#which is dangerous. stop boosting my ego before I do something dumb like think I might be good enough to try publishing

[ante--meridiem]

Extremely confidence boosting to me that every time I've read my poetry out loud in public at least one person has come up to me afterwards to say they like it. More confidence boosting than people telling me I'm good at anything else which usually just feels very awkward because poetry is something I don't feel I can self evaluate at all because I know how easy it is for something to accidentally come out cliched/overwrought.

[wheresmybuckyhoes]

Game Night

Summary: Bucky and you are basically enemies. That’s the only word you can think of to describe it. What else would it be?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, unprotected sex (do not do this irl), smut, slight angst

I really love a good enemies to lovers at the moment and wanted to give it a go. Let me know what you think. As always, enjoy! xx

‘How about truth or dare?’ Wanda suggested innocently, earning her a series of exasperated groans. You threw your head back in playful annoyance, a drawn out ‘Wandaaa’ leaving your vodka - tasting lips. ‘I meant more like monopoly, or something a group of horny teenagers wouldn’t play’ Tony sighed, throwing back the last of his whiskey, followed immediately by ‘Steve it would mean so much to me if you would get me another bottle of this’.

Meanwhile, you noticed the one and only piece of shit Bucky narrow his icy blue eyes at you from across the table you were all crowded around. You mimicked his expression before turning towards Wanda as you rolled your eyes. You could practically feel his eyes delving deep holes through your back. ‘I say we play. I’ve had at least...’ at this point you held up your hands in front of your face as you counted on your fingers like a dumb child, Wanda raising her eyebrow. ‘...like at least, enough shots to be drunk so I won’t remember this anyway’ you shrugged as you reached for the bottle of vodka only for Sam to pull it just out of your reach. ‘Sam...’ you tried to bargain but Tony’s loud voice cut you off as he spoke, cradling his 4th glass of whiskey delivered so gracefully unto him by a frowning Steve. 

‘As the leader of this group of fucks, I decree that I go first. Capsicle, truth or dare’ he asked pointedly, gesturing to Steve with his glass. ‘You guys are so immature...truth, if I must’ he replied gloomily, taking a tender sip of his orange juice. ‘Are you a virgin?’ he simply asked, earning an uncontrollable giggle from you and Wanda. Before Steve even opened his mouth, Tony added quickly with a smirk ‘a virgin is someone who has never fucked anyone, by the way. Oh, and fucking is what you want to do to y/n. I know you don’t always know all the current lingo, old man, but...’ Steve answered quickly before Tony could continue embarrassing him, and you choked on the wine that had magically appeared in your hand. ‘No, Tony. I’m not, and I’m going to bed’. Steve got up and straightened his shirt, placing his glass gently on an Avengers branded coaster, heading out for the night to his floor of the compound. You didn’t notice the slight frown which flickered over Bucky’s face as you kissed Steve on the cheek as you said goodnight. But you also didn’t notice Tony and Sam fighting over the last bottle of whiskey, so who can blame you.

You played a few more rounds of truth or dare as the night grew dark and the others grew tired. After the first few rounds Sam and Tony got up and left, soon followed by Wanda who was drunk beyond words. You hugged her affectionately before helping her to the elevator and going back to sit down. You forgot Bucky was there.

You groaned dramatically as Bucky smirked at you, collapsing dizzily onto the leather couch and tipping the last bit of vodka you had retrieved from Sam’s grasp down your throat. ‘Fuck off, Barnes’ you seethed. ‘Don’t you have some people to kill?’. He chuckled to himself, pushing himself up from the floor to stand up and cross his arms. ‘Don’t you have some validation to seek from literally everyone?’ he taunted, staring your right in the eyes. You looked down. The bitch knew very well you only wanted validation because when you were trained in an abusive institute not so different from hydra, the only thing that kept you alive was their validation, and he knew that he could get under your skin with ease. But you refused to show it. You looked up and found his opal eyes again.

‘It was my turn, wasn’t it? Truth or dare, asshole?’ you asked, chucking the empty bottle of vodka at him. He caught it swiftly with his vibranium arm, walking over to you and leaning down to place the bottle beside you on the couch, face inches away from you. ‘Dare’ he whispered, leaning back and moving to stand in front of you. He smelt like burnt marshmallows, fiery whiskey and rain. You mentally slapped yourself and reminded your brain how much you hated him.

‘I dare you to stop being such a little bitch’ you stood up, staring up at him with flames in your eyes. ‘Maybe if you didn’t act like such a brat all the fucking time, I wouldn’t have to be’ he mocked, tilting his head to await your reaction. The sheer amount of hate your felt for him at this moment, together with the large quantities of alcohol running through your veins, gave you a dangerous confidence boost. ‘Maybe if you weren’t a little pussy who lost his arm and sanity to some weird scientists because he fell off a train, knew how to fuck let alone talk to girls and didn’t make every single person who he meets want to run away and scream, I wouldn’t act like a brat all the fucking time’. Well shit.

You were breathing raggedly, chest rising rapidly up and down, hands balled up in two tight fists by your side. Bucky’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, a flicker off hurt passing over his handsome features. He shook his head and sighed. ‘Shouldn’t have said that, y/n’. ‘What do you mEEEAAN’ you yelped as he moved to pick you up and throw you over his shoulder, as if you were weightless. You kicked him in the chest, hard. ‘Put me down right the fuck now Bucky before I...’ he reached his room and threw you down on his bed, shutting the door behind him. ‘Before you what, hm? Because let me tell you something, darling. I think you don’t hate me. No, you just know I don’t want to sleep with you unlike Steve, Sam and Tony and it hurts. It hurts your precious little ego. But if it stops you from acting like a little bitch all the damn time, I guess I can fuck the bitch out of you’ He climbed onto the bed, as you crawled back, until your back was against the headboard and you were cage in between the wall and the super soldier in front of you. ‘Would you like that, doll?’

You gulped nervously, averting your eyes only for Bucky to grab your chin both roughly and gently at the same time and lift your head up so you were staring him in the eyes. ‘So now you go all quiet on me’ he taunted. You could hardly breath. Your mind was telling you that you hated him with all your heart, but your heart was telling you to get this man’s dick inside of you. Before you could silence the tell - tale beat of your heart, Bucky leant in and kissed you roughly. Your body relaxed into the kiss, and your hands subconsciously flew up to tangle in his chestnut locks. He was actually a really good kisser. You pulled away. You reached a hand out to unbutton his jeans, but Bucky caught your wrist. He chuckled to himself, metal hand gently wrapping around your throat. ‘So now you want me to fuck you? Thought you said I didn’t know how?’ he asked as a small whine escaped your throat, feeling your core burn in desire. You furrowed your brows and frowned at him. He squeezed at your neck. ‘Use your words, doll, or I’ll just leave you here as the pathetic mess you are’ he threatened, eyes clouding with lust and desire.

‘Holy shit Bucky, just fuck me already or fuck off’ you cried out. He didn’t need telling twice. He released your throat, using both hands to undress you in an instant before removing his own shirt and jeans. He hooked a finger in the band of your panties and slid them down your legs, over your heels and onto the floor behind him. He took a moment to gaze longingly at your naked and vulnerable body, muttering an almost inaudible ‘beautiful’. All that was left between your pussy and his dick was the boxers he was wearing. As soon as he took them off, your eyes widened, and you felt your cheeks redden. ‘That’s not going to fit’ you said, a sort of breathless whisper.

Bucky leaned in, kissing you deeply and sliding his tongue into your mouth. You almost screamed when you felt his fingers encircle your clit, moaning into his mouth. ‘I still...fuck...hate you’ you grumbled as you felt his hard on brush against your inner thigh. He rolled his eyes as you did earlier, dipping his head slightly to kiss your neck, expertly sucking on your sweet spot, marking you up with hickies. He slowly inserted a finger, followed shortly by two. They only slightly stretched you out, and you clawed at his back as he moved them faster and faster, curling them slightly to hit your g - spot. ‘B...Bucky, I’m gonn... gonna cum’ you moaned, pulling his head eagerly as you kissed him desperately. Bucky kept up with his rapid pace, bringing you right to the edge. You felt the pleasure build up and up until you were ready to cum, and that is obviously when Bucky decided to pull his fingers away completely. ‘What the FUCK’ you screamed, sitting up in surprise, legs squeezing together from the sudden lack of friction. He covered your mouth to silence your cries, and leaned in real close. ‘If I give you the most mind blowing sex of your life, and I stop treating you like a piece of shit, will you stop acting like a bitch?’ he asked, pushing you back down onto the bed, removing his hand when he was done talking. ‘For fucks sake Barnes, yes. Fucking yes. Now please fuck me’. you whined.

‘It would be my pleasure’. He slammed into your now lubricated pussy, stretching you all the way out. It burned, but at the same time it felt like nothing you had ever felt before. Not a single man you had ever been with had been this big, but you wouldn’t want Bucky to know that.

