#(insert me cheering about how hate wins once again)

[hydralune]

Mirror Image is still lingering in my brain. I think this scene is incredibly funny for how fast Little Painter immediately shuts Prefect Luminary down:

[blues-valentine]

Your post was so long again but I agree about what you said about Tory from cobra Kai. The show victimizes her too much. Not saying that Sam has never done anything wrong but it’s crazy how every faults her for things while Tory can around starting a fight that ends with someone being kicked over railing and breaking into someone’s house and attacking them with a weapon not once but twice. It’s crazy.

I have a lot of comments about how those two in particular are written. The show doesn’t do a good job writing for their teenage characters and has an overall problem with classism. I can’t help but notice how the poor characters are presented with negative undertones. The Miguel story line in Mexico and the way it was presented? Awful. That’s another conversation for another day.

Let’s go back to the point of the ask and is going to be a LONG one so this will probably be my last take on this whole thing.

(Tory lovers — this is probably not your place).

The problem for me is how the show is so committed on making Sam the villain and the audience cheers for it like the excuses for hating on Sam are legitimate. This fandom has a huge misogyny problem. If Sam was depicted as a more "femme fatale" type of female character the conversation around her would be different. If you cannot sexualize Sam, then she’s just an annoying teenager and I’ve said this before and the way this fandom speaks about Sam proves me right.

The rivalry between Sam and Tory was so badly executed and they want to make it seem like it comes down to social class but they are unable to make it valid without inserting the boys into it. The show has been trying to put the blame on Sam for the school fight and repeatedly tells the audience she's the one to blame. This is a huge problem and to this day I’ve seen people blindly believe this. No one told Tory to walk into school to start a violent fight. The fact she gets defended over this is insane. Her violent actions created a domino effect and she has never apologized for it. No, it didn’t start because Sam cheated on Robby. Tory decided to resolve the issue by going after Sam instated of speaking to her boyfriend. Tory stans view the school fight as a win for her and that’s actually insane because it had nothing to do with Karate, that was a criminal act. She tried to kill someone. How can people expect Sam to be okay with her after that?

The show constantly vocalizes how Sam cheated on Robby. Almost as if we as an audience need to remember this fact about her to villainize her, but the show never tries to blame Miguel for cheating on Tory and never mentions how Sam was intoxicated during that party so the responsibility falls on Miguel’s shoulders more so than Sam. Miguel never gets called out for the things he does and I love him but this a recurrent problem with the show.

Another issue is how this fandom constantly devalues and minimizes Sam’s anxiety and PTSD. The amount of edits I’ve seen using Sam's panic attacks as a "look at Tory being so bad ass". Tory was a bully. Someone capable of going physical and aggressive. Sam was beat up in a brutal way, watched her ex boyfriend fall off the rails because of a fight Tory caused and her current boyfriend ran away as a result. I’ll be traumatized and Sam had a lot of reasons to hate Tory the way she did. It wasn’t a simple thing, it was straight up attempted murder. I am not saying the things Sam did were always right but I’m sure she’s allowed to feel that way but that’s the thing Sam is never allowed to feel aggression without being sell as unreasonable.

The show never tries to make Tory regret her actions but rather make excuses for her. That is the problem that would never let me fully root for her. We saw her semi apologize to Miguel, once. Then, episodes later we saw her telling Robby: "They get to have a normal life and we don’t". How does Miguel having a life altering injury and trauma normal for him? How does Sam developing PTSD and a crumpling guilt for something she didn’t do, normal? It’s the lack of self awareness. I’m sorry, Tory does not get to feel normal because actions like that should have consequences. The fact only Robby got to be punished by the school fight is wild considering Tory (and Hawk) deserved more and they got bare minimum.

Season 3 did nothing to show Tory understood the gravity of her actions or regrets the school fight because the season ends with her committing yet another crime: breaking into a house, demolishing private property and beating Sam up with a weapon. Again, made not mistakes, Sam deserves this. For some reason, anything Sam did cannot be worst than this. It’s what the show keeps trying to make us believe because Sam is rich and has a family. The show making Tory see reason in her mistakes is what should’ve kick started her redemption arc for season 4. Hawk’s redemption arc was done bad too. It’s okay to sympathize with Tory and her life but the way the writers and the audience make excuses for her it’s wild. Sam gets blamed for Dimitri getting his arm broken, not Hawk who did it and not Tory who verbally encouraged him.

Season 4 did Sam dirty and I’m terribly sorry for Mary Mouser. She clearly loves Sam but the writers don’t give her much to work with and keep deleting important scenes for her character. Plus, half of this fandom misogynist takes fall on her. Tory and Amanda's story line was terrible and so unrealistic and it did nothing but paint her as an unsupportive mother. I would never put my daughter's bully as a priority over my owns daugther’s comfort. I would never invite my daughter's bully into my own house, the place that’s supposed to be a safe space. Nothing about this plot was okay and it was pretty insulting to survivors. This plot was just to give Tory a 'redemption' that instated of having Tory apologize for her mistakes and realize the consequences of her actions, the writers angle this by making Sam to be the bully and the "unreasonable" one. Sam does not have to play nice with Tory. The show tries really hard to make it seem normal to forget and move on from a girl that tried to brutally harm you (twice) just because she’s poor and has not family support. Sam doesn’t have to be the better person. Life doesn’t work that way and there’s not justification for this. I do believe Tory regrets it but the show doesn’t do her any justice by constantly victimizing her.

Season 5 was a disappointment. Rushed and relied too much on fan service. I get that Tory’s situation was difficult and why it was hard for her not to tell anyone what Terry did but Sam’s reaction when Tory reveals to her the tournament was rigged isn’t exaggerated. It was absolutely valid. Firstly, Tory isn’t her friend. She is someone that has caused her pain both physically and mentally. Sam has been dealing with a lot of pressure because her "losing" that tournament put her family in a difficult situation. But, here’s the catch, Sam is rich so her struggles aren’t valid, according to the show.

As someone pointed out before, the Tory and Sam scene at her apartment was not meant to give Tory a believable redemption arc. It was used as a punch line against Sam and to further victimize Tory who still hasn’t apologized to Sam for beating her up and trashing her house. Tory's living situation was redirected towards Sam and her privilege and how "inconsiderable" of people’s struggles she is. How does Tory’s living situation changes Sam’s views on her? Or what she’s done to her? This angle makes me upset because it means people are allowed to be terrible just because of their life conditions. This isn’t doing people with financial struggles any favors. The show never gave Tory a redemption arc. They just sympathy baited the audience into thinking she’s justified. The writers overall have never done Tory justice as a character either. She was only given a personality until season 4, before that she was just one dimensional, she was there to serve as their own femme fatale / Sam’s rival.

I could go on and on about how the resolutions of the "rivalry" not only for Tory and Sam but Miguel and Robby were done terrible. Robby’s issues with Miguel and Johnny don’t get to be resolved after one fight. Johnny never proved he deserves Robby’s forgiveness. The baby plot was just a way to force Robby and Miguel to get along because "they’re family" now. Sam never got to heal from Tory’s actions. The narrative is trying to force it for plot sake. There’s a lot of baggage and to this day there’s people that go "Sam x Miguel and Robby x Tory double date for S6” as if those people suddenly being bffs is normal and realistic. That group of people could never be close friends. It was not done or developed in a believable or fair way.

I am a believer that season 5 was written that way because they weren’t sure about season 6 yet so they worked for it as a de facto finale. They tried to tie some loose ends but enough of an open ending to pick right up. And it shows.

[thatanimewriter]

Hi, can you do a kurokiba x fem eader insert please?She's small, fiery, has a sadistic side (vengeful) and temperment but tolerant and she hates risks so she's not reckless. An elite 10 who can do anything but favors sweet things, who took on central during Nakiri Azamis reign and won. Thank you :)

small but feisty fem! s/o

➳ character/s: kurokiba ryou

➳ warnings: swearing, suggested violence

➳ notes: wasn't sure whether you wanted headcanons or a fic, so i did a bit of both?? like, a short fic at the bottom of the headcanons, so hope that's ok. also eizan etsuya doesn't exist anymore i guess.

── 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐁��� 𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔.

wow look at you guys

2 peas in a pod

except you're better-

alice thinks you're the genderbent ryou

but here's the thing

as much as ryou thinks it would be funny at the start

he wouldn't dare make a joke about your height

because you will kick his shins

or maybe headbutt his nipples at best

in terms of cooking, you're not gonna take any big gambles

if you don't know it works 100%, you won't try it in a shokugeki

you like safety and it's not comforting when you try to think outside of the box on the spot

now

the best part about having your boyfriend be ryou

is that he will do dinner

but you get to make dessert

so when you guys stay at each other's dorms, that will happen

or you'll just

come over with sweets

sometimes you give him spicy brownies because he's a spicy boi

though you will join him for cooking lunch

you cook together a lot

and even though he's aggressive

so are you

and it will either cancel out or double

you will get a concerned look from him if you rant to him about someone that pissed you off

'i'm gonna castrate him with blunt scissors and no anaesthesia, then gag him with his limp dick if he breathes in my general direction again >:(('

and he just looks at you like

._.

you stood at the entrance to the hallway with your arms folded over your chest as ryou stood on the stage, grinning maniacally at his win. as he left the platform, his aggressive nature dropped when he saw you waiting.

ruffling your hair, he bent down to give you a chaste kiss on the lips, bringing a small smile to your features.

'go get 'em, tiger,' he said, pride hiding throughout his tone.

'of course,' you replied, giving him a thumbs up. returning your smile, he bent down to hug you, rising to full height as your legs dangled in the air.

when you walked onto the stage, your demeanour shifted dramatically. standing by the kitchen benches as your opponent joined you, they watched your movements, trying to read your mind. without exchanging words, you gave them the finger before making your dish. a smirk played on your lips throughout the duration of the match and everyone was wondering how you'd pull this off.

many had fallen to central, nakiri azami had clearly put thought into these new chefs, but even though you weren't officially the 9th seat, you still held that value within the school.

'the winner is [last name] [name]!'

the crowds cheered as you stood confidently. approaching the central member, they glared down at your calm expression until you pulled them down to your height, matching their expression tenfold.

'try that again and i'll make sure your career in cooking is as insignificant as the dust you're inhaling. maybe it's gotten to your head if you thought you could beat me, you entitled fuck,' you growled, releasing them from your grip and leaving the stadium.

ryou waited for you, lazily smiling at your form as you approached. 'that's my girl,' he said, messing up your hair once more before leading you outside, a hand loosely resting on your waist.

[beladusnotsosecertdiary]

"Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!" - Marie from The Aristocats

Fandom (picked at random since it was not requested) : Saint Seiya Lost Canvas

Characters (picked at random since it was not requested) : Sagittarius Sisyphus, Capricorn El Cid, Scorpio Kardia, Cancer Manigoldo, Leo Regulus

Type: Headcannon

Theme: ⬜

Reader Insert: Female

Synopsis: They started it, but you were the one that finished it.

Sagittarius Sisyphus

The moment he hears that you got into a fight he's worried first and foremost.

Like how badly hurt are you? In the infirmary?

He cares about you a lot and hates seeing you hurt.

BUT! Yes, there is a "but".

Once the initial concern is soothed and he knows that you're okay, you're gonna get scolded.

He's the "I'm not mad, I'm disappointed" kind of person. And trust me he is a master of that face that goes with those words.

Even if he is proud of you for holding your ground

Probably going to make you clean the whole of the Sagittarius House on your own as punishment.

Okay, maybe that's a little eccentric, but still you're in trouble with him.

But there is no need to worry, whatever punishment he gives you it won't last long.

Sisyphus does also scold the person who actually started the fight.

That same person may or may not be the one that has to clean the whole of the Sagittarius House on their own.

Capricorn El Cid

The literal opposite of Sisyphus in everyway!

He's a stickler for rules, but we love him anyway

He's mad when he comes to find you in the infirmary getting checked out.

Scolds you the moment he as the nurse who was treating your injuries to leave the room.

WILL make you clean the whole of the Capricorn House on your own as punishment.

His men; Rusk, Tsubaki, and Lacaille secretly help you the best they can.

Despite the fact they have orders from El Cid not to help you.

But they can't help it, they see you as their sister and love you very much.

As for the person that started the fight, ... Well El Cid paid them a visit and let's say you never saw that person again.

Scorpio Kardia

Hype Man PT1

Seriously you can't tell me he wasn't there cheering you on

Highly entertained

Attempted to join at some point during the fight

Extremely proud of you kicking ass and taking names

When you win, will give you a victory kiss

Both of you got in trouble with Degel afterwards

The two of you, and the person that started the fight are placed in solidary confinement

Worth it in yours and Kardia's mind for teaching that prick a lesson

Cancer Manigoldo

Hype Man PT2!

The souls and spirits he surrounds himself with are the ones that told him

Sadly misses the fight

But like Kardia, very proud of you for kicking ass and taking names

When he comes to the infirmary he asks you all about it.

He wants the tea ma'am.

"So what happened?"

"Oh they insulted my friend by body shaming them."

"And thus they signed their death warrant."

"Damn right! No one talks bad about; much less body shames any of my friends and gets away with it!"

Gives a kiss as a reward for winning.

Once you're out of the infirmary you are scolded by Sage

Manigoldo did try to say that he scolded you already, but everyone knows that is a fat lie.

Whatever punishment you get, don't worry, he's already planning on how to break you out

Leo Regulus

This one is going to hurt

Our sweet, sweet lion cub is very scared and extremely worried about you.

You got into a fight? Are you hurt? How badly? Life threaTING? ARE YOU DYING!?

Probably had PSTD flashbacks to when he lost his father. Speaking of which; Uncle Sisyphus is not happy with you~!

Runs to the infirmary like the devil is after him

His body is shaking in worry and fear as he stands before you asking if you're okay

Hugs.

Hugs.

Hugs.

Hugs.

Hugs!

Give this baby hugs! He's gonna need them to be sure you're okay

Sisyphus is the one that scolds you.

However you aren't punished because Regulus isn't out of his panicked/worried state of mind.

Lots and lots of cuddling and kisses in the Leo house's lounge or his room

Once he has calmed down will ask about the fight

Now that his nerves have calmed down he is very curious about how you got into a fight

When you explain what happened, he is proud of you for standing up for yourself

But next time try not to get into a fight, please?

[sillydreamer]

Hi Dream! How are you? I hope you're fine <3. First of all, I want to say that I love your headcanons, they are super entertaining and you know how to get into character very well!

Congratulations on the recognition you are gaining, you deserve that and much more!

Anyway, can I request relationship headcanons with Vladimir? Or if you wish with all of the boys, with what you feel most comfortable with <3.

Have a nice day! :D

Relationship headcanons for ML boys

Awwww thanks you Anon! I'm literally crying of happiness for all of your kind words that cheers me up to continue with this, thank you again and I wish you a great day!

