your husband.”

you start nodding slowly, sinking down onto your knees to kiss him. “I’ll promise i’ll be better.” he says in between stolen kisses as he slips the tin onto your finger.

Author Note: My request are open!!! Please do fill free to ask for something.

i did lie

i came back from the dead

i write for haikyuu, jjk, chainsaw man and MHA primarily <3

[loveywon]

♡𓂃 LITTLE LEAGUE !

pairing: childhoood best friend!riki x gn!reader

wc: 4.4k+

synopsis: you and riki are inseperable, laughing at stupid and immature jokes, but once you start to take school seriously, you realize that riki's jokes aren't funny anymore. ib little league by conan gray!

warnings: ANGST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like two penis jokes i think, danielle and hanni from newjeans mentions, danielle is a little instigator, reader is not mean but they're growing as a person, sad riki, angst again, not proofread

“y/nnnnnnn,” riki whines, tugging on your sleeve to hurry up and walk faster. “we’re gonna miss the bus!” he urges as you trudge behind him, slouching lazily due to the lack of sleep you had from studying last night. 

“i’m sooo tired,” you complain, rubbing your eyes. your feet are being practically dragged across the cement sidewalk with riki lightly skipping ahead of you. he frowns when he looks over his shoulder at you, “i told you to get good sleep or else you’re gonna have trouble waking up,” he nags as if he was your mother, to which you merely roll your eyes. “take it up with the bio teacher then! not my fault she assigned so much work,” you sigh, finally coming to a stop at the bus stop and riki releases your sweater sleeve. you immediately plop down on the edge of the sidewalk, burying your head in your hands with a groan. 

he hates seeing you like this, truly. you take your studies so seriously, compared to him. he’s about to reach the limit of excused absences he can have, yet you’re showing up everyday with perfect attendance. you barely have any time to hang out with him anymore. he asks you every single day after school, praying for a yes, let’s go to the café, but ever since the two of you started junior year of high school, it’s been no, i can’t. i need to study! everyday when he asks. he used to understand, he really did! he knows how important doing good in school is to you. but when school is getting in the way between him and your time to spend time together, he can’t help but be a little bitter whenever you reject his offer. plus, you seem tired everyday before you get on the bus, but once you get through the school doors you’re bright and alive. he doesn’t know how you do it, really, but he wishes you would give yourself a break every once in a while. 

he remembers when the two of you would hang every living moment together, ever since second grade when you would chase him around in the school field but fell flat on your face when you tripped on your shoelaces. he laughed straight at you, but you were so young, humiliation wasn’t a feeling registered in you, so you laughed along with him. he thought he’s never seen someone so beautiful with pieces of dirt on their face. 

the first time you said no to hanging out with him was the second week of starting your junior year of high school. he didn’t think about it twice, until you said no for the third time in one week. that was absolutely mind shocking, he claimed. then you started to make other friends in your more advanced classes that he wasn’t in. he’s not a gatekeeper, he didn’t care you hung out with other people. but soon it seemed like you were having more study sessions with them instead of playing video games with him, and he thinks he might be losing his mind from not spending time with you. 

the bus soon arrives, and he taps your shoulder to let you know. peeking your head up, you begrudgingly get up and make your way onto the bus behind riki. you slide into the seat he chooses, and your eyes are immediately closed to catch up on some missing sleep, even if it’s only a fifteen minute ride to school. he gently lays your head on his shoulder to allow you a more comfortable position, and you’re easily soothed to sleep as soon as the bus drives off. riki thinks this is really the longest time he gets to spend time with you throughout the day (other than lunch but your nose is buried in your textbooks), even if you’re not even speaking to him. he just enjoys your company. 

your friends don’t like riki. simple as that. 

“y/n, are you seriously friends with nishimura?” they asked you one night during the study sessions. the question piqued curiosity in you — no one has ever asked such a question like that, and the way they worded it made it sound like you were committing a crime. you scrunched your brows together, shaking your head, “yeah, i am. why?” to which they only replied with a shrug as if the answer was simple and easy. 

“he’s so immature. and you’re not. you guys are like opposites! like he thinks everything is a joke and likes to make stupid innuendos that aren’t even funny. you’re nothing like him.” 

you thought they were stupid. their words were stupid. riki was funny, to you! you always laughed at his jokes even if they were stupid, but because it was from riki, it was funny. if anyone else were to say the same joke, you don’t think you’d be laughing. you never told riki what your friends had said to you that day. not because it’d hurt riki, no— he’s a strong individual and can take a few mean words from a complete stranger. you never told him because you found yourself thinking about your friend’s words. you’re nothing like him, like bullshit! you had the same humor as him, it’s one of the things you two have the most in common. until the next day, he made some joke about a cloud shaped like a penis, you didn’t laugh. 

then it became more frequent. with you deadpanning at his immature dirty jokes, riki feels slightly affected and tries to change up his humor so that he’ll get to hear your laugh again. he thinks it's getting rarer to hear you laugh with him. but you still spend time with him, so surely you’re not sick of him, right? but now you’re always unavailable, always hanging out with your new friends. you start drinking bitter matcha now (well it’s bitter to him) instead of your sickly sweet caramel frappuccino. not to say he misses the old you, because he thinks he’ll love you no matter what version of you the universe decides to give him, but he’s having trouble with adapting to your new acquired “taste”. 

but now whenever riki sees you laugh with your new friends, he can’t help but feel defeated. you switch between sitting with your friends and with him every other day at lunch, and even though he’s expressed multiple times to you that he wants to meet your new friends, you always brush it off. you explain to him that your new friends are just people who you think won’t get along with him, and he knows you’re not telling the exact truth, but he’s fine with whatever if you’re fine. 

it’s his day for you to eat lunch with him, and as per usual, you’re writing something down into your notebook, not paying attention to what riki has to say. “when was the last time we played mario kart? you know you can come over whenever you’re free right? you don’t even have to let me know, literally just knock on the door and i’ll open it!” he rambles, already more than halfway done with his food but your tray is still full. he frowns, pushing your tray closer to your textbook. “eat, y/n,” he nudges you, causing your pen to make a mistake on your paper. you sigh, setting it down. “sorry, riki. what were you saying? something about…um… coming over? sorry, you know i have, like, three tests this week! maybe next week, yeah?” you apologize, and your words are empty and riki knows it. he slouches in his seat, nodding but not really accepting. “yeah…next week,” he mumbles. 

he doesn’t ever get mad at you, because truthfully everything that you do that would normally tick him off, he let’s it slide. because it’s you. he should be used to the constant rejection from you, and even though its just saying no to hanging out, it’s starting to feel like rejection of his love for you. he almost has to fight the urge to stand up on the lunch tables and announce his feelings for you with a megaphone and have the school band play wedding music for you. he wonders if you even see him in that light. but you two don’t just do friend stuff behind closed doors. then again, he doesn’t have any other friends to compare what you two do together, so what does he know? 

you finally look up at him, only to be met with sad eyes staring down at his hands. you frown, placing your hand on top of his own. “riki, i really am sorry. i do want to play mario party or whatever it is you wanted to play, but you know…” you start to apologize again, and you don’t even have to complete your sentence because riki already knows. he nods once more, “no, really. it’s fine, y/n. go get that A, yeah?” he offers a smile and you return it but both of you know the conversation was full of meaningless promises. 

you feel insanely bad. which is why you find yourself standing outside of riki’s door, waiting patiently for him or his parents to open up. it’s been almost an entire month since you last hung out with him after school, and seeing the saddest face riki had last week during lunch made you feel guilty. riki opens up the door, grinning ear to ear at your appearance. “y/n! i didn’t think you’d actually come this week,” he says truthfully as he steps to the side to let you in. shutting the door behind him, he gestures for you to head into his room. you walk up the stairs with a small laugh, “i can’t let you beat me at mario kart! i know you’ve been secretly practicing by yourself.” you joke with him, but little do you know that riki doesn’t even touch the game unless you’re over. 

“nah, whenever i beat you it is pure talent and skill. you just suck,” he sticks out his tongue at you, rushing into his bedroom after you and shutting his door. the two of you plop down on his carpeted floor, back against the foot of his bed like you two used to do in elementary. he immediately reaches to turn on the console, handing you a controller. “yeah, right! whoever wins the first round has to pay for dinner later!” you bet and he agrees, of course, because it’s in his nature to be competitive and he’d never turn down a possible free dinner. 

you cheer, laughing as you flop onto his bed like it's your own. “i thought i was gonna be rusty, i can’t believe i still won!” you grin and he rolls his eyes, joining you on the bed as well. “whatever…” he mutters, too ashamed to admit he was actually trying to beat you but still lost. you pout at him, poking his side which causes him to stifle in laughs from being ticklish. “aww, don’t be sad. i’ll still pay half of dinner,” your grin turns into a smile and he pokes your side back. “hey! stop!” you yell, attacking back at him and he fails to stifle his laugh in. he bursts into loud laughter and you join alongside him. it’s been so long since he’s heard you laugh, he feels like his ears have been graced from heaven once again. 

after both of your laughters died out, riki turns to face you, a smile gracing his boyish features. “i missed you, y/n,” he says suddenly, and it takes you off guard. you frown. you know what he means, and you wish he didn’t say anything at all. “what do you mean? i’m with you every morning at the bus and every other lunch,” you say, a weak attempt to divert this conversation. riki shakes his head, “no, not like that! i just mean like…it’s been so long since we’ve played games like this and…i don’t know. actually talked…” he mumbles, feeling vulnerable and shy from expressing his feelings that he normally does not do. you bite your lower lip, sitting up. “sorry, riki…really. it’s just…i wanna be able to go to a good university  and get scholarships since my parents can’t really afford a full tuition so my grades are super important and my other friends help me keep up. i would spend more time with you if you had…um—“ you feel bad for your next words, but riki knows where you’re getting at. “if i had good grades.” he finishes for you, and you slowly nod. “it’s okay, y/n. i understand, seriously, i do! so don’t apologize, you’re just doing what you have to do..” he sighs, giving you a weak smile. 

you’re grateful that he understands the situation you’re put into. so, you wish to help him too. “actually! why don’t you come to one of our study sessions? we can help you with history? i know you hate that class so it’d be good for you,” you offer, a large smile on your face that makes riki hard to refuse. “oh…um,” he starts, unsure because he hates studying and is too awkward to hang out with a bunch of new people at one time. but for you, he’ll handle it somehow. “sure. when?” you clap your hands together excitedly, engulfing him in a hug. you’ve asked him before a few times, and he always refused and made some excuse like soccer practice. “ahh, yay! tomorrow, library, after school! i’ll meet you at your locker, okay? i’m so glad you’re agreeing. you never took your studies seriously,” you ramble, and riki visibly gulps, obviously nervous as he nods. “okay…” 

your friends have no idea that you’re bringing riki along for your usual study session. you tried to tell them, really. except you already know that they have their prejudice against him and they would try to get you to not bring him, and you refuse to break your promise to riki. you fear for the awkwardness that will happen when your friends see you walk in with your best friend. 