He moaned in your ear, causing you to clench down hard, and Bucky started to thrust quickly chasing his own orgasm. He continued to circle your clit with his thumb as he slammed into you over and over and over again until he had you chanting his name like a prayer along with a generous string of obscene curses. He lifted your legs onto his shoulders to angle himself so that he was repeatedly hitting your g spot and your orgasm finally hit you like a truck. ‘oh SHit Bucky fucking christ holy fucking shit’ you gasped out as Bucky thrusted deeply into you, cumming deep inside. You felt your legs shake as your eyes rolled into the back of your head in ecstacy, Bucky’s hand finding your mouth to at least try to quiten some of your moans. Although he had stilled inside of you, filling you to the brim, he continued to rub at your clit as he worked you though your orgasm. Your mind was filled with ecstasy and you could see stars. You both came down from your high eventually, Bucky collapsing in a sweaty heap beside you.

He pulled you into his body protectively, feeling his softening dick rest against your back. His arm was secured tightly around your waist, and you felt your heavy eyes shut as his warm breath on your neck comforted you. ‘Still hate me now?’ he asked, kissing the top of your head gently. ‘I’ll consider tolerating you for now. Ask me again tomorrow night’ you giggled sleepily in response. ‘Why tomorrow night?’ Bucky whispered as he also felt his own eyes close, a wave of exaughstion sweeping over his muscular body. ‘After we fuck again, of course, and again the night after that, and the night after that, and every night after that.’

[oomisgerm]

Suna being mistaken to be an Uber driver

Genre: crack!

Summary: You typed a wrong number (which is Suna’s) begging him to pick you up. He was annoyed thinking it was Atsumu pranking him at first. He decided to be your ‘uber driver’ because of your desperation. He enjoyed riling you up so he take advantage of you saying that you’ll pay him and his lunch not sexually 😳 but he kinda teased y/n and he insisted that it is a date then.

A/n: So this is my first time writing a fic so bear with me 🤧

You feel the blood in your body drained that your phone only have 4% left, forgetting to plug it in before you sleep last night.

You just ate lunch but due to the stress and excitement to an opportunity for a big shot job interview that you were waiting for in years you momentarily forgot about it while stress eating

now that you finally got the chance you don’t know if you’re going to make it there. You feel like you’re going to throw up with the anxiety you’re feeling now since you know you can’t have a second chance there.

You were already talking to an uber driver and you weren’t sure if they accepted

Panicking, you thought that you need to forget about your shyness and ask the person beside you to borrow their phone for a moment to talk to your driver.

But you typed the wrong digit at the last part as your phone automatically turned off and send a message begging to the person that you mistook to be your driver.

Suna was watching something on his TV finally having some rest from the exessive training the past few weeks. On these rare occasions he avoid getting drag by Atsumu to go to his brother’s resto.

But multiple notifications from an unknown number pops off spamming him. He checked just in case there’s an emergency only to be confused.

“Halo hehe I know it’s lunch time but please, my life depends on u, Please don’t cancel on me! I’ll pay extra!! And for ur lunch!”

“My phone died so I borrowed a phone from a stranger so please 🥺 don’t leave me hanging!”

“Where are you?😖😭”

I only have one chance for this interview and Im broke but I will LITERALLY GIVE ALL THE MONEY I HAVE LEFT IF U PICK ME UP 🤧”

He sighed having enough of Atsumu’s pranks so he ignored it. The messages stop for a moment

“Helo? :D”

“I’m sorry for bothering but you’re my only chance on this :(”

You waited for a reply but still none came. You teared up looking to the person you borrowed the phone from, but they just smiled and said that they are not in a rush, but still you see them looking on their wristwatch.

Suna being done messaged Atsumu to stop messing with him when he’s trying to take a break from hell

And Atsumu replied with “tf u talking about bro?”

“Stop spamming me with this Uber shit, I’m not gonna pick you up”

“The hell? I’m literally driving” and he send a video of him driving with Sakusa in the front sit with Bokuto and Hinata being chaotic at the back.

Suna did not replied and read the messages from the number

The owner of the phone politely asked for their phone back because they were about to leave. You asked for a moment tearing up so they let you be.

“Theyre rlly about to leave please reply if youre gonna cancel on me just so I could know if I’m just going to walk back home :’(”

“Sorry for spamming but I’m panicking right now, it’s wrong to just leave people hanging u know?😞”

Suna sighed not believing what he about to do picking up his car keys and heading out. he’s pissed but not heartless for seeing the desperation on your messages.

“Where are you?” Suna replied

You feel a sudden relief but still you heart is racing

“THANK GOD YOU REPLIED!!😭🤧”

“I’m here in (Address) :< ”

“Ok” Suna replied

“OK THANK YOU!🥺😩, Im gonna return the phone back so don’t reply”

“Btw I’m wearing a suit! And my name is y/n”

You returned the phone to the person saying thank you and sorry, you feel so lucky that this person beared with you. If they did not you’re probably going to spend a few months or so unemployed.

You’re lucky that Suna is near the place where you are but as for him? Not so lucky. He was contemplating on his way about why do he have to do this, regretting every second that he took pity. He could have been resting now.

You have no choice just to wait since your phone is dead, and only a few minutes of waiting an expensive looking car stops infront of you. You step back knowing that you’re blocking someones way in.

The window opened and the person inside called for your name, you were confused and you look around if someone heard, that maybe you only have the same name.

But he called again so you looked to see the person looking at you with an annoyed expression, so you pointed to yourself

Damn why do you have to look aggressive sir? You thought to yourself

“You’re y/n right?” You nodded then he said “get in”

You were shocked like who the hell is this man, are you getting kidnapped? And for many chances that this can happen, it needs to be this day? THE DAY OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT JOB INTERVIEW

You were about to run before anything happens but he added “I’m the...uber driver” as he sighed looking more irritated, hand over at the back of his neck

You want to keep you mouth shut on the ride but it was your first time riding a car this expensive you can’t help to ask the attractive looking driver

He looks so big compared to your figure and he looks intimidating but you didn’t even hesitate to asked “Am I in a sort of kind of prank?” You were looking for cameras

Suna was dumbfounded with your question.

“You’re an uber driver driving around with this car?” Suna just looked at you but you weren’t looking astonised to the interior of the car

He shook his head. Then you speak again “oh wait...Am I gonna be charged more? Is this like a special service or something?!” You were saving up because you’re unemployed so you really need to be careful with your expenses so you panicked.

Suna looked at you then back to the road amused with your reaction “but then you said that you will literally give all your money if I pick you up”

You gulped “I did? I just said that I’ll pay extra and pay for your lunch” Suna looked at you raising an eyebrow

“Are you asking me out?”

You feel a heat creeping on your face. “No I am not. I just want to make up for my disturbance during your break”

“It’s ok, It’s a yes for me” he saw that you didn’t get what he mean so he cleared “I’ll go out with you”

Suna shamelessly look at you up and down you were shocked and immediately covered you body with your bag

Suna smirked feeling the urge to rile you up since you’re the one who put him into this situation

You were astounded that the driver really manage to say that to a passenger like is he not scared having a bad review for hitting on them? But you thought that maybe he really don’t mind. tots won’t decline a moment like this from this guy 👀

“Aren’t you gonna get fired for hitting on you passengers?”

“Why would I?”

“Uhm because it’s like inappropriate?” You said looking at him all scared you wanted to look normal but you can’t help it.

You beg yourself to look normal so you won’t provoke him becuase you are in a dangerous line here

you don’t even know if this person is really going to drop you off your destination.

Suna chuckled, not expecting how this day’s events will turn out like this, talking to this crazy passenger when he’s not even an Uber driver

After a moment, of you being a dumb bitch again, you asked “Is this like your side job? You know for extra income? Like what the hell do you need the extra income for? having this car and an iphone? And sure yeah you’re also wearing an apple watch” as you glanced to his wrist

“This is not a side job” Suna replied looking at the road with his elbow resting agaisnt the window with his head leaning on his knuckle while his other hand grips on the stirring wheel.

Suna was thinking about many ways to tease you without really crossing the line because he’s basically a stranger.

You saw him smirk which brings a flush in your cheeks affecting you in a way that you don’t want to feel

Remembering asking if this is a special service and he did not answer that. Having this expensive car for a pick up? A driver too hot that he can be a model if he chose to? Is this a new deal in uber? What the hell? You thought to yourself

adding things up your cheeks flushed red when Suna look at your side looking at you darkly with a serious smirk on his face

“So what special service do you want to try?”

“W-w..What?” Your face too red and your heart beating so fast feeling that you’re about to have a heart attack

“We’re still nowhere near you need to be, so decide now if you want to use the time you still have because this is a special offer you see”

You were confused stopping yourself to think about dirty thoughts but the red flush in your face won’t go away boosting Suna’s ego.

