#though this season most of them were more idiotic and mean than usual

[mikimeiko]

What We Do in the Shadows | Season 4 (2022)

[strawberrystepmom]

cw children, cw families. gojo and f!reader were idiots in love and they are now married and have a baby. my effortlessly good painter gojo hc won out over being normal in my brain today so yeah. reader is referred to as mom/mama/mother and princess, satoru makes a joke about readers breasts. wc 1.1k

Your morning has started far quieter than they usually do.

The day is overcast, no sunshine through your floor to ceiling bedroom windows, but you don’t mind. It feels good to embrace the cloudy days that have come with the changing of seasons, no harsh light to shock you awake. That job will be for your identical menaces in the coming months, the gummy smile of your morning person nine month old and her unabashedly obsessed father Satoru always eager to be your twin alarm clocks with their giggling and playful babbling at each other.

There’s nothing they love more than giving you the gift of four identical blue eyes blinking at you while you come to your senses every morning. You can almost admit aloud that you’ve become a morning person since becoming a parent, the delightful giggles of your daughter giving you the motivation to conquer anything and everything you can.

For today though, you wake gently, softly rolling from your side to flat on your back but something feels off. There are no hushed giggles, no silly songs being recited with children’s show host precision.

Your bed is empty and quiet and you feel…sad. Perhaps in the past you would’ve found this to be a luxury - no freakishly long limbs of your husband starfished across the bed to keep you pinned to it, no baby to tug at the earrings you forgot to take out last night, but instead it just feels like a less welcome start to the day.

Lingering in bed doesn’t feel good so you roll again, dropping your legs over the edge and sliding your feet into your waiting slippers. Scuffing across the floor, you yawn and stop in your tracks hearing voices from inside Satoru’s closet.

Well, a voice and some baby giggles, anyway.

“Can you say mama?”

Leaning against the door frame of the walk in, you stifle a laugh listening to your husband babble at his little girl who babbles back excitedly. Peeking around the corner, you see him standing in front of the portrait of you that he painted on your 24th birthday, little babe held to his chest and leaning her head on his shoulder.

“That’s her, that’s right. Your perfect mom.”

He sighs and your heart squeezes watching the two of them sway side to side, your baby who is growing into an independent toddler every day reaching out as if she recognizes your face. You’re sure she does, actually; the painting is an impeccable likeness and it still frustrates you 6 years later that he managed to become so good at a craft you’ve spent your life working on in less than a month.

Someday you’ll tell her the entire story, your version of it anyway. For now you’re content to let her father tell his side considering it was one of the most grand and romantic gestures he had performed at the time in an effort to show you how serious he was about your relationship.

“Listen, little girl,” he starts, unknowing that he has captured both of your attention. “I know I’m going to have to tell you this again eventually but do not ever bring a man or woman or anyone else into this house that loves you less than I love your mother.”

She coos at the sound of his voice and he chuckles down at her, kissing the downy white hair atop her head.

“I mean it. If they won’t stay up for four nights straight to get a start on painting your nose from memory, leave ‘em behind.”

With this, you giggle and the attention of both of your menaces is captured. Your daughter squeals from over Satoru’s shoulder, holding one little hand out and making a grabbing motion and he copies her excited babbling with his own.

“My little tricksters snuck out of bed this morning!”

Grinning, you cradle your little girl against your chest and kiss her temple, inhaling the clean smell of her shampoo and skin. She’s been bathed and everything.

“You’re the best.”

You feel the need to remind Satoru at this moment and he grins, bending to give you a good morning kiss.

“Duh.”

Giggling, you let your wiggly daughter settle herself and the three of you stand in front of the painting. You recognize the younger woman permanently captured in it, the soft lovesick look in her eyes, and it amuses you to know he took extra time to capture you exactly like that. Hopelessly in love.

He could capture you using the same medium and you’d look identical to how you did back then - utterly stricken.

“Did you really stay up practicing for four nights?”

“Princess, I stayed up practicing for four weeks.”

You snort, looking up at him from the corner of your eye.

“There’s no need to embellish now, you’ve already won me over.”

He shrugs, pulling the two of you close to his chest. He leans over his little family, cheek resting against the top of your head.

“But what if I never want to stop winning you?”

You reach up and brush his hair off of his forehead affectionately. Every touch you give him is full of love and every glance carries tenderness.

There will come a time when your daughter will be old enough to gawk at the love the two of you have for one another. Maybe she’ll stick her tongue out and roll her eyes just as you remember her father doing more than once or perhaps she’ll simply smile and hide her face in the collar of her shirt, dreaming of a love like what’s in front of her someday.

“I mean, I could paint you again. You are coming up on the big three oh and I have to say that a few things have grown since back then if you know what I mean.”

He waggles his eyebrows suggestively and drops his voice suggestively low. You flick him on the forehead and laugh about it, your daughter joining in on your giggles as a nine month old is apt to do.

The thing you hope she’ll understand the most is that sometimes love isn’t just big paintings and grand gestures and sweet looks. It’s being grounded enough to give each other a hard time when things are good and a good time when things are hard.

You are fortunate enough to have the best of everything with her father.

“Let’s go make breakfast, Monet.”

You turn on your heel and your husband follows closely behind, small steps to match your own. He looks over his shoulder one final time to look at the painting of you on his closet wall and he smiles, soft and warm.

“Whatever you say, my muse.”

[stellayuta]

Rin doing Yoga in the anime had me bawlinggg idk why It also put the image of Yoga Sex with Rin in my mind and now I can't stop thinking about ittt

How about writing something about that?

thanks for putting the image in my head too

mdni, 18+ only

★Rin Itoshi - Yoga S*x☆

The 'R' in Rin stood for routine. He was awake by 5 AM and done with his early morning strength training and jog by 7 AM. To ease the pain of exhausting his stamina and muscles at dawn, he chose Yoga as a means to stretch his body out and soothe the soreness. The upkeep of being a pro footballer was not a regular man's deal after all.

You had never seen his routine ever before because you loved your sleep more than Rin did. In fact, you only knew about his routine in detail because his sports manager scolded him because he refused to take a break from working out even during his off time from the football season. You on the other hand, if there wasn't a reason to wake up before 8:00 AM, you won't. That was the law. Usually, you'd just join a freshly rejuvenated Rin for a hearty breakfast with a yawn and kickstart your day.

One fine morning though, you were forced awake by the sheer heat of the house. It was the middle of the harshest summer Japan had to offer as of late, and you were hoping that for whatever reason the AC was off, it'd better be a good one. You got out of the bed, kicking the musty sheets away from you and swiped at the sweat forming on your forehead. You were melting away even when you were only in a pair of skimpy shorts and a paper-thin tank top. You checked the time before you made your way out of your bedroom - 7:00 AM. The rest of the house was a degree cooler than your oven-like bedroom, but it was enough for you to forget where the thermostat was. That's when you remember that it was Rin who usually handled the thermostat. Maybe it was him who switched the AC off? But... why?

You make your way to the living room to locate the thermostat and are greeted by the most astonishing and unexpected sight right in front of you.

Rin Itoshi's bare back is facing you as he stretches himself out into complicated poses on his yoga mat while soaking in the radiant sun seeping in from the open windows. There is not a single item of clothing on his body. He sighs as he skillfully changes positions and focuses on the left side of his body, balancing himself on the mat. You gawk at his marvelous form as Rin's body shines lusciously under the sunlight, as if lathered by coconut oil and Epsom salts and his own sweat - which it probably is.

"Rin?" you call out without meaning to, making the Itoshi jerk his head up in confusion and smiling when he sees you.

"You up early?" he asks as if he isn't laid out in front of you like a whole meal ready to be ravished.

"Well, the AC woke me up." you say honestly, approaching him as he seats himself on his mat in a lotus pose. You stare at how his limp member and ball sack hang, tucked inside his folded thighs. That's all you can stare at or pay attention to now as you feel a shiver creep up your core and you press your legs together.

"That was my bad. I'm sorry, I usually do this out on the balcony but the neighbors are doing garden-work and obviously, I don't want them to see." he says. Foolish Rin...

"Have you been out on the balcony doing yoga butt naked everyday?" you exclaim. "Rin! People other than the neighbors can see you too you idiot!"

"Are you worried someone might click pictures?" he asks coyly, holding out his hand to entrap yours. It is all slick and sticky with oil and heats up your body even more.

"Have you seen yourself? Anyone would." You say, playing with the hem of your shorts with your other hand. Things are getting sticky inside your body too now.

"Want to try it?" Rin asks, already sliding your shorts down your bare thighs. You don't sleep with underwear on when wearing those pair of shorts. "Oh, look at that." Rin says, cocking his head at the bare delta of your womanhood.

"Come here." he says, kissing your mound generously making you whimper. You grab at his green hair and try to stop yourself from crumbling.

"Y/N. Position your knee like this." he says, folding you knee and pressing your foot to the thigh of your other leg.

"Hands up and palms together." he demands and you follow, keenly trying to balance on one leg. "That's the tree pose." he tells you and you nod. "Great position for what I'm about to do." he says with a smirk, inching closer, his lower lashes hitting your thighs.

The way Rin ravages you over the next few minutes has you praying you don't fall over. The position gives Rin enough freedom to hit some of the most stubborn and well-hidden bundles of nerve inside you with relative ease. His tongue is as flexible as his body was a while ago. You are left croaking as Rin digs his nails into the sides of thighs, shamelessly making slurping noises as he eats you out. Soon enough, you let your hands free from the pose and start rolling your hips onto his face, eyeing him from the top - his reactions, the way his brows tense up, the way he looks up at you occasionally. You force him to hit your most sensitive innards as you finally come undone on his tongue and face without asking. Unbeknownst to you, the lewdness of the whole situation and Rin's skill made you come a LOT. As your eyes are shut and you are unable to process anything around you, Rin is collecting your plentiful essence in his palms. When you finally come to and regain your usual breathing rhythm you find Rin playing with the sticky substance in his hands.

"R-rin?" you ask, eyelids half closed. "What are you doing with that, wipe it off!"

"Nah." Rin says, keeping his eyes on your cum in his hands. "I was in a dilemma since I ran out of oil for you, but you solved my problem." he says and it takes a second for you to understand what he's about to do.

He takes his palms and rubs them all over your body. Your chest, your hips, your navel and your thighs.

"Feel good?" he asks, pressing your back to make you lay on the ground on all fours. "Feels good to be covered in your own slick?"

"Anything for you, Rinnie." you say, wondering why he is pulling one of your legs horizontally. "You're so weird you know."

"I know." he admits. "Balancing Table Pose."

"Wha-?" Before you can finish your question though, Rin rams full force into you from behind. "Keep you other hand up, pretty please. I don't like it when the form is incorrect."

you sniff as your muscles hurt from maintaining the pose. Yet still, after a few seconds your body gets used to it and the pleasure doubles as one each of your arms and legs is up in the air while Rin's pace increases. He presses his chest against your back and keeps the rhythm going, pounding in and out savagely. His angle is so unpredictable, his length is going left and right and top and bottom inside of you, making you scream his name in pleasure. You feel the head of his member in full intensity with one leg up and you feel it's bulbous shape ebb at your cervix with how long Rin is. You so want to see how red his tip is, how angrily it must be leaking out pre-cum right now.

"Ah, just a bit more." he says next to your ear, huffing and puffing as he increases the power of his thrust as you feel your eyes roll back into your head.

"Ah, There. Yes!" Rin scrunches up his face. "Yes!" his tongue lolls out - an occurrence when he is at peak pleasure.

He empties himself inside of you as you feel your abdomen fill up with his sticky liquid.

"There we go." he says, gasping and pulling himself out of you as you drip all over onto his mat, sinking to your knees.

"Session Complete." he says, bringing his towel to your hole.

[georgie-weasley]

Tutor G.W. x Fem!Reader

Warnings: I think one swearword

Word Count: 3k

Paring: George Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: George thinks the best way to get to know you is to pretend he needs a tutor

A/N: This has nothing to do with a birthday but I wrote it yesterday as my birthday gift to myself because I wanted it.

Masterlink Taglist

George Weasley was not stupid by any means; he just chose to spend his time focusing on other things besides school. Him and his twin probably could get amazing grades if they wanted to but they didn’t want to. Both of them were fine being subpar in school because that wouldn’t matter anyway. However, George was always fantastic at Transfiguration. Though he would mess around and get on every single one of McGonagall’s nerves, he always managed to get the work done and ace the tests. Until recently that is.

The bell signaling the end of class rang and the students gathered their things. George laughed at something Fred said as he shoved his most recent test into his bag. “Mr. Weasley.” Came McGonagall’s voice from the front of the room. The Weasley twins turned to face her. “George, come here please.”

George sighed and waved to his brother. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

As Fred left, George made his way over to McGonagall’s desk. She glanced at him over the rim of her glasses, her face stern. “What can I do for you Minerva?” Her glare worsened and George cleared his throat. “I meant to say, what did I do now Professor?”

McGonagall sighed and folded her hands on her lap. “George, what’s happening to your grade? I know you usually only care about the minimum grade required to continue Quidditch in your other classes but typically, if you can believe it, you’re one of my top students.”

George shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to tell her. He wasn’t about to tell her that he and his brother are planning on opening a joke shop after school. If she knew, he was sure she would disapprove or tell his mother. He was in his seventh year so really he knows he should be focusing on school and his grades but he wasn’t interested. “Just been busy.”

The look on her face told George she didn’t believe a word he said. “George, let's be honest. You have never studied for my class since your first year. I’ve seen you pay attention maybe 10 times. However, you still managed to get some of the best scores in your class, even your whole year. Want to fill me in on the actual reason your grades have dropped?”

George chewed on his lip as he debated telling her the truth. He could already hear Fred’s whining if he did tell McGonagall the truth but she was staring at him and likely wouldn’t stop until he spilled the beans. “Fred and I are planning to open a joke shop after school so really we don’t need to work hard in school.”

McGonagall sighed and shook her head. George was prepared for her to tell him it was a horrible idea; everyone else he bothered to tell thought they were idiots for wanting that. “I think it’s a wonderful idea but you can’t stop trying in your classes. I hate to do this but with your grade as is, you’re not allowed to participate in any Quidditch matches until your grade improves.”

“But Professor you can’t! The first game of the season is in three months. I have to play.” George went from elated to have her support to more heartbroken than he ever had been within seconds.

“I can and I just did. Now, I’ve taken the liberty of asking my top student to be your tutor. Once your grade has shown improvement, then you can go back to Quidditch.”

George knew there was no way to convince her to change her mind. Maybe if it hadn’t been his final year playing Quidditch, he wouldn’t have minded as much. George loved the sport but he could have lived without it for a few months if he had to. He didn’t want to but if he was forced, he would have survived. Being his last year at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t get any more games after the year was over so he had to make the most of it. Besides, maybe he could ditch the tutor and figure this all out on his own. Now that he was thinking about it, he hoped his tutor wasn’t horrible. “Who did you assign to be my tutor?”

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened and you walked in, your arms filled with books. He watched you with wide eyes, entranced by you. He’d seen you around the castle before but he never got the chance to speak with you. While he was causing chaos everywhere he went, you were always studying. George also knew that you were in the highest level class in all of your subjects; his know-it-all brother Percy would be pissed to know you were smarter than him. There was no denying how smart you were but George didn’t realize until this moment just how beautiful you were. Sure, he thought you were gorgeous from a distance but now that he was seeing you this close, gorgeous wasn’t enough to describe just how stunning you were. He should probably stop staring at you but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

“Miss Y/N? Please come see me.” McGonagall sounded like she was speaking through a tunnel. Her voice seemed to be so far away from George he wondered if you had actually put a spell on him. You set your belongings down on a desk before making your way up to the front of the room. With each step you took, George could feel his heart speeding up and his lungs struggling to get air.

“Yes Professor?” George stared at your lips as you spoke. He felt a little like a creep but he couldn’t stop watching.

“I was hoping you would be willing to tutor Mr. Weasley. I’d be happy to give you some extra credit if that would help.”

George held his breath, waiting for your answer. He was hopeful you would say yes even if it was just for the extra credit. “Sure.” George felt like he was flying on the fastest broom known to wizards after hearing your answer. The bell rang, meaning George would be late for charms but McGonagall had thought that through and handed him a note to explain his late arrival. McGonagall moved away from her desk, gathering papers from the students as you turned to George.

He could see your mouth moving but he couldn’t hear a single word coming from you. George saw your face contort into the most beautiful frown. What happened to make you so upset? Was it him? He searched your face for any indication on what could have gone wrong when you crossed your arms over your chest. “George? Can you meet me in the library after dinner?” You snapped your fingers in his face, causing him to come back down to earth.

“Oh, yeah sure. I can do that.”

With a roll of your eyes, you walked away from him and sat in your seat. McGonagall ushered him out of her class as he tried to wrap his brain around what just happened. Well, he had until tonight to get himself together.

