#HOWEVER! i want to write more angsty stuff sooo

[starflirts]

I just finished your percy jackson x reader fic "1 step forward 3 steps back" and probably she'd a tear here and there and wondered If you could create a different ending? *cough* angst ending *cough*

i just might…

[ham1lton]

i’m with the band.

pairing(s): lando norris x singer!reader

warnings: v slightly angsty? but happy ending.

summary: pop band CHANGE! has just released their anticipated third album; however, fans notice that the songs seem to tell an unsavoury story….

author's note: i didn’t know whether u wanted me to do a happy song or sad but i like drama. i refer to y/n’s bandmates by their roles. so guitarist, bassist and drummer so you can add their names in! also this album is loosely based on SAWAYAMA and 5sos’s album youngblood. listen to them both if u haven’t!! incredible albums. if you can name all these songs that have been mentioned then MWAH!!! 😍

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liked by harrystyles, landonorris and 3,388,728 others.

changeband: thank you so much to the best, coolest and awesomest fans in the fucking planet. shoutout to everyone who showed up to our listening party in philly last week! you were metal as hell and we loved meeting everyone of you. no more fomo for the rest of you all now that our newest album is now out! please stream and buy and recommend to your friends and family and colleagues and even that annoying neighbour that everyone hates. we love you and we love this album!! here are some behind the scenes pics of us making and brainstorming this baby!

view all 288,938 comments

user1: this album is sooo good!

user2: ooh y/n got her masters in cuntology with a concentration in motherlogical studies from the university of servington… that NOTE in dynasty??? oh goddddd.

-> user4: DYNAAAASSSSTTTTYYYY 🗣️🔊

user3: the casual photo dump like they haven’t released the album of the CENTURY?

user8: you guys have come such a far way from working minimum wage and having to pool money for a recording booth omg. i’m so proud of you guys 🥺

*liked by changeband.*

user5: the way guitarist is eating this album. whoever greenlit her guitar solos i want to kiss them on the mouth.

user28: bad friend is my fav! both the acoustic vers and the normal vers!! PUT UR HANDS UP IF UR NOT GOOD AT THIS STUFF!!!! 😍😍

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liked by messyass1, messyass2 and 278,727 others.

ham1ltonshaderoom: girl band CHANGE! have released their new album ‘babylon’ and it has sent twitter in flames after the first tweet (pictured above) went viral. especially after the songs ‘lie to me’ and ‘want u back�� both contain lyrics that have sent fans of the power couple lando norris and y/n l/n spiralling. what do you all think of the drama ham1ltons?

view all 20,783 comments

user1: i do think it’s slightly suspicious… not necessarily a break up confirmation but it’s interesting. especially as she didn’t even bother to confirm or deny whether or not they’re still together on jimmy fallon….

user2: why do we speculate into these celebs lives? if they broke up, who cares and if they’re together… who cares?

hater1: who gives a fuck. she can’t even sing.

-> user3: you clearly gaf if you’re commenting under y/n related posts???

loveislanduk: don’t worry y/n! if need be, you can always find a new man on the island!

-> user98: messy asf 😭

user6: is tkl supposed to be y/n talking about how lando was super adored and that although he could have any girl, she’d be the only one who really loved him?

-> user4: tokyo love hotel is a homage to drummer’s japanese heritage not a lando worship song?? also it’s a metaphor for their heritages as three of them are women of colour who grew up in the west and saw their cultures exoticised.

-> user6: ‘yeah your fascination is my world’. that could be interpreted as her saying ‘your obsession is my boyfriend’.

-> user4: girl yeah but that’d be a lazy one would it not? lando ain’t that special 😭 i think that it’s reductionist to make everything she writes about a man and not her.

user44: calling the album babylon after the bible story? maybe they started with the idea of creating this amazing relationship and then grew apart? they stopped speaking each other’s language?

-> user56: maybe you need to put this energy into analysing your resume and figuring out why you’re still unemployed….

user65: idc if she broke up with that troll because that’d mean drummery/n will thrive!!

-> user9: um… u mean guitaristy/n??

-> user34: both wrong. bassisty/n is the best version!!!

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CHANGE’S INTERVIEW W/ JIMMY FALLON (transcript)

JIMMY FALLON: welcome, everyone! we have a special treat for you tonight. please give it up for the current leaders of the world charts, the incredible band CHANGE!"

(audience applause as the girls take their seats)

FALLON: alright, alright! now, there have been some rumours swirling around about your latest album and its connection to some personal matters. especially in regards to y/n. care to shed some light on that?

Y/N: well, jimmy, first of all, thank you for having us. i’m aware that there have been some rumours, but you know how it is. people love to speculate. our music is definitely personal, and yeah, it does reflect some of what's been going on in my life but i want to set the record straight. the songs on our album are inspired by a variety of our experiences, including relationships, but they're not always directly about any specific individuals. sometimes i’m inspired by other forms of media or my loved ones’ experiences. that’s the joy of making art, it can be whatever you want it to be.

DRUMMER: yeah, and y/n is such a talented songwriter. she has this incredible ability to channel her emotions into our music and make you feel whatever she wants.

BASSIST: exactly. we're just here to make music that connects with people, and if our songs happen to resonate with someone going through a breakup? then we've done our job. that doesn’t mean we’ve necessarily gone through that.

FALLON: is it true that you’re performing two songs for us tonight? can you confirm which ones?

GUITARIST: yes! we’re performing ‘want u back’ and ‘frankenstein’. both of our newest singles from babylon.

FALLON: well, you heard them, folks! get ready for an amazing performance from CHANGE!

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liked by bassist, guitarist and 1,272,973 others.

yourusername: we’re fine y’all perfectly fine please don’t call paw patrol.

view all 68,928 comments

user1: OH THANK GOD.

landonorris: she’s lying. i’m in my lemonade era…🍋

-> user23: you wish you could be that iconic. you’re in your dogwater era.

-> landonorris: UNPROVOKED???

user3: we needed this confirmation.

user8: PARENTS AREN’T DIVORCED WE WON 🙌

landonorris: now can you release the bonus tracks please please please 🙏🏼 ‼️😩

-> bassist: no :)

-> guitarist: yes :)

-> drummer: one of them is lying… guess who and i’ll send the whole album plus excluded tracks.

-> landonorris: … um 😅 guitarist?

-> drummer: WRONG ‼️ but i’m scared you’re gonna complain to y/n so i’ll send them over to you 🙄

user27: at least we’re back to having lando being CHANGE!’s biggest fans. what did he think of ‘exile’?

-> yourusername: he cried so hard he threw up.

-> user27: real shit.

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taglist: @cuteskz @molten-m122 @dangeroustacoalienbiscuit @booksandflowrs @mxdi0 @k1arsworld @alexmarie29 @luckyladycreator2 @23victoria (let me know via ask if you’d like to be removed).

wanna get tagged in any future works? sign up for my taglist!

[once-upon-an-imagine]

You Keep Me Hangin' On - Steve Harrington

A/N: sooo, apparently it worked 😂😂😂 thank you to everyone who voted, I might keep this up since it helps me focus on a specific story😊 I mixed three different requests here so I really hope it makes sense, this one is mostly angsty but I am planning on a part two, so let me know what you think  

Requests - dawninparis​ asked: is this how you request something? i don’t know i’m a bit new to all this 😳 anyway i saw you were accepting st request so i was thinking maybe steve and reader are in an established relationship but with all the stuff happening in s4 and reader not being aware of all the supernatural stuff she gets jealous of all the time he spends with nancy and the fact he is hiding everything from you just to protect you and just basically a lot of angst (bc i like to suffer) and ending however u like even tho my heart is easily broken with sad endings 

- Anonymous asked: I would like to request a Steve story that takes place in season 4 where him and reader are dating already. Reader has noticed how awkward he has been around Nancy and vice versa. How they’ve been talking a lot more (good thing Eddie was there to keep them company😉). [full request here]  

- Anonymous asked: Hello babes, I'm not sure if you want to write this but may I request for a Steve Harrington angst to fluff fic? Haha! I just want to torture myself again with all these angsty stories. Somewhere around, reader is pining for steve and thought that she have a chance with steve but the latter thought that maybe he's still not over nancy. Reader felt hurt / embarassed by this and decided to date someone else, when she did steve realizes that she's the one that his heart has been longing for the whole time and not nancy. Thanks

Warnings: pretty angsty and Steve is kind of an asshole but also a jealous asshole xD and Jason (he deserves his own warning) let me know if I missed anything 

Disclaimer: I don’t own Stranger Things :) gif isn’t mine :D  

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

You Keep Me Hangin’ On

Set me free why don't you, babe Get out my life why don't you, babe 'Cause you don't really love me You just keep me hangin' on

You had known for a long time now. You had just, for some reason, held on to a stupid little hope that kept you hanging to this stupid little crush. Although it wasn't that little. And that voice in your head that kept you hanging sounded an awful lot like Robin insisting that Steve felt the same way you did.

You tried to believe her. You really did. Steve was very caring and affectionate towards you. You remembered the first time you drove him home, drunk, and he asked you to stay with him. And you did. And he said it felt nice to not wake up alone. And then, it became a natural thing between the two of you. He would call you whenever he needed you. And you would call him whenever you needed him. And he showed up. He always showed up. Which made you believe Robin when she said he felt the same way you did. But neither of you spoke about it. You hugged. You kissed. You did more than kiss. You couldn't imagine your life without him. But you weren't entirely sure if he could do the same. You feared that he could. He could live without you.

And right now, it was more evident than ever. You instantly dove into the water when he was pulled back into the lake. You pulled the bats off him and fought them with whatever you could find before Nancy, Robin, and Eddie also appeared to help. You were about to help him stop the bleeding right before Nancy ripped off the bottom of her blouse and started patching him up. And you saw it. You saw the way Steve looked at her.

"You're bleeding" you were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Eddie by your side.

"Huh?" you asked, confused.

"Your arm" he pointed out. "It's bleeding" he repeated and you looked down to see that he was right. You hadn't even noticed. You were bleeding. Badly.

"Holy shit!" you panicked a little, not really knowing what to do.

"Here" he said, gently grabbing your hand and taking the black bandana out of his back pocket.

"Oh, I don't want to stain your bandana. I know that's your favorite one" you told him, not really noticing the smile that appeared on his face when you did.

"Don't be ridiculous, princess. It's just a piece of fabric" he insisted, grabbing your hand and cleaning your wound gently. You lifted your head from your arm to watch Eddie as he worked on tightening his bandana around you. You found yourself smiling a little at how careful he was being. He did not seem like the loud, careless guy you always saw in school. "How's that? Is it too tight?" he asked, worriedly.

"N-no. That's perfect" you smiled. "Thank you, Eddie" you told him.

"You know, it was pretty badass, w-what you did" he chuckled.

"It was?" you asked, feeling a little nervous for some reason. You never really thought of yourself as badass enough to get that credit from Eddie Munson, who you considered to be one of the most badass people you knew.

"Yeah, I mean, jumping in the lake and fighting those bats. That was metal, princess" he smirked.

"You also jumped in the lake and fought those bats, Eddie" you reminded him.

"Yeah, but after all of you ladies did" he insisted.

"Well, you still did" you told him. "And that says a lot" you smiled.

"So, uh" Eddie cleared his throat, pulling away from you a little. "This place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?"

"Yeah, pretty much" you nodded.

"Wait, watch out for the vines" Nancy said as Robin started walking around. "It's all a hive mind" she explained.

"It's all a what?" Robin asked.

"All the creepy crawlies around here" you told her. "They're, like, one or something" you told her. "Step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat" you instructed. "You're stepping on Vecna" you finished.

"Shit" Eddie said, next to you.

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?" Robin asked.

"As far as I understand it, yeah" Steve said.

"So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate" Robin suggested.

"I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin" you told her. "But guns, yeah, sure."

"Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns" Nancy added and everyone looked at her. "I have guns in my bedroom" she shrugged.

"You, Nancy Wheeler" Eddie started. "...have guns, plural, in your bedroom?"

"Full of surprises, isn't she?" Robin asked, excitedly.

"A Russian Makarov and a revolver" Nancy explained.

"Yeah, you almost shot me with that one" Steve said.

"You almost deserved it" Nancy smirked back at him.

You tried to hide your upset expression but Eddie seemed to notice before he threw his jean vest at Steve and he glared back at him a little.

"For your modesty, dude" he said, making Steve roll his eyes before putting it on.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steve asked, walking closer to you.

"I'm fine" you said with a firm smile.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he questioned, looking at your arm.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Eddie fixed it" you told him.

"Oh" Steve said, not entirely loving that part. "O-okay" he sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a scratch" he said, trying to make you laugh.

You barely smiled before you followed Eddie and Robin who were climbing on trees and rocks, careful not to step on the vines. When Robin accidentally stepped on a vine, the five of you felt the Earth moving under you when an earthquake happened. Your instinct almost made you run to Steve, but you saw he quickly grabbed Nancy, who was closer to him, and he pulled her to his side. You couldn't even register the whole thing before you felt two arms grabbing you and making you fall to the ground with him as you felt Eddie's arms tighten around you.

"Holy shit!" you heard Robin, not so far from you.

"So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me" Eddie said.

"Yeah, me too" you said, feeling your cheeks burn a little at how close you were to the metalhead and not noticing a pair of eyes glaring your way. "Uh- um" you cleared your throat. "Thanks" you smiled shyly.

"Don't mention it, princess" he said, helping you up.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

As the five of you walked to the Wheeler's house, Steve could barely register what Nancy was telling him. His eyes were glued to Robin, you, and Eddie walking ahead of them. Specifically between you and Eddie Munson. He noticed he was trying to make you laugh because he could see the worried look on your face. And the worst part was that he was succeeding. He didn't like the feeling he got whenever you laughed at something Eddie Munson said. He didn't like that you had his bandana on your arm. He didn't like that he was walking a little too close to you and the worst part was when he saw his hand trying to reach for yours.

"Uh, yeah, Nance, hold on a second" he said, not even trying to understand what she was talking about as he ran over to the trio in front of him.

"Hey, Eddie" Steve said, catching up with you. "Uh, could I... talk to you?" he asked, making Eddie look at you a little confused. You simply shrugged and Robin pulled you away to go join Nancy instead, leaving the two boys behind.

"What's up, Harrington?"

"Hey, man. Uh... Listen, I just, uh... I just want to say thanks. For saving my ass back there" he smiled.

"Shit. You saved your own ass, man" Eddie told him. "I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there!"

"Ozzy?"

"When you took a bite out of that bat. Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? He bit a bat's head off onstage" he explained as Steve looked at him confused.

"I don't-"

"You know? Doesn't matter" he shrugged. "It's very metal, what you did. That's all I'm saying" he told him.

"Thanks" Steve smiled.

"Henderson told me you were a badass. Insisted on the matter, in fact" he explained.

"Henderson said that?"

"Oh yeah" Eddie nodded.

"Shit!"

"Kid worships you, dude. Like, you have no idea. It's kinda annoying, to be honest" he mocked Steve. "I don't even know why I care what that little shrimp thinks, but, uh, guess I got a little jealous, Steve" he smirked. "I guess I couldn't accept the fact that Steve Harrington was actually a good dude. Rich parents, popular, chicks love him. Not a douche? No way, man. No way" he chuckled. "That, like, flies in the face of all the laws in the universe and my own personal Munson doctrine" he explained, making Steve laugh and roll his eyes a little. "Still super jealous as hell, by the way. Which is why I would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass. Not under any, uh... normal circumstances. Nope. Outside of D&D, I am no hero. I see danger and I just turn heel and run. Or at least that's what I've learned about myself this week" he muttered the last part.

"Give yourself a break, man" Steve insisted.

"See? The only reason I came in here was 'cause those ladies came in straight after you. Now, I was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind" he explained. "But, your girl, right there" Eddie said, pointing at you, walking ahead of them. "She didn't waste a second. Not one second. She just dove right in" he told Steve as they stopped walking for a moment and Steve looked at you while you walked with Robin. "Now, I don't know what's going on or what happened between you two, but if I were you, I would not take her for granted, man. 'Cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen" he told her. "And if you let her go, someone else might not be so stupid" he informed him.

