#I haven't seen anything about his planned changes yet. I'm hoping so badly that it will be a slight buff.

[forcedhesitation]

...just heard about the upcoming perk changes...hmm...yeah. the only good one definitely is the adrenaline nerf. I've wanted them to take away healing off hook forever.

the other perk changes are ass.

ultimate weapon is still outrageously unfair, even if you take away the screaming! to me, it feels like they just saw the uptick in people using calm spirit following the addition of ultimate weapon, and decided "hm, the way to deal with this is to remove the screaming." no! this perks needs to be reworked differently! given a longer cooldown, something! it does way too much for just one perk!

DS buff isn't going to stop tunnelling. strong killers don't care if you stun them, and weaker survivors likely won't even have DS because it's licensed...waste of a buff. just as they should do with off the record, they need to spread out these important anti-tunnel strategies to general perks. it's so unfair that something this important be gated behind a DLC. and no one perk should ever be too strong!

also, I saw otz's commentary on the changes. I could not agree more that certain killers should be nerfed directly, rather than trying to just balance perks generally. not all killers interact with different perks the same... nurse, wesker, huntress, blight, etc do not care about a stun, even if it's increased in length. you need to change them & how their powers work in relation to stuns, so survivors have a chance to get away from them, rather than buffing the perk so that old man ghostface has an even worse time in this dogshit meta lmao.

[baphmochii]

Inmate Sal x f!reader ~ PenPal (HC's)

18+/CW: SFW with a dash of NSFW. PenPal turned Romantic. Reader is female and of age (adult).

°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°

This is something I thought of and I'm hoping it doesn't turn out awful. I know that no one's perfect when it comes to writing anything but.. *exhale* here we go.

°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°

✯ (How it Started): You're close friend had told you about inmate penpal's, they would read you their letters of what their penpal would write and it sparked an interest if you wanting to have a penpal.

✯ After getting set up and registering for a penpal, to your luck you manage to get Sal. It started off as (surprisingly) friendly back and forth conversation. It felt as if you were talking with an old friend you haven't seen in years, you would write Sal about your day, what you plans you had, college and other normie things. Sal would write to you about his day and what goes on in prison. (ex: riots, stabbings, etc.) The usual of what happens in a prison.

✯ You would eventually send Sal a photo of yourself after some time of talking and getting to know each other via letters, you slipped your photo in with the most recent letter you sent off to him. Once he got that letter and opened it, seeing your gorgeous face.. something changed in him.

✯ Sal was infatuated with you. Truth behold.. Sal was starting to gain feelings for you, strong romantic and sexual feelings. To admit, there were a few times Sal beat his cock silly to the photo of you, he felt shame afterwards, perverted too. He would imagine that it was you on your hands and knees, sucking his thick cock, taking it as deep as it would go down your tiny throat. The things he wanted to do to you... and you didn't even know it. Yet.

✯ Sal would manage to send a photo of himself to you (making a trade with another inmate), he would also slip his photo into his recent letter he sent off to you. Once you got it, you got to see him. Yes, you've seen mugshots of him before but that was along time ago and this was recent. He was.. handsome, he looked quite mysterious. His prosthetic made you feel.. tingly. You wanted to see more of him, especially his face. That would be asking for too much.

✯ The both you would still have conversations but there would also be.. "interesting" conversation. You would engage first with the explicit talk: "I have to be honest Sal.. I played with myself to your photo. I really want you inside of me, I really.. just want you to break me til' I'm unable to walk or form a sentence." You wrote in one letter. In return, Sal would praise you, call you his "good girl", his. Only his.

. . "You make me go feral inside of my cell. You're all I can think about, day and night, princess. I really want to feel your skin, you look so soft." . .

. . "In the showers when I'm alone. All I can think about is wanting to shower with you, our bare skin pressed together as we get each other clean." . .

. . "How are you doing today, princess? Did you remember to eat today? How were your finals today, too? I hope you did your best on it, you're my smart girl." . .

✯ I forgot to mention: Aside from the usual conversation and sexual talk/teasing of each other. Sal would regularly make sure you were eating, making your bed, brushing your teeth, just overall genuinely caring about you. Sal doesn't see you as his "little fuck toy" he sees you as his princess. His precious girl to care for you, he desperately wishes he wasn't behind bars so he can be with you. Sal has never felt this way in a long time with anyone, he's been through so much. Sal is quite surprised you feel the same way towards him.

✯ Being in love with an inmate and yes, a murderer despite him not having a choice. You loved the man, you shared personal things with him, shared many things with him actually. If only there was a way to get him out, to get him his freedom he deserved so badly.

✯ In your recent letters, you and Sal scheduled a meetup at Nockfell Prison. You two would finally see each other face-to-face for the first time. It made the both your hearts beat and flutter like there was no tomorrow, he had so much to tell you and you, the same. You'd finally be able to see his beautiful face (even if it's his prosthetic). It was a face you'd grow to love.

