#[OOC] i love looking at characters and go “ok. how can i make you worse. how many problems can i give you"

[icecoldbeauty]

Your friends sound wonderful, happy to hear you've got people like that around for you! I wish I'd been able to be that close to others at my age. I'm thankful to have the friends I do now of course, they all mean a lot to me- but sometimes I just wonder if I might've been happier if I'd had even just one or two friends myself back then- if then I could look back on my childhood with more fondness than I do… I enjoyed my gym challenge and my league days and all, but I try to avoid thinking about anything before then really, because it wasn't good. I usually feel worse after looking back upon those memories than I had beforehand. Maybe it could've been different, but… well, I'd like to think that I still turned out okay enough in the end, and I'm happy with the way I am and people I surround myself with now.

I actually do think becoming famous did a fair bit of good for me as a person, but my goodness that couldn't ever stop me from despising some of the things that come with it- all the reporters and interviewers asking the most ridiculous questions on earth and writing even more ridiculous things about me, people invading my personal space and privacy, getting recognized everywhere, treated like I'm better than everyone else just for existing- I don't miss things like that at all. (Frankly I think I'm too afraid of what it could possibly say to check my own Wikipedia page, and I've now made so much more information public and easily accessible that could be put on there… I do NOT want some of the silly things I've posted to be on an article about me, no thanks, not going to find out if they're there!)

Wait, you're the only one that lives there? I thought my little island of 20 people was abysmal before this, but 'only resident' would top that on list of worst living situations for sure. In general I just think it's nice that someone else actually wants to hear me, haha! Not too many people are really jonesing to listen to a middle-age lady talk about her youth and whatnot. I almost wish I'd had someone willing to listen to me go on about some of these things sooner honestly!

Really, I've already spent so much time regretting that I'd kept it to myself so long- but that was also because I'd already convinced myself it was over, that I'd messed up permanently and would never get to go back or try again… In truth, I think a lot of it was just… me being scared, as silly as it feels to say. But maybe you're right and I should just… at least try. At least let her know while I've still got time to… Perhaps writing to her will be in order after this sends. Ah, crazy to think all I really needed all this time was a chance to talk about it and get a little push! I was really badly stuck in my own head about it all and overthinking it for the longest time, wasn't I? Alas, I always have had an unfortunate penchant for such a thing- and don't oft have someone around to talk me down from it anymore.

I almost wonder if it'd be more efficient for other regions like Kanto to use a similar system… Especially things like a seasonal Gym circuit and this whole endorsement idea, it actually does seem rather smart. Goodness, I'd have loved not having a year-round system when I worked in the League… Loved my job, but doing it almost every day all year is exactly as exhausting as it likely sounds! Also what is with so many world-ending plots happening during League battles?! The fact I've heard more than one instance of this now is insane and honestly almost comical. Are all the criminals plotting specifically to ruin some 12 year olds championship battles for some reason? How else does this happen more than once like that? Also, why are there so many criminals trying to destroy the world to begin with, I swear I've heard of this in every region by now- I'm starting to think that someone trying to commit atrocities and getting stopped by actual children IS a normal Saturday with how many times I've heard it! Insane it is, I'm glad the Indigo league didn't have too many incidents that level of crazy after Giovanni.

Oh yeah wait you're too old to know what inkay games is my bad

Oh, please, I’m only twenty-three.

[ he’s not old. don’t make that mistake again. ]

—💎

[dragonrider9905]

Celebrating You!

Hi guys! I’ve been on here for a bit now and while I never had a follower goal, I do appreciate you guys who have decided to follow me! So now I’d like to celebrate you!

In light of TBB ending, and how much we'll be missing the boys, I thought this was as good as a time as ever!

Here’s the idea! I’m opening a prompt request for the dates of April 5th through May 5th, 2024 (you may start submitting now though!) and choose from the prompts below! You can choose one from each category, or just one category. It’s ok if it is just the prompt or the prompt and a brief idea. If you have a fun idea or prompt not listed, please share!

Rules: I only write SFW. I typically write for clones; I reserve the right to refuse requests which make me uncomfortable for whatever reason. I have had a few requests in the past that really unsettled me for various reasons. Or if I don't know the character. I'd hate to try to write something then upset the person because it is so ooc that it's cringy. (But if I said I would write your request and haven't yet, I just honestly haven't gotten to it :D I like to do well on the stories you guys entrust to me so it does take me a bit :D)

This is supposed to be fun so lets keep it fun!

You may submit as many requests as you'd like! The more the merrier!

Characters: Star Wars Clone Wars or The Bad Batch (as long as I know them. I know a lot of clones but alas, not all.)

Story genre:

Classic SW! (Pick an era if they exist in more than one if you wish)

AU of choice (modern, western, pirate, mermaid, time traveling, etc if I’m unfamiliar with the genre, I may have to change it or request more details)

Dialogue Prompts:

“Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

“If we’re going to do this we’ll need—“ “A plan?” “No! Code names! Cool ones!”

“I don’t need to be anything to you. I just want my life to mean more to you than my death.”

“You are playing a dangerous game without even a glimpse of the rule book.”

“I’ve never been terrified of death, til he set his sights on you.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” “Yeah, you’re not allowed to ask that in this situation.”

“Where’s your shoe?” “The giant mud puddle in the road demanded a sacrifice.”

“Love at first sight doesn’t exist.” “Then how else do I describe the feeling I got when I first saw you?” “You…love me?” “Apparently not, according to you.”

“A fate worse than death….” “They’re burnt cupcakes.”

“White paint has more color than your face.”

“Why is there a dragon in my fridge?” “It was hot.”

“Touch **, and you’re dead.”

“I am the law.”

“Do that again and I’ll throw you out the window. Wait, what are you doing?” “Checking how high the drop is; seeing if it’s worth it.”

“I’d rather have you hate me than loose you entirely.”

“I have a mission but don’t know what it is.” “Well that sounds incredibly counterproductive.”

“I would like to join you in acknowledging the difficulties in your life.” “You are the worst at this comforting thing.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this but I’m quite petite.” “Really? I had no idea in our twelve years of friendship that you’re shorter than I am.”

“But what is power?” “Loyalty.”

“Don’t you sign to me in that tone.”

“I’m with him/her for better or worse.” “It’ll probably be worse.” “I knew that the day I met him/her.”

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you." "It's fine, but next time you should try harder."

"C'mon, like I need an excuse to spend time with you."

"You're not as bad as everyone says you are."

"The only one who gets to kill you is me."

“blood loss”? well it’s not lost. I know exactly where it went. right over there.”

“How the mighty have fallen!” “It’s a dropped chocolate bar, stop being dramatic.”

“Shit, we’re gonna die” “Now I don’t want to hear that negative attitude, look on the bright side!” “Yay! We’re gonna die! Woo!”

“How do you do it?” “How do I do what?” “Pretend you are ok.” “I’m not pretending.” “Yes, you are. Every single day and it breaks my heart.”

“Hey, so I know things are pretty f**** shitty right now but I need you to breathe for me.” “Wha-wh-wh-” “You’re having a panic attack. It’s gonna be ok. Just breathe with me.”

“Please, my arms—I can’t wipe my tears, don’t let them see!”

"Smiles are contagious!" "Don't worry, I'm vaccinated."

"I don't want to get involved, it's too risky." "Please do it for me, you're the only one I can turn to." "It's not worth it. You really want to lose everything? 'cause I don't."

"Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself?" "No"---a long pause---"actually yes, at Christmas time"

"There is a reason I go through that door first, It's to make sure everyone else walks back out"

“I can’t leave you here!” “You can and you will.”

"OH! Are you alright? Are you alright?" "Apart from being trapped under here, and maybe suffering from broken bones and embarrassment beyond what I am capable of handling. . . I'm dandy, why do you ask?"

Oh no, are you alright? You're covered in blood!" "Yes, it's yours, Now will you please let me take you to the hospital?"

"What did love ever do anything for anyone anyway?"

"What the hell were you even thinking?!" "You told me not to think!"

"With love comes loss, that's part of the deal. Sometimes it hurts, but in the end, it was all worth it. There's no greater gift than love."

“'Temporary stitches' all stitches are temporary if you have a pair of scissors and aren’t a coward" "What do you....that better not mean what I think you mean......" "Am I just talking about sewing stitches or sutures too? Maaayyybe?" "NO! Absolutely not!"

"I made the calculations, and boy am I bad at math."

"It'll be over soon, I promise."

"Working together again, just like old times." "Well, not just like old times."

"I am many things but not your enemy."

Action Prompts:

Forehead kisses

Palm/hand kisses

Dramatic rain scene

Touching foreheads

Jealousy

Dancing

Last stand

Christmas/Life Day celebration

mistletoe

Accidental hand touch

First date

First kiss

Spending time with the family

Bad day cheering up scheme

Pranks

Going to a pet shop

Going to the movies

Always go after the girl

soft spoken person has loud, unnerving scream.

Lullabies

Nightmares

injury

amnesia

pretend/mistaken to be married/in a relationship

cooking

[dangthatscrayz]

Due to being held at gunpoint by the slay the princess fandom and voices in my head:

I guess it’s finally time for someone to write slay the princess x reader fanfiction headcannons (I haven’t done this stuff before but It is criminal how there’s only 1 on this platform)((my one true fear is somehow the creators see this because they have tumblr))

BTW: for this one the hc are for a voice inside the LQ head reader (if requested I’ll do different readers and other characters in slay the princess)

Characters for this one: voice of the stubborn, The narrator, voice of the smitten

Cw: the voice of the stubborn has to be a cw, possible ooc, slay the princess spoilers ofc, poly vibes going on for smitten and stubborn

Alright. First up is the voice of the Stubborn:

Platonic:

-Why? Jk jk I can’t talk on concerning choices when I’m a vot broken fan

-I don’t think he would talk much to you but like if you indulge ing want to fight the princess I picture you two being great friends

-I have a image in my head of this scenario if you indulge the “I wanna fight tendencies”

“See? They agree with me, the princess agree’s with me why can’t we just fight her like we are ment to?”

And Ig the reader hyping them up after this idk this is just headcannons

Romantic:

-yet again WHY? Jk jk

-the stubborns voice is hot

-well if all there voices are hot cus they are all voices by the same guy

-idk when the route ends and you both are in the flood of the shifting mound maybe you, him and the adversary could have the most violent polycule to exist

-the stubborn doesn’t strike me as the romantic type (for obvious reasons)

-but I do 100% believe he gets all cheesy fighting cmon man did you hear how he was talking abt fighting the adversary

-felt like he wanted to take her in a fight in both ways

-he would absolutely be similar to that with you

-maybe if your ok with ooc enough you can pretend he will be nicer or something

-if this was a tangible reality I think he would be the kind of person to grab stuff that makes them think of there s/o and not really talk all that romance

The narrator:

Platonic:

-why the narrator? Idk it’s not like anyone else is gonna do it

-I’m sires there’s the 4 narrator simps out there who are starved for food

-if your on-board with slaying the princess I’m sure he will like you if you aren’t annoying

-maybe if your one of the few sane individuals he would probably say something like

“Why can’t you all be like them?” If the other voices are being too annoying

Romantic:

-why?

-your man won’t even remember you whenever the LQ dies

-if you choose to go that route with the narrator idk man

-I don’t see him being very romantic ether

-I see him saying something like

“We can worry about that after the world is saved”

-gl your cooked

-if the princess does die for good ig you can all sit and enjoy eternity together

-if you get bored I guess I see him doing something like telling a story to pass infinite time or something

-I have a vivid image of the LQ in purgatory forever and just you marrying the narrator or something

-why did I choose this one I genuinely have no idea who wants this

-whatever it’s ok

-at least I’m 99.9 percent sure he wouldn’t be totally heartless. He says many times how he doesn’t like how romantic the smitten gets but that’s because it’s to the world ending princess

-feel like he would do some random bird things like nest if he was tangible

-no bed for you

Voice of the smitten because this is what everyone is probably looking for

Platonic:

-You and him will get along if you both want to save the princess

-the narrator will probably be annoyed at you two talking about her

-if you indulge the smitten’s tendencies it just gets worse

-he will get more romantic and sappy and peotic

-you can’t stop him

Romantic:

-he will not shut up

-the narrator is in tears

-he will be every more sappy and romantic

-now that one of the two of his loves can hear him you will not hear the end of how much he loves you

-he will go off on a tangent mid narrator narration to explain the Mariana Trench level love he has for you

-and the princess

-you thought he wouldn’t shut up in the real game?

-we won’t ever shut up now that your here

- if you tell him to shut up he will do so gladly

-even if you do it rudely

-you can do no wrong in his eyes unless you try to slay the princess

There here is some sustenance I genuinely was pulling stuff out my ass cus I do not have any spesific requests for anything rn.

Id I was a bit ooc sorry I do not write fanfiction or these headcannons.(at least I don’t post them for fear of being cringe)

But if anyone wants to slide into my inbox or comments with suggestions I will not deny any of it (unless it’s nsfw I’m sorry I can’t do that, I think I’m on the ace spectrum somewhere)((romance and sex are hard man))

[ranbling]

https://www.tumblr.com/ranbling/752109192401305600/the-thing-i-hate-most-about-the-kim-storyline-that

This was my issue with basically the entire season. Every story lead to ultimately nothing.

Bathena still hasn’t gotten their honeymoon. They now have no house. The cartel storyline besides how over used and harmful stereotypical it was, was pointless, Amir as much as I loved his character, after 4 episodes that arc also lead to ultimately nothing.

Madney didn’t really have much going on except for their wedding and instead of the dream wedding they both deserved, it ended in a 2 minute hospital room scene, with Phillip walking her, and Buck not even standing in the room ? He was literally standing outside in the door.

Henren they didn’t get to adopt their baby girl. They were then given a foster daughter only to then jk have her taken away as well. And ultimately after more pointless drama for drama sake, have her given to Madney so now Henren can visit her instead. Like where was the fight for custody they said we’d see? And not to mention the message it sends of yet again we don’t let the lesbian couple adopt or foster with out problems galore but the straight couple has no issue doing it at all and can step in to save the day.

Buck he came out as Bi which yessss. So much yes. Only to then what. Nothing. It’s gone no where. They didn’t explore it more. They didn’t develop it more. There was no journey of him with this new piece of himself. He got slapped into yet another rushed relationship with someone who yet again barely seems to even like him, and some shitty jokes ( looking at you closest space and daddy kink) and then ultimately shoved completely aside like a background character the entire season.

