#I’m also noticing it more as I get older because I grew up on old sitcoms so I have a lot of nostalgia for them but I also think-

[baycitystygian]

bro just wanna say everybody loves raymond is a fucking god awful show i hate it with a burning passion i watched so much of it against my will it was PAINFULLY written by a man it's so misogynistic and Straight(TM) with boomer humor and i LOATHE it with every fibre of my being and i hope you loathe it too so we can loathe it together <3 also the only good character is Amy

oh it’s painfully obvious that the writers hate women 😭I gotta say that enough of it is entertaining to me to be somewhat enjoyable (it helps that the cast, especially Frank/Marie/Robbie, are strong comedic actors), but yeah I absolutely completely see your opinion 😅I couldn’t get more than a few episodes into Home Improvement for that same reason- it was WAY too much for me

[rinhaler]

toji fucking his step daughter because his wife won’t give him any attention and she’s the second best thing :3

-🌹

daddy toji my beloved :3

warnings: 18+ MDNI, fem!reader, praise (good girl), biting, age gap, stepcest, cheating, daddy kink, creampie, bimbofication, virginity loss, fingering, masturbation.

words: 2k

Toji doesn’t know what to think, what to feel, whenever he sees you floating around the house. You’re confident, that he knows. Short skirts and tiny t-shirts are usually your go to attire, whether you’re at home or going out with your friends, you often dress scantily.

He tried scolding you about it, but you didn’t listen. And his wife, well, maybe if she supported him more he wouldn’t be thinking such oh so inappropriate things about his cute little step daughter.

“Where is she?” you ask, rudely, snapping Toji from his thoughts as you lean across the breakfast bar. He has to force himself to not look down your top, your cleavage on full display. Though his eyes do slip downward when he realises you aren’t even looking at him, too engrossed with your phone. “Said she’d give me money t’get my nails done.” you tell him, and he now knows you’re referring to your mother.

“She’s back to school shopping with Megumi.” he tells you, breaking his stare from your low cut crop top and looking into your eyes. Have you always been so skanky?

You’re a grown woman. He can’t believe you’re still leaching off of your mother. Nails can’t be that expensive. You should get a job and pay for them yourself. What makes you so special that you just get whatever you want just because you asked?

“Oh, well, you’ll have to gimme it.” you smile at him briefly before texting your friends again. You don’t even notice when he scoffs, shaking his head in disappointment.

What’s annoying him more is the fact that you’re reminding him so much of your fucking mother. Before she grew up, before they grew old, she was exactly like you. Vapid and gorgeous. She had him wrapped around her little finger back in the day, and he’s sure you are the same with every boy you come into contact with.

He feels his cock strain against his slacks as he thinks about all of hot and wild sex they used to have back then. Honestly, these days, he doesn’t remember the last time he got his dick wet. Now he’s just a miserable, pent up dad in a regular marriage. That’s life though, right? That’s just what happens as you get older.

Your wife loses interest and you develop a porn addiction.

“I’m not pay—”

You silence him as you pull your old school pink flip phone to your ear and hold up a finger in front of him, smiling when you hear your friends voice. “Yeah I’ll be there in thirty! Daddy’s givin’ me the money.” you beam at him, your shoulders bouncing as you talk excitedly.

Toji shakes his head again, reaching into his back pocket to grab his wallet.

He’s wrapped around your finger, like mother like fuckin’ daughter.

“I’m not fucking Satoru!” you tell your friend, rolling your eyes. Your step father freezes, for just a moment, before pulling out some money from his wallet. You look down at his hand and see the pitiful amount, taking his wallet from him and stealing a few extra bank notes while you rest your phone between your ear and shoulder. “Ugh. No one believes me! Do you? Whenever I tell anyone ‘m a virgin they think I’m lying.”

“Hang up the phone.” Toji tells you, but you barely hear him. You look at him for a split second before focusing on the call again.

“No, I didn’t! I sucked him off and that’s all I’ve done.” you huff. “Also my step dad is here so, like, stop talking about it.”

“Kid, hang up the fuckin’ phone.” he tells you, louder.

“Wait a sec,” you tell your friend, moving the phone away from your ear. “What?”

“Hang. Up.”

“Oh my God!” you moan, “I’ll meet you there, Toji wants to talk to me— yeah I’m probably getting in trouble because of you! Hahaaaa okay, byeeee~!” you smile, hanging up and giving your full attention to your step-father. He doesn’t speak, and neither do you. Not for a while, not until the silence makes you too uncomfortable to keep it going. “Is this ‘cuz of the money? You didn’t give me enough.”

“I— no, sweetheart.” he shakes his head. “Were you lyin’ to your friend, just now? About being a virgin?”

“Hm? No, why?”

Toji huffs out a breath, his cheeks filling with air as he thinks things through. He’s shocked, to say the least. He always thought you were putting out like a pro. He knows you’ve been on birth control for years. He’s had to drive you to get your injection a few times. He never thought about it much, just a regular dad chore when your mother wasn’t available.

But you’re a woman, now.

He’s surprised you haven’t been fucking since you were a teenager. But he’s even more surprised that you aren’t sexually active, now. He can’t help but wonder why. What’s stopping you? You dress like a slut, after all. Why aren’t you acting like one?

He reaches over and grabs his wallet and the money from your hand. You want to protest, but he walks by you too quickly for you to object. He hurries up the stairs and slams the door after himself.

“A— Am I grounded?!” you yell, hoping for a response.

Nothing.

You follow up the stairs, running up them as best you can in your high heels, and wait outside of his bedroom door. You knock a few times, and get no response. So you begin to pound on the door.

“Toji! You can’t ground me anymore!”

“You’re not grounded, come here.” he instructs. You open the door and walk into the room. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, belt unbuckled and zipper down. He must be changing into something comfier to wear around the house. “Sit.” he tells you, patting his hand on his lap.

You go to him, immediately, sitting sweetly on his thick thighs as he thinks about what to say.

“Didn’t realise you were such a good girl,” he tells you, kissing your shoulder softly. “You’re like a nice version of your mother.”

“Should divorce her if y’don’t like her, daddy.” you tell him, looking down at your imperfect nails. You giggle when you feel him bounce you on his leg.

“Maybe I should.” he tells you. “But I’ll be lonely.”

“You’ll have me ‘n Megumi!” you remind him. “Well, maybe not me as much, but, y’know.”

“Ah, sweetheart, don’t wanna lose you. Not now, not ever.” he kisses your shoulder again. “How come you’re a virgin, huh? Savin’ it?”

“Mhmm… wanna give it to someone special.” you tell him, looking his direction and batting your pretty, false eyelashes. “Everyone thinks ‘m a slut… but ‘m not! Promise! Makes me embarrassed that I haven’t done it yet, sometimes, though.”

His cock aches as he hears you talk. How dumb yet adorable you sound as you discuss your sex life, or lack there of. He isn’t even a little surprised that people don’t believe you, he wouldn’t have believed it himself if you hadn’t told him. He can see in your pathetically wet eyes, though, that you’re being truthful.

He is overwhelmed by the need to bare his soul to you. To tell you what he wants. What he needs and desires from you most right now. There’s no shame within him as he puts his hand down his pants and wraps his hand around his cock, pulling it free. He holds your body in place with his free hand, his arm possessing enough strength to keep you firmly in place.

You’re just like your mother.

If your mother wasn’t a cold, celibate bitch.

“Daddy wants to be your someone special, darlin’.” he informs you, words warbling as he pleasures himself behind your back.

You can hear it. You can hear the tacky sound of his cock being rubbed again and again. The way his breath and speech is slightly uneven. He sinks his teeth into your bare shoulder and you wince. It’s not too hard, but it was unexpected.

He’s surprised you don’t object when he splits your legs apart so that you’re straddling one of his thighs. His hand roams up your thigh and beneath your skirt, towards your clothed cunt. Though when he gets too close, your legs shut, quickly.

“You’re my daddy, you can’t touch me there!” you remind him. But he knows. He knows he’s your daddy and that’s exactly why you should let him. Admittedly, part of you wants him to. You want to feel someone make contact with your untouched core for the very first time.

Someone that isn’t you.

You’re sure Toji is very experienced. He’s so handsome, even now. You’ve seen pictures of him when he was your age over two decades ago. He’s beautiful, like a film star. You know he was fucking like it was going out of fashion.

Your mother has told you what a stallion he is in bed, you’re close like that. There’s no secrets or shame between you. And honestly, it did make you feel a little jealous. You felt like you were missing out on something. Sex, in general, and Toji.

But you never thought you’d be like this, with him.

“Baby, who’s gonna make you feel more special than your daddy, hah?” he asks. You feel your resolve weakening as he kisses your neck deliciously. You want to scream at him, to tell him where you want him to touch you.

He teases your body until your arching and squirming to follow his touch. And you practically cream around his thigh when he lifts up your top and tweaks your nipple. You’re weightless in his hold as he moves you around like you’re his little doll. He licks and laves over your pulse point while playing with your tits. His free hand moves your panties aside with a goal in mind. Two thick fingers slide effortlessly into your tight, virgin slot. The resistance is there but he ignores it. You ignore it.

And within minutes you’re having your first orgasm on account of another person. You aren’t sure why your mother has stopped having sex with Toji, you’d be begging him for it every chance you got if this brief encounter is anything to go by.

“Fuck me, daddy, please? Please—”

“Thought daddy’s can’t touch their little girls there?” he smirks, already helping you turn around to face him. He kisses you, sloppily, as he lines his thick cock up with your tight hole. “Sh, sh, shhh, baby… good girl, c’mon, take daddy’s cock. Jus’ like that.” he talks you through it as you sob. Little cunt stretching to accommodate his monstrous size.

“T-Too big! Daddy’s too big for me!” you tell him, though he silences you with another kiss.

Truth be told, he doesn’t particularly care if it hurts or not anymore. He doesn’t care if you can’t take him, because you will. He does all of the work for you, lifting you up and down like a toy while he thrusts up into you.

He almost cums from the sight of your eyes turning white and your tongue hanging out as he pummels into your sweet spot. He wonders if you’ll keep telling your friends you’re a virgin. It’ll be a fun little secret, for both of you, he thinks.

He finishes with a string of grunts, fucking his seed deep into you again and again until he’s got nothing left to give.

You feel so icky and sweaty as he starts to calm down from his release. He kisses you, sweetly, thanking you repeatedly. He needed this badly. It’s not even just sex anymore. He’s tired of feeling lonely and he’s tired of being neglected.

You’re not your mother though, are you?

You won’t make him feel like that.

“Don’t tell her, sweetheart.” he tells you, brushing your hair from your face and kissing your cheek. He grabs your chin between his thumb and forefinger, guiding you to look at him as he speaks. “This stays between you ‘n me, alright?”

“Mhmm!” you nod, leaning forward eagerly to kiss his lips. “Always wanted you to be my special person…” you confess.

“Yeah?” he smiles at that, you really are sweet when you want to be.

“Wanna do it again, daddy. Can we?”

“Of course,” he nods, “I’m addicted to this little pussy, now.”

© 2023 rinhaler

[soxcietyy]

hii, can i req a older bf + soft dom yuuta please?

Biker Yuta

Age gap, soft dom, Yuta being fine af in general

It was almost every night, the exact time at 1:30 am where a loud bike would pass by your house. It was so loud that it would wake you up from the deep slumber you where in.

At first you didn't think much about it when you first moved into your new house but now its been months and you kept hearing that loud bike zoom by. At some point you grew tired of it and decided tonight was the night you would confront whoever this selfish individual was. There was tones of roads that person could go on and he decided your street was the one to travel on every night? Did this person not have a job?

Grabbing your coat you slip it on and walk out in your pajama’s that consisted on small shorts and a tanktop. Checking the time on your phone you noticed it was five minutes till one. Walking out the door you stand by the mailbox with your arms crossed. The passing cars probably thinking that you weren't fully right in the head. After a few minutes of standing there you could hear the loud bike from a distance.

How where you supposed to get this person attention? you had no clue but decided to find out once it was time. As the bike got louder you step into the middle of the road. When the vehicle came into view you had to shut your eyes from how bright there headlights. Using your hand to cover your eyes from the light you could feel two hands grab you and pulled you to the side. With a gasp you turn around to see them?!

What was the biker doing here? shouldn't he be the one...

before you could finish that though a car zoomed by extremely fast. Then it hit you, you could of almost died mistaking that car for the biker.

"what are you doing in the middle of the road like that? you could of gotten hurt." A male voice said from behind that helmet.

"I thought it was you!" you say grabbing you heart that almost popped out of your chest

"Me? either way you shouldnt be doing that. Arnt you supposed to be in bed at this time?" He asks as he sat you down on his bike.

"yea i actually am but a loud bike likes to go through my neighborhood, waking me and everyone else up! Do you know how much sleep iv lost because of you?" you say angrily.

grabbing his helmet with both hands he slowly takes it off and shakes his helmet hair before looking at you. "Im sorry I didn't know i was bothering people with my late night rides." he says. "Im usually coming out of work at that time and well this is the way I go to make it home.

"Well how about being more quiet? I would hate for us to have issues." You put your hand on your hip.

"Issues? Now I don’t think that’s necessary. How about I make it up to you?" He mocks you by putting his hand on his hip too.

"How will you make it up to me? Do you know how much beauty sleep iv lost because of you?" You quirk your brow.

"Well before I even give you an answer I need to know about you such as name and age."

"My name is y/n and I’m nineteen." You answer.

"Seven years apart mmh, well how about you let me relieve all that stress you got pent up? If you know what I mean. My name is Yuta by the way." He places his helmet under his arm.

27 and he looks young? He’s also not bad looking at all. It wouldn’t hurt to try something with someone more experienced than you. "Sure but I would hate for your back to give out in the middle of it." You hum

"Hey I’m not that old, let’s see who’s back gives out first huh?" He chuckled as he followed you back to your shared house.

Your roommate was luckily out of town for the week so you had the whole house to yourself. It didn’t take long until he was over you. Smothering you with kisses and the string cologne he wore that smelled rich of leather. His bangs touching your forehead as they dangled over you. He still held his helmet in his hand before he dropped it so he could get a better hold of you.

The kisses were fast but deep. It was almost as if he was so desperate to get a taste of you. As he continued to kiss you his gloved hands snaked under your shirt and fondled your breast. You couldn’t lie and say he didn’t look fine with his blacked out gear. If you knew he looked like this you would have confronted him long ago.

Pulling you closer to him he removed your bottoms and his right hand glove. "Want me to teach you how a real grown man should treat a lady?" He whispers in your ear before sliding his fingers in you.

He long fingers bend and move around inside of you. He made sure to touch every spot causing you to throw your head back in pleasure. Biting your bottom lip you shake your head unconsciously. You didn’t even noticed when he crouched down and began to eat you out. That was until your legs began to shake uncontrollably.

"Yuta" you moan

Hmm? He Hums causing you to jolt from the sudden vibration. Why was he so good at this? Could it be his years of experience? Whatever it was you wanted to thank everything that made it possible for him to be with you tonight. He was eating you out so sloppily that the noises echoed in the room. His tongue glided side to side on your clit as his fingers moved in and out of you. You gripped his hair as you got closer to your orgasm. His other hand grabbed your thigh so you wound the able to escape his grasp.

When you started orgasming you moaned his name once again. Tears rolling down your face from how good it was.

Turning you over on your stomach you could hear him unbuckling his belt. Tilting your head back you could see him adjusting himself to your entrance.

"Arnt you going to take your clothes off?" You ask him wondering why he was fully clothed.

"Wouldn’t want to distract you from the main event." He smacks his hard member on your behind.

He then leaned over you and grabbed your face directing you to look at your pile of stuffed animals in a corner.

"Arnt you too old for those things?" He says amused.

"You can never be too old for stuffed animals" you mumble.

Without saying another word he slammed right into you. Your eyes widen at the feeling of being filled up. You don’t think you’ve ever had something this big inside of you. Squeezing your eyes shut you feel how he slides in and out of you smoothly.

"There you go, you’re taking me so well. Thought you would have been crying for me to stop." He says as he quickens his pace. You grip onto your blankets as he slams in and out of you. Each thrust getting deeper and harder. You could hear him breathing heavily next to you ear. You could also heard how the necklaces and chain that he wore cling together with every move. His non gloved hand moved under you and began to pull on your nipple as he continued with his pace.

"You just so cute." He says as he kisses your head, your cheek and your shoulder. "I think I’m gonna start bothering you even more if it mean we get to do this everytime." He mumbles. "Not going to lie I was having second thought about this but I’m so glad I went along. You feel so fucking perfect around my cock." He wraps his arms around your body and slams you all the way into him until he reached places you never thought were possible.

Your jaw drops as he doesn’t let go. Your eyes rolling back at this new painful yet pleasurable feeling. "Yuu" you cry out trying to catch your breath but him hearing you say his name like that turned a switch on for him. He fucked you while you were still being lifted up. Your feet not being able to touch the ground as he used you like his personal cock sleeve. You squirm in his arms being overwhelmed by everything but he held a tight grip on you. At some point you stopped trying and gave in. Your toes curling as you orgasmed once again coating his member in white.

"Easy now, just bear with me for a minute I’m almost there." He groans.

After a few more slams he finally finished inside of you.

He placed you back down slowly and collapsed on top of you. Breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"Fuck, are you On birth control? Or do you need me to get you a plan B?"

[hwasdvlly]

Mini-Me | k.hongjoong

✧ summary: it's not every day you get a surprise visit from your beloveds.

✧ pairing: hongjoong x fem!reader

✧ genres: romance, fluff, family, and slice of life

✧ word count: 0.6k words

✧ warnings/tags: none. established relationship, idol!hongjoong, non-idol!reader, married life, the members are the best uncles, cuteness overload

✧ a/n: despite being a hongjoong writing it's also our yeosangie's birthday! this is honestly so soft to read

His little angel is a carbon copy of himself.

She has his doe brown eyes, facial structure, and his cherry lips. Hongjoong loves his baby to the moon and back. 

He believes his Heeyoung will be a daddy’s girl when she grows older. The members even debated whether she’ll become one or a mommy’s girl. Hongjoong is confident that Heeyoung is going to stick by his side. She has him wrapped around her cute small hand. It was love at first sight when he saw her beautiful face. 