For this I'm going to write relationship headcanons for all of the ml boys, I hope that you enjoy them!

Vladimir:

He can be a little possessive with you but not getting toxic. He wants to keep an eye on you to make sure that you're doing good. Also he knows that the world isn't a safe place and even if he trusts you he feels weird if you're out for a long time.

Will teach you how to take care of plants and enjoys to spend time in the garden with you. Will give you specific flowers following the language of flowers to express his true feelings.

Let's imagine that you fall sick, Vlad immediately notices and carries you to bed, keeping you in the bedroom and bringing whatever you need.

Loves tu hug you while sleeping, when it's winter he covers you with a blanket and sits in bed, reading you a book under the light of a candle.

Isn't a showy person if we are talking about public love demostrations. However this changes if you are in a closed environment, Vlad loves to kiss your lips and forehead to see you smile.

His hair is very special to him and takes good care of it so if he lets you braid it or brush it then Vladimir really loves you and wants you to be part of his daily life.

Beliath:

He's a seductive by nature and it doesn't change even if he's in a relationship. The only thing is that now he's just flirtatious with you and has the goal to make you blush with his commentaries.

Invites you to the moondance and makes sure that both of you have a good time. Still he doesn't like when someone tries to hang out with you in a not so innocent way. He will let you handle it anyway.

Sends letters to Leandra so she visits the mansion with more frequency. Likes to spend time with his sister and enjoys if you are involved in this activity too, after all the three of you are like a family.

Somedays Beliath just feels down and doesn't want to interact with others. You will notice that he's locking himself in his room so you will enter to see what's happening. In those days he just needs a hug and some gentle words to feel great again.

Loves to tease you 24/7 even if others are present. Always touching parts of your body like hips or arms and getting closer.

Will propose to have a threesome with anybody, but if you accept of course. He cares about you and wouldn't do anything that you don't like or enjoy.

If you get sick he'll demand ask Ethan to help you, watching the process in case that he needs to do it by his own in the future.

Likes to dance with you but for your bad luck he has a lot of energy and can do it for hours.

Raphael:

Loves to read with you, he doesn't care if they are different books or the same one. Raphael just wants to enjoy these moments with you and share his passion.

He can be clowny and joke about his blindness. Making this scene: "Rahpie I need your help with *insert a situation or problem*" "I see..." "Well what could you- Raphael!" (I used pink because I ran out of colors sorry)

Lets you touch the things at his room and answers your questions about them, finds your curiosity very cute and keeps feeding it with more stories.

Raphael enjoys when you sit in his lap because he can feel you closer and feel the warmth of your skin. Sometimes while you're sitting there he reads to you or tells you stories about his days.

He wouldn't compare you with Margarita because he saw (I'm sorry) that you're not like her. You're even better because you really love him and wouldn't dump him or cheat him.

Likes slow dances and he is really good in that! Always guiding you through the melody and touching you like a rose that's about to loose its petals.

Aaron:

Takes his wolf form whenever you ask him, Aaron let you climb to his back while running into the forest. If you need to go to the village he'll carry you down there and keep his wolf form while waiting you. He trust that you'll be okay and just lets you be but it's worried that something might happen (mom mode; on)

If you enjoy nature Aaron will lead you into the forest and teach you everything that he knows about plants or animals. Seeing your eyes shine makes him happy.

Is more likely out of all of the boys to leave hickeys on your body, that's his werewolve nature. He really enjoys to bite your skin but makes sure to take good care of you after that.

Some days his wolf instincts are really strong and in those times his actions are weird; being closely, needing attention, wanting head scratches...it's like having a real dog but in a human body.

Aaron will take you out to some bars to drink something in there, prefers calm places like these and will take you to night cinemas to watch movies.

If there's a spider of any other weird insect in the bathroom he'll release it. Doesn't like harming others if it isn't necessary (also because he knows that you might be scared of them, he can smell the fear).

Ivan:

Is really nervous about these relationship because his last one didn't end up well because of his attitude (and because his ex was a pain in the ass but Ivan doesn't know it).

While hugging you he will ask "Is this okay? Are you alright?" because he's a little bit shy during intimate moments but really loves them (he's a baby, give him some love please).

Enjoys playing videogames with you, sometimes having long sessions that end up very late. Ivan screams and get excited whenever he wins. At the end Valdimir will send you both to sleep because you are getting very loud.

Meme king, probably uses phrases of memes and uses them to seduce you. You also respond with other memes making no one in the mansion being able to understand what are you doing. "Are they flirting or inventing a new language?" No, it's called generation Z and millennials Vlad.

Borrows you his headphones and lets you listen to his playlist, he even make one for both of you. Tell me how can't you love this man.

You are the one that kills the spiders because he just screams and rans away. In case that you can't do it Ivan will call Aaron (he wouldn't kill them though, he just releases them in the wild).

Ethan:

You probably sleep together and you usually wake up first. In the rare ocasion that he does it Ethan will stare at your sleeping face, his teasing side tells him to wake you up with a prank and he does it. Maybe throwing a little bit of water to your face or by pulling your leg.

If you catch a small cold or a bigger sickness Ethan will help you right away. Always making sure that your health is doing good.

Has an idea of how to cook and will prepare something for you. Bad news; he's lazy and doesn't clean his mess. Makes sure that Ivan does it though.

Will take you to the town at night just to see things out there. Once somebody told him that he looked like Jack Frost and now you bother him with that.

After passing on his trauma Ethan will start to tell you more about his life, specially about his parents. He remembers them as the nicest persons and that he owes them a lot, sometimes he feels bad because he can't see them again and tears start to be visible at his eyes.

His favorite place to have a date? The moondance. He will take you there every night, both of you will spend the time dancing and drinking a little bit. In case that things are going wild Beliath will arrive to take care of both of you.

Neil:

Mysterious with everybody but with you, his attitude changes. Talks more, express more emotions, jokes with you...other's can't understand how both of you ended up together.

Likes to take you for a walk outside the mansion (or wherever he's living) and likes to see the stars. Maybe some nocturnal dates.

He hates humans but think's that you are nice, if you need to go and get something to town he'll guard you because doesn't trust your "specie" and things that they can take advantage of you. However if he sees that you are fine at your own he'll let you be, just don't arrive late or he'll kill every human in existence.

Likes to play hero and hides towels and stuff just to hear you asking him for help.

Is always the first one to wake up but lets you sleep.

Well and this make me realize how much I love Ivan, I need him in my life bye

[chibinekochan]

How to become a Demon Ruler 111

Part:   01 I 02  I 03  I 04 I 05  I 06 I 07 I 09 I 10

GN. Reader insert

taglist:  @ayesha95    ;  @nomnomcupcakesworld ;  @fex-phoenix   ; @depressed-bixch ;   @kitsune-oji

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

"Now all that's left is ingredients." I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far. 

"There is one more spot that I want to visit," Diavolo says with a smile. 

"Of course, let's go there first." I wonder what Diavolo wants to buy. 

Before long he leads me to a fancy clothing store. 

"Do you need a suit for the party?" I can only wonder why we are here. 

"No, we are here for you. I know Barbatos bought you plenty of clothes, but I want this one to be special." He smiles at me warmly. 

His warmth spreads to my heart. I smile at him. He is so thoughtful. "That is very gracious of you, but isn't it too much?" I'm touched, but I can't even imagine how pricey everything is in this type of store. 

"Nonsense, I want to indulge you. Please let me do this for you." Diavolo looks at me with his puppy dog eyes.

I can't win. "Alright." So I simply agree. 

Diavolo smiles at me happily.

  We head into the store. It's elegant, I feel very out of place.

The judging look of the high-class store clerk only strengthens my feeling. 

They were just about to force us out when Diavolo flashes his clear bankcard. Might be the same as a black card in our world, at least the reaction of the clerk seems to indicate that. 

Their expression and whole demeanor change in an instance. It's probably the prospect of a significant sale. I can't blame them, to be honest.

  "How can I assist you today?" They are fully in sales mode now. 

"We wish to look for an outfit for an upcoming party. It's a semi-formal event." Diavolo gives a summary of what we want. 

"I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for so can I just look around for a bit?" I'd rather find something that flatters me. 

"Naturally. We have our evening attire right over there. We have plenty of dresses and suits, even matching sets. They aren't just for weddings these days." The clerk points to one of the walls. 

"That's pretty intriguing." Diavolo seems to like the idea. 

"Would you like to see suits or dresses for yourselves?" The clerk seems to ask me more than anything. 

"I wonder if you even have any dresses in my size?" Diavolo asks this so absolutely calmly that I'm sure the demon world is just like this. 

Well, at least this clerk seems to be very taken aback from this question, seemingly unsure if it was a joke. " We have dresses in various sizes. I'm certain we can find one for you." 

"Do you think that would cause a scene?" Diavolo now asks me with his innocent eyes. 

"I'm confident it would be lovely on you, but you would steal all the attention from me. Maybe next time." I don't know how other demons would judge him. I think it would look great, but I will have to ask Barbatos. 

"Oh yeah, you might be right. I would hate that. We need to dress in matching outfits one day. Everyone would love it." Diavolo looks sure about this at least. 

Well, it's good to see that he is so open-minded. I can only weakly nod at him. 

He would definitely outshine me that much is certain.

  "This looks pretty nice." I take one of the expensive-looking outfits and take a more thorough look. " It has an open back." It's too sexy, and it probably wouldn't look good on me anyway. " I want to hang it back.

"It would look great on you for a different occasion." Diavolo smiles kindly at me.

  Then he sees a very beautiful outfit. "Oh, this is perfect." He holds it up. It's truly a lovely piece. 

"It would look great on you." I smile at him. 

"Thank you, but I selected it for you." Diavolo seems to blush a little. 

"For me? I'm not sure if that will look good on me." I look at the beautiful fabric, and it's finely cut. I have never worn anything like this before. 

"You should try it on." Diavolo softly encourages me. 

"Alright. I will try it on." There is no harm in that. 

"Great, you should also try all of these on." Diavolo has his arms full of different outfits. I can only wonder how he got all of them so fast. With this amount, I'm bound to find something that I like. 

"Have you found something for yourself?" It's hard to tell with this massive amount of clothes. 

"No, sadly I will have to wear my formal attire." He sighs with big regrets. 

"I'm sure you will look dashing." I hope to cheer him up with my words. 

Diavolo smiles at me, seemingly fully recovered. "I can only look dashing with you at my site. Shall we head to the changing room then?" 

"Yes, we have plenty for me to try on." The number of clothes will likely keep me busy for hours.

  We head over to a secluded area in the store. Diavolo sits on a big couch in the middle of the area. I head to the curtained chaining room.

  The outfits are all neatly lined up." Please call me when you need help and for the zippers." The clerk cheerfully offers their service. 

"Thank you." I smile and close the curtains behind me. 

I have to strip down to my underwear and start to try on countless outfits.

  Each time I go outside and do a little spin for Diavolo. Each and every time he causes a big show of praising me in the outfit. 

It makes choosing very hard. 

The last outfit I try on is the one that Diavolo chose first for me. Now where I wear it, I must admit that it looks superb. 

Diavolo genuinely has great taste.

  I step out of the changing room. Diavolos face lights instantly up. "This is the outfit you need to wear. I mean you should wear it. " Diavolo is so excited that he has to correct himself. The look on his face is fully selling me. 

It seems like he can't even imagine me wearing anything but this. I smile at Diavolo. "In that case, I will wear it."

"Don't feel pressured into it. Please choose whatever you like the most."  Diavolo seems to regret what he said. 

"Don't be silly. I choose it because I like it best." Even when I like it best because he likes it best. 

"Well in that case we will buy it. What about the other outfits?" He is joyful again. 

"I only need one outfit." I technically don't even need it thanks to Barbatos. 

"Too bad, but we can always come back right?" He is a bit disappointed but recovers all on his own. 

"Of course. We have to buy those matching outfits after all." I cheerfully smile at him.

  He nods very enthusiastically, and we pay for the outfit. 

I'm very cheerful as we leave. With this new outfit, I start to look forward to the party.

  "So now we need to go to the market." I look at Diavolo. 

"Yes, let's head there next but what about a break first? You must be very exhausted by now." Diavolo looks at me with great worry. 

"I am somehow full of energy, but I could use some food." Food sounds very good to me right now. 

"Food does sound good. Where shall we eat?" Diavolo is all on board with my idea. 

"I want to eat in your favorite restaurant." I can't say that I have any idea about demon food.

"Hmm, that might be difficult, but I heard devils’ den has great food so how about that instead?" Diavolo sounds very apologetic. 

"That sounds perfect." I had forgotten that the kind of place Diavolo would go to would have a long waiting list.

  So we head towards the devil's den.

  Before we can enter the place a very familiar and uncharacteristically angry-looking demon stands in our path. 

" Young lord, I can't believe my eyes. Dragging the young master with you into town? Do you even realize what kind of terrific things could have happened to them? To both of you?" Barbatos looks at Diavolo with anger and speaks in a very harsh manner. Now I can see why Mammon is scared of him. He has changed into a true demon, including his now demonized form.

Diavolo looks down like a child that knows it messed up. "I only wanted to make them happy."

"It's my fault I wanted to go so badly. I basically forced him to go with me." I step in to support Diavolo. I can't let him take all the blame. "I wanted to get the presents for the brothers and ingredients for tomorrow." I show him my best puppy eyes. 

Barbatos only shakes his head. "You both were just off having fun. I can't believe how reckless you are my lord. I can't blame the young master since they are young and naive to the demon world, but you know the dangers." Barbatos is very angry. 

"I kept them safe." Diavolo tries to defend himself. 

"You did, but imagine what could have happened to them. Can you even imagine how much I worried about them after I heard from Asmo about your little adventures?" Barbatos looks with cold eyes at Diavolo. 

He has not much to defend himself with. "I'm sorry Barbatos. I just want them to love the devildom as much as I do." Diavolo sounds heartbroken. It's just a simple reason, but it truly warms my heart. 

"Please at least punish us both. I desired to come here in the first place." I plead with Barbatos. 

Barbatos looks at me with a strange look. I'm not quite sure what it is.

  Then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. This seems to calm him down a bit, at least. "I understand how frustrating all of this must be. Everything changed for you once you came here. I share Lord Diavolos desire to make you feel at home. His desire to make you love our home. I want the same thing for you. However, you must learn that you are now a target for certain people. Whenever I like it or not." Barbatos takes a deep breath. His demonic state changes back to his usual humanlike form. Then he looks at me gently. "You are very important to both of us, and today you could have lost your life. Even when Diavolo brought every bodyguard with him. Even when Diavolo has put protective spells over you. There are countless dangers in this world. Please promise me to never do this again." He only looks at me now. I can tell his words are filled with compassion. 

"I'm sorry I was reckless." I feel very ashamed now. His words have a big impact on me. He has never spoken this way to me before. 

