#so i listen to part 2 then next thing i know

[k00sblogger]

Summary: When you score a job as a maid after being fired, you're surprised to find out exactly what your new job consists of.

Warning: Unprotected sex, dirty talk, oral sex, overstimulation, pwp.

Pairing: boss!jimin x fem!reader

A/n: no part 2, sorry pookies

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"Y/n.." janae whispers, softly rubbing your back in an attempt to console you as you sob into your hands.

Today sucked, no better way to put it. You'd been working as a bartender for a long time now, the perfect job to make some cash while you complete culinary school.

Amongst the students in your class you were the only one not working as a server in some upscale restaurant, but you liked it despite what your peers said. The busy atmosphere, having to be quick with the drinks, it was all enjoyable to you.

All good things come to a end clearly. You'd never had the greatest relationship with your manager, but you wouldn't have expected him to fire you for showing up late once.

For fucks sake you were the perfect employee and the moment you slip up he fires you, it just didn't feel right. Nonetheless, you were too upset and wore down to look into deeper into it.

At least not tonight.

"Why don't you come work with me?" janae's soft voice rips you out of your troubled thoughts. The proposition can't help but make you laugh.

"As a maid? No thanks." you didn't mean to be rude, and in no way were you hating on what she did for work. You just didn't think the job was for you- you barely liked cleaning your own apartment so why the hell would you clean someone else's?

"Do you want a job or not?" she says, blunter than ever. The realization makes you groan and sit up in your bed. You didn't have forever to look for a job, so maybe her offer is what you need.

"Fine." you utter, making a mental note to go on a intense job hunt so you can quit this maid shit as soon as possible.

Janae smiles and begins grabbing her belongings, slipping her jacket over her arms and slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Well, i gotta get goin but i'll make a few calls and let you know about it."

You nod, giving her a soft smile to let her know your thankful that she's willing to go out of her way to do this for you.

She sees herself out after that- and you flop back down on your bed, getting comfortable under the satin sheets. You close your eyes feeling anxious, not really knowing what you've gotten yourself into.

You didn't have time to worry though, you needed a job and thankfully- you might just have one already.

______________________________________________________

THE NEXT DAY:

"So good news!" janae announces, swinging your door open and prancing in. You crawl out of bed with a scowl, rubbing at your tired eyes.

"Remind me why i gave you a house key again." you mutter, and she laughs at the comment as she flings some papers onto your nightstand. "So look, my boss referred me to a friend of his.." she says, getting straight to the point.

The announcement makes you raise your eyebrows, setting your hands on your hips as you listen to her. "They live near each other and he says the guys been looking for a maid."

You sigh, you weren't fond of the whole maid idea anyway but now the only option is working for a guy neither of you know?

"So now i'll be alone, perfect." you respond rather sarcastically.

Janae takes a seat on the bed, tapping the papers she threw down. "Look i know it's not what you wanted but why not give it a try? Taehyung wouldn't recommend one of my friends to just anybody."

She sounds so assuring you suppose that you might as well give it a shot. "What's that?" you ask, glancing at the papers under her hand.

"Oh! A copy of his contract." she says, eagerly handing it over to you. You take it from her hands, scanning over it without actually reading. "He wants an interview with you asap, he's looking to hire someone on the spot."

Holy shit, that was.. perfect.

"Don't forget it to read that beforehand- i gotta go!" she says, standing to her feet and rushing out of the house without another word.

You don't bat in eye at it, assuming she's running late for work as always. Punctuality was definitely not her strong point, but clearly it's not too big of a deal for her boss.

You set the papers down again, beginning to get ready with a huge smile on your face.

Maybe things weren't so bad.

....two days later

*knock knock knock* You stand at the tall door of the mystery man's mansion, hair combed to perfection and clothes ironed to perfection.

You had janae send you his contact and you'd messaged him about a interview time but that was about it- so you didn't really know who exactly you were meeting.

You look up with hopeful eyes as the door opens, and your shocked to see someone who looks to be.. your age? You weren't sure why you expected it to be some old prick.. guess you judged a bit too quick.

"Hi- I'm y/n." you say with confidence, extending your pretty hand for a handshake. He takes it with a smile, giving a firm shake before he steps to the side to allow you into his home.

"Names Mr. Park- but you could call me jimin." he says, and you nod- glad that you can finally see who you'll be working for.

"I perfer mr. park" you say with a smile, it just seems more professional. He nods and walks you over to his offices, pulling out your chair so you can take a seat.

"So, i heard you lost your job?" holy fuck, you were gonna kill janae. She didn't have to tell her boss the extent of everything.

"Yeah..uh- yeah.." your voice trails off and the silence is intense and awkward to say the least, terrible way for him to start the damn interview.

"No worries." he says, chuckling as he takes a seat in the chair across from mine. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want." his voice is soft and warm, easing the tension in an instant.

You thank him, and from then on the conversation just flows. He asks you about your interests, availability, your specialties, and after he's finished you feel that it went pretty well.

"So have you went over the contract?" ...of course you didn't. You were at fault for this, janae had given it to you two days ago and you suppose you just forgot about it.

Obviously, there's no way you were telling him that after the interview had gone perfectly fine. You were almost sure that you'd got the job.

"Of course- i just.. i left my copy at home." Lie. You hadn't read any bit of that contract, it was just so long- you didn't feel like it.

"It's all good, i have a copy you can sign." he digs through a drawer behind his desk, searching for a moment before placing the paper in front of you along with a pen.

"Thank you, sir." you mutter, signing the paper immediately. You still couldn't be bothered to look at it- especially not after you told him you read it all.

"Alright." he says, a smile on his face as he takes the paper from your hands and places it into a file folder. "The jobs all yours, glad to have you."

He extends his hand this time, and you shake it with pleasure. "Great, ehm- when's my first day?"

"Tomorrow, 8AM sharp." well you damn sure weren't expecting so soon, but you weren't doing much else so it was no problem.

"Perfect, see you then." he sees you out to your car, assuring you get into the car and drive off safe before he walks back into his house.

Nothing like your old boss you think, but you like it.

______________________________________________________

THE FOLLOWING DAY:

You groan as you finally lift from the floor, throwing the wet towel to the side as you take a short break. You'd arrived at eight am just as he asked, and it was 12 now.

You wondered how he expected you to clean this whole place on your own, after all it was no where near small. You'd been here for hours already and hadn't even finished the bottom floor.

If he wanted this done in a timely manner he definitely was gonna have to get some more help around here.

Luckily, he wouldn't be home today. You could clean on your first day in complete and utter silen-

The door creaks open before you can even finish your thought, and there he is in all his glory. You mean that literallt by the way, he's adorned in different types of jewelry and a nice suit that was probably from a luxury brand you'd never even heard of.

"Y/n." he says, greeting you quietly as he sets down the bag in his hand near the front door. So much for cleaning up the clutter there.

"Hi-" is all you say, giving him a soft smile as you continue wiping down the counters. You couldn't let his presence here distract you, this was already taking you a long time being alone.

"Everything going okay?" he asks, waltzing into the kitchen like he owns the place. (He does)

"Yeah, i haven't gotten to the upstairs yet but i will soon-" you say, biting the inside of you cheek anxiously. Hopefully he didn't think you were moving too slow, this was hard work for one person.

"It's all good." he mutters, grabbing a coffee cup out of the cupboard next to you. You divert your attention back to cleaning, this time focusing on the stove

The crumbs left in the little crevices make you roll your eyes. No wonder this guy needed a maid, he clearly couldn't clean to save his damn life.

You walk around him to open the cabinet under the sink, bending down carefully aware of the skirt you put on. It wasn't the best thing to wear to clean but you were in a rush this morning.

"You're not in dress code." you hear his deep voice behind you, and stand up to turn and face him. His eyebrows are raised and both of his hands are resting on the freshly cleaned countertop.

"Dress code?" you question with an awkward laugh, but your smile disappears when you see he's not finding anything funny. In fact, he's staring at you blankly, without a word.

"Um, we didn't speak about a dress code." you say, and you know you're right. You remember the conversation very well, and he never mentioned anything about what you should wear.

You just assumed you could wear what you pleased.

"It was on the contract." he says, crossing his arms as he stares at you. You curse yourself for lying, why didn't you just tell him you didn't read his contract??

Whatever whatever, this is your time to come clean.

"Oh yes- i..i just forgot!"

he doesn't reply.

"I'm sorry."

he still doesn't say anything.

"Do you want me to go?"

he's making you feel stupid.

"Mr.park?"

He finally lets out a sigh and moves closer to you, scanning over your outfit. "Bend over."

You weren't sure you heard him right. "What?" you say, not sure of what he's asking if you. And so he repeats himself- "Bend over, y/n."

You turn around and try to look over your shoulder, convinced there's something on your back maybe. "Is there something there?" you ask, innocent as ever.

"No, i wanna fuck you." he says it casually, as if he was asking you to get him a cup of coffe. Your eyes widen, practically buldging out of your head in shock. How fucking inappropriate could he be?

"Are you insane?" you rebuttal, looking at him as if he was crazy. Shit he was in your opinion, it's your first day and he's already coming onto you like some man whore.

He begins to laugh at you, making your face scrunch up into an annoyed glare. What the fuck was so funny? Who the hell laughs after being rejected?

"You didn't read my contract." he announces, and now you're confused. You didn't read it, obviously- but how would he know that?

"I did it just-" he raises his hand, cutting you off without having to speak. "You didn't, because if you did you wouldn't be so fucking shocked right now."

He walks away from you afterward, and you stand in the kitchen dumbfounded as you watch him go into his office and come back out in a matter of minutes.

He returns with a file folder in hand, the same folder he stuffed the contract you signed into. The same contract that you payed no attention to and sure as hell didn't read.

He flings it onto the counter, the same way you did when janae first handed it to you. You desperately wished you would've just read it as soon as she handed it to you.

"Read it." he demands, it wasn't a question. You oblige him, moving closer and beginning to read the very first page. It's not long before you come across the dress code.

•must wear the uniform provided

•must look presentable daily

"The uniform was left on the couch." he mentions, and you nod in embarrassment.

He gestures for you to continue reading, and you do so. Nothing seems to weird, that is until you reach the end of the rules and requirements portion.

•must be willing to engage in sexual activities with exmployer at any time they're on the clock.

"The fuck is this?" you say, immediately looking at him in concern. "This isn't what i signed up for." you protest.

"It is, though." he says, in a much calmer tone then yours. This was nothing to him, he's probably had loads of girls in the past do this for him. Whatever this even was.

"So you just wanna have sex with me." you say, throwing the papers back down to the counter as you pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration.

"No, you're still here to clean." he says, grabbing the papers and placing it back into the folder. "But- i want to have sex with you as well."

His straight forwardness makes you squirm, something about being so open about the matter was weird for you. "I can't do this." you mutter, this wasn't what you needed.

"You tricked me."

You wanted a real job, not this.

"Look, im not gonna force you to do this." he announces, picking the folder up and shaking it in front of your face. "If you want, i'll rip this contract up and you can leave now."

You stay silent, listening to him speak as you think about your options here.

"But, i also know you need the money. I won't make you stay here, but if you do it'll be by my rules." he's stern with his words, and you know he means it.

"There's no point of you being here if you don't meet my requirements, y/n."

You understand him very well, but you don't know what to do. You didn't know if you wanted to stay, or if you wanted to go home and continue looking for a job with no hope.

Which was right? You didn't know.

He grunts as he adjusts his suit, fixing the tie around his neck. "Do you want to be here, or not?"

You think for a while, not wanting to answer too quickly. You need to be sure about this, and you keep telling yourself if this isn't what you want, then you need to go home.

But somehow, you still find yourself muttering a quiet. "I want to be here."

"Are you sure?" he asks you, and this is your chance to say you're not- but you don't. "I'm sure."

You were sure.

He nods and licks his lips. "Keep cleaning."

You take a deep breath & do as your told, grabbing the windex and spraying the huge mirror. He's making you anxious with the way he's watching you, and you wished he'd leave again.

You're tearing off a paper towel when he moves closer behind you, now close enough that his back is touching yours.

"Sir-" he shushes you, rubbing up and down the part of your thighs that he can see. "You agreed didn't you? I wanna start right away." he mutters it into your ear, and it makes your heart pound.

This was a bit early wasn't it? Can't he just give it a couple days first? You're new here for fucks sake.

"While i'm cleaning?" you ask, and it almost comes out as a whimper. It was shameful how it only took him rubbing your leg to get you all squeamish around him.

"Just pretend i'm not here.." he whispers, slipping his fingers under the hem of your dress to pull it down. He lets them fall to your ankles, and you struggle to keep wiping the mirror as he takes in the sight of your underwear.

You chose a matching set today, not on purpose- you just wanted to feel nice. The choice payed off nevertheless.

"I can't.." you whimper out, titling your head down and away from the mirror. "You can" he contrasts, sticking his hand into the purple thong you were wearing.

"Tell me how your days been." he mumbles it ever so casually, acting as if your clit isn't at the mercy of his fingertips at this very moment.

He was toying with you, flicking the bundle of nerves ever so slightly and placing little kisses on your neck.

"I-It's been good." you force yourself to whimper out a response, your body liking this treatment though your mind is telling you that you should've already grabbed your belongings and left as soon as you found out what this job consisted of.

"More, what'd you do?" he asks, and you can hear the jingling of his belt as he fumbled to get it off.

He moves hastily, soon rubbing his bare cock against your folds. "I..I prepared your dinner, it's in the fridge." you respond, hand refusing to move to continue wiping the glass.

"That's good, what'd you make me?" a gasp falls from your lips as he forces his way into your tight hole. He takes a sharp inhale too, the feeling of you wrapped around him a bit more than he himself could handle.

"Please.." jesus you don't even know what your begging for, all you can think about right now is the way he feels inside of you.

"Please what?" he counters, gripping your shoulder as tight as he could to fuck you back onto his dick. "Got me so hard, knew exactly what i wanted to do to you when you showed up in my office."

Something about that made you smile. Talking during sex wasn't something you were particularly used to but you damn sure liked it.

His dick slides in and out of you with ease, slipping out every so often due to how wet he's got you. It's not long before he's fucking into you without much care in the world.

He knew you were enjoying it though, feeling how you clamped down on him even tighter the rougher he got with you.

His hand pulls at your hair, wrapping it around his hand and tugging it as if it was some leash. "Such a pretty pussy, all mine now-"

You try your best to hear him over your little whimpers and moans, only growing louder when he moves his hand under you to play with your clit again.