“Uhh.. no I’m fine thank you”

“You sure? That’s unfortunate because this might be your only chance”. You hear the playfull sound in his voice knowing that he is smirking you blushed once more but you have high spirits to defend yourself.

You need to clear your name. Embarrassed with the strange situation you thought you’re in to. So you muster all the courage you have left.

“I don’t go out paying guys, I can get a guy I want without bribe or something you know!”

“If that’s the case then why are you paying me?” He tried to stopped laughing just so he could look like he’s genuinely confused leaving a smirk in his face.

Now you think you’re right with your assumption 💀

“WOW! Excuse me sir! I will pay you because you’re my uber driver not because you’re some-“ you stopped not knowing what to say

“some?” Suna is waiting for you to continue raising you an eyebrow looking at you then back at the road

“some...” you shutdown.

“Some?”

“Stop asking me”

“I’m genuinely confused right now y/n” Suna said as you glared at him, thinking how smoothly he can say your name, when you’re here referring to him as ‘hot uber driver’

You decided to say it because you’re feeling that he will continue to bug you “somee...callboy”

Suna could not hold his laughter, so you freaked out not accepting that it might be your last word if you both died in an accident.

Caused of death? The driver laughed too hard when a passenger assumed he’s a callboy.

“Hey focus on the road!” You said hiding your face embarassed.

Suna is taking back his words a while ago that he regrets doing this, since he’s laughing his ass off at the moment.

“A callboy huh?” He smirked and laughed again

There’s something with his laughter that annoys you, but in a good way... but STILL it’s annoying because you know that this man is intentionally making fun of you 😡

“Stop!” Avoiding his gaze wanting to cry because of the embarrassment

“First you thought of me as your uber? And now I’m a callboy?” He is still laughing which annoys you more.

“What??...” You stared at him blankly and he stared back when he stopped over a stop light.

smirking at you while he slowly close the gap between you, a panic spreading all over you face.

“a-are-...you not my uber?” You asked, sweating profusely.

“I’m not”.

You started screaming wanting to go out of the car, you already open the door but the seatbelt stops you in your track

You did not pay for this! Sure he’s hot but what’s happening right now is not justifiable you’re too scared to be turned on with the events unravelling between you and this kidnapper

Suna laughed even more feeling little cramps in his stomach, he is definitely not a person who typically laughs like this but somehow you made him to be like this

“Hey! Hey! Wait! I’m just messing with you!” As he reach out to your elbows pulling you and asking you to close the door because the car behind you is getting restless.

“Dude wtf, I’ll make sure that you’ll get fired after this I swear to god!” You stated with an exasperated expression at him.

You were so scared and paranoid so you watch out where he’s bringing you.

“Ok so I’m really not your uber driver...” he watched you carefully and before you react he speaked “but you spammed a wrong number and begged me y/n so I took pity on you and decided to give you a good service” for a moment he looked genuine but his cocky smirk returned

“WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME AT THE FIRST PLACE?!” you look at him with disbelief

“Because I just want this to be over plus...you’re hopeless.” He looked at you but you glared which only satisfied him

“I’m supposed to be resting today but someone decided for me to be their uber driver” he scoff

You’re pissed off at him for riling you up but there’s no denying that you’re in his debt so you avoid his gaze glaring at the sight outside

You notice that you’re already near. You’re annoyed but still thankfull to him

“I’ll pay you...” as you look at him still glaring but you did not want to meet his eyes “and your lunch” you finally said.

You see him wearing that annoying smirk but it makes your heart falter that annoys you more.

“Asking me out again huh?”

“I’m not”

“Uhm..ok? Whatever makes you sleep at night kitten” he chuckled

You blushed to the nickname “KITTEN? AND WHERE THE HELL DID THAT CAME FROM?”

“We’re practically dating now right? That’s called endearment kitten”

“You’re mad! I don’t even know your name!”

“Suna Rintarō but you can also call me daddy” he smirk and bit his lower lip which made you fluster but he only did it to stop himself for laughing at your reaction.

You didn’t even realized that you were already infront of you dream company.

“Ok I’ll wait for you down here, and I’ll decide where to eat since you’re begging to go out with me” he said seriously

This guy is really getting into my nerves you thought as you try to massage your temples

“You’re gonna have to wait for a while I think” you manage to say because you’re really thankfull for this man’s help. If it wasn’t for him you couldn’t have made it here.

“I’ll wait for you kitten, goodluck on your interview”

Your heart skipped and there’s no denying that your face looks like a tomato

“Kiss you goodluck?” Suna asked teasing you

“No, Suna” you glared at him as you walk out the door and as soon as you turn you back at him you can’t help to smile. You feel mad and flustered at the same time.

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: A King’s Wrath.

Word Count: 1.8k 

Pairing: Yandere!Overblot!Leona/Reader

Synopsis: Last time Leona lost control, you had help. Back-up isn’t a privilege he seemed intent to give you, this time around.

TW: Graphic Violence, Blood and Delusional Mindsets.

Overblot was a terrible thing.

You should know, you’d been around it enough to see the signs, to recognize just how depraved it could make the people you thought you knew. It was messy, it was desperate, it was an affliction you couldn’t fight off until it’d already ravaged your peers and hurt your friends. It was a curse, in every sense of the word. You were almost glad you hadn’t been born with magic, somedays, when you got a chance to see what it could do if it got out of hand.

Leona, in particular, was not a man to be underestimated. Even before you really knew him, when you were still confused and lost in a world you barely understood, you hadn’t been able to recognize the monster he turned into at the slightest hints of imbalance. You could barely stand to watch, the sight bringing tears to your eyes as surely as the sandstorm he’d summoned, but you’d figured that would be a one-time offense. It was over, and his childhood strife was behind him. He’d grown from it, and you’d helped him. You were proud of him, even if you’d never dare to say that outloud. He didn’t need the ego boost, and you didn’t need to deal with another cocky, self-satisfied lecture on the vastness of his superiority. 

Well... you thought he’d gotten better, at least.

You were starting to think you’d gotten your hopes up too soon.

You could feel it. The electricity in the air, the searing warmth mingling with a distinct, sudden chill, neither feeling managing to completely block out the other. You were sweating, but you were shivering. You were scrambling backward, searching for ground that wouldn’t fall out from under your feet, but you were frozen in place, rooted to the soil that wanted so badly to push you away. It’d been instantaneous. One moment, he was guiding you into the forest surrounding the academy, your hand in his and a whine playing on your tongue about his bone-crushing grip or his unmatchable pace, and the next, you were like this, his expression fallen and his confident confession crushed and discarded by your awkward, rushed rejection. It’d been too blunt. It’d been too harsh.

It’d been honest, and you could never be honest with Leona.

You weren’t dumb enough to try to talk him down or take him on. You were alone, painfully, stupidly alone, out of the reach of the Headmaster or Malleus or someone who could help you, not that you had the right to be picky, at the moment. You wished you’d insisted on taking Grimm with you, or Ace or Deuce or anyone you could’ve convinced Leona to bring along, but you didn’t. Your only chance was to flee, to push yourself to your feet and run for it, even if you doubted you’d be able to make it. Still, it wasn’t much of a choice. Cramping lungs and sore legs were far preferable to the creature you’d left behind you.

Leona wasn’t one to be neglected, though. Already, you could hear him catching up to you, recovering from his blind rage and falling into a targetted, pointed wrath, putting your suffering above the destruction of trees and flowers that’d only witnessed his humiliation. Dust hung in the open air, fragrant and overwhelming, your eyes stinging and your throat going dry, although you couldn’t be sure whether that was Leona’s magic or your own suffocating fear. Each crushed leaf made it worse, every noise sending a jolt through your chest, giving you a new reason to run faster, to scream louder. Somewhere in the distance, Leona laughed, the noise throaty, threatening. Easily drowning out your voice.

But, he could laugh all he wanted. You could see a soft glow, the lights of a dormitory, although you couldn’t guess which it was. It didn’t matter, though. Soon, you’d have help. You’d be safe--

Without warning, the ground underneath you fell away, turning to something malleable and pliant. You slipped before you put a name to it, falling into the shallow pit of sand that’d formed between you and a kneeling Leona, a single palm carelessly pressed to the ground. You tried to get up, but even like this, Leona was faster than you, moving like a predator seeking out its prey, his fist closing around your wrist and wrenching you to your feet before you could stand on your own. The pain was immediate, burning. As if your body was trying to tear itself apart, and you just had to stand back, watching as defined trails carved themselves into your skin. There was blood, but it disappeared as it washed over his hand, mixing with the blank ink that already stained his fingertips. You wondered if it would leave a mark, when he turned back.

If he turned back.

A low, wordless groan forced its way from your grit teeth, and Leona pushed his shoulders back, taking on the air of a victorious warlord as if you’d already admitted defeat. You supposed you had. “Does it hurt?” He asked, a cruel lilt heavy in his voice. You didn’t think before nodding, hoping for the smallest hint of mercy, but Leona only cocked his head to the side, the gesture unnaturally angular, drawing attention to the lopsided smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth. Rigid and symbolic, not unlike his touch. “Good. I’m not wasting my time, then.”

