#(<- for clarification this is joking this is mocking)

[mephoj]

water post bc i do not want the op to see this but good lort. where am i

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | September 9th-15th 2024

10 days until season 8!!! 👀

I'm gonna try and put together a rec of my favourite post-S6 and 7 fics before S8 starts!

If you know anyone who isn't tagged, please let me know and/or tag them in the comments!

Complete

everything comes out teenage by Wildehack (tyleet)/ @wildehacked (First Date | 1K | Mature): “Hey,” Buck says carefully, remembering how he felt when it was his turn on Eddie’s side of the table. “You doing okay over there?”

Loving You is Easy by actualalligator/ @actualalligator (Post-S7 Spec, Getting Together | 1K | General): Nothing good happens after 9:30, Abuela always said. Sometimes good things do happen after 9:30. Sometimes they're important too.

how to slay a dragon by 42hrb/ @exhuastedpigeon (Post-S7 Spec, Getting Together | 2K | General): Buck didn't know what to expect when he walked into the Han house. He definitely hadn’t expected to see Eddie sitting on the floor with Jee in front of him carefully french braiding her hair. He also hadn’t expected Eddie to be wearing a pink sparkly tiara. He definitely hadn’t expected Eddie to smile up at Buck when he saw him with soft eyes, eyes that didn’t feel like looking into an ocean of sadness, and carefully tie the end of one of the braids he was working on with a little bow. If Buck had ovaries he was pretty sure they would be exploding. 

Here's the Punchline... by misterbabygirl (Getting Together, Post-S4 | 2K | Teen): OR: The 118 find out about the will and start a running joke about Eddie being careful otherwise Buck would end up as a single parent. Eddie tries to make the same joke.

be someone by bucksclipboard/ @excuseme-greentea (Post-S7, Pre-Buddie | 2K | Teen): A call leaves Buck wondering if he’ll ever be a parent. Not just a donor, a dad. A great dad. Chimney tries to convince him of his qualities – and Eddie has a hard time staying quiet. or: eddie thinks buck already is someone to chris

encounters closer and closer by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (Outsider POV, Media Fic | 2,5K | Teen): OR: a group of friends asks the question what's the deal with buckley and diaz?

the clarification of equilibrium by Maira/ @carrierofthepaperclips (Post-S7 Spec, Jealous Eddie, Getting Together | 3K | Teen): “He leaned?” “Exactly. You know,” Eddie waves a hand. “Leaning.” Buck blinks. He knows he isn’t that drunk, but it honestly feels like he is. “You keep saying that word. I don’t think it means what-” “Leaning, Buck!” Eddie is clearly frustrated that Buck isn’t getting what he’s trying to say, but for two people who are usually on the same wavelength, who are often (lovingly) mocked for their ability to communicate without saying a word, Buck is hopelessly lost as far as this conversation goes. * ... or, the one where Eddie gets jealous about a conversation, and attempts to explain how body positioning works.

every dead-end street led you straight to me by ameliahart (Post-S7 Spec | 5K | Teen): Or, five times one of their exes mistakenly assumed Eddie was Buck's new boyfriend, and one time the ex was right.

i don't believe in god, but i believe that you're my savior by justhockey (Post-S7 Spec, Eddie Sexuality Crisis | 6K | Teen): The first thing that happens is a Catholic church in the too-hot Texan heat; Eddie’s hands are damp with sweat and he wipes his palms across his best trousers. His Abuelo smacks the back of his hand to get him to stop and Eddie balls them into tiny fists, slips them beneath his thighs so he isn’t tempted to fidget. So he listens. Listens to the priest, and his droning, and his fire and brimstone, burning-in-hell, shameshameshame talk. The first thing that happens is Eddie is born. Born wrong, born twisted, born sinning. He spends the rest of his life trying to make up for it.

I'll Be Your Safe Haven by eightpackdiaz (Safe Haven Baby Box, Alternate Canon | 6K | Teen): A Safe Haven Baby Box is installed at the Station 118 firehouse. Buck's really good with the surrendered babies.

doesn't take a scientist to understand what's going on by Chash / @ponyregrets (Post-S7 Spec, Getting Together | 8K | Teen): Eddie is already struggling with having realized he has a thing for Buck and trying to figure out what to do about said thing when Buck finds out he needs glasses. Which means that Eddie also finds out he's really into Buck in glasses. He would prefer to not know this.

🔥 One Hundred Miles an Hour In My Head by Chash/ @ponyregrets (Post-S7 Spec, Jealous Buck | 8K | Teen): Buck sort of assumed that, at some point, he'd evolve out of being needy and insecure. And, to be fair, in some ways, he probably has. He feels a lot more confident existing in the world than he did when he was a kid. He's sure he has the right job, and he mostly thinks that if he got hurt badly enough that he couldn't be a firefighter anymore, he'd figure out another thing to do and another way to help people instead of spiraling like he did after his leg got crushed. He knows who he is, and he knows that he's valued for it. Sometimes, he even thinks stuff might someday be good with his parents. And then there's Eddie.

karma is a cat (purring in my lap) by cuddlyobrien (Post-S7 Spec, Eddie Sexuality Crisis | 8K | Teen): Eddie finds a kitten, realizes he’s gay, falls in love with Buck and apologizes to Chris. Not in that order but kind of?

all of the girls you loved before by Wildehack (tyleet)/ @wildehacked (Post-S7, Getting Together | 9K | Explicit): Buck finishes the math on his fingers, and holds up one spread-wide hand. “Uh,” he says. “I mean, I’ve got a top five?” Everyone groans. - Buck's top five sexual experiences, plus one mediocre handjob.

Please (I've Been On My Knees) by Bookworm0303/ @insertlovelyperson (Canon, S2-S7, Post S7 Spec | 10K | Teen): The five times Buck and Eddie confide in one another about their failed relationships, and the one time they don’t have to.

Clammed Up by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Murder/Mystery | 11K | Teen): Captain Gerrard dies suspiciously at a murder mystery party held at Tommy Kinard's condo, with most of the 118 present. As the case unfolds, Athena finds she no longer knows who among her friends she can trust.

🔥 Next Best by Nejinee/ @nejineeee (A/B/O AU | 20K | Explicit): Eddie had been very clear that they needed to keep their relationship stuff off the job. That meant no make-outs, no groping of asses, and no sexy stuff. Buck was fine with that. (Part 2 of Second Best Series)

🔥 fuck it if i can't have us (series) by Wildehack (tyleet)/ @wildehacked (Post-S7 Spec | 2/? | 35K | Explicit)

i love you but i need another year (Post-S7, Eddie Sexuality Crisis | 14K | Explicit): If Eddie were still a practicing Catholic, this is the kind of shit he’d go to confession about. — Eddie watches porn, experiences revelation, replies to a lot of text messages. down bad, crying at the gym (Post S7, BuckTommy Break-Up | 21K | Explicit): On Tuesday Buck tells Tommy he loves him. On Thursday he’s giving his best friend a ride to the airport, and they’re pulling up to LAX, and Eddie says “I love you.” — Buck cooks a lot of food, thinks about love, takes pictures of local wildlife.

WIP

how come everybody's dancing but you? by showedupatyourparty (Post-S7 Spec, Eddie Sexuality Crisis | 1/4 | 7K | Mature): Buck feels guilty. Everyone he loves is going through something painful, difficult, or unexpected right now. And Buck is just…bisexual. It’s great that he’s figured it out, and it’s great that everyone has been so supportive, and Tommy is—Tommy is fine. The sex is good, at least. Consistent. When Buck gets a call from Eddie’s phone late on a Tuesday night in June, it’s cause for concern. * Buck unpacks his own feelings about his recently-discovered bisexuality. Eddie gets adopted by drag queens. They're both just trying their best to be happy.

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (Demon Buck, Canon Divergent | 10/? | 18K | Teen): Buck is a demon with the power to help with pregnancy, childbirth, and infant health. When the Buckleys make a deal asking for someone to help 'save their baby', Buck leaps at the chance as it will give him what he's always wanted: a life on earth. But demon deals are tricky and neither of them gets quite what they're after. This is Buck's journey as he navigates growing up on earth and remembering how to help those in need.

[nymphbroadcast]

Diasomnia x MC! like Vaggie

⊹Sinopsis⊹ೃ🐉⋆ The Diasomnia boys with a MC! Or Yuu like Vaggie.

⊹Relationship⊹ೃ🐉⋆ Fall in love/ Free of interpretation.

⊹¡FEM! MC/Yuu/Lector ⊹ೃ 🐉

⋆⊹Clarifications: I decided that the reader will have almost the same story as Vaggie, the reader will be a ''Fallen Angel'' but you are free to change it, in this case since I am such a SIMP for Malleus I made it directly as a love relationship, however you are free to decide.

⊹Vaggie's Analysis⊹ೃ 🐉⋆

• Vaggie is someone who does not trust quickly, due to her abusive and unfair past towards her, she is on the defensive most of the time, she is someone serious and diligent, she is also protective of those she cares about, sometimes she can be little patience, she usually uses force more when she feels conflicts nearby since it is the way she learned to solve conflicts, she has an inferiority complex and self-hatred, due to her upbringing and education she is very good in hand-to-hand combat, she is not afraid to risk her life frequently in moments of danger, she dislikes talking or remembering her past, she has emotional traumas, she has honest love to give and has always believed that there are more ways to use justice than just force, Vaggie He also believes in the idea of ​​sincere redemption and tolerance.

Malleus Draconia

🐉 Malleus is fascinated, no joke, this man is in heaven. YOU ARE A REAL ANGEL!!!

🐉 Malleus immediately notices the celestial "aura" in you, which although attenuated, still remains within you and thanks to his agile mind Malleus relates you to the old stories and legends he read about "celestial beings" who had many functions and cannot help be delighted with your existence.

🐉 Although with their interactions, Malleus grows a doubt in his head: "Where are your wings?" is what he asks himself when he remembers having read that most, if not all, angels have at least a pair of wings, however he thinks that it may be a private issue if you have not mentioned it and therefore neither does he, he thinks that you will eventually.

🐉 With every interaction you two have, Malleus falls more and more into an unconscious infatuation, you are serious but not insensitive, you are respectful but not distant or fearful, you are witty but also emotional... You are practically perfect in his eyes.

🐉 Even though you're not supposed to have magic, Malleus doesn't care in the slightest! He even finds it exceptional that you have excellent fighting skills that allow you to immobilize beings more powerful than you and without an advantage like magic, he must say that he never gets tired of watching you train.

🐉 Malleus is relieved that you're an Angel, that means he won't have to worry about seeing you away from him anytime soon! Plus: you have a human charm, but with the skills of a fairy, the best of both worlds! The dragon boy is happy! (Chapter 7)

🐉 Your constant protective attitude amuses Malleus, you can see him with a characteristic mysterious and somewhat mocking smile of his when you try to intervene to protect him, even when you know that he has more than enough power to protect himself you still try to do it for him!

"Oh could you be more adorable, Daughter of Heaven?"

🐉 For Malleus who is hungry for love and contact, you are a rest, you remind him of the soft moonlight that provides company and security in the darkness of the night. You hug him, kiss him and even do small but long-awaited acts for him, such as: taking him by the waist, carrying him in your arms, taking him to do little dances while you hum a song. Malleus thanks any type of supreme entity for letting you come into his life to give him all your love.