"Barbatos don't make them promise something like this. I take full responsibility for today. Please let them have fun in the future as well." Diavolo doesn't seem to have any regrets. 

Barbatos shakes his head. "You cannot cast me as the villain here. My job is to look out for both of you. I have no intention of ruining anyone's fun. Don't misunderstand me. I fully intend to let the young master have all the fun they want to have, but in a responsible way." Barbatos explains his intentions. It seems reasonable to me. 

"I promise in the future I will tell you about my plans." This promise comes from my heart and seems reasonable enough. 

Barbatos smiles gratefully. "Thank you very much, young master." Then he looks at Diavolo and his face turns stern in an instance. "Your punishment will be to pay for dinner, for both of us today and I want to see all the missing papers before midnight today."

Diavolo sighs deeply. "Alright." He seems utterly defeated. 

The punishment seems very light in my opinion, but it seems to have hit the mark. 

"What have you bought anyway?" Barbatos eyes the bags that Diavolo is carrying. 

"We bought a top for Asmo, a pair of sunglasses for Mammon, a pillow for Belphie, and we found matching bed sets for all of us. Then Diavolo got me a very pretty outfit for the party." I list the items off, emphasizing what we got for him. 

"You went alone with them to buy the outfit for the party?" Barbatos sounds like he is offended. 

"I wanted to spoil them." Diavolo shrugs. 

Barbatos narrows his eyes. "Unbelievable, my lord, I'm deeply hurt." He seems honestly more hit by this than our secret trip. 

"We can go together next time." I try to make Barbatos happy. I had no idea that he likes outfit shopping this much. 

"Thank you, young master, but I will not forget this, my lord." He smiles at me but glares towards Diavolo. Who seemingly doesn't care about this offense.

  Even during our dinner, Barbatos keeps shooting glares towards Diavolo. I'm pretty sure he also took the most expensive items on the menu.

  Barbatos has already gotten us all the ingredients for tomorrow, and I also tell him about the items that I will need as gifts from my home and the human world.

  After today's wild day I fall fast asleep once I hit my bed. 

[carewyncromwell]

“We were dreamers not so long ago, But one by one, we all had to grow up. When it seems the magic’s slipped away, We find it all again on Christmas Day...”

~“Believe,” by Josh Groban

x~x~x~x

The Ravenclaw VS Hufflepuff match was one for the ages. With a final score of 320-10, it was one of the most decisive matches in Hogwarts history, let alone one of Ravenclaw house’s greatest triumphs -- and all of it was because of the combined efforts of Seeker Cho Chang and Ravenclaw’s Chasers, led by their Star Player Robert Bellamy. It put Ravenclaw well on its way to winning the Quidditch Cup for a second time, and it also made Robert once again the talk of Ravenclaw house. People latched onto the idea of him using echolocation to signal to his fellow Chasers where he was on the pitch and began to say he could fly faster than any bat, whether a real one or one from Ballycastle. 

And yet, despite all of the praise and fawning he received, just as Cecelia said, Robert shrugged all of it off. 

“All of us train more than just our eyes,” he said with a shrug. “And besides, signaling would’ve meant nothing if Roger and Randolph hadn’t been good enough Chasers to toss the Quaffle to me blindly -- and if Roger hadn’t been a good enough Captain to lead our team, to begin with. Not to mention Cho catching the Snitch in the middle of that fog -- that’s infinitely harder than anything we did...”

Atticus @cursebreakerfarrier​​​​ couldn’t quite understand how Robert could be so determined not to accept praise for his abilities when it was so clearly warranted...but even so, he found himself smiling every time he heard him respond with such modesty. For as flippant, rebellious, and devil-may-care as Robert was, he wasn’t full of himself. It was a rather endearing quality. 

When December arrived, the student body got into a predictable tizzy about the upcoming holidays. Atticus, as always, found himself grumpier than usual due to the noise. He’d never really liked Christmas even as a kid, and at Hogwarts the season only served to make him more surly. Atticus recalled, however, that Robert was one of those people who got obnoxious around Christmas -- it had always irritated him before, whenever Robert would sing Christmas carols loudly at the top of his lungs while helping decorate the Ravenclaw common room. And this year was no exception. The Star Chaser helped smuggle a tree up to Ravenclaw Tower, hung garlands and clusters of holly all over the Ravenclaw commonroom, and greeted and said goodbye to absolutely everybody with “Happy Christmas,” and on the morning of December 8th, the very day he no longer had to dress all neatly like Atticus, he pulled out his old red-felt Santa hat and wore it every single day for the rest of term.

Atticus was frankly done, and the holiday break hadn’t even started yet. 

“Aw, come on, Lestrange!” said Robert one day after Potions, giving the other boy a light punch to the shoulder. “Lighten up -- it’s Christmas!”

“So you keep reminding me,” Atticus said dully. He tried to bury his nose in his copy of Moste Potente Potions, but Robert wouldn’t drop the line of conversation. 

“Well, I wouldn’t keep reminding you if you cheered up a little,” he said with a grin. “Do you always have to be such a Scrooge around this time of year?”

“Do you always have to be so happy about it?” Atticus shot back. “...What’s a ‘Scrooge’ anyway?”

“A character from A Christmas Carol,” Ceci explained with a small, amused smile. “It’s a Muggle book -- it’s a lovely one too: you’d like it, Atticus...”

“Better have Rob read it aloud for you, though,” said Barty with a big grin. “No one reads it like Rob.”

“A Christmas Carol is a masterpiece of literature -- all I do is treat it accordingly,” Robert said offhandedly. He shot Atticus a wry smile over his shoulder. “Though I suppose if it’d help you actually get to sleep at a reasonable hour for once, I could always read it to you as a bedtime story, Lestrange -- ”

“No thank you,” Atticus cut him off crisply. 

Her face appearing rather sympathetic, Ceci lightly bumped her arm against Atticus’s as they walked.

“Are you staying here for the holidays again, Atticus?”

Atticus nodded. “The library’s always nice and quiet, over break. It’s a good time to get some extra work done...”

Robert’s light-hearted expression faded -- something almost guilty passed over his face. 

“...Mm...”

His black eyes drifted away, off toward the far wall. Barty offered both his best friend and Atticus a smile. 

“Well, uh...maybe we can do some work over break together, then, Atticus,” Barty offered.

Atticus stiffened like a startled cat. “Huh?”

“My parents are taking a trip to visit my aunt and cousins in Normandy,” Barty explained sheepishly, “so I was thinking of staying at Hogwarts over break too! Don’t reckon much of anyone else in our year will be, so maybe we can hang out a bit over break, if you’d like...”

Atticus truly couldn’t think of anything he’d want to do less. Knowing it’d be incredibly rude to say so, however, he forced an uncomfortable smile. Ceci, however, jumped on it.

“That’s perfect!” she said. “Maybe you and Atticus can do some extra research, Barty.”

Atticus blinked in confusion. “Research?”

“About our dreams,” said Ceci eagerly.

Barty nodded. “One thing all of our visions have in common is that we all look older, right? You said that the guy in your dreams kind of looks like me, but older -- and Ceci, Rob, and I all see each other looking older too. But when we looked into Divination, all we really got was a lot of vague preaching -- ”

“You mean utter rubbish,” Robert inserted with a smirk. 

“So Robert was thinking,” Barty pressed on, “if this is some kind of future sight we’re having, maybe we can find out what’s causing it by studying Time-centric magic.”

“And what better person to help us with researching something in the library than Atticus Lestrange?” Ceci said with satisfaction, taking both of Atticus’s shoulders from behind and giving them a light squeeze.

Atticus, however, didn’t look so sure. “Well, thank you, but...I’ve already read every book in the library about Time Turners -- and I don’t think there’s anything in there that might explain what’s going on...”

“Every book?” prompted Ceci, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes,” said Atticus. “Well, except for the Restricted Section, but...”

He trailed off, noticing the wicked look that Ceci and Robert exchanged before they both glanced at Barty.

“Except for the Restricted Section,” repeated Robert, his lips spread in a broad white smirk.

Barty grinned -- his expression was perfectly angelic compared to his cohorts, and yet it was determined.

“Atticus,” he said in a very soft, but perfectly fearless voice, “mind if I join you on your evening Prefect rounds, over break?”

And that was how Atticus Lestrange got roped into sneaking into the Restricted Section of the Library after dark on Christmas Eve with Barty Gilbert. 

Atticus had been very wary when he lingered in the hall outside Ravenclaw Tower as planned, waiting for Barty. He knew his father most assuredly wouldn’t approve of this, and even despite that, he dreaded the thought of willingly spending time with his school rival. It didn’t matter how pleasantly the Gryffindor acted around him, or even how fond Atticus was becoming of his best friend -- Atticus didn’t like Barty, and that was that. And he absolutely hated the thought of getting into trouble just because he was roped into working with him. 

Unfortunately Atticus was so uptight and stiff while waiting around that he nearly had a heart attack when Barty’s disembodied voice whispered in his ear. 

“Sorry!” Barty whispered quickly. “I’m sorry -- I was really trying not to sneak up on you, but Filch is around that next corner...ack! Here he comes!”

He threw some sort of translucent cloth over Atticus’s head, prompting the other boy to crouch down so it covered both of them. 

The crabby Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch, rounded the corner, raising his lantern and looking around. His beady eyes glided over where Atticus and Barty were standing, narrowing suspiciously, before he trudged away.

“Andskotans djöful,” Atticus swore under his breath. 

He was clutching at his chest and breathing very heavily as he turned to gawk at Barty over his shoulder. 

“You have an Invisibility Cloak?”

Barty grinned sheepishly. “My parents own several robe shops. I figured one of their stock going missing wouldn’t be the absolute end of the world...”

He adjusted somewhat so that the fabric wouldn’t drag on the floor.

“Come on -- let’s get to the library.”

Fortunately the two managed to get into the Restricted Section without incident. Once they were positive no one was in the Library to catch them, Barty stood watch under his Cloak by the door, his wand over his chest, while Atticus combed through the shelves of books, his own wand lit and held aloft so he could scan the titles. The two didn’t talk much -- the discomfort congealed between them as Atticus tried to keep his eyes on what he was doing. 

“Anything promising?” asked Barty.

“Not yet,” said Atticus shortly. 

Silence returned. After another moment, Barty spoke again.

“Atticus...may I ask you something?”

“What?”

“In your dreams...do you see bad things happening?”

Atticus paused. Then he slid another book from the shelf and opened it, flipping through the pages. 

“Not really. I don’t see much of anything, I think -- at least, not that I can remember. It’s...feelings, mostly.”

“Feelings like you know something’s wrong? Like, even if you can’t see what happened, you feel so much pain and sorrow that you know it’s bad?”

“Sometimes.”

Barty nodded, turning his focus back out into the blackness of the Library. 

“As far back as I can remember,” he said very softly, “I’ve had this dream where I was trying to reach someone. I couldn’t ever see their face clearly, but I just knew, somehow, that the person was in trouble, and that I had to help them. But no matter how fast I tried to run to try to get to that person...my vision would black out and I’d feel like I was frozen still, unable to move at all.”

He bowed his head, his eyes cast into shadow. 

“...I would wake up screaming and crying at night, when I was little...all because I couldn’t reach that person in time. Because I knew that, because I didn’t move fast enough...that person was dead.”

Atticus’s hand had stilled on the book he was flipping through. His eyes were wide upon the page, but clearly weren’t taking in any of the words printed there. The memory of his own mother trying to comfort him after he woke up crying about a pair of red eyes and warm arms rippled over his mind. 

“When I got to Hogwarts,” Barty said lowly, “my dreams became a little clearer. I still didn’t know where I was or what I was doing...but this person who I’d been running to try to save, my whole life, suddenly had a face. A man with black eyes and curly hair...just like my best friend.”

He looked up at Atticus, his face incredibly serious. 

“I don’t know why you’ve seen someone like me in your dreams, Atticus,” said Barty, “and I know you don’t like me...but I could really use your help, in getting to the bottom of all this. Robert is my best friend in the whole world. He’s the first person who became my friend solely because of who I am, rather than who my family is. If I lost him...if anything bad happened to him...”

A dark, miserable shadow passed over his face. 

“...I don’t know what I’d do,” he whispered.

Atticus looked up at last. His blue eyes were rather uncertain. 

“What about Cecelia?” he asked. “Didn’t she become your friend for who you are?”

Barty’s eyes softened as his face flushed lightly. 

“...Ceci means everything to me. We’ve known each other forever. But her family only engaged with mine because we had money...and my parents only let us play together because her parents would bring her over. Our parents encouraged her to play with me because my parents reckoned she’d be a ‘good influence’ on me...might help me come out of my shell some...”

“Well, I suppose they were right,” muttered Atticus. “Now you’re the hot-shot Dueling Champion and Dragon Tamer...Hogwarts’s Golden Boy...”

The last words came out before he could stop himself and he immediately looked away, his insides prickling with discomfort. 

Barty, amazingly, only smiled weakly.

“It’s easy to be brave when you know you’re doing the right thing,” he said, “when you’re standing up for somebody or trying to calm an animal that doesn’t know any better. When you’re fighting, or protecting, there isn’t any thought -- you just do. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He looked down again, his shoulders falling slightly.

“...But when you’re around people...trying to figure out just what to say, to tell people what you mean...or even just how much to say, when you know not everyone means you well...well, that’s not so easy. You feel like the whole world is watching you, and judging you, no matter what you say...even if you say nothing at all. But at least when you’re quiet...people can kind of just see what they want to see...”

Atticus frowned. Barty had always been rather soft-spoken compared to witty, sassy Robert and sociable, amiable Ceci, but he’d never really taken the time to conclude that Barty was actually shy. 

“I’ve always envied Robert that way,” admitted Barty, offering Atticus a small smile. “He’s never at a loss of what to say. When you and he go at it, bantering like you do...I can tell you like each other, but there’s just such a charge there -- like the eclectic lamps Professor Burbage has in her Muggle Studies class!” He beamed a bit more broadly. “It’s so cool.”

Atticus stared at Barty for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then, after a moment, he looked back down at the book in his hands.

“...Thanks,” he said at last. He could feel his ears burning again.

Barty, however, only smiled, his blue eyes very understanding and patient as he returned his focus to the dark Library again. 

Atticus glanced up at Barty without raising his head, considering him for a moment. Then, with a swallow, he spoke again.

“...I...used to wake up crying too. When I was little.”

Barty looked up, taken aback.

“I used to dream about this person with red eyes,” said Atticus. “He’d be squeezing my shoulders -- almost as if he was afraid to touch me at first, but then gently, purposefully. Then, as he held my shoulders, he would start to laugh...but even though he was laughing, I would hear the sobs. I could tell he was crying...crying in grief and joy and something else altogether...but so much pain. A kind of pain I don’t think I could ever know...”