---

After dinner, George made his way to the library, a room in the castle he hardly ever visited. Almost right away, George spotted you. Towards the middle of the room you sat at a table surrounded by books. With a little spring in his step, he bounded over to you, sliding into the seat across from you. “Hello Y/N. How are you this evening?”

You ignored him, grabbing a book and setting it in front of him. “Professor McGonagall said that you’ve been falling behind the past few months so I figured we could start easy to make sure you aren’t completely incompetent.” You dropped a handful of buttons onto the table and looked at him expectantly. “Turn them into beetles.”

George smiled and waved his wand, easily turning the buttons into colorful beetles that started to scurry away. Before you could react, he waved his wand again and they turned back into beetles.

“Follow me.” You grabbed your things and walked out to the courtyard, George following close behind. The courtyard was full of other students messing around before it was time for bed. He saw quite a few students with bright orange and purple boxes; he would have to tell Fred he saw their products being used out in the wild. George was too distracted watching the other people he didn’t see that you had stopped, causing him to ram right into you. You stumbled backwards and George shot his arm out to catch you around your waist, saving you from falling into the fountain.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, a crooked smile on his face. You scowled, trying to keep your own smile hidden. He was cute, you could admit that. However, he was loud and obnoxious and clearly didn’t care about anything but himself.

You cleared your throat and moved his arm away from you. His cheeks turned almost as bright red as his hair which you found to be endearing. “Turn this rock into a frog.” You picked up a rather large rock from the ground and set it on the edge of the fountain. With ease, George did as you asked and made a perfect frog.

The series of tests continued. You would tell George to transfigure something and he would do it without issue. Even the harder spells he did perfectly. This made no sense to you. Why would McGonagall claim that he needed a tutor when clearly he could do everything just fine? “Are you pretending to be stupid or something?” You finally asked George as you both walked in the castle, heading to your common rooms.

George looked at you in surprise. “What do you mean? I need a tutor.”

“No you don’t George. You did every spell perfectly. Even the one I gave you from my class which you are not in. You’re smart. On Monday I’m going to tell McGonagall you don’t need any help.”

Absolutely not. There was no way he was going to just let you go like that. You were far too smart to be in any of his classes and you were never around when he had any free time. No, George wanted to spend time with you no matter what. “Can we at least meet up again tomorrow just to make sure I know everything?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, sure there had to be some sort of trick forming in his brain. “Fine. Tomorrow at the lake at three. Don’t be late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

---

The next day, George waited by the lake for you, a plan forming in his head. It wasn’t his best plan but George knew if he wanted to see you again, something would have to happen. As you approached the lake, you watched George. He was much more calm when he was alone, something that you really liked. While you hardly ever spoke to him before yesterday, you had seen him around school with his brother and friends. He was so loud and open and just excited to be alive so it seemed. He was very different now on his own but you liked it. It was easier to admire his handsome features when they were relaxed. Though, he was very handsome when he was laughing and smiling too. You could even argue he was more attractive when he was happy but it was just easier to see him like this.

George spotted you and a wide bright smile crossed his face. He jumped to his feet and swooped down into a bow as you approached him. Despite trying not to smile, you couldn’t help but giggle at his theatrics. “Good morrow to you my fair lady.” He reached out and took your hand in his, kissing it.

With a roll of your eyes, you took your hand from his and dipped into a curtsy. “Good morrow to you, kind sir.” If it was even possible, George’s smile widened at your answer. He stood up straight and took your hand once again to lead you to a blanket he had set up. There was a picnic basket overflowing with snacks and a bottle of what you were sure was not champagne. Upon closer inspection, it was sparkling apple cider.

George blushed a little as he watched you take in the setup. “I thought you might appreciate snacks while you tutor me. It’s no easy job.”

You chuckled and set your books down on the blanket. “George, you’re incredibly easy to tutor. You already know everything.” You opened one of your books and searched through it to find a spell for him to try. You wanted something that wasn’t too difficult but still should challenge him. You settled on a spell you had been working on in your advanced class. “See that big boulder?” George nodded. “Turn it into a pig.”

Seeing how well he did yesterday, you were sure this would be a spell he could easily pick up on. George cleared his throat and nodded, moving closer to the rock. He cast the spell and instead of the rock turning into a pig like you expected, nothing happened. You both frowned as he tried again. And again. And again. George tried to turn the boulder into a pig for ten minutes but he never managed to do it.

“Well, maybe that one was a little harder. Why don’t you try the one we did yesterday?” You stood and grabbed a small rock to set in front of him. “Can you make it a frog?” He should be able to easily do it since he did it perfectly yesterday.

George flashed you a cocky smile. “Of course I can.” With a flick of his wand, the small rock grew frog legs but was still a rock. You both watched as the rock tried to hop around. George tried to hide his smile as you turned to him in shock. This is exactly what he had been planning on. All last night he thought about ways to keep you around. He thought that maybe if he swept you off your feet then you would be impressed and want to spend time with him but he worried it wouldn’t be enough. So, he decided to suck at transfiguration. If he was horrible then you would continue to be his tutor and he could spend more time with you and get to know you more. Then after all of that, you could at least be his friend if not more. Of course he’d have to still do better on his tests and homework so he could stay on the Quidditch team.

Sensing some bullshit, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Interesting. Maybe we should go back to the beginning?” You dug around in your bag and pulled out a matchstick. “This is one of the first spells you learn. Matchstick to needle.” Theoretically, this should be even easier than the buttons and beetles he did yesterday. Turning one inanimate object to another inanimate object is extremely easy; he should be able to do it without issue.

George nodded and took the matchstick from your hand, letting his fingers linger on your palm just a little longer than he needed. He set it on the ground and cast the spell but once again, nothing happened. George turned to look at you, hoping to see a confused expression on your face but he didn’t. You were looking more bored than anything. “Huh, I guess I do really need a tutor.”

You stared at him, wondering if he’s really doing what you think he’s doing. “George, are you pretending to be stupid?” It was the same question you asked him yesterday.

George gave you a sly smile. “What do you mean? I need a tutor.” He answered you, saying the exact same thing he said yesterday. You rolled your eyes and started packing up your things. George rushed over to you and grabbed one of your books. “Please wait.”

“No George. You knew you didn’t need a tutor and yet you insisted on meeting with me again today to what? Lie? Give me my book.”

George looked between you and the book in his hand before he slowly handed it over. “Can I at least explain why I did this?” This was all blowing up in his face. Somehow he thought that maybe you wouldn’t realize what he had been doing but he should have known someone as smart as you would have noticed.

“Fine.”

He was surprised you even gave him the time to explain himself. “I wasn’t trying to use you or waste your time. I just wanted to spend time with you and I thought this would be the best way.” He rocked on his feet as he waited for any response from you.

“Why would you need to create some dumb excuse to spend time with me?” You hated it but your heart was fluttering at the idea that George wanted to spend time with you.

George flushed bright red and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “Well, I think you’re really pretty and I wanted to get to know you more.”

Neither of you moved. George kept his eyes on the floor while you watched him. You had never been one to be bold; that was more George’s speciality. However, today was the time you needed to be bold. “I happen to think you’re really pretty too.”

George’s head snapped up and he looked at you with wide eyes. As he got over his shock, he smiled brightly. “Well, then what do you say we turn this tutor session into a date?” He gestured to the picnic blanket behind him.

“I’d really like that. Just promise me one thing?”

“Anything.”

You smiled and grabbed his hands in yours. “Don’t ever pretend to be stupid again.”

Taglist

@100gaysnails @george-weasleys-girl @weasleybuns @s1aaaaayyyyyyyt @asuperconfusedgirl @jsjcue @daisydark @creepybloodykitty2 @themarauderswife7 @mintyme101

[beastabyss666]

The Season 2 Episode 8 of Helluva Boss recently was published quite spontaneously, so I'm writing the review while being very sleepy. First of all... It was weird to start the episode with some cheap musical. Blitzo's solo was especially... fair to middling. I'm sorry, but I think Brandon Rogers can't sing, his voice isn't actually made for singing(that's just my opinion tho). And also hey, they remembered the cherubs! Wow. Though they made them some utter idiots, much like the other characters, I mean.. So the plot is about Blitzo going shopping for a sex toy which(in his opinion) will really rejoice Stolas. Meanwhile, the cherubs are seen living on Earth and robbing humans to "redeem themselves and return to heaven"(I won't ask how it's supposed to work). They get caught by the D.H.O.R.K.S. folk(wow, you also remembered them too, nice work Vivzie), where the agents tell the cherubs that they built a portal to Hell and made high-tech robotic suits imitating the main IMP gang. The cherubs wear them and enter the portal, ending up in the Lust Ring, where Blitzo goes shopping. The main gang attacks them(though it wasn't shown that they even were there), and OF COURSE defeats the cherubs, throwing them through the portal. The episode ends with Blitzo finally visiting Stolas and talking to him. But I'll mention it later. So... I found this episode quite weird, nothing much to say about the visuals, though some frames look like they're from another show. How some characters(especially humans) are drawn looks like they're also from another show. But I guess they don't really organise anything normally, so it just is. I also find the tone of the episode too chaotic, but the whole show switches rapidly from "Edgy black comedy" to "Unserious absurd trash comedy" to "Drama/whining/'we care about characters and their development'" stuff. Another weird thing I found about visuals is that the creators put many overly cartoonish expressions to characters, to the point that it look just ridiculous, not even saying it's out of the general style.

Some of these expressions look kinda crooked, and the other are cartoonly, but not in a way that fits the whole show. It's not a slapstick comedy, and I don't understand why the writers pretend it is. Most of the time(and it's seen in this episode) it's just lazy and poor attempts at satire on our stupid and hypocritical society, but it just doesn't work mainly because the protagonists don't seem to have more brain cells than usual humans in this universe. Earth here, although, really seem to be a thing to relieve Vivzie's malice at... everything, I guess. There is no exact satire/mocking of someone or something, so I guess Vivzie just hates every living thing in general(especially kids, for some reason). That's why the humour in this episode also seems odd in a bad way. I don't like that HB sometimes pretends to be South Park, or Family Guy, or... a typical CN show, perhaps? It just doesn't look right, it's like the writers try to copy other better works instead of making their own vibes/special tone.

Also they could use some more imagination

And about the ending... Stolas doesn't seem satisfied by Blitzo's behaviour(who acts overly sexual towards him which seems OOC), and starts... basically complaining about him being too sexual and not sensual. Guys... do you remember how it all started? Does Vivzie remember it? Literally in the 1 episode of 1 season it's shown that Stolas only uses Blitzo for his sexual pleasure, not caring about his comfort etc. He even calls him while he's on a dangerous mission. And there are lots of other moments where Stolas practically h*rasses Blitzo and makes him uncomfortable with his comments. And even since pilot doesn't seem to be canon(so Stolas didn't threaten Blitzo with r*pe), there are enough red flags about this mf. Yet in this episode he literally complains about receiving not so much love and care? That's... idk, that's shitty to say the least, and I don't know how the writers even managed. A literal abuser complaining about their partner being "not affectionate enough", that's fuckin' hilarious(sarcasm), and I say it as someone who had few abusers in my life. I still remember the previous episodes so I kinda don't buy it, but many people do, and that's sad. After that Blitzo [rightfully] angers at Stolas for complaining about lack of love while disrespecting him for being a lower class and using him as some object. Stolas only answers with "I think so very highly of you, I didn't realise you think so low of me", and kicks Blitzo out of his palace.

So... that's the episode. I have nothing much to say about it more, but I'm genuinely wondering does Vivzie even understand what she's doing and where she'll push the whole Stolas x Blitzo pairing(not that I fucking care, lol). These two are obviously in an abusive relationship, and the more they try to understand what even happened between them, the more confused they become. I personally think there's nothing to talk about with a guy like Stolas(though Blitzo too is a huge red flag), but idk, maybe Vivzie thinks that r*pists and abusers are changeable and are good deep down. Anyways, it was surely an odd episode, and I didn't really like it.

[averytirednerd]

About Episodes 7 and 8...MASSIVE SPOILERS!!

Initial thoughts (because if I talk about EVERYTHING right now you'll be here for at least half an hour)...

WHAT THE HELL?!

I mean I loved getting to watch the season finale, don't get me wrong. But I have just as many grievances as things I loved about it and also SO MUCH happened?!?!?!

Charlie: Loved getting to see her be all demon-y, I've been waiting all season. Also loved her and the cannibals (especially Rosie!!!). So glad she got to work w/ Luci to protect the hotel <333 She and Vaggie are adorable too.

Vaggie: I really enjoyed watching her and Carmilla's song, that was cool. Protecting her girlfriend, very cute. I liked seeing her and Lute have that little face-off.

Husk: Sad that we didn't get to see much of him, but I get it. His interactions with the others were sweet (especially Angel). I loved the one line he got to sing on his own in that last song of episode 8. 😍

Angel: Ngl I am very glad he wasn't the one to die. It would've been a fun little "oh crap" moment but I really didn't want to be right. He's still got business down there. His interactions with the others here are everything to me, and he's just grown so much and aaaaaa. It's lovely to see! I love him more and more with every episode.

Niffty: YOU GO, GIRL!!!! Love to see the stabbing. I also really loved the...one line Nifty got. Kimiko Glenn's voice is a gift, I freaked out over getting to hear one line. Anyway. not much else to say other than I definitely thought it was Alastor doing a big "oh look, I'm alive!" thing when Adam got stabbed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cherri Bomb/Sir P: I was surprised, to say the least, when Cherri and Sir P had that little moment. Glad they got it before he went and DIED. Cherri is such a good friend to Angel and she's great. Now, onto Sir P...WOW, OKAY. Glad we know Charlie's plan isn't completely stupid. Wonder how Sera's gonna react to him being there now, lol.

The Vees: FIRST OFF, VOX?????? "This is better than sex!" 💀💀💀 Truly was not expecting to see as much of the Vees as we did. Not complaining though. It was...interesting...to say the least, watching Vox get as excited as he did over the prospect of Al dying (still as obsessed as ever, fr). Not at all surprised to see Val and Vox have a thing going, I figured from the interactions we've seen so far. Them dancing together was silly, them practically making out was less so 😃. Also, gotta continue the love for Velvette--putting up with these two idiots must take a lot. Also also, her HAIR! HER HAIR!! EEEEE

Lucifer: I reallllyyyyyy enjoyed seeing Luci make a return to help Charlie, even if it was in one of those "last-minute saves" that I usually hate. Idk, makes sense here I guess because he's probably always watching over Charlie some way. ALSO LUCI AND CHARLIE GOING ALL DEMON-Y TOGETHER WAS <33333333 I really loved him starting off that last song in episode 8, and telling Charlie that he believes in her. It was so sweet. I love Luci sm, hoping he becomes a more integral part of the crew in s2.

Adam/Lute/Lilith: HAHA HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LOSE??? Lute got what she deserved with the whole...arm thing. ALSO WHAT--JUST GONNA CASUALLY DROP LILITH IN HERE NOW? Sure, fine, whatever, totally cool. Not sure how to feel about Lilith atm so moving on. I dunno why I was so shocked upon seeing Adam's face. I guess I expected him to...not look as good as he does? Also so upset that he broke Al's staff. How rude. He sucks.

Rosie: Not how I expected her to sound, but I'm most certainly not disappointed. I don't have much to say other than I loved literally everything about her. No complaints--at least not yet ig, need to go back and rewatch the episodes critically. Her and Alastor is everything to me, and seeing them dance was <333333 I cannot express my excitement over it enough.

Alastor: Saved him for last because yes. If I wasn't limiting myself to a short paragraph for each, I'd be writing a whole essay just about Al, I swear....CANNOT believe what just happened omg. Not only did we get to see silly Al in episode 7, but we got to see scary (and scared) Al in episode 8. He's really freaking out, it's so entertaining! I'm so glad it wasn't him who died, I started getting a bit worried for a minute there....His relationship with Rosie is aaaaa, best of besties fr. Fighting Adam scene was glorious. Making Vox act like an idiot even when not trying was funny to watch (Vox's obsession with this guy is so silly). Him retreating sure was a move, but I'm glad he didn't get all stubborn and end up dying. Him ranting a bit in his section of the final song was so...AAAAAAA. Man is so scared, he looks stressed as can be. I need to see Alastor just have an external breakdown because he honestly feels like he's on the verge of one. 💀

Stopping for now before I go on a bigger rant than I already have. To those who read all this, I'm so sorry pfft. Feel free to leave a comment if there's something you wanna discuss (or, better yet, send one of those ask thingies. I do not have comments figured out yet...)

Anyway, have a good one <3

[enhashoutout]

Dating Childhood Friend Hanaoka Fujio

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Finals season isn't done yet but I need a new post to get me through the last week. I'm never not going to post about dating Hanaoka Fujio there are going to be so many parts I already know it 😂

Genre: it's all fluff up in here

___ is used in place of y/n

Warnings: Typical H&L violence, swearing

This post isn't proofread

I usually write the reader as female since that is easiest for me but if you identify as a different gender please feel free to change up those parts to whatever fits you! <3

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Dating Hanaoka Fujio, childhood best friends edition

You grew up with Fujio, Madoka, Arata, Seiji, Shinya, and Masaya.