🐉 Without realizing it, Malleus notices something curious: your attitude is not usually the stereotype that someone would have of an angel, you are like "an angel with the attitude of a demon" and in your eyes, Malleus can be physically intimidating, even mistaken for a demon, but his personality... In your eyes he is more worthy of being called an angel than you... Say it for him and you will have an adorable dragon boy sobbing out of tenderness and with a ring just for you 💚

🐉 I have a Small Scenario:

(After his Overblot) You and Malleus are in his room in Diasomnia, you see how distraught he is and how overwhelmed he feels by everything he did: guilt and sadness encompass most of his heart, but you know perfectly well What to do: You take his much larger hand in yours, giving him your "Are you okay?" look... Malleus brings his gaze towards you, he still has those hateful emotions in him and you leave the words aside and simply sing:

🎶"You've already done so much. So many lives you've changed. So many souls you've touched. And in the end, if it's only me you've saved..."🎶

Malleus watches you, somewhat surprised because you never sing, especially in such a... sincere way... Somehow, it seems like he knows what you will say and sings along with you.

🎶"There's something that I've been dying to say

More than anything, more than anything

Need you to know I love you more than anything~

More than anything~"🎶

And finally you and Malleus seal your eternal, deep and sincere love with a kiss... Knowing that no matter what, your love can illuminate even the deepest and darkest pits of hell... And you smile, knowing that Malleus is calm now, with you.

🐉 Malleus already refers to you as his future wife, you are everything he has always longed for and you finally feel understood and supported by him, both create a couple not only powerful... But also what proves that love is everything that unites all types of beings, humans, Faes, Angels and more...

🐉 With everything said, Malleus knows that thanks to you he will no longer have to hide or pretend to be something he is not because you are capable of threatening even the entire world for him and he will do the same for you, so Malleus writes a letter to his grandmother and the entire government of Briar Valley that says they must prepare, because when he returns the first thing he will do is form a future with you and his beloved family (Lilia, Silver, Sebek and You), accepting everything that comes with it and of all kinds of species and this time... He does not will make the same mistakes as his parents.

Lilia Vanrouge

🩸 "Oya~? What's an adorable little angel like you doing in a place like Night Raven College, mhh? Oh you look like a cute moth~!"

🩸 Lilia discovers you almost immediately, thanks to his many centuries alive it is relatively easy for him to identify a person's race. (Spoiler: Lilia's age is 700 years according to Chapter 7)

🩸 Despite the above, Lilia had never seen an Angel or fallen Angel in person, only one or another story from books or war legends that deal with Angels. (Chapter 7)

🩸 So knowing the current Lilia, you have an adorable Vampire Fae asking you thousands of things, although it is difficult for you to talk about it, you always try to be polite and calm when interacting with him, you can't resist to his cuteness.

🩸 When you decide to open up and tell him about your past, Lilia accepts that perhaps you and he have more in common than it seems... Lilia understands what it is to live through wars and kill without really wanting it, so you have him there to support you and feel calmly accepting that tragic past together. (Chapter 7)

🩸 In a way Lilia is relieved, being an Angel or Fallen Angel you will live almost as long if not longer than a Fae and that means she won't have to worry about seeing you die soon.

🩸 Lilia has exceptional skills as a soldier and former right-hand woman of Princess Maleanor, however, being the former second-in-command of your former army, he can recognize your fierceness and determination as a warrior, and he even declares a tie between you and him. (Chapter 7)

🩸 Lilia can also identify in you your immense capacity to love... Sometimes you bring back memories... He knows that if you turned out to be the girlfriend of one of his Diasomnia children (Malleus, Silver and Sebek) it would be excellent, you are capable of giving your own life for those you love but also You are capable of living for your loved ones.

🩸 On the other hand, if Lilia becomes your partner, he will do everything to see you smile and relax as much as possible, he will make sure to take care of you and make you feel as loved as you love him, without a doubt the love of an Angel (with the attitude of a devil ) and a Demon (with an angel personality).

🩸 Either way, Lilia now has a different way of seeing you and once again accepts that love can live in all types of beings... Mortal or not and with thousands of other differences... Lilia knows how difficult it is to love and lose someone, even losing oneselves in the past and memories and he's proud to see and know that you understand what it means to love despite the obstacles and that you are one of the few who still insists on doing something for others and in creating tolerance and peaceful coexistence between all types of living beings.

Silver

⚔ Silver is fascinated, sincerely fascinated... You are so adorable, like a cute moth (Bombyx mori) looking for the light after being locked in a horrible pit of darkness and sadness.

⚔ Silver wants to learn from you, you are admirable in his eyes: Upright, moral, respectful, strong and determined. A real example for him to follow, especially after seeing your great skills in combat.

⚔ Although Silver soon realizes that you are not only that "soldier" that you usually show with your serious and defensive attitude almost always, showing a softer and gentler side of you when you are calm and that at the same time makes Silver want to learn more and more of you...

⚔ Silver can notice your great determination to defend your ideals, you are kind to everyone you can regardless of their race or gender or even species... Look at Grimm.

⚔ As you watch combat, Silver feels how his already great admiration for you grows... You are skillful and resourceful, and you almost always seek to protect him in one way or another and that causes his heart to beat faster. (Chapter 7)

⚔ With all the new knowledge Silver has acquired since it all began (Malleus Overblot) you have been an anchor on the earth, constantly reminding him that his past or origin is defined by his essence even after a while... You reveal your past to him. (Chapter 7)

⚔ Silver is speechless, but connecting the dots everything agrees... Your past would explain why you are so determined to change mutual hatred and resentments, suggesting a peaceful path with gentleness, Silver knows that you are a true Angel when he can identify that your heart is overflowing of love and pure intentions.

⚔ "I'll punch you if I have to." – Do you remember that line? well, it's canon here. (Chapter 7)

⚔ In the event that you and Silver form a romantic relationship, Silver will know that he will never change you for anything because you are more than perfect in his eyes, especially because of the fact that you love... You love more than anything, regardless of the species. Even if he is "human" and you are an "angel or fallen angel" you both love each other more than anything and thanks to that you will live "happily ever after" as it was meant to be...

⚔ In any case, Silver sees you as someone worthy of admiration in every way and knowing that he can trust you with whatever he needs, he truly believes that you are a true angel and he wants to be even stronger to be a knight worthy of protect you.

Sebek Zigvolt

🐊 Sebek is conflicted... At first he does think that you are a human, an ordinary one and even irritating and unworthy of being at Night Raven College.

🐊 However, he has witnessed your fighting skills and respects you for that, you seem like someone worthy on the battlefield.

🐊 Although in reality Sebek does not make an effort to want to discover anything beyond what you show and although you appreciate it, sometimes you really want Sebek to accept that Humans and Faes are not as different as they believe and as you have always defended.

🐊 It must be said, you and Sebek will have many arguments: Sebek on the one hand tries to ignore and hide the fact of being half-blood and you try to make him understand that both Faes and Humans are equal in many ways and that both races deserve respect.

🐊 So I'm sorry if you thought your interactions with Sebek would be immediately friendly or romantic, you'll have to wait until Chapter 7.

🐊 With everything that Silver, Sebek and you have experienced, it must be said that it is obvious that Sebek's perspective has changed. (Chapter 7)

🐊 In fact! It is during these moments that Sebek realizes the fact that you are not even human but an Angel or Fallen Angel, a being that according to many books and people: a perfect being. (Chapter 7)

🐊 So yes, it is very likely that Sebek wants to apologize for how he treated you on many occasions and since you are an angel (wink) you obviously forgive him and remain friends and maybe something more. (Chapter 7)

🐊 We will have to see Sebek's progress during the remainder of the Chapter, sorry.🥹

🐊 However, you become someone of Sebek's respect and affection, for him you are a type of authoritarian figure who defends tolerance and justice without violence among all types of people regardless of race or species.

Nymph's Note:

I must say that this is my favorite so far, I am very fond of Mal-Mal, Silver and Lilia, so I put a lot of effort into this one, which is the last one in this series and request are officially open!

I hope you enjoyed!

Remeber to tune in, end of this broadcast!

Diasomnia Dorm x MC! Like Vaggie Done!

[olderthannetfic]

It might just be me, but a lot of tone indicators, especially the weirder ones that are harder to guess, come off like they're making fun of me for not being that great with tone.

-- same anon Like, I thought that was the point at first. When I first started seeing tone tags I thought people were mocking autistics for needing clarification. I thought the joke was "who needs someone to come out and tell them that "I like your art" is positive? Isn't it funny how weird and dumb autistic people are for misreading tone?"

I think they're often meant as either condescending white knighting (generally without the person realizing that's the tenor of their thoughts) or they're genuinely being used by autistic people... but in that "If only we sorted all the things into tidy boxes! No one would ever misunderstand again!" way.

Sadly, no amount of clarifying or putting things in little boxes will solve the fact that language is ambiguous.

People don't always know what tone they want to convey or what they're feeling in the first place. Even when they do know, if they write something very poorly and most people would agree it conveys some other tone, they don't get to go "No, I meant X and not Y!" and have everyone ignore what they actually wrote.

Sometimes, a level of ambiguity is intentional and desirable. I don't mean for the purpose of confusing autistic people on purpose like a troll. I mean that a level of ambiguity is part of art and part of how a lot of people communicate.

And sometimes, people just misread one. Maybe they're bad at reading comprehension. Maybe they haven't had their morning coffee. Maybe one wrote something poorly. Maybe it's just a culture clash. The reality is that somebody is going to misunderstand, and that's life.

I often see "This one hack will solve [interpersonal thing] forever!" and it's always nonsense. People and language are messy. The end.

--

For my money, "Only half joking", "genuine question", etc. are perfectly natural phrasings and can just be written out in conventional sentences. (And if a platform doesn't have a long enough post length for that, then it probably sucks anyway and is full of people misunderstanding each other and screaming at each other.) I don't mind "/sarcasm", but I don't think most of the "/" notation is useful, and I dislike "/" + abbreviation.

My least favorite is "/pos", and it's not even for the piece of shit/point of sale issue. The problem, to me, is that this tends to be used in contexts where the person is saying something obviously hostile and rude and then going "tee hee, you aren't allowed to read it negatively". The sentence needs a rephrase if it's supposed to be positive. No amount of tagging it is going to help.

[formylovetodaryldixon]

"Like there was no tomorrow." CH.7—Daryl Dixon.

Chapter Summary: After days and days on the road following the loss of Bob and Tyresse that night in the church, it all comes down to the reunion with your father. But after a revealing conversation, you finally understand why Daryl and you broke up. Then, April asks Daryl an important question before he asks you an important question as well.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reads this story! We got to the moment where you and Daryl agree to form a home for yourselves and for April. Yeeeh. I hope you like it! And one detail, I love Beth but since her death left a void in my heart I didn't write about her here and about Maggie, Daryl and the others suffering because of it. It breaks my heart too much :c (I hope you understand)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

“I have a message for you.” On his knees, Gareth smiled at you, leaving you that memory before he died in God’s house that night. “Daddy’s coming for you, baby, you can’t hide forever.”

Far in the distance, the bus explodes as you continue deeper into the woods, leaving behind a monstrous flame whose warm colors resemble the sunset—a heartbreaking promise for either party, that at the end of this day, some will die.

The ambush. The group splitting up because of those people. April getting lost in the commotion. But now, even with your hair wet, some strands sticking to your face and the raindrops that surprised the summer season still falling down your forehead, nothing blocks your vision of that man when you finally find him: with the cruel, mocking smile on the face of your supposed father who had aged from the inclemency of life, his right hand holding the gun against April’s temple like an expert.

Like a bad joke from a cruel and short life, April relives that hopeless sensation of feeling another gun pointed at her, frozen in fear, but murmuring “mommy” under her breath, tears that get lost under the incessant rain. Always hidden in the shadows because that was where the monsters lived, the man who always tried to break you showed up this afternoon with his people, the person who trapped you in a windowless castle where he kept you as his favorite prisoner, always protected by the gigantic dragon, always small, always afraid.