"Are you talking about... someone in specific?" Steve asked, glaring a little at him.

"Maybe" Eddie shrugged, patting his back. "I'm just saying, Harrington. Don't be the douche I always thought you were" he said before he walked away from Steve.

As soon as you all got to Nancy's place, she, Robin, and Eddie started making their way upstairs. You were about to follow them when Steve gently pulled you back.

"Hey" Steve said, smiling nervously at you, a few steps down. "Uh- I just... um, I wanted to ask if uh-" he said, running a hand through his hair as he always did when he was nervous. "If w-we're okay? I mean, are you- uh are you feeling okay?"

"Are you?" you asked, a little confused.

"No- yeah, uh I'm fine" he sighed. "I just wanted to check if you were also... fine?"

"I'm fine" you said with a firm smile before you turned around and you tried going upstairs but Steve stopped you again.

"It's just um... you got hurt" he said, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb as he looked at the bandana wrapped around your arm.

"So did you" you told him. "And I think yours is... much worse" you said, looking at Nancy's blouse wrapped around him.

"No, it's fine" he insisted.

"Great. So, you're fine. I'm fine. We're both..." you sighed. "Just fine" you said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, frowning.

"Uh- nothing" you quickly said. "We should... get up there-"

"No, what did you mean by that?"

"Steve, this isn't the time or the place-"

"But you're upset!"

"No, I'm not, I just told you, everything is fine!" you insisted.

"Really? So, if everything is fine, why are you spending so much time with Munson?" Steve asked, accusingly.

"Ohh, you noticed that? I figured you'd be too busy with Nancy to even pay attention to anyone else!" you replied.

"Wait, is that what this is about?"

"No! I didn't mean to ugh-! Just... forget about it, okay? We have bigger things to-"

"Shhh!" he shushed you, holding up his finger.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Did you hear that?" he asked, looking the other way and walking away from you.

"Hear what?"

"Henderson!" he said, walking around the empty room.

"Well, it finally happened. He snapped" you muttered under your breath.

"HENDERSON!"

"What's going on?" Nancy asked, walking over to you with Robin, and Eddie.

"I don't know. He thinks he can hear Dustin-"

"I don't think! I can hear him! HENDERSON!"

And then, you heard it.

"Oh, my God! DUSTIN!"

"There has to be a way for them to hear us!" Eddie insisted as the five of you tried to look around the room.

"Wasn't there a way that Will communicated with Joyce when he was here?" Steve asked you, pointing his flashlight at the light in the middle of the living room.

"THE LIGHTS!"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Robin, for the fifteenth time, I'm okay" you replied as you two tried to grab anything you could use at the War Zone.

"It's just that you and Steve have barely spoken since-"

"Since he decided to stay back at the UpsideDown because Nancy was cursed by Vecna and he now refuses to leave her side?" you snapped a little. "Sorry" you sighed. "There's just... a lot going on right now" you told her.

"I know that, but... well, you and Eddie on the other hand-"

"What?" you asked, confused.

"Come on, you can't tell me that there's nothing there-" she chuckled.

"There's literally nothing there" you laughed. "I don't think Eddie likes me that way" you rolled your eyes.

"Do you like him that way?" she asked, curiously.

"N-no" you said, nervously. "I don't know. Like I said, there's too much going on right now. And Eddie has been nice to me. He's always nice to me and... I don't know this isn't the time to focus on stupid guys, okay?"

"Love, it's never the time to focus on stupid boys" she laughed, making you laugh a little too but she quickly stopped when she spotted Vickie on the other side of the War Zone with her boyfriend.

"Rob" you said, feeling sorry and placing your hand on her arm.

"Have you ever felt like someone just ripped out your heart?" she asked, looking back at you.

You smiled sadly at her and then looked past her. "Yeah, I... have an idea" you said silently and she followed your stare to see Steve laughing with Nancy at something she had said. "Aw, well that's fun for me" you smiled, sarcastically. "I'm gonna go over there, okay?" you quickly said, walking away from Robin as she rolled her eyes and walked over to Steve, punching his arm.

"Ouch! What the hell, Buckley?!"

"Well, I wouldn't expect to find you here" you turned around hearing that dreadful voice.

"J-Jason" you said, nervously. "Yeah, well, it's just... scary times" you smiled. "Uh- I'm... sorry about Chrissy" you told him.

"Want my advice?" he asked, getting closer to you. "Shotguns are not good for much of anything past killing small birds" he said. "I mean, they got power, sure, but not much range" he said, as you stepped backwards, creating space between the two of you but he got even closer. "And that's just gonna force you into close-range combat, then someone can just grab that barrel like this..." he said, grabbing the weapon from you. "...and redirect it" he said, smiling, making you feel uneasy. "Well, you look nervous" he chuckled.

"Uh -like I said" you tried to smile. "Scary times" you told him. "Could you let go, please?"

"Sorry?"

"She said 'let go'" you heard Steve behind you and you let out a sigh of relief.

"Harrington" he said, letting go of the gun. "Didn't see you there" he said, stepping away.

"Well, now you do so..." Steve said, nodding his head so he would take the hint.

"Lovely seeing you" Jason said, before turning to look back at you.

"Hey, you okay-?"

"We need to go, now" you said, grabbing his hand.

"But-"

"But nothing" you said, pulling him with you. "Eddie's outside" you whispered.

"Right" Steve muttered a bit upset. Munson.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Hey" you were snapped out of your thoughts when Eddie sat down on the grass, next to you.

"Hi" you smiled.

"So... I guess this is a dumb question but... how are you feeling?"

"Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing" you smiled.

"Me? I'm having the time of my life, princess. Are you kidding me? We're about to go to the UpsideDown and fight for our lives, really... it's where I pictured my life at this point, he chuckled, making you laugh a little.

"You know, you don't have to do this, Eddie" you insisted.

"Are you trying to rob me of my hero arc, princess?" he said, making you laugh, which you didn't know how was possible with how anxious you were feeling. "I was just going to tell you the same thing" he told you.

"It's just... you've been through a lot in like... what, 48 hours?"

"Yeah, it's been intense but... well, you being here kinda makes it better" he admitted.

"It does?" you asked, feeling your cheeks burn.

"Yeah" he insisted. "I mean, if... it were up to me, I wouldn't want the situation of us hanging out to be in a creepy world fighting this... monster but... I guess it's pretty badass" he chuckled.

"Well, if it involves you I would assume it would have to be badass" you smiled, making him blush a little. "So... if it were up to you... what would the situation be? U-us hanging out?"

"Well- uh-"

"Hey, Munson!" Steve said, suddenly appearing and interrupting the two of you. "Um... Henderson's asking for you" he said.

"Um- sure" Eddie said, looking back at you. "Sorry, princess. Raincheck?"

"Sure" you smiled as he got up and he helped you up too. "See you in a bit" you told him before Steve replaced his place.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" you asked, confused.

"You and Munson?"

"We were just talking" you shrugged.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"What? What are you talking about, Steve?"

"I just find it interesting that every time I look at you he just happens to be there" he said, glaring at you a little.

"Well, maybe we were just talking about our part of the plan, since you made me stay back with him and Dustin!"

"I knew you were upset about that! Nancy and I just decided this was the best way to make the teams!"

"Oh, what a lovely coincidence that you get to go with Nancy!"

"And Robin!" he added. "Why does that make you so upset? Because you don't get to come and physically kill Vecna with us? I need you to stay back with Eddie and Dustin!"

"Why? Because you don't trust me as much as Nancy!? You don't-" you stopped yourself before you could say 'You don't love me as much as you love Nancy'.

"Nancy knows what she's doing!"

"Oh, and I don't? We were all down there, Steve! And in case you didn't notice, I was the first one to jump when you were dragged back into that lake! Not Nancy! I am just as capable as she is-!"

"I didn't say you weren't but I just..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I need you to stay back with Dustin and Eddie okay?"

"Fine!" you said, reluctantly. "I can't do this anymore Steve" you sighed.

"Sweetheart, I know it'll be hard, but we have this plan and-"

"No, not that! This!" you said pointing at him and yourself. "I am tired of just being your option when Nancy is not around!"

"That's not true and this isn't the time to-"

"Right... it's never the time" you sighed.

"Well, not when we're about to go face Vecna in the fucking UpsideDown!"

"You're going to face Vecna with Nancy and Robin! I'm staying back with Eddie and Dustin!"

"That's not how it is!"

"Yes, it is! That's the plan that you two came up with! Together!"

"Look, what do you want from me? It made more sense this way!"

"Just admit that you still have feelings for Nancy and be done with it so I can just... I don't know, move on!"

"M-move on? From us?"

"There is no us, Steve! Is there?"

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't know, Steve! I'm tired! I'm tired and I can't do this anymore! It's not fair!"

"Ugh! I'm not trying to make you feel like this on purpose! I don't have feelings for Nancy, okay? Why does everyone think that I still have feelings for Nancy?"

"Oh, really? Everyone thinks so? So, I'm not the only one then!" you said, feeling your heart starting to break.

"No! I didn't mean it like that! Nancy is my friend! Okay! That is it! I care about her and I don't want her to die!"

"Nobody wants her to die, Steve! But you keep following her around like a lost puppy-!"

"How would you even know since you decided to stay with Munson every chance you get?! I can't believe you're being this dramatic over Nancy. SHE'S MY FRIEND!" he snapped. "Look, I don't want to fight with you, we are all on edge, and... I just... I need to do this, and I need you to stay with Dustin and Munson!"

"I don't want to fight with you either, Steve, and I know this is probably the worst possible time, I just-"

"Hey, guys!" Dustin shouted, interrupting you. "Time to go!"

Steve sighed, tiredly and looked back at you, not really knowing what else to say, so you did.

"You know what? You're right, we have more important things to deal with right now" you smiled with tears in your eyes and you placed your hand on his arm. You were about to follow Dustin but Steve pulled you back, pulling your hand.

"Listen, I care about Nancy, yes. Of course, I do. But, I swear, she's just my friend" he told you. "And I care about you too. I do, a lot" he said, nervously. But something wasn't letting you believe him anymore.

"As a friend?" you asked, with your voice breaking a little.

"It's... complicated" he said, making your heart break into little pieces. "And I swear we'll talk about it, after this, I just-" he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Something was telling you that he would never love you as he did Nancy. That little voice was becoming louder than Robin's telling you he loved you just as you loved him. And you felt your eyes watering. And you knew he could see it, but he didn't say anything. Because you knew time was running out and you had to follow Dustin. So you just smiled sadly at Steve and cupped his cheek with your hand.

"I love you, Steve" you whispered, having the strangest feeling in your heart that this may be the only chance you would get to tell him this, so you kissed his cheek. Like you always did and you gave him the saddest smile Steve had ever seen on someone. "And I really hope you get her back someday."

To Be Continued

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

[Part 2] 

A/N: sooo, I am definitely not evil enough to just leave it there :D this is definitely going to have a part two... so let me know what you think xD (and also, who you think she should stay with) 

[stellewriites]

twenty questions for fic writers 🫡

thanks for the tag @syoddeye!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

50

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

699,806

3. what fandoms do you write for?

oh god, ongoing or previous too?? uhm currently batfam, star wars, cod, st - but i’ve had a few extra that i used to write for too

4. top five fics by kudos

i’m not linking them all bc some are,,,, far from my best work. also can u tell i love a long lyric title?

if you can’t give me all, give me nothing ; memorise the way you make me feel ; the way you move like you do ; i’m addicted to the way i feel when i think of you ; took the words right out of my mouth

5. do you respond to comments?

literally every single one,, before getting this account back a few months ago it was the only way i interacted w people in the fandoms so 🤷‍♀️ sometimes it might take a week tho but i try to be quick

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don’t tend to do angst endings? like even in darker angsty fics i usually twist it so it’s like dubcon happy at the end 🥴🥴 sooo maybe either no grave can hold my body down or can i steal a kiss or two? or even choices made in anger

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

liiiiiterally any other fic i’ve ever written lmao

8. do you get hate on fics?

not often? BUT i usually do fluff fics and when i started dabbling in darker stuff that’s when i got more hate - specifically on one fic in particular

9. do you write smut?

yeah! not all the time but maybe 65%

10. craziest crossover:

i dont really do crossovers but my last mando fic was inspired by justified if that counts?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of,, again im not very online to be able to know :/

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah! just one but now i dont do it,, learning curve for me

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

almost when i was first starting out writing 6 years back but it fell through - katy if ur still out there i hope ur enjoying life <3

14. all time favorite ship?

ffffuckkkkkk i don’t think i can choose bc i dip in and out so often but i do tend to always come back to jaytim? they’re my for lifers i think but soap x reader is a close second atm

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i’ll always finish my wips bc i can’t stand to see them unfinished,, but it’s been like three years since i first said i was going to write my sci-fi dystopian jaytim fic and im still not past the first paragraph :/

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m good at dialogue and catching accents and nailing personalities pretty quick,,

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i’m so fucking slow. if nothing else, watching people write for cod on here has shown me how quick everyone else seems to be able to write :’)

and also with longer fics i’ve gotten into the (bad) habit of leaving out like integral details that i assume the reader will just know bc ive been too in my own head about it all and ive forgotten what i’ve established already; leads to decisions looking like they’ve come out of nowhere or random personality changes

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i’ve attempted it but i have to google translate it so i try to keep it to a minimum and ask for correction in the comments. sometimes i do it italicised but written in english so readers can understand that it’s meant to be another language but dont have to skip to the bottom notes or another tab to understand what’s being said

19. first fandom you wrote in?

teen wolf 🥴

20. favorite fic you've written?

idk if i’ve got a favourite,, in hindsight a lot of the ones i think about most fondly are the ones that absolutely killed me off when writing so i’ve got real rose tinted glasses about them all. however these are few that should get honourable mentions just because i like them and they didn’t pop up earlier

whew this was long i think i yapped ontoo much lmao but it was so fun!!

no pressure tags: @glossysoap @mikichko @kyletogaz @femalefemur @sentientcave @gemmahale @madstronaut and anyone else who wants to give it a go!!

[itstaisstuff]

ummmmmm okay so this is embarrassing. so. i know i said a week but actually i am here again and not vanishing into the fog sorry about that *awkwardly clears throat* ANYWAY hi it is i that one guy who keeps bothering about tangdubs!! i am aiming to add more fics to that tag so iiii was wondering if i could bother u for a prompt or two for some little fics i could try to write :3 i have so many longer things in the works but well.. a little oneshot is good for the mind..

Oh omg hiiii heyy helloww that one guy who keeps bothering about tangdubs!! *kicking my feet twirling my hair and giggling* I missed ya, sweet anon<3

You don't even know how happy I am to get this ask because OH VOID. I HAVE SOOO MANY THINGS I WANNA WRITE BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE OF TIME. So let's see what exactly you want!!

Keep in mind: even if you won't like the ideas I'm glad to just share them. Also you can tweak them however you want!!

Something fluff?

Haha. Little coffee shop au. Bdubs is a barista in this little shop, working 2/2 and Tango is the best friend of hisregular(Impulse) and just moved in town. As time goes by Tango starts to visit this coffee shop without Impulse, he comes around even on holidays when he doesn't have to go to work. He goes there mainly because of this handsome very mockable barista. I can go into the depths of this au, but in this case this will be a loong answer(but you can always ask about it if you want to) so the only thing you need to know for now is just how they both are completely fallen for each other and keep trying to harmlessly prank each other (mainly verbally, but sometimes Bdubs would give Tango a salt instead of sugar just for fun knowing it wouldn't change anything and Tango won't stop visiting and ordering stuff)

The idea for fic I had was them just hanging out during Bdubs' break while he does one of these stupid crosswords from a cringey journal someone left. I'm gonna leave the rest to you, but the main idea was about Tango saying "if kiss is just a word, then I have a serious conversation with you". What was it for? What's gonna happen next? Idk, you tell me!