... Bonus!!🎉 (18+) 🥵

✯ Remember how you and Sal would send each other photos yourselves? Well, yes, the both of you would send naughty pictures to each other too.

✯ Sal loved when you would send photos of your naked body. He yearned to touch your curves, feel your breasts and squeeze them in his large hands. He wanted to feel every inch of you.

✯ I do think at one point Sal had manage to photograph his cock (a dick pic lol) and when you saw the image - THIS MAN IS HUNG. You always wondered how big or what it looked like but, the guy is big (8inches).

✯ Ah sending each other naughty pics was what got both of you through your days. Sal made a private folder (somehow) of all the naked/lewd pics of you, his girl. His little shrine~

°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°°.✯🖤✯.°

Phew! I hope I did good at writing this, this was all off the top of my head but I really wanted to write a penpal turned romantic type of thing, I guess? If you all want more or wanna ask questions (it can be SFW/NSFW questions)

Reblogs are greatly appreciated ❤️

Inbox is Open - 24/7 - SFW/NSFW Asks/Questions are Allowed ❤️

- Aki✯

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: The Truth Remains

Raphael had been the third angel ever created, and he’d raised himself first with Michael’s clumsy help. Then he’d turned around and raised three more siblings, and loved them all so fiercely it hurt. He'd loved Aziraphale too, more than either of them really knew. And then, he fell. He lost everything. The bond he held with his siblings was ripped away, leaving an aching, empty void. And while he still has Aziraphale, the angel doesn't recognize the archangel who taught him how to care about the Earth. And Crowley refuses to tell him who he was, or how Aziraphale's voice is the one thing that can soothe the ache in his soul that wants, so badly, to feel a connection again. A story through the ages as an angel and a demon come to terms with their shared past.

Length: 200,154 words

AO3 Rating: Mature

Best for: At Home, Angst, Through the Ages, Canon AU

Triggers: Violence

Read it here, fic by WanderingAlice

*Minor Spoilers* This story is gorgeous. It is bittersweet and melancholic, and if you haven't read this one yet I think it's a must read. Crowley in this story is actually the supposedly dead Raphael. This is not a story that just drops that fact into the established canon like an Easter egg. This is a full canon AU. All the events we're familiar with will happen, but the context has completely changed. I will leave all the major details for you to learn. Just know that it will break your heart over and over again.

This is a Crowley centric story. It will unravel his history as Raphael and the relationship he had with his siblings and Aziraphale. He is a very wounded and guarded thing here. And lethally protective of Aziraphale, which surprised me. The thing is, Aziraphale knew Raphael and had loved him in Heaven. Now he is haunted by the guilt and grief he feels over losing him. How awful it is for Crowley to have his love grieve for him and be unable to say, "I'm here, I'm not gone," Remember, I said this would break your heart.

You can expect a very somber Through the Ages tale here. Not that there isn't lightness, but it's not a silly story. Its contemplative and the periods of time we visit are very painful for Crowley. This Crowley is very empathetic, doing whatever he can to save and heal the humans around him. There is a beautiful scene involving Crowley and Jesus here. It gives them more of a relationship than the canon hints at and it’s gorgeous. He pushes Crowley to believe that maybe this was all meant to be, that Crowley is still a part of God's love and plans. Despite all his resentment for her, Crowley still desperately wants answers and to feel God's love. It is the love an abused child feels for their mother. There's also some really touching moments with Eve, and what he told her before she took the apple. I haven't seen that particular scene in fanfic often. Maybe I'm missing them, but this is the standard I will hold anything else to.

This story is completely safe in public if you wish, but I think it's best for at home. It's a more poetic prose that you'll want to pay attention to. When I tried reading it at work, it was a lot harder to fully immerse myself. I hope I didn't make this story seem like a downer. It's really not! It's beautiful and slow, and had some excellent insights into Crowley's psyche. There are more stories in this series, but I have not read them yet. I'm sure I'll get to them because I definitely will want to return to this world.

Read it here, fic by WanderingAlice

[skania]

The Final Stroke: Thoughts on Haru's conflict (+Rin)

Okay so reading all the summaries of The Final Stroke Part 1 has left me with A LOT of thoughts. About Haru, about Rin, about Rin & Haru and how all the different character conflicts will be tied together in Part 2.

BUT since I have been waiting YEARS for Free! to feed me some juicy Haru conflict, of course I'm sinking my teeth into that first because peeling off Haru's layers has always been my favorite Free! sport.

It's been a long while since I've tried to get into Haru's head AND I haven't even watched the movie yet so I'm probably wrong, but here goes nothing. As per usual, it will be long and image-heavy because I can't keep things short and sweet to save my life.