“hey, are you ready?” you ask as you approach him at his locker. he shuffles through his locker, reaching for a textbook before he closes it. nodding, he gives a slight smile but it doesn’t meet his eyes. he’s obviously not excited. “just leave if you don’t want to go…but at least stay for like, five minutes?” you say when you notice his nervous fiddling with the edge of his book. he nods once again, “okay… um, where is the library again?” he’s been to the school library once, and he didn’t even go inside. he was there just to walk home with you after your study session. 

you laugh, “just come.” you take his hand, and riki swears his heart skips more than a beat as his feet get dragged from you. a smile graces his feature, happy to just see you get excited over him joining you and your other friends. you’re a few minutes late when you walk into the library, heading over to the usual table that your friends usually sit at. their heads all look up from their books upon your arrival, and they all smile at you but it slowly fades away when they see a shy riki behind you, slightly peeking over your head. he already had a feeling that your friends weren’t very fond of him, but this just confirmed it. he bites his inner cheek when you take a seat and gesture for him to take the seat beside you. “hi guys. hope you don’t mind i brought riki with me. he needed some help with history,” you explain with a hushed whisper, and even though you can tell the distaste on their faces, they all nod and give a small wave at riki’s direction. he returns their waves, forcing a smile. 

what did you mean he needs help? he didn’t need help, really! if he wanted to study he could just do it himself. it was his choice that he didn’t want to study. it was just so unfun, he never understood why you spend so much free time studying despite knowing that you care about your grades. sometimes, he thinks you care too much. he furrows his brows when one of your friends, danielle, slides a sheet a paper at him. “hi, i’m danielle. i’m pretty good at history, so i can help you, if you want,” she offers. the thing is, he doesn’t want her help. he wants your help, but you’re too busy already discussing what stupid formula you need to solve a math problem. he looks at danielle, giving her a slight nod and she gives him a smile. “okay, great! so what history class are you taking?” 

it’s been ten minutes, and riki has been already zoning out, not paying a single attention to any word that danielle has been talking about. he feels bad, she’s really trying to explain what B.C. meant, but he really couldn’t pay attention when one of your friends have been blatantly flirting with you the entire time. he frowns deeply, the pencil against the paper danielle gave him gripped so tightly in his hand that the led snaps from the pressure. the sound breaks him out of his jealous trance. “oh. oops, sorry…” he mumbles, dropping the pencil down on the paper. danielle looks at him, her head tilted curiously before a smile that’s laced with a hint of mischief appears on her face. she leans closer to him, “you like y/nnie?” she whispers to him, and he almost falls back on his chair. he opens his mouth to spew out objections, but she shushes him again. “i think it’s cute,” she says but then she takes a look around the rest of the table before looking back at him again, “but, you know…y/n has a lot going for them right now, i’m sure you’re aware. they have a lot of potential. y/n studies hard every day.” riki knows where she’s going with this. “and you…well,” danielle clicks her tongue as she shakes her head, “respectively, you’re holding y/n back.” 

he already knows this. he’s been aware. so why, when hearing it from someone else, does it feels worse? it shouldn’t be a shock to him, so he doesn’t know why he feels anger bubbling in his chest. danielle places a gentle hand on his shoulder before speaking again, “if you really like them—or love, i don’t know, then you should let y/n go…” she trails off once she starts riki stare off into space, eyes trained on you giggling at something your friend said. it probably wasn’t even that funny, riki thinks. he’s made you laugh more, he’s sure. he shakes his head, abruptly standing up so the chair squeaks loudly, catching your attention. “where are you going, riki?” you ask, looking up at him but you’re not met with kind eyes that you’re used to. only harsh, sad eyes but you only get to see them for a moment before he grabs his backpack and head towards the exit. 

you begin to worry about riki. he’s not cracking his immature jokes, despite that they’re not funny to you anymore, you still miss his giggles after he tells the joke. he sits in silence on bus rides now, and give you dry “i’m fine” replies whenever you ask him if he’s okay. he’s clearly not— but you don’t know the cause of it. ever since after the library, he’s been like this. so zoned out, staring off into space. you wonder what danielle told him, and if it had anything to do with this odd behavior. it’s clearly taking a toll on you, and your friends have been noticing. 

“y/n? hello?” hanni waves a hand in front of you and your face relaxes from being so tense, thinking about riki. danielle hums at your state. she thinks it’s quite funny how affected you are from riki, when it should be the least of your worries! hanni frowns, placing a hand on yours. “what’s going on? you’ve been out of it this whole week,” she asks. you don’t know how to answer. they wouldn’t approve of you being this upset over riki, so you don’t want to see their reactions. but danielle already knows, you can see it plain on her face as she sickly smiles at you. 

“y/n… if this is about riki, you shouldn’t worry too much about it,” danielle starts, and it’s like she read your mind, “you’re off to better things! you’re gonna get accepted into your dream college, this has been your goal ever since you were five years old, right? riki shouldn’t be the reason why you stop. i know how much you care about him, but it’s just not worth it.” danielle sighs upon seeing your defeated face. she knows she could have worded it a little better, but knowing you, you would only listen if she said it with blunt and honest words. sugarcoating it wouldn’t do anything. so, you slowly nod. danielle’s right, you think. as much as you don’t want her to be right, you refuse to let your dream go just because of riki. and as of late, you feel like you’re starting to outgrow him. 

he’s still the same little boy you met years ago, and he hasn’t grown much compared to you. you started to take your studies seriously, you started to enjoy coffee, whereas riki still finds doorbell dash pranks funny and he can’t handle any bitter food, it has to be sickly sweet. but even so, you don’t know how to spend time away from him. you spent your childhood with him. he’s been with you longer than you can recall. you remember the first time you realized you had a crush on him; it was freshman year of high school, and seeing him easily getting along with other people in your class made you a little jealous, admittedly. the feelings you have for him has been long pushed down, and now that you feel like you need to platonically break up with him, the feelings are starting to bubble up again and you feel your heart about to burst into a million pieces. 

you can’t do it to riki, you think. you’re really his only friend, as selfish as this sounds, when you admitted to him you were jealous that he was becoming so popular, he started to only hang out with you. but now you seem like a hypocrite. 

you begin to realize what danielle had said to riki that day, probably around the lines of what she said to you. you can’t drag this out any longer, you think. in a way, you’re holding riki back as well, and you know he has such great potential to do something so amazing. you wish you could stay with him to witness it. 

you quickly pack up your things into your backpack, your friends taken aback with your rush. “where are you going?” hanni asks when you stand up, swinging your bag over your shoulder. “gonna talk to riki, see you guys later, okay?” you say without looking at them once, making your way to the exit of the library. you know he has soccer practice, so you decide to wait for him at the bleachers until his practice ends. you’re fidgeting, nervous as you plan out what you’re going to say to him. you think you should get your feelings sorted out first, but you know that you can’t wait any longer. this was honestly long overdue, but you were being selfish by keeping riki close to you. he spots you up on the bleachers during his practice, and he’s shocked because, one, you’re always studying but you’re staring straight at him, and two, you’ve never expressed your interest in soccer before. he starts to get excited– maybe you want to hang out with him again? 

no, he couldn’t be more wrong. after his practice, he goes over to you on the bleachers, and by the look on your face, it doesn’t look like you’re in the mood to hang out. he furrows his brows when you tap the spot next to you, but he sits down anyway. he can feel it coming, the platonic break up. but what he feels for you is more than platonic, and he’s sure you know it too. before you can even get a word out, he blurts out “i love you, y/n.”

you hate this so bad, you want to say it back so much, but you know it will only hurt even more. then again, you’re selfish. so you say it back. “i…love you too, riki,” you say, and riki could almost jump up and down with excitement, but you can’t even look at him. “but i can’t–” you hiccup, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down. you don’t want this to be a bitterly sad moment, even though it is inevitable. “i don’t think we should be friends anymore. i think we should just, um, go our own ways… i don’t really want this, i know you don’t want this either, but i think…i think it’s the best for both of us…” you trail off once you notice yourself rambling. shutting up would be the best choice for you at this moment. you quietly stand up, and riki’s eyes follow your movements but you still can’t look at him.

he feels himself get angry. at you, at himself, he doesn’t even know anymore. how could something as strong as yours and his bond fade away like this? he doesn’t understand. you two promised that you would stay friends, stay little forever. he guessed you were both being ignorant, but you decided to face reality faster than him. he was hoping for the impossible – to stay ignorant forever. why couldn’t you both stay young, he wonders. he would have his happy ending with you. now he’s forced to grow up and act his age. 

he scoffs at you, shaking his head as he frustratingly runs a hand through his hair. he looks away from you when you finally look at him. “whatever, y/n. i hope you get what you want and have a good life in your dream college,” he mumbles, standing up as well as he gets ready to leave. from the corner of your eye, he sees you open your mouth again but he stops you before you let a word out. “i can’t watch you live happily without me. please don’t make me stay.” 