The 7 of you would spend most of your time together at Grandma Sada's store or at each other's places since you lived in the same housing space and your parents weren't home often.

You attend Seiho Girls High School with Madoka and are a part of the band with her

Growing up you were closest to Fujio. Making friends was hard because you didn't talk much but he saw you by yourself one day and decided he was going to make you a part of the friend group and the rest was history.

Fujio who always remembers to ask you what you think when the group talks, making sure you feel included.

Fujio who always saves a seat for you next to him.

Fujio who pouts if he hears you and Madoka talking about a boy you guys think is cute.

"____ -chan he's not as cute as me though right?!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT HE IS MORE HANDSOME THAN YOU"

"MADOKA I WAS ASKING ___!"

And then there's you who just stares at them as they bicker 😂

Fujio who didn't truly realize his feelings for you until he moved away and didn't get to see you every day

Now he knows why he didn't like it whenever you and Madoka talked about boys

Fujio who is excited to move back because he's going to see his friends at Oya High and now he can see you every day again

Fujio who notices your physical changes when he sees you again after a while but is happy your personality is still the same

Fujio who is acting a little weird around you now and you can't understand why

Fujio who gets a little nervous while you're around

The rest of the friend group can clearly see that he likes you and is doing a shit job at hiding it while they can't tell if you like him the same or not

Madoka who decides to take one for the team and ask if you like Fujio as more than a friend.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Madoka asks if you like Fujio as more than a friend, and you deny it at first but admit it just as fast because nobody gets past Madoka

Madoka who is on a mission to get the two of you together once she finds out you like him too but don't think he feels the same

Madoka's thoughts: "Are you dumb? Do you see the way he acts with you?!" *rolling her eyes and frustrated because she cannot deal with y'all*

You who has liked Fujio since you were kids but figured he didn't like you back because he's nice to everyone... so he was just being nice to you also

Madoka, Seiji, Shinya, and Masaya who are sick and tired of how you and Fujio look at each other with starry eyes when the other isn't looking.

JUST DATE EACH OTHER ALREADY YOU IDIOTS

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Fujio who is sulky and tells Tsukasa and Jamuo he doesn't know what to do with his crush on you

Jamuo suggests a big elaborate confession while Tsukasa says he should just man up and tell you how he feels, no big confession scheme needed this isn't a marriage proposal

The rest of the boys walk right into the conversation and being the nosy kids they are, now they want to know what their leader is talking about

This leads to Fujio telling all of Fujio faction about his girl problem

All his friends: 👁️👄👁️ because what do you mean they're strong leader is being sulky over a girl?!

"Wait who is this girl again?" (Nakaoka)

"The quiet girl who we used to see at Grandma Sada's market remember?" (Nakagoshi)

"Ohhhh ___?" (Nakaoka)

"Yeah." (Nakagoshi)

"Better get a move on then Fujio! The girls tell Nakagoshi and I that a lot of boys in the surrounding schools like her. You might want to tell her before some preppy boy steals her away." (Nakaoka)

Fujio who tells his friends he would rather fight all of SWORD by himself than confess to you because feelings and rejection are scary. The thought of getting punched by every dude in SWORD sounds less scary than getting rejected by you and messing up your friendship.

Tsukasa who tells Fujio that it would be easiest to tell her how he feels because nobody wants to be on the receiving end of Fujio's fist if you start dating someone else.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Fujio who tells your friends he is finally ready to tell you how he feels

The rest of the group let out a big sigh of relief at the same time because they're sick and tired of you guys looking at each other like love-sick puppies

Fujio who stands in front of Seiho waiting for you and Madoka after band practice.

Madoka and Yui lie and say they have somewhere to go together leaving you with Fujio.

Fujio who is being a little awkward because he isn't sure how to tell you how he feels.

"Fujio... why are you acting weird?"

oh god she caught me here I go "Ireallylikeyou___I'velikedyousincewewerekidspleasegooutwithmeandbemygirlfriend"

You: ❓

"Since when did you become a rapper Fujio? I didn't understand anything you just said. Say it again slower."

"I really like you ___. I've liked you since we were kids. Please go out with me and be my girlfriend. ONLY IF YOU WANT TO OF COURSE! IF NOT WE CAN STAY FRIENDS AND WE CAN PRETEND THIS NEVER HA-."

"Will you let me talk?"

Fujio goes quiet 😂

"Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend. I've liked you since we were kids too. I just thought you didn't feel the same because you are always nice to everyone so I thought you were just being nice to me."

"Being nice? BEING NICE?! I NEVER SHARE MY FOOD WITH ANYONE BUT YOU WHAT DO YOU MEAN BEING NICE?!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I THOUGHT YOU LIKED SOMEONE ELSE! ALL THE GIRLS AT SCHOOL SAY THAT SINCE YOU CAME BACK LOTS OF GIRLS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOU SO I ASSUMED YOU LIKED SOMEONE ELSE AND YOU'VE BEEN ACTING WEIRD!"

"ME?! TELL THAT TO YOURSELF! NAKAGOSHI AND NAKAOKA SAID THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN GONE LOTS OF BOYS TALK ABOUT HOW THEY LIKE YOU. AND I'VE BEEN ACTING WEIRD BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU I LIKE YOU."

The two looked at each other after their shouting match and laughed at how ridiculous they were.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The first time Fujio took you to Oya to meet his friends, let's say it was chaotic.

Fujio pulled you through the halls of Oya and up onto the rooftop.

All the shouting that was going on immediately went silent when the door opened and you two walked in.

"Hey guys! Meet my girlfriend ___. Don't stand to close to her or look at her too long I'll punch you."

The boys broke out into cheers because Fujio actually told you how he felt.

"Wooooow those other guys are gonna cry when they find out ___-san is dating Fujio senpai." (Nakagoshi)

"We have to tell the girls when we see them this weekend." (Nakaoka)

The boys all introduced themselves to you and you introduced yourself back.

The rest of the day was spent with them telling you how Fujio acts at school and you telling them how Fujio acted when you guys were little.

"Come on ___ you're supposed to make your boyfriend look good in front of his friends not embarrass me."

"I'm just telling them about how my boyfriend has always used his fists before his words. You were the one that punched that one boy when we were 9 for pulling on my hair and calling me names."

"Nobody calls my girlfriend names!"

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Bf!Fujio who gives you a heart attack when you see him after the Oya and Housen brawl and he's all scratched up

Bf!Fujio who won't sit still while you try to tend to his wounds because the products sting.

Bf!Fujio and Arata who give you an even bigger heart attack when they get back from the fight with Kidra

Your friends have to catch Arata up on what he missed and he's happy that you guys are together because he thought you guys liked each other when you were all kids also.

Bf!Fujio who backhugs you and uses you as a shield to hide from Madoka's wrath after she's done crying about Arata coming home.

Shinya and Masaya who are using both you and Fujio as a shield to hide from Madoka's wrath.

Seiji who looks at you guys and laughs.

Arata who looks at everyone and realizes just how much he actually missed all of you.

Bf!Fujio who is a little jealous because you went to Oya to check on everyone after the fight with Kidra.

"___ but what about meeeee?"

"Fujio I patched up your injuries yesterday."

"Okay? And? It's not my fault none of them have girlfriends to patch them up."

You quickly finish checking on everyone and sit with Fujio so he stops being jealous.

Fujio honestly has no room to speak though because whenever he stands in front of Seiho waiting for you and Madoka the girls look at him and make comments about how cute he is.

You walked out of school one time to a girl trying to give Fujio her number and he's awkwardly trying to reject her without being too mean. You had to swoop in and save your prince in distress.

It was a pretty often recurrence where you hear the girls at school talking about him and his friends but sucks to be them because he is forever yours! I don't think you would be able to get rid of him low key so I hope you're planning on marrying that boy lol

You would just ignore them and Madoka and Yui would tell you how you're the best person for Fujio anyways so you had no competition. The times when another girl is being mean to you though you best bet Madoka is gonna argue with her.

It was a often recurrence for Fujio to hear other guys talking about you also, the only difference is that he reacts to it. Probably hits them with a "___? Yeah I think she's pretty too because she's literally my girlfriend stop talking about her." Or actually physically hits them because WTF DID THAT NASTY DUDE JUST SAY ABOUT THE LOVE AND LIGHT OF HIS LIFE?! FUJIO WILL NOT STAND FOR IT.

Tsukasa has had to jump in multiple times to stop him.

That's a lie Tsukasa has stopped him 1 out of 10 times when he felt it wasn't important and not worth it but 9 times out of 10 Tsukasa usually jumps in to help Fujio actually because WTF DID THAT DUDE SAY ABOUT HIS SISTER?!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

I feel like dating Fujio would automatically make you everyone he's friends with sister figure/mom of the group.

Tsukasa needs someone to talk to that isn't one of the boys? Congratulations ___ suddenly you're a certified therapist.

Jamuo needs help on an assignment or studying? Fujio will ask for your notes.

ChunChun faction member is sick? No worries Fujio will call you and ask for advice. That member might even ask Fujio to ask you for a bowl of soup.

The boys with bleached hair need help maintaining the color? No worries, just call ___ she'll know how to help.

The boys have a date? Don't panic ___ will help them with the planning.

Sachio is having a hard time getting through to Yui? It's okay ___ will help talk to her.

Todoroki needs some peace and quiet? Don't worry, ___ will keep the kids occupied somewhere else so Todoroki can read.

Sawamura needs help shopping for a gift for his and Yui's anniversary? No problem ___ is on the way to help.

When Fujio eventually becomes friends with Rao faction, you best bet ___ is there to help also.

The rare occasion Magaroku ran out of gum? It's okay ___ carries extra in her bag

Kamui's mask strap broke? ___ has one he can use temporarily while she fixes his

Raoh needs help getting something for his siblings by a certain time but he doesn't have time because he's out on Suzuran business? No worries ___ is there to help.

(Good god I hope you're ready to take care of everyone😂)

Vice versa, I think your status as Fujio's girlfriend also means his friends are always willing to help and protect you. Let's be real even if you weren't dating and just stayed friends everyone would still love you.

Boy from another school is bothering you? The nearest guy from Oya or Housen or Suzuran is flying in to save you.

You need help moving your furniture? Good thing you have your boyfriend and all his strong friends to come over and help.

You would end up being friends with all his friends too so that's fun.

I feel like they would all take it upon themselves to teach you how to fight to protect yourself in the rare case someone can't jump in to save you.

I think they would all want you to stay away from the actual fighting so Fujio + someone else is checking up on you at all times.

Could you imagine one of the Senomon, Kama, or Ebara guys following you because they know you're dating Fujio and think that's the way to get Fujio to accept defeat?

Girl... Todoroki, Shiba, and Tsuji fuckin flew out of nowhere to protect you.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You would think that with your boyfriend's lifestyle, you would get used to seeing him and his friends all bruised and battered up but I don't think you ever will.

They make you seriously consider a career in the medical field so that you can professionally patch them up but yell at them while you're doing it all at the same time.

Cue Tsukasa, Kiyoshi, Nakagoshi, and Shidaken giving you a heart attack when you see all of them in the hospital.

"Fujio... WTF HAPPENED TO EVERYONE?!" you whisper yell at him.

"Okay so the thing is, Senomon created an alliance with Kamasaka and Ebara to try and take down Oya. That's one of the reasons why they kept following you and that's why that one-time like two weeks ago Todoroki faction saved you because Amagai is a little bitch who can't actually fight anybody without also throwing in shady tricks. Saboten and some other guys beat up Shidaken for declining an alliance offer. Saboten also dropped a bunch of crates on Chun Chun faction. Nakagoshi pushed everyone out of the way and all that shit fell on him so he's here. Kiyoshi sacrificed himself so that the rest of YasuKiyo faction could get away. Then, Tsukasa, Jamuo, and I were in the tunnels and weren't paying attention so we got surrounded and we had to split up. Suzaki fought with Tsukasa and then Amagai beat him over the head with a pipe and took him hostage. While he was hostage Amagai tied him up and kept beating him. Then Amagai tied him up on a pole and cut the rope, dropping him from 20 ft in the air. We just got him back today when we stormed Senomon. I almost got stabbed by Amagai but then Suzaki intervened so I'm okay besides the bruises and scratches."

___ looks at Fujio in silence for a few seconds, and then smacks his arm.

"Owwww you're supposed to be comforting me ___ not adding to it."

"Is this why you've avoided my calls for the past two days?!"

"Maybe... but I did it because I didn't want you to worry."

"I will always be worried regardless! I'm literally dating the leader of Oya High which comes with built-in stress. You should've just answered my calls and told me."

"I promise I will next time ___. I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's go get you patched up."

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Fujio and ___'s relationship as a song...

Ditto by NewJeans

[badgrammerlieshere]

Someday

because I couldn't come to terms with what had happened to them and needed to get this out of me as fast as possible.

This is set 5 years after the end of season 3.....

The brush strokes against the horse's body were soothing, it was something she had always found almost meditative. Brush Brush Brush. The process was almost a symphony at this point. Brush Brush Brush. Sara hadn't been working at Hans stable for very long. Only for the last 2 years, after school and her own graduation had passed she found herself stuck. Nothing to do, no prospects. She wasn't dumb by any means she was just lost. Simon was off coasting the world with Willhim spending their summer somewhere warm based on the postcards she had received from Italy. Felice was preparing for the next stage in her life. A prestigious culinary school in America, and that left her home alone. Luckily an advertisement had been called to her in the morning paper and since then she hasn't looked back.

“Sara, could you come back to the office for a moment?” a voice called to her from the back of the stables. The voice belonged to Hans. The owner, her boss, and at the moment one of her closest friends. Hans was a kind man, old and short. He loved horses as much as she did, something that was apparent from the start. Usually, a level-headed person the franticness with which he was moving things in his office felt more than offputting.

“Ah, Sara” Hans outstretched his hands in a beckoning motion reaching for her shoulders.”I've good news very good news. One might say the best.” His eyes held more excitement than she had ever seen before 

“Which is?” she asked 

“We have quite the guest coming today, I need you to make sure every horse is looking their best, no mistakes.” Hans quickly let go of her shoulders with a pat. His body was a dancer walking around the room putting away any messes and papers that were out of place.

“A guest?” she questioned the farm often had guests. Mostly rich folk looking to buy, or new money trying to flaunt their wealth with the buying of a horse. All in her opinion were idiots. A guest of this caliber however must have been someone big. Never had she seen Hans get so worked up.

“Yes, yes, now hurry it up They are here soon enough” Hans shooed her out of his office handing her a small broom before she left. After a few hours had passed she heard it. With the sudden approach of cars, looking out a small window she saw two very expensive vehicles. The usual rich types. From the door stepped a woman who looked like a heaven on a platter. Long legs flawless skin. She oozed radiance. From the other side of the car stepped a man. Curly dark hair. Striking blue eyes that haunted her memory from time to time. Her posture was tenser than anyone she had ever known. August had just stepped out of the car.

“I see you've noticed our guests. Can you believe it, the king has come to look for a horse at my shop” Hans came to her side also trying to look through the window. She tried plastering on her most believable smile, attempting to hide the panic that coursed through her veins.

“How about you go and get the Annbell out, she's the calmest one.”

“Of course”

The process of getting the horse out was walled from her mind. Too busy thinking about what would happen if he saw her. It had been 5 years. A long time, and yet not quite long enough for her. She walked into the barn the backs of the couple faced her as Hans expressed his gratitude at their arrival

“Ah here we are, this is one of our finest mares.” Hans reached for the reigns that were in her hands which easily were taken away as august looked at her for the first time. From her standpoint, it looked as though the air had been sucked from his body. The woman standing next to him reached forward towards the horse.

“Oh, she's just beautiful! How perfect!” Her manicured hands clasped together giddy to be near the animal. “Oh August isn't she lovely” The woman was now reaching for the reigns that were in Hans's hand. Looking back toward August for confirmation, but he hadn't stopped looking at her.

“Yes, she's perfect.” His gaze was unwavering.

“How about we get you saddled up?” Hans smiled at the young woman, and she had to admit her eagerness was endearing in a way. Like that of a child. Walking away from the groups found herself a spot against the wall. There was no point in standing there unless she was needed. Why put herself through the burning of his eyes when she could avoid them?

She leaned against the wall watching them as August watched her. A game of looking that was becoming more annoying by the second. Before he began to walk towards her. The staring she could handle but the thought of a conversation made her palms start to sweat.

