#I need to be part ot this group

[npookie0]

Rap Your Way To His Soul

In a world where hunters fight demons every day and try to keep the Honmoon strong with their songs, you are a demon different than any other - instead of stealing souls and working for Gwi Ma, you are a niche soloist rapper who found another way to not die from starvation and block his voice. One day, the world shifts and a new boys band appears our of thin air, a demon boy band. You tried to keep away from the conflict between Huntrix and the Saja Boys, until one day you've been paired with the boys band's rapper who discovered your secret. "But Gwi Ma never mentioned another demon being on surface…?" "Yeah? Well he never said that he'd build a boys band either."

Words: [ 2954 ]

Tropes: forced proximity, you help him discover something about himself

cws: scenes of fighting, spoilers for Kpop Demon Hunters

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So I'll give you a heads up for my idea about Baby's personality before you read it! To me Baby is a unbothered king basically, he doesn't really care (his face when they're at the signing with Huntrix) but he can also be a cunning bastard when he needs to be (Your Idol rap moment the faces he makes there, the way he's smirking at Huntrix when Saja Boys takes their leave) but since his band archetype is being the baby of the group (his name is literally Baby) so I will assume that he's the Maknae and is the youngest so he will also be childish in a way, please accept my interpretation of that guy

You were a niche rapper in the Korean music industry, sometimes you were invited to some variety shows, either doing some rap challenges, do things that were supposed to bring entertained to the viewer like trying to sing a popular song that didn't include any rap, or, rarely, had an opportunity to talk about yourself.

You enjoyed these moments, interacting with your fans, performing for them, even if there weren't that many people you were still excited to give them a chance to see you again and grow a bigger audience.

Even a demon like yourself was weak to the charm of happy fans.

Though, you would hardly call yourself a demon. Besides the patterns and abilities you used for special effects you weren't that demonic. Not after you found yourself on the surface at least.

At first, you were like any other demon, trying to devour human souls, you heard Gwi Ma, you felt shame and misery. Yet, after finding your love for music everything changed, you started your small rapper career, gained fans and most importantly of all, got your soul back. Thanks to regaining your soul you were able to stop feeding off the energy stealing souls gave you, instead you got energy from your fans singing your songs with you.

You knew about Huntrix and their identity as demon hunters so you avoided them at all costs, you didn't want to fight them and lose the life you built for yourself. Every time you were invited to an event for idols, no matter how tempted you were to go, if you knew that Huntrix would be there too you would make up an excuse to not go and politely refused the introductions.

Other than Huntrix, you didn't follow any news from the high ranked pop groups, so you were unaware of the Saja Boys blow up and their rivalry with the three hunters, to you they were a boys band that you didn't really care about.

So meeting one of them on a variety show was a surprise to say the least. Especially after you saw what he was.

But, let's start from the beginning.

You got a call from Play Games With Us, they invited you to take part in a new game they came up with "Rapper Wars", since you are a soloist rapper yourself you accepted their invitation.

"Hi Y/n! It's good to see you after so long!" The host greeted you when you entered the stage. Your fans screamed and clapped when they saw you, chanting your name.

"Hi everybody! It's good to see y'all after so long!" You replied, waving at your fans.

The TV crew fixed up your and a few others rappers' make up, while that was happening you looked around the stage. You knew all the rappers present there, with some you even made songs together.

You know all of them, except one. A guy with teal hair, wearing a pink baggy sweater, yellow beanie, skinny jeans and sneakers. He had a lollipop in his mouth, he had a thoughtless expression, like he didn't really care about being there. But where the lights turned on he suddenly became all sweet, sending hearts to the camera and smiling.

Sure, a lot of idols have two personas, that wasn't a shocker, but at least they pretended to be nice and sweet if the cameras were off too.

"Hello, hello! We hope you're excited because today we have prepared a special game for everyone!" Said one of the hosts.

The other host chimed in with a big beaming smile. "The game is "Rapper Wars!" But our favourite handsome host, what is the game about? You all are probably asking yourself and don't worry, we will explain it now!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Explanation time! So, as you guys can see we have all our favourite rappers; Chaeyoung from Twice..." The host introduced each guests, while camera pointed at them to smile and wave. "And finally we have our newest rap stage star, Baby Saja from Saja Boys and our beloved soloist Y/n!"

Baby? That's an.... interesting name....

"So, in our game these talented artists will make teams of two and will have to perform together, the duo who wins with all other contestants will perform a song they have to write together in the next episode of Play Games With Us!"

After some more explanation everyone started to pair up and soon you and the guy from Saja Boys were the only people left. You made your way over to him and outstretched your hand to him.

"Guess that we'll work together now." You said with a gentle smile. You had no reason to not like him so you could be friendly.

He looked at your hand and then at your face, he squeezed your hand. "Yeah." Was his only response. Well that was definitely a start.

You two were asked to sit down in one of the "rap thinking zone" areas that the hosts prepared for all of you.

When you two sat down you took a closer look at Baby and noticed a weird shift on his skin, you focused on his neck and then you saw them; the patterns.

The same patters you had. That guy's weird behaviour and name made sense now, he's a demon. But why would a demon be in a boys band? Were the rest of them demons too? Was it Gwi Ma's idea? What if they discover you too?

You were so lost in thought that you didn't realise that Baby was calling you until he started poking you with a pen. "Hey. Hey, hey! We have to win this, so work." He pointed at the papers in front of you.

"What? Oh. Yeah, right. Sorry." You coughed and picked up the papers filled with song lyrics.

You were glad that the demonic rapper wasn't really paying attention to you so he wouldn't notice the patterns you had to bear on your own skin. Maybe having your soul helped you seeming more human to the demon.

The two of you worked, silently rapping the lines you assigned to each other. You had to admit that for a demon he was pretty good, even better than most people you worked with before.

"Do you want to perform with a choreography or just focus on rapping?" You asked.

"I don't really care." He had a similar reply to most questions you asked. You started to notice that he was lacking in dealing with interactions. Sure, maybe he was a good rapper and had some acting skills, he barely spoke and couldn't keep up the sweet act all the time. It was almost funny to look at.

"Now Baby and Y/n will be fighting Syngwon and Joel! Let's see who wins!" The host annouced and all lights turned at you, Baby and your opponents.

You shared glances with Baby, who was still unaware of your secret, and the performance began.

You felt energy fill you when the show's fans joined in, chanting and singing. You didn't pay attention to anything other than the feeling of freedom and love that filled you. You performed perfectly, interacting with the fans and encouraging them to join in.

You won. This round and then five more. You won the event.

You were filled with excitement to the brim, a mix of your own feelings and the emotions you absorbed from the fans. It felt great, you didn't even care about the weird looks Baby gave you when you stood together on the stage and said goodbye to the viewers.

"Didn't know that demons walked so freely amongst humans." You stopped in your tracks when you heard an ominous and monotone voice coming from behind you.

You were on your way back home, groceries in your hand. You slowly turned around and there he was, Baby in his full glory. Instead of cute clothes he was wearing black robes and a gat, his hair was darker, his skin was greyshly-blue with darker patterns all over it and his eyes, piercing deep into your own, were yellow. He looked similar to how you looked in your demon form.

"You didn't have to sneak up to me, y'know?" You groaned. "So, you found me out, huh?"

He smirked, circling a lollipop in his hand. "Wasn't at all hard, I saw the souls that shared their energy with you, I saw your patterns." He pushed himself of the wall and teleported right in front of you. "it's really interesting."

"What is?" You looked at him, unimpressed with his confidence.

"Y'know," he took your hand in his and your patterns showed, "the fact that a demon has a music career and doesn't eat souls." He raised an eyebrow. "Why's that Gwi Ma didn't receive any soul."

"I don't work for the tragic king of demons." You shrugged and started walking, if he wanted to talk to you he could follow you.

"Wait, what?" He asked confused, going after you.

"That. I don't do anything for Gwi Ma, I don't send him souls, I don't hear him. He doesn't know that I'm here."

He chuckled, amused by your words. "Don't joke around, we all hear Gwi Ma, it's impossible not to hear him!"

You turned to him and sighed. "Yeah? Guess I'm a human then."

Your pace fastened suddenly and teleported away from him, creating a longer distance with you.

Baby caught up to you and grabbed you by your wrist. "How did you... how did you get your soul back?" He suddenly sounded serious, there was a tinge of hope in his eyes.

You looked at his hand holding your wrist and pulled it away from his embrace. "I can tell you about it later. We have to work on a song together anyway, so why not figure each other out while we do that. hm?"

"Hah, you could rival Mystery with your secrecy. Sure, sure, demon soloist, I'll see you." He saluted you before teleporting away.

You shook your head and made your way back to your apartament. Looks like you've got yourself a very interesting artist to work with.

"So, what's the deal with you and the cute appearance?" You asked once you and Baby were in your recording studio. It was secluded so no one would hear your demon related discussion and you knew it well enough to be safe if he tried anything.

Baby looked at you from over the lyrics you were writing. "Jinu came up with the whole boys band idea, we're supposed to steal the hunters' fans and destroy the Honmoon." He shrugged.

"Destroy Honmood to feed the dying king?"

"Something like that, yeah. I don't really care, I just want to get a reward for suffering like this."

You chuckled. "Really, what a terrible fate you must be living. Wearing cute clothes and beign adored by all. What a nightmare."

Baby looked offended with your reply, just scoffed and suddenly was very eager to work on the lyrics.

"I'm so glad that this whole suffering is done for me, no more Gwi Ma, no more killing humans."

"About that, how do you not starve?"

"Hm? Oh, that." You leaned back in your chair. "Basically it's about people willingly sharing their love with me, if they share it, it flows into me like river water into the sea and that's my main source of energy."

"So that's why you went for music huh?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?" He titled his head, confused.

"Yeah, kind of. I love singing, always did, even with my broken demon voice. I love the adoration I receive and the fans. This is why I'm still stuck in Korea even if I know that Huntrix could find me at any moment." You looked at him. "You don't feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The happiness coming from love. Your fans love you, adore you."

Baby looked at you after hearing your words. He took some time to answer. "They're humans. I eat their souls and that's what matters."

"You don't believe that."

"I do!" He shouted. "I know what I believe, and humans are nothing but food to me. I sing to steal their souls."

"Whatever makes you happier, Baby Saja." You looked at the papers in front of you. "What if... I take you out tomorrow?"

"Huh? What?"

You ignored his question. "Do you like amusement parks?"

"..." He looked away. "I never was to an amusement park."

You perked up after hearing his answer. You took him by his hand and he jumped up in his chair. "Well, you'll be in one tomorrow! Cancel all your evil-world-domination plans, cause we'll be having lots of fun." You smiled beamingly and you could swear that you had a tinge of smile on Baby's face.

The following way was truly magical. You took Baby to your favourite amusement park and the fun started when you barely stepped through the main gates. Fans surrounded the two of you, asking for pictures, autographs, declaring their love and so on. You glanced at Baby between every fan interaction and you could tell that even if he felt a slight discomfort, overall he had fun. He eagerly signed every picture and even laughed when his fans recreated his famous "goo goo ga ga" from his first appearance in the variety show.

After the first big wave of fans you took him to a roller coaster and many other attractions. For you, they were somethings you already did so you had more occasions to pay attention to the growing kpop star next to you. And saying that he had was an understatement. Shooting targets, bumper cars, even the Ferris wheel.

You saw the light in his eyes, the excitement and pure emotions. He didn't look like a gloomy, tired of everything demon like the first time you met him. He was actually interested in the attraction he took part in.

You took a break on a bench before your last surprise stop. A corndog in your hand while Baby had a giant pink cotton candy. He swayed his legs back and forth as he pulled away pieces of the sweet snack and ate them.

"Enjoying yourself?" You asked, reaching your hand to wipe a piece of cotton candy from the man's cheek. He nodded energetically, his eyes glowing. "Didn't know you had such a sweet tooth." You chuckled.

You waited until the two of you were done eating and pulled him off the bench. "C'mon! There's one more place I want to show you." You rushed him and forced him to follow behind you as you led him through the crowded amusement park.

You reached it, the aquarium. You were wondering if taking him there was really that good of an idea since he seemed to like the adrenaline quickening attractions more, but your worries were washed away when you saw him glued to the glass and gently poking it with his finger while a fish tried to catch his finger. He looked like a kid who saw real fishes for the first time.

You were forced to hold his hand while you walked through the building or he'd get lost while he looks at sharks or something. You didn't really talk, Baby was busy watching and chasing fish - not really caring if he forced you to chase them with him. And you were watching him, seeing the slight shifts in his aura. He felt less hostile and negative than he did before, maybe it wasn't a big chance, but you saw potential in him.

You saw a chance for your new companion to find freedom.

"Hey, Y/n?" He asked suddenly when the two of you stood in the middle of the biggest room in the whole aquarium.

"Hm?" You hummed in response, looking at a hoard of jellyfishes swimming by.

"How does it feel... to not hear him?"

You turned around, looking at the man who's expression was now stiff and serious.

"Ah, Gwi Ma." You turned back to the jellyfishes and pointed at them. "I feel like them. Unbothered, just swimming by everything. They know that they won't be safe forever, but they live by present not future." You smiled and looked back at him. "That's how it's for me. I know that I'm stil a demon and the hunters may not be forgiving even if I wish they would, but it doesn't matter to me. I have the things I love and the people who love me, that's what I live by now and I know that there's no demon king who can take that away."

Baby didn't answer, he looked at his hand holding yours and...

There was a glow, it was slight, weak, barely there.

The blue glow of his soul.

It was warm, gentle, but still had some sharp corners.

It seemed like he didn't notice that, but maybe it was for the better. You wanted to see the progress yourself, for him to not feel terrified or pushed to do more or less, to maintain or reject that soul that came back to him.

"We should get back, we have a song to make." You squeezed his hand.

He pouted. "But it's so fun here."

"We can return after our performance, you big kid."

"Pfft, okay." He scoffed.

"I've got an idea for the title." You said when you left the amusement park.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we'll call it; Freedom."

Maybe it wasn't a very original idea, but in your mind it created a perfect image of what Baby could get if he and hid friends tried hard enough to accept their mistakes instead of living in endless misery because of them.

Okay my first ever Baby x reader fic done! Writing it was hard but I hope that you guys like it! The next ones will be better I swear <3 I just need to get a better hang on writing these handsome demon boys

See you my dear Kpop Demon Hunters fans

Nate <3

[shizucheese]

So about that Dropout Tweet...

There's a common trend in influencer/ content creator apologies, where the person doing the apology will say they are sorry for the harm that they did, claim they are taking ownership of it and using the whole situation to become a better person, etc. etc. Usually in a way that makes it sound suspiciously like it was written by ChatGPT.

And then they'll go on to say something along the lines of "But we've been getting a lot of death threats guys, and that's bad!" As if the fact that they're getting death threats somehow absolves them of at least some of the guilt of whatever it is that made the apology necessary in the first place. As if it means they're the real victims here.