His fingers are wet, and your almost sure he spit on them before playing with you. "Sir-" you rasp out, growing warm with the way his chest was pressed to your back.

"Hm?" is he all he manages to get out, too concentrated on your lower half. His eyes never left your ass, obsessed with the way it jiggled each time he thrusted into you.

He slaps it once just for his own pleaure.

And then a few more times when he hears you moan at the first.

"G-Gonna cum!" you're sweating now, still trying your best to fuck yourself against him to finally get yourself to the orgasm you've been waiting for.

He lets you do the work for just a moment, watching your pretty body work itself on him. "Just like that- cum for me.." his voice trails off on its own, and he bites his lip hard in a attempt to not let out a groan.

When you feel his hand reach around to press down on your lower stomach, you explode. You're left squirming under him all over again, squeezing his cock tight enough to make him pull out before he can cum inside of you.

He gets himself off after that. Staring at your used cunt as he jerks himself off to release. The spurts of his cum land all over your lower back, and you don't stand up properly until he's all finished.

"Wait, shit- bend over again." he says, and you comply without question.

He onto his knees behind you, bringing his hands up to take a nice handful of your ass cheeks. He licks his lips before he licks off anything left behind.

Clean up what you mess up right?

He lets out a loud grunt, repeatedly licking over your clit even when there's nothing left.

"Stop- fuck! stop!" you cry out, not ready for him to give you another, at least not yet. You reach your hand behind you in a attempt to push him away but you fail miserably, getting nothing but a harsh smack to your ass.

He only stops when you begin to thrash, and pulls away before you get too overstimulated.

"Turn around." he mutters, pulling up his pants as you breathlessly turns to face him. As soon as you get the slightest glimpse of his face, he brings his lips straight to yours.

His lips are softer than you expected, and the way he kisses is much different than the way he fucks. You lick your lips when he pulls away, giving him a shy smile like he wasn't inside of you less than five minutes ago.

"Thanks?" you mutter, not sure what to say. What do you say after getting fucked by a guy you'd only just met? Its strictly business you suppose, but still.

"No need for thanks." he says, kissing your cheek like a boyfriend would his girlfriend.

"I'll have a check for you by tomorrow yeah? Finish up just the downstairs and you're good to go for today."

Was that it? He just fucks you and sees himself out just like that? You weren't sure what you expected, but it damn sure wasn't that.

...

That same night your on the phone with janae, twiddling your fingers as she rants about her day- but you're too busy thinking about your own.

Should you tell her?

"Ah fuck stop touching that!- sorry y'know how my nephew is." she laughs. "How was your first day at work by the way?"

Holy fuck, the long awaited question. "It was good.. really good." you say, deciding then and there you should probably keep the details to yourself.

"I figured so, i had a late shift and my boss told me mr.park seemed to be in a good mood today." you smile to yourself at the comment, and find yourself wondering if it was because of you.

"Oh really?" you ask, trying to make yourself sound surprised.

"Mhm- and speaking of that.. i have good news!" her voice suddenly amps up and you raise your eyebrows though she can't see you. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Well, y'know how i mentioned my boss was moving away?"

you nod.

"So, he did me a couple favors and he said mr. park would be happy to have me! We'd be doing the same job!"

your smile drops instantly, what the fuck.

"Twins!! Aren't you happy?" she asks you, excited as ever.

"I've gotta go janae."

(requested by @parkjiminspersonalhoe )

[hopelesslydevoted2paige]

something angsty for paige where maybe yall are talking and then you see the live of her kissing azzi at the bar?? (make it gut wrenching pls)

CASUAL || PAIGE BUECKERS

summary — paige makes drunken mistakes and you figure out where you both stand

pairings: paige bueckers x fem cheerleader!reader

word count: 418

warnings: cursing, angst

authors note: hii thanks for this request! i dont really know the full context of that live moment so i didnt really wanna write it without that much knowledge but heres something similar! i kinda wanna make a part 2 just lmk if u guys want me too 🫶 ill stop talking now rah hope u enjoy!

It was around 2 am, everyone in the room feeling buzzed and tipsy.

After another victory from the women’s basketball team, they had decided to invite the UConn dance team to go out and celebrate with them for the night.

“Yo, guys! We should play a game.” KK sat up and leaned forward.

“What game?” You spoke up, making eye contact with Paige.

For the past few weeks, you guys have been getting to know each other and spending time with each other. Paige was so sweet to you. She got you gifts, took you out on dates and even introduced you to her family. You were starting to question things since none of you made it official.

“Truth or dare. But!-” KK stood up and poured a shot. “If you don’t wanna answer or do the dare, you gotta take a shot.”

Everyone started to sit up, listening intently.

“Alright, let’s start with you Paige!” KK rubbed her hands together. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in the room.”

She scoffs. “Easy.”

Your grin widened as you realized she was walking to your direction, quickly dropping once she leaned in to kiss your teammate next to you.

“Ooh!” Everyone around you raised their eyebrows and laughed.

You felt like your heart dropped to your stomach. Did all of the gifts, kisses and the time you spent with each other mean nothing to her?

You cleared your throat. “I think im gonna head out. You guys have fun though.” You put on the best smile you could before grabbing your things and walking out.

“Get home safe!” Nika smiled warmly at you before glaring at Paige. “You’re a fucking asshole.”

Paige rolled her eyes. “What’d I do now?!”

Nika snatched the can from her hand. “You’re wasted. You’ve had too many shots and now you’re making stupid decisions.”

“Stop being such a killjoy Nika!”

“She’s done nothing but be there for you for the past 4 weeks!” She fumed. “You aren’t even going after her! Is she just nothing to you?!”

Paige stood up, rolling her eyes for what seemed like the tenth time tonight. “Whatever.”

She ran after you. “Y/N!”

You walked towards the taxi faster, wiping your tear-stained cheeks.

Paige jogged over to you, grabbing your arm. “Hey!”

You turned around, removing your arm from her hand. “What?”

“I’m sorry okay?” She slurred.

“Paige, I just don’t get it.” You sniffled. “You can’t treat me like im your girlfriend then go off kissing other girls!”

“Come on Y/N!” She groaned. “I thought we were just having fun! Playing around and being casual.”

You felt your chest tightening as she said those words. “Nice to know where we stand.”

“Wait Y/N-“

“Get home safe Paige. You’re wasted.”

[rainbow-crane]

In-Depth Analysis On All The DR Characters Because What, Are You Gonna Try And Stop Me? Who Are You, My Mom? Yeah, I Didn't Think So- Part 2: Mondo Owada

So yeah, I decided to do Mondo's next. After all the material I ended up inadvertently collecting for him in my Taka analysis, it just made more sense to go ahead and get him out of the way, even if I'd rather go for my personal favorite characters first.

As noted previously, this analysis will only be using canon material. It'll primarily focus on the game and its english translation since that's what I'm most familiar with, but may also pull from the original Japanese, as well as the animation, stageplay, etc. If you aren't interested, just keep scrolling. Mondo fans, prepare some popcorn, and perhaps a tissue box since if you're anything like the Taka fans you may end up crying. You're welcome.

Part 1- Character Design

Mondo Owada is a delinquent character whose design pays homage to manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, and is modeled after its protagonist, Josuke Hikashigata. Mondo sports a massive pompadour and a modified uniform that mimics Josuke's, and is the leader of a biker gang called the Crazy Diamonds, a direct reference to Josuke's Stand, Crazy Diamond.

Due to leading this biker gang, he was given the title of SHSL Gang Leader, or Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.

Part 2- Character Introduction

Most of Mondo's character introduction isn't actually from himself, but from the researching Makoto did prior to entering the school in-game. We know immediately that he's leader of the largest biker gang in Japan, and get a look into his public image via Makoto. Despite the fact that Mondo is being fairly chill with his greeting, Makoto remains terrified of him based off of reputation alone- "I'd better be careful around him. One wrong word and I could wake up at the bottom of the sea..."

However, we can quickly see that this reputation is built mainly on bravado, as when Monokuma first calls for the entrance ceremony, we can see Mondo begin to sweat, despite his claiming otherwise- "Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's just get this over with!"

He continues to sweat throughout Monokuma's explanation of the communal life, attempting to cover it up by yelling at the bear to let them out. We get a brief look at his more protective nature, as he purposefully puts himself between Hiro and Monokuma in order to confront him. We also quickly learn just how easily provoked he is.

Despite this provocation, he's not completely swept up in his rage, as he's able to listen to Kyoko's warning of the bomb and follows her advice- to throw it away- without hesitation. So our first real impression of him is that he's a short-tempered and intimidating- but well-intentioned- protector of sorts. He's not completely brainless; he's considerate of his classmates and their safety even when putting himself at risk.

Part 3- Early Game Development

Mondo is an interesting case, as he's a character that almost immediately looks directly into the camera and tells the player directly what their main motivation is. The only other character in this series that's as transparent about their goals so early in is Sayaka, and even then the game makes you ask for that information.

He tells us, in no uncertain terms, that keeping promises is the #1 most important thing to him. He also tells us indirectly how highly he values his family and personal connections, holding his brother's word as law. These combined with his talent being that of a gang leader all suggest a pack leader mentality, which is immediately confirmed by his anger at Byakuya for trying to separate from the group- "Like hell I'm gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!"

Not only is this loss of control upsetting to him, but he's then immediately provoked and called insignificant by Byakuya, leading him to lash out at the closest person in an attempt to regain that hold of power- which just so happens to be Makoto. Not only is this response irrational and violent, but it knocks out Makoto for 10-11 hours. Mondo is a leader, yes, but he's a gang leader, and his bite does match his bark.

Mondo's aggressive and fairly single-minded nature is made apparent when he continuously tries to break down the hatch in the main hall. Not only does he attempt to bust it open with Sakura on the first day, but he then returns to the hatch with Leon the following day, despite the fact he already admitted there was probably no way to open it from inside, and continues to check into the following chapter. He sees one possible way out, and zeroes in on it, just in case.

The game continues to double down on the irrational, defensive aspects of his character when Monokuma appears again to present the first motive. He again confronts Monokuma directly- pretending as if he knows who's piloting the bear for a fact("We know who you are!")- and attempting to intimidate him into letting them go. Once again, this demonstrates both his desire to protect himself and his classmates, and his unwavering confidence in the intelligence of said classmates, as Chihiro was the one to suggest the mastermind being Genocide Jack based only off her gut feeling. He then proceeds to immediately turn around and make Makoto be the one to go find the motive instead of going himself, getting extremely angry when Makoto doesn't instantly do as he's told- "Hey... Hey hey hey hey hey... HEEEEEY!!! You see how passionately I'm begging you!? What's the big deal? Just check it out real quick!"

He then calms down the second Makoto agrees.

It creates a sort of duality with his character between his more protective nature and his need to exert control, something the game makes a point to call out.

Part 4- Relationships

Mondo develops a fair number of relationships across his time in the game, to varying levels of importance- some antagonistic, some exceedingly complex. We'll go from least to most important to the overarching story.

4.1- Celeste

Celeste and Mondo are written in directly opposing ways, as while they're both fairly short-tempered, Celeste is much better at hiding it. It's by this logic that throughout the early game, oftentimes when Mondo starts to get riled up by the rules of the school and/or their circumstances, it's Celeste who ends up deescalating before he can explode, maintaining a facade of calm where he can't.

4.2- Sakuraoi

While not very touched upon, Mondo does end up developing a mutual respect for Sakura and Hina. When the class splits up to investigate the school on the first day, he joins the two of them in trying to find a way to get back to the outside, and he and Sakura work together to try and bust open the hatch in the main hall.

Hina's the one that stops Mondo from attacking Byakuya in the library, and when Chihiro begins to cry over Mondo saying that 'women are naturally weak anyway', it's Hina who calls him out for 'screaming like a lunatic.'

His relationship with Taka is also directly contrasted to Sakura's with Hina by Sakura herself- "Friendship between men seems very simplistic. Nothing like what I'm used to with girls." "Yeah, for real..." It's an interesting comparison, considering both Sakura and Mondo end up dying and leaving the responsibility of failure on Hina and Taka.

4.3- Byakuya

Byakuya antagonizes Mondo more than once, first as they're splitting up to search the school, and again after the library opens. Both times he seems to take enjoyment from it, calling him unimportant more than once and refusing to even entertain the idea that he might die.

"So miniscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean."

"You know, I still just can't believe it..." "Believe what?" "That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long."

"You all need to try harder. If an opponent isn't going to give it their best, where's the fun for me?"

It's enough of a threat for Mondo to genuinely believe that he's dangerous and want to keep him bound so he can't attack (foreshadowing when Byakuya himself would go one to tie Chihiro up? Probably not but it's a neat connection)

He also goes on to fuck with Chihiro, both by mocking her fear and by purposefully tampering with (what he believed to be) the crime scene of her death. On both counts, this directly affects Mondo, calling him out for his bullying("Hey, shithead! You get off on bullying people that can't fight back?") and letting Byakuya pin the crime of killing Chihiro on himself in the trial.

However, despite all this, Mondo never gets the chance to give Byakuya his comeuppance for his words and actions.

4.4- Ishimondo (yeah these bitches gay)

Similarly to Byakuya, Taka starts in a more antagonistic position, directly opposing Mondo as the unofficial, self-designated 'leader' of the class and remaining insensitive to the feelings of his classmates.

Unlike Byakuya, there's no actual intent to harm here, and their banter remains more focused on their differing ideas on how to help their classmates than anything else. Still, as time continues to pass, Mondo's impatience combined with the recent losses from ch 1 starts to push him over the edge, getting angrier with the class's lack of urgency.

This impatience only leads him to butt heads with Taka more, who's trying to keep the class together and safe first and foremost. On top of that, Mondo's delinquency is directly opposed to Taka's disciplinary background, making it all too easy to see each other as foes. Despite the fact they consider themselves the better type of man to the other, they have similar views on how men are to face each other, leading to the sauna scene.

Both characters' strong-willed determination and stubbornness inadvertently puts them on the same path, attempting to use their physical abilities to prove himself a more worthy leader than the other. It's a simplistic way of deciding, but it's one they both wholeheartedly believe in, and this gives them the opportunity to connect with each other in a way they're unable to with anyone else in the class. Thus, the following morning, when asked about the contest, the two have formed an inseparable brotherhood and refuse to even acknowledge the contest, as having a winner would put them on different levels. Interestingly, Mondo shares the belief with Taka that men bond by being naked around each other("Guys gotta expose themselves to each other, ya know?"), suggesting that he removed his clothes in order for this 'brotherhood' to form.