Eddie- where to even start. What was the point of Marisol ? Like truly. Tim said he brought her back because he didn’t want two off screen break ups. Ok fine. No development. No growth. No real storylines beyond a joke to bring up repressed religious guilt that went no where. And ended with an off screen break up anyway. Like what was the point of making fans suffer through Marisol’s actress presence after all her phobic ranting when it ended with exactly what Tim said he didn’t want. Then the Kim of it all. I had hopes that would lead somewhere. Eddie finally getting closure snd moving on from Shannon. Eddie starting to get a clue in relation to Buck. Healing with Shannon’s ghost with Eddie and Chris. Something. And instead we got, Eddie running around on 2 women, Chris leaving the state for a indefinite period of time, Helena looking all to happy to take him, Ramon using his own guilt to make Eddie go along with it ruining any progress they made on their relationship, Ryan saying he feels like the Kim as Shannon at the end did nothing but make it worse ultimately so not even any growth or healing. Like none of this lead anywhere except for lazy rushed drama and ooc moments for all.

I’ll say that they did manage to land the buddie moments in every episode that Tim wanted so there’s that I guess. And they were good scenes and cute moments. But again ultimately…. where’s it going because there was no real movement forward. If anything there are even more massive roadblocks for them. Especially with the Eddie and Chris of it all. Ryan specifically saying for Eddie it’s now every time he tries to do something for himself, it takes from Chris. Buck is Chris second most stable and important person after Eddie. Eddie is never ever going to risk that now in the thought of dating Buck because he is not going to want to risk taking him from Chris.

Yes!! I agree with everything you just said

(also thank you for reminding me that Henren was supposed to adopt a babygirl, too many things happened and I totally forgot about that)

[peach-thekid]

[fandom literate rp ad] i'm back in my hunger games phase, don't @ me

just when i thought it couldn't get any worse from rewatching the trilogy, i have now fallen back into the pits of panem after watching songbirds and snakes tonight… sorry in advance friends 🤡

heyo! my name is talia! i'm a 24yo female in EST timezone! former theatre kid, wannabe author, just a silly lil guy tbh. i'm looking for, you guessed it, hunger games fandom rp! this is a specific craving and i'll admit fandom rp is not my forte so i may not follow the "norm" oops. i just want to find a collaborative partner who really vibes and can be a friend to build an amazing story with in this universe! 🧡

does that sound like you so far? cool, cool, lets proceed

🏹 rp style and looking for: 🏹

daily/weekly replies, i have a lot of availability as of right now

18+ writers, character ages will have to be discussed due to the fandom canon, but just dont be creepy gdi

third person, past tense

literate to novella replies. i can go anywhere from 2 paragraphs to exceeding nitro count, depending on scene needs and inspo. quality > quantity tho!

romance is a must. m/m and m/f couples are my preference!

OCs only! canon charas can be discussed but not as mains. i also don't double and i don't do canon/oc couples, i'm sorry ya'll i know this is a deal breaker for some

obsessed with faceclaims, pinterest boards, spotify playlists, an organized and fun server, literally give me all the aesthetics and let me fangirl i am in desparate need

no SFW limits, i'm an open book and probably too desensitized

NSFW-wise, i am like 20/80 in terms of smut/plot. i am totally fine fading to black, i am fine to write it as long as it fits and serves a purpose, but i dont do erp and i don't focus on it as a necessity to a story

ghost friendly, if it isnt a vibe it isnt a vibe. if we are an amazing fit then you will be stuck with me forever but i'm just a stranger on the internet as of right now so no hard feelings

not a canon nut, so open to changing or expanding as we want. someone open to not be a stickler for every canon detail would be cool, obvi we will follow it but i'm ok to add or adjust as we decide!

OOC chatter is a requirement, i am someone who wants to be your friend. idk how some of ya'll just be writing and not being annoying OOC i cannot do it

due to preference and previous experience, i am currently only looking for femme/afab writers, i hope you understand :)

🏹 HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT: 🏹

OCs before katniss era, childhood friends then one moves districts and they get reaped and reconnect

mentor/OC relationship (a younger mentor who won when they were far too young and are now mentoring their best friend from childhood after abandoning them?)

our own spin on canon with OCs implanted into the original trilogy story, like a spinoff of sorts?

capitol x district or peacemaker x district

ensemble casts are ok too im vv open!

tbh i would love to write our own hunger games and include some canon cameos and make our own arena and have a beautifully tragic story and cast, gimme all the darkness and angst and violence and tragedy and moral dilemmas and deep character bonds and impossible happy endings and fights and spectacle just - we can do it, that's all i'm sayin' 👀

i've attached my writing sample below! despite the casual OOC, i promise that if we're a good fit, our stories will be full of nothing but effort and a mild obsession/hyperfixation ✨

contact stuff 📱

if you are srs please reach out over discord. i do not check tumblr enough i'm the worst so i would love to get notifs bahaha my username is: muppetmania

i'm a lil picky (and full of anxiety) so please tell me youre from tumblr, a bit about yourself, your rp style, what interests you about this, and a writing sample ofc, that would be so gucci of you i will give you a big hug 🥰

may the odds be ever in your favor or whateva whistling sounds

[idv-ask-the-showman]

FLYNN AND SAMANTHA TIME!!

I made some incorrect quotes list again but this time just for those two since I still love their silly friendship a lot so I just had to XD!!

It may be a bit OOC but is alright, hope you all enjoy it!!

[Samantha belong to @idv-askchaoticduo]

Flynn, tending to Sam's wounds: How would you rate your pain? Sam: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend. Flynn: Whaddya call a fish with no eye? Sam, not looking up: Myxine Circifrons Flynn: Flynn: fsh 『••✎••』 Sam: What are your goals? Flynn: To pet all the Cats. Sam: No, fitness goals. Flynn: To be able to run fast enough to pet all the Cats. 『••✎••』 Flynn: Don’t worry, I have a few knives up my sleeve. Sam: I think you mean cards. Flynn, pulling knives out of his sleeves: No, I do not. 『••✎••』 Sam: God, give me patience. Flynn: I think you mean 'give me strength'. Sam: If God gave me strength, you'd be dead. 『••✎••』 Flynn: Sam! My face is on fire! Sam: Flynn! Are you ok?! Flynn: Oh yes, I'm fine. I just said that to make sure you'd come in here quickly. Sam: But your face is on fire. Flynn: Yes. It’s much faster than shaving. 『••✎••』 Flynn: How petty can you get? Sam: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about. 『••✎••』 Flynn: Okay, help me please! Sam: Got two words for you. Flynn: I bet they won't be helpful. Sam: Your problem. Flynn: I was right 『••✎••』 Flynn: I went through an entire character arc during quarantine Flynn: i became more evil if you’re curious Sam: We're still in quarantine, don't worry, there's time for a redemption arc still! Flynn: i’m going to get worse on purpose 『••✎••』 Sam: Do you have any skeletons in your closet? Flynn: You mean literally or figuratively? Sam: Honestly, the fact that I have to specify... 『••✎••』 Flynn: I'm incredibly fast at math. Sam: Alright, what's 30x17? Flynn: 47 Sam: That's not even close. Flynn: But it was fast. 『••✎••』 Flynn: What if the 'g' in 'gif' is silent? Sam: Go the fuck to sleep Flynn: What gif I don't want to? Sam: Fuck You 『••✎••』 Flynn: Okay. I get it. You've had a really hard time lately, you're stressed out, seven people died- Sam: Twelve, actually. Flynn: Not the point. Look, they're dead now and really whose fault is that? Sam: Yours! Flynn: That's right: no one's. 『••✎••』 Flynn: Man, I only ever see you awake, do you ever shut down or stop running? Sam: Oh, I’m always running Sam: The question is from what 『••✎••』 Flynn: What is your biggest weakness? Sam: I can be uncooperative. Flynn: Okay, can you give me an example? Sam: No. 『••✎••』 Flynn: That’s one of my biggest fears. Like, if I ever woke up as a donut... Sam: You would eat yourself? Flynn: I wouldn’t even question it. 『••✎••』 Flynn: I made tea. Sam: I don’t want tea. Flynn: I did not make tea for you. This is my tea. Sam: Then why are you telling me? Flynn: It is a conversation starter. Sam: That’s a lousy conversation starter. Flynn: Oh, is it? We are conversing. Checkmate. 『••✎••』 Sam: You're right. Flynn: That's... That's an unusual phrase for you. Did you just learn it? 『••✎••』 Flynn, standing with his back turned: I’ve been expecting you, Sam. Sam: How did you do that without turning around? Flynn: ... To be perfectly honest, the first couple of people I did that to were not you. 『••✎••』 Sam: What’s up guys? I’m back. Flynn: What the- you can’t be here. You’re dead. I literally saw you die. Sam: Death is a social construct. 『••✎••』 Sam: Where are you going? Flynn: To get ice cream or commit a felony, I’ll decide on the way there

[sebastianshaw]

What are your thoughts on the whole 'lost his memories and was a suicide bomber' arc? Thoughts on when they were trying to give him a redemption arc that then went absolutely no where?

OOOH! Ok, so, firstly, sorry this took a couple days, I really wanted to have the time and mental energy to sit down and give this the answer it deserved. Secondly, I just LOVE being mutuals with someone who KNOWS SHAW LORE LIKE I DO because I can get questions like this! Short answer is, I wouldn’t want it to last forever, I’d want our nasty man back EVENTUALLY, but I really wish it had lasted LONGER and had more of an impact. As it is, it might as well have just never have happened, and like. . .you don’t do THAT to a character and just have it be totally irrelevant to them. Except it is now. Longer answer: Honestly there were so many interesting things and things I liked going on here, it’s hard to organize my thoughts! First thing that I really enjoyed is THE BACKSTORY THAT HE WAS GIVEN and how it comes off as making fun of SO many common tropes in this universe (tropes that actually I happen to hate and be sick of myself lol) Secondly, Transonic explaining to him he’s a mutant by singing BORN THIS WAY?! Love it.

Getting into the meatier bits, Amnesiac Shaw notes that his first lesson in his new life was betrayal, which is correct. He was tricked by a terrorist group into being a repeat suicide bomber for them, since his powers ensured he’d survived.  “The first lesson I learned in this new life was betrayal. And here I am met with hostility and secrets. So I suppose the more immediate question is–do I trust her? “

And given Shaw’s history with being betrayed over and over, which I’ve written about before,  which you know about from reading The Legacy Quest and his mental issues with that, with being convinced EVERYONE will stab him in the back sooner or later and doing the same to them first, that’s…interesting, to me. It’s even more so interesting that he DOES choose to trust Hope, to protect Hope and her friends. Hell, he wants to protect them WHEN HE FIRST MEETS THEM even before they’ve done anything for him. You know, aside from the initial suidice bombing that shows “oh this guy is a mutant”, every time amnesia!Shaw uses his powers and/or acts offensively, it’s in defense of children.

The first time, he kills Jin Billion to rescue the Gen Hope kids. Then he goes up against the majority of Utopia, who are being mind-controlled by Kenji, to save Hope (including delivering a brutal elbowing to Emma Frost’s face when she was about to do a doubtlessly nasty “scrubbing” to Hope’s mind) Finally, when he breaks out of Avengers custody and fights them, it’s to rescue the X-kids, who are being held against their will at the Avengers Academy during the AvX conflict. The Avengers mistakenly assumed he wanted to kill the children, an idea he was horrified at when they told him.

So, pretty clearly, hurting kids is a big Berserk Button from amnesia Shaw. And then I look at NORMAL Shaw and how he treated his own child. And it’s like…clearly he HAS a capacity to be better than that. And I think that’s very on-theme for him, much like that moment in the Legacy Quest where he does consider if he’s on the right path. . .and then keeps right on being a villain. He CHOOSES every step of the way. He is a self-made man, for better AND worse, not simply in the sense of having made all his own money but in the kind of man he has decided to be, and I really truly just LOVE his very deliberate, aware agency in that.

Going back to him, oh my god, look at him, he’s so cute in his yellow X-hoodie!!

And speaking of cute, what I mega-loved about this time period is that you could get him being OOC for his normal self and have it BE OK! Like, I think you know as a Villain Enjoyer that there can be the urge to see your fave nasty guy be Soft in some way, but there’s also the desire to have him be IC, and these things usually can’t go together. This gives you a “have your cake and eat it too” scenario, or at least it did for me. I really loved seeing him with these kids. I especially liked when he told Teon that he did the right thing coming to get him for help, and even though one of the other kids said he was talking to Teon like he was a dog, I don’t see that??? Who says that to a dog??? But I do kinda like the idea of him throwing a frisbee for him, lol.

And he’s given a file on himself, and he says he’s not sure he wants to read it, and it doesn’t seem like he ever does? Or if he did, we didn’t see any reaction that I recall? I would have really liked for him to find out more about himself later—maybe unwillingly—and how he handles that. I would also have liked to see how he got his memories back, and if he remembers this period at all, and what he thinks about it, what effects it has. I’d love to see current era Hope acknowledge it AT ALL, I mean all these other callbacks are going on for other characters, like her and Exodus! And speaking of how he got his memory back, last time we saw him he was about to dive INTO THE OCEAN, and the entire pointed of leaving him in landlocked China was to HIDE HIM FROM N.AMOR…the guy who LIVES IN THE OCEAN…like no way that wasn’t deliberate??? He was ABSOLUTELY intended to run into N.amor, he had to be, and I want to know the plan there!

Also: Loved his fight with Hercules. Loved him beating him and calling him an idiot. Loved finding out he can absorb magical energy too, because I feel like that jives with his ancestor being a Sorceror Supreme (I will pay Marvel so much to ever revisit this; I hear it does get mentioned in Midnight Suns!) Loved him charging himself by HITTING HIMSELF IN THE HEAD WITH BOOKS FOR HOURS. Also love that in allllll his history as an actual villain, the ONLY time he ever clashes with the Avengrs is HERE when he’s trying to RESCUE CHILDREN even thought the Avengers Mansion was literally canonically a FEW BLOCKS FROM THE HELLFIRE CLUB

Honestly, literal only thing I dislike is the interactions with Emma and her touching on the abuse retcon, I feel like if this had gone on longer there would have been more focus on that and how she feels having him around because that just makes good writing sense but also I Would Hate It.