Apparently Dropout decided to just skip the "ChatGPT apology" part and jump straight to the "We're getting physcal and legal threats" part. Followed up with them once again saying they support Palestiniens and ending it with "We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of bigotry, and welcome all to our platform who treat others with respect, empathy, and human dignity."

And they did it on Twitter, and only Twitter. You know, the website that's notoriously overrun by Nazis. Nothing on Tumblr or Instagram, where the original statement that sparked all of this (which has since been taken down) were posted.

@dropoutdottv, @samreich, this is not listening to the Jewish members of your community who are speaking out about antisemitism. This is reinforcing the antisemitism that those Jewish members of the community are speaking out about. Because what this Tweet does is paint everyone who spoke out against the antisemitism in your original post with the same brush as the people who were sending you threats.

Which, let me be clear, they should not have been doing and I wholeheartedly condemn.

But the actions of the people sending you threats of violence and threats of legal action do not invalidate the things being said by the people who haven't threatened you with anything worse than a boycott. I have literally seen people say "the fact that they got threats just proves they were right." Is that the outcome you were trying to achieve with this?

People who did bad things get death threats all the time; refer back to the beginning of this post. Does that make their critics wrong then, too? Or is it only now, when the accusation being made is that a nerdy comedy network beloved by people on the left did an antisemitism?

I honestly can't tell if you have no publicist helping you out with one, a bad publicist that needs to give you your money back, or an evil genius publicist that knew that if you made a post like this one, it would distract from the fact that you're being accused of antisemitism, maybe even act as a dog whistle to to paint anyone who accuses you of being antisemitic of being "Zionists" (meant in the derogatory way, where people claim they're only talking about people who uncritically support the Israeli government and their actions in Gaza, but then in practice will use it against anyone who believes Israel has the right to exist, including those who want a two state solution, whose hearts break for the people in Palestine, and call Netanyahu a fascist and probably want him gone more than even the people calling them "zionists" do). Maybe even make up for all of the subscriptions you're losing over this and even gain a few by catering to the antisemitic leftist crowd.

Is that really the kind of culture you want to cultivate? If not, then do better. Acknowledge the Jewish voices that are speaking out. Listen to them. And do it in a way that doesn't bring up any other marginalized group. Because like...fuck, man, I reject Islamophobia, and all forms of bigotry too. And I'm sorry you guys are receiving threats; that truly does suck and I hope everyone that works for you guys are staying safe.

But you're specifically being accused of antisemitism. Can you really not reject it all on its own without including other forms of bigotry in the same statement?

And do it on a platform that *isn't* run by an infamous antisemitic, and overrun by more antisemitics? (You can turn off comments and reblogs on Tumblr and comments on instagram, in the same way you disabled replies on your Tweet, you know.)

Here, I'll even write the statement for you: "Earlier this week, we made a statement regarding accusations that Dropout was platforming zionists. At the time, we made a statement focusing on our support of the Palestinian people. We stand by this statement. However, we have received feedback from several members of our community that some of the things that we said were inappropriate insensitive to the Jewish people. "Zionist" and "Zionism" mean different things to different people, ranging from "people who support the Israeli government's actions in Gaza" to "people who believe that Israel has a right to exist and the Jewish people have the right to self-determination." We had meant it in the context of the former definition, but we understand that many Jewish people identify with the later, including many people who are disgusted by the Israeli government's actions in Gaza, and we should have been more sensitive to this fact. Additionally, we would like to reiterate that, to our knowledge, nobody who has appeared on Dropout has openly stated support for the Israelie's actions in Gaza, and several of those accused have voiced their support for a free Palestine. We would like to take this moment to remind everyone that just because a person is Jewish, and may have ties to Israel, does not inherently mean they condone the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and to suggest otherwise is antisemitic. We at Dropout reject all forms of antisemitism and are committed to providing a safe space to everyone regardless of religion or ethnic background. We apologize if we made the Jewish members of our community feel like that was not the case."

See how easy that was? I feel something like this is the bear minimum, and if you had said the things in the last three paragraphs from the start, you could have avoided having to say everything in the first two paragraphs and the apology at the end.

That's...pretty much everything I have to say on the matter. To anyone reading this: Do not use other Jewish people to silence Jewish voices.

Do not use people of other marginalized groups to silence Jewish voices.

Just...maybe just listen to what we have to say without twisting our words and putting words in our mouths? Maybe?

Thanks for reading.

I'm so tired.

[vermiciousyidreborn]

One of the reasons I'm so adamant about the word "genocide" and against using it for the Israel/Hamas War is that I don't want to give permission.

If someone is accused of a horrific crime whether or not they commit it then the cost of actually committing that crime plummets. If Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Shmotrick know that they will be accused ot genocide whether or not they do it, it is easier for them to decide that it's time to actually commit genocide.

Related: if we believe various terror groups, which we shouldn't, that they perceive Israel as changing the status quo on the Temple Mount in favor of Judaization of the site, then the same logic applies. If Israel is going to be attacked, horrifically, for "Judaizing" the Temple Mount or planning to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque, whether or not they're ACTUALLY doing anything or planning anything, why not just blow the thing up build the Third Temple?

So yeah, this is part of why we should value the truth and avoid hyperbole. There are plenty to crimes to discuss! If you aren't disgusted by the news coming out of SDE Teiman, you're a monster. If you've been protesting Israel and don't know what SDE Teiman is, you suck at this and need to sit the fuck down.

But the point is that if you go beyond the facts, beyond what can be defended properly in your rhetoric, then you make it more likely that the things you are saying happen. And...if you care about Palestinians, shouldn't you be more interested in preventing genocide than in asserting it's happening when it isn't in order to feel self-righteous and own the Jews?

[a-guy-named-e]

do you have any favorite Riz fics/series? I've been enjoying your writing and would love to know the kinds of things you like reading!

thank you for asking! you have No Idea the storm you just unleashed

okay so first up, absolutely ANYTHING by honeyfluent is going to be good, lots of very strong riz-centric writing but also just fantastic characterization of all the bad kids and some fantastic group fics. if you're in a fabriz QPR kinda mood (and have some time to kill), their pirate-verse is a godsend. start with year one at sea and move from there, the sequel series are all linked, and it's still being actively updated. the town of esterie is also a personal favorite.

ad nauseum is another good fabriz fic, not a QPR but still a fantastic read. timeloop meets "popular fabian" AU, obviously a bit more fabian-centric, but some really strong characterization of both him and riz, and particularly gut-wrenching at times.

Not a monster (…right?) is another gut-wrenching one, an aroace riz hurt/comfort that explores some strong emotions post-Baron's Game. i don't often cry at fics, but this one for sure had me in tears.

...this wasn't in the parenting guide is a fantastic series about the gukgak family, for the most part some alternate POV rewrites of fantasy high, from both sklonda and pok's POV.

It's What You Do is another alternate reading of specifically My Green Heaven featuring an aroace riz who is at first morbidly relieved that he might be more like his father than he thought. getting to see riz's thought process through this scene is absolutely crushing, truly.

satisfaction brought it back is a fantastic riz & kalina fic centered around the idea that post-transmutation kalina goes back ot just being a familiar. very sweet and lighthearted at times with just the right amount of angst to balance it out.

hang ups and hanging out: how to successfully exit a summer paranoia spiral is a sweet slice-of-life fic about riz learning how to fucking relax. a little saccharine if you're not in the mood for it (i found it looking for some specific angst, my mistake for having Paranoia tagged but not Angst) but a spectacular comfort read.

Before I Wave Goodbye is a heartbreaking fic about several times riz dies and sees his dad post-My Green Heaven—including one time that's self-inflicted (not in a suicidal way but in a very misplaced "i found a way i can see my dead dad and i'm overconfident in my ability to pull this off" way)

whether by accident or fortune, you and i is a very sweet fic, technically a 5+1, about the lists riz keeps on his friends and the ways he loves them (and is loved in return).

fated strings (the red means i love you) is a baron/riz series, which i didn't know i would fall in love with until i did, with demiromantic ace riz, sympathetic baron, and a not so great cassandra/ankarna. to quote the summary, "Baron joins the Rat Grinders and their boyfriend at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, and all hell breaks loose." frankly anything from massivdisaster (the wonderful @highfiveheroes here on tumblr) is going to be good, so make it a point to poke around his account if you're looking for good fic about fantasy high in general.

and of course this is all barely scratching the surface. i would write more, but i'm technically on my prep right now and really need to go make copies for my beginning percussion class. but i would encourage you, if ever you want my thoughts on good fic, to browse my bookmarks! i add to them regularly (seeing as i'm still working through all the d20 fics tagged Riz Gukgak), and rarely if ever do i private them, so feel free to poke around! there's almost certainly going to be good works there that i missed while writing this that are absolutely worth your time <3

[maaruin]

How Andor (sort of) ruins Mon Mothma

I am less happy with what Andor did with Mon Mothma than many. I enjoyed her in Season 1, and if Season 2 had brought her story more in line with what we hear second hand about the Rebellion in the OT (and what we see in Rogue One), I would have been happy. The following is a long(ish) explanation for why I am not.

Part One: How to overthrow a government

Some patterns around rebellions can be generalized to allow for a simplified model on how they can succeed. I got the following from this video: The Insurgent Lifecycle. There are several phases.

Legitimate Grievance: A group of people has a grievance that politics could address but doesn't.

Political Action Committee: Some people from this group organize to try to get the political leadership to address this grievance. They try to go through legal channels.

Activism: When politicians fail to respond, the PAC goes to the public instead. It tries to drum up support to put pressure on the politicians. Spontaneuos violence is possible at this stage, but not a deliberate strategy.

Insurgency: The government cracks down on activism, so the movement turns to illegal means. This can go from property damage all the way up to terrorism. Insurgencies however are incapable of overthrowing the government because the balance of power heavily favors the government. The have some hope that the government will consider the cost higher than the benefit and make some concessions. But if it doesn't, the insurgency will need to have to turn itself into a guerilla force.

Guerilla war: For this, the rebellion needs a place it can withdraw to, where it will be save from attacks by the government. Difficult terrain like mountains or jungle are possible, but better is another country which border the governments forces are unwilling to cross. Guerrilla movements need to be able to do real damage to government forces and for that they need help. So they often depend on foreign governments to give them arms, supplies, and military advisers. But this cannot be the final step, because the balance of power still favors the government. Concentrated force will crush the guerrilla force, which is why they need a safe place to withdraw to.

Conventional war: What the rebellion actually wants is to become a conventional military that can defeat the government's forces, hold territory and eventually take the capital and become the legitimate government itself. (Or, if it is an independence war, force the government into a treaty that grants independence.) For that it needs to approach the capabilities of a conventional military.

There are two points where this chain is especially vulnerable to be interrupted. One is in the activist phase. If the movement is unsuccessful in the activist phase, people might decide to give up. They may be unwilling to risk their life for the cause (or to kill for it), so they decide to go home. The other is in the insurgency and guerrilla phase. If the movement cannot gain supplies through supporters, it may turn more and more towards crime, like robbery, extortion, and drug smuggling. Over time an unsupported insurgency or guerrilla force may become little more than a gang. So in this phase the movement has a ticking clock to either grow or fail. It needs large scale support.

Part Two: The insurgent lifecycle in Star Wars

Star Wars doesn't follow the outlined steps to the letter (in the real world each successful revolution also has its own quirks too), but we can roughly place different scenes along the it.

Original Trilogy

The Original Trilogy shows the Rebel Alliance in the guerrilla phase. The title crawl of the first movie says it, the Rebels attack from a hidden base, but have managed to win their first battle against the Empire. In Return of the Jedi Mon Mothma says that the Imperial Fleet is "spread out throughout the Galaxy in a vain effort to engage [the Rebels]". The Emperor's trap in that movie was an attempt to lure the Rebel fleet into a conventional battle where it could be destroyed - a miscalculation and the Rebels show themselves capable of winning that battle. I said above that guerrilla forces need support to challenge the governments forces, support that is difficult to get without friendly states supplying you. But in Star Wars, the Galactic Empire rules the entire galaxy, so there cannot be support on on that level, can there? Actually, yes there can be, if one pays careful attention to the dialogue.

The crucial scene is the one in the conference room on the Death Star. Here we learn several important bits of information:

The Rebellion is well equipped.

The Rebellion has a growing support in the Imperial Senate.

Before the Death Star the Empire needed the Senate to control the local systems.

The Death Star induced fear of planetary destruction will (so at least Tarkin's plan) make the local systems obedient to Imperial sector governors.

If we read between the line, reasonable conclusions from this are:

The Empire doesn't have enough manpower for direct control of the local systems (so it tries to solve this problem with superior firepower).

There are local systems that are semi-openly funneling military equipment to the Rebellion. (Alderaan seems to be a well known supporter of the Rebellion, but there are others. Tarkin wanted to demonstrate the Death Stars power on a high profile Rebel world, trying to get Leia to talk merely determined which world it would be.)

So the supporters of the Rebel Alliance at this point seem to be not only individual, but the governments of entire planets.

Prequels and Rogue One

In the deleted scenes of Revenge of the Sith we see the Rebellion in its infancy as a Political Action Committee. Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and other senators (The Delegation of 2000) give a formal petition to the Palpatine where they object to establishment of sector governors. This also gives insight into what the legitimate grievance that forms the base of the Rebellion is: local autonomy, meaning the traditional rights of local systems within the broader framework of the Galactic Republic.

Rogue One adds some interesting nuances:

The Rebellion on Yavin at the point of Rogue One doesn't seem to be in a state of open war against the Empire yet. (Mon Mothma says she thinks open war is "inevitable", meaning it hasn't started.)

Mon Mothma tells Jyn that she wants Galen to testify about the Death Star before the Senate. Vader tells Krennic that the Senate has been informed Jedha was destroyed by a mining accident. The Senate seems at least in theory to be capable of taking action against Palpatine.

Five senators are part of the ruling council of the Rebellion (together with some generals/admirals). The council seems to work on a consensus base.

Learning about the Death Star leads some of these senators to advocate surrender to the Empire.

Here is how I interpret the general political situation from these facts: There is a growing group of senators that wants to remove Palpatine from power and restore the Republic. Legally it is within the Senate's power to do that, after all, they gave Palpatine these powers in the first place. They expect however that Palpatine might not accept this, so they have been building a military at secret locations in parallel to their political efforts. The Rebellion has ties to various local insurgencies (like the one of Saw Gerrera), but is not identical with them. So we have a top-down PAC with ties to bottom-up insurgencies, with the PAC preparing to transition to a guerrilla force when necessary. The Imperial leadership knows this and has for years been working on the Death Star to get the upper hand. In the end, it is not action in the Senate that marks the beginning of open warfare, but the Rebel attack on Scarif, which happens against the decision of the Alliance's ruling council. Rogue One starts it and Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Admiral Raddus decide to support the attack without the others' approval (instead of denouncing at as, well, rogue). My headcanon is actually that when the Emperor dissolved the Senate soon after, the attack on Scarif was the pretext.

I should also note that Rogue One presents Mon Mothma as the leader of the Rebel Alliance already at this stage (not a role she grows into after Bail's death).