You can shoot him now, but he had been such a good cop that, in a millisecond, he could shoot April even if he were dying.

“Dad, just let her go, okay? This is between you and me.” In a friendly tone, you lower the long–range weapon you had shoved against your shoulder, so hard that it leaves the bright promise of a bruise even in the dull rain, but the crumbs of your relationship with him make you do so, only to go back to being that helpless little girl who could never live up to putting his life in danger. He always underestimated you, even now. “Whatever problem you have with me, she’s not to blame for anything.”

Your dad lets out a dry, sarcastic and small laugh, but you can feel his repulsive disgust in that sound.

“You’re not my daughter, you never were, you were just a nobody that I kept raising even after your mom died.”

You swallow the pain, but your throat is so dry that you wince. Your mind is racing a mile for minute, and yet, suddenly the world seems clearer with that cold revelation even under the stormy weather, because now you can give meaning to everything, a reason to every word of his, every look, every action from him, to finally stop walking through that father–daughter relationship in the dark, blindly, always lost in the infinite why?

“It’s okay, Jeff, I understand. In fact, my whole life is starting to make more sense now, so thank you for the clarification.” Your tone is calm, an action that masks the painful beating of your racing heart. “But I ask you again, can you let my daughter go, please? Look at her, she's a baby. You don't have to ruin her life, too.”

His free hand holds April's small shoulder, keeping her firm against him.

“Your daughter is pretty, and I guess this is better than the disgusting idea of ​​you getting involved with that nobody, that drug dealer’s younger brother. Daryl, isn't it? Although I can see that the bastard didn’t stay as far away from you as he promised he would.”

Stunned by the thought of him and Daryl meeting in the old world, you feel the lump in your throat.

“You met Daryl?”

Another short laugh answers you before his words do.

“I have to give you credit because you hid your relationship pretty well those years, but I raised you better, sweetheart. Did you really want to end up being the wife of someone like him?”

Your common sense pushes your laughter to the back of your body, because answering sarcasm with more sarcasm would only make his short patience run out faster.

“I still don’t understand; would you mind explaining?”

You want the full story, and Jeff sighs, as if talking about Daryl is so exhausting that it leaves him without any energy.

“I saw you one night when Matt was driving me home. I was a little drunk. You were sitting on someone’s motorcycle outside a bar, and my heart actually jumped for joy at the thought that my son had finally come home…” The few seconds of his smile die cruelly, all under the words that come next. “But then I saw someone come out just to grab your face before kissing you. And I felt sick when Matthew filled me in on who he was. A redneck, a nobody, and worse, the younger brother of a drug dealer who’d been in jail. Not the right image for the police chief, sweetheart.” Jeff clicks his tongue in disapproval, almost convincing you that he had feelings for you. “It was easy to look into their backgrounds, and with a little heavy–handedness, he swore he’d walk away from you rather than see his older brother in jail again. So I guess he didn’t love you as much as he swore he did: you know no man gives up on the woman he truly loves…”

His words hang in the air, only to be carried away by the wind. But like that little boat that finally finds its way to shore thanks to the lighthouse, after having been adrift for so long, it all makes sense, everything you thought life took away with that farewell comes back to you. The end of the relationship, the words, the abrupt end to an affection that only seemed to grow stronger with time, it had all been cut off by a human hand.

There’s peace in knowing the truth, but there’s also anger in knowing that he deprived you of any other kind of love because your so–called father never wanted you to feel any, not from him, not from anyone else—Leaving you lost, feeling nothing. No. That’s a lie because you’re feeling absolutely everything right now. The pain of having been nothing to him. The unbearable pain because you did love him once. And it’s like drowning in the deep sea, feeling the pain of the water invading your lungs. And it’s like dying, but without truly allowing yourself to die.

“Well, you got it, Jeff. That relationship was over long time ago, do you feel better about that, big boy?” You chuckle, sadness masking the sarcasm he always hated hearing from you, and you let out a tired sigh next, like that last breath before you perish on the floor. “I guess your hatred for me makes sense now, because don’t think I never noticed the way you look at me... why do you think I always locked my door? What I don’t understand is why you stayed by my mom’s side like a wimp? Begging for love from the person who apparently cheated on you.” You scoff softly. A drop falls from his lip and the light weight wipes away his winning smile, but his pulse quickens, matching his heartbeat, threatening to destroy everything in a single second. “I honestly thought you died that night, but at the same time, I’m not surprised you ended up in Terminus. You were a cop, but you were never strong enough to do things alone, so I guess someone saved your ass that night, Matthew probably... because even he knew you're not as brave as you think you are.” His brow furrows at the shock of your words, but hatred gleams in his gaze like those days long gone, but never blurred. “I was a kid though, Jeff. So what’s your excuse? What was my sin in all this? What crime did I commit against you?”

But he remains silent, ineloquent and spiteful.

“And Austin, my brother, is he actually your son?”

He nods.

“Okay. Now, let my daughter go, and you and I can work this out.”

But the attempt at a step dies before you can take it as his body tenses, gripping April’s shoulder tighter.

“Mommy…” Her voice is a whisper, a soft cry that barely manages to find its way through her closed throat.

You swallow the fear.

“It’ll be okay, honey, trust me, okay?”

April can see through the terror, eyes bright with tears that are free again, but panic sets in as Jeff tries to take a step back, taking her with him. However, like a slow–motion movie, even your heartbeats slow as an arrow sinks into his shoulder, a loud cry pushing out of him with the pain. And like a slap from life, something breaks in the sky and the rain falls more dreadfully, seconds of bewilderment that April takes to run towards Daryl at the moment you raise the gun again, firing a bullet that sinks to the height of his chest.

You know why Daryl didn’t shoot him in the head, but the instant Daryl holds April as Jeff falls against that tree, you reach out to him before kicking the gun hanging in his hand.

“Are you going to kill me, baby?” He tries to laugh, but the action makes his expression twist in pain.

You let out a defeated sigh, like part of your soul is about to go with him, even though he didn’t deserve it.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? I found a baby that isn’t mine but I love her like she is, unlike you, who had a little girl in your house that you never knew how to love even when I tried to.” His gaze locks with you at your own revelation, an incredulous expression on his face that came through even despite everything he put you through, in the past and now. “Thank you, Jeff, because you saved my life in this new world even though your intention was for me to die young, don't think I didn't see it in your eyes, but now it's my turn to give you back the lesson: I must break you before you break me, because I know you won't stop until you ruin me completely, and I can't give you that pleasure anymore, not now that I have to protect my daughter.”

A soft smile tugs at the corners of his lip, feeling, for the first time, proud of you just seconds away from everything being over.

“Goodbye, (Y/N).”

You nod absently before raising the gun and firing.

Then, you slide the gun strap over your body to free your shaking hands, free from holding any instrument that only served to end some lives that crossed your path. Bad people, you want to believe as you turn around to leave behind every vision of that man, everything that happened at his side. For a few seconds, everyone needs a moment of silence to face what happened, but when you see Aeris on Daryl’s shoulder, you chuckle softly.

“Are you and my baby friends now? Like besties or something?”

Daryl scoffs before taking April’s hand, holding it gently but firmly before walking with you at their side.

“This ain't a damn friendship, woman, s'jus' a truce between me and the bird.”

Like a respite from that crazy life, the path back to the main road is clear of walkers. But you and April chuckle, amused glances passing each other as a good sign that not everything is as dark and dull as the rain and the forest—a good omen that life is not a selfish b*tch, not that much at least.

“You’re not as good a hunter as I thought if my bird had to bring you to me. You don’t get tired of me, do you?”

“Stop it.” Daryl grunts quietly, shooting you a warning look before continuing to look ahead.

You sigh before changing the subject.

���Please tell me the others are okay. Judith?”

Daryl looks at you again, silently telling you that the bad guys are gone.

“Everyone’s okay, peach. No one is hurt. And when all the craziness was over, Glenn came back sayin' he found a cabin. It smells like horse shit, but it works… fine, sorry!” Daryl whines when April tugs at his hand, a frown on her face as if her little mind lets her overlook the danger to her life, but not the bad words. “Ya need to get used to me, monkey.”

The little girl has her gaze fixed on him, as intense as Aeris and her overflowing curiosity.

“You don’t have to say so many bad words all the time, Da…” Caught in the constant confusion, April bites her lip to keep from saying out loud the word she wants to say to the first man she considers a true father figure. “Okay?”

Daryl scoffs.

“I ain't promisin' anythin' I know I won’t keep.”

There’s a moment between them, that complicity, father and daughter in their own world, and you stop for a moment to look at him: a man who would surely scoffs (as he does all the time) if you called him that prince who, unknowingly, without any intention of doing so, saved you from that cruel fate that you would never have been able to escape from alone.

Finally, in the middle of the unstable path, the small hill ends in a cabin in the middle of large trees, and Sam is the first to hold you in a hug: her body is warm despite the cruel cold, as is the warmth of Carol, Maggie and Rick.

Inside, the small campfire is still breathing and the warmth spreads throughout the place, the colors of the fire flickering to paint the emptiness of the place with soft shades of orange–some are awake, others have chosen to spend the rest of the night in gentler dreams, like Aeris who flew to one of the tallest trees. But as if she knows what’s coming and you don’t, Sam takes April to sleep near the campfire, and in silence, Daryl places his hand on your lower back, triggering memories, but you let him guide you to a side of the cabin where the light from the flames doesn’t shine brightly, making the scattered hay into a comfortable makeshift bed. Putting his crossbow aside, Daryl lays there with you, one arm behind his head and on his left side, watching the profile of your face, while, lying on your back, you finally let go of all the pain that was building up in your body.

“I know it will sound stupid but, are ya okay, peach?”

You sigh, wishing that, just like the air you let go, you could do the same with everything else inside you—and you want to start by telling the truth behind the separation, but you’re not ready for everything that would be unleashed.

“I heard what April told you when she ran to you… did you?”

Daryl’s heart races, as if an overwhelming emotion called fear and happiness put a hand on his neck, but it’s not because of fear of ruining it (I mean, although Daryl does feel that), but rather it’s because of the possibility of a better future, like a new version of a warm home he thought of building with you. He’s scared of that.

“'bout her callin' me daddy?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.” He murmurs, softly so as to not clash with the mood inside the place. “I think it hit me harder than a truck.”

You laugh softly, and finally, gathering courage, you turn your body to face him as well, watching him with a gentle gaze so as not to scare him with the overwhelming truth.

“Do you want to be? Because no one would blame you if you didn’t.”

Daryl gulps.

“I do, but I’m terrified of ruinin' it.” His free hand that rested at the height of his chest makes contact with your cheek, rough fingers caressing you lovingly, the other’s skin reminding you of the warmth you two shared in the past. His gaze on yours is deep as the sea, but now, you know you could never drown in the color of his eyes, not when Daryl would always be there to keep you afloat. “I was always scared of the idea of ​​being like ma dad, of hurtin' someone who was never to blame for anythin', like he did with me and ma brother.”

“Hey, no…” You stop him fondly, you own hand holding his, because there was always a fragile part of Daryl, the boy who became a man but still felt the pain like a child. “You are not your father, Daryl, and you never will be. He never knew how to love anyone and you did even though they never repaid you in the same way. I know you loved your mom and your brother… everyone can see how you feel about Carol and the family you formed all this time, and I’m sure even April can feel it. And yes, sometimes you have a short temper and you act like an asshole, but I know you did so you don’t feel too much when you lived so long bottling up your feelings to feel little or nothing, but I also know that this world has only shown you that you are capable of protecting and loving people you didn’t know first.”