Something angsty?

Little fantasy au is for you! Local wizard Bdubs living in a forest and Royal engineer Tango who visits his place from time to time due to King's order to ask the wizard for something. Living far from everyone makes you feel very lonely. Especially when a very certain handsome blonde engineer with blue eyes(yes I'm a blue eyed Tango enjoyer so what?) you clinge to is not around. They may know each other, but it doesn't seem like Tango actually shows any interest in the wizard guy. But oh well. If Bdubs wants something, he'll get what he wants. No matter how. Even if he'll have to make a love potion just for his beloved one to be around. He'll do that. And so, the potion is ready, will be served whenever the engineer is back with a task from the king, and Bdubs will never see the pretty blue eyes he's fallen for. Instead there will be bright ruby eyes, looking at him with all the love in the world, holding him as gently as noone has before, sweet talking Bdubs, making him compliments... That's what he wanted, right? Bdubs is supposed to be happy. But he knows it's all fake. Every single world Tango says, smile he gives, cuddling, it is all fake. It is all because of the potion Bdubs made. He is... Happy, really. He got what he wanted. Except the pretty sincere blue eyes with the real spark of joy.

I actually did a little fix by myself, so yeah. You know the rules. Ask box is opened if you're interested, I guess? I don't really have an idea for a oneshot. But it can be turned into a very emotional fic with Bdubs blaming himself for killing Tango's personality and realizing what a rotten person he is for enjoying Tango's fake love. So selfish.

Something spicy?

Yeah. This is also an option. So... Phantom Bdubs. He's like a werewolf, but werephantom. That's why he always sleeps. Once he wakes up, he doesn't remember anything from his night hunt, he can just tell it happened by the blood on his face and sharp pain in the back from having wings. It happens once in a while, maybe few times a year if he keeps the good sleeping schedule. It is the same Bdubs with the same memories and emotions, just the need for blood. He doesn't care who it is. He needs to get blood. Usually he keeps some. Animals around for an unexpected occasions so he would never hurt his friends. But once the season 8 comes around and the moon... Well, messes everything up, Bdubs' abilities to control that are fucked. No matter how much he sleeps, he knows it will happen. The first time he didn't expect it to happen, but once he woke up with this fading taste of blood, it because really weird. He travels around the server asking if everyone is alright and if anyone's pets has dissaleared lately, but everything seems normal. This is weird. But as long as noone is hurt, Bdubs can relax. Or at least he thinks noone is hurt. It keeps happening for a month, two. Bdubs starts to worry. Whatever is he eating during the phantom phase is still not found, but none of the hermits say anything, so... It's still not affecting anyone. With the moon stuff everything gets worse, every hermits suffers in one way or another. But Bdubs is really worried about Tango, who seems to be getting really cold. He is much more pale and started wearing sweaters, he just seems much weaker in general. Moreover, he starts to act... Different, when Bdubs is around. He doesn't know what's happening, so he just helps Tango any way he can. But what he doesn't know, is that Tango is his walking blood tank. And oh, if only it was just about the blood. As I said, phantom Bdubs is still the same Bdubs. He just doesn't care about hiding his emotions, because he knows he won't remember anything once he wakes up, plus the bloodthirst blind him so much he can't fully control his actions. He wants something– he gets it. Tango can't do anything about it, and... It's not like he doesn't like it. It hurts. It hurts a lot, actually, but oh, it is absolutely worth it. How confused and embarrassed was Bdubs when he woke up in a bed with Tango, both completely naked. Did Bdubs ever think it would happen? No, not really, but was he just so confused because he knew he was not supposed to be there? He still stayed for a little bit, just because one little thing he noticed. Tango had some bite marks. Bdubs carefully pulls the blanked away trying not to wake him up and sees that Tango has it all over his body. On his neck, his shoulders, his chest, his arms... Bdubs didn't want to even look down, just sure he will find more of the marks. Well, no wonder why he was getting so pale and weak lately. Bdubs haven't ever had so many mixed emotions in his life. Was he embarrassed to be in a bed with someone he most definitely likes with the marks of fun nights without ever remembering it? Was he in frustration because Tango was just volunteering his blood even though it is bad for him? Was he so tired of this all phantom stuff? Yes. All of that, yes. And he tries to leave before Tango wakes up. First few hours he spends in his room just laying on his bed staring at the ceiling being all red because of all the different thoughts about what they could have been doing. But for the next few weeks he will make sure Tango gets all the health support he needs. They never talk about it, but Bdubs still has this awkwardness. And the next time he wakes up in his own bed, having this taste of blood down his throat, he knows where he was a few hours ago. And he can only imagine how much he liked this night.

As for specific one shot request? Ofc you don't have to do anything... Spicy, yknow. I don't even think I have something on my mind for a fic, I just wanted to share this au in case you were looking for something like that. But feel free to write anything really-

Something closer to canon(non-au)?

Something about season 7 being the season when they started dating each other. Something about how Bdubs would lay in his bedroom which Tango built him failing to fall asleep because of this silly feeling. It's more of the "does he really appreciate me? Does he really care enough to gift me something like the whole bedroom? Does he really think I'm that cool?". Something about how Tango tries to do his best to impress Bdubs during the boomers business. Something about how they finally talk about they feel about each other while rebuilding the boomers logo in the middle of the ocean. That's it.

Okay, I think that's it! Ofc you can take any other idea based on any of these aus, idm. I'm just glad to finally talk about these. Anyways, I check ao3 once a month (just to check the tangdubs tag. Yup.) So there's a good chance I may miss it... So may I ask for a link once you finish something? And good luck with it, sweet anon!! Have an amazing day<3

[arrancxr]

What's your fic idea? Is it about Loly? I love the way you write her! And do you still want nsfw requests from that one prompt? Would you prefer requests about Loly or just anything as long as it inspires you to write?

Well. This is very fucked up jskhsg I'm warning y'all now. XD

The image was a very angsty-looking one of Loly trying to bargain sex for an unseen party letting her go free. And like... there's a lot that could be read into that, isn't there?

In the image, she implies that Aizen has used her for sex before, which is an idea that I definitely don't agree with. But for the sake of this concept, let's pretend like it's true. Loly has a vague idea of how sex works through a Shinigami using her, she knows that it's something that non-Hollows like, and not much else.

So then, she gets cornered somehow by Reader, most likely a human in this one. For whatever reason, she's vulnerable and convinced she's about to be killed, so she uses what she sees as her one means of bargaining with something that (hopefully) doesn't want to eat her. She tries to tempt Reader into fucking her if they'll just let her go, all while fighting off the urge to just panic and curl up and hide.

Now, it could go a couple of ways from there.

The first is that Reader is not a good person and takes her up on that. Bad things follow, Loly gets even more trauma, and maybe, maybe Reader pities the poor girl enough to be gentle.

The non-angst path, however, would be Reader refusing the offer and giving actual help instead. Probably taking Loly home to patch her up or give her a place to rest. Cue highly confused Hollow who's definitely crying now. This one may or may not end in fluffier smut.

And that's what I'm thinking! o3o Dark, but still... fun.

As for your other questions, I'm... maybe still taking asks from that prompt list. I have plenty of them, but I also have a problem of most of them being for the same handful of popular characters. So more for the more minor Arrancar would be wonderful. I'm just... not sure if I should take on that much more work kjshs

And at the moment, I will honestly take anything that makes my brain Do The Words. I'm really stuck for some reason, and it's driving me absolutely insane over here. -3- Sooo yeah. Y'all can send me ideas if you want to— just like, either full-length fic stuff or more meta/general questions than actual requests, please.

[hariosborn]

 sirius black fic rec list!!

okay but imagine having sirius black fall in love with you...a concept 😌

the feeling that we’re meeting again by @writesowhatnext

cross house relationships!!!!! literally yall are missing out if you project yourself into the same house as your lover!! you’re missing out on the tension, the passion, the romance!!! and once you get out of hogwarts and that tension is still there!!! post hogwarts sirius!!! hes so hot!!! and grumpy >:) you can never go wrong with slowburn fics!! 

the risk of love by @with1love1anu

ive been following anu for foreeeeeever and she never fails!! her writing is always so good and shes one of my favorite marauders era writers <33 you’ll see as you go down this list - but i love pining fics like im obsesssssed!! ooo and this one has a hint of best friend james and it just makes the story 10x better! 

breakfast in bed by @wondernimbus

when authors are 14 years old but can write flawlessly even though i struggle doing simple short stories in english class 😘not but fr ysa is such a good writer xx. breakfast in bed! what would yall eat 🤔if we’re talking abt english food (like food from england) idk what they eat over there tbh but i would pick roasted potatoes and waffles for breakfast :) wait actually no i wouldn’t, id probably do french toast with powdered sugar, strawberries, and french fries. ik it sounds weird but i had that the other day and i teared up, it tasted so good. but in this fic they have something even better!! have you ever wondered what it would be like to have toast, strawberry flavored muffins, and fruit for breakfast, all from the comfort of your bed, with the one and only sirius black? well look no further bc this fic has that and everything more!! 

godmother by @blisfvll

jen does it again!! coming through with the godmother!reader x godfather!sirius fics <33 (shes on this list three times bc she just writes so much good sirius content 😫) not to be morbid but when im gone i want someone to talk abt me the way sirius talks about the reader 😔i just love the way the sirius talked about her so lovingly and treated her like this ethereal being and painted her like this angel bc that must be so comforting for harry knowing that not only are his parents looking after him but his angel of a godmother is too ♥︎

oh shit + pt2 by @im-a-writer-right 

big brother remus am i right! as the oldest child, i love reading fics where im the younger sibling bc i just want someone to be able to look after me and care for me and be protective abt who i date bc they’re like “ i just don’t want you to get hurt” 😔 but anyways - this was a rlly cute and funny fic! i love snarky sirius and butthead james and overprotective remus and scared of falling for her brothers best friend reader :) if you like those all too you should read this one 😌

warnings by @blisfvll  

i felt like i was watching a short film! i loved this one! its so well written that you can like watch the play by play of everything happening in your head, like its sooo good! im sorry i keep putting so many angsty fics on this list 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 they’re just all so beautifully written and jen is such an amazing writer <33 

just a natural fact by @iliveiloveiwrite 

MILLIE!! YOU DID IT AGAIN!! guys if you are not following millie pls do i freaking love her sh*t and shes so far been on every fic rec list ive made :)) back to the review tho! im a very big fan of those timeskip fics like where theres a scenario for every year at hogwarts - and this one is one of those and i just - AGHHHGH!!! idk if this counts as a slowburn but like as someone who injects themself into the hogwarts timeline and pretends to be studying for her NEWTS when shes really doing AP work - i love reading about study sessions w remus where sirius tries to interject himself so he can be close to you 😊i dont want to spoil anything but like the tagline “Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break.” RUINED ME!! and you know what! i’ll do it again! i will read this fic and let it ruin me three more times and ten more times and however many i feel like! so yes, if you couldn’t tell, i love this one, and you guys should totally read it

die for you by @blisfvll 

i like to torture myself with sad fics so now im passing them along to you so we can all cry together ;( domestic life with sirius is something so very personal to me 😌so ofc i jumped at the idea of being harry’s godparent along w hubby sirius! but do not be fooled by my review - this one is sad - but its totally worth it!!! the things we do for baby harry am i right?? i am right 😌

wrapped around my finger by @remusishotterthansirius

jealous sirius jealous sirius jealous sirius!! oooo and when he growls >:)) i love the idea of being like this unattainable magical being in sirius’s eyes and you’re just like completely unaware of his feelings and it just adds to the mystery about you like imagine him sitting with the marauders by the black lake and him picking at a flower being like “she loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not” and then him being all sad and pouty once the petals are all gone and he was left with ‘she loves me not’ :(( but  n e  ways - this was so cute and so masterfully written and i just love everything this author puts out so do not be surprised if you see at least one of their works on every single one of my hp fic rec lists >:))

misunderstandings by @imagineitup

oof this one really played with my heart! you know those fics where someones feelings are painfully obvious and you just want the other person to finally realize so they can both be put out of their misery and then go on to have this cute relationship BUT NONE OF THAT CAN HAPPEN UNTIL THEY COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF BEING LOVED!!! i love those fics and this is one of them :)))

thats all for my recs! sorry this ones so short - ive been drifting in and out of life, and school has been hard for me. there was a lot more to this list but a lot of my favorite writers have left tumblr so i dont have as much to share w yall 😔and theres obviously so many more amazing writers out there, im just sharing what i know! i’m thinking of just finishing up the other fic rec lists i have and then im going to move over to anime recs! ive been obsessed w haikyuu lately and theres a lot of fics i want to share with others - so if you guys don’t stick around for that i totally understand - but don’t worry im not making that switch till much later ✌🏼love you all so much! hope you’re all taking care of yourself, but dont worry if you’re not, its always a process so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get stuff done and make sure to celebrate what you do get done! congratulate yourself when no one else will, and remember i’ll always be in your corner cheering you on! 

happy reading!

- love, hari !!

[nexyra]

James Ironwood, for character ask? 👀

Aaaa thank you so much for the ask ♡ More rambling incoming !! Sorry for the wait btw, I've been both pretty busy and tired ;;

If you hate James Ironwood and don't wanna hear one good thing about him tap out now please ღ

My fav ship(s) for the character

I am not a super big shipper when it comes to James, but there are still some I like more than others soo here goes :

I think Ironwitch is a pretty good one. It's not necessarily a ship I'd search content for but I think these two would work well together ! Glynda is stern and honest and a no-nonsense kind of woman. She has the strenght to stand up to James when he slips or gets too stubborn when faced with the high stakes. At the same time, we've been shown that she cares for him and she knows he's only trying to do what's best for people. She has faith in him but also the ability to stand at his side as an equal. She seems to be the more steadfast of Ozpin's circle : loyal, you know you can trust her, and she will not crumble. This is the kind of personnality that I think James both admire and feel safe with. And the other way around, I think James is a good match for Glynda too. On a day to day basis, he's serious enough to not annoy here, but he's also a softie in some aspects and that's a nice combination to smooth out Glynda's edges.

Ironqrow is a completely different dynamic. The "we're annoying each other" dynamic is not one I'm particularly interested in usually xD But these two certainly had strong & interesting moments so it's a pretty valid ship !! Despite how they might butt heads because of the difference in their upbringing they (prior to V8) clearly trusted each other with their life. Even if Qrow jokes about shooting himself if he had to be one of James' man, when everything goes to shit there is no doubt in his mind that James wasn't responsible. Similarly, while James talks of shooting Qrow for his misbehaviour, when push comes to shove and we meet a tired Ironwood, run ragged by the pressure he's under... the only thing he does is hug him and reiterates how glad he is to see him. So again, they clearly have a lot of faith and trust in the other, and that's solid ground for a relationship.

My least favorite ship(s) for the character

Same spiel as always, shipping kids and adults is a big no from me; so any ships between Ironwood and RWBYJNOR can qualify here. That said, among the less uncomfortable ones, here are those I don't really like

This one is again because I love their relationship but platonically only, I'm talking of Winter Soldier. The reading I like best is not that Ironwood is Winter's Jacques 2.0, nor that he groomed her; but that he was an important father figure in her life. Protective and caring, who tried to help her escape with what he knew. I don't see James recruiting Winter as a way to gain a strong ally. But rather that Winter wanted to detach herself from her family name, and make something worthwhile of herself all on her own. And that the military is what Ironwood knows and understand, so naturally it's a career he'd see as a good path. Just like Winter then proposed it to Weiss. I like to think they care about each other a LOT and they're their own tight family in between the lines, even if professionalism might throw a wrench into it. For short I love them together but not romantically please =)

I don't know if there's a ship name for this, but Salem x James Ironwood would be a big nope from me too... In general, let's just assume I ship Salem with nobody because abuse.

My fav & least fav platonic relationship(s) for the character

Fav platonic relationship would be (have been because we dont talk about V8?) with Winter. Fooor the reasons I've explained above I suppose x) I (again) love the trust they had in one another and the quiet support.