Part Three: Andor Season 1 already has problems with Mon Mothma, but it mostly works

Andor presents two parts of the Rebellion in two different phases. Ferrix shows activism turning to violence. Meanwhile Luthen is building a network of various insurgencies, getting them funding, and organizing the theft of Imperial military equipment. Cassian's story connects both plotlines and adds his personal journey of radicalization.

Okay, so what does Mon Mothma do? Her scene with Tay Kolma gives insight into how Andor interprets her. I couldn't find a video of the entire scene, this one is the best I can do. So in Andor Season 1 she says her work in the Senate is a front. What she is really doing is raising money. That money, as we learn in other scenes, is going to Luthen, who forwards it to various insurgent cells.

Good scenes, but I have a problem with them. What's the problem? The problem is that in the long run this approach doesn't scale. Local insurgencies may irritate the Empire, but to overthrow it you need an full on military. And a military cannot be financed from Mon Mothma's personal accounts. Nor can she or Luthen buy them large numbers of X-Wings and U-Wings and Corellian Corvettes and Mon Calamari Cruisers under the table. No, for the Rebellion to have a shot at winning, it will need to become much larger.

What the Rebellion needs is coalition building. What the Rebellion needs is entire systems supporting it, not just wealthy individuals. Who could build such a coalition? Not Luthen, he is building a spy network. No, it would be someone like Mon Mothma.

Season 1 is not about that. Her storyline is about crossing moral lines for the Rebellion (framing her husband to hide the money she gave the Rebellion, starting her daughter on the arranged marriage path).

Well, perhaps this will come later.

Part Four: Andor doesn't show how to fight fascism

Unfortunately it doesn't. Mon Mothma has two important events in Season 2: Letting Luthen kill Tay Kolma and denouncing the Ghorman massacre. Somehow there is a coalition in the Senate that builds an army on Yavin, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa are part of it. They even discussed what to do when the Empire commits a large scale atrocity. But the important work of bringing that coalition together happens offscreen. Convincing local planetary governments to supply Yavin happens offscreen. Yavin is built largely offscreen. The Alliance's ruling council is brought together offscreen. Basically the entire transition of the Rebellion from a network of insurgencies to a guerrilla force capable of inflicting real damage on the Empire happens offscreen.

Because of this, there is a gaping hole in Andor if we take it as a manual on how to fight fascism. And I very much think it is supposed to be that. The series was conceived during the first Trump term and many elements of Season 1 are taken from leftist theory. The series shows personal radicalization with Cassian, communities turning to violence as a form of resistance with Ferrix, the building and running of underground organizations with Luthen and how they are funded. Season 2 explores the role of narrative, with regime and rebellion both trying to take control of it.

The coalition building is missing. In Season 1 we don't see how Luthen convinces the different insurgences (who hate each other) to work together, and in Season 2 we don't see Bail and Mon convincing senators and planetary governments to build a military together. But to defeat an authoritarian government that is necessary. (There are three ways an authoritarian system can fall: Either the government loses faith in itself and steps down, or the military loses faith in the government and steps aside when the people are in the streets, or someone brings an army large enough to challenge the military. Star Wars, and with it Andor, shows option three, so if Andor wants to be a serious exploration on how this can be done, it would need to show how get people together who can build such an military.)

Part Five: Why Andor cannot show how to build a coalition against fascism

Now here is my provocative thesis: Andor cannot show how to build a coalition against fascism because the leftist theory it is based on, together with widespread cynicism about politics, has undermined the hope that good government is possible. Government is power and much of modern leftist theory thinks all power is oppression. Therefore being the government is inevitably immoral.

But an alliance that is aiming to overthrow a government is aiming at becoming a government. It needs an idea for what it wants the world to look like. And Andor is silent on that. Luthen talks about the "sunrise he will never see". Nemik's manifesto says one act of resistance will eventually "break the siege". But I don't think at any point in the series does anyone talk about something specific, like restoring the Republic, which is in the Rebel Alliance's official name. There are hints at what some of the various insurgencies that Luthen connected want (and that they don't agree on their goals), but they are mostly mentioned so that Saw can dismiss them.

The Original Trilogy could afford to be vague about the political vision of the Alliance, but even in its vagueness I feel it had a clearer vision than Andor. It's allegiance was to democracy. To liberal democracy of the American variety. George Lucas wrote the Empire as a dark reflection of the United States where the authoritarian tendencies he observed (during the Vietnam war, for example) won out. The positive vision was a republic in which these authoritarian tendencies were defeated (and where spirituality played a larger role - a story for a different time). But this vision has lost its power for many and none of the alternatives seems to be widely convincing.

In the Original Trilogy it is implied that Mon Mothma's political vision (shared with others like Leia) can bring together a coalition large enough to challenge the Empire. In Andor, which goes more into detail on politics, this implicit vision would need to have been made explicit. But the showrunners cannot do that, so they present a lesser (but still powerful) version of Mon Mothma to tell a story about sacrifice for the cause - even if it can tell very little about the cause except for that it includes the Empire's fall.

And that is why I think Andor ruined Mon Mothma (or rather falls way short of the potential Mon Mothma as a main character had to offer).

[mediumgayitalian]

part one

———

Finding parking is, as expected, hard, largely in part because Michael wants to get them all killed.

“— yeah, that’s right, shitwad! Back off! We were here —”

“Will you please shut the fuck up,” Lee hisses, jamming the switch for Michael’s window. Unfortunately, Michael is sticking his fucking head out of it, so it won’t close.

“This fucking guy! This fucking guy thinks he can swoop up to our spot —”

“Motherfucker we’re in Wilmington, do you want to get fucking shot —”

“He can wait his godsdamn turn like everybody else! Hey, fucker —”

He succeeds, finally, in yanking his brother back in by the scruff of his neck and speeding away from the shitwad in question.

“I can’t believe you let him walk all over us!”

“If I end up with a bullet hole through my windshield, I am kicking your ass, Michael. I won’t need to worry about some trigger happy mortal taking you out. I’ll kill you.”

“Drama queen. Now we’re never gonna find a damn spot.”

They do, in fact, find a damn spot. Within forty-three seconds of Michael saying that, actually, Will points out not just a parking spot but a pull-through, which Lee takes, smirking. Michael aims a kick for his knee.

“Go help Will unbuckle, you bitter bitch. I gotta grab something.”

Ignoring both Michael’s grumbling and Will’s insistence that he can unbuckle himself, thank you very much, Lee jogs over to the trunk. He grabs his and Michael’s bows, just in case, and carefully grabs the bundle of roses he bought from the stand across from his apartment. The stems are a little crushed, but the flowers all seem fine, full and bright, sunny yellow. Even the paper is relatively uncrinkled, folding delicately around the thorny leaves.

Michael nods when he sees them. “Nice.”

“Thanks.” Lee tosses him his bow, slinging his own over his back. It flickers with his quiver under the Mist, settling eventually to look like a small backpack. “Got ‘em this morning.”

“Can I hold them?” Will asks.

“Sure, kiddo.”

He lays them gently in his arms, the same way Cass has taught him to bundle herbs and plants when they gather for poultices. Every step is suddenly much more deliberate, avoiding potholes and cracks in the pavement so he doesn’t trip and crush them under his body. When he nearly walks in front of a car, not paying attention, Michael plants a hand on his head, guiding him around like a claw machine.

“Okay,” Lee says, holding open the door. “Let’s find Diana.”

The lobby is crowded. There are people everywhere — families, grandparents, and of course dozens of dancers, shining hair pieces glinting in the low lights, tutus and rhinestones peeking out of studio sweatsuits. Faces heavy with stage makeup bleed into each other. The building is abuzz with sound, chatter and laughter and shouting and twenty different songs playing at once. Lee can hardly believe they’re all fitting in the same building, and almost convinces himself it’s actually enchanted, smaller on the outside. He glances down when Will backs into him, flowers clutched tighter to his chest, and rests a firm hand on his shoulder. He hooks his finger around Michael’s hoodie, too, and for once he doesn’t complain.

“You see her?” he shouts over the noise. Or, well, Lee’s pretty sure that’s what he said. He shakes his head, anyway, and Michael scowls, standing uselessly on his tiptoes. Even if that didn’t put him just barely over most people’s shoulders, the throng of people is too thick to see much. People elbow and push each other around to meet up with family members, and groups of dancers do their best to practice their routines in what limited space is available. Lee has felt less claustrophobic in Times Square at Christmas.

In a stroke of brilliance, in his very humble opinion, he lets go of Will’s shoulder, puts both hands under his arms, and hauls him over his head, settling him on his shoulders.

“Keep an eye out,” he shouts.

Will grins, tugging on Lee’s hair with his free hand in confirmation.

One hand clamped over Will’s knees, the other still hooked on Michael’s hoodie, Lee starts to wade through the crowd. He can start to see, as he gets farther from the door, the entrance to the stage, the ticket stands, the coat check. Several banners hang temporarily from the ceiling and stick to doorways, welcoming them all to the Twenty-Sixth Annual Believe Dance Comp!, and a table laden with trophies sits proudly by the stage doors.

Sitting under one of the banners, Lee notices a group of girls of varying ages, all wearing the green and purple Stage Lights Dance Academy Cass sometimes wears. He guides them closer, scanning each stage makeup-ed face to try and find his sister, but stops short before he gets too close.

Two girls, sitting at the head of the group, mime twisting their hair, exaggeratedly anxious looks on their faces. The rest of the girls roar with laughter.

Lee feels something heavy settle in his stomach.

“You think anyone will come for her?” a younger girl asks, hushed so that Lee can barely hear her over the crowd.

One of the older girls snorts. “Are you kidding? The only way her mom will come is if there’s an open bar!”

Lee is reminded of the one and only time he’d fought a group of empousai. There’d been a trio of them a Central Park, on a field trip he’d gone on with his ninth grade class, surrounding one of the oak dryads. They’d crooned at her, tugging on her leafy hair and trailing clawed fingers down her handmade dress, calling out backhanded compliments. But Lee’s skin felt like it was crawling, he remembers, and the dryad had been tense, green tears building in her eyes. Every bleat of their laughter had grated his ears, and he’d snapped, eventually, ripping off his bow and picking them off one by one. The third one had seen him, chasing him away from his group, but he’d been so mad that he wasn’t even scared. The dryad hadn’t done anything. They got nothing from poking at her. They’d just done it to be cruel, because it was fun for them.

“I don’t even know why she has the gall to show up. She missed the final practice.”

“Miss Breanna likes her, that’s why,” one of the girls scoffs. “Of course she can skiff off practice and still compete. She thinks she’s so much better than us.”

Michael shifts forward. Lee throws out an arm to stop him, shooting him a warning look.

“You think anyone’ll take your side?” he murmurs.

“They’re talking about —!”

“I know, Michael.”

“They can’t talk about her like that!”

“I know, Michael.” He forces his jaw to unclench. “I know.”

“Yeah, well, favourite or not,” another dancer says wickedly, “her seats will be empty again. And she’ll walk out empty-handed and alone, like she always does.”

Most of the adults milling about the lobby hold flowers, like they do. Except unlike them, their bouquets are large, unlike them the stems are not crushed, unlike them they are wrapped in ribbons, in embroidered banners. One is, even, shaped as a ballet slipper, and Lee notices the oldest girl in the group, the one who made the joke about Cass’s mother, eyeing it, smirking.

He pictures Cass holding it next to all the other girls from her studio. With their big, normal families, their wide smiles, their fancy cameras, their beautiful, expensive bouquets. Pictures the smirks that will be sent her way, the whispers. They can’t — gods, what was he thinking?

“What time is it?” he asks.

Michael glances at his watch. “Quarter to.”

“Hm.”

In her frantic IM, yesterday, Diana had ordered them to be here by noon. From what little he knows about dance competitions, Cass’s performance will be sometime after that, nestled among the many. When exactly, he doesn’t know.

If they leave now, wagering, they could miss it. And that would be the worst thing of them all. But…

“Will,” he says, suddenly getting an idea. “C’mere.”

He reaches up and sets Will back on the ground, clutching his hand as he weaves through the crowd, beelining for the far corner. He stops at a sign with a little stick person on it, gently taking the flowers from Will’s hold and passing them back to Michael.

“Listen to me carefully.” He crouches to Will’s level, meeting his eyes. “Diana is — somewhere, in there, getting Cass ready. Michael and I can’t go in there. We need you to go in and act really confused.”

“That will be very easy, because I am confused,” Will protests. “Why do I have to go in there? I don’t even really know why we’re here!”

“Just — go in,” Lee insists. “Trust me. If I give you more instructions, it’ll ruin it.”

Huffing, Will goes.

“Brilliant,” Michael mutters. “Lose the kid and Diana. Great plan, Lee.”

“Come on, does no one trust me?”

“No one knows what you’re doing, dude! You hang around Carter for five minutes and suddenly you think you’re Mr. Plan Guy —”

Lee flushes. “That is not what this is about!”

“I am not missing this! I swear Lee, if we’re late —”

“We’re not gonna be late!”

“Why is it that every boy on Earth is actually stupid,” hisses a new voice. The change room door busts open, damn near cracking under the heel of a heavy boot, and Diana comes striding out behind it, Will perched on her hip. Her short dark hair sticks out in every which way, shoulders tense as a line, mouth twisted in a scowl. Immediately, Lee and Michael snap their mouths shut.

“Hey,” Will complains, pouting.

She adjusts her hold on him, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Not you, sweetpea. Only Thing One and Thing Two, over here.” She glares at them. “Why did I find him wandering around in the change room? I told you to wait for me in the lobby! I swear you two want to — ruin this!”

“Hey,” Lee says, flinching back. “You know we don’t, Diana. That’s not fair.”

She scrubs a hand down her face, sighing. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. It’s just —” She presses another kiss to Will’s cheek and sets him down, leaning on the doorframe. “It’s been a rough morning. She keeps trying to call her mom, and — well.”

Lee hates that those girls were right. He hates it. He hates that they’ve been right before, that Cass has walked off the stage, face blank, alone. Hearing their giggling, probably. Twisting her hair around her fingers as she tries to hold it together.

His jaw tightens.

Not this fucking time.

“What time is Cass on?” he asks

“…Her solo at one-thirty,” Diana says. “But —”

“Great.” Lee grabs each brother’s shoulder, pulling them back. “We won’t be late, Diana, I promise.”

“Wait! Lee — dude, what are you —”

“We’ll meet you inside! Save us seats!”

“Lee! Get back here!”

“Seats!” Lee calls, glancing back. He makes a vague gesture in return to her incredulous, spread-wide hands, trying to convey the Situation. “We won’t be late! Promise!”

“I’ll kill you if you are!” she relents. “Be fucking back on time!”

———

In hindsight, it would have been smarter to take the car.

For whatever reason, both Lee and Michael assumed there would be a flower stand just outside the theatre. Neither of them had seen one on the way in, but it made sense. If Lee had a flower business, he’d probably put it next to a theatre. Where else would you put it?

Regardless, there isn’t anything close across the street, or even on the whole block. Will sits on his shoulders again, because it’s easier than trying to guide him, and every so often he glances at the watch Beckendorf made him, calling out the time.