Overall though…definitely wish this had gone on longer and had more development for him, both as his amnesiac self and when he gets his memories back. I wouldn’t want an actual redemption arc for him, he’s way more valuable story-wise as a villain and I enjoy him that way, but I think as an exploration of his character from a unique angle, it would have been fascinating, and instead it kinda just…plopped. And then everyone else seemed to get amnesia about it having ever happened. Alas.

(also I think him meeting Sage this way would have been cool! Or Shinobi!)

[tea-and-finalfantasy]

don't get when ppl think an nsfw hc is ooc based on the kink itself?

ranting abt being bored w available stuff/mad i gotta make my own stuff and then get made to feel bad for liking writing submissive men LOL

like i get having preferences for what u write and don't write + what u enjoy writing and what u write bc someone requested it BUT if you have an ask blog and are taking requests, outside of the "i don't write x" things, don't have an ask blog if u like ???? aren't gonna branch out?

like you can have a hcs blog and call it that and only write what you want--that's it. that's literally it. but when u have an ask blog bc ur writing for other ppl and then u go "he wouldn't do this" like ??? just say ur writing for yourself and save us the trouble LOL

bc even if u feel like a character wouldn't have a specific kink, people aren't generally sending u scenarios bc they expect to be shot down or for the prompt to be watered down--they expect to have the actual scenario written

so again, just ??? make hcs. make posts. you don't need someone to send you the right message for you to write what you want to see--esp when u then turn ppl's requests into something they didn't ask for bc ur never going to write sub hcs WHICH IS FINE BUT DON'T GET MY HOPES UP AND DON'T TWIST WHAT I ASKED FOR

but when it comes to a kink being "ooc" it's like. yes i have my own hcs and although i'm p flexible or at least will write what ppl request if i'm taking requests (like i won't get a comm on etsy and go "well he wouldn't do that" like no he's doing it, who am i to barge in here and assert my own hc over theirs?), i do have personal opinions on what characters are super into what, how they act, and i shove all my preferences in there when i'm writing for myself!

but it's not the act that's "ooc" bc that's how you get "x person is a bottom and x person is a top and i just know--" rather than like. you cannot and should not look at someone and assume something about them physically, how they act, etc. is indicative of their sexual preferences

yeah i know it's just in fiction here and not irl but god it's so fucking grating to hear "oh this character wouldn't bottom" (like not even sub! someone is stating they will not get fucked in the ass bc they're "too tough") bc you've created this binary of who does what act all the time, who's allowed to do what--

as opposed to living a little? having fun with fiction? imagining what a tough and gruff character would be like in a vulnerable state and how they got there? what they're like giving into desires they probably feel they're not supposed to have? like you're not even making it interesting or complicated if u think a character wouldn't do it, u just see a muscular guy and go "ok i know he's a dom top all the time haha" like :/

boring, uninspired--and you're not even committing to like. "i only write what i want to write," you're going out of your way to bend these fictional dudes--who should be played with like dolls and put in scenarios--into a binary of what's acceptable for them instead of just saying u write dom top hcs bc that's what u love

u pretend there's some "correctness" to it or worse, some moral heft to it where u feel the need to specify the need for consent in a femdom scenario or a pegging scenario whereas it's a given in vanilla or het sex???

like i just want to project onto my characters in peace. i know by now, i can't go asking around for what i want as even gentle femdom is out of the question but christ. don't tell me my kinks are ooc for them based on the kink itself lol

like a character can do Anything in general like even if a writer doesn't anchor it in a scene where their personality outside of the scene comes out that's fine but like it's literally as easy as like (character doing x act) (character either doing so however they're comfortable like yea he calls u a slut but doesn't raise his voice or hit u or smtn) (or post-scene they revert back to the sweet character u think is unsuited for the kink bc u don't realize ppl are playing fucking pretend to get off here!!!)

[etherealising]

i’m so nervy omg…

bestie me too, like what even is this chapter?

like bro what are you doing at my house..

ariana what are you doin here?!?!?

baby 😭

like geeze carmen where are your manners???

aw i feel like he was the type to get nervous when baby would text him she was going over or something like quickly fixing his hair or tidying up his room. they kinda give me lucas and haley vibes but like with crushes on each other lmao if that makes sense 😂 teen baby and carmy 🥲

definitely makes sense like they are essentially haley and lucas if they had romantic feelings for each other lol, but also just imagine how much shit mikey would give him. because like carmy’s doing it unconsciously and mikey’s just like this fucking simp (affectionate) 🫠

AWW NOOO 😭😔😔😔

homies just tryna wine and dine our (his) girl 😔

i need my barby back

bring barby back 2023!

🫠🫠🫠 oh this is gonna be hard

like what a fucking man lemme just say if this wasn’t a serious chapter baby would’ve been on her knees 😅

🥲 oh man

why do i do this to us constantly 😭

omg i’m not ready for this conversation my poor baby 😔

lmaoo neither was carmy 🤪

ahh 🫠😪

carmy was waiting for ashton kutcher to pop out like this was an episode of punk’d 😭

😔

this man is a fiend for that damn tattoo!

… i’m already not okay like this convo is gonna hurttttttttt

and hurted it did!

it’s gonna be hard for him to hear like my heart hurts for them both

like i genuinely could not imagine being in his shoes

baby was too busy making sure everyone else was okay when she herself wasn’t like?? omg

it’s okay to be selfless baby, but like girl please remember yourself!

when all she needed was him 💔🥲

this reminded me of those horrible tumblr quotes from the early 2000s its giving s(he)s br(ok)en 🤪

the other secret… 💔🤍

ditto babes 😢

this is sooo sadddd veee omgggg!! 😭

carmy said i may be dense but i am no himbo! no but you’re right looking back i realize how freaking sad this chapter is : (

yeah that conversation is gonna hurt even worse i’m scared.

i don’t even know how the hell i’m gonna get through writing that!

i feel like you write carmy so well or idk like JAW knows how to portray these characters like lip/carmen i can see this in my mind lmao i never know how to explain this but like i can see him doing this scene and he’s a rlly good actor so like yeah i can see carmen reacting this way

this comment is very much appreciated because half the time i swear he’s ooc. but yes jaw is perfection like if i can’t see carmy saying certain dialogue in my mind i usually omit it but sometimes he’s going to be a bit ooc its a win lose situation lol 😭 (fun fact i’ve never watched shameless because it traumatized me when i was like 11 😐)

my girl 💔💔

someone please give this girl a break

I WANT TO HUG HER SO BAD !!

meee tooo like why did i put her through this?

i’ve ran out of words

my babies 🫶🏻🥲

soft barby really owns my heart

the pendant 😭😭 AHHHH

homie really said i stay strapped! security blanket around my neck!

ok… bring on the baby shower i need my family back together 😭🥲🤍 lol

me too bestie like i need some light in this damn fic. notice how none of us have been happy since mikey’s death 😐 okay but no i know for sure we are exiting aiekoy’s angst era soon i’m talking a couple chapters soon 🤭 because I AM TYAAD also i just need these two in love pronto! 🤍

chapter eight | to see a friend, to see a ghost

masterlist | ↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader

summary: a secret you’ve been keeping from carmen finally comes to light.

warning(s): grief | death | loss | substance abuse recovery | substance abuse | addiction | miscarriage described as a health scare | miscarriage described as being sick | suicidal thoughts | suicidal ideation | hurt | comfort | crying | make-up | rekindling an old friendship | mutual pining | denial of desires | maturity | mature decisions | carmy finally putting baby’s wellbeing before his own | unresolved romantic tension | re-learning your person | angst | suffering | self-deprecating talk | please let me know if i missed anything!

wc: 8.9k

song inspo: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (highly recommend to add to the heartbreak!)

If it was any later and the sky was any darker, you might have been startled by the figure waiting on your porch. But as you approached, arms occupied with bags full of decorations, you recognized that patch color jacket, and the baseball cap not doing nearly enough to disguise his features.

Stopping before your steps you just looked at the person for a minute, the man was obviously zoned out if he hadn’t already been alerted to your presence from the sound of your car arriving and now the slap of your boots against the pavement.

When you left that voicemail earlier, you hadn’t expected Carmy to take immediate action, it wasn’t like him. You also didn’t expect him to show up unannounced but maybe you should’ve waited before sending your address in that group text.

You made your way up the steps, the jingling keys in your hand finally drew the man’s attention, and the speed at which he flew off the chair situated on your porch was almost comical. Your eyes darted to his, taking in what you could see of his figure that wasn’t hidden behind his jacket or hat. He held two paper bags in one hand and the package you had been expecting in the other, sure the delivery driver just left it with him.

The silence stretched between the two of you. You could see Carmen begin to fidget in your peripheral vision; good he deserved to be uncomfortable for a minute or two.

Finally unlocking the door you pushed through, pausing to take your shoes off. The man behind you hesitated, not sure if he should move forward to follow behind you or not. He took a minute before stepping forward, your eyes meeting his as you stood between his only entrance.

“I don’t remember inviting you in,” it was harsh, but it was also the truth.

He stopped for a moment, cheeks flushing pink as he cleared his throat, “Can I uh, is it okay if I come in?”

It would have been easy to deny him access, leave him out here on your porch, or even allow him to squirm more. But you could hear Pete’s words playing in your mind as you thought of all the petty things you wanted to do at that moment.

You let out an exasperated sigh the constant back and forth between the two of you was finally catching up. You nodded before heading to your living room to drop the bags off on the couch, the open door an invitation for the man on your porch. The bags were safely deposited on your couch as you moved to head into your kitchen, stopping short as you spotted Carmy still standing in your foyer.

A chuckle escaped your lips at the awkward man. You made your way to him, stopping in front of him and taking the package from his hand and the two grocery bags. “You can leave your shoes and jacket out here.” You left him standing alone in the foyer, confident he would find his way to you eventually.

Carmen watched as you disappeared further into your house, the man quickly shedding his shoes and accessories, stopping at the mirror by the coat rack to tame his messy hat hair. He felt like a teenager all over again, fussing over how he would present himself to you. Carmy moved in the direction you had gone in, steps slowing as he tried to take in everything he could about your abode, from the decorations to the colors swatched on your walls. It all reminded him of things he missed out on with you, would you have gushed to him about the prospect of owning a home? Would you have asked his opinion on design choices?

The two of you had once gone to each other for everything, and because he was afraid of being completely vulnerable to his feelings for you, he felt like a stranger on the outside looking in.

He found you in the kitchen, eyes locked on the bottle of wine in your hands he brought with him, “You uh…talked about how much you loved it back in New York so I-I thought it might be nice to have it again.”

Your index finger traced the label of the bottle in your hand, memories of that weekend flooding through you, but that’s just what they were; memories. It was the present day now and no matter the itch you felt to let the red wine warm your mouth, drink enough of it to dull your senses, you wouldn’t allow yourself to.

“What are we doing Carmen?” The bottle of red was gently placed on your island as you looked at the man standing in the space just between your kitchen and living room.

Seeing him in a space that had been wholly your own felt a little weird, you didn’t want to think about the times you imagined what it would’ve been like to share such a space with him as you watched him stand in your house like he was meant to be there; like he belonged.

“I got your voicemail,” you leaned your elbows on the counter propping your head up as you listened. “This is me accepting your olive branch, I just…wanna make things right between us..” The explanation pulled a sigh from your lips, fingers tracing patterns into the marble island beneath you. You left the voicemail with the assumption that it would take Carmen a bit to get back to you, he had never been adamant about fixing your relationship before.

“You also have something I need,” Carmen watched as you raised your eyebrows, eyes leaving the spot you were tracing.

“And what would that be?” The scar between your eyebrows felt tight as your face pulled into a frown, your brain wandering to figure out what you could possibly have that Carmen would need.

Carmen sent a small smile your way, “Let’s cook and we’ll talk about it after.” You watched as the man joined you on the opposite side of your island reaching to remove the rest of the food from their bags.

The genuine laugh that bubbled out of your chest filled Carmy with warmth, “Do you always walk into people's houses and try and negotiate?”

Carmy did his best to control the warm fluttery feeling in his chest, the weeks without you were hard and the fact that your laugh could ease his full body ache was enough for him to realize just how much he wanted you as a constant in his life. “I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

A silence lapsed between the two of you as you helped unpack the rest of the food. This whole situation felt like a bad idea, you definitely weren’t over Carmen’s stunt or the previous incidents where he let you down. But you had been skating through this year on borrowed time, and the time apart helped to calm your anger, you felt like you were in a much more level headed place to finally figure out what the hell this thing was between the two of you. And Pete’s words at lunch helped to give you a new perspective on the whole situation.

“What the hell are we even making?” Baking was your preferred form of cooking, so as you looked at all the ingredients laid out it was a bit confusing to piece the meal together.

The sound of your voice warmed Carmen’s senses, the silky tone danced through his ears buzzing against his brain. “Chicken Marsala.”

You nodded, declining a glass of wine with dinner was one thing, but now looking at the new bottle of Marsala that would be in your meal, you’d have to decline the whole dinner.

“That sounds so fucking delicious but I…I actually can’t eat it.”

Carmen stopped his ministrations with the ingredients, “No you’re good I uh I didn’t get anything you’re allergic to.” His eyes darted across the ingredients double checking that he hadn’t bought any compromising ingredients.

“Thank you, Carm, your consideration is thoughtful.” The extra measure made your heart rate speed up.

It was crazy really how the same man standing in your kitchen swearing up and down he didn’t buy any foods you were allergic to, could also be the same man who came across as uncaring.

“I appreciate the effort I do but…” Your heart felt like it was going to pound out of your chest. How could you admit to your best friend, the person who once knew you most, that almost a year ago you were staring at blank hospital walls as some doctor explained to both you and Natalie just how close to death you were? “Carmy I-”

The hand resting on your elbow helped to calm your breathing, it wasn’t like you weren’t ready to admit your overdose to Carmy, you were just worried about the aftermath. “Baby hey, you with me?” You felt the hand skate down your arm, Carmy’s thumb soothingly caressing your pulse point.

You turned to face Carmen searching his eyes, doing your best to memorize the way he looked at you, unsure if you’d ever be graced with this intimate gaze again. “Carmen I…I’ve been sober for 7 months.”

