#I also forgot that the Blade movie should come out at some point...

[purple--queen]

Vampires are now canon in the MCU

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Ok- I’m dying to hear your thoughts on the latest episode of the mandalorian!! Also, any updates on “A Fresh Start?”

Oh boy oh boy OH BOY. I have been sitting here waiting, JUST WAITING, for someone to ask me my opinion. Oh shit oh shit. Okay I’m vibrating in excitement. alrighty here we go I’m gonna climb up on my soapbox if you don’t want spoilers (or to hear my many opinions) then turn away now my friends. i'm also gonna talk about so much more than just this last episode i'm sorry in advance.

SEASON 3 HAS BEEN THE WEIRDEST FUCKING THING.

From the get go, i have been scratching my head in confusion. as a (somewhat okay) writer i can usually pick up on themes and plots fairly quickly. but the pacing of this story has been so off? with the way we started i thought the main plot would be din trying to find redemption (and maybe learning that internally he doesn't need a physical redemption of bathing in some ornamental body of water b/c he's more than that), and I WAS SO PSYCHED. Then, we fucking accomplished that by like episode 2??? what?? and since that episode, i have been struggling to figure out what the overarching plot and theme was? yes, the other seasons have episodes of din and grogu bounty hunting or doing random shit but it was to further their main goal.

they also put a lot of emphasis on this fucking darksaber to do nothing with it. and i get. the argument is "din never even wanted the sword so of course he gave it away it's stupid for people to think he wanted it". I KNOW HE DIDN'T WANT IT. but that's kind of the point? they set it up, with him being forced to carry it but not being able to use it well because the 'weight' of responsibility and power it carried. then the armorer trained him for 2.5 seconds and told him he needed to overcome internal obstacles to use it. So essentially, they set up the perfect story line of a reluctant bounty hunting learning he has the ability to be more. Then at that point, if he learned the theme and was able to use the blade well i could see him passing it on then and being like "i realize that i have the ability to be this leader, but i also realize my heart is not in it like others and what i truly want is to just be grogu's father and settle." Basically, my beef isn't that they gave the darksaber away, my beef is that they set up this huge theme and story line just to be like 'psych bitches'.

NOW. BO KATAN. Here's the thing, y'all, i know very little about star wars. like a stupid little. I saw the movies like AGES AGO, but when the mandalorian started i could not pick obi wan kenobi out of a line up and i had to ask my brother repeatedly if the empire was the good guys or bad guys. So, watching the mandalorian and seeing this character walking around saying shit like "does this look jedi to you?" was great b/c din djarin was just as clueless as i was. [I went off on a tangent here and i breifly forgot my point, but here it is]--

BO KATAN. I know nothing beyond what this show had offered me, and from that I like her. I have no beef with her. In season 2, i thought she was an interesting foil to Din Djarin. This leader who is struggling to get people to follow her with a nonchalance on this creed thing vs a man who by all means should be a loner but everyone and their cousin is just drawn to and they want to follow him.

Going into S3, Bo Katan felt different? And not in a "oooh look at all that character growth" kind of way, more like in a "y'all skipped a few steps here" kind of way. I won't go more in depth on this otherwise I'll be here all day. But overall, despite the flaws i think they made with her, i'm okay with her and din being buddies and her learning that din isn't some faceless, mindless drone dedicated to a creed and coming to respect him. I like that friendship. Honestly, i get more sibling vibes from them than anything else (you cannot tell me bo katan and the armorer didn't have chemisty. the "take your helmet off" scene? pls).

BUT I AM SAYING THIS RIGHT NOW, I HAVE THIS TERRIBLE GOD AWFUL FEELING THAT NEXT WEEK THEY ARE GOING TO CONFIRM BO KATAN AND DIN DJARIN AS A ROMANTIC COUPLE AND I DON'T LOVE IT.

it just feels like they're shoe horning in a romance for the sake of having a romance and i don't get why? i would watch 12 seasons of din being a tired, single father taking care of his menace to society gremlin child.

As for chapter 23, i didn't hate the episode. it had some good bits. Grogu in the IG-12 suit is the greatest thing I've ever seen. As heart breaking as it was watching Din get manhandled to the ground by Imperials, i'm a slut for angst and god that was some good angst i can't deny that. i was so sure that gideon was going to rip off din's helmet right then and there and i was SCREAMING at my television i was so horrified and heartbroken. i think all that happened was we hit pause on that devastation tho b/c i'm guessing chapter 24 we're gonna see Din Djarin's face and as much as I wanna see his face I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE IN THIS WAY. NOT LIKE THIS. I HATE IT.

Side note, here's my theory for the next episode (it's what i think is going to happen and i won't be happy with it): din gets his helmet taken off, it's devastating, bo katan saves him (fucking again), he's helmetless, him and bo katan share a moment and they share that bottle of wine that karga gave him and told him to use in a smaller setting, then they maybe kiss. or confess romantic affection. i think that's the game plan and i hate it.

If I was optimistic, I would love if Bo Katan betrayed him. They won't do it, they haven't set it up well enough and i have no faith in them, but imagine if this entire time Bo Katan has been playing Din and his covert in order to get her hands on the darksaber b/c she knew doesn't trust she'd be able to win against him in combat. how delicious would that be?

One last thing, as I think about it, i think they nerfed Din this season. In S1 and S2, I have a list of badass moments where Din kicked ass, but this season? Maybe one or two moments? And, I think it happened b/c they fell into that age old trap of "we want our female main character to looks so badass so obviously the only way we can do that is by making the male character look less so". Which is so silly. I am all for a strong, badass female MC. But she should be able to stand on her own and be seen as amazing without a guy to overshadow. it just really bothers me that Din has needed Bo Katan to save him so many times this season.

Okay, I'll stop now. I need to stop now. Oof. I went off the rails i'm sorry lol.

[shoceted]

have you ever made a ranking for each of the kamen rider seasons you've watched? which one is best for newbies, which one is your secret favourite, which one made you cry etc

i have made a ranking actually! i have a tier list that i very rarely share publicly because there's some spicy takes on there. but here's some thoughts on each season i've completed at this time because you gave me the excuse anon >:]

ryuki: i... really wish i liked ryuki more. i respect it immensely for what it did for the franchise and i think it's got themes, which is more than i can say of some seasons. but for the most part i ahhhhh... didn't love it? it's not my least favorite season i don't think but it isn't one that i'm going to revisit any time soon. i do love ren and shinji though; as a known sucker for a grumpy/sunshine primary/secondary red/blue pair they got me and they got me hard. i definitely am going to write some renshinji someday. and those last two episodes are some good fucking television. but overall ehhhh. i really do wish i liked it more though if only to fit in with everyone else :( (and it's not just the fact that it's heisei phase 1 that's the issue bc i'm loving decade and blade so far! and kiva also is there!). but yeah at this time my favorite ryuki is the one from japanese boy band mazzel stream carnival

double: DUB E X CRIME N THE CITY! i fucking loved w. it's just straight up damn good toku. and it literally took a single episode preview for terui ryu in all his stupid wet cat angstiness to captivate me forever. a single episode preview. like i will always remember finishing the 1st arc, seeing the episode preview for ryu's first episode right after, and being like "fuck" even though i intended to leave off there for the day and watched his first two episodes. DAMN U SECONDARY RIDER SYNDROME. i do think w would be a great place to start getting into rider tbh because it's just so good!!!!!!! i don't even have a lot to say about it but not in a bad way. it's just really really good. watch w. and make it soon. if you have not already. love is strong girls go on

ooo: so one thing you should understand is that i am literally watching ooo right now. like i'm sitting on my couch typing this and also watching episode 19 of kamen rider ooo. i legit watch through the entire second arc all the time. i think it's a very close second or third for my favorite season ever. eiji at the very least is tied for my favorite primary ever and that's saying a lot considering how much i love my other favorite primary ever. (which we'll get into.) ankh is just like me fr and i am going to eat his gender and HINA. BEST GIRL. 10/10. the very first ooo fic i started working on after watching this show (which i might fuck around and try to finish at some point even) is from her pov!!!!!! because i love her. AND DATE AKIRA IS THE MAN EVER (AND THE LEAST REPRESSED SECONDARY CONGRATION YOU DONE IT). the story the comedy the action the epic highs and lows of a hippie and his underwear and of a bird and his ice pops and of a girl and her brother and GAHHHHH. i love this show so so so much. i would absolutely start with ooo if i could go back in time. and i did not secretly cry, i cried a lot. openly. i want to make my boss watch it. i love ooo. i've been trying to design a hawktigergrasshopper shirt for months. i am literally watching kamen rider ooo right now and i will until i go to bed. you count the medals one two and three life goes on anything goes coming up ooo [i start crying]

fourze: my first exposure to kisaragi gentaro was when i watched heisei generations final for the first time, where i promptly freaked the fuck out because holy shit it's fuckin fukushi sota jesus christ jesse eisenberg moment. i actually watched one fourze movie (the winter one, bc i'm a h!p fan and manoeri is there. nadeshiko my beloved) long before i'd seen the series and forgot this. anyway i watched fourze in... like february-march i think? and i ADORED IT. kengo/gentaro is a top tier rider ship and i also have a wip of them that someday i will finish. the kamen rider club is SO GOOD (tomoko and jk are both just like me fr and miu!!! aka tomoyo sepakoi!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm the only person who liked that show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and meteor's suit is so pretty and fuck man the power of fucking friendship. i cried at fourze too. it took me like two hours to watch the two-parter where gentaro gets his final form. i love this show man. it makes me look up at the moon and think about happy things. my space kids. FOURZE YEAH!

wizard: so unfortunately i have the popular opinion that wizard is really long and poorly paced, especially towards the end. but that's straight up my only criticism of it. like that's it. i put wizard in the "free therapy" tier of my list initially but then moved it to "free therapy but you're a little bit high." haruto is a fucking excellent primary rider who i adore he's so my type i hate it here and like it makes me want to rewatch good morning call bc shiraishi shunya pretty and nitou... is definitely the character ever. to quote my own joke it's like one of the writers watched indiana jones on shrooms and had the idea to create the secondary of all time. (it's been like 10 years since the end of wizard do u think he's figured out that he's into haruto yet.) and RINKO MY GOD and koyomi... koyomi/haruto is proof het rider ships can also dissolve your bones... but most importantly. NARA SHUNPEI. HE IS JUST LIKE ME FR. lowkey highkey kinning him from his very first episode. i love that man. he just wants 2 be useful and you know what me too. but yeah so WAY too long but definitely good idc what anyone says; i ain't gonna hate a show that has the same moral as no pressure by novel core.

gaim: HEY SO DON'T START WITH GAIM. DON'T DO IT. DO NOT START WITH KAMEN RIDER GAIM. I AM SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE. GET LIKE A FEW MORE SEASONS UNDER YOUR BELT AND THEN WATCH GAIM. i am speaking from experience. okay. now i feel like gaim has a negative reputation nowadays. BUT. despite popular belief gaim is not peak sexism in kamen rider (like dude... kiva. what the fuck.) so that is that myth busted; also the ending is so beautiful and tragic but overall good if you dedicate some thought to it! and the characters are fucking wonderful! like in any other show i wouldn't care about zack and he's like in the eternally rotating top 3 gaim characters for me. i fucking adore kamen rider gaim. it's about growing up and it's about fighting against your oppressors and it's about pokemon go and dance crews, what could possibly go wrong. like as much as i hate micchy (which is a lot bc he reminds me of my toxic ex rip <3) i can't deny that he's an incredibly well-written character. kouta is an excellent primary and his journey throughout the series breaks your heart, but isn't that what growing up does? takatora is such a well-executed character that it's fun to watch other people react to how the show makes your opinion on him change. and god, kumon kaito has been giving me brain worms since 2015-2018. crimson lotus of misfortune, tragic banana boy, would-be tyrant, gay ass. no matter what anyone says, he's a great character. bananaorange is one of my favorite rider ships ever; it's either tied for first or a close second depending on the moment. and MAI. mai!!!! ray of light. if she was a tarot card she'd be the star. i love that girl. but DON'T START HERE JUST LIVE MORE

drive: so my plan for this year is all of heisei phase 2 + decade and i watched drive pretty early because i knew i would have complicated feelings on it, because i'm black and i'm never comfortable with positive portrayals of cops in fiction. and i was... kind of right. like there are things i loved about drive (heart. namely. fucking adore heart. had me from the moment he said "that roidmude might have been a monster to you but to me he was my friend." i love love love heart so much. he was my lockscreen for MONTHS this year.). i think that everything after episode 40 or so is great. and i relate to gou as much as i relate to shunpei, except in the opposite direction, so him suffering and breaking down and dying of flowers and stuff is really easy, and also fun. and CHASE. he is the fictional character that i think of when i read the word babygirl. but it's also... like... a show where cops are out to kill an entire species... and that makes me uncomfortable. and i abhor that fucking belt. like spoilers but you see a man getting tortured and you just LEAVE???????? THIS IS YOUR FAULT AND ALSO WHY DO YOU NEVER TELL KIRIKO ANYTHING. AND ALSO, SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVE. seriously drive would have been p e a k if they weren't cops and kiriko was drive. i also wish heart and shin had more homoerotic tension with each other cause idk i would have liked to see it? anyway. drive. fwiw i think the way it ends is way worse than the way gaim ends, so :) spicy take for the day i suppose. so relationship status it's complicated. also i think shin is boring .

ghost: MY FRIENDS BORN IN THE SAME ERA AS ME WE THINK THEREFORE WE ARE!!!!! I LOVED GHOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like seriously if wizard is no pressure ghost is jenga and to complete the trio of novel core therapy songs ooo is thanks all my tears and i'm always a sucker for media where the moral is that life is short and sometimes painful, but it's beautiful, and it's yours, and that's why you should see it through to the end. ghost genuinely makes me want to keep living. I LOVED GHOST. the pacing problems aren't a problem at all if you're not watching week to week i swear. takeruuuuuu my sweet baby my son who i raised myself. also nishime shun is super cute and only like a year older than me,,, i'm fine takeru is such a good boy and if you hate him you will die and go to hell. makoala my boys. they sure are gay aren't they. anyway i'm always a slut for older brothers so i love makoto and if alan was red instead of green i would want to eat his gender. and kanon is so precious but AKARI GOD DAMN IT I LOVE HER SO MUCH. PRETTY SCIENCE LADY IS ALWAYS MY TYPE. but i cannot pursue her because takeru/akari is one of my favorite rider ships ever and fuck you toei they're so fucking married by now. they have to be!!!!!! i refuse to live in a world where they're not! so they're married. thank you. they're also criminally underrated and i think i'm gonna publish my first het rider fic about them because they are so fuckign cute. goodnight. ghost is great. episode 6, my god, one of my favorites in all of rider. AND THE BELT NOISES. COCAINE IN THEM.

ex-aid: so my best friend in the whole world jack (hiiiiiii jack if you read this i love you) had been telling me to watch ex-aid for about two years before i watched it and now i know why: ex-aid has a disease in it and i don't just mean the bugster virus. ex-aid gives you a disease called ex-aid disease where you can't stop thinking about ex-aid. it infects you from the moment you watch it for the first time. symptoms include telling other people to watch ex-aid. watch ex-aid. i listen to excite at least once a day from monday to thursday on my way to work. i have one (1) gashat (tokimeki crisis for my wife who i am married to and is my wife, poppy pipopapo) and it is one of my greatest treasures. i. love. ex-aid. I LOVE EX-AID. kagami fucking hiiro god damn it, i should've known that the scene in sepakoi where kaneda cries would've had a lasting impact on my psyche because wow that boy can cry and be repressed about shit LIKE HIS GIANT CRUSH ON EMU WHICH HE SO HAS, MR. BL ASS SETO TOSHIKI GLOOMY GAY SADBOI. cough. i truly love all the characters though. it's just that kagami hiiro permanently altered my brain chemistry. the adhd lets me write gou and the autism lets me write hiiro. he's like my fucking muse. just god ex-aid is great the belt noises are great the suits are great the villains are great the soundtrack is great my wife is there (poppy) taddle legacy is my favorite final form ever and god it's such a beautiful fucking show. i miss takahashi shit like this because it's genuinely hard to believe geats was written by the same guy. i adore ex-aid. now would i start with ex-aid. no. do i know people who started with ex-aid. yes. but maybe once you've got a little early heisei phase 2 under your belt dive into the god damn gamer doctors. i'm on a mission right now. EX-AID. STREAM PEOPLE GAME

build: so build was my second season of rider, which i watched in late 2020-early 2021... aka when cherry magic was airing. i fucking loved cherry magic and i'll always be grateful for it because lmfttf was a really important fic in my personal fic writing history. but this is not about magic virgins this is about build which... really is another ryuki to me, but it's above ryuki for now because it really is enjoyable and akaso eiji is there and everything, but i don't feel very passionately about it. now when i first watched it i was ~*depressed*~ so that might be part of it, but it didn't have the power to bring me out of that depression that the season i'm going to talk about next does. it just was something i watched and then had watched. be the one's a great song though and the story is really good objectively. i'm also... about to commit sacrilege but it's fine here goes i'm not really into best match as a pairing??????? it doesn't feel as organic as some other rider ships and that sours me on it. while meanwhile you have shit like renshinji where it was 2002 or whatever and that changes my brain chemistry because oh! you genuinely were supposed to read this as friendship! while best match is like. explicitly bait for fujos. like advertised about being about heated drama between men, as opposed to naturally produced heated drama between men. but i did like it and i even have one of the best match rings (with the other with jack). no complaints about the story. but it's not something i'm super into. but they say it's a good place to start for a reason.

revice: so tl;dr at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 i was super depressed for a whole bunch of reasons. and then one summer day i found out that japanese pop singer and member of girl group beyooooonds maeda kokoro's older brother was the guy who was gonna star in the next season of kamen rider. so i decided to give it a shot. i genuinely just decided to give it a shot because of that. and it saved my fucking life. at first it was just that it was miles away from the aforementioned bunch of reasons i was depressed, something to look forward to every week that just didn't have anything to do with it. i'm a sucker for any tokusatsu show that's family-themed, so 8-10 did insane things to my brain chemistry. but really it had me from episode one. because ikki. igarashi fucking ikki my beloved. a fictional character has genuinely never gripped me like this. i literally buy merch of him every time i get paid. he is so special to me because his story was exactly what i needed to hear, and also because he's the prettiest guy on earth, my god. he's so my type that it's like he was created in a lab. i love igarashi ikki so much that actually we're married. like yeah does revice has problems? is the theme song not good? does the behind the scenes stuff & presence of kimura subaru (and again i'm black) make me uncomfortable? YES!!! BUT I ALSO LOVE THIS SHOW! it is a reason that i am alive and typing this right now! kamen rider revice is extremely special to me and my favorite season of rider ever. i don't know what could ever take its place. i love it so much. i collect vistamps of past seasons i've watched (eagle and jackal are next and i already have kamakiri and kong). the music aside from livedevil is fucking wonderful, the spinoffs are wonderful, heated drama between WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BETWEEN WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a show that means so much to me and is so close to my heart. i love it so much and it's unmatched and it probably always will be. i'm so glad i watched it. thank you, past me.

[wheelsup]

the taming of the shrew | two

if i be waspish, best beware my sting

after some setbacks, penelope is willing to do anything to get you back on board. but has spencer already ruined things?

A/N: hello! im so sorry that this posting schedule is super inconsistent. the more i thought about this chapter, the less i liked the more technical aspects of it. but! i hope you enjoy to plot aspect of it nonetheless <3 thanks for reading!

category: fluff, slow burn series, spencer reid x fem!reader

wc: 4.4k

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Since that phone call with Penelope, she’d been over nearly every night for a week with plates of treats and onslaughts of apologies. Each time she came knocking, you told her there was no amount of persuasion that could change your mind. And yet the following night, she’d be there, a new type of pastry in hand and a new set of reasons why Spencer was worth the trouble.

First, she brought blueberry muffins and reasoned that deep below that prickly exterior, he really was everything she promised –– sweet and caring. But that must be deep, deep down. Like, The Lost City of Atlantis, deep down, because you didn’t expect it to surface any time soon. 

Then, she brought fudge brownies and explained that his behavior wasn’t personal –– he was getting snippy with everyone lately. And while you maintained that anybody would have a hard time getting along with Spencer, you were absolutely positive that it was now impossible for you. 

Quite frankly, it wasn’t just Spencer who was unwilling to play nice. You hated him. More than you’ve ever hated a stranger. 

You wished him a lifetime riddled with minor inconveniences that would drive him to the edge of insanity. You wanted him to miss all his trains by just a quarter of a minute; close enough so that he could see it leave the platform, knowing he almost made it on. You wanted him to constantly feel like he was about to sneeze. You wanted his socks to be perpetually wet, and if he should happen to put on a dry pair? You hoped he stepped in a puddle.

That was all you could think about as you laid out on your couch, munching on one of Penelope’s lemon bars while she paced around your apartment. She kept going on and on advertising Spencer to you. As annoying as it was, she was also saving you a ton on groceries that week. 

For the most part, you filtered her out. Not a single word that came out of her mouth was believable anymore, especially not when she was talking about Spencer. Despite what Penelope thought of him, you saw in him what she refused to accept. 

As her speech came to a close, she looked at you like she expected a response to dignify her prattling. 

“Give it a rest, Penelope. He’s a lost cause,” you laughed dryly. “He doesn’t need –– nor does he want –– anyone in his life.” At the very least, he definitely didn’t want you. 

“Yes, that’s the problem!” If you’d been listening to her, you would’ve heard her saying the same thing. “He doesn’t want to date!” 

Your head just about exploded when she said that. 

There had been countless, fruitless conversations about this, and all along she saw the gaping hole in her supposedly airtight plan?

“If he doesn’t want to DATE, then WHAT was the point of this?!” Your fingers pressed the bridge of your nose; you suddenly felt a headache coming on. Funny how it always happened around the time of day that Penelope came to visit.

Penelope stopped pacing. She stalked over to your couch, picked your legs up by your ankle, and moved them to make space for herself. You begrudgingly sat upright as she took her place beside you. 

“Because he’s not himself anymore. He’s not open like he used to be. Not to the people who care about him the most, and certainly not to the world.”  

Penelope toyed with the hem of her dress, distracting herself from her quivering lip before pressing on, “Spencer Reid has always wanted love. And it’s not right that he no longer believes he can have it.” 

You hadn’t seen Penelope look so desperate until now. It was concerning. Because what could make her look so hopeless? What could make Spencer so hopeless? 

“Penelope, I don’t know what’s wrong with your little friend, but… there’s a lot more bubbling inside him than you’re letting on.” 

She chewed up the insides of her cheeks, wincing to herself at your incredibly accurate claim. 

“You are hiding something, aren’t you?” You narrowed your eyes on her. You were no detective, or whatever exactly her team did, but she was just awful at concealing her thoughts.

“It’s not my story to tell,” she murmured. 

She could already feel herself about to give it away and doubled down her mental defenses against it. Focusing extra hard on keeping Spencer’s privacy intact. If only you knew her track record with secrets, you’d be proud of her for staying quiet this long.

“What isn’t your story?” 

“That his girlfriend died last year.” 

She spilled it before she even realized what she was saying. You’d just asked so nonchalantly that she forgot she was talking aloud. Penelope turned purple, terrified now that the whole truth was out there. 

You couldn’t even take satisfaction in the fact that your trick worked. You were just as mortified as Penelope, and if you weren’t already sitting down, you knew you’d need to. You assumed there was something deeper going on with him, you didn’t think it was a dead girlfriend. That was some Nicholas Sparks shit. 

“He pretends like he’s fine but I know he’s not. And if he found a way to move on, maybe he’d start feeling as okay as he claims to be,” she sniffled before snot could run from her nose, tears lining the rims of her eyes. “I know I should’ve given you the full picture, but I didn’t think you’d go for it if you knew…” 

You were too floored to process it all right away. This added a whole new layer of complicated to an already uneasy arrangement.

“Well, I know you’re right about one thing. I would’ve said no.” 

She gave you a set of pleading eyes, praying you’d see where she was coming from. 

“I know,” she whispered defeatedly. “But maybe... now that you know, you can understand why he acts out the way he does.”

“Penelope, I can’t just… make someone move on, or –– or get them to believe in love! Especially when it’s fake.”

How on Earth did she expect you to pull that off? Did that guy from A Walk to Remember move on when Mandy Moore died? You hadn’t seen the ending of the movie, but you assumed not. 

“I’m sorry, this is just… a lot bigger than the favor I thought it was ––”

“What if I could return it?” she cut in. The gears in her head started to turn, figuring ways to patch up the holes she made. 

“There’s nothing I need from you.” 

That couldn’t be true. Penelope looked around the room and it didn’t take her long to think of it.

“I can help you sell your art,” she tempted, gesturing to the scattered canvases. “You make all your income from this, right?” 

You didn’t want to give any fuel to her fire, but you nodded. “What if… what if you didn’t have to settle for local buyers? What if I told you that you could make way more money selling them to the whole world?”

You chortled at her idea. 

You were a local artist, through and through. Your art got put in local galleries and sold to local buyers. Nothing more, and that was fine with you. You realized it a long time ago that it was just a pipe dream to think you’d be more. 

“I’m serious! You could get a separate painting studio, and stop living in one? Huh?” She wrapped her hand around your shoulder, waving the other in the air, urging you to picture it with her. “Imagine this: a kitchen that’s separate from your living room. A bed, inside it’s own four walls, and more than twelve feet from where you cook your meals.”

Pushing aside her so blatantly insulting your apartment, if that were a possibility, you’d want nothing more. But it already sounded foolish and you hadn’t even heard how she planned to pull it off. 

“Penelope, I’m fine where I am. I make the money I need, and that’s... it’s fine.”

She gave you a pointed look. “You know, I can hack all search engine results to make sure you are what comes up first anytime someone enters the word ‘painting’, right?

An airy chuckle left your lips. Of course she could. You patted her thigh twice and stood up, prompting her to follow you to your door –– hopefully, so she can show herself to the other side of it. “Still no, Pen.” 