“Will,” Lee begs, veering around a street corner, “you are not helping.”

“I am so!” He checks his watch again. “Twenty-seven minutes ‘til Cass starts. That’s why we’re here, right? To watch Cass dance?”

“So long as we make it in time,” Michael stresses. “Shit, Lee, maybe we should just head back. The flowers we have are fine —”

“Cass deserves more than fine.”

Michael snaps his mouth shut. “I know that.”

Lee slumps. “I — know you know. Sorry.”

Their steps fall in synch, footsteps making level prints in the light dusting of snow. On occasion a passing car drowns them out, but for the most part the only sound is their breathing, and Will picking at his nails. The shifting of their jackets.

“You’ll never undo it, Lee.” The road cross button makes a heavy click noise under Michael’s fist. The countdown for the walking man is loud, four, three, two, one. Three of the little lights are broken, making it look like its chest is cracked open. “There’s some shit you just can’t fix.”

“I’m not trying to — fix her,” he argues weakly. “I’m just…”

He can’t push away the horrible ache in his chest. The rapidly expanding feeling, the sinking chasm of expecting and hoping and being disappointed. Of looking out into the crowd to find a familiar face and not finding one. Of hearing giggles as you walk past and clenching your teeth, knowing. It balloons, pushing out on his ribcage, forcing its way up his throat.

Michael stops, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed. Lee stares at a spot at the air above his shoulder, swallowing roughly, biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood.

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are, Lee. You think competing with those assholes is gonna — go back? Gonna magically bring her fucking — hell, bring Dad?”

Lee looks away. “Of course not.”

“We’re going to be there. That’s what matters, isn’t it? That’s what’s really important.”

“Oh, to hell with high horses, Michael. I’m fucking tired of — of pretending it’s okay!” He starts forward again, ignoring the twinge of pain in his skull when Will grips his hair, yelping at the sudden surge forward. Michael jogs to keep up. “It’s — fight these monsters, train these kids, lead your cabin. Ignore the fact that your dad couldn’t be assed to visit a few times a year, he’s an Olympian, after all, you understand. Well, I’m tired of it! I’m tired of —” he trips over a crack in the sidewalk, barely catching himself — “I’m tired of being so damn understanding!”

For a moment Michael says nothing. Lee’s breathing is heavy, shakey, and it takes effort to still the tremble in his hands.

“The girl,” Michael says eventually. “The prissy one, who sat closer to the door.”

“…What about her?”

“I just.” He chews at his bottom lip. “I’m not saying I disagree with you, dude, but you have issues, dude, and shit you need to work out. For real. Besides just —” he gestures broadly at the mostly empty street — “ranting into the air.” Slowly, a smirk spreads across his face. “It would be really, really funny to see her face if Cass walks out with a bouquet three times the size of hers, wouldn’t it.”

Lee matches his grin. “It would be.”

“Betcha she’d seethe.”

“Probably turn purple.”

They turn to each other, finally back in synch.

“Nineteen minutes,” Will pipes up.

Lee startles. He checks his own watch. “Oh, shit. Let’s go.”

———

part three

[suffocatedxpansion]

since souldrivenlove fuckign sucks and his ocs in forsaken will be recieving reworks soon, i propose my ideas for this

007n7 - full rework. 007n7 was a 14 yr old harmless but kinda annoying hacker who also went by c00lk1dd. him, noli, and c00lk1dd end up being a comedy duo and use their hacks ot help out eventually-- 007n7 with elliot, noli with chance, and c00lk1dd with builderman. they all end up getting fucking Yoinked and c00lk1dd and noli are fed lies abt 007n7 which leads to them turning on him. theyre all 17 by this time.

abilities stay the same for him, but he gains a new passive: my best friend. when in a round with an elliot, both of you gain a slightly faster cooldown on abilities.

c00lkidd can honestly stay the same just make him a bitch to 007 and a 17 yr old with a dumbassery problem. noli too

twotime - half rework. keep their abilities, but change backstory and reasons theyre Like That. theyre no longer part of a cult, moreso an underground science group working to find the secret to infinite revivals/immortality. their dagger ties their soul to the ground and allows their body to move freely so when they respawn they have their soul back. they need the blood of other beings (the killer) to get the fuel for the rebuilding their body tho. azure is their longtime friend who joined them but ended up having to be killed because they were threatening to release secrets about the team.

passive is now named ''reformation''.

sorry i dont like the ''ouhhhh crazyass cultist ouhh theyre iNSANEEEE!!!!!!!!'' stereotype. :|

chance -- half rework. let my boy keep his gun and coin. however now he is a true gambler and can use the coin to either gain more money at the end of the round or weakness. the money raise caps at 4, which is 150$ like the killer gets after a successful round. his gun now has a higher chance of misfiring with weakness.

[ilovefreedelahoya]

Yap time

The way beyblade deals with certain emotions is really good imo

Im mainly gonna focus on disappointment, persistence/determination, fustration, growth, pride, and many things like that.

Every blader wants to win, and when they don’t, they get fustrated. All bladers deal with it differently. Some(Shu) throw their beys on the ground and scream. Others(Valt) are filled with determination to try again and get stronger. Bell fell into a mini depression after Rashad broke Belia. Beyblade is also not scared to let the boys cry over broken beys, it’s their passion and spirit of their soul pratically, and it was destroyed while they had such high hopes of winning. This disappointment and frustration is similar to how people today feel about sports. Training and pushing their body to the limit just to lose and get mad at themself or teammates. This happens all the time in beyblade burst evolution, after Free left BC Sol, everyone went through a rough patch filled with disappointment and many quitting. Because of that, however, they were also filled with determination to get better, allowing them to become the number one team.

Teamwork and friendships. They’re really important in beyblade because friends help each other get stronger and teams work together to win. If there’s no harmony between bladers, they lose. If they fight, they’re going to lose. If they split, they’re going to lose. Beyblade teaches that sometimes you can’t always have your way and you need to work together and listen to each other to actually accomplish what you strive for. There are multiple instances within the series, Shu and Valt, Free and BC Sol, Basara and Bel’s group, Valt and Rashad, Aiga and his sister even.

Passion and limits. Aiga, shu, lain, Free, Rashad, and Phi are pretty good examples of being obsessed with power. All except Free had became corrupted with the want for power and ended up breaking people’s beys. I won’t add Bell to the list because he genuinely cared about the bey he accidentally broke, Ragnaruk and tried to help valt after damaging Valkyrie. I added Free because of his limits. He cared about blading so much that he had hurt himself on multiple occasions to be the best. In the manga he literally self harms to be mors serious and can we mention how he used to train with freaking boulders??? Now he’s better, in DB i haven’t seen him go crazy and he takes up meditation to focus instead of hurting (i talk abt it a bit more in my fanfic) Shu also pushes past his limits on multiple occasions that ends up hurting his shoulder. So beyblade says “know your limits” and “don’t pull a Free/Shu and get hurt because we’ll get sued”

But also the passion part that i got sidetracked from… it can be dangerous sometimes. Do i need to bring up Joshua’s obsession with Free? Sure, later. But Aiga’s passion compared to Valt’s passion is different. Valt wants to have fun, Aiga just wants to win. Along with Phi, Lain, Shu, Free, Rashad, etc. etc. but they don’t care about who gets hurt even if it’s themselves. Lain just fought to consume other people’s power. Aiga and Phi and Lain wanted to be number one so they broke people’s beys in the process. It’s really dangerous to lose oneself to that passion and it carries on to real life as you could genuinely get yourself or others hurt. For example, getting too passionate for sports and cheating just for a win like the Steriods incident in the olympics that couldve actually injured the athletes. So on and so forth…

With joshua, it’s not that deep. Bro jumped off a building cuz Free did. I mean yeah they had parachutes but are the two of them even licensed to use them???? Whatever it’s a cartoon and Joshua is like 20… HOWEVER FREE IS CANONICALLY 11 IN EVOLUTION AND BRO LIFTS BOULDERS?!?! I’M OLDER THAN HIM AND I CAN’T EVEN CARRY MY BACKPACK FOR SCHOOL- maybe i should start addinng boulders to my workout…

Pride. Mainly Free’s, Lui’s, and Bell’s. Do I need to say much other than it makes them underestimate others and makes them more upset when they lose because of the disappointment thing i talked about- Imagine having pride in your work where you won’t even look at another persons, then its forced in your face and you can’t get over how great it is? It really takes a blow on one’s self esteem and we can see that in Bell. Bell, the spoiled, powerful kid who was able to beat everyone until he couldn’t; until his bey had been broken and bursted by so many who were so much stronger. Just like Free getting bursted by Lui in evolution. They just got a huge reality check and blow to their ego that forces them to rethink nearly everything. “Maybe I’m not the best.” Free and Bell. “Maybe I should quit” Basara and Bell. or “Maybe there’s still a long way for me to go.” Almost everone in the show-

It all ties into the growth of the characters. Id say beyblade writes them pretty well considering at least half the characters disappear with the bext series. I mean when was the last time we saw Daigo and Ken- Evolution- which was four seasons ago… im glad we get to keep Free, but I also miss Cuza, Kris, Xander, Ken, Daigo, etc. Rantaro, our original loud blonde sidekick, hasn’t appeared yet in DB (then again im only halfway through-) but yeah, their characters are pretty good. Free went from bored to… still bored- but more respectful of other bladers. Aiga and Shu went through a whole corruption arc- Shu’s corruption arc actually allowed him to help Lain. (I think- i gotta rewatch) Valt became a lot more mature, he’s still a perfect amount of silly. Bell is a lot less spoiled, still spoiled, but less. Maybe a tiny bit.

Anyways that’s all my brain is able to do for now-

So yeah, beyblade is “not that deep” if ykyk-

thanks for bearing with me

pov me looking you dead in the eyes yapping about beyblade at 3 AM

[zoniteillusion-pyritedreams]

Hi! This is kind of a two-for-one so you don't have to answer both just whichever one you're comfortable with. But what about Anton from Riize what might be his ideal type? Also how might him or the other members feel about the company and everything happening with certain parts of their fandom?

Oh! This will be fun. Fun fact him and Sohee for the first two members that jumped out to me in this group when I first accidentally stumbled upon them.

I have a friend will call them Z who actually did ask me about that too about how the members feel about the company. I'm going to just give it overview of what I remember cuz I did this reading like a week ago. They don't trust the company they don't fully trust the company and they definitely are antsy like all of them are genuinely concerned that if they even remotely make a mistake they'll face The Chopping Block next. A lot more cut off from the company and the fans then they would like to be. Hiding behind a mask so that they are not irritating people and having the possibility of what they worked for taking away from them. Very much so dealing with the emotional and mental wounds of what had happened. But also it's made their friendship stronger like their bond with each other.

On to happier vibes!

"What Gets Anton of RIIZE Starry-Eyed?”

(a cheeky little reading for the Golden Boy with Galaxy Eyes)

First song that hit? Gucci Vision by Qveen Herby.

Second song? Na Na Na by ALSA.

Translation? Aphrodite said: “You wanna know what turns him on? Confidence with sparkle, cuteness with bite, and a little chaos in a cashmere sweater.”

Astro Cards Pulled:

Moon + Taurus + Leo + Uranus reversed + Pluto reversed

Anton’s type? Oh, it’s COMPLICATED in the most delicious way. He’s drawn to people who are:

Soft and dreamy on the surface (Moon)

Grounded, sensual, and tactile underneath (Taurus)

Bright, fun, and magnetic (Leo)

But also: private, unpredictable, and emotionally intense (Uranus & Pluto reversed)

He’s attracted to walking contradictions. Think: pastel-wearing daydreamer with a dark side. A sweetheart who might bite.

On to the tarot reading:

Baby Boy Is Weak for…

The Fool reversed + Hanged Man: He’s LOWKEY OBSESSED with someone who isn’t easily impressed. Someone who holds back, watches first, makes him earn it.

( yeah I'm pretty sure this is 100% a very popular Idol thing. And now I say this because I've done readings of groups that aren't as globally popular or recognized and I feel like it's definitely been more of a mixed bag but with all the big ones that you guys have asked me to do so far every single one of them wants to earn that relationship. It's definitely giving wanting to make sure that they're not the one put on the pedestal but also like they desperately need that like case to happen they need to be the person chasing after their partner. Someone they would have to prove they're good enough for because them just existing wouldn't be enough.)

Queen of Cups + King of Cups: Deep emotional intelligence. Empaths. Someone who knows what he needs before he says it. That “I brought you tea, I knew you needed a break” kind of love.

Five of Pentacles + Nine of Pentacles reversed: He’s drawn to people who’ve been through things. Someone who might seem confident but has hidden insecurities he wants to be their safe place.

( it's giving Low key trauma bonding besties. 100% the bullshit he had to go through with SM and those ot 6 fans has definitely affected the way he looks at people and the world and I feel like it's in a way where romantically. He feels like he has to be with someone who can kind of understand that like the emotional and like the mental term oil and Trauma he had to go through. It's definitely giving me he comes off as being slightly wiser than his actual physical age when it comes to things like that because of the situation so he needs someone who's also just as mentally and emotionally mature as he is or scarred to an extent when it comes to things like that. Kind of fucked up but also makes sense because like holy shit the absolute circus of a shit show that that group had to go through.)

Queen of Swords reversed + King of Wands reversed: He doesn’t go for people who are aggressive or performative. If you’re the loudest in the room, he’s probably walking the other way.

Makes sense. Literally soft-spoken king. Again they're not a group that I'm really into especially after all that crap went down with their company and the member they kicked out for having a life. But all the clips I've seen of him and I like watching that show jewelry appraiser or whatever it's called with a really funny gay bald Korean guy in his 50s and even in that show where the tension and the energy is high as hell. He was so damn soft spoken but he definitely gives off like very soft Vibes in general I feel like even when he's excited he doesn't get very loud. So someone who has like that golden retriever super loud Chihuahua yappy type of energy he he's walking the opposite way he can't stand that he's basically like a fucking cat he needs someone who's like calm and collected or else it's just got to freak him out.

Ace of Pentacles reversed + Seven of Pentacles reversed: Fast, flashy stuff turns him off. He wants something slow-burn. Organic. Built on trust.

Now this is for two reasons reason one is family I definitely feel like his dad and Mom has both talked to him about you know being a celebrity and being in the public eye and he probably just grew up knowing shit like that. The second reason again absolute trauma that happened because of the whole SM kicking out his friend and teammate situation. Like that's very heavily intertwined with this reading and I feel like if I did a reading for any of the other guys on what they like in a partner that's also going to just pop up cuz like I said I think it like fundamentally change these men and how they view things.

I say this because I did a reading probably like sometime not too long after their debut on what he would or wouldn't like possibly in a partner as a ot7 reading for one of my friends when he came to all the members and his reading before was slightly different in terms of he did it mind having someone who's the opposite of him who is more outgoing more loud matter of fact he kind of leaned more towards liking it. Almost like he wanted someone who can get him out of his comfort zone and now it feels like it's like completely flipped.

Four of Swords + Ten of Wands: Give him someone gentle who knows how to rest, who reminds him that softness is strength.