There was also his relationship with Oscar that I really liked during V7, although it has been soured a bit by the (valid) reading from some people that Ironwood sought out Ozpin a lot through Oscar, and given his identity issues it is not ground for a greatly healthy relationship. Their interactions were still very intersting though ♡ I consider Oscar to be the kid who went at trying to appease James' fear or make him reconsider his decisions the best way. There was true understanding and hope for a working relationship here. I do feel that Oscar put in more work than James however (emotionally) and I wish there had been pay-back instead of a gunshot.

For my least fav relationship ? Probably Robyn or Watts ? Robyn was always very antagonistic toward Ironwood since their priorities are so different. And I overall just don't really like her after V7 so there are very few relationships with her I'm interested in (the exception is her ship with Fiona I think it's cute). Meanwhile, Watts is just a petty asshole hell bent on ruining Ironwood because he didn't pick his project. I'm not very interested in hate relationships, and since theirs wasn't deeply explored anyway, it's even more the case here. Their fight was great though, one of my favorite RWBY fights !

My favorite thing about the character

Well this was completely proven wrong by V8 buuut as of V7 I liked that he was a deconstruction of the military general (dictator) trope. Sooo you can guess how i feel about V8 X) In general among RWBY, several of my fav are fav BECAUSE they look like one trope but also have key differences that from the get go make the character stray away from said trope. For example I'm not a fan of the princess tsundere archetype at all, but I loooved Weiss in V1 BECAUSE she was extra-willing to listen and change her mind, and you could very easily tell that it was her upbringing speaking more than herself in most occasions.

Similarly, I wasn't a big fan of Ironwood before V7. I didn't hate him you know and he wasn't lower than most characters in my Tier list but I also didn't particularly care. But you know what ? I've aaaalways had a really soft spot for the "angsty angry traumatized teen". And RWBY made the mistake of extending that soft spot to "tired adults trying their best" (only to repeatedly beat them up/make them villains after making me care about them but what can you do uh)

Soo in general, I loved that Ironwood was trying so hard. I loved that he was tired and in over his head but learning and listening and trying to do good and be better despite his fears. I liked that he told his entourage about Salem and was loyal. I liked that he cared about helping the people above his own image and the way people perceived him. I liked that you could tell this was a terrible situation all around, and his decisions WERE questionnable but we could SEE that he meant WELL and was genuinely trying so hard despite how scared and tired he was.

My biggest criticism for the character

Well this won't be a surprise but in general I just wished he had stayed a morally grey character we were allowed to feel for instead of a cartoon black villain. I didn't need James to be THE Hero or anything like this despite some accusations levelled at those who like him. Him becoming one of RWBY's antagonist is honestly fine by me ! It is interesting. But I'd have preferred they kept him ambiguous and trying in his own way. (And smart because V8 Ironwood was dumb af)

I can be a tad overprotective of his character since he's just... so despised, so I think that I have inadvertently distanced myself from any of his flaws... somehow like "people are already yelling all of them so I don't need to add to this shit show" you know ? skjfkd But I KNOW he has them and it would still have been good to develop his flaws, just... not like that

But yea I'd have liked it if V8 Ironwood DID diverge from RWBYJNORQ and became an antagonist but not an iredeemable villain. LIKE,, we redeemed Hazel and Emerald and IRONWOOD is where the writers draw the line by saying "nope this one is rotten" ?? What ?

When was their writing at the peak according to me (ex : best season)

V7 definitely ! Ironwood carried V7 so hard haha. His character was fleshed out and given nuance and made to struggle and evolve and I loved him in that volume.

A song I think fits them & why

Hunger • Monsters & Men Human • Rag'n'Bone Man Way down we go • Kaleo Beekeeper • Keaton Henson Thistle and weeds • Mumford and Sons Castle of Glass • Linkin Park It's all so incredibly loud • Glass Animals

A headcanon to make up about them

His metal parts impact his metabolism so Ironwood is terrible at holding his alcohool and very little manages to knock him out. He's a workaholic. His low tolerence for alcohool is a great tool whn friends need to put him to sleep.

His joints crack and hurt in the cold, his metal parts as well and they are an hassle in the sand. James like to keep his room temperature warmer than the average atlasian because of this, otherwise he has to spend 30 min every morning simply unwiding muscles to move around efficiently.

He's not a good singer but has a nice low voice for telling stories. If he had kids, he'd probably avoid lullabies but compensate with bedtimes stories.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

As always, I'm kind of reflecting along the way as I write this, and one thing I'm thinking right now is... Doesn't it take away from the atlas arc message ITSELF to just pile up so many "standard bad guy" stuff on Ironwood ? Like, I wanna ask... why do we hate him ? Is he an antagonist because he lets fear get the best of him ? Because he's a classist who doesn't care about Mantle like some fans argue ? Because he's too stubborn and wants to be THE hero ? Because he doesn't listen to others ? Because he abandonned Mantle ? Because he kills peopke left and right ? Because he wanted to bomb a city ? I think you might see where I'm going with this : his status as villain is kind of messy. V8 just kept piling-up flaws and villainous actions onto Ironwood with no concern for whether this was a lenght he would go to (using the certainty that he would go to any lenghts to enact his plans), ,or whether these were one of the initial flaws/failings that led to his "fall" as an antagonist. What lesson is Ironwood supposed to learn ? Personally the very first time I yelled at my screen "No ! Why would the writers choose that ?" is when Ironwood shot Oscar. When answering criticism against medias, many people tend to look at it only through the lense of "well it makes sense in universe" or as if there were no other ways for the story to devolve. But at the end of the way, everything in a story is a choice from the writer even if it is influenced by the characters' personnalities. If I took the scene where Ironwood shoots Oscar, someone might tell me "he's crippled by his PTSD, he COULD do this." Maybe, that's a reading I can somewhat understand at least. But the writers have the power to NOT put his character in such a position. When I saw the wreck that was V7 finale, I ranted to my bestfriend about it and at no point did i say "why did Ironwood do that", I said "why did the writers make him shoot Oscar, the only point narratively would be to make irredeemable" Aaaand that's what they went for and I obviously didn't care for it. So if I had to rewrite it; I would have kept Ironwood's "mistakes" more focused. If he's wrong because he wants to abandon Mantle, because he's (understandably) scared and doesn't want to take risks; then stay focused on that. It's what makes RWBY leave, and out of all his V8 actions that's really the only thing RWBY needed to tell the whole world he wasn't an ally anymore apparently. - Don't make him shoot Oscar point blank, instead Oscar can simply fall because he flinches away from Ironwood's outburst; and a distraught/guilty Ironwood can decide that he doesn't have the time or capacity to help because of the tense situation. (Killing and not saving someone don't hold the same moral weight at all). - Don't make him kill people left and right or bomb cities, maintain the flaw of Ironwood struggling with his PTSD and his fear and not being able to take risks. - Don't paint him as a black villain, and eventually write V8 in such a way that RWBYJNORQ show taking risks might lead to a bigger victory, which was the volume's theme anyway. For example, following Oscar's destruction of the whale, a growth can occur that would bring back together the two anti-Salem factions : Oscar's risk put Atlas out of harm's way, which leads to Ironwood seeing that maybe there WAS a way to save Mantle as well as Atlas despite Salem's presence and he might have jumped the gun too quickly because of his fears. I'm not sure, I haven't thought about this extensively honestly but I hope you see what I mean. I think it would have been more focused & more in-character to focus Ironwood's failings on his fear; and the fact that he cares for the people and the greater good sometimes at the cost of the individuals. The idea that by sacrificing individuals too much you forget the people you're fighting for in the first place, could have been interesting to dig deeper into. Keep to the idea that Ironwood is somewhat disensitized to the individuals suffering for the sake of the greater good, instead of making him just

callous & uncaring.

My guess for their MBTI/Enneagram

I think pre-V8 Ironwood was an unconventionnal ENFJ. Aka, the type of character no one would type ENFJ because they go by stereotypes and Fe stereotypes are just enneagram 2 everywhere (aka nice, kind, helpful) whereas Ironwood has an enneagram tritype very common among xxTJs so that's what he looks/behaves like, but the way he thinks (what's best for the people, ethical values derived from an Atlasian upbringing) align more with Fe cognitively I think I'm going with ENFJ 6w5 1w2 3w4

Starting from V8 though, Ironwood veered clearly into ENTJ territory (types aren't supposed to change but I wouldn't say RWBY is the most consistent media when it comes to characters' personnalities)

One aspect that I think would be nice to delve deeper into ?

I understand why they didn't care to, but it'd have been interesting to get a few backstory hints for Ironwood. How did he lose half his body ? How did Oz recruit him ? Or some pieces about his upbringing ?

[sleepydane]

Tagged by @hetakiba Sorry i'm so late!!

Rules: List five things you never get tired of writing. it can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. then tag five people!

SO honestly i do more daydreaming 24/7 than ever actual writing but i can still at least answer this from that standpoint AND my beloved tropes i read lol

1. (i agree with your no. 1 so i'm stealing it lol) I lowkey miss the days when people would tag that very hyper specific sort of angsty fic as "RANDOCHARACTER!whump" bc i eat that stuff up every. single. time. put those people in situations and make sure it HURTS. I want my characters to be going through it and have that situation worsen while the other characters take awhile to catch on, increasing the absolute drama of it all. whump is my no. 1 babieee.

2. for legit writing i've done, i can kinda only really get myself to do comedy/crackfics bc there's no pressure for being lore accurate or having a real plan/timeline. basically just go wild with fandom tropes and what not!

3. for characters i think the ones I've never gotten tired of reading for years and years and years have been obi-wan kenobi and spiderman (don't @ me ik ik very basic answers here).

more recent characters I completely scour the tags for now though are utahime (jjk), macaque (monkie kid) and honestly i've been reading a lotta the older naruto fics that really flesh out sakura and kakashi into awesome characters (or really anyone BUT naruto and sasuke bc they're the lamest characters on that show frfr).

I had phases awhile back too though for lotr boromir, dbh connor, james bond, and if i REALLY reach back then ik i liked hetalia fics (tho honestly i dont know that i had a fav character in it that i read more than others?).

4. A trope i can't get enough of is easily time travel/ dimension jumping. i fucking love that stuff so damn much. a character being dropped somewhere completely unknown to them and having to bend that new place's reality into their own framework of how the world works (meanwhile the people in this new place are ALSO scrambling to fit this mystery person into a concept that they can understand). or even worse, a character being dropped into a past version of their world. It's familiar but also so completely different that it might as well be another dimension AND now they have an incredible burden to fix certain events, dodge people they know, and also get back to their own time.

I usually prefer a fic where the character is going back in time but i can sometimes be alright with the ones where it's a person's OC being dropped into whatever existing fictional world. it just depends on the writing really.

5. Another trope i like but walks a fine line would be the deaging trope. this one...is very hard to see pulled off well and also my eternal annoyance is that the tag includes fics where they're just doing age play which is fine of course but also very much not the same thing at all nor what i was looking for but eh what can ya do.

Ig it's just that scenario where a character (who almost always has had a shitty life) is now somehow a child and other characters are having to realize how much this character has been through and trying to give them a better childhood for however long it lasts. When it's done well, it's great but more often than not, the writing isn't there or it very quickly goes to a ...strange...place...so hm ya just depends really. An absolute amazing example of it done well (though differing a bit from what i've described as a good one lmao) is the fic "wee doctor" from many many yrs ago. It's maybe one of the best fics i've ever read but granted it's been years since i read it to so take that for what you will lol

thanks, Ki, that was really cool to answer!! Also honestly i don't know many writers either sooo i'll give free reign tag to anyone who wants to join in lol

Tagged by @marley-manson Thank you!! ☺️

Rules: List five things you never get tired of writing. it can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. then tag five people!

1. I'm gonna borrow yours because It's also mine: putting favorite characters through bad situations 😎 I'm a softy and kinda bad at writing bad endings so it usually gets better but. It's all about the suffering

2. Old timey/'victorian'/historical/medieval au's: most if not all of my favorite stories/characters are in present or future-ish eras so I enjoy seeing characters in very different situations/worlds

3. Not super crazy, but I also enjoy meeting in the same universe but early/late/under completely different circumstances and/or then continuing into a new canon storyline (now a little diffy). This also feeds into my enjoyment of coming up with different ways characters could get canon injuries in au's!!

4. You know I never think about it but I do actually have a fair amount of domestic/settled down content 🤣 a fair amount of them are also like. Weird niche/contrived difficulties they could face in a longterm relationship/domestic life but 🤣 guess it's not all angst 🙄

5. Establishing random friendships with side characters 😎 I'll admit, most of my writings do focus on romantic or romantic adjacent relationships, but I do usually also get sucked into incorporating other favorite characters which usually leads to possibly unlikely or very specific friendships 🤣

Thank you!! This was fun :3

I FORGOT TO TAG!! I'm not sure how many people I know write 😭 feel free to do this if you do, @sleepydane your the only one I know for sure 🙏 (if you want to!)

[reluctant-mandalore]

The Artist (Din Djarin x gn!Reader)

Word Count: 3821

Warnings: Fluffy with some angst and an angry Din. He’s a bit mean at first but I promise he makes it right. Not beta read because I wanted to get this out asap. 

Pairing: Din Djarin x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: I couldn’t resist writing, it was just such a sweet idea. I ended up getting carried away, so it’s kind of long lol. As per usual I got some angsty din in here but it’s all fluffy and happy at the end I promise!! Also, Din is a bit mean at first, he’s a grumpy grump who’s mad about his face being plastered everywhere, but he turns into a softy fairly quickly. I tried to stay gender neutral but I may have slipped up sooo yeah. Enjoy!

Original Post: The original post is here and the lovely darling who came up with this idea was @mandowhorian​

Edits: (4)**Reader blushing was removed to made to be more inclusive** (1)Just some grammar and spelling edits done. Also fixed up some of the paragraphs I felt were a bit weird. (2) I was looking back at this so I could post it to AO3 and noticed that the @ to the original poster of the idea was wrong, sorry for any unnecessary notifications!! (3)More spelling and grammar fixes, also fixed a pronoun error. ^-^

  The bounty should have been simple enough. The mandalorian had been tasked with bringing in a lone artist from the outer rim. The artist was overdue on some payments to a lone shark and had seemingly gone into hiding to avoid these payments. Originally, he hadn’t planned on taking the job, but the pay was decent enough and it should have been rather easy. It wouldn’t take much to bring in the little artist, though he had been warned about them having some weird abilities. 

  Din wasn’t too concerned in that regard. He’s seen some weird stuff in his time as a bounty hunter. Honestly he wasn’t sure anything could top the child and his strange powers anyway. Although with that in mind, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to walk into.  

 The bounty hunter had approached the structure quietly, it was later in the evening and much of the busy crowds were leaving for the night. The studio was small with tables propped out front, most likely used for sales, though today they had remained empty. He had asked some locals about the artist, learning how the artist was currently grieving and wasn’t offering or selling any services at the moment due to it. Many of the locals even saying that they hadn’t even seen the artist emerge from their studio for some days now.  

  Din had ended up watching the little studio for most of the day anyway, looking for signs of the bounty. Truth to the locals words, the bounty never emerged to sell their works. So, with the streets having become empty and with no signs of the artist, he made his way to the entrance of the building. 

 Pulling back the cloth to the entrance of the bounties private studio, Din was met with something he had never expected to see within. His face. Specifically, his face plastered everywhere on canvases around the studio. 

Din had stumbled back in shock at what he saw, knocking over some paint cans as he did. He felt frozen in time standing there staring at the works of art and suddenly felt himself become overwhelmed with a multitude of emotions. 

  Managing to collect himself, he straightened and slowly walked through the room, taking in each painting he saw. Every painting was unique in some way, whether it be from the paint used or the style in which it took. Some were younger versions of himself while others reflected his current aging features. His fingers had trailed lightly across the surface of one painting in particular, a dark and gloomy piece hidden away in a corner. Similar to the others, it was of his face, but this time it was bloody and bruised. His portrait self almost looking to be on the brink of death. 