“Just take some time to think about it!” Her voice carried through the wood as you shut it on her.

*

There was this one bench in Kenilworth Park – the one that overlooks the crystal clear pond – that you’d always been able to rely on to fix any problem.

There was hidden magic in the bushes that sprawled out from the edges of the water, surrounded by spiky green blades of overgrown grass. A simplicity you loved in baby ducklings paddling into the tiny body of water, swimming close together so they don’t get lost in, what seems to them, a whole ocean. And clarity provided by the freshest air in the world, under the shade of the big oak trees on a late summer afternoon.

But at the present, none of that came close to being enough.

The artist’s block started off as a minor inconvenience, but without your permission, had stretched into weeks of steadily declining motivation. Each new idea felt even worse than the last, and you were acutely aware that there would come a point where you’d officially hit maximum capacity for how awful they could get.

Still, that didn’t seem to light a fire under you. You happily coexisted with the blank pages of your sketchbook. Staring down at them, laying open on your lap in their stark-white glory, you felt like you were playing a waiting game. If you stared long and hard enough, maybe they’d flinch. 

Unfortunately, you never got to find out who won, because your phone rang inside your pocket. As if the caller had interrupted an incredible genius at work (which couldn’t be farther from the truth), you hastily raised the phone to your ear, slamming your sketchbook shut.

“Hello?” Your voice wasn’t as kind as it could be for someone with nothing better to be doing. Two seconds later, you learned who was calling and came to regret it.

“Hi, This is Rebecca from District Arts, calling with a message from Andre ––”

“Oh, hi!” you tried to walk back your previous tone, straightening up in your seat and pitching your voice higher, “Yeah, I’ve been waiting to hear from him!” 

While Rebecca intimidated you, Andre happened to be your closest friend at the gallery. He worked closely with the artists to curate their collection and help them make sales. 

“Does he want to sort out what to set the opening bid prices at for my new pieces?” A handful of days ago, you sent him pictures of your new work and were waiting to hear his thoughts. You’d always been able to trust his opinion, and a vote of confidence from him might be just the thing to inspire you.

“Uhm…” There was a criminally long pause on the other side of the line, ended by Rebecca’s weary inhale. “Unfortunately, we’re calling to inform you that your pieces will not be included in the next rotation.”

For a minute, you weren’t sure what to make of what she said. You’d never heard those words before.

“What – what do you mean?” you laughed nervously. She probably misspoke. Perks of friendship aside, Andre always included you in sets. 

“Ugh, let me just get him…” her voice faded away as she put the phone down. 

That wasn’t exactly the reassuring statement you were looking for. In the time it took for the call to switch hands, your confusion finally melted in. And then quickly boiled into anger.

The District Arts gallery changed their entire collection every two months. The pieces shown accepted rolling bids throughout the full eight weeks, finally selling at the end of term to their highest offer. After that, the pieces got taken down, sent to happy new owners, and the entire gallery reset with entirely new works. 

So if you missed one rotation, that meant waiting two months to get back in.

“Andre, how am I just cut from the gallery!” you barked before he could get a word in. If he didn’t like your work, he could’ve just said so. 

“No one said that ––”

“Okay, let me rephrase.” You pinched the bridge of your nose, something you found yourself doing quite frequently lately, and took a deep breath in and out. It was seemingly just for show because it did absolutely nothing to calm you down. “Why wouldn’t you put me in the next set? I’m in all of them!”

“I know you are!” He sounded just as upset. “It’s just that… we give you the biggest space we have, because you always manage to fill it up. But this time… I’m not so sure you can.”

“That’s ridiculous,” you scoffed. “What makes you say that?” You asked that, but you knew.

“You’ve only finished three pieces… I’m worried how you’ll deliver seven more before we set up.”

“But… it’s four weeks away, I could do ––”

“And it took you four weeks to make what you have... I’m sorry. We couldn’t take that gamble.” 

He took your silence as an opportunity to turn off the work talk and speak, just friend to friend. 

“You know that I trust you and I’d hold that spot if I could. But, I also know what you’re going through right now, and… I don’t know, maybe letting yourself rest would be a good thing?” 

Your heart paused. By, “knowing what you’re going through”, you assumed he didn’t mean the little artist’s block.

“If you’re implying that I can’t do my job because of what happened with Cyrus –”

“I’m not, I’m not....” he backtracked as quickly as he could. “But take another look at the paintings you showed me and tell me if they feel like you.”

Even if he was right, you wanted to fight him. You wanted to cry. You wanted to beg that you didn’t need that big space; you were willing to downsize and just turn in the three that you had. Even if they got shoved into the corner where hardly anybody bothered to look. You just couldn’t afford to go two months without the income. 

But even with tears beading up, you realized that the gallery couldn’t afford it either. They needed to bring in money and you couldn’t do that for them this time. So they were right to go to someone who can.

“Right,” you sniffled, recollecting yourself so he can’t hear the shakiness in your voice. “I understand. It’s a big risk, like you said… It’s for the better.”

Andre tried to thank you for being understanding and spewed some sort of encouragement. The words flew over your head. You managed to toss in a few ‘mhmm’s and ‘sure’s at the right places to coast you along until the call finally ended. 

As soon as it went dead, you dropped your phone to the side and brought your hands to your face, rubbing them furiously over your cheeks. Your fingertips pressed hard into your eyelids, trying to forcibly reabsorb the tears threatening to spill. 

It almost worked, until you tried to breathe. 

A full sob escaped in that one gulp of air and you succumbed to it. But the loud crunching noise of some pedestrian walking over the falling leaves destroyed your sense of privacy, and you quickly wiped away all signs of your breakdown. The crunching stopped just short of your bench and on instinct you flicked your eyes up to see who the intruder was.

You did a double take. It was him. That fucking asshole.

He was standing there, looking dumber than you could even remember, with his hands in his coat pockets and a curious look on his face as he watched you cry. Tucking your sketchbook under your arm in haste, you made it a point to stand up with as much aggression as possible, rolling your eyes at him.

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving,” you barked. “No need to yell at me this time.”

You bristled past him, barely refraining yourself from checking his shoulder as payback. You wanted to believe you were better than him, but it did sound incredibly tempting. He stood there for a moment before turning on his heel and following you.

“Wait,” he groaned.

You didn’t listen, neither stopping nor slowing down.

“I said wait,” he huffed as he caught up to you, popping up at your side and jogging along as you kept going.

“Yeah, because I need to listen to a guy who yells at strangers in bookstores.” 

Now that you’d brought up the elephant in the room, your feet started moving even faster, working double time to get you away from him.

Damn the fact that he had those long legs. He didn’t even break a sweat trying to keep up. He was inescapable.

“Well, if you waited like I asked, you would’ve gotten an apology for the ––”

“Gee, thanks!” you yelled, stopping for only a second to turn to him and give him a mocking bow of your head, hands clasped together like you were praising at his altar. “I was waiting with bated breath for that! Thank you, kind sir, for now my life can go on.”

“Look, I’m actually sorry,” he snapped. Then in realizing the irony, softened his voice, “I’m sorry for being rude. I was having a bad day… not that that’s an excuse.”

You stared at him blankly, just watching his mouth moving quickly and waiting until it finally stopped. 

“Did you need something?” 

“Did you… did you not hear what I just said?!” 

“No, sorry,” you smiled, voice sweet like sugar. “My ears filter bullshit. Wanna try again?”

He scoffed, looking away like he couldn’t believe you before stepping even closer. “What’s your problem?”

“Me!? The fuck –– what the fuck is your problem?” You turned and stormed off again, seething at his audacity. Spencer just couldn’t relent his annoying tendencies and followed yet again.

“My problem is that I’m trying to be nice, and you’re not letting me!”

You got a good, hard laugh out of that. “Okay, first of all, having to apologize for yelling at me and pushing me isn’t exactly the best starting point for the journey of becoming a nice person.”

“Like I said, I was having a bad day.” 

Under your breath, you muttered, “Well, I hope this one’s even worse.”

“Why are you such a ––” He stopped himself from finishing that thought. Even in his worst mood, he wouldn’t cross that line. 

But he didn’t need to finish it, you knew exactly where he wanted to take it. The soles of your shoes scraped against the loose gravel as you came to a grinding halt, ears ringing.

“A what?” You turned to face him, a sarcastic smile on your face growing wider as he started to shrink more and more. You got up close in his face, daring him to say what he really wanted to. So he could reinforce your belief in exactly the type of person he was. “A what?” 

Spencer pursed his lips and shook his head, refusing to say it no matter how much you challenged him. If he wasn’t going to have the balls to say it, you decided to take it upon yourself.

“Tell you what, you keep thinking about it and get back to me the next time you’re in a cunty mood.” 

The word he was thinking of was probably not as bad, but you had a habit of escalating things. Even if you took this one too far, you didn’t care. 

Before you tried to take off again, Spencer’s hand flew to your elbow. He tugged you back, forcing you to turn around and face him. He didn’t know his own strength; without any resistance, you came stumbling into his chest, at risk of falling over if it weren’t for his tight grip on your arm.

It took you a beat to push him away with both your hands on his chest, vocalizing your disgust for being so close to him. 

“Can you stop trying to disagree with me for a second? I’m trying to tell you that you’re right, I was being a… well, you know…” He avoided the word. Apparently ‘cunt’ was where he drew the line. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve it.” 

Your nostrils were still flared and blood hot as ever, but he made you pause. He looked sincere, if not a little tinged with guilt as well. You were suspicious of it.

“You saw me crying and felt bad, didn’t you?”

He laughed darkly. “Well, I saw you, yes. Did I feel bad? No.” 

“Oh, my God,” you growled, berating yourself for getting close to believing he might be capable of decency. 

“I’m joking! I’m joking.” He squeezed your elbow twice in earnest. “I did feel bad, but that’s not why I wanted to say it.”

“Okay.” You weren’t ready to give him a real smile, so you flattened your lips into a thin line and nodded once slowly, and left it at that. 

You still weren’t a fan, but the apology did dampen some of the resentment. Maybe he wasn’t the worst person alive. You’d settle for saying top ten most annoying, instead.

Minutes later, you came to the startling realization that he was still on the path, just two paces behind you. You flinched when you saw him out of the corner of your eye, not expecting him to still be here. 

“Uhm. Where are you… why are you still following me?” 

“I’m not. My car’s that way,” he gestured to the parking lot at the end of the long walkway. “I forgot my loaf for the ducks.” He didn’t mean to offer that information up, it just slipped out. He could practically see your smug expression coming before it even got there.

“You’re not supposed to feed bread to the ducks. It’s bad for them.”

“I don’t.” He didn’t care to explain this to you, but he couldn’t have you thinking he was any less competent than he really was. “It’s a special bread made from water and seeds that were ground into flour. It’s duck-safe.” 

“They make duck-safe bread?” Now that was something you’d never heard before. 

“No… I make duck-safe bread,” he said softly under his breath. 

You didn’t know how else you were supposed to react to that besides laughing wildly. 

“You make it?” He nodded like you were the crazy one here. As if he wasn’t the one spending his spare time grinding up seeds and baking loaves of bread for ducks, donning a frilly pink apron and oven mitts as he did so. At least that’s how you imagined it. “Why not just feed them the seeds?”

“Because, loose seeds will sink in the water and can potentially clog waterbeds and cause foreign bacteria growth in the pond.” 

“So you… hand-make the seeds into a little loaf of bread so it doesn't do that?”

He confirmed. You pondered silently for a moment, then absolutely had to ask, “You ever eaten the duck bread before?”

Spencer was caught off guard by that question. His cheeks deepened to a rosy color.

“Yeah, well, it was the house so…” he laughed nervously and stared at his sneakers. “It’s actually not too bad.”

You weren’t entirely surprised by that. You remembered what his grocery basket looked like, and given those same options, you probably would’ve tried the duck bread too. Still, you cracked the smallest of grins at knowing he makes bread for ducks. The one, sole redeeming fact you’ve learned about Spencer. 

You reached your car first, and Spencer stopped in front of it with you. 

“I’m actually sorry, you know,” he whispered once more, hand resting at the top of your car door as you opened it. He wasn’t talking about the incident at the bookstore.

“Yeah…” For a while you were so busy being angry at Spencer that you forgot about your own problems. 

He noticed your nose was still red around the edges, eyes still a little bleary. “Are you okay, by the way?” His voice was too soft, too genuine.

You shook your head no.

“Is there anything I can do?” You shook your head again. And then you had an awful thought.

You knew he was just offering to help just to say it, because that’s how people react when you say you’re not okay even if they don’t care. But there actually was something he could do for you… Something that Penelope could do.

“Uh, no but…” you fixed your hair and tucked it behind your ear, seamlessly switching to a flirtier voice. “If you still feel bad about the other day, you’re welcome to make it up to me.”

Spencer cocked his head to the side, unsure of how he could do that. 

“Hang out with me sometime.”

“H-hang out?” You could tell that it flustered him, even if he tried to play it off. He swallowed thickly, nose twitching and brows scrunched together.

“Relax, I really do just mean hang out.” You were lying through your teeth. He didn’t need to know that. 

As if he didn’t want to think about it for a second longer and just get out of this conversation as quickly as possible, he agreed without thinking it through. He didn’t even ask why an almost complete stranger would want to hang out with him. 

You stuck your hand out, expecting him to hand over his cell so you could put your contact into it. He rocked on the balls of his feet, watching as you input your contact and sent yourself a text on his phone.

“Hi, this is…” you read out your message as you typed, pausing at just the right place. “What’s your name by the way?”

“Oh-uh, I’m Spencer.” 

A devilish grin took over your face, hidden from his view while you were looking down at the screen. He was going to be easy to fool.

-

-

agh! im still not in love with how this chapter is turning out, but it came to a point where i just had to stop fiddling with it and just post it. any feedback or comments about this story is very much appreciated 💕

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[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing 83 Review

guess who isn't weeks late this time. my opinion of the series is going up a little bit. it's still not great, but i'm not actively put off by it anymore the way i was after 81. not going to tag as spoilers, but be warned that they are under the cut

i’m sure you all are well aware of this but now, but dear god i love bruno redondo’s art. like, an unhealthy amount. the pink and blue is getting to be a theme with either him or just this run, but i am definitely enjoying it. the movement in this cover is clearly obvious, but well done. you recoznize right off the bat that the cover was drawn to drag your eyes down the page until you get to the bottom, but you enjoy the whole ride there. 

also, redondo’s way of drawing a character in stages of action so we can see just how much they’re doing in a split second of movement is quickly becoming something i like to see drawn with dick, and any other character that has that sort of ease of movement and body sense, like cass or sin or maybe a super. 

and he’s in action the entire time! there’s shot drawn just to show off a shirtless comic book character, the way nightwing is so often subjected to. he’s shirtless because he’s changing his clothes, and that’s all we see, no more and no less. very practical, very well done. i like it.

he looks so cute right here oh my god. the little squint, the hair curls. it’s adorable.

but also like. unless melinda has specifically outfitted the door spyhole so that the person on the other side can’t see dick looking through it (and in all honesty she might have) then everyone on the other side can see dick looking through that door. 

bringing your attention back to the “i can’t see melinda’s fbi file oh no!! it’s redacted!! whatever can we do!!” stupidity. redacted files are child’s play for oracle, and definitely doable for both dick and bruce. so that’s bullshit.

now, melinda apparently grew up with the maroni family, then took down part of the family from the inside. the maroni family is a large and notable presence in gotham, one that bruce pays a respectable amount of attention to. he definitely would have grown suspicious when two members of the maroni family were taken down, and with some investigation, he would have discovered melinda’s plan. and it should go without saying that the majority of things you see batman doing? dick can do it too.

it’s not so much that i don’t like how clever the villains/antiheroes are getting. i don’t like how dc heroes are increasingly written as less intelligent. they seem to be relying on pure fighting skills or luck, which may be the case for a couple heroes, but has never been the case for most of dc’s big name heroes, the bat family included. it’s irritating to me to see this sort of stuff pop up as a major plot point when i know that, if dick or bruce had been written with the amount of skill and power that they canonically possess, this entire mess would have been sorted out years ago.

unrelated but dick and melinda have the same hair

this may just be me, but i was always under the impression that dick doesn’t really have a “double life???”

yes, he’s talented enough to create enough differences between robin/nightwing and dick grayson’s mannerisms, way of movement, voices, and speech patterns so that it’s very difficult to put the two together.

but nightwing has never been separate from dick grayson, not the way bruce and batman is. he’s always leaned more towards clark in that aspect: his hero persona is an exaggerated, stately, larger-than-life version of who he really is. there’s no second persona, no real “dick grayson identity” and “nightwing identity.” they’re the same person with the same goals, ideas, and skills. one just pretends to abide by the law, and one gives up pretense of that.

oh good thank god. if he’d trusted her right off the bat (hehe. bat.) i would have slapped him upside the head. at least he’s still got instincts.

gosh the colouring on this is cool. the red has enough purple and pink tones to it that it doesn’t abruptly ruin the tone of the artwork. but it’s definitely glaring enough to take the reader outside of this personal moment they had slipped into between dick and melinda, to put them back in the present where they’re reminded that oh yea there are people hunting dick down. 

the next panel keeps this up too, in a less severe way. melinda’s bodyguard shows up (i forgot her name sorry :[ ) and subtly places us in the middle of an action scene rather than a private, personal scene.

laughing so fucking hard have our little vigilantes grown so accustomed to breaking into places that it doesn’t even register as a crime anymore??? tim coming in through the fire escape to pick bernard up for their date and being very much confused as to why bernard is freaking out.

i really like melinda’s shirt and now despite all the work i have to do and the fucking conference i have to host on monday i want to spend hours scrolling through clothing shops online trying to find this shirt. the mock neck/neckline is so cool i want it

so roland just assumes that a very dangerous vigilante who is highly talented in combat and a very dangerous bodyguard who is also highly talented in combat had a fight that ended with this very dangerous bodyguard being tied up and she looks completely fine? roland just assumes that her having no visible wounds or bruises means that they got into a fight and she lost that easily? uh. aight then

dick what are you doing. legitimately what the fuck are you doing. why are you posing oh my god. you are injured and tired and in absolutely no position to go hand to hand with one of main enemies. jesus christ run away or head to lower ground or something. don’t just stand around letting the floodlights show exactly where you are.

i don’t understand what he’s trying to do here??? blockbuster fully bought the story that dick fought them both, won, tried to get info out of them and failed, then hightailed it out of there. he didn’t have to draw roland out for a fight.

but it does look cool. the way the light just highlights his silhouette and the blue parts of his costume does look badass. he does get style points in my book for this.

w h a t  d i d  i  f u c k i n g  t e l l  y o u ,  d i c k ?

very classic superhero line and it does sound like something dick would say in a fit of righteous rage but also it makes me laugh so hard because all vigilantes think they’re so powerful that the law doesn’t apply to them. dick vigilantism is illegal. you’re acting above the law and pretending it doesn’t apply to you. hypocritical much?

it happens so often in superhero movies, tv shows, comics, whatever and it makes me giggle every damn time.

pretty decent comeback but before i start seeing people writing blockbuster as a thug i’m going to remind you that he made a deal with a demon for genius level intellect. if this turns into another bane situation i’m going to be a little miffed. he’s a smart man, which makes him a dangerous and infinitely more interesting enemy for nightwing.

this is so horribly in character i want to scream. (or. at least. it lines up with one of the versions of nightwing i have in my head.) he’s running right towards the bullets, miraculously doesn’t get shot, while making a sort-of pun. i hate this so much. i love him.

this is cool. this art is really really cool.

he leaped from a building right towards a helicopter that’s actively shooting at him, but none of the bullets are touching him. none of the corruption of the city can touch him no matter how hard it tries, because he’s too good to be corrupted. Comic Book Logic Can Be Good Sometimes Actually.

batman’s belt what??? swiss army knife who?? sorry, i only know nightwing’s bright blue escrima.

this is one of my favourite things about heroes with exceptional abilities, even more so if the hero is human. the things they can do are so far beyond the realm of normal human abilities that it’s equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring every time they act.

he just used modified grappling wires to hook to the door of a moving helicopter, swung around the helicopter safely without hitting the blades, gained exactly the right momentum to swing upward again right through the opening of helicopter, then fought and tied up the men before they had any idea what was happening. that’s near impossible to do.

it’s stuff like this where i just sort of sigh in contentment. no matter how many times they leave out dick’s detective skills or conveniently forget that he’s actually a master planner and team leader and make him out to be this forgetful dude who makes everything up on the fly because of his “circus roots,” at least they won’t ever take away dick’s sheer physical ability honed to perfection. 

the art, too! in a few panels, dick’s drawn a little lightened or blurred. he’s moving so quickly and fighting so efficiently that he can barely be seen by the enemy. he’s got perfect form all the way through.

and THIS!

there was a helicopter that had five men shooting at him with what looks like machine guns. most people would be dead. some would run away, and be nimble enough to survive without fatal hits. there are very few people, even in fucking comic books, who can look at that hopeless situation and turn it around so quickly and thoroughly that he benefits from it instead.

i just. love nightwing.

it was funny the first time as a comic reader aware of the meme. it’s really not anymore. why the hell would you, in universe, be wearing a shirt that has a picture of your boyfriend being hit in the face by his father. 

okay that was funny. 

look at lil bitewing, so concerned for her human!!! love her sm. 

also a question as to the timeline of things. is nightwing happening before or after urban legends? 

i was so distracted by dick wearing a robe and briefs and nothing else that i didn’t register the second part until later. he slept for two days?? babs, baby, he recently had a very traumatic brain injury. why do you sound so nonchalant?

@TIM X COFFEE SHIPPERS GET FUCCCCKKKKEEDDDDD

ngl i totally forgot about that dude oops

this comic is giving so many reaction pictures. you know how you always use the worst possible picture of your friend for your friend’s contact picture? i’m just getting so many of these.

leslie!!! the titans!!! lucius!!! dick going to go see old friends!!!! the titans!!! this part made me so irrationally happy it really did. gar being the one to just. offer dick solutions with open arms. this was the best

i wish i could just copy and paste this entire scene, but that would take up way too much space, so i’m just going to talk about it instead. 

you gave me my name, nightwing, and you gave me some of the best advice i’ve received in my life: beautiful little throwback to nightwing’s origin. you’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know where the name came from, or who don’t know how much clark means to dick. and the fact that dick still looks up to clark as a hero, recognizes that clark isn’t always perfect and yet continues to hold him in such high esteem, and still looks back on advice that clark gave him fondly just warmed my heart so much.

for a man who has fearlessly stood up to darkseid, bruce will do a lot to avoid a conversation: “grrr. i’m the BATMAN. i’m so DARK and MYSTERIOUS. nobody knows the true me. no one ever will. i will be LONELY for the rest of my CURSED LIFE. such is the price of a hero. ignore my farmer himbo husband in the background”

but i don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire: another nod to how much dick follows clark’s example rather than bruce. yes, this was a very poignant and important criticism, and i think it’s wonderful that this was published in a pretty popular comic book. but the thing is, there is a way to be a heroic billionaire, but only in fictional universes. the way bruce, ollie, t’challa only ever use their wealth to help people. they donate massive amounts of money to charities that they themselves create so they know exactly how the money is being used. they hire people who aren’t likely to get jobs anywhere else and pay them much more than what a base living wage is. they use their power to help push progressive laws and social change. they are helping. 

dick doesn’t fully see it that way. he spent more than half his childhood the son of a billionaire, but still believes that one could be more heroic when one doesn’t have obscene amounts of wealth. whose example do you think he followed to come to that conclusion?

superman looked up to alfred pennyworth?: i mean yea alfred may have been a wildly irresponsible guardian and one hell of an enabler but goddamn if he didn’t love his kid.

you don’t need my input. you’ve thought it all through: ooooooh this line made me grin. for so long, dick’s treated clark as a mentor and a guiding figure. he’s still seen as a kid, an up and coming, snot-nosed titan with dreams of a better world. clark still thinks of him as a kid, despite watching him grow up. but this little line was something i think dick needed sorely to hear. he doesn’t need anyone’s guiding hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t need to ask for permission. he doesn’t need clark to support him the way he did when he was a teenager. he’s all grown up now, and he doesn’t need clark’s help. i imagine it was a bit of a surprise for dick to hear that. 

honestly, i couldn’t think of a better role model: ohhh but it doesn’t stop there. clark just straight up turns the tables on dick. imagine you’re dick, and you’ve looked up to this one hero your entire life, and then one day he turns to you and says that he thinks you’re so kind and smart and worthy of a person that he wants you to mentor his son!? goes to show just how much clark trusts dick.

i swear to god dick probably cries every time he hears clark compliment him because bruce is so rare and sparing with his praise that clark giving him the slightest hint of approval is just a dopamine rush.

also, now deathstroke and superman have both asked nightwing to mentor their kids. the juxtaposition is fuckin hysterical. imagine either of their reactions when they realize what kind of company they’re with

lets talk colours for a second, because i absolutely adore how classic colour tropes have been subverted in this comic, and in this general run really.

warm tones have usually (usually, not always) been associated with light and comfort and friendship and,,,,,well,,,warmth. whereas cool tones are usually used to unsettle, or make a scene seem colder and put the reader on edge. this varies if a comic only uses cool tones, or only uses warm tones, but if a comic uses both, this is generally well-used.

that isn’t the case in this run.

dark red, orange, and other warm tones have been used to symbolize danger, action, attacks. hot pink isn’t usually included in this colour group, but it’s definitely part of it in this case. in contrast, scenes that have cool colours give us the impression of slipping into a comfortable, calm scene with babs, tim, the titans, and other allies. even the beginning scene with superman has this blue, but then it transitions into something more golden coloured. dawn broke over dick, as his new idea came to light, and that was reflected in the art (and the sunrise setting.)

have there ever been times when dick’s longed for the comfort of his mask because he didn’t feel confident as dick grayson? i can’t think of any. i may be wrong, but this struck me as pretty ooc.

am i just??? gay and reading this all wrong??

cause i was under the impression that when someone says they are grateful for your friendship you don’t immediately kiss them. 

or is this like. normal straight mating rituals.

i mean he’s smiling afterward but still babs aren’t you supposed to at least make sure it’s okay first? you guys broke up a while back after you said something along the lines of “i want to be coworkers with you and nothing more because i don’t trust you or feel comfortable around you as a civilian anymore.” like lmao after you say something like that to someone i would assume that you don’t have the permission to just kiss them whenever you want.

show of hands who else got real sad when they realized dick was talking about himself in this.

sure, he could be referencing the things he’s seen blockbuster pull, and the children on the streets. but “i’ve seen money used for enforcement,” sounds a little too close to dick’s entire life being destroyed by one man threatening the circus to pay protection money for me to completely ignore. and “i’ve seen the poorest and most vulnerable blamed and punished rather than assisted” becomes a lot worse when you remember dick was thrown in juvie for a couple months until bruce was able to obtain legal guardianship, and in there, not a authority figure believed him when he told them his parents were murdered.

he’s lived this before.

a. mother. fucking. typo.

fucking why

i mean i’ve stated my distaste for the batfamily groupchat before but like. this is reaching new levels of ridiculousness. jason sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. tim sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. steph sounds like she was written by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about steph and wanted to include her for “family points!!!!!” damian’s supposed to be completely off the grid, and everyone’s searching for him. i do love the way cass texts tho.

well god fuck now i’m crying

dick got a phone call, a sorry, and a thank you out of bruce. i feel so much secondhand happiness for him, if that’s a thing. we’ll just ignore the way bruce looks ugly af and focus on the good parts okay?

and again with the colour symbolism here!

i’m either going to love this or hate this. who knows, we’ll see.

something something hearts something something pink is an evil colour something something. i need to know more about this guy but there’s definitely symbolism there. 

is it just me or does this dude look like the backstabbing traitorous absolutely motherfucking piece of shit villain that killed tadashi hamada in big hero 6?