Between a sea of ​​words that calm his heart, Daryl finds the strength to chuckle.

“To be fair, I did warn ya I was an asshole when we started datin'.”

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think I threw that peach at your head when you were being one?” You chuckle back. “Believe me, I saw the signs, but you were always incredibly hot so I guess I didn't care much about the rest.”

“Stop it.” Daryl grunts in embarrassment, pulling his hand away as he feels the heat shooting through his body, but his shyness makes you chuckle a little harder.

“Please, you are. And now even more so with your long hair.” You frown, but keeping a smirk. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

He clears his throat, but Daryl can feel the blush blooming on his cheeks.

“Nah, I jus' didn’t want to cut it all the time.”

You nod, not believing him at all.

“Well, let me tell you, that was a very good decision because you look very, very attractive, so much so that it should be a crime to look like that–”

Your words become prisoners within your lips as he places his hand over your mouth, his brow furrowed in the failed attempt to look serious despite the obvious embarrassment that accompanies it as a result of your unfiltered words.

“Woman, please stop.” His hand smothers your laughter, but you nod as a promise not to continue, causing him to pull away. “Jesus, I forgot how much ya loved to make fun of me.”

You try to keep a calm expression.

“Oh, don’t pretend you didn’t like it. You didn’t have a sense of humor until I came along.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips.

“I never said I didn’t love it.” The word love pulls the scale to one side, so drastically that it breaks it, but you manage to keep the surprise from showing on your face. “And yeah, ya always seemed to enjoy teasin' me, but ya were so damn sweet that no one noticed that sassy mouth of yers.”

You scoff, just to hide the tickle in your chest.

“Look who’s saying it, the person who didn’t know anything else to say but sarcastically. But seriously, didn’t your face hurt from having that scowl on all the time?”

Daryl chuckles, but there was something in his eyes when they turned honest, transparent, just like now—dreamy eyes when it came to you, even with all the sadness, but there’s something broken behind his tear–crystallized gaze that Daryl struggles to keep from falling.

“M'sorry, peach, m'sorry, I was a fuckin' coward.”

“What?” You can’t find the right words because suddenly, Daryl seems to choke on his words, but he’s ready, you can see it, to let everything he kept hidden finally find the light. “I don’t—”

“I love ya, so fuckin' much.” His voice is soft, but decisive. “I always did, peach, and despite that shitty thought in ma head tellin' me all the time that ya deserved someone better, I was ready to become that someone 'cause I never wanted to let ya go, but yer dad threatened to put Merle back in prison if I didn’t stay away from ya… and Merle was a bastard, but he was ma brother, and I knew ya were ma real family, but I was afraid to break ya just like yer father did all those years. I could see the pain in yer eyes, n’ I didn’t want to do that to ya, too.”

The truth is overwhelming, even though you already knew it, but hearing the guilt in his voice makes it all the even more painful because Daryl did care about leaving you, unlike Jeff, who made him do it without a shred of remorse.

“Daryl, it’s okay.” Your gaze is warm and kind, a small demonstration that your words are real and you mean them. “It’s not your fault, it never was, you were doing what you thought was best. You protected your brother, Daryl, and that’s what family does.”

Daryl swallows the lump in his throat, holding your gaze through his sad eyes.

“But I pushed ya away, peach, even though I knew ya didn’t want to leave.”

With a slight broken smile, you try to hold back the first tear—the one that is the hardest to keep in line, because after it, the others would come like an unbridled sea.

“Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t want to leave you.” With one hand, you rub your face to remove all traces of hopeless expression. “Try to sleep, okay, love? Since we left the church you haven’t slept much, don’t think I didn’t notice.”

The pain is beating, but his serious expression breaks with a sad smile because Daryl knows he won’t force you to talk.

“Ya’ve always been a mom. With April and Sam, with me, and even with Merle.”

You let out a tired chuckle before closing your eyes, hands under your cheek to keep them warm.

“I know, but don’t pretend you didn’t like it either.”

A few seconds pass, until Daryl finds his voice.

“Woman, there’s nothin' 'bout ya I don’t love.”

His words hang in the warm air all night, eyes closed for a short time before falling into his own paradise, dreaming of something that would come true in the very near future. And at some point in the hours that passed with a blink, his free hand sought out your body and the warmth that emanated from it, like he always did since the first time you both slept together in a bed. Little memories came back to his sleeping mind, happy moments between holding hands, the first kiss and the ones that came after, when Daryl realized you were trustworthy and showed you his scars, with your gentle hand caressing every past pain, all before make love for the first time.

But when the day starts to return, Daryl feels the slight push of his heavy body and the emptiness beside him.

“What?” His voice is even deeper in the morning, and he sits up to see April through a blurry gaze for a few seconds. “Ya okay, sweetheart?”

“Yes, but I need to ask you some questions.”

Daryl frowns, confused.

“Okay?”

“What’s mommy’s favorite color?”

Daryl frowns even more at a question that seems to come out of nowhere, but he ignores that April had already asked you the same questions days before just to check compatibility between you and him like Aunt Sam had said.

“Blue.” He answers, not missing a beat—like your eyes, she wants to say, but April decides to continue.

“Coffee, hot or cold?”

“Depends on the season, but always with sugar… sometimes too much.”

“Seafood?”

“Forbidden forever. Mommy ain’t a fan of the texture; she says it feels too funny in her mouth.”

“Her favorite fruit?”

“Peaches.”

“Her favorite flowers?”

“Tulips.”

“Favorite book?”

“Pride and Prejudice, but that’s a trick question 'cause she kept fallin' in love with every leading man like she didn’t have a damn boyfriend in real life.”

April laughs at Daryl’s expression, eyes still a little closed and hair a little disheveled.

“Can I ask you another question?” Daryl nods, not noticing her own expression. April is confused and terrified, her little mind racing like her little heart squeezing almost painfully. “If I asked you, would you be my daddy, Daryl?”

Like that imaginary truck that seemed to have run him over, or faster than the bike he used to drive when he didn’t even care about his own life, Daryl smiles despite the inner terror, that misguided idea of ​​ruining everything because that’s what his own parents taught him, but as he holds April with ease, lifting her up to bring her closer to him, because, although Daryl knows that life is unpredictable, the only thing he can be sure of is that he could love the little person who had seen through that shield of his, the real person behind, the older but scared person, with the little girl in front who wanted to give him a chance to have a family now that life had put her in front of him.

“Ya’ve been ma daughter since I met ya, sweetheart, since the first time I held ya in ma arms as if ya were mine.” Daryl pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear, an expression that is so simple and so powerful. “Is that okay?”

Her relief is so overwhelming that it can’t fit in her chest and her small frame, but it’s the impulse that makes April wrap her arms around his neck.

“Okay, daddy.” She smiles through her tears, her voice cracking but dripping with happiness. And April feels loved in his arms, and that's enough for her. “Mommy’s outside. Now go give her the ring before the others wake up.”

April pulls away as Daryl has the same confused expression.

“How do ya know 'bout that, young lady?”

The little girl shrugs before running to the place where she was sleeping with Sam. Sure enough, the place is still silent, with soft breaths and some light snoring mixing together. His sleeping heart wakes frantically as Daryl stands up, sweeping some piece of hay from his body before opening the door of the cabin and closing it behind him, taking your profile a few steps away where the hill ends, framing the sunrise between two trees like a moving photograph, with Aeris in your hand until the falcon takes flight when Daryl approaches.

“That man ya said ya could see in me... do ya think ya could give him a chance, peach?”

Like a reflex, like a magnet that always draws you two together, you turn to see him and his body does the same, finding each other face to face.

Your gaze is confused, but always kind.

“What do you mean?”

“Peach…” His voice is low, a little nervous, and maybe even unsure because the constant fear of that wrong idea still looms before him, more fearsome than a walker, but Daryl has never been more sure of what he is about to ask of you. “Ya know I ain't good with words, but I want to tell ya that ya and April are ma family, the home I never thought I deserved. And s'kind of funny that the world had to go to shi–” Daryl decides to stop and use another word, just because his little girl doesn’t like bad ones. “That this new world had to start so I could find ya two, and I want to make things right if ya’ll have me.”

When Daryl pulls a ring out of his pocket, your breath seems to catch in your throat, and although your mouth threatens to fall open, you keep it closed while making the monumental effort to hold his gaze when his returns to yours.

“When did you get a ring?”

“Ya don’t want to know.” Daryl lets out a small laugh, shy and scared. “I want to be with ya and our baby girl for as long as we can live in this world, peach. I love ya for who ya are, for yer stubbornness and for yer strength, but also for how sweet ya are all the time, with our family and with me. I want to hug ya, kiss ya, hold yer hand and be able to be at least a little bit of that man ya always saw in me… I know we could die tomorrow but I hope not, I hope life gives us time to build somethin' for April, for us and for everyone. And yeah, I know I can be an asshole sometimes but I promise I’ll be better, and although I can’t promise ya a story like the books ya used to read, I can promise that I will love ya n' our kid for the rest of ma life.”

His words travel around the world and come back to your heart, overwhelmed by his sudden confession just when you had thought that you two would never, ever be together again. But as the day grows brighter and you take all in, so does the realization that there is only one answer to his question.

“Peach, could ya give me an asnwer, please? I’m dyin’ here.”

You chuckle, but as your eyes returns to him and a soft smile appears on your closed lips, you now know that what Jeff said was a lie—Daryl did love you, he always did, so much so that he walked away from you despite his own pain.

“Of course I’ll marry you, silly.”

Like the first breath of air after being submerged for too long, Daryl feels like he can breathe as he holds you in a hug after placing the ring on your finger, the warmth of your bodies recognizing each other after a long time. As if the world has been put on pause, everything feels infinite, erasing all traces of the pain of each other’s absence, leaving only the immense joy of being together when that was the only thing you two had ever wanted. And when you part slightly, his forehead rests against yours, his hand caressing part of your cheek and your hairline.

“You know I should make you beg, don’t you?” You’re playing and he knows it, and even though you squint in mockery as you pull away, Daryl can feel the relief tickling his chest.

“Yeah, I deserve it.”

“Yes, you do.” You nod, thoughtful. “And who would marry us anyways? Because it’s not like there are many priests in this world to officiate a wedding.”

Daryl nods, keeping an amused expression.

“We can ask Gabriel.”

You grimace.

“You sure? Because you told him religion was crap.”

Caught off guard, Daryl clears his throat.

“Or ya could ask him. Ya’re the nice one in this relationship.”

You shrug.

"I guess you're right. And I guess this will be the perfect excuse to find you a better shirt, maybe one with sleeves."

Daryl frowns.

"What? Woman, I wore ma best shirt the first time I asked ya out."

“Hi.” Your laugh catches in your throat as the male voice draws your attention, but as a reflect of his protectiveness, Daryl steps in front of you, his hand holding the gun that was always at his waist. “Hi! Sorry for scaring you like that, but I’m not the enemy, I promise.”

His words seem honest, but the muzzle of the gun is still pointed in his direction.

“What do ya want?” Daryl is calm, and his hand doesn’t tremble.

The young man raises his hands in a sign of peace, maintaining a friendly smile.

“My name is Aaron, and I’m looking for Rick. You two are his family, aren’t you?”

The silence falls heavy for a moment, until the chirping of birds breaks the strange spell, but Aeris’ singing voice draws your attention as she joins the melodious chorus for the first time—perhaps as a divine sign that things are finally about to get better.