Oracle of the Roses Gave Us a Full Cast of Characters He’s Into:

The Mystic + The Child + The Artist + The Outsider + The Gardener

Anton is into people who feel otherworldly. Someone imaginative, whimsical, ethereal but also nurturing.

Someone who reads tarot by candlelight and remembers to water their plants.

Give him a pastel witch who giggles when nervous, journals everything, and makes playlists based on moods.

The Jester + The Gambler: He adores playfulness. He wants to laugh until his cheeks hurt. Teasing, inside jokes, tiny pranks, little surprises—yes. Be weird with him.

The Priest + The Pioneer: But he also falls hard for conviction. Someone who believes in something deeply

ideals, dreams, purpose.

Physically? He’s into...

Soft skin, dreamy eyes, cozy clothes.

Aesthetic layering.

A scent that lingers just enough to make him dizzy. I'm thinking Mademoiselle Chanel. That is such a great scent absolutely love it that and Chanel Number 5 was like my grandmother and great-grandmother on my dad's side of the family signature scent.

Smiles that feel shy, but are secretly dangerous.

Delicate features or expressive faces someone he can read like poetry. Deer or Bunny face type round soft delicate doll like. Example:

Would Anton Date a civilian or a Celebrity?

He’s likely to be captivated by someone outside the industry. While he understands fame, it’s not what draws him in. He’d probably fall head over heels for a “civilian” who’s creative, grounded, and doesn’t treat him like an idol.

Now if a fellow artist came in quietly, with deep feelings and a big heart? Game over.

"Anton’s not looking for flash. He’s looking for someone who glows. Soft magic, moonlight kisses, playful chaos, and a love that feels like stardust tucked into his hoodie pocket.”

[delicatebarness]

i think he knows | chapter nine

Summary: As the sneaking continues, some secrets are revealed.

Warnings: Two perspectives are used. A few uses of Y/N. A lot of dialogue between multiple characters. Mentions/Implied Underage Sex. Our girlie is sad again.

Word Count: 1498

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Series’ Spotify Playlist

A/N: I wrote this chapter while sitting in a van watching big sweaty men run around with guns (all I pictured all day was winter soldier) 🤤 I edited once I got home and had calmed myself down. 🙈

Tags: @bigtreefest | @caplanbuckybarnes | @angelbabyyy99 | @mega-kittyglitter-1 | @cjand10 | @armystay89 | @itvy5601 |

Bucky's words hung in the air, it prompted a sense of anticipation. You nodded as meeting his gaze, both curiosity and concern rushed through you.

"What is it?" you asked softly, as the gravity of his tone set in.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out to take your hand in his. "I know this isn't ideal," he started, looking down at your hand rather than into your eyes he began to rub circles against your skin.

"Us, um, sneaking around, keeping this hidden." You listened intently, trying to ignore the knot forming in your stomach.

"But," he continued, his gaze found its way back to yours. "I also know that being with you is worth it." His vulnerability took you by surprise, warming your heart. "I want to make this work."

With a small smile, you squeezed his hand, silently giving him the reassurance he needed to tell you what was on his mind. 

~

"What are we doing here?" Peter asked while looking up at the 'Stark's Motor's' sign above the rundown car and bike garage. "You know this is Tony Stark's family's business right? Tony Stark as in Bucky Barnes' friend?" Wanda had been curious about the tension between the two groups of friends, she sensed that it was deeper than simply, different personalities.

"Can I help you with something?" Tony asked as he looked Peter and Wanda up and down. They seemed familiar to him but he couldn't quite place them. Wanda looked around Tony, noticing the rest of the group gathered on sofas behind him.

Just as she expected, Bucky Barnes, for being the so-called 'leader' of the group, wasn't to be seen.

"We know about the bets," Wanda stated, gaining the attention of the whole group. The smirks that found their way to their faces proved to Wanda and Peter that the rumors were true. Concern for their friend became evident between them.

"What bets?" Natasha Romanoff questioned them, her tone guarded.

"When you bet each other on how far you can get with someone," Peter interjected before Wanda could, his voice rushed.

"What about them? You want in or something?" Loki, Peter recognized as the younger brother of Thor, questioned with a mischievous smile. He noticed that he was the only one of the gang who would ever show their face to the game.

"No," Wanda began to make her way around the service counter, moving closer to the group of friends. "We want you to tell us what our friend did to deserve being a part of your games," she demanded, standing her ground.

Natasha rolled her eyes before standing up, closing the distance between herself and Wanda in an attempt to intimidate her. "Who's your friend?" she asked curiously while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Y/N Rogers," Peter answered for Wanda, she was intensely looking up at Natasha with furrowed brows. "Steve Rogers' little sister." A silence surrounded the garage at the mention of Rogers.

"She's been on the off-limits list for, what, two years now?" Peter Quill spoke up while looking around the group of his friends. The worst 'bad boy' in the group had, barely got into any trouble, and wasn't mischievous; he just liked to tell jokes and wear a red leather jacket.

"What's the off-limits list?" They asked Quill simultaneously, snapping their heads in his direction. Catching the moment Stark punched him in the arm, he had said too much. 

Sighing, Natasha seemingly began to relax more around the other students, going back to where she had previously been sitting. “The list of people we, under no circumstances, are allowed to bet on,” she explained, her voice still hinting at the annoyance the pair was causing. “She’s been on that list since her first day of freshman year?” she continued, looking around at her friends to confirm the amount of time. They all nodded in agreement. 

“Too bad the same couldn’t have been said for her brother,” a sense of amusement in Stark’s voice as he spoke under his breath. 

“Oh yeah, Natasha lost Buck some real cash on that one.” Quill laughed before taking a drink from the bottle he’d been nursing since Wanda and Peter arrived. 

Wanda and Peter shot each other a glance, a silent conversation of understanding happening between them. As they exchanged the silent vow to uncover more, they turned about to the group, knowing they were diving into dangerous waters. Bucky and his friends were the most feared pack in the school, only Steve and his friends weren’t worried about getting on their bad side. Even then, a few of them still watched their backs.

“We need to know everything,” Wanda exclaimed, causing the group to bring their attention back to the younger peers. 

Natasha’s eyes narrowed, but there was a slight hint of respect for the girl. “You two don’t know when to quit, do you?” she muttered under her breath. Ignoring Natasha’s remark, the two friends stood their ground. Not moving until someone talked. 

~

Bucky hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the right words. Taking a deep breath, his heart pounded. “Back in freshman year, I… I made a bet with Natasha,” he admitted. 

Your brow furrowed with confusion, “What kind of bet?” You asked, voice trembling slightly, you felt like you already knew the answer. Hearing it aloud, you feared it would make it real. 

His gaze dropped from yours as he swallowed hard, “I bet that she couldn’t sleep with Steve,” he confessed, your hand dropped from him as your body went into a state of shock. Your mind went back to the night before, how he reassured you that you weren’t a part of it. You remember now that he never denied the fact that they do make bets. “I didn’t think she would do it, Y/N,” he looked up, his eyes filled with remorse as he called you by your name rather than his nickname for you. 

“Why?” you whispered, your voice barely audible over your heart pounding. “If you didn’t think she would, why did you?”

“We were freshmen, we were just having fun,” he sighed, trying to defend himself and the friends he saw as family. “He was an easy target back, a try-hard, it was supposed to be a joke,” he ran a hand through his hair, as he rushed his words. 

The weight of his confession sank into your bones. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Disbelief surged through you, you couldn’t process everything at once. His reasoning only added to the turmoil swirling inside. 

There was a silence settling between you, your breathing and the background noise for the diner was the only sound. The image of Steve, oblivious to the wager placed on him, added another layer of hurt. 

You finally found your voice, it trembled as you held back tears. Not only were you hurting for your brother but, you couldn’t help shake the feeling that Bucky was lying about you. “How could you?” you questioned.

“I know I messed up,” Bucky’s voice softened, his hand reaching out as if to bridge the growing distance. “I mean, it’s most likely the main reason he wants me nowhere near you,” his words trailed off, and you turned away. 

You looked everywhere but in Bucky’s direction, afraid of the tears threatening to spill. “I’m guessing she then discarded him like he never mattered?” you asked, recounting the warning Steve had given you about Bucky and his friends. 

Another sigh from Bucky. “After everything, Steve caught feelings for her but it was just a game to her so she ignored him and has since,” he explained as he played with the straw in his milkshake glass. “It wasn’t until a couple of months later that he found out it was a bet, a bet that I started,” he began mumbling to himself about wishing he had a smoke or a drink before continuing. “We’ve never been okay since, which I understand on some level, but, he came out stronger I guess,” the confused look behind your teary eyes made his heart clench. “That was when he suddenly gained muscle and became the star athlete he is today.” 

“I don’t know what to say,” you admitted, you struggled to hear it yourself as you tried to find the words. 

Bucky nodded, he understood that telling you would have been painful. He saw the amount of compassion and empathy you carried in your heart, he knew it was risky for him to tell you the truth. He wished he could tell you, we fought once over nothing but stupid boy stuff, but, he couldn’t.

“I understand,” he replied softly, his head dropped landing his gaze on the table between you. “I’m sorry I hurt you, and Steve. I just, I don’t want there to be secrets between us as well.” Even though your heart ached for your brother and Bucky’s confession, you offered him a small nod.

- - -

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[fili-urzudel]

Hi I absolutely love your writing!!! Like seriously you have me smiling to myself hard I feel like an idiot lol. Anyway, can I request a romantic Kili with fake relationship + forehead touches? Bonus points if you add teasing brother Fili into the story too!

I love getting compliments like this omg! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this out for you and that I sort of left Fíli out (though whoever said this couldn't have a part two?).

When I put 50. under the meet cute prompt, I meant exactly that: you're strangers when one or the other of you finds yourself in need of a fake romance to escape some situation.

I also have Taylor Swift on the brain

9. Forehead touches (again yippee!)

12. Dancing (added this one)

50. Need a fake relationship immediately

Warnings: Dancing, being a little intoxicated, lying, reader describes self as a woman

Word count: 1.2k

Enchanted - Kíli Durin x Reader

It was nice to be recognized as equals by the dwarves of Erebor. This was what you reminded yourself as you leaned against a pillar in the back of the ballroom. It was nice that they were attempting to involve the people of Dale in their culture. It was nice that, after three years of instability, the two kingdoms could afford a night of leisure.

You had never really been one for parties. Talking got to be boring and stressful quickly, most of the eligible men had already picked their dancing partners, and you had made a promise to yourself to stay lucid. Unfortunately, dwarven liquor was quite strong, so you could only manage one drink for the time being. 

You sighed, wondering if you had wasted too much time tailoring your dress for this event. If you had wasted too much time on practicing what few traditional dwarven group dances you could find information on.

As your eyes swept the room again, they landed on an attractive side profile. Dark hair with bangs, strong features, a dusting of stubble that you hadn't seen before but found appealing, and brown eyes—oh, no. You quickly glanced away, wondering how long you had been staring. You decided to risk raising your eyes again, in the hopes of appearing less awkward. He made eye contact once more, and smiled. It was a dazzling smile, one that you couldn't help but respond in kind to. 

He was moving through the crowd before you knew it. 

"I can see you're having just as much fun as I am," he said sardonically, and you chuckled. 

"Never have I been so excited," you agreed with him.

"Well, there are ways to make the evening more interesting," he mused, and you wondered what he could mean. He glanced to the side, clearly recognizing someone, and he stepped closer, well within your personal space. "Are you a good actor?"

"What?" You asked in a daze. You feared your tipsiness dragging down your understanding.

"A dwarrowdam has been eagerly pursuing me for some weeks and she is beginning to refuse to believe that I have a partner."

"And do you?"

"No," he admitted, and the two of you laughed. "But you could help me uphold the lie."

You contemplated it for a moment. He was certainly more interesting than any man you had yet met. You would go so far as to say he was incredibly handsome. It was all almost enough to make you wish that his interest was more than just a ploy to escape an annoyance. But a dance partner was a dance partner.

"Dance with me," you offered, which earned you another bright smile.

"Of course, my lady," he held out his hand. You realized that neither of you had asked the others' names. Neither of you had offered. 

You took his hand.

"Do you know this dance?" he asked.

"I practiced," you nodded seriously. "Just... never with someone who learned it traditionally."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," he said with another easy smirk. The violins signaled that you had no more time to wonder.

The dance would have been head-spin inducing even if you were sober, especially being the tallest among the dancers. That was rare for you. Still, the intertwined elbows, quick turns, and aisles of other dancers were a thrill, and you were glad to finally be able to participate.

You gave a hearty laugh as the dance finally came to an end with a stomp and a loud cheer. "I did it!" You said proudly, to no one in particular.

Your partner smiled along with you. "You did excellently!" His expression suddenly changed. "Here she comes," he muttered, and you were barely able to steal a glance before the mass of petticoats made herself known. 

"My prince!" She said with fake politeness and a painted on smile. You did your best to hide your surprise. Prince? Was that only a pet name?

He did look awfully similar to your father's description of one of the dwarves that had paraded through Laketown, now that you thought of it. "May I ask who your lovely partner may be? It's quite unusual, men dancing with dwarves, don't you think?"

"Well, then it is a good thing I am a woman," you said, chuckling in a way that you hoped matched her energy. You introduced yourself. "Thank you for calling me lovely. I am courting this handsome dwarf!"

She glanced between the two of you, looking confused and mildly angry. She hid it surprisingly well. "Is this true?" She asked your partner, and he laughed nearly naturally. 

"Of course it is! I keep telling you about her, and well, here she is," he gestured to you with his free hand.

"You never mentioned her name before," she insisted.

"She's a private, quiet maiden. Something I appreciate about her," he said, pushing more warmth into his voice. He was selling it very well.

She stood, upset, observing the two of you for another moment. Just as you were about to excuse the two of you, she spoke up again. 

"Why is it that neither of you have courting beads?"

Your partner's mouth gaped for a moment, and you scrambled for a believable lie. What on earth and in the heavens was a courting bead?

"Ah, well, men's traditions are different, and I am waiting to give..." you realized you still didn't know his name. "...my love a bead of his own until I can learn to forge one well enough that it is an adornment rather than a burden."

"No matter how much I assure her that any gift from her is a treasure," he said with a smile, looking up at you. 

You took the opportunity to hopefully shake his suitor for good. It was the least you could do for your new friend. You dropped your forehead against him, putting on your best lovesick smile. "You're too sweet, beloved."

"Well," the impatient dam huffed. "Congratulations."

Your hair blocked your view. "Is she gone?" You murmured, realizing you could feel his breath on your lips.

"Yes, I do believe you've rescued me," he chuckled, eyelashes fluttering at your closeness. 

"My pleasure," you smiled, before remembering yourself. You straightened, allowing the two of you to clear the floor before the next dance. "Why did she call you Prince?"

"Ah, right," he cast his eyes to the floor. "I am Kíli Durin, Prince of Erebor. Not that it means much, since I'm not in line for the throne."

"Huh," you said simply, sure that if this were any other circumstance, you would be all but panicking. "Well, um, I believe I've already introduced myself, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance."