The silence in your kitchen was loud, You needed Carmy to say something to you, yell at you, call you a hypocrite for blowing up on him all those weeks ago when you had been the one lying to him this whole time. It would be easier if the blank wide-eyed look on his face morphed into one of disgust, hatred, hell any emotion would’ve been welcome. “You fuckin’ with me right?” The apprehension in his voice was the result of not knowing if he could bear to hear the idea that something so heinous could plague you.

The wobble of your bottom lip was enough, Carmen’s eyes skated across your face landing on the three prominent features that had been added to your appearance; the tiny scar on your upper lip, the one between your brows, and the jagged raised one stretching the length of your jaw.

The breath in your throat hitched as his finger slowly traced the long scar, the touch sent shivers through you. Your eyes watched him as he watched you, finger deliberately taking in the pattern on your jaw, his hand unconsciously moved to cup your face in the way he liked, forefinger pressed into your hidden tattoo as his thumb began caressing the corner of your lips.

“What the fuck happened to you, Baby?”

The shower you just finished was much needed, Carmy volunteering to pick up different ingredients while you relaxed before the two of you began this search for the truth. He didn’t say it but you knew he needed some time to internalize the small piece of truth you told him, to rationalize just how much you had gone through in your time apart.

You could hear Carmen shuffling around in your kitchen as you stepped out of the bathroom, steam following you out. Grabbing your moisturizer you moved to sit on the edge of your bed, mind racing to figure out what you were even doing putting yourself in this situation.

These past three weeks without Carmen felt needed, you were thankful for the time apart to focus on yourself and your wellbeing. But it always felt like there was a piece of you missing, it felt like that every time the two of you parted ways. The difference was instead of spending the time apart worrying over Carmy every minute you had finally put yourself first, and began living for yourself just like Tina had advised all those years ago.

And while a part of you wanted to continue this childish charade of ignoring Carmy, only showing up at the restaurant when Richie assured you he wouldn’t be there; you couldn’t. It took too much energy to live your life around Carmen’s especially since the two of you were so much more involved with each other than you had been in a while. Even without Pete’s words of advice, you could see the toll it was taking on the people around you. Natalie was too scared to even mention her brother for fear you’d have a meltdown. Richie’s anger for your situation souring his relationship with Carmen. And Carmen himself, he who had become a haggard sunken-in version of himself, the time apart affected him the worst his patience nowhere to be seen from the few times Richie had offhandedly mentioned him in your presence.

The two of you had been in each other's lives for longer than you could remember and you didn’t want to lose that friendship over your pride. During your time away from Carmen, you had come to the decision that you would be fine if all that was fated to be between you two was a friendship.

More recently you had decided that maybe it was for the best, maybe the two of you were never meant for anything more, anything good. Maybe it was naive to think you deserved anything good with all the hurt your selfish choices caused. Maybe it was best not to take any time and attention away from your recovery. This friendship was just a whole bunch of fucking ‘maybes’ recently.

But one could say that ‘friendship’ went out the window when the two of you crossed that blurred line a year ago.

You paused as your hand reached for the old crew neck you’d usually sleep in, as much as you loved the garment you couldn’t allow yourself to give Carmen any false hope about what would come from this. Walking into your closet you quickly grabbed your oversized ‘The Beef’ crew neck, slipping it over your head before stepping into your sleep shorts and a pair of fuzzy socks.

Exiting your bedroom you stopped by your record player, buying yourself time before you’d have to face Carmen and all the truth that would be exposed in this one conversation alone. You flicked through your vinyl selection before picking your favorite one, needing something comforting for everything that was bound to transpire.

You entered your kitchen seeing Carmy’s back at your stove sent an ache through you. The man cooking in your kitchen was a vision you had more than once, it was almost right, the only thing missing was the small figure you imagined standing in a chair next to Carmy watching from over his shoulder.

“Smells delicious Carm,” you sent a tired smile his way as he looked over his shoulder at you, eyes falling just above his own, no courage left in you to take in the look he was giving you. “What did you end up cooking?” Carmen’s eyes were stuck to you, your words falling on deaf ears, you fidgeted in your spot, the insecurity of being judged by the one person you didn’t think you could handle it from, weighed heavy on you.

Carmen cleared his throat as he watched you sink into yourself. He hadn’t meant to make you feel any type of way with his stare, he was just having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that things had been so bad for you and he had no idea because of his selfish inclinations. “It’s uh Chicken Alfredo, I thought it was safest.”

The air in the kitchen was tense, neither of you knowing how to be around the other at this moment, and you hadn’t even gotten down to the harsh truth of everything yet. “Can you…uh what do you mean you’re sober? I-I know what it means jus-I,” you watched as Carmy closed his eyes, a huff escaping him as he couldn’t articulate what he wanted to say. “Baby, help me understand. Please?”

You could hear the thickness in Carmy’s voice, the two of you watching each other with matching glazed stares. You stood frozen for a minute, your fight or flight instincts kicking in and it took everything in you not to leave the conversation as it was. A sigh escaped you before you nodded your head and hopped to sit on the island, fingers picking at the stray threads on your shorts.

Carmy turned the fire on the stove down before turning to lean against the counter next to your stove, the two of you now facing each other. The distance between you felt like it stretched on for miles, and maybe it did, the two of you didn’t know each other like you once used to. You and Carmy weren’t the same teenagers who shared everything, even the smiles you shared at this point in life held a different meaning.

You never knew where to start this story, was it better to ease the person in, or was it better to just rip the band-aid off all at once? “Now that I’m better I don’t think any reason was good enough for what I did to myself…what I did to the people I love. But uh, Mikey’s death was definitely a catalyst for everything.” You looked up to see Carmy watching you intensely, arms crossed over his chest, you can’t remember a time you’d ever seen him look so serious.

“I was alone, and maybe that’s just an excuse. We…we just buried Mikey, and I was scared to believe he was really gone, it didn’t feel right. I didn’t want it to be true.” You sucked in a deep breath trying to gather your thoughts. “I stayed in Chicago for a long time after that, your mom…gosh she was a mess and I understood why her grief was valid, but I…I just knew Nat couldn’t, didn’t deserve to fix things alone, so I just kept extending my stay.” The small sigh Carmen breathed was lost as you settled more and more into your explanation.

“An-And Richie was doing his fucking best to keep The Beef open but I could tell it was taking a toll on him. Tiff had filed for divorce just months ago and then he was dealing with Mikey’s passing. And I think, I thought if I just helped everyone get better I wouldn’t need to grieve, because I was surrounded by all the people I loved, and their wellbeing mattered most to me.” Carmen’s eyes stayed on your figure allowing your words to settle into him, it hurt knowing how much slack you had to pick up because he couldn’t bring himself to face the music.

Quiet sniffles came from where you sat atop the island. “Carm, you weren’t there…and I promise I’m not blaming you for the decisions I made, none of that is on you. But I just wanted my best friend, and I just needed to know you were okay. And when you weren’t at the funeral my mind went to the worst thoughts first. But then I…I just showed up in New York and you acted like your world wasn’t ending and then I just felt selfish because how was it that your brother just died and I was the one acting like I’d lost the person I looked up to most.” Carmy could feel his chest tighten, your words becoming less and less easy to swallow the more you spoke.

“And for a moment it was like the world stopped screaming like all I needed was your presence to assure me that everything would be okay,” a small sad smile rose to your lips as you thought about your time spent with Carmy in New York. “It-it was blissful and everything I wanted but I knew it was ending, we both knew it was ending you didn’t see a future with me.” You had to stop yourself, a sob sure to be ripped out if you didn’t give yourself a minute, “And I accepted your decision, it was for the best.”

You hugged your knees to your chest, barely beginning to scratch the surface of the worst of what you’d done. The new position provided you the comfort and protection you felt you needed. “I got back to Chicago, and I was only supposed to be here for a few more weeks but then…then I-I got sick and Rich-.” You clasped your hands over your mouth unsure if you could lay all your indiscretions on Carmy at once, unsure if you could mentally handle the toll the two confessions you desperately needed to make would take on you.

Rough palms enclosed your cheeks, moving your head so that you were face to face with Carmy. You could see the unshed tears in his doe-blue eyes, but other than that he didn’t seem to be affected. “Take your time, yeah?” He nodded his head waiting for you to nod along with him so you knew it was okay. The left side of his lips ticked up in a half smile, you let him lean in and place a delicate kiss on your forehead before he moved out of your space. “I’m here okay, I’ll listen for as long as you let me.”

Carmen was making this harder than it needed to be, how could you justify telling him one secret and not the other when he was being so understanding? Carmy made to move back to his original position, your grip on his hand stopping him, a quiet sigh escaping his lips at how fragile you looked. “Lemme turn off the stove okay?” You reluctantly let go of his hand, scared that at the loss of contact, he would take his chance to flee from you.

You watched as he turned the stove off, moving the food he had been cooking to the back burners, you felt bad that he had cooked for the two of you and neither of you would be enjoying it. He moved around the kitchen fear spiking in you as you thought for sure he was going to leave, to wipe his hands of you. He returned to you with a glass of water that he delicately placed in your hands before replacing your legs to their original position and taking his spot between them. Carmy’s finger tapped the glass in your hands “Drink up.” A small nod was your only response as you did as told you before setting the glass down beside you.

Carmy returned his hand to your grasp nodding to let you know he was ready to continue if you were, you took one last deep breath mind made up on how you would handle the rest of this conversation. “He uh Richie, he found me in the walk-in. You know that moment when you know something is wrong but you don’t know how you know. It was kind of like that, like Richie and I both knew I had done something wrong and Carmy,” your voice quivered as your eyes met his, the tears falling at a faster pace as he looked at you so earnestly, hanging onto every word you said. “I’m so sorry.”

Carmen’s brows furrowed, eyes widening as you collapsed against him incoherent apologies addressed to him spewing from your lips. His head came to rest atop of yours as you shoved your face into his chest your words turned to messy babbling as you tried to choke out words through your sobs. For all his social ineptitude Carmy knew there was something you weren’t telling him, something you weren’t being entirely honest about, and he wasn’t sure how it tied into your sobriety. But the way you were apologizing to him made him feel like he was partly responsible.

Your cries were beginning to grow in volume and Carmy was at a loss for what to do. He’d seen you cry before, hell he’d caused most of it but he couldn’t recognize you at this moment. The sobs that escaped you were echoing through the quietude of your house, you had never been an audible crier, usually a few tears escaping your eyes were the most Carmen had gotten. But these cries wracked your entire body, Carmy could feel them rattling his rib cage each sob breaking his exterior down more and more.

He wrapped his arms around you letting your tears soak his shirt, his tears beginning to run down his cheeks. The grip he had on you tightened ever so slightly as you sobbed your throat raw. Carmen needed to know what could’ve caused this reaction, he needed to know what you could ever have to apologize to him for. He felt you moving to get out of his grip, but he held you there as his tears dripped into the crown of your head, quickly wiping his eyes before he pulled back from you allowing you a fresh breath of oxygen.

“Carmy?” Your voice was scratchy as you played with his fingers avoiding any form of eye contact, you raised his knuckles to your lips kissing the ‘ou’ on his middle and ring finger. “Could you hold me for a little bit?” You raised your head to Carmy’s doing your best to send him a reassuring smile, to let him know everything would be okay.

Carmen frowned, he knew that smile anywhere. Even when you were so obviously going through something he couldn’t quite yet understand you would put his feelings before your own. He let out an exasperated sigh your need to put others well being before your own a habit he swore to himself he’d break.

The hand you kissed raised to your face, a light grip on your chin as his thumb caressed the space beneath your lower lip. Carmy leaned forward placing a soft lingering kiss on the scar between your eyebrows, “Let’s take a break yeah?” Carmy watched your body deflate.

He took a step back as you hopped off of the island, the two of you moving to your L-shaped couch. Carmy laid down opening his arms to hold you like the two of you had done hundreds of times while growing up. He knew the gesture would pull a smile out of you, a soft chuckle leaving him as you easily snuggled into him. Your face reverting to its home in his chest, his chin once again resting against the top of your head.

The light atmosphere was short-lived as you relaxed into Carmy, all of your words finally beginning to sink into him. He was happy for the intermission the time would help him to understand what you had told him thus far, to figure out how he could ever make up for the way he constantly held the door open and let you walk out of his life. The way he essentially cut you out of his life because he was afraid to admit to himself that what he felt for you for all these years wasn’t just lust and longing, but love.

Carmy’s fingers had been gently rubbing your scalp for the past forty-five minutes, the position the two of you were in reminiscent of a scene from New York when you visited. Now it was being translated in your own home, Carmy was laying on the couch one arm settled behind his head to prop it up, looking down on you to make sure you were okay. You were settled between his legs, your upper body pressed into his stomach as your head rested on his sternum.

“Baby?” Carmy did his best to whisper, not wanting to disturb you in case you had fallen asleep.

“Hmm?” Your response was so quiet it was easy to miss, Carmy was unsure if you had let out a quiet hum or if you were making noises in your sleep.

He stopped his ministrations on your scalp, his lips ticking up at the soft whine you let out “You asleep?” The question was followed by his fingertips resuming their massage.

“No, your heartbeat is just soothing.” You snuggled your face deeper into Carmen’s stomach, the movement raising goosebumps on his exposed arms. “Carm?” Your quiet voice drew his attention the apprehension clear on his features as he prepared himself for the words soon to leave your mouth. “There’s something that I need to tell you…something that you deserve to know. B-but I don’t think I can do it tonight. And I know that’s not fair to you but I think for my own sake I need to be in a better space mentally.” You shuffled around again turning to lie facedown, one of your cheeks rested against Carmy’s stomach so you could comfortably look up at him.

The confusion in his eyes was evident, whatever it was you couldn’t tell him was making him beyond nervous. It was hard because you had never kept a secret from him unless you absolutely needed to, and when you did it was never for anything more serious than a gift you were getting for him. But he knew he couldn’t force whatever truth you had to tell out of you, a part of him felt a bit relaxed, not knowing how much bad news he could take in the span of one night.

Carmy’s hand reached out palming the side of your face, thumb grazing back and forth in the space just beneath your eye, “You can share it with me when you’re ready m’kay? I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” He pushed a stray piece of hair behind your ear, watching as your eyes closed, a slight grimace on your face as you leaned into his palm more.