[ghostcatssecretblog]

Attack On Titan: Modern AU

(Or as I call it the highschool sweet heart au.)

Some of you may have seen my post based on my Attack on Titan Modern AU! But I've only ever posted photos. (I have more on my tiktok. Feel free to check it out)

So I'm gonna share my notes from this AU and my personal take on the characters in a modern universe.

Some starter notes:

I tried to bring elements from the original story over, but obviously, it's not just a complete modern retelling, and to be honest, I mostly focused on Eren bc like...that's my boy. I have some thoughts on the others and they're listed below but I don't touch on everyone bc I just don't have enough thoughts about them.

The modern AU does not take place in our world. It's still theirs, so the setting and map is the same just...modern. You can honestly take this as a reincarnation AU.

So let's go!

Eren:

• Eren's mom died in a car accident when he was nine. He was there to see it but luckily was mostly unharmed. His mom however died due to the impact.

• His father is a doctor, and because of this, he is rarely ever home, so his brother Zeke has to take care of him. Zeke is overly protective and tries to prevent Eren from doing things he considers to be reckless.

• Zeke and Eren have a weird relationship because while Zeke is the one who raised him and took care of him, Eren resents the fact that Zeke mothers him so much, especially as he gets older and tries to have more freedom to do what he wants with his life.

• As kids Armin, Mikasa, and Eren stuck together. Eren defended them from bullies, but the trio always managed to find themself in trouble. Mostly due to Eren always getting into something or starting fights of his own.

• He was already a bit of a trouble maker, but when his mom passed, he seemed to spiral. Zeke, only being 20 when he started taking care of Eren, means having to juggle college, a job, and raising a child. Needless to say, Eren went unsupervised a LOT in middle school.

• During freshman year of high school, Eren started attending Scout High, where he met a lot of his friends. He struggled at first but eventually formed a rag-tag group that only grew. One of those is Arte, who, like Reiner and Berthold, is a year above him. Their friendship was rocky at first, but they eventually came to an understanding.

• During freshman year, he joined the soccer team. By junior year he became captain.

• During sophomore year, the changes slowly began. Zeke became more overbearing, pushing Eren to be sneaky, and his father was around less and less.

• Then the incident happened. It was during a house party At Historia's right after homecoming. Everything was fine at first until Reiner made a foul comment about Eren's mom being dead. A fight broke out between them, resulting in Reiner having to go to the hospital. Because Arte, and a few others vouched for Eren and said that Reiner instigated the fight Eren got left off easy but was made to go to therapy and was put on probation.

• During junior year of high school, Eren becomes more reckless and starts to isolate from his friends more. He hangs out with the wrong sort of kids (Floch and Samuel), gets into fights more often, skips class, and overall stops caring as much. He picks up skateboarding as a hobby.

•

Extra notes:

• While he plays soccer he also does skateboarding as a hobby.

• He's into metal bands such as 5FDP and SOAD.

• His grandparents (dad side) are very conservative. They also don't approve of Grisha divorcing Dina and Marrying Carla (partially bc she was younger than him). They tend to favor Zeke and consider Eren to be nothing more than a trouble maker.

Arte

• In contrast to Eren's more middle class suburban life, Arte grew up your stereotypical white trash sort of home with a neglectful mother and an alcoholic father

• They grew mostly isolated, living too far from the city to make friends and considered too much of an odd kid to make any at school.

• That is until middle school. When they met Winnie.

• Winnie comes from upper class. She's rich but considered the back sheep of the family and because of this her and Arte become close friends. Closer than friends even

• But in 8th grade they split. Winnie wanted to stay in public school to be with Arte but Arte pushed her away, ensuring Winnie would go to boarding school. Art thought she was better off there.

• Arte then attends the same highschool as Eren their freshman year.

• Arte is friends with Annie (both are lower class and have bad parents) and Hitch - designated sunshine and rich girl of the group.

• Absolutely loves automotive and English classes. They help fix Eren's car on the regular.

• Their relationship when they first meet is weird and mostly bickering. Very friend/enemies through Eren's freshman and Sophmore year.

• Around his junior year he's getting in a lot more fights. Arte helps patch his face up in the boy's bathroom. There's a heart to heart and they become actual friends soon after.

• Arte Annie and Hitch start hanging around Eren's friend group more - leads to Armin and Annie dating.

• For the rest of Junior year Arte and Eren end up sneaking out (arte sneaking into his room, going to the skatepark, wandering the neighborhood, late night McDonald's runs)

• Eventually they end up dating but it's a bit of a slow burn bc neither wants to admit they like the other.

• Arte keeps Eren as far away from their home life as possible bc they don't want him seeing how awful it is but also bc they're fairly certain if he were to their dad hitting them Eren would end up in prison for murder

• Eren does find out via seeing the scars and bruises on Arte and loses his shit

• The one time he did catch Arte's dad putting his hands on them Arte had to drag him back into the car to avoid a fight.

Extra notes:

• AAH have matching friendship bracelets

• Likes music like Radiohead, Nirvana, Deftones...

• They go to football games (hitch is a cheer leader) and Eren's soccer games together. As well as Parties, homecoming, prom (Arte asks Eren for their senior year and vise versa for his), haunted houses, carnival, etc.

• Arte stays over at Eren's a lot bc bad home life.

• They also get Eren into smoking weed. Zeke does not approve.

• Arte graduates first but takes a gap year to wait on Eren so they can apply to colleges together (with zekes help)

• During this time Arte temporarily moves in with Zeke and Eren.

• Unfortunately neither knows what they want to do with their life atm

• I really feel like Eren would be the kinda person to go to a lot of protest though. He probably organizes half of them.

• Arte -> Enginering Major

• Eren -> Social Justice Major

• Zeke and Yelena are married. They end up moving to Liberio, Marley and try to take Eren with them.

• Eventually end up getting dog together named Titan. He's a chow and Tibetan mastiff mix

Armin:

• He still lives with his grandpa

• His parents are alive they just travel a lot for work so he doesn't see them very much

• It's part of the reason he wants to see the ocean and travel.

• Ends up a marine biologist

• Armin x Annie !

• Takes a lot of IB classes in High-school.

• Likes softer music. I'm thinking Cavetown vibes.

Mikasa:

• Her parents are alive! Yay!

• Her, Armin and Eren all lived in the same neighborhood. Armin and Eren were friends first and she joined them when her family moved into the neighborhood.

• She almost had a little brother but he didn't make it. Thus, she projects big sister energy onto Eren and Armin.

• Listens to Lana del Rey and Mitski. Unless she's working out, that is.

• Ends up a physical trainer after highschool.

• Jean x Mikasa bc that boy adores her and would actually give her the domestic life she craves.

Friend groups:

1. Eren Armin Mikasa

2. Jean, Sasha, Connie and Marco are all friends.

3. Annie Hitch and Arte

4. Reiner and Bertholdt

5. Historia <3 Ymir

Porco, Piek, Marcel aren't really ever relevant but I imagine they go to a rival school in Libero. Porco is on the boy's soccer team and he and Eren have beef bc of it.

Reiner:

• Reiner's issues in this AU stem from growing up in a conservative household. His mother is reglious and his dad went out for milk...

• He's also a closeted homo. His feelings for Historia are merely him hetero-compensating. Hence, his issues towards Eren, who is very openly Bisexual. (Also idk but there's homoerotic tension there. Have you seen them fight??)

• But by college he figures his shit out. He's a changed man! I like to think he ends up dating Ploam's OC Logan.

• Anyway, just imagine your stereotypical closested football joke but then he grows up, gets him a bf and a shelter dog and LIVES HAPPILY

Annie:

• Kinda already summarized her in the previous notes but

• She's still adopted in this au. Her dad still sucks. Her and Arte have bonds bc of it

• AruAnnie! They get cats when they get older. Colossus the maincoon and sphinx (idk what to name it)

• I like Yama's take on her music taste. She definitely listens to Evanescence and Avil Lavigne.

• Professional MMA fighter after Highschool

I don't really have thoughts on Bertholdt, and I'm sorry I just don't have any thoughts on him :p

Sasha and Connie are still best friends! I think It would be really cute if Niccolo was from the same school as Porco and Piek and Sasha met him during a bake sale and liked his baking so much he went into Culinary after HS and ofc eventually got his own restaurant. Sasha is a food blogger and is constantly posting his dishes on the gram which just brings in most business for him. (Listen I need these two TO BE HAPPY)

Marco doesn't die! For once, omg. He and Jean become good friends. He, just as with the show, that starts Jean's character arc. Instead of dying, he ends up having to move away but it forces Jean to realize he needs to open up and make friends with other people too.

That's all I have so far! But feel free to ask questions about the AU!

[mdhwrites]

do you think odalia should of had more depth?

So weirdly enough, I think this is an incorrect question because it implies Odalia by herself is important. A story needs to understand the usefulness of its characters after all, what their purpose is, etc. like that. For a lot of essentially one off characters, say Viney or Vee for example, a hint of depth but not exploring it is smart because you allow your fans to imagine what they could be like but they don't get in the way of the story you're telling. One off villains especially fall into this because their point much more often than anything else is simply to instigate a conflict. That's it.