The prince's face seemed to fall. "Come now, we don't need all of that," he assured you. "I much prefer for you to call me by anything other than my title."

You laughed. "What, like 'my love'?" You referenced your earlier bluff. "I don't suppose that would do for a man I just met."

You thought you perhaps could have seen his cheeks turn pink at the name. "Well, no, but Kíli is a perfectly acceptable middle ground."

"Nice to meet you then, Kíli."

"And it is an honor to meet you."

[thirdofdxcember]

hold on let me give you guys the tea

summary at top in case tldr: my friend told me a guy shes friends with thought i was cute, i let her give him my number, but im conflicted on how i feel.

BUT THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK HERE

basically i was texting my friends while on break at work and mentioned "oh this one guy do u know him he's on swim and ive thought he was good looking he also works here and blah blah blah" and my friend CASUALLY GOES "oh yeah that reminds me i know a guy who told me he thought you were cute." and i need you guys to understand that nobody has ever thought that about me. like. ever. i literally didn't believe her.

(not doxxing myself but the crossed out part is my real name and the long one is my full first middle last name😭😭)

and so i was like well tell me who. and she did. lets call this kid. hmmm what name. i just looked up a random object generator we'll call him seatbelt. so seatbelt is an interesting guy. he's weird, but when i say that i sound like a bitch. im a weird kid, as in not popular, small but close friend group, "nerdy" interests, i mean im on TUMBLR so yknow. but he's actually weird. like he kinda gives off bad vibes and his friend group is kinda iffy. not a bad person, but not a great one. but also he's not not a good person. idk how to explain it.

so then i consulted my best friend of eight years of course. she knows him from cross country and she was like ehhh idk bc hes not the best. she was like yeah he's not it. but she was also saying maybe give him a chance.

i cant get a screenshot of her saying yes but u gotta trust me bc my parents took my phone so im relying on screenshots i alr sent people lol. but after this convo she was like hmm and i said what if i just give him a chance. it's likely not gonna go anywhere, in fact i am certain that it won't go anywhere. but im a nice person and if i were in his position, i would at least want a chance even if its very slim, yknow? so i told her that and she agreed so i said "so you think i should?" and she said "Yes" thats the exact message and i know that bc she refused to admit that ITS HER FAULTTT I WASNT GONNA DO IT BUT SHE SAID YES

so then the mutual friend who told me about seatbelt, i told her i said you can give him my number but dont tell him i like him back. because im conflicted but dont tell him anything i said about him. im just conflicted. because okay the way i talk about him makes him sound like a terrible person and makes you be like "eun what are you thinking" BUT HESN OT THAT BAD. shit i sound lke im trying to defend him. im not. i dont like him. he likes me and im trying to be nice. but he is an interesting guy. the thing is, my other best friend (it was a group chat but she didnt reply until later) told me that she had a class with him and he was super sweet and it was an animation class so he would go around and help other people. so then i was like well which is the real seatbelt, him with or without his friends??

of his friend group tho, he's the best one. if it was anyone else in his friend group it wouldve been an automatic sorry but no. he doesnt look terrible (MAY EMI SHUT UP) like he's not the best looking guy ever but he's nice looking he's tall he has glasses i like glasses ykwim. there's wayyy worse out there lookswise. i just dont know how i feel personality wise. im deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. if he acts weird or i dont like the way it's going im gonna be honest with him and say hey so this isnt gonna work out. but it's worth giving him a shot.

my two best friends are both saying opposite things tho. the one in the screenshot who knows him from cross country said "its a good experience because youll have a story to tell later on and youll know how to reject guys in the future" 😭😭 but the other was saying "well maybe giving him a chance will be worth it and he's actually nice and something comes out of it." so idk which way im leaning more towards.

all i know is that he has my number and is gonna text me sometime tomorrow. ill keep yall updated...

[zeloinator]

OC Boss Fight Music!

tagged by the wonderful @shroudkeeper!! Thank you so so much for the tag this has been such a fun little playlist to put together! I figured Zee would be at least an end tier raid boss so she would have 2 phase songs~

Phase 1 - The Healer - High C's ; Two Steps From Hell

Phase 2 - The Blood Lily Mage - Delibes: Lakme - Due des fleurs (Flower Duet)

(Or my other pick for phase 2's song is Black Song White Scales from Drakengard 3, but that felt wrong to pick a boss fight for my own boss fight)

I'm tagging @maeljade @tsupertsundere @golmorehotgirl @zylphiacrowley @cindernet-exploded @selnyam @elizabethrobertajones @sylaurin @catboy-cursi @thefreelanceangel and everyone who sees this and wants to do it!! This was really fun !!!!

under the cut is me talking about how I think Zee's fight would go *mechanically* as if she were a Savage boss of her own raid tier! WHy? well... I love to savage raid so much it makes me weird like this... enjoy!

I spent so long thinking how exactly her fight would go, and what sort of mechanics she would have!

Phase 1 - The Healer - At first I feel she would be a very 'predictable' boss at first, her patterns wouldn't include a lot of similar looking body postures or weapon holds. Zee would focus on dealing slow continuous damage with larger bursts when she gets her 'blood lily'. After 3 'blood lilies' are cast on the group she will go into Phase 2 - The Blood Lily Mage.

Her standard attack would sprout a small circle poisons lilies at the feet of the Main Tank (MT) as well as the feet of the person next on aggro list (hopefully Off Tank (OT)), these would only damage the MT and next in aggro list (MT would get hit with 100% damage and OT would get hit with 40% of the damage). Her raid wides would be the vanilla animation for Assize but it turn the arena into a small patch of garden (kinda like Titania fight) with a sea of blood lilies signifying the 'rainbow' border (aka insta death or the proggers bff and worst nightmare all in one). While in this "Lily Arena' Zee will pull cards from the air around her to add a different buff or debuff to each player AND herself. Players with Lord of Crowns stack middle for a large soak of damage (This will always be 2 support (tank/healer) 2 DPS) from a 'Gravity' Spell while players marked with Lady of Crowns stack in inter-cardinals to soak large tethered bombs shaped like butterflies, this will give them a 30 second debuff cured by the next mechanic. Zee will buff herself with 4 cards (2 new ones; The Star and The Moon) before casting 'Glare 8', the group will need to go to clock spots with those who just got hit with the Lord of Crowns positioning inside to get hit with Zee's spell focusing on the inner part of the arena, and those getting hit with the Lady of Crowns going to their spot on the very edge of the arena so they are hit with Zee's spell focusing on the outside of the arena. Using 3 lilies on herself in quick succession, Zee casts 'afflatus misery' which is a very heavy hitting raid wide which causes the arena to return normal and Zee to change weapons.

Zee swaps to her Star Globe, swapping to majority Astro spells with some White Mage abilities, and changing her standard auto attack to a small moon over her shoulder shooting a laser at the top 2 in the aggro list. Starting with 'Divination' Zee rebuffs herself with 4 cards, and lays down 'Earthly Star'. When that pops anything outside the arena will fall as the arena transforms into a small circle that appears to be Etheirys. Zee goes into a quick casting phase, all of her spells instant now, doing heavy hits of damage to the tanks while raid wide AoEs hit the team as well. Finishing this with a cast of 'afflatus misery' and returning the arena to normal once again. Zee will then cast 'Neutral Sect', marking a DPS with a timed bomb, she will then cast 'Diurnial Sect' marking a healer with a timed heavy hitting DoT lasting 15 seconds, and 'Nocturnal Sect' marking the second in aggro with a debuff which brings their health down to 1,000 HP for 5 seconds. After casting these 3 sects Zee will then teleport middle entering a phase where she deals no damage, but with 4 mechanics going out. 4 flowers spawn at the cardinals slowly growing towards the middle, 4 people will get a green debuff marker and need to be ensnared by these vines, this also gives you a small poison debuff, (a regen would cancel its effects out) that should be cleansed off of players. The floor of the arena will also have 4 layers of colored rings, red, yellow, green, blue. Red, the farthest from middle ring, will explode and 1 shot anyone inside it. Yellow will grant a small speed buff but increase magic damage. Green will grant you the ability to move inside the vines but only if ensnared and without the poison DoT. Blue does a life steal to anyone within it, Zee absorbing their health into hers for 5 seconds before instantly killing anyone silly enough to be standing in it. Players without a green debuff dodge mechanics and vines normally, those with the green debuff needing to stand in the vines and get cleansed to soak towers that the flowers will spawn in the red ring after it has exploded. Ending with the last 'afflatus misery' Zee will cast before giant flowers sprout below her and cocoon her in their petals. Zee will emerge by casting 'Blood Lily' which will finish the remaining 30% of her health bar, she will appear to be falling, defeated, but when she catches herself from falling all the way to the ground her second health bar appears and Phase 2 begins.

Phase 2 - The Blood Lily Mage - Zee becomes a flurry of spells and quick dashes around the arena. She will mark the healers with the multistack marker every minute. Her health bar is smaller now, and goes down fast, but her attacks hit harder and harder as you damage her. Her Star Globe and Cane have fused into a one weapon, her cards orbiting around her person. Sparks and odd twitching can be seen from her left arm and right leg.

The phase begins with Zee rising from the floor, screaming as blood pools around her, a small puddle at the beginning but it grows as you damage her more, if you step into the puddle it applies 'bleed'. Each Healer will get a multistack marker with 6 hits, they will leave a puddle of 'black blood' behind marking anyone with a 'doom' if they stay in for longer than 2 seconds. On the 6th hit each healer will get a debuff 'Mark of Blood' which the healers need to cleanse by standing in the 'black blood' puddles (Mark of Blood makes it so doom will only take you down to 1 health, not insta die). AS Zee winds up her next attack the group must soak towers at clocks before moving inside to avoid the outer arena filling with blood. Zee will repeat this 3 times before entering her enrage 'Healer No Longer'.

[iamnmbr3]

4, 13, 15, 16

For question part. Idk ot can be for ships or not but If possible for drarry

Sure why not?

4) Favorite line

I mean. So many of them. love the bit where harry just casually drops that he remembers something he saw draco looking at one time in a ship 4 years ago and acts like it's no big deal (while ron takes critical psychic damage beside him). i mean look at this and tell me ron isn't absolutely dying inside as his last feeble arguments of 'c'mon hermione. maybe it's not what it looks like. surely he couldn't ACTUALLY fancy Malfoy' crumble before his eyes.

and of course as you have pointed out, there's the iconic moment in book 7 when we find out even voldemort ships it.

also shoutout to the movie version of their room of requirement exchange in the 8th movie; the movies are not my favorite overall but that moment was for the drarry fans

13) Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

Answered here.

15) Worst thing they’ve ever done

joining an extremist paramilitary group was definitely not Draco's finest moment. But if we need a concrete moment probably the time he attempted to use crucio on harry in anger - since it's the only time he uses an unforgivable entirely of his own volition out of anger and not because he is being coerced/pressured in some way. and of course the bit where harry uses crucio on one of the carrows in book 7 is definitely his darkest moment but imho it's so poorly written and handled that I generally don't consider it canon. i do kind like the parallelism of them both having very similar darkest moments tho.

16) Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

their feelings for each other.

Send me a character or ship and a number

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You... (But We're Filling the Cracks)

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem. But sometimes, you just need a little bit of love... and a little bit of science.

Warnings: read chapter 1 for warnings

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock | @whore-of-many-hot-men | @nerdisthenewcool | @lilypadmomentum

Interlude II

[Prev] [Next]

Law only gave you his phone number for study group purposes.  He was strictly adamant that he didn’t want you texting him outside of that single reason.

It was also him that broke that rule.  After only 5 days.

You woke up at around 9 in the morning on a Saturday, exhausted from a night out with your friends.  You lazily rolled over in your bed, squinting your eyes at the sunlight that beamed through the closed blinds of you and Ikkaku’s dorm room.  She had stayed at her boyfriend’s, so you had the entire space to yourself for the morning.  You reached your hand over to the small table you kept by your bed, grabbing your phone and holding it close to your face.  A few texts from your friends containing pictures from the night previous were in your messages, but one stood out to you.

Mean guy from study group Isn’t this the guy that was bothering you?

Mean guy from study group [1 Attachment]

You sat up in your bed, rubbing your eyes as you opened your conversation with Law.  You had only texted three times exactly, first to state your name for his contact (if he even bothered to change your contact), followed by a text from him about the time for the next study group meeting, and lastly you saying ‘thanks’.

But now this.

He had attached a hyperlink that opened up to a news headline dated from the day previous.

North Blue University student arrested for cyberstalking and harassment, officials say.

You quickly tapped on the text window to reply to Law, your hands trembling.

Holy shit, yeah thats him alright

The incoming message bubble popped up and disappeared a few times while Law was typing on the other end.  You weren’t expecting him to respond at all, but what he did follow up with made your breath catch in your throat.

Mean guy from study group Are you alright?

Were.  You.  Alright.

Was he asking about your wellbeing?

With your fingers trembling for a completely different reason, you tapped out a response.

Are you worried about me???

You threw your phone down onto your comforter, your hands going to cup your warm cheeks as you watched those three little bubbles appear, then disappear, then appear again, and disappear.  He was surely struggling.  You snatched your phone back up, intent on typing an apologetic message, thinking that you came across more accusatory than you intended, but his response popped up before you could type anything out.

Mean guy from study group I guess.

Mean guy from study group It’s scary being harassed, so I wanted to make sure you saw the news.  Unless you were one of the ones who reported him.

He was worried about you.  Law was worried about you.

You felt blood rush to your face.  You were for sure overreacting.  Some alcohol must still be in your system from how quickly your exhaustion-riddled mind was jumping to conclusions.  He was only sending you this info because he was with you when you were confronted, that’s all.  It couldn’t be anymore than that.

But a strange part of you, a part of you that you struggled to consider, almost wished it was something more.

You quickly typed out a response.

Thank you, I really appreiate iy

Ot**

It***

Appreciate****

Im sorry ;3;

Now you've done it.  He hated spam messages.  If this didn’t get your number blocked by him officially, then you’d resign yourself to never showing up to another study meeting.  You plopped your phone down and swung your legs over the side of your mattress to hop down and retreat to the bathroom, but your screen lit up one more time.

Mean guy from study group Lol.  It’s okay.

Lol.

LOL.

You sprinted to the bathroom, adrenaline coursing through your veins.

What was wrong with you?!  He was an asshole.  He was a massive douche who barely bothered to look at you, never talked to you outside of the study group (despite both of your schedules eerily aligning on multiple days of the week).  He made a point to avoid you when you approached his friends on campus to say hello.  He kept his head down, never looking at anyone.

You slapped your hands against your cheeks in the mirror, attempting to snap yourself out of whatever meet-cute daydream your subconscious was trapped in.

He was an asshole you studied with and he helped you out of a predicament once.  It was nothing more than that.

—

Law didn’t text you for almost a week after he initially sent you that news article, followed up his message with uncharacteristic concern for your wellbeing, and then an ‘lol’.  He was too embarrassed to even open his text messages, the mere glimpse of your contact name making him anxious.