“You’re going to hate me, Carmen.” The words left your mouth with so much conviction all Carmy could do was frown, the idea of ever hating you would have never crossed his mind. He wanted to reassure you but lost his chance as you abruptly sat up, the movement caused him to sit up as well, the two of you only inches apart now facing each other. You forced a smile as your side relaxed on the couch, head propped against it as your eyes wandered around Carmy’s features. “Let’s just get through tonight and then we’ll worry about everything else.” You were exhausted. Carmy could tell by the way your blinking slowed, he wanted you to stop, to get some sleep, to put your needs before whatever made you feel like you owed him any explanation.

“Bab-,”

“I was in the hospital for a bit because I…I was sick. But after they discharged me I had been gone from my own life for so long I was so close to not having anything to return to. So I came home and forced the past month into a literal box in my closet, pretended none of it happened.” You were running on fumes at this point, with no regard for whether Carmy was even still listening to you, just this force within you driving you to finish the story.

“There was uh one thing that I couldn’t force myself to get rid of-,”

“The voicemail.” Your eyes shot to Carmy's, his silence easily making you forget he was even still here, that you were recounting these memories for a reason. You nodded eyes unfocused as you looked past him, would there ever be a time you could remember that part of your life without flinching every time you thought about it?

“It started slow, I was just getting back into the swing of things remembering what it was like to be alone after being in Chicago surrounded by people who actually cared about me. I would go out with my co-workers after a shift, drink just enough that I could get myself home, but not enough for anyone to worry about me.” A sardonic laugh left your lips, you were sure nobody would care about you, and you hardly had any strong ties to the West Coast.

“It helped…until it didn’t until I was drinking so much it was almost like my body was immune to the effects. But who needs their liver am I right?” The pinch to your thigh jolted you. Carmy wasn’t welcoming your self-deprecating jokes.

You raised your hands in defense, a humorless chuckle leaving you. “If I’m being honest, I don’t even remember getting that first prescription…not even the ones after it.”

“Wait,” Carmy moved so his feet were firmly planted on the floor, legs spread as he rested his elbows on his thighs. “What the fuck does a prescription have to do with this? Baby?” Carmy wasn’t stupid, he didn’t need you to spell it out for him but the sliver of hope in him was dwindling as the minutes of silence continued to tick by.

You shrugged, moving to sit crisscross applesauce staring blankly at Carmy’s side profile, one of his legs bouncing up and down. “You know they really should make those warnings bigger. About not mixing drugs and alcohol, the font is so tiny how cou-,”

“Stop!” You didn’t even flinch at the loud volume of Carmy’s voice, eyes following his figure as he flew up from the couch. The man was now pacing in front of you, one hand settled on his hip as the other furiously swiped across his forehead. “Why do you…do you…fuck!” The vein on his neck protruded with his frustration. “How do you just sit there and make fucking jokes about this shit Baby! Why the fuck is any of this funny to you?”

The urge to defend yourself was surging through you, in a way you knew Carmy’s reaction was valid. But it wasn’t like there was a handbook on the proper way to deal with your trauma, and you wouldn’t allow him to tell you right from wrong.

“What the fuck do you want from me, Carmen! I did it okay! I drank and I took the fucking drugs and when that shit stopped working on its own I thought hmm why the fuck not mix them because what the fuck could possibly be worse than living. In some fucked up way did I think it would help me understand Mikey? Maybe. It’s not like I fucking planned this shit! I didn’t plan to become addicted okay, that wasn’t supposed to happen I had a system…I had a fucking system.” It was like everything was becoming clearer the moment those last words left your mouth, you may not have planned the beginning, but as you thought back to what could’ve been your last moments you were almost certain some still sane part of you knew what you were doing.

Soft laughter left your lips as the pieces were starting to fit together in your head, the sound only growing in volume as you realized just how fucked up you were. Your eyes were unfocused as your gaze flew to Carmy, the whisper of ‘Baby’ lost in your internal revelation.

“I threw myself through that glass door, not on purpose I can’t even remember why the fuck I wanted to get outside so bad. But I-I remember swallowing those two extra pills and thinking what the fucks gonna happen to me huh, I’ve lasted this long.” Carmen couldn’t recognize you, the tears had started again but he was certain you couldn’t even tell, you looked possessed, your eyes flashing all around the room a wicked smile painted your lips as you spoke to no one in particular.

“Barely made it past the threshold before my body gave out, I wish I could remember, even if only for a second. What it felt like to have your body want something more than your brain did. But you know what the fuck happened Carmen?” Your eyes finally shot to his, you looked like a skittish animal ready to fight Carmy to the death if he encroached on your territory.

A sardonic laugh left your lips, your tongue swiping across them, the saltiness of your tears a shock to you. “I woke up and there Natalie was, right beside me. And you know my first thought wasn’t what happened to me or-or what the hell is Nat even doing here? I didn’t even pay her any attention the whole first two hours, and you wanna know what I was thinking Carmen?”

“Don’t.” The plea escaped his lips in a whisper your heart clenched at how desolate he looked.

“I laid in that hospital bed, and I looked at those stupid fucking fluorescent lights and I thought; Mikey got it right the first time, why couldn’t I.”

Carmen felt numb, like his whole body had been submerged in an ice bath and no matter how hard he fought to get out, it was like his body and mind were on two different wavelengths. He’d seen that stare before, in the eyes of his brother, the same way Mikey looked at Lee at Christmas dinner all those years ago was the same way you were looking at him now in your living room.

He wasn’t sure if there was a proper reaction to the truth you had just dropped. Mikey was dead, that made things easier, but here you were alive and well from what he could tell and he would have his time to mend things with you if that’s what he wanted. But he wasn’t sure he could stand in such proximity as you at that moment, wasn’t sure if he could even look at you. You had been the second closest person to Mikey, presumably knew he was doing drugs, knew he was spiraling out of control, and followed right after him.

Was there anything Carmy could have done to alter your path? Maybe if he had stayed by your side that night after Christmas you wouldn’t be standing here now talking to him about how badly you wanted to end it all.

Carmy drew in a sharp breath a small sob following it as he tried to control his emotions, he began taking small steps in your direction not sure of what he was going to do, but needing you to know his silence wasn’t because he was disgusted or disappointed in you; but in himself. How easy it would’ve been to keep in contact with you after high school graduation, how easy it would’ve been to just let himself love you and take care of you, be there for you. And as much as he wanted to believe you knowing how he felt would’ve changed much, he knew it was naïve, addiction was an illness and even if Carmen had fought harder to keep you in his life there’s no promise that he wouldn’t have been the one to find you floating in the space between life and death.

He slowly reached out to you, hands carefully grasping your cheeks in his eyes, committing your face to memory, mind racing with all the times he took being able to see it daily for granted. “Ba-baby, tell me you don’t mean that,” he waited, eyes rapidly flicking back and forth from yours. His grip on your face was just loose enough for you to send him the saddest smile he’d ever had the chance to see, “Please?” The broken whisper floated between the two of you before your head softly nodded up and down to confirm that indeed he was almost forced to live without you.

And this time it wasn’t his choice.

Carmy sat on the floor in front of your couch, back resting against it, head tipped back to rest on the cushion face pointed toward the ceiling. All he could hear were the soft breaths escaping you and his thudding heart in his ears. It took a while before you had finally calmed down, Carmy held you in his arms on the floor as the two of you cried. Your sounds lashing against his heart over and over again. He was exhausted, more than he usually was, the night far from what he hoped it would be. He was so overwhelmed by all that you had been willing to reveal to him, that the instinct to do something with his hands as you slept took over, the man dutifully cleaned your kitchen and stored the uneaten food away for you to eat at a later date.

And now here he was, back at your side finally coming to terms with everything he learned. Carmy felt like a fool he had prided himself on his friendship with you, always made it a big deal that you were his friend first, his friend by choice. But it had been almost 10 years since he decided to shut you out of his life with no reason, no explanation why and it was selfish of him. Selfish that he had so blindly pushed you away without a thought to how it would make you feel. Selfish of him to always expect your acceptance and open arms when it was convenient for him to re-enter your life.

He let out a small sigh raising his head from its position on the couch, eyes latching onto the dated picture atop your mantle, your cheesy smile staring back at him as Richie and Mikey surrounded you. His eyes poured over the picture, taking in how happy the three of you looked, and how simple everything was when the two of you were teenagers. A quiet humorless laugh escaped his lips as he reminisced, he was lying to himself if he thought your time as teens was simple, but compared to the lives the two of you were leading it sure as hell did feel that way.

Carmy allowed himself a moment longer to enjoy the happiness the picture exuded. He gave it one last glance before he adjusted his position on the floor, turning slightly so his side was leaned into the couch, eyes landing on your face as you slept. It felt like his heart was constantly breaking whenever he looked at your face, it was evident you’d been crying, the puffiness of your eyes easily giving it away. He reached his hand out, hesitating for just a second before he pushed the hair out of your face palm resting on your cheek as he began to softly stroke in back and forth. Since the first time he saw you this year, this was the most peaceful you had looked, he was glad that sleep had been able to bring you that sense of tranquility, but he wanted that for you always, to feel at peace on any given day and as he watched you back moving up and down to signify the breaths your were taking, he promised himself he’d provide that for you; even if it was only as friends.

“What am I gonna do with you, Baby?” The hoarse words left him in a sigh, a small smile making its way to his lips as he watched your nose scrunch up at the sound of his voice, eyelids slightly twitching.

He watched as you turned to lay on your side, lips brushing across his pulse point a small kiss now decorated his veins. “Still be my best friend?” Carmy laughed at your small voice taking up the space between the two of you. Your eyes slowly fluttered open, thankful that Carmy had figured out how to dim the lights in your living room. “Do you remember that promise we made the summer before seventh grade?” Your voice was scratchy from all the sobbing and borderline screaming from earlier.

Carmen nodded his head, a small smile raised on his lips, hand moving from your cheek to cup the back of your neck. “Of course, I do,” the smile only lasted for so long as he was forced to remember a promise he broke with no regard. “That we’d be best friends no matter what, even though we didn’t want each other’s cooties.” Carmy was happy to hear the sound of your melodious laughter, he spent so much time listening to your broken cries he was afraid he’d never know anything else.

“I’m sorry Carmen, I…I didn’t mean to blow up on you. I think telling you about my overdose…it helped me come to terms with it myself.” Your eyes were lidded, all the crying made them feel heavy, if Carmy wasn’t here in front of you right now you were sure you would’ve been dead asleep.

A small content sigh escaped you as Carmy’s thumb ran back and forth across the side of your neck, “You have nothing to apologize for we-I know I haven’t been a great friend to you these past years. And for that I’m sorry. I wish…I wish I could explain to you why I pushed you away but Baby,” Carmy paused heart thudding in his chest, the words were there, maybe not in the way one would expect but it was you; you would know what he meant even if he was speaking in another language.

“I uh I can’t even explain it to myself. But..I would like for us to be friends again if you’ll have me?” Carmy sent a tight-lipped smile your way, he couldn’t do it. He felt selfish for even thinking now was the time to propose the initial idea in his mind. Maybe it was an excuse, maybe not, but he didn’t think it would be fair to put you in that position. You had just told him such a harrowing truth about yourself and if his first instinct after hearing such was to ask to be more than friends it would feel insincere. Carmy wasn’t even sure you would want a relationship with him, you were sober, and recovering and Carmy wouldn’t allow himself to mess that up for you with his presence having been such a soul-sucking and negative thing in your life these past few years.

“I think that’s just what I need right now…a friend.” It was silent for a moment between the two of you, Carmy had prepared himself for the worst on the drive over, and although he could feel a lump forming in his throat and the ache in his chest, he forced a small smile on his lips upon hearing your words. “You kept it on there?” His eyes found yours confusion marring both of your features, at his silence your hand reached out delicately tracing the pendant settled against his signature white shirt.

Of all the times you’d seen Carmy you knew he still wore his chain, it was a part of him. You had caught glimpses of the gold peeking out from his shirt, but you would have never thought he wore the pendant you’d impulsively bought before leaving New York. You remember regretting having left the newly added accessory on his chain when you left his apartment, sure it made you seem like some desperate lover who had never even actually been a lover, just some girl too naive to see all the signs she was being given.

Your eyes flicked between Carmy’s waiting for his response, his cheeks tinting pink the longer you looked at him for an answer. The hand that wasn’t settled against your skin reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “I nev-I… uh never leave home without it.” The admission made your skin tingle, Carmy’s finger subconsciously tracing the lone letter you carried everywhere with you. “It uh, reminds me of you…of us.”

“There were forget-me-nots in the bouquet Willie made me,” you sent Carmy a small smile, although temporary, the sight of that bouquet filled you with happiness the short time you did spend with it. “Also I know you didn’t have shit to do with the flowers Willie put in that bouquet.” Carmy let out a small laugh face warming at the memory of old man Willie’s meddling.

Your thumb on the pendant began tracing the engraved letter, “This was like my form of a forget me not, something that was permanent, would never wilt with time…I just wanted you to have something to remember me by.” Carmen watched your lips stretch into a small smile, he knew what your words meant, but after learning about all you’d gone through it felt like your final words had a double meaning like if things had gone as you wished them to, this would be the only piece he had left of you.

A part of you felt shy sharing the reasoning behind gifting Carmy the pendant, the two of you were barely friends as it was and the flowers had been so personal to you, that you weren’t sure you wanted to let Carmy into that piece of your world even though he played a huge part in it without even knowing.

“Is that what they signify? Remembrance?” Carmen’s thumb ran back and forth across the scar on your jaw, tapping it twice to pull your attention to his.

You gave the pendant one last longing look, dropping it before your eyes finally locked on his, “Something like that.” You shrugged having to swallow the urge to confide in Carmen one last time tonight.

The two of you stayed like that with Carmy’s hand holding onto the side of your face, thumb trying to imprint the jaggedness of your scar to its memory. Your eyes became heavier the longer Carmy delicately stroked your face. The man made no move to wake you as you slowly began drifting back into the world of dreams, the same look of peacefulness he saw earlier had easily returned, the ghost of your past so evidently marked into your skin in the shape of your scars. He felt like he was able to finally release the breath he’d been holding in, his eyes skated across your face; a face he always considered to be a work of art, one he could never perfectly capture on paper.