~~

taggggg list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan  @subtleappreciation @screennamealreadyused @bikoncon @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption​ @capricorn-stark​ @batshit-birds​ @comics-observer @buticaaba​ 

[flying-nightwing]

Scorpion (1/2)

I am still working on Op. Solarstorm, but I had this playing in my mind for far too long to keep ignoring. Also, not me back at it again with my favourite tropes and villain!reader? lmao. Anyway, enjoy!

Masterlist in bio/pinned

Pairing:

Dick Grayson x f!reader (villain)

Word count: 5217

Warnings: Language, violence, steamy stuff hehe ;) but no nsfw, kind of angst? also reader being so fucking dramatic Summary: You are the resident bad guy of Blüdhaven, former supervillain, nemesis of Nightwing and master toxinologist in your own right. One night, however, you receive an unexpected visit that convince you to return to your former alias, Scorpion. (Based off a prompt I can’t find in my likes anymore but I’ll link it as soon as I find it)

The storm raged outside.

The rain pelted down your windows, blurring the view of Blüdhaven’s skyline almost entirely. Only the occasional thunder bolts lit up the horizon, just enough to see for a fraction of second the dark clouds glaring down the city. The wind howled as it navigated around the skyscrapers, washing away the droplets of rain as soon as they crashed down.

You stood in front of the curtain wall of your condo, sipping a glass of wine and watching it all unwind like a movie. You found the storm relaxing, as if the loud growl of it drained all the negative energy stored within you and released it as a powerful blast out into the world. You smiled at the thought; if only you could possess that much power to smithe your enemies, your job would be about a hundred times easier. 

You were about to leave your window for a refill when you heard the faintest thud at your door. You frowned, waiting a moment, before shrugging and resuming your course for the kitchen. However, before you could get there, another sound reached your ears, this time, unmistakably two quiet knocks. You placed your glass on a hallway table beside a flower vase and went to the door, peeking through the glass eye. When you saw nothing, you backed up and reached for the switchblade tucked under the waistband of your pants, then placed a careful hand on the knob. You twisted and pulled the door open, and your muscles tensed at the sight in front of you.

Your fight or flight instinct kicked in for a second as your eyes registered the black and blue before anything else, but you held back that reaction when you noticed something was wrong. While there was no doubt the man on the other side was Nightwing, the vigilante that always managed to spoil your plans or stop your schemes, he looked nothing like the cocky vigilante who would have already delivered a clever one liner as soon as he got a glimpse of your face. 

No, that man was hunched on the wall, his footing staggering and his suit ripped on the arms and the torso. He was drenched and visibly weak, and his mask was broken over his left eye. Even if you could see only half of it, you noticed the blown pupil that expanded over most of his iris. Like his reaction time had been put in slow motion, he finally lifted his head, his gaze swaying from left to right. He had been clearly drugged.

“I’m sorry” His voice was shaky and breathless. “I’m sorry… I had nowhere else to go”

You noticed only then he was clutching his stomach, even if he wasn’t bleeding specifically there. You snapped out of your stupor, putting your arm around his torso and holding him up as he crashed forward. You managed to pull him in your condo with you and shut the door behind you with your foot. He was heavy, especially since he probably didn’t have the control of his muscles at all to help you with the weight, but you managed to get him to your couch. You laid him down, being careful not to let his head bounce on the way down. You put the back of your hand on his forehead, and he was burning. Even through the rain on his skin, you could see the coat of sweat on his face and down his neck. Switchblade in hand, you cut through what remained of his suit and slipped it off him before he caught his death from wearing cold, soaking wet clothes on top of whatever else was happening. He started writhing on the couch, moaning in pain and still clutching his stomach. You saw that it was swollen and tender under all the shallow fresh cuts littering his body, and immediately you understood that he hadn’t been drugged, he had been poisoned.

You moved up his body again and kneeled beside his head, gently removing his domino mask. He was so out of it he didn’t even notice your cold fingers on his face, nor your saddened sigh. It had been a while since you had seen him without his mask, and yet, he was still as shockingly beautiful as he was years ago. You didn’t waste time appreciating his beauty however, as you were most probably on the clock. You stood up and left him there for a second as you grabbed your emergency kit labelled poison/venom and brought it back to him, kneeling once again. You grabbed the flashlight first, leaning above his face and pulling the eyelids of his right eye open. You flashed the light in it, but the pupil remained blown, completely ignoring the sudden brightness. His left eye was the same. 

Quickly, you put the flashlight away and grabbed a plastic syringe, capping it with a needle. You made sure the air was out before finding the vein in his arm and plunging the needle in it. You filled it with blood and put it aside while you fished the toxicity test, then put a small amount of blood in the vial and twirled it to mix it with the powder. You waited a minute and checked the scale, which told you if left untreated, whatever was flowing through his veins would be very lethal. You swore under your breath as you pushed to your feet again, heading for your bedroom and your walk in wardrobe. At the back of it, you punched a code in a pad and the wall pulled slightly toward you. With a tug, you pulled it all the way out and grabbed the first o negative blood bag as well as tubes and a stand to hook it on. You returned to him and prepared his transfusion in a record time, setting the bag and the tubes then putting once again a needle in his arm. At this point, he had stopped moving, but his chest still rose and fell in jagged motions. 

You remained there a couple of seconds more to be sure he was really passed out, then you grabbed the syringe filled with blood and moved everything else out of the way. You put the syringe on the counter while you dragged your working station from another room--only now glad that you made the choice to have it on wheels--and put it so you could have a good view of Dick even when working. You took the time to put gloves, then brought the syringe with you and sat behind your microscope.

You put a drop of blood on the slide and got to work.

---

You waited in the dark warehouse, your ears strained for any other sound than the water leaking from the roof. Your double edged spear was prominent on your back, glistening under the faint light coming from the bright spot outside. You hadn’t taken it out in a while, but its blades were still sharp and deadly. You hoped the sheer sight of it would be enough to remind your rendez-vous who was in charge here, but you wouldn’t mind using your weapon once again. 

You stared deeper into the building as quiet footsteps grew closer, and seconds later, your contact emerged from the darkness. You let them come to you as you remained attentive to your surroundings. Just because they were an old colleague of yours, it didn’t mean you trusted them. If anything, it made them even more dangerous in your eyes. 

“Scorpion” They greeted with a smirk, using your old nickname. You couldn’t help but let a chuckle at the memory of the good old days, when you definitely wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for Nightwing out of all people. “What owes me the pleasure of getting your call tonight?”

“I need some intel” You went straight to the point, fishing a small vial from your black trenchcoat, holding it up to eye level. “This is a very rare sample of Diamondback rattlesnake venom I extracted from the blood of an unfortunate victim. Any idea how it got into Blüdhaven without me knowing?”

They raised an eyebrow after giving the vial a quick glance. “Are you accusing me of smuggling it into the city?”

“Not yet” You carefully replied. “But I believe you might know who did”

“Listen” They sighed as you put back the sample in your coat. “You’ve been out of the game for a while now. Things have changed down here, and it’s not my place to question the chain of power”

“Have they?” You challenged, sweeping the room once again and noticing they hadn’t brought back up. Decidedly, someone somewhere got ahead of themselves and forgot their place. 

“Uh?”

“Have things really changed?” You slowly raised an eyebrow. You felt dread creep in their eyes. “I want a name”

“None can do” They backed up slowly, palms up. “You hold no power here anymore, so you should just go back to your tower and keep your nose in your mob business before we both get killed”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” You mumbled, looking them up and down. Then, you reached behind your back to get your spear. You striked rapidly as they jumped back, the blade slicing the skin of their biceps. You spun it in your hand and put it back on your back.

“What the f--” They swore, glaring at you. “You’re truly out of it, Scorpion. Can’t even hit your fucking target now. That’s why nobody’s scared of you anymore”

“If you think I missed, then you’ve learned nothing” You simply smiled as you backed away. “You’ll remember who’s in charge soon enough. Have a good life, what’s left of it anyway”

You turned around and walked away, thinking about how the powerful venom coating the blades of your staff was strong enough to cause seizures in about fifteen minutes, and death in fifteen more.

---

You returned to your condo as the sun began to be visible over the horizon, the soft light basking the whole living room in a yellow hue. You quietly went back to your room, changing from your drenched trench coat and black suit to a cream colored blouse and burgundy slacks. You carefully put back your spear in its locked case, keeping its blades far away from any exposed skin.

You returned to the living room, pausing beside Dick who was still passed out. His breathing was slower, more even now, so the antidote you had prepared before leaving had worked. The fever seemed to have died down, and you guessed his stomach wasn't swollen anymore. You didn’t want to pull off the two heavy blankets over him to check and let his bare skin come into contact with the cold of the room. You checked the solute solution that replaced the blood bag on the stand, knowing you wouldn’t need a refill once it was empty. Knowing the man, he’d wake up anytime soon. 

You cleaned up the room and brought back your working station to your office, then sat at your computer to catch up on some work your now ex-accountant messed up. After a couple of hours, you took a nap that turned into something closer to a night full of sleep, and only woke up in the late afternoon. You were surprised Dick was still out when you checked on him, it wasn’t his type to fall into the average of anything, especially not recovery time. 

You had to wait well after sundown for him to stir awake with a groan, then slightly panic as he took in his surroundings. He tried to sit up, but fell back onto his elbows.

“Take it easy” You said, bringing his attention to you for a second before he averted his gaze. “You had quite the dose of venom in your blood. You’re lucky you even made it to my door”

Even with his gaze casted down, you could see he was confused by the soft tone you spoke to him with. It was a far cry from the threats and insults you usually shared when he decided to come and interfere with your business. Yet, you didn’t like the idea of someone else out there trying to kill him, despite the fact that you had done so many times in the past. You and Nightwing had been long standing rivals, fighting for the same turf when you were Scorpion and now that you had your own mob to manage. He knew where you stood, and you him, creating a dynamic where unspoken rules were religiously being respected by both parties. And well, you hated when rules were broken, especially by people with no respect for them, especially when they targeted your nemesis.

You stood up and walked to him, sitting on the coffee table beside him. You brushed your hand down his cheek to his chin, gently pushing up so he could meet your eyes. They were still a bit glassy and unfocused from the venom, but the pupils had regained their normal size. The white around his dark blue irises was bloodshot, and the dark bags under his lids were prominent. In the years you had known him, you had never seen him so battered, so down, so not… him. Even if you were by all purposes and intents enemies, it still sparked a rage within you. You could feel the anger rise in your throat at the defeated face staring back at you, but you willed it back inside. For now.

Your voice was barely a whisper, but it still conjured a divine wrath with every word. “Who did this to you?”

“Doesn’t matter” He mumbled, but he didn’t have the strength to conceal his lie. He tried to get up, but his muscles failed him. 

“But it does” You shook your head, not letting him look away. “Someone injected you with venom and tortured you. It cannot go unanswered, not under my watch”

Something switched in his eyes, before it was buried under resolve in front of your insisting. “Sionis”

Suddenly you saw red. You knew he had been in town for a few weeks already, but you mostly ignored him, thinking he’d go away on his own after concluding whatever deal he was there for. You had no doubt he had been the one to take over Blüdhaven’s underworld right under your nose and turn everyone against you. Unbeknownst to them, you were still the most dangerous person in this city and it was well past time to remind them of it. 

“Stay here, you need to rest” You ordered, gently pushing him back on the couch. “When you’ll feel strong enough to stand up, there’s food in the fridge”

“Wait, where are you going?” Confusion etched on his features.

“I’m going to have a little chat with Sionis”

“(Y/N), no” His voice was strained as he pushed himself off the couch and tried to stand up again. The use of your name made you halt your step to face him as he struggled to stay on his feet. “You don’t… You can’t…”

You retook the steps towards him, stopping right in front of him. “You came to me last night for help, so let me help”

“I know but…” He trailed off, sighing. “I can’t let you fight my battles, it’s not right”

“I’m not, I’m doing what I should have done weeks ago. I have let the infection fester in the wound for far too long, and now it’s time to clean it” You placed a hand on his cheek, and he didn’t fight it. “It’s our city, and if Sionis thinks he can take it, he’s gravely mistaken” 

“It doesn’t mean I want it to be taken back your way” His eyes flashed pain as he shook his head slightly. Yet, he still didn’t back off, but you retracted your hand like it touched fire. “Scorpion left a trail of bodies wherever she went. I may still not approve of your current career, but nothing will let me morally support your descent to that rabbit hole again”

Your features hardened at his words. “Those are bold claims for a man who cannot take two steps without crumbling” You spoke calmly, but the harsh undertone in your voice was a dead giveaway of your bitterness. “I don’t want to see you hurt, I think we’ve established that a long time ago. But I feel like it’s a good time to remind you that what was given can be taken away”

“You’re threatening me now?”

You gave him a cold smile as you backed away. “Oh honey, you’ll know when I’m threatening you”

“So we’re back to this uh?” His sneer transcended his weakened physical state.

“You should rest” You deflected, not ready to answer that just yet, not to him, anyway. You hated to see disappointment on such handsome features, even if it was pretty much the only thing you ever saw anymore. “This isn’t a hangover you can shake off with a tylenol and a smoothie. You need to let the antidote work” 

He only held your stare, the disappointment you dreaded steadily growing in his blue eyes. His lack of words were as effective as his worst scolding. Without breaking eye contact, you fished your phone from your pocket and dialed the first contact in your list.

“Borovski, arrange a last minute meeting with Mr. Sionis” You spoke in a flat tone. “Yes, let him know that Scorpion requires an audience”

------

You found the place of the meeting peculiar. 

The underground casino was crassy, a cloud of cigarette smoke hanging low in the air. No players were sitting at the tables, no bartenders were on duty, only a handful of armed guards giving you a not so warm welcome into the establishment and one man in a purple sequin suit.

“Ah, Scorpion!” Sionis called as he stood up. Then, he paused as he took you in. “I must say, you are not what I expected”

You raised an eyebrow at the grimace he made, but he kept looking you up and down as if there was something he didn’t quite catch. Finally, his eyes stopped on your spear on your back, and his face lit up with understanding. He laughed, but it seemed way too forced.

“Oh, I get it now!” He wiped nonexistent tears from his eyes as he pointed back and forth between you and the spear. “It’s because the spear’s like a scorpion tail. Very clever!”

“I’m glad to see there are no explanations required then” You scoffed sarcastically as you took one step forward. Immediately, his guards closed in on you.

“Aht aht,” He held a finger up, waving it obnoxiously. “I might find it clever, but there is no scenario possible in which you come close to me with that thing. Hand it over”

“Afraid of a little blade, Sionis?” You taunted, nevertheless taking your spear off your back and handing it to one of his goons. 

“Nice try, but we both know it’s not just the blade” He made yet another grimace as you got cleared to come closer. “Men, be careful not to touch the shiny part of it, kay? I’d hate to stain the floors with your dead bodies”

You smirked as you sat down in the chair he gestured to, resting your arms on the empty poker table. He sat down sideways in front of you and crossed his legs, bouncing his feet to an imaginary beat. “So... Miss Scorpion,” He began, a hint of humour in his voice like the situation was amusing. “I gotta say, I admire your previous work. But how long has it been since then? Five, six years? Where have you been?”

“Seven” You corrected. “I inherited a criminal empire from my father, changed vocations. Rather than sting people, I synthesize antidotes to the most potent venoms and sell them for quite a fortune per dose”

“Uh, I heard you were in the drug market” He frowned. “Perhaps my intel was… Mistaken”

“That too” The corner of your lips went up. “Well dosed, venom makes for a fantastic psychedelic. But worry not about your circle, those are no street drugs. Not a lot of people can afford it, in fact”

He nodded slowly. “So you want what exactly, to sell to me?” 

“No” You shook your head, your smile turning just a bit more sinister as you grabbed the rattlesnake venom vial and rolled it to him. Slowly, he picked up and observed it, recognition flashing in his features. You leaned forward, setting your stare on him. “I’m here for other concerns. Like you bringing venom in my city without my authorization”

He sat back in his chair, amused and unimpressed. He twirled the vial in his gloved hands, lazily studying it. “It’s not your city anymore” He shrugged. “It was right there for the taking, and honestly it is so much more fun than Gotham, without a gloomy bat lurking in the dark”

You didn’t react immediately. You simply observed him, then subtly calculated the distance of each goon from him. In theory, their reaction times would be slow enough for you to get to Sionis. But you held back, knowing he’d expect it now. 

“That’s what your smuggler said, too” You hummed, watching closely as his eyes met yours. He mustn’t be happy about that, because his expression became a notch darker. “Before I killed them, that is. But I guess I did you a favor in doing so. They would have sold you out to the next opportunist. Nobody likes a traitor, right?”

He regained his composure, but the bitterness in his eyes didn’t leave. “When I heard you wanted to meet, I thought it’d be to apologize to me for your misstep” He took a deep breath. “I was ready to let you go with some compensation for my loss in the form of doing my dirty work, I really was. But now I see you still want to be insolent--”

“Alright, I’ll say this once and only once” You interrupted him, and he instantly grew offended. “Get out of my city. Leave and never come back, or Nightwing won’t be the one you’ll be facing”

“So, this is what got your panties in a twist” He laughed, then seriousness fell back down on his features in a snap. “Kill her”

Before they could move, you pushed out of your chair and grabbed your switchblade in your belt. Your footwork was swift as you spun around Sionis, avoiding the range of the gun he was pulling out, and stopped behind him. A second later, his head was slammed down on the table and your blade was pressed to his throat. You looked up at the goons who had halted their movements, suspense of what you’d do next hanging in the air. 

“Drop your weapons” You ordered, nodding at the gun aimed at you. “C’mon, off with it. Kick them away too”

“Drop your weapons” Sionis repeated through his teeth, not daring to move a muscle. God knew what was on your blade, and if you drew blood, it’ll most likely be over for him. “Fuck!”

Slowly, they lowered their weapon to the ground and kicked them toward you. “Good” You huffed out before leaning closer to Sionis. “Now maybe you won’t underestimate me anymore. This is only a taste of what will come to you if you keep provoking me. I’ll destroy you like a poison running its course through a healthy vein, and you’ll regret setting eyes on my city. Understood?”

“You fucking bitch” He panted, a twisted smile on his lips. “You’re fucking dumb if you think you can get out of here alive. You’re out of your league, little girl”

“Really? I was under the impression that your life mattered more than mine” You said as you pressed your blade further, exposing the metal to his blood long enough to know the venom got in. You retracted your blade, but kept the hand on his head. “If I don’t make it out of here, neither will you. You’ll be dead in thirty minutes, like your smuggler. It’s gonna be painful and ugly, trust me. But if I walk out of here, in five minutes you’ll have a delivery boy knocking at your door and handing you the antidote. So what’s it gonna be, Sionis?”

He took a moment, exhaling loudly as his breathing quickened. “Go” He muttered harshly, glaring up sideways at you with a thousand daggers. “Fucking shit hell, go!”

You grinned, making the motion of leaving, but you weren’t done just yet. “One more thing” You slammed his head on the table once again before letting him go. “Nightwing is off limits. You’d do well to remember it”

You backed off of him, letting him stand up again and adjust his suit with an undignified huff. His eyes shot thunder at your back as you retreated, smugly taking your spear out of a goon’s hand and exiting the casino. 

You weren’t such a fool not to expect retaliation, but at least you could say he had been warned through an over of what would be waiting for him. 

-----

You weren’t expecting a welcome party back home, but Dick was there, on his feet, leaning on the couch as he glared at the front door. 

“I thought you’d be back to sleep by now” You mused as you got in your apartment. You dropped your keys on the counter and made a show of putting down your spear. His eyes burned into yours as he watched your every move like a hawk. You raised an eyebrow as you took off your coat, then unclipped your utility belt and dropped it beside your keys. “Why now, are you finally out of clever one liners?” 

He scoffed, then crossed his arms against his chest and looked away.

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t know why you’re mad I went after Sionis” You kept speaking, as he clearly gave you the silent treatment. “Who, by the way, tried to kill you with rattlesnake venom, in case you have already forgotten”

“I’m not mad” He finally mumbled. “I’m mourning the days where I didn’t have to worry about you going on a killing spree anymore”

“Is that all you think of me?” Your tone turned dry as you took one step toward him. “A loose cannon that needs to be held on a leash?”

“I don’t know” He shrugged sarcastically. “From what I remember from your so called glory days, bodies pile up pretty quickly when you’re in a mood”

You closed your eyes as your eyebrows rose in disbelief. “I’ve always liked you, Dick” You began after taking a deep breath. “As yourself and as Nightwing. We’ve always had a lot of common enemies, and I was fine with sharing this city with you”

You paused, slowly closing the distance between you and him. His muscles were tense, and his posture was defensive.

“If you think this was bad, oh you’re in for a treat, honey” You were face to face now. “I held back out of respect for you. Sionis is alive, out of respect for you. I healed you out of respect for you. Now that I know none of that respect is reciprocated, what stops me from fully being the bad guy?”

He stood up fully, towering over you. You had to look upwards to hold his glare.

“Me”

You smirked. “You’re so full of yourself”

“You don’t believe I can?”

“Well, you couldn’t when I was holding back”

“What makes you think I wasn’t holding back too?” He raised a challenging eyebrow.

“You had no reason to leave me out on the streets to pile up bodies, as you put it so eloquently” You taunted. “Unless…”

You inched closer, your faces only inches apart now.

“Unless you liked the chase as much as I did”

“In your dreams” He sneered.

“Oh, every night without a fail” 

Before you could blink, he sneaked his hand behind your head and crashed his lips to yours. You were surprised, but you didn’t waste time leaning into it. For a man still weak from his previous poisoning, he recovered his spunk pretty quickly. His fingers dug into your side as you moved against each other, and if you didn’t know better, you’d believe he was trying to leave bruises on your skin. You returned the favor, brushing your hands against his bare chest, but his reaction wasn’t the one you had anticipated. He hissed, probably still sensitive around the stomach from the effect of the venom, and you took the opportunity to catch his lower lip between your teeth, giving it a soft bite. 

“Fuck” He grunted, his eyes fluttering close.

“Are you sure you’re strong enough for this?” You hummed, tracing the dark bags under his eyes with your thumb. He opened his eyes once again, an incredulous and slightly offended glint in them that told you he was tired of you asking any variant of this question. “Alright, no need for hostility”

You returned your lip to his as he steadily backed you through your condo, navigating with assurance toward your bedroom. Your back pushed the door open with a thud, and soon after, you felt the mattress pressing behind your knees. You sat back, peeling off your shirt from your body and scooting further back on the bed. Dick climbed after you, pushing you on your back and wasting no time to crawl all over you again. You heard noise in the background, but you were too busy focusing on how blissful his mouth down your neck to your chest and back up made you feel. You barely noticed when your hands were brought up above your head, or when cold metal was secured around your wrists with a click. 

Then, his body weight above yours was abruptly taken off. You reopened your eyes, mind still a bit fuzzy as you stared in confusion at Dick standing at the foot of the bed. Your frown deepened when you gave a good tug on your wrist, but couldn’t bring them down. You narrowed your eyes, then read his smug expression and understood what he did. You were tempted to be mad, but you couldn’t help but give him a full blown grin”

“Well, well, well” You drawled out, relaxing back. These were your handcuffs, you knew there was no getting out of them so easily. “I gotta say, I’m impressed. Using my attraction to you to get me temporarily out of commission is cold. I didn’t know you had it in you”

“Well, you had it coming” He crossed his arms against his chest, but in a more relaxed manner this time. 

“Playing dirty now, are we?” You chuckled as you shamelessly checked him out. “Very well then. Next time we meet I’ll have adapted my game. I hope you’re ready”

You might have imagined it, but a small smile played on his lips just before he turned around and left you there, handcuffed to your bed frame.

[pastaaa-bird]

Day 4:historical

@aphrarepairweek2021

Sorryforbeingadaylate

Oh warning for very minor swearing(only happens three times) but other then that there is nothing inappropriate and also there is implied period typical homophobia in this

Summary: An 80s human AU where a stressed out Chiara (nyo Romano) is saved from going crazy by a hero(Amelia aka nyo America)

Basically this is just fluff, fluff and more fluff

Chiara Vargas was a second a way from flipping her desk and raging down the halls, or at least she would be if she had not possessed just enough self control to hold back on the urge.