Also, it's heavy on spoilers about The Final Stroke so please do not read without reading Fencer's summary first!

AND since it's basically impossible to discuss Haru without discussing Rin and vice-versa, please do also expect a healthy dose of RinHaru.

Utsumi: Indeed; it’s a path Haruka never would have chosen himself. But despite claims that he doesn’t care about winning or losing or scoring certain times, he’s always been attentive to Rin’s presence. [x]

Please assume there's a huge "IMO" attached to this whole post.

In Season 1, we saw Haru struggle to understand that the reason for his emotional turmoil was quite simply that he wanted to swim with Rin again.

In Season 2, we saw Haru struggle because he wanted to follow Rin into the Pro world, but he felt like he didn't deserve to do so because he didn't have a dream and thus, no strong feelings about competitive swimming itself.

Needless to say, there's a pattern.

In Season 3, the series kind of took a detour. Still, it did plant some seeds, the most important IMO being the following:

"After I hit 20, I will be..."

"If you ask me what lies ahead of me, I..."

"You can't survive without throwing something away. I didn't want to throw anything away. But I lost."

"Maybe I don't deserve to compete at the global level."

Road to the World adds some extra layers to all that by showing us just what else is connected to that fear of Haru's.

Because, what do we see after Rin tells Haru that no matter what wall [Rin] faces, the one thing that doesn't change is his desire to keep swimming with [Haru]?

We see the moment Rin tells Haru "aim for the world with me, Haru!". Then, the moment Rin asks Haru what his dream is—right when Haru finally felt free after achieving the dream he had that season, that of swimming with Rin again. Lastly, we see the moment Rin asks Haru "what will you do?" when it comes to choosing between swimming in a recreational pool, or the one used by the National Team.

Every single one of these moments brought Haru closer to his dream—and Rin is the common factor in them all. So when Rin tells Haru,

It's obvious by those flashbacks alone what Haru's answer is. He, too, wants to keep swimming with Rin in that world.

But before the thought can fully form in Haru's mind, Albert flashes through it. We immediately see Haru's disposition change, and the result is the most telling of all.

Just like always, the imagery is on point. Rin and his desire to swim with him give Haru strength and purpose and Haru clenches his fist—but this time, Albert seeps that strength from him until his fist goes limp. And suddenly, Haru doesn't know what to say to Rin anymore.

Because, what Albert makes Haru wonder, is this:

From my limited perspective (like I said before, I haven't watched TFS yet), I think that might just be where the heart of Haru's issue in The Final Stroke lies.

I think a big part of why Haru wants to win against Albert so badly is probably because he wants to prove to himself that he does deserve to be in that world—like Rin. That all his friends are right to believe in him.

And he feels even more pressured because he thinks he's running out of time.

All this pressure to win—not to feel the water better or to be the best in the water he loves so much, but simply to win before he's "ordinary"—does not let Haru swim freely. He doesn’t swim like himself.

He is probably terrified of his own limits and of how close he might be to hitting them, and this fear and pressure are binding him.

Moreover, while Haru decided that he wanted to swim in that world, the truth is that he doesn’t know what the future holds for him.

He has no long-term, tangible plans. Unlike Rin, who wants to win a gold medal, Haru just wants to swim "in the whole world". This, added to the fact that he thinks he’ll be ordinary by 20 and that he has not managed to beat Albert, makes it so Haru is basically blinded to what the future can bring for him. He can’t see that sight.

Part of the reason for this, I feel, is that the series has never addressed the big elephant in the room.

What exactly does Haru get out of competitive swimming, besides swimming with Rin? Because "swimming in that world" is nice and sweet and idealistic, but it doesn't cover the fact of racing itself.

I used to talk a lot about why Haru needed to find a reason to enjoy competing even when it isn't against Rin. That he needed to find a reason to want that for himself. I even thought S3 may finally go for it, but it ended without Haru finding meaning in that "world of wins and losses", as he used to call it.

Usually, he’d look at Rin to point the way forward. And it is knowing that Rin (and to a lesser extent, Ikuya) is there fighting with him and aiming for the world as well that gives Haru some reassurance.

However, from what we know from the summaries, Haru isn’t thinking of them when he swims. He is entirely caught up on needing to beat Albert because of what it has come to represent to him.

There’s also the issue of Haru’s competitiveness. Haru spent a long time suppressing it and only indulging in it with Rin. But he has always wanted to be the best in the water—the one who "feels" it best.

It wasn’t that he wanted to win, or that he hated losing; it was just that he couldn’t simply accept that there was someone who could feel the water more than he could. (x)

So when you combine all of this, I feel like Haru has lost sight of the most important thing—that instead of swimming just to win, like it’s a job, he should swim to feel the water he loves so much and, most importantly, for the team (with his friend’s feelings in his heart).