“Hello” His voice was deeper than she remembered, smoother in the way his mouth formed his vowels. She kept her eyes on the ground. Realizing he wouldn't be getting a repose he moved towards her spot and let his body rest against the wall next to her 

He had the same smell. That was the first thing she noticed. That rich encompassing smell that often lingered on her clothes after she left. The only difference was that it was stronger now. Wasnt diluted by the water she often caught him filling into the bottle. He didn't need to resort to that now. He was going to be king. A king could buy as many lavish collages as he wanted, there was no fear of the money going dry. With him standing so close it felt as though she couldn't breathe. The last time they had spoken. Actually spoken to one another, she was sure she'd broken his heart. That memory flickered through her mind sometimes. His dejected eyes. Once so happy to look at her were red with tears. The way he had tried to reach for her when he first saw her. So eager to have her close even if it was just for a moment. She never wanted to make anyone feel that way again. She could feel his gaze on her head. Willing her to look at him. She stared straight ahead. Afraid that if she looked up that memory would no longer be a flicker but a burning picture in her mind.

“She's pretty.” The words had fallen out of her mouth before she could stop them. They were true, however. The woman who had accompanied him was beautiful. She had walked in with such elegance it wasn't hard to see why Augst had chosen her. He was always attracted to the richer things in life. Her elegance was however nowhere to be found as she attempted to month the horse. 

“I suppose.” August's reply was dry, it was obvious he would rather talk about anything else than his companion.

“Where did you meet?” Her speech felt slowed like she was trying to make sure this was really happening.

“Nowhere. This is our third outing, the cameras will be here in a moment. Take some pictures, then take some more. It's very logistical.” His tone had reached its typical professional level it often sounded like on the TV and only then did she look up. He had abandoned looking at her face and it gave her a moment to take his in. Still skinny, eyes now seemed to hold more weight under them. A few wrinkles here and there that showed the years that had passed between them. He took a deep breath before looking down at her. His eyes creased in a small smile. 

“You look well, I hope you are” His eyes seemed to jump everywhere on her face trying to take everything in all at once. She looked the same, she was certain of that, but the way he looked at her made her think she was someone different. Someone worthy of a second look.

“She doesn't see me. Not the way you do.” His words registered slowly in her head. She could feel the warmth of his shoulder more than ever, along with the slow inching of his pinky finger towards her hand. God she wished he would stop looking at her like that.

“Sara!” Hans's voice broke through the moment. “Come over here, help Mrs Andersson get to a trot” As she walked towards the horse she couldn't help a look back. August had resumed his tense position and had now plastered an almost cartoonish smile onto his face. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash. The cameras had arrived. Logistical he had said and he wasn't kidding this moment felt as clinical as that word. 

It continued like that for an hour she would walk the horse in circles, the people taking photos and moving others, as they saw fit. August and the girl together, August and the girl separate, leaning on the wall, with the horse. It never ended. Until suddenly they were done. Cameras were packed, people went to their cars, and Sara was given the reigns to take the horse back into its stall. Taking one last look behind her as August led the young woman he was with out of the barn towards the cars. He was done here too. Gotten his photos, and now he had bigger things to do. She almost couldn't believe she had seen him. August Horn of Årnäs, well not of Årnäs anymore but still. It didn't quite feel real.

Brush Brush Brush back to the regular meditative motions away from thoughts of him. Brush Brush Brush. Away from thinking of them. 

“It never passed.” 

Her hand stopped its path mid-motion.

“Excuse me” She turned and there he was. Standing in that ridiculous suit that cost more than the shoes she had on her feet.

“You said it would, and it didn't. Which honestly was a greater pain in itself. I wanted to forget everything about you.”

Augu-” She had moved towards him trying to push him back through the door

“No, please Sara. Please let me say this because I don't think I'll ever get another chance.” He reached his hands toward her. Sliding his hands around her waist, gently squeezing as if making sure she wasn't a figment of his imagination.

“You were right when you said I didn't see you, but I've spent every day trying. I've looked back on who we were a million times. I spent so long trying to achieve the crown it was all I could see, but when I had it….it didn't feel the same as having you look at me and actually know who I was.” His hand enveloped the side of her face, tracing the freckles that had appeared from time in the sun willing them into his memory. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against her own. Brushing the tip of his nose against hers.

“I'm not asking you to say anything back, I just needed you to know.” Sara felt August's body unwind as he finished his sentence, the tension that covered his arms vanished as he wrapped himself around her. They stood like this for a moment and with a sharp inhale he was gone from her body again. The warmth he had wrapped her in vanished, and he passed her one last look before she left the room. She stood there for a while longer trying to memorize the places his hands had touched. How rough they had felt against her face.

Hans entered the room as she stood motionless.”Nice folks.” His words made her snap out of her stupor. 

“Oh yeah… definitely..” The brushing resumed again. Forget him her mind screamed.

“The man left this and said it was for you. A friend of yours?” Hans had flashed a small business card at her, a number engraved on the back.

She could feel the smile beginning to form on her face. August would never let her forget him. It wasn't his nature

“Maybe one day.”

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Hello Kim ! I love that you're a Sansa fan, I was wondering what your favourite Sansa quote is? And why do you think she is so hated compared to characters like Jon, Dany, Arya, etc ? Thank you xx

Thank you for asking about my favorite child! It's hard to narrow down a quote as my absolute favorite. I love it whenever she's sneaky about manipulating idiots like Joffrey without ever dropping her armor of courtesy. "He is a fool, you're so clever to see it! He'd make a much better fool than a knight" about Hollard, and "“They say my brother Robb always goes where the fighting is thickest. Though he's older than Your Grace, to be sure. A man grown” are perfect examples.

They're also examples of why so many fans dislike her. She's too subtle for them, and too nuanced (maybe the most nuanced character in the series?). The dislike started when she was framed in the very beginning as Arya's foil, when her motives were easy to read: marry the prince and live like in romantic stories of chivalry. Now we're all obviously supposed to be frustrated with her, as we would be if our little sister or daughter fell for such an obvious douchebag but had a head too full of fairy tales to listen to reason. That frustration doesn't mean we hate them; in fact, it's usually so frustrating because you love the little twits. Yet because Sansa was set up as a foil to Arya, the underdog tomboy to cheer for, most viewers projected those affectionate feelings onto her and Sansa was left as the antagonist.

In season 2, we get nonstop action, with Arya, Jon, and Dany slicing through folks and burning them....and Sansa just seems to sit there sad and mealy-mouthed in King's Landing? Weak!

So many fans were attracted to the pageantry and sensory overload Game of Thrones gave them, and to take the time to understand someone as quiet and diffident as Sansa appeared was just not going to happen.

Ultimately, Gillian Flynn said it best:  “I like strong women” is code for “I hate strong women.” People watched GoT and decided for a woman to be equal, she had to commit violence, just like how men assert their masculinity. This hurts both Sansa and Arya in the show, I think. Sansa, with her subtlety and traditionally feminine interests, combined with the self-centered streak she showed in season one because God Forbid a teenager be self-centered especially since Arya isn't, was deemed too weak and annoying. Arya is the badass little ninja, but in the books, her descent into her darkest impulses because of the hell she's been through is...Not Good. Not empowering. She's a child. Sansa is a child. But because the way Arya survives and loses much of herself is cool and masculine-coded in the show, it's okay to rally around her. With Sansa, it's weak.

Unfortunately, a lot of Sansa fans go too far in the other direction, which I think is important to note. I've said this in another post, I know, but I just gotta repeat a distinct memory from when the show was at its height. More people were getting into Sansa, and her popularity was rising. Someone dared post their artwork of Sansa in armor and holding a sword. The reaction was ridiculous. "You're missing the whole point of Sansa's character if you give her armor and a sword!" First of all, Sansa is the most adaptable character in the series. Much like Elizabeth I, she would absolutely do that to boost morale at the very least. Second of all, people love to put women in boxes; to quote Succession, a lot of fans can't "hold a whole woman in their head."

Sansa is an example of "safe" femininity; she'll always be good and sweet and pure, a nice escape from mean women like Cersei, butch Brienne, tomboy Arya. Suddenly all the women just become these traits and aren't allowed to grow past them or learn to love other things. Maybe Sansa does learn to pick up a sword willingly, and finds out it's...kinda fun! Empowering, even!

No, there's nothing wrong with loving to sew, sing, and dream of romance. However, there is harm in internalizing that as the only things women can and should do. There's just something so infantalizing about the treatment of Sansa by some fans: "Our little Sansa always behaves like a lady".

I love Sansa because she isn't always likable. She has a lot of internalized misogyny, and she takes it out on Arya. She's so self-centered in her desires that she tells Cersei about Ned. She's also a child who we can safely assume was more strongly discouraged not to end up like Arya than, say, Arya was. This is her arc. I hate that it happens because of trauma, but her growth stems from Ned's death because it shows that deep down, this child wants home and family more than pagaentry. But because she couldn't say it with a sword, fans missed this.

[hazardworld]

It’s season finale time!!! This is a doozy, guys. 

Content warnings: The same Jason dickery covered in Part 5, plus what Andy does to Erica in S4 is more than just mentioned. 

Stick around as I figure out where to go from here!

WB: 1.2.3

Season 1: P1.P2.P3.P4.P5.P6.P7.P8

———

Darkness.

Darkness consumed him.

Thick oozing liquid through his scales.

A voice in the distance, calling his name.

Commanding him.

Shock went through him as he split in two…

and two…

and two…

For once, he’d follow willingly.

After all, they had a common goal.

———

“I am so confused!” Max groaned, draping herself over a chair. “This is going completely nowhere!”

“I hate to say it, but Max has a point,” Eddie commented, “we’ve been consistently circling back to the same points over and over again. What is it gonna take to try and make this a path instead?"

"I hate to say it, but Steve needs to leave the kitchen," Erica sighed. "As much as I desperately want whatever he’s making right now, I also want to know what this damn book means," She gestured to Jason’s red magic book at the center of the table.

Nancy sighed, looking towards the kitchen as her face settled on her fist.

"STEVE," Dustin yelled, clearly exasperated, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THERE,"

"Practicing Erica’s birthday cake!" Steve responded, "She’s here, and I didn’t think I was all that important since you guys were figuring stuff out on your own, so I thought I’d just check things off my list!"

"Steve, you are literally the most important person here!" Nancy called, shaking her head. "How much time do you have left on that timer?"

“…like 10 minutes? I just changed the rack,”

“Get out here, you idiot!” Erica chided, “My birthday is in like 11 days! It’s not even Bastille Day yet!”

“Oh my god Erica, enough about your fucking birthday,” Dustin groaned as he complained. Erica had been mentioning her birthday ever since school ended, and it had been pissing him off ever since.

“Dustin, we both know you’re exactly the same come November,” Will smiled, raising an eyebrow, and Dustin flipped him off.

Will wasn’t…entirely wrong.

He got excited, okay??

“Yeah Dustin, maybe I won’t invite you to my summer Barbie beach extravaganza,”

“Wait, Dustin, you actually like Barbies?” Max grinned, eyes passioned like wildfire. Immediately, Dustin felt his ears flatten and his cheeks grow bright red in embarrassment.

“It’s not lame…” Dustin muttered, frustrated, though the words only fell to Erica and Max’s ears.

Dustin thought Barbies were cool, okay? When he was little he got a lot of his parents’ old toys, which included his Ma’s old Barbies. Usually, he’d make up they were his older teenage sisters, and dress them up in late 70s fashions as if they were the 'coolest popular kids at school' and were super intimidating and made him popular by proxy. Now he had Steve for that, but he still liked keeping some of them around as experiment models, or to talk through science stuff to, or in the rare times he sewed, to prototype what he was thinking.

"I never said that," Max smiled, "I just didn’t expect it, is all. Barbies are a girl’s toy,"

"Gender is a social construct, kid," Argyle grinned, "Take me for example. I look like a guy, cause this is just how I naturally exist. Just because I look like a guy doesn’t mean I couldn’t be a girl," Argyle shifted to resemble the form of a girl, "Or even something in between," Argyle shifted in between the two, then back to his natural form.

"Here here!" Eddie cheered loudly, before awkwardly quieting when he realized it wasn’t the time.

"What are we cheering about?" Steve sauntered into the dining room, wiping his hands on a washcloth, grinning. He was wearing his baking apron, and to Dustins glee, had kept his half form the entire time. Steve had said he wouldn’t show it in public quite yet as to not jeopardize the party, but it was reliving to see him taking care of himself regardless.

"Nothing, don’t worry about it," Eddie waved it off, and the table made eye contact agreeing to just move on.

"Steve, we need you to open this book Max found," Nancy pushed the red book towards him as Steve took his seat.

"Max, is this…?" Steve looked at her in bewilderment, but she nodded.

"I think it’s Jason’s, I found it in his bedroom—OH! Eddie, I have something for you after," Eddie grinned and nodded as Steve looked over the book.

"Guys, I can’t open this," Steve pursed his lips. "If Jason was descended from Melusine I could use his direct ancestor’s magic since my lineage connects higher, but he’s from the youngest sibling. I’d need the Great Father or Great Mother’s magic to unlock it, and both of those are under lock and key in Atlantie,"

Well fuck.

Wait…

Dustin leaned over to his stack of books as the table discussed further options above him. There was that one book Will found that was extremely useful, and didn’t it go further into the idea of siren sibling magic?

Eventually, Dustin found the purple leather-bound book in the stack, and flipped around until he found the page he was looking for.

'A Siren’s magic could be placed in 4 separate Houses:  

The House of Theliore is the magic of water. Calm, cool, and mature, this magic is in the heart of Atlantie. It can be found in the hearts of most underwater sirens, though every siren, no matter their House, is always connected to it. Sirens in the House of Theliore are typically creative, bubbly, and more emotional than other sirens.

The House of Melusine is the magic of air. Witty, spirited, and impulsive, this magic represents the thinkers of Atlantie. Typically found on land, Sirens in the House of Melusine are typically more thoughtful than other sirens, though they can also be somewhat too-faced to those they don’t care about.

The House of Cerina is the magic of earth. Controlled, stable, and strong, this magic represents the doers of Atlantie. These sirens can be found anywhere, though most still reside underwater. Most sirens in the House of Cerina are grounded and less objective, though this can lead them to being seen as less unkind as other sirens.

The House of Gerane is the magic of fire. Active, vivacious, and energized, this magic represents the spirit of Atlantie. Sirens in the House of Gerane are typically driven more by their heart, leading them to sometimes make brash decisions. They’re rarely found underwater, and are the rarest type of siren due to the clash between their House and their nature.’

"So, this isn’t just a magic submission potion," Unfortunately for Dustin, he’d been reading so long the table had moved on, and Eddie was now analyzing some sort of small potion bottle, "This is a general submission potion."

Instantly, Max’s eyes went wide.

"He said 'no one wanted to get fucked at parties anymore,' in reference to it." She whispered, horrified.

"Eddie, how strong is it," Nancy asked, blue eyes starting to glow just slightly in her anger; the little tell-tale of Valkyrie in her veins.

"I don’t know, Nancy, gimme a second!"

Dustin looked to Steve, who was following the conversation with a frown and a furrowed brow. He gave him a little tap on the thigh, and the older teen looked to him.

In all honesty, Dustin wasn’t the best at following nuance. Upside Down coding was one thing since he knew what all the codes meant, but something like this, where everyone at the table was talking around the blunt truth? Absolute shit.

Luckily, where Dustin lacked in people skills, Steve usually could fill in.

"Dust," Steve leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Jason was using the potion to make people submissive and weak at parties, like a roofie, and then—"

"OH"

Steve nodded once before leaning back to his seat.

Dustin despised Jason Carver.

"Do you know who made it?" Erica asked, and Max pointed at her as if to validate her point. "Because whoever made it—"

"Had to have known what he was using them for, I know," Eddie murmured, turning the bottle over in his hands in contemplation.

"If they were smart, they didn’t sign anything on the bottle," Will countered. "Is there any magic surrounding the bottle?"

Eddie nodded once. "Yeah, all potions have magic around the seal,"

"We could get El to analyze it if you can’t find anything," Will proposed. "She can tell us what the magic looks like, and we can find them from there probably,"

Suddenly, Dustin caught a whiff of something unfamiliar, something sour…

It came from out front.

"Actually, this one wasn’t smart!" Eddie grinned, looking up from the bottle. "On the bottom there’s a little—"

"Dustin, man, are you okay?" It was Argyle that keyed into Dustin’s manic sniffing, "You’re sniffing up a storm, there."

The scent was vaguely recognizable, something he knew he’d smelled before.

There were hints of something similar to Lucas, though it didn’t carry any of the notes of lavender and Lucas’ woody cologne, just the sweat…

The sweat which was far stronger after basketball rehearsals.

Oh fuck.

"The basketball team is outside," He blurted out.

There was a deafening silence before all hell broke loose.