I do not deride the vast majority of S1 villains for being one note. In fact, a lot of them are more fun for their simplicity. As Odalia is essentially a one off villain just meant for Amity's growth, because she's her daughter, she shouldn't need depth because she is just an obstacle to be conquered.

...That whole part 'Amity's her daughter' is a bit of a problem though, isn't it?

See, the minute you tie a villain to a main character, that starts complicating things. The more their relationship has effected either side, their narrative role starts to warp. They are suddenly a large figure within this person's life and so not only is defeating them a much bigger, more complicated affair but also that the villain's character is going to make or break critical elements of a main character's influences and backstory. They can no longer be one note unless their role was one note.

So instead of 'Should Odalia have had more depth' the better question is 'Is more depth for Odalia necessary for her place in the narrative related to Amity?' That requires us to define what her role in Amity's life is. What in theory her actions as told by Amity set her up as.

Odalia before S2 is a parent who has enforced onto Amity the need for social standing, power and exceptionalism. She also has so much power over Amity's life as to dictate who she can and can't be friends with and we can assume by the cruelty that Amity and the twins enact upon others, even within their own family, that this competition is inherent to the Blight family as a whole.

HOWEVER.

Also before S2, we see cracks of kindness within all of this. Odalia still caring enough to make sure Amity gets her lunch. Odalia overlooking the twins' bad behavior, despite Hexside seeming like the sort of school that would have called Odalia over them skipping class. Amity does not appear to fear repercussions from her mother anymore when it comes to her friend group as she befriends Luz and Willow without seemingly any fear of retribution (especially Luz) and discards Boscha and her entire old friend group without any real effort. This implies that Odalia isn't as controlling as Understanding Willow implies because her children actually have an incredible amount of freedom and free will. They do not live in the constant shadow of their parent, even if Odalia has had a large impact on them.

I focus on pre-S2 like this for a reason. You can retcon all you want BUT Odalia had to stand on what was setup before her arrival. Anything afterwards is damage control for fuck ups they made. Even then, many of their retcons actually make elements of this worse as Odalia was able to internalize her dream of Amity being in the EC so severely that just the idea of ANY threat to that was able to drive Amity to madness (Teenage Abomination) or close to the brink of tears (Covention). This further implies a great deal of influence over Amity and that her lessons left deep scars on her, to the point where Amity stopped distinguishing between her mother's desires and her own.

That doesn't FUNCTION with S2.

Odalia in S2 leans in ENTIRELY into the idea that she'd straight up murder one of her own children if they stepped out of line too far. She literally was willing to show how efficiently her HOME DEFENSE robot, which you would think would be used to protect YOUR KIDS, can murder a child in order to hurt Amity and prove her dominance. The twins, who are unrepentant in their schemes outside of Amity almost getting killed, do fear repercussions from Odalia. Odalia hates literally anything that makes them step out of line with the image she desires for her family, thus trying to dye Amity's hair. She is a monster, through and through.

A monster that Amity tells to go fuck herself and suffer ZERO ramifications from. If the show were as brave as people claim, that would have led to Amity being DISOWNED because why would Odalia continue to accept what is clearly an abject failure of ideals at this point? Yes, Alador theoretically pushes the idea of how Amity might be getting stronger based on this but why would she actually believe that? And even then, is a potential coven head worth it if it gives her no power back because they won't listen to her? Because they aren't profitable and loyal to her anymore? Even without the retcons to Alador, there's a real case that just in her first appearance, it's a cop out. Post Alador's retcons where Odalia doesn't care about him and doesn't listen to him, where she takes a single act of betrayal as a reason to accuse him of wanting to break off their partnership, all of this only becomes worse.

And all of this comes back around to crack Amity's character. That arc everyone praises from S1? Now it makes no sense because Amity's influences make no sense. What she rebels against is made trivial but also incomprehensible because there SHOULD have been consequences and she should have MUCH more scared of those consequences. Instead, it comes incredibly easy and naturally to her to break her bonds and be a good person with the 'right' friends now. This is compounded by how little anyone ever calls out her behavior or how almost all of the time she may spend being introspective is off screen. We don't get to see the ideals she holds be properly challenged besides... Luz existing and Understanding Willow. Meanwhile, HER MOTHER is like THIS. Where those ideals would be constantly reinforced and the consequences for breaking those ideals would be SEVERE.

So, to loop back around: Did Odalia need more depth? Yes. Or she had to have mattered much, MUCH less to Amity.

======+++++======

As a note, this is one of those big examples to me for how TOH fans struggle to actually bring the show together for their analysis rather than cherry picking examples or using single episodes. Anyone who tries to claim Odalia and Amity's relationship makes sense is ignoring a LOT of elements that intrinsically tied to one another and how those elements cascade upon each other. Complex storytelling is like this where one creative choice creates a knock on effect. Making characters all be tied between each other somehow is one of the best examples of this but I feel like a lot of fans, for the sake of praising Amity's arc, only focus on Odalia and Amity like they are in a closed circuit and only for the specific parts they want to use in that circuit. That's not how this works.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[sourpatchys]

•Tell Me Every Terrible Thing You Ever Did and Let Me Love You Anyways•

Prologue: Agoraphobia

Time: before the USJ attack

Rating: nothing explicit in this chapter, rating may vary as the story continues F!reader

Word count: 1.2k

Summary: A shut in, plagued by the past, learns what it means to leave the comfort of her own home. Facing the world at large, making mistakes and trying and failing at learning how to live again.

A/n: this could be read as the first chapter— it’s important in order to learn who the reader is, but it’s much shorter than all the chapters to come. This will be a slow burn, I don’t expect Tomura to make an appearance until chapter three, but we’ll see what happens, sometimes I go off script lmao

Agoraphobia

—

•Fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment.

•Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that often develops after one or more panic attacks.

—

Friendships, at times, were hard to maintain.

You weren't a social person. You didn't enjoy public outings or taking walks around the neighborhood— much preferring the calming inner workings of your own home, a place that could never change, a place that was yours and yours alone.

The friends you did manage to keep weren't local— separated by the all too familiar guise of social media.

You never had to see them if you didn't want to, you never had to call or plan fun dates— you were in control of what you were willing to give, and they were in control of what they were willing to take. Things were easier this way. Things felt safer this way.

It wasn't always like this, fresh air and laughter didn't used to send shivers up your spine. The principle of existence used to be something you held dear. You were broken, a skipping record unable to be removed from the track.

"You should meet up with one of them. You need to let someone in. You're starting to relapse again."

"Face to face communication is important, you need to reach out more."

"What would your mother think?"

It was all too much to bare. It felt as though you were shackled— doomed to forever be tied to the four walls around you.

You didn't enjoy being this way. You weren't afraid of germs, you weren't afraid of the sun or the moon— you were afraid of change— of the people surrounding those changes. Change always made bad things happen.

Therapy was supposed to help. And you supposed it did to an extent, picking up phone calls and answering text messages were like second nature at this point, so long as you knew who was on the other end. After while you even started instigating them yourself. Speaking to the people you cared about no longer felt like pulling teeth.

"Are you listening to me?"

The usually gentle and upbeat voice of your case worker rang through the air.

"No— I wasn't. I'm sorry."

She sighed, you could hear her favorite red pen clicking under her thumb. She was upset— you knew she was.

"I think we need to set you up in another location."

"I don't want another therapist."

"That's not what I mean and you know that."

It had been a discussion point for a while. Playing ignorant was usually your go to— but it seemed she wasn't interested in your games today.

"I'm not leaving the Midwest."

The clicking stopped, replaced only briefly by the sound of shuffling papers.

"I think leaving the Midwest would help you tremendously. You need to get away from it all— this hide and seek game your playing isn't healthy for you. You need new surroundings and you need to stop worrying about being recognized."

"I'm not leaving Michelle."

The clicking came back. Only now something was off— it wasn't the soft clicks of her red pen. It was the harsh sticky clicks of her black pen.

She wasn't going to let you win today.

"Tell you what. There's an elite hero school in Japan— there's a teacher there with a blood control quirk. We've already been sending letters back and forth and they're willing to make an exception for you to come in every Tuesday to work on your quirk control—"

"I don't have a blood control quirk."

The line went silent before she sighed once again, the clicking of her pen stopping all together, her freshly manicured nails drawing loud patters on her desk. It seemed as though she wanted you to at least try understanding the situation.

"You're going. I've already made the arrangements and I have you set up in a— very nice— apartment close by. You don't have to talk to Vlad if you don't want to. But you're going to Japan whether you like it or not. They have a much healthier look on quirks than we do here in the states. You need positive reinforcement— this has gone on for long enough."

Your chest was starting to burn, bile pooling on the tip of your tongue.

"It hasn't been that long Michelle, I just need some more time—"

"It's been four years. I've been working with you for four years. The most you've managed to do by yourself is sign the lease to the apartment that I went out and got for you. You've never come to the office in person, you can't go to the store— you've basically cut contact from everyone."

Your throat was scratchy, clenching in on itself violently, the cool feel of your quirk bubbling under the surface of your skin. It felt as though you were choking on air— drowning all the while.

"Michelle— please don't do this— I'll get better, I promise I will just— don't take me away, don't do it!"

The tears running down your face felt like molten lava. You never cried— you hated crying. Your skin felt as through it were melting, ripping off your face and pooling at your feet.

"You either do this— or I'm dropping your case and taking your funding. I'm not going to play these games anymore. You need help and I can't give it to you if we're walking around in circles on the phone."