Even though being an idol and raising a kid is difficult, Hongjoong is committed to doing what he loves and staying in touch with his wife and daughter. He calls them his treasures. Hongjoong did joke about it because the saying takes after one of the group’s songs. Overall, he grew to love it because they are his everything. 

It’s late afternoon, and the sun is setting. The group has been rehearsing nonstop. As the captain, Hongjoong directs the members and wants an excellent result for their comeback showcase. He is a perfectionist in all aspects. 

Subsequently, they have visitors. 

Hongjoong’s stern face amends when he sees two special people. You opened the glass door, and Heeyoung waddled inside the practice room. “Youngie!” The guys squealed at the sight of their beloved princess. Heeyoung is also known as Atiny’s little sister. 

“Come to Uncle San!”

“No! You love Uncle Wooyoung more!”

“She loves Uncle Mingi the most!”

“Youngie wants puppy Uncle Yunho!”

The four of them bent down to her level with open arms. “Yah! Don’t give her a hard time!” Jongho scolds them. Pure and innocent Heeyoung stares with a blank expression. Her big eyes look at the seven handsome guys smiling at her. With her little chubby legs, she makes her way to hug Yeosang. He laughs cheerily. “She prefers Uncle Sangie!” The man picks her up in his arms. 

You walked over to him with a box of delicious cupcakes. “Happy birthday Yeo! Heeyoung and I wanted to surprise you with a gift.” You showed him the sweet treats. His sharp, dark eyes softened. “Thank you so much, noona. And Youngie.” He kisses your daughter on her mochi-like cheek. Yeosang also brought his arm around your shoulders for a hug. 

Soon enough, the little family and friends gathered for a short break. “Here you are, baby.” You give Heeyoung a cupcake out of the box. She holds it tight in her hands. “Who do you want to sit with?” You asked her. The two-year-old shifts to see her seven uncles are giving her puppy eyes. Hongjoong is sitting next to you and snickers at his child. She doesn’t know who to choose. But eventually, she moves her feet to go for an uncle. 

A smile etched on your face. “And Youngie chooses Uncle Seonghwa~” You playfully dragged out his name. Heeyoung plops herself onto the oldest member’s lap. Like a gentleman, Seonghwa smoothes down the skirt of her dress. 

Instantly, the members get occupied with Heeyoung. They would talk to her so soft and gentle. While that’s happening, Hongjoong scoots himself close to you. He rests his head on your right shoulder. “I’m happy for this abrupt visit,” Hongjoong confessed to the love of his life. You can hear the exhaustion in his voice and notice the heavy eyebags on his bare face. 

As you rest your head on top of his, you reach for his left hand and interlace his fingers with yours. His ring finger has the item that symbolizes their love, respect, and trust. “I know my husband more than anyone else. You are too stubborn to take a break.” You stated with humor, yet you were being honest. 

Hongjoong lets out a giggle that is so melodic. It never fails to make your heart flutter.

[oodlesofweird]

Shuro thoughts (1201 words)

If i had to assign a term to Shuro that describes his character, it’d probably be ‘a lack of connection with others’, many of shuro’s relationships in dungeon meshi follow a similar pattern, in that they're all very neutral. He feels like he’ll constantly be in his dad’s shadow no matter what he does, leading to him not trying much, along with some resentment towards him. There’s also his relationship with Maizuru,who was one of the more positive figures in his life who he ends up blocking out as he grows older. Even his relationship with Hien is kinda. Nonexistent. They used to be quite close when they were kids, but their friendship eventually deteriorated when they grew older. 

It makes sense since the difference in status is more prevalent, but this made me think about how he reflects Laois. Even though they both have similar upbringings, with fathers who are in a leadership role which they would benefit from. Laios is still ostracized from the rest of his village, and pretty early on ends up leaving to become a soldier, where he ends up even more ostracized. It’s only when he leaves the army and goes to the island, that he becomes an adventurer and meets his party, where he finds companions who he’s on mostly friendly terms with. Despite everything he’s able to create his own life outside of his family. 

Meanwhile Shuro has presumably lived with his family up until he gets sent off on his adventure. He’s constantly in his fathers shadow, and everyone that he’s surrounded with is in some way related to his father. The retainers are all employed under his father and are more or less lended to him. Even when he leaves for the island, he’s still connected to him by the quest that he’s sent on, and his retainers that follow him. He doesn’t come to the island for himself, it’s for a competition arranged by his dad.

Another way that they’re foils is through their siblings. Laios’s relationship to Falin is incredibly important to the story. They both clearly love each other and left home to find their own path side by side. But Shuro and his siblings have a large distance between them. It’s never stated why, but I don’t think it’s made better by the whole, competition for inheritance thing. I think it’s also interesting how Laios’s adventure brings him closer to Falin. While Shuro’s takes him away from his brothers, furthering the gap between them.

Even in laios’s party, where he’s able to make connections with people not from his home, he still can’t really connect with others. Namari and Chilchuck both drink after work, Falin and Marcille are besties and all get along pretty well. They’re all comfortable enough with each other to speak their mind and jokingly riff on each other, all except for Shuro, whose relationship with them is much more like co workers. 

It’s the same in his old party. Hien and Benichidori are able to form a friendship with each other, and Tade forms a friendship with Izutsumi. But Shuro is distant from them all, to the point where him going “you guys did a good job, I’m sorry I dragged you guys down here” is enough to bring Maizuru to tears and confuse the hell out of them all. While Laios’s party criticizes him pretty openly, Shuro’s party instead just goes with what he does.

One similarity between him and Laios that I didn't really notice until now is that they both lack real friends, just for different reasons. Laios can’t find real friends because he can't read social cues or socialize well with other people, but he still tries to reach out to people even if things end up sour. Meanwhile Shuro doesn't have friends because he doesn't try to connect with other people, he's passive and only makes connections if they come to him first, ending in friendships that he’s not even happy with.

I also think it's interesting how he has a special relationship with both Touden siblings, just that one is out of love and one is out of hate 💀 Both of these relationships lead to him breaking out of his passive personality and making his own decisions instead of just moving through the motions. By falling in love with Falin, he makes the decision of finally leaving the party in order to form his own rescue team. Due to his hatred of Laios, he ends up getting into a fist fight and finally showing his true emotions and feelings. Both Touden siblings influence Shuro to make active decisions throughout the story (Proposing to Falin, leaving the party, deciding to turn marcille in, fighting Laios, etc). Even though these are bad decisions, (proposing to someone without any kind of romantic relationship first, fist fighting someone while half your party is dead), they are still him finding a voice. Both Laios and Falin make Shuro break away from what's expected and make his own path, even if it's very brief, and even if those decisions were very stupid.

Even though Shuro’s whole reason for coming to this island is the quest he’s sent on by his father, we don't really get much of that in the main manga, instead more focus is put on his relationship with Laios and Falin, (something something even narratively he finds his own path by having an arc based on his relationships instead of his quest). If he had an arc in the manga, I presume it would be around him finally understanding Laios? And eventually repairing the relationship between them and forming a real relationship (Though honestly i'm not sure about this). But nonetheless i think Shuro’s relationship with Laios does improve, even though he says he hates Laios, he also admits that he's envious of him. 

The two of them have personalities that fundamentally clash with each other while reflecting the other. Shuros passiveness and Laios' lack of observation skills basically guarantee their relationship would go south, but they do manage to pick up the pieces, after beating the shit out of each other. 

Laios and Shuro have a genuine talk where Shuro admits his envy, and even offers Laios a way to escape to the east, despite not being asked to. And in the final chapters, Shuro ends up hugging Laios with a genuine smile, despite not being comfortable with physical contact. Even though the two had a rough fight, their relationship manages to recover and become somewhat positive. 

By the end of the story, even though it's implied that Falin rejected Shuro (good for her), he's still on good terms with the Toudens. He finally makes his own decisions and speaks, and even though things got kinda ugly, he's still able to have a positive relationship with Laios and Falin, not as besties or as a married couple, but just as fellow people. He finally finds his voice and speaks up, end creates connections by the end of it. 

If anyone would like to add more to this or has points they wanna bring up please do ^^, these are just my disorganized thoughts that i finally wrote down.

[stargalaxxy]

⋆˚࿔ Boyfriend Scenarios 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ - Ninja Boys - You Meet ⋆˚ʚɞ

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊ I loved Ninjago since I was little and my crush for these boys have not changed one bit oml.... ♡ ₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊ I hope this will attract other Ninjago fans to write something bcc I am starving for content pleaseee feed meeee ૮꒰ྀི⸝⸝> . <⸝⸝꒱ྀིა ‧₊˚❀��‧₊˚.

𝜗𝜚Now Playing: Glue Song by, Beabadoobee𝜗𝜚 (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) *

♡‧₊˚Together Since the Beginning♡‧₊˚

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹Lloyd Garmadon౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

‧₊˚ ⋅You have been close since childhood‧₊˚ ⋅

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You always teased him, from his height to the way he trained and his boast of being the green ninja. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You claim it is because of all the trouble he gave you all when trying to stop him during his rebellious stage. Also, because your older brothers would tease you relentlessly, you thought it was time to pass down tradition when Llyod became a part of the family. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪However, your brothers, mainly Kai, teased you because they knew it ran deeper than that, despite your red face rebuttal to the accusations. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You just wanted to teach the squirt who was in charge! Yea that’s it. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪liar. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪When you aren’t teasing Lloyd you both are playing video games, reading comics, drawing together, or helping sensei and Nya around the monastery. During the times when the boys refused to take you on missions because it was “too dangerous”.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪Ever since Llyod has joined you both have been attached to the hip. Jays’ words not yours. 

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You would talk for hours when waiting for the guys to come back, as you two would stare at the ceiling discussing favorite games, characters, and/or upcoming comics at Doomsday Comix.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪Ever since Lloyd joined Kai would notice how you got into a little more trouble than usual following the boy around in his pranks.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You would say how you didn’t want to be a part of it whenever you two got caught however Lloyd would clapback, stating you didn’t have to join him.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪You never could come up with something as you knew you just wanted to join him in everything he did.

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪But you’d never let him hear that as he already had a big enough of a head.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🎀 ⋅ ☆ ˖°

You looked around in search for Llyod, sensei had you do meditation exercises before training. It was without Lloyd so the moment you were dismissed you instantly went searching for him for daily teasing! Hanging out. 

“Lloyd!”

“Llyod?” 

“GREEN SPROUT WHERE ARE YOU!” 

You huff as your ten-year-old self grew impatient in pacing around with no result. 

“Ninja kick!”

There he was!

You ran to the dojo, why hadn’t you though to search here sooner!? 

You cracked open the sliding door and peeped inside to see Llyod beating up, more like tripping over his feet, the worn-out punching bag. Llyod backs up into a goofy stance as he directs his attention to the bag, 

“So, you thought you could get away from the green Ninga, huh? Well, I’ll show you! HIYAA!!”

He charges kicking the punching bag. Standing proud as the bag swings away but soon he falls on his face when the bag hits the back of his head. 

You couldn’t hold it in as you burst into laughter.

“H-hey! Who’s there?!” Llyod screams as he lifts his head to find you standing outside the door holding your side in laughter as tear ran down. 

“Oh-oh my gosh L-Llyod your so-so funny!” you continue to laugh between your sentence as you fall over. You were laughing so much your back started to hurt, you saw Llyod start to make his way over to your arms crossed and his face was as red as his eyes. 

“I-I can’t! haha haa, o-okay I’m done! I’m done!” you start trying to get up as you look down at Llyod. You both were the same age, however you can’t let him win as you always state that you’re a month older.

“Geez Lloyd there’s never a dull moment with you~”

Lloyd rolls his eyes “ugh, you’re just a dumb girl!” you stifle a giggle as you look at him with a teasing glare.

“don’t be mad shortie! Y’know you love me!” you coo as you try and ruffle his hair as he steps back in angry protest.

“As if! You’ll see when I become the green ninja you’ll be begging for forgiveness!!” his determination and frustration ran something that you liked seeing. Especially when he had a goal in mind.

You stare a Lloyd with an expression that he can’t read, your face soon turns into a determined grin.

“I can’t wait~”

  つ•̀ ᗜ •́)つ 

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹Kai Smith౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

₊˚✩⊹You and Kai are childhood friends₊˚✩⊹

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩You both grew up in the village as your home was right across from his father’s blacksmith shop. You two met because of his parents, he was older by a year and was protective over you and his baby sister Nya. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩You would drag him along to playhouse with you pretending Nya was your baby and Kai was you husband despite his protest he never could say no to you, so cute. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩Whenever you got sad Kai did everything in his power to cheer you up. Stating that he loves when you smile. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩Your five-year-old brain felt so much happiness when you were him.

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩You two lost touch when you went oversees for school, however you two still tried to keep in touch. However, when times got a bit difficult with school and Kai running his father’s shop and taking care of Nya you too got lost in contact.

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩However, fate has a weird way of bringing you guys love birds together when you came back to New Ninjago City for the opening of their school program. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩You were one of the lucky ones to be invited given your choice of major and stellar grades, it was an honor to some but an opportunity for you when you reminisce happy times in the past with your childhood friend Kai.

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩You never forgot about him and your silly crush on him, you wondered how much he’s grown. You wondered what his dreams have turned into, what his goals were, and aspirations.

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩The moment you hopped off the plane your heart couldn’t stop pounding as you thought about how close he could be. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩However, you turned disappointed when your childhood friend Blacksmith shop did not have Kai inside. It was abandoned. 

✩˖ ࣪‧₊˚໒꒱⋆✩So now back in the city you were grabbing food from Ninjago Convenient store unknowing to you of a familiar face.

✧˖°.🍒ֶָ֢⊹ ࣪ ˖🍓₊ ⊹✧

“(y/n)?!”

You turn to the female voice with spicy ramen noodle falling out of your mouth your eyes go wide at the familiar face as you cut the connection of cheap noodles a smile taking place.

“Oh my gosh! Nya!” your arms stretched out for a hug as Nya does the same abandoning the bag full of different snacks.

“It’s been so long~” you both sway as you ignore passerby eyes Nya chuckles as she pulls away moving a piece of hair from her eyes. “Too long!” she pulls up a chair next to you as you both catch up.

“I came to your guy’s shop, but you weren’t there” you explain as you take a sip of of your drink trashing your empty noodle cup and other snacks.

“Hah yeah, a lot of stuff has happened we have a new place now and we live with a lot of other people” Nya explains as she snacks on some chips. 

“hm, I see, I’m guessing that’s why you have all those snacks?” Nya nods as you giggle, you continue. “A part of me wishes I hadn’t moved, I missed you guys!” Nya then nods as she smiles fondly remembering the time you all spent together even though she was a three at the time she remembers the time of seeing you and her brother together a lot and you taking on a big sister role to her.

“Hey, you remember Kai, right? You should totally come see him! I’m sure he’ll love to see you again.” Nya grins as she grabs her bag and stands up seeming as you didn’t have to give her an answer as she looked ready to take you to her brother.

“yea of course I remember! But are you sure? It’s been so long, what if he doesn’t remember me” the thought was supposed to to internal as you’ve been thinking about what if’s during your first thought of him when you stepped foot in New Ninjago.

“Oh please, my brother is dumb, but he isn’t that dumb to forget a childhood friend. So, no more worrying let’s go!” she smiles silencing your worry holding out her hand for you.

As you both arrive you look around amazed, “wow, your place is amazing Nya, you said you live with others, right?” you tilt your head as you both were still hand and hand.

“Oh yea, it’s mainly guys so I’m so happy to see you’re here” you both laugh as she lets go of your hand to stand Infront of a door you were guessing it was Kai’s. there were stickers of and pictures of game characters and gaming logos of what you were assuming were his new favorites. 

You chuckle at his decoration as you smile nostalgia hitting you like a truck as his door when he was six was no different.

“Hey Kai, I wanna talk to you come out!” Nya knocks as she smiles unable to contain her excitement. Kai on the other end groans.  “Imma litte busy Nya come back later” you roll your eyes still as bossy as ever.

Nya huffs as she opens the door, “it can’t! now put onna shirt cause there’s someone here to see you!” Nya grins as yours drop, wait does Kai not have on a shirt?

Nya grabs you and there was Kai Infront of the mirror with his hand in his hair he looked as if he was admiring himself. Your cheeks bloomed with pink blush as you look away, you didn’t think he grew up to be this handsome.

“It’s (y/-“

“(y/n)..” Kai finishes Nya’s words as he walks to you embracing your form into his warm body. He smelt like smoke, like a campfire. You close your eyes as you accepted his affection, almost not wanting to pull away. He seemed the same way until you creep your eye open to see Nya with a grin.

You blush as you pull away breaking whatever trance Kai had. 

“Hey porcupine~” you greet with a childhood name.

“Hey bunny~” and just like when you were kids’ happiness filled your heart.

   ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹Cole Brookstone౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

ೀ⋆⑅˚ Cole is your favorite customer ೀ⋆⑅˚

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡ You met at a bakery; Cole went in for his once-a-week daily treat to satisfy his sweet tooth. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡The bakery is family owned by your late mother, as when she passed your father took over to continue to keep her dream alive. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡Your father could not bake to save his life as he was more comfortable with making dishes. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡So, when you became of age and showed interest in baking it was clear that you didn’t fall too far from her gift. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡That’s when you started to help, it was fun as you started to get the hang of the shop and developed a routine. You were a little master in the kitchen. Making savory treats that the earth ninja could not resist. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡You met Cole taking his order as you handed him his treat as he stated that he couldn’t wait to eat it.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡After tasting one he immediately came for more, stating that the reason why he comes here rather than all the other top culinary specialist is because of your dessert. 

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡Really it was for you.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡Other than you’re baking your conversations together would run for hours if you could, he would sit at the side of your counter talking to you as you continued to restock supplies.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡Leaving when things got busy to not get in your way of concentration much to your disappointment.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡As talking with Cole made hours go faster, as he always had a mellow charm that would ease your stress when dealing with a rush of customers.

✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧

“Then I ran into his car, and it drove into the sidelines, I totally won that race!” Cole boasts as he grins. You chuckle shaking you head as you rolled out the dough for tomorrow preparations. 