"GET THE BOOKS OUT" (Dustin)

"GET EVERYTHING OFF THE TABLE" (Nancy)

"I CAN’T CARRY EVERYTHING, SOMEONE FUCKING HELP!" (Erica)

"I NEED TO HIDE" (Eddie)

"WHY ARE THEY AT MY HOUSE" (Steve)

"EDDIE NEEDS TO HIDE" (Will)

"WHY ARE WE YELLING THEY CAN PROBABLY HEAR US" (Max)

It was Argyle who calmly walked to the front door and waited for the inevitable knock and call of Andy.

Yet again, everyone froze in anticipation.

"Hey there, can I help you young gentlemen?"

"Where’s Steve?" Andy. Dustin heard their feet move into the main entrance, and Argyle shut the door. He felt himself constrict in anger, and Max put a hand in front of his now-bared teeth in case he started to growl.

"Why?" Argyle asked, “Is everything okay with him?”

Silently, Dustin watched Steve sigh and calmly shift himself back to his human form.

Damn, it was fun while it lasted.

Steve beckoned for the group to follow him, and slowly, they all walked out.

"Hey!" Steve gave his publicity smile and a wave. "Can I help you guys?"

"Mind if we take a look around?" Andy asked, smirking as if he had an upper hand. "We have reason to believe you’re plotting against Jason."

"Sorry, but I know my rights." Steve tilted his head in fake sympathy. "You’re not the police, and even they can’t search my parents’ home without a warrant. Besides, all you’ll find is the makings of a birthday cake tasting session," Erica smirked and nodded, puffing her chest out slightly.

"With Eddie Munson here?" One of the team members asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Dammit, Steve, I told you I needed to hide!" Dustin could feel the anxiety reeking off of Eddie from every angle. The man couldn’t stop fidgeting to save his life, currently!

"Andy, isn’t that the kid that was so easy to stop this spring?" A werewolf from the group said, cracking his knuckles.

Wait, was that how Erica broke her arm in the Hellkins 4?

Erica bared her teeth and Dustin did the same.

This was his pack, dammit.

Dustin was snapped out of his anger as a phantom breeze went across his skin.

Weird.

"What?" Steve’s faux enthusiasm broke, and Eddie looked at him with wide eyes.

"I wonder how easy it would be," The wolf stepped forward, towards Erica. Dustin tried to block her with his arm, but the older wolf easily pushed him to the floor.

Another phantom breeze, stronger this time.

"To pick you up," The wolf picked Erica up. "And throw you down just like my witch friend," He pointed to Andy, who smirked.

Erica didn’t hit the ground.

Instead, she started to glow dandelion yellow.

Soon, everyone in the Party did, and the winds Dustin had been feeling started whipping around in the same color.

So were Steve’s eyes.

His half-form was back, thankfully, but this time Dustin was legitimately frightened.

Steve was right, sirens were fucking scary.

Subtly, Dustin could hear a song playing in the background, sad and melancholy.

The basketball team were hovering high in the air, their hair and jackets whipping around them.

(Why weren’t the Party’s hair whipping around, too?)

Dustin didn’t look when he heard the thumps of the team’s bodies hitting the mansion walls at full force.

Steve’s trance was broken when something beeped.

"Oh shit, my cake!"

Instantly, Dustin shot up, and with the rest of the party, watched Steve calmly take out the prototype cake as if nothing strange had ever happened. Soon, Steve made eye contact with the group.

"Guys, is everything okay? You’re all looking at me like I’m doing something weird…"

Well yeah, no shit. Erica had almost gotten thrown and Steve lost his shit, were they not going to be looking at him like a crazy person?

"Steve…" Nancy pleaded, and Steve sighed. He wiped off his hands and walked towards the group.

"What? What could have possibly gone wrong that…" Steve’s eyes widened when he saw his main room, and the hopefully unconscious bodies along its walls.

"Eddie, Argyle, get the kids and go." Steve said sternly and all too quickly, and Dustin froze. "Nance, stay here. I’ll need you whether or not they wake up."

Dustin wasn’t leaving.

"What, Steve—" Eddie protested, but Steve put a hand on his shoulder, shutting him up.

"Eddie, I need you to take the kids to the Byers’; that’s where everyone else is. Fill them in. I’ll tell you when to come back. Keep them safe for me; I trust you."

Will and Dustin made eye contact.

OH.

HOLY SHIT.

GO STEVE, APPARENTLY??

"O-Ok. C’mon kids," Eddie and Argyle made for the door, and the rest of the younger party followed.

"Dustin, c’mon!" Max beckoned for Dustin, but he shook his head.

"Dustin, go," Steve said, stern. Dustin’s head throbbed—was Steve using sirenspeak on him?—but he was too stubborn and too pack bonded to care.

"Fuck no. You die, I die Steve," He gave a nod to Erica; she understood the reference. "I’m not leaving you here, and you can’t convince me to leave."

Steve looked him once over, and sighed.

"Go to John’s, guys." Steve nodded to Eddie and Argyle, and they nodded back. 

The door shut behind them.

"You’ll be safe there,"

----------

Season 2!

The fact that some people think Dustin is homophobic when he canonically enjoys cartoons for little girls for their plotline value. That one saw gender and said ‘fuck that’ and ran. Anyway it just so happens my fan birthday for Erica is the Barbie movie release.

Edit: I realize I said ‘basketball rehearsals’ and currently hate my cringey theater kid self. That being said this is Dustin’s pov and he canonically is also a cringey theater kid so it stays.

Tag List:

@estrellami-1 @cookies-and-doom @beckkthewreck @dbquills @impeachy

[misterspectacular]

GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, JUST STATING MY THOUGHTS BASICALLY

SO MY FRIEND AND I BINGED SEASON 2 OF GOOD OMENS THE SECOND IT WAS RELEASED! What an adrenaline rush pahahahaa to have waited that long, and finally get it, it was a lot, I think we almost died.

(I dunno how to do the "keep reading" thing so have some dots)

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.

.

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I honestly would say that season 2 of Good Omens is better than season 1. Nearly the entire thing was Crowley and Aziraphale. YES. They're what I want.

Also, the way the flashbacks were arranged -- perfect! They were longer and more fleshed out and we got continuations of some of them! Huzzah!

Gabriel was hilarious, as usual. Jim was even funnier. Conflicting feelings about Gabriel for most of the season, I started forgiving him towards the end though. The thing with Beelzebub was pretty nice.

It starting off with angel Crowley, he was such a dork, finding out he KNEW AZIRAPHALE THEN, wow! Highlight!

The apology dance was a highlight,

Crowley drinking poison and shrinking/growing and sounding like a Leprechaun was a highlight,

All of Crowley's different accents -- all highlights.

THE FACT THAT CROWLEY IS THE ONE THAT GOT AZIRAPHALE EATING, THE WAY THAT WHOLE THING HAPPENED, THAT WAS CERTAINLY A HIGHLIGHT.

Crowley pretending to be EVIL!!! I didnt fall for it for a second, I was like, yeah okay so where did the goats actually go hahaa! Into the crows, amazing!

Aziraphale with his halo, that was freaking awesome -- he was pretty badass in this season, at some points.

THEM DANCING TOGETHER!!! Jfhsnsnehdiend

The magic act! And it working, even without using actual miracles!

Crowley making it rain, ha, I did that in a RP.

Aziraphale being... look, he's freakin adorable, the way he cradled the, well, the tumor -- I mean, it sounds weird, but it was actually incredibly endearing -- he was very endearing, as always.

THINKING HE WAS GOING TO FALL, and crying about it, and Crowley cheering him up!! YESSS

And... Crowley's realization... SAYING AZIRAPHALE COULD NEVER BE A SIDE PIECE jddjsbdje

Crowley FALLING APART as he OPENS UP TO AZIRAPHALE!!! OUCH! That was like being stabbed, but somehow in a good way, because YES HES SAYING IT, JESUS FUCK

And...

THE

KISS

Like holy-fucking-moly! Dream come true, right there!! I did NOT expect things to go in that direction, I thought we were going to play it safe, and I am so glad that I was wrong. I've wanted these two to kiss for A LONG TIME, I've role played kissing AZIRAPHALE SO MANY TIMES, I've written stories, that was -- well, this was my response at the time: hfjdnelsneksndkwndjskwjznwjs jdneksneksjs disndjsnskw djjwdne idens! LITERALLY A DREAM COME TRUE, NEARLY EXPLODED!!! Like Crowley and Aziraphale literally kissed, mouth to mouth, its canon, it happened, the music swelled, they did it, it's real. Never thought I'd have pictures of men kissing up on my wall but I think I might need to print that out and hang it up, this was not just a highlight of season 2, this was A HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE! THANKS FOR THE NOURISHMENT, GAIMAN

and the nightingale thing -- "I don't hear anything" "that's the point, no nightingales", killed me man. THE NIGHTINGGALE, WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE NIGHTINGALE! OW! I DID NOT CRY ABOUT IT, I SWEAR ! ! !

Aziraphale saying I FORGIVE YOU ksndjwnsje I dont understand why he said that when just seconds ago he was saying LET US BE TOGETHER HOORAY, my friend and I were talking and I said, well last time he said I FORGIVE YOU it was after Crowley called him stupid, and my friend was like, well didnt Crowley call him an idiot this time, call back, so maybe that was it,

Aziraphale touching his lips like that after the kiss, holy fuck, A++++, but a painful A++++

and then CHOOSING METATRON!?!? WHAAAAAT?!?!?! I was reeeaaallly hoping he'd run to Crowley and KISS HIM or SOMETHING, but he -- METATRON, NOOoooOooOooo!!! So that was an extremely painful ending. and I realize that for Season 3 to happen, something would HAVE to push fans into creating that build-up and that NEED for another season, but.... OW! how long do I have to live with this pain??? If season 3 is NEVER MADE, it's going to end on this note??? it'd better get made jdbekdnwksn HOLY FUCK, I also better not DIE BEFORE IT'S MADE. I'll be over here, guts out, "cant die... yet... need... to see... Aziraphale and Crowley... make up...! Need... season... 3...!"

So yeah I'll be watching that over and over and over and over and over and over and ov

[x0401x]

Olá! What did you think of Tsurune episode 4?

Heya!

I have a few conflicting feelings about this episode but it was enjoyable overall. We’re still on the 100% original content spectrum and my guess is that it’s gonna be like that for the rest of the season. It’s weird to navigate through the anime and seeing the characters being so obviously not themselves and the story not having as much emotion, intensity or meaning as the original, but it’s easier to deal with this whenever KyoAni shows clear signs that they understand what they’ve done wrong in S1 and are trying to fix it within their possibilities.

For example, I’ve already pointed this out before, but I love the amount of facial expressions and personality traits we’re getting from Minato this time around. On each episode he shows more of himself and we get to see characteristics other than his most basic defining qualities, which is that he’s a serene and serious kid. He can be that and also be a clumsy, unripe airhead. Those are concepts that can and should coexist.

I also love that the girls keep receiving more screen-time and are being treated as part of the club with interests and progress of their own in kyudo, instead of just being in the background. Honorable mention to Seiya being allowed to act like the competent club president that he is, too. I really like the hints that, although he’s concerned about Minato on main, he’s looking out for everybody.

But speaking of looking out, I still find the way that KyoAni treats Masaki to be quite unpalatable. I’m glad that what I’d anticipated from the previous episode (that at some point Minato was gonna realize what Masaki was on about and everything would work out in the end) did happen, but it’s how it happened that bothers me. The episode basically starts out with Masaki overwhelming Minato with a shitload of information on what he has to fix like some nagging nanny. Meanwhile, Seiya has the brilliant idea to record everyone’s shots on video so that they can watch and compare in order to pinpoint exactly what was wrong during the match. Once again, as per usual, Masaki is relegated to a position of side character while Seiya saves the day. So far, this is the only thing I don’t see changing from S1. KyoAni keeps trying to make this story be about the Kazemai boys’ team first and foremost, and everyone else is secondary.

Don’t get me wrong; Seiya is my second favorite character in the books and I totally dig seeing him get a lot of attention, even with the anime version of him being a complete disaster to me. What I don’t like is that KyoAni is still trying real hard to push Seiya onto the same level as Masaki and Shuu, and in doing this, they end up reducing Masaki and Shuu to mere fractions of what they are in canon. Anime!Seiya is basically filling up for the lack of them – especially the lack of Masaki, and in that process, a good chunk of his role is being given to Seiya.

At this point in the novel, we were supposed to have Shuu coming to Kazemai to train because of the bet he’d made with Tomio, in which Kazemai and Kirisaki were essentially fighting for Masaki without anyone knowing except for the three of them. All because Shuu was jealous as fuck of the way Minato only has eyes for Masaki, thus pulling off the most “what is it he has that I don’t” move ever. Fast forward to Shuu and everyone else getting to touch Masaki but Minato can’t. Cue Minato being outraged by this bullshit, and that’s where it’s implied kyudo is in second plan to him. The main reason why he’s so mad about being banned from the dojo is that everyone gets to have new teachings from Masaki but he doesn’t. And then we have all that ridiculous pinning, Minato buying cinnamon buns for Masaki even though he can’t give them to him, Minato calling Masaki an idiot, Masaki pinching Minato’s cheeks, the car scene, Minato just straight-up admitting that he wants Masaki only for himself and having to hold himself back from crossing the line, them training in the dojo at night and eating oyaki together.

Just… nah. Can’t have that shit in the anime. Too damn gay for TV.

So what we get instead is Masaki being thrown to the side most of the time and interacting with Minato as little as possible, and the one who fills up that hole is Seiya. Similarly, with Seiya busy babysitting Minato, Nanao is making up for the lack of Seiya in Kaito’s life. Seiya’s main relationships in the novel are with Minato and Kaito, and Kaito’s conflicts and character development are directly tied to Seiya. Without Seiya there, it’s Nanao who has to replace him. Instead of Kaito’s dilemma about wanting Seiya to share his burdens and rely more on him, we have Nanao being mad at Kaito for wanting to take on everyone’s burdens on his own just because he’s the oomae. This one was quite amusing to me not just because I was already expecting it ever since the PV, but also because it’s a crystal-clear example of KyoAni’s approach in adapting Tsurune. It’s all a game of “Oh, so this character has strong feelings towards this other specific character that are inexplicable from a strictly platonic viewpoint? Well, just make it be about the whole team instead”.

On the topic of “make it about the whole team”, it’s dawned on me why KyoAni changed the reason for Minato’s fuck-up in the last tournament. In the novel, this was more of a spiritual thing. Kyudo is a zen practice, and as such, one has to do it with a clear mind and pure heart. In this scene, Minato’s heart and mind were anything but clear and pure. After Eisuke talks shit about Shuu right before the match, Minato is understandably pissed off, which is what disturbs his shots, even more than his injury. He didn’t want someone like Eisuke to win. But perhaps this isn’t something that viewers who have no experience in kyudo would be able to perceive. For most people, an archery tournament is a tournament like any other and wanting to win is probably just what you’d expect from the archers. Without the novel’s text explaining why this isn’t the case, the message most likely wouldn’t get through to a good portion of the people watching. I assume that’s why KyoAni chose to go for a more common sense route here. They made Minato focus too much on himself and not think about the proverbial team play and harmony that Japanese people are so familiar with. The result? His mistake affects everyone else. That way, it’s easy for an average Japanese to tell how and why Minato messed up back there.

I also dare say that going for this route is more in line with how KyoAni is trying to portray Eisuke and Tsujimine. In the novel, they were depicted as a team that, sure, has a lot of disadvantages in comparison to everyone else, but no one should underestimate them for it. They’re strong and they’re there to prove it. In the anime, though, they’re being treated like underdogs. It’s no secret to anyone that KyoAni banks off teams and character merch. More relatability is always their thing. Every character and every team has to make it into the viewers’ hearts somehow. So this Tsujimine is full of nice little guys who just wanna take the big prize for a Greater Cause TM (as in, better conditions for their club), and Eisuke is a hardworking boy who takes on a lot more responsability than he should because he doesn’t want to owe anything to anyone.

Nothing wrong with that per se, except that it strikes me as kinda contradictory. Novel!Eisuke is bitter. He’s bitter about his situation, he’s bitter that his former kouhai have more natural talent than he does and he’s bitter that they’re blessed with a better environment than him. He’s skilled and he loves archery, but he’s not in the right state of mind or spirit, and that’s why he loses. He’s still relatable, but his unsuccessfulness is to be expected, and most importantly, to be welcomed. As for anime!Eisuke, although his jealousy towards Minato and Shuu is clearly there, it’s very toned down and only noticeable in punctual moments, and it’s not presented as his main trait. It doesn’t seem like enough of a justification for his failures, unless KyoAni has something else up their sleeve. Another contradiction is that anime!Eisuke doesn’t want to be in debt with anybody, yet he keeps asking his uncle to give advice on his team all the time and he wanted Saionji to be his master in the past.

There’s also Koushirou. He still makes digs at Eisuke every now and then just like his canon self, but they’re not constantly at each other’s throats and they kinda seem like partners here? It’s actually funny to watch.