@fluffy-dixon @stunkbiggu @kurogxrix @ffsjustletmesleep @kaz11283 @daryldixmedown @enretrogue

[bonefall]

hey this is purely for. clarification. I know making fun of moonpaw for the writers bad descion bc she might be disabled (read this in a spooky voice. I am mocking them) but also breeding things like. Nano bullies (dog breed) is still like fucked up right? especially bc the dogs cant chose it?

Oh i think i answered my own question with that? idk. Im really intrested in your thoughts on all this. but im also not super familiar with this area of thought. Thank you

Of course, and you answered your own question! The difference is that a dog is a pet who fully relies on its owner. Humans, and warrior cats in this fictional series, are capable of higher thought and making their own choices.

When you're talking about, say, a scottish fold cat, you're talking about humans who know they are pairing up animals who will produce kittens that inevitably have severe pain for their whole lives. The cats do not care about who their mates are. They do not have a concept of romance outside of an estrus cycle. They wouldn't even care if they were neutered or spayed. They aren't a species that has the capacity to think about these things. The cat isn't to blame for this, and neither would the nanobully dog.

The onus is on their breeder.

There is no in-universe owner breeding ThunderClan cats. No one is selectively pairing warriors that can't breathe or have chronic pain. Warriors also don't act like real cats; they have a concept of culture, social organization, language, religion, and government. They even make complex choices regarding who they become mates with, including monogamy, something cats are famously known for not having.

So in comparing her and ThunderClan to severely deformed, inbred animals because her bloodline contains a high COI index, or because her parents are cousins, you're not making a commentary on unethical breeds. You're just making an incest joke.

The punchline is a dig at disabled people who are born from victims of incestuous abuse or small populations. Unethical breeding of animals is bad! The discussion around Moonpaw is involving slurs, straightup ableism, and hopes for her death because the writers are careless. THAT'S what's fucked up.

[drksanctuary]

In response to this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/avaetin/757041211064385536/do-we-mean-this-or-this-i-need-clarification

@avaetin Nico "pins the wizard" like this:

For Context: Nico finds himself in the underbelly of a magical scheme and doesn’t know how to navigate but some monster in the crowd seems to make some deal with him that gets him out of it more or less. He’s not completely sure what’s going on but he and the mysterious monster are escorted to a hallway and told to go through the one door on the side and to “not keep them waiting” and the door slams behind them.

Excerpt:

Nico walks down the hallway with the mysterious human figure, shrouded in black shadowy mist. Away from the prying eyes of the monsters down the corridor and who knows what on the other side of the doors, Nico takes his chance. He grabs at where the figures neck would be and slams it against the wall. It gives out a choke. "I don't know if you're here to actually help me or use me as a shield for whatever is coming next, but either way I have no reason to trust you. So we're gonna do exactly as I say got it??" The figure coughs and gasps. "Well," it says "that's certainly not a way to treat someone who's just ~cough~ saved your ass Di Angelo." The figure chokes out in a voice that has come to be familiar to Nico. The shroud of dark mist falls to reveal a smirking, freckled face. "And if you're gonna pin me to the wall at least buy me dinner first" Alabaster says, his grin widening. "You?" Nico says "And here I thought we were on a last name basis, yes ME. Now are you gonna squeeze tighter" he says with a playful wink "...or let me go?"  He finishes with a deadpan expression. Nico is actually unsure whether to let go or not. Alabaster isn't an enemy but he did trick him before, Nico’s  still not sure he can trust the guy. Also was he...flirting? (Now is to the time to think about that) "Listen I don't have time to unpack all of .../that/" Nico says with a gesture to Al's vague entirety before letting go of his throat. "Do you know where this thing  leads?" He points to the door at the end of the hall. Al gasps again and adjusts his shoulders and neck. "You do get right down to business don't you" "They are probably already wondering why we're not in there yet...you wanna make fucking small talk?" Nico scoffs. "Good point, but I thought I was to 'do exactly as you say'?" Al mocks him, overstraightening his shoulders, and feigning obedience. Not unlike a dog told to "sit".  Which was apt considering he was being a b- "So why are you asking me~" Alabaster adds, interrupting Nico’s thought. It's Nico's turn to deadpan "If you know something I don't...I want to know too so I can be prepared" "You want to know what I know and you don't?...hmm I thought we were low on time.” Nico winds up a punch and Al puts his arms up "Joking! Di Angelo,...goodness, you have no sense of humor" “ I’ll have you know I have a superb sense of humor.” He shakes his head and slugs Al’s shoulder.   “you’re just not that funny” “I’m hilarious” “You’re unhelpful” “oh you Olympian campers…never know how to do anything unless you have bloody prophecy huh. How’s this:  He recites a verse that is a vague warning of what’s to come that, while vulgar does, to its credit, rhyme Nico is irritated….and mildly impressed. “better??” Nico’s lips make a line that if it were anymore defined would achieve a level of straightness that would be unacceptable on his gay face.

[sydsaint]

More fluffy holiday goodness!!

Summary: Carmelo asks the reader out on a date for the holidays which results in the reader inviting Melo to come fill out Angel Tree tags with her.

"Ouch!" You mock Cora from your position standing over her. "Better luck next time skater Barbie." You tease her with a wink. 

Cora holds the back of her head with a sour sneer on her face. She moves into a sitting position and watches you walk off with the NXT women's championship hung proudly over your shoulder. She lost fair and square against you. And on a Holiday show no less. 

You head through the curtain and find Carmelo waiting around for you with Trick. Trick flashes you a friendly smile before his entrance music hits and he has to head out to the ring. Carmelo on the other hand, stays behind and steps over to you. 

"Y/N, baby. Nice win out there, mean girl." He congratulates you on your win against Cora. 

"Thanks, Melo." You roll your eyes playfully at his nickname. "Got any plans for the holiday?" You ask him. 

Melo licks his lips with a cool and confident smile. "Well, that depends. What are you up to this weekend, baby?" He asks you. 

You laugh and shake your head at his forwardness. "Nothing that you'd be interested in. Trust me." You assure him. 

"Yeah? Don't be too sure about that." Carmelo replies. "Come on. Y/N. What are your plans?" He asks again. 

"Well, if you must know." You reply. "I'm planning on going around the area and filling out as many Angel tree tags as possible before I go broke." You explain. 

A perplexed look crosses Carmelo's face and you have to stifle a laugh. "Angel tree tags?" He looks for clarification. 

"Mhm." You nod. "There those trees with the tags on them in stores? If you're a struggling parent who can't spare the extra money to get your kids any gifts then you fill one out and someone like me takes the tag and buys stuff for you." You explain the gist of the tags. 

"Oh," Carmelo replies. "Damn, that's really nice of you, Y/N." He admits. "I didn't expect that from little Miss Mean Girl." He chuckles. 

You laugh with Carmelo and nod. "My mean girl attitude is just a work persona." You giggle. "I could use a shopping partner if you're interested, you know?" You offer. "Sure, it's not exactly a conventional date. But you get to spend time with me so all the money you spend will be worth it." 

"Why not?" Carmelo shrugs with a chuckle. "I don't mind dropping some cash for kids in need." 

"Great!" You grin. "It's a date then. I'll text you later and we can meet up for coffee in the morning." You add. 

Carmelo nods and you part ways for the night. 

Later, Trick comes back from his escapades in the ring and finds Carmelo texting you about tomorrow. "So you finally scored a date with, Y/N?" He asks Melo. 

"Sort of." Melo nods. "Have you ever heard of an Angel Tree?" He asks his friend. 

"Yeah, sure." Trick nods. "It's one of those charity things that help get poor kids and their families Christmas gifts." He explains. 

Carmelo nods and finishes his text to you. "Y/N's got me going with her fill a bunch of them out tomorrow. She was just telling me that she does it every year for Christmas."He explains. 

"Y/N? Charity?" Trick laughs. "Damn. I didn't know the mean girl got all sentimental around the holidays." He jokes. 

"Me either." Carmelo laughs with him. 

The next morning Carmelo is up early and meets you at some coffee place that you told him about last night. He heads inside and spots you already sitting at a table with a hot coffee in hand. 

"Y/N, morning baby." Carmelo walks over to your table. 

"Melo! You made it." You smile up at him. "Grab something to drink! We've got a long day of shopping ahead of us." 

Carmelo chuckles at your eager smile and orders himself a drink before joining you again. You show him a list of stores in the area that have trees and suggest one to start the morning. 

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Carmelo goes along with your plan. 

You and Carmelo head to the first store on your list and it doesn't take long for you to find the tree. You look through a few of the tags a pick a couple of them out. 

"Alright, so basically you just look through the tags and pick one or two of them. The tag has some basic information on it. What kind of stuff the kid likes, their age, and what size clothes they wear if you want to get them some clothes." You explain. 

"Right." Carmelo nods and pulls a few tags off the tree. 

With your tags and carts ready to go you and Carmelo head out and start shopping. The two of you walk side-by-side down the aisles and help one another pick stuff out. 

You get distracted looking for a specific girl's toy in the aisle and Carmelo can't help but crack a genuine smile at how intense you seem. 

"Hey, Y/N," Carmelo speaks up and grabs your attention. 

"Hmm?" You stand back up straight with the right toy in hand. "What's up, Melo?"

Carmelo grabs the toy from you and sets it in his cart with the rest of his stuff before answering. "So, what made you get into this?" He can't help but ask. 

"Christmas was always my favorite time of year when I was a kid." You shrug. "My mom never really had the money to get me that much. But it was still special every year, opening presents and spending time with her." You explain. "So I guess I just like the thought of helping out those tired and worried moms make their kids' Christmas as special as mine were." 

"Damn. That's really sweet, Y/N." Carmelo replies. 

You blush a bit and the two of you return to the task. Hours and a few hundred dollars later, you and Carmelo have all of your things sorted and ready to be delivered. 

"Well, I'd call this a productive day." You finish up the last bag. 

"I agree. This is probably the best $400 I've ever spent." Carmelo agrees. "Thanks for bringing me out and letting me help, Y/N." He adds. 

You blush again and nod. "Of course! I had fun shopping around with you." 

"Me too." Carmelo agrees. "Hey, do you want to grab dinner after these are all dropped off? My treat, of course." He asks you. 

"Sure! Dinner sounds great." You eagerly nod. "Maybe we can talk about doing something for the actual holiday?" You suggest. "If you don't already have plans." 

Carmelo chuckles and shakes his head. "I'm wherever you are, baby." 

[jacenotjason]

I got a small question so if you may, please answer Jace.

What are tone tags?

AH! Sorry! I guess it didn't occur to me that some wouldn't know what tone tags were. Here's a full guide from this site!

what is tone? tone is what a phrase or statement means or comes across as despite what it's actually saying. examples of tone could be serious, joking, lighthearted, etc.

what are tone tags? tone tags / tone indicators are things you can include with text to indicate what the tone of it is.

why are they used? some people have difficulty picking up on tone. communicating through text only makes this harder due to lack of audio and physical clues (voice inflection, body language, facial expressions, etc.) tagging what tone you are using can be very helpful for others understanding of what you're saying, clarification, avoiding miscommunications, etc.

when/where should they be used? they can be used any time or place you may be communicating through text. do not mock the use of tone tags. you may not need them but some people do. not everyone can tell when something is a joke, etc. just be nice about it.