As he watched you sleep Carmen came to terms with exactly what was left between the two of you now. For all intents and purposes the two of you were friends again, or at least on friendly terms, and as much as he tried to convince himself he would be happy to keep you in his life in whatever capacity you allowed; he knew that was a lie. But the only person he could really lay blame on was himself, you had been ready and waiting for him before he even realized he loved you and now that he was finally ready to take that next step with you there was no longer space in your heart for him.

Carmen watched you for a moment longer, thumb lingering against your scar before he finally had enough restraint to pull himself away. There was a part of him that would’ve stayed planted in that spot all night just to watch over you, make sure the moment he turned his back you wouldn’t suddenly disappear never to be gazed upon by him again. He quietly stood up, careful not to make too much noise and wake you, hand grabbing the blanket lying atop the head of your couch before he gently draped it across you.

He lingered in front of you every fiber in his body, willing him to stay there by your side, to be there when you woke up. But moments like that were no longer his to take; they never had been. Carmy let out a sorrowful sigh before he bent down to your level placing a soft kiss full of love and longing to the indentation between your eyebrows. What could have been, what never was would always stick with him but he would set his wants and needs to the side, and he would appreciate having another moment with you still in his life.

The two of you had seemed to come to an understanding now, and that’s all he could ask for. You said you needed a friend and that’s what he’d be; your needs were his needs.

a/n: in honor of turning twenty-three i present thee with the gift of suffering 🤪, anyway not sure how i feel about this chapter but we shall see. also i know it seems like everything between baby and carmy may have been resolved rather quick, but i feel like everything is very not obviously resolved. happy readings! 🤍

also: huge shoutout to @mr-robot-x for her impeccable song recs when it comes to this fic and the losers i write about. asleep by the smith’s heavily inspired this chapter. (which you would all know if you took my song inspo seriously 😐) just kidding but seriously it genuinely helped me get through this chapter! 🤍

[ineedahugesticktobeatyou]

Random toughts on RNM s4e7.

I'll be honest, watching this season of RNM tires me out so much, it's unreal. I'm happy they finally figured out that Alex is missing. Now we can speed up this entire thing.

I hate that Michael still doesn't suspect anything tho, that he doesn't even sense something is wrong. It's the most OOC thing for him to happen. He doesn't know about Alex and no one will tell him, so why is he out in the desert in next week's episode? Is he out there looking for Bonnie? If so, you're telling me that she has been missing for a day at most and he's already worried, but it's totally ok that his boyfriend hasn't checked with him for days. You can watch this from every possibile angle and still it doesn't make sense.

At this point I despise the exchange Malex had at the end of episode 2. I despise the "I hope I'm gone for days, not weeks" and the "no matter how far apart prom each other we are" because the writers used them to phone in and to justify this mess of a storyline. Like "we literally told you that Alex would be gone for days or weeks and Michael would be totally cool with it, why are you upset?" Maybe because nothing make sense? Micheal spent days without worring for Alex, whining when he didn't reached out but totally ok with it, and fantasizing about Oasis* like it's really a possibility... not a great build up for the rescue.

I understand why someone can doubt Michael's feelings for Alex. It's because on screen this season often feels like "out of sight, out of mind", and I can accept that from the others, we are sadly used to that, but not from Michael. As I said before, the occasional boyfriend tossed in conversation it's not enough. Living in Alex's house without Alex is definitely not enough. Having Max be the one to bring Alex on the forefront of Micheal's mind is laughable more the anything else. Nothing we have seen until this moment is enough for a couple presented as "cosmic". It's why I hope this rescue will go better that the other one, when all the snapping and going feral of Michael still led to an horrible resolution for Alex.

I don't really know how I feel about this ghost/interdimensional thing. Maybe I'm too old to full appreciate what it can lead to, like if that still of Micheal with the guitar it's the two of them trying to communicate in some way, I'm probably going to laugh my ass off instead of sobbing with feelings. I already have a lot of problems with plot point this season, like the "power stealing kiss"... it was so stupid!

I would love an episode Alex!centric and I hope it's what we are going to have, I just don't know if I will be capable of buy other people's concern for Alex as a genuine feeling. This is a character whose friendships have been abandoned in season one or onesided since then. But let's hope for the best, right? I don't think it can get any worse that these past five episodes. At this point I just want Alex back, I don't really care how. I just want something good (a.k.a. Alex) in this, at least for me, unsatisfactory season.

* about the Oasis thing... I understand what it means for Michael, I don't blame him for entertaing the idea of going home. I mean, it's in line with his character. Plus, we all know how it's gonna end, right? Even so, I kind of hate that the final decision on the matter will be made because Michael almost lost Alex. It will always leave the question of how it could have gone otherwise, in a simpler situation, without knidnapping and portal/black hole/death, whatever it is. Would Michael still choose Alex? Most likely yes and perhaps it would mean more like that, with a choice made rationally and purely out of love, and not prompted by the fear of losing him forever. Not everything need a dramatic wake-up call to work, their love is enough as it is, it should be enough on its own to make Micheal stay. Why has Alex to disappear/die to be choosen without doubts?

[moontheoretist]

Sebastian: It's our duty to tell the templars.

Fenris: Then why haven't you done it?

Sebastian: I guess I was hoping they'd come to it on their own.

Fenris: And then you wouldn't have to betray Hawke's friends, right?

Sebastian: That's not reason enough to allow a maleficar to walk free.

(If Anders is in the party)

Anders: You think the templars don't know I'm here? They just haven't caught me yet.

(If Merrill is in the party)

Merrill: Are you talking about me?

Sebastian: Which of us should do it? Shall we draw lots?

Fenris: Uh-uh. You want to turn them in, you work it out with Hawke.

This is one of those OOC quotes on par with Anders feeling ok with giving Fenris to Danarius and Fenris selling Feynriel to the Sloth Demon. It doesn’t make sense, because I don’t believe that Sebastian really hated Anders that much. And this quote applies to Merrill as well, with whom Sebastian is friendly. It literally doesn’t fit anything about Sebastian, his arc, or his version of belief in the Chantry as he speaks against the Chantry numerous times, while still staying faithful to it at the same time. This quote is even worse if you were playing as a mage or romanced him as a mage. I am happy that I never got this banter during my first playthrough, because it would sour all the romantic experience I had with him. And I had very good romantic experience with him. I romanced him as a friend and I adored everything about his romance, maybe except the fact we were denied any non-sexual intimacy like kissing and hugging. This romance would feel more ace to me if it was allowing at least that, but overall I really enjoyed it. I was in my "still religiously indoctrinated to some extent" state, when I knew I was queer but were still acting and behaving as a straight person, so his religious preaching didn't bother me. It started bothering me way later when I finally rejected all the religious bullshit I was fed in my life and finally acknowledged my queerness fully, because to me Sebastian is just like me. He is a queer man, given to the Chantry, raised by it and due to that trapped in a religious system that limits his self-expression, and I really want him to be free. Nowadays, it bothers me when he preaches the Chantry doctrine, because it is too close to home with all the brainwashing I underwent in my very religious family. He reminds me of me, and it is kinda approaching the triggering trauma territory. I still like him very much, I just cannot ignore what he is saying anymore, because I had a person in my life who used the exact same religious reasoning as him to abuse me. So to me, he is abused by the Chantry, but he doesn’t see it yet, just like I didn’t see that I was abused before, and he in consequence continues to preach their doctrine in his own unique way, without realizing how damaging that can be as well. Anyway, coming back to the topic of this specific quote about “giving apostates to the Templars”. This banter also drives the point home that some of them really need either rewriting to fit the characters motivations or Hawke's direct intervention, because the things those characters can say to each other at times need either scolding or outside perspective why what they said is cruel or callous or dangerous. I already can see my first female mage Hawke turning back and looking at him as if he just said that we are going to go to the Alienage and murder all the elven kids. She would feel so conflicted, because she loves him, but he just said something that literally sounded like “I would put you all in gulag”. She was the Blue Hawke 100%, so she was only crass with Carver and I believe that this quote may have made her react in the same way she did to her brother’s more cruel and callous quotes. She would challenge him on what he just said, and depending on where Sebastian is in his religious indoctrination, he would either concede the point and realize what he said was wrong, or double down on it. I can actually imagine him to do the former, because he was open to criticizing the Chantry. If he knew all the shitty things that Circle did, maybe he would not think giving apostates to the Templars is a good idea or his religious duty as a citizen anymore. Hell, even Fenris is not into the idea in this specific banter. He specifically tells him to take it up with Hawke. He doesn’t agree to it, he doesn’t want any part in it. He may dislike Anders or Merrill on the principle of being mages, but he would not do such a thing, and I believe Sebastian would not either if he realized what that actually means, that it is not a lawful thing to do. How cruel that would be and how awfully it could end for all the apostates in the party, including mage Hawke if you played as such.

[doubledgesword-2]

I just wanted to drop by and say that I really like your writing style and I loved your soulmate AU story so far!

Just wanted to drop a request too since it's open. It might be a weird [kind of contradictory] request but maybe some fluffy yandere hcs/scenarios for the adult trio? If you only want to write for one, would Hisoka or Chrollo be ok?

One big cup of Rose Tea coming right up! WARNING SLIGHT YANDERE TENDENCIES, FLUFF AND NON-CON DRUGGING

I hope these are to your liking, it's my first time writing hcs so I apologize if the characters are a bit OOC. Enjoy your Rose Tea!

Hisoka

We all know Hisoka is low-key already yandere...I mean, look at his lustful half-lidded eyes and his tongue licking his lips. 

You're an innocent little peach in his eyes, and he wants to keep it that way. This means all his blood-related business and quirks are hidden from you, but you're bound to find some bloodstains on one of his shirts.

"Oh that, mmhhh just a little accident with some wine, (Y/N)-Chan. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about"

Do not look at his phone's gallery unless you want to see how many times he's slipped into your room and watched you sleep or worse... 

It's alright in this scenario if you don't have a powerful nen ability or if you're not strong to fight off anything, he needs you to be so you don't leave him. That doesn't mean he won't tease you to death and try to rile you up so you at least playfully punch him. 

"Oh, Oh, little peach, don't give me that look, you're going to turn me on˜"

Hisoka is touchy-feely and clingy; he will be on you all the TIME to the point of suffocation, and if he isn't touching you, his bungee gum sure is. 

Surprise hugging from behind is a thing. He will tackle you to the ground or unto the bed, and from there is mandatory cuddles, constricting you as a snake would, and it's wise not to refuse him. You're not getting out either way so just accept it. 

"Hisoka, I have to work! Come on, it's important!"

"But I'm more important, right?˜," he says playfully, but there's a sliver of a threat in his undertone as he drawls the last word. 

Definitely, PDA and heated kisses in public; everyone needs to know who you belong to if the hickeys and bite marks are not enough proof, not to mention you wouldn't be able to get far from him; his bungee gum would be on you at all times. 

He's very whimsical, so it might be difficult to differentiate his normal behavior from his obsession. But IF you do get wind of his fascination and try to avoid him, then it's time to move on to more drastic measures. 

"Oh, Hisoka, you baked cookies for me?! They look so good!" you happily say as you bite the first heart-shaped cookie, his eyes never leaving your lips as you lick the crumbs off. 

"Mhhhm, anything for my little fruit is my pleasure." He offers a close eye smile as you hold your lower region; there's a sudden and painful feeling like a liquid fire consuming you from the inside out. But Hisoka just smiles at you as you writhed on the floor from the need. "Since you've been avoiding me lately, I guess you can deal with this by yourself, can you little peach?"

Illumi 

Out of all of them, I feel Illumi is most likely the one to lose control, but he's not lovey-dovey like the other two might be at the occasion. His emotions are more reserved and minimal, which makes them special, and that's how he gets you.

At first, he wouldn't understand why there's a need for you, why he can't seem to be away from you for a long while, or why can't he stop thinking if there's someone else with you at the moment.

This feeling is annoying, but the cure is simple, he just needs to spend time with you, so they'll go away. 

Wrong.

You give him so much love and affection is hard not to be addicted to it after being neglected in that area of his life for so long. The more time he spends with you, the more he needs. He wants longer hugs, longer cuddle sessions, more kisses to the point where it turns plain out possessive. 

lllumi will come by every day to make sure you’re okay and don’t need anything. But the undertone of his visits is to see if you’re still there for him and will never leave him, not that he’ll actually let you, but you know semantics. 

He doesn’t smile much, but when he’s with you the corners of his lips quirk up a bit, and it seems he enjoys being with you and knows something you don’t. 

Will rest his chin on your shoulder and your head while you do things, his arms snaking around your waist, keeping you close to him. He needs to be reassured that you're there and won't leave him. 

If your work is taking all of your time, he will grab your wrists and pull you into his lap, his chin resting on your shoulder, leaving a small peck on your temple. 

"Llumi! I need to submit this by midnight; we can cuddle after that."

"No," there's no explanation or reply, just a simple rejection that sends chills up and down your spine as he places one kiss to the pulse on your neck. 

I don't think you would want to say otherwise while he hugs all of you like a child with his teddybear, suffocating you.

There would be no PDA and no signs of affection in public, but make no mistake; just because he doesn't seem to coddle you in front of everyone doesn't mean you can do whatever and stray away from him. You so much as step outside the line he established to grab a shirt from the racks, and immediately your right to go outside is revoked. 

After that display of possessiveness,  you surely know something's not right here, but it's not like you can go up to him and say so, so you'll try to lessen the amount of time you give him and put that time to do other things. 

Big mistake, one night while working late, he will come in with a nice cup of rose tea, steaming hot and warm to your fingers. You thank him as he sits on the corner of your bed, watching you intently as you take your first sip. 

"Thanks, Llumi, this paper is driving me up a wall." 

"You need to rest; you have been overworking yourself... and neglecting our time together." Your heart drops to your stomach when you lose feeling in your throat; trying to gulp down feels like a hard task all of a sudden. Your head is slowly spinning until it's so heavy you can't keep upright, and he catches you, pulling you close to rest on his chest.

"If you can't take care of yourself and finish your tasks in time to be with me, I'll do it for you."

Chrollo

He wouldn't show signs of the obsession plain out; instead, he will be subtle about it.

"Are you eating healthy? Here have this instead. Don't say up too late working, don't stress, I don't like you wearing that, wear this instead. Read this one instead."