That way, he could swim like himself and the water won’t be sad nor lonely.

This all sounds like a lot and it is. Haru is all but suffocating under this weight.

So, when Rin comes and tells him that [Haru] will be facing Albert alone—that they aren’t fighting him together, like Haru hoped for—Haru snaps.

It’s not only that what Haru perceives as the biggest obstacle to his dream (Albert) is standing before Haru (alone) and Rin won’t be there to share his struggles, but also that Rin is the reason he’s there in the first place because Rin is the one that made Haru stop wanting to be ordinary.

He’s the reason why he’s gotten to this point and the reason he came into the global stage and ran into Albert. He’s also the biggest thing Haru will lose if he can’t win against Albert—because if Haru’s dream ends, he won’t get to swim with Rin in that world anymore.

And now Rin’s walking away from swimming free and leaving him alone with this beast of a swimming machine and with [Haru’s] own limitations. And Haru feels trapped. He feels bitter. He feels betrayed. Terrified.

And, of course, lost. Because just like Rin once said, "Without you, I have nothing to aim for, you know?"

So, he snaps.

And by burning bridges with Rin, the very embodiment of "For the Team", the one person that he has always wanted to swim with most of all, the one whose feelings he was still connected to above all—by virtue of swimming together in that world, by sharing a dream—Haru now feels like he's truly alone in the water.

Haru is essentially turning his back on the very reason he swims for—in more ways than one. So, he’s becoming a second Albert. Only there to win, not to have fun.

Because that’s the thing. Haru says he’s doing it for his dream, but since he can’t see that dream clearly, he lacks direction. All he can see is the immediate future and all that stares back at him are his own limitations—embodied by Albert himself.

Albert represents, then, the road Haru must not take. Haru can’t be all about becoming stronger simply for the sake of winning—and he must definitely not do so alone. Like Ikuya said in S3, if Haru isn't gaining that strength for someone else (the team), there's no point.

So, since this is Free!, Haru needs to go back to his roots and truly swim for the team once again. But I feel like he also needs to re-contextualize his dream and truly define what it entails, for once and for all. Which, if we go by everything we've seen so far—should involve swimming with Rin.

Only then will he be able to swim freely again.

There's A LOT of foreshadowing and things from S3 that will most likely play a role in that and I haven't even touched Rin's choice to not swim free anymore, but this has gotten really long and I've run out of image slots lmao so I'll just have to ramble about those some other time 🙇‍♀️

[rpg-elf-girl]

Shadows House

I have a lot of thoughts surrounding this particular show, both good & bad.

Allow me to give a quick summary for anyone who hasn't seen/read it!

Shadows House is about 'a faceless family of nobles who all live within this giant manor, the Shadows House.

When a Shadow comes of age they receive a 'Living Doll' to both serve as their face and to clean the soot they emit from their bodies.

The most important rule of the living dolls is "don't fret over trivial matters"

A task which is difficult for the ever curious doll Emiliko.

Watch this tale unfold as Emiliko & her mistress Kate navigate this ever mysterious Manor together.'

For a fan of slow burn thrillers, horror, slice of life, supernatural & mystery series' this has been an absolute blast!

It's not quite the combination of genres you'd expect from a show, but it works really well here!

In fact I was so into the anime that this is actually the first show where I broke down and read the manga!

Unfortunately there's no official English release, but at least there are some people translating the series!

As much as I'd like to go on about the manga, this post is meant to be more so about the anime so I'll (try to) leave it at that.

Though i feel obligated to warn anime onlys I'll likely refer the manga a lot in a spoiler section latter in this post I'll try to be vague but I can't guarantee anything. For anyone worried about that I'll lable it do you can read on until then.

Everything from the animation to the music was amazing & completely fit the mood of the story! I remember a couple scenes where I actually teared up because of this!

The Ending theme is an absolute banger! I've listened to that on repeat ever since I first heard it! And the Opening is also great! It's cool for it to be an instrumental, stuff like that is pretty rare! I also heard the song in the op as a motif in the music throughout the show! It really sets the right mood in each scene it's in! It's amazing for getting into each episode!

In terms of adaptation almost everything from the beginning to the end of the Debut arc was done amazingly well!

Even with the stuff they cut it still holds true to the spirit of its source.

The main important part that was cut is something that could easily be introduced latter if they decide to go for a second season, so I'm not too mad about that.

However! Everything after the debut is a bit of a different story.

There was a lot I liked about the last couple episodes but there were some parts that were immersion breaking for me.

I've been being vague up until this point l, but I'm planning on going into spoiler territory for both the anime and manga after this. So I'll make a quick spoiler free summary of my thoughts before moving onto that.

I really really loved this show but in my opinion the last 3 episodes were the weakest of them all. They went anime only for the ending. I don't mind that on it's own, but it was rushed and the writing was sloppy at times.