“Fuck fuck fuck….” Chiara muttered, the sound coming out muffled from her face being squished against her desk in failure.

“OH, CHIARA” came a high pitch voice down stairs.

Reluctantly she lifted her head to the sound.

“WHAT?I'M BUSY”,she yelled back, mentally cursing her brother for disturbing her sulking.

“A CERTAIN SOMEONE IS HERE FOR YOU",

“WHO IS IT?”,

“YOU'LL HAVE TO COME DOWN AND SEE",

After managing to hold back a bitter protest she stood up then stormed down stairs.

“This better be worth my time, Feli or l swear to Dio l’ll-",

Chiara came to a halt once she saw the girl beside Feliciano.

“Hey!” a cheerful voice as usual from the smiling blonde with pink sunglasses in her hair, dressed in her demine shorts,  red t-shirt and long white socks with a pair of roughed up old sneakers.

“Amelia- uh hi there" She replied while awkwardly fidgeted with the sleeves of her jacket, embarrassed at the realisation that she had heard her yelling.

“Nice to see you calm down, anyway l’ll you two ladies to it”, he winked at Chiara who rolled her eyes at the look, not sure whether to love or hate that it felt the exact same to when her grandfather would make comments about her bringing a boyfriend home.

He disappeared into the sitting room to join Valentino on the couch.

“I was wondering if you would want to hang out, we haven't done that for ages”,

“Oh right, ugh l don't think l can”,

“Sure you can! You're not busy are you?”,

“l am, study”,

Amelia raised an eyebrow at that.

“Study? Our exams aren't till two weeks" ,

“I know, l know but l'm sick of revising everything on the night before the exam, besides l need as much of time as possible to understand this crap",

“Ah fair enough- how about l help ya with it? math l'm guessing?”,

Sighing at the memory of her many failed attempts at completing and understanding equations and formulas she nodded.

“Yeah, but are you sure?”,

“Definitely!”, stated Amelia with both hands on her hips and standing tall to her eagerness for the task.

“Alright then...",

A while later Chiara found her self back at her desk with Amelia standing beside her reading over her practice questions, nervously waiting for the results.

It felt like an eternity before Amelia finally looked up and spoke.

“And…that's like sixty five percent right!”,

“Sixty five?! Where did l go wrong this time?!”,

They had been at this for quite some time now. Despite Chiara’s frustration she stayed relativity calm for the most part thanks to Amelia’s encouragement and little jokes that made her either outright laugh or complain due to what she claimed was annoyance even if though she did find it humorous.

“Symbols, you forgot them again, there's supposed to be a measurement symbol at the end of this to say whether it's centimetres squared or cubed or meters squared- eh you get the point...", she paused then continued.

Miss Kirkland is your math teacher, right? She's real strict when it comes to small stuff like that so she takes off a lot of marks”, explained Amelia while doodling with the pen in the corner of the practice sheet of paper Chiara had used.

Miss Kirkland, certified smartass- even if it is technically her job to be one. Now, Chiara didn’t exactly hate her but she was far from a favourite in terms of teachers she was forced to put up with.

She hated how Miss Kirkland loved to call on those who she knew where not paying attention, there was a sense of snobbishness when it came to the way Miss Kirkland would proudly correct the unsuspecting student with a smile that more closely resembled a smirk.

“l hate this, I'm so close to getting this right but l keep screwing it up”,

“Come on it's fine! You've made awesome progress since when we started! It's only been like what….an hour? Give yourself some credit",

“…l guess you're right. But I'm also stuck for other things- like history and geography suck",

“ Wanna head to the library? They got good resources for both”, questioned Amelia now looking up from her doodling.

“Nah, I've had enough school for today. Let's do something else, anything in mind?”,

“Ooh! A few things-“,

Understandably Chiara was not surprised when they had arrived at the arcade on their bikes.

“Is this becoming an addiction for you?”,

“Ha-ha very funny, you have your obsessions and l have mine”,

“You even call it obsession, keep all this up and l'll be hosting an intervention for you",

This time Amelia genuinely laughed in response, Chiara savoured every second of the sound.

They were stuck there for a while, when it came to Amelia's great interest and Chiara’s competitive attitude it was easy to guess that there would obviously be competitions to see who could score the highest.

To Chiara’s dislike Amelia ended up winning proportionally more then she did followed by listening to the victory taunts from Amelia.

And it seemed that as quickly as they arrived they where off again.

“No, no, no, nah, no, nope, no”,

“Oh come on! l thought you weren't a quitter”,

“I have my exceptions, this is one of them",

Roller skating, she wanted Chiara to roller skate. Clearly Amelia wasn't aware of the fact that Chiara would likely crawl into the ground out of embarrassment if she would likely- no when, when she would end up falling flat on the floor.

“l'll help ya along! You'll be fine", urged Amelia tilting her head to the side with pleading eyes.

Upon arrival to the centre she instantly felt her heart sink knowing what would be expected her. After much convincing from Amelia and equally as much rants about what could go wrong from Chiara- she ended up agreeing to at least attempting to skate.

Chiara felt her chest tighten and face heat up once she suddenly felt the hand of Amelia intertwine with her own, guiding her into the skating area after they got their roller blades.

It was fascinated to see how effortlessly Amelia could move, practically gliding with ease although at a much slower pace due to guiding Chiara along. For this moment anyway, Chiara forgot how to feel anxious.

The last destination for the day was the local diner.

“Two milkshakes please, a double chocolate for myself and a strawberry and banana mix for her”,

“Coming right up, dear", replied the waitress.

“Oh and don't worry l'm paying, l owe ya for last time with the ice-creams” reassured Amelia after she placed their order.

It was the small things that Chiara adored about Amelia the most, how she remembered her favourite foods was one of them. Along with her passing small notes with funny faces on them to her whenever they shared a class and she had noticed that Chiara was dying of boredom.

They sat on the high chairs in front of the counter top as they awaited her drinks, Amelia flapped her hands with giddy excitement once they were received, Chiara couldn't help smile at the sight.

She thought about sharing the milkshake together, putting the straw in her drink like those shitty romantic movies Amelia loves so much. It would be cute wouldn't it? Cuter to see Amelia's reaction to the gesture! She smiled to herself at the idea.

Then her face dropped.

No, no they couldn't, not here, although her smile was brought back again by looking towards her girlfriend who had all her attention on blowing bubbles into her drink.

“Should you really be playing with your food like that?”, she questioned placing the straw into her own drink.

“Might as well make the most of it when my folks aren't here to tell me off ", Amelia shrugged in response.

Chiara found her self agreeing with that mentality and joined in with the childish behaviour.

They cycled back to the house, it was getting dark already.

Amelia was invited in and the two walked past the living room seeing Feliciano and Valentino with their eyes still glued to their precious TV.

At peace now they were sat together on the back porch. There was a small garden behind the Vargas' house, it was closed off by the tall fence( put there mostly so the neighbour's cat couldn't hope over and ruin the vegetable patches or flowers).

The air was humid all day and was beginning to cool down with the sun getting lower and the clouds moving in.

For what could have been anywhere from a minute to a thousand years the two spoke about anything and everything, the topics seemed to flow so easily, naturally changing with ease.

Finally the two sat in comfortable silence, looking towards the sky who’s colours had turned into oranges, yellows and pinks.

This is what Chiara so deeply enjoyed, how they could just sit together and feel so secure.

Routinely this what would be done for one another if the other was upset and asked for so, this time was often spent with their hand held or being hugged by the other.

 There would be times where Chiara in particular would wish to be alone, in cases like this Amelia would go prepare or buy a snack for whenever Chiara is feeling okay again, it gave her something to look forward to when she needed to be alone with her own depressing thoughts.

Sometimes when Amelia would be upset she would just want to vent and vent with no words of “it will be okay" or “look on the bright side of things", Chiara was there to listen and agree with the difficulty of whatever situation she found herself in.

Chiara's head was rested on Amelia’s shoulder, her arm wrapped around her in response to it.

Now it was getting cold, thankfully she still wore her jacket…but maybe…

“Amy?”,

“Yeah?”,she quietly answered back to the nickname.

“It's getting a bit…chilly don't you think? Would you, would you like my jacket?”,

“Oh...Uh sure.If you wouldn't mind that is”, a blush covered Amelia’s cheeks, she was rarely flustered or at least visibly.

The jacket was a gift to Chiara for Christmas from one of her relatives, it was given oversized to her but she kept it since it seemed more comfortable like this. On Amelia the jacket finally looked normal, it fit her well and looked quiet lovely.

They went back to silence until Chiara broke it again.

“Thanks by the way. I really needed today- to get my mind off of all this stupid fucking stress l've been trapped in lately",

“Of course. We all need a break now and then",

“You could say that again…l love you" Chiara looked up, her chin now on Amelia's shoulder.

Amelia glanced down at her and grinned.

“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart"

The end

Okay now for me rambling

Uhhhhh l read through this and l don't think l made any mistakes? I'll edit this if there are and sorry if you saw any, idk l'm bad at checking for mistakes and l don't have someone to proof read for me

Oh and Valentino is human Seborga and alsooo not sure if l made it clear but Feliciano does know about their relationship and also Chiara is Bi and happy to feel valid in her relationship with Amelia as if it were the exact same as when she is with a guy and not something taboo in this time period

ALSO damn, sorry this isn't that particular to the 80s- l did leave out things l was originally going to add in though! Like l was going to have Felicianio and Valentino have a movie marton but according to Wikipedia they werent common around then and the ones that did happen were anime soooo y e p

Also thought about adding in a house cord phone but eh idk it felt nicer to have Amelia visit instead of having Chiara call her or if l tried writting it as Amelia calling and then showing up it just felt forced and weirdly put in any way l tried to write it in

AH l am so worried that this is boring or cringy, like l honestly can't tell if it is or is this fine-ehh l guess l've written worse um yeah if you've read this far thanks :)

(I'm editing this for mistakes and wtf 90 is so high why would she be shocked- damn l think l know why l originally wrote that, l was thinking Amelia said ONE of the questions is 90% right but before it l said she was correcting multiple questions so it reads as multiple questions being 90% right all together ANYWAY l corrected it so it's fine again okay bye -AND it turns out l missed some mistakes yet again-editing this for the 3rd time rip)

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Christmas with You~

(It’s days after Christmas as usual I haven’t active or slept  properly yet but I’ve been focused on my store lol. I hadn’t been super on my writing game in a hot minute so I decided to write how your partner would treat you during the holidays. This features EVERY single villain I write for from the list located in my bio IN ORDER. Also I apologize if you don’t celebrate Christmas and this doesn’t apply to you. I hope you still had a great holiday anyway, and I love you!)

~Toga💉-She begins her present shopping early because she wants to find you something that she’s sure you’ll like! Eventually she ends up buying a ton of things, but none of them satisfy her and she’s worried you won’t like any of them even though you will. So finally she settles on making you something instead. She will stay up all night long pushing herself to put together the perfect gift for you and will literally fall apart if you don’t like it. But I’m sure she won’t have to worry about anything like that.

~Dabi🔥-Hates the holidays. He tells you they hold some pretty shitty childhood memories for him and he’s honestly all for avoiding even just the thought of Christmas, but of course he looks at you and that changes. He’s really willing to try and take part in a little holiday cheer just for you even if it’s stupid to him. Call it cheesy, but when he celebrates with you it helps take away from the old bad thoughts. It gives him a chance to replace the bad memories with good ones. So he’ll bake some shitty cookies with you, and poorly wrap presents even if he knows that you know what he got for you. Of course he’s not opposed to a mistletoe kiss or two (or three). You help put the cheer in the holiday for him.

~Overhaul🥀-Hates Christmas. It’s not the holiday, it’s just how many people are buzzing around up until that point. So he gets ALL of his shopping done early. And and all emergencies are to be handled by his men (ex: in case he forgot something on the list). The number one thing he takes super seriously is you seeing your presents. You better hope he doesn’t catch you sneaking around the tree. He will lock you in the bedroom until the day of Christmas itself before he lets you open any of them early...even on Christmas eve

~Shigaraki🤚-Literally wakes you up super early on the morning of just so you can watch a movie with him in a fluffy throw blanket with the hum of his electric heater nearby. He loves this season with you more than any other because he can use the cold weather as an excuse to cuddle with you. “Oh well you know I’m kinda small here so I don’t produce a lot of body heat. You should come closer.” Aside from that, he loves the way you celebrate. You make it up to him for not having a childhood at all. Surprisingly enough, he loves doing all the little things with you.

~Tengai🏳-Doesn’t see a point in the holidays and never really supported it before. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s no scrooge. He would rather spend his time the way he usually did around this time of the year: working at charity spots and donation centers. When you find out he spends every holiday season serving food to people less fortunate it makes your heart soar. So if you have the time to join him, then by all means please do so. Help him spread a little peace this season

~Deidoro🍺-Being someone that knows a LOT about different drinks out there, he has never in his life heard about eggnog. It throws you for a loop at first and you laugh at him as he watches you in confusion. “Wait...you’re being serious about this???” So you have to sit him down, make it for him, and let him try it. I mean, how could he be the one person to not know about this when its alcohol related? Well let’s just say that not only does it stick, but Sakaki has been downing eggnog at the Hassaikai Christmas party all night, and now he’s trying to literally eat you in the bathroom while you’re washing your face. It’s ridiculous

~Nemouto✔-This man is 100% proposing to you on Christmas night after a long date with you. For someone that talks about feelings being pointless, he sure does have a lot of love for you. He pays attention to the details and the moods around him. This time was a boost in your happiness and it signaled the perfect time for him to pop the question to you. Add in all those romantic light attractions, and the snow with the carolers etc. Its free romance that he can ride on and use to his advantage. Catch him getting on one knee in the snow after you two are leaving a light show in the city.

~Setsuno💔-Holidays are depressing to say the least. To him, Christmas and Valentines day were the worst 2 days to be alone out of any day of the year. Well WERE until you came into his life. He stares at you unwrapping presents under the tree while he sips some cocoa and he thinks about how lucky he was that you came into his life. Little moments like these help tie together the ideal that holidays aren’t so bad. Thanks to you, he no longer has to fight back tears of sadness in the dead of night as the snow falls against his window and sticks until it melts. Now he has to fight tears of joy blurring his eyes while you two lounge on the couch and try to get through a holiday movie without falling asleep on each other

~Compress🎭-Will do any and everything with you during this day. I mean he’s going to go all out for you on any day of the year, but this one is a little different. So bring in those matching Santa hats, and roll out the gingerbread house kits. Compress is down for it all. It’s not just for you, but all for the sake of letting loose for once during the year and allowing himself to relax as a civilian instead of a villain on the run. He’d rather spend time building a gingerbread house than trekking through the cold forest with the sounds of sirens in the background getting near. 

~Twice👬-This man gets a new ugly Christmas sweater like every year since 7 years ago. The only difference is now he can celebrate with you and his friends instead of celebrating with himself and his clones, alone somewhere in a storage unit. And yes: he’s the number one person to force the league into a Christmas party because he knows you’ll have fun hanging out with him and everyone else (since usually he keeps you away for protection). He’s also the most likely to make everyone engage in secret Santa with each other. Jin is also the one most likely to burn through Christmas movie marathons like it’s nothing at all to him. He runs on peppermint hot cocoa, and marshmallows so don’t challenge him at all

~Kurogiri☁️-Usually he wouldn’t think twice to celebrate it. It doesn’t bother him, but he’s not really focused on being cheerful when there’s work to be done instead. You have to be the one to help him slow down and enjoy the tiny things here and there. He’ll help you string up lights, decorations, and the tree. Believe me, he does an amazing job on it all because he doesn’t half-ass his work in any kind of way whatsoever. He’s also kinda in love with the Christmas sweater/vest combo you got for him (and he’s secretly wanting to brag about it). He’s not one for the sweets like the ribbon candy, or the candy canes but he’ll blow through holiday food that you cook or order. Most of all, he’s invested in seeing you smile 

~AFO💀-Christmas is just another excuse for him to spoil you. However, you have to step up and let him know it’s more than just gift giving that he needs to do. Where you would love some quality time with him, he’s more about giving you 1,000′s of dollars of gifts and handling work that needs to be done. But who can say no to those eyes of yours huh? (Don’t answer that. Just know he’s not one to deny you). He’s not really into the holidays but he treats it like a big important date night between the two of you. He’ll go above and beyond to ensure things runs smoothly. You’ll have to introduce him to ‘stay at home’ dates for once. If not

~Stain🔪- Isn’t down for it until you mention the tradition that some people go out and chop a real tree. For some odd reason, he’s attached to the idea of chopping a tree down. At first you thought you’d successfully got him into the Christmas spirit, but it just turns out he was eager to use a blade for big business for the first time. Either way, you shrugged it off and rode with it. And boy was that a mistake to make...You were shivering out there. Stain had you in the forest for at least an hour now while he hunted down the perfect tree. You swore to yourself that you’d be getting a fake one next year

~Muscular💪-”Celebrate Christmas? Okay, why tho?” You maybe could convince him by disguising it as a romantic time but he’s not big on romance either. You entice him with gift giving. More importantly the idea of hiding his gifts and not letting him see a single one till Christmas day. THAT is how you get him into the holiday. Be warned though, he’s mostly taking part in the other celebrations because he’s wanting those presents so badly.  

~Mustard☣-You’ll be lucky if you can get him to go Christmas shopping with him, let alone celebrate. No offense against the holiday itself but Mustard doesn’t celebrate ANY day. He doesn’t even like to celebrate his own birthday! He seems to be a bit more bitter around the holidays and the cheer isn’t helping. “C’mon don’t be a scrooooooge!” You poke at his cheek while he’s scrolling through his phone on the couch. “Y/N for the last time, kindly piss off.” He glares at you before turning his attention to his phone again. At this point you’ll either have to risk getting put under from annoying him too much, or you’ll have to find another way to convince him to loosen up. Good luck with it

~Spinner🦎-10/10 best person to spend Christmas with. He’s more into it than you are. As soon as December 1st hits, he’s putting up decorations. In fact, he put up the tree a week before Thanksgiving. The holidays remind him of when he was little and he sat in his mom’s lap while she sewed a Christmas tree quilt. Or when he and his sibling would have snowball fights in the backyard (despite his aversion to cold weather due to his quirk). Shuichi will sit down and write out a holiday movie watch list and watch a different Christmas almost every single day with you if you’d allow it. He’s the first to bake cookies, and the first to start buying gifts early. Most of all, he’s happy to spend this time with you. (Oh be prepared for those walks in the park to admire the Christmas lights)

~Katsukame🗿-Big guy is a lot more cheerful than you know, but he knows nothing about Christmas so you gotta show him all those old fashioned traditions. But please don’t tell him to deck the halls because he will pull a ‘Rappa’ move and punch holes in the hallway walls. Aside from that, he’s pretty open to Christmas cookies, and even decorating. But I have to say he draws the line at singing door to door at people’s houses because he hates to sing. He doesn’t even like to hum lol 

~Rappa👊-Hell yeah he’s gonna spend it with you! The big guy is literally sold on just about anything involving you (well as long as he doesn’t have to wear a stuffy suit for it). His excitement stems mostly from his curiosity. He never had a bad childhood but he still can’t remember much of the holidays back then. So who needs old memories when you can make new ones! At least that’s his reasoning after all lol. 

~Hawks🦅-This guy is the WORST at giving you presents. I mean his gifts are amazing, but he always slips up and tells you what they are too soon. In fact, he will buy you something and ask if you wanna see it within the next five minutes afterward. Its gotten to the point where you have to beg him almost to stop letting wanting you to open stuff. He can’t help it though! Keigo just loves spoiling you, and holidays are the exception where he can go crazy with his saved money.

~Magne🕶-She has this crazy secret collection that she finally busted out once you’ve gotten close enough to you in the relationship. Her secret collection ended up being a MASSIVE set of sweaters (specifically Christmas themed) While she’s beaming proudly about how she has a different sweater for every day in December, your jaw is almost on the floor. “Mag...don’t...don’t these cost like 50 bucks each? How long have you been collecting these?!” Anyway, you should expect an ugly Christmas sweater party with the League at least once this December 

~Tabe🍡-Forget celebrating the other stuff that comes with Christmas, you already know what he’s excited about...All that yummy yummy food!!! Oh God (if it applies) take him to your family (or friends) for Christmas and watch his face as he enters to see that table full of food. Oh man, he’s going to do his best to be respectful but on the inside he wants to destroy all of the food on that table. Oh and don’t worry about the whole baking cookies for Santa because Tabe is most likely going to eat them...and drink the milk too

~Hojo💎-He starts present shopping in late October, early November so that way he has everything he needs to get for you (which is a lot). He hides your presents at the base so you have no idea where to find them. Thanks to the base being an underground labyrinth, you’ll never see those gifts until Christmas eve (just one), and Christmas day (the rest of them). Hojo goes along with whatever you do to celebrate the holidays. He’s just perfect husband material to be honest. Not too rough around the edges, but willing to beat a man to death if his job calls for it. Who knew he’d be the most willing to celebrate the holidays with you.

~Chronostasis🔫-He will literally defy anyone that stood in the way of spending this holiday with you. That includes his own best friend/boss. Overhauls knows this, and he’s comes to respect your relationship so he purposefully doesn’t schedule Hari to work on Christmas (but he still pays him for the full day since he’s still his friend). Hari will absolutely kill anyone that got in the way of your cheer. Even if you were one of those people that believed in Christmas magic, he would support you. The world is tough, and it shows no mercy so little things like joy during the holiday meant a lot more than anyone could know in your household. He loves to see you happy so if that means celebrating with you, then he’s going to do it. Besides...he secretly likes Christmas himself

~Mimic💰-Literally loves to talk about how unnecessary it is while he’s also excited for it as well. Like he’ll talk down about decorating while he’s decorating. If you try to step between him he’s gonna tell you to: “Back off, you’re messing up my artistic flow here. Go sit on the couch. Make yourself useful and unwrap the candy cane boxes for the tree.” You can see by the way he steps back and puts his hands on his hips to admire his handy-work that he’s taken a bit of pride in things here. 

~Pops🇯🇵-The old man will take part in the celebration with you because he absolutely adores both you AND the holiday itself as well. He might mix in a few older traditions like Elf on a Shelf, and making a popcorn line to go around the tree. Most importantly you can look forward to opening one gift early as per tradition on Christmas eve. Pops is thankful every single year he gets to spend with you. 

~Giran👏-Christmas presents from him are on lock. You see he developed this tactic after brainstorming some ideas. He’s always buying you anything and everything but he realizes that it takes away from his Christmas gift pool. To combat this, he decided to cutdown on his generosity in the months of September, October, and November. That way, it’ll give him some time to get you a bunch of stuff on Christmas that you DONT already own. Or at least some stuff you don’t already need. 

~Geten❄-Of course he’s number one at hiding how he feels about you. Or maybe more along the line of being a total Tsundere, but believe me he loves you. If that means celebrating this holiday with you then he’s willing to endure it. His grumpy face is getting harder and harder to hide from you. Sometimes you can just barely catch a glimpse of his content smile while you guys build a snowman together. Wanna have some real fun with him? Challenge him to a snow building competition. With his quirk at play you’ll surely lose no matter what, but isn’t it fun to see him bragging his ass off about how he ran circles around your ‘shitty snow project’? 

~Slice💋-She doesn’t hate the holiday, but she DESPISES the cold weather. A lot of her clothes are shorter and sexier by far. Summer is her number one time of the year. Besides, winter dries her skin out, and she hates being under wraps of a thick jacket etc. She can’t even wear her open toed heels!!! Besides that, she’s down for celebrating indoors if you want to. Christmas movies, hot cocoa, and a few make-out sessions are her forte. That’s the best way to do Christmas in her opinion

~Nine🌪-Bake cookies? Sure. Volunteer at shelters? Absolutely. Hang lights around the house/apartment? Yes baby, anything for you. I mean Nine is a ‘yes’ man all year round, but he’s especially willing to agree to things during this time of year. He’s completely whipped for you and there’s nothing wrong with that. He celebrates however you’d like him to do so. There is just one thing he wants to do that he suggested first and that’s either driving slowly through fancy neighborhoods to see their lights up, or going to a Christmas themed petting zoo and feeding carrots to the reindeer. Let’s say he’s a child at heart during this time of year

~Chimera🐺-Literally sees no purpose in celebrating it at all. He’ll do the stuff you want but he’s going to complain the whole way. The only thing he’s big on is saving up his cash and getting you something. The only thing that matters to him is making you happy during the entirety of your relationship (which he hopes is the rest of your lives together). The rest of the stuff he’s just grumbling and putting up with so he can see your smile. 

~Mummy🥋-Christmas? For what? Well okay then, if you say so. Really doesn’t get the point but hey, why not. He’s got nothing better to do. He’s never really celebrated it, His family never really celebrated it either so he’s a little interested in how you get down for it. His favorite thing he developed was this odd present wrapping competition with you. You should already know how good he is at wrapping things due to his quirk (I’m sure he’s shown you how good he is at binding and wrapping stuff before). Add a little competition into anything and he’s ready to do it. Baking competition, Caroling competition, Decorating competition. He’ll even challenge you to who can cuddle each other better. Whatever floats his boat I guess lol

~Gentle Criminal☕-He wants to travel during the holidays with you and he wants to vlog it all. Only if you’re okay with it of course! If you give him the ‘okay’ then he’s whisking you away somewhere overseas for a more extravagant vacation. He ends up spending so much time with you and having so much fun that he stop recording like 3 days in. His reasoning behind travelling is that snow must be so much more fun elsewhere, so of course the rest of the holidays must be as well. In all reality he just wants to make sure you have a fun Christmas. Travelling during it and experiencing different places and cultures are a fun new way to experience the holiday. 