She had made your grave. You were stuck in it.

Oh, how you hated change.

—

The morning your flight left made you realize just how awful the world really was.

It had been years since you'd been in such a crowded environment. The laughter, the crying, the screaming— it was everything and nothing all at once. People stood too close and talked too loud, together it all sounded like buzzing in your ears— like they were flys and you were food left on a plate to rot.

The panic was ever apparent, you were honestly surprised your heart hadn't exploded— though, you supposed there was still time for it. Michelle, even with her complete and utter betrayal to your day to day life, was at least nice enough to pick you up and stay with you until boarding. You didn't have to speak a single time, though, the kind nature of her deeds didn't make up for the horror she'd forced you into.

She was also kind enough to book you a somewhat secluded seat, allowing you to sit in the back without being crowded in. You weren't entirely sure how she managed to do it, having never been on a plane, but the two other seats in the isle were entirely empty. You'd really have to thank her when you weren't so close to breaking down.

The flight itself was 18 hours, giving you at least some time to prepare for landing— however as of right now it didn't feel like any amount of time would be long enough.

At the very least the language barrier would be a nice change of pace, you were really hoping everyone would just leave you to your own devices and screw off. This was a big change, full of uncertainties— you hoped that, at the very least, it would be quiet.

[dadsbongos]

MINIMUM WAGE LAIOS LETS gooooooo no bc the fic was so cute😭😭 obsessed w everyone’s characteristations now I wanna know more about minimumwage!dunmeshi verse lmaooo. Also I screamed when I read hawk tuwa

ngl i meant to erase hawk twah (and the ultra violet lesbian line) from the record but i was so tired i just left it in. glad i did though cuz i've gotten a couple people now saying it made them giggle

and omg!!! minimum wage dunmeshi... i assume about the grocery store i made up in my mind sorry if not

so.

laios is a courtesy clerk. very polite and kind, honestly, just not outgoing towards the customers (even downright avoiding them sometimes lol)

kabru is the tired assistant front end manager. has to stay wayyy later than the store managers and do all the actual important shit for a quarter of the pay. always on the employee's side, but is such a workplace drama instigator.

mithrun and toshiro exclusively work self-checkout and only interact with each other. toshiro because everyone else is jarring in their customer-service voices and mithrun cuz he's been there basically since the store opened and doesn't give a FUCK.

i can see falin being a pharm tech that got her brother the job. she's not really a customer favorite because she under-explains things and comes off spacey.

marcille opens at the customer service desk. she WANTED to be in the pharmacy too but couldn't remember which medications conflicted with each other and was politely "asked" to step down.

chilchuck closes the service desk. he's been there almost as long as mithrun and similarly has no desire to move up in the chain of command. doesn't want more responsibility and likes how isolated the desk is. he can sit back there and get paid for it. it's great.

izutsumi is another courtesy clerk. she started like three weeks ago and already hates it. does not mind letting laios do most of her work. has already been written up and receives many poor performance reviews from secret shoppers.

senshi wanted to be in the meat department but they had "no available positions" so he got stuck as a cashier. says he really doesn't mind (LIAR). very approachable though! gives honest item recommendations and nutrition advice based on what customers are checking out. always thanks people for stopping by. women want him, men also want him.

namari doesn't know how it happened, but she's also assistant supervisor. she started as a courtesy clerk, then skipped cashiering to go behind the customer service desk and one day was asked what she thought of becoming afem. acts more like a regular coworker than a supervisor though and doesn't care for customers. constantly wondering if she's able to step back down because the additional little jobs are extremely tedious and annoying to her lol

rin quit forever ago but came back as a cashier because kabru BEGGED her to because they needed more help.

inutade is another courtesy clerk, actually likes her job???

yaad and thistle are assistant store managers, rarely do you see them actually out on the floor. yaad is excused as an airhead and thistle's reputation flips from sweet summer child to ruthless twat constantly.

delgal is the big bad head store manager everyone has a secret power-crush on. very kind to employees on the RARE times he interacts with them. kabru sees him a lot because delgal asks for opinions on how the store could improve -- kabru adores delgal as a boss.

[peach-and-bugs]

That is very good, feeling extremely gay is the best.

While I'm here (since I was gonna request this last night/yesterday but I fell asleep), do you have any thoughts/head cannons on Adult!Yellow Jackets (whether you include cannon adult YJ's by themselves or as well as the others that died ((Jackie, Laura Lee etc)) is up to you) as parents/how they are around kids.

Just a thought, since Mama Lottie is the only thing I've been able to think about for weeks and I'm super excited for chapter 2 (no pressure on releasing it of course), and thought this would be cool.

If not don't worry I'll 100% understand if you don't xxx

-🐝

Oh my gosh, this is absolutely perfect for me, thank you so much for asking me to ramble about the girls as moms/aunts. It's my favorite thing to think about. Some of these will expand upon what I said in my SFW alphabet

Yellowjackets as parents/with kids

tw: food shame/judgment with Jackie religious themes with Laura Lee (all positive endings)

Jackie

✰ Jackie had a very strict upbringing to me. She was obsessed with being perceived as perfect and model all the time and I can only assume that was instigated by her parents (mostly her mother)

✰ She seems like the type to have kids, but she's always trying to improve upon how she grew up because she knows how that pressure feels and doesn't want that for her kids

✰ For whatever reason, I see her as a girl mom whose last kid is surprisingly a boy and she's thrown for a loop because she's so used to having girls, and having a boy is suddenly so different

✰ but as a girl mom, she tries to be really open for her daughters. She wants them to see her as just a normal person because that's how they'll then look at themselves. She's also that mom on holidays or family gatherings that lets her kids have control over what they eat

✰ I headcanon her mom was one of those almond moms who was always talking about what Jackie was eating or looked like and she's not gonna let that happen to her girls. She wants them to have a positive relationship with food from the start so they don't have to learn it like she did. She's opening up the pumpkin pie at thanksgiving before dinner is served and giving each of her kids a slice and noone can stop her

Laura Lee

✰ Laura Lee is still very involved in her church and faith in her adulthood and I can see her wanting that for her children too, but she makes it very clear that that faith for them doesn't need to be strictly Christianity. I think she'd probably take them to church when they're little, but she'd be really open to letting her kids know if that's not something they want, they can tell her they no longer want to go

✰ I can perfectly envision her as one of those moms at pride with the free mom hugs shirt on and proudly holding up her sign about how god made everyone beautiful as they are. She's also taking in any kid who needs a roof over their head and a hot meal, no questions asked

✰ I see her wanting to fully or partially home-schooling her kids. Can't really explain why, but it feels fitting

Lottie

✰ We already know a lot of how I look at Lottie as a mom, given my mama!Lottie tag and fic, Bean Sprout, but I'll never skip an opportunity to gush about her more!

✰ she's the epitome of the crunchy granola mom who's taking her kid out to the garden with her, encouraging them to dig in the dirt in their rain boots and overalls to find worms and other bugs and taking them on hikes with the dog. She's got her kid and her dog with her all the time.

✰ She's the kind of mom who wants her kid to try everything at least once, but not in a pushy way. She thinks it extremely important for confidence development that her kid knows that it's ok to try and fail because you can always get right back up again

✰ She's also really good with other people's kids. She likes watching the way kids think and the best way to see and understand that is by getting to know them on their level

Misty

✰ Misty's awkward around everyone, and that extends to kids as well, but she's a little better with kids than she is with adults. She babysat back when she was a teenager, so she still knows a thing or two

✰ part of me can see her as a mom while another part of me doesn't. I think had the crash not happened, she'd be more likely to have or adopt a kid of her own, but in the crash timeline that feels far less likely

✰ that or it's a situation where she thought she wanted to be a mom when she was growing up because "that's what everyone wants" but as she gets older she realizes that no, she really doesn't want to be a parent

✰ but I do think she enjoys being around children to some degree due to her babysitting days

Natalie

✰ So Natalie is an interesting one because my immediate reaction is always no, in no world does she like kids, but then I remember that she's actually pretty chill with kids and we see that when she goes to Kevin's son's soccer game

✰ In no way do I think she'd have a kid of her own, but she can definitely be the favorite aunt, that's for sure. She's gonna teach her friend's kids about the reality of the world, maybe how to get away with some very petty crime (but if they actually do it, she'll be pissed) and she's gonna go and take them to do the things they aren't supposed to, like getting sweets before dinner

Shauna

✰ I think Shauna prefers younger kids. She's definitely having a hard time with Callie and the teen years, but based on how she talks about Callie when she was younger, she enjoyed the younger days

✰ She seems like one of those moms who had trouble making other mom friends, but it's alright because she's go her little girl keeping her company

✰ I feel like Callie was her little mini-me, which makes her growing up harder

✰ she's definitely one of those moms who kept a baby journal when she was pregnant, writing to her baby nearly every day and she managed to keep it up throughout a good chunk of her childhood. she's planning to give it to Callie when she graduates high school

Taissa

✰ Tai gives me the vibe that having a kid wasn't something she initially considered when she was making her life plan, but now that she has Sammy she'd never go back

✰ I'm really hoping we get Sammy and Taissa again in season 3 because when she's in a good space and caring for herself she really is a good and caring mother, and it made me sad to lose that completely in season 2

✰ I personally think Samone carried Sammy and Tai stayed by her the whole time, making sure her wife got the best care she possibly could when they were in labor. After he was born and she got to hold him, she got this overwhelming feeling realizing that yeah, she's a mom now and this is her little guy to take care of

✰ she's definitely an only-child mom to me. I don't personally see her wanting another kid. can't really explain why on that one

Van

✰ Very much like Natalie, Van gives off chill aunt or step-parent energy to me. I don't see her having kids of her own, but she's definitely really good with kids. The only way I see her as a mom is if she gets into a relationship with someone who's already got a kid

✰ She'd be willing to babysit her friend's kids as Aunt Van and she loves hosting them at her house for sleepovers. Breakfast is always fun at the Palmer house, and it's guaranteed to be very sugary

✰ I mentioned it before, but I can imagine her hosting summer parties in her backyard and grilling lunch with a bunch of kids running around playing with water balloons and squirt guns

✰ she's definitely got a box or closet full of cool toys for when she has kids visit. She also loves teaching them about the movies she liked growing up and taking them out on all kinds of outings

[larathia]

Series Review: 7th Time Loop

Okay, it's one of those series with a much longer title, but trust me, you just need "7th Time Loop" to find this one should you go looking. The rest of the title is broadly deceptive anyway.