Anyway, these are my thoughts on episode 4. I keep getting these “we could’ve had it all” vibes. It’s not something that can be helped. Just gotta live with it, lol.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Thoughts while watching Taskmaster s15e07:

- So does Greg saying there will be no points for toasters mean they’ve all brought in toasters, like the jelly situation from season 11?

- I would genuinely play Taskmaster Wac-A-Mole. I would love to. Can they add that to their purchasable merchandise? Will they have to pay Ivo royalties for the idea?

- I love how hard Ivo defends his prizes tasks. Usually with some watertight explanation that you can see he planned beforehand. Fair enough, it is popular worldwide and has Greg’s face on it now.

-

This will be exactly how I will sound when explaining what I think about Mae Martin, if they ever start using he/him pronouns. Fair enough, though. Prof. Brian Cox on a Pop-Tart has to be worth something.

- We’ve seen a lot of unusual sides to Frankie Boyle so far this season, his “doing a Prof. Brian Cox” side turns out to be much creepier than I’d have anticipated, if anyone had asked me what I’d expected from Frankie Boyle’s Brian Cox impression.

- I wrote the above point before seeing Greg point out the same thing:

I shall try not to screenshot the entire episode again. I’ll slow it down from here on out.

- Oh, Jenny’s was genuinely good. Like, an actual thing rather than weird novelty, and an actually cool-looking thing. And I’m not even mentioning how attractive it is when Mae tries to argue with it while managing to appear both self-conscious and indignant. Look at me not even mentioning that.

Something about the way they argue for points. I have no idea how Greg ever resists it. It’s fine, I’m doing fine.

- Surely there’s an outtake where someone makes a dick joke after Kiell says “The most brilliant thing that pops up is obviously oneself,” right?

- Pogo stick’s not bad, but space hoppers are better. Kiell’s joke about Greg being a teacher was pretty good, though.

- Again, Frankie Boyle has brought in a piece of art that has nothing to do with the prize task category. It’s such a weirdly specific idea to be Frankie’s “thing” throughout this season, and yet, very on brand.

- Sorry, I wrote the above point before the points were given out. I can now say that the real trend is Frankie Boyle bringing in prizes that are pieces of art, have nothing to do with the category, and get over-scored. Which would be a problem if he actually won the season on it, but he won’t, so it’s fine. I’d still love to see him take an episode, though.

- More eggs. I think this season’s been pretty egg-heavy, even for Taskmaster.

- I’d just like to say that I don’t know what a pulper is either, Kiell.

- Ooh, title drop from Frankie.

I still don’t know what a pulper is.

- I mean, obviously if you could remove the egg from the pulper that would be a good thing. I don’t know what it is, but I think I’d at least try walking about it to see if there’s an obvious way to open it up.

- I swear I wrote the above point before seeing this:

So... is that it? They can extract the egg if they literally just walk to the other side of it, and Frankie and Kiell haven’t bothered?

- I have finished watching Frankie and Kiell do this task and I still have no idea what’s going on. But I’m almost sure that Frankie was wrong about lack of speed being the problem, and may still have lucked into doing well by happening to stop at the right time.

- Okay, I still don’t understand.

Does he mean it’s just the first time Frankie and Kiell saw the interior? They were blind because they chose not to go look? Or did none of the others look either? And why not? Would it not have been visible to them if they’d walked around it? Because from the shots we saw, it looked like it was wide open? What is happening?

- Jenny and Mae up next, so Ivo is once again being saved for last. He’s going to have a breakdown, isn’t he?

- 

Jenny Eclair hearing cymbals crash loudly, freaking the fuck out, and then assuming an egg made the noise: top-notch comedy, this is what the fans have paid to see.

- Right, I’m an idiot. I’ve just remembered that the task said they can’t move from their spot, so that’s why they don’t walk around the machine. I should really go back and delete the stuff I wrote above about that, so I look like less of an idiot, but I can’t really be bothered. I see now why they are blind. And I now have greater appreciation for the inherent comedy in making them just stand there spinning a wheel and listening to crashing with no idea what’s happening and no way to find out.

Having said that, any chance they can say the red dot they’re standing on is the spot, and move it? It’s a bit of a risk because Greg could decide that’s not allowed and disqualify them, but there has been precedent in previous seasons for arguing that the red thing is the spot and you’re still on the spot as long as you stay on it. And this task would be so easy to win if you could just move a bit, though they wouldn’t know that from where they are. As far as they know, trying to hop around on a red dot might just waste a lot of time and lead to nothing.

- Solid energy from Jenny Eclair here.

- 

God, the genuine distress on their face when they heard a noise that might be an egg getting pulped. I’m not even talking about sexual attractiveness anymore (I mean, okay, I am a bit). It’s just what's so much fun to watch on this show. That’s not comedy distress, that’s just actually being very concerned that they lost focus for a moment and misjudged the pulp wheel. What more can we ask for out of a Taskmaster contestant?

- All right, I’ve watched Jenny fly too close to the sun and pulp the egg, which means Mae probably does the same since they were grouped together. But I am still getting invested in the tension as they carefully push closer to it. Come on, Mae. I believe in you. Magically sense the position of an egg.

- I might have started saying “No no no no no stop stop stop stop stop” out loud at this point:

- Ah shit. On the bright side, maybe this episode gets to be Frankie’s?

- Ivo! They didn’t save him for last because he had a breakdown! They saved him for last because he is a clever little boy who has seen previous Taskmaster seasons and knows about moving spots. Good job.

- It is a lot of fun to watch Ivo spin the wheel with abandon, and then occasionally stop and look around like he’s convinced he’s missed something. No, it’s okay, little buddy! You’ve got this!

Something about watching Ivo Graham makes me feel like a gym teacher encouraging an eight-year-old to climb a rope.

- What a smart boy. He knows how to hop around a carry eggs and spin wheels and everything. Someday he might even learn how to open his eyes.

- Fantastic. A team task and the periodic table of elements. That’s all I want out of Taskmaster.

Will anyone be surprised if I mention at this point that when I was 13, we had to memorize the names and symbols of the twenty elements that our teacher assigned us for a science test, and I chose instead to memorize the name and symbol of every element on the whole table? I haven’t done it years, but I bet could still write out a periodic table with the names and their symbols correctly placed. I can still list the original 151 Pokemon in order, that one I have checked recently. It’s important to retain all the useless information you memorized in childhood for no reason, because otherwise, how will you know who you are?

- 

I tried to think about something to say about this screenshot so I’d have a legitimate excuse for adding to this post, instead of just including it as a way to say “look how hot Mae Martin is”, but I’ve got nothing.

- I mean, as far as “weird screenshots that you’d never expect to exist but there they are on Taskmaster” go, Frankie Boyle and Ivo Graham being handcuffed together is up there:

- So it’s basically an escape room, then? I’ve been informed by Ed Gamble that Mae Martin and Ivo Graham both like this sort of thing, unsurprisingly.

- I’m going to guess that stellar performance from the team of three was edited to look even more efficient than it really was, as a contrast to whatever we’re about to get out of Team Big IF. But still, that was impressive. Mae Martin like four steps ahead of everyone else, explaining that one of those things on the wall is going to relate to the other thing and we have to eat the candies and just get on with it. I’ve just realized how great it’ll be if Mae wins this season, specifically because I want to see them take on Sarah Kendall in Champion of Champions. Battle of the ruthlessly efficient.

- Kiell admitting that a task in which he looked bad was edited to make him look better than he really was is pretty funny. And again, this means that whatever Team Big IF do is such a mess that the editors decided it’s funnier than Kiell being upset about candies by enough to cut the latter for more of the former.

- Oh, excellent. It’s always good when a team breaks down so badly that you see them wincing in the studio just because they know their task is about to be shown. This may not, in fact, be Frankie’s episode to win.

- Ivo Graham correcting Frankie Boyle’s pronunciation of “cumin” is pretty much everything I expected to come from this team.

- Why is Frankie adding up the numbers?

- I believe Ivo is asking himself the same question I just wrote down, but does not have the guts to actually it out loud to Frankie Boyle’s face:

- My apologies to Ivo Graham, obviously it turns out he has no fear at all of confronting Frankie Boyle about his flawed system:

No fear at all. He’s doing absolutely fine.

- Okay, I see this is the moment they realize they still have handcuffs on, but does that really explain everything about why this hug is so weird? Was Frankie going for lifting him into the air?

- Taskmaster sometimes just feels like an experiment where they throw shit at the wall and find out which bits of it are funny. Things that just wouldn’t happen unless Taskmaster manufactured it, so without this show, we’d have no way of knowing whether those things are funny or not. Turns out that two comedians of wildly contrasting personalities frantically searching a room with plastic sheeting on the walls while handcuffed = funny.

- 

I feel like it summarizes Ivo’s persona that he can come out of a task that went horribly wrong due to Frankie’s incompetence, and Ivo saved it by being significantly less incompetent in that particular area, and still, in the debrief, Frankie can comfortably take the high status. Love seeing Frankie have the guts to come out of that terrible a performance, and his primary comment on what happened is to call Ivo a coward.

- Jesus Christ. How hard would we have to petition the people who run Taskmaster to get them to release the unedited footage, that does exist somewhere, of Frankie Boyle and Ivo Graham being handcuffed together in a small room for 42 minutes straight?

Surely someone’s gotten on this, fanfiction-wise, right?

- Kiell regaling us with a story of stealing his classmate’s pen in school. Greg’s right, we are getting a solid picture of his childhood here.

- Oh, I like these. The tasks where they have to pick something without knowing why they’re picking it, so they have to guess what the task will be. I just imagine how I would absolutely lose my mind as I tried to consider every variable in guessing, knowing I’d be mad at myself later if I messed it up for myself, and then it’s just nice to watch people go through that and know I don’t have to.

- I thought off the bat that Frankie’s pick for the number would be the one I respect the most - I’d probably go with 50 if I were picking between 0 and 100, in case going really high or really low fucks you over horribly. But then Ivo went 42 with a Hitchhiker’s Guide reference, and okay, it’s a bit trite, a bit “thing my friends and I all recited to each other in high school to prove how cool we were for being able to reference this”, but I like it anyway. You go, Ivo. Make your Douglas Adams reference.

- I mean, I think I’d at least guess that the ingredients, noun, and adjective have something to do with each other. I haven’t seen part 2 yet, but I’m saying if I were doing part 1, I’d try to pick words that could be at least somewhat related and ingredients that could relate to them.

- Yep. Turns out I made a good call. Not sure the contestants did.

- I mean that’s what you want out of Taskmaster, isn’t it? Comedians dumping a load of food ingredients onto a plastic duck while panicking about a timer running down? That’s why they commissioned this show.

- Jenny’s grabbed a gold shoe from somewhere else, I guess she knew it was there because they must have filmed this not long after the golden shoes + bowling ball task. At first I thought it was quite a coincidence that she picked “gold” and “shoe” when she’d used that in another task, but then I realized they must have filmed this one shortly after that one and she was thinking of it when she picked her words, like how Mae and Ivo were both thinking of ducks becuase they’re all over the house.

- Well, I’ll be honest, I got to halfway through the third pre-recorded task and then I got a call from my boss about some actual work I have to do, and I really wanted to just finish the episode so I’ve watched the rest without stopping to write stuff down. It was, once again, not Frankie’s day. Nice to get Kiell on the board, though, every constant who isn’t good enough to have a shot at winning the whole season should at least have the goal of staying off the relatively short list of contestants who’ve never won an episode. Ivo repeateldy endeared himself to me throughout this episode, and may have thrown it away at the end by believing that a Canadian accent sounds like an American with a particularly high-pitched voice. Why doesn’t every single episode have a part where the contestants have to do impressions of each other? They could get lots out of that. Okay I have to go do actual things now, but this was fun, can’t believe there are already only three left.

[weakforarwen]

Arthur's Bane (Part 1)

God, this episode drags with all those useless Merthur scenes. They're the least interesting parts of the episode. In short:

Merlin was withdrawn and quieter than usual after the druid seer showed him Mordred killing Arthur. Arthur noticed and tried to comfort Merlin but it made no difference. Merlin wanted them to head back to Camelot, and Arthur wouldn't leave his men behind:

M: Arthur, without you, Camelot is nothing. All that we've worked so hard to create. Everything will be gone. A: Look, no matter what adversity we face, we stand for what is right. To betray our beliefs, Merlin, that is what would destroy everything we've strived for. I swear I'm going to rescue my men... or die trying.

One of these conversations should've been enough, but they had it on four separate occasions (at Queen Annis's, at a camp before Morgana attacked them, after the attack, and in the scene above).

Moreover, the writers continue to believe that peak humor is Arthur yelling out Merlin's name or acting like Merlin's an idiot. Was I meant to laugh when Merlin, Arthur's "fool", juggled to entertain Queen Annis and Arthur was shocked he could do it? Was Merlin missing a very obvious trap and getting him and Arthur caught up in a fishing net supposed to be funny? Haha, Merlin's such an idiot. Haha, Arthur and Merlin are so dumb they can't set themselves free?

Similarly, was I supposed to be endeared when Arthur threw his boots at Merlin after they had a heart to heart?

Really? Was this the best they could do?

The highlight of this episode is clearly Queen Guinevere. She made quite an entrance. Arthur had Merlin look for the Queen who was apparently nowhere to be found (and, of course, Arthur wouldn't look for her himself), but she turned up on her own, walking down the stairs all regal-like. She was late to the council meeting, presumably because of Sefa, but Arthur still said she was right on time. It's sweet that he wouldn't start a council meeting without his Queen, although, traditionally, those aren't the type of events Queens attended. But Arthur and Gwen were different. Arthur trusted Gwen the most and didn't wish to rule alone, and Gwen took her job seriously so she was very much involved in the governing of Camelot.

But they still had very different roles. Arthur was their sovereign and had maximum authority; Gwen's judgement was valued and she had her own responsibilities, but she wasn't Arthur. I don't think she would've felt comfortable imposing herself too much as the Queen. She wouldn't have wanted to undermine Arthur's authority, just like Arthur had rarely disagreed with his father in public. Gwen trusted Arthur quite a lot, so she deferred to his judgement most of the time, unless she believed he was unequivocally in the wrong or needed her perspective. I understand why she was so careful. She wasn't brought up to rule like Arthur; she didn't have his knowledge or experience, and wouldn't want her ill-formed opinions to steer Arthur wrong.

But that doesn't mean she didn't voice her opinions or concerns. Though she was quiet, she was really observing, judging, learning, taking mental notes, carefully weighting her options; we've known this about Gwen since season 4, that she thinks before she speaks (eg. the deleted Arwen scene in The Wicked Day or her and Agravaine in The Darkest Hour).

As such, Gwen first weighed the pros and cons of voicing her concerns or sharing her ideas, especially in public (she spoke more freely around Arthur), and, when she felt certain that doing so would benefit Arthur or Camelot, she spoke up. It was Gwen who suggested that Arthur should approach Ismere through Queen Annis's lands to have the element of surprise. It was a very clever suggestion that everyone agreed to, and clearly not for the first time. Still, although Arthur hadn't hesitated to take her advice, Gwen had hesitated to give it. She was silent for some time, deep in thought, before she finally, carefully, spoke. She was visibly relieved and happy that she was right. Even after three years, Gwen was adapting to her role, gaining confidence. Arthur had decades of experience on her and still leaned on others for advice and often made the wrong calls. Imagine how much worse it would've been for a former servant.

Something I've noticed, and mentioned multiple times because it bugged me, is that Gwen was often concerned for Arthur's safety but didn't always voice those concerns; or she did and we just didn't see it... I believe that was because Gwen knew to pick her battles.

Arthur was stubborn when it came to defending his ideals as Gwen very well knew. She knew he would never leave his men behind so she didn't even ask him to. However, she did voice her concerns to Arthur in Another's Sorrow, because he hadn't just been motivated by doing the right thing (helping an ally, stopping someone else from losing their father); he'd been seeking vengeance. So, Gwen kept silent whenever Arthur went on one of his dangerous missions, despite her fears, but on the condition that his motives were pure.

However, despite her cautiousness and inexperience, Gwen was not afraid of leading her people and stepping up her game.

This episode had two goals: 1) foreshadow Arthur's death and who would cause it (Mordred, Morgana), 2) show that even without its King Camelot would be in safe hands because Gwen was more than up to the task.

For three years, Gwen had sat on all of Arthur's meetings, watching and learning about war and governing, building relationships with the knights and the members of the Round Table. Furthermore, due to Arthur's many absences, she had also led the meetings and taken up his duties. Arthur, at his core, was a knight, a warrior. He valued his men as much as he valued Camelot. It was a matter of honor and pride for Arthur that he could not send his men out to fight alone knowing they'd die, and he could not order his men to do anything he wouldn't be willing to do himself. As such, Gwen was often alone, and had to rule alone.