~La Brava📸-Handy with the tech, but mostly with the camera. She amasses an entire compilation of you throughout the day and she’ll stay up all night stitching it together. The day after Christmas comes and she sits you down on the couch to watch it with her. Honestly she’s the sweetest and most dedicated partner that anyone could ask for. The way she treats you makes you thankful not just for spending Christmas with her, but for spending any day of the year with her. 

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

How Not To Fly

Using gifs from multiple movies and cartoons that display some problems with winged characters in media.

(Description: a gif from the Maleficent movie. Maleficent floats stiffly upwards from the ground with her wings slowly sweeping downwards, showing no real weight or effect on her motion.)

Exhibit A: winged character takes off from a standing position, but it's really obvious they’re just strapped into a device that moves them up and everything else is just fake cgi. There’s no jump off the ground and the wings don’t really push them upwards. No hard flaps, just some ethereal floating. This is also seen in hovering where the wings don’t really move at all. What is the point of the wings if they can just float magically? If you go out of your way to create wings that look big enough and strong enough to actually lift a person, commit to it!

(Description: a gif from the Constantine movie of the archangel Gabriel landing on someone. Her wings move in a somewhat realistic way, but they’re really obviously an angled frame with the feathers just sort of draped over them. The individual feathers do not look cohesive, seeming to "dangle" off the wings.)

Exhibit B: dangly feathers. The motion here is okay but it’s another issue I’ve seen with live action wings. Messy feathers that swing like they’re just loosely attached, and they don’t mesh with each other to create a solid wing form. This often also makes the top edge of a wing look way too thick and not tapered, and it’s often paired with very Z-shaped wing joints which look like they forgot to add the muscles and flesh underneath the feathers. Feather shafts do not sit loosely on a wing. They’re embedded in the wing flesh, especially the flight feathers that are rooted in the bones. Feathers also have a particular texture to them which helps them sort of "velcro" together, to avoid having the air get between the feather layers (because that wouldn’t be great).

(Description: a gif of Archangel from the X-men Apocalypse movie. He is just walking forward, but his wings appear to have an extra joint at the shoulder, creating a weird W shape.)

Exhibit C: nonsensical wing shoulders. These wings move alright, he kinda has the dang.h feather problem, and I wish his wing claws pointed down a little more. But my biggest problem is definitely those shoulders. It’s like he has an extra bone that sticks up out of his shoulder blades to create an unnecessary wing anchor and a weird extra joint no bird has. I’ve seen this in other places too. Sometimes birds do kinda look like their have raised shoulders, but it’s not an extra bone, it’s just like how you can raise your shoulders. It just makes the wing connection to the body look stiff and heavy, more like a moving prop than a real body part (especially since he is wearing perfectly normal clothes, how did he get his wings through the back of that heavy leather jacket). The real sad thing is I do remember an older X-men movie that actually did give this character really good looking wings (still not entirely attached to the body, but at least he didn’t have the Z-wing going on.)

(Description: three attached gifs of Hawkwoman from the Justice League cartoon. She is fighting three different villains. In each gif, she flies but her wings don’t really move much and seem more affected by her body motion than her body motion is affected by her wings. Her wings seem only to move at the shoulder, being shaped like classical angel wings that are just permanently folded into a nice arch shape.)

Exhibit D: paddle wings. It’s like they’re just a curved frame with long feathers hanging down. They usually rotate out from the shoulder alone, the tapered shape is kinda floppy and follows her movement, she flies like she is floating, just holding her wings stiffly behind her. It's particularly annoying because unlike the other examples this is a cartoon animation, not cgi on live action. You can argue for the live action limitations and how hard it is to make cgi wings really work there. But a fully cartoon animated work has a little more freedom in the way characters move and I think they could have put more effort into making those wings really function. Or at least be shaped like real wings. Or push the alien factor more instead of using the default classical angel shape.

And I should mention the clothing issue. Pushing wings through slits in the back of normal clothes will not leave them looking like they just have wings outside their clothes. The slits would need to be pretty dang big to fit a pair of wings through (so you may as well just remove the back of the clothes to begin with) and shoving wings through clothing slits would be a huge pain and definitely disrupt the feathers which would then require taking extra time to preen than back into place. So it really is best to avoid that altogether in my opinion. (And again my pet peeve on the lack of tails and having the feathers stop at the base of the wings instead of coming onto the rest of the body.)

So that’s my thoughts on some common issues seen with winged characters in film and TV. I haven’t actually watched all of these myself, but they’re the best gifs I could find (why is it so hard to find quality gifs of winged characters) I do have more gifs I didn't put here, I didn’t want to make this horribly long lol.

Next I will present some gifs I’ve made myself of some basic flight motions. And eventually I’ve got some longer animated things to show as well, but those are taking a while.

[lowkeyjustvibing]

Guess who decided to write more fanfic?

So I took those angsty IBVS headcanons, procrastinated for forever, and have finally figured out how I shall write this.

Also I decided to get some hurt/comfort up in here ‘cuz our favorite school king doesn’t deserve pure distilled pain without getting hugs.

IBVS by onebizarrekai

It was odd to say the least. Edward was known to be arrogant and boisterous, enough so that he drew the attention of anyone and everyone. So it was certainly confusing when the normally loud and proud school king slowly became much more quiet and secluded. No one knew what had caused it but after just a week Edward was an entirely different person. He was jumpy and hardly interacted with anyone outside of his inner circle. Easy to say, this caught the attention of many of the students.

“Hey, you know what’s up with Ed?” Chris asked, “I mean, he hasn’t shown up to any of the meetings and I rarely see him outside of class.”

“I dunno’,” Isaac said, not looking up from his sketchbook, “but yeah, it is a little weird that Mr. High and mighty is all secluded now.”

“I’m just worried.” Chris mumbled and Isaac gave him an odd look, “Hey! Don’t you dare. I just don’t want him to be hurt or something and we haven’t done anything to help him. I know you two don’t have the best relationship but you have to at least be a little concerned.”

After a moment of silence, Isaac sighed and set aside his sketchbook, “Alright, you caught me. Yes I’m a little curious about what’s up with the big guy, but what do you want to do about it? You can’t expect to just ask him what’s wrong and get him to pour out his heart or something. It was already difficult to get him to talk about like, anything aside from supernatural stuff before so I can’t imagine how sheltered about personal stuff he’d be now.”

“Well I’m getting the truth out of him one way or another.” Chris responded, standing up and grabbing his jacket.

“You should try asking Barry if he knows anything, he and Quinton are pretty close.”

Chris just nodded before waving goodbye and leaving to go find Barry.

-------

“I don’t know what’s wrong either.” Barry said sadly, “He doesn’t even come over anymore.”

Chris groaned in frustration, falling onto his back and frightening a nearby cat, “Great, so NO ONE knows.”

They both just sat there for a minute, neither of them wanting to break the silence.

“It’s just so frustrating!” Chris groaned, digging his palms into his eye sockets, “I mean, it’s not like the answer is just going to just waltz through the door!”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from the kitchen and they both jumped. They glanced at each other and then tensed upon hearing the back door fly open and shut.

“Hello?” Barry called.

There was no response and Chris stood up, a fuzzy outline of a blade hovering next to his hand. Barry followed him as they slowly walked into the kitchen to see what was happening. 

“Hey!” Chris called, “Who’s there?”

There was a quiet sniffle and then a weak voice responded, “S-sorry for j-just walking in...”

Barry blinked a few times before stepping forward, “Ed?”

Sure enough, the once proud school king was hidden in the corner hugging his knees to his chest. He was shaking and breathing unevenly and looked like a mess.

“Holy cow Ed,” Barry muttered, walking over quickly, “what happened?”

When he tried to reach out to comfort his obviously distressed friend, Edward flinched back, “D-don’t t-touch me p-please...”

Chris stepped forward, “Are you OK?”

Edward shook his head, barely stifling a sob.

“Is there anything we can do?” Barry asked.

“W-water.” Edward croaked, wiping his face with his sleeve.

It was then that Chris noticed that the other was wearing thick gloves and extra layers.

“Are you cold?” He asked, “I can get you a blanket.”

Edward shook his head slightly and Barry returned with a glass of water.

“Here.” He said, carefully handing it to Edward without touching him.

After confirming that he wasn’t hurt or anything, Chris and Barry walked back to the living room to give him some space.

“Did you see how much stuff he was wearing?” Chris asked, “He looks like he’s planning to go to Antarctica or something.”

Barry thought for a moment, “He said he didn’t want to be touched, maybe that’s part of it?”

Chris nodded, “But it’s weird, he was never this paranoid about being touched. Heck, he used to drag Isaac into closets. What changed?”

“That’s something he’s going to have to tell us.”

-------

After Edward finally calmed down enough to talk, Chris and Barry began rapid firing questions at him.

“Are you OK?”

“What happened?”

“Why were you so freaked out?”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“H-hey!” Edward stuttered, “I appreciate the concern but just... One at a time or something.”

Barry was the first to speak, “What happened?”

This seemed to catch the other off guard, “Well, umm... I just- Umm...”

“Here,” Chris interrupted, “let’s break it down a little, did someone do this to you?”

After a bit of hesitation, Edward nodded.

“Who?” The other two asked simultaneously.

“N-” Edward flinched, “E-emo kid...”

“Nevin?!” Chris asked incredulously and Edward flinched again.

Barry only grew more concerned, “What did he do?”

“H-he’d catch me a-after school and beat m-me up...” Edward mumbled, seeming to shrink into himself, “I-it sorta’ became an e-everyday thing. I’d get out of class and h-he’d drag me off somewhere and...”

“Holy...” Chris muttered, “Edward I- Oh my gosh... I’m so sorry man.”

At this, Edward broke and started crying. It took every ounce of self control in both of them not to rush forward and comfort their friend.

Barry rested a hand on Chris’s shoulder, “I’ll take care of him, could you go talk to Nevin?”

Chris nodded, his worry instantly forgotten as he was filled with anger and determination, “Of course. Take care of him while I’m gone.”

And with that, he was off again, this time with a burning sense of purpose.

--------

Chris knocked on the door to the Jovel’s house (To be fair, pounding would be a better word). After a few moments, none other than Nevin opened the door. He looked bored and vaguely annoyed, like Chris had just inconvenienced him.

“‘Sup Chris?” He asked nonchalantly.

At the completely unfazed tone, Chris couldn’t help the slight flicker of a knife appearing at his side.

“Well,” He said through gritted teeth, “I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

Nevin gave him a suspicious look, probably noticing his tone, before moving aside, “Then come on in.”

“I’d rather not.” Chris muttered.

“Oh?” Nevin responded, “But I insist.”

Chris finally snapped. He grabbed Nevin and after yanking him out onto the porch, pinned him against the outside wall. Before the other could even speak, there was a bright red blade inches from his throat. 

After recovering, Nevin finally spoke, “Oh, this was unexpected.”

“How DARE you.” Chris hissed, the knife edging just a hair closer.

Nevin gave him a confused look, “How dare I what?”

“You know what!” Chris spat, “Here, I’ll help you out. Two words, Edward. Quinton.”

Nevin looked at him for a moment before he burst out laughing. It took all of Chris’s willpower not to give Nevin a taste of his own medicine and beat him up.

“Oh I forgot about that!” He wheezed, “That was fun! Can’t believe you’re actually worried about that guy.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to him?” 

“Oh please, inform me.” Nevin drawled, once again looking bored and inconvenienced.

Chris felt his eye twitch and he dropped Nevin, “OK, how about I give you a demonstration then?”

As the other stood up, Chris noticed that his eye had turned to the unnatural cyan color indicating that his powers were activated. Then, to his surprise, a thick black liquid seemed to materialize on his shorter opponent.

“You want a fight?” Nevin said, grinning wildly, “You got one.”

-------

Meanwhile, Edward was sitting with Barry on his couch watching a movie. It took a while, but Barry eventually managed to convince his friend that he wasn’t going to be hurt. Not long after that, Edward was practically on top of him, furiously denying that the action meant anything. About halfway through the movie, the front door slammed open and Edward screeched before falling off the couch.

“Chris?” Barry called and received an affirmative grunt in response. 

After hearing him struggle for a bit and mutter something about octopi, Chris finally walked into the living room.

Barry jumped up at the sight of him, “Holy-! I’ll go get my kit, stay right there!”

Chris groaned before flopping face first onto the couch. He was covered in cuts, bruises, and odd patches of black slime.

Edward looked worried, “Are you OK?”

“Peachy.” Chris responded, turning to look at him, “How ‘bout you?”

“Better than you I suppose.”

Barry got back with some medical supplies and started fussing over Chris. While he was getting cleaned up, Chris explained how he got into a fight with Nevin and “Taught that crazy goop lord a lesson”. Barry didn’t even question that statement, just telling Chris to go take a shower before he made even more of a mess.

“Want to finish the movie?” Edward asked after hearing the upstairs bathroom door close.

“Sure.” Barry responded, “Just let me clean off the couch first.”

-------

By the time Chris finally finished showering, realized he didn’t have spare clothes, and was supplied some sweats and a T-Shirt by Barry, it was already dark.

Chris swore quietly, “My dad’s gonna’ kill me when I get back. I should probably go before he gets even more mad.”

“Oh heck with your dad!” Edward shouted from the kitchen, “He’s gonna’ be pissed whether you go back now or a week from now! How ‘bout we all just hang out here for the night?” 

Barry shrugged, “Sounds good to me.”

Chris was dumbfounded, “B-but I need to-”

“Ah shut up ya’ nerd.” Edward said, sauntering out of the kitchen, “You already had quite the day so there’s no point in going home just to get chewed out by your dad.”

“Besides,” Barry interjected, “I don’t think he’d miss that you’re wearing someone else’s clothes.” Chris flushed slightly at that statement, “I’ll toss your clothes in the washer and you can go back tomorrow looking like nothing happened.”

“OK...” Chris mumbled, still embarrassed.

After Barry left to put Chris’s clothes in the laundry, Edward jumped onto the couch, bouncing once and then burying his face in a pillow. Chris just grabbed the blanket and sat down on the other side of the couch, wrapping himself in it. Then, to his surprise, Edward grabbed a corner of the blanket and yanked on it, pulling Chris (Who had a death grip on said blanket) onto him.

“‘M cold.” Edward muttered, yanking on the blanket a few more times.

Chris was conflicted and incredibly flustered. On one hand, he wanted that blanket and on the other, he wanted to apologize for nearly falling on top of his new friend. Edward didn’t seem to mind though. In fact, he seemed quite content. It took a few moments of mental struggle for Chris to decide that being warm under the blanket was worth more than apologizing profusely. Barry finally got back, stifling a laugh at the sight of an unconscious Edward practically cuddling a very flustered Chris.

“Help!” Chris whispered.

Barry just grinned and sat next to them, “Sorry buddy, I’ve learned from experience that there’s no escaping Ed when he’s in a cuddly mood.”

With that, Barry grabbed a corner of the blanket and pulled some onto his legs before leaning up against the arm of the couch. Chris sputtered a bit before succumbing to his fate and deciding to just get some sleep, almost instantly passing out.

---------

Anyways, I’m too lazy to write it out but Chris totally wakes up to Edward and Barry acting like an old married couple and giving each other kisses while they’re cooking. But yeah, I decided to write some good ol’ Edward angst and accidentally turned it into a poly ship, so sue me. 

[prettywarriors]

Fate The Winx Commentary

Good morning internet! Today is the drop of Winx: Riverdale edition! I sure hope you're ready for my aggressive and unnecessary commentary, because it is coming for you either way!

The netflix landing page lets us know:

Fate The Winx Saga

6 episodes, 48-53 minutes each

"Genres: Fantasy TV Shows, Teen TV Shows, Italian TV Shows"

"This show is: Emotional"

As mentioned elsewhere, my Winx knowledge is limited, so I will be coming into this fairly fresh and will try to be unbiased. As I have seen trailers, the keyword here is Try.

Episode 1

'To the Waters and the Wild'

CW: Animal Death, Swears, Implied Child Death, Blood, Implied Teen Sex, Burns, Weed, Fatphobia, Whatever the term pussie falls under

Episode 1 TL;DR: We meet everyone, learn their dynamics, have the basics of the magic system beat into us, meet our monsters, and name drop Harry Potter. Standard first episode stuff.

I do want it on record before we start that I got about halfway into the first season of Riverdale, and the first season of Netflix Sabrina. They were, well, bland and boring imo? I did get through a few seasons of Teen Wolf, but that's because it was capable of Fun and Jokes. My current expectations are a few unintentionally funny lines, maybe some almost decent magic effects, and because it's 2021, one whole gay character (I did hear one of the boys (there are boys?) is bi, but also an asshole so I'm hoping for some wlw)

TV-MA LANGUAGE AND SMOKING OH FUCKING BOY Almost full moon (waxing) in opening shot- I Will be tracking moon inconsistencies if it keeps showing up that is a pet peeve but hey look a bunch of sheep That's a good start (it's ominous though. don't hurt the sheep) Swears count: Feckin' 2 Mystical portal barrier. Oh yeah s5 of the magicians is on netflix now WELP THOSE ARE SHEEP GUTS RIGHT OUT THE GATE HUH For CW it's up a tree, and the dripping blood is a good warning of what's about to be seen :( oh and then the man who was looking for the sheep dies offscreen save for a spray of blood. THIS ISN'T YOUR CHILD'S WINX CLUB it seems to say. I assume. How much blood was in the original winx because this is already at least a full cup. (Also the monster noises for whatever was chasing the man (werewolf it was a werewolf trailers are bad guys) were not very good)

Opening credit scene is 5-6 different blooming elemental wings. They're pretty, but it's unclear if the last one is secret 6th member wings (because the second to last ones are fire which is the main character's element right?) so maybe we'll get a late 6th addition? (I am in I.T. please give me the most relatable character you cowards)

KIDS IN THE CORNER BY AMBER VAN DAY PLAYING I like where they shot this but that might just be european woods pretty. The opening location was nice and mossy save for the sheep blood Fancy big stone school establishing shots (it's nice, and huge) and we land on a red head who seems less than pleased to be here Courtyard shot of... whatever the name of the replacment plant girl is, holding a tray of various potted plants for an older man (father? first day of school send off maybe?) Aisha(?) walks by, not talking to anyone, Stella(?) is taking Magical!Selfies with at least 3 other girls, Musa(?) has a suitcase and headphones and smiles at a passing girl Oh boy a boy with a pocketknife doing little tricks with it! Nothing says edgy like an actual knife edge. Gonna take this moment to point out I have some level of face blindness and while the girls all look fairly different from one another, if there is more than one tall blonde white boy as I fear there may be, I WILL NOT be able to tell them apart. Not through maliciousness, just general incompetence, so anything I say about the boy characters (I want to say they're the knights to the girl's faeries? is that right? this whole thing smacks of gender) should be taken with a heap of salt I've come to accept tv just. displaying text messages on screen as a storytelling method. It's never my favorite but it just Is a modern story element. Also Bloom needs to meet stella at the alfea gates Alfea I presume is the school- does the name mean something? It sure feels like the word elf and therefore fae but I don't feel like googling anything this early in Oh look two more blondish tall white boys. Pocketknife was wearing something else i think, one guy has a brown jacket and pink shirt (bad combo), the other looks old even by tv highschool/college standards and his jacket has a jock vibe. Jock jacket also has an earring? Is this the bi character who is an asshole? From this one second of him, only in profile, I will assume yes, he is an asshole I like Bloom's backpack Pink shirt looks at Bloom from across the quad. I am already tired of this romance Cool he walks up to someone he has identified as lost, and is 'impressed with [her] confidence in the face of complete ignorance' COMING OUT OF THE GATE WITH A NEGG HUH PINKY He even states he wasn't offering help Then Why Are You Talking To Her Jackass Subs are going with the fairy spelling, and Bloom confirms she is a fairy and we confirm this is College. Unless this is a european thing where they call schools different things. I think that's just for public and private? And maybe just england? I'm American all they teach us is 1492-ww1 over and over for like. 10 years sorry Rest of the World 'What Realm are you from?' 'California' Speaking of ameri-centric, I'm gonna Guess that original Winx, the italian cartoon, didn't have their main character be from cali usa? I am presuming this is a side effect of making this property for a more global distribution than I'm guessing winx was originally conceived as back in the early 00s The Otherworld. I assume this is the fairy realm and whatnot? And the magic school. Seems to be located behind a magical barrier in the earth realm?? If that's right it seems weird if basically everyone who goes to the school is from the otherworld Pinky doubles down on his rudeness but in a Fun and Cute way because :/ and the Specialist hall is Very Pretty, oh and there's a fairy hall. Are specialists the boy...things? magi knights? bros of the blade? guys who wear those 'here come a special boy' sneakers from that one comic? Stella sees this conversation which is great because they drop the term mansplain. why would otherworlders know that term even??? Edgey(?) sees Pinky and they hug it out Stella knows Americans are the type to wander off so I guess there's a lot of inter-world connections?

Miss Dowling- is this teacher going to be like the pedo in riverdale who got *checks notes* killed off by one of multiple serial killers later on? Dowling is the headmistress, gotta keep the otherworld a secret from earthers, time and place for portal making. all standard fantasy stuff so far, nothing to make this stand out Stella has a gateway ring, and frankly isn't too nice? all the backgrounders clothing is Bland and very normal 7 realms of the otherworld, Solaria is where Alfea is, i like magic globe Incase you forgot this was a modern tale, people update their insta stories here. 'I was kindof bummed I didn't see a single pair of wings' YOU AND ME BOTH BLOOM 'We had wings in the past, transformation was lost, tinkerbell was an air fairy' This is either a cop out for your glittery cowardice, or a set up for the main girls re-finding transformation magic later. I did like the Tink bit Bloom is a fire fairy and the subtext of this conversation is that bloom's magic did Something bad. I hope it was burn down her old school's gym a la buffy movie I like miss Dowling but in the I wouldn't Be Surprised if you turned out to be Evil way, and I guess Alfea is a very privileged upper crust school. What types of college do normal fairies go to then huh? damn privileged fairies 'our students have gone on to do amazing things like re-discover long lost magics' We Get It. You will give me Wings, but Only If I'm Patient Dowling throws a jab at Bloom about power control, but I like her necklace so It's Fine

Bloom video calls her parents while unpacking in the dorm, which may have come pre-fit with a heck ton of board games? Love it. Or new plant girl brought them along with her many plants Stella has a fancy mirror and lots of jewelry and fashion photos and makeup, Musa has a laptop and apparently not much else, gotta get those establishing personalities down I guess 'Ladies of the Flies honey don't be sexist' Bloom's dad for feminist of the year (these jokes are bad but i guess we can call it a dad joke as justification) Asiha gives Bloom a look and saves her from the call with her parents- yay friendship step one achieved Blooms parents think she's in the alps because magic secrets and what not Aisha asks bloom if she's never read harry potter and I guess Bloom is a potterhead (that's the term right?). Is this self awareness that all magical school fantasy series have the same basic bricks?  Bloom is a ravenclaw sometimes slytherin, Aisha is a Gryffindor Stella is changing because she's the fashion one and has a fun pastel rainbow skirt, and uses magic to make a real aggressive lamp. She's also a mentor (maybe older than the others by a bit?) I am assuming Stella here is something along the lines of a diplomats daughter the way she talks about appearances. She better get down and dirty later on to show her growth about how some things are more important than looks yada yada Fairy magic powered by strong emotions, i am waiting for bloom's backstory to be movie x-men rogue style tragedy Terra! Which. Of course is the Plant Fairy's name. Stella is a little mean to her about the plants and she takes it with a smile and some subtle snark back using classic literature Oh that's fun Terra points out the name-plant thing, and name drops her cousin Flora. That's. The one they replaced with Terra right? Terra's dad works in the greenhouse at the school which explains earlier (and her mum is named rose) Stella is indeed a second year and Musa's eyes change for. Lie detecting magic? and loves her headphones (Overstimulation?) Aisha wants somewhere to swim and we cut to a 'pond' by specialist training. Assuming she wants to sim because she's a water fairy, why Don't they have a pool? also this pond looks. Unpleasant for swimming

Girl specialist! Does that mean we have boy fairies? Boys. Fighting. Talking about girls. All gingers are nuts. Thanks edgelord AMAZING SHAGS THOUGH 'I didn't realize your hand was a red-head' it's not truly edge if we don't talk about sex every 10 minutes Subtitles earlier only said boy 1 boy 2 but now pinky or edgy is Riv Edgy smokes weed, and pinky is a big brother figure to him, and the head? of the special boys doesn't like edgy. Me neither older guy Bit of swordplay, more girls, every specialist has black training outfits, very military Pinky is Sky who is son of Guy of Place. an important lad. without context this is meaningless to me There's a giggly boy who laughs at the idea of a war in the future and gets a talking to. I suspect this boy will be re-occurring enough to die- he has those tertiary character elements with his intro and such (and he's black so I am prepared for your standard racist murder choices) Burned Ones exist outside the barrier, which makes me wonder if dead shepard was in the otherworld? There was nothing establishing that he was in any type of Other place but :/ Oh look edgey is having a smoke cross the barrier while we learn about the creatures that live beyond it. Time to find out these creatures no one young has ever seen are still kicking Specialist leader had to kill his own pa after a burned one got him. They also. Used a shotgun when trying to fight it. Do specialists even have powers or are they just good with weapons? Edgey finds the shepards corpse. Mostly blood 'it's been 16 years since the last sighting' 'Rosalind killed all the burned ones' ahh magical creature genocide hey when is abarat 4 coming out. and is rosalind hot?