“You’re such a tease to your brother” you joked; you knew it was all in good fun. As you cut measurements of the dough placing them into containers hearing a ding come from your piggy timer.

“Uh duh! He challenged me, that’s what he gets for trying to beat my high score.” Cole looks at the oven already licking his lips.

Placing on your mittens you take the pastries out letting them cool, you look over at an expectant Cole. You smile as you take off your mittens, “do ya wanna try?” you didn’t finish as Cole took one still piping hot and tosses it into his mouth.

He rolls it in his mouth as if avoiding the burning pain from the dessert.

“ah hawt hawt!” he curses as he still tries to eat the dessert that bites back at him.

You couldn’t help but giggle, “of course it’s hot, you big dummy~” you tease as you watch him suffer from the hot dessert. He finally swallows, “I think I burned some of my taste buds” Cole opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue showing you.

“of course you did, geez, c’mere” you bring him to the sink running cold water as you watch Cole run his tongue under the faucet. The door opens to your father, as it seemed he finished cleaning and closing the shop down. 

“Hey baby, I’m done out there tell me when your done and we can go home” your dad looked at you with tired eyes. Being a single dad wasn’t easy and running a shop wasn’t a walk in the park either. But he never could wipe the smile off his face whenever he would look at you.

You smile at him as you pat Cole’s back, “okay daddy, I won’t be long, okay?” your dad nods as he starts putting cleaning supplies away. 

Cole lifts his head as he sighs feeling a bit better, he looks to you dad and waves with an awkward yet polite grin on his face. Your dad huffs as he continues to work, there’s no surprise that your dad was super protective of you.

“Heh well, your desserts good! You gonna serve them tomorrow?” Cole asks as you both make your way back to the table. 

“No, I’m still not so confident in them something is missing I know it” you pout as you start putting things away.

Cole snickers, “always the perfectionist” he lays his head on his hand. 

“You know me” you smile winking at him playfully as you start wiping the table.

    ໒꒰っ˕ -｡꒱১

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹Zane Julien౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

⋆｡°·☁️You bumped into each other⋆｡°·☁️

⋆˚🐾˖°You met Zane trying to get out of the rain. You noticed that he wasn’t like other men, as his voice and eyes stuck out to you.

⋆˚🐾˖°However, the fleeting moment of needing to get out of the rain was greater than your curiosity.

⋆˚🐾˖°Zane’s generosity of lending you his umbrella is what coaxed you into wanting to see him more.

⋆˚🐾˖°After that day you would spend your time at the park during the hot summer sun the umbrella in your hand as you looked for the man that helped you that day.

⋆˚🐾˖°Trying to convince yourself that the reason why you were trying to find a stranger is to thank him properly.

⋆˚🐾˖°However, you knew there was a reason why your heart was beating fast whenever you thought of him. Love 

⋆˚🐾˖°You finally found him when he was standing by a fountain with a- 

⋆˚🐾˖°I-is that a bird?

⋆˚🐾˖°When you walked up to him, he noticed you quickly, when you thanked him for that day, he dismissed it as doing the right thing.

⋆˚🐾˖°However, you told him not everyone is so selfless to soak themselves to the bone for a stranger.

⋆˚🐾˖°You smile however he just tilts his head, soaked to the bone? His clothes were only wet. He stated how it was impossible to soak bones as they were not exposed.

⋆˚🐾˖°His comment made you laugh unintentionally, how strange.

⋆˚🐾˖°You gave him his umbrella and asked if you could repay him much to his stubborn refusal of, he was just trying to do the right thing.

⋆˚🐾˖°However, he did ask if he could know your name and if you two could meet here again tomorrow at the same time.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🦢˚

Zane ran into the entrance of the park he was ten minutes late due to cleaning from this morning’s breakfast. 

He pants as he looks to the fountain a sight calming his racing gears as he walks over. With you on your phone not paying attention you finally notice him when his form blocks your sun looking up as you take your earbud out. Your frown turns into a smile the one that creates tingly sparks inside Zane.

“Hey! I thought you wouldn’t have made it!” you leap from your seat as you stand next to him as you both start walking. 

As this starts to become your daily routine of meeting with Zane every day at the same time and discussing different topics that come into your head. 

Zane gives an apologetic smile as he walks with you, “I apologize for my lateness I had things to attend to before leaving.” You can’t help but giggle out how formal he spoke, “it’s fine don’t worry about it~” you nudge his arm playfully as Zane smiles. His eyes were so beautiful it was as if they were glowing as you noticed him looking at you.

“Zane Julien! Are you checking me out~” you playfully tease as Zane hums tilting his head. “Your outfit, it is nice.” He says as if it was a fact,

“Oh, well… thanks?” you couldn’t help but laugh as Zane once again had a confused look.

“Did I say something wrong?” you shook your head hiding your smile. “n-n0 your just…so sweet Zane, thank you.”

Zane looks to your smile he could feel his gears working on his internal fan as his face became hot. How strange.

    `⎚⩊⎚´ -✧

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹Jay Walker౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

⋆˚✿˖°❀ You beat his high score ⋆˚✿˖°❀

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊You met at an arcade; you were notorious for beating high scores it was something you took pride in as everyone in the Ninjago gaming community knew your alias as, 

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊ Luv.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Of course, it brought angry guys some calling you fake or insulting you but that never bothered you. You took pleasure in beating them every time even trolling them whenever they thought they got higher than you just to be brought down a peg.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊You met Jay when he was fuming at the sudden change of leaderboard finding his name in second right after a username Luv.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Who the heck was Luv someone stupid probably...

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊You clear you throat as he looks to you with an angered expression until it falls seeing you there was like walking in a mist of rain light and calming.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊ “o-oh my bad did you want to play?”

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊You giggle as you nodded your head, moving to place your coin in before starting the game noticing your movement Jay couldn’t help but marvel.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Woah you might actually beat Luv.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Hah they better watch out cause this cutie just beat their high score.

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Placing in your name he stops

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊L U V 

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊Are you kidding.

🪼⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“I still can’t believe your Luv” Jay stands next to you both playing street fighter, his button mashing was on something to marvel at as he tries to lower your health bar.

“Geez Jay it’s nothing special…heh” you grin as you pin him down ‘Game Over’ covers the screen as your name pops up declaring you winner.

“Hah well it’s special to me you’re like a walking legend!” Jay exaggerates once again as you roll your eyes as both of you take you tickets. 

“wanna go again? I swear I can beat you thins time!” Jay pulls out a quarter as he looks to you with a challenging glint.

You hum as you get your tickets together. “Tempting but I gotta go soon and if I stay here, I’ll never leave” you place your hands behind your head as Jay puts his quarter away.

“I get it your scared that I’ll beat your high score don’t worry I won’t tell~” he grins as he starts to follow you like a puppy. 

“Keep dreaming Blue Jay~” you snort as you both walk to the counter picking a prize you select a plush one to add to your already enormous collection as Jay got different stuff. You giggle at his attempt to keep things together.

“Do you wanna get a drink?” you ask as you both walk out the shooting sounds of space guns sounded as you both walked out. 

“Yea I could go for a drink” Jay smiles as he was glad at your suggestion, he loved being with you and it was so hard for the blue ninja to hide it. 

Going to the convenient store you both got slushies his blue and yours green. 

“Wanna hang out tomorrow? Or of course whenever you’re not busy, I know we always hang out but if I’m bothering totally say, but I’d like if you did. Of course not trying to force yo-“

You start laughing, “yes Jay, I’d love to meet you again tomorrow maybe we can go to the park. I’m sure I’m gonna go blind when I’m twenty-five if I keep going to the arcade” you joke as Jay laughs.

“Yea totally!”

   ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ

Omgg I wrote all of this on a word doc last night I had these thoughts on a car ride sooo I had to write them... ૮⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝ ა If you'd like to see more I'd love to write more scenarios I liked doing the head cannon/story duo ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و Ninjago fans bruh pleaseeeee see this so this can inspire you to write more amazing content like I said I'm starvinggg ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა I love you all and for the people that liked my other cringey posts thank you so much for your support every time I see them I feel so happy so thank so so much!! ᯓᡣ𐭩 ˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆ Ps. If you want me to do Nya totally ask I love that girly bruhhh Love, ⋆˚࿔ Karrots 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[silent-sanctum]

Moral of the Story - 6!Taro x Reader

hello again everyone and likely to dear anon who requested the last fic! Like I said yesterday, this is the "sad ending" version of the one I wrote because of sudden, bittersweet angst cravings~

Also, this is a continuation of another fic I wrote which I'll be linking here. I recommend reading that one first if you want additional context and more pain, but it's just bonus content. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

word count: 4k

Something wasn’t right when Jotaro opened his eyes.

As far as he knew, he should be out there getting his daughter out of jail. But then, the enemies grew smarter than he would’ve expected and they found out how to beat him at this Stand game through unfair exploitation.

Like DIO did years ago, his minions found a way to follow in his footsteps.

Then he’d find himself getting shot with multiple bullets and end up devoid of anything as his Stand and memory discs end up getting stolen by another Stand user working alongside the other. This is it. Jotaro was about to die but then Jolyne would be out, escaping into a Speedwagon-sent submarine, so why would he matter by this point?

And he was ready to accept death right then and there.

Only that wasn’t the case.

Instead, he woke up to a relatively warm environment, with walls that appeared to be fashioned of clay and wood instead of concrete and steel. What a strange place for souls to end up in. He wasn’t overly superstitious but there were at least some expectations to be made when arriving in the afterlife- white walls? White floors? Make everything white and shiny perhaps?

Jotaro peeled the sheets off him and went to stand, and that’s when he noticed his outfit. “What the,” he should be wearing his snakeskin pants and purple coat, but it wasn’t. It was his black school slacks and shoes, paired with the customized gakuran that came with it.

“What the hell?” He stood and stalked over to the nearby mirror and that’s when he froze on the spot, not wanting to believe that this was happening to him. The figure staring at him from the glass wasn’t the 40-year-old marine biologist with a doctorate, but the 17-year-old punk delinquent from high school.

His hair was back to its lengthier curls, the gray streaks of older age gone and replaced with youthful jet-black, and his eyes less baggy and shadowed from chronic stress. Even his hat was the ripped black visor instead of his newer purple one.

The muffled laughter and chatter of a gruffly old man and two other men could be heard out his door. It can’t be them. Joseph was too old and senile to hold a straight conversation, Polnareff went off the Foundation’s radar years ago, never to be heard again, and Avdol died with Kakyoin and Iggy.

That’s what happened but why are they out there? As if nothing happened? As if they were still on this death journey to Egypt?

What is this? Jotaro gritted his teeth. What sick joke are they playing with me?

“Oh, Jotaro-ssi! You’re up! Rest well from your beauty nap?”

His heart stopped, the air leaving his lungs in one sweep. That voice… No, no, no it couldn’t be. It can’t- Jotaro slowly turned his head to the sound and upon seeing the source of it, he could’ve just buckled right then and there. Not like this.

There you were, peeking through the door with one raised brow and familiar coy smile. He remained still, not wanting to believe in the psychosis some fucker decided to place on him. But the door opened and you walked into the room, alive and well, dressed in your customized school uniform complementary to his.

You paused before him and looked up at him, tilting your head. “Is something on my face? Why are you looking at me like I’m a ghost?” You said that as a joke, but his eyes swelled with tears. You raised your hands and waved them in his direction, trying to be spooky. You smiled cheekily. “Am I scaring you now?”

Unable to hold it in anymore, Jotaro pulled you into a tight hug and buried his face into the crook of your neck, sighing heavily as tears spilled out his eyes and onto your uniform. “Jotaro-ssi?”

You were here.

Moving. Talking. Breathing. Alive.

And the most fucked up part of this was that Jotaro knew this was just a ploy an enemy user did to play with his psyche, but did any of that matter when he got to hold you in his arms again, feeling sorry for everything that had happened.

Sorry for being unable to move. For letting DIO carve that slash deep into you and letting you get buried underneath the rubble. For being unable to get you proper medical care when he found you after the battle.

For him to cradle you in his embrace, crying in agony as you died in his arms that night.

“Hey, are you okay?” You asked as you wrapped your arms around him, patting his back reassuringly.

“J-Just… be quiet for a moment…”

You leaned your head against his and felt your fingers card through his hair, the movement soothing his already tired soul. “… Alright.”

Jotaro wasn’t an emotional guy but with all the stress built in him over the years, he’d at least deserve to let out some of those pent-up feelings before it consumed him from the inside.

Eventually, he calmed down and eased himself back into his default stoic state with you sitting beside him, your thumb caressing the back of his hand in small circles. What part of the journey was this… memory set in?

Acting like he didn’t spill tears moments ago, he said through a sniffle or 2, “Damn, my head’s hurting like shit again. Care to remind me what happened yesterday? And what were we supposed to do today?” Jotaro, having phased out of his rebellious era, hoped he could mimic his teenage behavior without thinking he was a middle-aged man trying to be hip.

And even if you did show some suspicion, you smiled and put on that pouty expression you’d use to fake whine at him. That paired with crossed arms made it more painfully endearing. “Of course, your head would hurt. You cried. And to answer your question,” you leaned over to him until your face was inches away from his. “Today’s the day after you kissed me. Don’t try to act cool now and pretend it never happened.”

Jotaro pressed his lips together and balled his hands into fists, willing his eyes to suck in a new batch of tears, more so when you scrunched your face with your rose cheeks, upturned crescent eyes, and giddy chuckle. “O-Oh.”

“As for today, Mr. Joestar said someone’s got a lead on where that dome building is located, and at first, all of us were supposed to interrogate said person but Avdol and Pol said they got us covered. So, in the meantime, we have the day to ourselves.”

He turned to the clock above the door frame. 8:00 AM. A day to ourselves? Jotaro didn’t know when he’d return to his old body. He didn’t even know how the passage of time worked when one’s mind was somewhere else. But if he were to follow his hunch, today could be the only day he’d stay in Cairo.

Then the next, he’d find himself back to god knows where in Florida. Probably still rotting in Green Dolphin Street Prison from what had happened.

“Y/N,” Jotaro started, looking straight at you with determined eyes. “Let’s walk around Cairo.”

You stared at him with widened eyes, caught off guard by the sudden proposal. If he was still 17, he could’ve smirked knowing you were always the one to suggest what they would do for the day. But this was different now.

He wanted to cling to the remaining time he was given and hoped to whatever higher deity that time would slow down enough for him to spend every limited moment with you while he had the chance. “We’re going to fight like hell tomorrow so… we should do some stuff for ourselves before then.”

“You know, I was supposed to suggest that because I thought you’d prefer staying in and resting, but I like that you’re the one offering the ideas sometimes.” You stood and Jotaro followed after. “Well? Let’s head on out then! Who knows how many unexplored shops, sites, and dishes await us?”

---

At this moment, all that was in his head tunnel-visioned to following your footsteps alone, and although he couldn’t stop whatever bullshit could happen, he could only hope that nothing would jump out from the shadows to ambush them.

Regardless, Jotaro kept up with you as you visited nearly every store within the capital city, and just as he had remembered, there was that special gleam in your eyes as you strolled down the streets with eager awe. It would send sharp pangs through his chest every time you’d turn to him to announce where you went.

And he can’t help but wonder if, in some other universe, you’d still be this enthusiastic in your 40s. Of course, not to the same extent as you were now. You’d be milder, more toned-down, yet still wide-eyed and curious. Never tired of seeing the world around you. Never settling for the same old thing.

At the thought, Jotaro couldn’t help but close his eyes and smile at the image of an older you tugging him with your arm linked with his, only for that one moment of happiness to turn into a pick into his heart.

Stop daydreaming. Stop doing this to yourself.

There were many things he wished he’d done with you. Not that he didn’t want to do it, but in the context of their situation, he’d figured those stuff could be done later down in the line after saving his mother and killing the vampire. But even then, would his past delinquent self be confident enough to do such things?

If he recalled correctly, Jotaro never did anything the day after he first kissed you. All he knew was that he remained passive, only ever following you around just like he did now without doing much, stubborn enough to hold onto his tough guy act.

I could’ve done better then. But he only had today to make up for it and make everything count.

Jotaro got into an even stride that matched yours, and with you beside him, he brought out one hand from his pant pocket and let it hang by his side. Then there was the faintest brush of your hand against his that sent goosebumps up his arms.

He breathed deep as his heart fluttered and his fingers twitched, tempted to move to yours. Why hesitate again? Just do it. Another deep breath in and he let his hand dart to your side, brushing against your skin.

And in the next second, he found your fingers interlocked with his, your hand firmly in his. Holding it like this, he grew aware of how small and delicate your hand was compared to his. With a gentle squeeze from his part, he mused at how soft it was too.

Both he and you looked away, flustered yet giddy deep down as he felt a smile bloom on his face. To hold you like this…

Jotaro never let go as you both continued to visit whatever boutique or restaurant they could try out. He allowed you to pull him inside booths and stores, excited to test out unfamiliar items with him.

He became a willing participant in this tiny quest you set for yourself and in the process, let all of his default stoicism down to shower you with all the affection he had in him that he could no longer give the next day or any day after.

And he stayed true to his word throughout the day. He’d offer compliments and witty remarks about every article of clothing you tried on, share and offer portions of his meals to you, rest his chin above your head, and hold your hand down the streets of Cairo.

These weren’t enough. Deep down, Jotaro knew these gestures weren’t enough to compensate for the years you would never get to live with him.

But just as the day was about to end, he realized there was one thing he could do.

“Y/N,” he said that brought your attention to him. “I have something to do. You have to come with me.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Hm? What is it? Did Mr. Joestar say something to you while I was away?”

Jotaro said nothing as he dragged you with him to his destination. You were kept in the dark as he continued to lead the way through the streets until stopping at a random spot by the road, flagging for a passing taxi to pull over. He ushered you inside and followed after you.

“Where to?”

“Up north,” Jotaro said, confusing you further at the lack of a specific place. “I’ll say where to stop.” The driver, growing uncomfortable with his sharp glare and crossed arms, said nothing but an “okay sir” and drove.