Just remembering the heartbreaking sound made Atticus’s throat clench and his eyes well up with traces of tears. He wiped them quickly from his eyes with one hand. 

“My mother used to comfort me, telling me that it was just a dream, that nothing in it could hurt me,” he said lowly. “But she never needed to say that -- I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He was the one hurting.”

He swallowed. The lump in his throat was painful. 

“...I didn’t have the dream as much, as I got older -- just time to time, around some of the other weird ones. Maybe I just don’t sleep long enough stretches to dream as much anymore,” he added as an afterthought. “But when Bellamy and I got paired for Binns’s oral report...well, that feeling came back, out of nowhere...and again, when you, Ceci, and I were watching the match against Hufflepuff.”

Atticus forced himself to meet Barty’s eyes at last.

“I don’t understand this whole thing at all...but I want to know why I’m feeling these things, and I want to know why you, Ceci, and Bellamy see what you’re seeing, too. If that’s what you want too...well, then it’s only practical that we work together.”

He offered a weak smile of his own. Barty was definitely taken aback, but within seconds, his face had lit up with a warmer, more determined smile and he nodded.

“Mm-hmm.”

From that day on, Barty Gilbert and Atticus Lestrange had made peace. 

Unfortunately their night in the Library proved fruitless, research-wise. Not even Dark or restricted magic could explain the kinds of bizarre, fragmented visions the four students were experiencing. And so Atticus returned to his dorm that night feeling very disheartened. He was less so, however, when he awoke out of a restless doze in the Ravenclaw armchair Christmas morning to the feeling of someone holding his shoulder and lightly shaking it.

“Atticus. Atticus.”

Atticus blinked sleepily up at who’d woken him, to see a familiar, shyly smiling face framed by auburn hair.

“Happy Christmas,” Barty greeted gently.

Atticus shook his head rapidly, trying to orient himself. 

“W-what? Gilbert, what -- what are you doing in -- ?”

Just behind Barty, Atticus could see both Ceci and Robert grinning from ear to ear. 

“Surprise!” said Ceci brightly. 

“Happy Christmas, Lestrange,” said Robert, his black eyes dancing with mischief.

Atticus looked around at all three of them, perfectly bewildered. “But -- but you -- you two went home for Christmas -- how did -- ?”

“Rob and I took the Floo back!” Ceci explained. 

“It was Rob’s idea,” said Barty. “I thought I’d keep the whole thing quiet, until they got here.”

“I couldn’t change my plans and stay for my whole break, since I have to be at home for Christmas Eve church service,” said Robert, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, “but well, the thought of you being stuck here all alone...”

His eyes drifted up to the ceiling. 

“‘The school is not quite deserted,’ said the Ghost,” he recited from memory, “‘A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still.’”

He returned his gaze to Atticus seriously. 

“A Christmas Carol,” he added as explanation. “It’s part of why Scrooge ends up hating Christmas so much -- he wasn’t allowed to go home for the holidays to see his family, so instead he stayed at school all alone, with nothing but his books for company. I know this whole season isn’t your thing and all, but...it just seemed rotten, to leave you and Barty alone.” 

Barty beamed at Atticus. Atticus, on the other hand, was too overwhelmed to respond. He felt like his throat had gone very dry, all of the moisture instead moving up toward his eyes. 

Robert and Ceci had put their holidays with their families on hold for him. Yes, Robert said it was for him and Barty, but he’d been thinking of Atticus and how lonely he’d be. No one had ever done anything quite so kind for him before, and it made Atticus feel like his heart was flooding. 

“...You...” he murmured, “...but...why?”

Ceci laughed. “Why do you think? You’re our friend, Atticus! We wanted to spend Christmas with you!”

Atticus’s heart swelled. 

Friend. He was their friend?

He looked from Ceci to Barty to Robert -- his black-haired dormmate smiled, his black eyes sparkling as he nodded in agreement. 

The tears that had been prickling at the sides of Atticus’s eyes actually leaked through, escaping down his cheeks, as he smiled back. He quickly wiped them away, his smile gleaming as he looked up at the three of them.

“...Thank you,” he said at last breathily. “I...I don’t know what to say...”

Ceci brought her arms around Atticus in a sideways hug. “Then don’t say anything! We have presents to unwrap! Come on, come on -- Barty, Rob and I put ours under the tree before we woke you...”

Atticus felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t thought to buy any presents for Robert, Barty, and Cecelia, but he honestly hadn’t expected that they’d want to get him anything. But sure enough, all three of them gave marvelous presents -- Barty gave Atticus a book on Dark creatures; Ceci gave him his own leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol; and Robert gave him a beautiful bookmark carved out of wood into the shape of a Phoenix and painted brilliant shades of red and orange. The card enclosed said,

Ceci helped me paint this for you. Hope this little turkey can keep you company in the Library. 

Happy Christmas!

Robert

Atticus was amazed when he learned that Robert had actually carved the bookmark himself by hand. Apparently Robert had used some of the leftover wood from the trunk of the tree he’d smuggled into Ravenclaw Tower to make Atticus’s bookmark -- he’d also used some of the branches he’d had to trim off to make Barty a carved picture frame and Ceci a pretty wooden heart pendant she could wear as a necklace. They were all a little rough around the edges, but the effort showed through, and it warmed Atticus’s heart to think of the amount of work Robert must’ve put in to make his presents. 

The whole day put Atticus in such a good mood that he even encouraged Robert to read aloud from his new leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol, so he could hear it. The request made Robert’s dark eyes light up more brightly than Atticus had ever seen them before...and indeed, when Robert finished reading the beautifully written, emotional novel with such warm sincerity and articulated poetry that evening, Atticus had to admit -- it was a very, very good book. 

[yandere-ac]

Tom Nook X Reader

Fireworks

Alone.

10 pm on a Sunday and Tom was sitting alone in the residential services, typing away on his computer, trying to ignore all the sounds outside. The sounds of everyone running around, the sounds of people having fun, the sounds of fireworks going off. But most importantly, the sound of him. It’s been years and nothing has changed with him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to attract customers to his little raffle. Tom knee he was out there, that’s why he simply couldn’t go. The simple muffled sound of him shouting was enough to make his heart stop. “Come one! Come all! Step right up to redds raffle! For the small fee of 500 bells you’ll be guaranteed to win one of these fine prices! That’s right folks! You’ll never know what you’ll get but you are guaranteed to win!!!”

Huh. You’ll never know what you’ll get. Thats funny. That’s sort of how Redd and Toms relationship used to be. Tom however, did not get a guaranteed win. No, he got scammed out of 500 000 bells and was left in a ditch to rot away and die. He never thought Redd would be able to do something like that to him. Tom thought that he was different to Redd, that he actually cared for him. But Redd proved him wrong that night. He proved that Tom was no different than all the other fools that Redd tricked on a day to day basis. Because that’s what he was to Redd, he was just another one of his pawns in his big game of chess. He meant nothing to Redd and was easily disposable. And here he was, just outside his window, trying to make quick money off of his fellow islanders. And Tom was letting it happen. Because he was too much of a coward to go and do something.

Phyyyuuuuuuuu....

BOOM!!!

Another firework went off. Tom could see the ground light up from outside his window. Oh how he wished he could be outside. But he knew he wasn’t strong enough to face Redd. He never wanted to see him again, and he hadn’t planned on doing so. And he would do anything to avoid seeing his past partner.

Plingelingeling

The soft sound of the little bell that was attached to the door dragged Tom out of his thoughts. Someone had entered. And that someone was you. You were laughing and were holding a balloon. At least someone was having fun out there. You made eye contact with him and smiled, running up to him. You had a star bopper on, probably something that Isabelle gave to you. You looked very cute in it.

“Hi Tom!” You said as you sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk. “Why hello hello Y/N! Having fun out there I hope?” He said, giving you a genuine smile. “Yeah! It’s been awesome! The fireworks are really pretty and we’ve all had very fun! The boys are really happy as well! They’ve been running around for hours now! It’s really cute!” You said, very enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Tom has asked you to take the kids with you to the festival. They both had been cooped up in the store for too long and deserved a break. And there was no one he trusted more than you. “But....I think they would enjoy it more of you were out there with them...” oh boy. So you would pull this card huh. He let out a slight sigh. “Yes, I would also enjoy it...but I can’t Y/N...you know that...” as he said this he felt two soft hands grab his paws. “Is this about Redd?” You asked, and just hearing someone else say that bastards name made him tense up and made his eyes widen. “...I take that as a yes...come on Tom! Who cares what that guy thinks! He’s a sad man who’s only enjoyment in life comes from watching other suffer! He’s not worth your time!” Tom knew Redd wasn’t worth his time, yet it didn’t exactly make it any better. Just stating the obvious isn’t going to help his case.

“...I’m sorry...look, how about we go to a secluded spot, far away from the plaza. Do you think Redd will leave his precious money making station to go after you? Trust me, you need to get out of the residential services. You won’t have to see Redd okay? I promise!” Once you said this, you took one of your hands and cupped his cheek. Tom responded by closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. How bad could it be. If he would just ignore Redd and get away as soon as possible, things might work out. And so, he took one of his paws and pressed it on the hand that was cupping your cheek. “Alright then”

Walking out from the building, Tom and you were holding hands. Tom could see all of the islands inhabitants running around, clapping or cheering. Some were sitting on the ground, others were standing up. And he could see one islander sitting on another shoulders as they ran past him and Y/N. “Oh hello Mr Nook!” The one on top shouted as they passed the two. The loud announcement of the name made a certain fox turn his head to see if what he heard was really true. And once he made eye contact with Tom and gave him a wide smirk, Tom knew it was game over.

“Well well well. If it’s isn’t Tom Nook himself. I’ll be honest, I thought you died or something nookie, but here you are! Nice of you to visit your good ol pal Redd!” Toms ears fell done on his head. All of a sudden he could feel memories of Redd and him wash over him. But not the good memories, no, rather the memories he wished he could lock in a box and throw into the ocean. Redd walked closer to the two and Tom tried to regain his posture. “Hello Redd. How are you doing this evening?” Tom looked at the fox. He was wearing completely different clothes than his usual “only an apron” style. He hated to admit, but he like the foxes outfit. Should he say something? “You look nice. I like the new clothes.” Tom didnt want to give the fox any sort of encouragement In any way shape or form but he hoped that the compliment would at least soften Redd up in the slightest. He refused to look into the foxes eyes. “Pff, thanks! I wish I could say the same for you.” this made Tom freeze for a few seconds, that’s was, until he felt you squeeze his hand. Slowly stroking it with your thumb. Once he looked into your eyes and saw nothing but support, he felt better. “Uncle Tom!!!” The tension was interrupted by the sound of two younger voices accompanied by the small pit pats of four small paws running against the ground. Tom could see Timmy and Tommy running up towards him. Both of the boys jumped into his arms and he managed to catch both of them swiftly. He felt a pair of small arms wrap around his neck. Tommy was giving him a hug and Timmy was enthusiastically explaining what they had done this evening.

“It was so cool!!! You should have seen it! Y/N made custom fireworks with us! I made a dinosaur and Tommy made a jellyfish!!! And then- then Y/N made their custom firework look like me and Tommy!!! It was so pretty!!! And then aunt Isabelle gave us these boppers! Look, look!” The two brothers were indeed wearing two boppers. Timmy was wearing a flower bopper and Tommy was wearing a heart bopper. Tom chuckled slightly at their frenetic nature. It was obvious the two was running on sugar and adrenaline at the moment. He was certain that the two small tanookis were gonna have a tummy ache the next day. He could hear the faintest sounds of a little bell coming towards them. He turned to see that, yup, Isabelle was coming towards them all.

“Oh! Tom! Great to see you out here! I’ll be honest, I felt a little guilty leaving you alone while I got to be out here” Isabelle said, huffing slightly as she talked to him. “Oh yes. I finished all my paper work you see.” That was a lie, however, only three people knew it was a lie. “Oh yeah I’m sure you had so much paperwork huh?” Redd said, inserting himself into the conversation. This is when you started to lose patience. “Why don’t you shut your trap Redd!” Redd was a bit taken back by this. You always acted so quiet when you bought art of off him so to see you be so audible was strange to be sure. “Oh I’m sorry? Where you involved Y/N? What are you gonna?” Redd said, irritation plaiting his voice. “I would love to tell you what I would do but there are children present you selfish-“ “enough! Y/N, you said it yourself. He’s not worth it. Just let it go.” Tom told you, stroking your shoulder in an attempt at calming your nerves. You looked into his eyes, and in one fell swoop, you picked up the two brother that were now standing besides him. The two of them let out screams of delight and laughter as you started to run off. “Come on! Follow me!!!”

Isabelle and Tom were trailing behind you. How were you so fast when you were carrying TWO children!? Just like always. You never cease to amaze. You finally stopped at the highest hill on the island. There grew a single tree full of the islands native fruit. You put down Timmy and Tommy who were still giggling like crazy. You sat down besides the two boys and leaned up against the tree. Soon Tom and Isabelle caught up with you, both extremely out of breath once they got there. “What in the world was that for?” Isabelle asked as she looked at you. “I felt like we needed a change of scenery. Tom needs to see the fireworks! And I thought, what better place then the hill! And so, I grabbed the kids and ran here!” As you said this, you scooted over, patted the place next to you. Tom sat down next to you and Isabelle sat next to the boys. And for the first time, Tom could actually focus on the sky. It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning even! The sky was filled to the brim with colours after colours. Exploding like big balls of flames. It took his breath away. Even Isabelle seemed amazed. She had seen the fireworks sure, but from up here, they were even clearer! All five of them just watched the fireworks in silence for 15 minutes straight. It was only when the three adults heard a soft groan that they turned the attention away from the sky and to the small tanookies. Tommy was resting his head on Isabelle’s lap and Timmy was using Tommy as a pillow.

“Whoops. Looks like someone’s energies run out. Poor things, it’s way past their bed time. I’ll take them home.” Isabelle said, gently picking up the boys in her arms. She was about to leave when Tom stopped her. “Wait Isabelle. Before you leave... could I have one of those boppers?” He asked. It felt silly of him to ask but he thought they were pretty and wanted to participate. But Isabelle wasn’t a judgemental person, far from it. She simply giggled slightly and bowed her head before him. “Here, take mine.”

And so. Isabelle was off. She was off to put the kids to bed. That left Tom and you completely alone. Tom was readjusting his bopper and you were simply looking at him with a smile. “Hey look at that! We match!” You said, nudging his shoulder slightly. “Huh? Oh yeah! I guess we do ahhah...hey Y/N? I wanted to thank you. Thank you for fixing the Redd situation, thank you for taking care of the boys, just thank you for dragging me out here. And umm...” he took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. The tanooki placed a quick kiss on your cheek. It took you a second to realise what had just happened. But once you did, you smiled to yourself, grabbing his hand slightly.