  Din had a feeling of when this painting had been painted and why it was done in the way that it was. How did they know what he looked like that day? Did they see? He wasn’t even aware of anyone else, other than the droid of course, being there. How did he not notice them? 

  Many thoughts and feelings were pouring through him while looking at the piece of art. Feelings of confusion, anger, and distress had soon consumed him, but the worst of it all had to be the feeling of fear. 

Fear because someone had seen his face. Fear because this meant his creed was crumbling to ashes before his eyes. Fear because it was possible that it may have been like that for longer than he ever knew. Fear because in this moment everything he had worked for was crashing down around him and he wasn’t even exactly sure how it happened. 

  Engrossed with his worries, the Mandalorian didn’t even hear the artist approaching. Coming through a back hallway, the artist had suddenly appeared from around a corner, stopping when their eyes landed on his form. They looked at him from afar, watching him take in the painting before him. Not even aware of the distress that currently wrecked the Mandalorian’s body and mind. Their own head tilting to the side as confusion began marking their own soft features, and wondering why a Mandalorian of all things had stumbled into their studio. 

“Can I help you there? Customers aren’t supposed to enter the studio and I’m not currently taking any orders.” 

  Hearing them speak had snapped him out of his confused daze and he slowly turned his head to stare at them silently. He knew instantly based off the description from the client that this was his bounty standing before him. The Mandalorian’s mind soon beginning work over time to try and comprehend exactly what his target was doing. His mind trying to work out the answers to his bundles of questions. 

 Were they trying to mock him? Trying to act as if they had no idea who he was or what they had done? This had to be a plot that they came up with. They must have known he was coming and had plotted how to distract him. Maybe they just wanted to taunt him? A sort of ‘fuck you I know your face and have ruined your life’ kind of taunt. 

“You’re a mandalorian right? Are you after a bounty-” 

  Din was swift and predatory in his movements, not giving them time to finish their sentence as he grabbed and pinned them to the ground. Their tiny wrists held in his one hand, pinned above their head, while he roughly shoved a blaster to their cheek. His body had soon pressed into theirs as a way to use his size and weight to keep them still underneath him. He radiated danger and had waves of anger rolling off of him. The sight of him in this angry state certainly would have had any number of people running, included the artist if they weren’t currently pinned underneath him. 

  The artist had squirmed under him in panic, attempting to free themselves, but not being able to due to his sheer strength. He could feel the heat from their body seep through his armor into his own, and any other time being this close to someone would have made the Mandalorian flush. However, at this moment, Din wasn’t concerned about such things. He was more worried about the fact that the person underneath him knew his face. 

“What’s with all the paintings? How do you know?” He growled out, his grip tightening around them, his helmet now inches from their own face. 

  A whimper sounded from the artist below him and tears had begun to form at the corners of their eyes, “I-I don’t know what you mean.” Their voice was shaky and their form trembled under his. They were utterly powerless and weak when compared to the Mandalorian. 

 He scoffed at their response, it wouldn’t be the first time a bounty had tried to play innocent and dumb. Shedding some fake tears wasn’t going to soften him up any bit. “Don’t act dumb. How did you find out? Where did you see it?” 

“Find out what? I-” They paused as he had moved the blaster closer to them as they spoke. “I-I really don’t know what you mean!” 

  Admittedly, the job was far from his mind at this moment, all he cared about was dealing with the fact that someone had seen his face. That this person before him had decided to taunt him with the knowledge of them having seen it. Job be damned, it felt like his whole self was destroyed, his creed most likely broken. He could care less about the dumb bounty job. He just needed answers. 

  Din growled again, his anger continuing to grow as they proceeded to deny any knowledge of what he was asking. He ended up hulling them to their feet, his grip never loosening as he did. He turned them around to face the corner which held the painting he had looked at not too long ago. He had pressed himself into their back when he did, a hand coming to roughly grab their chin to force them to look at the painting before them, the blaster still at the ready if needed.

“That face.” He gritted out, his fingers beginning to dig into their skin, “Where did you see it?”

  He watched as their fearful expression morphed into that of one marked with sadness. A frown had now etched across their lips, and they looked away as a few of their tears finally slid down their cheeks. 

Din was surprised by their reaction, he thought for sure they would have given up the whole innocent act by now or would have at least slipped up a bit. However, they didn’t and if anything it only made them seem to be more genuine in his eyes—a thought that both angered and confused him more than anything. 

 Mumbled words was the only reply he got from them at first, their voice barely audible to him, “What was that?” 

“He’s my soulmate... or he was supposed to be at least.” 

  Din could feel himself pale under the helmet at their words, a feeling of shock once again spreading throughout his body, as he found himself letting go of them in an instant. His anger had disappeared completely at hearing their explanation—leaving only confusion in its wake.

 It crossed his mind briefly that they could be messing with him still, but the expression they wore and the sincerity in their voice had stomped the idea completely. They were being serious, and Din had no idea how to handle such information. 

Stepping back from them, the blaster fell to his side. “I.. what?” were the only things he could manage to say in his stage of shock and confusion. 

“Do you know what the force is?” 

“Barely.” 

“Well, through the force, I get force visions of him all the time. They’re usually just his face, his surroundings were always blurry to me, but his face was always clear.” They began to explain as Din listened while remaining silent, “The force is not strong with me, so I think that’s why the visions were not always so clear to me.” 

“So this isn’t just some sort of sick joke of yours to try and mock me?” He asked, still having some trouble in believing what the artist was expressing to him. “You’re not lying just to try and get me to not take you in?”

 He watched as anger had marked their once saddened features, “A joke? You think I would joke about something like this? That I would spend years of my life painting and wondering where he was—wondering if he was safe?” 

  Din stood and just listened as they went off on him. Their anger about the accusation evident as they bitterly ranted to him about his behaviour during the past half hour or so. He continued watching as their rant died down to them just fuming while looking at anything that wasn’t him—clearly upset and hurt by his remarks. 

“If you’re here to collect me for a bounty just get it over with, don’t deepen my grief.” Sometimes he could forget how insensitive he could be. It was already clear enough to not have been some joke or plot. So why did he have to continue suggesting such things? 

 The room had filled with silence after the artist had finished their long winded speech to him, and it felt stuffy with the new atmosphere between them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” His voice was the first to break the silence before he had trailed off again, “What made you think the visions were of your soulmate?”

 They had seemed to calm again with his question, a sigh escaping their lips as they went to continue their explanation from before to the Mandalorian, “Honestly? I didn’t think such a thing at first, but eventually, I could just feel it.” They paused, seemingly trying to figure out how to word their thoughts before speaking once more, “I guess you could say I just knew that this was the man I was connected to for life. I could feel it in my heart—in my soul. He was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with, or at least I thought so until the last one….”

 The artist trailed off again, a habit of theirs that Din had noted to himself as he watched them go over to look at the painting properly. Their arms had crossed over their chest now, hugging themselves as if they were cold, but it seemed to be more for personal comfort than anything. Din had took note the expression they wore on their face and suddenly felt a rush of guilt flow through him for how he had previously handled them.

“The last one?” He couldn’t help but question. 

 They nodded and smiled sadly at him as they wiped the tears falling from their eyes “I think I saw him die some months ago. The last vision I had of him was of him looking like that and I haven’t had any visions since.” They had motioned in the direction of the painting before them, only providing more evidence that it was in fact a painting of the face he had wore while on the brink of death that fateful day. 

“So I think he...” their words died in a quiet sob, one of their hands clasping over their mouth as he watched their figure become consumed with grief. 

The words from the locals of the artist grieving came back to him as everything began to fall into place. This person was grieving who they believed to be their soulmate. They were grieving Din and they hadn’t even met him. It was something difficult for him to fathom at first, but seeing how it broke them had made his heart sink none the least. 

“He’s not dead.” The words left him before he could stop himself. The urge to suddenly comfort the distressed artist before him coming to light. 

 The artist turned to look at him suddenly, almost doing a double take from his words “Wait do you know who he is?” They questioned, their expression changing from one of sadness to wonder. “What’s his name? Is he ok? Can you take me to see him? I’ll pay you…” 

Their voice stopped registering in the hunters mind as he tried to comprehend their questions and excitement. They weren’t lying. They were being truthful in everything they spoke and they had no clue that the face in the paintings were his. They truly didn’t know anything about him other than what they had seen in their visions and yet they loved him enough to grieve for him. 

  Din didn’t know how to answer all those questions of theirs. It was him. The answer was simple yet also hard to articulate. The man in their paintings, in their visions, was him. 

That was his face. His face which no one was supposed to see. He almost wanted to yell out that it was him. He wanted to scream to them about the creed and how it was everything to him. 

 The creed he swore might be in question now and he didn’t know how to feel about it other than dread. He understood how some circumstances were accepted in regards to others seeing his face. Did a soulmate having visions fall within those categories? He didn’t know, but really hoped so at this moment. 

  “It’s me.” The words finally wafted out his modulator in a whisper, barely audible, but the artist had clearly caught it. 

The artist had stared at him with shining wide eyes. A hand had come to their mouth again but this time in surprise. Not being able to bear looking at them anymore, the Mandalorian turned away again. as his heart began beating rapidly in his chest at the confession. “It’s my face. It’s me.” 

Their reply was equally as quiet, a mere whisper through the air, “R-Really? You’re not lying?”

 The only response he could muster was a small nod, as he was afraid of how his voice would sound. There were so many things to discuss with them. Things like his way of life and the danger it entailed. He also needed to tell them about the creed, and most importantly, the child in his current care. All of this didn’t even include the things he was sure they had to tell him. 

 Din had jumped at the sudden feeling of their body pressing into his back. His mind blanking at their touch and smell engulfing him. The feeling of them wrapping their arms around his waist had caused a flush to spread over his skin and a shaky breath to barely sound through his modulator. It had been so long since someone had touched him in the slightest and he wasn’t prepared for it to happen like it just had.

 “I was beginning to think I’d never meet you, I mean, I literally thought you died.” Their words were muffled into his armored back and hearing them he felt his heart clench again.

  Seeming to catch themselves, the artist pulled away from him, shyly looking away at the realization of their impulsive actions. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hug you out of the blue like that.” They had managed to stutter out, “It’s felt like I’ve known you forever even though we’ve really just met and I literally thought I had lost you. So I guess I’m just happy.” 

“It’s fine” He replied quietly, feeling his heart skip a beat at seeing the small smile that graced their cheeks from his words. “It should be me saying sorry for how I treated you earlier anyway.” He continued, turning to face them properly and looking down at their wrists he had grabbed so harshly not too long ago.

“I mean you're a mandalorian right? Your kind don’t show your faces to anyone, I’m sure it was quite a shock to see all the paintings.” 

  He was surprised with them having some sort of knowledge of his way of life. Even if it was so little, any amount was better than none. “You know of mandalore?”

The artist shrugged, looking down at their hands as they twirled their fingers. “Only a little of what I have heard. People say you're the fiercest warriors in the Galaxy.” 

  He nodded in reply to them as they fell into an awkward silence once more. Honestly, Din had never talked much in the first place and he had already talked more than what he was used to within the last hour. He also wasn’t really sure where to start. 

  What did they do now? Did he invite them back to the ship? Ask for them to pack up and move in? Maybe they should just call it a night and worry about it in the morning. It was late after all, and of course the child still waited for him to return.  

“Are you going to turn me in? That’s why you’re here right? I’m your bounty.” The artist was still smiling at him even after such inquiries, “I won’t stop you if you want to. Just knowing you’re ok is enough for me. I don’t want to get in the way of your job.”  

Sweet. Too sweet. Maybe even naive. That was how Din would describe them in this moment. He believed them too in their claims, that they would happily let him take them to their impending doom at the hands of some scummy lone-shark. 

Din was honestly surprised to see how easily they just offered themselves up to him. How easy would it be to just take them up on their offer and turn them in. After turning them in, he could then just shove the whole experience into the back of his mind to be forgotten. It would be a simple and easy process for someone of his kind.

“No.” He answered, not even needing to think about the answer for long. There was no way he could turn them in now. “I… it's just…” He trailed off, even now trying to find a logical response to his reasoning. Even if one wasn’t needed in the first place. 

  Many others wouldn’t care. They would turn in the artist without a thought, soulmate or not. It wouldn’t matter to them, but to Din. To him it mattered more than he ever thought it would.  

“Are you good with kids?” He asked them, thinking of the child waiting for him. He could already see the child taking a liking to them and the idea of having some help with the child was something he looked forward to. 

“You have kids?” 

He shifted uneasily at their question, feeling oddly vulnerable in this moment, “Sort of, I have a foundling in my care and have been thinking about getting someone to help with caring for him.” 

 Din couldn’t explain the sudden concern that he felt at telling them of the child. He didn’t understand the sudden want for them to accept the little womp rat. The thought of maybe them not wanting anything to do with him now that they knew he had a child in his care actually scared him. Even worse, he found himself fearing their rejection, already having a desire to keep them with him. 

 Which is why he was happy to see the large grin that had spread across their cheeks at hearing about the child, “I would love to help you with that.” 

“The position is permanent.” He said with a teasing undertone in his voice, not being able to help the sudden bubble of happiness which had swelled within him. 

“Oh I would hope so.” 

  A grin had spread across his lips under the helmet at their own teasing reply, and he found himself closing the distance between them once more. One of his gloved hands had came to their cheek, tilting their head to look up at him. In response one of their own hands, paint stains and all, covered his. He had watched them for a bit like this, before finally pressing his helmet against their forehead. 

A Keldabe kiss.

  He wasn’t sure if they knew exactly what he was doing, but he would explain everything to them soon enough. For now, he just enjoyed the moment he was sharing with them. His eyes closing, as his arms had moved to wrap themselves around the artist to hold them closely. 

They had then stood embracing each other for a while, just allowing each other to take in the other's presence while they did. Honestly Din found himself never wanting to let go of them again—a feeling foreign but not unpleasant for him. 

  Din couldn’t explain why it felt so right to be this close to someone he barely knew. He couldn’t even understand why he had suddenly wanted to spend the rest of his life with this person. The only thing known to him in this moment was that before him stood a person who would be forever intertwined with him.

 His clan of two had become a clan of three.  

-- 

Tags:

@murdermewithbooks @hdlynnslibrary @imalovernotahater @askalphapazvizla @​onlydarth @mandodjarin  @pedrosdoll @fleurdemiel145 @anothermoronintransition

I think I got everyone that either wanted to be tagged or seemed interested in it. Sorry for any missed tags and for any unwanted tags >.< 

[dudeandduchess]

Hi there! Anon here..lol So, I have a request for Iguro Obanai (• ▽ •) MC (preferably female) low-key declares Mitsuri a love rival (oh Lord! ヘ（。□°）ヘ) Reader is mad extra - she just wants to be noticed by snek papi! She greets him with his favorite treats every pillar meeting -but look! He didn't even notice! She offers to go on missions with him - oh..Mitsuri already volunteered? After pining after him for so long she starts to back off... until he confesses. Turns out Mitsuri (1/2)

Ahhh, hello, bby! Okay, I had so much fun writing this as well. Bc hey, it’s mild angst and I’ve always loved writing angsty stuff. And no worries at all; I kind of like having a rough guideline to go by, bc it lessens the strain of having to figure out a mild subplot. But anything’s fine with me. Ahaha. Thank you sooo much for requesting this, and I hope you like it. :D xx

***

Reader Having a Crush on Iguro and Declaring Kanroji as a Rival (SFW Scenario):

“I don’t care, nee-chan. Mitsuri’s my rival for Obanai’s love— and there’s nothing that you can say that will make me change my mind,” (Y/n) declared irately, as she sat next to her sister on the engawa. Both of them were snacking on senbei, but it was more like (Y/n) was demolishing the crispy treats with every bite.

“You’re approaching this from a very immature perspective, (Y/n),” Akane— the older one of the (L/n) siblings— mused in a knowing manner. “Isn’t she your friend? You’re the Lightning Hashira; you’re supposed to set an example.”