4.5- Daiya

The first thing we learn about Mondo's older brother in-game is that he was the one who taught Mondo to always keep his promises, no matter the cost. The second thing we learn is that he fucking died. And until nearly the end of Mondo's run in the game, that's all we as an audience need to know. He had an older brother that taught him his core values and passed away, leaving Mondo to carry out his wishes. It's not until after the chapter 2 trial is said and done that we learn anything more about him through Mondo's secret: "That embarrassing memory, that secret he didn't want anyone to know... You know what he did? He killed his own brother!"

It's through Monokuma that we learn the truth of Mondo's history with his brother: Daiya was his only family growing up, and thus, became his role model, the man Mondo himself wanted to become. He respected Daiya and Daiya alone. He followed him everywhere, and together, they formed the Crazy Diamonds, which went from a local biker gang to one of the greatest in Japan. It was through his brother that he developed his biking talent, and acted as his right hand. But some of the gang didn't believe in Mondo or trust him the way Daiya did. As Daiya grew older and prepared to retire, rumors of nepotism circulated throughout the gang, saying that Mondo was nothing compared to Daiya, that he wasn't worthy to take over the gang.

"Daiya created the gang with his bare hands! Mondo's just along for the ride." "Can someone like that be our leader?" "All that'll do is make the gang look bad."

Any accomplishments Mondo had made within the gang didn't count to the gang, or to Mondo himself, because they were put next to the leader's achievements. He compared himself to Daiya as well, feeding into the rumors and developing a deep-rooted jealousy. He felt like he had to be the stronger man, had to prove himself to the gang, had to best his brother or he wouldn't be accepted. So he challenged him. He challenged Daiya, and lost all restraint on the road, charging forward with the desperation of a dead man. And it cost him his brother's life.

His brother made him promise not to let the gang go as he passed; Mondo became shackled by his honor to stay. He fully believes it was his fault Daiya died, and now not only is he indebted to stay with the gang, but can never admit blame for fear of tarnishing not only his own reputation, but tearing his brother's gang apart. His community demands unwavering macho leadership, and he can't afford to break character for even a second.

4.6- Chihiro (will be using mostly he/him due to discussing canon)

Mondo and Chihiro exist on 2 sides of the same coin- toxic masculinity. Both characters (canonically speaking here) are men, but are perceived totally differently, both by those around them and by themselves. And because of this design, when put into the high-stress scenario that they were, they were doomed to drive each other to ruin.

Even before chapter 2 starts, there are multiple instances of Mondo listening to Chihiro and respecting his words without doubt(his theory of Genocide Jack and asking his opinion on '11037'). We've also seen Mondo's confrontational and protective nature in action. So it's no surprise at all when he stands up to Byakuya on Chihiro's behalf when he clams up. And while this is done with good intentions, it only serves to make Chihiro feel weaker. Mondo is physically stronger- anyone can see that- and he's not afraid to mouth off to someone showing excitement at the killing game they were all forced into. So when asked if he's okay the following morning, he can't help but explain himself- he feels weak, and doesn't like having someone else stand up for him. For Mondo, this goes directly against his idea of strength, and can't comprehend why "she'd" possibly care.

With all of Mondo's toughness, he carries not just the expectations of a man, but the misogynist beliefs that often come with it. But regardless of that, he's immediately able to tell he fucked up("Hey, c'mon, don't cry... I-It's my fault, okay? I won't yell anymore...") as far as the narrative will allow him due to writer's bias*. He feels bad about this, genuinely, enough to offer Chihiro his promise as a man. It's enough of a gesture for Chihiro to trust him completely, believing in the man's promise he's emphasized as being the most important thing to him since the very beginning.

(*Writer's bias in this case means the author is also sexist to a degree. Mondo is very clearly meant to be a tough guy with good intentions but because the creator appears to agree with the sentiment that women are weaker on average, we as an audience are meant to take issue with the fact that he's yelling and not the sexist statement. Said bias is made pretty clear by the fact their 'weak boy' character is dressed like a woman to emphasize his weakness and be a 'gotcha', as well as the fact they later have Kyoko force Makoto to tear paper out of Hifumi's rigor mortis hand because Makoto's a boy and she's a girl, even though earlier in that same game she, still a girl, was allowed to examine Chihiro's corpse in enough detail to find her dick. Writer's biases can and does affect the final product, so it's always important to consider that when looking at a character's development to determine whether they're being shitty because they're supposed to be or if it's some fault with the creator themself inputting their biases into something that otherwise wouldn't develop in this way. This has been Critical Consumption of Media 101.)

When Chihiro's found dead, Mondo keeps his head hung, lamenting about the fact that Chihiro wanted to be stronger, and when Makoto points out Chihiro was a woman anyway, Mondo just dismisses it, contradicting his earlier statement.

He respects Chihiro's memory and refuses to speak poorly of him. And while at first glance this is all it appears to be, as the trial unfolds and we learn the truth about what happened to Chihiro, a dual meaning behind this reveals itself- another showcasing of his devotion to the promises he keeps and the desire to protect his friend, even in death.

Chihiro is physically weak; a strong wind could probably knock him over, and he's much more in-tune with his emotions than your average guy. He mourns the losses of Sayaka, "Junko", and Leon all deeply, and has a deep shame for not being able to defend himself against Byakuya. But despite all this, when tested by Monokuma's secrets motive, he doesn't crumble away. He thrives, taking that threat and turning it into motivation to push his limits. He has the self-awareness to know when to ask for help, and isn't swayed by the threat of death. He's physically weak, but is incredibly strong mentally and is able to conquer his fears and face the lie he created for himself. Unfortunately for him, living with this toxic idea of what masculinity is supposed to look like makes him believe the way to do this can only be found in becoming physically stronger, and dies without ever seeing the strength he already had.

Mondo, on the inverse, is extremely physically capable, even without trying. He's 187 cm of muscle, and is confrontational to a fault, only giving him more opportunities to show off that physical strength. But on the inside, he can't face the sins of his past, can't admit his faults, and can't comprehend how to make peace with himself. All this is exacerbated by the weight he carries of leading the gang his brother formed, unable to release that weight from his conscience.

"N-No matter what... I couldn't let the other gang members find out. If that happened, everything would've been ruined... Everything me and my brother worked to create... woulda been destroyed... His death... all the guilt I'd been carrying around... it all woulda been for nothing."

And when Monokuma tests his resolve, he completely crumbles. Unable to admit the truth to himself, he's faced with Chihiro, someone who has the mental capability he could only dream of. That primal fear of breaking the promise he made for his brother on his deathbed, combined with Chihiro's unwavering confidence as he happily chimes how unbothered Mondo must be, blocks out all rationale. He spirals, forgetting where he is and who he's talking to, trying to make the panic go away as he throws the dumbbell in his hand.

Chihiro and Mondo each have everything the other wants, and drive each other to death trying to get it.

Part 5- Chihiro's Trial

For most of the trial, Mondo doesn't appear suspicious at all. So much time is spent on Byakuya's suspicious behavior and his framing of Genocide Jack that you barely notice him. He fully appears to be trying to find Chihiro's killer and find justice for her, following Makoto's line of reasoning to find Byakuya as the killer- with the body's suspension and the subtle differences between Jack's methods of killing and the murder of Chihiro herself. He's all too eager to declare Byakuya as the killer- and though we can't know for sure, he may have genuinely believed it. After all, walking into the girls' locker room to find her body suspended and the message of 'Bloodlust' written on the walls certainly wasn't his doing. Unfortunately for him, that's all Byakuya did, and the conversation continues.

In the end, Mondo brings about his own execution. Even after slipping up with his words, the conversation is able to continue on, sfifting focus over to Chihiro's missing E-Handbook and what exactly happened to it. And when Mondo becomes cornered with Makoto's mention of the sauna, it's not Mondo who goes on the defensive; it's Taka. Mondo gives up; he lets his tough-guy persona go. He finally faces the truth; he's undoubtedly the one that ended Chihiro's life, no matter how he may have wanted to delude himself otherwise. He sees his bro defending him, and he accepts that he has to die. It's not beyond reason to say that Taka's insistence of his innocence was what pushed him to truly admit his guilt, both to the class and to himself. Up until this point, he'd still been trying to play it off and get away with it. But was it worth it to live and kill his bro, and everyone else, just to protect his pride? No. He admits to being the killer, straight up.

"Yeah. Yeah... I did it... I killed him."

"Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with... Ask for the goddamned verdict..."

Part 6- The Cage of Death

The first person that comments with some variation of OH MY GOD YOU'RE SO EVIL HOW COULD YOU PUT THE EXECUTION IN THIS gets a cookie. Anyways, the executions in these games are always thematic to the characters and are meant to send them into the worst possible despair in their final moments, so let's break this down.

The execution begins with Mondo forcefully strapped to his motorcycle by Monokuma, who's sporting the same pompadour as him. This may be representative of Mondo feeling confined to the biker gang by his guilt; he was never able to break free of the lie he created about that night. The pompadour is likely just Monokuma making fun of him for his hair again, as the thing that nearly killed him in the prologue.

The kanji written on the motorcycle reads 'Little Black Sambo,' a reference to a children's story of the same title. The entire execution is an inverse of this story as well. In the story, a boy named Sambo is surrounded by four hungry tigers, and gives up his clothes to avoid being eaten. The tigers are all conceited and argue over who's the best-dressed, chasing each other in circles until they churn themselves into butter. Sambo is then able to recollect his clothes and the butter, and his mother uses the butter to make pancakes. This story is well-known and beloved in Japan, but isn't in basically the entire rest of the world on account of the racist caricatures of the POC present in it.

Mondo's execution is a inversed version of the story(and also, because Mondo isn't blasian there's thankfully no directly racist art in it, just tigers). Rather than being the one to trick the tigers, he's the one who's full of pride, and so he's sent into a motorcycle cage and left to spin around and around, while the tigers dance on either side of him. He ends up being the one who's turned into butter, and Monokuma gets to enjoy a delicious plate of Mondocakes. It's meant to represent the downfall of Mondo's macho personality and how he sent himself into a spiral, but loses a lot of its meaning if you aren't familiar with the story.

Part 7- Jealousy

So, we've torn this character apart. We know what makes him tick, but why does that all matter? What was the point of his story? Simple- it's a cautionary tale. It's a warning against everything he stands for. Mondo, through all his faults, is NOT someone you're actually supposed to idealize or hold up as the epitome of manhood in the way that Chihiro does. Rather, he's a deconstruction of everything society views as 'manly', and a demonstration of why that line of thinking is inherently flawed. He's big and tough, he yells and cusses at the people around him, he doesn't have a handle on his own strength. He knocks a dude out for like, 10 hours straight because he was mad at someone else!!! That's not a healthy way to get your frustration out!!!

Simply put, your image and pride are not worth your mental health, and comparing yourself to the people around you not only tortures yourself, but can hurt those who you love. Mondo couldn't stop comparing his own faults to the strengths of others, and ended up pushing himself too hard trying to prove himself. Not only did he lose his brother over it, but he felt like he had to keep all his pain and regret locked up for the sake of an image they'd painted together. It pushed him up to the edge, and he never learned to cope with it in a way that was healthy. It only led to him lashing out more and more, and repeating history when he killed Chihiro. Your trauma can't be fixed by ignoring it or shoving it down; seek out help when you need it. It's okay to confide in your friends; they aren't your enemy, and they aren't making fun of you. That line of thinking will only push you over the edge.

Afterword

So yeah, this was longer than anticipated. Even after doing Taka's and creating a point of reference for myself, I still ended up surprised. I mean, Taka survived longer, so you'd think his would be longer, right? But no, Mondo is not only a very well-established character, but he has more important connections and a much more impactful storyline. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Mondo may be one of the easiest characters to understand from THH, considering how in-your-face they make him. And I respect that, even if his whole facade can be kind of annoying for me. I totally see why this guy is so popular among fans. Happy birthday Mondo!

Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed this one, and be sure to stick around! Sayaka's analysis is coming up next, and holy shit am I excited for this one.

[lisbeth-kk]

Serenity After the Turmoil

TW: domestic violence, nightmares. (not graphic)

Sherlock fandom

The nightmares have been constant companions from early childhood. Back then it had mostly to do with monsters under the bed, which later was traded for more violent ones. It didn’t help matters that my parents quarrelled loudly either. I still remember the first time I heard my father slap my mother. It made me nauseous, scared and angry. I wanted to get out of bed to make him stop, but I was only ten and so much smaller than him.

At uni, I got a respite from the nightmares. The most violent my dreams got, was reliving rugby matches. 

In Afghanistan, I didn’t dream at all. At least I never remembered anything when I woke. Too tired and exhausted from stitching up patients and keeping my body fit with a strict exercise regime.

It was when I got back to London that my real nightmares began. They were mostly related to the war, but particularly nasty episodes from my parents’ fighting interfered occasionally. 

Waking up from these dreams, did nothing to ease my agony. I had thought that surrounding myself with bright coloured pictures and photos would be a good idea. To make my brain see sense. To realise where I was. To calm me. I was an idiot.

***

The first time I had a nightmare at Baker Street, I apparently cried out loud, because Sherlock was kneeling beside my bed when I opened my eyes.

“You’re safe, John. Home. At Baker Street,” he said quietly.

His voice instantly calmed me before my self-conscious made itself heard. I blushed, tried to assure him I was fine. That he didn’t have to check on me.

“Alright,” he said and squeezed my shoulder before he went downstairs.

Moments later he started to play his violin even if it was 2 am. 

“Thank you,” I whispered as tears run down my cheeks.

***

The next time it happened, my sub-consciousness must’ve been at play, because I only whimpered slightly when I woke. No sound was heard from downstairs.

Normally, it took me forever to calm down, and I didn’t want to wake Sherlock by descending to the kitchen to make tea at this hour. I opened my eyes and looked around the room. It was held in muted colours, which I realised had a much more soothing effect than my brightly coloured bedsit.

I didn’t know if it was Mrs. Hudson who’d been in charge of choosing everything, but I thought it might be. My room was quite similar to the rest of the flat when it came to colours and furniture. The only splash of colour was the smiley face in the living room.