“You’re being oddly secretive right now,” you said. “But seriously though, where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“What do you mean?” Jotaro placed an index finger to his lips and remained silent for the rest of the ride. This would trigger some suspicion from you, but given that you still complied with his requests, you continued to trust him on where they were headed.

He informed the driver to stop at the incoming curb in what he assumed to be around 30-45 minutes. Both of you stepped out after he paid the driver for his service, and if his memory served him right, he should be picking up a faint yet distinct sound.

And he did.

“This way,” Jotaro said as he turned to walk towards the sound with you following a step behind. They walked past several smaller buildings, veering off the road and onto a paved path. As they reached the first set of stairs, Jotaro paused and allowed you to step forward.

“Where- Oh!” You didn’t finish your sentence as Jotaro bent down to lift you into his arms with one hand securing your back and the other underneath your knees. He stared down at you and huffed at your flustered face looking back at him. You began to fiddle with your fingers. “What are you up to exactly, Jotaro-ssi?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Do it or I’m not moving.”

“Okay, alright!” You said, whining as you placed both hands over your eyes. “Here. Is this good?”

“Mm.” Jotaro watched you for a minute more to make sure you weren’t peeking through your fingers, he held you firmly in his carry and walked down the staircase.

It didn’t take too long to get down, for his shoes to hit sand instead of solid concrete. You shifted in his grasp, noticing the change in environment. “Hm? This sound… Waves? Are we…?”

Jotaro took a couple of steps forward and stopped. Slowly, he eased you onto the sand, and with your hands still covering your eyes, he reached up to grasp them. With his guidance, you lowered your hands and opened your eyes to the warm sunset sky and shimmering sea. He moved over to the side enough to gauge your reaction from behind.

And just then, his heart fluttered and bloomed at the sight of your beautiful wide smile, pink-dusted cheeks, and sparkling eyes. “Woah, so pretty!” Jotaro smiled, refusing to tear his gaze away from you, wanting to soak all of your happiness into memory. “How’d you know this would be nearby?”

Jotaro had returned to Cairo years after the trip and only after thorough research on the place and on-site work for the Foundation, did he discover the place. Ever since then, despite the beautiful scenery, he’d walk across the sand devoid of awe and filled with regret and longing. But he couldn’t say that. “I’ve been wandering.”

“But, the promise said beaches in Tokyo,” you said, cheeky. He rolled his eyes in faux annoyance. Always teasing until the end, huh? “You’re lucky I’ll take this, but you have to take me to a beach date when we get home in return and many more after.”

His throat clogged in on itself and an overbearing amount of sadness gripped his core at the hopeful mention of a future you’d never get to be in. Although painful, Jotaro kept his cool facade on and said, “Already demanding more? Why am I not surprised?”

“Come on don’t lie to yourself,” you glanced at him with a curled lip and raised brow. “You’d still take me on that date no matter how much you say otherwise.”

And I’d take you to more if I could. “Who knows…”

You left it at that and returned your attention to the ocean. With a deep breath, you closed your eyes, wrapped an arm around yourself, and said, “This feels so nice.”

Jotaro watched you as you said this and only now did he observe how small you were compared to him. A part of him always wanted to know what it felt like when he’d remember the number of couples standing like this on the seaside. He always thought it was too corny and boring back then but after years of thought and reflection, he wasn’t that opposed to the idea.

And while he had the chance…

Without you noticing, he moved one step forward and raised his arms to pull you into a soft embrace. Oh… this- this is what it feels like… Jotaro could feel the sting in his eyes coming again as he held you this tenderly and so with a heavy exhale, he closed his eyes as he allowed himself to just... feel.

He felt your hands come to overlap his. “Jotaro-ssi? You’re much more affectionate today,” you giggled. “Is it my birthday or something?”

He shook his head, refusing to think about birthdays never to be celebrated. Struggling to keep his composure, Jotaro muttered, “I’m just… I just-” I wish it could be like this.

“Speechless too? Aigoo this won’t do.” You stepped back just enough for you to turn around and wring your arms around his shoulders. In return, he placed his own around your waist. With a smile, you got on your tip-toes and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’m not expecting too much but I got to admit, I can get used to this. I’m just waiting for a snarky reply to top all this off.”

Jotaro, through his unshed tears and cracking heart, smiled and cupped your cheek. You kept your gaze on him as you leaned on his palm and nuzzled against it. “And ruin the moment? Not this time.”

“Well, how about you kiss me instead?”

He scoffed, albeit with a curl of his lip, and pulled you closer to him with one arm. He guided your face up to him and he leaned down until his nose grazed yours and his breath fanned your lips.

One hooded look from his to yours sent you the signal for you to reach up and close the distance between you.

---

It’s been a while since you had soaked in the beauty of the setting sun, and hours have passed until the night neared its end. For a brief moment, the two of you met with the Crusaders and in that short window of time, the group had engaged in a lively conversation mixed with talk about the mission.

As the clock struck 11:30, you and Jotaro returned to your shared room and agreed to settle for the evening.

And here you were, lying beside him under the sheets in the dark, awake like he was. Both faced each other with your arms tucked between your chests, while Jotaro’s arms wrapped around you- one underneath your side and the other draped across your waist.

“Tomorrow’s the day, huh?” You said as your fingers fiddled with his faded top. “After tomorrow, it’s over. We can go back and do what couples usually do. Go to school together, go on dates, celebrate each others’ birthdays, and much more.” In the dark, he could hear the bashful smile blooming on your face as you listed all your wishes to him.

Jotaro didn’t say anything, his heart growing heavier with each passing second, but he nodded regardless.

30 minutes until midnight… And then…

“Y/N,” he said quietly and you replied with a curt “hm?”. “Can I ask something?”

“You rarely do, so of course you can.”

He swallowed and continued, “What if… whatever we have now doesn’t work out in the long run, would you be upset if I somehow end up with someone else?”

You tilted your head. “Strange of you to ask on our first week of dating but I guess it’s better than late.”

“Would I be upset?” You shook your head. “Why would I? I don’t control how you get to live your life. If you find happiness in somebody else, then that’s good. If life says it’s not us, then it's alright.”

“You go be a successful man, marry someone worth your love, start a family, and live a long life,” you chuckled under your breath. “Would it be weird to say that I see you'd be the type to be a girl dad? I don’t know… I think seeing a little girl version of you running around would be cute.”

“But you asking that doesn’t mean you get a free pass to forget me that easy. Whatever I said just now is also my dream, alright? I want that for us,” You said. "And I know you’re rolling your eyes thinking about how I’m being a blabbermouth again and I'm being too romantic, but you know me by this point.”

You said all those with a lighthearted spirit, meant to tease and have fun, but all it did was cause a tear or two to roll down his face as he gazed at you. He didn’t know how long he had until he couldn’t hold it anymore. Jotaro could have had that with you- to marry you, spend much more time with you, be family with you… if only he did better.

He should’ve done better.

“Yah, don’t tell me you’re sleeping already.”

He ignored the wetness trailing down his face as he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “I listened… don’t worry.”

“Good,” you said as you burrowed close to him, nuzzling against his chest. “Or else I’m going to be extra annoying about it.”

He let out an empty chuckle as he hugged your waist tighter and nudged you closer until he could bury his face in the crown of your head. “I’m used to it.”

“Professor Kujo’s Stand disc has been retrieved. An agent is reportedly heading over as we speak. Prepare the patient now.”

His chest caved at the faint voices echoing in his head. Jotaro can hear them. His time here is coming to a close.

He’s about to wake up and you’d no longer be in his arms.

He held back a pathetic whimper as he took a deep breath in and let out a shaky exhale. “I’m sorry.”

You hummed. “Sorry for what?”

For what’s to come. For not fighting hard enough. “For everything.”

A hand caressed his cheek, moving slightly down to rest on his shoulder. “I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing too bad. So I forgive you.”

He could feel his consciousness fade and wither as the distant voices and mechanical noises grew louder by the second. Whatever strength he had left was spent holding you as tight as he could before all of this would be over. He didn’t care if he began to sob or if you became aware of it.

He needed to feel you tonight before letting you go one last time.

“Jotaro-ssi?” He made a sound in response as he fell closer and closer to the void.

And the last thing he could linger on before then was you pressing yourself close and wrapping your arms around him with three closing words.

“I love you.”

---

“Is the patient ready?”

“Yes, doctor. Although, something peculiar happened.”

“Complications?”

“Not that. Just as the agent handed over the disc, the other nurses noticed that Professor Kujo seemed to cry while comatose indicative of the tears streaking down his cheeks.”

“Peculiar indeed. Reports said his memory disc got stolen too so he shouldn’t have any recollections about the past.”

“Perhaps it’s from supernatural causes? Or maybe it’s simply from the heart?”

“It doesn’t matter. Let us insert the disc now and spare the conversation later.”

[poproccks]

John Dory Headcannons!

★ Glove is a compression glove for an old injury; a major burn scar that lines his fingers, palm, and paw pads on his left hand. (Inspired by @teaOwOstache’s comic – I am currently writing a one-shot for them based on their amazing comic.)

★ Has about an inch of white hair from the sheer power of Crimp’s vacuum. I, personally, believe that the vacuum’s power accelerated the talent-leaching tremendously and caused physical effects to show sooner. (Also shown on Bruce and Clay)

★ Various scars from his years of camping, foraging, cooking, hunting, and other things related to the nomad life.

★ He is the third tallest of his brothers, being almost the same height as Bruce. Second shortest of Brozone.

★ He was left-handed before the burn incident – and had to reteach himself how to write with his right hand instead since his left hand shakes too badly to write properly now. His handwriting, while improved, still isn't as good as it used to be.

★ Has nightmares occasionally like Branch. I like to imagine they bond slightly over that fact once they do get closer – obviously, it's still nothing like Branch’s and Floyd's relationship.

★ Building off the last point, JD tries not to feel too bitter about the close relationship they have. He realizes that the fractured relationships he has with all of his brothers are his own doing. He’s doing his best to get to know them all now and learn about their interests and hobbies. JD still walks on eggshells around them all about 60% of the time after a few more major blow ups between them. He is John Dory, however, so he still crosses lines many times by accident.

★ Thickest and fluffiest tail of Brozone (more of a general HC but, tail hair/fur can move like Troll head hair/fur.)

★ Very active, and regularly takes walks, runs, etc around Pop Village to keep up his fitness.

★ Found Rhonda when he was in his early 20’s and she was a much smaller bug bus. (Inspired by @ohposhers) She grew rather quickly after that and they became inseparable. John Dory handles all of her repairs and anything to do with her healthcare. He becomes very anxious when he has to pass that responsibility to anyone else. Branch took care of an ailing Rhonda once because he was the only one in the village with the needed materials and ingredients for the medicine. (“Who's crazy now? Me. Crazy prepared,) The dull-toned troll basically had to beat John off with a stick to get him to listen/let him help the poor bus, basically like a Helicopter parent. I genuinely believe without her, John Dory would absolutely crumble. Troll dust.

★ Stay’s in Branch’s bunker the most of the four others, besides Floyd who decided to move to Pop Village. When he’s feeling especially bad or wants to be alone, he will still retreat into Rhonda. She is basically an oversized security blanket.

★ Smells like either dust, fresh dirt, or rain. Definitely smells like something naturey. Branch smells like things similar, but it’s noticeably different.

★ Usually ALWAYS has something stuck in his hair or tail, no matter how small. Dust bunnies from exploring or helping clean, leaves, branches (ha), and other miscellaneous things.

★ Usually has the following in his hair pocket dimension; 2-3 bandaids, an extra glove, chapstick that he always loses, granola bars, and a small thing of water; just in case. Oh, and treats for Rhonda.

★ Carries an old family photo of his brothers and Grandma Rosiepuff from right after Branch hatched. His parents were also in it, but have long been torn out.

★ His goggles, past and present, were from his father (Also inspired by @teaOwOstache) and so he takes begrudgingly good and meticulous care of them.

★ Definitely a victim of parentification/older sibling syndrome. (I’m not projecting, you are.)

★ The order of brothers he bonds or reconnects with the easiest to hardest; Floyd, Bruce, Clay, Branch.

★ Suffers from aches and pains when it's cold or rainy out. He refuses to admit it is because of age.

★ Self soothes by pulling at his jacket, running his fingers along the zipper teeth, or adjusting his goggles when anxious.

★ If he doesn’t want to make eye contact or is crying or about to, he’ll pull his goggles on. It’s easier to hide than to explain. He gets better about talking about it but emotions are always a sore subject and difficult for him.

★ Like most Trolls, John Dory can hiss, growl, and purr.

★ Dark blue paw pads, with blunt nails with chipped polish.

★ When he went back to the troll tree pod, after mourning what could have been, he collected mementos of his brothers and his grandma; Branch’s old baby blanket, Floyd’s old plushie, Bruce’s old hoodie, One of Clay’s old books and a blacket Rosiepuff knitted long ago. They’re hidden in a box on Rhonda.

[kithtaehyung]

busted (3tan) (teaser) | myg

teaser: busted (m) (3tan10)  pairing: 3tan!yoongi x reader(f) , jungkook x reader(f) series: masterlist | three tangerines | fireworks | house party | basketball | stay | sidewalk talk | friends | dalo | like that | anytime | sundress season | yoongi’s interlude | forfeit | flutter | video call rating/genre: m (18+) ; [redacted] ; brother’s best friend au, implied age gap au summary: [redacted lol just trust me] note: alright, listen.. the chapter is coming along but plans and life got in the way so i wasn’t able to get it done before tour. however, i do have a lot of it written/halfway done, so i feel comfortable enough to offer y’all a teaser and will finish it out once i’m done with this trip. i do hope y’all understand, 3tan is coming back v v soon ! :’))  note 2: as for the rest of this chapter.. fuck lol warnings: none for teaser, final list to be named on drop day! est. drop date: late may - early june 2023 teaser wc: 1.8k est. total wc: 15-18k

-

-

Here goes nothing and everything.

It was fifteen years ago when you first met Jungkook. When the sidewalks in your neighborhood were fewer and the occupancy in your house was higher. 

A tiny boy, he was immediately ready to stay by your side, despite the limited amount of time he got to hang around before his parents corralled his energy back inside their car. 

Later on, he would tell you that had something to do with them not wanting him influenced by your brother and his group. But you didn’t know that at the time. 

Ever since the two of you met, you became the best of friends. And as you grew older, it was only natural that feelings bloomed with everything else. 

In the midst of an ever changing garden, you found something that never wavered, vibrant in color and immovable at its root. 

Which was strange. You’d never compared people to flora before him. 

But, because of Jungkook, you couldn’t help but see everyone as such—lilies, buttercups, the ones that trap to survive. 

And he was the prettiest, strongest flower of them all.

There was rain. There were storms. But with them came hope, and a pair of cheap rings that the two of you bought nestled nicely in boxes, waiting to be unearthed when you were ready.

However. 

What also came was a lesson. One that you would learn again when two of every seat remained unused in your household. 

A lesson that people are more like seasons than flowers.

They change with or without you. 

And they pass by.

“We can go somewhere quieter if you want,” Jungkook offers. And you know he’s going to suggest your room before he even utters the words.

But of course he adds a small, “If I’m allowed in there anymore.”

When he laughs, your smile is as slow as your head shake, a few memories of old tasting bittersweet on your tongue. “We can.”

“Okay.”

When you make your way to your room, you hear the thumps of music and rhythms of conversation—both casual and loud—echoing throughout the house. Some people are sharing laughs, others are scooting just a bit closer, and a lucky one is cackling before demanding that everyone hand over their money. 

All of them oblivious to the fact that you’re about to rip off a piece of your heart.

Well. That may not be the case. But based on the conversation that you had with Jungkook before your interview, this wasn’t going to be an easy one in the slightest—not for him, nor for you.

But if he’s gonna keep pushing forward, this is a stop you need to put up regardless.

During a party isn’t what you had in mind, though. Much less one in your own house.

You don’t know if anyone sees you open your door for Jungkook to pass through, or if they notice the slump of your mood, but you figure no one will care anyways. 

Until you see someone out of the corner of your peripheral.

And the skip of your heart tells you who it is.

Occupying one of the hallways a ways away, you can tell he’s very aware of you despite being in the middle of a chatty group.

But what’s on his mind? Is he worried? Is he gonna ask what this is about?

Damn it. You’re just gonna have to tell him later. You can’t exactly do anything now. 

A voice peeps from behind your tense shoulders,

“You okay?”

Fuck. 

Turning, you nod to the boy in your room before shutting your door, giving one more look to the man whose last text you couldn’t read.

And the way he stares makes you wanna bolt from everyone entirely.

When your door clicks shut, you slowly swivel, only the bass of your brother’s music pushing the walls in closer. 

Jungkook’s doing exactly what you knew he’d do, wandering around your room and either leaning in to observe, or lightly touching things that he remembers. 

The soft puff of a laugh snaps you into focus. “I can’t believe you still have all his medals up.”

Ah. He even remembers the way you have all your brother’s trophies and achievements displayed—all because you liked seeing them shine, and he didn’t want them in his room.

Sweeping your gaze along two of your walls, you let out a tiny sound of amusement while agreeing, “I can. Too lazy to take them down.” 

“I can do it,” he immediately responds. “If you need me to.”

If it had been five years ago, you would’ve been enamored that he even offered.

But five years ago is when he shattered any hopes you had for the two of you, so you turn him down yet again. “It’s okay.” 

“You sure?”

“We’re here to talk, not decorate, Jungkook.”

He stares before nodding in dejection, eyes finding something other than you. “It’s still weird to hear you say my name.”

It’s weird to say it. 

But you can’t let him know you agree, so the sound you make is half-cautious and weakly lighthearted. “You think so?”

“Ah, yeah.” He flashes a smile that still squeezes air from your lungs. “I’d gotten too used to all the names you had for me.”

“Oh, god.”

“But I guess someone else gets to hear them now.”

Goddamn it. He’s not gonna give up, just like he said right before your interview. 

“Who are you seeing?” 

“Kook…” 

“I wanna know.” 

“Why?”

He walks over to your nightstand, picking up a picture of you and your friends from years back. 

And your heart pangs at how big his back has become. 

Without turning, Jungkook lifts his head to stare at your ceiling. And if he’s wondering whether the glow stars he stuck all over it are still there or not, you don’t know if you’d admit that you never took them down. 