Completely undeterred from her declaration, (Y/n) shook her head, before gnashing another chunk of senbei between her teeth. “She was my friend; until she started being too friendly with Obanai. They’re always together! And whenever Oyakata-sama asks for volunteers to go with Obanai, she’s always the first one to get chosen. It’s unfair!”

Akane chuckled at her sister’s predicament, then reached out and patted the top of her head. “If it’s so unfair, then why don’t you just move on to someone else? That boy who always visits you is cute. What was his name… uh… Rengoku?”

“Kyō-chan is like a brother to me. He doesn’t make me feel the way Obanai does.”

“Well, if you put it like that… then, try one more time. And then promise me that you’re going to stop trying to get him to notice you, if your attempt today fails. Okay, (Y/n)?” With those words hanging in the air, Akane pulled her sister close to her and laid her head on her shoulder. She then began stroking (Y/n)’s hair, more to comfort her than anything else.

“It’s just not fair, nee-chan. I loved him first.”

“That’s love, (Y/n). You know what okaa-san used to tell us, remember?” Akane began softly, as she kept lightly scratching her nails against the Hashira’s scalp.

And, after a brief pause, the sisters simultaneously spoke— with the younger one being more sullen than usual, “Some people are sent to you by the gods, so that they can teach you what you need to learn. While some people are given to you by the gods, so they can take care of you forever. There’s no telling whom was sent for what, so you will have to trust your own instincts and know when to keep on fighting, and when to give up.”

***

Once the hour for the Hashira meeting had rolled around, (Y/n) could not hold in her nerves. She walked into the garden at the Demon Slayer Headquarters, with her head held high and her back ramrod straight— all while her fingers curled tightly around the bento she had made for Obanai.

She’d paid particular attention to which foods he liked and disliked, and with every meeting, she always brought a bento for him. Only, he never seemed to notice her efforts— so she always ended up giving the bentos to Rengoku.

Her gaze roamed around the expansive space, only to land on the man who made her heart race: Iguro Obanai.

Iguro was lounging on his favorite tree in the garden, when he spotted (Y/n). She was carrying another bento, and was headed straight for him— which caused a blush to immediately flare up across his cheeks.

“Hello, Obanai-san,” The Lightning Hashira greeted with a bright smile. She then held up the bento in her hands, with the same sincere affection he’d always picked up from her. “I made this for you.”

While (Y/n) may have looked calm and collected on the outside, she wanted to scream on the inside. Every second that passed with Iguro just staring at her made her nervous and sad; it gnawed a hole in her heart, which she knew she was most likely never going to mend.

The pair stared at each other, with (Y/n)’s smile slowly faltering. And when the Snake Hashira made no move to get the proffered container, that was when (Y/n) knew that it was time to give up.

So, with a gracious bow, she whispered— all while barely restraining her urge to cry, “Sorry for wasting your time, Iguro-san.”

And with those words, she turned on her heel and walked away from him with as much dignity as she could muster.

Even though she wanted to just lay down on her bed and cry her heart out, she couldn’t— because she still had a meeting to attend.

Of course she sat through the entire meeting, with her comrades shooting her and Iguro some weird looks. As (Y/n) was extremely tuned in to their boring topic of internal budgets, when before she would shamelessly shoot adoring gazes at the Snake Hashira, whom sat beside her.

Iguro could also feel the change in the air. Frankly, it unnerved him, as he had always harbored feelings for (Y/n) but was just too shy to confess to her. He feared that he may have accidentally dealt the final blow to their nonexistent relationship with his inept reaction earlier.

He had been so tongue-tied that he couldn’t muster up the energy— or the brain cells— to make his hands move. His heart had pounded so hard in his chest, because the woman he’d always liked had made another effort to garner his affections.

Little did she know that she already had them.

And once the meeting was over, Iguro was sure that he had singlehandedly ruined the one good thing he’d had with (Y/n).

She tried to be discreet about it, but it was obvious to him that she was avoiding him. Hell, it pissed him off; but the proverbial icing on the cake was when she gave the bento— which was filled with food for him— to the Flame Hashira.

Iguro wanted to scream when he saw that transpire with his own eyes. And then he wanted to shove Rengoku aside, when he saw the other man laugh heartily before wrapping his arms around (Y/n).

“I told you to confess to her already,” Kanroji’s familiar voice echoed in Iguro’s ears.

Anger bubbled up within the young man at his friend’s suggestion; anger at himself, not anger towards her. He had been too stubborn and shy to act on his own feelings, which was why he felt like (Y/n) had suddenly given up on him.

He could only look on as (Y/n) and Rengoku exchanged banter, and when a loud and heartfelt laugh bubbled from her lips, something snapped within him— and he found himself walking towards her.

“Oh, hello, I-” (Y/n) couldn’t even finish her flaky sentence, as Iguro had turned her to face him and slammed his lips against hers. It was kind of awkward with his bandages in the way, but it served to get the reaction he wanted: her face flushed and her eyes misty with desire.

However, even with (Y/n)’s heart pounding frantically inside her chest, irritation and mild embarrassment simmered within her. “How dare you-!?”

Once more, she was cut off when the Snake Hashira spoke over her, “I like you, (Y/n). I’ve always liked you.”

Wide-eyed and completely in shock, the young woman’s eyes darted from the man in front of her, to the Love Hashira who stood a few paces away behind him. “But you and Mitsuri-chan… you two…”

“She was helping me find a way to confess to you,” Obanai answered her unspoken question, which made a blush color her cheeks— all the way up to the tips of her ears.

“I… well… this is awkward,” (Y/n) whispered under her breath, which was still heard by all their comrades. And when she heard the first few vestiges of laughter, it suddenly dawned on her that she and Iguro hadn’t exactly been private with their altercation.

[bazpitch]

a few gay thoughts on wayward son (aka i am disappointed) / a rainbow rowell tutorial: bury ur gay (relationships) by turning them into a dumpster fire

i am very mad and disappointed with wayward son for a lot of reasons and im pretentious so here’s an entire essay about SOME THINGS i hate ab the gay related stuff because this is a better way to spend my time than doing the thousand things i have to do for school and because i am a gender studies minor and a lesbian who spent my most formative years on tumblr! also im sooo sorry im not articulate in this because i am very tired and very angry. 

something i don’t talk about in this was the absolute trainwreck of a plot, but just wanted to say that the plot is a trainwreck and the end is a complete cash grab.

i really don’t know how to start this because i have a lot of thoughts, but i think that i’m going to focus on how there was literally no (healthy) snowbaz

okay, i may be wearing rose colored lenses for this one, but, in my opinion, snowbaz was a lot more nuanced in carry on, simply because there was a lot more development in their relationship, with the entire enemies to lovers procession. they both had to learn to trust eachother and other things that are necessary for literally every relationship which is fantastic. whether they were functioning and healthy and not toxic (considering how they were enemies like two months b4 the end of the novel) at the end is a whole other debate but i will not get into that here. basically, what i am saying is that we DO see some healthy development within carry on. for example, by being vulnerable with simon, baz learns to open up to other people.

however, within wayward son, we do NOT. we just get 350 pages of complete bullshit with random bits of ‘baz hates me’ and ‘simon hates me’ sprinkled throughout. THIS MAKES SENSE! i am not saying that it is not realistic for simon and baz to be insecure! however, i AM saying that there is zero communication and it is very unhealthy and bad!!! 

i find it concerning that rainbow literally did not write one heart to heart into wayward son in which they both voice their concerns regarding their insecurities. like being in a relationship where you’re convinced the other person secretly hates you is horrible !! it feels fucking shitty !!! not communicating about this is not angsty it’s super bad and you’re fucking yourself and your relationship over and i don’t know HOW rainbow plans to convince us that baz and simon do not at least need a break in the next book, considering that there is already TrOuBle at WaTfOrD apparently, which makes me think that like this book, next book won’t focus much on snowbaz.

personally, i would’ve preferred a book that had a plot that didn’t seem mad-libbed (which is a whole other thing), and actually, like carry on, had some healthy emotional development. like first we had carry on: emotional vulnerability n this could’ve been wayward son: healthy communication. i am not saying that it was not realistic for simon and baz to be extremely closed off in this book and not communicating a lot, as they were in extremely high pressure situations for much of it. (which i may add did not connect at all; for example are they really not getting shit for blowing up all of those vampires at that festival? and what the fuck was the end with the silicon valley tech bros? like ex machina did it better who cares. i wouldve preferred that part to be left out and for a few trump jokes to be thrown in)

overall, i wish this book focused more on each character’s emotional development and was thus more character driven than plot driven. a book that was character driven would’ve connected way better to the first book as well, as we would’ve gotten to focus on lucy and maybe read about old characters such as fiona and nico. (also speaking of fiona is baz really not like. does he just never talk about the fact that his aunt that he loves murders members of his species. i would’ve rather read about his thoughts on this rather than some 300 year old hag eye fucking him, who literally is not old enough to drink in the us)

i’m very tired but ultimately i love carry on because of the gay and the gay in this was underdeveloped bad and also sad. something i want to talk ab more but am too lazy to talk about rn is how younger lgbtq ppl might see the romance within this book, because now i do know that it is unhealthy and i genuinely do not think that in this universe baz and simon should be together for right now at least, but a few years ago i definitely would have glorified it. 

@ rainbow just let the gays be happy. that is why we read this. we already have enough media with emotionally stunted gays in unhealthy relationships we did not need this. like literally all i wanted from this was happy gays

[madlymiho]

Hi Miho! Requests are open! I was wondering if you could do a scenario with Law where his girlfriend keeps trying to tell him she’s pregnant to him but they keep getting interrupted by the crew and stuff, and she gets down (like angsty) about the situation, and with a fluffy or nsfw ending (whichever you want). You’re an angel!

Ooooh hello there! My god this is soooo sooo sweet? I loved to write about this!

I choose to go for a fluffy ending on this one! Thanks for this awesome ask 💖

Words : 2286

Law scenario : We’re having a baby, Law. (read after the cut)

“Law, we’re having a baby.” 

The words are easy. Nothing really fantastic or difficult to say, when we simply think about the sentence. A simple formation of words, which have the power to shatter someone’s world forever. Her pregnancy wasn’t planned. She does want to have children one day, that’s a certitude for her. She wants to see these small little nippers of her running everywhere around the house, while she feels safe and sound, somewhere in this world where there’s no more worries and sorrows. She wants to have them when she would be able to stay home everyday, without fearing the day that she might get chased because she’s a pirate, and that their father is nothing but one member of the Worst Generation. But things are what they are, and at the moment, she can only fondle the tiny roundness of her tummy, hoping that she would find the right words to tell Law that he’s going to be a father, in the middle of a war between the Yonkos and some filthy pirates. 

***

“Name-ya, come in.” Law calls, while he looks up from his medical books, slightly concerned by the look on her face. “Is there something wrong?” 

For a past few days, she seems different. Her habits remain the same, but she desperately tries to catch his attention, and despite his best efforts, Law feels like he can’t provide what she needs. He extends his hand to invite her to come in, a soft and shy smile growing at the corner of his lips. For a moment, she remains still, unable to make a step forwards. She fondles her arm, as if there’s something heavy that she wants to spit, but as soon as she meets his serious gaze, she flinches and suddenly comes closer, remembering that he’s still waiting on his chair. She silently sits on his lap, like she always do whenever he has a couple of minutes to give her, before he gently reminds her that he has some work to finish. As usual, Law circles her waist to hold her tight, his other one writing a few notes on his book. She pinches her lips, looking at his face, a thousand of words boiling inside her brain, but none of them capable of crossing the natural barrier of her mouth. Law feels the look on him, and since he knows that she must crave his attention, he puts his pen down on the table and turns his head. 

“Sleep troubles?” He tries, his mouth putting a tender kiss at the corner of her lips. “I can give you something if you want.” 

She shakes her head, her fingers softly scratching his goatee with some unconscious gestures. 

“No, no it’s fine,” she answers with a soft smile, looking for her words almost desperately. Is it the good moment? “I’m all good.” 

Law frowns, knowing perfectly that something bothers her, despite her false reassuring smile. He’s about to ask her what’s the matter, but they are suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Law sighs, his eyes apologizing for him as she already knows that he’s about to be busy once again. For a moment, she stays put, offering him a sad smile, before she kisses his lips and stands back up. 

“I’ll head to bed. Try not to overwork, captain.” 

He smiles and nods, yet, he can perfectly picture the despair inside her irises. He wishes that he has time to catch her and have that talk together ; so he promises himself that he’d have a word with her in the morning. 

***

But it didn’t happen. The knock on that door wasn’t something really pleasant, first for him, but even more for her. Law had to be absent for a while, almost an entire month, knowing perfectly that his girlfriend was dealing with something concerning. He couldn’t be there, and he felt pretty anxious about it, anticipating his return on the sub with a boiling mind full of fears. He doesn’t know what’s wrong with her, and since he didn’t have time to figure out, he’s sure that she let herself being eaten by those unpleasant feelings. 

As soon as Law is back on the sub, he quickly greets his crewmates and rushes to her room, ignoring the pouting face of Bepo, who wanted to share a longer moment with him. Yet Law is too preoccupied, and he quickly wants to check if she’s alright, hoping that her state went better, even if he was away. He knows that she must be in there, probably asleep at that time of the night. He’s about to open the door, but for a moment, he simply doesn’t know what to do. He’s slightly afraid of her condition, and his instincts yell at him that she’s not okay, even if it’s irrational to think this way. He has been away for too long, and he can’t help but curse himself before he eventually finds the courage to open the door. 

“Name-ya?” Law gently calls, quickly coming in before anyone would suddenly ask for his assistance on the ship. “You’re okay?” 

Law furrowed his eyebrows and drops his sword on her desk, skirting the bed to sit near her belly. She’s asleep, her hair lazily plastered on the pillow, curled up inside the sheets, while her breathing is calm and profund. He pinches his lips together, remaining still for a second, unable to figure out if it’s better to wake her up right now or to simply wait a bit more, to let her have some rest. She seems at ease right now, but even though, he can perfectly picture the remains of a deep and unbearable tiredness of her features. Dark circles under her eyes, a slightly greyer complexion, nothing truly alarming but quite different from her usual lovely and natural radiance. Law feels that terrible feeling of guilt bubbling inside his belly, and wrenching his stomach harshly. He doesn’t want to leave her side, now that he’s finally back. Quickly, he takes off his boots, throwing them somewhere in the room as he also abandons his shirt on the floor. He pushes his hips a bit more on the bed, leaning down to put a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. 

“Name-ya…,” Law whispers, wishing that she’s not too deeply asleep to hear his call. 

She groans for a second, grimacing as she’s leaving her world of dreams and wanders. She softly blinks, then, as she feels a presence by her side, she eventually entirely opens her eyes, a relieved smile growing at the corner of her lips.

“You’re back,” she mumbles, moving aside to give him some room. “I was worried that it would take longer since you were running after Luffy,” 

Law smirks, then he pulls on the sheets to slide himself against her back. He hums, his mouth gently kissing her neck, while he circles her waist. He missed her. The sweet aroma of her shower gel, and the softness of her hair. The way she immediately ups her hips to perfectly enjoy their spooning moment. Law is reassured that these reflexes are still present between the two of them, and since he’s in her room right now, he’s pretty sure that none of the crewmates would dare to interrupt them. He gently slides his fingers between her boobs, cupping one of them carefully, not in an entire sexual way, but simply because he has always enjoyed her body very much, and feels he can use some cuddle times at the moment ; and if it leads to something steamy, then it’s for the best. However, he immediately frowns as he caresses her, feeling that they are slightly bigger than usual. He feels that she’s not even breathing anymore, not that she’s aroused and wishes him to touch her more, but because she’s anticipating something. 

“What’s wrong, Name-ya?” Law asks, trying his best to keep a neutral and encouraging voice. “I can… stop this, if you don’t want it. Do you feel sick, or something?” 