Claws found their way into your skin, and it dawned on you that he might want a response. You didn’t have much of a choice than to give one to him. “Leona,” You forced out, his name half a gasp and half a mumble. “This isn’t who you are, you’re… You’re in danger. If you don’t snap yourself out of this, your body’s not going to be able to--”

“I think this is exactly who I am,” He growled, cutting you off with little more than a snarl and a narrow-eyed glance. “I tried to be nice. I tried to be your friend and play your little, oblivious game and be patient. Do you know how long I spent sitting back and waiting for you to come around?” It was a question that didn’t warrant an answer, a single talon driving itself into your flesh, nearly cutting to the bone. You screamed, and he rose his voice to speak over you. “I spent so long acting like your friend, you don’t have the right to--” He interrupted himself with a hitched breath, his mouth closing and his jaw locking into place. And yet, he wasn't any more rational when he decided to continue. “It was pointless. You denied me, and you made it pointless.”

“I-I’m sorry.” An apology felt right, albeit manufactured. He’d told how he felt, and you hadn’t shared his sentiment. He’d said he loved you in that lackadaisical, noncommittal way of his, and you hadn’t known to take him seriously. There was nothing to be sorry for, not from your perspective. Leona was just a brat who’d never been turned down, not by someone he considered so far below himself. Still, you were the one who needed a reason, an excuse that would calm him. A selection blended together on your lips, forming something more incoherent than soothing. “I didn’t know you were… I don’t know what I was saying, I want to be with you. We can be together, but first, you have to stop, alright?” You did your best to sound sympathetic, letting your words draw out into something tender. Something compassionate, despite the pain slowly spreading to your shoulder. “You have to let me help you.”

“You’re the only one that needs help, herbivore.” You were used to the pet name, the playful jab at his place on the food chain, but it didn’t sound like a buy for your annoyance, not when he was standing behind you, his brute force only outmatched by the sweltering heat that surrounded him like an aura. It was a warning, now, a reminder that he had fangs and strength and magic and you didn’t. “If anything, I should’ve done this months ago. It’s so fucking easy.” You can practically hear his sneer. It wasn’t like he made an effort to hide it. “It’s not like you would’ve been much of a challenge, even without the extra blot.”

At that, Leona let you go, more out of disgust than concern. Automatically, you reeled back, bringing your injured arm to your chest as you moved to run, but your freedom was short-lived. As soon as you managed to turn around, his heel made contact with the back of your knee, sending you crashing to the ground with a new ache forming in your calf. In the blink of an eye, his fingers were entangled in your hair, his magic thankfully, thankfully neutralized but his grip so tight, you almost wished he’d just put you out of your misery.

Unfortunately, Leona had never been kind.

You couldn't speak, but he didn’t seem to mind. Rather, he was content to jeer and grin and laugh as you writhed, your hands clamped around overgrown grass in an effort not to lash out and anger him further. But, not fighting back was a double-sided blade, one that gave Leona the authority to assume he’d won. “It’s my fault,” He admitted, abruptly, his faux-empathy layered on so thickly, you didn’t have to wonder if he was trying to be honest. “I should’ve known someone like you would be too dense to understand. You’d never give me what I want, not unless I force it out of you.”

You stiffened. You felt him pull back, letting go of you entirely, but you didn’t dare try to get away. “I don’t… What do you want?”

“I can’t have a throne, can I? I can’t have your heart, and I doubt you’re going to hand it over now.” He sighed, the sound a wistful thing. One that left you more unnerved than his threats ever could. His hand came down again, petting over your hair so gently, you were tempted to melt into it for a brief, fleeting second. “But…”

He was gentle, then he wasn’t, his foot pressing into the small of your back, shoving you to forward without a chance to prepare yourself. Involuntarily, you glanced over your shoulder before yiu could hit the ground , taking in the shadows that danced around him for the first time. The brightness in his eyes, golden and unfamiliar, the shape of something primal and animalistic looming behind him. The cruel, possessive smile on his lips, a smile that only broadened when you failed to look away.

“You can still bow.”

[starbabyyyy]

Unpredictable

A/N: First off, I would like to thank everyone for the love on my last story, Distraction! I’m so glad people liked it. I really like the idea of JJ having a kook for a love interest, and want to explore more of that in future stories. Here’s a one-shot testing the waters with my idea. I like the idea of the reader not being a pogue and an add-on to the og group, but rather someone entirely new. For some reason, having the reader be a pogue is just cringey to me, lol. Hope you enjoy!

“JJ, if I wanted to go to a rave, I would’ve hopped in a time machine and gone back to the nineties.”

It had been a long day. You had woken up in a great mood, having gone to bed a little earlier than usual. Walking down to the kitchen and seeing your packages you had ordered put you in an even better mood. Your mother announcing that you would be getting lunch together for the first time in what seemed forever due to her busy work schedule had really just been the cherry on top. Things were looking promising.

Arriving at the country club and seeing Rafe Cameron put a damper in your mood. You didn’t spare him a glance as you tried to walk by until your mother stopped and made small talk with him. You crossed your arms and focused your attention on the entrance of the dining area. Thank god you wore your sunglasses today, it saved you from having to make eye contact. You smelled the specialty drinks and appetizers that were saved only for the summer and wanted nothing more than to go in and have a nice lunch with your mom. Linking your arm through hers, you spoke for the first time.

“Good seeing you, we have to go eat now though. Our reservation is waiting,” you gave a tight lipped smile.

“Good seeing you guys too, hope we run into each other more often,” he gave you a wink.

“Do you have something in your eye?” You asked in an innocent tone.

“What? No-”

“You should get that checked out, Rafe. It looked like the whole right side of your face just twitched,” you mocked, annoyed that you couldn’t just sit down and have a nice meal.

“My face is fine, appreciate the concern though. How’s your pogue holding up? Looked like he got into it with-” Rafe started with a smirk.

Stepping closer, you raised your sunglasses and leaned into his face.

“Hey, do you need a tissue or something? Looks like you got something right here,” you tapped underneath your nostril.

Rafe’s face burned bright red.

“Hm, looks white to me. Oh gosh! Mom, do you have a tissue or something?”

“Ah, let me check,” your mom scrambled in her purse looking.

“I’m really fine, Miss-”

“Ah look mom, we embarrassed him. Geez we should really get going now to let him save some face,” you brought up a hand to cover your mouth and whispered loudly to your mom.

“Ah, okay. Tell your parents we said hello, Rafe,” your mom gave a small smile.

“Lay off the powdered donuts, Rafe. Or at least start carrying tissues around,” you gave a wink and led your mom to your long awaited lunch.

After getting scolded a little from your mother, you had a nice lunch. You talked about her schedule, what she had missed on her work trip, more about her business (which, fingers crossed you would inherit eventually), and JJ.

“How is JJ, by the way?”

“He’s good. Annoying and idiotic, but good,” you gave a warm smile at the mention of your favorite blonde.

“Are you going to do something special for your anniversary?”

“Ah geez mom, we’ve only been dating for two months. No need for anything super special just yet,” You took a sip of your drink.

“Y/N darling, you’ve been friends for years.”

“I know, I know, but two months really isn’t that long. What if I plan something and it scares him off? What if he thinks I’m being too serious and fast?”

“I don’t think much scares that boy,” your mom shook her head in amusement.

“You’re right,” you laughed lightly.

“I’m not saying throw a ball, just maybe something nice for the two of you to celebrate together?”

“I’ll think about it,” you stirred the ice around in your drink.

After a nice lunch with your mom, you arrived back home and went into planning mode. Her words had really resonated with you. While it really had only been two months of dating, you and JJ had been friends for a long time. Not best friends or anything, but always friends. Meeting up at parties and walking in the hallways at school together on occasion was really the extent. You had always talked about him to your parents and younger sister with a smile on your face. Your sister was the first one to pick up on the fact that you had a tiny crush, and was there to cheer you on when you texted him one night and asked if he wanted to go out sometime.

That was three months ago, and two months ago he asked you to be his girlfriend. Things couldn’t have gone any better. Did you have almost 6 heart attacks a week from the dumb shit your boyfriend did? Absolutely. But JJ was nothing if not adventurous. That was one of the things you loved about him. 

However, adventurous and unpredictable were two different things.

“Baby, come on! It’ll be fun!” The blonde said, wrapping an arm around you.

You frowned as the two of you stood outside at the entrance to an abandoned warehouse turned rave party. Neon colors filled the scene as you peered inside. It was a blacklight party which made every color stand out that much more. Loud music blared through the speakers and you felt the beat through your body, like when a car has a really loud and obnoxious base. You crinkled your nose in distaste as you turn your attention to the blonde.