“So that I’d know if I still have a chance.” 

“You already had yours,” you whisper. “Remember?”

And when you look up, he’s already staring at you with regret. 

Memories start to come back, but you shove them away with force, trying to empty your sinking boat with a teaspoon. 

Every time he had walked back from school with you, every time he would make you laugh when you felt alone, every time he stayed at your place when your brother had to be out—all of them competed with each other to punch you in the gut and push you to your knees. 

“I do,” is all he says before softly placing the frame on your bed. “I fucked that up, didn’t I.” 

The times he said he’d be there when you needed him, the times he said it was gonna be okay when you struggled with your seemingly deepest darkest secrets. 

All the times you knew you’d have a long future with him. 

“You did.”

Everything leading up to the time he said you should break up before you left for university.

Right before you were going to tell him you loved him.

Your heart hasn’t beat in awhile, but you don’t notice until Jungkook starts walking towards your planted feet. Was he really so far away? How did he cover the distance between so fast?

With a sigh occupying your chest, you muse that he looks so different, but also not different at all. 

And, just like the time you saw him downtown, your brain doesn’t know how to separate the Jungkook you knew from the one you see in front of you. 

Because they are still the same.

You don’t budge as he stands resolute, inches away but encasing you in his familiar presence. When his hand comes up to your face, he almost touches—but the slight hesitation has you holding your breath before he surrenders his hand at his side. 

“I was an idiot,” he admits, throat seemingly small and making yours the same size. “I never should’ve… I can’t believe I…” 

You watch as he flips his head up, and you hate how you know exactly what he’s trying to hide. 

But your soul still remembers the wound it was dealt. So while you don’t want him feeling this way, you’re perfectly okay to fight back. 

He doesn’t get to cry when he’s the reason for all those tears. 

“And yet you did,” you remind him, proud of how stable your voice leaves lips that used to seek his. “And you left me so fucking confused.” 

“I know.”

“Do you really?” 

He flickers regretful eyes your way, giving you all the room to talk. 

And you’re going to.

“Do you actually know, Kook? How fucked up that made me feel right before going where I knew nobody. No one.” 

His nostrils flare while eyebrows flinch. 

You expel a tough breath, everything that happened before bubbling up to the surface. Nights you spent wondering what happened, days you spent feeling unwanted, times you felt so fucking alone.

“Is it true that you even loved me?”

“Yes,” he finally shatters, face contorting and eyes welling at their rims. “Of course I did.” 

Did.

“I still do.”

Liar.

“I thought I was the only one.” You search his eyes, hating how you would comfort him in an instant if this were any other circumstance. Hating, hating, loathing that this is how you find out your love wasn’t unrequited. “Why did you push me away?” 

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean to…” He turns, unable to handle the loud silence streaming from your bones. Voice shaken, he flounders, “I don’t know. I’ve—” 

When he pauses, it’s to keep his lips from shaking. You just know it. 

“I’ve regretted it every day since.” 

“Bullshit.” 

“I have!”

“Really. So all those texts you never sent were full of regret, too, huh?” 

“No, I—”

“All those calls you never made.” 

“I wanted to call!”

“You wanted nothing to do with me!”

“No! That’s not true—”

“Liar!”

He digs palms into the soaking divots of his face, tense at all angles and making you so, so angry that this is what the both of you have come to. 

“I’m not lying!”

“You are!”

You thought it would feel better seeing him cry. 

But it’s not, it’s not, it’s not. You hate this. 

Because Jungkook made sure your tears were short-lived. Made sure to chase them away every single time—

There’s a rapid twist of your locked doorknob before you hear a shout,

“What the hell’s going on in there!”

Shit, your brother. Were you both yelling? 

…Were you both that loud?

“We’re fine!” you shout back, embarrassed that your fight somehow managed to outperform the aux. “It’s okay.”

“Open up.”

“No.”

“You better be serious—”

“Promise!” You spare a look at your door. “We’re okay.” 

“…Okay.”

Even though it’s completely silent.

You know damn well he hasn’t left. 

Fuck, he can’t hear the rest of this. He shouldn’t have heard any of it in the first place, and you can feel the sear of his questions flaring up later tonight. 

Which, you are fine answering when it’s just the two of you. But you cannot have anyone hovering right now so you go to rip the door open and tell him off, 

“Dude, I said I’m—”

Oh, fuck.

Yoongi’s right there with him.

And your heart fucking lurches.

-

-

-

tbc. :’))) 

- 

ahh how do we feel !! 💌 would you like to buy me a 🍊?

A/N: soooooo here you go before i continue with the rest of vacay!! LMAOO wouldn’t it be so funny if the whole chapter drops by surprise like y’all are wanting it to? just like this? wild.... A/N 2: always always gonna thank everyone that’s reading and supporting the series! there’s gonna be a lot happening in this chapter just like forfeit, so note-taking or bulletpoint format while reading might be a thing again if you wanna be able to remember things.. ahaha. pls give me strength bc i need it T^T  ++ more links: ⇥ three tangerines masterlist  ⇥ 18+ only taglist!  ⇥ masterlist 

[bahbah-bee]

- Tiger Lily - (Yandere! Namjoon x Reader) - Part 1

Warnings: Slight ABO, smut/noncon (not this part), kidnapping, innuendos, harassment, gaslighting, drugs, forced undressing, nonconsensual touching, slavery/forced prostitution, dark themes. You have been warned.

Summary: To be a flower maiden is to know pain. Pain that comes many forms. It's too bad for you that your curse is not well known, and running from the only man who knows about it, won't do you much good. Run while you can... for when he catches you, there's no telling how he'll ravage you.

Note: I have no idea what time line I wrote this for lol. I’m also thinking of making this a series with the other members, so if you like it, please let me know! This is inspired by the Yuri Manwha Kang Unnie.

Your clothes had always smelled of smoke.

Not because you enjoyed the bad habit, but because as you grew older smoke was the only thing able to cover the scent. The scent of the Tiger Lily. The scent ranged from cigarettes, to old incense, to burnt ash from the fireplace. Your parents never took chances when it came to you. Fear always glimmered in their eyes; Fear that their only child would get taken away to be a noble's toy, never to be seen again.

It was a bright summer day, when you first interacted with Namjoon. With no idea as to who he was, he was the first person to see past the smoke.

You wished you had been more careful; More cautious as to who you interacted with. But the Tiger Lily came with a curse. And it was naïve of you to believe you could escape the curse.

"Are you alright?"

It took a moment for you to realize that a young gentleman had bumped into you. The arms that had wrapped around your own, allowed for a more stable support. Strong muscles hardened over time, with scars easily noticeable underneath long sleeves.

It was the first thing you noticed about him. Second, were his eyes. They gleamed mahogany and dared those that didn't know him to lean in a bit closer. You wanted to lean in closer. Sadly, you did not have that luxury. Especially, when that very same man was apologizing for falling into your lap and ruffling your skirts.

"I really am so clumsy." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "It is not gentlemanly to be falling into a young ladies lap."

He grabbed your right hand and kissed it, looking into your own eyes. Maintaining eye contact, he raised himself up before looking around. You had been sitting at a nearby fountain with a book in one hand, when he had stumbled upon you. It was a common habit of yours, when taking a break from the old apothecary your parents ran. It was a nice place to take a rest from the outside world; a place where no one had to worry about greedy individuals in the dark. Your own refuge.

It was when you had been in the middle of a kissing scene, that you heard a scuffle occurring nearby. The strange man had been perusing the shops nearby, when someone had ran into his shoulder, and shoved him to the cobblestone at your feet. In the process of catching himself from the fall, he had managed to face plant into your colorful skirts.

"It's quite alright sir." You giggled. "I'm just glad you are not hurt. Some of the people around here can be quite rude." He smiled at that before tilting his head.

"Still, it was not appropriate of me. Though I am curious, you smoke ma'am?"

No one had asked it outright as forthcoming as that in the past.

"Why no-" you chuckled "my parents just enjoy it, and who I am I to judge them for the habit."

There was a hum from his side, before he bowed before you. "Well, my lady, it was lovely meeting you, albeit in the wrong circumstances." He looked over at someone that was approaching quickly. They seemed to be in servant attire. A large tailcoat and white cuffs clipped at the wrist. Peculiar for a small town like yours.

"You really shouldn't run off like that -"

He shook his head at the man approaching. They shut their mouth and backed up a step, giving the gentleman his space. He sighed. It seemed that was his notice to leave.

Before the clumsy man left, he managed to look over his shoulder and asked you one last question. "What might my savior's name be?"

"(Y/N). And yours?"

He paused, thinking over his response. His eyes flitted over your attire, the long skirts that dragged in the dirt. The corset framing your bodice. The way you fidgeted your hands together.

"Namjoon. Just Namjoon."

You didn't think anything of your interaction with Namjoon. He wore peasant clothing, and yet held himself in a more gentlemanly manner than most commoners you lived with. If anything, your interaction with him had made your day.

It wasn't until later in the day, when your parents reminded you to keep the incense burning in the home, that you remembered why you can't get close to men. They would just use you, and drag you away for their own selfish desires.

That is what happened to all flower maidens.

Flower maidens were around for as long as you could remember. They were always young ladies born with seeds implanted in them. Seeds that on their 21st birthday, would bloom across them starting all the way from the nape to their back all the way to their bottom, creating imagery of gorgeous flowers unlike any tattoo or painting could ever envision. Blooming in real time, more alluring than anything. Each maiden embodied a different flower, all the way to the way their hair shined in the sun, to the powerful scent given off by each fair lady. To be a flower maiden, was to be an angel incarnate.

These ladies were cursed though. For even though they held immense beauty and could bewitch any man that came across their path. The blooming's held a price.

Starting from the first blooming, the maiden would be weak to anyone that came across them, unable to fend for themselves or against anyone that came to take advantage of them. Their minds would be primed only for the sexual desires of themselves and others, ravaged by the sensations that occurred across their skin. A fire and pain that only got worse the longer they ignored the want for someone inside them. It was said that the pleasure from bedding a flower maiden was unlike anything feasible on earth.

To "protect" the flower maidens, the royals and nobility created a garden hidden away. This garden held all the rare and beautiful flower maidens, and treated them like nobility themselves. The cost being that, a flower maiden must always give themselves to the nobility that visited and paid. It was a "treat for all the nobles hard work". A life of a gilded cage of prostitution. All nobles agreed that watching a maiden writhe around in want and need, as pansies, poinsettia's, roses, and more, spread like a new painting across their bosom was mesmerizing.

The clientele were highborn, and with that came the expectation that a flower maiden may never leave. Every flower maiden that has entered that garden has died before the age of thirty five. It is said that the thorns and blooms wrap around their heart, swallowing them whole of loneliness. Nobles pay millions to enjoy the final blooming of a flower maiden and it is common knowledge that there is no known cure.

There has always been speculation, however, and in your heart you always hold out hope. Hope that by the time your blooming comes, you will have found a way to beat the death curse.

As you pass your hand over the seed on your thigh, you are reminded of this. The seed that would one day bloom into beautiful pink and orange Tiger Lily's.

Your parents always said that the Tiger Lily represented wealth and pride. That was what scared them so. Fear that the nobility would snatch you away. That you would be cursed by their pride and wealth in an endless loop. A toy for them to enjoy.

You refused to be that for them.

When you were sixteen you first noticed a scent start to appear. Your parents quickly moved homes, albeit not easily due to the poverty you all suffered from. Incense soon became common in your household as well. But they refused to allow you to be taken. For they knew they could not afford the cost to visit the gardens, lest you be taken, and knew that you were worth so much more than a life in an esteemed brothel.

It was a dangerous game, but one they were willing to pay.

It was the law that any flower maiden born in Korea be handed over to the government from birth. It was easier to raise a lady into prostitution, than to convince her it was her duty to her kingdom later in life.

The cost of hiding one, was death.

"(Y/N)! Dinner's almost ready!"

You looked one last time at the seed at your thigh.

"Coming!"

“What have you been reading about this time?”

Looking up from your book, you made eye contact with your parents in the kitchen. They both were cleaning up from the days meal, and you could notice a hunch in their shoulders from the days work at the apothecary. You shrugged.

“It’s just another fairytale romance. Prince falls in love with a peasant girl and love happily ever after.-“ Your mother smiled. “You know how they go.”

“I’m glad you’re still able to enjoy those things.” She patted her hands on her apron, before grabbing the flour off the table, reorganizing the pantry as she meandered.

“I will be needing some help in the shop tomorrow. You know how busy it gets on Wednesdays. Is that alright?” Your mother never wanted to impede on your personal studies. It was rare for a women to be educated, so she prioritized your own before the need for money.

“Of course. Nine o’clock?”

“On the dot.”

She blew a bit of dust off a shelf, and wiped a few things down before settling in next to you on the lounge. It creaked under the weight, with old florals stained over time, but made no other noise. She wrapped her arm around your back and held you close. She smelled of smoke and ash, although, you knew she hated it. But she loved you more.

It was as your eyes were starting to shut. The warmth and breath lulling you to sleep, that you heard three knocks on the door.

They were concise and clear.

It was unclear to you, why someone would be knocking at this hour. Many individuals should have settled in for the night by now, or at least been off the streets. Your parents were intrigued by who was at the door as well, as they looked at each other in suspicion, before you felt the warm touch of your mother leave your side.

Their steady footsteps rang out as they approached the door. A creak was heard as the hinges squeaked open. And on the other side stood a royal guard.

You froze in your seat.

The officer took off his hat and held it at his waist.

“Excuse me, ma’am. So sorry to intrude at this late of an hour.” He peaked his head in, making eye contact at you before smiling. “My name is Officer Jungkook. We were alerted of a disturbance on this property. May we come in?” He paused to allow your guardians a moment to process the request.

They looked at each other before nodding. No one could deny an officer of the king.

“Of course. Please don’t stand outside too long. It’s far too cold for anyone to be out.” She waved her arms inside, before around ten men entered the premises. Each one donned in navy blue, with patches of red on their shoulders, designating them as members of the royal forces. They meandered along the walls, dragging fingers along surfaces, led by none other than the individual introducing himself as Jungkook. He looked around with hooded eyes, almost as if intrigued by the atmosphere and cozy home.

It wasn’t until he was far into the living room and the door had been shut, that he clapped his hands.

The sound rang out. Like thunder in a storm.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Hands grabbed and vases flew, as you were apprehended by multiple men. Your parents yelled out for you as you were dragged back screaming and kicking. They were not far better as men dragged them away to a back corner. Muffled yells and tears were the only thing you could hear from your parents.

“Let me go!” You went to bite your oppressors hand, but they quickly brought their hand back before another grabbed your head and held your jaw shut.

“Search her.”

You snapped your head to look over at Officer Jungkook. The order was quick, and if one were not paying attention, they would have missed it. Too bad for you, the royal guards were paying very close attention. Within a second, you had been stripped of your blouse and hands were touching all over your shoulders, back, and neck. You quickly yelled out, as no one had seen or even touched you in those areas before. Face heating up, you kept kicking and shoving at anyone that dared lay a hand on you.

The head guard snapped his fingers in front of the faces of his men quickly.

"Enough of this! The report was for a scent near the skirts. Don't undress the women more than is necessary!" There were a few mumbled apologies before your bodice was thrown back over your shoulders and instead your skirts were pulled down. The situation seemed to be getting worse by the second. You yelled out, as their hands passed over your skin. Brushing over calves and thighs, before finally landing on what they were looking for.

You shook in their grasps, as one of their hands gently passed over the indent of a seed on your thigh.

Your cursed Tiger Lily.

"It's in the middle of the thigh, sir."

Quickly, your skirts were pulled up, but not before the arms around your waist tightened further. Head Guard Jungkook nodded his head and looked pleased before turning to your parents, tailcoat whirling behind him.

"The cost for housing a flower maiden is death. In accordance with our laws, you will be escorted to the palace where you will await trial. This process can take weeks or months, but it is within your best interests to come silently, as we may have to use more force than necessary otherwise." While the other guards were groaning at every jab you sent back, the head guard seemed to be fairly content with the events of the evening. Your parents heads hung low in shame. They had failed protecting their little girl.

He slowly walked over to you. The way he held himself was almost bunny like, with a chagrin smile and mischievous brown eyes. He was just as mesmerizing as the man you had seen earlier. He leaned in close to you and took a piece of hair within his grasp, twirling it around his finger, before his grin reached larger across his face.

"Poor little maiden, I'm sorry you've been cooped up here so long. I can assure you that we will -"

"Piss off fucker!" You snarled. The smile slightly slipped, but never disappeared.

"It seems you are a bit confused. That is of no worry, Wonho?" He held out his hand. One of the guards seemed to get the memo.

"Yes sir!" A needle was placed into Jungkook's hand. Your eyes narrowed onto it. Gritting you teeth, you gave the man your deepest glare.

He smiled. "Don't worry fair flower maiden, in time -" He pulled off the cap. "You will see that this is your true purpose."

You felt a needle plunge into your neck, before everything went dark.

Note:

Hello Everyone! This story is a lot darker than anything I've ever written. This part was about halfway done when I first started writing Snatched Part two, so I can assure you that is coming out soon as well. But boy, do I have a bad habit of trying to write one-shots and them turning into multiple parts. I'm expecting this to be about two to three parts. Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think. Your comments make my day! Who do we think Namjoon is? Is there more to the curse?

[sweetcheeksschemmenti]

Beyond The Classroom

Pt. 1

I don’t expect this one to be very popular, this is a self indulgent piece 🫡

Summary: Once a Little Eagle, always a Little Eagle. Melissa keeps that promise to you year after year as she shows up for you in every possible way.

Warnings: Child abuse, neglect, abandonment, over all sad stuff (Mel makes it better!)

WC: 3.9k

Notes: Wrote this because it’s the week before Mother’s Day and I just want my mama (she’s an awful human being and will never be a part of my life again, 6 years no contact). Melissa is a comfort character for me, so I’m using this as a hug from her. I know there are plenty of other people with bad relationships with their moms (gotta love mommy issues), so I thought I’d share in case someone else would also like this hug.

I see you, I love you.