School, gossip, Aisha and Musa are snarking at Tera for thinking the guy died of natural causes because we need to have these characters not actually like each other to make it stand out when they do Aisha talks about how she eats a lot and if she didn't swim she'd be massive and we cut to the plus sized tera looking uncomfortable are we really doing this? Tera points out that Musa was ignoring her earlier and it's all just uncomfortable and not great character conflict (but I thought I saw Musa holding an honest to god ipod? it's blue but it could be a phone case. Her hand is in the way) tera and dad interaction is nice, i'm also convinced they couldn't afford more than 3 magic adults

Girl with braids and metal in her hair! There were witches in winx right? Like 3 minor antagonist girls? I assume this is one of them. Because she has alternative fashion and is therefore evil /s Beatrix. Names in this series leave something to be desired (that something is subtly. I get it, they're carry overs from a series for a younger audience, she-ra had the same issue, but i can still poke fun) Swear count: Arsehole 2 Bollocks 1 Shit 1 She's a weird ass kissing with clearly ulterior motives

Bloom is Studying and her notebook is just FAIRY MAGIC POWER = EMOTIONS LOVE FEAR? HARTED? FIRE FAIRY CONTROL? in case you weren't paying attention Oh a flashback already to the magic triggering event? Her mother had pointed out she's an introvert, and past!Bloom doesn't Party. She goes Antiquing and is a Weird Loner (her 'basic bitch' of a mom's words) Swear count: Bitch 1 Bad daughter count: 1 Bad mother count: 1 Magic glowy eyes for Bloom: 1

Bloom Hates Parties and asks Pinky I mean Sky where she can be Away from People and he fears he'll be Mansplaing to her to. vague that it's dangerous outside instead of saying 'hey there's monsters and someone was just killed by possible one of them stay in the barrier' Stella wants to talk to Sky because they have History. I did hear there was a love triangle between these three. I am bored and everyone at this party is a nosey bitch who is watching their tense conversation. Also Something? Happens when Stella gets upset [mystical warbling] Random magic effects in the (very pretty) forest Bloom is trying to practice her magic on her own, and to do that she's gotta look at sad teen pics. And look, her burnt bedroom from her first power usage The fire magic is pretty good. I think fire is like. the opposite of water when it comes to cg where it almost always looks pretty good, while I swear i've seen the actual ocean look like a shitty render Magic out of control, bloom can't control her emotions, Aisha can stop her with water magic which makes some nice steam Bloom is angry at aisha for saving her. So far 3 of the 5 girls are abrasive at best remember when people made characters likeable? Swear count: Shit 1 (but it doubles as the literal meaning because of flooded toilets) Swear count: Bitch 1 Ass 1 Taking away your teen's door is. Really shitty. Not almost burn down your house worthy but damn cheerleader mom I do not understand sleep shirts with buttons. That seems painful if you lie the wrong way? Her mom was seriously burnt by first magic usage that's a backstory Shit count +1 Main character aspect time: dormant fairy blood line? awfully strong magic for that. baby who died day after it was born and now she's here? ...I was going to say changeling thanks aisha A Barbaric practice loving hints at long term world lore Hell is a bad word for kids!! Cutting to headmistress and her secret passage after finding out bloom is secret pureblood? this really is a harry potter thing

edgelord offers giggly some booze, and says pussies twice because he's Edgey and does peer pressure Tera calls him out and knows he's a sad nerd in disguise not a 'badass' and he says she's 'three people in disguise' because fatphobia shit +1 arehole +1 tera. chokes out edgelord with a vine because she's had enough of this shit. good for her edgelord is Riv, and he lived

OBLIGATORY GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE TERM CHANGELING REMEMBER BELLA'S VAMPIRE GOOGLE GOD I LOVE TEEN FANTASY AND THEIR INSTANCE ON GOOGLING COMMON FANTASY TERMS OH hey the lamp bloom brought with her is the one she was fixing at home that's a nice touch Stella bonds with Bloom about homesickness, and the takes a selfie Musa is a mind fairy. So she. Is a telepath with purple eye magic? Oh there's types of 'connections' Memory, thought (others but i am cut off from the lore) Stella did Something to someone who Talked To Her Man last year and now lent Bloom her teleportation ring to send her some because miss mentor really cares more about her shitty man then helping the girls she's in charge of First World- earth Old Cemetery? Very Sexy. and bloom sweetie don't leave a mystical gateway open, and how will you explain to your parents how you're back so fast Wait she's only 16? SO this really is some european college where that's a funny way of saying High School Fire guilt, bad feelings about life shattering revelations, better connection with mother. I gotta say I have low expectations of this show carrying the family connection through the rest of this. That conversation felt more like a Hey We Made These Movements Onto Other Stuff Now

Lighting choices are interesting, with green, orange and purple for creepy warehouse. THE Creepy Warehouse where she would sleep without her parent's knowledge wow right that GIRL DROPS THE DAMN RING AT THE FIRST SIGN OF burned one looked more alien than werewolf-y here Decent Horror movie looks, and dude stole her ring. Rude. Saved by the headmistress, and tera/aisha/musa are here to great her Stella can't be here though because she has to greet a half naked freshly showered sky because life is suffering and producers insist people like to see teens half naked (who. Who?) shit +1 and she dumped him. pity part of one and using it to try to get your bone on. HEY A SONG I KNOW. IT'S WHATSITCALLED FROM THE BAYONETTA COMMERCIALS WAY BACK WHEN. in for the kill la roux. I do wish netflix would either commit to telling you what song was playing or didn't tell you at all

Riv offers Beatrix a hit from his joint because what Is a Bad Kid hasn't changed in like 70 years Blowing pot smoke into someone's mouth isn't as sexy as ya'll seem to think it is Musa has cute sleep socks with little pom poms, and I love Tera's floral jammies Tera offers a bluetooth speaker so they can listen to music together Musa also calls out Tera's fake happiness this is the good shit character interaction i live for Musa Empath Mind Fairy 'somber indie music'

If you kill a burned one in the human world Something? Extra bad happens? So the headmistress knows Bloom's a changeling, and ohhh that's the last time a burned one was spotted. Is Rosalind the famed Monster Slayer the birth mother of Bloom? Tera text flirts with Giggly who IS NAMED DANE and has a thing for. Sky? Riv? I told you these boys all look the same to me so if it's a half naked pic on fairy insta i'm out of context clues. Crymeariv is the insta name that answers that. Is this the slow burn enemies to lover mlm i can't finish this sentence i don't care riv is a dick Stella and Sky are in a bed and she doesn't seem to have a top on so Implied sexy times? MYSTERIOUS HOODED AND ROBED FIGURE CROSSES THROUGH THE BARRIAR AND SHOOTS THE BURNED ONE WITH LIGHTNING MAGIC OH IT'S beatrix

alt-J – Adeline as an ending song

[romanianwilkinson]

LESS IS MORGUE SENTENCE STARTERS

A collection of quotes from the podcast Less is Morgue, episodes 101 and 102. Feel free to change pronouns/wording as desired. CONTENT WARNING(S) FOR: Crude, gore, cannibalism, drugs, death.

“ Oh my gosh, so they can hear me? ”

“ Hey! How is everybody doing? What's Earth been like since I died!? ”

“ Do people still say “Cool beans”? ”

“ In 2012, a Florida man died after consuming two-dozen live roaches in a competition - this is fifteen fewer than my personal best. ”

“ Let’s keep this tight, the pizza guy will be here any minute now. ”

“ What toppings did you get this time? ”

“ We need to get to some kind of point, or the reviews are gonna tear us a new one! ”

“ I apologize for being the first person to diss Nickelback. ”

“ At least they played it as you were lowered into the grave, in front of all your friends and loved ones. That must’ve been cathartic. ”

“ You were already in the afterlife at that point, right? ”

“ Well, I filled out my paperwork for sixteen years. ”

“ Every time you tell me this, I just can’t imagine an amount of paperwork that would take sixteen years. ”

“ Oh, I could ace that. I remember everything. ”

“ On this day, five years ago, I ate two dead rats and half a pound of Chef Boyardee’s canned unicorn meat. ”

“ [NAME], you know I eat way more than eight spiders a year. ”

“ I ate her corpse out of her grave. ”

“ To be fair, I had no idea that being eaten by a ghoul would mean that my sixteen years of paperwork would be for nothing. It’s okay though, I still had seven years left to go. ”

“ Why did you eat my body, anyway? ”

“ In hindsight, the gaping wounds probably would have been easier to manage than this. ”

“ I don’t want the deep state to know any of those things about me. ”

“ Personally, I think the rules of this whole haunting thing are nebulous bullshit. ”

“ That’s like asking who’s a better blind date than Jeffrey Dahmer. The answer being: literally anyone but Jeffrey Dahmer. ”

“ [NAME]! [NAME]! Stop! You’re killing the pizza man! ”

“ There’s blood everywhere, [NAME]! Jesus! Why did you do that!? ”

“ He entered my space without warning me! It was self-defense! ”

“ No, no. I think the rules are different when “eaten by ghoul” is the cause of death. He’s probably in the great DMV in the sky already. ”

“ That - in addition to my hefty child support bills - is why I’m shilling Agamemnon Condoms, the only brand willing to overlook my many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many transgressions. ”

“ No, but these are probably the kinds of questions you should ask yourself BEFORE killing random people. ”

“ It’s not ridiculous! You just have to remember not to murder everyone so hard when you meet them! ”

“ Name five people you know that aren’t dead. Family don't count. ”

“ Come on! This is the one thing we didn't want to happen! ”

“ Please don't undermine me in front of the dead pizza guy. ”

“ I physically can't stop anything, which is something you're probably gonna understand soon. ”

“ We used to call it Hell, but the underworld is a little more tourist-friendly. ”

“ Well, [NAME], me and my associates have been crunching the numbers regarding the fate of your immortal soul, and you, my friend, are Hellbound. ”

“ Okay so, just last week you illegally downloaded three movies that are still in theatres. ”

“ So you're sending me to hell...for piracy? ”

“ Now, come along, we just finished polishing the slide covered in razor blades. ”

“ I mean, it's better than literal Hell. ”

“ Wait, was that it? I’m not complaining, but I feel like you should have done more to torment us. ”

“ I think we should probably wrap this puppy up. We digressed, we forgot to plug our socials, we committed second degree murder - ”

“ So no demons, no murder, no digressing. ”

“ Do you have any idea how hard it is to scrub ghost audio out of a file? ”

“ In Tokyo, you can pay the Family Romance Corporation to imitate your friends, co-workers, and loved ones. Me? I do it for free. ”

“ Who told you about Instagram? Wait, doesn't matter. ”

“ Only we could go from having too many guests to not enough guests in the span of a minute. ”

“ This jerk can’t even see me, [NAME]! ”

“ As a soothsayer, I can say the sooth, the whole sooth, and nothing but the sooth. ”

“ A witch will take your bones. ”

“ Beware the ukulele. Nothing good will come of it. ”

“ I was just getting to that! Point is, I heard tell that this basement is haunted. ”

“ Don’t mock me with your pity. ”

“ He literally doesn’t know...anything. It’s almost impressive. ”

“ Fuck this, I can’t die now, think of my investments! ”

“ I’m living in the real world - and that means avoiding disappointment by having subterranean expectations! ”

“ I feel like maybe you’re just used to people treating you badly so you always assume the worst. Sometimes, good things just happen. ”

“ Sorry I’m late. A Shoggoth was blocking Oak Street so I had to take the long way round. ”

“ You didn't tell me he was a zombie! ” “ I thought it was implied, with the whole "brains" thing. ”

“ So anyway, one day they brought in this rare Sumatran Rat Monkey that some collector wanted to buy, but the little bastard got loose and just ate my face off my skull. ”

“ Should have been expected, really - the mortality rate for employees at that PetSmart is super high, especially after they started selling those flesh-eating scarab beetles and the goldfish that can control your thoughts. ”

“ Overworked? Underappreciated? Harboring a dark soul full of terrible secrets? Then go to Hell! Literally! ”

“ You know, people are always saying that the wages of sin is death, but who can afford to die in this economy? ”

“ You like it hot? We’ll literally boil your fucking skin off. You like dogs? Ours have three heads! That’s triple the dog! ”

“ You may or may not have the time of your life! ”

“ I think I’ve got a family of dead opossums in the freezer to tide me over… ”

“ You barely even look dead, honestly! ”

“ Did you know there are whole twitter accounts that just have pictures of dogs? I hadn't seen a dog in sixteen years, then boom, dogs everywhere! ”

“ Dogs driving cars - can you believe that? Can you believe that there's a dog out there that can drive? I mean, how did the dogs learn how to drive? Is there a doggy driving school? I bet every dog that goes to driving school just aces it, because dogs are good at everything. ”

“ I am a mistake of nature, a mad beast. ”

“ STOP EATING OUR GUESTS! ”

“ Stop invoking fate to excuse your mistakes! ” “ It’s my right as an American! ”

“ That’s no excuse, I’ve been dead for over ten years, and I’m here! ”

“ So she likes to indulge in a little of the devil’s lettuce… Or even a lot of the devil’s lettuce, who are we to judge? ”

“ I can do a really awesome metal scream. ”

“ Are you speaking to the goat again? ”

“ Goats are pretty cool, I guess. But also not real. ”

“ I wouldn't make a habit of doing this. It’s kinda creepy. ”

“ Sorry, sorry, I haven’t used a body in sixteen years, I'm a little rusty. ”

“ Just don't break it. I don't need anymore ghosts in here. ”

“ I don't think I could have possessed her for much longer. It’s not a good feeling. ”

“ What I’d give to live in your world, [NAME], it always sounds so much nicer than mine. ”

“ Don’t make me call an exorcist, [NAME]… ”

[willddheartt]

Just Let Me Love You to Death | Randall Carpio

Summary: The where they realize they’re more than friends and have been since day one. 

Inspired by: Just Let Me Love You to Death - Chord Overstreet

Word count: 2.9k

Masterlist

I know you're troubled about Changes that are weighing you down When life just ain't fair It's okay to be scared Nobody's that figured out

The weight of your Freshman exams had really been retting to you, spending most of your time locked away in your dorm cramming every last bit of information before your next exam. By the end of the week, you were burnt out and tired. On top of it all, you were beginning to feel like you chose the wrong major and it was far too late to change it. 

“I know you’re in there, y/n,” A voice accompanied by knocking came through the door. “You have a key, Randall,” You yelled back, not bothering to get up from your bed to greet him.  “Woah,” was the first thing he said upon entering the room, you had pages and papers everywhere. The exam stress wasn’t hard to see. “You look like you need a nap,” Randall said, sitting at the edge of your bed  “Nah,” You mumbled, looking at the time on your phone, “Had an energy drink about an hour ago, I’m good,” You shook your head  “Your next exam isn’t until next week,” Randall shook his head at you, “I’m sure you can take a small break and come get lunch with me,”  His smile was almost enough to make you cave right on the spot, but you convinced yourself that you needed all the time you could get to study for this next exam. Your grade now was almost failing and if you did poorly on the exam you’d definitely fail. “I really have to study,” You shook your head  “If you don’t take a break your brain is going to get fried,” Randall sighed, grabbing your notebook and pen from your hands. You almost put up a fight but were too tired.  “Get dressed, we’re going to lunch,” He said leaving no room for argument. 

“Have you been sleeping?” Randall asked, looking at you with worry from across the table at The Blade and Chalice You shook your head, “No, at least not much,” you rested your head in your hands, “The most I’ve been getting is two, three hours at the most,”  The boy shook his head at you, his brows laced together with concern, “That’s not good, you know,”  You nodded, “I’m aware,”  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Randall asked  “It’s just the exams,” You shrugged, “I can’t help the stress,”  “You’re going to come over tonight, and take a break from all the notes, and get a decent night’s sleep. I’m not taking no as an answer,” He pointed at you, dark brown eyes looking into yours  “Yessir,” You nodded. 

And I know a place we can hide Paint our own world full of life Ride off in the sunset Get lost in the moment Even if it's just tonight

You almost forgot how it felt to lounge around, doing nothing for an evening. For the past two weeks, you were cramming and preparing for the upcoming exams and hadn’t given yourself a break once.  Although you’d never tell him, you were thankful that Randall pulled you away from your books for the night, it was refreshing to be outside of your dorm for once.  He brought you over to the packhouse and set a strictly ‘No Exams’ rule, you couldn’t talk about the exams, and he even took your phone so you couldn’t see if any marks came back. Some might call what he did evil, but he was right, you needed a break. 

The late afternoon slipped away into the late-night right before your eyes. You and Randall spent the evening watching movie after movie, one right after another, as you curled up in his queen size bed with him laying right behind you and his laptop set up on a pillow so the both of you could see. You hadn’t realized how sleep deprived you actually had become until you finally passed out, Randall noticed and turned the volume down on his laptop and pulled a blanket over the two of you, his arm finding its way around your waist as he closed his eyes to fall asleep as well.  If you would have known the night was going to come to an end so quickly, you would have savoured it a little more. As the bright morning sun woke you up, you rolled over onto your back waking up slowly.  Randall was still asleep next to you, his arm lazily slung around you. Seeing him asleep was a rare sight, he always got up before you no matter what, he looked peaceful, and dare you say a little cute. Reading the time on his alarm clock it was only 6:30 AM, you could roll over and go back to sleep for a few more hours. Thanking the gods, you curled into Randall’s side and drifted back to sleep, to truly rest up for the rest of the week. This was the first night in a week that you slept properly. 

Baby, sink in this bed Stare with me at the ceiling Let's lay here catching our breath And if we slip away While we're high on the feeling I promise we won't have regrets If you just let me love you to death

Finally, exams were over and you finally felt like you could breathe again. You fell backwards onto the bed, and let out a sigh.  “You did it, how do you feel?” Randall asked, sitting at the bottom of his bed.  “I never want to do that again,” You laughed as you sat up to face him.  “Well it does get easier, at least the stress goes away slightly,” He chuckled, “I remember my freshman year was hell I didn’t study and almost bombed out,”  “Randall not studying,” You gasped, “Wow, never heard of it,”  He shook his head, “I put in the work over the semester now so I don’t have to cram all exam week, you should take some notes,” Randall smirked  “Ugh, no more notes for a while, please,” You cringed, laying down on his bed. 

Randall followed your actions, laying down beside you. You both laid on your backs, looking up at the ceiling, your phone was quietly playing shuffled music, almost lulling you to sleep. Subconsciously you slowly inched closer to the boy until your sides were pressed together. When he noticed Randall slipped his arm under your back and pulled you closer so you were resting your head on his chest and his arm now snaked around your waist.  “This is nice,” He mumbled  “It is,” You nodded, “Can I stay over tonight?”  “What, don’t wanna be apart of the dorm parties?” Randall chuckled  “Not really,” You shook your head, “I’d much rather chill and sleep,”  “Yeah, you can stay,” He smiled  “Thanks,” You replied as you kissed his cheek 

Just 'cause I ain't one for crowds Don't mean you don't make me proud And I'm a hard pill to take And I'm the first one to say Ain't got it all figured out

As one photo spread around the Belgrave campus, someone caught you and Randall walking just outside of campus one night, the questions arose; were you and Randall Carpio a thing?  Simply put, no. You weren’t anything more than friends, at least officially. 

You hadn’t seen Randall since the photo started going around, although the school could care less if you were a thing with your R.A. the questions you were sure to get form people if they saw the two of you made you want to hide away in your dorm forever.  You pulled the photo up for the millionth time, in the millisecond that had been photographed, you were caught giving his cheek a short kiss as you held hands walking down the street. What everyone didn’t know was that night the two of you were walking around town and a group of creepy douche bags wouldn’t leave you alone, and so, Randall, did what any good friend would do. He played the role of your boyfriend until you got far enough away from the group of guys. 

“Come in!” You shouted in response to knocking on your door.  “Hey,” Randall said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind himself  “Hey,” You replied, glancing up from your notebook quickly to send him a half-smile the looking back down to the paper  “Haven’t heard from you in a while, are you alright?” He asked, sounding concerned. “Just with that thing going around I wanted to check on you,”  You nodded, “I’ve been great,” You said, coming off more sarcastic than you meant, “Sorry,” You immediately mumbled, looking down. 

“I’ve been waiting for this to blow over. It doesn’t matter where I am on campus, someone has to ask the same question I’ve heard a hundred times,” You sighed, leaning back against the headboard of the bed, laying your notebook on your lap. “It’s like they never stop,” Randall nodded sadly, “But it’s nothing about you,” You followed up quickly, seeing how he frowned.  “Seems like it,” He mumbled  “No,” You shook your head, tossing your notebook on the pillow and leaning forward to pull Randall to sit on the bed, “I’d never be embarrassed or anything like that about being seen with you, Randall,” You said, your hands coming up, instinctively, cupping his face, looking into his soft brown eyes as you spoke. “You’re literally amazing and I really do not deserve to have you as my friend, I’d do anything if you needed me to. I can promise you with every part of my soul that I haven’t been avoiding you because of what’s going around.” You finished  “Then why?” He asked  You sighed, looking down and breaking eye contact, “I thought you’d want some space while it’s still going around. I didn’t want to be too clingy and annoying, I imagine you’re also getting the same questions about me, as I am you,”  He brought his hand up to your chin, forcing you to look at him.  “I really don’t care what everyone else is saying about us, y/n. Fuck em,” He mumbled, “They can talk about what they think we are until they’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day we know what we are and that’s all that matters. You’re one of my best friends and I’ve felt lost without you. Hell, let’s give them something to really talk about if you want to,” Randall said, holding your chin up as he spoke. Tears almost came to your eyes, nobody has ever been that committed to your friendship before.

“What do you mean by give them something to talk about?” You asked, trying to stifle a laugh or chuckle in an attempt to hide the way your eyes were beginning to gloss over. 

-

In the moment, posting what you did seemed fun and playful but as you continued to get likes, comments and messages you wanted to delete it and forget it was ever posted.  With his phone propped up on a stack of books for a makeshift tripod, you and Randall sat on the edge of your bed looking at each other as he turned his phone on to video. He looked back at you, waiting for you to nod and give the go-ahead. Once you took a breath and nodded, Randall leaned in, his hand coming to the back of your head and your hand coming up to cup his cheek before you knew it his lips were on yours. Connecting in the most butterfly inducing kiss you’ve ever had. He kissed you for longer than you anticipated and when he pulled away to look at the camera you looked down at your lap as you caught your breath. And before either of you had second thoughts he posted it, captioned with the genius, ‘Were just friends!’ 

While Randall sat back, smiling at his great idea to confuse the entire student body of Belgrave, you laid looking at the ceiling feeling dizzy like the room was spinning around you. Never had you felt like you’d been drugged form a kiss.

Baby, sink in this bed Stare with me at the ceiling Let's lay here catching our breath And if we slip away While we're high on the feeling I promise we won't have regrets If you just let me love you to death

You walked around the clearing before the old house, the was the stars sparkled and twinkled in the sky never ceased to amaze you. Just like a little kid you stumbled around the uneven ground looking straight up. Randall followed behind you, grabbing your hands pulling you along with him so you didn’t fall.  Tearing your attention away from the darkening sky you looked to Randall, you could see the reflection of the sky and stars in his eyes as he looked down at you. Your hands came to rest behind his head as his rested on your hips.  “Dance with me?” You asked with a smile  The boy nodded and you started to sway, dancing to the nonexistent music. You got carried away and attempted a waltz, complete with the spins and dips. As you got ready for the final dip Randall’s grip on your hand slipped and it sent you both tumbling onto the soft grass below. You both fell apart in a fit of laughter that died down quickly when you noticed how close you two were. 

The sky reflected in both of your eyes, you hoped the stars hid the admiration for him your eyes held, fearing what could happen if he found out how you were beginning to realize you felt. After brushing a piece of hair out of your face and kissing your cheek Randall laid on his back looking up at the almost dark sky. The completely innocent actions sent a blush to your cheeks as you rolled onto your back as well.  Once again you felt dizzy like the ground was spinning around you, the only thing that kept you grounded was yours and Randall’s arms pressed together as you laid next to one another in the tall grass, looking up at the sky. 

Baby, sink in this bed Stare with me at the ceiling Let's lay here catching our breath Oh, if we slip away While we're high on the feeling I promise we won't have regrets If you just let me love you Just let me love you

“Randall,” You laughed as he pushed you down onto his bed, grabbing onto his shirt as you fell you pulled him on top of you. As he hovered over top of you both of you held your breath, too scared to move thinking the other would move away at the first sign of one small movement.  Gently you let go of his shirt and moved your hand up to his neck, following your actions Randall let one of his hands come to your cheek, leaving the other by your shoulder to support his weight above you.  “Are you going to do something?” You whispered, not wanting to make the first move. And with that, he leaned in until your lips met in a soft kiss before pulling away slightly until you pulled him back for another, harder, kiss. 

You never understood when the books and movie said it felt like fireworks when kissing somebody until now. As you kissed Randall it felt like every nerve ending you had was lit alive, and you became hyper-aware of every little movement either of you made. Your hands tangled in his hair before he pulled away. Your lips parted slightly and your eyelids slowly fluttered open, being met with his dark brown ones. His eyes flickered from yours down to your lips until you leaned up and connected them this time, closing the space between you and pulling him close again. This time Randall flipped you over so you were sitting on his waist and he was leaning against his headboard. He kissed you like you were the last bit of water on earth and he had just spent an eternity in the desert.  At that moment you were the only two people on earth, and you didn’t care about the complicated consequences that may come later. 

Your lips were red and swollen as you laid next to him. Your hair was messy and his shirt wrinkled, you both laid looking up at the ceiling, painting as you caught your breath. Neither of you could recall if you had breathed at all as you kissed. Your mind still hazy, you weren’t even one hundred percent sure this wasn’t just a very realistic dream. 

“Do you regret that?” Randall asked from beside you “No, do you?” You asked, your voice barely above a whisper “Not at all,” You could basically hear the smile on his face, in his voice.

“Does this change anything?” You asked after a moment  “Do you want it to?” He asked  You stared at the ceiling for a moment as thoughts tumbled around in your head, “Yes and no.” You sighed, “I like the way we are now, but I’m not denying anything else,”  Randall nodded, “We’re still just us no matter what,”  “Just friends who kiss occasionally?” You asked, turning your head to smirk at him “Maybe more than occasionally,” Randall smiled after giving your lips a quick peck

Baby, just let me love you to death

[moneymingyu]

Like in The Movies

summary: in which hoshi watches way too many romance movies and has too many friends who like to watch him suffer.

word count: 2.7k words

pairing: nonidol!hoshi x reader

genre: fluff, comedy

a/n: not very proof read bc i’m super exhausted and my eyes are barely opened atm.

master list

Hoshi has always had this romanticized version of himself playing in the back of his mind.