This is another romance story. As before, I will state up front that I am basically aromantic and therefore I am not actually watching or reading this story for the romance part. I can comment on it, but ...yeah. It's not why I'm here.

There's a lot about this series that IS, though, and I wholly recommend it. Fans I have dealt with who aren't aro love this one so much they...kinda lose coherency, so I'm taking it on good faith that if you're one of those who WOULD be in this just for the romance, you won't be disappointed.

Now, on to my take.

Firstly, as even the shortened title suggests, this is a time travel romance. Rishe, Our Heroine, has lived seven lives so far.

Each time she dies, she goes back to the Worst Night Of Her Life - when the crown prince of Hermity, whom she'd spent her entire life up to that point being trained to serve as crown princess, decides to publicly dump her in front of half the nobles of the kingdom, in favor of declaring engagement to someone he likes better, while accusing her of a long laundry list of crimes she never committed. This leads to her being disowned by her family within about half an hour, going from 'duke's daughter' to 'only has the clothes she's wearing at the time' in the space of one night.

(Naturally, the first time this happens, she's shocked and devastated. By the seventh loop, she's much more 'I am SO GLAD I managed to skip being married to this bozo - seeya!' and I do like that very much.)

Once she's cast out, Rishe has to learn a trade to survive. And she does. Each lifetime she learns a different one, applying herself with all the intellect, curiosity, and perseverence she once applied to learning to be Crown Princess.

She learns to be a merchant, an apothecary, an alchemist, a lady's maid, a hunter/spy, and a knight, to be exact.

But before you go "holy crap that's way too OP" - she gets five years in each job. Five. That's it.

Because in each time loop, up to the seventh, when she's 20 she's killed. And in every time loop so far, what's killed her is a massive world war catching up to her. She's died trying to help the wounded, she's died trying to prepare wherever-she-is for the coming attack, and in the sixth time loop (when she's a knight, and arguably in her best position to defend herself) she is personally slaughtered by the guy behind the Great War, the instigator of all the violence.

Emperor Arnold Hein of Galkhein.

And this is where it gets really interesting.

From the sixth loop to the seventh, Rishe is cut down by Arnold and then, per the mechanic of the loop, dropped right back to that night when she's 15 and the prince of Hermity is casting her out. By this time, she's happy he does it and takes that part with grace. Her mind isn't even on the breakup event anymore, she's much more focused on "I have 30 minutes to get stuff out of my house before my parents disown me", and she's JUST looped so she's still mostly thinking like a knight. She books it through the palace, trying to take a shortcut.

Aaand basically slams into Crown Prince Arnold of Galkhein. Which gives her a minor heart attack, but doesn't stop her; she breaks off her high heels and leaps off a second floor balcony in full princess formal wear, forward roll into a run and off she goes to her family's house.

...She's caught his attention. By the end of the night, when the Prince of Hermity's and her family are done disowning her, the 'new career' is now being Crown Princess of Galkhein. Rishe is engaged to Arnold, the man who's responsible for her death six times over now.

Except...it's five years before that happens. He's not emperor yet. And...from what she can tell, he doesn't seem the type to want the sheer paperwork involved in ruling the world. He's buried under the work involved in managing Galkhein as it is.

This is the mystery behind the series, much more than 'why is Rishe looping in the first place'. Rishe wants, for the sake of her future survival, to figure out why this guy keeps instigating a world war so she can STOP it. But along the way, she's also finding out there were pieces she missed in her previous six loops that contributed to the future war and how it was conducted, so the story as a whole is this big tapestry of world events that in each loop she was both part of and partially ignorant of.

And all the while, the day of her wedding to Arnold gets a little closer. Along with the day Arnold murders his father, the Emperor, and takes the whole world to war.

Oh...and she's falling in love with him. It takes her five books to figure out that that's what's happening, so this is definitely a bit of a slow burn, but it's a pretty forgivable one in my view. Rishe is, quite reasonably, focused much more on "how can I prevent the great war and, incidentally, my own probable death" than she is on Arnold's basic hotness. (She's not BLIND to it, hence 'slow burn romance', but because it's not her main focus it takes her a bit to realize her heart's made up its mind.) And Arnold's upbringing has basically given him the emotional IQ of a chunk of slate, so while he's got a good start in "whatever my father would do with a bride, don't do that", he has a long way to go with actually processing the idea a human being would care about him.

The anime of this series is a pretty good introduction and takes you at least through book 1 (and maybe book 2), but I'd truly suggest getting into the light novel if you really want to know how far it's gotten.

[menalez]

again I don't know where you get your sources from. the jews who came to british mandate palestine were refugees after the holocaust and purchased land from the arabs, the arabs did not want jews on the land and they initiated massacres against them, and when israel declared independence the nearby arabs nations launched attacks against them, that's the only time israel has taken land after they won the war. I don't agree with the occupation in the west bank and I hope it will stop soon but (1)

zionists came to palestine prior to the holocaust. political zionism and acts of taking over parts of palestine already began over a decade before the holocaust even started. but yes, the holocaust resulted in more jewish ppl coming in.

there were massacres instigated by both sides. zionists had repeated aggression against palestinians. zionists were often violent and terrorising the local population in order to drive palestinians out. when news of zionism & plans of taking over parts of palestine (balfour declaration) became known to palestinians, massacres and riots began. zionism managed to get that far by working with the colonisers of palestinians and the british helped ensure zionism’s success. massacres were also done by zionists, causing 1 million palestinians to flee and many were killed.

so the actual events were: 1. zionism started 2. plans of taking over palestine were already in progress 3. balfour declaration happened 4. locals in palestine became aware that the mass-immigration that had been occurring was part of an effort to take over half of their country 5. palestinians began rioting 6. both sides started attacking each other 7. massive massacres occurred. you skipped almost all of this to simply frame it as “arabs just hated jews so much they suddenly started attacking them!”

yeah arab countries then attacked israel. after decades of aggression against palestinians by zionists.

zionism was an organised effort and the taking of palestinian land also was an organised effort. it started before the holocaust, the ideology of zionism predates nazism even, and the people who enacted it weren’t holocaust survivours.

i’d recommend reading sth other than zionist sources bc clearly in ur retelling of history, zionists were just holocaust survivours trying to live as refugees and palestinians & “arabs” (jewish vs arab is a recently created dichotomy but w/e) were just aggressors attacking random jewish ppl bc they just can’t help being violent and hateful or sth & the zionists had to protect themselves by committing massacres & stealing land & expelling 1m palestinians. this is not actually how it went.

u can do ur own reading bc i am not willing to spend hours debating 100+ years worth of history bc u read very biased one-sided retellings

[xxx-inhibitionless-xxx]

What A Week.. Chapter 04 : Day Two ( Matt’s Morning )

I was so giddy, I know Aaron’s Mom could tell. Aaron and Brian had fallen asleep after our sexual escapades of the previous night so I found what clothes of mine I could find that I had left here at Aaron’s and borrowed whatever missing components I needed of Aaron’s.

 I got dressed, left a quick note for Aaron and Brian and headed downstairs to head home. Aaron’s Mom and younger brother Steven were scrambling to finish breakfast as apparently, they were late for something. I greeted them, fielded the requisite quiz about why we were all so late getting home from Aaron’s Mom, I think I covered our asses pretty well. I tried to stick to the story Aaron had come up with last night about the car battery dying and us getting a ride.

 There was no way in the world I could have admitted what actually happened. The three of us had basically been kidnapped by some local fraternity jocks, stripped, tied up, and forced to jack each other off. Then when we got dropped off, proceeded to have another more private session of jacking each other off. That’s when Aaron and Brian had fallen asleep.

 Yeah, that would have gone over about as well as a nuclear bomb in the center of town. Anyway, I told Aaron’s Mom that he and Brian would be up soon from the alarm and that I was heading home to grab some stuff before I had to catch the bus. She and Steven told me to have a good day at school, that she was taking Steven to some special boy scout camp for the weekend and that they would see me sooner than later probably as I headed out the door.

 I had lost track of time I guess, because as I approached my block I realized that my bus was about to stop at the spot I needed to get on in order to make it to school ! Shit, I thought to myself, I’ll have to catch it now and skip stopping at home to clean up and get ready.

 I raced the rest of the way to beat the bus to the stop and nearly ran into Lisa Wetherby, Jason’s younger sister. The same Jason that was the instigator to our ordeal last night. I prayed that he had not mentioned anything to her about what he and his frat brothers had done to us last night. He had threatened to let her show the pictures they took of us around our school.

 If that ever happened, we might as well just curl up and die. He promised to not let her have them as long as we didn’t say a word to anyone about what happened. It’s not even been 24 hours so surely, he wouldn’t think we could have told anyone if we wanted to.

As we waited for the bus, I noticed Lisa glancing at me very awkwardly. My stomach started to sink, surely Jason hadn’t told her, but why was she looking at me so weird, she never even acknowledged my existence before now. I would find out in a minute as the bus pulled up and we piled on.