We saw in this episode that Queen Guinevere was confident, firm, decisive, and looked to no one for answers. She understood right away there was a traitor in the castle, and being highly observant, quickly figured out who it was. She arrived at that conclusion alone, and crafted a plan to catch Sefa's father alone too. She told no one of her plan; Elyan and Gaius were shocked by her decision to execute Sefa. But Gwen was strong and confident enough to give out such an order, even if she had no intention of seeing it through this time.

The scene of Sefa being dragged into the throne room and kneeling before her sovereign reminded me of the times Gwen had been in that same position. Even Sefa's dress reminded me of one of Gwen's.

Gwen knelt before the King of Camelot 4 times. Twice with Uther, when she was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death, and twice with Arthur, after the cheating and during her coronation. But she didn't have to kneel before Arthur for long: he immediately told her to rise in Lancelot Du Lac and helped her up when she became Queen. Thus, the scene between Gwen and Sefa was more similar to the times Gwen was brought before Uther, including the sentence she received. That's why the scene is shocking.

However, their circumstances were different. Sefa was punished because her actions cost the lives of men, not because she and her father were druids, and Gwen also had irrefutable evidence against Sefa, unlike Uther when he sentenced her to die. And, still, although conspiring to kill the king was treason, Gwen didn't want to kill Sefa because she understood her position.

It's also worthwhile to notice that Gwen could've postponed Sefa's judgement. She could've let Arthur take care of it. But she knew she had to act fast, because Arthur's life was on the line. She willingly took up the responsibility of sentencing Sefa.

I wonder what Gwen thought of Sefa's father and the plights of magic users. Did Sefa's actions convince her that Arthur's attitude towards magic was right? She was never too keen on magic.

Sefa: He only wants what's rightfully his. Were he a physician or a warrior, his skills would be revered. But sorcery! He deserves respect like any man. G: Respect is to be earned! It cannot be bought with blood. Your treachery cost the lives of many good men.

This scene reminded me of when Merlin asked Gwen if she would kill Uther as vengeance for her father, and Gwen said she would not, because that would make her no better than him. Gwen is more virtuous than Arthur. He wanted to kill Carleon for killing his father, even if he himself had killed Carleon's son.

These are the only good Gwen episodes of the season. I admire this Queen Guinevere, and I see servant Gwen in her as well. Unlike in the rest of the season, this episode's Gwen feels familiar to me. She was still warm and kind, like when she spoke to Sefa as a friend, or smiled at Sefa and Merlin's awkward interest in each other, but she was also aware of her new role. She knew it was up to her to take charge and lead her people in Arthur's absence.

Gwen's so different from Arthur in so many ways; the way she treated Sefa, her servant, for one. She asked Sefa to sit with her and even offered her the Queen's food. She spoke to Sefa like a friend, taking note of her mood, of how she was adjusting to her new role, praising her work, asking about her love life.

Gwen cared about the small things. She watched over the castle and its people. Arthur cared, but he didn't really notice his servants. Gwen even noticed Sefa leaving the castle at night.

Where Arthur was hasty and hot-headed, Gwen was careful and level-headed. Arthur would've forgiven (but not pardoned) Sefa for betraying him, but he wouldn't have seen beyond her betrayal. He wouldn't have thought to use the girl to get to her father. Maybe someone would've suggested it, but it probably wouldn't have been him. I don't believe Arthur would've sentenced Sefa to die, but he would've wanted her out of his sight immediately.

Arthur expected loyalty from people. All his life he had relied on others. He had his servants to do everything for him, he had his knights to watch his back, and he even had his father to support him. Arthur always had some form of a support system. He trusted people easily because he needed to trust people - for example, he needed to trust his knights with his life in battle. To him, people existed for him.

This is why Arthur was easily deceived or manipulated.

But Gwen didn't grow up relying on anyone, aside from maybe Tom, and her mother before she died. She had to look out for herself, for her father, for Elyan. She had no support system. She was a servant, invisible to most. But that also meant she could observe everyone in secret and learn their true nature. Gwen, unlike Arthur, knew how to read people. She wasn't easily deceived or manipulated. Arthur was coddled and told what he wanted to hear, he didn't know how to see past the lies.

Furthermore, Gwen didn't just live for the present. Like Arthur told Merlin this episode, "a warrior learns to enjoy each day as it comes". That was Arthur's issue. He thought like a warrior, when he really was a King; he couldn't take his life lightly when the future of Camelot depended on him. But Gwen saw the big picture. She waited and supported Arthur all those years because she believed life would improve when he became King.

Gwen was bolder than Arthur. It was perhaps a bit cruel to use Sefa to find her father (Sefa watched her father die and knew it was because she'd been followed), but Gwen's quick thinking helped Arthur, and showed she had vision, that she could be proactive and not just reactive, like Arthur.

Curiously, I think Queen Guinevere was a bit of a mix of Arthur and Uther. Like Arthur, she was compassionate, fair, kind, loyal, a believer of equality, and of the opinion that a sovereign should be respected, not feared, and that respect should be earned, not forced. However, she was cautious and not as trusting as Arthur, firmer, more guarded, more proactive, more independent, more shrewd than Arthur, thus a bit closer to Uther in that regard - not that Uther would've had the foresight to use Sefa the way she did, blinded by magic as he was.

Before I sign off, was Merlin actually into Sefa? It kind of looked like it, but I'm not sure. It's not the first time Merlin had looked interested without being interested - ie. Gwen and Morgana in season 1.

Also, the Diamair being a black woman/alien, hiding underground because her kind had been used and abused by white people, was a bit... The white High Priestesses and druid seers were respected for their knowledge and sight, but the Diamair were hunted? The druids were also hunted but they lived in communities...

Lastly... Arthur said he valued the lives of his men which was why he had to look for Gwaine and Percival. But, in order to save his Knights of the Round Table, he sent many less skilled men off to their deaths. Didn't he see the irony? I understand that he had to fight for his men, to show their lives had meaning to him - but we all know he wouldn't have done it for anyone else. To defend his ideals and find his friends, he risked the lives of men who had no choice but to undertake such a dangerous mission (and without a Merlin to keep them safe). Were those men's lives not important to Arthur? Or were they replaceable to him, unlike the Knights of the Round Table?

[the-firebird69]

This is the kind of boat we want to make in the hall is not dented it's a reflection of on the bow and we do not want to put a hole in it though and they suck for doing that they usually don't it's a really big window it's not glass it's lexan but we don't do that kind of thing and they put it in there special order other than that this is what our yachts will look like. And they're not making any of these so I'm going to make them look just like this and nobody can tell us we can't. This particular yacht is a 65-ft ocean going vessel they call it inland waterways but it's not it's for within a hundred miles of shore no further out and they don't want to guarantee it and in certain levels it is seaworthy it has solid doors on the inside that are made to hold the water out under pressure you can go down to about 800 ft and still be intact on the inside and there are methods of slowly filling it and escaping to the surface there are a lot of safety features and safety equipment that comes standard with our vessel we would sell this particular yacht for just under $10 million and we would have a different name they don't think it's Chinese and they would buy it. We're going to use our metal and they were using a form of steel which is not corrosive those damn heavy and head to put a huge motor in it's real loud and now as we'll have a future motor but it won't be damned heavy and it's going to be a little bit stronger about twice as strong I have all the features of the Viking and more and it's high quality it's high-end and it is for wealthy people and $10 million dollars is a lot of money and we do not suggest SN goes out and buy one that's too much money and we don't want them out there pretty much at all and he knows that side note it's right at the high clam mark. It means that a ton of water has come down but really the water waves up north I'll be coming very clear especially inside the mountain where they find out most of the sapphire and be moving on and it'll be occupying it that will slow the amount of water that comes down here once they start building but it's so much worse phenomena then a little bit of water

-you catching wind of a lot of threats coming down here from up there in about water too and we have to go in and we have to stop him this water level is pretty high it hasn't been this high for quite a while it is a shocker cuz they removed a lot of stuff it's flowing very fast in the middle of the harbor and it is about 40 miles an hour at the mouth is 50 mph and it's tearing out whatever obstruction is left all around all of Florida and here in Charlotte harbor

That said I'm boating season is coming up and people will be buying because the oceans will be more clear yet they won't be buying too much the ocean is expected to drop and if you buy both if they can put it at the house and biking does not have those they don't have small vessels pretty much at all it says you think they might and we could sell those and people be dreaming about getting the yacht it's an idiots a reminder and yeah they spell speed boats and open boats that go on to the yacht and More shortly

Thor Freya

Olympus

[koushisatori]

if you can't believe in others, at least believe in us

kyoutani x gn!reader

genre: as ordered: a bit of angst w a touch of comfort

warnings: one (1) big jealous idiot, miscommunication

word count: 5.4k

note: this is smth an anon asked me to do (but like...nearly a year ago, I'm not sure if anon is still there or if they remember and my dumbass deleted the ask so I just beta-ed through whatever I had but I know they called me out on enjoying jealous characters so here we go) I'm sorry, mysterious anon, I'm stupid </3 Anyway, that's that. I don't remember if reader was supposed to be female or not so I made it gn!reader (but if I forgot to change something, pls tell me so I can fix any errors c: It's also my first attempt I apologize in advance)

In the beginning, you weren't sure why your boyfriend is ignoring you

You can't remember doing something that would annoy him, nor do you remember an instant of anger in his eyes that would give you a hint about his reasoning to stay away from you

He explained early on that sometimes he just needs a day of distance because Kentarou could feel the anger simmering right under the surface, enough that something small could tick him off already, and he would hate if you were on the receiving end of this unexplained fury

Both of you also made sure to promise each other to clearly communicate, the relationship between the two of you would not last long if you're not properly telling each other what might be bothering or hurting...just in general cross a boundary

Communication probably was one of the most important aspects of your relationship

cue to the actual situation: your boyfriend avoiding you

So, Monday evening you think maybe it's this overwhelming sensation of unexplained anger and that something at morning practice ticked him off completely

But then Tuesday comes and goes, and your boyfriend had avoided you all day long, did not even bother to read your messages,

on Wednesday, you try to talk to him, but all he does is glaring at you with a look that leaves you speechless and kind of heartbroken,

Thursday is the day you're replaying everything you did on Monday, trying to find something that he could have misunderstood, yet no matter how hard you think about it…your brain won't come up with a reason that explained why Kentarou was so upset with you!

So you decide to make him talk to you on Friday

Enough is enough, right? For gods' sake, he is your boyfriend! You miss him and his strong arms that give hugs so warm that you melt right into them

You don't get a second alone with him until school ends

you practically sprint out of the school building over to the gym, knowing that he had a free hour, which means that he is probably the first person there - your only chance

There he is, sitting with his back to you, aggressively chewing on a bun filled with chicken - his usual that reminded him of his favorite dish - glaring holes into the ground

After taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you carefully aks: ''Kentaro…Ken…?'', slowly stretching out your hand, wanting to rest it on his shoulder to maybe help to soothe him a bit

he flinches instead and his heated, agitated gaze meets your eyes, making you recoil in return

''…will you talk to me, I miss you…'' you say softly, realizing how it hurt being ignored by him

''Ah, suddenly you miss me…'' he spits, narrowing his eyes ''…didn't fucking seem like it the last time I saw you…''

''Kentaro, baby, I have no idea what you mean,'' you plead, keeping your voice low to hide the desperation lacing it, confusion written all over your features

all Kyoutani does is growl, hopping down from where he's sitting while shouldering his gym bag

''...shouldn't have been so flirty with Shittykawa like that then-'' he grumbles - ''Ken, I didn't-'' you insist, but he continues ''twirling your hair, batting your pretty eyelashes at him, fuck you Y/N, if you want him, then feel free to take a fucking leave" Kyoutani cusses, not even listening to you

You shake your head, ''Kentaro, no, you totally misunderstood the situation,'' you follow up, panic seeping into your voice now that you knew what he referred to, ''I love yo-''

''Tsk'', he moves to leave

you try to take his hand but, instead of turning around, Kyoutani just rips it away from you, tucking it into the pocket of his jacket

from behind you, you hear Yahaba and Oikawa approaching (talking about Volleyball and Captains duties)

once they guessed what must have happened, they offered you their help (they both swear that Kyoutani will never ever find a ''cute s/o as you are, y/n-chan, I'm worried for my little angry pomeranian kohai'' )

Usually, you would try to talk to him, but after enduring a week of radio silence and now this treatment, you were tired of upholding something that seemed like a lost cause

you just wave both setters off and leave the school grounds, a frown plastered onto your lips and tears swimming in your eyes

Kentarou had not listened to you, did not even really look at you, and the few seconds he did, his eyes were filled with rage instead of the warmth he had usually reserved for you (and only for you)

If your boyfriend thinks avoiding you for a week and blaming you for something ridiculous without hearing you out is how you handle a relationship…maybe you would have to consider not pursuing it any longer

Which is easier said than done

The whole night you wait for a message, anything, and then all Saturday morning

you still had hope left

You get one from Yahaba, who tells you that Oikawa tried to clear up the situation as well after the reason for your fight dawned on him (Kyoutanis piss poor mood and behavior towards him a strong indicator) but Kentaro, again, just ran off

The future team captain even called you after your lackluster answer, listening to you getting the frustration and sadness out of your system

It didn't matter, right? Your boyfriend decided to unofficially call it quits by implying that your feelings for him were not genuine instead of using his mouth to talk to you and disregarding everyone involved

as if he wanted to ignore the truth as a convenient excuse to get out of your relationship

that's the conclusion your brain came up with

You softly sniffle in the privacy of your room, clutching a pillow to your chest (which has seen more tears in the last two days than in the past three years), deciding that it would be a good idea to go into the city to treat yourself

knowing that your mother has a hair-dresser appointment somewhen today, you go and announce that you would join her to finally buy the latest season of your favorite series

once there, you additionally get microwave popcorn, chocolate, and ice cream, as well as a pretty shirt you saw on a mannequin while window shopping

you feel a lot better after spending some money and ignoring the lingering sadness of your presumable break up with Kyoutani (who you love ok, it is not that easy)

In between your stops, you meet Iwaizumi and Oikawa munching on fatty burgers (celebrating your cheat days like a holiday and indulging in whatever your heart desires, is what makes it easier to stick with healthier habits the rest of the time was the questionable explanation coming from the brown-haired setter, pointing at you with a soggy potato fry)

after a moment, the setters eyes turn sad, a frown replacing the smile on his lips

he wraps his fingers around your wrist to stop you from going just yet, apologizing for being the cause of your fight and for being unable to talk some sense into him

(you assure him that it is not his fault, knowing that your friend will probably brood over it otherwise, which wouldn't be fair)

Iwaizumi adds that Kyoutani will come around and that his cooldown time is just longer than those of other people (and if not, he will give him one of his famous volleyballs to the head and use his status as only truly respected senpai to talk some sense into him) but you again decline their suggestions

after saying goodbye (and seeing Iwaizumi give his best friend an assuring gentle pat on his shoulder, the secret softy in the usual harsh ace shining through)

If Kentaro was willing...able to throw away your relationship this easily, he can't possibly really love you, and you'd accept this even if it's hard and painful

Now remembered of what you had attempted to forget about, you feel your eyes sting with unshed tears (you thought there was no possibility of you having more tears to spill, yet the impossible seemed to be the case) you look down at your phone to text your mom and frown

Kentaro 🥰: we need to talk. Kentaro 🥰: meet me there [location]

For a second, you hesitate, biting your lower lip harshly…you really want to go and talk to him but…

The tears still sting in your eyes and blurring your view reminded you of what you had gone through the whole time, and that it was his turn to finally come to you

break up or makeup, the ball was in his court now

so while walking to where your mother would be waiting for you, you begin to type

You: No.

You: I waited for you all week, even though you ignored me, and now you expect me to run the moment you choose to stop being a childish idiot?

You: if you decide to speak to me then comqjdkn

Kentarou wouldn't say he feels particularly bad. Not at all! If someone was to ask him, he would probably answer fucking peachy, what the fuck are you asking for or growl angrily. No one would bat an eye and further question him, nor guess that maybe he wasn't as great as he pretended because he missed his gorgeous better half, but…it was his fault, wasn't it?

Of course, he originally thought he had a valid reason to be upset. And if he had just spoken to you about it, everything would be solved now. Instead of being a decent boyfriend, though, his pride overtook his thinking processes once he realized that his behavior wasn't even the slightest bit justified. Not that he knew this when he saw you speaking with Shittykawa right before school. All he could see was his gorgeous s/o shyly fiddling with her fingers, conversing with a leaned forward, very involved Oikawa Tooru. He would have fetched you away from the brown-haired setter. He had no qualms about showing his possessiveness. God, Kentarou wouldn't have hesitated to growl at the tall, brown-haired boy if not for the question he heard coming from the Captain.

''Y/N-chan, how is it that you, an adorable, charming individuum, is with a brute like Mad Dog-chan? I really-'' Well, that's where he decided to leave you with the setter. He didn't need to hear your answer. Didn't want to witness an excuse or maybe the truth. If both of you were so fucking smitten with each other to flirt this blatantly, why don't you just go and cheer for him, hold his hand, and kiss his cheek goodbye? It was his choice to distance himself.