The cool dude next to the jukebox with a leather jacket who flips a coin then plays the soundtrack to his life. The guy who you spill coffee all over in a Seattle coffee shop then exchange numbers as a form of an apology. The best friend you ask to fake date before realizing he’s been the one for you since day one. The enemy to lover, the boy next door, the childhood best friend you reunite with after years of separation. He partly blames it on all of the movies he watched growing up. A guilty pleasure of his has always been romance movies that he’d watch deep into the night when everything was still and calm. His favorites were the kinds that had him struggling to keep his hiccup at bay, the kinds that made him cry so hard that he’d wake up the next day with swollen eyes and a headache.

“Aren’t you tired of these movies?” Jihoon, his long time best friend and roommate, would ask.

“Never,” Hoshi would reply, unashamed.

He’s seen them all. The Notebook, More Than Blue, The Names of Love, Love Actually. Hoshi can quote them line by line with the same blocking. His friends think it’s impressive but Jihoon is tired of walking into the kitchen at 2AM just to see a Broadway musical in place.

So you’d think that somebody who is basically a book smart Romeo would have a better dating history but...Not Hoshi.

Look. It’s not Hoshi’s fault he’s so awkward. He didn’t ask for the lonely life! The lonely life chose him! So what if romance movies are the only way that he can feel butterflies in his stomach. Whose business is it other than his own?

“Hey Hosh! Remember that time freshman year your crush asked you to the spring fling and you responded by doing a tiger growl at them?”

“Oh my god, I almost forgot about that!” Jun covers his face, bursting into giggles at Jihoon’s trip down memory lane. “He got called a furry for the rest of the year!”

“Oh yeah? And who sat and ate lunch with said furry for the rest of the year?” Hoshi crosses his arms. “Till the day, you’re still eating lunch with the said furry!” A few head turn their way, giving the table an incredulous look. Hoshi sinks in his chair, silently wishing that the floor open and swallow him hole.

“Well maybe that’s because said furry is paying today,” Wonwoo smirks, swiping a fry from Hoshi’s plate.

“Aw, not you too!” Hoshi pouts. “Wonwoo, I put all my faith into you and this is what I get? Slander like a salamander?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jun (who, in Hoshi’s opinion, has said way more questionable things) asks with raised eyebrows.

“Nevermind. It sounded better in my head.” Hoshi sighs, pressing his fingers to his temples.

“C’mon Hoshi,” Wonwoo leans his head on his shoulder. “You know I was kidding. I would sit with you even if you were a real furry.”

“Can we stop talking about furries?!”

“Yo. What do you got against furries? We don’t kink shame around here.”

“Jun, if you say one more thing, I’m going to do an eagle screech right here.”

“That’s not really helping with the furry situation,” Jun mumbles under his breath.

Hoshi decides right then and there that he needs to invest in new friends for the sake of his sanity.

-

“I’m sure somebody likes you, Soon!” Seungkwan offers. “What about the dance studio? Lots of potential there,” he shimmies his shoulders while Dokyeom nudged him from the other side of the couch.

These are his people, he thinks as they watch My Sassy Girl for the tenth time this week.

“He’s right! You’re always a ball of confidence there! Why not try to pick somebody up? Oh!” Dokyeom looks like a lightbulb has gone off inside his head. “What about the receptionist? They’re cute! I heard they’re single too and with Valentine’s Day coming up-“

“Dokyeom! Don’t talk about the V word!”

“Virginity?”

“The other V-word!”

“V-vagi-“

“VALENTINES DAY!” Seungkwan smacks his hand over his mouth like the saying had seared his tongue.

“Oh my god, Valentine’s Day is coming up!” Hoshi whines, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face in them. “I’m going to be alone again!”

“Hey! You always spend Valentine’s Day with us!” Dokyeom frowns.

“We’re going to be alone again!” he moans out.

Seungkwan scoffs. “Speak for yourself. I have a date.”

This causes Soonyoung’s head to snap up. “Huh? A date?” Seungkwan nods, crossing his arms and turning his nose up. “Ah, c’mon! Who is it! You know you wanna tell us!”

“I would tell you if I knew who it was,” Seungkwan sighs, falling back into the couch. “Vernon and Dino set me up on a blind date. Wait? Should I ask them to set you up on one too? You know, Dino’s really good at using Tinder. He made me a profile and then swiped with matches for me and now I’m going on a blind date! Wait, should me and Dokyeom make you one? Quick Dokyeom, what would be the anthem to Hoshi’s life?”

Hoshi gawks at how quick his friends are to move. Seungkwan already has the dating app open while Dokyeom searches up the Les Misérable soundtrack. “Can you guys not?” Hoshi frowns.

But it’s too late. His words are unheard as Dokyeom starts to belt out the words to “Do You Hear the People Sing?” all while Seungkwan is editing pictures of Hoshi for his profile picture.

Hoshi decides right then and there that he needs to invest in new friends for the sake of his sanity.

-

“Thanks for inviting me out, Joshua! I needed some new shoes.”

Joshua is one of the sanest people Hoshi knows. Hoshi thinks it’s because he’s from LA and the people from LA in all the movies he’s watched are super carefree and accepting.

“Don’t mention it,” Joshua smiles while shoving his feet into a pair of slides. “Jeonghan broke my slides yesterday while taking out the trash and tried to pin it on Kkuma. Seungcheol then lectured us for two hours about how we shouldn’t blame things on his daughter then made Jeonghan transfer me the money.”

“Isn’t Kkuma a dog?..” Hoshi smiles from the bench across from him.

“You know Cheol,” Joshua chuckles. “Actually, I also invited you out because I have to ask you a favor! You can object, of course, and I won’t be mad.” Hoshi nods, signaling the older to go on. “Well, actually...The three of us are going away for the weekend. And we usually ask Mingyu and Myungho to watch Kkuma when we’re gone but Myungho has this giant art exhibition and Mingyu’s working double shifts at his bakery so-“ he shrugs. “I think you know where I’m going with this. Could you dog sit Kkuma for us? I’m sure Jihoon will be fine with it. But if you have plans for the Valentine’s Day weekend-“

“No!” Hoshi sighs in relief. “Please give me Kkuma. I’m begging at this point!” Joshua laughs, nodding his head. “You really saved my ass, hyung. The guys are trying to set me up on a blind date but I checked out Seungkwan’s phone while he was in the bathroom and none of them were my type.”

“Consider it a deal,” Joshua smiles, reaching across and ruffling his hair. “Knew I could count on you, Soonie.” Hoshi smiles. He’s so glad to have a friend like Joshua. He really keeps his sanity in tact.

-

Hoshi decides right then and there that he needs to invest new friends for the sake of his sanity.

Kkuma has been barking nonstop all night, whining and crying and even peed in Hoshi’s brand new pair of shoes.

Hoshi doesn’t even know why Kkuma hates him so much but the dog’s antics are enough to have Jihoon packing up and telling him he’ll be back Monday afternoon before leaving to Jun and Wonwoo’s apartment. To make matters worse, Joshua told Hoshi that their trip was technology free so that they could “become spiritually woke.” So any hopes of calling for advice is hopeless.

Hoshi doesn’t understand why Kkuma hates him. He’s a very likeable guy, in his opinion. Bobpul (Mingyu’s dog) would never treat him like this.

“Kkuma, please!” he whines. “I’m standing up a date for this! Please spare me some mercy!” he cries out. The dog jumps up and barks repeatedly. He rubs his eyes over his face. “I don’t understand how something so tiny can make so much noise!”

He rubs his temples. “Okay. If I were Seungcheol, what would I do? Think like Seungcheol. What would Seungcheol do?” Hoshi pouts his lips, puffs out his chest and lowers his voice. “Yah! Kim Mingyu! Watch where you’re walking!” he imitates him from the thousands of times the group has hung out.

He holds the position for a couple of seconds before deflating. “I can’t even hear myself think!” he groans over the barking. “You haven’t even slept yet! Aren’t you tired?” Suddenly an idea pops into his mind.

“I know! Let’s go to the park! Maybe that’ll tire you out! Would you like that? Let’s go!” And they’re off within ten minutes.

It’s a nice day out, thankfully. Warm but not too hot. And though Kkuma is jumping with joy to be at the park, Hoshi thinks he’d rather be at home listening to the dog’s endless whining when he sees the grassy area is packed with couples having a picnic.

He can’t hate, honestly. Picnics are cliché and Hoshi is all for clichés. But it does remind him that today is Valentine’s day and he’s the only one here without somebody to hold hands with.

“Kkuma, you’ll be my Valentine. Right?” he asks as he unclips her leash. But sadly, the dog has other plans as she runs off to play with another dog.

He sighs, plopping down in the grass and picking at the blades. He can’t believe that Kkuma ditched him. After Hoshi bought a new frisbee just for them to play with! He’s deeply offended and will not let Seungcheol live it down when he comes back.

He gives up trying to braid the grass and leans back on his hands, watching the other couples and making up stories about them in their head. He guesses how they met, what their plans are for the day and almost plays it out like a movie in his head.

He’s contemplating becoming a director but then decides that’s too hard and decides maybe he should try writing fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. He’s already picking out his favorite ships from Monsta X when he suddenly hears a shriek from behind him.

“Oh no!” the person whines. “I can’t believe I stepped in dog-“

“Shit!” Hoshi pops up as he sees Kkuma standing at the sidewalk. He sees the disgruntled look on your face then looks down at Kkmua, who looks the happiest she’s been since Hoshi got her. “Hi!” he says rather worriedly. “I’m so sorry! This is my fault! I wasn’t watching Kkuma and to be honest, this dog kind of hates me but here!” He shoves a packet of tissues he had in his back pocket into your hands. “You can have these! Wait I think I have wet wipes in my bag. Just give me a second and,” he drops to his knees, fumbling with his backpack, “Kkuma is just a baby but I promise she’s not usually like this! She’s so well behaved but I think she has some kind of hidden agenda against me because her dad took me out to eat pork belly the other week. Oh! Here they are! Here, do you want me to wipe it off for you? I don’t mind! It’s my fault and plus, I’ve been picking up Kkuma’s dog poop all day. For somebody so small, she sure does poop a lot! And-“ Hoshi suddenly freezes, a heat rising up from the back of his neck onto his cheeks and into his ears.

Seriously?! he thinks. You seriously went on a rant about dog poop! Just when I thought I had some hope in you, Soonyoung, you prove me wrong again! You’re gonna die alone! You hear me? ALONE!

Hoshi slowly brings himself up from his kneeling position. “I mean...” he awkwardly laughs. And to his surprise, you laugh back. But not in a mocking way like people usually do. You seem genuinely amused by his rant.

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m over it,” you giggle. “I just have to be dramatic about it first.” Hoshi nods slowly, too scared to say anything else. “My names YN.”

“Soonyoung,” he bows slightly. “But my friends call me Hoshi.”

“Oh! Like tiger gaze?” you ask, making claws at him for emphasis.

“Oh! Uh! Exactly, actually!” he grins.

You nod. “I think I’ve heard of you actually,” you explain. “My friend works at Seventeen Dance Company and he’s always talking about his funny friend Hoshi.”

“Oh? Who’s your friend? I must know them!”

“It’s Minghao,” you reply. “I was actually on my way to his art exhibition.” Hoshi nods his head, understanding. “Were you not going to go?”

“Myungho doesn’t like when our friend group goes to his art exhibitions. We got fired after Mingyu had one too many drinks and started to strip talking about some ‘life imitates art’ while standing next to a bust.” His face flushes an even deeper red. “I’m sorry! I don’t know when to shut up sometimes. I’m not good at this.”

You shrug, “I’m having fun.”

“Really?” Hoshi gasps.

You nod. “Yeah. Now c’mon, give me those wet wipes. You’re gonna come with me to Hao’s event. He told me I can bring a plus one and the venue is pet friendly!”

-

“And that’d how I met YN!” Hoshi grins at the round table of his friends.

“I can’t believe romance movie enthusiast met the person of his dreams over dog poop,” Jeonghan scoffs. “I’m taking full credit for this relationship, by the way. I call best man at the wedding.”

“What? Why do you get credit?!” Seungkwan rebuttals.

“Because the weekend get away was my idea,” he smirks.

“Yeah well Kkuma is my dog so I should be the best man!” Seungcheol argues.

“Hold up. If it weren’t for me and Seungkwan making Hoshi a tinder, who knows what would’ve happened this weekend while he was avoiding us,” Dokyeom points outs out, crossing his arms.

“But Vernon and I were the ones who taught Seungkwan how to even use tinder!” Dino retorts.

Jun scoffs, “You guys wouldn’t even know what tinder was if it weren’t for me and Wonwoo.”

“But I’m his roommate so I get automatic best man rights,” Jihoon says.

“Yeah but YN is my friend and she was heading to my exhibition so by default, I’m going to be the best man because I didn’t even kick Hoshi out when he showed up.”

“Yeah, still offended,” Mingyu rolls his eyes. “How many times do I have to say sorry until you accept my apology?!”

“Until I’m not known as the artist who had a quote unquote ‘model’ take his clothes off in the middle of my show so that I could prove that life can imitate art!”

Hoshi shakes his head and laughs as the argument wages on with you tucked under his chin.

“Are they always like that?” you whisper, looking up at him through your lashes.

“Yeah but...I don’t think I’d trade them for the world,” Hoshi replies, smiling.

It’s right then and there that Hoshi decides that he has all the friends that he needs and for the sake of his sanity, he will have to keep them. They did, after all, lead them to you.

[jt-artsandfics]

Mantis blades and Gorrila fist pt 5

~~~~~~

Woah chapter five I'm quite happy with myself

I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to make more

~~~~~~~

V woke up a little after 9am still wrapped up in the sheets of his bed while laying onto of Oda. The Arasaka guard was running his fingers thought Vexrins messy and tangled blue and red hair humming lightly.

Vex moves a little to meet the Pale grey eyes "Good morning" Oda lent down and places a soft kiss on Vs lips, a soft dreamy look on his face as he lays back down.

They layed in silence for a good five minutes before Oda groaned about having to get up and get ready for work.

"Vexrin your gonna have to move I need to get ready for work" V grumbs before rolling over onto the bed and pulled the sheets up aroudn his chin as he watches Oda move around the apartment picking up his uniform along with he boots.

This time he doesn't retreat to the safety of the bathroom to get changed. Vex watches him strip and gets a good look at the cybernetics on his throat.

They run out lightly onto his shoulders and down his back a little. And that's when he sees the beautiful work of art on Oda's back.

Its a white tiger with bright blue eyes surrounded by tiger lillies "I dont know you had a tattoo!" Oda looks over his shoulder to where V was laying.

"I got it very shortly after I began working for Hanako-sama. Takemura-san also have a tattoo down his back. It is something that means alot too me. Both Takemura and I got them right after I was assigned to Hanako. His is a fox and Wolf with cherry blossoms and Iris. He said flowers have meaning to them and the ones you pick define you for who you are. What of you Vexrin do you have flowers that have meaning to you?" Oda begins pulling his uniform pants up and buckling them.

As V gets up off the bed he part of his pants down to show a small ring of flowers on the side of his him. "Violets and For get me not?" Oda asked looking at the tattoo of the small blue and purple, red and yellow flowers.

"Forget me nots had a big meaning to me when I was younger while violets I loved becuase my little brother and used to have a small garden filled with both of them, some times we would make tea with the Violets" V explains as he moves behind Oda to run his hands over the Tiger on his back.

"It's beautiful craftsman ship, I used to want to follow my dad's footsteps and me a tattoo artist but then it became easier for people to get tattoos" Vexrin smiled lightly tracing the lines down Oda's back. Oda turns around to face V. "Your father was a tattoo artist?" Vex let's out a small chuckle as he inspected the detail in Oda's Ink. "Yea he was, he was really good at it two, Indian I got to learn more about it"

Both pale grey and black and white meet again. "I've seen you have another tattoo on your chest it's a snake of a sort?" Oda asked as he pulls his shirt on and begins to button it up.

Vexrin pulls his shirt off to show the tattoo of a colourful snake that wraps around part of his body with a small heart tattooed on his chest.

"Ngalyod or the Rainbow serpent, Im orignally from Austraila. my nanna would tell stories about my ancestry that she was told when she was young. We used to have her tell them to us as bed time stories. But the rainbow serpent was one which I always loved to hear about, learning about part of my culture that we didn't really learn about when my mother and father past. But both poppy and nanna told up a all the stories"

Vexrin smiles lightly remembering all the good times from his childhood from running aroudn on the small farm he lives on got he dream time stories that his family would tell so that they would not forget who and were he came from.

Oda had finished pulling his uniform on and enjoyed the recountings of V's family and story. "Your family where are they now?" He asked.

Taking a seat to do his shoes. "My little brother Dustin moved to Night city with me when I was given the chance of a corpate job, he is going to school at one of the higher education schools. While my nanna passed away 5 years ago my poppyis still living out on his small farm in Queensland I send him money when I can so he can keep the farm going.

He didn't want me to work for the big cooperations, said he feel it in his bones that something would go wrong. I guess he was right" Oda can feel The sad smile of V's face he pulls him in for a hug placing his chin on Vex's head.

"I apologise for asking, I did not wish to bring bad memories" V let's out a small laugh before moving slightly. "Can I kiss you?" He asks very lightly and if Oda didn't have his enhancements he most likely wouldn't have heard him.

Oda leans down and places a quick kiss on V's lips. He pulls away picking up a bag with the rest of his gear in it. "I have to head to work now but am aloud to come back later tonight?" He asked hoping that this wasn't a one time thing.

V pulls him back into a kiss this one was sweet and quick and V let out a soft laugh again. "You are welcome over anytime" he gives Oda a quickpeek on the forehead before pushing him to the door.

" Now go to work or you are gonna be late!"

V watches as Oda leave his apartment before finally heading back inside, he moves around getting ready for the day when he get a call for Misty.

"Hey V I was just checking in on you again I know it's been a few weeks, I did a reading for you, I did a past, present and future spread and well you got the Tower reversed, death upright and the Lovers upright. So its very different" v stood there for a while trying to recall the meanign for the card.

" I remember death upright is something to do with change and transformation but I do remember the other too, I swear the death cards my friend at this point " misty has a light laugh before she continues.

" tower reversed can mean  Personal transformation, fear of change, averting disaster. All decks are different so they could have different meanings. Death upright is Endings, change, transformation, transition and as you have said your familiar with this card and the Lovers upright is love, harmony, relationships, alignment, choices so it's very different from. What you normally have. So my question is there someone you are seeing?" Misty asked making Vex blush.

"Maybe.. well I don't know what it is but like yes. No? I don't have a clue.. ok he's coming over tonight" misty is laughing on the other end of the call.

"Well how about you come stop by the shop which I close up for the day and we go out for the day!" V smiled at the suggestion. " that be awesome Misty I'll meet you at the shop" with that there call ended and Vex got read to leave as he does he decided to shoot Goro a message.

Vex: hey, hey Goro, was wondering if you could forward me Sandayu's contact, Please and thank you!

Takemura: I must ask Why Vex, had Oda been a bother again?

Vex: hahaha no but we have started talking and I i forgot to ask him for his holo, he's been sparing with me a little But we aren't at each other's throats anymore.

Goro: that is good to hear :), I will forward his contact to you shortly,

Once Oda had left Vexrins he had arrived at work with 30 minutes to spare. As he walked into the Estate he gave a quick bow to the other guard as he made his way tough being checked.

He gets a notification the only people who would be messaging him would be Hanako, Goro and his parents. So when an unknown number pops up he is hesitant but decided by her to get it out to the way.

.....: Hey Oda it's me Vex, just letting you know that spare keys are in the broken light on the door"

He lets out a small chuckle before sending but a message

Sandayu: thank you Vexrin.

He quickly sets V's contact up.

Name: Vex-kun

Number: ////////////

He has a bit of a laugh to himself about it but in the end leave it.

After that most of the day had been staying within the room which Hanako was or following her where ever she needed to be.

As the day slowly turned to night they had arrived back at Hanako's estate, Oda was watching the time almost like a hawk at this point and it didn't go un noticed.

He still has alteast half an hour until his shift ends, he had never feel that time going so slow until now.

"Oda?" He turns to Hanako again she had a light smile on her face as she calls him to take a seat. He walks over and sits down.

"Will you be staying and watch old movies tonight, you seem like you want to be anywhere but here" he lets out a sigh. "Forgive me Hanako-sama, that is not my intention, just excited and nerves" that peaks Hanako's interest. He can seem the small smile as she bring her glass to her lips. 

"And what could have you so distracted, should I say who?" They share a small laugh and it goes quite again. "A man, I... I trust you Hanako-sama and.. fuck it's V" he closes his eyes and a blush can be seen across his cheeks. Hanako let's out a laugh before placing her hands on his shoulders.

"If he makes you happy then I have no problem with it, if he hurts you not even Takemura will save him" the next half an hour was Hanako asking question and Oda answering them.