MASTERLIST:

/j = joking /hj = half joking /s or /sarc = sarcastic / sarcasm /srs = serious /nsrs = not serious /lh = light hearted /g or /gen = genuine / genuine question /ij = inside joke /ref = reference /t = teasing /nm = not mad /lu = a little upset /nf = not forced /nbh = nobody here /nsb = not subtweeting /nay = not at you /ay = at you /nbr = not being rude /ot = off topic /th = threat /cb = clickbait /f = fake /q = quote /l or /ly = lyrics /c = copypasta /m = metaphor / metaphorically /li = literal / literally /rt or /rh = rhetorical question /hyp = hyperbole /ex = exaggeration /p = platonic /r = romantic /a = alterous /sx or /x = sexual intent /nsx or /ns = non-sexual intent /pc or /pos = positive connotation /nc or /neg = negative connotation /neu = neutral / neutral connotation

[faithlesbian]

ive been holding off on posting this bc ive been formulating my thoughts (also i never post) but since it seems we're having a racism in the buffyverse/fandom moment (should be every moment!) I figured now would be a good time to vent my feelings on the first slayer.

I do a lot of hobbyist research into the stone age its a long running special interest of mine, and ive just finished writing my dissertation on a number of things including primitivism in contemporary culture. so drawing from that i wanted to expand on the tags I left on the previous post, with the clarification that i am white and european and therefore am speaking from that perspective on this subject.

as far as I can remember, the original Buffy movie had flashbacks to the medieval period, with a white medieval woman in these flashbacks implied to be the first slayer. if that's right and I'm not just misremembering, this would tie in to the pop culture associations of this era with catholicism, witch hunts, gothic castles; all of which further ties into popular vampire lore. however, the tv show leans away from this, with vampires being the only demons vulnerable to christian iconography and most of the worldbuilding drawing from multitheistic (not sure if this is the right word) traditions, preferring pantheons of minor gods, demons as folkloric monsters rather than fallen angels, and the existence of multiple hell dimensions.

the way the show does this is often very primitivist, primitivism here meaning the (often harmful) romanticisation of cultures and eras considered "less advanced", interpreting them as therefore more exotic, interesting, or just plain better than modern western society and in doing so flattening them into solely an appealing primitive fantasy.

examples of this can be seen in the foreign and/or dead languages used in magic and demon research, the appropriated eastern and African imagery used in weapons and costumes, the writing of characters like kendra (who's "people" seem to know a lot about the supernatural but are never actually named), jenny calendar (who carries plot-relevant cultural knowledge from her mysticised "people"), and nikki wood, through whose son buffy learns the ancient - primitive - origins of the first slayer.

the choice to relocate the origins of the slayer from medieval europe to (im assuming, since they never specify) paleolithic africa make a lot of sense in context of the shows de-emphasing of christianity in their vampire lore. this would change the slayer from a warrior chosen by the church to fight unholy creatures, to a defender of humanity at large from folkloric monsters. it also makes the slayer line a lot longer, extending far back into human history.

you'd think.

because the problem is im not honestly convinced anyone writing these episodes knows or cares about the accepted findings that show homo sapiens originated in africa, I can't honestly say it comes across that they were trying to imply that the slayer existed before the first waves of human migration by depicting her as they did. i dont actually know if these characters are intended to come from the stone age or just an ambiguous pre-colonial africa and im being very generous by writing this post the way i have. I think they made the very simple connection of "primitive = cool and mysterious" to "black = primitive". the depictions of the first slayer and first watchers are tangibly racist. their treatment by the narrative is tangibly racist.

the first slayer is depicted as animalistic, brutal, and vengeful, but rather than have buffy empathise with her over their shared experience of being used as a tool of violence, the episode has buffy mock and belittle her down to making a joke about her unprofessional hair. the first watchers are set up as the backward patriarchal villains for buffy and willow to overcome by rewriting the terms of the slayer lineage, in both cases black characters are vilified to make white women seem cooler, more self-possessed, more powerful.

it's not just the treatment of individual characters. its fundamental pillars of the lore. non-european (and some minority european) cultures are consistently used to be spooky, occult, and exotic set dressing, while two whole season finales hinge on abject primitivism and antiblackness.

to clarify, i think in another show with a different writing team, the depiction of scientifically accurate (i.e. dark-skinned) early homo sapiens could be achieved in a wholly inoffensive way if these characters were simply written as people. removing the layers of primitivism from the first slayer reveals a traumatised girl who was forced to fight, just like fandom-beloved characters buffy and faith, albeit from a very different time period. but the layers of primitivism are the reason why she was written in the first place. the "primal" is mysterious, spooky, powerful, and therefore makes for good writing without ever having to clarify what it is you mean when you say "primal".

stone age people were not animalistic manifestations of modern-day people's repressed subconscious. they were people. the refusal to see this is another branch from the same root - that the writers see cultures and people outside of the modern west as less-than. but if their language sounds cool for a summoning chant, then they get to be less-than in a ~cool and mysterious~ way, i guess.

[best-transgender-character]

Is all the characters being from Homestuck literal or a joke? (Genuine question, not upset. Just need clarification because that could really be either)

I'm breaking character in this post, for the only time. If you don't want the joke explained, don't keep reading.

Questions:

Is this a joke/rigged? Yes. Submissions were not taken into account, every poll of round one was drafted long before submissions closed. I had the list of competitors and the match-ups planned before I even made the blog. This was the plan all along. The competition was rigged from the very beginning.

Is this a real competition? Yes! I will be running polls with the characters in the match-ups. We will have a winner. It is still a real competition, and I encourage you to participate if you want, and reblog/vote and send propaganda.

Will you be running a different competition afterwards (with the real submissions)? No. This is the only competition I'm going to run. If you stick around only because you think there's going to be a different competition than this one, you'll be disappointed.

Why is X included? Why wasn't Z included? At the end of the day, the choice to exclude certain characters was a personal one. I'm no-longer going to be giving public reasoning for choices I've made including or excluding characters. You can DM me if you're genuinely concerned or curious.

Will you post the submissions? No, not publicly. If someone with prior competition experience wants to run the competition, they can reach out and I'll likely share the data with them.

Surely you don't actually expect us to believe it was all Homestuck submissions? No, I absolutely don't expect that. The absurdity is part of the joke. If you see my other posts insisting that the match-ups accurately reflect the submissions, that's because those posts are in-character.

Why did you do this? Mostly to see how people would react. The original inspiration for it came from the way Homestuck characters are sometimes over-represented in Tumblr competitions, as well as the way people get really mad about Homestuck characters in these competitions. The joke is that every single Homestuck character is transgender, and that these characters are superior to every other transgender character in media. The original thought process was something along the lines of, "You could submit every single Homestuck character to a poll like this."

Complaints:

I feel cheated that my character didn't get in!/I put so much work into my submission! The reality of these competitions is that most characters do not get in. If you're upset that your submission didn't make it, you're likely part of one of two groups. Either your character is less popular, and therefore wouldn't make the poll anyway, or your character is incredibly popular, in which case they've been included in countless identical polls already. When you submit a character, there's no guarantee that they'll make it. You do so voluntarily, with the knowledge that it's only a chance. If this is genuinely distressing to you, you may want to reconsider how you interact with online polls.

You're transphobic! I'm transgender, and I don't feel that this joke is at the expense of transgender people. Even if you do feel that this joke mocks the transgender community, I think it is healthy and good to be able to take the piss out of ourselves from time to time.

I was hoping to discover new transgender representation! This blog never claimed to be about transgender representation, and explicitly did not preference canonicity. However, if you're looking for interesting transgender characters, I have a webcomic in mind that you might find interesting.

This isn't funny. That's okay, the joke wasn't for you.

[ID: Anonymous asked "You could say we got trolled." End ID]

Credits:

Thank you to @hsrips for the promo and image edits.

Thank you to my friends for laughing with me.

Thank you to the people spreading the polls and rooting for the characters, especially the people getting really into the more niche characters.

And most of all, thank you to the people who originally reblogged the post, who were here before the round one announcement, who submitted a huge amount of characters, and who got really upset at me. This joke relied so heavily on you, and I appreciate it a lot.

[poisonfreak]

INTRO

Go follow my main blog ( @laikota ) for all art and/or posts, this one is Phighting only. Hello! You can call me Subspace, Tripmine, Trip, or whatever you want, I genuinely don't care unless it's weird. I use he/rot/it/poison pronouns. I am a spiritual fictionkin, this is not roleplay. I identify heavily with the past life I had, aka Subspace Tripmine. You could say I am an IRL, but I'm not delusional, just for clarification. I'm a 20 year old trans man who likes neopronouns and xenogenders. I am also autistic, so I'm developmentally delayed, but I will not use it as an excuse to be weird. I'm just adding it to this post for reader's discretion. I am a digital/traditional art hobbyist and I have special interests in biology, evolution, the multiverse theory, and Rainworld. Everything about Rainworld. The game inner-workings, the food chain, the superstructures, the iterators, and the lore. Literally everything. Also MyHouse.WAD! Phighting spiritual fictionkins/alters are very encouraged to interact, but please don't roleplay with me, or at the very least, don't "be a character." It makes me feel like I'm not real and feels like mocking.

I am engaged to my Medkit but I am willing to interact with other Medkits and anyone who had a past life in Phighting at all in any shape or form, honestly. I may have been a destructive asshole but I actually miss people, even if it's a little bit. In a relaxed and trusted environment I may ease up and be kinda snarky or jokingly conniving. Sometimes I slip into my old personality, but it's usually a facade/joke and being playful for familiarity. I always try to clarify when I'm being genuine/serious. I am rather respectful and friendly when it comes down to it. If you're wondering if you can interact with me, I really don't care if you do. I may respond really slow because it's hard to check anything but discord (and I can even give you my discord if you want to talk to me that badly /GEN /LH,) but I do try to respond when I see it, or eventually at the very least. If I don't respond I probably don't know what to say.

Anyways, that's this intro post out of the way. I hope if you cared to read all of this that you feel more knowledgeable about me. Also, the entire post is genuine/serious. I'm clarifying so I don't have to sprinkle tone tags everywhere. BTW You can find a lot of my Phighting art on Pinterest under poisonousfreakazoid or poisonfreak idk how Pinterest works tbh but smth like that.

[findafight]

I don’t know enough about basketball, so I’m gonna “Yes and!”

Sue also played basketball in college (Lucas takes after her!) - Charles was her loudest supporter. Steve finds it all very romantic, even more so when asking Charles why he doesn’t join them at the games; “What would be the point? I’m married to the best”.

Okay, so; the whole fam (and Steve) go to an all day equestrian event (or maybe a fair that has like a day of horse events? Don’t know how this works in the US in the 1980s). There’s show-jumping, dressage, the works. They all enjoy the show jumping (although Sue is throwing Significant Looks whenever any of the horses stumble, or knock down one of the hurdles). Erica is the only one who enjoys the dressage; Lucas finds it boring and Charles…respects the skill(?), but the heated conversation the two men sitting front of them are having about the “blood rule” is making him a little uneasy. Meanwhile, Steve briefly drops into a fugue state upon realising that he recognises one of the rider’s coaches as That Bastard who was briefly engaged his aunt (one of the ones that he *likes*) and was two-timing her the entire time and spends the rest of the event relaying the story to Sue.

It is every bit as juicy and scandalous as she hoped, although she is a little perturbed that all the details that Steve has isn’t stuff that he was filled on when he was older, but stuff he knew as it was happening when he was like seven or eight (“my family doesn’t believe in talking down to children”).

Later when they’re going to get dinner Lucas is complaining that the dressage was boring (Sue is giving Charles the Cliff Notes, promising to fill in the details later), Steve remarks that maybe the3y should see a polo game some time. This gets him roundly mocked by the whole family, Lucas informing him that “That is the richest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth”.

Erica initially joins in, but has to have clarification on what it actually is (she was thinking of Lacrosse). Upon hearing that there is a sport in which she could ride a horse while wielding a mallet, Erica Knows what she wants to do with her life (or at least her next D&D character). She is *gutted* to hear that it in fact is not a contact sport.