P.s. This story is about 85% based on events I experienced as a child/young adult. I’m thankful every day for the teachers who stepped in to be the parents I didn’t have.

You grew up in a not-so-wonderful household with abusive parents and older siblings who wouldn’t have noticed if you had decided to run away one day. Melissa Schemmenti knew. She was the one person you felt you could confide in as a child. She called CPS on your parents a handful of times during the year she taught you, in hopes of keeping you safe. Unfortunately, with a broken system and a mother who could sweet talk The Devil himself, your parents got off scot-free, leaving you to deal with the aftermath each time.

You would go into school the next day with a new bruise and tears in your eyes. Melissa would hold you close and let you cry all you could before pulling a chair up next to her own so you could be near your safe person all day. When it came time for dismissal, she would hug you extra tight and send a silent prayer to God that you’d walk through the doors again in the morning. On Fridays, she would sneak a Tupperware container of homemade food and a handful of snacks into your bag with a note that said ‘love you, kid’, knowing that your parents restricted your access to food and that she was probably the only person you heard those words from most days. The world sat heavy on your second grader shoulders and Melissa did everything she knew how to make it a little lighter.

Even as you moved on past second grade, Ms. Schemmenti was there. She would check in with each of your teachers at the beginning on the school year and pop in to say hello at lunch from time to time. If you had a particularly rough night at home you would stop by her room and ask her to hold you for a minute before other students arrived. She always obliged.

The day you moved on to middle school, Melissa cried right along with you. Both of you knew she wouldn’t be able to hug the hurt away or keep tabs on you as often. Of course, she made sure you knew how much she loved you, she gave you her personal phone number and said, “No matter how old you get or how far you go, you’ll always be my favorite little eagle. I’ll always be here for you if you need me and I mean it. If things go south at home, you call me and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. You’re gonna be okay.”

As the years passed, Melissa made sure she remained a constant- the only constant, really- in your life. Through your middle school years she became your tutor, meeting you at your school’s library every Thursday after dismissal to help you with your homework. Of course, those sessions were always a little more than just help with homework; she would bring you food and make sure you had clean clothes and basic necessities. One time you let it slip that your mother had ‘forgotten’ to buy you toothpaste and she dropped off a small bag of Colgate tubes on your front porch that night.

When you entered high school, Melissa made an effort to show up for every one of your art shows and track meets. Your parents never even made it to one, but Schemmenti was there. She always was. Your high school teachers even began to think Melissa was your mother; you never corrected them. And when you started working at the hoagie stand your sophomore year, Ms. Schemmenti would stop by once a week to have dinner with you.

The physical abuse dwindled a little as you got older and were able to fight back, but the verbal abuse got worse as a result. At one point during you senior year, your mother kicked you out after throwing a fit about you not inviting her to see you try on prom dresses. You called Melissa and she drove forty-five minutes at three in the morning to get you. Your mother knocked you to the ground and pulled fistfuls of hair, creating a tangled mess. When you were finally able to get her off of you, she screamed at you the entire time you packed your bag.

“FUCK YOU Y/N, YOU SELFISH BITCH! Couldn’t even include YOUR OWN MOTHER! It hurts, it’s almost like not getting invited to your WEDDING!” You dodged books and trinkets she threw at you as you tossed whatever sentimental things you could think of into trash bags to take with you. Photos of your grandparents, your favorite stuffed animal, and some of your artworks made it in before you heard Melissa honking in the driveway.

“You’ve never been my mom,” you seethed with tears streaming down your face as you dragged your bags down the stairs.

She blocked you from leaving at the bottom of the stairs and backhanded you, her ring catching the tender skin beneath your eye. You yelped in pain and stumbled forward, she grabbed you by the throat and squeezed. “You walk out that door and NEVER come back, you hear me? You are worthless, a waste of space and air.” She dug her nails into your skin before she released you and practically pushed you through the front door.

“You’ll never have to deal with me again. You want me out? I’m out.”

Your father followed behind with his fists balled up, “If you ever come back, it’ll be the last time you see daylight!”

Melissa waited for you by the car with her baseball bat, ready to swing if need be. Once your bags were in the backseat, Melissa tossed her baseball bat into the trunk and drove off. Your mother chased the car all the way down the driveway calling you every derogatory thing she could come up with.

The drive to Melissa’s house was silent save for the occasional quiet aob from both parties. Once you arrived, Melissa took your bags inside and walked you up the stairs to her bathroom to nurse your wounds. You winced as she swabbed your cheek with isopropyl alcohol and she frowned. “I’m so sorry, hon. I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner to stop her.”

“Don’t be, you still showed up when I needed you. It coulda been a lot worse. Thank you,” you cried as you leaned your head against her stomach just like when you were a second grader.

She held you until your tears dried then left the room to grab a change of clothes for you. Moments later, she handed you a pair of her sweatpants and an oversized Eagles t-shirt. “You can take the bed tonight, I’ll sleep on the couch. My spare room doesn’t have a bed right now, but we can fix that tomorrow after I call out of work. You need anything before I head down, kid?”

You looked at the ground, embarrassed to even ask, “Would you maybe… would it be okay if…. never mind, it’s stupid.” You shook your head and climbed under the comforter, it smelled like Melissa.

She somehow knew exactly what you were asking without hearing the words. She climbed into the bed and lifted an arm for you to scoot in. “Of course, sweet girl, it’s not stupid at all. I’ll keep you safe, promise. Try to get some sleep, I’ll be right here.” You settled into her embrace and took a deep breath.

You whispered, “I love you, thank you.”

“I love you too, baby girl. Sleep tight,” she whispered back before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. Sleep was the last thing on her mind as she held you, watching as the rise of your chest slowed. She stayed awake the whole night, guarding your peace.

Late the following morning, you woke up to an empty bed and the sound of people in the house. You popped your head out into the hallway to see Melissa directing three men where to go with the new bed set. She heard the door creak and looked over at you with an apologetic smile, “Hey, hon, sorry to wake you! They’ll be outta here shortly. I called your school and work to let them know you wouldn’t be in for a few days so you don’t have to worry about it. I washed the clothes that were in your backpack, they’re sitting by my bathroom. There’s also a clean towel for you and a new toothbrush on the counter. You’re welcome to use my hairbrush and whatever else you need.” You smiled back at her and closed the door.

You picked an outfit from the pile of folded clothes and shut the bathroom door to shower. Your body was sore from the adrenaline and you groaned in pain as you shed your pajamas. Standing naked in the mirror, you looked over the marks your mother left on you. The nail marks on your neck were already scabbed over, but the gash under your eye was bruised and definitely going to leave a scar. You traced your fingers along each mark, tears forming in your eyes. The shower was hot enough to leave your skin red, you wanted to burn away any remnants of what happened to you. You sobbed loudly as you tried to detangle the mess of hair your mother created, it hurt and you were so worried that you’s just have to cut it all off.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Ya decent?” You opened the door for her and she gently took the brush from your hands. She directed you to sit backwards on the toilet while she worked at the knots on your head. You nearly fell asleep sitting there as she hummed and massaged conditioner into your hair, working diligently to make sure you kept your beautiful hair.

“You sleep okay,” She asked as she rinsed your hair in the sink.

“That was the best sleep I’ve had in a very long time. I haven’t slept in a bed in months, it was so soft.” You said it like it was nothing.

She paused. “Whatduya mean you haven’t slept in a bed in months?”

You sighed deeply. “They took my bed away because they said I was a whore and didn’t deserve one. I told them that I’m a virgin and they took the door off of my room, callin’ me a liar.” You hadn’t told her that detail when you saw her at one of your track meets a few months before. You figured you’d shared enough heartbreaking details with the woman, she didn’t need to be even more worried about you.

Hot tears silently flowed down her cheeks. She was angry. Not at you for not telling her, but at the low-lifes you called parents. “You gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” she spat. She was ready to call in one of her favors from The Tire Iron. “Well I’ll tell ya one thing, kiddo, you ain’t goin’ back there ever again. You’ll never be without ‘long as I’m around, ya got it? And you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want, no strings attached.”

You choked back your own tears. “Thanks, Ms. Schemmenti. I truly appreciate you.” She wrapped your hair in a towel and you turned to hug her. “What would I do without you?”

“Starve, apparently,” she teased when your stomach growled loudly. She grabbed your chin to look at you, “And no more ‘Ms. Schemmenti’. You can call me Melissa, Mel, Aunt Mel, whatever you want, just not that. You’re family, kid. Now c’mon, I’ll make you something to eat before we head out for a shopping trip.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Her brow furrowed, “You tryin’ to make me feel old? None of that ma’am stuff either.” You giggled and followed her down to the kitchen.

She made French toast and sausage and you devoured the meal in just a few bites. Satisfied with you having eaten, she grabbed her purse, dragged you to the car and pulled out of the driveway. Along the way, she asked you to make a list of anything you might need or want. You took your phone out and looked at it for the first time that day. The screen was full of awful messages from both of your parents and extended family members. You chose to clear the screen and turn off notifications without reading them all and opened your notes app to jot down a few things you knew you missed when packing bags.

Melissa pulled into the mall parking lot and looked over at you, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, what happened?”

You rubbed your eyes and tried to fake a smile, “Nothin’, I’m just tired.” She knew you well enough to know when you were lying, but she wasn’t going to push you on the subject.

“Mkay, kid. If you decide you wanna talk about it, you know I’ll always listen. And you know I’d kill for ya.” She gently nudged you with her elbow and the two of you made your way into the mall. You showed her your list and she took charge, guiding you around to every clearance rack and bargain bin in the vicinity. You paid for the majority of your new finds, but she insisted on helping with funds here and there. Many stores later Melissa stopped for a bathroom break and you found yourself in front of Auntie Anne’s. Remembering how much she loved soft pretzels- she’d get one every field trip- you decided to buy two, one for each of you. It was a very small token of gratitude, but you knew she’d be excited.

When she exited the bathroom, she scanned the food court for you and found you sitting at a table with all the bags. She sat down across from you and you pushed the soft pretzel her way with a little cup of honey mustard, “Thank you for today. Normally I hate shopping, but you made it fun.”

She gave you an upside down smile and took a bite. “I’m glad I could be a good distraction for ya, hon. And thank you for this!” She clinked her pretzel with yours to ‘cheers’ the day. As you finished your pretzels in silence while people watching, a dress shop on the upper level caught your eye. Despite trying on prom dresses, you never actually bought one.

Melissa‘s eyes followed your gaze and when she spotted the shop she knew what she was going to do. “Hey, I know you said you normally hate shopping, but since we’ve been having so much fun today… why don’t we keep the fun going and go pick out your prom dress? It’s what, two weeks out?”

You shook your head, “Nah, I can’t afford it now that I’ve spent half my savings on shit I needed today. Besides, I got to do prom last year, I’m alright missing out on this one.” You played with the straw in your drink absentmindedly and took the last bite of your pretzel.

Melissa thought back to the conversations she had with you about how excited you were for your senior prom. You buzzed about it every time the two of you spoke for months, it broke her heart to see you resign to not going. “My treat, hon. And I ain’t takin’ no for an answer, I know how bad you wanna go. C’mon,” she said as she prodded you up and dragged you to the dress shop.

You spent about an hour browsing and trying on different dresses, even somehow convinced Melissa to try one on with you for shits and giggles. You pretended not to see her sneak a picture in the mirror of the two of you in the matching dresses, a sweet moment she wanted to remember forever. Finally, you found the right one. The a-line strapless dress stopped mid calf, it was wine red and fit like a dream. When you emerged from the dressing room to show her, she gasped.

“Oh, beautiful girl! My favorite little eagle isn’t so little anymore.” She stuck her bottom lip out in an upside down smile as she reached to tuck your hair away from your eyes. She took a small step back and asked you to spin so she could see it all. The smile on your face told her you made your choice. With misty eyes she pulled you into a tight hug, limiting your ability to breathe.

“I can’t… breathe… help,” you choked out. The redhead lessened her squeeze and apologized but didn’t let go, she needed that moment to collect herself. You stood there embracing each other for a couple of minutes before Melissa finally released you. Once you changed back into your clothes, she took the dress to the register and paid.

You walked out together and stuffed all the bags in the trunk, laying the dress flat in the backseat. “Thank you. For everything, Aunt Mel. For a few hours, it didn’t feel like my world was crashing down around me. I’m lucky to have you.”

She kissed her fingers and then pressed them to your cheek before she started driving. “I’m pretty lucky to have you too, kid. And I’ll always be here to pick up the pieces when you need me.”

The drive back to Melissa’s house was quiet, aside from the classic rock station playing the weekly hits countdown. You checked your silenced notifications to see even more messages and missed calls from your family, Melissa glanced over and saw them too. “If you want, we can change your number this week, that way they can’t bother you anymore,” Melissa offered.

“They still pay for my phone, I can’t. They’d cancel my service the moment they found out.” You shoved your phone back into your pocket.

“Then I’ll just move you over to my cell plan. They don’t deserve the power they have over you, hon.” You opened your mouth to protest but stopped when she pointed at you. “Let me help, please. Because I can and I want to.”

“Thanks, Aunt Mel.”

A few minutes later you arrived back at the townhouse and dragged all of your new belongings up to your new room, hanging up the dress immediately. Melissa said she’d help you make the bed and get settled once she got dinner in the oven. While she was working in the kitchen, you curled up on the couch and flipped the TV on, settling on ‘Rick Steves’ Europe’ reruns. Rick’s comforting voice began to lull you to sleeping and you didn’t have the energy to fight it.

Melissa walked in to tell you she was ready and found you fast asleep. Her heart melted at the sight. She draped the couch blanket over you and lightly tucked it in so as to not disturb your slumber. ‘How could anyone hurt something so precious,’ she thought to herself. After she tucked you in, she made her way upstairs to gather your new sheets and comforter to wash them before starting on the rest of the room.

She grabbed the basket of your clothes from her own room and began to hang them up in your closet. Once she finished the task, she cleaned out the dresser and filled it with your socks, pants, and undergarments. One by one, she removed her family photos from the walls and replaced them with the handful of framed photos you brought with you. She recognized your grandparents’ photo from the one time she had met them at the beginning of your second grade year, right before they passed. They were your best friends, you were safe when they were around. Melissa decided to place the picture on your nightstand so that they’d be watching over you every night. Lastly, she organized your toiletries in the guest bathroom and set out a fresh set of towels and one of her robes.

Satisfied with her progress, she took a short break to check on you, change over the laundry, and take out the lasagna. You were still asleep and she didn’t want to disturb you so she ate alone in the dining room and texted her mother.

Mel: Hey, Ma. You mind setting an extra place at the table for family dinner on Sunday?

-Ma: Hot date?

-Mel: Nah. You remember me telling you about Y/N?

-Ma: You’ve talked about her for the last ten years, yeah I remember. Is the poor kid okay? Her parents treating her like shit again?

-Mel: They kicked her to the curb, said she wasn’t welcome back. She’s staying with me for as long as she needs to.

-Ma: Of course I’ll set an extra place for her, Amore. She need anything? You need anything?

-Mel: She needs all the love she can get, just make her feel like family. I’ve got everything else handled. Thanks, Ma.

-Ma: We can do that. Talk soon.

She finished her meal and gathered the clean bedding from the laundry room, making her way back upstairs to make your bed. Once the sheets were on, she fluffed the comforter and pillows before opening your backpack to retrieve your favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Bunz. Even at eighteen, you slept with him tucked in your arms every night. She hugged the well-loved bunny to her heart and thought back to the day she gave him to you. Right before holiday break your third grade year, she pulled you aside at dismissal and tucked him into your backpack. She told you to give him a hug whenever you needed to feel loved and she wasn’t around to give you a hug herself. Little did she know, that was the only gift you received that year.

Melissa placed him in the middle of the pillows, like the cherry on top, and went back downstairs to wake you for dinner. She sat on the arm of the couch and gently began to run her fingers through your hair. “You need to eat somethin’, sweetheart,” she whispered as your eyes fluttered open. You stretched and sat up, leaning your head against her leg.

“What time is it?”

“About 7:30. You’ve been through a lot the last 24 hours, figured you could use the rest. I got your room all set up for ya. I’ll heat up your plate and we can watch a movie before bed. How’s that sound?”

You rolled off the couch and rubbed your eyes. “Sounds good,” you yawned. You followed the redhead into the kitchen and sat at the counter. She warmed your plate in the microwave and placed it in front of you with a glass of water. You demolished your meal like you hadn’t eaten in days, complimenting her cooking after every other bite. You washed your dishes and then made your way back to the living room, joined by Melissa. She turned on one of your favorite comedy movies and watched the light return to your eyes a little more with each scene.

Sitting there, laughing at the stupid jokes on the screen with the closest thing you’ve ever had to a real mom, with a full stomach and a warm bed waiting for you upstairs, you realized something.

For the first time in your eighteen years of life, you were finally home.

[atopvisenyashill]

Bran The Time Traveling Toddler

Yes that IS a reference to the Tyrion the time traveling fetus theory. The thing about MY insane theories is that they actually make sense and I’m right. Follow me please down the worm hole!!

There’s very clearly Someone Influencing things when it comes to the Starklings and even the overreaching plot in general - there’s enough weird magic surrounding them, whispering in the wind, that it’s a no brainer they’re being watched over. The question is WHO and WHEN. For me, personally, I think it’s Bran, and I think it’s an older Bran from the future (whether it be Bran In TWOW and ADOS or Bran post canon) trying to lead his siblings to safety.

Now, like my Harrenhal meta, I don’t think I’m saying anything new so much as compiling what people have said scattered across the interwebs. There’s a lot of theories about whether Bran can time travel, time travel in general in the series, how george has dealt with time travel before, and about the three eyed crow’s identity and I agree with bits and pieces of what other people have said - preston jacobs is a more famous example of this theory for example. But I don't want to get caught up on things like time travel paradoxes because, like, i don’t care about that, and george has talked about how time travel is more fantasy than scifi bc it’s just not really scientifically possible. do you know what that means? it means there’s no weird physical paradoxes because it’s ✨magic✨ and Bran isn't literally going through space and time. It's as Jojen says-

With two eyes you see my face. With three you could see my heart. With two you can see that oak tree there. With three you could see the acorn the oak grew from and the stump that it will one day become. With two you see no farther than your walls. With three you would gaze south to the Summer Sea and north beyond the Wall

Through his greenseeing abilities, Bran can see the whole of a lifespan, from conception to burial, and can pop out at any point in that lifespan, because a span of 100, 1000, or 1,000,000 years is all the same to the weirwood. So I don't think it's in the realm of Crazy Ass Theories to say that Bran is capable of a more magic based form of time travel. That he can whisper in people's dreams, on the wind, taking on the voice of the old gods themselves and doing his best to nudge things the way he needs them to be in order to keep the people he loves safe.