To my surprise I heard Sherlock start to play downstairs. Had he heard me, or was he unable to sleep himself? He had warned me that he played the violin at odd hours. I lay still for a while and listened to him play. They were all soothing melodies, nothing harsh like the things he used to play whenever Mycroft visited, of he was unable to solve a puzzle.

I debated with myself. Should I go down there to keep him company? To tell him how soothing it was to hear him play like this. How thankful I was for everything. How safe I felt, despite the toxic environment he created with some of his experiments, not to mention the body parts I found all over the place. Would he appreciate that, or just scoff at me and call me an idiot?

“Only one way to find out, Watson. Into battle,” I told myself and went downstairs.

--------------------------------

@flashfictionfridayofficial @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @raina-at

@helloliriels @safedistancefrombeingsmart @gregorovitch-adler @topsyturvy-turtely @peanitbear

@bs2sjh @meetinginsamarra @221beloved @jolieblack @phoenix27884

@ninasnakie @friday411 @a-victorian-girl

[ripleylove]

The light of the group - part 2.

requested by @thegalacticnacho091 saying: hello!!! I was just wondering if I could request another judgment day fix still with a girly reader but it’s something like she left stuffies or candies or something in the clubhouse? Totally cool if you ignore this no rush or anything💕

pairing: The judgment day x fem reader (platonic)

genre: fluffliest fluff </3

summary: your love for stuffies and candies is immense, and the judgement day always offered to buy some more if you didn't have any.

A/N: IF YA SMELL WHAT SOLE IS COOKING 🗣🗣🗣 (insanely short but whatever)

(also listen to this ⬇️)

⋆ ˚｡⋆𔓘⭒๋࣭

You were a strong sweets lover: gummy bears,sour patch kids,m&m's,skittles,snickers and lots of more candies were a must in the clubhouse and in your bag.

You loved to munch on some candy while waiting for your entrance music to start,or to relieve anxiety or just because you were hungry.

And if any of your friends or any backstage workers asked to try a piece,you didn't hesitate to feed them: in fact,in your free time you went around locker rooms offering some candy to other wrestlers, cause they never decline a sweet treat!

You always brought Rhea,Dom,Finn and Damian's favourite sweets too,so when they feel anxious or upset you can just go to them like:"candy!"

Also,you could never forget any of your stuffies.

As they were your comfort items,you always had them with you in any circumstances, because you felt more at ease.

You had many stuffies: a squirrel one (named Dominik,who knows why? Oh,I really don't!),a cute froggy one,a koala one (that could or couldn't be your favourite, but nobody knows) and a lion one.

(Each and one of them was named after your best friends,the members of the judgment day,and they found it secretly adorable.)

That's why a lot of little peluches and stuffies were just around the clubhouse: you'd find one on the couch,on the shelves, on the floor and even on the makeup vanities.

Everyone knew you were a bundle of joy,always happy and smiley,unlike the others members of the faction you were in; but if you didn't have those two things in your bag or near you,you'd freak out (like,actually freak out),like you did some weeks ago.

"Oh my goodness." You said,searching for candies or stuffies in your messy bags,and a massive pout made its way in your face.

"This can't be." The look of horror on your face alarmed Rhea,who was sitting right next to you.

"What happened? Is there something wrong?" She,being genuinely worried,asked; trying to peek in your bag,trying to see what was the matter.

"I forgot my candies and stuffies at home." Your tone was quiet,and Rhea started to panic: she knew how anxious you would get without your comfort items,that's why she always had some skittles in her bag.

When Rhea gave them to you,your face expression was priceless.

Your eyes lit up,and a smile made its way on your face.

While you were happily munching on the sweet treat,Rhea secretly called the guys,asking them to buy some candies on their way to the arena,and they immediately complied.

Let's say you were overjoyed,but that is an understatement, and you gave each and one of them a big bear hug,before sharing your sweeties with them.

taglist: @stellakiddsblog @bibibi-tchx @p-mp @teenagedramaqueenlisa

[tripleglitchwriting]

My earthspark Season 2a thoughts

Warning: SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE THING!!! And a lot of rambling. And negative thoughts.

As much as i hate to admit it, I was kind of disappointed. It’s not that it was bad, I did still enjoy it, but I feel like there was so much missed opportunity.

The show wasn’t well advertised for, especially season 2. I have a feeling Hazbro doesn’t really care much for it. I think the team that works on the show is great! They’re obviously very talented, passionate, and hardworking, but (so far) season 2 saw a definite downgrade from season 1.

The animation is the first thing that comes to mind. While it is still tv show quality, when compared to season 1 in some parts it feels clankier and less polished. Though I don’t know much about 3D animation other than it’s hard, so I suppose I can’t really critique something I have no practice in.

Then I come to the characters. Here I see the seasons biggest flaw. Starscream’s character arc got completely obliterated, (though they did at least mention his interaction with Hashtag) Nightshade got sidelined compared to the other terrans, and Breakdowns character arc also got the boot.

Breakdown interacted with Bumblebee once, and it was in the finale while they were fighting in the background. If it were just this plotline that got pushed off, I would be fine with it. It’s hard to fit in every single character thread in 9 episodes while also introducing new things. Except it wasn’t just this.

In season 1 they set up the perfect redemption arc for Starscream. Him finally meeting someone that actually listens to him, Megatron’s past abuse and Starscream feelings about his subsequent redemption, it was really interesting to see! But then he pulled a Steeljaw and decided to make New Cybertron. Character wise, sure, I can see why he would want to do that. However, it totally disregards his past interactions. We don’t even know how he found out about the titan, there are so many missing pieces.

Then there’s Cosmos. I think Cosmos is great! I think it’s cool that his voice is Weird Al! I was so excited to get to the next episode and see him take Robbie’s offer to join team Terran and the autobots… and then we don’t see him again. They even set up a potential conflict with Megatron being redeemed! And then nothing! My theory is they couldn’t afford weird al for another episode. Maybe he’ll be back in 2b?

Personally, I don’t like the chaos terrans. It’s an interesting concept, and it isn’t executed as poorly as it could’ve been, but they just fell below the bar for me.

Aftermath has one character trait and it’s hitting things. For the start of his character, that’s fine! Having him only see value in destruction is an interesting foil to Jawbreaker and the rest of the terrans. However, even after the episode with him and Jawbreaker, he doesn’t change. He steals the cave water (which, by the way, how do they get fuel now???? Does it come back???) and goes back to being terrible. I can see what they were trying to do with him, it’s cool having a character that was made to be evil go up against characters who try and Steven universe anybody that shows a hint of the possibility to change. But there’s just nothing interesting about Aftermath. They don’t even dive into his relationship with Breakdown that much after his debut episode.

And then there’s Spitfire. I have mixed feelings about her. On one hand, shes pretty much the shape the hedgehog of transformers. She’s the mean edgy version of an already established ‘good’ character who is designed to be better than said already established good character. On its own that’s pretty overdone, and so is the body switch troupe. It’s a good hook but super predictable. She’s more interesting than Aftermath, at least she has a reason to stay evil, but she just feels like a plot device to create conflict rather than an actual well-formed character. Maybe that’s what she is? On the other hand, her debut episode is really well directed! It was some fantastic shots and combat sequences! I absolutely love what they did with that! The fact she nearly killed Wheeljack was really surprising (in a good way) to me! It even played to Wheeljack character by having him be the first to figure her out!

A good amount of the episodes were as well directed as episode 6. They have a lot of good moments! Some I even laughed out loud at! It may just be the fact only half the season is out, but really 2a felt a bit empty. We got no new characters other than Cosmos (who had like 10 lines and then dipped) the chaos terrans, and the fairmiestero. There were a lot of missed opportunities in that department and in the department of pre existing characters.

Nothing new about Megatron (though I did enjoy the part we got to explore cybertronian culture with the polyhex tournament!) and no comebacks of older characters (where is prowl).

I thought the quintesson lore was pretty interesting though! They will probably be the villains of 2b. I still have hope for the series. They could right a lot of wrongs with the next part of season 2. I sincerely hope these loose ends get tied up.

I’m tired, I have more to say but the energy to type it all out is not there. I also didn’t proofread this so sorry if it’s just rambling and spelling mistakes haha.

[crowleysgirl56]

Wildest dreams wishes for Good Omens Season 3 which will probably not come true but I can still hope hey!

Number 30.

CRANK THAT RIDICULOUS DIAL TO ELEVEN! Yet another extreme silliness wish, this a part 2 to my wildest dream number 27. In with Crowley continues to be petulant, and Aziraphale gets to play the rescuer.

Sprawled on the footpath where the Bentley had so unceremoniously dumped him, Aziraphale looks up at Crowley, bemused as the demon continues to rant at the retreating sight of his car. He can’t help but smile fondly at the dramatic cascade of insults spewing forth, drawing the weary eyes of passers by.

“…and next time I see you I’m going to let down your tyres!!”

Aziraphale picks himself up and briskly brushes himself down. “You’d never do such a thing and you know it” he teases primly.

The sound of Aziraphale’s voice seems to startle Crowley slightly, who resolutely ignores the angel and hurriedly makes his way down the street. Aziraphale immediately gives chase.

“Crowley, please could we talk for a moment?” Crowley’s pace picks up speed as he manoeuvres around the larger than usual number of pedestrians ambling along Whickber Street.

“Only I feel like I need to explain-” Crowley snaps his fingers and suddenly Aziraphale is cut off mid sentence by some suddenly appearing council workers jackhammering in the middle of the road.

“If you could just listen for a mome-” another snap of fingers and suddenly a line of cars blaring their horns emerge from nowhere. Frustrated by the wall of sound, Aziraphale covers his ears and manages to lunge himself in front of Crowley blocking his path.

“Don’t you think you’re acting just a tad child-”.

Crowley smiles smugly as the cacophony of noise overwhelms Aziraphale, who purses his lips and attempts to yell over the car horns, jackhammers, tolling bells, and loud mobile conversations, “could we just go into the bookshop!-”

Crowley gestures to his ears and mouths something that looks along the lines of “I can’t hear you”. Aziraphale fed up with the game draws down a miracle, silencing the street. A number of pedestrians stop to wonder how everything suddenly became so quiet, the queue of cars and council workers miraculously gone.

“Please, just hear me out-”

Crowley growls and immediately jumps away, angrily shoving his fingers in his ears. “LALALA NOT LISSSSTENIIIINNGGGGG!” He steps out backwards into the street, just as a large lorry comes barrelling down the road towards him, blaring its horn.

“CROWLEY!” Aziraphale cries. Crowley turns but it’s evident he is too late to react in time. Panicked Aziraphale throws out a careless miracle, redirecting the driver, whilst lunging forward and grabs onto Crowley’s lapels pulling him back to safety.

Crowley slams into Aziraphale’s arms. They stand wrapped in each other’s embrace, breathing heavily as they recover from the sudden adrenaline. A creeping realisation dawns and they both slowly turn their heads to look out into the street at the gawping gathering crowd. Some have started taking videos with their phone. It’s evident that the lorry has somehow ended up on the roof of Mr Brown’s world of carpets emporium. They slowly turn back to look at each other once more.

Aziraphale speaks in a low and clipped tone, “Get. Inside. The bookshop. Now!” Crowley can only nod in response. They slowly peel themselves away from each and as casually as one can whilst a crowd is photographing you, make their way into the bookshop. For that long awaited chat.

NOW KISS!

[lvl10gojocoper]

Motion Sickness: Chapter 2

Synopsis. Tokyo is still the same way you've left it. Along with the parts of yourself you didn't think to see again. Note: Again, lots of plot building in the first parts :)

a/n: angsty.

Chp.1 Chp.2 Chp.3 (coming very soon)

The air here is different from the air in Kyoto. It feels cramped , less crisp. Busy, is the word. Everyone here moved faster, always having somewhere to be. Even when I younger, I remember always feeling a rush of something every time I stepped out the confines of my home when I still used to live here. But still it feels too familiar to not relish.

My E.T.A. should be at 18:30 hours. With that in mind, I tug the sleeve over my watch to check the time and sure enough I was just over 10 minutes early. I tuck my watch back under my jacket, picking up the black duffle bag I brought with me. I haven't packed a lot, I don't plan on staying too long. I'm only here for two nights then I'll be back to Kyoto before I know it.

My bosses back there had assigned me to a mission, something they say should be worth investigating. I remember almost telling them no, that's when I get a call from the man himself, Principal Yaga. He made me say no out loud.

But he knew it wasn't hard to sway me. Money talks, and he says I would get a bonus if I went so here I am. Life in Kyoto is expensive, and I'm not exactly rich. Again, I'll be here 2 days maximum, so really it's not a big deal, is what I remind myself. So with the little information I was given, I got on the next train.

"Unnamed, we assumed it was a grade 3 curse, but 10 casualties in total in a span of a week is concerning."  I feel his eyes on me.  "The bodies, or remains, of 6 people were found in abandoned building.  The only thing found connecting these people is that they were all seen around Tokyo's Red Light district at some point around the week. What's worse is that people are noticing. This isn't only a problem with the safety of civilians who don't understand what happened, but the attention it's gathering from outsiders jeopardizes-"

"Us." I finish, half present and half spaced out. My eyes meet that of his, and I mildly shake my head to clear my thoughts out almost physically. "Sorry."

He huffed, leaning back. "It's fine, at least I know you were listening, for a second I thought you were somewhere else completely." The air is a bit tense, so quiet that the squeaking of his chair can be heard from each shift he makes in his seat.  He brings his hands together, "Any questions?"

My mouth opens and closes, trying to utter the words that won't come out until eventually, it does. "Just one." He nods his head, allowing me to continue. "Why me?"

There's a short pause on his end, almost forcing me to explain my question even further but he responds soon enough. "Well, it's because we needed a special grade sorcerer for this one." He replied, as if it were simply that.

I squint my eyes just enough for it to be mistaken as a twitch, "Yes, but...well I'm from Kyoto, it's quite a great distance to look for one special grade sorcerer for just one mission."

He nods as if he was expecting that from me. "Mostly because most of the teachers here are occupied. We're short staffed, especially on special grade sorcerers. We're lucky enough to have two but even he's occupied." Of course he is. "And I've already tried. If he was free, or well if he wanted to, I would've called on him."

I chuckled, "Glad to know I'm your second choice."

"Well, realistically, you're the one I can count on for this one—since you follow what I say a lot better," He smiles at me as if it's a good thing.

I smile back, "Glad to know I'm your first second choice."