“You’re welcome Tom.“ And so. The two of you continued to watch the fireworks, you leaned your head against his shoulder.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

So yeah...another out of the blue fic that I wasn’t planning on writing!!! But listen, @mrmr-uwu told me about this headcanon she had about how the reason Tom isn’t present at the festival is because he can’t be with Redd because it’s to painful for him. Like do you expect me to hear that and NOT write a 2000 word fic about it??? Don’t be ridiculous I don’t have that self control! But this was really fun. Like I’ve said before I will take ANY excuse to write for Tom Nook. I will now get back to your normal Yandere content

[writeyouin]

Tfa request #1: what is the thoughts of bumblebee/jet twins/ blurr/ sari ( when she’s a teen! ) who has a crush on a dorky yet kind hearted person and what is thier reaction of when they kiss s/o, she fainted or got a nosebleed...( this happened to me but I fainted =u=|| )

TFA X Reader Inserts – Blowing a Gasket

A/N – Hey anon, hope you had a good birthday. Here is a gift for you.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

Bumblebee

“YEAH,” Bumblebee cheered, punching the air victoriously. He was the only one who had opted out of the nature walk that Prowl had planned, and without Sari who was with her father for the day, he was left alone with the video game console.

You had dropped by only a little earlier to see everyone and had opted to read your book until they all came back. Normally, you would have played something with Bumblebee, but he seemed to be enjoying the single player game so you had left him to it.

“Nice job,” You said, looking up at the screen and seeing that he had finally gotten the golden relic he was after.

“Nice job?” Bumblebee repeated cockily. “I think you mean that I’m the king of ALL videogames.”

You snickered, “That is so precious. You want to talk to me about being the best player, then come back when you’ve got a platinum relic.”

Bumblebee tutted, “Those are impossible. Nobody can win one.”

“Move over amateur,” You said, taking the controller from Bumblebee and moving the small bandicoot on screen onto a level you knew well.

Starting the time trial, you caused the character to jump, spin, crush boxes, and generally beat the score Bumblebee had set. By the end of the level, you were the proud owner of a platinum relic.

“NO WAY!” Bumblebee goggled at the screen. “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?”

You stretched victoriously, “Years of practice. You know, if you play the second game and jump on the head of the polar bear in warp room two ten times-”

Bumblebee tried to look as if he was hanging onto your every word while internally, he was freaking out. How had he never noticed how cute you were before? It was so obvious. Maybe you had a crush on him too? Wait- A CRUSH! Colour rose to Bumblebee’s face plates.

‘Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. What if (s)he doesn’t feel the same? I need to know, right now. Why is (s)he still talking about the game? Can’t (s)he see what’s going on here?’

Unable to be patient and wait for an opportune moment wherein Bumblebee might learn if you had feelings for him, he dove at you, pressing his lips against yours, making you let out a muffled yelp.

Pulling away, Bumblebee stared at you, waiting for you to say something. Blood rushed to your face, turning it beet-red. You squeaked as blood started trickling from your nose.

“Primus!” Bumblebee screeched, jumping back.

“It’s okay,” You tried to explain, cupping your nose to catch the blood.

“HOW IS THIS OKAY? YOU’VE BLOWN A GASKET!”

Bumblebee practically drove off to get Ratchet, forgetting his comm-link in his panic. You meanwhile, were left to mop up your bloody nose and search for an explanation by the time Bumblebee came back; all in all, it wasn’t the smoothest first kiss.

The Jet Twins

Jetfire and Jetstorm were listening intently as you talked about the movies you were going to show them back at the base. You had a feeling they would like your old favourites as much as you did. The twins both loved that you took the time to teach them about Earth media and its origins. You were like a walking dictionary of what was cool and what wasn’t, yet if they liked a character or plot that you didn’t, you welcomed the new opinion.

The three of you came to a busy crossing where you had to wait for the traffic lights to change. As you chattered away, the twins gave a small nod to each other, indicating that it was time for something they had been planning since Megatron’s defeat.

Bending down to your height, they simultaneously kissed your cheeks. Afterwards, your head swivelled from Jetfire to Jetstorm, who were both grinning triumphantly.

“I- I- Uh-” You opened your mouth to say something more, but nothing came out. Instead, in a rush of nerves, you crumpled to the floor in a faint.

Jetstorm picked you up, watching you curiously, “Brother, I think she may have-”

“-overheated, yes it seems to being that way,” Jetfire finished his brother’s statement.

“Do you think her cooling fans are to be working?”

“I am thinking that human fans may be slower than ours, brother.”

“Let us be carrying her home then.

“Yes, lets.”

With that, the twins took turns to carry you home, each eager to hear what you thought of their kiss once your heating systems returned to optimal condition.

Blurr zipped back and forth in front of your house, waiting for you to come home. He had repeatedly run this one stretch of path for four hours; he’d been at it so long that the path was a mess of tire marks and scraped concrete. Far too anxious to stop for even one second, Blurr remained a prisoner of his thoughts, running to keep a hold of his sanity.

During the war, Blurr was only consumed with thoughts about the Decepticons. Now that those dark times were behind him, Blurr had time to think about other things… mainly you. He’d always known that he had liked you as a friend. You were one of the few people that could keep up with his fast mind and faster mouth after all. However, he had only realised that very day that he liked you.

Blurr hated the anxiety of wondering what you would think of him romantically. It made him erratic, like there was a swarm of scraplets living in his brain, threatening to tear him open from the inside out. There was really only one solution and that was to tell you how he felt; whether you accepted or rejected his affections, Blurr would at least have an answer and that would be enough.

Finally, Blurr saw you coming around the corner of your street. He rushed forward to you and started jabbering.

“(Y/N),IhaveromanticfeelingsforyouandIthinkyoumayreturnthemifyoujustgivemeachance.Itdoesn’tmatterthatwe’refromtwodifferentspeciesifwedon’tletitmatter,therehavebeenweirdercouplesinthepast.Whati’mtryingtosayiswillyougooutwithme?”

You stared blankly at Blurr. Usually, you were able to keep pace with his fast talking but there was no way to understand the fast-paced speech he had just given you.

“Excuse me, what?” You asked, dumbfounded.

Panicked by the prospect of repeating himself over such a delicate manner, Blurr pressed his lips quickly against yours, pulling away just as fast to stare at you.

Only a few seconds later, blood started dripping down your nose. Blurr was sure he had hurt you, and cursed himself for his behaviour, starting a rant about human fragility, though you only caught snippets.

“BLURR!” You shouted exasperatedly, surprised that the usually confident bot was so nervous now. “I’m fine, it’s just a little nosebleed. I- I like you too.”

Blurr, somewhat exhausted from the override of emotions flopped onto the floor. After cleaning your nose up, you laid down next to him and the two of you relished a few minutes of calm, each momentarily lost for words.

Sari

You and Sari walked through the park on the way to meet the Autobots for a game of improvised baseball. As you talked, you noticed how subdued Sari was. She hadn’t been herself all day; clearly something was on her mind.

“A penny for your thoughts?” You asked, drawing her attention back to you.

Sari sighed, then forced a smile, “It’s nothing (Y/N), don’t worry about it. I guess I’m just distracted.”

“C’mon Sari, something’s bugging you. You may as well talk about it. I won’t judge, whatever it is.”

“I know you won’t. It’s just… I was thinking about by dad.” That first sentence seemed to unlock a flood-gate as Sari began spilling her guts, “I just worry that one day Megatron might want him back. What if he decides to take him again? My dad is totally defenceless, and he could end up building something way worse than a space-bridge. I get that it’s not likely, but I still worry, y’know?”

“Hey,” You said, grabbing Sari’s hand reassuringly. “It’s all gonna be okay. No more bad stuff is gonna happen to you, but if it did, then you’ll have the Autobots to help out, and me as well, even if I can’t punch Megadork through a wall.”

Sari giggled, and smiled at you. You always knew what to say. She only wished she had a way to show you how much you meant to her. Blushing at the idea that just crossed her mind, Sari kissed you before she could lose her nerve.

As soon as her lips left yours, you let out a nervous croak, fainting soon after. Sari stood over you for a minute.

“Hmm.” She prodded you a few times in a small attempt at waking you up. “That didn’t go exactly how I planned.”

She called the Autobots to let them know that she would be late to the baseball game due to an ‘unexpected delay,’ and then she laid down on the grass next to you, awaiting the moment you would regain consciousness.

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[attemptinghaikyuu]

I Wish I Had Seen

A/n: This is an angsty idea I’ve had for awhile, I’m sorry Noya.... reader gets a happy ending though✨

G/n reader

Noya really liked being your friend. Maybe too much. It was almost funny how he liked most of everything you did. You were his friend in middle school when everyone thought he had too much energy and was a complete idiot. You looked at him and didn’t think he was annoying for talking too loud. You looked at him and smiled. Noya liked how if he asked you to do something, you’d do it for him. He would do anything you asked too.

When you both started high school at Karasuno, Noya met someone he knew he must be in love with.

She was beautiful and he liked how mysterious she seemed. Kiyoko Shimizu made his heart jump when she did something as simple as smile at him. He was in love with her.

He met someone who felt the same and became fast friends with him. He was close with Tanaka Ryuunosuke but not as close as he was with you. You were still his best friend. The one who made him laugh after a frustrating math test he just knows he failed. He could never talk so easily as he could with you and he told you all about Kiyoko.

He knew his best friend had to know about the person who held his heart!

“She’s a goddess, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as amazing as Kiyoko.” Sighing, he would turn to you with a smile on his face. A reaccuring conversation you probably knew by heart at this point.

You would laugh and tell him you were glad she was so great. He smiled a little bit brighter at that. The next part would come with an easy smile that made something in Noya’s heart clench.

“That’s the third time you’ve said that this week isn’t it,” you shook your head, smile still in place. Now you would tell him about your day and he would give you his full attention. Except you had a change in script apparently.

“Why don’t you talk to her? Become her friend?”

That made him pause. He’d never taken any initiative in doing that. Did he need to be her friend? Was that supposed to matter when he loved her and told her so every other day? He didn’t think so. He felt his mouth go dry, why didn’t he care about getting closer with her? Why did the thought of it seem wrong? He pushed his confusion and unease down and answered with a quick, peppy “As long as I’m around her, I’m happy!” He saw you nodding and it was all he needed to be satisfied with his choice of words.

The first time Noya introduced you to Kiyoko, was at a game in his second year. You had never had the chance at a proper conversation with her, that being said he’s not sure if the talks he’d had with her were proper conversations. It didn’t really matter, you seemed glad to meet the person he talked about so much and he was estatic that you had come and we’re cheering him on. He nearly brought you down when he jumped to hug you after the game had ended with a win for Karasuno.

“Noya, you should probably go be with the rest of your team.” He heard you laugh and he burrowed deeper into your shoulder, soaking in the feeling of being in your arms.

It took a lot of willpower for him to pull away. When he did it felt a lot colder, he wanted to go back to your warm arms. He wanted you to hold him. The victory wasn’t as sweet without you with him.

Looking back it would feel like the biggest mistake of his lifetime. He still didn’t understand his feelings, didn’t do the looking he probably should’ve. That wasn’t what mattered right now. He Grabbed your hand, pulling you to the side of the court so he could be closer to you. You were closer to Kiyoko too.

You had ended up in a deep conversation that night. Noya had needed to stay with his team and get changed so you had turned and started to chat with the girl next to you.

Coming back out, freshly changed and excited at the thought of you, Noya couldn’t grasp what the wave of nausea he felt meant at the sight of Kiyoko blushing at whatever you said.

What had you said? A funny joke, a sweet remark? Anything that came out of your mouth could’ve had that effect on Kiyoko.

Noya was only sure of one thing as the next few months went by. He didn’t like you and Kiyoko together. He was glad you had another excuse to see him at volleyball practice, to visit both of your friends. But other then that all he felt was annoyed seeing you at her side.

At first he had assumed he was jealous of the way Kiyoko wasn’t blushing around him. More time went by and it started to become obvious that wasn’t what was bothering him.

You gave a bright grin that earned a flustered smile in return from Kiyoko and Noya felt a spike of frustration. He hated how much it bothered him. He hated how you were giving more attention to your new friend then to him.

His feelings of discontent only grew. To quell the rising tides of jealousy he was experiencing, he started to insert himself into every conversation you had with the girl he once thought was prettier then the prettiest flower.

You had found this surprising and voiced your uncertainty at what was happening. Noya found he hated it even more than the looks Kiyoko gave you.

“Is this you trying to get to know Kiyoko-chan better? We’re you nervous to do it before, is that why you only talk to her around me now?”

You were genuinely confused, he saw that. And so, he decided he needed to he honest with you and himself. Just a little.

“I don’t like her like that anymore. I just want to be by your side more since you spend so much time with her. I miss having my best friend around.”

He could feel a weight being lifted off his chest as he let the words out. That was the closest he’d gotten to admitting the truth.

Noya watched your surprise shift to understanding and he was short circuiting when you pulled him into a tight embrace. Your muffled promise to spend more time with him barely processing in his hazy state of his mind.

Everything was starting to become so blush inducing around you.

After that you made sure to give him more of your time. It felt like just the two of you again. Against all the math tests the world had to offer. And the other stuff too.

He knew you were still going to be friends with Kiyoko, but it didn’t change the jealousy that filled him at every encounter he witnessed between the two of you. At times it felt like you were closer to her than him. He had to remind himself that you were best friends with him and only friends with her.

It was enough.

It was enough.

It was enough.

Over and over, he chanted it. Almost like a prayer. A reassurance that would eventually give him nothing to hold onto at all.

He wanted to laugh when you told him. He cried instead.

You were dating her. You had been confessed to and returned the feelings. You were with the prettiest girl in Karasuna. The person he had talked and ranted and stuttered over. The one he had told you he was practically in love with.

But he wasn’t in love with Kiyoko. Had he ever been? He wanted to scream and tell you that he was wrong. He had messed up. It was always you. Smiling and laughing. You. Perfect you.

Now all he could do was hug his pillow to his chest as sobs racked through his body, holding himself back from picking up his phone and telling you he liked you more. To please look at him like that instead. He wanted to hear your voice more than anything.

But it was too late to tell you anything. You were with her now, not as a friend but as a lover.

Noya was your best friend.

Kiyoko Shimizu was a lot more.

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

Season’s Delight

Pairing: Yandere! (kinda) Niles x reader

Description: You couldn’t say you hated your relationship with Niles, you just... didn’t know how to feel about it. Where you really stood with him. This holiday season, he plans to show his true feelings for you.

Word Count: 2432

Rating: sfw

Notes: Another commission for the ever so lovely @modern-zervis-lovemail​! Again we’re serving up yan Niles but this time, far, far softly for the Christmas Season. Speaking of which, I hope this year is treating you kindly as we reach it’s end!