Kyoutani couldn't help the feeling of betrayal and hurt washing over him. Maybe you just used him as a stepping stone to get closer with Oikawa, and Kyoutani has been too blind to see it. He never doubted you or your relationship before, but it's not a secret how eruptive Kyoutani could be. It has always been beyond his imagination how someone so cute and sweet like you could love a person like him. Your friends thought so. The teachers. The whole school! Everyone questioned your poor judgment. And when you came running up to him, you're cheery voice calling out for him, everyone present looked at you like you grew a second head. It's the reason why seeing you with Trashykawa ticked him off so bad. It catered to his biggest insecurities and fears. He knew that all those skeptics would be delighted to see you, everyone's darling, with the schools' star setter. They all would agree that the pretty, handsome young man is a better fit than the always hostile-looking troublemaker.

While Kyoutani didn't take Oikawa seriously in most cases, he undoubtedly was one of the most devoted people Kentarou had ever met. If Oikawa wanted to get a new serve right, he wouldn't stop trying and repeating it until his legs gave in, and Iwaizumi dragged him out of the gym. When he wanted to find more advanced players to practice with, so he could, in return, give this new knowledge to his team, there was no way he would not manage to make it happen. Even if his ideas, wishes, and plans cost him blood, sweat, and tears (like getting Kyoutani to actually train), Oikawa never backed down. Kentarou had heard that Oikawa's last girlfriend dumped him because of his passion for Volleyball. Yet Kyoutani couldn't help but think that, in you, the ambitious setter would have found someone that would be able to handle it. You usually came over to watch the team when you knew that Kyoutani was there to play. You sat on the stands with your homework in your lap and a Seijoh-coloured pencil wiggling between your fingers, not bothered by the noises coming from the court. You play with your earlobe while you frown at whatever problem you came across. You patiently wait for practice to finish. Kentarou was sure that you'd be someone Oikawa would actually try for. You weren't one of his squealing fangirls, hanging from his arm on every opportunity, but his friend. You didn't pester him to take selfies with you while pushing cute bentos into his hands. When you bring food to practice, then it's for the whole team to share. If he wanted you, Oikawa would probably have to win you over and make sure that you'd stay. Courting and all that jazz. In all seriousness, Shittykawa would be a fucking idiot if not.

The dyed-blond wing spiker had been so sure that he was rightfully mad that he didn't stop to think twice before he reacted this coldly towards you. But, and this made it even worse, Kentarou knew that he was wrong the moment you asked what happened after an entire week of enduring his silent treatment. The second he heard your shaky voice and saw the tears welling up in your eyes, his brain rebooted, and suddenly he wasn't so sure of his own reasoning. You two were together for about half a year. Kyoutani - by now - was confident in his ability to identify most of your expressions. All he could decipher in your eyes was pain, paired with a need to understand, but…if he was in the wrong…it would mean that he had hurt you the whole week, which in conclusion implied that Kentarou had been the world's shittiest boyfriend. Fuck, he thought, I don't deserve y/n.

His situation didn't get any better the moment Oikawa entered the gym. The person Kyoutani thought he had a real reason to despise now tried to mend the rift between the two of you.

''Mad Dog-chan, I think you misunderstood something there. Well, no, you decided to not listen-'' The taller male says, hands gesturing wildly. While his voice still had that annoyingly cheery tone, it had something commanding hidden underneath. And oh, how Kentarou hated when someone demanded something of him, even if it was for his own good. ''Don't want to hear it.'' the blond mutters, already aggravated. The brown-haired setter resolutely puts himself in the way again. ''Oh, but you have to! That morning, Y/N-chan literally declared her love for yo-'' - ''I don't fucking care.'' Kentarou barks, not looking Oikawa in the eyes.

After another fruitless attempt to get properly into the gym, he growls and turns to leave. Already on his way to grab his stuff and take a leave, he hears Oikawa yelling. ''You answered and justified why I asked Y/N-chan to begin with!" And then louder, even though he could make out Iwaizumi trying to wrestle his childhood friend back into the gym, "APOLOGIZE, YOU IDIOT! YOU BETTER GROVEL FOR Y/N'S FORGIVENESS! THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS SHOW YOU'RE PUTTING ON, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

This happened on Friday evening, and the guilt was gnawing away on him ever since. On his way home, Kyoutani had automatically taken the detour to your house. Kentarou enjoyed bringing you home (and more often than not, you pulled him inside with you, making him cuddle you!). It makes him feel like a good boyfriend, and he knew that you arrived there safely. He would never tell anybody and deny it if you ever decided to share this, but Kentarou relished in the feeling of your hand holding his all the way while going on about your day. He admired that you'd pet every cat and every dog you meet on the trip home together with him. You were perfect for him…why again did he act like this?

What caused Kyoutani's attempt to apologize - in his usual overly blunt and partly aggressive kind of way - was Yahaba, though. Both boys denied being remotely something beyond 'not really enemies'. But his future team captain was definitely one of the very few people that could and would tell him to his face that he fucked up without real repercussions. He would presumably even help Kyoutani to get it together.

After Yahaba had called you and listened to your heartbreaking rant, the setter realized that you, his friend, and his 'not really enemy' needed to talk ut out. Totally immersed in your tirade, you accidentally let slip that you couldn't endure Kyoutani's treatment any longer. That being pushed over by your boyfriend with brash and hurtful words after handling the cold shoulder was too much. That you expected Kyoutani to break up with you on Monday either way. In-person, if he had mercy on you or continue his treatment as a silent method of doing so. While you told Yahaba about your planned ''get over it-self-care'' weekend (involving tons of ice cream, movies with crying guarantee, lots of blankets, and no smartphone), the setter had already put on his jacket, shooting a message to Kyoutani.

From Yahaba: get your stupid fucking ass outside to meet me, or I'll bench you the complete season next year

Even though the wing spiker was sure that Yahaba's words were nothing but empty words, Kentarou allowed himself to accept this threat as an excuse to put his pride aside. Because, even though Yahaba annoyed him to no end - not as bad as Oikawa but still - Kentarou was also aware that you and he were friends. If someone could help him gaining your forgiveness, Kyoutani had to accept and admit that it was Yahaba. Meeting his light brown-haired teammate was kind of awkward. Kyoutani was unsure what he had to expect, though he should have seen the rough treatment coming. Yet, getting told that you, the person Kentarou was undeniably in love with, felt so neglected and hurt that you deemed this relationship to be as good as over allowed the guilt monster in his chest to grow. Shitty Oikawa was probably right ordering him to grovel and beg on his knees for you to even hear him out.

Your answer to his message was partly unlike you. Well, the last sentence. You usually were pretty forward with him to avoid miscommunication and uncalled-for moping around. And while you sometimes send keyboard smashes to express the chaos you felt, they were always in a separate message and not so…random. The text definitely meant something like ''then come to me'' but somehow, Kyoutani had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

Besides, he couldn't just wait till Monday and hope that you'd accept his apology! You may send him away today already, but he still had a teeny-tiny bit of hope. If he let the thoughts of him leaving you or the other way around fester in your mind for two whole days, though,…you'd probably realize that leaving him wasn't that bad of a decision. You'd come to the conclusion that all your admirers could treat you better than Kyoutani did. And he was too selfish to let you leave. Even though all he did the whole week was being self-centered and stuck up, he would be damned to begin being a saint now and let you go. That you at least were willing to talk to him was…a relief, to say the least. Kentarou hoped that this translated to you being willing to put up with him a little longer if he apologized correctly. That you're not opposed to giving him another chance to make things right.

At your house, he was greeted with darkness. Not even a single light illuminating any of the rooms he could see from his spot on your front lawn. And the ones he saw were your and your mom's most-used rooms. Your room window, your mothers' workroom, and the living room area with an adjacent kitchen. All of those rather significant rooms and the lack of light in them seemed to be a dead giveaway for Kyoutani that no one was home. Kyoutani guessed that you were probably out with your mom, glancing over to the empty spot in front of the garage.

Oh god, your mother had been the only supportive person of your relationship. Maybe it's in your family to see the best in everyone, even in shitty people like him. But if you told her about his behavior, she'd most likely not welcome him with a smile ever again, no matter if you forgave him.

There weren't many things Kyoutani could do in this situation, but it wasn't as late as nature let it on, and after a few seconds, he had decided to sit down at the front door and wait for you, hoping that it wouldn't take too long for you to come home. As if fate wanted to tell him something, the wing spiker had put on the jacket with the half-full power bank. He had worn it to the shelter when he visited it this week while distracting himself from your absence in his daily life. You had gifted him the piece of clothing, which is probably why he unconsciously had decided to wear it to everything he did after school in the first place.

Kentarou passed the time by snarling at people eyeing him for a moment too long to not be judgmental, petting the neighbors' cat wandering over to him, and watching videos. Every time he thought ''Y/N would like this'', his heart stuttered guilty.

To Kentarou, it felt like an eternity until your mother's car finally drove up the entry. To avoid your mother's potentially deadly stare, he nervously checked his mobile, realizing that he had waited for a little more than 3 hours. Yet, the wait had done nothing to soothe his nerves. They instantly spiked up again while his heart threatened to jump out of his throat.

She will hate me. Your mother would hate me, she'll hate me, she'll ha-

''Ah, Ken-chan! Good evening.'' Your mother greets him with a tired, yet still gentle smile. Oh. The blond blanches. He'd never admit it, but he enjoyed the treatment he received from your mother more than he should. Being spoken to without suspicion and receiving a warm smile every time without fail was a welcome change to his daily life. Your mother didn't listen to people trying to bad-mouth him. To her, he simply was the boy that - normally - treats her child the way a mother wished for. Even if he pulled a face as long as a fiddle.

''I didn't know you were coming, Ken-chan, or I would have messaged you…but now that you're here, maybe you can assist us out and help Y/N inside? It would help a lot.'' His gaze immediately flitted over to you on the passenger seat. With your arms crossed in front of your chest and that stubborn but endearingly cute pout on your lips, he nearly missed the tiredness your body emitted. Kentarou wanted to rush over to your side immediately but was stopped by your mother again. ''I don't know what you two are fighting about…but please talk to each other. I don't want my baby to be this sad. Especially now, and…'' she rests a hand on his shoulder, her eyes kind and comforting ''…I also don't want to miss you here, alright?'' He stiffly nodded and watched your mother carrying in plastic bags filled with various medicine packages and food.

After coming back to his senses, Kyoutani finally stumbled over to your side, practically ripping open the car door. This new perspective revealed a plaster cast wrapping your whole left leg and a removable wrist brace on your right hand. ''Bab- Y/N…what the fuck…happened?'' His honey-brown eyes continued to wander over your injuries, and with every second, he found more. Scratches and scrapes, bandaids and bandages peeking out from underneath your clothes. ''I'm so sorry,'' he whispered, hanging his head low.

All your intentions to fight his helping hand and limp over to the door by yourself disintegrated into nothing. You never witnessed such a devastated, beaten expression on his face before. Instead, you settle for ''Will you help me?''. A question asked quietly to your fingers picking at a loose band-aid edge on your arm and pressing it back onto the irritated skin.

After you loosened your seatbelt, he waits for you to carefully place your arms around his neck. It is followed by Kyoutani lifting you out of the car so gently as if he was afraid you might break. This whole situation in itself already contradicting his brash appearance and usual behavior. It would give whiplash to all the people pretending to know him. But he was always caring in his own way when it came to you. It's why you loved him after all. Because you usually knew that he loved you, too.

For a few moments, the atmosphere between the two of you felt awkwardly tense, both of you unsure how to interact with each other. The mostly blonde wing spiker breathed out a sigh of relief when you fully leaned into his chest once he stood upright, resting your head against his shoulder. A bit of maneuvering through the front door eventually lead to Kyoutani passing through the hallway and taking you to your room, where he was gently lowering you down on the bed.

It was a now or never kind of situation. For the both of you. While Kentarou was trying to find out where to begin his apology, he took a few steps back in case you wanted space until everything was cleared up.

You unconsciously helped him making a decision by impulsively grasping onto his shirt the moment he started to withdraw, stopping him in his retreating movement. Kentarou saw your lower lips wobbling, teary eyes looking up at him pleadingly.

''Please stay,'' you say weakly, which is enough for him to throw the whole thinking process away and simply sit down next to you, intertwining both your hands. ''I'm staying. I'm not leaving. Not now nor this relationship if you still want...an ''us''. The wing spiker took a deep, shuttering breath. '' I'm sorry, Y/N…'' he finally manages to say, honey eyes locked onto your linked your hands. ''I have been fucking stupid all week. 've been a fucking terrible boyfriend, the worst to ever exist.''

As if to encourage him...to show your boyfriend that his apology was not for nothing, you shuffled around until the last bit of distance between the two of you was closed. You hum, acknowledging his words while leaning your head on his shoulder.

''I didn't think you're cheating or something, …'' Kyoutani immediately assures you. There was no way he would allow you to think that he would accuse you of something like this. ''I had no reason to be jealous, but I was insecure. Let it get the best of me. Despite our promise to communicate, I was sulking. 't was easier. I'll do whatever the fuck you want for you to not give up yet…'' he says, taking his time with every sentence.

With a sigh, you squeeze his hand. ''It will probably take a lot of cuddling and attention from you...'' you say thoughtfully ''...but I forgive you…if you promise to not do this again…'' you murmur, tilting your head upward to press a chaste kiss to his jaw. ''Otherwise, I'll accept Iwaizumi-san's offer to get your thinking process restarted.'' For a moment, your voice had its usual joking edge. But you knew talking out everything was necessary. ''But, in all honesty, 'Tarou....please, never do this again. I am honest. I will not endure this a second time. When you tell me that you need a day or two for yourself then that is totally fine. If you feel yourself giving into whatever insecurity, talk to me about it. I am sure there will be an explanation or a solution but don't leave me in the dark. Don't treat me like that. I love you. Only you and no one else. But the time love can withstand straight-up ignorance by your partner is limited.''

Slowly, your boyfriend nodded, squeezing your hand to tell you that he understood. You would probably cling to him for a while but were sure that he would survive the extra closeness. Not even half a second later, his head leans onto yours cautiously.

''…and try being nicer to Oikawa-san, Tarou, he hasn't done anything to you.'' You add humorously before small giggles started to erupt from your lips. ''Also...Baby…'' you start, being interrupted by choked-up hiccups and giggles. By using your nickname for him, you take away another persistent fear of his. What he does not miss, however, is how you wince in pain before you continue, ''…who helped you put this into words? I mean…I loved it, but…,'' You leave unsaid that words usually are not his strong fort.

Biting back a smile, he frowns, huffs, and puffs…, but the way you are looking up at him, eyes shining with relief and adoration, allows him to admit defeat. He sighs ''…it's how Yahaba said I should say it…'' It usually would be an odd enough statement to make you throw yourself all over him with laugher. As a slight replacement, you squeeze his hand a bit, still shaking with suppressed laughter. ''I promise…that I will talk to you. Can't promise the Shittykawa part.'' Another soft chuckle leaves your lips before you look up at him again. ''I hope you try nonetheless. You should not let Iwaizumi-san hear you calling Oikawa-san that, though, I don't think this would turn out well for you…so...maybe stop this at least.'' Kentarou rolls his eyes at you, but in the end, he nods.

You wait for another second to clearly distinguish the two topics before you continue. ''…Thank you…for coming and finally speaking with me instead of break-'' A hand on your lips muffles your words.

''Don't say these words. I'd never break up with you,'' Kentarou grumbles, a light, uncharacteristic light pink settling on his cheeks. You stick your tongue out, which leads to him taking his hand off of your face with a surprised noise, rather dumbfounded that you had licked his hand. It gives you the chance to lean up and finally press your lips against his. ''I'm not leaving you either,'' you murmur, feeling his lips twitch upwards slightly. You decide to leave the teasing for another day.

Moving back into your previous position was enough of a hassle to hiss in pain. It brought back Kyoutani's awareness of the second problem at hand. ''What did happen to you?'' Kyoutani asks in an attempt to tamper down the excited, happy beating of his heart.

''Oh, this...uh, when I answered your text, I got driven over by a dude on a bicycle,'' you casually drop. It was kind of entertaining to watch his expressions change at an unequaled pace while processing your words. In the end, it settled into something akin to passive-aggressive worry. The way he was immediately fretting over you while cursing and cussing out the bicycle dude was his own way of caring. As you watch him retrieving the food your mother bought, while mumbling about how you're a dumbass for not paying attention to your surroundings, how he'd come over every day until you could go to school again to bring and teach you the stuff you would miss and how he would fucking murder the bicycle idiot if he ever finds out who dared to drive you over, you can't help the smile forming on your lips.

Once again, you are proven that loving him - while occasionally troublesome and demanding - was everything but wrong.