Lunch girl

He couldn’t come up with anything better.  You probably named him something stupid on your phone, too.  Regardless, he was avoiding you like the plague when he could.  Keeping his head down during study group, dodging eye contact like a rogue flyball at a baseball game, and keeping his lips shut when his friends were in conversation with you.  

This was getting annoying.

The next Friday evening, a week after your last brief text message conversation, Law had holed himself up in his room for the evening, intent on swallowing himself into a medical documentary series he had started watching a few days earlier.  All the lights in his single dorm room were off, a small fan was blowing cool air around his room, and his computer was on his bed with the brightness turned all the way up.  He had just sat down on his mattress and popped one earbud in when a loud knock pounded on his door.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think it was one of the residential assistants.

But that knock was too familiar to him.  With a deep groan, he slid off of his bed and pulled out his earbud, trudging toward the door with one of his hands shoved deep in the pocket of his yellow hoodie.  He pulled the door open, his eyes squinting from the bright light of the hallway.

“The hermit appears,” Shachi chided.  “Come on, we’re taking you out.”

“I hope you mean to kill me,” Law muttered back.  “Whatever you have planned, I’m not interested.”

“Well, we’re not giving you a choice.  Come on,” Penguin replied, grabbing his friend’s arm and yanking him out of his dorm.  Shachi closed the door for Law, making sure to slip inside and grab his friend’s key that was hung on the back of the door handle.

“What the fuck?!” Law hollered as he was dragged into the elevator.  Penguin punched the button to the ground floor, and the three began their slow descent.

“We’re going to Ikkaku’s, we’re gonna have a movie night,” Shachi piped up with an excited lilt in his voice.

Law swallowed sharply.  Ikkaku’s dorm was also your dorm.

“No.  Let me go,” he demanded, trying to push himself away from Penguin, who’s hand was still firmly wrapped around Law’s wrist.

Penguin made a tsk sound in his mouth.  “No-can-do, buck-a-roo,” he sang.  “Besides, it’s getting annoying watching you beat around the bush when it comes to New Girl.  Ikkaku told me she’s been getting sad that you’ve been avoiding her.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Law snapped, his voice dripping with venom.  “I don’t like her.”

“Bullshit,” Shachi snapped.  “You’re smitten for her and you know it.”

Law bit the inside of his lip as the elevator door slid open and his friends dragged him into the lobby of their building, pulling him into the early autumn air.

“Besides, she’s cute.  And somehow she’s been able to put up with your dick energy without getting upset about it.  Well, until now, obviously,” Penguin added.

“I don’t understand why it’s either of your business,” Law barked, tripping over his feet as he was dragged along.

Your dorm building, as well as Law’s, was part of a quadruple group of five-story buildings appropriately named ‘The Quad.’  Your’s was directly across from Law’s, past a fairly large center green with a few benches and a small stone statue of a pig.  No one really knew why the pig was there, and no one really questioned it.

The pig’s marbled eyes reflected Law’s nervous energy in the dark.  The raven-haired man gulped as he was dragged through the doors of your building, into the lobby, and subsequently up the elevator.

“Can you let go of my wrist now?” he asked, wiggling his fingers to make sure he still had feeling in them.  Penguin’s grip might as well have been a handcuff.

“No, ‘cus you’re just gonna run away,” Penguin responded, squeezing his friend’s wrist to punctuate his point.

“I hate you two,” he groaned.

“Love you too, buddy,” Shachi replied with a shit-eating grin.

The elevator door opened on the third floor and the three men stepped out, trudging down the hallway closer toward you and Ikkaku’s dorm.  Your room was located near the end of the hallway.  The outside of it was decorated with paper flowers and a whiteboard that had both of your names on it.  In the corner, a tiny penis was drawn with the dry erase marker that was kept clipped to the top of the board.

Shachi knocked three times in quick succession.  The frantic sound of footsteps bounced from inside of the room.  Large brown eyes and frizzy, curly brown hair was behind the door when it swung open.  

“You got him!” Ikkaku called, a bright smile on her face.

“We needed to trap him like a stray cat,” Penguin said back, his voice almost prideful, as if kidnapping his friend from a nice, peaceful, solitary movie night was an affable feat.

“Come in, come in, we got some drinks,” she said, opening her door wider and beckoning the three inside.  She planted a kiss on Penguin’s cheek when he passed by, making Shachi groan.

Your room was substantially larger than Law’s, on account of there being two of you, and each side was decorated with your respective tastes.  Ikkaku’s bed was lifted, with a tidy desk area underneath and plush blankets covering her mattress.  Her side of the wall was decorated with flowers and posters from her favorite musicians, and some polaroid photos attached to string lights hanging near the ceiling.  Your side was similar, with a large amount of fluffy pillows and blankets, but the poster that was hanging above the head of your bed frame was what caught his eye first.

It was a framed poster of ‘Sora: Warrior of the Sea’.  The bottom of it was signed with a few names in metallic alcohol markers.  You were sitting on your bed with your legs crossed, holding a pillow to your chest.  When Law finally tore his eyes away from the poster, they landed on you staring back at him.  You must have known he was ogling your mounted possession, as you simply tossed him a shy, knowing smile.

“So, what are we watching?” Penguin asked, finally releasing Law’s grip to clamor onto Ikkaku’s bed.

Ikkaku grinned.  “I found this cool murder mystery documentary.  I think it’s based on a true story, or something.  Perfect for a Friday night.”

Your shoulders stiffened.  “Are you sure…?  Ika, you know I don’t like stuff like that…”

Law’s chest clenched at the sound of your unsure voice.  He thought about how nervous you became when he first encountered you during lunch that day, how you shied away from the kid confronting you as if you hoped the wall would swallow you whole.  You looked so small, then.  He remained standing in the center of your room, feeling too awkward to take a seat anywhere.  He finally decided to simply sit on the floor against the back wall, facing the small television that was connected to Ikkaku’s laptop.

“You’ll be fine,” Ikkaku chided.  “You’re with us, nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

He didn’t miss the way your throat bobbed slightly as you swallowed a thick glob of spit.

With a few taps against the trackpad of Ikkaku’s laptop, the movie started.  She turned off her string lights with her phone, plunging the room into darkness, with the only light being from the television screen.  Some opening credits flashed on the screen as the documentary started.  Some over-dramatic narration about a serial killer who was found guilty for an estimated 20 or so murders of college-aged women.

How topical.

Some comments were passed around between Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku, some dry jokes here and there related to the crimes committed by this degenerate man.

Everything was going smoothly, until the documentary made a bold choice to act out the scene of an assault.  Suddenly, you bolted upright from your bed, landing on your feet, bolting to your door in the dark based on muscle memory.  Law watched as your figure eclipsed the television screen, the door to your room opening and closing quickly cutting off the light from the hallway.

“What was that about?” Shachi asked, confusion and slight annoyance in his voice.

“She can’t stand stuff like this, I don’t get it.  It’s all over dramatic, anyway,” Ikkaku replied.

Law bit the inside of his cheek.  His body began moving on its own, pushing him to his feet and out the door, tripping over a pair of shoes in the dark as he fumbled to leave the room.  The bright light from the hallway infiltrated his eyes and made them water slightly, but he took long strides down the hallway to the stairwell to ascend to the first floor.  He wasn’t telling himself to look for you, but at the same time, that’s exactly what he was doing.

The stairs dumped him outside where a fire escape door was attached to the side of the building.  The sun had officially set now, plunging the entire campus into darkness save for the walkway lamps that lit the sidewalk.  He frantically looked left, right, then left again, before rounding the back of the building.  You must have been somewhere out here.  He had a feeling.

To his mild surprise, you were indeed behind the building, sitting on a concrete ledge with your arms around your head.  The only light above you was a flood light that barely cast enough of an image over the building’s exterior, but it was enough to make out your posture.  You had essentially folded yourself in half, your chest pressed against your knees as your feet dangled a few inches above the ground.  Even in the darkness, Law could see you trembling.  His heart skipped a beat as he approached you faster than he would have liked.  He felt like he was out of his body.

“H-Hey…” he uttered, afraid his words were too quiet.

Your head shot up, your eyes widened in surprise.  Tears were streaming down your swollen cheeks, your chin quivering as you held in your hiccups and sobs.

“What do you want,” you uttered, your eyebrows furrowing.

Law couldn’t blame you for your venomous tone, after all the disinterest he had given you over the past week.  You probably thought he wanted you dead, if anything.

“I just… wanted to make sure you were okay,” he muttered back, his low voice barely above a whisper.

You wiped your eyes against the sleeve of your own sweatshirt.  “Why do you care?  Don’t you hate me, or something?”

“I don’t hate you,” he replied.  It wasn’t a lie.  Maybe when he first met you he wanted it to be, but after getting thrice-a-week doses of your smile when you talked to his friends, he was finding it harder and harder to hate you.  If anything, he struggled to admit that he had actually grown quite fond of you.  The thought still made a shiver run up his spine.  It was so foreign, so unlike him.  The kid who had grown to hate the thought of love, having lost everything to its toxic clutches.

You were staring at him with red, puffy eyes.  You wanted to ask him why he had been so off putting toward you after your brief text conversation with him the week prior.  You wanted to yell at him for being a dickhead toward you, for not having the balls to simply tell you that he didn’t want you around instead of acting like you didn’t exist.  But your lips stayed closed, trembling as you held in your tears.

A deep-rooted part of you wanted him to sit next to you.

Law’s feet started moving on their own again, a mere subconscious in a vessel of flesh.  He sat on the concrete beside you.

After a few painfully awkward moments, he finally opened his mouth to speak.  “I’m kind of a dick.”

You snorted, dry and sarcastic.  “I couldn’t tell.”

Law brought one of his knees to his chest, his heel resting against the concrete retaining wall.  “I’m not good with words, either.”

This time, you simply stayed silent.  The only noises coming from you were weak sniffles as your tears died down, your mind finding peace with his presence.  A peace you would have never expected.  Through the low light from the flood lamp above your heads, your eyes caught another look at the tattoos on his hands.  DEATH.

Neither of you moved when your head knocked against his shoulder, your upper body leaning to the side.  You could feel his chest still as he held his breath, eyes surly blown wide with the suddenness of your movement.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” you muttered.  “I don’t know why I’m leaning on you.”

“Are you some kind of zombie?” he replied, keeping his voice low.  A very small smirk creeped onto his lips, but he forced it down as soon as he felt his muscles twitch.

“Probably,” you responded, serious as you could be.  “I don’t like assault.”

Law’s mind flashed back to the scene that had made you get up and leave.  Not many people did like assault, but he had a keen feeling your words were a bit deeper than that.

Without thinking, he blurted, “What do you like?”

You kept your skull against his bony shoulder.  He had a certain scent to him, a boyish musk mixed with the scent of cedar and something citrus-y.  It was… comforting.  With a small grin, you replied, “Sora.”

Law’s heart skipped a beat.

You finally picked your head up.  “I saw you staring at my poster.  I got it a few years ago at a con… the voice actors from the anime were in the dealer’s room doing a signing event.”

“Have you read the latest chapters of the comic?” he asked, finally turning his attention toward you.  Your eyes were still swollen from crying, but you had a small smile on your face, very similar to the one you gave him during your lunchroom encounter.  His chest fluttered again.  He was probably dying of acute heart failure.  Perhaps an aortic aneurysm.

“I have, I pirate it online,” you replied.  “Yo ho ho.”

Your voice was dry, but the sound of your lazy imitation of a pirate laugh made him snort.  He couldn’t help it.  His body was acting on its own.  He shouldn’t be laughing with you, he shouldn’t have let you lean your head on his shoulder.  He needed to keep you at arm’s length, or even further away.  But something about you kept drawing him in.  Something about you, the sound of your voice, the faint smell of lavender on your skin, the way your eyes sparkled on cloudless days, the softness of your lips when they curled into a smile while you laughed.

Fuck.

“Law…?” you questioned, his golden eyes staring off into space.

He snapped back to attention, tearing his eyes away from you and staring at the ground below his feet.  “Sorry.”

Your lips fell.  “It’s alright.”

A few brief moments of silence passed through you before he suddenly blurted, “I wouldn’t be a good man for you.”

FUCK.

You turned your head to face him.  “What?”

“Nothing,” he stated bluntly.  “I spoke without thinking.”

You had heard him loud and clear, though.  Your heart hammered in your chest, hoping, begging for him to repeat those words.  You were shocked with how badly you wanted to prove him wrong.

“I don’t think that’s true,” you whispered.  “I think you could be a really good man for me.”

Law sucked in a breath, his eyes widening.  He slowly picked his head up, his weary golden eyes meeting your own.  You were gazing at him, a mixture of apprehension and understanding painting your features.  You seemed just as damaged as he was.

“Do you…” he mumbled, trying to collect his racing thoughts.  “Do you want to go back to my place and watch Sora?”

Your lips broke out into a nervous grin.  “I’d love to.”

[mrcia-gweaver]

ORIGINS FANFIC!! (slowburn RiDe)

(Chpt. 1)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to try something new so I chose fanfiction ^^ how fun. I am not writer but I do promise that I tried to have it make sense, at least the best I could. The prompt is a slow burn RiDe fic which does mean I am going to add alot more to this but given it is my first time writing something like this and posting it I just wanted some insight and perhaps advice and people's input :) I am definitely open to any criticism and anything people may offer. This does all take place in origins, and im sorry if this isn't 100 percent accurate, I did get into zombies like 2 months ago so I am not sure if I had time to let ot marinate enough but I guess I just wanted to try it out! Ride is my fav ship if you couldn't tell and I was hoping to be able to share this with you ^^. Once again I do plan on updating but when is something I haven't decided yet. Since this is only the first chapter I have inputted nothing about the ship just yet but of course with it being a slow burn I will slowly add elements I promise :).

I would also like to add, i removed the point system because I wasn't sure how to implement it, and i want to illiterate this may not be 100 percent accurate to the story. I will try my best but if I do wrong please tell me. From what I can gather this is all I have for now. Anyways, please enjoy and thank you!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of what can only be assumed to be machinery blaired throughout the area, its alarms being loud, and its footsteps being heavy. How many were there? More than one, even more than two, three, it seems. 6 individual steps taken across the hills of dirt and building tops that belong to this place.

North France, 1914, the battle of the Great War, World War I. A period of conflict and devastation reaching its climax, especially in Europe. Not just with battle, but with strange like creatures that can only be described as the term, "decaying". Pale green discoloration and sunken in faces, glazed eyes, no thoughts to process, no words that can even be formulated. Just brain-dead animals with no purpose but to kill. The reason for the reanimates sparks something else entirely. The work is due to the creation of group 935...

935 was an organization of scientists. No one can really determine their true goals, but what can be said is that the power they hold in their place of origins, Germany. After discovering an unknown contaminate, they decided upon themselves to continue researching what this blue substance can be, only to discover that this substance holds more power than any element that can be found documented and they called it element 115...