All these are normal, right? But he's slowly trying to mold you into his perfect image of you. 

Still, he's charming and gentlemanly about everything; he likes to hold you close no matter where you are, give you hand kisses like a prince and a princess before their dance. 

He's a romantic, giving you forehead kisses when he feels overwhelmed with gratitude for having you in his life. Will read to you while having you rest on his chest as he pets your hair until you fall asleep. Spontaneous waltz in your living room. 

Definitely, would steal for you. He hands you a catalog of several things in a museum or an auction and will tell you to hypothetically pick the ones you like if you had enough money to buy them. To you, it's a pretend game, something for giggles, but for him is all about getting anything you want. 

After months of the reported robberies in said auction, he will come by one day with a nice gift box and guess what's inside. 

"Oh no, I can't accept this, it's too much how did you manage to buy this, you-"

"It's a replica; they were stolen; remember, love, don't worry about it. I know how much you wanted it" He snaps the clasp around your neck as you thank him profusely, not minding that the thing on you is the real deal. 

You will never catch a glimpse into his dirty business, not unless he actually lets himself slip to gauge your reaction. 

"They will never find it," he casually mentions as the news that the objects stolen have not been found. He doesn’t even look up from his book while drawing small circles on your shoulder. You chuckle, sipping your hot chocolate. 

"Come on, don't be that negative; they might one day, and when they do, I would love to see it in person." 

"Why, love, you see it everyday," he chuckles, side glancing at you. 

"That's a replica!" you turn to look at him with a smile, but he isn't smiling; he's not kidding, and you're feeling a bit lightheaded. "Right? Chrollo?"

Your cup falls from your hands as you stumble a bit forward, and he catches you, closing his book. He hugs you close, your head resting in the crook of his neck. 

"Don't worry, my love, you're the best treasure I've had the pleasure of stealing." 

I hope this was good!! 

[themattress]

OK, this post is a little confusing. You constantly speak of rebooting Kairi only to later say "in the new rebooted universe"....which means what you are actually advocating for is rebooting Kingdom Hearts altogether. And yeah, absolutely! I may love Kairi - well, in KH1 and KH2, anyway - and absolutely despise what has been done with her, but she's just one character and not worth throwing everything else out for if that everything else was good. The real issue is that everything else is NOT good. People can hate me all they want for advocating this but I don't care: the corporate heads at Disney and Square need to forcibly take Kingdom Hearts away from Nomura. Its problems are only getting worse the older Nomura gets and the longer he stays in control. It needs someone who can make it the easily accessible, inoffensive franchise that it has absolutely no business not being given its basic concept.

I used to emphasize Sokai, but now I'm more on "meh". Because Sora would not make a good boyfriend based on what happened.

That's because Sora, Kairi and their relationship changed since KH2. Up to that point, they felt like believable teenagers with believably budding feelings of strong friendship turned romantic. But then, Sora just kind of forgets about Kairi. He never mentions her, he never thinks about her, she just doesn't seem like a big concern for him. Sora, meanwhile, is still an all-consuming concern for Kairi, making her look pathetic. That's why even for many former Sokai fans like myself, the sudden push for it in the last few hours in KH3 felt so deeply unsatisfying: it came out of nowhere and after both characters have changed for the worse so much that the chemistry they used to have is nil. And of course, there was no good pay-off for either of them; if anything it kind of ended up showing how them being together was a bad, self-destructive idea, which is as far from the message of the original KH1 as you can get.

@evaundertale: I still think there's hope but your comment about saying Sora and Riku should be sidelined is just never gonna happen. One of the people who worked on kh said the series as a whole involves around Sora and Riku.

First off, there is no hope as long as Nomura is in charge. None. If Nomura wanted to do right by Kairi he would have done so already simply by following the obvious path KH2 had forged for her. Instead he made her OOC and pushed her to the sidelines, then brought her in to sideline her in a different way under the nonsensical justification of "training", and then after all that....well, you know. He then gave her some basic respect when caving to fan pressure with Re:Mind, only to then once again push her to the sidelines, then once again bring her in to sideline her under the "training" justification! Kairi's going in circles and that's how Nomura likes it, I'm afraid, especially after years of vocal Soriku shippers who, unlike you, despised Kairi making their voices heard online clearly caused Kairi deemed to be bad for business among the core consumer base. Why put in effort writing for the most hated character?

Secondly, whoever gave that line about Sora and Riku was bullshitting. Maybe it's true now, but it wasn't true early on in the series. Early on, the series was about Sora, Donald and Goofy. Riku was a major supporting player, but so was Kairi, and Namine, and Roxas, and King Mickey, and the whole Traverse Town / Hollow Bastion crew. Unfortunately, the success of CoM (where Sora and Riku have playable campaigns) and KH2 (where the final boss battle is fought with Sora and Riku) imparted the wrong lessons on Nomura and Square Enix, meaning that, following Days and aside from the whole X sub-series, Sora and Riku became the series' dual protagonists. And that choice has been a disaster for all other characters.

#rebootkairi

I can't say this enough, but Kingdom Hearts really needs to reboot Kairi. Current story has sidelined and mistreated her so badly she's become nothing but "damsel-in-distress" and "useless pink girl" in public eyes. With me being a big Kairi fan, I cannot help but feel skeptical about her future. I'm a firm believer that Nomura will do nothing to develop her character arc and make her a good heroine. Because he never intended to. He hates her and he doesn't want to do anything with her ever again. He's the embodiment of Xehanort and his job is to utterly ruin Kairi.

With Western games emphasizing powers of female lead characters and their cultural impacts, I think Disney needs to wipe the slate clean and reboot Kairi as a whole. She's technically a Disney princess, after all, and Disney itself is dry of a good princess character lately. In the new rebooted universe, Kairi should be a main character, remaining faithful to her origin but being treated as a character, not a plot point. Her troubling background with darkness would give her reasons to fight back and prevent dark entities and masters from taking over worlds.

Now what to do with Sora and Riku? Honestly, I don't care. The two had their fair share of spotlight. They can be put aside to bring fresh characters or other less known KH characters as part of rebooting. I used to emphasize Sokai, but now I'm more on "meh". Because Sora would not make a good boyfriend based on what happened. If I sound like an angry toxic feminist, I'm NOT. I just hate soriku cringe clowns. They act as if Sora and Riku are only KH characters, forcing their shipping in most toxic ways. They, along with incompetent writing, made me absolutely despise KH lately. With more games, even Nintendo's Peach game, emphasizing more on female character development, what they did to Kairi is just an embarrassment. It's better off burnt to the ground and started all over.

[iamnmbr3]

Another day. Another questionable interview from someone involved with the production. This time the Director (who to her credit at least is better than Mike Waldron in that she is able to say she likes Loki’s character whereas his interviews drip with open disdain and disrespect and he can’t even pretend otherwise). (x)

Kate Herron: But Loki doesn't have many friends, you know? He builds this friendship with Mobius across the second episode.

Here again we get out-of-universe confirmation that the narrative framing of Mobius in a positive light is intentional. Mobius is not Loki’s friend. He’s his captor and his torturer. Loki isn’t on equal footing with Mobius. They don’t even have a boss-employee relationship. LOKI WAS MOBIUS’S SLAVE until he escaped. He was being held against his will and coerced under threat of death to work for Mobius and his organization without compensation. That is slavery. And it’s not ok. 

Mobius also berated him by telling him that he is inherently evil and monstrous - the very things that drove him to suicide. Mobius is complicit in acts of torture, genocide, murder, privacy violation, and  police brutality and shows no signs of having any problem with it. He’s no more Loki’s friend than Thanos or the Black Order are. 

When has he ever treated Loki with dignity or respect? Even if we ignore all the horrific stuff, he’s just plain not nice to Loki. He constantly mocks and belittles him and never takes his side. That’s not a how a friend behaves!  That’s how a bully behaves! Where is the basis for this friendship??!!

Kate Herron: “And obviously, we're seeing it through Loki and Sylvie's POV. You know, neither of them are good or bad. A complete, pure good hero would probably join the queue and be like, "Well, hopefully we'll get on the train." But they're not those characters. They're going to try and get on it.”

They snuck onto a train??? That’s what she thinks a grey character is? That’s so dull! Loki was a complex and grey character. Larry (as I call the tv show character) and Sylvie...got on a train without a ticket. That’s laughable! That doesn’t make me think about complex morality or issues. And c’mon. All the heroic Avengers have done that level of rule breaking MANY times and they don’t lose their “pure good hero status.” Tony Stark constantly does things like that! I want Loki back. HE is a grey character. But I haven’t seen him in the show so far. Instead I get Larry the watered down clown. 

Kate Herron: “When Loki and Mobius are at Pompeii, for example, that's shown through Loki's POV, right? He's joyous and he cracked the case. Pompeii was horrific, but we're seeing it through his perspective and he's in a completely different headspace.”

You know a scene can have more than one emotion right? Like he could be happy about solving the case but also horrified at the destruction of Pompeii? Instead he is laughing at the people who are about to die horrifically and seems to have no compassion for them whatsoever. Sure people can headcanon reasons why he behaved that way (and more power to them. Fixing dumb canon is what fandom is all about!) but the narrative framing is to me pretty clearly lighthearted and the director confirms that intent. There seems to be no awareness that by having Loki behave so callously it makes him come across as incredibly cruel. Far more than he ever was in canon. 

In Thor 2011 Thor is laughing while slaughtering Jotnar (as is considered appropriate in his culture) but Loki isn’t. He kills when he has to but he doesn’t enjoy it, something that’s unusual for the culture he was raised in. This Pompeii scene could’ve been a great time to see Loki’s more compassionate side as he looks at the people who are going to die. We could’ve seen some real conflict from him. And it would’ve been a great moment to start introducing the concept that he’s more than just a simple villain to more casual viewers. Instead, although they think they’re “redeeming” Larry over the course of the show they’ve made him far worse and more villainous. I wish they had hired an experienced Director who also understands Loki - like Kenneth Brannaugh!!! - rather than a Director who has never headed up a major project before. Though even the best Director couldn’t fix the abysmal and ooc script and story Mike Waldron came up with. 

Kate Herron: “I think that's the thing that's really key for her is that she's a completely original character, completely born out of our writers, and that, for me, was exciting.” 

Remember when I said Sylvie is the favored OC? Called it. 

Kate Herron: “The train scene I love because Loki doesn't get many wins and it's nice to see him having a nice sing-song. He's just enjoying himself. Because I think that's such a funny way, as well, to show the difference between him and Sylvie is that she's on a mission. She's like, "We're going to get off this moon." And when she's offered a drink, she's like, "No, thank you."

WOW. I hate this SO much. So suddenly Sylvie gets to act more like Loki and Loki suddenly doesn’t know how to be subtle and is just a dumb clown messing everything up. C’mon! This is absolutely ridiculous. This is not Loki silvertongue. This is not the Loki who tried to diffuse the situation on Jotunheim and almost succeeded. This is not the Loki who was always a restraining voice in Thor’s ear. They’ve turned Sylvie into discount Loki without any depth or complexity or vulnerability and they’ve turned Loki into discount Thor ft. dumb clown! Absolutely outrageous. 

Kate Herron: “everything is not what it seems and even in our design, people have picked up on certain things. Like the way that they dress, or the posters and that there's something a bit more going on there.”

If the TVA actually turn out to be twist villains I will laugh SO hard; I’d say that twist is too dumb even for Marvel but...it’s really not! Like. Guys. If they’re gonna be TWIST villains you have to not have them do obviously villainous things on screen!!!! BECAUSE THEN IT’S NOT A TWIST!!!!

From the moment we meet them we see them commit acts of police brutality, murder, genocide, trial without due process, enslavement, privacy violation, and torture IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE FREE WILL. Like. They are literally the most evil organization in the MCU. Even Thanos can’t compare. So having them be revealed as villains will fall flat. Because the twist isn’t the audience learning new information or the main character learning it. It’s just the narrative suddenly acknowledging it and treating their atrocities seriously. So the twist is in the real world not the show. And it’ll make Larry look like an even bigger idiot than he already does if he’s suddenly like “Wait the people who tortured and enslaved me are evil?! What?!??!” (I stg if he has to fight miss minutes in the end like I joked about I will lose it).

Also. Why make it a twist?! When you treat the villains as a joke it robs the narrative of tension. Their acts of evil should’ve been acknowledged from the beginning in order to create sympathy for the protagonist and tension in the narrative as we watch him try to escape this situation! Smh. The only funny joke in this series is how badly the writing fails. 

[amive2567]

Characters: Tamaki Amjiki x GNReader; Izuku Midoryia x FemReader; Shouto Todoroki x GNReader; Hitoshi Shinsou x GNReader; Katsuki Bakugou x GNReader

Warnings: mention of period, pranks, fluff, swearing, OOC characters (maybe?), suggestive themes in Bakugous part,

Summary: As a famous Herowatcher(Youtuber), you wanted to film a video about how your boyfriend's reaction to your prank.

Words: Tamaki:366 Izuku:532 Shouto:590 Hitoshi:416 Katsuki:528

In the last few weeks, you saw a lot of videos about partners pranking each other. There were different pranks they did, and you decided to pull the fainting prank on your boyfriend.

You both planned to train outside today. To record your prank, you set up a camera in a bush so that Tamaki wouldn't notice it. You felt a bit guilty about that what you were going to do. But still, you wanted to execute your plan. The sun was pretty warm, which gave you the perfect conditions to do this. You were doing jumping jacks but suddenly stopped.

Your prank is starting now. "Are you ok?" asked Tamaki, who noticed your behavior change. You nodded but stumbled to your water bottle. Before you could reach it, you "passed out". "Sunshine?" he froze in his tracks and was paralyzed as you tried not to react to his anxious cry for you. He kneeled beside you. His thumb caressed your cheek, and you felt that his hand was shaking. "Are you ok? Oh, I had to watch out better. If I only had reacted immediately, I am so sorry." his voice was breaking. He took your legs and held them high. He tried to stabilize your circulation. "Please wake up," mumbled Tamaki anxiously.

Now you decided to clear things off. "Darling, it's a prank," you said. "What? Why would you do that?" he asked, confused. "I saw it on the internet and wanted to try it, but I didn't want to scare you." You sat up and hugged him tightly.

After a couple of minutes, you broke away from him. "See, there is the camera." You pointed to the bush. Embarrassed, he hid his face in the crook of your neck.