(Last time, I promise. X)

College basketball legend Sue Sinclair!!! wait wait i got something

I like the hc that people around town knew who Steve was (like the party in s1 who have no reason to know who he is) is that he was a little sports star in his early high school career. Let's give that to Sue too! Hers was in college but it locked her in as a legend for her tenure at the school. Sporty little guys!! Sue being so excited to play with Lucas and sometimes Steve and chatting to Steve about how their teams are doing or what position Lucas would be best suited for!! Charles is watching and going 🥰

Steve just. Dishing Harrington family gossip to Sue is so good. He probably knows half of it because his family "doesn't believe in talking down to children" as you said but also the other half is because either his mom talked all about it over the phone and had forgotten little twelve year old Steve was sitting in the same room OR he hid and eavesdropped. And a few years later his Aunt got drunk and gave him more deets.

(Sue is eating UP the weird rich people gossip. keeps her mind off the fact there are large animals that are capable of severely hurting the people around them easily. She cannot wait to tell Charlie!)

Suggesting polo is such a rich person thing and Steve would make the logical leap of horse sports and more exciting than watching horses move slowly around. Polo becoming a silly little inside joke suggestion between Lucas and Steve and Erica. like "Hmm why don't we try...polo?" >:3

"Yuck it up sinclair..." they are so funny.

Erica thinking for a moment Polo is a sport on horses in which you use mallets to both hit a ball and beat up the other players....... incorporating that into another dnd character...... she's so powerful. no one should ever let her ride a horse anywhere near anything resembling a hammer or mallet.

[gerardwayshairtie]

Saw some drama in the theatre side of tumblr and felt I had to say something about it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t address the main rabble rouser directly as they blocked me for reblogging a post without their response.

The issue on the table: Is making a joke about a character not dying ignoring the historical context of the show? The particular case mentioned here involves a joke about the musical falsettos. Someone got very bent out of shape and parroted a point they made in March that honestly did not apply to the situation.

Here’s my takeaway. Writing or headcanoning a character as alive doesn’t take away the history nor the seriousness of what canonically killed them. People write AUs and headcanons all the time where Connor Murphy is alive and no one accuses them of mocking suicide and mental health.

My last point is this. Tone indicators are a great tool to use. The OP I speak of did! So if you’re looking at a post scratching your head as to whether it’s serious or a joke? Look for a tone indicator! If there isn’t one? Read the room or ask for clarification.

[dragon-business]

Majima’s long road to accepting that Kiryu is not straight

previously on this little story.

It's time to start shooting Majima's denial horse! 

It all starts when Majima comes up to the construction boys that are all cheerful and drinking in their relaxation corner on a lunch break.

And he's like, "What is goin on, what are we celebrating here, are you drinking on the job, there should be a good cause if that's the case.

And everyone gets really quiet and awkward, because yeah, they are railing it up for support, celebrating, as usual. Sometimes they will throw mini parties for someone going through the not straight Struggles, or passing some milestone, it's a whole thing.

And Majima (who very much knows about these parties, and even participates in them sometimes) looks them all over and realises "Oh, okay. Sounds like a good occasion today." And everyone gets hushed again, like a bunch of weirdos. And (slightly drunk) Kiryu looks up at him from his shot glass, and says "Today I told a stranger that I'm not straight."

Blinking, Majima goes "And why would you do that?". "Because I am not," says Kiryu, jabbing a finger in a vague direction, and spilling some of his drink.

"Oh, okay then. Have fun," Majima replies with a little snort, and casually goes back to his office-trailer in the complete silence that trailed after that whole conversation.

And in his little private office Majima  proceeds to loose his shit.

After a couple minutes the celebration noises resumed. And in the darkness behind the blinds Majima kept staring in horror at the calendar with big fishes on it. Fishes stared back, reminding him that Kiryu got him really nice fishing gear (very pricey, too).

So yeah, with how everyone was taking it, and the fact it was a legit celebration, Majima can't dodge this revelation.

But "not straight" would totally mess with his head, it's too vague. But he can't just ask for clarification like a normal person, he gotta suffer and make sarcastic jokes, and accidentally make Kiryu and everyone else uncomfortable.

Because Majima can't really fully accept the concept in his head yet. Of Kiryu actually not being straight. Everything suddenly gets too real if he does: all the insistent awkward flirting, the looks, the box.

So, Majima goes for desperate distancing, and goes for it hard. Nishida and grandpas will heavily disapprove of this.

Poor Kiryu, he has his bitchy moments, but Majima is a bitch master, he can go on and on, for months. Well at least for one minimum.

Over this time, Nishida got very displeased with Majima. Grandpas probably developed strong opinions on weak-minded youth and internalised homophobia. In interactions with Majima it mostly manifested as sparring fights with the second grandpa.

There's layers to this. Back in their years- *insert some trashy story about how you had to fight homophobes every day, and become strong like a truck because of it*

– All the irony and teasing can't save Majima from the realness of it all. And also from Nishida getting upset with him for being an inconsiderate bitch. You just can't be too bitey when someone is sharing private stuff with you, that's not the thing you test people on, wtf. Yeah, Majima wasn't really testing Kiryu, he was distancing himself, but it still comes off just as cruel.

Nishida is very close to a riot. One day he just blows up at the boss. Not a lot, and fully expecting retaliation, but Majima asked him to do something to poke Kiryu again, and Nishida refused. "Do it yourself, if you really feel like this," Nishida will not participate in a thing like this. He watched Kiryu go through a full blown life crisis, it's not a thing to be mocked.

And here Majima is, trying to send male host to have a date with Kiryu. Not undercover, really upfront, but still. This is really coming off as "celebrate your coming out by banging this twink" or something.

Just look at Majima entering the ring, not knowing anything. Still somewhat believing in hoards of girls Kiryu had flings with.

Nishida's horrified. You send the guy thoughtful gifts, give him the utmost support, gift him your knife, and then suddenly lose all taste and self-respect on the spot. It's all quite frankly tasteless and boss should know better.  Nishida means it. It's not like being gay was a walk in the park for Majima himself (get his ass, Nishida, you're wearing the hard hat, you're ready)

– Kiryu still had a date with the host though. Haru-kun (he looks like Haruka from Sailor Moon) is a good boy, they talked about life and stuff. He's sending money to his grandparents and wants to open a coffeeshop one day. Him and Kiryu have a nice evening, while the peak drama is happening in the Majima Construction office.

Sure, the whole situation made Kiryu sad, but that's not on the host. He even tried to cheer Kiryu up! So they get some beers and have super awkward talks about gay topics.

Haru-kun is young, around 21 or so. He's sending money back home to the cold emptiness, because grandparents refuse to talk to him ever since they learned he's not straight. Haru-kun is still sending the money, because what else can you do. Kiryu doesn't have much family left to come out to (thinking about Kazama is complicated enough already, so, no, thanks, it's all in the vault).

Kiryu tries to cheer Haru-kun up after souring the mood though, it's not the boy's fault that Kiryu is so fucked up. Haru-kun will also try to lift the mood, because he is a good host, and that's his job – to make clients forget their hardships.

At some point it becomes clear that restaurant and drinks don't work, so they go to play mahjong, then to the underground casino, lose everything, and end up fishing at the pier at night. Then they accidentally get into some beef with local homeless fishermen, and suddenly have to defeat three kings of fishing in the fishing competitions!

They also lost random clothes items, while gambling, and are now sporting old dirty-ish coats instead of the usual suits.

Haru-kun: I didn't know that fishing could be that dangerous.

Kiryu: and deep.

The Seashell monarch, jumping out of the water, dressed in nets: some of it is!

Haru-kun and Kiryu just got somewhere more chill and peaceful, but alas. No frying fish on the bank. (Oh, they will do it – with the kings of fishing in the morning. But only after trials and tribulations.)

Meanwhile, Haru-kun is killing it (the fish). He is from a small fishing village, or town, he knows this stuff.

Master king of fishing: This boy knows how to kill. He will become my pupil.

Kiryu is there, as always. Nodding approvingly.

And Haru-kun flips his bangs like: I will not be an apprentice to someone who does not partake in the joys of the fishing, and also forgot that we do it to survive sometimes, too. One cannot separate these sides. Like everything in life, fishing is both joyous and harrowing and the master that can forget this does not know his craft nor life.

And then there's a whole ark of saving the king's of Deep fishing family. During it, the Master king of fishing comes to his senses, because doing trials and fishing itself became an act he does, a skill, and not the appreciation of the fishing culture and fisherman way of life.

And also Haru-kun got a heat action with Kiryu, where they beat people up with fish!

– So, there's the Seashell monarch – non-binary manic pixie dream pal of fishing. There's the Master king of fishing who is clinical, but wise. And there's the king of Deep fishing, who has family problems. 

The Master king of fishing and the Seashell monarch straight up live on the beach. Seashell monarch wears fishing nets all boho style. They practise "live netting", where they go down to the seafloor in their outfit, and swim around, and that's how they catch their breakfast.

The Master king of fishing is grumpy, but takes everything in stride. Like. whatever happens – happens. “You take what the sea of life gives you, and you make use of it” he says, while cleaning seaweed from a flip-flop he found washed up on the shore and putting it on his foot (yes, he’s going around barefooted on the shore in cold weather).

Sea brings you the flip-flop – you wear it. Sea brings you a guy in a trunk – you make him train with your pupils.

Couple days back the sea washed up a whole bag of chips on the shore. Unopened. Shrimp flavoured.

Sea can be dangerous. Especially if you  think that you’ve mastered it, and can handle any waves.

Look at the Master king of fishing, his pride got so big, like an overstocked boat, and it got toppled over by two shrimps and a marlin (and yes, Kiryu and Haru-kun used marlin in their heat action that fateful night).

The master king of fishing will also always complain about being too old or too out of touch, sometimes while actually doing some incredible feats of strength or ingenuity.

He’s not Komaki who’s always 10000% sure of himself, or the lady white lotus. The Master king of fishing has his ego in check, and also is just generally mildly annoyed with everything, including himself. But he’s still taking it all on!

Diversity win, found family footage, Haru-kun is living the life. He really missed fishing since coming to the big city. Kiryu is having a good time too! He likes to see people thriving.

– After this night Haru-kun and Kiryu will be acting like good friends when meeting each other, talking about life, the boy laughing, Kiryu smiling to him. The Seashell monarch will come to work for Majima Construction; part time, because you need to throw them in the water every so often. You wouldn't understand.

And someone from Majima Construction will definitely hear the boy saying with shiny eyes that the fabled date was "the best night of his life". They stayed up until sunrise!

And maybe Haru-kun ended up having a little crush on Kiryu, alright. But it's the parental figure projection, Kiryu just emits this warm safety. Also Haru-kun got a profound connection to some of the fishing people, while being out with him.

Haru-kun with a dreamy face like he’s smitten: I’d like to have a dad like this… Someone: a daddy? Haru-kun: no.

And instead of romantic scenarios in his head it’s “playing catch”, “visiting my graduation”, but in pink filter.

(He got a tsundere rival or something on the night of the fishing quest. It's a whole thing. The rival is the previous possible pupil of the Master of fishing king, who left him, because he has his own fishing path. And that night he came back all powered up with unknown techniques, some secret bait he conducted. Someone accidentally eats it in a fight and they figure out what it's made of.)

And, yeah, when you spend more than a couple of minutes around Kiryu, you learn that he emits the aura of safety and reliability.