She remains silent for a second, then sighs and rolls on her hips to eventually face him. She grabs his fingers, playing unconsciously with his long digits for a second, before she slides them against her torso, going down and down, until Law eventually skims her belly. Then, she encourages him to press his hand entirely, and after a few seconds, Law finally cups her tummy and immediately notices that there’s something different. It’s rounder than usual, in the lower part, but it’s also slightly harder. He looks back at her face, and as he perfectly pictures her worried face, he gasps and widens his eyes. 

“Law I’m…,” she starts, trying to tell that hurtful secret she’s keeping for too long now. “I’m…”

But she closes her eyes, and stops everything. She remembers her deepest fears and why she kept this for herself for many weeks now ; from his terrible and traumatic childhood, to the fact that he’s one of the most wanted man in the world. She thinks about that day when he told her about Corazon, and the way he has grieved for many years, unable to bend with anyone except his crewmates because he’s too afraid to lose someone else. She’s about to tell him that he will have to be always worried about another human being now, taking many risks and unspeakable choices to protect this child. She feels guilty, because she’s adding another problem on Law’s shoulders, and this sorrowful feeling can’t leave her mind. 

“So you’re carrying my child…,” Law murmurs, his voice slightly broken. 

She immediately opens her eyes, staring at his features, concerned by his reaction, shocked to notice that improbable gleam of happiness plastered on his face. There’s also this radiance inside his irises, and now that she’s looking at him, she’s almost sure that Law is about to cry. He presses his hand against her belly, fondling the soft skin.

“Law… I’m so sorry. I know that’s it’s not the good moment. I know that you don’t want that child, and I should have been more careful. Please, will you ever find the strength to forgi-”

Law catches her nape, and vividly crashes his lips on hers before she finishes her sentence. He kisses her strongly, mouth open, hoping that she would understand it’s time for her to forgive herself first. He knows what a child implies ; but he also knows what are his feelings. He has never been in love before, and this girl has shattered his life for good, to the point that his past beliefs were forgotten, and his future much brighter than what he has ever hoped for. A child is clearly dangerous, and perhaps reckless in a world where the pirates are everyday chased by the marines, or vicious enemies. Yet, he craves that family, much more than he would thought. He cherishes everyday, the sweet memories of his childhood, yes not always pink and easy, but full of persons who have truly loved him. From Corazon, to his parents, his sisters, the nuns of the White City. Law remembers that he has once be loved, and even if he’s harsh, distant, and cold ; he’s still able to return this particular feeling. First towards her, and then, to that unborn child who’s about to change their lives. He’s still able to hope for a legacy, especially when she’s the one who carries the fruit of their deep passion. 

“Stop talking, would you?” Law whispers, parting his lips as he can’t erase his smile. “It’s not a curse.” 

“Law you don’t want to have a baby.” 

He sighs, and shakes his head, his fingers brushing her worried and sorry features with an everlasting tenderness. His skims her lips with his thumb, his eyes digging inside of hers.

“You’re not in my head, Name-ya. I know what it implies… I know that I will have to make a lots of efforts to become a good father. But this is not a curse.” 

She pinches her lips together, trembling inside his arms as she’s melting under his touch. His timid but present smile still grows, and he gently pushes on her back to hold her in his arms. He presses his lips on her forehead, encouraging her silently to let everything go. She digs her fingers inside his flesh, her nose finding its way to the crook of his neck, tears rolling down her cheeks, finally understanding that she’s more than alright inside Law’s arms. He’s not mad at her. He’s actually more than cheerful. Gently, Law rubs his fingers on her swollen tummy, his heart racing fastly inside his chest, thrilled but also terrified at the same time. Yet, he brushes this idea out of his brain, focusing on her quivering body and the fact that she’s still crying. He can’t let her be this way anymore. 

He pushes on her hips, ordering her to turn around, until he can comfortably spoon her, holding her tightly inside his arms until she starts to calm herself down. He intertwined his fingers with her, his hand still fondling the roundness of her tummy, almost like an urge he can’t control, as if everything is still a dream. He kisses her neck, leaving thousand of little smooshes all the way down her collarbone, until she bursts into a genuine laugh, his goatee tickling her sensitive spot. She eventually pushes her hips backwards, sighing loudly, as she melts under his sweet touch and feels reassured. As Law’s mouth comes up against her ear, he softly pulls on her earlobe with his teeth, to eventually whisper : 

“I love you so much, Name-ya.” 

[modern-oedipus]

Conflict post that got too long and title doesn’t match the rest because I didn’t plan to write so much

Please be honest: Do you think Conflict is an angsty fanfiction?

Despite the amount of sadness, suicidal tendencies, ptsd, panic attacks and even implied incest; I can’t bring to think that Conflict is angst. It’s just the story of two flawed boys falling in love in their most vulnerable moments and learning how to know themselves as they get to know each other.

It might be because I know the whole story, though, unlike the readers who know the first arc only. I mean... it’s perfectly fine however you interprwt their story. It’s not like I’m mad. I’m just surprised when I see things like “this is so sad!” I mean, yes, Ray is not going through best time of his life, but I think it is honorable. It’s honorable that he is trying his best, despite the depression blowing his mind. It’s honorable that Norman is trying to be a little honest with himself despite the chaos he is living in. It’s honorable that Emma sticks with Ray through thick and thin. It’s just characters trying their best, I don’t think it should be needlessly tagged as “angst” because I don’t think I write them that way for the sole reason of sadness. Rather, there is something I want to tell— something I want all of my readers to see.

But I can’t blame anyone since I haven’t written 3/4 of the fanfic yet. I haven’t shown you even a bit of the path I’ve already decided and mentally written for Conflict. I actually wanted to write Conflict tonight, but due to personal reasons I’m not feeling my best and despite my efforts to write Shotgun, I couldn’t write shit, and it won’t be good for my mental health to be in fiction today. Today I need my science and my facts (I say today but it’s 2.40 am and maybe I should sleep).

So, basically, I want to just SHOW by writing instead of giving leaks and stuff, but...

But...

You have no idea how much braining it takes to write Conflict.

Sure, I’m not a professional writer and there may be many better, smarter stories out there, but to me, personally, I put my best into Conflict. I give it all I have. I give it all my experience and everything I’ve learned until age of 21. It is a very condensed, artistic way of me talking about my life and experiences and observations throughout a fictional universe where it is not directly my life, but a world I try to represent in balance. So— to me, ever since I started writing first chapter I treated Conflict like my first book, I mean, sure it is a fanfiction but I thought “I’d give it a try as a hobby and if it goes well— if i can stick to it determined and if I get nice feedback and if people like it, this will give me strength to write a real book!” and BOY I got SOOO MUCH MORE THAN I’D EVER EXPECT, I even got FANARTS and people messaging me or commenting how much they personally relate or how much the fic helped them to go through bad days or how much they’ve seen themselves in Ray or Norman’s situations, and when I read those messages I can’t help but think all of you deserve to see the way Conflict builds up. You deserve to see how many times Ray and Norman are challenged, by themselves, by each other, and by society, and you deserve to see how they respond to them, and you deserve to see how much and how little of a difference it can make to have two people really love each other. Anyway, I went off topic, I was saying that, to me Conflict is a story I’m giving all I have got as the person I am today.

Other fanfictions of mine are moreee easy to write because they don’t have sovmuch in depth characters or complex plots and they are just that, fanfictions, in which I write a ship. But Conflict, man, I treat it like my real novel— which is technically one to me, though a non-profit one dedicated to the manga that really challenged me, and I have no regrets writing it or making it a fanfic. Anyway! Thing is, given the fact that Conflict is heavy, content and chapter length wise, I can’t always get to write it. I could, if this was summer, but this is collehe time and even though I really want to get going, sometimes I need to save Conflict for another time when I’m more available. Me publishing easy to write things like Shotgun doesn’t mean I’m available for conflict. The mental energy they take is A LOT different.

But it’s not in a bad-different way! I love both my fics! I have no regret over time and dedication I have for Conflict! I just, don’t have the time for it all the time, which can’t be helped.

It’s 2.49 am now. I really want to write conflict. First draft of chapter 16 was written two months ago. The scene is completed as a draft. But that scene includes a terrible pstd & panic attack about Ray and I just... /sighs/ don’t really wanna get in mood for something so gloomy? I wanna write more cute stuff like their awkward date on Shotgun... but I really want to keep Conflict going. I guess I’m terrified that given how fragile my mental health is right now, the content of Conflict might make it worse. I’d still proud to have finished a chapter. But thinking about writing about Leslie’s loss and its effects on Ray makes me shiver, because that’s a topic I’m sensitive of and although I almost never get affected emotionally from the ficsbI write (for example, I dont cry writing sad smiles neither do I smile a lot at soft scenes, I’m usually neutral and I simply enjoy act of writing itself) but the 1% chance that Conflict’s content might fuck with my mental health.. as if one last trigger before a breakdown, makes me want to stay a few steps back from Conflict and just breathe.

But I also somehow feel like I’m really available to write Conflict. I don’t know. Why do I care so much about Conflict, you may ask, since it’s just a fanfiction.

I think that’s because Conflict is the first real thing I’ve done (along with many other achievements that exactly started on the same day, July 1) after I got out of depression. It proves me that I can create something— get it visualized— and having people respond to it makes me feel connected to world. Remember the scene I wrote about Ray’s detachment to Emma’s calls? I’ve never gotten physically unresponsive like that, but there were times depression made me detached and to me that’s the scariest part... feeling detached. I feel as if I don’t post a fic for too long (assuming I’m in mood to write), or if I don’t go out/go to school/go to gym for too long, if I don’t meet up my friends or reply back to my texts for too long, I may get detached. If I get detached, I’ll think of dark, terrible stuff. If I don’t return world easily, it may easily slide into a depressed day. Or two days. Before I get back. And those one or two days are scariest because I’ve lived a YEAR worth of them, continiously, and god forbid me or anyone experiencing that. It was terroble.

So when I don’t write even when I want to, I feel as if I might get depressed. Not emotionally. But rationally— be being unable to do things I want to do EVEN WHEN I HAVE TIME AND SOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THEM would build depression up. I sm not saying right sway. Anyway. That’s why I care about Conflict. That’s why I’m staying dedicated. Dedication prevents detachment. When I’m not detached, and thankfully having readers interacting to me, I feel— or prove— that my work is reaching someone. I exist. My ideas mean something. Even if it’s just fan base, ie friends— I consider y’all friends— I mean, we are still kids, right? Most of us are 16-25 and that ain’t even real adult to me, we are just friends befriending each ofher oe so I believe, so like, even if its just with friends it means a thing. It prevents detachment. When I’m not detached I’m motivated. When I’m motivated I want to live. When I want to live I go out and do things. When I go out and do things I get motivated again. When I’m motivated again I write again. When I write I’m not detached. The cycle continues, see? Of coursw, writing is just ONE way to prevent detachment. It itself can’t carry all burden. Same goes for me regularly going to classes, going to gym, meeting up or calling my friends, etc. I’ve learnt that the more places you put a bit of yourself in, less likely you are from detachment. And that’s good. Idk, that’s why comments are important to me. It’s too personal at this point but they really, really, really help me to stay in connect.

So I want to write, so I can be happy, and I can interact, and look at my published chapter, so I can be further motivated to do things tomorrow... but it’s now 3 am and, I, if I start now I won’t be done earlier than 4.30 am and it’ll be cold and I’ll be brain dead, so for my sake, it’s better if I sleep. Msybe studying a bit before sleep will prevent detachment as well. I usually don’t EVER get detached, I’m quite successful at holding myselfnon line, but that’s bc I am careful about triggers. So... not starting conflict will be the best decision.

I don’t know how much time I’ll have in sunday but I hope it will be enough for a chapter update.

If you’ve read so far, thank you, this post went out of hand— but I can comfortably talk about it now because I’m over it, and I’m trying to rationalize the fact that me consistently updating really makes me happy and excited and having fun instead of feeling detached and it’s important and I just love my story and I hope you all feel content and satisfied when you read Conflict’s final.

[thatgryffinwhore]

My Personal Voltron Season 7 Review

Okay, so I’m seeing a lot of S7 hate and love on here, and I have some opinions of my own, so let’s talk…

(Just so you know, none of my opinions are influenced by which ships did or didn’t get their moment.)

THE BADS:

• First off, I hated the game show episode. Hated it. The only part I liked was the end where they all voted for who should get to leave and gave reasons for it, but then they just cut through a good moment with Keith’s reasoning for picking Lance. Like, totally threw his character development out the window for a jab at Lance, which, ha ha, makes an audience of ten-year-olds laugh I guess. But for older and long-time fans of the show, it just fell short of anything good. The whole episode was full of Lance jabs, too. And Lance has been developing as a character, so I don’t think that was very fair. Here, it’s like the one-sided rivalry all the way back from S1 is back, but this time Keith, the leader, is the petty one. I just really didn’t like that episode. Overall, they were barely in character, character development was completely ignored, and it did not move the plot along What So Ever. Filler episodes were cute in earlier seasons, but this season is the penultimate. There’s sooo many more filler options that could’ve maintained the tone of the season while still being funny and light-hearted.

• Too many new characters. I feel like the writers are digging themselves in a hole here. Don’t get me wrong, I like Romelle, but she’s just… there. In the background. The only scenes where she’s given any screen time are comedic ones, which is great, but she’s just tagging along and the loss of hER ENTIRE CIVILIZATION AND HER BROTHER DYING IN HER ARMS Is never acknowledged. I would’ve liked to have seen a bonding moment between Allura and Romelle, maybe even with Coran. Hell, they could’ve made THAT the filler episode. Aside from Romelle, I feel like they did a good job with Krolia’s character and her bond with Keith, but they haven’t really given us a reason as to why she’s there. What’s her purpose? Too much screen time with too little impact on the plot, in my opinion. Don’t get me started on Acxa. No point. Literally no point. I seriously hope that the writers have plans for her in S8 other than Keith’s love interest. Characters don’t have to fall in love to get closure, but it seems like that might be the “closure” route they’re heading to with Keith and it scares me. It’s such a forced relationship. I don’t mind Keith getting with a girl but shit, at least put him with someone the audience can connect with. A blade member that he fought side-by-side with or something, not “I’m so sorry for being on an evil team, I’m different now” and “don’t you remember how she never wanted to kill him uwu” ugh. Please stop. And I like Griffin’s team, a lot, but I’m not sure what the purpose is of introducing a group of characters with main-character potential with only one season left. Maybe it’s a surprise, or maybe they just did it so the audience could be better invested in the flashbacks about what happened to Earth.

• The??? Fucking getting lost in space??? How? Like, I sort of understand the purpose: Keith’s been separated from the team for a while, and they need to re-establish their bond. However, it seems like Keith’s character development has been ignored again, and he’s reverted back to S1 Keith, which is really annoying. I was rolling my eyes the whole time. Like, I get it, they’re going a little space-crazy, and they’re gonna turn on each other a bit. But it’s like the writers forgot that they aren’t in S1 and S2 anymore, or at least that’s how it felt to me. Angsty Keith, *yawn* been there, done that. He’s an adult now. And their leader. They could’ve gone about re-forging the paladins’ bonds another way. Not to mention, the time-lighting thing was never explained, never made any sense. Oh! And guess what else was ignored? The characters figured out a long freakin time ago that they could call out to their lions for help, did they just forget?

• Shiro and Keith practically don’t interact throughout the entire season, besides ep 1. Again, I kind of get it. They dedicated an entire episode to their bond, last season and this one. I’m not looking for more proof of their bond, but they need to talk about Shiro being dead, Keith fighting his clone, and Keith willingly falling to his death with Shiro. They’ve both got to be traumatized on some level, and it’s not even acknowledged. Like, what are the writers afraid of? Are they afraid that the Sheith shippers will get their hopes up? Are they afraid Klance shippers will get mad? Are they afraid people will get bored of Shiro and Keith interacting? Did they just not have enough time to address it (*cough* game show episode *cough*)? Like, regardless of the reasoning, a lot of shit happened between the two that needs to be talked about. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter if the writers intend for them to be like brothers or best friends or something more, that kind of stuff needs closure. Shiro probably has nightmares about dying/being dead and trying to kill his team. Keith probably has flashbacks of the first person other than his dead father to care about him trying to murder him and saying he should’ve abandoned him. Writers, please, even a thirty second conversation would suffice if it’s done well. They at least need a

“I’m sorry I tried to kill you, Keith.”