Now I'm not telling you to not watch the show! Most of It's really really good, and I can still see people enjoying the parts I'm talking about if they want to give the anime a try. Overall I've fallen in love with this series and I could never recommend it enough.

If what I'm saying is giving you bad vibes the manga is available and doesn't have the issues I've mentioned. You can look for a translation online, it didn't take me long to find one so don't worry too much about that.

Also! if you're an anime only who's finished the series and want to know where to pick up the Manga I'd recommend at least skiming through the beginning. I know it might not be what you're looking for but there were a bunch of small scenes that either got cut or were merged for adaptation purposes that I think are super cute & give more context to different aspects of the setting. However! Pay close attention during the "night watchers part" something important got cut .

~~~Now for spoilers!!!!~~~

I don't want to make it sound like I'm some manga purist who hates the very thought of the slightest change from the source. I'm anime only for a lot of different shows and I've always despised it when that type of manga reader reared it's ugly head.

While I'll admit some changes did bother me I won't make a fuss about the smaller stuff.

With that said!

I hinted earlier in this post that I didn't have a big problem with Robe-same being cut. That was because without them there it does make for a more complete story if they only get one season to work with.

If there is another season they can easily be introduced latter on. Like maybe Emiliko & Shaun can meet them when the Debutant class reunion is going on before they talk on the roof (or right after that) I actually think that would be the perfect time to introduce them (other than the time they were supposed to appear, but I digress)

Louise teaming up & being friendly with Kate can be explained with some dialogue changes at the first Debutant Class Reunion. Louise can say she was just trying to show off or that she just wanted to get back at Edward and that she isn't interested in helping Kate with her problems. Things can then go on as they did in the manga.

Kates being reckless & telling everything to John can be explained by her being extremely panicked when Emiliko went missing, as long as there are some lines of dialogue adressing this it's fine. Though I do wish she tried to keep some stuff a secret but couldn't because Shaun tries to interfer because he's still brainwashed, or something along those lines. It felt a bit weird after she just told Emiliko to keep that stuff between them. Still that could be explained by how panicked she was.

There are other things, but I don't want to drag the post on too long. Most of the issues can be fixed with little changes here & there.

I never had a problem with the idea of them going in an anime only direction. I just want to have a good time with the show.

Unfortunately I can't 100% vouche for the direction the show went in. There were elements that I can't excuse, even viewing it as it's own entity instead of an adaptation.

My main complaint with it is how they handled the brainwashing of Ricky & Lou. They didn't say a word when the Debutants were talking badly about Edward & even went along with a plan to go against him. It makes absolutely no sense!

Shaun freaked out when John only suggested that he didn't have to be loyal to the house. These guys were flat out rebelling against an adult! It felt like Ricky & Lou didn't have a purpose & were just there to be there.

The whole point of the coffee is to influence shadows against doing stuff like this. It makes the coffee seem pointless and the adults seem dumb for relying on it to control the kids.

I haven't even brought up the fact that both of their brainwashings were broken by something as simple as a few kind words. It straight up contradicts the rules established by both the Anime and Manga.

This becomes very apparent when you consider all the trouble John & Kate went through to free Shaun & Emiliko.

This was my biggest complaint, but I have some other issues as well.

The next big one is how they handled Edward.

1. Why on earth would he even consider kidnapping Emiliko when he had complete control of the childrens wing? Before this point he was depicted as being a lot more crafty than this. He could easily have Kate monitored or something.

2. Why didn't he use his powers to stop them like what he did to Maryrose & Rosemary when they fought back being taken to the adults wing? He's already shown off his power at this point, why not?

3. Why did he reveal his soot powers at all!? Especially while using his face in front of the kids! The whole unification thing is one of the biggest secrets of the house for good reason! There's no way he wouldn't get in huge trouble for exposing it to children!

Here are some other related questions.

Why didn't Kate, Emiliko, & John react to Edward using soot powers? They shouldn't know about unification yet so why didn't they act shocked, or say anything about it?

Is Edward being banished even an option in the Shadows House? Wouldn't the third floor lords just dispose of him rather than risk letting him leave?

How did John even get a veiled dolls outfit? Louise had to use her powers to get Kate one & she left a long time ago.

I can't think of much else at the moment, but I think you get my point.

Please don't take this as me saying that I hate the show because of these episodes. Even if I consider them the weakest of the series I still found a lot of parts to be very enjoyable!

Like I thought it was adorable When Edward was attempting to interrogate Emiliko & she kept being her sunshine self pretending to eat & falling asleep.

Barbara getting to tell off Edward for breaking the rules was great!