~*~

You couldn’t help but be in high spirits! It was the happiest of all seasons, and Heroes were simply bustling with holiday cheer! Not only that but recently, Niles had somewhat cooled down with his strange behavior; he still occasionally bothered you with his antics and games, though. You would say you were sick of him and the tricks he pulled… but the both of you knew that was wrong (even if you were loathe to admit it). Even the thought of him now made your heart pound for a very different reason. Since when had your thoughts for him been anything but bitter…? You shook your head to rid the thoughts, huffing loudly. Now he had gone and soured your mood and he was nowhere near you. Fantastic… Maybe helping the Heroes decorate and ready for the coming festivities would get your cheery disposition back where it belonged.

“Oh Summoner, where are you going in such a hurry?” His sing-song voice caught you in your tracks. Surely Niles knew whenever you were thinking of him for sooner rather than later he would appear to annoy and fluster you to his heart's content. Despite your prior thoughts you couldn’t help but smile a little at the idea he had come looking for you-- though you were glad to be facing away from him, lest he see your smile.

“Away from you, now shoo Niles! I’m busy.” You huffed, not even willing to turn to face him. You knew you would lose if you did. It was very obvious you weren’t busy at all.

“Aww come on! Did you forget? I just got my new look! I wanted you to be the first to see, even before my dear Lord Leo.” You blinked, remembering now. Niles was supposed to be the next resplendent Hero, you had just completely forgotten since the season's duties had gotten to you. What realm was he dressed from again…? You didn’t even really know why he of all Heroes was chosen but it’s not like you did it personally... You turned towards him, holding your breath and trying your best to look indifferent. When you finally saw him, little smirk and all, you couldn’t help but gasp softly.

“Muspell…” The colors fit him nicely, you noted. He actually looked really good; enough to bring a little color to your face. He caught your staring but for once held his tongue, simply smirking at the color that dusted your cheeks. “Don’t you know it's the Holidays, Niles? You’re going to look out of place prancing around like that.” Though you were impressed with how he came together, you couldn’t help but tease him. You wouldn’t let him win that easy.

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to be the star at the top of the tree, burning brightly and catching everyone’s attention.” He decided. “Besides, I like it! Who knew I would look so good in red?” He mused, looking over himself as well.

“Is this all you came to show me then?” You asked. “I am still busy, after all.” You tried turning away from him but he caught your wrist.

“No need to leave so soon, Summoner! The evening is already upon us, after all, and I can think of nothing better but spending this cold, moonless evening with you.” You could tell he was raising up his charm; you wished you could say it didn’t affect you but even now, with his single blue eye cast upon you and his roguish smile drawing you in, you were having a hard time saying no. This was the first time he had bothered to ask for your company, rather than insert himself into whatever situation you found yourself in.

“It’s cold out, Niles.” You pouted a little and folded your arms to your chest, doing your best to close yourself off from him. “It wouldn’t be any good for either of us to catch a cold because you insist on going out.”

“We’ll stay in then.” Niles didn’t let up, moving closer to you and drawing your face to look at him, thumb and forefinger delicately holding your chin. “You know I’m not above begging for you _____, just give in.” He caught your gaze in his and you were left sputtering and breathless as he waited for you to once more find your words.

“O-okay, geez okay!” You quickly shook him off to save yourself from the embarrassment quickly welling up in your stomach. “You got me, I’m yours… for the evening only.” You warned, looking at him from the corner of your eye, color dusting your cheeks once you caught the victorious look on his face. “Just… don’t do anything... weird, okay?” You couldn’t help but sigh knowing that with him this night would be nothing but strange.

“You won’t regret it.” Niles was quick to take you by the hand, and even quicker to lead you down the winding halls of the Order of Heroes.

“H-hey wait! Where are we going?” You cried in your hurry to keep up with him. You forgot just how fast the former thief could be… You could hardly think while trying not to trip over yourself. “A-and why do we have to get there so fast?”

“Just somewhere we won’t be bothered. And besides, the sooner we get there the more time we’ll have together.” His simple logic had you blushing. Was he really so eager to spend time with you that he wanted to waste no time? Left blushing and wondering you simply let Niles drag you over to whatever corner of the castle he saw fit.

Once arrived, you couldn’t help but catch your breath, resting your hands on your knees and panting a little. “Geez… next time, let’s just walk okay..?” You wheezed out the words, not bothering to look up at Niles.

“Next time, huh? I’ll keep that in mind.” He chuckled softly, and you didn’t even bother to retort, standing to your full height and gasping at what you saw in the room. It seemed Heroes had gone full out decorating this cozy room for the coming festivities; stockings hung with cheer over a welcoming fire, sweets and treats laid out on a table, and a tree full of colorful ornaments. Under its branches, gifts wrapped with the utmost care sat waiting for the day of the festival where Heroes young and old alike would open them with joy in their hearts. And to finish it off, a big window sat, curtains open to show off the picture-perfect winter landscape and moonless sky.

“Niles…” You said softly. “How did you know this part of the castle had been decorated already?” Your eyes kept drifting from one decoration to another, trying to drink in the splendor of it all.

“I helped.” He said, happy to see how much you liked it. “I know how much you enjoy the season, _____ so I got some help and decorated this room… just for the two of us.” He enjoyed watching the way your face lit up, the light of the fire dancing off it in the most beautiful of ways. Already, he wanted the night to last forever-- and it had only just begun. He could spend hours looking at that smile of yours but there was so much more to be done tonight.

“You did this for me? For… us?” Your question hung in the air a moment as you caught his gaze, the surprise written on your features just as, if not more, adorable than the smile you had worn a moment before. “Niles… I don’t know what to say.” Something sparkled in your eye, brought color to your cheeks and a warm smile to your face. Surely the feeling of the season was catching up to you. It wasn’t like Niles had… any feelings for you, right?

“Well, a thank you would be nice.” Niles was only trying to tease but you surprised him by flying into his arms and wrapping your arms around his neck tightly. Though stunned a moment, Niles happily hugged you back, wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Of course I’m thankful you idiot.” Your voice had gone quiet and soft in an effort to conceal your true feelings. “I love it, its perfect. I just… can’t express how much it means to me that you did this.” You pulled back, meeting his gaze and smiling softly. “I just… I’m unuse to this feeling, I guess.” You admitted.

“Oh, and what feeling would that be?” Niles couldn’t help but tease you in this more serious moment, causing you to huff and look away. You let go of him and he let you free. You moved to the window to stare out it, eyes carefully looking over the landscape as you thought about the answer to his previous question. What were you feeling for him? Something sat on the tip of your tongue, something you were unwilling to admit to yourself, let alone him right now. “Do you have an answer for me?” He came to stand by you, his words once again serious. “Because I’m sure you have an inkling why I went out of my way to do this for you; I know you’re not that dense, Summoner.” You frowned at your reflection in the window, seeing Niles’ face was neutral.

“Don’t make me say it.” Your breath fogged up the glass, clouding you from the view outside. You weren’t ready to admit it, not unless he felt the same…

“_____…” He said your name so softly, you couldn’t help but turn to face him. “Why don’t you take a look above us?” Doing as asked, you looked up, eyes meeting the mistletoe that hung innocently between you. “It is tradition, after all.” His smile was serene, his touch nothing but feather-light as he held your chin with his thumb and forefinger for the second time this evening. This time, more than ever you felt out of the moment; as if you were witnessing it happen from another person's perspective entirely, a fantasy falling into place before your very eyes. “_____?” Niles saying your name caught your attention once more, your thoughts falling to nothing as he looked at you. “You seem… far away. And here I had gone through all this trouble to make this romantic.” His laugh was soft but you could sense something bitter. You appreciated how he waited for your reaction though-- there was certainly a time you didn’t think it above him to steal a kiss but now he was the picture of patient.

“I just…” You took a deep breath. “I can’t do this if you don’t feel the same, Niles. Please tell me this is more than just a game to you.” Your words were quiet, your tone barely heard above the cracking of the fire.

“A game? Do you really think so little of me that I would play with your feelings like this?” He tsked gently, moving to fill the space between the two of you. “When have I ever looked at anyone the way I look at you?”

“N-no it’s not that… I just… It’s just hard for me to believe this, is all. Someone like you with someone like me?” You asked him softly. “I just… I thought you wouldn’t want me.” You admitted, casting your gaze back to the window. Your breath had cleared from the window, letting you see the night sky once more.

“Well, you’re wrong.” Niles' blunt way of speaking always seemed to get to you, drawing your attention to him once more. “Since you seem so desperate for me, I’ll come out and say it; I love you, _____, and there’s no one I’d rather spend my time with, festivals or not. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me because I have no plans of leaving you once this night is over.”

“Niles…” He was being himself but at this point, would you want him any other way? This is who you feel for, after all-- Niles in all his strange behaviors… You wouldn’t have it any other way. “You promise? You won’t leave my side?” It felt nice, knowing someone wanted to protect you… To be there with you… be with you.

“No need to ask me twice, darling.” You need not say more, nor he. The moment seemed to melt like the snow on the window until his lips finally, finally met yours. It felt like something you had waited so long for now yet at the same time, something you couldn’t anticipate. Surprisingly though, it was a gentle kiss; something innocent and sweet and chaste that you wanted to last so much longer than it did. Niles was the one to pull away first, a sweet smile playing at his lips as he opened his eye again. “So I’ll take that as a ‘Yes Niles, I love you too!’” Again, he was teasing but you found it hard to care in his warm grasp.

“Yes, I do. I love you too. So much.” You giggle as the words leave your mouth, something light and airy replacing the feeling of uncertainly and dread you had once felt. Niles could only sigh in content as you relaxed in his arms. This evening had gone far better than Niles could have ever hoped, all thanks to you being so receptive to his affections. After all, he would have hated to have made you love him back… This was for the better, in the end. You would always be by his side, and Niles would make sure only he could be the one to enjoy you to the fullest; to love, to laugh, to be the reason you smile, and the reason you cry. Niles wanted it all from you, dear Summoner, and you had yet to see just how greedy he could be.

“So it’s settled then. You and I, _____, are going to be quite the pair.” Niles couldn’t help his smile as you lead him to the fire, the chill of the window having gotten to you.

“Could you quit being weird for one moment? Just… act like a normal man for once and come cuddle with me?” You complained, sitting on a love seat and patting the spot next to you.

“If you insist.” He rolled his eye, pulling you close to him and smiling as you cuddled into his warmth. Oh, if only you knew Summoner. If only you knew…

[splicejunction]

Please tell me about shatterstar's Childhood

oh my god anon okay I’m assuming in context of what I’ve recently posted you want like... my version of events rather than what’s canon but just in case I hope you know that there’s basically zero canon material that actually describes his childhood/young adulthood beyond “I was a warrior born” or whatever the fuck. if you want to know about that idk go on the fucken... marvel wiki page or something

also--I hate that I have to put this out here and I doubt anyone would actually do this but just in case--I have spent like 1 million hours thinking about this because I have brain disorders and it is very close to my heart so please do not A) use this in fics, etc without letting me know/getting my permission in advance or B) reblog this post

anyways. this is a can of worms so I’m going to do a cheeky lil

first we have to get something out of the way: I hate the “shatterstar’s his own grandpa” paradox. I am sorry if this angers people but it makes me mad so I ignore it. the reason it bothers me is because it means alison blaire essentially married her grandson, which is A) weird and B) bad from a genetics perspective.

in my version of canon ‘star IS the biological child of longshot and dazzler but longshot wasn’t cloned using ‘star’s DNA because..... oh god... another whole separate post can be made about this but... in my head, on mojoworld the way genetic engineering works is not really the same as it is here. here genetic engineering generally means taking an existing genome and inserting or deleting genes. this is how they make, for example, animals that glow, or confer pesticide resistance to plants.

but on mojoworld I think the way they genetically engineer is more like... the way we mechanically engineer. like the entire organism is built from the ground up. there’s a master genetic blueprint which is essentially the “minimal genome” required for a functioning humanoid. this was created by study of Earth humans by arize and the other genetic engineers. they can then go in and customize by adding elements to the genome that code for the signals/building blocks that control things like height, strength, hair color, eye color, having hollow bones etc. so in my head longshot was sort of... designed with ‘star as the inspiration, but not directly cloned. that wouldn’t even make sense anyways because A) different hair color and B) LONGSHOT HAS 3 FINGERS ON EACH HAND and shatterstar has 4!! thats NOT HOW CLONES WOULD WORK!!!!

(side note, the concept of a minimal functional genome is a real thing in biology! some scientists have taken a bacterium that already has a small genome and reduced it to the minimum size required for viability. here is a wikipedia article on it and here is the original paper (DOI: 10.1126/science.286.5447.2165) which I can explain in more detail because I took a class on synthetic biology which this technically falls under and I had to read this paper very closely).

fuck I’ve written 4 paragraphs and not even talked about his childhood yet. I am so sorry. anyways. so the way I think they raise the gladiators on mojoworld is they create them in batches of 5 to 10 identical copies of a certain “model”, place each copy in a different “class” with a set of 2-3 mentors/teachers, and train them to fight until they are 13 or 14. until this time the only names they have are the names that identify the “model”--like for shatterstar that would be gaveedra-seven where the model identifier is “gaveedra” and he is (in the lore that I have come up with) the 7th of 8 total.

the reason they create multiples and put them in different classes is each mentor is going to have a slightly different style of teaching which is going to work better for some and worse for others, so it allows them to have more mass production while increasing the chances of creating a truly great champion. it’s classic nature versus nurture--the genetic engineers create your nature, but you don’t end up exactly the same as others of your model. maybe you get an edge, maybe you don’t.

another thing that happens is different mentors believe in different ways of raising the kids in their care. shatterstar specifically was raised in a class where there was absolutely zero emotional development at all and no attachments allowed beyond fighting alliances. that’s not the case in all classes, and it also had the effect of making him somewhat of an outsider even within the other gladiators as he got older.

at 13 or 14--and yes I realize this is very fucked up but dude its fucking mojoworld idk what you expected--they start participating in fights. the first ones aren’t to the death and they’re as teams and they’re not usually televised they’re more like high school sports games that are attended by scouts (here, they’re “sponsors”--I think that’s a canonical term but I honestly can’t remember) and if you get sponsored you leave your class and join a new “team” that’s really just a bunch of people who all have the same sponsorship. this is where things can get interesting because they’ve all been raised with slightly different fighting styles but more importantly, slightly different degrees of Personhood.

also at this point I should mention that by this time, there are usually only 2, maybe 3 of each model left. either they died or were recognized as not having talent so they were sent to eventually fulfill other roles in the network. in ‘star’s case there was just him and gaveedra-five. once you get to the stage where you’re sponsored and you’re actually fighting to the death one of the first people you’ll fight is any remaining members of your model group.

by the time you’re the only one left of your group, you’re also eligible to earn a stage name. this usually happens if you have a particularly epic fight with a lot of viewers, you win and the commentators will typically say something like “Let’s give this crowd a real name to cheer!” and they’ll have a few candidate names and they’ll kind of just pick one. AUGH I actually have this scene written out in story form but its too long so I think I’ll save it.... :) 

after you get a name you also get a cool outfit and usually some kind of mark or tattoo that serves as a brand. this brings me to another important point--shatterstar inherited the X-gene from alison and therefore he IS a mutant. his mutation is the swords vibration thing and the glowing eye. the star mark is a tattoo and teleportation is benjamin russell’s mutation (how he fits into all this is... for another post). basically after he got his name the costuming department guys were like “hey your eye glows, you look like the Legendary Warrior of Old, Longshot, we’re gonna pattern your look after him” so they gave him the star tattoo and the outfit that’s literally inverse colors of longshot’s.

also this brings me to another aside: you’re probably wondering “if he’s the biological kid of longshot and alison how are there 8 gaveedras?” when the genetic engineers got a hold on him as a baby they were like Sick! free baby! free genetic material! thats our job done for us! so they cloned him (in the traditional sense) and made 7 copies. this was also to kind of conceal his identity as technically being from outside mojoworld, which would make him stick out and thus be a target. they DID edit out the x-gene in the other gaveedra models though. this wasn’t a problem for ‘star because his mutation didn’t manifest until he was already sponsored.