He nods, "That's all then, yes?"

"I'll find it." I reply, my grin painfully fake.

---

It isn't surprising that a place like Tokyo's Red Light district becomes occupied with the likes of cursed spirits. A hotspot, you could call it. The things that happened here could be enough to supply a curse with as much energy it chooses to feed on. That was the first thing I thought about as soon as my shoes touch the path leading to the location I was given.

Neon lights reflect on puddles scattered on the road, and despite it being a Wednesday, the music from some clubs nearby all jumble up into an amalgamation of noise. Behind one of the clubs is the building. The abandoned one. It looked like it was once a parking, the following floors had openings and no windows. As I neared it, uneasiness creeps into my stomach but I push it back, instead certainty replaces the feeling. This was definitely the place.

It's as run down as one could imagine. I feel it's remnants in the air, it's stuffiness and the stench. Moldy and foul like rotten and burnt flesh mixed together. There isn't much until you get to the corner first floor near the entry to the basement. From where I stood there was police tape in one corner in particular, an area already searched.

I take it upon myself to go downstairs, the scent growing worse as I walk closer. Again, more police tape, but judging from how it's only at the entrance, I don't think they tried searching it. I pull it down and go inside. It's eerier, I understand why they wouldn't wanna search it and you barely see anything other than the light from spots where the ceiling's caved in.

"You're not supposed to be here." A voice, distorted and low stops me in my tracks. I dare myself not to turn when my shoulders tense up. "What? are you afraid?" I turn and my face twists at the smell.

"So that's where it was coming from." The documents never said anything about what the curse looked like. I thought it may be humanoid, but no human bodied creature could do that to 6 other bodies, discarding of their parts as just scraps from their dinner. Instead this curse was wretched and ugly, it definitely didn't look grade3 nor 2 even, but it also definitely wasn't impossible.

"Just in time too, a curse like me itching to get out after years, I get pretty bad cravings." The curse gurgled, "My victims never really walked straight into the lion's den. Today must be my lucky day!"

I smirk at its incessant noise, "Lucky? Hardly." I launch my cursed weapon at its wide open and toothy mouth, choking before spitting it out, it gurgles some more.  It looks at me in surprise before one of it's arms try to launch an attack of its own. I dodge its grotesque limb, quick but just barely.

Before I'm able to counter,  my body starts to feel heavy, like my arms feel like they're being dragged in order to move. Black spots appear in my vision, panic rises in my throat. Then I see nothing.

Until eventually, everything.

I heard before you die, your entire life quite literally flashes behind your eyes. Is this what it is then? Dying?

I feel it again. The same level of dread I once felt before. I used to say dying would be a lot worse than how I felt then.

Now I know what it's like, I'm not so sure anymore.

4 years ago

The blue in the sky was nearly black, consuming nearly what my peripheral vision could see. But I'd much rather look straight than there.

"You're impossible."  I hear him say, and I scowl back at him.

"I will, when I'm strong enough." He sits up at my words but he doesn't look back at me. Instead he ruffles his hair, clearly annoyed.

"You are so childish." I couldn't help but laugh at his words. He gets up, dusting himself and standing up, ready to walk away. He always does.

"Me? I'm the one being childish?" I quickly get up myself, running after him, he walks faster. "You have no right, look at you! You're the one walking away. You-I don't believe you!"

He abruptly turns back, standing tall in front of me. "Well believe it."

"I don't." I rebut.

"I don't love you anymore." He says, and it's starting to get annoying.

I take a step towards him, he steps back. "The more you say it, the less it means anything. You can't even explain-"

"You- you're not what I want, okay?" The moments that followed were a blur. Some though were too vivid to forget.

I'm quiet for what feels like the first time but a million thoughts circle in my mind, What did I do? How do I fix it? Fuck you. I hate you. What changed? I look down at my feet, my bruised fists and his ripped pant leg.  I have so much to say but nothing comes out other than, "Why?" It was quietly spoken, almost like I didn't want to ask. And maybe I didn't, knowing no answer would make me feel any better.

His tone is flat, unlike how I'm used to. "I can't keep...fucking around."

I pick up my head, "So we were just fucking around?"

He continues, "I'm graduating, and you'll still be here and after then what? You can pick any direction you want to because that's what you're used to. Your responsibilities aren't the same as mine. My clan relies on me and yours-"

"Abandoned me." I interrupt, "Right? Okay, I see."

He shakes his head, "It's not just-"

"And since when did you care so much about pleasing people?"

"Why can't you just accept it?!" He yelled, "I can't just throw away what I worked years for. You don't know what it's like to make the same kind of sacrifices as mine, so just—" his voice breaks for the shortest moment, "Please let me do this one thing."

I can make out the shape of his brows, how the line between them appears when he's concerned. It was the only string of vulnerability he showed that day.

"Satoru..." I try reaching for his hand, but I feel a strain, like I have to drag my arms in order to move them, until I realize I can't touch him at all.

I look back up at him and he's looking opposite to me. My eyes sting and my words are stuck in my throat as I'm pulling back my hand. Even if he didn't turn his infinity on, the wall between us had been put up regardless. I tuck both my hands in the pocket of my pants, feeling less of who I was just seconds ago.

Slowly, I step back, "I made sacrifices too you know." I could choose to fight it, but I'm just being desperate now. So I swallow my pride.

"Only difference between ours is that nothing good came out of mine. Stupid of me to think choosing you would be any different"

Note: In this story, you're 2 yrs. younger than Gojo :]

[moondustpugh]

Permanent December

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Sara have been best friends for a while now and when Sara had started dating Wes, you realized he also had a best friend. Joe. But somehow, you and Joe tend not to get along all the time.

Author's Note: I never realized how long these chapters were. I can't believe I wrote this much. LMAO. Anyway, here's part 2 and I apologize for the loonnggg chapter. I hope ya'll enjoy anyway!

Wordcount: 6K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten

Time flies when you are busy. Time flies when you have occupied your mind all year about the December trip that was coming up. You had to remind yourself that you weren’t going to Germany this year. Instead, you would be flying to London. It felt like it was just yesterday when you were walking around the Christmas market in the freezing cold winter air, and Joe had just insulted you again. Calling you old and raggedy like the doll you were holding. He had apologized to you twice that night, but you didn’t even bother listening to it because you knew it wasn’t genuine. It bothered you all year long that those words had repeated inside your mind over and over. You didn’t even know if you were just being dumb or sensitive, but it just bothered you so much. 

“So, Joe offered that we could stay at his place when we arrive in London.” Sara said through the speaker phone. 

You were standing on your tiptoes in the middle of your closet, trying to reach for your suitcase hidden on the top shelf. You had a few days to finish packing for your London trip, and you were just glad that your boss let you go for a month. It wasn’t like he had a choice. You have been working your ass off all year long just to collect enough PTO for this trip. 

“Oh, no, thanks.” You grunted as you finally reached your suitcase and set it down on the floor. “I could just pay for a hotel.” 

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You staying at Joe’s house? Seeing his face every morning for the whole month of December was the last thing you wanted to do. Plus, you get to have your own privacy if you stay in a hotel. 

“Are you sure? We don’t have to pay.” Sara tried to convince you.

“Yeah, I’m okay with the hotel. You could stay there though or with Wes. I don’t mind.” 

You started throwing random clothes on your suitcase. Just thinking about the thought of seeing Joe for a whole month was making you feel frustrated.

“Okay, I’ll stay with you in the same hotel.” You could hear Sara chuckle through the phone, and you swore you could imagine her shaking her head on the other side of it. 

You still haven’t told Sara how you really felt about Joe and how much you just wanted to punch him on the face. You would ask Sara questions about him sometimes just to see if he really acted like that towards other people, but it seemed like he only acted like an ass towards you. 

You sent the details of your hotel to Sara that night after you finished packing. Besides the thought of Joe, you were actually pretty excited to see London. You haven’t visited there yet, and Sara had talked about how beautiful the city was, so you let your thoughts stay there. You let the positive thoughts occupy your mind and focus on the good instead. 

Your flight arrived at the same time as Sara’s in London and of course, you two had planned it out like this. As you waited for your luggage at the baggage claim, you were greeted by Sara’s cheerful voice from a distance. You turned to see where her voice came from and saw that she already had her suitcase and the two men tagging along behind her. 

Oh, great. He came. 

She was all bundled up in her heavy winter coat and scarf, and it made her look so tiny next to Wes and Joe. 

“It’s so cold, but I’m glad we’re here.” Sara hugged you tightly. 

“Welcome to London!” Wes had pulled you into a hug also.

“Thank you. The city looked beautiful through the plane’s window.” You smiled, your eyes shifting towards Joe behind them.

You weren’t surprised when you saw that he was busy on his phone. He didn’t even gazed up once towards you. Did Wes just dragged his ass to the airport, and he didn’t have a choice but to come? 

“Well, you’re going to love it.” Sara added. “We’ll take you around to see the best places and eat the best food.”

“That sounds heavenly.” You laughed softly before grabbing your suitcase from the baggage carousel. 

“Hey, mate. I have to go.” Joe chimed in, patting a hand on Wes’ shoulder. 

You and Sara exchanged looks as Joe whispered something in Wes’ ear and immediately, Wes’ expression turned into some kind of understanding between them two before Joe turned to you and Sara and gave both of you a tight lipped smile.

“Welcome.” He muttered before walking away.

“Just don’t forget tonight, mate!” Wes called out to Joe who looked back over his shoulder and nodded his head before directly heading out towards the two sliding doors.

You guessed it right. Wes had dragged his ass to the airport because they were two peas in a pod but since he had greeted both of you—not even a warm welcome— he had done his job and decided to go home. 

“What’s tonight?” You asked Wes.

“Oh, Wes is throwing a little welcome party for us. Just a few friends.” Sara explained as the three of you walked out of the double doors.

The winter air immediately greeted you as you pulled your winter coat closer to your chest. The hotel wasn’t too far from the airport and popular places to go to. You figured it would have been easier to walk to places when you booked it, and you were right. It was smacked down right in the middle of the city. 

Luckily for the both of you, Sara’s room was just next to yours. You settled into your room and sliding the curtains open, you were welcomed by a beautiful view of the city.

It was unreal. 

It was like how you saw in the movies. The sunset was just setting above the horizon, and you admired every building that was in front of you. Each had a different style of architecture, and you knew some of them were very old. Older than you probably. You knew some things about the city since you spent some time reading about it before the trip. You even tried learning some British slang that totally failed on you. 

You were so deep into the British slang hole that you started texting Sara some, and she couldn’t take you seriously at all, especially whenever the both of you would talk on the phone. She would just keep laughing, and you couldn’t help but laugh with her as well. You sounded like an idiot. 

“Stop it!” Sara would say, giggling so hard. “It’s like you are a whole other person.” 

“I’m just preparing for this trip.” You would give her an excuse and then you would start using it just to annoy her sometimes, and it would just make you laugh when she got all cringey over it. 

You weren’t going to lie though. You were starting to actually enjoy it. 

“We’ll take the tube to go to my flat.” Wes had said later that night. 

You couldn’t help but chuckle and nudged Sara, making her roll her eyes. She knew exactly why you were teasing her because you definitely had used those words to her before. 

The tube was crowded that night and so the three of you had found yourselves getting squeezed by each passenger left to right all the way to where your stop was. Walking out of the station, you tried your best to memorize where you were and the name of the streets because that was just how you were. You wanted to know where you were and how you were able to reach a certain destination, so you could never get lost. 

You saw colorful Christmas string lights covering the exteriors of the buildings as the three of you walked down the pavement and towards Wes’ building. Wreaths or garlands hung on the front doors. It was all cozy and beautiful.

You had seen a bit of Wes’ apartment before whenever Sara would facetime you when she was in London. Once the three of you entered his flat, your eyes studied the place and couldn't help but think how it was exactly how you imagined. 

You saw there were several people in his apartment already. 

Jesus, how many friends did they have?

One stuck out of the crowd, and it was Joe sitting on the sofa, talking with two men and all of them holding a bottle of beer in their hands. Wes and Sara had pulled you around the room and introduced you to their friends, and they were all really nice and welcoming with you. 

“Here. To get your mind off of you know who.” Sara whispered, nudging your arm with hers.

Ah, that you know who. 

That stupid jerk you dated for the last two months, thinking he was nice and ended up to be a narcissist asshole. Sara knew about it because on the day you decided to ghost the guy, you were on the phone with her ranting about how much of a narcissist he was and while you were talking to her, he was trying to contact you. You shook your head at Sara, chuckling softly and took the bottle of beer from her. You didn’t even like the guy that much anyway but still, he was a jerk. 

“Please. He’s out of my mind already.” You rolled your eyes and clinked the beer bottle with hers and both of you took a big gulp from it. 

You watched as Wes grabbed Sara away from you and turned up the volume of the speaker and danced with her, making you laugh as you watched them together. 

You never really told Sara, but you were really happy for her. You were so happy that it was Wes that she had found, and you hoped that they were the ones for each other in the end. Wes was such a nice guy, and you could see how much he loved her. You knew he’d do anything for Sara. That was why you never understood how he was friends with someone like Joe. Sure, they have known each other since primary school but really? Joe was such an ass. 

Speaking of him, your attention was caught later that night when you were standing in the corner of the room and heard all of their friends laugh at some joke Joe just told. You were on your fifth bottle of beer, and you weren’t going to lie, you were a bit drunk already, and you have been staring at Joe for a while now. You haven’t even noticed until now that your eyes were planted at him all night. You saw how he would mingle with everyone, talk to everyone, and make jokes with everyone. Not once had he laid an eye on you, and you stood there, seeing the exact person that Sara had described many times to you. It was almost like he was a totally different person in front of them.

“Honestly, I think he just hates me.” You had told Sara one night through the phone. “He never talks to me and when he does, he makes some stupid jokes.”

Sara would laugh through the phone and said, “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just reserved but once he gets more comfortable around you, he opens up.”

“Yeah, well… I’m sticking to my theory that he hates me.” You argued. 

And you were right. That theory has stuck for four years now. It was a shame. You thought as your eyes trailed down to his shiny black chelsea boots then up to his fancy trousers and brown corduroy button up shirt where the top two buttons were opened. Your eyes then trailed to the two chain necklaces that were around his neck.

He was cute and handsome but what an ass. 

Maybe you were really that drunk that you were having these thoughts all of a sudden. Your eyes then traveled to his bum and you pursed your lips softly. 