I also don't think Bloodraven is Three Eyed Crow (though I do think he also uses this metaphor of "flying" wrt magic, and that's why Euron also has a comment about flying in his dreams - I just don't believe that metaphor originates with Brynden himself. Rather, I think he picked it up from somewhere else), but instead, it's Bran, using the weirwood network to get all the pieces on the board he needs where he needs them to be for the endgame. Notice that Brynden doesn't seem to know what Bran is talking about when he mentions the Three Eyed Crow-

"Are you the three-eyed crow?" Bran heard himself say. A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one, and that one red. Bran could feel the eye staring at him, shining like a pool of blood in the torchlight. Where his other eye should have been, a thin white root grew from an empty socket, down his cheek, and into his neck. "A … crow?" The pale lord's voice was dry. His lips moved slowly, as if they had forgotten how to form words. "Once, aye. Black of garb and black of blood." 

Brynden mentions the watch, but doesn't mention the three eyed crow. Everyone simply refers to Brynden as the greenseer, not the three eyed crow, except for Bran himself, who simply assumes Brynden is the three eyed crow (and we know magical assumptions in this series are generally wrong!).

What’s double interesting to me about this “bloodraven is the three eyed crow” assumption is brynden himself makes his “a thousand eyes and one” comment - but doesn’t mention a third eye. Meanwhile, Bran’s narrative is obviously filled with bird references and the opening of his third eye from Bran feeding the crows on the towers before he falls then longing to go back to the crows afterwards, of a crow sending Jojen to “the winged wolf,” of his dreams of living as a bird in maester luwin’s rookery with his siblings - Jon Snow even compares him to a bird in their final scene face to face when he thinks bran has “fingers like the bones of birds.”

And notable that though both Rickon and Bran have a greendream where they talk to Ned in the crypts of Winterfell just before Ned is executed, Rickon makes no mention of a three eyed crow, but Bran explicitly sees him-

The mention of dreams reminded him. "I dreamed about the crow again last night. The one with three eyes. He flew into my bedchamber and told me to come with him, so I did. We went down to the crypts. Father was there, and we talked. He was sad."

"Shaggy," a small voice called. When Bran looked up, his little brother was standing in the mouth of Father's tomb. With one final snap at Summer's face, Shaggydog broke off and bounded to Rickon's side. "You let my father be," Rickon warned Luwin. "You let him be." "Rickon," Bran said softly. "Father's not here." "Yes he is. I saw him." Tears glistened on Rickon's face. "I saw him last night."

What that says to me is that the Three Eyed Crow has the ability to speak directly to only Bran and can only otherwise appear in a more ephemeral way to others. With the established rules about not being able to communicate properly with the past, I think this makes sense - being able to use the weirwood hivemind/greenseeing powers to appear in a different form to yourself but unable to appear in a concrete form to anyone else.

I think it's even likely we'll see Bran doing some of this nudging and whispering on page in ADOS or maybe as early as TWOW, but it won't be the exact same sort of "Bran can literally reach out and touch someone in a weirwood dream" that they had in the show with the later scenes. It'll be more like that very first scene in the show where we see Bran influence the past slightly - you know, when he calls out "father!" and young Ned turns around, having heard a voice on the wind-

And there's a direct parallel to ADWD here, where Bran is certain Ned heard him speaking in the godswood but Brynden says it's not possible (not possible for Brynden perhaps!)-

Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the godswood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man's gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across Lord Eddard's lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oilcloth. "Winterfell," Bran whispered. His father looked up. "Who's there?" he asked, turning … … and Bran, frightened, pulled away. His father and the black pool and the godswood faded and were gone and he was back in the cavern, the pale thick roots of his weirwood throne cradling his limbs as a mother does a child.

It's not quite time travel. It's like the acorn and stump metaphor - Bran can't appear in his physical body in the past but he can make a bit of noise, perhaps even be mistaken for one of the old gods.

As TWOW and ADOS go on, I think we'll see Bran's powers grow (likely in ways that frighten him and horrify the reader), and we'll see the very beginnings of him influencing the plot that happens during the previous books, showing up in scenes we've already experienced, similar to the Ned scene above. I think this because, well...he's already done it!

Now, as for What Time Traveling Bran Has Already Done - it’s tricky because we have a LOT of magic users waking and shaking. I’m not including every single instance of weird whispering or funny birds here, just the moments I think are more likely to be Bran than anyone else because I think Bran mostly deals with his siblings. I imagine they're easiest to reach out to magically because they already have the ability to access magic, and they're also the people he cares most about. The most obvious to me is in A Clash of Kings, when Jon hears a voice on the wind, very similar to the young Ned scene in the show-

Jon VII in A Clash of Kings

The call came from behind him, softer than a whisper, but strong too. Can a shout be silent? He turned his head, searching for his brother, for a glimpse of a lean grey shape moving beneath the trees, but there was nothing, only … A weirwood. It seemed to sprout from solid rock, its pale roots twisting up from a myriad of fissures and hairline cracks. The tree was slender compared to other weirwoods he had seen, no more than a sapling, yet it was growing as he watched, its limbs thickening as they reached for the sky. Wary, he circled the smooth white trunk until he came to the face. Red eyes looked at him. Fierce eyes they were, yet glad to see him. The weirwood had his brother’s face. Had his brother always had three eyes?

Not always, came the silent shout. Not before the crow. He sniffed at the bark, smelled wolf and tree and boy, but behind that there were other scents, the rich brown smell of warm earth and the hard grey smell of stone and something else, something terrible. Death, he knew. He was smelling death. He cringed back, his hair bristling, and bared his fangs.

Don’t be afraid, I like it in the dark. No one can see you, but you can see them. But first you have to open your eyes. See? Like this. And the tree reached down and touched him.

This moment was when I really started paying attention to Weird Shit Bran Might Be Doing because of that line "not before the crow." Now, we know Bran mentions talking with Jon later on, in the very last chapter of the book, here-

 He could reach Summer whenever he wanted, and once he had even touched Ghost and talked to Jon. Though maybe he had only dreamed that.

But I think it's both Bran in the present and Bran in ADOS speaking here - brothers reaching out to each other in their fear, and future Bran piggybacking off that connection to send a warning (this is back in Jon VII, during the shared Jon-Bran dream as before)-

Then he realized he was looking at a river of ice several thousand feet high. Under that glittering cold cliff was a great lake, its deep cobalt waters reflecting the snowcapped peaks that ringed it. There were men down in the valley, he saw now; many men, thousands, a huge host. Some were tearing great holes in the half-frozen ground, while others trained for war...This is no army, no more than it is a town. This is a whole people come together.

Bran warns Jon of the wildling army headed their way because he needs the Night’s Watch to stop fighting the wildlings, get them safely out of the True North (so they can’t be reanimated as wights), and focus on the Long Night. When you read the passage, it seems as if Bran is trying to awaken Jon’s third eye - something present baby Bran isn’t concerned with, because he barely understands his own third eye awakening. But a Bran in ADOS or beyond would know exactly what to say and do to get Jon and himself to wake up! Not just because of the paradox, but because of his connection to his brother and his vast understanding of his own magic. Similar to the idea that “who would know how to motivate Bran better than Bran himself” who would know how to motivate Jon better than one of his beloved siblings?

Arya X in A Clash of Kings

In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree. There she knelt. Red leaves rustled. Red eyes peered inside her. The eyes of the gods. "Tell me what to do, you gods," she prayed.

For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said.

“But there is no pack," she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. "I'm not even me now, I'm Nan."

"You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you."

"The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth.

Once again, we have a voice - it seemed as if it was her father's voice - telling a Starkling to do something specific, reminding that Starkling of their ties to Winterfell, the north, and home. The voice she hears, speaking her true name, is the kick in the pants Arya needs to grab Gendry and Hot Pie and get out of Harrenhal. There's something interesting, engaging, heartbreaking, that when Arya is at one of her lowest points, lamenting the loss of her pack, and out comes the voice of one of her pack urging her to keep faith, and helping to inspire one of her best moments - I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth. Again, we have a voice trying to get the Starklings to wake up and face their reality!

Sansa in A Storm of Swords

That night Sansa scarcely slept at all, but tossed and turned just as she had aboard the Merling King. She dreamt of Joffrey dying, but as he clawed at his throat and the blood ran down across his fingers she saw with horror that it was her brother Robb. And she dreamed of her wedding night too, of Tyrion's eyes devouring her as she undressed. Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. "I wish that you were Lady," she said.

To be clear I think there’s a large change this is nothing. BUT. Considering Bran seems to be reaching out to his siblings, I like the idea that Bran, and magic in general, is trying to talk to Sansa but she can’t quite hear it. Winterfell and it’s magic and it’s family is calling it’s daughter home, even torn from her magical guide as she is, still trying to reach out through her dreams and through the animals around her. I’m desperately hoping that at some point in Sansa’s early TWOW chapters, we’ll start to see birds acting and speaking funny around her as Bran tries harder to reach his lost sister.

Theon Greyjoy in A Dance With Dragons

BUT. I don't think it's just the Starklings that get these messages from Bran - it's everyone he cares about, everyone he loves or will love. One of the other more obvious examples of this is Theon Greyjoy, himself clearly capable of some degree of magic, just like the Starklings-

The night was windless, the snow drifting straight down out of a cold black sky, yet the leaves of the heart tree were rustling his name. “Theon,” they seemed to whisper, “Theon.” The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. “Please.” He fell to his knees. “A sword, that’s all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek.” Tears trickled down his cheeks, impossibly warm. “I was ironborn. A son … a son of Pyke, of the islands.” A leaf drifted down from above, brushed his brow, and landed in the pool. It floated on the water, red, five-fingered, like a bloody hand. “… Bran,” the tree murmured. They know. The gods know. They saw what I did. And for one strange moment it seemed as if it were Bran’s face carved into the pale trunk of the weirwood, staring down at him with eyes red and wise and sad. Bran’s ghost, he thought, but that was madness. Why should Bran want to haunt him? He had been fond of the boy, had never done him any harm. It was not Bran we killed. It was not Rickon. They were only miller’s sons, from the mill by the Acorn Water.

“he had been fond of the boy” please allow me this moment to contemplate killing myself thanks.

okay back on track but this is very self explanatory - we know Theon has some sort of capacity for magic because he had a vision of the Red Wedding in ACOK and unlike Jaime who just fell asleep on a weirweed tree, Theon was just up in bed. We see it again here, where Theon can hear a voice on the wind and then seems to see Bran’s own face in the face of the weirwood tree. Once again, the voice on the wind is trying to help a loved one of Bran’s find their way back to themselves, back to home. And Theon, for all the harm he has done, is still so so loved by Bran, and loves Bran in return.

Samwell Tarly III in A Storm of Swords

Sam made a whimpery sound. “It’s not fair …” “Fair.” The raven landed on his shoulder. “Fair, far, fear.” It flapped its wings, and screamed along with Gilly. The wights were almost on her. He heard the dark red leaves of the weirwood rustling, whispering to one another in a tongue he did not know. The starlight itself seemed to stir, and all around them the trees groaned and creaked. Sam Tarly turned the color of curdled milk, and his eyes went wide as plates. Ravens! They were in the weirwood, hundreds of them, thousands, perched on the bone-white branches, peering between the leaves. He saw their beaks open as they screamed, saw them spread their black wings. Shrieking, flapping, they descended on the wights in angry clouds. They swarmed round Chett’s face and pecked at his blue eyes, they covered the Sisterman like flies, they plucked gobbets from inside Hake’s shattered head. There were so many that when Sam looked up, he could not see the moon. “Go,” said the bird on his shoulder. “Go, go, go.”

Whoever this is - it's Bran!!!! - helps to save Sam and Gilly's lives, actively tells them to run for it, and just a little bit later, Sam is around to help save Bran in turn. I think there's also something to be said for the brotherhood connection here. They refer to each other as brothers in the book because of their connection to Jon; that connection to Jon, and therefore each other, means a lot to both Sam and Bran. There's a practical reason for saving Sam here in that he can help Bran in the "present" timeline, will likely help in the future, but more than that there's an emotional bond here and it seems to me that magic runs off emotions just as assuredly as it runs off of other important stuff like blood and and sacrifice and weirwoods.

Jon Snow XII in A Storm of Swords

With a raucous scream and a clap of wings, a huge raven burst out of the kettle. It flapped upward, seeking the rafters perhaps, or a window to make its escape, but there were no rafters in the vault, nor windows either. The raven was trapped. Cawing loudly, it circled the hall, once, twice, three times. And Jon heard Samwell Tarly shout, “I know that bird! That’s Lord Mormont’s raven!” The raven landed on the table nearest Jon. “Snow,” it cawed. It was an old bird, dirty and bedraggled. “Snow,” it said again, “Snow, snow, snow.” It walked to the end of the table, spread its wings again, and flew to Jon’s shoulder. Lord Janos Slynt sat down so heavily he made a thump, but Ser Alliser filled the vault with mocking laughter. “Ser Piggy thinks we’re all fools, brothers,” he said. “He’s taught the bird this little trick. They all say snow, go up to the rookery and hear for yourselves. Mormont’s bird had more words than that.” The raven cocked its head and looked at Jon. “Corn?” it said hopefully. When it got neither corn nor answer, it quorked and muttered, “Kettle? Kettle? Kettle?” The rest was arrowheads, a torrent of arrowheads, a flood of arrowheads, arrowheads enough to drown the last few stones and shells, and all the copper pennies too.

The Night's Watch seem to take this as some sort of divine sign, and Jon's friends take it as an excellent ploy from Samwell Tarly. But when Pyp confronts Sam over it a page later, Sam completely denies it -

“I had nothing to do with the bird,” Sam insisted. “When it flew out of the kettle I almost wet myself.”

Everyone has their theories about people warging Mormont's crow of course. I think what's interesting to me here is that Jon is really wrestling with the idea of leaving the Watch for Winterfell, in which case Janos Slynt was likely to take over command. Someone like Slynt being in charge when the Long Night is coming is a bad idea, and here, Mormont's bird directly contributes to Jon staying where he needs to be - watching over the wildlings and making sure they aren't turning into Wights.

(And this is getting into my other theories here, but IF Sansa as the Girl In Grey is true, I think this is a neat sort of timeline fixing - almost as if Bran is saying “no, not yet, the pieces aren’t aligned, Jon can’t leave yet, Brienne isn’t at the Vale to get Sansa, I haven’t trained enough, Jon still keeps slapping his hands over his third eye so he can’t see, I need to give myself more time here.”)

Bran II in A Game of Thrones

But...it's not just his family and friends that I think Bran is trying to help here, and of course, if he IS the Three-Eyed Crow, he isn’t YET. What I think is going to be a big climactic part of Bran's story is self sacrifice, giving up some of his own power, his own happiness, to save others. Yes, part of this is my absolute refusal to accept Borg Hivemind Fantasy Police State King Bran in that he will say NO to the hivemind, but I think there's something magical here as well!

I think in order to access great power you need to be willing to put your own body on the line.

Jojen mentions having gotten sick with "greywater fever" shortly before his greendreams started

Dany experiences a miscarriage then literally walks into fire in order to hatch her dragons

both Beric and Catelyn have to quite literally be gruesomely murdered in order for Thoros' fire magic to work to bring them back to life

Melisandre has to physically give birth in order for her shadow assassination to work

on and on it goes. In order to be capable of great power, you can’t just have a willingness to throw someone ELSE onto the pyre but yourself as well. But Bran is pushed out of the window instead of willingly jumping. Or...

The wolfling was smarter than any of the hounds in his father’s kennel and Bran would have sworn he understood every word that was said to him, but he showed very little interest in chasing sticks…Finally he got tired of the stick game and decided to go climbing….

The wolf did as he was told. Bran scratched him behind the ears, then turned away, jumped, grabbed a low branch, and pulled himself up. He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, when the wolf got to his feet and began to howl.

Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent, staring up at him through slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went through him. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled. “Quiet,” he yelled. “Sit down. Stay. You’re worse than Mother.” The howling chased him all the way up the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight.

I think this is future Bran, finally becoming the Three Eyed Crow, inside Summer. Summer shows no interest in the game and it’s only then that Bran decides to go climbing. Future Bran is sacrificing himself for the greater good - but can’t stop his mournful cry of the fate that awaits his own young self.

[greenqueenhightower]

Another Daeron mention in this episode.

Any time someone mentions Daeron they make it a point focus on Alicent and she has these micro nervous reactions that she hopes nobody notices. Seems like Alicent is very protective of him like she is with Helaena but with Helaena she feels that she needs to keep her close to protect her, while she saw agreeing to send Daeron away as the best option to protect him. Now him and his Dragon have been repeatedly mentioned lately and she just wishes they would leave him out.

So curious to see his POV though, he was kind of a Mama’s boy in the book but I wonder does he have any resentment towards her in the show? (Of course he will, it’s Alicent and the writers have to make her relationship to all of her children difficult)

I wish they would give us something more on him but it seems like the writers still don’t know how to introduce in to the story or what to do with his character or how he fits within the family. Seems like they are already distancing him even further from his Targaryen side already. Why has he not ridden Tessarion yet??

In the book, he claimed Tessarion and she was an young adult Dragon. In the show apparently Tessarion hatched for him but shouldn’t she be big enough to fly already? Especially since she isn’t growing up in a Dragon pit. He’s younger than Jace but should be in the same age range as Baela, Rhaena and Luke:. He’s had her for around the same amount of time that Baela and Luke have had their Dragons and both are/were able to ride them.