 Being the gentleman I am, I let Lisa go first, but she stopped and said, oh no my little Matthew, you first sweetie.

 Now my heart really sank, I couldn’t even move for what seemed like an eternity.

 Well come on sweetie, you first, go ahead. I stepped onto the bus and went to take the seat I usually do on those times Aaron doesn’t drive us and I have to ride the bus.

 All the way to the back sweetie, keep going, Lisa was whispering in my ear. I gulped and crept along the walkway. Get seated, hollered the bus driver, as Lisa and I made it to an available seat in the back of the bus. In you go sweetie, Lisa prompted, indicating I should take the window seat. I scooted into the seat and Lisa sat right down beside me.

 I managed to work up enough courage to speak, Um, hi Lisa, can I ask why you are even talking to me let alone why you all of a sudden know I exist ?

Oh Matt, Matt, Matt, I think you might know why, but just in case, take a look at these. She presented her cell phone and scrolled through a series of pictures. My stomach landed in my feet as I immediately recognized the pictures as being the ones from last night.

 How, where, who, I was stuttering and stammering, I couldn’t speak I was totally mortified. My phone wasn’t charged this morning, so I borrowed Jason’s while he was in the shower after he got home from his shift this morning. I almost put it back without finding anything when I noticed a folder on his app screen labeled blackmail boys.

 Being the snoop that I am, there was no way I was going to let that go. Imagine my shock and horror at what I found, three of my classmates strung up naked, and having a good time to boot with all your cute little penises waving about at full mast.

 I was turning fifteen shades of red as she recited her tale.

 I know good blackmail material when I see it, so I immediately emailed the whole folder to myself and put Jason’s phone back where I found it. The rest is history and here we are now.

 What are you going to do with those, I asked, what do you want ?

 First, she began, I want to know why Jason even has these pictures, second, I want you to put these on, she said as she pulled out what looked like gym clothes from her backpack.

 What are those, I asked, but before I could continue, she said first things first, tell me why Jason has these.

 I recounted the events of the evening, and still being tired, did not think to leave out the events after we left the mall that Jason would not have had any of the pictures of as he was still working in the mall for that whole series of events.

 Lisa listened intently, hanging on every word, trying desperately to not start laughing. Oh you poor dear, seems like you guys had quite the adventure. Where are your little boyfriends by the way, they didn’t get on the bus with us ?

 They’re still at Aaron’s, I explained, they’ll probably catch the other bus. Dear god I hope they caught the other bus, there is no way I want to endure a day at school alone not knowing what Lisa was going to do with those pictures.

There, I told you what happened, can you delete those pictures now please, I begged.

 Oh sweetie, I never said I was going to delete them, in fact, we’re going to have a lot of fun if you don’t want them getting leaked around school, she said with an evil grin spreading across her face. My heart sank so much I think it fell through the bottom of the bus. Now where were we, oh yes, you were supposed to be putting these on, she said handing over the gym clothes.

 Whose are these, I asked, and how am I supposed to put them on ?

 You are a bit dense aren’t you, said Lisa, in order to put clothes on you have to take other clothes off.

 What, I shouted, quickly lowering my voice as I did not want to attract any attention for what I feared was about to happen.

 You heard me, strip, get your clothes off.

 I can’t take my clothes off on the bus, are you crazy, I implored, we’ll get in trouble, or expelled even !

 Don’t be a baby Matt, no one is going to notice, unless you want them to of course.

 What about them, I said, pointing to the girls across the aisle in the opposite seat.

 They’re with me silly, they won’t tell. I realized I was doomed, I was going to have to strip, in front of three girls, on our bus, with a bus load of my classmates just inches away.

 No point in stalling sweetie, we’ve got plenty of time until we get to school yet, and if you don’t want these pictures getting out, you’d best do what you’re told. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Again no less. Only this time, I was taking my clothes off myself, they weren’t being cut off with pocket knives. I kicked off Aaron’s flip flops and pulled my t-shirt off over my head, trying to duck down below the top of the seat to avoid detection.

 Nice, keep going, said Lisa, extending her had indicating she wanted me to hand over my clothes as I took them off. I handed her my shirt and unbuttoned my shorts.

 Please Lisa, don’t make me do this, just delete the pictures and let’s forget any of this happened.

 No deal sweetie, hand over the shorts. I gulped and slid my shorts down and off and handed them over. The boxers too sweetie, full monty.

 My eyes got wide, you can’t be serious, I am not getting naked on the bus, I said with as much conviction as I could while trying to whisper at the same time.

 Yes, you are, said Lisa as she waived her phone in front of me showing me a picture of myself, tied to the security fence at the mall, completely naked, with a raging boner. I mustered all the courage I could, reached a hand in to cover my dick and worked my boxers down and off with the other hand.

 Such modesty, we’ve already seen what you’ve got sweetie, no point in hiding, said Lisa, motioning for my boxers. Now, she continued, before getting dressed again, since you like your plaything so much, let’s see how you manage. I did a double take, did she just say what I think she said, I thought to myself.

 You want me to jerk off, I whispered to Lisa, right here, right now, on the bus ?

 Yes, and you’d better hurry if you want to be able to get dressed again before we get to school. I was beyond mortified but my dick didn’t seem to care, it was rock hard and throbbing.

 Are you kidding me, I muttered to myself, it has to be the hormones, I can’t be turned on by this, I thought.

 Looks like little Matt is ready to go, so come on sweetie, or should I say cum on ? Lisa’s friends were giggling across the aisle as I slowly started jacking my rod.

 I can’t believe I’m doing this.

 Oh believe it sweetie, and we’re just getting started.

 It didn’t take long as I stifled my moaning as best I could while I jizzed all over the back of the seat in front of us.

 Wow, quite a load sweetie, especially after as many times as you said you’ve already cum in the last few hours.

 I was blushing so much I felt my cheeks burning, can I get dressed now, please, I begged.

 Sure sweetie, but first, take this, she said handing me a little blue pill.

 Is this what I think it is, I asked.

 If you think it’s one of my father’s erection pills, then yes, it is, now swallow it down. Now, take this, fasten it around your little friend there.

 A cock ring, you want me to wear a cock ring ?

 Very good sweetie, you know your sex toys. This one is Jason’s but I don’t think he’ll miss it, go on, get it on there. My dick still hadn’t gone down completely and working the cock ring down my shaft didn’t help matters any.

 There we go, now you can get dressed, said Lisa, handing me a pair of what I guessed were Jason’s gym shorts and a t-shirt. These, she said handing over the shorts, are Jason’s as I’m sure you’ve guessed. The t-shirt, though, is Wendy’s brothers, she said pointing over to one of the girls across the aisle. His name is Henry, he’s in sixth grade.

 I realized what she was telling me as I got the shirt on only to find that it was a few sizes too small. I could barely move and my entire mid-section was showing. I hadn’t put the shorts on yet as I was waiting for my boxers or at least some kind of underwear. What about my boxers, I finally asked.

 Nope, going commando today sweetie.

 I should have guessed. I realized I was going to have the opposite problem with the shorts that I had with the shirt. They were a couple sizes too big. I looked absolutely ridiculous, I can’t go about school like this, I said to Lisa, the first teacher that sees me will have me in the office and sent home.

 They won’t care sweetie, have you seen how some people dress at our school ? Just tell anyone that asks that you had a laundry incident at that this is all you had to wear.

 I didn’t have time to complain any further as the bus pulled into the school yard.

 Now let’s go sweetie, you’ve got quite the day ahead of you, said Lisa as we got off the bus.  This is going to be the worst day of my life, I said to myself, please god let me find Aaron and Brian, I am so going to need back up. Little did I know I was on my own as Aaron and Brian were having issues of their own.

[jakekiszkasmommy]

Warnings: graphic sexual content, fingering, unprotected sex, dirty talk, overstimulation, orgasm denial, squirting

18+ MINORS DNI, this indicates smut

Authors note: this is my first smut ever so please be kind, but mist importantly, enjoy!

.....................

STRANGE HORIZONS

"Jake, please...I want to-," he cuts you off by pulling his fingers out of your cunt and smirking. "Oh, were you gonna cum? Too bad," he says as he walks to the bathroom. "You were a bad girl today, and bad girls don't get to cum, do they?" You start to protest as you hear the shower turn on and a distant yell saying to get ready for the concert or else you'll be late.

You stomp over to the closet and start rummaging through drawers before a pair of rhinstoned fishnets catch your eye. You pick them up and immediately find the rest of your outfit. Nothing but a lace bodysuit and a leather skirt. You decide to skip on the panties hoping that Jake will give you what you want later.

After throwing on your outfit and smoothing out your skirt in the mirror, pleased with yourself, Jake saunters out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair. "THAT'S what you're wearing? Whatever, we don't have time for you to change," He says as he buttons the middle button of his shirt. Pleased with his reaction, you skip over and grab the keys off the counter before he could snag them. "I'm driving," you say and before he can argue you're already out the door.

---

The last song of the show, you're down in front of the stage in between Jake and Josh. You peek up and see Josh staring at you while he's licking his lips. Quickly shooting your eyes back over to Jake you see he's already noticed the encounter and is visibly angry. You hurry back to the dressing room hoping to avoid any and all of what just happened.

You hear him before you see him. His boots stomping down the hall as he swings the door open. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT SHIT," he yells as Josh follows behind him already starting to unzip the front of his jumpsuit.

"You can't let her leave the house like that and not expect me to stare," a smile playing on his lips as he chuckles and shakes his head. He looks up at you through his lashes from across the room and you blush pink.