“How did you even find out about this?” You crossed your arms.

“I’ve got connections,” he wiggled his eyebrows at you.

“I’ve got more. Now spill,” your eyes narrowed.

“Y/N, come on. Does it really matter?” He removed his arm from around you.

You supposed that, no, it really didn’t matter. But you were irritated. After you had arrived home from lunch with your mom, you had gone into full plan mode for your two month anniversary. It was in three days, which left you in a time crunch. You knew JJ didn’t feel comfortable around super fancy things, so you decided no to going out to eat at any of your family’s usual spots. 

Would catering be too much? Probably, after all, it wasn’t like you were feeding a crowd. Would he like a picnic? Maybe you could take your mom’s boat, it ran a lot smoother than your dad’s work one-

“Hey, is everything alright?” JJ stood in front of you now.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” you snapped out of your thoughts.

“Whatcha thinking about, beautiful?”

Your face flushed. Whenever JJ pulled out the ‘beautiful’ card, you had to use all of your willpower to keep your knees from buckling on you. If someone as beautiful as him thought you were attractive, there had to be some truth to it, right? JJ could say one thing and you’d feel as if you were the most beautiful girl on earth. You already knew you dressed better than ninety percent of them, so his affirmations did nothing short of boosting your ego.

“You,” you answered honestly.

“Good things, I hope?” He gave you a cheeky smile.

“Always good things,” you pushed his shoulder and smiled.

“We don’t have to go in there if you really don’t want to. I just thought it’d be something fun, since you’ve seemed stressed with your mom being gone a lot lately,” he put his hands in his pockets.

You loved him.

“Sorry for being bitchy-” you wrapped your hands around his wrists sticking out of his pockets.

“Don’t be, it’s one of my favorite things about you,” he cut you off.

“This is the part where you say that I’m not bitchy and actually quite nice,” you pouted.

He brought his hand out of his pockets and grabbed your cheeks, pinching them lightly.

“Aw, baby, you are nice. Only to me, but that’s the way I like it,” he grinned down at you.

You laughed and removed his hands from your face, bringing them down to intertwine your fingers with his. 

“I was thinking today-”

“That’s a dangerous thing, baby.”

“I’m serious J,” you looked up at him.

Taking a breath through your nose, you felt your cheeks heat up again and looked to the side.

“I want to do something for our anniversary. I know it’s only been two months, but you really mean a lot to me and so does our relationship and I want to celebrate us. Even if it’s something as small as sharing a piece of cake over at the Cheesecake Factory or buying one from the store or-”

“Y/N,” JJ beamed down at you.

You had never seen him smile so widely.

“What? Is there something else you want to do?” You blinked up at him.

“Baby, all I want is to spend time with you. All the time. Of course I want to do something for our anniversary. I mean, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to celebrate us?” His smile seemed to get brighter by the second.

“Idiots. I mean, we’re pretty awesome,” you joked back.

“Damn right!” He exclaimed.

Wrapping your arms around his torso, you smiled into his chest. What did you do in your past life to deserve your own personal ray of sunshine? You didn’t know, but you did know that you would be eternally grateful. He wrapped his arms back around you and gave a tight squeeze. You both stood there for a couple of moments before you heard a voice.

“Hey, can you, like, move? We’d like to go in,” a group of girls stood behind you.

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” you said, caught off guard.

“Ladies,” JJ stepped with you to the side and swung his arm out towards the entrance.

A few of them blushed and giggled, while the others mumbled to each other. JJ took you to the side out of the way.

“So, what do you wanna do?” He asked.

Looking down at his hand still wrapped around yours, you gave it a gentle squeeze.

“If you really want to go in there…” you started.

Without another word, JJ let out a whoop and proceeded to drag you into the party. With a defeated sigh and a smile, you let him. You had a feeling you might end up regretting this, but as long as you had your sunshine with you, all the dark clouds would go away. When he turned back and gave you that heart stopping smile, you were convinced that you would do whatever he asked you to do. You’d leave your planning for later you decided. Right now, you just wanted to have fun with your man.

Two hours later, you were seated in the emergency room with JJ.

“How many stitches?! Six?!” Your boyfriend exclaimed.

Sighing, you closed your eyes and dropped your head into your hand.

“Listen, Doc, I know I’m no expert or anything, but six sounds like an overreaction,” JJ put his hands up.

How JJ was going to explain what happened was beyond you. After all, how do you explain that you were at a black light party, when you slipped after hearing a dog bark in the woods, and proceeding to claim it was a werewolf? And then slipping once again and hitting your head when it barked again? You shook your head just thinking about it. The craziest part about all of this however, was the fact that JJ was one hundred percent sober.

“Y/N, I swear to god it was a were-”

“Don’t even try it,” you hissed out, looking at him.

“Baby it’s the tru-”

The doctor came back after washing his hands and informed JJ that he had made a mistake.

“10 stitches?! Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!”

Well, there goes your cute anniversary pictures. Shaking your head again, you had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales Reboot Reviews: The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!

Fenton faces some of his greatest challenges yet: Gizmoduck’s soaring popularity and the possiblity of amour...  oh and the return of his arch enemy but that’s a standard tuesday for a superhero. It’s a Date, don’t let him trick you noooo, under the cut. 

I have to admit something first: I WAS going to cover the other two fentoncentric episodes before I got to this one, as a build up to this weekends episode. The problem though was I realized that this week’s episode is, via word of god, going to cover WHY Gyro hates Fenton , and thus I really can’t dig into Gyro’s behavior in both eps, especially Who Is Gizmoduck? where despite his rational fears of having funding cut, he’s still an uttershithead to fenton and I feel it’d be better served if I waited a little and did the ep sometime after saturday.  So with that bit of expostion you probably didn’t need out of the way: Dangerous Chemistry! This one is a personal faviorite of mine, to the point that when I was bored a week or two ago I watched this one just for fun, and probably will again. That’s not why i’m reviewing it: even if I hadn’t I would rewatch it and planned to for the ones I was going to review, it’s just dumb luck. And part of that is Fenton is one of my faviortes: Lin Manuel Miranda really brings his a game to the character, and the crew really fleshed him out, making him a really likeable, fun, and relatable awkward dork. Another reason is one that should be obvious if you saw my comics reviews when I in vain tried to review each dawn of x comic on a weekly basis before throwing up my hands at the sheer volume: I fucking love super heroes, and Who is Gizmoduck and this very episode are very good superhero stories that still fit well into the ducktales universe, as is the darkwing debut “The Duck Knight Returns!”. And finally the episode also has Huey in a major role and I love my red boy. So with all that stuff out of the way I can dive into the ep itself.  This one, as you probably know but I do like me my context, takes place in the second half of season. While Fenton did show up earlier for fellow instant classic “The 87 Cent Solution!”, he’s otherwise been absent this season. My honest theroy is, rather than Lin being busy, which while he sure as hell is he still squeezes the show in, it’s more a simple fact that season 2 is pretty damn stuffed: looking back at the episode count almost EVERY ONE ties into one of the major arcs of the season (Della’s journey home/struggle to fit into her kids life/ the moonvasion, glomgold’s bet with scrooge and louie inc), and those that don’t either bring in major new characters like the Cablleros or Drake, or touch on previous arcs: Last Christmas! touching on Dewey missing his mom while she’s still missing. Lena’s episodes bringing her back to the world of the living/introducing her sister, and then resolving her fear of magica for now and revealing where Magica’s been, and this ep checking in on fenton. There was just a LOT to do and get through, and Gandra was really the only time sesntive thing Fenton wise they had to absolutley do this season. So while it sucks, I do understand why they did it this way,  I do see why and hold no ill will over it.  And to the crew’s credit they used the fact Fenton had been absent cleverly and had a valid reason why we hadn’t seen him outside of one breif apperance: he’s busy. Simple as that. He’s been superheroing all this time: when we catch up with him he’s outright called burnt out by a c-list weather villian who looks like dr.doofnschmritz but lacks his awkward charm. He even uses the same pun twice. It’s also logical: his literal JOB is to be a superhero, it’s what he’s paid for, and given Duckberg seems ground zero for lunatics, it’s only natural ther’es a bakers dozens with techno gimmicks and costumes floating around trying to beat him up. He’s naturally exausted and i’ts made worse by two factors: His alter ego being all over the news, so even when h’es off work he can’t escape work, and being unable to do science.  And both are clever delimas: a lot of the usual superhero issues are non existant for fenton: while he’s bad at hiding his identity, the only person he really has to hide from is his mom, who we later learn at the end of the season already knows and has come around to it. His job isn’t in remote jeapordy because Gizmoduck IS the job, while he still has full acess to a lab to do the science work he’s always wanted. But he’s starting to see the price for doing the right thing: He’s spent so much time as Gizmoduck.. Fenton has nothing of his own. No time to do science, only two friends, and as a result is exausted and burnt out and yearning for a break.  So thankfully he’s taking one, and in another use of “time has moved on a bit because we didn’t have time for Fenton this season” he and Huey have gone from superhero and biggest fan to best friends. But I let it slide, partly because again the season is overstuffed dand i’ll likelky delve into that more when I get to this seasons arcs at some point, and mainly beause the two have a great dynamic: Huey is supportive, just wants his friend to be okay, and meshes with fenton perfectly: Their both big nerds who people tend ot ignore who get overly excited about science. But Hueys more openly confident while Fenton clearly lacks it at times. It’s a nice eb and flow I hope to see more of. 