I think that’s .... pretty much it for macroscopic lore on what it was like to be a kid gladiator on mojoworld. now let me give you some Tidbits of his life specifically:

like I said he was raised in a particularly cold and ruthless class. the mentors that raised him are like well-known by everyone to produce some of the best warriors but also there’s discourse on mojoworld because some people say perfectly emotionless killing machines aren’t as fun to watch. when he was sponsored there were 4-5 others in the same sponsorship and they were like Theres Something Wrong With You LOL

they speak earth languages on mojoworld because they’re imitating the broadcasts they (the spineless ones) used to hear from earth. however, most of the lower-class as well as almost all arena fighters and other television personalities speak cadre or other languages which are native to the planet. the stage names are all vaguely in english, but the gladiators don’t really understand them at first.

shatterstar got his name before he got the glowing eye, and when he learned what stars are, and saw his eye as a little star, he was like wow :) this is Me :) which is why that name is so important to him. it’s also one of the first things that wholly belonged to him.

(you can’t see stars on mojoworld because of light pollution and also because it’s a pocket dimension and there just aren’t that many stars to see)

I hate to bring up the s**ley miniseries but I do think it would be interesting to have him have a sort of ... mentor/first friend, similar to the concept of gringrave but they were NOT in a relationship. it was more like... another kid who was a year or so older than him got a soft spot for him and helped him not be so clueless. she didn’t make as much progress as xforce did, obviously. but they were.... something like friends.

unfortunately she was used by spiral to get shatterstar to murder the first rebel guy who tried to get him out of there. then she got switched sponsors (this can happen) and he had to kill her, and he was like well I will simply never develop any kind of attachment to anyone ever again.

he almost didn’t make it out of the first training session with his sponsorship group (this is semi-canon--there’s a reference when he’s teaching terry to swordfight to almost not surviving the first time he was in a gladiator class or whatever it was).

the closest he ever came to losing was the day he got the name. that’s why the crowds loved it so much.

the double-bladed sword was a gimmick weapon but when he got his mutation they realized it works way better if there’s resonance between two parallel blades so they redesigned it as an actual weapon.

(forgot this but I feel like I should include it) at 17 he escaped the arenas and joined the cadre alliance. two years later he came to earth and joined xforce.

I think that’s going to have to be it for now because it’s literally almost midnight and I have work tomorrow and I did NOT intend to stay up this late but I did. thank you for this opportunity anon :) feel free to ask me any other questions and also I realize a lot of this probably makes no fucking sense and that’s because I am not a writer or anything I’m just a biochemist with brain problems that cause me to obsess over stupid shit

[scorpiosanssexy]

MATCH-UP!!! you must be tired of me now, buuuuut congrats on ur 100!!!!! you deserve it for being such a ball of sunshine!! lol okay soooo, gemini sun, virgo moon, and Capricorn rising

i will never become fed up with you gigi.

I match you with Suna Rintarou

Star Sign: Aquarius 

Gemini Sun: Gemini Suns are well known for being intelligent and are bright and engaging conversationlist. Suna is a man of very few words so he loves hearing you talk about your favourite topic in a passionate manner. Also, he likes the fact that you have an intelligent aura, he definetely thinks that his volleyball team are imbeciles (except Kita, he is a bit scared of him). So usually he will complain to you about the twins stupid antics or Kita’s harsh regimes whilst you insert a witty comment, making him show a rare laugh. Those with sun here, are often very persuasive and can easily win arguments with their words. Suna loves it when you abosolutely roast the living day lights out of the people, especially the twins. He just sports his signature smirk whilst whispering in your ear, “that’s my girl”. Once the deed has been done he will literally grab your waist and saunter off. You too are that couple, no dares to cross you. Finally, Gemini have a natural curiosity and a childlike nature, he loves it when you constantly ask questions about his life. Despite the fact he may have a disinterested look on his face, on the inside his heart is going doki doki because a very pretty girl is actually interested in him. He will answer quite shortly and will definetely be looking at the floor whilst holding your hand, basking in your curious eyes and your undivided attention. 

Virgo Moon: People with moon in Virgo are practical, humble and helpful. Suna likes the fact you are self sufficent, he doesn’t need to worry about you doing something stupid as he wants a stress-free relationship. He also loves the fact that you are extremely helpful, for example when he has long practices you make him lunch on those days or sometimes you both go to each others houses and tidy your rooms (with a cheeky cuddle sesh inserted in). You both value Acts of Services, so your relationship is built on these tiny acts you do for one another. Virgo moons can be perfectionist, sometimes you can caught up in finer details. When you get into these ruts, Suna is very blunt and will tell you that there is no need to drive yourself into this need for perfection, he says that he thinks you are perfect just the way you are, (he them proceeds to blush because he said something way too chessy for him and like do that nervous scratch his hair thing, it is cute). Once you are close with a Virgo moon they become the most loyal and dependable friends and partners. Suna feels that whenever he see’s you he feels like he is at home (if that makes sense). He can always depend on you to make him feel better when he has had a rough practice or for you to be cheering in the stands when he does his killer block. He will never ever say this to your face but he loves it when you wear his jersey, like he will once again act like he doesn’t care but in reality this boy is so smug. Atsumu will literally hear Suna brag about you to him just to rile him up. It is beautiful. 

Capricorn Rising: The first impression of Capricorn Risings are that they are reserved, determind and refined. Suna has a distaste for loud and chaotic people so when he was paired with you to do a group project he was plesantly susprised to see that you were meticulous and switched on in regards to who did which part of the project. He also loves how classy you look too, when you walked into the room he thinks that no one else can ever look as regal as you, (he will never say that to you face of course because he was quite intimidated by your beauty so much so he started to wear expensive cologne to get your attention). Capricorn Rising are traditonal and reserved people, never one to rock the boat. I have mentionned before Suna is someone who wants a stress free relationship simply due to his slightly aloof and lazy nature, he doesn’t exactly what cause controvery because he cannot be bothered to deal with the consequences. He likes the fact that you go about in a conventional manner because he finds flamboyant people annoying and believes that those who follow the rules should be more praised than those who go against them. Capricorn Rising’s also tend to have deep voices and “wise eyes”. Suna hates the high squeaky voices of the twins fan girls so when he heard you reading out a passage in class one day, he was hypotised by your voice. He had never heard something so commanding yet relaxing too. When you have naps together, you will run your fingers through his hair and tell him things about your day as he falls asleep to the sound of your beautiful voice. Overall this relationship is very modest, it may not be the most romantic but is the little acts of kindness you do for one another that just makes the latter fall even more. 

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Gigi I hope this is ok!!!!, also I hope I got Suna’s character right too, you deserve your very own pretty boy. Honestly you guys are the power couple I aspire to be 

Enjoy your day 

Carla 

[honeymoonjin]

day 17

If I were able to write an accurate review of how I truly felt upon reading this chapter, it would be similar to that of a three-page dialogue filled with indecipherable fangirling garbles and ineloquent threats in the form of pterodactyl screeches. I found myself toggling between overtly thirsting over Yoongi (like any other warm-blooded person would) and giggling like a poorly developed cartoon villain for the majority of the chapter, questioning whether or not I should even send in my thoughts since most of it would simply be *insert keysmashing here*. It wasn’t until I began thinking about the prompt distributions for this week that led me to the idea of “choices”.

There’s a reason why writers are told over and over again to “show, not tell”; actions speak louder than words. Oftentimes these actions reveal things to the audience about the characters that perhaps even they do not realize about themselves. For example, Yoongi chose this prompt. Why? The answer hinges on how the prompt was specifically written as it was most likely open ended to leave room for interpretation. But if one were to even infer what the prompt might have been, it boils the prompt down to the idea of “control”. Now, the contestants do have quite a bit of say in how they carry out their prompts (with little in way of instruction or restrictions) but if one looks at the restrictions that they do have that hold them back, Yoongi getting to take back some of that control feels almost liberating. This is spectacularly juxtaposed with the “truth or dare” game that takes place over the duration of chapter – a perfect example of something that he has no true control over – (which also coincides with Yoongi’s day-long prompt fill; *phew* our lady had her WORK cut out for her in the most delicious way!!). In the “truth or dare” game, Yoongi had a disastrous day but he was also getting to WORK on Y/N throughout the runtime of it. One could call it losing the battle but ultimately winning the war? Because it truly is a battle at this point. By monopolizing an entire day to complete his prompt, he inadvertently took a day away from the guys to complete their prompt. Coupled with the fact that he got to choose who got what prompt, this week is shaping up to be Yoongi stacking all the cards in his favor. And let’s be real, isn’t that exactly how he would want it?

Okay now that all of the analysis out of the way, I can finally gush about this chapter the way I want to: *ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh* I LOVE YOONGI IN THIS DAMN VERSE SO MUCH YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. Y’ALL other chapters better bring your mofo A-GAME this week or else they will just PALE in comparison to the Trifecta of CUM-tastic scene stealing moments from Day 17!! OMG!! OMFG!! This chapter was amazing!! (sidenote: Despite the fact that I might have noticed that this chapter felt like it was… on a bit of a “time crunch”, it was still good. There wasn’t a problem with the pacing, it just felt like the writer trying to finish it before an imaginary time bomb went off. That being the case though, it did not deter it from the awesomeness that was day 17!! Also did you notice that our lady’s lovely sweater turned from a pretty yellow shade to pink by the end of the chapter? I chalked it up to the flavored soju Y/N and Kookie were sharing.) Fave stuff list style: Hobi used to be in cheer?!, unintentional crop top sweater wearing Namjoon, YOONGI BEING THROWN UNCEREMONIOUSLY INTO THE POOL!! This is extra funny bc we all know that Yoongi in RL hates being wet, Jungkook’s ideal sexual scenario! ALSO, ALSO!! Jan doesn’t really like degradation (it’s kinda hard for me to read) but you somehow manage to weave it in so tastefully. It’s probably because I trust you as a writer which is amazing that you’re able to convey that sense of trust between the characters thus, the reader also trusts that the term is used as a term of endearment rather than to degrade her value as a person. *making it rain brownie points* 

*tucks away rabid fangirl Jan* I’m so sorry about her… I don’t usually let her out because…  she can be a bit uncouth, but this chapter did things to me so… This really set the bar like astronomically high for week 3. I was already so pumped for this week (my BFF – let’s call her 🍊 – and I discussed this excitement at length over the last week), and to have it start off like this, I am just so ecstatic for what is in store for the rest of the guys this week! They have their work cut out for them for sure as Yoongi-centric chapters, for me at least, will forever be “objectively superior”. Thank you so much for your continued hard work. I know it’s gonna get more and more tough considering you’ve started your final semester of uni but I shall be cheering you on from the sidelines like Park Jimin in the stands cheering for b-balling Min Yoongi! Thank you for sharing your amazing talent for storytelling once again; I honestly feel so blessed to have it to look forward to every week! 💜 Jan

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ahhh i’m sad to hear that me rushing comes across in the chapter lmaoooo but yes i def was fighting the clock to get it done in time. i need to be better with time management rip jsdkfsd

i’m so GLAD to hear, on the other hand, that you were such a fan of the yoongi goodness in this one kfsjd you’re spot on about that contrast between yoongi’s control and advantage in the bigger game, yet his abysmal run in the mini game. i don’t think it was even intentional as i wrote since i used a randomiser to draw the truths and dares, but it certainly makes for a fun ride ! 

it was jin that used to be in cheer ! but ahh i had so much fun adding in these little stories and facts about them, it’s really fun writing them getting to know each other more as we go along <3

i’m super excited to release the next chapter, because it is i think a very different style to d17, and as always thank you for writing such kind words and i look forward to hearing from you again xxxx

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #166

Baseball season is in the air! Thankfully, you don’t need to be a fan of the sport to like this chapter. So long as you enjoy the stupid antics of a bunch of socially awkward teenage girls, there’ll be plenty of fun to be had. And of course, it wouldn’t be Watamote if they didn’t include a bunch of expertly intricated plot threads and natural character development as well. With all of Nico Tanigawa’s passions coming together once again, I can say that this chapter is definitely in top form.

So without further ado, let’s play ball!

Chapter 166: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Go Cheer

Tomoko getting flabbergasted just by Katou existing never gets old.

You know, I always had the impression that Tomoko wording things in the most perverted way was just a gut reaction due to her mind being perpetually in the gutter. But now, I feel like her answer here is just too on the nose to be anything but deliberate. IdiotPerv!Tomoko is hilarious, but TrollPerv!Tomoko is too powerful. 

Consequently, Tomoko can’t say shit without it biting her in the ass.

Okada with the save. Sure, she probably didn’t want to look like a slacker from Katou either, but still. If Katou’s the mom friend, then Pineapple-chan’s the exasperated, but supportive onee-san friend.

I just realized that this is a standard routine with these two: Yuri will say something tactless and Mako will call her name out in admonishment. If this has been going on since they first met, then Mako has boundless patience and/or is the absolute best friend that no person should ever take for granted. Not that 

Yuri does...mostly.

Y'all can tell that baseball fan Ikko had a blast drawing the backgrounds in this chapter.

Speaking of which, I’m 212% certain that Komiyama’s role in this chapter is to be the mouthpiece for Nico Tanigawa’s baseball fanatism. Given that it’s technically in-character (for who is basically their self-insert), and baseball chapters can only feasibly happen every hundred chapters or so, I’m fine with the mangakas taking these little indulgences.

Hey, let the girl live a little! Komi’s gotta cram ten chapters worth of dialogue she won’t get into one.

Pardon me, Tomoko, but you seem to have left your self-awareness by the entrance to the stadium.