– And Haru-kun got a sense of some drama going on between Kiryu and whoever-san from work that set Kiryu up on their date, but they didn't discuss it too deeply. It felt too raw to bring up, Kiryu-san was too sad, and being a Good Host Haru-kun took up the mission of cheering him up! First up on the agenda – not mentioning the dickwad-san.

– After this Kiryu picked up fishing again, for the first time since y0. Doing it alone was not fun, but he has friends now! They make plans easily. Haru-kun even casually stops by Majima Construction to drop off lunch for Seashell monarch, and say hi to Kiryu-san.

The whole family pointedly continues the lunch break, as if no one is listening in, passing the lighter back and forth. Like, four times in a row.

Only the first grandpa Musketeer gets their whole story correctly right away. He just takes things as they are. And what's better than two bros having a good old fishtime, amiright, boys? He used to fish with his bros, because it's in his dragon instincts to hunt, and eat the catch raw. Or fried, but like a creature. (No one even gets what he's talking about.)

"Dang, they sure are eating eachother up with the looks." "Didn't know Kiryu-san was a cradle snatcher." "He may be just looking young, hosts these days look younger and younger." "You sure know a lot about hosts." "You bet I do." "Focus on the problem at hand, guys. We're observing a bright blue sky before the storm."

And eat your catch raw. Or fried.

(First Musketeer grandpa hits it off with the Seashell monarch, they're the best duo)

– Oh, and then on one of Haru-kun's visits the construction site gets attacked! And he is stuck inside, and gets to show off their heat action with Kiryu (Live fishes are provided by the Seashell monarch. Don't ask).

a/n: at this point we were so attached to Haru-kun, that we felt sorry for dragging him into all this drama.

But he can stand his ground, after he found it, back at the sea.

Majima will probably not be crawling out of his office for this fight, he's in one of his moods. But getting wind of Kiryu and the host fighting together? The "see you next week, Kiryu-san!"? This is, like, the most terrible insult. And Majima is totally not overreacting.

And Nishida is still angry at him. This worsens the sentiment, everyone’s abandoned him. Poor old Majima, the ugly bastard with a bad attitude.

But before he spirals into a hole, Kiryu, being who he is, decides to invite Majima to go together with him and Haru-kun.

As in, go fishing on the pier at the dead o'clock in the morning, see the sunrise over the waves. Maybe then he'll calm down. Breath in the breeze. Get smacked in the face by the fish. Healing experiences.

But you gotta get him there first. He will be arguing with Haru-kun's rival over the bait later, no problem. But getting him to the place might require some force. Maybe a kidnapping. A false work assignment, Nishida can help arrange it. The assessment will be rest.

Kiryu, opening the trunk of the car on the pier: here’s the rubber gloves, Majima-san Majima, quietly: what the fuck Majima, standing there wearing rubber boots and a panama hat: what the fuc k Majima, finding a spinning in his hands: no, sincerely, what the fuckKiryu: be vigilant, our opponents have already fished out a squid!

It is, once again, the deadass in the morning, The hottest fishing hour. And it’s all taking place after Majima said a bunch of ugly words to Kiryu. Get fished, idiot.

– So,  ended up being Majima and Haru-kun’s rival versus Kiryu and Haru-kun. And now Majima is on full alert, he’s gonna slay (he can’t fish at all).

There’s several early morning regulars fishing on the pier, they are not to be disturbed, and so complicate the challenge. So they all gotta be quiet, and lots of inner voice dialogs happen, uul on Gintama-stile.

So, they all fish, make breakfast, and nearly get busted by the police, because apparently one cannot make fiers in the beach. They have this conversation by another, unrelated fire crackling nearby.

Because yes, this was a targeted raid. Tokio police ain't having any yakuza bullshit here on the beach. Anyone wearing a panama hat is a danger to society.

Actually they got a tip off from the fishing club members that are going to go against Haru-kun and his rival in the upcoming competition (the boys are totally gonna win).

And oh, Majima if IN after this. He finally got the abridged version of previous events, but now there’s focus on the rivals backstory, and Majima is invested. He’s giving rival the Talks. Majima touch (it works wonders). Kiryu: ain’t you supposed to be on our side? Majima: the sea has no sides! my boy will kick yall’s ass!

– Majima in a panama hat, rubber boots, and a fishing vest over his naked chest. Kiryu in a horribly patterned sweater, overalls, and a vest, lookin like the peak dad. 

Kiryu in this outfit totally kills any semblance of sexiness Haru-kun saw in him, but Majima, on the other hand, gets very amazed.

– Majima is suddenly nodding to some of the Master king’s of fishing annoyances like an old man.

Sea pollution and trash suck. Draftes, youngsters, taxes are all a plague. Don’t get it wrong, the Master king of fishing doesn’t pay taxes. But he will complain about them. Who even comes up with that, Anhuman. Unbelievable torture of the most abstract level. Removed from real life. Majima, who invented taxes:

Also yeah, they both are big on environmental protection too.

The Master king of fishing cleans up the beach sometimes, and gets his pupils to do so too. Maybe they organise a group with the locals for that, after they get in trouble for cleaning up (because ofc they do).

– Think about Haru-kun coming up to Majima on that fishing trip all: you work with Kiryu-san, right?.. so… Majima-san…… you might know the person who tried to pull that cruel joke on him, with the inconsiderate gift……… it worked out alright, yes, but to think there are people in this world who’d do something like this………… to Kiryu-san here…… the most thoughtful and kind person ever…………… terrible to see people like him sad………………… so, you know someone at your company that can do that? this kind of thing?.......... I’m just asking… for no particular reason…… just want to have words with them…………………Kiryu-san can forgive, but us, his friends, should watch out for him……… so, you know… a little hint.

Haru-kun being ready to kill for Kiryu after knowing him for a couple of days is not at all surprising, it’s logical even. They got into a Situation together! In an abundance of situations, more situations happen only in a cult- or a scam substory.

So yeah, with all this guit building up, Majima rechannels his frustrations into the poor rival. He’s overcompensating, by getting the boy more courageous about approaching Hare-kun. Majima gives him a whole inspirational speech, that is obviously a little too specific.

They sit on the pier, a bit away from Kiryu and Haru-kun, Majima goes off on his anime inspirational monologue about courage and acceptance, while looking at Kiryu. Everything is basked in the warm golden light of the rising sun.

And it’s a nice start of the day, for all of them.

– before / navigation / next

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

@monthly-challenge 2024 | 8. Taking a Nap

I used this prompt for my original characters, Nathan and Patience: the story is under the cut.

Word count: 1,074

Patience yawned again, this time not suppressing it enough to avoid Nathan’s notice.

“Are you coming down with something?” he asked, practically.

She shook her head. Rhona, who was sitting next to her, chimed in, “Trust me, she’s just tired.”

“I can answer on my own, thank-ye-very-much,” said Patience. “But yes. It’s not a migraine.”

“Good, because I want to spend this time with you.” He shot her a grin; Rhona rolled her eyes.

“I feel like a third wheel,” she informed the ceiling. “I wonder why?”

“Bring along a fourth wheel and we can get this show on the road,” said Patience, a grin of her own breaking through. “How ‘bout it?”

“I should ask Lia, or Chloe or someone. Instead of sitting here while you two are busy making heart eyes at each other.”

“We don’t do that too often,” disagreed Patience.

Rhona laughed. “That was a joke, right? Right?”

Nathan laughed too. Patience glanced between them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, somewhat crossly. She was sincere, and Nathan gave her a glance not quite as loving as his previous ones.

“It’s a joke,” he said. “Can you not take a joke?”

“Not when you’re going to be horrid about it,” she said. “I’m no good with jokes, you know that.”

“Eh, you’re pretty good at them,” disagreed Nathan.

“I’m not trying to have an argument,” said Patience. There was silence for a moment, before Rhona filled it in by asking if either of them were up for a card game. Nathan was, and Patience debated claiming a headache and retiring to calm herself down. Eventually she said she was.

They played in somewhat less friendly silence, apart form the occasional words that were strictly about the game. At the end Nathan apologised for being horrid to her.

“You don’t need to apologise,” said Patience, who had calmed down and was now ready to accept and offer apologies. “It was my own fault being all snippy about it.”

“It was my fault for mocking you over it and belittling you,” he said.

“You apologise too easily,” said Patience, beginning to feel annoyed. “Too easily! Is that possible? I can hold grudges for ages, Pat. You should know this of me by now!”

“Sure, I know you say you hold grudges, but I don’t know—you’ve never seemed the sort who really holds a grudge, just thinks he does.” She spoke with the authority of a known grudge-holder, and Rhona made eye contact and smiled.

“The fact that we didn’t end up like Anne and Gilbert for the first few books is due mainly to circumstances, otherwise I could had ended up holding a grudge against you for some silly reason.”

Patience sighed. “You’re too hard on yourself, Nathan. You really need to be nicer to yourself sometimes.”

His expression darkened, and she knew she had hit a painful spot. “No.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged and mumbled his words, so that she missed what he said and had to ask for clarification. He shook his head helplessly instead of answering.

“You need to work on this,” she said, and knew at once that she had gone too far.

“Absolutely not,” said Nathan. “I’m entitled to think what I will about myself, thanks very much.”

“I just want the best for you,” she said, somewhat helplessly on her own account. She didn’t know really how to combat this. She had experienced such thoughts in herself, too—but then Nathan had helped her, and encouraged her, but it seemed sometimes as if he refused to let her encourage him too. It wasn’t a terrible problem by any means, but it was one she wanted to help him to fix because it could always get worse.

If he wouldn’t accept her help, though, what could she do, really?

It was, then, with a touch of annoyance that she added, “I don’t want you to keep putting yourself down. How do you think it makes other people feel? The people who love you?”

Nathan blinked in surprise. Rhona got up and left the room without comment.

“We care about you, Nathan, that’s why we want to make you not say these things.”

“I’m entitled to say whatever I want about myself,” he said stubbornly.

“Maybe so, but you’ve got to know that I’m going to pull you up on it almost every time.”

“Has it occurred to you that that’s really annoying?” he queried.

“Has it occurred to you that I don’t particularly care, since I think it’s for your own good?”

“You don’t care about my feelings?” His expression was stubborn and growing angry. “Got it. Well noted for the future, my girl.”

“Please don’t be horrid,” she said, softening suddenly. “Don’t say things like that. I just want to do the best I can do for you, you know?”

“I get it, but I’m entitled to still get annoyed by it,” he said stiffly. With a sudden emotional glance at her, he added, “If we’re going to hit shoals on this kind of thing, how are we ever supposed to last?” Patience froze, mouth half open. He had never said something like this.

“I want to be together for the long term!” he exclaimed. “I want—I want to marry you, Patience! But I don’t see how our differences can be reconciled!”

In an altered tone, she said slowly, “My dear, we don’t have to figure everything out right this instant. We just have to try, and keep on trying, for now. Surely?”

He pressed one hand against his eyes. “I worry about our future, Patience. Because I love you, and I don’t want to give you up. But I worry we won’t work out.”

She yawned again, a wave of tiredness encompassing her. “I don’t want to give you up either,” she said quietly. “Can’t we just stop this conversation for now and come back to it later, maybe?”

“Sure.” He held out his arms. “Come and cuddle, Patience. If you want to, that is.”

“Always.” She relocated herself to his lap, curled up against him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Very quickly, Patience was asleep, and when Rhona came cautiously back she found them both fast asleep. Nathan’s arms were around Patience, and his head tilted in a protective fashion over her.

“I presume you’ve made up your argument,” said Rhona, too quietly to disturb the sleepers.

Tagging @stealingmyplaceinthesun @graycedelfin @pilgrimsofworship and @choasuqeen