“It wasn’t you, Shiro. I’m sorry I didn’t know you were dead.”

“It’s okay, you saved me from that darkness. I thought I was going to be there forever.”

Then they hug and go on their ways. That’s it! That’s the bare minimum. That would’ve sufficed. Shiro’s obviously got some heavy inner monologue, why push it off to S8 or ignore it completely?

• And for my last bad, we have: killing Adam. This isn’t about shipping; I really didn’t care if Shiro and Adam got back together or not. But they deserved closure. Shiro deserves closure. I know Shiro’s the “stoic leader” but he has feelings, and the writers just keep making bad shit happen to him and never address how it’s affected him. Listen, Shiro is an LGBT+ rep regardless of whether he’s in a relationship, as long as he isn’t killed off. But give him some depth. The closest thing to that we’ve gotten so far is knowing that he (used to have?) muscular dystrophy, and seeing his memories of Keith. Other than that, where’s his backstory? His reason for joining the Garrison? His family? How his adventures have affected him mentally? Adam could’ve been the window to all of that, but they killed off an opportunity. If they wanted to highlight the loss of war, they could’ve killed one of Lance’s many family members, or one of Hunk’s; but Adam, as far as we know, was all Shiro had to come back to. He was the only way that they could’ve taken Shiro and made him into a more complex character. Besides that, I don’t think it’s right that they had us anticipating meeting this queer character for nearly an entire season before revealing he’d died. It’s not as bad as when some shows kill off queers, but still… I hope they give Shiro a romantic interest in someone else; queer representation includes healthy queer relationships and happy endings.

Overall for the bads, in my opinion, this is the gist of it: Character development was ignored at times. Some of the writing was lazy. Too many characters/plot point, too little time. Not addressing major issues with characters. And… queerbaiting. You don’t have to agree, but this is my opinion on queerbaiting: it isn’t black and white. Sometimes it’s terrible, sometimes it’s just a little annoying. Voltron killed off a queer character, but he wasn’t a main, and he wasn’t the only queer, and we didn’t know him. On the other hand, he was the only other (confirmed) queer character’s love interest. On a queerbaiting scale of 1-10, I’d call it a 5. Like I said, it’s partly redeemable if they give Shiro another male love interest.

THE GOODS:

• Shiro’s flashbacks of Keith. We’ve been seeing since S1 how much Keith cares about Shiro, and now we finally get a glimpse of Shiro caring about Keith. The “we saved each other” line. The flashbacks paired with Keith’s desperation really cemented that bond that they started showing us in S6, and little Keith was adorable. It was also important to get a little more background on Keith, it tied up all the loose ends from Keith and Krolia’s time in the quantum abyss. Also in ep 1, the humor was top-notch. The writers managed to make comedy out of a dire situation for the paladins, and Romelle seemed to fit in very well! And I find it impressive that shifting back and forth between the funny, light-hearted adventure of the others and the solemn, tense situation in the Black Lion didn’t kill the mood of either plot line. It will come as no surprise to you that ep 1 was my favorite of the season; probably one of my favorites in the series.

• Having Krolia separate from the team. Don’t get me wrong, I love Krolia. She’s a great mom and her relationship with Keith was written perfectly; it checked all the boxes for my hopes when Keith finally met his mother. But she was older and more mature than the paladins; she didn’t fit in. In her heart, she’s a member of the Blade, and she knows she’s more useful to the cause as a spy and fighting alongside Kolivan. I’m glad that they didn’t undercut my love for Krolia by having her awkwardly tagging along. And the writers kicked fragile masculinity’s ass with the goodbye scene between Keith and Krolia. The soft smiles, the “I love you”s, the hugs, and KeiTH GIVING HER HIS BLADE THAT HES HAD SINCE HE WAS A BABY BECAUSE HE KNEW HED SEE HER AGAin those were all wonderful. Everything about the mother/son relationship between Keith and Krolia, from the moment they met to the moment they said goodbye, was perfectly executed. They took their time with it. Kudos to the writers for that.

• Character development. Barring everything I said in the ‘BADS’ because I don’t want to be repetitive, the character development in S7 was phenomenal. We have Lance taking on more leadership responsibilities, stepping up, protecting people he cares about at the risk of his own life, and respecting Keith as the team leader. In this season, I’ve grown to respect Lance a lot (ha) more. And we finally get some background on Hunk, we see him missing his family and home, we see him crying, being frustrated about it. We see him opening up to Keith. Keith, of all people (maybe Keith was the only one who asked). Either way, I love the depth they gave Hunk, and I love the acknowledgement of Keith and Hunk’s friendship, especially after that lost in space scene. And Keith’s character development, omg. It was the best. He was a leader before, but now, he could give Shiro a run for his money. Maybe he already did. The team respects him unhesitatingly. He leads them out of every life-or-death situation on top. He helps them forge a closer bond with their lions than they’ve ever had before, on more than one occasion. And he does something that’s really hard for him, which is asking someone else (Hunk) to open up to him. He offers to listen to his teammate’s worries. His fighting (mostly hand-to-hand combat) skills are clearly the best we’ve seen in the show, right on the same level with Shiro. When he killed that Druid without seeing him I was like 😯, and when hE LAUNCHED OUT AN AIRBORNE LION AND SLICED THROUGH SENDAK LIKE HE WAS NOTHING BECAUSE SHIRO WAS IN DANGER I Was like 😲!!!

• The animation was outstanding. I know the poor animators were busting their asses, especially during those last few episodes. It’s got to be the best animation I’ve seen in the show so far (besides the ‘The Black Paladins’ animation in S6, it sent me into another dimension). In fact, VLD has some of the best animation I’ve ever seen in shows of its kind, and that’s saying something. Those fight scenes get you so immersed, and they’re like a visual orgasm.

• This one is more opinion than anything else, so I’ll keep it short, but I love how they showed the fighting spirit of Earth. How humanity never gives in. I think that’s part of why everyone enjoyed those flashback episodes of Earth so much; the audience felt they could relate to those people, and they felt proud to call themselves human. In the show, while interrogating Sendak’s memories, they asked, “What do you do if a planet refuses to give up?” (Referring to Earth). And Sendak basically says, “We destroy it, but the only planet who’s ever refused to give up is Altea.” And I. Love. That. Time and time again, we’ve been shown how smart and powerful the Alteans were, and now we’re being compared to them. I love the overall way that the writers handled the paladins’ return to Earth. I love the paladins’ interactions with Griffin’s team, I love the Alteans integrating easily with humans, I love humanity’s resilience being showcased, I love the reunions, I love Keith’s interaction with Iverson, and, most of all (some people won’t agree with me on this), I love that humans already knew about aliens and the Galra when Voltron returned. I would have dreaded them having to go through quarantine, and being called crazy, and having to fight against the Garrison, and whatnot. I just love how most of the last few episodes were handled; it was mostly the middle of the season that I had issues with.

Overall for the goods: I liked getting a little insight into how much Shiro cares for Keith. I liked ep 1 a lot. I liked how well they handled everything about Krolia. I liked the character development and background that we FINALLY get throughout the season. The amazing animation. Enough said. And the way the writers wrote Earth, in the flashbacks and in the present.

Overall for the season: I don’t think it completely tanked. I think too much of people’s opinions are based on ships, but I agree that this was not the best season, and it fell short in a lot of areas. It was a little disappointing, but not un-redeemable, and I think everyone who’s saying “fuck Voltron” and swearing to never watch it again is a bit ridiculous and childish, tbh. Disagree if you want, but that’s my opinion and last I checked, I was allowed to have one.

Alright, let me know if I left anything out! Feel free to add anything or share your opinion, even if it’s negative, I want to know your thoughts!

[nickireadstfc]

The Raven King: A Summary – The Plot Twist King

Shocks and revelations! Sassfests! Backstory awesomeness! Team spirit! The Josten Glow Up™! Me losing my shit! But most importantly – plot.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to sum up The Raven King.

In 2013, now-renowned author Nora Sakavic blessed us with The Raven King, book two of the All For The Game trilogy. In this second installment of orange gay sporty murder shit, ex-runaway, part-time sassmaster, and all-time Exy nerd Neil Josten meets the Edgar Allan Ravens, a team that is exactly as dark and fucked-up as their completely unsubtle name suggests.

Especially Neil has reason to fear them: Star player Riko Moriyama, also known as That Fucker™, and his father Tetsuji are Neil's crime lord father's crime lord bosses and are exactly 0% fooled by his runaway act. However, as Neil is a 100% impulsive savage sassmaster, he consistently picks fights with them anyways, which Riko repays by revealing his true identity to Kevin.

But that's not all there is. Just when the Foxes' start to form some actual team spirit and real friendships, our heroes experience the shock of the century: At the Hemmick's family Thanksgiving, goalie, snarkmaster and court-approved maniac Andrew Minyard is raped by his long-time childhood abuser Drake. In his brother’s defense, Aaron rushes in and kills Drake - a ruse set up by Riko Moriyama.

In order to free his boyfriend teammate from the Moriyama-bribed doctors Andrew was sent to for rehab, Neil agrees to spend Christmas with the Ravens, which is exactly Not A Fun Time. There, he is tortured, abused, cut, burnt, tattooed against his will and generally made to look as if he had a fun encounter with a meat chopper. Bruised and beaten, Neil returns home to his Fox family and swears everlasting vengeance on The Raven Fuckers.

And that’s The Raven King for you.

Did I like it? Hell fucking yes.

Did I prefer it to the first book? Hell fucking yes.

Seriously, The Foxhole Court was wonderful, all good things in there, all the exposition a girl could want, but The Raven King was where shit finally, finally started going down.

There was PLOT. There were brain-mushing twists and jaw-dropping revelations, breath-stopping shocks and heart-clenching emotional moments galore.

This, as predicted last time, was the book where the arc of suspense picks up speed. It’s a basic - but effective - trilogy setup: The first book sets the scene, introduces the theme and the characters and gets the reader invested in the story. The second book dishes out the truly gripping plot points, keeping the reader at it and paving the way for the big finale. Finally, the third book is where shit truly goes down: Here, the last big twists are revealed and everything culminates in an epic finale.

It is Every Trilogy Ever, and it works like a fucking charm.

Personal highlights of this book include, but are not limited to:

THE FALL BANQUET SASSFEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I will probably never shut up about this ever. "Dan, I said please" honestly ICONIC. 

"I don't think Riko likes me very much"

The second banquet, but for entirely different reasons - reasons being Neil's newfound guard dog attitude and my newfound tears

Renee’s backstory can I get a hell yeah

Nicky teaching Neil how to cellphone uhmmm sign me the eff up

THEY FINALLY HAVE TEAMWORK AND DO STUFF TOGETHER MY LITTLE HUFFLEPUFF HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS

Thanksgiving. We don't talk about Thanksgiving but. Honestly that chapter.

The very last two chapters scared the crap out of me but honestly, they were so well-written and so amazing so suck it I'm including them here seriously they were so good

DADMACK

Same as last time, but updated: Opinions on characters!

Neil is still my son, but wow, introducing Son 2.0 in the Updated Version: Now featuring Facing Your Problems, Dealing With Shit and Actual Responsibility! With a guaranteed 20% less emo and 100% more awesome! Buy now, get one punch in the Raven jaw for free. No, seriously, Fearless Neil Josten is my favourite Neil Josten. He is right on the same level as Sassmaster McSavage Neil Josten, followed by Responsible Neil Josten, with Angsty Dramatic Runaway Neil Josten coming in last. (Sorry, book 1.)

Andrew has risen through the ranks of my favourites faster than mentos in a coke bottle. I LOVE HIM. Thanksgiving has cemented this. He is my small gay angry knife murder son and I will protect him five-fucking-ever. He is the main reason I am hella excited for TKM because Andrew!! Off!! His!! Meds!!! Imma pass out I'm so excited.

Kevin has definitely improved as well – the awesome 'I Have Adopted This Team And I Will Make Them Great, Suck My Dick Riko' scene, anyone?

Nicky has won back my heart for good by now - the Teaching Neil How To Phone Incident has definitely rid him of any and all past mistakes in my book. Also, he is the fuck precious and continues to bring sunshine into all our bleak lives. 

Aaron has gained mad, mad sympathy points in this book. He suddenly has a PERSONALITY, you guys. Also, the Thanksgiving incident. THE THANKSGIVING INCIDENT. Anyone hating on Aaron from this point on can fight me. Also Katelyn is an a+ cutiepie.

My opinions on Renee, Matt and Dan are pretty much the same as before, if heightened by the reveal of all of their awesome backstories. An ex-street gangster, an ex-junkie and an ex-stripper all loving and supporting each other and being their own family?? Sign me the fuck up.

The only one I'm still kind of 'meh' about is Allison. Where's her backstory. Pls. I want it.

Wymack, Abby and Betsy are the Fox Parent Triumvirate, my opinion on them hasn't changed either. Also Dadmack!

And my opinion on Riko and his bastard posse should be clear. Kind of split on Jean (he's a victim etc etc, still doesn't excuse him imo, but maybe he’ll become more likeable later), but that's about it.

Let's take a look at some predictions I made last time, shall we?

They’ll deal with Seth’s death – some better, some worse pretty much exactly sums it up, go me

The banquet thing will happen and it will be hella awkward and hilarious and something Super Dramatic And Important will happen OH MY SWEET SUMMER CHILD OH MY OH MY

Neil will master the Raven drills Kevin is making him do and it will be EPIC so he did pass them apparently, but I actually had to read back on this to be sure, sooo - no epicness. instead: heavier racquets! when will Kevin chill, the answer is never

Andreil will continue having Important Gay Moments™ uhmmm hECK YES lotsa andreil in this book, ya girl is happy

The “Kevin and Riko know Neil” situation will not be addressed (!) (I’m expecting that to be in the last book, near the final epic smackdown) GIRL YOU WERE EXPECTING WRONG BAHAHAHA

Neither will we meet Neil’s father (again, last book) ok I'm sticking with this tbh

However, we will meet Tetsuji and shit will go down oh hon

Also, we’ll meet some Ravens I suppose, since it is the Raven King after all "WE WILL MEET SOME RAVENS, I SUPPOSE" oh HON OH HON

We will find out Renee’s backstory y e e e s

We will find out something – if maybe not everything – about the Minyard-Hemmick backstory Y E E E E E E E E S oh dear

Some more kisses will happen. I don’t care who kisses whom. Probably not Andreil (yet). Let it be Abby and Wymack. Aaron and his irrelevant girlfriend. I don’t care. Give me kisses. excuse you, "irrelevant" psshh, but yeah that's the only kisses in this book :(

And because I don't learn from my mistakes, let's do this one last time - Shit I Think Will Happen In The Kings Men:

HANDS UP FOR CANON ANDREIL I'm sorry, I know this is happening, tumblr told me :/

Will they kiss tho?? Will they have actual love declarations?? Sexy times maybe even????? WHO KNOOOOOOWS

I will love the USC Trojans 1000% if they are huffy puffs I will love them

Someone's gotta die who are we kidding

Hopefully no one of our guys

We will finally get that sweet Allison backstory (come on girl don't let me down)

We will meet Neil's dad. This cannot not happen.

Some championship shit will happen in which the Foxes either a) win or b) don't win but The Real Prize Was The Friendships We Made Along The Way

Nicky's bullshit dad will get the court case he deserves (if this doesn't happen I'm the fuck quitting)

Cats are probably important somewhere

Phew. That's it for this book, then. As always, thank you guys are so much for sticking with me through this. You are the backbone, the spirit, the motivation of this blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

See you soon with the third - and final - book. I am not ready.

If you like what I do here and you want to help me continue writing (still working on that laptop), please consider buying me a coffee! Thank you so much <33