Jake starts across the room, his hands in fists. You quickly run in front of him putting a hand on his chest, stopping him a few feet before reaching Josh. Josh sees his moment and instigates further, "Oh we wouldn't want those poor guitar fingers to get hurt now would we?" You whip aroukd to Josh dangerously close to you, his hot breath on your ear. At that moment you are hyper aware of how close Jake is, pressed against your back. Josh leans down and whispers, "Oh, mama, you knew exactly what you were doing when you put on that little outfit. You wanted me to look. You wanted him to get jealous didn't you?" You nod sheepishly.

You feel Jake relax a little bit behind you before grabbing your shoulders and spinning you back around to him. Josh whispers in your ear, you can practically feel the smile in his breath, "Now you're in trouble."

Jake has his jaw clenched and pushes his hair out of his face, "I thought you were being a brat earlier but now, now you're really testing me. I'm never going to let you cum ever again." You gasp and blush red, eyes going wide as you remember Josh is still behind you. "Oh don't worry about him, maybe if he wants to stare so much I'll let him watch me torment you. I want you to beg for his help." Your breath hitches as Josh has his hands on your hips now.

Josh slowly plants a trail of kisses from your shoulder up to your ear where he nips it with his teeth. Feeling your soaked core on your thighs, hating yourself for not putting on panties before leaving. You see where this is going now. You made your bed and have to lie in it. Unless...

You turn back to Josh and wrap your arms around his neck, gilding your fingers through his hair at the base of his neck. Gripping a little tighter when you lean in to his lips saying, "Oh Joshy, tell him I'll be a good girl. I want to cum so badly, he wouldn't let me earlier. Would you be able to help me out?" Kissing his jawline you see his eyes shoot up to his brothers behind you.

With that, Jake grabs a fustfull of hair and rips you backwards pulling you down on his lap on the couch. You're both facing Josh, standing there with his mouth hung open, clearly hard under his velvet jumpsuit that leaves very little to the imagination.

Jake uses his knees to spread your legs apart and reaches a hand around to yank your skirt above your hips. His other hand, still fisted in your hair, uses as leverage to pull your head back to him. "He's going to sit here and watch me deny you of what you want. I want to hear you beg him to let you cum. I bet you would just love his lips wrapped around that pretty pink clit of yours wouldnt you?"

His fingers trail the inside of your thighs and he stops, "You left the house without panties on? You HAVE been a bad girl." As he says it, you become more aware that you are completely on display for his twin. Nothing but a thin pair of fishnet tights covering your dignity, you try to close your thighs, but the way Jake's legs are positioned makes it impossible. "Now isn't the time to be shy now, love," a hint of Oliver peeks out as he says it and you want to melt.

You are desperate to please the ache growing between your legs, your hand immediately shoots down to your swollen clit, not caring who sees at this point. Josh stares from across the room, hunger growing in his eyes, you can see his breathing get heavier as he adjusts his hard length in the jumpsuit. Just as you start to cirle your clit, Jake swats your hand away. "Oh no, no, I get to be the one that pleases you remember?" A small moan escapes your lips as he smacks your throbbing pussy.

Without warning he starts cirlcling your clit fast and hard, you start to feel your climax building, and building, and building. Until its ripped away when Jake's laugh pulls you out of your trance. "Jakey, please, I need it," you whimper. You can feel how hard he is underneath you.

"I don't think you understood what I meant when I said I was never going to let you cum again." He releases your hair from his firm grip and moves both hands down to your center, grabbing the fishnets and pulling in opposite directions, ripping a hole right down the middle. One hand finds your clit again while the other dips inside your slick folds. Another moan. You grip the armrest of the couch as you can feel it building inside you again. This time is so much stronger, you are at the edge when he pulls his fingers out of you, dripping with your wetness. He slides them in your mouth, you taste so sweet, while still circling your clit with his other hand. You're so close. Almost...almost...and he pulls away entirely.

"If you want to cum so badly, you're going to have to beg HIM for that," Jake says. Your eyes shoot up to Josh who is looking at you with lustfull eyes. "All you have to do is ask, mama, and I'll give you anything you want," he says.

"Please, Josh, I can't take it anymore, I need to cum," you say reaching out for him. He is immediately drawn to you, getting down on his knees in front of you taking you in like a work of art. His eyes shoot up to his brother's for approval and you feel Jake nod behind you.

Josh wastes no time and sucks your swollen clit into his mouth. He feels phenomenal. Every swirl of his tongue brings you closer to the edge. Jake whispers in your ear, "Oh ya, love? Does he feel so good wrapped around your clit?" Josh slips two fingers in and curls them up to find your g-spot and it sends you lurching forward away from Jakes chest. He pulls you back towards him gently, "It's ok love, go ahead, you've been so good for him. You can cum now." Everything is a blur, the white hot coil in your core snaps and you can feel your release. Drenching all three of you. You moan both of their names while running your hands all over your body. Josh quickly sits to your right on the couch and pulls you into his lap, Jake taking his place between your legs. Jakes fingers immediately slip inside of you and take over the pace his brother had moments ago. The overstimulation is too much and you're thrown over the edge of your second orgasm before you've even finished your first. Just as you feel your dripping release pool around your legs on the leather couch, Josh reaches around and starts rubbing fast hard circles on your clit.

You are writhing at their touch. Your vision is going blurry and tears are streaming down your face. "I can't, I can't do anymore," you mumble through your haze. You hear Jake's belt buckle being undone below you and Josh's soft voice in your ear. "One more, mama, you can do it."

Jake fills you with his hard cock as Josh continues to circle your clit. Josh slides your head out of his lap and stands off to the side of the couch, pulling out his cock you open your mouth obediently. You want to be full of the both of them. "You're taking us both so well, love," Jake calls. Their thrusts alternating, you can feel your third orgasm building. Within seconds all three of you are cumming. Josh holds the back of your head, thrusting his cock as deep into your throat as it will go, shooting webs of his sweet cum down your throat. Jake lets out a growl as he fills you to the brim with his cum. And you are pushed over the cliff and cumming as hard as you ever have before. Barely able to release anymore.

"Oh I think we drained this sweet little cunt of yours didn't we," Jake asks. You lay back out of breath and  exhausted. Josh brushes the hair out of your face saying, "You did so good, mama, lets get you cleaned up why don't we?"

Jake pulls you into his lap drawing small circles on your shoulders as you drift asleep.

@joshkiszkaenthusiast

[ineffablefate]

Getting it all out...

I've been feeling strange and I just want to write it down so that it might stop bouncing around in my skull so much. I've been checked out and numb while also feeling anxious, helpless, and grieving deeply for the world.

I am overwhelmed with too much information, distrustful of almost all of it, intensely annoyed at the constant barrage of opinions, disagreements, demands, and incessant reactivity of my fellow humans. I feel disenchanted and disillusioned with myself, wondering if my former mystical experiences that fueled so much of my spiritual convictions were not simply weed-induced delusions of grandeur.

Intrusive thoughts goading me to commit senseless and spontaneous acts of violence have been at an all-time high, and my meditations and prayers seem to bear no fruit. My inspiration remains blocked, my desire to connect with others feels stunted, my hope for the future is bleak, and a sense of our collective impending doom lurks firmly on the horizon. It seems everyone else also senses this, but so few have the courage to stop what they're doing and truly band together to face it, to make any organized effort to stop it without devolving into useless and unhelpful arguments with each other.

My voice feels small and inconsequential in a sea of chaos, my wisdom is tired and worn out, and the old trick of letting go seems like a Sisyphus circuit that inevitably leads to hopelessly pushing the boulder back up the hill from the bottom again, for lack of anything else to do.

This is the darkest of it. There are glimmers of light and laughter and joy and romance and discovery with my partner. Moments of peace and short-lived reminders of growth, remembering this is as much a ridiculous comedy as it is a grave tragedy.

And on the surface, in the present, in my personal life, almost everything is great. I have an amazing woman who loves me dearly, wonderful friends and family who adore and support me, decent health, many gifts, the privilege to take a two month vacation through Europe.

And yet my own country seems to be barreling toward a second Civil War shamelessly instigated by its own political system while funding inhumane conflicts as well as providing aid to alleviate the damage done by them. The planet at large seems to be on the brink of a nuclear World War. Profits of large corporations are at an all time high and yet small businesses and lower class families are struggling to survive. A sane, humble, or wise leader is nowhere to be found, and instead we are force fed ego-driven, politic-pandering, mentally unwell old men who spew intentionally divisive rhetoric at every opportunity.

The National Guard is being called out to quell the overwhelming crime of some cities, dispatched in national paranoia to guard our southern border, and almost everywhere I look I see nothing but arrogant, fearful, self-righteous hypocrites demanding peace and respect in disrespectful tones of conflict, anger, and pride.

I know. I know. "It's darkest before the dawn." "This too shall pass." "It gets worse before it gets better." Too often I fear we are already in hell, and the devastation of it is such a slow burn that the build up itself, the long drawn-out stupidity, the stubborn refusal to shift course, the constant dangling carrot of hope and redemption is a clever part of its torture.

I only pray this fear is false. It may very well be that all these terrible things must come to pass, as a way of evolving the minds and hearts of humanity through intense suffering. I do intend to keep singing and dancing and laughing and loving and forgiving and letting go as I push my boulder up this hill. But God how I ache for us to drop all this nonsense and enjoy heaven on earth together. How deeply I wish we could just skip all the oncoming tragedy and senseless slaughter and havoc and pain. Haven't we all already suffered enough?

Whatever may come, I love you all. Despite all of this, I am somehow, someway, still doing well. And I'll push through. We all will.

May Love bless you.

Peace.