Naturally, Tomoko hates that Komiyama isn’t making a fool of herself in front of her mom-crush. It’s easy to forget that so long as you don’t set off her berserk buttons, Komiyama is actually quite...normal. Like, being amicable with others and casually humble-bragging is her default state. 

Nico Tanigawa’s artistic habit of putting nicknames under faces always amuses me.

There’s being upset, and then there’s being petty. We all know that Tomoko is aware that Itou is in the band, and any other day, she wouldn’t hold that against the girl. But because she’s salty over Komiyama acting cool, her sensibilities revert back to Year-1 Tomoko logic. 

Now, if I were a more crass person, I could make the assumption that the majority of those underclassmen were a combination of girls admiring Fuuka’s “cool beauty” status and boys wanting to check out an attractive senior girl in a cheerleading outfit, discrepancies notwithstanding. 

But I won’t.  

Oh yeah, Miho. Based on the above cheers, she seems like your average popular girl, but if you recall, she got a kick out of Katou’s “offers” to Tomoko. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a bit of a mean streak in her.

Btw...armpits? Okay, then...

You’d think that by now, Tomoko would learn some subtlety before pulling shit like this.     

Normally, I’d call Tomoko out for shenanigans since I thought she was mostly over the whole “slut-shaming” thing. But given how she wasn’t thinking this when the girls in her class wore cheerleading outfits during last year’s sports festival (that we know of), I can only assume that this is more of Tomoko’s jealousy due to Fuuka’s friendship with Katou.

Either that, or Tomoko just doesn’t want to admit she finds her hot.

I think we’re all in agreement that Ucchi’s gonna lose massive points for this.

On the other hand, the image of Emoji Girl screaming about Tomoko’s crimes through a megaphone is peak absurdity, and I’ve been laughing my ass off for twelve minutes. 

In all seriousness, I’m kind of glad that Tomoko is finally getting her way overdue karma for all her skirt-peeping. Sure, it’s all been played for comedy, but that doesn’t change the fact that its sexual harassment, or the fact that she’s more than likely gotten away with it for being female.

It’s all fun and games until your stalker calls you out on it.

LIES.

You know...maybe it is Tomoko’s fetish. She’s done it so frequently, and it’s always been portrayed as just another one of Tomoko’s “quirks”. But given the context of all those occurrences, having a skirt-peeping fetish actually sounds very plausible. Thank you, Yuri, for that insight. 

Looking at Katou’s expression, it might be her fetish, too...

Seeing Tomoko get more and more mortified as everyone keeps dogpiling on her shame makes for quite the cathartic reading. 

Add on to the fact that Komiyama, the biggest perv of all, is the most dignified at this moment just makes this whole chapter an absolute treat.

Considering that Tomoko basically just got outed as a pervert in the middle of a crowd of spectators, she’s taking this quite well. First-year Tomoko could’ve had a legit panic attack if that had happened, but now, she actually has enough nerve to retaliate. Sure, Tomoko had some decent ammo with the Tanabata wish, so she likely had more guts than she would’ve been, but it’s still impressive nonetheless.

Sasaki Fuuka–putting a new spin on the term “victim-blaming”. 

Komiyama can be the reasonable one while Tomoko is the crazy pervert, or Tomoko can be the reasonable one while Komiyama is the crazy pervert.

But the universe just can’t have both be reasonable or perverted at the same time. 

As someone who knows jacksh*t about sports, I have to admit that this is an interesting fun fact if it can be applied to the popularity of real-life sports teams and cheer squads.

I could totally see this becoming a meme in the Watamote fandom. Anyone?

These moments of zero dialogue, sometimes a whole page’s worth, excel at immersing the reader into the story. Suddenly, you’re not just reading about characters in a story. You’re now experiencing first hand what’s like to be at a baseball game, with a few familiar faces from the band and cheer teams making it feel a lot more lively. 

If it weren’t for all the wonderful peeps on Reddit, I never would’ve caught that this is the same baseball manager we’re seen periodically since the beginning of the series. You know, the one Tomoko did that fake dub for?

Perhaps I’ll call her...Beta!Nemo. 

A PSA to all you non-sports fans: You can now pretend to be interested in your favorite high-school teams just by tuning into your local service provider.

Go, Harajuku Makuhari!

You know, I think I mentioned before that I wasn’t sure what Komiyama’s career prospects were.

Now I’ve got a clue.

Yo, I could feel that pain from my screen.

For a second, I thought this was Reina, given we can’t see her eyes and that she’s manspreading (sounds like something she would do). But then I pictured her actually signing up for cheerleading and...yeah, no. 

Not to sound all pretentious if you already know, but cheerleading really is one of the most difficult, dangerous, and underappreciated sports there is. In addition to all the physical risks, you have to maintain an endlessly cheery disposition, even when it’s hard. That’s why I call it the “customer service job” of the sports industry.

The go-to method to keep your in-story sports team at peak realism: 

Unwavering mediocrity. 

As opposed to them hurrying up and win? Quite the pessimist you are, Tomoko...

not.

As startling as it is to hear these words come out of Tomoko’s mouth, it’s not entirely unfounded. For all her negative worldviews, crude behavior, and general apathy, the one thing that has always been constant about Tomoko is that she knows things can be better and she wants things to be better. She never got the chance to really strive for it back then when she had nothing to latch onto. But now that she’s got friends, Tomoko realizes that she can feasibly make some of those ideals a reality.  

Their unbridled admiration is sweeter than diabetes.

Insert long-winded discussion of a related social phenomenon that probably exists, but the author is too lazy to research here. 

She...didn’t deny it. 

Character development...I guess?

I was wondering where Tomoko would draw the line on her slut-shaming towards Fuuka. Granted, it’s probably easier to feel empathy when you can see that shit happening from other people rather than yourself. 

But seriously, Katou? Pimping out your friend? You terrify me more and more with each passing chapter. 

See what I’ve been getting at? Tomoko knows that realistically speaking, her summer is probably not going to be anything extraordinary. Inconveniences will occur, moments of boredom will arise, and missed opportunities will transpire. But as I’ve reiterated time and again, even those “plain” experiences can become delightful memories when shared with those you care about.

That’s going to be a crucial feeling from this point on, it looks like. ‘Cause based on Yuri’s expression, she may have the most difficulty resonating with that kind of emotion. Let's see just how Yuri handles an expanding social circle–Tomoko included–that’s a little more bright-eyed than she is. 

We’re in the seventh inning stretch of Tomoko’s third year, and time will only tell if it ends in a victory.

[petitelepus]

May I request some fluffy fluff cuddle time lazy day fluff with Transformers Animated Bumblebee and a cybertronian self insert? The bot may be a young mischievous little shit starter, but even he has a soft cuddly side that deserves you seen! Plus I want to see your writing for fluff?? Does that make sense??? I look forward to seeing what you come up with!!! :D I love your writing, and I look forward to seeing what you do with this request!

It’s the coldest season on Earth and you have no idea what you’re about to part-take in. Sari says it’s the most magical night of the year when people give gifts to each other. You fail to see the point of giving gifts but certain members of team Prime appear to be taken over by the festive tradition. Primarily Bumblebee and Bulkhead.

You stand there in guard like Sentinel had ordered you to. Something about not letting Optimus’ team do anything that could lead Sentinel into a bad light. Lousy jerk. You watched how Sari and everyone, save for the Optimus and Ratchet are putting on festive decorations.

“Hey!”

You looked down and saw Sari eyeing you up. You blink your optics and smile a little awkwardly at her. “Hello?”

Sari smiles and points at the box in the corner of the factory. “There are some ornaments there. Would you like to help us put them on?”

That sounded like fun. It was exactly what Sentinel ordered you not to do. You frowned and shook your helm. “I’m sorry but I have my orders and--!”

“Forget about them! I won’t tell your boss if you don’t!” Sari cheered and you smiled. That made more sense. You nodded and Sari took a lead start to the ornament box. You dug around it and saw long lines of lights. They were a mess, tangling and hanging everywhere. You started to untangle them when you heard a yell.

“Helms up!”

You looked up and saw huge spruce brought in by Bulkhead. You eyed the plant and Bumblebee jumped out from behind it. “Isn’t this cool? We can relax all we want, exchange gifts and play games!” 

“Bumblebee, that’s not ALL that Christmas is about!” Sari said and pointed a crude drawing in her hand about her, her father and Autobots. “It’s about love and family and sharing things with your loved ones!”

“And gifts!”

“If this Christmas is so great, why do you have it only once a year? And on the coldest time of the year?” You asked. Sari was about to reply, but then she decided otherwise, tried again and failed. “Ugh, it just is how it is! And if we would celebrate it all the time then it would lose its meaning!”

“Oooh..!” You awed. “Okay, but where do the gifts come from?”

“A fat man brings them!” Bumblebee cheered and Sari rolled her eyes. “If you’re good then Santa Claus will put presents under the Christmas tree. But if you’re naughty, you get coal. But enough of that, let’s decorate the tree!”

You set to work on it together. Though you were struggling a little so Bumblebee took over the decorative side. You focused on getting some tinsel decorations all over the walls. In your duty, you didn’t pay attention to where you were going and pumped into Bumblebee.

“Oh, I’m sorry Bumblebee.” You said and the yellow minibot scoffed. “Pfft, you’re okay. I barely felt you!”

“Hold on! Nobody moves!” Sari screamed suddenly and you all turned to look at her. She has a huge smile on her face as she pointed at you and Bumblebee. “You two are standing under the mistletoe!”

You both looked up and certainly, there was some kind of a plant hanging there. “So?” Bumblebee asked and Sari scoffed. “So, you need to kiss! It’s a Christmas order!”

“What!?” Bumblebee’s optics almost bulged out from his sockets and you blushed and averted your gaze. Bumblebee looked at you like you had grown two helms more and then at Sari. “I can’t kiss them!”

“Why not?” Sari asked. “Don’t you guys kiss back in Cybertron?”

“We do, we just, ugh, I don’t know!” Bumblebee was getting tangled with his words. You rolled your optics and leaned down to peck him on the cheek. Suddenly everything stopped. Bee was quiet and Sari was grinning from ear to ear. You wonder if you crossed a line.

“Well, excuse me then, but I think I need some fresh air.” You said and excused yourself when suddenly someone grabbed your arm.

You turned to look as saw Bumblebee glaring straight at you, but it wasn’t a hateful glare but flustered. Even his face was shades of darker. “Bumblebee?”

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. He let go of your arm and shook his helm. “Yeah, no, it’s nothing.” You were uncertain, but you nodded and took off to the city.

There was pretty much to see during this white season. There were old men dressed in red and ringing bells, streets were covered in snow and there were pretty lights hanging everywhere. You get caught in red lights and you look around if you spot anything special. That’s when your eyesight catches something special.

“Oh, he is going to love that.”

You return to the base hour later and everyone is in a festive mood. You smile and take the present you bought and wrapped under the tree with the rest of the presents. Just in time as the whole team emerges from deeper parts of the factory.

“Well well.” Sari shakes her head. “Look who came back.”

“I’m sorry?” You ask in confusion. “Was I uninvited?”

“No!” Bumblebee snapped quickly and blushed when everyone turned to look at him. He coughed and rubbed the back of his helm. “I mean... There are these stone-hard Christmas traditions that we can’t break or Santa won’t bring us any gifts!"

“Yeah, sure.” Sari rolled her eyes and looked at you. “Would you like some oil?” She offered kindly, but you had to refuse. “I’m sorry, but I’m full. I’ll just actually go to my room.” You said and walked past everyone to go and relax in your smaller room.

You take a comfortable position over your metal bed and sigh. It was tiresome to be on Earth because Sentinel didn’t want to have anything to do with the planet, but there are lines. 

There is a knock and you look up to see Bumblebee standing there while looking sheepish. “Hey, uh, you were gone for a while?”

You nodded. “Yes. The city looks beautiful in white. Probably prettier at night.”

Bumblebee nods furiously and laughs awkwardly. You’re starting to wonder if there was anything hiding behind his actions. “Is everything alright Bumblebee? You look like your cooling fans aren’t working properly.”

“Yes, no, I don’t know!” He shouts and holds his helm like he can’t decide what to do with his hands at the same time while having processor pains. Finally, he points at you and he looks pissed. “You kissed me!”

“Hardy, it was a peck on its best.”

“Yeah, but, ugh, I want more...!”

You raised your optical ridge at that. Bumblebee was blushing from horns to pede and you smiled lightly. He looked so frustrated that you couldn’t bring yourself to tease him.

Instead, you scooped to one side of your bed and patted the empty spot next to you. “There is room if you want to snuggle and talk about it.” You offered jokingly, but to your shock, he actually took the offer and settled down next to you.

“I don’t know, I haven’t been kissing guys after boot camp and it felt nice and you’re nice to me and don't underestimate me and it feels good when you look at me and no one else.” Bumblebee explained and you awwed and the dots connected in your helm.

“Could it be that you... Like me?” You asked and Bumblebee blushed so hard you thought his yellow paint would turn red. “I don’t know..! I haven’t liked anyone like this in millions of years and suddenly you come by and win me over! It’s not fair, I’m not strong or big so what could you see in me?“

“Hey Bee.” You caught his attention. “You’re one of the kindest bots I know and not to mention funniest. You know how to cheer me up and you and Sari have taught me a lot from Earth.”

“Yeah...” Bee mumbled until he suddenly snorted and looked like he remembered the best thing ever. “You thought that rain was acid..!”

“Hey, if I remember correctly, I heard Sari tell me that you thought so also!”

“Yeah, but by now it’s old information now! Everyone knows it!” He laughed and you pouted. “For that, I might take away your gift.”

This caught his attention. Bumblebee pushed himself on sitting position and you followed his example. His blue optics were bright like Christmas star you saw on spruce’s top and the smile on his face was so excited.

“You got me a gift?”¨

“Yes?”

“What did you get me?”

“That is classified information.”

“I’ll kiss you if you tell.”

Now is your time to look at Bee like he had grown two helms. Bumblebee smiled and all of a sudden he bolted forward you but before he could headbutt you he slowed down and kissed you on the lips instead. 

Your optics widened in shock and you froze, but Bumblebee kept kissing you despite your lack of returning the kiss. Finally, something seemed to connect in your helm and you kissed him back. The kiss was sweet and innocent, nothing naughty about it.

When two of you pulled back you were all smiles and glitter in optics. “Truck Massacre 3.” You blurted out. Bee looked baffled. “What?”

“Your Christmas present. It’s a video game. I thought you might like it.” You admitted and as happy as Bumblebee looked he didn’t make a move to rush into another room where the gifts were.

Instead, he smiled bashfully like a young bot he was. “I think for once I prefer this over a video game.”

Now it was your turn to flush red. Bumblebee was acting so mature you, you had never seen him being so smooth.

“So kisses?” He asked like a hopeful puppy and who were you to deny mech his present?