HE and Huey are hanging out to do science and stuff, with webby tagging along because why not, and I absolutly love the gag of gizmoduck passing by, Webby not noticing at all and only finding out Fenton and Gizmoduck are the same person because Huey makes a rather big deal abotu the fact Gizmoduck just passed by and Webby is really smart and likes solving shit.  So we quickly get the rest of our setup: At the elctronics store, Fenton has a meet cute (which the juinor woodchuck guidebook of course has an entry on. ) with Gandra Dee, played by guest acress Jameela Jamil, better known from the good place and being the only one to point out “hey emil hirsch beat the shit out of the woman what the fuck” when quinten Tarantino cast him in the otherwise amazing film “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”, who does a great job here. The two have some romantic tension as she calls fenton a suit and what not, he fires back he is good at sceincing and they schedule what may or may not be a date... with Fenton unaware that Gandra is a spy hired by mark beaks to get the gizmoduck passowrd and use her nanites merged with gizmotech to boost his strength. As you do.  The resulting episode is really damn good: Starting in the obvious place, Fenton and Gandra have a reall good dynamic: besides the obvious oppsoites attract thing: the modernized nerutoic nerd and the rebllious scientest there’s the nice contrast in who they work for: Sure Fenton works for a billionare who DOES use some of his and gyro’s work for fairly self serving things (and I didn't realize the universal solvant was a rosa thing first time around, I learned it between viewings, but it’s a nice mythology gag), but it’s been shown as far back as the pilot that’s he’s more than willing ot help all of duckberg, even if it makes a profit. WHy WOULD he stop gyro or fenton’s research for any reason? He funnels a ton of money into them simply beause he knows for every dozen failures something useful will come out of it and at most simply wants more treasure hunting gear, stuff both can whip up easily and for Fenton to spend most of his time as defender of the city, something Fenton wanted anyway. He’s a good boss... while the billionares Gandra’s working with, Bradford as we learned later and beaks in this episode.. are self serving scumbags who only want innovation for world domination and personal validation. By refusing to have ties with or trust anybody or put in the legwork to find an employer who would give her mostly freedom, she wants complete freedomf or her work in exchange for taking money from truly awful people. She’s no freer than fenton is and her hypcoricy is obvious, without making the character terrible in any way. As the kingpin once said in spiderman the animated series “the best strings are invisble”. While Gandra is well aware of who she’s working for she refuses to see the irony or the possible harm in her actions , and it’ll be intresting to see where her charcter goes from ehre.  As for Beaks, he’s a FAR better threat here than in the past episodes: I didn’t MIND him being a joke villian, though I was horribly disapointed, and he will likely be super dated eventually... but here it finds a nice ballance: While he’s still a whiny manchild, the breaking into the lab sequence is utterly delightful and shows that he’s NOT harmless. He’s at his best, like glomgold, when he’s either off to the side comedic relief, or a mixture of genuinely threatining and utterly moronic. His drinking 80 pounds of senstive chemicals turns him into the hulk and the resulting fight scnees are great, as is his confusion upon taking huey and webby hostage “I have your kids.. I think.. I don’t know how this family works” and his cries of “whose the looser now coach dad” are both funny and offerd our first peak into why he’s so screwed up. And his defeat while rediculous is clever, using his love of fame and his phone against him. Overall a much better showing than the past that so far has kept up into season 3: even if his plan backfired there and was for goofy reasons, it was here too, it only fell apart because he hired someone who hated him and underestiamated how much he’d pissed off graves last time. 

As for Fenton himself, the episod eis a great showcase, besides the before issues his manuvering around both the obvious date the kids set up for him (more on that in a second), and his genuine chemsitry and contrast with gandra are a delight.. as his his dad’s lesuire suit. On top of that the scenes wher ehe chews gandra out are a great bit of acting from Lin manuel Miranda, the hurt and fury in his voice coming through great.  To finish it out Huey is a delight this episode, showing himself to be a suprisingly good romantic for his age, serously violet won the lottery with this one, and while overenthsastic, i’ts still sweet and his friendship with fenton is genuinely heartwarming, as is what has to be the best line of the episode besides the beaks one above Huey: Fenton’s going to be devistated! Webby: (Annoyed) Or kidnapped by spies! Huey: (Dead serious) TWO BAD THINGS COULD HAPPENS! It’s a sweet dyanmic overall and the cherry on top of an utterly fantastic episode. Hopefully the momentum keeps up going into saturday. Until then, later days. Speaking of which.. WHY ISN’T THE WEEKENDERS ON DISNEY PLUS. God I shouldn’t be able to keep thinking of shows that are missing. Anyways, once again later days.  P.S. I almost forgot Launchpads great bit listing off all his exes and confriming that he’s probably bi. It was great. 

[moonraccoon-exe]

The fact that Gladio's bruised ego was bigger than his sworn job to protect Noctis bothers me. Like, what if Noctis was hurt or even killed while he was hanging out with Cor by a fucking campfire? That whole, "I gotta become stronger to proctect everybody" bullshit would've been a waste of time. You know damn well Ignis was like "WTF GLADIO!? You're really gonna abandon your post as the King's Shield just coz you got your feelings hurt? Seriously!?"

Hmm….I agree and disagree at the same time, hahaha.

The part that I agree with is that Gladio chose a very inappropiate moment to do that. The guys were headed straight across Lucis all over again (literally, from the edge of south to the edge of north in the map) to go meet with some Nifs, have one of the captains as ally, go into some ancient ruins filled of daemons and monsters and a boss. It WAS super dangerous. Yet, Gladio was like “So, gotta do some stuff. Lemme go please? c:”

It WAS a bad time to do that. I remember on my first playthrough I remembered to be expecting Gladio to come back sometimes soon before heading for Steyliff, and was I was driving closer to the swamp and after the Nifs let us through some part of the road, I was like“Wait. No. Ignis, are you seriously going to continue driving? But…Gladio hasn’t returned, I can’t have a party of three? No way, is the game seriously taking Gladio from me? In THESE moments???? When I’m in a ‘treaty’ with the Nifs and about to go in an unexplored area with a surely giant boss??? No way no way no way no way no way no way no way  no wa-”

Hahaha. It was pretty paranoid, and I was somehow still hoping he’d come back midways through the ruins. I felt a bit vulnerable without Gladio.

But then I disagree for one little thing!

They literally have no time.

I can speak for Gladio if I see it well. 

First of all, they don’t have time. They need to make it to Altissia as soon as possible, get to all the Astrals before the Nifs do, they need to hurry in their journey (canonically, at least, as gameplay you can do whatever the heck you want across your days XD). So among all the required things, going here and there, there was no time for Gladio to be like “Also, can we stop here for a while? I want to go do this and that.” He literally can’t stop the journey just for that. So the only option he had left was to look in the less inappropiate moment to appear to go.

So it was pretty prudent, in my opinion. Noctis was not about to face an Astral, not about to face the Nifs, there was no major event but “go look for this sort of metal (?) up in a ruins north of here”. No major event planned or expected at all. And seen as the guys would spend days on the road (we spend hours, but in their universe it takes days), it’s easy to assume Gladio found that moment to be prudent; he would not be majorly required, and maybe he hopes to not take as long and be able to return almost as soon as the guys do. 

Another thing is, seen as Gladio sees this is not a major event, he trusts in Ignis and Prompto.

And in Noctis, too. Gladio’s duty is not only to protect him, it’s also to teach Noct to defend himself for moments like this, when Gladio’s not there. So Noctis has all his training and Gladio trusts in it. And even more than that, he has two other shields; maybe not as resistent and thick (metaphorically) as Gladio is, but he has two other shields. Ignis and Prompto don’t need to have the title; they wish and would protect Noctis with all that they have and even beyond death if it was needed. And Gladio knows that. And trusts in that. 

He would have never left if he had not trusted Ignis and Prompto with all his heart.And he was right, wasn’t he?

Besides, I do think it was necessary that Gladio did the Gilgamesh trials. More than to recover his ego, more than to surpass fears, more than gain power or strength….

He neededed the most important thing.

Confidence.

It’s not equal to ego. His ego would be “goddamit I’m better than this, I’m the BEST and I’m gonna prove it”. Of course he probably felt like that. It’s natural in us humans to be egocentric to certain levels, so of course that Gladio, literally raised just to be the strongest shield in existance, was easily beaten by Ravus using only one arm (Ravus

But ego’s not bad. Ego is linked (but not the same as) to confidence. 