Yeah, what an ass.

You finished the rest of your beer and ran your fingers through your hair, feeling hot all of a sudden. You were getting drunk, and the room was starting to spin a little bit through your vision. You grabbed a hold of the edge of the table that was next to you for a moment before you let your feet walk you towards the balcony to give yourself some fresh air. 

It was freezing, but the cold air was helping you sober up a little bit and your rosy cheeks were thanking you so much for the small breeze that was hitting your skin at the moment. You closed your eyes and smiled, feeling the breeze and enjoyed it for a minute before you were interrupted by the sliding door opened behind you.

You fluttered your eyes open and looked over your shoulder to see Joe standing by the doorway, a cigarette tucked between his lips and a lighter on his hand. 

“Um… I’ll come back later.” He said, ready to slide the door closed.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. “It’s fine. You can come out.”

Joe stared at you for a moment and you could see the hesitation in his eyes. What? Was he scared of you? Did he really hate you so much that he wanted to wait until you leave to have a smoke break? 

Eventually, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. You stepped aside to give him some room since the balcony wasn’t that big either. Joe lit up his cigarette and blew a puff of smoke into the air. You pulled your coat closer and folded your arms in front of your chest when a strong cold breeze hit both of you. There was that awkward silence between you two again and you could feel the tension in the air. It was thick.

“How was your flight?” Joe asked, breaking the silence.

God, you were going to do small talk now? Your head was already spinning from all the alcohol. 

“Fine.” You shrugged. 

Another silence took over, and you tilted your head back to gaze up to the sky just to distract yourself from whatever awkwardness that was going on between you two. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for you to agree for him to join you out here. You pushed those thoughts elsewhere as you focused your attention to the stars, but you were so caught up and dizzy that you leaned back, lost your balance and almost stumbled towards the chair that was right behind you. Joe was quick to drop his cigarette and reached his arms behind you, ready to catch you. But you were able to hold on to the steel railing, stopping yourself from completely falling backwards.

Your eyes widened, and you froze for a moment, feeling the blood rushed to your cheeks from embarrassment.

“I’m fine.” You cleared your throat and stood up straight, showing Joe that you didn’t need him to help you out. 

Shoulders back, chin up. 

Your hands, however, held onto the railing tightly, making sure that you were able to balance yourself. Suddenly, you heard a small laugh coming from Joe, and you glanced towards his direction.

“What’s so funny?” You asked, voice ice cold and obviously offended that he was laughing at you. 

“You know, if you can't hold your alcohol too well, you shouldn’t be drinking this much.” He smirked as you gave him a cold glare again.

Good god. Can he just shut up for once? 

You bit your lower lip, stopping yourself from saying something that you would regret later on when you were sober. Of all the people in this apartment, he picked you out of the crowd to pissed you off, didn't he? Same old Joe, just different country. You just never understood how Sara and Wes liked him so much, especially when they always said that he was kind and nice because obviously, he wasn’t. 

“You know, Joe. You don’t need to lecture me on what I can and cannot do because obviously, you don’t genuinely care anyway. You just like to piss me off.” You blurted the words out, a hint of frustration and anger seeping through your voice. “For fuck’s sake, waste your time on someone else.” 

You shook your head and walked around him, making your way back inside. Joe had kept his distance from you for the rest of the night, and you were sort of glad because you just needed some peace tonight. First night in London, and he already had pissed you off. 

Later on that night, you found yourself looking for Sara, but she was busy in the kitchen with Wes, eating different snacks that he had brought out from the fridge. You could see that she was a bit drunk too but not drunk enough that she didn’t know what she was doing.

“Hey.” You went up to them. “It’s getting late. I think I’m going to head out.”

Sara was sitting on the kitchen counter, munching on some piece of sourdough bread as she held up her index finger indicating for you to wait as she swallowed the bread that she was eating.

“Wait. I’ll come with you.” Sara jumped off the counter, gazing up to Wes. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You don’t have to go with me. I think I can find my way back.” You suggested. 

You didn’t want to be a bother, especially if she still wanted to spend more time with Wes. You just wanted to go home because you were obviously tired and you literally had a long flight before this.

“No, don’t be silly. I’ll come.” Sara stood on her tiptoes and kissed Wes before saying goodbye to him.

“Thanks for tonight.” You smiled, giving Wes a hug before heading out of the kitchen to grab your coat. 

You heard Wes called out for Joe that you and Sara were leaving but all he did was nod and waved at Sara. You didn’t even bother expecting anything from him. You said your goodbyes to the rest of their friends and headed out to the door first, waiting for Sara to finish her goodbyes. As soon as Sara walked out the door, she immediately linked her arm with yours and both of you walked out of the building. 

“‘Twas fun, right?” Sara giggled.

Oh, she was definitely a bit drunk. 

“Yeah, it was. I didn’t realize how many friends Wes and Joe had.” You giggled as you both walked down the pavement. 

The alcohol in both of your systems was helping warm both of you up from the cold. It was a good thing both of you were linking arms together because you both could barely walk straight down the pavement as you two just giggled together. By the time you reached the corner, Sara had dragged you to the opposite side away from where the tube station was. 

“Wait, the tube is the other way.” You said, but Sara was quick to shush you. “Where are we going?”

“There’s this cute little pastry shop down the street that is open ‘till late.” 

“It’s 10pm?” 

Before you could even argue anymore, Sara had pulled you inside the shop. There was a couple inside eating pastries and one worker that was sitting behind the counter, looking bored from the magazine that he was reading. 

“Hmmm.” Sara slipped her arm off from yours and studied the variety of pastries in the glass case in front of her. 

It took about a few minutes for the both of you to decide and order. Soon after, you both had found yourselves sitting on one of the small tables, eating the delicious pastries you two had picked out. 

“It has been a while since we both hung out together alone.” Sara mentioned. 

Matter of fact, Sara was right. You have been so understanding with her relationship with Wes that you just now realized that it really had been a while. Wes or Joe had always been there, and it was not like you saw each other all the time. For the last few years, every time you visited Germany, Joe and Wes were there too. It didn’t bother you at all. You were fine with them being there because you knew it made Sara happy but thinking about it now, it did make you miss all those times when you two would hang out together and have a girls’ night at the Christmas market. 

“Well,” You laughed softly. “You have been pretty busy.”

“I’m sorry I have been so caught up with Wes.” Her lips had started pouting again.

“Oh, no! Don’t ever be sorry. I totally understand.” You gave her a reassuring smile, realizing that Sara was starting to get emotional.

It kind of made you laugh a little bit because she was always like this when she had a bit too much alcohol in her. She would get emotional and affectionate, and she would start spilling out some things that she had been keeping inside of her. You were always there for her to comfort her, listen to her or sometimes, just teased her that she was being emotional again.

“We should have at least one day just us girls from now on.” Sara stated. “Promise, we will start doing that!”

You couldn’t help but grin at her idea and agreed with her. It was a good compromise, and it was a good balance at least. When you both had finished your little snack, you headed towards the station to take the tube back to your hotel. It was already past midnight when you two had arrived back, and you immediately crashed on your bed. 

The first night in London wasn’t bad at all. You already had met some new people at Wes’ little house party, and you were able to actually see the things you had studied about London for the last however many months. The next morning, it was snowing a little bit in the city, and Wes had come to pick you and Sara up for some little sightseeing around the city. 

To your surprise, Joe wasn’t there. Did he actually reject Wes’ invite this time? Either way, your day became a bit more peaceful with just the three of you. Honestly, you didn’t mind Joe’s presence. Even though it looked like he minded your presence. That was why it bothered you so much. If he hadn’t been such an ass, making some stupid little comments or jokes, you thought maybe you two probably would have gotten along well. 

Even if he didn’t speak much to you, you didn’t mind him being there because you knew he was best friend’s with Wes. Sara had always brought you along and so, Wes bringing Joe along was completely normal. You tried your best to be understanding for the last few years but sometimes, Joe just knew how to push your buttons.

However, Joe wasn’t there with you today, was he? So, you focused your attention on the things that actually mattered. Wes and Sara had taken you to ride one of London's infamous big red buses that you always see in pictures and movies. The three of you sitting on the top deck, taking pictures together, and Wes would volunteer to take yours and Sara’s together. 

You were pretty surprised how much history you had learned from Wes that day. He and Sara had shown you around London and pretty much the whole tourist spots that they could think of, and you were nothing but thankful for the both of them because London was beautiful. It was gorgeous. You now understood when Sara had told you all about it. You understood why she was so excited to show you around. Then, the rest of the afternoon was spent at one of their favorite restaurants in SoHo.

“You know this is where Wes first took me on our first date here in London.” Sara smiled at her boyfriend that was sitting next to her.

“Well that means he knows you well because from the looks of it, the food they serve here are your favorite ones.” You grinned, looking up from the menu that was in front of you.

“Technically, it was Joe who suggested this restaurant. He loved this place, and he took me once here. Then, I decided to take Sara because I know she would love it.” Wes added.

For someone who was such an ass, you could give credit to Joe for having good taste in food at least. You weren’t sure if that was because he was just into some expensive fancy shit all the time, or he genuinely just knew how to pick a good restaurant. Night fell when the three of you had exited the restaurant and the neon signs around SoHo had lit up the streets. 

“Okay, who’s up for a little pub drinking?” Wes wiggled his brows excitedly to Sara.

“You know I’m always up for that.” Sara replied, a playful grin was tugging on her face.

“I could go for a drink.” You shrugged, looking at Sara as she linked her arm with yours, while Wes led you both down the block to the pub he had chosen. 

You stared at both of your friends with brows furrowed. That wasn’t the normal reaction you usually would get from them. They were both overly excited with the idea and before even questioning your friends, you had received your answer the moment you entered the pub. 

Joe. 

He was sitting by the bar with a pint of beer in his hand and another extra one that was sitting in front of him.

“Hey, mate!” Wes greeted him, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “Look who’s here.”

Wes turned to you and Sara with a big playful smile on his face, and you glanced at your best friend who was giggling. Something was going on, and you had a bad feeling in your stomach. You raised an eyebrow at Sara who just gave you a shrug, acting like she didn’t know what was going on. 

Oh, that was such bullshit. 

You knew Sara too well, and you knew when she was faking it. What were these two doing? You narrowed your eyes at her as she grabbed your hand and followed behind Wes where Joe was at the bar. 

“Thanks, mate. I owe you.” That was all you heard from Wes before turning to face you, that playful grin was still plastered on his face. 

“Come, sit.” Sara said, pulling the stool next to Joe and handing you the extra pint of beer that was in front of him.

“What?” Your eyes shifted back and forth at Sara and Wes, waiting for them to tell you what was happening.

“I have a little surprise for Sara and so, we are gonna go ahead, but Joe here…” Wes turned to his best friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “...could keep you company.”

Oh, absolutely not.

Your eyes widened at Sara. Did they really just set you up? Did Sara really just set you up? What was going on? 

“I’m okay. I could go back to the hotel.” You jumped off from the stool that you were sitting on and tried to pass your way between Sara and Wes.

“You don’t want to waste a good beer.” Joe’s voice stopped you in your tracks.

You froze for a moment and bit your lower lip. You knew Joe was only doing Wes a favor, and you knew that he actually didn’t want to be here if he had a choice. Well… fine. Joe was going to be an ass? You were going to be a pain in his ass tonight then. You put a small fake smile on your face and nodded your head at your friends.

“You’re right.” You said, sitting back on the chair. “I don’t want to waste a good beer.”

“Great!” Wes exclaimed. “You two have the best time, okay?” He pointed his index finger to the both of you and said, “Not too much though.”

You gave Wes and Sara a fake smile, taking the glass of beer and holding it up in the air before taking a big gulp from it. You remembered that promise you gave yourself last year back in Germany. You would torture Joe with your presence since he always wanted to make stupid jokes with you or make stupid little comments. You could already see how bored he was because he just stayed silent the whole time. After finishing your first pint, you had a little courage to finally break the tension between you two.

“So, are you going to pay for my drinks tonight or Wes is paying for this?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Joe just finished his glass also and shook his head. “I’m paying for it.”

“Great.” You smiled and turned to the bartender behind the counter. “Can I get four shots of tequila please?”

Joe watched you slug down those four shots right away and then ordered another round. He didn’t say one word. He never did anyway. So, you just kept going. He never said anything nor complained about it and throughout the night, it was starting to piss you off that he just never reacted in any way. 

Was he a fucking robot?

 He just sat there and watched you all night. You even tried to offer him a shot of tequila but he refused.

“No, that’s okay.” He had told you. “I’m good with my beer.” 

You hummed disapprovingly, shaking your head before taking the shot. It looked like the plan to piss him off wasn’t working at all. You paused for a moment as you started to feel your head spin, but you weren’t there yet. You could still handle yourself. Joe had excused himself to go to the restroom later that night when the bartender had handed you a drink that you didn’t order.

“It’s from that gentleman.” He said, pointing at the man across the bar from you.

He was cute, and you were kind of getting bored with Joe just staring at you all night, so you waved the guy over. He sat on Joe’s empty chair and introduced himself to you as Theo. You both started talking, and he had asked you where you were from since he could tell you weren’t from London at all. You didn’t know how much time had passed because you two were having a good conversation and the sight of Joe had disappeared. You didn’t even realize that it had been an hour because until now, Joe hadn’t come back from the restroom.

He probably went home. 

That’s what you thought until your little conversation with Theo had turned bitter. He had mentioned how he knew about Joe and thought he was a bad actor. He mentioned how actors were fake and arrogant people before he started trailing his hand up on your thigh. 

“Is he bothering you? You look a little bored, darling. I can make your night better.” Theo’s hand slowly slid up your thigh.

You pushed his hand away from you, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Joe may be an ass to you, but he didn’t know Joe. He was a stranger. Sure, you may think he was an ass from his little stupid jokes, but him saying shit about Joe when he didn’t know him at all just to make himself look better? Just so he could take you back to his place? And the audacity he had to touch you? You could literally knock him out right now. 

“We should go.” You heard Joe’s familiar voice.

You turned to see Joe standing next to you, his sharp glare only at Theo, his gentle hand on your back. You could tell Joe looked pissed. You weren’t going to lie, you were kind of glad that he was here, but you weren’t going to show him that. You weren’t going to let his ego win either. 

“She doesn’t want you, mate.” Theo declared. 

“Fuck off.” Joe barked at him before turning his full attention to you. “Let’s go.”