I loved seeing Shaun hatch the plan to get Kate into the adults wing to save Emiliko.

Seeing John (attempt to) sneak around the adults wing had me rolling!

The ending scene of Shaun, Ricky, & Lou singing gave me the chills.

(Though I wonder how they'd handle Shaun & Emiliko being brainwashed again since they already used the scenes where they're freed)

Kate & Emilico being propelled by John back to the children's wing was absolutely amazing! I found Shaun & Ricky running over to catch them to be super sweet! (Not to mention the way that scene was animated was absolutely gorgeous!)

Getting hints to what was supposed to come after the debut was nice, at least the groundwork is there in case this gets a season 2!

To (try to) wrap this all up while there were a lot of things I loved and disliked about this show I still had a really fun time watching it!

I kinda hope there's a season two just to see if they can tidy up the mess that the last few episodes created.

Regardless of whether that happens or not I came out of this with a series I absolutely adore.

Heck I could make a whole other post about the manga. (Hopefully one that's less ranty)

Anyway! I won't take any more of your time.

I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! And I hope to see you in my next post!

(Sorry if this one was a bit of a mess!)

[simpcircus]

Accidental

Warning(s): cursing, fluff

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: Sorry for taking way too long for this request! I hope I don’t disappoint you too much, anon TT

“T’as d’beaux yeux, tu sais?” The flirtatious voice of a man you knew so well entered your ears from afar and you were trying your hardest to ignore the tinge of jealousy that was currently present in your chest.

Not too far away from you, there stood Polnareff in all his glory - shooting his shot with a bunch of young looking women using his flirty lines. Him being a smooth talker is old news and everyone in the team already knew how flirty Polnareff could be. His words are so sweet as if they’re coated with honey everytime he speaks, and his dazzling smile has never failed to charm you.

While you had to admit that you did fall in love with him due to his flawless outer appearance at first, Jean Pierre Polnareff is definitely more than his loud and silly demeanour. Time and time again, your assumptions about his personality were proven wrong as he kept showing new sides of himself to you. He’s an honorable man and despite his mild narcissism, you could tell that he means well. You also learn later on that Polnareff is a compassionate person and it only adds to his many charms.

It’s practically impossible for you to not fall in love with the frenchman honestly.

You had to hold back a sigh when you heard him shoot another flirty line to the girls. You’re well aware that jealousy is a disease, especially when he’s not even your boyfriend but you couldn’t help yourself. God you wished it was you instead that he’s flirting with because your feelings for Polnareff have started to become much more serious - to the point where he’s the only person you could think about nowadays.

It scares you on how much the Frenchman could affect your mind despite him not even trying.

With the scorching sun hanging in the sky above you, the level of your annoyance only accelerated the more you heard him flirting with those women. It was hard to ignore the bitterness in your chest and at this point, anyone can spot the frown on your face as you stared at the ground in silence.

“Are you okay (y/n)?” A gruff voice grabbed your attention, successfully pulling you away from your envy filled thoughts. Your eyes were quick to look up from the ground, only to see Mr. Joestar’s concerned face. “Ah, Joestar-san. I’m fine, don't worry about it.” Your lips quickly stretched into a smile to reassure him that there was nothing to be worried about and the man nodded. However, despite the nod he gave you, it was obvious that he’s not buying it - though the man didn’t want to be seen as intrusive, which was why he decided that it’s best for him to excuse himself.

Keeping your little crush for Polnareff to yourself wasn’t as easy as you’d expected it to be. While it was unnoticeable for the other crusaders at first,the extra observant ones like Kakyoin and Avdol were able to catch up rather quickly. It’s a relief that Avdol isn’t the type to focus on unimportant stuff like this, but Kakyoin seemed like he enjoyed teasing you about your crush for Polnareff. The redhead would give you knowing looks and you couldn’t do anything to stop him. 

“I take it that you’re bothered by something, but I wonder what could it be” Kakyoin instantly appeared by your side as soon as Mr. Joestar was out of your sight, the tone of his voice was showcasing his curiosity and concern. You weren’t sure if it’s the right choice to tell the crusader about your jealousy, especially knowing that Kakyoin will tease the hell out of you later on. 

Polnareff's flirting, your deafening silence and foul mood seem to give him an idea of what’s actually going on and you could almost see a lightbulb appearing on his head when he managed to piece everything together. Kakyoin’s violet eyes went back and forth between your sulking figure and Polnareff before he continued speaking. “I don't wish to assume, but is it about him?”

‘Just how observant this guy is?’ A small thought echoed in your head as you could feel a drop of cold sweat went down your back. He figured it all out by himself and you didn’t even say anything that could hint about your feelings.

“Fine. It is about him.” The frown on your face deepened as you admitted to your feelings, and Kakyoin instantly gave you the smirk that you knew so well. It's almost like he's proud of himself for being able to guess your thoughts correctly. “Maybe you should just tell him about your crush, (y/n). How long are you planning to keep it to yourself?” 