Imagine if Gladio had gone the journey without beating Gilgamesh. Constantly thinking on Ravus and how Ravus is stronger than he is. And starting to overthink. Subconsciouslly or consciously, it’s going to burn not only in his ego but also in his confidence.

When things are done without confidence, the risks of failing increase to astronomical levels.

It’s like singing. The more confident you are, the greater the chances are that when you open the  mouth you’ll hit the right note. It’s like dancing; the more confident you are when making your next move, the greater the chances are that you’ll nail it.And by greater I mean by a KAZILLION chances more. But so happens the other way around; do something not only not being confident, but also being doubtful, fearful on it. The greater the chances are that you will fail at striking the note or the move. And, same than above, by a KAZILLION chances more. 

Even if the trials hadn’t made him physically stronger, magically more powerful, hadn’t given him a weapon or anything, they did what Gladio needed most: to boost his confidence.

A Shield cannot hesitate. He has to stand in the way of the sword and his King without a single tremble of the knees, without a single breath of doubt, without a blink. Sadly, but true, a Shield cannot NOT be confident on throwing himself to the blade.

Ravus brushed his ego, of course, but also his confidence (which, I repeat, are linked but not the same). Imagine if Gladio had gone all the journey losing bit after bit of his confidence across the days. Not only would he have turned weaker, he would also start to become an obstacle. A thing in the way. Because not only would he lose strength and would fail at slashing monsters down, he would also become dumb when it’s about protecting Noct.

And that cannot be. 

I think ignis wouldn’t have let him go had he not trusted in himself and Prompto, too, and if he didn’t know that Gladio needs that confidence. Gladio doesn’t tell them where he’s going, but it’s Ignis; the guy’s trained to read into people. So  while he may not know WHAT, he may suspect it has something to do about his confidence. And Ignis would know more than anyone that a Shield with no confidence is no better than a fragile glass. So he just says nothing. Lets him go, because he knows that, more than power, or strength, or weapons, Gladio needs his confidence back.

So considering that it’s not like they had TIME across the journey for Gladio to stop in any moment, and considering he was aware nothing of major importance was happening, considering his trust on Ignis and Prompto, and considering the hugely great importance of confidence in his position and role…I agree with Gladio’s decision.

Still, it made me panic and fear and feel vulnerable, but hey, we survived! 

And Gladio gained confidence to be back to his usual being. And also a bit stronger. :)

Do understand him.

[aparoxysm]

3,5,7,8,9,12,15,18,19,20

✿  Does anyone in real life know about your RPing hobby and what, if anything, have they said about it?

My parents know, because for as long as I’ve been on the internet, they’ve known that I like to write and write with friends overseas. My dad still calls it fanfiction somtimes to other people, like he’s proud of me or something, and that’s enough to make me want to never talk to him again out of embarrassment, ha, but I deal with it. Because I truly do love writing more than anything. Other than that, my boyfriend knows, but he doesn’t care about it / ask questions and I don’t really like to tell him about it either. I’m not as embarrassed about RP as I used to be, but I still feel like it’s just something for me that other people wouldn’t really understand the mechanics of. The only times my boyfriend and I do acknowledge it is when I start talking about an RP friend he hasn’t heard about before like a real life friend, so he’s like who dat and im like oh, new rp friend from > insert country

That being said, he actually did surprise me the other week and I have been holding onto it for fear life. We were complaining about a friend who literally just sleeps and watches Netflix all day when she’s not working, and he’s like “I don’t get how you can do that” and im like “Well I have friends online who claim to do that a lot. Me, personally, I’d get too bored.” and hes like “I just don’t get how people can do nothing all the time? Like at least with you and your online stuff, that’s still doing something. I just feel like that’s actually a hobby.” and I kind of didn’t hear whatever else it is he said because he actually ??? referred to my RP addiction as something valid and worthy??? and all this time i’ve assumed he didn’t get it and thought it was dumb??? IDK, it made me feel good.

✿  Have you considered writing professionally or do you have plans to?

Always. But I never will, I don’t think.

✿  How do you handle the toxicity sometimes found in the roleplaying community, particularly in fandoms?How has roleplaying, specifically, impacted your life?

I use tumblr savior to blacklist a lot, because it really gets too much for me to be exposed to it a lot, and it makes me feel shitty and not want to rp with certain people because of how they behave, or makes me feel guilty for how I behave… I usually drift away from things that give me major negative vibes, otherwise I become in great, exponential danger of saying something i’ll regret. I’ve hated Tumblr RP a lot in this last year. It’s nowhere near as relaxed as it used to be, and I know there’s a lot of political debate on the topic of equality but I am not comfortable in a space where I have to edit everything I do and say or just not do or say it at all. When it gets like that level, a good dose of the unfollow button and keeping my mouth shut is what I find the most helpful.

✿  How has writing improved your life and do you see yourself sticking with it?

When I graduated high school, I went to college for art and animation, and it basically ruined my creative life. Before RP, I used to be an avid drawer, I sketched every day, I improved my skills and motivation so much, everyone knew me as the girl who drew in class instead of did her work, the girl who was going to grow up and be a famous artist, and when I went to college, it killed that for me. My ego took a big blow because the tech side of the course absolutely annihilated me, i couldn’t do it. so after that (and that was 2 years ago now) i haven’t really drawn since. but the silver lining was that I took on RP more dedicatedly after that, and found that I truly adored writing. Try as I might, I’ve never really comitted to a personal writing project, and it’s only in the recent times that I’ve taken the pressure off for me to do it, but. RP makes me happy, it makes me feel like I’m doing something good when I reply to people or make new friendships, it makes me feel like I’m wanted and needed, that my characters and plots are valid and that other people would care if I’m here or not. It was a big boost for my self confidence, and it’s also made me so much more privy to the creative world, which i needed after that. so yeah, i see myself sticking with writing.

✿  Is there a quote from a piece of literature that holds great value to you? What is it and why is it important to you?

She stood in front of her closet mirror in her T-shirt and twisted this way and that. What’s wrong with me? She wondered. There was nothing the matter that she could see. She was tall and leggy, like her mother, with full breasts, small waist, and slim hips that curved enough to show she was female. Her skin was gently golden; it was always golden, sun or not, and her tawny hair was thick and long and wild. So why was it that groups of girls stopped talking when she approached them at school and answered her openings with tense words that killed the conversations she tried to start? Was she too good-looking? Was that possible? Was that the threat they saw? 

Legitimately, this was the first and pretty much only female protagonist I had ever read about who fully and whole-heartedly loved herself where it mattered. Sure, she still had her shortcomings and moments of weakness, but god damn, Vivian was so proud of herself and what she stood for, and that was so refreshing to see during that period of young adult fiction. It’s why she became my first favourite character from a book. And has pretty much inspired me to write feirce, aggressive, self-assured female characters ever since. I was just so inspired by her way of thinking as a young girl, it appealed to me so much and so that moment in the book plus a whole lot of others, really stuck with me.

✿  What do you typically look for in a roleplay partner?

Cliche, but chemistry. And not always in the writing kind but a lot in the OOC kind. I like people who I can talk to super easily, who write in the same tumblr language I do, who reference memes and are not afraid to hit me up with IMs and head canons, etc. I just love it because it makes me feel comfortable with a person, and like I’m not being a bother. The better I get to know a player, the better I get to know their character away from IC interactions. Likewise, I adore it when players get to know me so well that they read the patterns in my characters easily, and I don’t feel like I have to explain them all the time? It’s like they just know, and they know what path I want to put them on. I also look for honesty, people who are down to tell me what they’re feeling about a situation or whether something bothers them, or is able to voice if I’m doing something wrong. Most importantly though, I look for decisive people. Not overly decisive but it’s just so important for me to have someone who is like “yes that sounds good, i can start a thing for you if you want” or “i dont think that really fits, how about this plot idea instead?” I really cannot stand sending IMs to people about plots and characters and them just agreeing off the bat the whole time, but never really deciding on anything either, and so it makes me feel like i’m just paddling in a circle until i make all the decisions for us. To me, that’s not what RP is about. It involves teamwork, and effort, and to me, that’s not putting in effort. It gets me really frustrated.

✿  What made you want to join the roleplaying community?

I kept seeing bios in celebrity tags, and so when i sussed out what group rp was on tumblr, i was like holy shit there is a name for the thing i have been doing with friends over email for so many years???? and you can use PICTURES? i gotta get on this.

so somehow, i found a group rp that allowed mythical creatures, i wanted to be a peter pan mermaid, and the rest is history~~

✿  What one piece of literature has been most inspirational/life changing for you? Why?