“She doesn’t want to be with you, mate. She was still talking to me.” Theo chimed in again, and you could see Joe’s nostrils flared in anger.

You have never seen him like this. This was the first time you saw Joe like this. You could see the blood rushing up to his neck and face then you watched as Joe turned to Theo again and moved his face closer to him.

“I said fuck off before I have someone kick you out.” Joe growled, slowing his words down to make sure Theo understood every word of it.

Alright, you had enough of this. You jumped off from the stool and tugged on Joe’s arm. He was still giving Theo a death glare but as soon as he felt your hand on his arm, he turned to look at you, brows furrowed and face slowly relaxing.

“Let’s go.” You murmured and walked out of the pub.

The last thing you wanted was some trouble. You didn’t even wait for Joe to follow behind you. You just wanted to go back to the hotel, so you started walking down the pavement without even looking back. 

The cold winter air was blowing on your face and hair, and you pulled your coat closer to your chest. Then, you heard heavy footsteps behind you that you only figured it was Joe. 

You were pissed. 

You were pissed because Joe could push your buttons so easily and your little plan to give him a taste of his own medicine had backfired. Instead, you listened to some man talk shit about him just so he could get to you. You were pissed because you just didn’t understand what you did to Joe just for him to hate you so much. You were pissed because men kept treating you like shit. 

“Are you okay?” Joe asked, his fingers softly curling around your forearm to stop you from your tracks. 

God, you wanted to cry. Why? You didn’t even know. You were just tired of being so understanding and being so nice. Maybe the alcohol was making you a bit emotional too, but you were just exhausted. You were pissed and you were frustrated. It wasn’t like you to really act like this, but you had too much to drink tonight, and you would probably regret it the next morning but nothing or no one was stopping you at this moment.

“You know what, I didn’t need your help!” You yelled at him, turning to face him with an anger expression on your face. Joe froze from the reaction he received from you. There was a few inches of gap between you two and Joe’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“I don’t even know why you act like you care when you don’t! You just like to piss me off all the time for no damn reason ever since you met me!”

“I don’t—” Joe shook his head, stunned at what you told him. 

“I know you hate me, and I don’t know why, but can you just please stop pestering me for once? Just leave me alone for fuck’s sake!”

You felt the tears welling up in your eyes and you immediately turned away from him, making sure he didn’t see you break down. Your cup had overflowed, and you didn’t know where that came from but at the same time, it felt good to let out all the emotions you have been hiding for the last few years. 

“Just fucking leave me alone.” You muttered before continuing down the pavement and leaving Joe still frozen in his place.

*******

Taglist:

@palomahasenteredthechat @sunvick @eddies-acousticguitar @demonsanddemogorgons @joesquinns @mmunson86 @ghostinthebackofyourhead @corrodedcoffincumslut @figmentofquinn @tlclick73 @munsonluvrr @ali-r3n @ficsbypix @capricornrisingsstuff @missonlypost @ali-in-w0nderland @amberolivia666 @lalalala-melmosworld @niallersfreckles @nanas-lasagna @emma77645 @indulgence-be-thy-name @readergf @ladamari68 @1paire2vans @d4rk4ng3l86 @paleidiot @josephquinnsfreckles @readergf @mvnsonlover

[an-angels-fury]

My Narnian Playlists (2/6): Peter Pevensie

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This is definitely the playlist I'm more satisfied with! The truth is that it's not hard for me to find songs that remind me of my dear boy Peter. I just love him so much!!! 🧡😍

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Soldier - Fleurie

Soldier, keep on marchin' on / Head down 'til the work is done / Waiting for for the morning sun / Soldier, keep on marchin' on / Head in the dust, feet in the fire / Labour on that midnight wire / Listening for that angel choir / You got nowhere to run / You wanna take a drink of that promise land / You gotta wipe the dirt off of your hands / Careful son, you got dreamer's plans / But it gets hard to stand

Angel With A Shotgun - The Cab

Get out your guns, battle's begun / Are you a saint or a sinner? / If love's a fight, then I shall die / With my heart on the trigger / They say before you start a war / You better know what you're fighting for / Well baby, you are all that I adore / If love is what you need / A soldier I will be / I'm an angel with a shotgun / Fighting 'til the war's won / I don't care if Heaven won't take me back / I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe / Don't you know you're everything I have? / And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word / Now in the morning I sleep alone / Sweep the streets I used to own / I used to roll the dice / Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes / Listened as the crowd would sing / "Now the old king is dead, long live the king" / One minute I held the key / Next, the walls were closed on me / And I discovered that castle stand / Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand / I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing / Roman cavalry choirs are singing / Be my mirror, my sword and shield / My missionaries in a foreign field / For some reason, I can't explain / Once you'd gone, there was never / Never an honest word / But that was when I ruled the world

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Some legends are told / Some turn to dust or to gold / But you will remember me / Remember me, for centuries / And just one mistake / Is all it will take / We'll go down in history / Remember me for centuries

Human - Christina Perri

I can hold my breath / I can bite my tongue / I can stay awake for days / If that's what you want / Be your number one / I can fake a smile / I can force a laugh / I can dance and play the part / If that's what you ask / Give you all I am / I can do it / I can do it / I can do it / But I'm only human / And I bleed when I fall down / I'm only human / And I crash and I break down / Your words in my head, knives in my heart / You build me up and then I fall apart / 'Cause I'm only human / I can turn it on / Be a good machine / I can hold the weight of worlds / If that's what you need / Be your everything

Loyal Brave True - Christina Aguilera

War is not freedom / Over my shoulder / I see a clearer view / All for my family / Reason I'm breathing / Everything to lose / Should I ask myself in the water / What a warrior would do? / Tell me underneath my armor / Am I loyal, brave and true? / Am I loyal, brave and true?

Reflection (Cover) - Michael Crawford

Look at me / You may think you see / Who I really am / But you'll never know me / Everyday / It's as if I play a part / Now I see / If I wear a mask / I can fool the world / But I cannot fool my heart / Who is that man I see / Staring straight back at me? / When will my reflection show / Who I am inside? / I am now / In a world where I / Have to hide my heart / And what I believe in / But somehow / I will show the world / What's inside my heart / And be loved for who I am / Who is that man I see / Staring straight back at me? / When will my reflection show / Who I am inside?

Believer - Imagine Dragons

First things first, I'ma say all the words inside my head / I'm fired up, and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh / The way that things have been, oh-ooh / Second things second, don't you tell what you think that I can be / I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh / The master of my sea, oh-ooh / I was broken from a young age / Taking my sulking to the masses / Writing my poems to the few / That look at me, took to me, shook to me, feelin' me / Singing from heartache from the pain / Taking my message from the veins / Speaking my lesson from the brain / Seeing the beauty through the / Pain! / You made a, you made a believer, believer / Pain! / You break me down, and build me up, believer, believer

Unstoppable (Cover) - Red

Break down, only alone I'll cry out loud / You'll never see what's hiding out / Hiding out deep down, yeah / I know, I heard that to let your feelings show / Is the only way to make friendships grow / But I'm too afraid now, yeah / I'll put my armor on / Show you how strong I am / I'll put my armor on / I'll show you that I am / I'm unstoppable / I'm running with no brakes / I'm invencible / Yeah, I win every single game / Yeah, I'm so powerful / I don't need batteries to play / I'm so confident / Yeah, I'm unstoppable today

Hero - Skillet

I'm just a step away, I'm just a breath away / Losin' my faith today (We're falling off the edge today) / I am just a man, not superhuman (I'm not superhuman) / Someone save me from the hate / It's just another war / Just another family torn (We're falling from my faith today) / Just a step on the edge / Just another day in the world we live / I need a hero to save me now / I need a hero (To save me now) / I need a hero to save my life / A hero will save me (Just in time)

Legends Are Made - Sam Tinnesz

I'm crackling up on the throttle / Victory is mine / Show you the harder the battle / The harder I fight / I've come too far to quit / Step back I'm goin' in / I'm crackling up on the throttle / This is how legends are made

No Easy Way Out - Robert Tepper

We're not indestructible / Baby, better get this straight / I think it's unbelievable / How you give into the hands of fate / Some things are worthy fighting for / Some feelings never die / I'm not asking for another chance / I just wanna know why / There's no easy way out / There's no shortcome home / There's no easy way out / Givin' in can't be wrong / I don't wanna pacify you / I don't wanna drag you down / But I'm feeling like a prisioner / Like a stranger in a no named town / I see all the angry faces / Afraid that could be you and me / Talkin' about what might have been / I'm thinking about what it used to be

Hero - Chad Kroeger, Josey Scott

I am so high, I can hear Heaven / I am so high, I can hear Heaven / Woah, but Heaven, no, Heaven don't hear me / And they say that a hero could save us / I'm not gonna stand here and wait / I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles / Watch as we all fly away

Paralyzed - NF

When did I become so numb? / When did I lose myself? / All the words that leave my tongue / Feel like they came from someone else / I'm paralyzed / Where are my feelings? / I no longer feel things / I know I should / I'm paralyzed / Where is the real me? / I'm lost and it kills me / Inside / I'm paralyzed / When did I become so cold? / When did I become ashamed? / Where's the person that I know? / They must have left / They must have left / With all my faith / I'm paralyzed

Warrior (Black and Blue) - Sia

Break down, tears fall to the ground / Tell myself, there was nothing can't be found / When you're a fighter / You're a fighter / You're a fighter, fight on baby / Some days, I start to lose to fate / Some days, I cannot find my faith / But I just fight on / I just fight on / I just fight on, baby, baby / And I am a wounded warrior / And now that the enemy is closing in / I am a wounded warrior / Looking for someone to let me in / Black and blue, I'm begging you / Take me in, I'm surrendering / Black and blue, but if I'm with you / If I'm with you, I'll live to fight on through

Elastic Heart - Sia

And I'll stay up through the night / Yeah, let's be clear, won't close my eyes / And I know that I can survive / I'll walk through fire to save my life / And I want it, I want my life so big / I'm doin' everything I can / And another one bites the dust / It's hard to lose a chosen one / You did not break me / I'm still fighting for peace / I've got a thick skin and an elastic heart / But your blade, it might be too sharp / I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard / Yeah, I may snap and move fast / But you won't see me fall apart / 'Cause I've got an elastic heart

Hall of Fame - The Script (feat. will.i.am)

You can be the greatest, you can be the best / You can be the King Kong bangin' on your chest / You can beat the world, you could win the war / You can talk to God, go bangin' on His door / You can throw your hands up, you can beat the clock / You can move a mountain, you can break rocks / You can be a master, don't wait for luck / Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself / Standing in the hall of fame / And the world's gonna know your name / 'Cause you burn with the brightest flame / And the world's gonna know your name / And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Mars - Sleeping at Last

Though time is ruthless / It showed us kindness in the end / (By slowing down enough) / (A second chance to make amends) / As life replayed, we heard a voice proclaim / "Lay your weapons down / They're calling off the war / On account of losing track / Of what we're fighting for" / So we found our way back home / Let our cuts and bruises heal / While a brand-new war began / One that no one else could feel / Our nights have grown so long / Now we beg for sound advice / "Let the brokenness be felt / 'Til you reach the other side / There is goodness in the heart / Of every broken man / Who comes right up to the edge / Of losing everything he has"

Atlas - Coldplay

Some saw the Sun / Some heard the gun / Some bend the bow / Sometimes the wire / Must tense for the note / Caught in the fire / Say oh / We're about to explode / Carry your world / I'll carry your world / Carry your world / I'll carry your world / Some far away / Some search for gold / Some dragon to slay / Heaven we hope / Is just up the road / Show me the way, Lord / 'Cause I am about to explode / Carry your world / I'll carry your world / Carry your world / I'll carry your world / Carry your world (Carry your world) / And all your hurt

Into The Unknown - Panic! At The Disco

What do you want? / 'Cause you've been keeping me awake / Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake? / Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me? / Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be? / Every day's a little harder / As I feel your power grow / Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go / Into the unknown? / Into the unknown / Into the unknown

To Be Human - Sia (feat. Labrinth)

Under rich, restless skies / I've been setting highs / I felt you walk right through me / You're the thing that I invoke / My all persistent goal / Sent to make me queasy / And oh, it's hard now / With time, it works out / To be human is to love / Even when it gets too much / I'm not ready to give up / To be human is to love / Even when it gets too much / I'm not ready to give up / All the tigers have been out / I don't care, I hear them howl / I let them tear right through me / Can you help me not to care? / Every breath becomes a prayer / Take this pain from me / And oh, you're so far now / So far from my arms now / To be human is to love / Even when it gets too much / I'm not ready to give up

Peter - Taylor Swift

Forgive me, Peter, my lost fearless leader / In closets like cedar, preserved from when we were just kids / Is it something I did? / The goddess of timing once found us beguiling / She said she was trying, Peter, was she lying? / My ribs get the feeling that she did / And I didn't wanna come down / I thought it was just goodbye for now / You said you were gonna grow up / Then you were gonna come find me

I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme) - John Rzeznik

I am a question to the world / Not an answer to be heard / Or a moment that's held in your arms / And what do you think you'd ever say? / I won't listen anyway, you don't know me / And I'll never be what you want me to be / And what do you think you'd understand? / I'm a boy, no, I'm a man / You can't take me and throw me away / And how can you learn what's never shown? / Yeah, you stand here on your own / They don't know me 'cause I'm not here / And I want a moment to be real / Wanna touch things I don't feel / Wanna hold on and feel I belong / And how can the world want me to change? / They're the ones that stay the same / They don't know me 'cause I'm not here

[im-not-a-virgo-im-a-lesbo]

Honestly, props to Hozier for making it physically impossible for me to listen to De Selby Part 1 without listening to the rest of the album

[keeps-ache]

ggghhg i hate vehiclessssssss ghghghhghhhhh [dies dies dies forever]

[bookwyrminspiration]

I am quite ready for this month long sports unit to be over, please and thank you :) <- screaming

[nexus-nebulae]

"hey. what the fuck, man"

- one of our fictives coming to front for the first time in eight months and immediately scrolling past fanart of him even though we literally haven't seen content from that fandom much less of that character since we left it eight months ago

[starkidmunson]

glitter & crimson

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

“Marry.”

“What?”

“Marry. He’s hot, I’m not gonna kill him.”

“Eddie, we’re not playing FMK; you’re supposed to be telling me his name.”

“Oh. That’s…. Joe Jonas.”