When his shift was over Hanako waved he out with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag list @simping-for-sandayu-oda @gvitch @v-is-for-witch @hippiefricked @inkrabbit @shitposting-for-the-soul

~~~~~~~~

[softjeon]

Rewind | Pt. 3

• Pairing: Yoongi x Robot!Jungkook • Genre: Fluff, Angst | Rating: Mature | Robot!AU • Words: 6,7k | AO3 • Disclaimer: nsfw-content

written with @cassiavioletblue​

↳  “Tadah!” They shouted in unison, with Tae raising his hands to wave some little birthday flags while Namjoon and Hoseok clapped their hands and began to sing again, “Happy Birthday to you…”  This was a joke. This had to be a joke and they made that man deliver an empty box. There was no way they had gotten him a Bot.

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Yoongi woke up with the sun in his eyes, blades of lights knifed through the blinds and mocked him. He didn't stir, just opened his eyes as he tried to think of any reason not to get up and stay a little longer inside this coziness, when a soft giggle reached his ears. It was nothing more than a faded laugh, sounding like it came from the living room and he turned his head, listening closely. He could decipher the noise of the tv being on and Yoongi furrowed his brows, stiff like a board as if someone had dared to trespass and enter his home. His heart was reacting to his wariness, beating a little faster, before his mind caught up. 

“Jungkook?” Yoongi’s voice was a sleepy mumble, nothing more when he got up to see what his robot was up to.

Jungkook sat on the ground, blanket draped over his knees as he looked up at the big tv screen. There was a big smile on his face, while being so immersed that he almost didn’t hear Yoongi coming closer.

Yoongi had tried to sneak past the robot but in the end he got caught. When the other realized that Yoongi was awake and on his way to the kitchen he was trying to get up and Yoongi gently placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him there. “Morning, Jungkook. Did you sleep okay? You don’t need to get up, I’m not that hungry yet. I could make us hot cocoa? It’s a perfect way to start a lazy morning.”

Jungkook blinked up at him, confused why he sounded so nice, so early in the morning. “You want to make me something?” The robot sounded doubting, quickly turning off the tv to concentrate solely on Yoongi. “But I can’t drink it.” Jungkook pursed his lips into a pout, ignoring the question about how he had slept on purpose. He had been resting for a couple of hours, not long until his shoulders began to ache and he had climbed out of the box again. Surely, he had noticed the cushion, but Jungkook didn’t believe Yoongi had been the one giving it to him. Maybe he had simply forgotten that he took it with him. 

Yoongi froze. “Wait, what? You can’t drink? So... you don’t eat or drink at all? But what about romantic dinners or going out for pizza and all that? Isn’t that a part of a relationship as well?” Surely they couldn’t make sure that their robots were able to do a hundred sex positions and then forget something as simple as food.

Jungkook shrugged his shoulders, not really sure why he couldn’t eat. “Wouldn’t it be waste? I don’t need it to survive, so I think this way it’s better.” He got up to be at the same height as Yoongi. “Do you want to go out for a romantic dinner sometime?” His eyes began to shine as he thought of a night out with Yoongi. He really wanted to hold his hand again. “We can do other romantic things then,” He bit his lip, “Like I can feed you and we can hold hands over the table like they do in the movies.”

“But, wait, I know Tae can eat. And he can drink. Like a lot. He even gets intoxicated when we go out for a drink at the bar. So is this like an extra option they forgot when they bought you?” It bothered him a little more than it probably should but he loved watching the ones he cared for enjoying a good meal. He always bought his friends lunch or dinner whenever they had achieved something and they were going out to celebrate so imagining Jungkook always sitting in front of him without taking a bite while watching him eat was making him uncomfortable already.

“What kind of production line is he?” Jungkook asked warily, not sure why this was something Yoongi was confused and sounding rather bothered by it. “I…I am not sure. Didn’t you read the manual?” Jungkook sounded more than confused himself, feeling unsure about what he was programmed for. “I can eat for you, if you want. I can try, I don’t care.” He hastily said, roaming around in his system to find anything that he was allowed to eat until he found something. “I can swallow cum though.”

“I’m not sure, I think it was something with ‘Dream’ in it. But I can ask Hoseok next time one of us calls. I did read your manual, but.. not fully. It was late and I went to bed.” He didn’t have to tell Jungkook that a whole chapter on sex positions had made him want to take a break from reading. “No, you don’t have to eat if you don’t like it or worse, what if it damages your system and...” He stumbles over his own words at the others abrupt confession and when he spoke again he sounded angry, not at Jungkook but at the company for designing the boy like that. “I know and that’s what pisses me off because what the hell would I need that for and I also don’t need a page-long description of your dick-sucking-qualities, thank you very much. What I would have liked was enjoying a hot cup of cocoa with you, not even because I’m especially fond of that sweet stuff but I knew Jimin likes it and you are a little like him sometimes and so I thought you might enjoy it. I was just.. trying to be nice and try to be normal with you as if we were roommates or something and now we’re talking about robot stuff again!”

Jungkook startled from the sudden aggressive tone in Yoongi’s voice. Suddenly his heart ached, and he wanted to eat and drink so badly just to please Yoongi, to make him happy again. Jungkook averted his gaze, feeling like it was his fault. He was the robot, not Yoongi’s roommate or boyfriend. In a quick-hearted decision, Jungkook turned on his heel and stormed into Yoongi’s bedroom, scanning the room quickly to find the manual and go through it. Again. And again. He didn’t want his human to send him back to get fixed or to get exchanged. Jungkook’s heart was racing, beating fast like a drum as he turned another page, quickly reading over it and then again. His cheeks were blushing at the descriptive scenes of his abilities and he tried to read a little faster. He may have known about his special characterizations for Yoongi, but the hell did he know about what exactly he was able to do. Jungkook was naïve, a young man that was just a little too confused about what he was even made for, reacting mostly on his programmed instincts. But none of them had gotten him any closer to his human. 

Yoongi went after him, finding the robot crouched on the floor, skimming through the pages as if he wasn’t reading but the way his eyes moved told Yoongi that he was reading indeed, just too quickly for a human. “Jungkook, what are you doing?” He squatted down besides the younger, “I won’t let you eat anything if it puts you at risk; I’ll call the company after breakfast and then we’ll see what their answer will be. Maybe I can bring you back in and they can fix it or add that feature or something like that?”

“No! No, please,” Jungkook shook his head, eyes flickering up and down until they came to a halt. He gasped and then pointed at the paragraph, pushing it into Yoongi’s hands hastily and creasing the pages with it. “Here! It says I am on a default mode to not be able to swallow anything as I am from the ‘HotBot Line’” Jungkook cringed at the name, trying to speak quick as if Yoongi would decide if he wouldn’t try and change his mind fast enough. “It says you can change the status as I am designed both ways. Please. There’s no need for the service. Don’t send me back.” His eyes were glistening as he gazed at Yoongi, trying to find comfort in his dark eyes. “They will reset me and I don’t want to forget about you.”

“They can reset you? Like wipe your memories?” Yoongi was intrigued. If he had the possibility to use such a feature on himself he would use it like once a week. “And you don’t want them to do that even though you have been crying at least twice because of me? Don’t you want a nice start? Maybe we could do this as a positive change for the both of us; I could treat you better from the beginning und you wouldn’t have to feel rejected.” He suggested carefully.

Jungkook’s bottom lip began to tremble. Yoongi was right in a way and yet, he didn’t want to change a thing about it. He was too scared to be changed into something that didn’t feel right. So, he shook his head again. “You can just act different now, can’t you? I know you’ve been drunk and overwhelmed.” Jungkook was still holding the manual against Yoongi’s chest, who had his eyes on him. “Can’t we try this?” He nodded towards the paper, “Maybe I’ll be more perfect for you then? I want to share food with you and drink hot cocoa.”

Yoongi bit his bottom lip. It had felt weird with Jungkook always trying to be perfect for him. Now that he disagreed with him he should feel irritated but...it actually made Jungkook more human in his eyes, so he nodded. “It’s your decision. If you don’t want to get wiped then we can try this. Just give me a few minutes okay? I want to red that part at least twice or check the internet, just to  be sure. I don’t want to accidentally fuck you up.”

Jungkook agreed quietly. “I’ll make you some coffee in the meantime.” His heart felt a little lighter at the prospect of Yoongi not wanting to send him back (how many more times did Jungkook have to try and keep him from doing so?). In the kitchen, Jungkook took his time to prepare some light breakfast and brought it to his office, where Yoongi was already focused as he compared different manuals and comments with the one in his hand. Unfortunately, as Jungkook was from the newest line, there hadn’t been too many, yet, leaving Yoongi to figure it out alone much to his despair. The robot sat down on the armchair close by, hands pushed under his thighs as he sat there in silence, waiting for his boyfriend to tell him that he was ready to reprogram him. 

Yoongi sighed defeatedly. “You’re making me nervous if you’ll keep looking at me like that” He finally admitted, putting the manual aside. ”Are you sure you want me to do this? I could call Hoseok? He might have done something similar to Tae and know a bit more.” He would definitely have to apologize for how their last conversation had ended but if secured Jungkook’s safety it was worth it. He didn’t want a broken bot. Or maybe, just maybe he was scared by the thought of Jungkook changing just when he had started to get used to him.

“You’re my boyfriend, Yoongi.” Jungkook chuckled as if the other had asked the dumbest questions out of them all, “Only you can reprogram me. If Hoseok were to touch me I wouldn’t even react so much as to blink. I am imprinted on you and only you.” Jungkook got up, taking a deep breath to mentally prepare himself. “It’s just a little change.” He reached for Yoongi’s hand and held it lightly, “I trust you.”

“Ok then...” Yoongi took a nervous glimpse at the book, “...let me read this again  just to be absolutely certain and you can take a hairpin to get the hair away from your ear?” He didn’t need the manual to remember where Kook’s button was: inside the robot’s ear. You only saw it when you knew what to look for and even them it could just be a mole or something. He waited until Kook had brushed his locks away from his ear, holding them in place as he didn’t had a pin. Yoongi kept glancing nervously at the manual until the other got restless. “Okay then... last chance to get out?” Jungkook shook his head with determination in his eyes. “Okay.” He coughed awkwardly. “Let’s do this.”

“Try not to be so nervous, please. My system needs to understand your orders clearly it’s not like a touch screen.” Jungkook smiled reassuringly and stepped a little closer to make sure Yoongi could touch him without hesitation or needing to reach out for him. “Just think about the cocoa that we can share.” The robot’s eyes glistened in excitement, the hope reflecting in them as he could be more of a boyfriend for Yoongi. Someone that the other truly wanted.

“Yes. Okay. I can do that.” It wasn’t so obvious who he was trying to reassure right now but Yoongi added a smile, just to make sure his frowny face wasn’t the last thing that Jungkook saw if he messed this up. Then he put his hand against the side of Jungkook’s face. A little too far back for a caress of the cheek and started feeling for the button. He could feel when he had found it not only at his fingertips but also through the full body shudder that the robot gave. He pushed it without another warning to not make this harder for Jungkook and then quickly took a step back. Jungkook’s body reacted immediately: His muscles grew lax and his arms fell back to his sides while his eyes clouded over. It looked a little like the milky state of a curdled egg. Yoongi couldn’t help but stare. Then he asked carefully. “Jungkook? Can you still hear me?”

“System on standby. Please verify to proceed.” He stood with his mouth slightly opened, eyes staring into nothingness, while his voice sounded a little off. It wasn’t as soft as before, rather rough and technical. He repeated the words again when Yoongi didn’t react right away, not moving an inch.  

“Oh fuck, fucking... fuck!” Was Yoongi’s eloquent comment to the creepy state of his robot boyfriend. Apparently though it didn’t matter what exactly he said as long as it was his voice saying it because Jungkook immediately thanked him for verifying his presence and stated his full name. Then he turned silent again and Yoongi stared at him for another second before he kicked himself back into motion. The sooner he finished what he had started the sooner he would get his ‘normal’ Kook back. Hopefully he wouldn’t have nightmares about this version of his sweet, doe-eyed robot. Flipping the page he found the code that he was supposed to speak ‘loud and clear within hearing distance’ to his robot. Yoongi started but in his haste he stumbled over the long string of numbers and letters and broke off. His heart was beating painfully against his chest. Did his slip up mean that he had programmed something else into Jungkook? Would some random number delete his memory after all or rewire him in some other way?

“The code you have spoken was invalid. Please try again.” Jungkook’s mouth was moving, but his eyes were still glazed over, his hands pressed tightly against his side as he waited patiently for Yoongi to speak again. This time, Yoongi took a deep breath and collected himself, before he spoke. His voice sounded still a bit shaky, but Jungkook seemed to have registered what he had said. “You’ve successfully lowered the HotBot level.” The robot paused, “Would you like to change something else or return to the functional system?”

And there it was, an option that was a creepy as it was fascinating. It was more or less Jungkook’s whole being that was offered up for him to do with as he pleased. Yoongi swallowed harshly, voice almost giving out when he dared to ask, “What else is that there I could change?” He was only asking out of curiosity. Just that. Nothing more. He would never change anything about Kook. That wouldn’t be fair...

“The code was invalid. Please try again and speak more clearly.” Jungkook was still standing still as he waited for an answer.

Yoongi released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. This was enough meddling with Jungkook’s life for once. “Is your digestive system activated now?” He asked, just to be sure. He didn’t like the thought of doing this again.

“Status of digestive System is active.” It was all Yoongi needed, before he released Jungkook from his state with the order to return to himself.

The robot let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, until they finally snapped back open. He stared wide-eyed at Yoongi and the stars were back, shining and reflecting as if the whole galaxy had been placed within them. 

“Did it work?” The robot felt a little dazed, rubbing his head as he felt like he had been hit with a hammer. He frowned, trying to shake the feeling off and concentrate on what was more important now. “Will you make me hot cocoa now?” His cheeks blushed as he asked a little shyly, wondering if he’d really be able to taste the hot drink now and share this memory with Yoongi. He smiled at his boyfriend, who was still staring at him, confused about the quick change between his system voice and his own (that he liked way more). “Yoongi?” Jungkook cocked his head aside, wondering what was going on inside his boyfriends mind. 

“Yes, yeah, of course, hot cocoa coming right away.” It was strange to see Jungkook come back to his senses, his stiff posture fading away while the life came back to his eyes. Even before the other had started to talk it was like Yoongi could see the exact moment his soul had come back. He had to think about this, in peace, or talk it over with Namjoon maybe. Or... maybe he could ask Tae to come over. And see how the two bots would react to each other. Maybe Jungkook would like to get a friend.

...╘[◉-◉]╕...

The first taste of chocolate made Jungkook completely speechless. His first try of chocolate milk though almost felt better than imprinting on Yoongi when they’ve met. A warm feeling spread all through his body, making the robot shiver with it and the smile on his lips whenever he was allowed to drink some, quickly became something that Yoongi didn’t want to miss in his morning routine. 

It was easier than he thought to get used to the robot. And whenever he needed some space, Yoongi just simply send Jungkook off to do some work for him.

 Now that his digestive system was active and they could share meals, Jungkook was even more eager to please his boyfriend. He was cleaning, doing his laundry and the dishes and made him a meal two times a day. Every morning, before Yoongi was even awake, Jungkook had already prepared a coffee for him. Yoongi had to admit that his coffee was really good. Maybe not as good as from that one cat café he liked so much downtown (and that he would never tell anyone about, because he was keeping it his secret spot, a little too scared that one of his friends - most likely Jimin - would want to meet up there and coo at him all day). And yet - it was all there was. 

Jungkook was trying as hard as he could, giving Yoongi space and doing everything he ordered him to do but he still wasn’t giving him anymore attention than what was necessary. Yoongi was working most of the times and all though he was doing home-office a lot, Jungkook always felt alone whenever he had to visit a construction place and not taking him with him. He had tried to whine and promise to stay in his car, not moving an inch but Yoongi had still denied, leaving the robot to wonder if he was trying to hide him. On the other hand, Jungkook cherished the moments they were grocery shopping a lot, because then Yoongi was holding his hand to keep him close by (scared he could run off or tell people something that would make him feel embarrassed, even though he had no idea what it could be about really). One time, Jungkook had come up with an excuse, just to go to the store again with Yoongi because he wanted to hold his hand. 

Jungkook was sleeping on the couch now, after Yoongi had to show him how. The robot was confused, thinking that couches were only to sit and to cuddle on. But Yoongi wasn’t cuddling him anyways. He was getting starved on what his system was desiring so much: to be with Yoongi and so, he was failing miserably as a robot, as a boyfriend and bot to pleasure. 

...╘[◉-◉]╕...

Jungkook looked up from his meal, pushing the vegetables around on his plate. “Yoongi?” He asked, voice sounding unsure and his heart began to beat a little faster. “Do you want to change something else? About me, I mean.”

Yoongi was surprised by Jungkook’s question but he wanted to give him an honest answer so he thought it over for a second. To be honest he couldn’t think of anything really, that he wanted to change. Nothing drastic at least. They had found their rhythm, living together side by side and it worked out. Instead of being annoyed that someone else was living at his home he enjoyed the company. Even if it was just him working and Jungkook reading another book on sustainable house cleaning it was nice to know that someone was there. And when Yoongi had noticed that he had got a little more attached than originally planned he had just explained it like this: Children got really attached to their plushies to the point that they wanted to have them around at any time, even though they knew they weren’t real people. Now he wasn’t a child anymore but maybe something similar could happen with grown ups and so that was why he liked to have Jungkook around himself so much even though technically he wasn’t real. 

“I don’t have anything I’d like to change about you, really. Why? Do you feel that I do?” After a little pause he added. “The only thing I noticed is that you are happiest when we are together and you sometimes look a little lost when I’m working in the other room. Is there nothing that brings you the same happiness like when you’re with me? No hobby, no interest that intrigues you?”

"What is a hobby?“ Jungkook leaned in a little closer, happy that Yoongi didn’t want to change anything about him anymore – but why was he still avoiding his touch? The robot could easily search the internet quickly to know what Yoongi was talking about, but he wanted his boyfriend to explain it to him. “You intrigue me. Are you my hobby then?”

He chuckled at the robots interpretation, “No, Kookie, people aren’t hobbies, they have hobbies. It’s an activity that you do in your free time and that you like. Some people do sports as a hobby or handcrafts like sewing or knitting but there are all kinds of different hobbies really.”

Jungkook bit his lip when Yoongi used the little nickname he liked so much. “Okay, well then I like watching you do stuff. And I like animes, right? Is that a hobby?” He had pushed his plate aside, more interested in what Yoongi was telling him than his food anymore. 

Yoongi refrained from telling the other that watching someone wasn't a hobby but rather creepy and instead reassured him in his love for anime. “Yes, watching anime is a nice hobby. I just thought that maybe you wanted to do something new or meet someone else that you can have fun with. Like a friend. Do you think you would like that?” Hoseok and Tae had come back from a little vacation two days ago and he was still toying with the thought of inviting them over. None of his friends had really seen Jungkook so far, he had told them about him and sometimes it had been Jungkook answering his phone when he had his phone shut off and they called the apartment but apart from that he was the only person Jungkook had ever seen so far. 

Jungkook hummed in response, deep in his thoughts for a moment. “But I want to have fun with you and do things with you first?” His voice sounded a little unsure, as if he didn’t know if Yoongi was trying to get more free time or really do something for him. “You can invite your friends anytime but I don’t need anyone but you.”

Maybe Yoongi was overreacting a little because even though it might not be healthy for a human to be fixated on someone that much maybe it was perfectly fine for a robot. He still wanted to give Jungkook other options because feeling like he had to be there for him 100% all the time was starting to stress him out. What if he wanted to go for drinks or just take a nap once in a while? Now that he had started to care for Jungkook he couldn’t just stop doing it and thinking about a lonely little robot curled up on the couch watching anime on his own wasn’t sitting right with him. Maybe he and Tae could have sleepovers? He really needed to have some robot talk with Hoseok when they were visiting.

Jungkook had learned to read Yoongi’s body language by now and with the way he was chewing on his bottom lip, eyes focused on thin air, he knew that he was thinking about something that was angering him in a way. Carefully, the robot got up and began to take the plates with him to leave Yoongi alone with his thoughts. It was always better like this; he had learned it quickly. When he was done, Yoongi was still sitting at the table and Jungkook felt a little confused on what to do. “Do you want to watch tv with me?” Jungkook’s voice broke through Yoongi’s thoughts, “It’s Saturday, they are playing some great movies tonight.”

“Yeah, sure. Do you have one in mind?” He was getting some snacks from the kitchen because even though he could skip a meal without a problem, watching a two hour long movie without snacks was impossible.

Neither of them wanted to watch a specific movie so he let Jungkook pick one at random that the younger liked “because of the cover”. He smiled fondly at how easily one could pique the boy’s interest. A nice movie cover, some hot cocoa… his life seemed simpler, more filled of joy like this. And Yoongi almost envied him for it. Not having to work and doing all the chores, all the paperwork, all that boring, useless, time and energy consuming stuff you had to do as a ‘human’... Jungkook didn’t have to do any of that. And yet, he was so human that you couldn’t differentiate him from anyone else, apart from maybe that boys his age weren’t that innocent anymore or that smiley because life had made sure to wipe that smile off their faces. He could feel his thoughts slipping to a place where he didn’t want to so he concentrated on Jungkook instead. 

The youngers fluffy hair was bobbing everytime Jungkook laughed wholeheartedly and without thinking he buried his fingers into it. Jungkook stiffened for a second, as if needing a second to process who was touching him before he melted against him, turning his head a little in his direction, so trusting and vulnerable that Yoongi’s chest bloomed with warmth. He gently scratched Jungkook’s scalp, brushing his fingers through his hair. It was a nice moment and he almost forgot about the movie - until a moan brought his attention right back to the screen. There was a heated make out scene going on and his first instinct was to cover up Kook eyes to not let him see, like he would do with a child - and then to turn off the TV. But it would be a little childish, wouldn’t it, to interrupt the movie that Jungkook picked just because of that? He could handle that. It was just… that he couldn’t. 

The scene was sexy as hell and he hadn’t slept with someone in a while. Adding Jungkook into the mix who was sitting right next to him, his pretty lips slightly parted as he watched in awe... Yoongi’s mind just wandered elsewhere. He could remember those descriptions that he had found in Jungkook’s manual very vividly but right now was the first time that he dared to recall them properly. Would Jungkook be as eager in pleasing him in bed as he was with anything else? He knew the answer already and he swallowed harshly, mouth going dry at the thought of Jungkook doing what was happening on screen to him. In his bedroom. Or on the couch, right now. He must have done something to give himself away because even though he hadn’t made a sound (he was sure of that!) Jungkook’s head whipped around and he concentrated solely on Yoongi. 

His head was cocked a little sideways as if he was listening to something or questioning something. He must have gotten his answer somehow because he smiled, gaze dropping to Yoongi’s lips and then he leaned forwards - as if he wanted to kiss him. Yoongi just freaked out. He was embarrassed that he had gotten riled up so quickly - and even more that Jungkook had been able to tell what he wanted without him saying it. He got up and Jungkook who had leaned forward almost fell onto the couch. “I... I think I’m gonna take a shower first. You can finish the movie if you want and I’ll just join you later again.” Then he got out of the room as quickly as he could.

The robot had registered it very clearly in this moment, Yoongi’s elevated heartbeat, his quicker breath and dilated pupils. His body temperature was higher than usual. It was like a switch that turned on and with him being so close, Jungkook just couldn’t resist – but before he could reach out, the human jumped up startling him effectively, mumbling something about a hot shower.

Yoongi took his time in the bathroom, not because he needed it (he didn’t draw it out, just got the job done, coming into his hand with a muffled moan) but because it took him a while to feel like himself again. Like he could go out there and pretend like he wasn’t phased by Jungkook’s beauty.

He went back into his bedroom to get fresh clothes with his hair still dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist. He changed into some clean underwear and was about to pull a t-shirt over his head when he noticed that he wasn’t alone any more. He startled visibly, almost knocking into his wardrobe. 

“Fuck, Jungkook, don’t sneak up on me like that! And why are you.. what are you...” He trailed off, stunned silent in utter confusion. Without a word the robot had started to undress in front of Yoongi as if it was the most normal thing to do. “Jungkook, what are you doing?” 

“I’m giving you what you need,” Jungkook whispered and undressed further. There was an aura coming off Yoongi that told him that he had been doing it himself in the shower and yet, his heartbeat hadn’t calmed down nor did it seem that it was enough for Yoongi. The other was still restless, Jungkook could see it clearly in every little movement of his eyes. Everything in him signaled him to do what he was programmed for: to pleasure. Yoongi had stumbled back onto the bed and he barely registered him ordering him to go and sleep, because apparently he was tired. But all of what Yoongi’s body told him was the exact opposite. 

Jungkook felt like he was in a trance. The need to be with Yoongi so bad. He had been used as a housemaid bots for weeks now, nothing of it gave him anything close to what he was craving for. His system was constantly confused, not getting any skin on skin contact that he needed so badly to survive. Jungkook took a step closer. Yoongi said he was ‘perfect’ now, then why did he still refuse to be with him when his body spoke so clearly to him? He was giving him all the signs. And Jungkook couldn’t step away.

Yoongi was trying to push Jungkook away who was refusing to get off the bed even though Yoongi had told him to go twice now and the older was starting to get scared. If Jungkook was refusing his orders then what if he was doing whatever he wanted now? What if Yoongi wouldn’t be able to control him at all? The fear made his voice sharper and his eyes blind to the way Jungkook was desperately trying to reach out for him. 

“Stay the hell away from me, robot!” 

Jungkook froze, finally stilling even though Yoongi hadn’t touched him again. His eyes were filling with tears and they slowly rolled down his cheeks. He looked so miserable that Yoongi was almost sorry - if they both hadn’t been half naked and he still shaken. Jungkook started trembling, not in a natural way, rather as if he was a live wire with too much electricity running through him. Yoongi crawled backwards, getting more distance between them and Jungkook’s gaze followed him, so hurt and so very sad. The shaking intensified and Yoongi got out of bed, reaching for his phone, “Stop it Whatever you are doing right now just stop it!” He was ready to call the robot service when he smelled it, it was like something was burning, something electrical. 

“I... I can’t!” Jungkook looked even more miserable if that was even possible. He still hadn’t moved at all since Yoongi had yelled at him, except for the shaking. Yoongi’s voice had reached through to him, but his system wasn’t listening. It could feel the desperation, the need for pleasure in every fiber of Yoongi’s body, while it was fighting with the urge of his heart to listen to what his boyfriend wanted: him to stop. Jungkook closed his eyes, desperately trying to push back the orders of his own system. “No,” Jungkook mumbled, shaking his head in a desperate manner. “I can’t do it, Yoongi. Help me, please.” He cried out as if he was in pain and it startled Yoongi effectively. Jungkook’s eyes flickered back and forth as he tried to push everything back but it was no use. His system was overloading. 

“H-help me.” 

Yoongi finally reacted, when he realized what was happening. In a matter of seconds, he got back onto the bed, holding Jungkook’s cheeks to make the robot look at him. “What the hell is going on?” He yelled at him, not meaning to be angry right now but he was just as confused and scared. “What the fucking hell is going on, Jungkook!”

The robot’s lips trembled as he tried to focus on the human, trying to keep his hands to himself. Controlling his own body was a task he wasn’t sure he was able to do right now - not with Yoongi being so close. “O-overload,” He sounded like he was in pain, cramping more and more. “Y-you’ve got to clean,” Jungkook began to whisper to himself, feeling his strength leaving his body as he tried to get everything back under control. “Clean, take care of him and he will like you. Be good,” Jungkook’s voice was a trembling, barely audible for Yoongi, who was holding onto the youngers shoulder to keep him upright but nothing seemed to work. “You’ve got to be good. He...he doesn’t want you like that. St-stop.” The robot closed his eyes, as he furrowed his brows, “Sh-shut me off, please. Yoongi, please. I can’t...I can’t do it anymore.” He snapped his eyes open and Yoongi gasped, when he saw the pain, the pure fear in Jungkook’s once so glistening eyes. It was like something had swallowed the galaxy inside them and nothing else but confusion and hatred was left. But not for Yoongi, but himself. Jungkook was fighting himself. 

Yoongi’s hands were shaking as he pulled the robot in against him, trying to push his hair away from his ear. He was panting, trying to hold Jungkook still while he was searching for the button. He wasn’t sure if he could remember the code, or anything else really but he couldn’t let Jungkook destroy himself. His heart was beating hard against his chest and Jungkook leaned closer, feeling it against his own chest. He wanted Yoongi’s heart to beat for him. 

“Why don’t you want me?” Jungkook’s voice sounded broken off, his eyes flickering back and forth with the way Yoongi was screaming orders at him, trying to find the button to push and making him struggle with it. There were tears in his eyes as he held onto the other, feeling dazed as his system was overheating. He could feel it in every fiber of his body that was shaking right now. He blacked out, only to snap back for a moment. “Please stop,” He whined but his voice was barely any louder than a whisper, “I…I j-just want to be w-what you need p-please.” Jungkook fainted again, head falling aside, but his eyes snapped open again, seconds after in sheer panic. “Why can’t I-I be your b-boyfriend?” Jungkook gasped, his whole body stiffening up when Yoongi finally pushed the button in his ear and his eyes glazed over, giving them a grey hue. 

Finally Jungkook laid still and lifeless on the bed. There was no breathing, no sign that he was still ‘there’. He looked like a corpse. Yoongi sat back on the bed and looked at him. Jungkook’s sheer desperation had burned itself into his mind and when he tried to wipe his sweaty hands on the sheets he realized that they were shaking. It felt like he had just killed Jungkook. Not just now; he had started to wear him down from the very beginning. 

Sweet little robot trying to please - and then he came along, rejecting him again and again until the other was begging to be shut off. On his first night Jungkook had been adamant on wanting to stay awake, asking him to not shut him off under any circumstances. And there he was now, shut off completely because apparently not even a robot could survive in his care. There was wetness on his face and he angrily wiped the tears away before they could even count. He wasn’t crying, not really. It was just frustration or... or being overwhelmed. He would tell Hoseok that he had to cancel their visit first and then he would call the robot company and tell them that he would send his robot back and that they didn’t need to destroy him because he hadn’t used him so he was still clean and the imprint may be there but anyone who would be willing to use Jungkook the way he was designed to would be a better owner and that all they had to do was wipe Jungkook's memory and then give him to someone else. 

Someone who wouldn’t let him sleep on the couch and who would take him to bed the very first night.

A/N: This is an early update, as I am on a dance competition all weekend so you’ll get the new chapter today! YAY!!!!!! We hope you enjoyed...well......oops things happened again hm.....sowwy! :D I think Yoongi messed it up for good. 

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