(( Blood & Chocolate, by Anette Curtis Klause — because of the main character, as per mentioned. She’s inspired me to write full-on, aggressive, assertive, don’t-tell-me-what-i-can-and-cant-do female characters without apology. ))

The Truth About Forever  by Sarah Dessen — it’s hard to explain exactly why, and it doesnt even just involve ONE of her books either, but they’ve kind of shaped my whole general character story directions?? her books always follow a pattern and i really admire that pattern, even if it is repetitive, and i am secretly a hopeless romantic so i really like how her love stories evolve. it’s always slow burning, the boy is usually a direct surprising love interest, and the girl always gains new friends and family out of it, and the stories always involve a nice little reoccurring theme. In the Truth About Forever, it’s a game that she and a boy plays throughout the entire book, which eventually leads to a shift from friendship to something more. THAT PLOT HAS APPEALED TO ME EVERY SINCE. the example of a teeny, tiny, otherwise-completely-average moment greatly impacting the rest of a characters life with someone else… i am weAK for this concept ok. her females are always usally feircely independent too and that gets me ♥

✿  Who are your top three favorite fictional characters and why?

Vivian Gandillon (Blood & Chocolate) — i swear i could go on repeat forever haha, but i’ve basically already mentioned why.

Jace Herondale (Shadowhunter Series) — back when the first like, two books had only been published, i super fell hard for this series and it was straight up because of the commentary done by Jace and his ability to senselessly bicker with everybody in his path. his comments to me, were always absolutely hysterical. i was so in love with his wry and witty comments, especially the way he kept at ease and casual through super distressing situations, and i really wish id kept reading the rest of the series as it was published, but i seriously fell behind. then the movie came out. then the netflix series. now i’ve grown too far out of it and having to see the cast on my dash every second of every day makes me want to burn the books.

Shane Collins (Morganville Vampire Series) — this is an oooold old series that i used to read religiously, and it was more in the style of anita blake and buffy vampires~ rather than twilight and true blood -esque content. it got really weird and complicated though so i gave up on it, but for a time, i adored it. and i loved shane because he was hilariously human, he hated everybody except his housemates (though sometimes that could be questioned) and nobody held a grudge better than him. he had a knack for getting in trouble, usually on his own accord, was feircely protective and spent most of his time just being a genuine nuisance and temper tantrum thrower. i saw a lot of me in him, and idk. i just like people with tempers, i think it makes them super fun to read. 

[ecotone99]

[FN} Emergency Mage Technician

You'd think they'd give me an award or something, but nah it's just my "dumb luck" they say. When I started working the busy shift up here in Colorado Springs, most of the more experienced men and women aboard complained that I didn't have the guts. They were sure as shit right when I first joined the EMT at 18. However, I came onto the squad tougher than most, stomaching my fair share of injuries growing up, playing contact sports.

One time during a football game, I got my fingers caught in the helmet of another player's facemask, which instantly broke my index and pointer finger. Somehow though with some tape, I finished that game and caught every single pass slung my way. These weren't easy passed either, those things were flying full speed. Still, it is strange that I didn't experience even a flinch of pain, and more surprisingly, after the game, my fingers were back to normal. My varsity Head Coach used to say I was the toughest kid he'd ever seen, so it only made sense for me to become a Navy Seal, Cop, or Firefighter. I ended up going with EMT because, well, before my Mom disappeared, she'd always pressed that I never put myself in too much danger. She used to say it wasn't for my sake, but for the "sake of everyone else."

Anyway, this whole "dumb luck" thing has been sort of the ring around our squadron and I don't take it personally. I understand that gambling on yourself is a risky business, especially if your playing with other people's lives. I just happen to be on decade long hot streak, so I think it is better to keep to myself than make it a thing like everyone else. I mean, it hasn't failed me yet.

(Later that night during Randy's shift)

We arrived at the burning building in the slums of town. The firefighters were on the scene first and already dragging people out. The situation was critical, we couldn't waste any time. Four stories high the building was a project and built in the '60s. The type of place where a drive-by shooting wouldn't just got through one room but two. We'd seen a number of bloody situations here over the years.

Thinking of all the gang shootings, and people I'd saved over the years, I couldn't imagine what would happen now that their homes would be destroyed. It was unfortunate to think about how the city hadn't even attempted to renovate the area. Possibly the economics didn't make sense to them.

"Why invest in a building filled with families connected to a majority of the crime in the city?"

In the moment, I knew it wasn't smart to think about the aftermath of what this would mean. Hundreds of people crowded the streets, all marveling at the rising fire climbing up through the first three floors, casting a dark red and orange cloud-like mushroom. Lined up with front row seats to the destruction of their homes, the tenants watched as more soot and ash spewed into the sky crackling embers in the cold of the night.

"Back up! Back up!" The debris could just as easily kill someone.

"Please help my mother is not breathing!" In the middle of the street lay an unconscious obese Hispanic woman. Her face black, with first and second degree burns over her arms and charred nightgown. It took all of Jack and mines strength to pick her up and take her to our wagon.

Her name was Patricia Despodido. She had escaped the fire, and then succumb to the smoke, a primary reason being her poor health and asthma. At the back of our truck, her daughter pleaded Patricia, her mother, left her inhaler in their room. When we couldn't get oxygen through to her lungs, we pulled out the defibrillator and shocked her to jumpstart her heart, however, I knew it was too late.

"Give her CPR Randy!" Jack stood behind me, fearful, yet confident in his words. He had been one who developed this superstition that whenever I did CPR it was more powerful than any device we could use. I couldn't fathom losing Patricia in front of her daughter. Losing my Mom only a few years back, I knew the pain and suffering that would come.

Pulling off the oxygen mask, I placed my hands on her chest and began the compressions.

"One, two, three, four."

With each transfer of breath, I could feel myself taking in the smoke from her lungs, and slowly senses the blood begin to course through her veins. Three more cycles and then I got a heartbeat, her first breath. Opening her eyes suddenly, I saw they were a beautiful golden brown with a milky white lining. She had a twinkle, the kind you see in a babies eye after waking up from a long nap. Suddenly, she came back to full consciousness, fear in her eyes.

"Mi Hermano, where is Fernando.?' Patricia pointed up to the top of the roof. Jack and I turned to see a man on the brink of hell.

Standing on the ledge of the building now fully engulfed in flames, Fernando's black shadow cast against the white smoke in the pale moonlight. Beneath him a fireteam of 6 stood prepared with a net, however, it was clear Fernando couldn't see it, and so he disappeared for a few moments before we hard to screams of men and women.

Tumbling 15 yards away, Fernando had drifted, and I felt myself surge with what felt like a deep and cooling shiver.

"To the right!" I yelled at the top of my lungs so loud that it seemed the ground began to shake. People watched and screamed as Fernando tumbled five stories when his body somersaulted onto its back as if somebody had scooped him mid-air. All the while, the firefighters drifted swiftly almost off their feet, waiting moments before he landed perfectly underneath the net. Running to his aid, I pulled his body off the net and resuscitated him.

Arriving home that next morning after my shift, I turned on the local news.

They interviewed the Fire Chief and all the brave firefighters that went into the burning building. The reporter spoke of how incredible and quick-witted they had been, in particular when it came to Fernando Dispodio. I turned off the TV, exhausted from the long shift, feeling somewhat underappreciated, which was out of character for me. Saving lives wasn't about the ego boost, it was about doing the right thing. To hell with it, the firefighters can take the limelight.

When I entered my room after a nice hot shower. I thought maybe it'd be best to just go to bed and forget the troubling thoughts. In time they would go away. For now, I had saved every one I had a chance to and that was enough for me.

Then I received a text from my phone. Jack sent me a video filmed on a citizen's camera phone. In the video they show Fernando shaking and praying at the to of the roof, then he disappears, and faints. The ground shakes, and suddenly a brush of purple wind comes into the shot and picks up the firefighters who were yards off their mark, and it seems Fernando is guided perfectly into the net.

"An act of god man, crazy" is Jack's next response.

Walking into the small bathroom connected my one-bedroom apartment, I wondered if this was what the rest of my life would look like. I wished my mother was here and wondered what she would think of this, now looking at her 28-year-old son, still an EMT.

I could hear her voice.

"Remember Randy the less power you have, the more good you'll do."

Beneath my hazel eyes, I'd always had this streak of purple which would show in moments of danger. Never had I ever tried to harness its power unless for useful purposes.

"I knew I had a gift of some sort, but only for serious matters."

Reaching for my electric toothbrush, I accidentally knocked it off its charger, sending it off the counter to the ground. As the device toppled towards the floor near my toilet, I felt it again, a cool shiver"

"STOP!"

Looking down I saw my toothbrush levitating a foot from the ground. As it floated into my hand, I used that same force to open up my toothpaste cap mid-air, applying a small amount onto the brush head. Realizing I could use these powers freely was the first step in me taking control of my life and the world around me. As I cleaned all of my teeth with my hands behind my back, I stared into now deep purple eyes of the mage in front of me. I had been special all along.

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