“…he’s literally from Hawkins. And he’s holding a hockey stick.”

“Nobody from Hawkins is that hot, man, no way.”

~~~

Gareth posts the clip to his personal TikTok. Before he can get around to reposting it on Corroded Coffin’s band account, it has more than 100k views. Things only spiral from there, because once the band shares it, the video goes more viral and ends up on the screens of the right people.

chiblkhwks: harrington94 is social media challenged, but we’re going to make sure he sees this. Will keep you posted.

The comment is immediately overshadowed by a busy day of PR. A photoshoot to an interview to a radio show to the green room at the Fillmore in Boston, before an intimate pre-album release show for members of their fan club. Eddie has completely forgotten about the video entirely, but Gareth’s phone pings with a text notification.

“A response has been issued!” He declares to the room, still grinning down at the screen of his phone.

The rest of the band shares a collectively confused look, all seeming pleased to find they’re not alone in whatever they’ve missed.

“What?” Jeff asks for the group.

In lieu of an explanation, Gareth just flips the phone in his hand around to show a TikTok, stitched with the clip they’d made earlier that morning.

~~~

“Marry. He’s hot, I’m not gonna kill him.”

#Stitch

“Is… is that supposed to be a compliment?” Steve asks, making a pinched face as he laces up his skates.

“You watched the whole video. He compared you to Joe Jonas.” The girl behind the camera responds, but he levels her with an unimpressed look. She doesn’t respond, and after a beat, he sighs.

“Yeah, alright, I guess Joe Jonas is hot. I’ll take the compliment.” He huffs, standing to his feet and moving from the bench he’d been suiting up on toward the ice. The girl follows him, gliding toward the net once they're in the rink, never falling out of pace with him.

“Do you know who it is talking in the video?” She presses, and Steve looks unimpressed again.

“You mean the other hot guy?” He asks with a grin, then nods. “That was Eddie. I’m surprised you don’t know him, the Party listens to Corroded Coffin all the time.”

The video loops back to the stitched clip from Gareth’s initial TikTok then. Everyone in the room processes what just unfolded.

“The Party? Did… did Steve Harrington just make a reference to DnD? Or is that some sports thing I dont understand?” Jeff asks.

Freak raises his hand, indicating he’s next to speak. “Not only that, but his nerdy DnD friends listen to us all the time?”

“Did King Steve call Joe Jonas hot?” Eddie asks, visibly still trying to connect the wires in his brain that fried at Steve’s agreement. “Did he call me hot?”

All three turn toward Eddie, whose face is still reflecting the long form math equation his brain is trying to work out, and Jeff sighs.

“Well, boys. I think we’ve officially lost him.” He says, bowing his head. Freak and Gareth join him solemnly, making Eddie huff and cross his arms over his chest.

“You’re all so dramatic.”

“Gee, I wonder who encouraged us to be this way,” Freak exaggerates through a grin, before shoving a guitar into Eddie’s chest, just in time for Paige to open the door and summon them.

“We can have a meltdown over Harrington after the gig,” Gareth promises with a pat to Eddie’s back as everyone moves around him, exiting the green room and heading for the stage.

~~~

Riding his post-show high, Eddie makes a bold move in the CC band TikTok, commenting under the video Steve had stitched.

corrodedcoff!n: we’ll be in chicago 1/26 if harrington94 and ‘the party’ are free 🎫

He only gets about 20 minutes of peace before Gareth is jumping around, proclaiming himself the greatest wingman in history.

“It’s an offer for free concert tickets made over social media, and he hasn’t even answered, Gare Bear.” Eddie tries to get him to relax, but he, too, is eager to see how the other reacts to the offer.

He wakes up the next morning to the answer he’d been waiting on, and his stomach flips as he reads it over.

harrington94: only if you guys come to the home game 1/27 🏒

__________

Steve doesn’t even bat an eye when Max shoves her way into the locker room, b-lining straight for him.

“Can I help you?” He asks without looking up, unhooking the padding from his calf and letting it drop to the ground in front of his locker.

“Are you using TikTok to publicly flirt with Eddie Munson?” She asks, voice quieter than he’d typically expect from her, but he just scoffs.

“I’m just being friendly! You’re the one who started this in the first place! What, you didn’t expect me to log on and check if they’d responded?” He asks in response, freeing his foot from the skate, before placing a cover over the blade and letting the boot drop into the lower shelf beside his locker.

“I’m just confused because you’ve been super weird about coming out, and now you’re out here hitting on a rockstar all over social media, that’s all.” Max says, and Steve freezes for a moment.

“Do you…” he trails off, before closing his eyes and rubbing a thumb into his temple. “You really think I just accidentally came out?”

“You called Joe Jonas and Eddie Munson hot, encouraged this rockstar to come to your game when he’s in town and also accepted tickets to see him perform, Steve.” Max was monotone, and held her hands up defensively when he groaned. “I’m not starting anything, I’m just saying that this could get blown out of proportion now.”

They discuss a little further, deciding neither of them will publicly acknowledge anything that’s been posted to the account for now, until they actually come up with a plan.

Once he’s in his car heading home, Steve calls Robin.

“Dingus,” she greets, as always, and he lets out a grumble. “Uh oh. What happened?”

“I think I accidentally came out on the internet, and it’s Eddie Munson’s fault.” He’s met with several seconds of silence as he starts his car on the path to him and Robin’s shared apartment.

“Eddie, the drug dealer from high school?” Robin eventually asks, confused, and Steve groans again.

“Yeah. He uh, also is in a band?” He supplies, and Robin’s quiet for a moment as she processes. Then, he hears the tapping of a keyboard. “What are you doing?”

“Looking Eddie up, obviously.” Steve can practically see her eye roll, even though they’re not FaceTiming. “You’re nothing if not consistent, I guess. Doe-eyed curly brunet.”

Steve scoffs. “You say as though you’re not the one currently waking up beside Nance every morning.”

He’s met again by a short silence, before Robin lets out a little puff of air, in a small laugh. “Thank you again for being so cool about that, by the way.” She says, before he hears clicking on her end. “Apparently, Eddie is out as bi. Corroded Coffin does a charity show for the Trevor Project every year, and he’s been to a lot of Pride events.”

Steve’s stomach twists with each new bit of information she provides, because a part of him wants to be that out, wants to be like Robin or apparently Eddie, freely sharing that part of themselves with the world and having no one give a shit. But that’s not how it works on so many levels for Steve. Beside the shit he’d have to deal with on the ice from certain other players, he had no idea how it would impact the team overall. There’s no way to gauge how fans would react, when there’s never been an openly gay player in the NHL. And that didn't even begin to touch on how his parents would react.

“Hey,” Robin breaks him out of his spiral and he realizes he’s been chewing a hole into his cheek. “I can hear how loud you’re thinking right now. Do you need me to come home?” She asks, gently, and he sighs.

“Please.” He mumbles after a long pause, and is grateful when he hears the jingle of car keys from the other end of the phone.

~~~

Robin scrolls through article after article once she gets to their place, pulling Steve onto the sofa with her and laying his head in her lap. Her fingers twist through his hair, doing her best to keep him calm as she reads up on the situation playing out to try and help gauge how big of a hole he’s dug himself this time.

“I don’t think there’s really anyone who thinks you were flirting with him. Not seriously, at least.” She tries to assure him, but he’d already seen the twitter posts to contradict that before she came over. He sighs and rolls onto his back, so he’s looking up at her, and shrugs.

“I kind of don’t think there’s any avoiding it, at this point.” He mumbles. “I’m not… I’m not ready to come out, not like this. Not on this scale. I think the only thing I can do is carry on and hope it doesn’t get turned into any bigger of a deal.”

Robin hums down at him, and continues to brush his hair back out of his eyes. “Okay. So you don’t come out yet. But don’t overcompensate for it, okay?” He scrunches his face up at her, and she types something into her phone before turning it back into his face. He immediately pales, met with a photo of him out with Heidi last year. With a black eye on full display, he looks miserable behind a fake smile.

“Low blow,” he grumbles, pushing himself away from Robin to sit up beside her, and she raises her eyebrow at him, still holding the photo pointed in his direction.

“‘Maybe they won’t notice or ask why my literal teammate punched me in the face at practice if I take a fucking supermodel out to dinner.’” Robin’s imitation is a little too good, a sure sign of too much time spent together.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it!” He asks, taking the phone off of her and closing out of the image before locking it. He drops it back into her lap with a sigh. “I just don’t know how many times I can keep getting away with hiding it.”

“Well, it helps that Billy got traded out to LA. He would be insufferable about this, and would absolutely make everything 10 times worse.” Robin muses.

Steve sighs and hesitates for a moment before dropping his head back into her lap, curling into her. “I just want it to be on my terms, when I’m ready.”

“We’ll figure it out, and it’ll all be okay, no matter what. Okay?” She assures quietly, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek.

His phone dings with a new notification; Max texted him a screenshot from TikTok.

corrodedcoff!n: you’ve got yourself a deal 🤝🏻

[xo-cod]

141 + reader

hc's when you five share the barracks together/just in general <3 (ooc, rushed my bad lmao, can be read platonically/romantically, reader is v close to them!!) kinda long oops 😩 might do a part 2 idk

nsfw version 🩷

there's a whole lot of testosterone and musk in the air when you're sharing living spaces with 4 men ‼️

all four men compete with each other to get your attention, even if it's unknowingly

whole lotta pouting when you're spending time with more man than the other, you're a great companion ;) and the army is lonely. they all need equal love and attention

speaking of, if you're smelling like one of them the other will immediately bundle you in his arms to put his scent on you instead and to cancel out the other (alpha behaviour 😵‍💫)

whole lotta flirting from each of them. they're all very intelligent soldiers, they know exactly what to say to get you going 😙

all of them adore the height difference with you. you get teased about it relentlessly (out of love obvi)

i don't think they're particularly messy men but ghost and gaz are the most cleanest, they like having their things in order and knowing where everything is

price is next because he's slumped with being captain so you'll see a lot of his paperwork around with coffee mugs from pulling all nighters

soap is more organised mess. it might look messy to you but he knows exactly where everything is

you, soap and gaz definitely have rap battles late at night. it starts of quiet but you'll usually hear price shouting at you three from his bedroom to stfu. ghost threatens to pull a grenade if you don't be quiet

assuming you're naturally a good cook, they'd all be so appreciative :") especially on bad days, your cooking reminds each of them of home (or lack of)

face masks! gaz would 100% be down to do them with you, soap would follow next because if gaz is doing it then he too???

ghost would roll his eyes, continuing polishing his guns with a rag "you ain't putting that muck on my face"

price would just look at you, shaking his head "got too much to do, sweetness"

but you're quite the convincer and all four men are on the floor of your bedroom, gossiping about the last mission with their preferred colour of face mask across their faces

assuming you're the only woman, they get very protective when you're hurt. soldiers get hurt from time to time but its different when it's you

"you alright, bonnie?" soap's gentle voice comes through your room as he hands you a warm mug of your fave drink

gaz had you wrapped in a big fluffy blanket, gently stroking your back

"who was it?" ghost's voice is firm, wanting to know who dared injured the youngest member of their team

"already got a handle on 'em" price follows, looking at the computer. whatever enemy dared to raise their hands on wished they'd be six feet under after all four men are done with them

you're the one each man needs when they're having a particularly bad day which are usually far in few between but sometimes it happens

gaz and soap are the types to seek you out, their faces settled in a troubled frown before they place their arms around you. no questions just yet, they just want to feel skin to skin for now. keeping them grounded before they can explain what happened. they're not looking for a fixer, just someone who'll listen

ghost and price are the type to isolate themselves for a while until it's night and then you'll find them gently knocking on your bedroom door and slipping inside, between your covers. their grip is strong, burying their faces deep into your neck whilst trying to wrap his arms as much as he can. these two won't talk much either, just looking to be held and stroked to calm down

ghost and soap are the type to show affection through lingering touches while gaz and price show affections through their words.

but speaking of hugs, each of them have their own special way they like to embrace

ghost thinks he's being slick but you realise just how touchstarved he really is, he gives hugs with his arms around your shoulders bringing you in to his chest. mostly because he's tall and broad but he likes how he can manhandle you from this position and smelling your scent <3

soap's the type to tackle you in a playful hug, maybe a spin to get a laugh out of you before he gently strokes your skin for a few seconds, a gentle kiss to your temple <3

price likes to hug from behind, resting his chin on your head while he looks at what you're doing. depending on you, his big arms are either wrapped on your waist or your shoulders <3

gaz gives side hugs because he likes linking his arm around your hips and he likes how you fit snugly into his body. and this way he can lean his head against yours and can bring you in closer with his other arm <3

all four can immediately smell you before you come in because they adore whatever perfume/spray you have

each of them would absolutely melt into pieces if you joined them/kept them company in what they were doing

and if they catch you in a towel after having a shower, best believe they're quickly walking back around to where they came from to help alleviate the growing... tent in their pants

lowkey kinda pervy 🫣 (never in a harmful way)

each of them have their strong points and would 100% train you in becoming stronger

even if you're a well established soldier, they all worry for your safety

price would teach you sniper techniques, ghost teaches you combat, gaz teaches you how to sharpen your aim and soap teaches you about explosives and how to construct/dismantle each of them

they take the training very seriously with you

a ton of cursing when their fave team loses lmaoo

if you're avid tea drinker, join the gaz/ghost/price club. if you're not, join the hater club with soap <3

ghost/gaz/soap will playfully fight with you, careful not to use their full strength and not to harm you. but it's so cute to them when you're struggling a little under them.

but when price scolds them in doing so, "i'm just helping in case there's an attack!"

if you're arguing against one of them, another will come to your defence. unless you're arguing all four then it's the silent treatment from you 🤭

all four of them melt when you call them by their real name instead of their callsign :")

ghost usually comes to you when his balaclava is broken and he'll keep you company as your fingers work their magic to the fabric, gently leaning against you as you speak to him

price will let you shape up his beard after you begging to do so and he grows to enjoy those tender moments

soap definitely calls for your help to shape up his mohawk, he trusts your hand to eye coordination above anyone elses

ghost will playfully ruffle your hair whenever you both pass each other

price gives you a gentle squeeze on the shoulder

gaz gives you a soft stroke on your arm or back whenever he's passing by

soap will gently tap his head against yours, not too hard to cause pain but just enough to know that he's there

but above all, the barracks you five share is definitely a safe space for each of them the second they come through the door <333