After the two of you finished the actual training, you edited the video and posted it on Herowatch. In the next few days, the video had a couple of thousands of likes, views, and comments:

SuneaterfanNo.1: God, he was so worried about them. I wish I had such a boyfriend.

User219: I am feeling like a single pringle right now. :(

FanfictionAdict: Because of your videos, my expectations of getting a partner are way too high.

Precisely you tried to adjust the camera on a shelf between a bunch of All Might figures. You hoped he wouldn't notice the camera you put there. Izuku was still working, but he had to be home soon. That was the perfect moment to prepare your prank. You switched patiently between the different apps on your phone until a message popped up.

I am only changing and showering at the agency. After that, I will come home.

Alright, see you soon, love. Oh, could you please bring some chocolate on your way home?

Sure, see you, honey.

See you too.

You laid your phone on the nightstand, patiently waiting for your husband to come home. You feel bad pranking Izuku after his stressful day, saving the lives of probably many children and adults, but special situations needed special measures. It was probably totally worth it to see his reaction to your "horrible cramps". He was such a sweetheart. It would probably give him a heart attack. Well, now, with this thought, you felt a bit worse.

After some time passed, the door opened, and your boyfriend entered your decent flat. Now was your time to show the world that you didn't suck at acting. "I am home." shouted the green-haired pro hero through your flat. "In the living room." You tried to sound like you would be in pain.

Apparently, it was convincing in less than a second Izuku was next to you. "What happened? Where does it hurt?" Sometimes he was too observant for his own good. "My stomach hurts so much." "Oh, can you think of a reason? Did you eat something bad? I will get you a hot water bottle." He rushed to the open kitchen to prepare the hot-water bottle. "I am probably getting my period." You grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly. "Ahhh." you groaned extra dramatically. "Do you want to take some painkillers?" "Yes, please." He took the hot water bottle out of the microwave. With quick steps, he got back to your side. Gently, he took away the pillow and replaced it with the water bottle. "I get you the painkillers." With those words, he rushed to the bathroom.

"We don't have any painkillers." Shouted Izuku apologetically. "That's fine." "I can buy you some. You shouldn't have to be in pain, honey." He came back to you. "There is no need to." A mischievous smile spread across your face. "How can you smile when you're in pain?" "Because I am not." If you got asked who best embodied a question mark, it would be your husband. "What?" "It was a prank." you laughed. "See, there is the camera." You pointed toward the pile of All Might figures. His shoulders lost the tension, and he hugged you tightly. "I am glad you are alright."

On the same evening, you edited the video and uploaded it on Herowatch. Since you were the wife of the number one hero of Japan, the video went viral.

ASinglePerson: The poor man was so worried. He is such a cutie.

Deku'sgreatestfan: Ahhh, Deku is so great. I love him.

SomeoneYouWillNeverMeet: We need more Y/N x Deku videos. You guys are so cute.

Balancing on a ladder, you tried to mount the camera on the high bookshelf. You hoped Shouto wouldn't notice the camera you put on there. Since he was still working, you could prepare perfectly for your prank, or rather reaction video. The number of times you had already pranked him wasn't high, but every seldom time it was funny to see his reaction.

While waiting for Shouto to come home, you filmed your intro and arranged your new sleeping place on the couch. You waited patiently for him, and when the key in the door turned, you knew it was time to pull out your acting skills. Habitually you would greet him with a hug and a kiss, but today everything had to be like you planned it. "I am home." You needed to pull yourself together that you didn't answer. The silent treatment was the best thing you could think of at the moment. If you started to talk, you would probably tell him the truth. "Y/N?" asked the heterochromatic man again. You heard his tranquil steps coming closer to the living room.

As he entered the room, his eyes immediately locked with yours. His eyes were filled with confusion, seeing you on the couch covered in your blanket that you usually use to sleep. "Are you ok?" You nodded. Now it was getting serious. "Everything is fine. I merely want to sleep on the couch today." "Why?" "I think you can answer that yourself." The poor man had no clue what you were talking about. He knew he did the laundry, helped you with your documents at the agency, and made your food. What had he forgotten?

You pulled the blanket over your body to signal to him that this conversation is over. Without a word, he took out a book from the shelf, and you worried that he saw the camera. He sat down in the armchair next to the couch. The only sound you could hear was the flipping of the pages. At that moment, you loved him even more. He respected your privacy and decisions more than every other person in your life ever did. "I am going to sleep now, have a blessed night." He put a bookmark in the book and put it back on the shelf. You felt strange not to go with him to bed.

As he said, he went to bed, and the flat the two of you lived in was unusually quiet. It was strange laying alone in the dark. You were so used to his presence that you couldn't sleep. Now you regretted not clearing the prank. A ruffling sound in the darkness caught your attention. "Shouto?" you asked into the dark. "Y/N, I am so sorry. Whatever I did, I did it unintentionally. I never wanted to hurt your feelings. I can't sleep without you. Can I sleep next to you?" Quietly Shouto came closer to your unusual sleeping place. "Of course you can. I am so sorry. It was just a prank." You swung the covers aside and ran into his arms. Gladly, the moon lit up the living room so didn't walk into the furniture. "Let us go to bed," you suggested.

The next day, you edited the video and uploaded it. Since you were the lover of the number two hero in Japan, your video blew up.

randomperson: Where can you get a bf like this?

NoName: He is such a sweetheart. I wish I had such a boyfriend.

SingleLikeAPringle: I feel so single with your videos.

It was finally your day off of hero work, so you decided to drag Shinsou to a cat café. That was one of your two intentions. Your second intention was to prank him a bit. Your Foryoupage on TikTok particularly exploded with "What would you do if I go back to my ex." - Pranks. Since you developed a big community on Herowatch, you wanted to make a short video about it too.

Secretly you recorded the two of you entering the cat café. You know how much Hitoshi hated the attention, so you often recorded your videos alone. But not today. Today was the day the whole world can see that Y/N L/N has a boyfriend. Well, not today exactly, because you had to edit the video so that Hitoshi can't be seen properly. Besides, you didn't want him to make him feel uncomfortable. This was just a way to get rid of the creepy people of the internet.

You ordered your drinks, and Hitoshi was already occupied with stroking the first cat. You placed the camera inconspicuously on the floor, so only Hitoshi's legs could be seen. "You know if we broke up, I would go back to my ex." you suddenly said and waited for his reaction. He casually looked up from the cat and nodded. "That's fine. I would also like to go back to my ex." "What..?" you stuttered, trying not to choke on your saliva. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "You heard right. I would go back to my ex." "You're joking." "Maybe. Maybe not." Now he couldn't hold back small laughter.

"Alright, jokes aside. You're practically binge-watching all those "What would you do if I go back to my ex." - Pranks. I know what you were trying to do. We are both aware that we are the exes with whom we get back together." He said calmly. "You retrolled me," you exclaimed loudly. "That's what you get when you mess with me, kitty cat." he winked at you. "Yeah, whatever." you scoffed and petted the cat in your lap.

The next morning, you edited the video, and looking back on yesterday, it was a bit funny.

InternetAdict: He is a smart guy. You are a lucky person.

VoiceKink: His voice is so soothing. Can I get his voice somewhere?

LoveYou: Your videos are so great. We need more of your secret boyfriend. We don't even need to see his face. His voice is enough to make someone go weee.

It was a rare occasion that your boyfriend Katsuki was at home, but today was the day. Because of that, you had to take your chance. Since your boyfriend is the most observant person on this planet. There was no way to hid a camera, so you used your phone instead.

He was currently next to you in the kitchen and cooked dinner for both of you. You often volunteered to help him, but he said your cooking skills were worse than Todorokis, which was something you had never thought. The Bakusquad, and you still believe that he watched too many shows with Gordon Ramsay as a child. He definitely adopted his behavior in the kitchen. Only today, you tried to ignore him, only for the sake of seeing his reaction. You sat on the barstool in front of your kitchen counter and pretended to do something on your cell phone. Even if you were actually only filming. Let the fun begin.

"Oi, babe, pass me the curry." Usually, you would have corrected him about the way he demands things, but now you just ignored him. He turned around and watched you. "Alright, I am getting it myself." You looked so concentrated on your phone that he didn't want to distract you. It went on like this for what felt like hours until Katsuki was done with cooking your food. He put the steaming plate in front of you, then he sat down next to you. You were still on your phone, so Katsuki snatched it out of your hands. "Hey." You exclaimed and immediately covered your mouth with your hands. Great, now the prank was ruined. "Why are you covering your mouth like that. Are you finally gonna talk to me now?" Still, you wanted to last a bit longer, so you kept quiet. "Fine, then not."

The two of you ate in silence till Katsuki had enough. "Alright, dumbass, what's wrong? You usually never shut up, and now your all quiet and stuff. Did somebody hurt you? I'll beat their ass. They're gonna die." he growled. You had to suppress a chuckle. Sometimes he could be so caring. Well, at least in his own individual way. "Then don't talk to me. I didn't want to know it anyway." Now you couldn't stand it any longer. "Why are you laughing, dumbass?" he asked bewildered. "I was just kidding. Everything is fine. Never thought you'd care so much about me." "Yeah, I care about your stupid ass. Now I want an apology. A good one with physical effort, if you know what I mean." He winked, and you got it. The video you wanted to film was long forgotten as you dragged him closer to the bedroom.

In the evening, you found your phone on the counter. Immediately you started to edit this whole thing. You finished late at night and finally got to upload the video on Herowatch.

Tsunderefan123: He is such a tsundere, but a lovely one.

SingleMom: Every time I watch your videos where he is involved, I feel so single.

Adviceseeker: Tell me a secret, how can you get a guy like him?

[disney-rapunzel-merida-vanellope]

How did you not like the Tangled series?! It was amazing! The new characters were interesting, the development of existing characters and their relationships was great (especially Rapunzel and Eugene, the series made me ship them so much more), and the songs were epic! It wasn't perfect of course, there were definitely things that could've been better, but you can say that about anything.

I’m sorry I hate it so much 😭 it’s personal

I didn’t actually started by hating it. The movie had some issues but I liked it enough to continue with the series. I liked the series ok enough, and then the episode with the queens twin sister came out and I just stopped watching. I looked back at everything that had happened so far in the series and I just realized it wasn’t the tangled I knew and loved

My main issue is Rapunzel. Rapunzel is my fave fictional character of all time. So why is she the worst character in her own tv show? 😭 she annoys tf out of me, I had to stop watching, I couldn’t let them ruin my baby like that in front of me. When Cassandra was sick and she kept bugging her cause she can’t hear a no! RAPUNZEL HAS HEARD NOS ALL HER LIFE, SHES NOT DUMB SHE CAN TAKE A HINT. Or when she went to great lengths to make the candy man like her???? WHY WHY WHY. They made her so incredibly ooc, annoying, dumb, sometimes even mean ugh no

Besides Rapunzel, I just felt like the series had too many cartoon tropes that I hate.

I hate how the episode about the queen’s twin has the exact same plot as the one with maximus’ horse rival, but the outcomes are completely different.

I hate how sometimes cartoons have this huge disconnect between what the authors intended and what the audience takes it as. For example, some actions were supposed to be bad for with no malice but they just came across as cruel to me. Something that shouldn’t be a big deal is to me and something that is a big deal wasnt to me. Idk how to explain but I remember a lot of discourse at the time when the episode where Rapunzel applies to the games came out. A lot of people had many different opinions about Cassandra’s actions, it they were forgivable or just mean. To me, looking back at what I remember, she was a complete bitch and Rapunzel forgave her way too quickly like it was no big deal. I hate how miserable they made arianna feel in the twins episode but then made her feel like she was unreasonably jealous. Or how they made Maximus go through the same thing, made him seem unreasonably jealous except this time he was right. Idk if I’m making sense, but stuff like that. There’s just disconnect on what they want me to take away and what I actually take away u know

I stopped early on the series but I know about the whole "eugene is a prince" and "cass is gothel’s daughter" and I’m glad I left cause holy shit it’s worse than the most amateur fanfic. I don’t care about context WHY IS EUGENE A PRINCE???? NO STOP IT! And eugene was my fave in the show so whyyyyyyyy make him have that backstory……….

I should have known they’d pull shit like this the moment they found an excuse to bring her long hair back but I was blind cause I love her blonde hair so much I didn’t see the writings on the wall

To be fair, the first thing my sister said when she looked at cass was "that’s gothels daughter" and holy shit I did not listen. Cass was a character that I sometimes liked, sometimes didn’t. But looking back she just comes across as a"strong female character" with no much substance to contrast with the annoying dumb girly Rapunzel

I hate what they did to the king. He wouldn’t act like that. I’m sorry but one of Disney’s best scenes of all time is the scene where he cries in front of his wife before they release the lantern. That man is not the same man I saw on the show. "But a 30 sec scene of him crying is not enough to make u say that" IT IS! IT IS!!!! He would rather die than hurt Rapunzel I know it. So why is he an asshole in the show????

The art style is ok but i honestly doesn’t remind me of rapunzel’s art style. I know it would be hard to replicate it but it just doesn’t. And the colors……… I knoooooow it’s a cartoon and the target audience is even younger than the one from the movie but gosh I’m blind. Why is her hair so yellow it looks like it’s shinning 24\7 and why is her dress such an ugly purple when her dress used to be such a beautiful lilac?????????????

I don’t remember much of the songs but they were good enough I think. Alan Mencken deserves better jobs tho. Bring him back to the movies I swear to god

I know the world of tangled, specially the kingdom of corona, werent specially developed. Like, the world building was good enough but not deep, u know. So I feel like it’s easy as fans to fill the gaps and imagine lore for ourselves. What they did on the show is complete different from the lore I imagined but I also feel like some aspects and details don’t go AT ALL with the small world building they DID DO in the movie. The detail I always nitpick on is Rapunzel’s wig in the movie. It just took me out. The world of tangled just doesn’t seem to go hand in hand with huge white French wigs or dresses for that matter, I’m sorry but never in my life did I imagine it would. This is just a nitpick I suppose but I felt these little disconnects through out the series.

All and all, it shits on everything I love about the movie

All I need is the movie, short and illustrated books. The series is not canon to me

This was just a quick messy rant I wrote rn on the spot from memory, cause I’m very passionate about the movie but very hateful for the series