Like hell you would.

“Non non non non non” You furiously shook your head at his suggestion, your arms were now crossed against your chest. “I would rather die than confess to him. Of course I didn’t want to die literally but you get what I mean.” Your face turned red at the thought of coming clean about your crush to the frenchman while Kakyoin let out a snicker out of amusement at your reaction.

"Even the way he speaks has rubbed off on you. Just how infatuated are you with him (y/n)?" You only glared at Kakyoin after his words but the redhead paid no attention to your silent threat.

Your friend parted his lips to continue taunting you but his words were cut off by some distant angry voices coming from Polnareff’s direction, and both of you were quick to turn to look at them. The women he was flirting with earlier looked unhappy while their mouths spouted appalling insults to the silver haired man.

“This guy really thinks he had a chance with us by relying on his shitty flirting skills. Pathetic!” 

“You think your hair is cool but it’s actually not.” 

“Your chance of getting into a relationship is probably as big as your non-existent eyebrows!”

The change in Polnareff’s facial expression wasn’t hard to spot. You were gritting your teeth while your eyes shot daggers at those women. 

“(y/n), calm down.” Kakyoin tried his best to keep your anger under control even though he’s well aware that his effort was useless. Your mood was already foul to begin with, so he wouldn’t be surprised if you do anything that could cause harm to the women. Their obnoxious laugh only fueled your anger and as soon as another insult left their lips, you started stomping your feet towards their direction. 

“Maybe you should mirror yourself first before approaching girls like us next time-” “The one who needs a mirror is you.” 

Your voice was stern as you spoke and Polnareff’s eyes widened after realizing that you came into his defense. All his life, the man has never thought there will be a day when the person he’s interested in would defend him against a bunch of rude women. It made his heart flutter and Polnareff was trying his best to keep his composure around you. Though, he had to admit that his current situation was kind of embarrassing.

“How dare you!” One of the women glared at you but you weren't intimidated at all. Your journey with the other crusaders to Egypt has led you to meet countless enemies who are stand users. With the way they're dressed - lacy overpriced dresses that hung on their bodies like table cloth, unflattering homemade curls with badly drawn eyebrows and unblended eyeshadow - you wondered what exactly Polnareff saw in them to make him want to flirt with them. A bunch of rude, unfashionable and obnoxious women wouldn't scare you.

"Hah! Looks like the guy couldn’t even stand up for himself. How sad!" 

It was the last straw for you, and your patience has finally run out, completely. As if a switch inside of your head got flipped by an unknown force, your cold eyes burnt with nothing but fury and you could tell that those women were greatly intimidated with the look in your face. They took a few steps backwards everytime you moved closer to them - while Polnareff watched in awe at how much power you have in scaring the group away. 

He instantly took note to stay on your good side.

"What rights do you have to freely insult him? Are your insecurities that bad to the point where you would settle for cheap insults instead of just politely declining his advances?" You were trying so hard to not yell out of anger. The amount of unadulterated rage you have for these women were forcing you to lash out, give them some good beating with your stand and create a scene, but the more rational side of your brain stopped those barbaric thoughts - constantly reminding you to keep your cool especially when Polnareff's around to witness your actions.

Their deafening silence gave you the green light to continue talking and defend the frenchman who has stolen your heart. "Haven't you heard? If you have nothing nice to say then it's better if you just stay silent. This so-called 'pathetic' man might look 'uncool' or 'sad' but that still doesn't give you the right to insult him." 

Polnareff wasn't sure if he should be offended by your words, or feel grateful that you're trying to stand up for him. Either way, his pride has taken a little hit.

"So you're defending him, yet your words implied that he is indeed, uncool and sad. Wasn't that a contradiction?-" "I'm not done yet!" 

Your fists clenched by your sides while your nails digged into the flesh of your palms. At this point, all your thoughts about Polnareff have spiralled out of control and words of appreciation on the tip of your tongue are threatening to spill out from your mouth. You couldn't bear the thought of letting other people see him as a terrible person when he's not. You couldn't bear the thought of letting other people look down on him just because of his flirting tendency.

"I obviously can't change your opinion towards him, but I'll let you know that you're wrong."

All your life, you have always held onto the whole 'opinions couldn't be wrong because everyone has different perspectives' concept. However, this time's an exception.

“This guy right here” You paused your sentence to point your finger at Polnareff, your eyebrows furrowed in determination to prove those women wrong. “He’s AMAZING” 

"He's more than how he appears. You probably think of him as a degenerate, but let me tell you again, you're wrong. He's great and he cares a lot for his friends." Your mind reverted back to the time when Polnareff risked his own safety just to save you. The enemy stand was too strong for you to defeat on your own, but you were still reckless at that time - which was why you were so quick to throw yourself into the battle despite all the warnings from the other crusaders. If it wasn't for him, you probably would have died.