Dr. Ludwig Maxis, a man of great knowledge who holds strength in Germany's foundation, known for being one of the founders of this specific assembly of scientists, was the individual behind alot of powerful creations that had only manifested into something sinister. Aside from Maxis, his partner of occupation, Dr. Edward Richtofen, a person of both brains and an undesirable charm, used the liquid divinium for his own twisted pleasures, which awoken a force that was much too strong to manage, hoards and hoards of the undead.

The need to capture this man was strong. he was dangerous but also talented in his own field, it being a practice of medicine and anatomical procedures. The name Edward Richtofen was feared by most. He wishes to keep it that way. He holds no remorse, no sympathy, and not a feeling of empathy can be found in his body. Down to the very last atom, he was filled with disparity, insanity, immorality, and psychopathic tendencies. This attention was grabbed by those who lay outside of this continent, gathering 3 soldiers from different parts of the world, Russia, Japan, and America.

The name of these allies were infamous from wence they came. The motherland sending their Red Army soldier, a man of strength, Nikolai Belinski. Japan sending their best Samurai warrior, one who holds true honor, part of the Japanese imperial Army, Takeo Masaki. Lastly, the American dream, a Yankee from North America, a USMC spy, "Tank" Thomas Dempsey. The 3 were sent on a mission to infiltrate and investigate further on the crimes and studies of Group 935, all having the same intentions to report back to the allied countries.

By coincidence, the three men happen to find themselves in the same exact situation, facing jeopardy and coming across hazardous trails just to infiltrate this single scientist. Having to dodge huge robotic walk cycles while running in very steep and wet dirt roads is not a simple task, especially when faced with countless numbers of the Living Dead. The soldiers took this advantage to put their skills to the test, only being one person after all, unaware of each other's existence thus far, they were on their own for the time being...that is until they reached the end of their open path, coming to a dead end which was some sort of broken down building.

Confusion was the only thing felt between the individuals within the premises. The three allies have the same idea to run into the damaged facility, trying to get at least somewhat of a break. Their energy went most towards dealing with their situation. They hadn't realized the other persons presence. Additionally, the atmosphere didn't help either. The mist and debris that filled the air because of their surroundings decreased their line of sight, though only for a moment. Once the air cleared up, and they finally had time to catch their breath, they all looked at each other almost in sync. All were startled, which caused them to quickly reach for their weapon in hand and point it towards one another. Dempsey held his revolver up and aimed it towards both men that stood relative close to him, "tch." He smacked his teeth, keeping his focus. Takeo held a pistol in hand, pulling back the hammer of the gun, ready to fire if necessary, holding his breath in the process to help his focus. Nikolai's grip on his own weapon was tight, trying to aim his shot gun both at once, grumbling under his breath. Being focused on one another, they didn't realize who stood before them towards the back center of the room. It was Dr. Edward richtofen himself, who at the moment was dealing with his own situation.

His hands were covered in blood as he stood upon a metalic table. His victim, who was now deceased, laying their cold was Maxis. He had removed the brain that once belonged to the lifeless individual, displaying his scalp and what seems to have been the top portion of his cranium that had been removed, exposing the inside of whats now a hollow skull. It seemed that at the moment, his head was in a daze. A daze that was recovered facing recollections...recollections of what? What was in this Doctors mind? He looked at his hands with confusion and then fixed his vision to see the men that stood in front of him, which by that time they all had their guns pointed right at him.

This caused a slight suprise to Edward. His eyes widened a bit in shock. Though truthfully, he was facing a bit of deja vu. He's seen this before. He knows how this plays out. before he can mutter a word, Thomas was the first to speak, "Alright, Doctor, time to give your shit up, you're coming with me." He glared, leaving no room for any sort of retraction. This caused Nikolai to furrow his brows and speak next, "We know of the the things you've done German. If you don't move now, we shoot." His accent was thick, though by the looks of it, Richtofen understood him quite well. Takeo was the last to break his silence, reading the situation and feeling himself tense up less, knowing the other two men were only there for the same purpose. He spoke, "You need to give up. Your evil behavior and acts of violence are at its end." There was not a thing said after Masaki's words left his lips, though it seemed the silence that was held onto the air around them was louder than anything that could have been said. After a moment that seemed to have gone on for far too long, the German scientist finally spoke, "well gentlemen, it seems you have...finally caught up to me, though Ich promise I-", he was trying to look for the right words to say. Something wasn't exactly right. There was a reason for his extraction that layed before him, it wasnt just for malicious purposes, but of course, that's hard to really say given the reputation this man has. "Well, doc, scapel cut your tongue?" Tank spoke with a hint of sarcasm and absolute disgust, awaiting this "reasoning" for his behavior. "Ich..." he sighs, "it isn't what you think, This was a necessity for me, and I understand that currently, we are in a very dire situation. Ich am not who you think I am." He tried to get his words out as much as he could, his mother tongue being extremely heavy. "This is not up for discussion. You have committed acts of treason. You are a bad man, Edward Richtofen", The Japanese soldier said with a bit of haste. Anticipation growing heavier by the minute.

Edward sighed and stepped away from his array of medical utensils. He put his hands up as in defeat and placed himself even closer to the three others despite him having no way of defense. "Ich promise you all, this isn't what you think is is. I am not here to cause more trouble than I have. I can not explain at the moment. This is extremely time sensitive." His eyes look back at theirs almost with plead, like he was innocent, though of course they took this as deception and a form of manipulation. "Bullshit Richtofen! We will shoot!" Belinski was getting extremely impatient. This caused the doctors head to shake slightly, "Please trust me, Ich am not here to cause anymore harm than I have. If you'd allow me to explain mein situation you'd understand that this was all necessary..." The three had daggering glares. They didn't say anything, allowing the German to continue. Richtofen sighs and mutters a few words under his breath, feeling a bit of pressure. He knows what he wants to say but can't exactly say it. Truthfully, he isn't sure how he should tell them, tell them the reality, the reality that this is only the beginning to a very painful outcome. He began to speak, saying what he possibly could that is, "Ich am not here to cause more disaster but the contrerary. Are you all aware of what 'Agartha' is?" When he said this, he looked at Tank in particular, which caused a bit of confusion, that being implied on his expression. "Agartha?" The marine spoke, lowering his weapon a bit, seeing that there's no active form of threat. "The hell is that?..." His action caused the rest to lower their guns as well, not wanting to cause more hostility than they must.

At this point, the men faced confliction. Dempsey was curious, though he had a job to do. Takeo hadn't any idea what Edward was referring to, awaiting the explanation that was yet to be provided. Nikolai crossed his arms, placing a puzzled expression on his face, "What is this, uh, place you speak of, eh?" Richtofen slowly lowered his hands, feeling confident enough to do so with the signs of possoble gun fire gone. He fixed his sleeves and cleared his throat which followed with what he was gonna say next, "well, you see, to put it simply, there is a lost little girl by the name of samantha Maxis. It's a very, very complicated scenario, but I needed the brain of my counterpart as it plays an important role in freeing her. While ich do not care too much for her, it also..." He stops to a moment, wondering if he should continue, perhaps a white lie? Maybe he can stretch the truth? He continues after a short pause, "it opens the gateway to a dimension referred to as Agartha. Agartha is very hard to describe aber it is important i do so. It would open up a pathway to many things, different universes, a plethora of timelines. Mein hope is to be able to be able to undo all that has been set into motion and explore more in the realm of science. Ich just desires a better outcome than how society greets us." Though to him, it sounded like a reasonable enough explanation,to the rest, he sounded insane. Perhaps the term Looney would make a much better description rather than just crazy.

Dempsey furrows his brows as he glares at the German. He has no intention of trusting this man or his words anytime soon. He was sure the other two felt the same given the fact that at a quick glance, the other two held their weapons with a stronger grip than they had a moment ago. Richtofen sensed that their patience was running thin. Before he could say anything else, a sound of a low groan was heard from a distance, one that seems to be getting closer by the minute. They knew those noises all too well. "Shit... Those meatsacks are hoarding up again." Dempsey said as he turned the direction of where the sounds were from and placed a few shots into the few zombies he saw were approaching. They dropped dead, though he noticed more behind the bodies that layed before him. Takeo and Nikolai stood their own ground as well, getting their own weapons to a proper position to aim and fire. Richtofen quickly took a towel that was laying to the side of the table he stood upon, wiping off whatever blood stains still lingered on his hands. Though, of course, unable to get all of it, he just threw the dirty rag on the ground and quickly pulled out the bowie knife from his side. "These creatures have not stopped forming around the vicinity. We need to get out of here!" His slight panic reached the others as they were occupied with their own, shooting a couple of rounds before having to reload. "Y-yeah? And where's that, huh Doctor?"

Before Edward can give the marine a clear answer, he is met with 4 creatures on his right, ready to lunge towards him. He quickly took his weapon and attempted to cut them down. Unsurprising, it wasn't causing much damage. Noticing the struggles the doctor was facing, Tank shot them down as soon as he got done with his own situation. "Now, can ya tell us?" Dempsey said in a huffed voice, becoming restless, noticing the numbers of zombies only growing. Richtofen nodded, "Ja, Ich needs you all to trust me. Can you do that?" His words gave the group a very uncertain feeling, the three of them all making the same expression of doubt. "If you don't want to die becoming their next meal, I suggest you follow me. Ich am aware of my reputoir, but you really have no option. We need to go now!" His growth and feeling in worry snaps the crew back to reality, realizing that Richtofen had a point. "We await your orders," Masaki said in a low voice, Nikolai agreeing with his Japanese counterpart. "Ya better not pull anything stupid, I'll blow your brains out!" The American said with aggravation, letting the Doctor take the lead despite his unwillingness to cooperate.

"Right. Come with mich." Edward walked out from behind the table that was placed in front of him, picking up a particular item, carefully wrapping it in cloth that layed near by. He looked around before walking up to one of the two metal doors. "This one." He mumbles, proceeding to kick it, causing it to open. A small look of relief appeared across his face as he walked out of the room. He began following the trail in front of him, picking up speed as he got further down. The path was all mud which made it a bit difficult to move through. He shouted to the others he assumed were following behind, "Be aware of the mud gentlemen! Not only is it incredibly slippery, but it decreases your speed therefore reducing stamina and im sure you know why that is not a good thing!" He himself was having trouble running through, feeling the soles of his shoes to become stuck with every step he took, only pulling him back as he attempted to pick up his own pace. The other three found themselves in the same situation as they were sprinting through the dirt. "Shit, couldn't have picked a better way to go could ya doc?" Tank threw to the other, not earning a response back. Richtofen heard him, he just didn't want to waste his breath.

After running for what seemed like 10 minutes, The scientist found himself in front of another metal door, kicking it open just like the other. The next room he was met with looked at bit similar to the other, though the area was more spacious. Entering, all four men were cautious, being mindful of any sudden movement. Letting their guard down at any moment will result in fatality. Edward walked upon a table that was covered in blueprints and writing. On the surface, there was an array of radios, systems, and an additional amount of items one may use for in depth research. Something else that caught his eye was an empty container. With this finding he quickly and carefully placed what he had obtained from his earlier extraction. Still being wrapped under a thin cloth, Edward placed maxis' brain inside of the opened holder and sealed it shut. "Es ist perfect..yes. this is good." He mumbled to himself and grabbed the item as soon as he wiped himself off. Tank noticed the others actions and raised a brow, "the hell is that for? You know somethin, your starting to really creep me the fuck out Richtofen." His words followed a face of disgust before walking up the bit of steps that led to an elevated floor.

Edward paid no attention to the marine as he was stuck in his own head. He continued to look around, his memory slowly coming back to him. "Ja..I've been here before.." he muttered before following Dempsey in his steps, though keeping a distance. Takeo found himself lurking amongst the different sets of radios wondering if they held any clues to help them in their current situation. He kept their locations in mind, not wanting to touch what he shouldnt incase it causes more harm than good. He stayed close to his Russian allie, noticing the other studying a shovel placed upon a nearby wall. "Maybe it holds purpose da?" He said to Masaki, unhooking it from the nail that kept it in place and gave it to him. "Perhaps this shovel will find it's use during our escapade.." Takeo said in response and placed it on his side. The two looked at eachother with understanding and followed after the American and the German.

The rest of the room was filled with gritted flooring rather than the familiar woodboards they found themselves on. The floor was connected to a machine that covered most of the area. The machinery looked like a power source, a generator. The floor had two symbols of the same, being labled "01" which could imply the possibility of being more than one around the vicinity. Once Edward noticed the rest were at attention, he spoke, "I have to turn on the generator, though Ich believe that this will cause a bit of commotion.." How he knew what happens next stems from more hidden memories he has yet to really discover. From what he can recall, the power surge causes the undead to spawn and cause disturbance. After a quick thought process, he turned on the machine, which confirmed his suspicions. He yelled out a warning, which brought the others at their feet. Tank thought it was odd that Edward knew what was bound happen, noting to question him later. For now, focusing on what's in front of him, He began shooting the zombies down with the other two doing the same. After what seems like forever, the generator was finally stabilized and had successfully powered on, which by their luck had stopped any more of the undead from spawning in. The four took a minute to catch their breath, gaining a response from the marine, "the hell..was those things. What the fuck just happened?!" After questioning their situation, Richtofen gave him a response he thought made the most sense. "The generator must be kept on in order to access whats around us. Each one is powered by element 115, and by mein guess there will be more approaching us in our path. The element is notable for its effect on the dead, hence why we found ourselves surrounded." Before Tank could respond Nikolai spoke up, "I don't know what plans you have for us German but we all have a mission to con-" "and how do you expect to continue if you don't know a way out? There are several things we must do hence why Ich must carry the brain of mein late scientist friend. From what I have read prior around the facility, we must obtain und put together a plethora of objects...und in order to do that I advise you listen to mich. I cannot tell you much of how I know this but Ich will say this, unfortunately there has been a change of plans within your party und whether dou like it or not I will have to assist you three for a while. Our mission thus far is to free samantha Maxis and open the gateway to Agartha." Dempsey sighed in frustration and gave in his own input, "Alright so we gotta not only follow the damn mad scientist but we have to trust and work together with ya? You must be more mad than I thought, I don't have any plans to work with y-" "und what choice do you have. As I mentioned to Nikolai, I don't think you have much of an option Dempsey." This caused both Belinski and Tank to back down, not just out of defeat but out of shock. Both we confused on how Edward knew who they were. Perhaps their identities were known even outside of their place of origins? They do have a strong reputation but not one too known to the common public. Nikolai played it off and went with the explanation that made the most sense which was explained prior. As for The marine. He wasn't gonna just downplay it. There was too many unanswered questions and he was gonna get an explanation from the German. Though for now to avoid conflict he left it alone.

The doctor took a minute to recover from all that had just happened, speaking up once he was ready. "Ich know this will be hard for you to all understand und I know that it's not easy to trust someone like mich, but I would like to remind you, I am not who you think I am..." He let those words linger for a while, piecing together what should be done next in his mind. They were in the middle of a battleground surrounded by countless numbers of the undead, trapped in a hell that can only be fled through one way, which at the moment was deemed impossible. For now, all they can do is move forward, and whether they want to accept it or not, Edward Richtofen was their only way out of this situation.