"Polnareff doesn't deserve any of your insults! He almost got himself killed to save me, and I'll be damned if I say I didn't feel bad about it. All this time, I thought of him shallowly - just a prideful man who loves to boast about his abilities to literal strangers, but I was just as wrong as you are."

Polnareff stayed in silence as he listened to your words, his mouth slightly agape with shock. Butterflies fill in his stomach with every word of appreciation that leaves your mouth. Is this a dream? Or reality? He just simply couldn't believe it - his crush is speaking highly of him. 

"The more you know him, the more charming he gets and I'm happy to know him as the person he really is. There isn't a day when I would complain about our fated encounter. It almost felt like a blessing, even, to know Polnareff. Everything about him is perfect despite his flaws. If you couldn't accept someone's flaws and opt to insult them instead, then I would kindly ask you to stop and leave. Your negativity and audacity aren't needed here." 

It does feel nice to be able to speak out your thoughts.You had to mentally congratulate yourself for not completely losing your cool and still remain respectful while you were trying to defend Polnareff. However, those angry women seemed to target their fatuous insults towards you, but it was a relief that their attention wasn't fully directed towards the frenchman behind you.

"Look at them desperately trying to defend that walking trash." 

"They probably like that poor excuse of a man so much."

"Where has their taste in men gone to?”

With the level of your anger increasing again, your brain could no longer think rationally as you began verbally lashing out on them, the tone of your voice raising higher and higher the more you spoke. 

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you so idiotic that I have to repeat myself? I said, you have no right to insult people. Yet here you are, still running your foul mouths like it's the only thing you could do in your sad life!"

Their faces turned pale at your outburst and Polnareff was getting more and more worried for you.

"H-hey (y/n).. Let's just leave-" 

"No, Pol. I'm not going to let them get away - not after they've horribly insulted you."

You took one final step closer towards the group and they weren't moving an inch, as if you were about to end their lives in the most brutal way if they do.

"Jean Pierre Polnareff is a beautiful man inside out and it saddens me that your eyes have failed to capture his magnificence. He is the literal manifestation of art and inner beauty itself. Flaws or not, he's perfect in every way and I love him for who he is!"

And just like that, your biggest secret was no longer a secret. Polnareff was in utter shock, his eyes widened as he looked at you in disbelief. His face was covered in red; a rare shy response to your accidental confession - but you had it worse than him. The embarrassment you had for your own sudden, unplanned confession was unbearable and you wished you could just throw yourself deep into the depths of the atlantic ocean, never to be found again.

"L-let's just leave these two idiots, girls! We're clearly wasting our precious time here."

The women quickly turned to the opposite direction and left while grumbling about how scary you were, but you didn't pay much attention to them. Not when Polnareff has found out about your feelings for him. 

Other than embarrassment, there was fear present in your chest as you didn't dare to look directly at him. Your heart was pounding loudly as you stood there in silence, awaiting for Polnareff's response. After a long moment of speechlessness, the silver haired man finally cleared his throat to ease the tense in the air.

"Thank you for having my back, amour. Those girls are being mean to me for no reason!" Polnareff's tone was lighthearted as he spoke and you quickly shook your head. "I-it's fine. I'm just trying to help, that's all." You still weren't able to look at him in the eye and Polnareff took an initiative to confirm his suspicions about your feelings for him.

"Say.. (y/n), do you really mean what you said earlier?" 

A nervous laugh immediately left your lips as you rubbed your nape, your face still red from embarrassment. "Oh about the whole 'you're a great person and no one should insult you' thing? Of course! Insulting people is a bad thing to do anyways-" 

"(y/n), mon amour."

You froze as your brain finally comprehended the fact that he called you 'amour' and your face only got redder than before. Did he really feel the same? Does Polnareff like like you?

The dumbfounded look on your face only caused him to laugh, and you'd dare say it was music to your ears. However, a small sigh left his lips shortly after he was done laughing. "Though, this is a little unfortunate, cherie. I've made an extravagant plan on how I wanted to confess to you but looks like you've beaten me to it!"

"Wait- you like me too, Polnareff?"

Polnareff let out a playful chuckle before decreasing the distance between the two of you, and leaned in towards your direction. Despite his playfulness during the current moment, there was warmth and adoration in his gorgeous blue eyes as he looked at you. "What if I say yes? Will I get a kiss, ange?" 

You had no idea where your sudden surge of confidence came from, but it was surely useful for your current situation. Flashing him a cheeky smile to match his playful demeanour, you gave him a quick 'sure' before leaning into him and planted a quick yet sweet kiss on the corner of his lips, purposely missing his actual lips. 

Polnareff was the one left in shock and just when he was about to whine about your little kiss, you were already walking away with a giggle. "Come on, let's get going Polnareff! Jotaro's gonna get mad at us if we're late"