Unless they’re making Daeron a few years younger than them, then it’s like, how old is Daeron?? Was he sent off to ward before he was even potty trained? He can’t be that young since he’s marching to war or are we going to see a 7th grader riding a dragon no bigger than a horse get Knighted and go on to do as much damage to the blacks as he did in the book?

Hi anon 💚

I’m so happy Daeron finally exists in the hotd universe! Also Tessarion 🫶🏻

You’re making an excellent point about Alicent’s reactions to the council or Otto mentioning Daeron and how he might serve their cause… she really doesn’t want him to take any part in all this and be yet another pawn. Maybe that’s the reason he was sent away in the first place. But now we are told by Gwayne that he enjoys fighting? This must be concerning to Alicent because Daeron is her baby… and he’s so far anyway she can’t make sure of his safety personally.

I think he might hold a grudge for Alicent because he grew up far away from her but maybe he also understands her and the circumstances surrounding her decision. I'm excited to see their dynamics next season. Their relationship will be dysfunctional for sure because that's the Hightower curse I guess. It still is so interesting to me nonetheless.

I'm also confused about how young Daeron is supposed to be since we never saw him and we now learn that he was a young dragon… he could be a little older than Helaena’s and Rhaenyra’s kids… so maybe 10-13? That could explain how he is getting military training but hasn't fully become a dragonrider yet. I have no clue, really. He could have been sent to Oldtown just before Helaena gave birth to the twins so around the age of 6-9.

[jiraisupportgroup]

hi!! is it so wrong to be a young jirai?

i feel so young in this community and idk what to do.. it feels like if people knew my true age theyd shame me or something. i respect the lifestyle and have felt the most comfort here than ever, but im so scared of people finding out my age and just blocking me

There isn’t anything particularly wrong with being young and in spaces like this - a lot of older people just don’t want to interact with minors for their own comfort (& vice versa). I can’t speak for everyone but there’s a lot of reasons for this. Especially in spaces based around mental health (and even more so with Jirai Kei being a space which isn’t inherently recovery based).

A lot of older landmines will talk about or RB things that are sexual in nature & it can feel kind of weird or gross when people who are much younger interact with posts about that stuff. Some people are also afraid because technically you can get in actual trouble if you’re posting nsfw content and knowing that minors follow you / will see it - although functionally there are hardly ever legal repercussions for this. It can still feel icky.

A lot of older landmines also just have trouble relating to younger landmines - our struggles might be similar but there can also be a lot of differences it really depends on the situation. Like a 20 year old and a 15 year old dealing with even the same issues can look extremely different, and sometimes we just can’t relate. Also the language that we use tends to be a bit different. I notice that it’s much more common for younger people to use more heavily romanticized language when talking about certain issues and a lot of older people can’t really relate because a lot of us are at a point where we’re just so defeated and sick of it. I don’t know how to explain this without giving examples but younger people make certain things look fun and new and exciting and like a thing to do while some of us older people have long past that phase and it’s just like a crushing reality for us at this point. It’s not fun anymore. And seeing people have fun with it can be upsetting for a number of reasons. That’s not specific to minors it’s just kind of a trend I’ve noticed. (I don’t know if I explained that well at all)

Another thing (and idk if this is just me) is that seeing teenagers talk about the same issues we have / had as a teenager is genuinely gut wrenching sometimes. It can be really hard to watch young people go down the same paths we went down and just wanting to scream at them to stop and turn back but knowing there is not a single thing we can do to help them - it can feel extremely disheartening sometimes. Especially on Tumblr bc a lot of us grew up on Tumblr and our illnesses were heavily influenced by the mental health spaces we were in on Tumblr & I mean for me at least I can confidently say that it had a negative impact on my mental health as a teenager and now being older it’s like aaaa fuck I don’t want the vents or things I post being shown to teenagers who could be negatively impacted by it just like I was at their age. Real Catcher in the Rye moment.

& some people just don’t really want to interact with minors. The differences between even 18 year olds and 15 year olds are pretty big. I mean I’m 24 and like I don’t really hang out in real life with people under 19 just kind of naturally - like not in “oh you’re only 18 we can’t hang out” kind of way but we just genuinely tend not to vibe. But again that’s just my personal experience so it’s super different for everyone.

There’s also a lot of minors who don’t want anyone who’s over 18 interacting with them for similar reasons. Often times it’s protection, but a lot of minors find adults annoying or not super relatable, which is just as valid.

Tldr: everyone has different comfort levels. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong or that people just automatically hate you bc of your age, it’s more so like the difference between teenagers & 20 year olds can be pretty big so sometimes they don’t want to interact with each other.

[autisticlancemcclain]

Jackie supports the lion swap? How dare you!

Okay SO. This is not the first time I’ve gotten an ask or a comment like this, and I’m fully aware it’s a joke (or at least I think), but I also know that it is kind of a controversial topic on here! And I’ve already written an essay in the topic, but I have some more thoughts I’d like to dive into.

I used to be team Blue Paladin Lance, and hardcore on that team, too. If you look at some of my old fics, you’ll see that. However since I am a contrary person by nature, I started to notice that Red Paladin Lance was way less liked, and so I started to like it more. I really grew fond of the dynamic Keith and Lance got to have as co-leaders, both because it was homoerotic as hell and because the symbolism was fun to explore, but klance is not the main reason I started to care so deeply for the lion change — it was actually Shiro and Allura.

I’m going to start with Shiro, because he’s one of the most fascinating characters in VLD, if not underdeveloped. Part of that fascination for me is that he probably has the most arcs and opportunities for character growth and development in the show, and yet somehow he’s the flattest. He’s portrayed as very one-dimensional in a lot of fic — he tends to be less of a character and more of a role. He’s the Space Dad, or the older brother, or the cool teacher, or the kind and wise friend, or even the stoic Black Paladin. He is loved, I think, but the role he plays is loved, not quite the person he is. And that makes sense, because that is exactly how he’s portrayed in canon.

To Keith, Shiro is “like a brother to [him]”, but what do we see of that dynamic? The show has a clear sense of how a brother acts, that’s a good chunk of Pidge’s character. We barely even know Matt, but Pidge carries herself in such a way that it’s clear when her brother shines through her. And yet even though Shiro also goes missing, twice even, Shiro does not shine through his brother. Keith’s impulses are his own, developed from general abandonment issues rather than Shiro’s specific absence. Shiro’s absence becomes less of Shiro’s absence and more of an absence of a beloved leader figure, kind of a martyr, a “Shiro would have wanted you to carry on”. It is really hard for us as a fandom to use Shiro’s disappearance as anything but a plot device, because that’s all it felt like! We have occasional moments with Shiro, enough to care about him in some way, but as a figure, not as a person. Someone pointed it out on one of my fics and I agree wholeheartedly — Shiro is not shown with any flaws, and that makes it really hard to love him, because you don’t really get the pleasure of defending him, of seeing his motivations, his reasons. Not until the very end, at least.

This is, in all honesty, likely just poor writing. Shiro’s character was honestly just sidelined to a role, because he is really not that present in the show. But I am going to work with the benefit of the doubt, and see if I can use the lion change to explain why we all kind of love Shiro anyway, despite the fact that he’s flat as hell.

Shiro isn’t the Black Paladin. He never was. He flew the Black Lion, yes, and he flew her well — but he was never her Chosen. He couldn’t have been. From the very beginning, the Black Lion was in mourning; she was in no space to choose a new paladin. She accepted Shiro, and she loved him, but he did not fall into her as much as he fell into the role she provided for him. He piloted the Black Lion, but he was not her Paladin. This is made obvious in two ways: in that he never got her bayard, and that from the very beginning, he set up a replacement for himself.

Doesn’t that strike anyone else as odd? I haven’t seen the show in five years, and I don’t plan on rewatching, but I do remember that every moment with Shiro almost had this underlying tension. The closest thing I have to canon off the top of my head is the Handbook (which I had to stop reading because they did everyone SO dirty there, even though some of it was honestly pretty funny), which was released in S2, and even that incredibly early canon talked about Keith replacing Shiro!

From the very beginning, Shiro was planning an out to his role. He knew it was not meant for him. He did the role well, but it was not his to do.

Aside from those two reasons, Shiro also…can’t be the Black Paladin. He can’t be that and himself, I mean. This part is a little more complicated, so I’m going to borrow some of my own tags from some awesome fanart I saw:

I really do think Shiro is defined by his humanity (as is heavily implied by his illness — this is a character who is completely and totally bound to his mortality. Of all the other characters, he is the one most familiar with death, so he is the one who is most intimate with the raw fear of being human. But more on that later), but it’s my last comment that I want to focus on — “he is DEFINED by his his humanity…even as his greatest asset is the part of him that is not human”.

Every second that Shiro is leader of Voltron, he is the Champion. That can literally be his only goal — he is the head of the fight against Zarkon and the Empire. Either Shiro comes out the Champion, or Zarkon does. Either Shiro has to grit his teeth and fight off the flashbacks and the fear and the pain and use the one thing that forces him to reconcile with the fact that he had his entire personhood stripped away (his arm, his Galra arm, one of their biggest advantages as a team; his connection to Zarkon through Black, something that can only help the war effort at a direct cost to him; everything he does in this war is shoving him right back into that Arena again and again and again), or Zarkon wins. Every second Shiro pilots Black, every time he plays her paladin, he has to be who the Empire made him to be. He has to be the Champion. Once again he is not Takashi Shirogane, the person, the astronaut, the man, he is the Role. He is the Space Dad he is the Pilot of the Black Lion he is the Champion. For every second he is in that lion he is stripping away himself.

Obviously, that is something that was never sustainable. On this argument alone, Shiro was going to waste away eventually. There was always going to be a point where Shiro was not going to be able to be the Champion anymore. There was always, from the very way the dynamic was set up, going to have to be a lion switch. Now, interestingly enough, there could have been a really easy fix to this: Black Paladin Allura. She’s already a born and raised leader, already shown her immense competence, already someone the rest of the paladins follow. With her at the helm, nothing else would have to change, right?

Well, maybe. We’ll never know. One part of that is absolutely true — Allura should have been a paladin from the very beginning. Her quintessence is canonically closest to the entirety of Voltron (something that bears its own essay,; the relationship between all six of the paladins and Voltron is wrought with heavy symbolism), she is the most highly trained, she is smart, and she actually wants to be out on the field. She should have been in that armour from day one.

But Allura cannot be the Black Paladin. Allura cannot handle other’s sacrifice.

Of course this is a complicated subject. Should a leader sit back and let her crew sacrifice themselves instead of her? Must she hold herself in higher regard, convince herself she’s more important? Of course not! Teams, especially Voltron, are built with assets. While not everyone might be ‘equal’ in the traditional sense, they are all integral, and expecting sacrifices is not the stance I am trying to take here. But the point of a team, especially a team so small and vital as Voltron, is that everyone is willing to be the sacrifice, as they have to be, and Allura simply can’t handle that. She shows us this from the beginning, when she disguises herself as Galra and is taken in place of anyone on the team she barely knows, and again in Oriande with the White Lion, and finally in the piece of shit canon ending. Allura has to be the sacrifice. Every time.

And how could she not be? The last time she spared herself of sacrifice, she lost her entire people. The last time she let others sacrifice themselves for her, she was left alone, to shoulder a war bigger and greater than she could ever handle. Allura is painfully familiar with the agony of being the survivor, and she cannot do that again. She cannot and will not put herself through that again. As the Black Paladin, she would have to let her team make sacrifices — she would have to let them have their own agency, their own decisions; she would have to let them choose to get hurt and choose to do risky things and analyse and react and act. As leader she would have to trust her team to put themselves in harm’s way, and not only that, but she would have to authorize them to do so.

Like Shiro cannot last as the Champion, Allura cannot last as the Survivor. Shiro cannot even last in Voltron, and it is foolish to keep Allura out of it. A lion change is absolutely necessary for the show to move forward, for the war to move forward. The initial team was doomed to fail.

How would it change, then? What would fit? I know I’ve said my piece. I know who I think would fit where. But since I’ve been comparing character arcs to their roles as paladins, I’d like to keep doing that — what about Keith makes me so sure that he’s the true Black Paladin?

I’ll show you with process of elimination. I know Black Paladin Lance is a favourite, and I can see why. Lance has many leadership qualities, is a good tactician, and cares deeply. However, aside from his desire for power making him less suitable for the role, Lance functions best as support, despite how much he hates it. He is the one who knows how to pick up the pieces of a broken situation. He is an excellent guide, which makes him an unbelievably valuable second. He is adaptable, so he can fill in for many different roles. He can step in for leader when necessary, but putting him in Black would encourage a more active role for him; would force him to anticipate and plan for specific outcomes rather than his strength as one who analyses any outcome as it arises and works within it then. Lance could be the Black Paladin, yes, but taking him from the body and placing him in the head would be a fool’s choice. It would be crippling to Voltron, to put the jack of all trades as a master of one. Lance’s arc is all about learning to love and trust himself as he is, as the seventh wheel. Not to put him in charge of the vehicle.

Well, what about Hunk? Hunk is incredibly intelligent and analytical. He probably could lead Voltron, and did in several occasions. But Hunk’s arc is interesting because it was handled so early in the show. Unlike the rest of the team, Hunk’s arcs were solved largely in the first season. His biggest flaws were his distrust of people and, literally, his inability to fly. He could not take his feet off the ground. He was so untrusting that he could not manage to take a step forward. However his bonding with Yellow and trust with the team and their subsequent and returned trust resolved these issues, more or less, which is probably why Hunk was treated more and more like a side character the longer VLD went on. Hunk didn’t need the role of Black Paladin because he had settled into the Yellow Paladin in a way that was sustainable.

Pidge is in a similar boat. Her arc, primarily, has been about finding her family. Voltron was almost second priority for her, or at least not her only first priority. And understandably so! As the youngest she was afforded with that lenience. Her growth was about growing into her own pain, about becoming her own person alongside what she had become in the absence of her brother. As the Black Paladin, she would no longer have the space to prioritize her search for her family alongside Voltron, so her position as Black Paladin would be unstable. She is best suited in Green, where she can focus on several things at once.

That really only leaves Keith. In many ways it comes full circle — the Black Lion healing from her grief by choosing the man who ran from his Galran heritage and his power as a leader, rather than the man who chose nationalism and power over anything else. Keith is Zarkon’s direct opposite, and as such is the other side of the same coin, the one who is truly Black’s Chosen. We know this because Keith is the one who wields the Black Bayard, and Keith is, from the very beginning, the one the rest of the team chooses to follow — I ask you whether it was for Shiro that the three other humans ran off to chase in the desert, or Keith? Who was it that Lance could not leave alone? Who was it that piqued Hunk’s curiousity? Who was it that challenged Pidge to choose Voltron, rather than the search for her family?

That covers Black Paladin Keith. But what about Red Paladin Lance? I’ve established already why he cannot be the Black Paladin, but why did he have to move from Blue? For that, I bring you another few slices from early, S2 and previous canon:

“I thought what we had was special!” “Seventh wheel, if you count the Alteans.” More than once, Lance laments over being forgotten. He struggles with feeling like anything but the extra, the unnecessary. Whether or not Blue Chose him is irrelevant — he does not feel Chosen by her. The Pilot of the Blue Lion position for Lance is as unsustainable as the Pilot of the Black Lion position for Shiro — Lance does not trust it. He doesn’t trust himself in the role, and doesn’t trust Blue in having chosen it for him. Obviously, this is not the role for him.

But Red? Keith’s Red Paladin, at least? Yes, he struggles with feeling like Keith’s second, but that is literally his arc. Lance’s development is about becoming his own person despite his own misgivings about being second-best. His role as the Red Paladin is the fulfilling of his arc, and is thus the best Lion for him, the Chosen. And Red did Choose him, mind you. There was an adjustment period, of course there was, but Red did more than let Lance pilot her. She opened up new possibilities for Lance — think the broadsword — that he could not see. Red saw his potential and revelled in it. She Chose him.

Lastly — and this turned out to be less relevant to the essay than I expected, but I do want to go over it a tad — is Shiro’s tie to humanity. I mentioned two important points: Shiro’s connection to mortality makes him the most intimate with his humanity out of all the characters, and he is undoubtedly the flattest character of them all. That is, if you don’t consider his clone to be part of his character.

But I’m begging you to reconsider. Reconsider, perhaps, who the clone is — Haggar had pure access to Shiro for a year, you remember. His thoughts, his dreams, his mannerisms, his priorities, his body. Even him at his most human, his most deranged, his most scared. She had Shiro then. She had Shiro when he had nothing to look forward to. She had Shiro when he hurt his crew to make sure they would live, at direct cost to himself.

She stripped him of his humanity — his connection to his own mortality. She took his illness from him. And who, then, did she return to the team? Who was clone? Shiro, mostly. The clone was happy to play with the team. The clone was clever. The clone believed, fully, that he was Shiro, only he was angrier and meaner, a little, and less capable of shoving down his own pain. Shiro, stripped of his tie to humanity and mortality, stripped of his compulsive need to be strained and stressed and the one everyone else can rely on, the Role rather than the Person, is emotional. He has flaws and outbursts. He can’t manage his own pain. He is is cruelest to the one person on the team — Lance — who canonically reminds him closest of himself.

Shiro, in the purest form that Haggar can make him, is flawed and self-hating. That is where our love for him comes. Not the man who pushes himself down at the same time as he sacrifices his personality to be someone for others, but the man who is struggling and can’t keep it locked down. That’s where it comes from.

Anyways. Like with my other essay, I’ll admit that this analysis is probably reading into this. The writing of VLD was flawed, at best, but regardless, I think the lion change is a rich amalgamation of the characters and who they really are.

[nishayuro]

Saw that you were asking for Stanley x reader requests because I need to see more of him.

So you know how Xeno is Senku’s mentor? What if Stanley was our Mentor? He mentored us similar to Senku before the Stone Age and now we’re with the kingdom of science.

Dr.Stone Stanley Snyder as your Mentor

A/N: YESSSS MY LOVE STANLEYYY

Genre: Fluff / small Angst (its dr.stone new america city, its gonna have some angst lmao)

GN!Reader.

Also, This will be Platonic, let me know if you want a more romantic approach lmao

You’re originally from America and back in the old world, in your teenage years, you were a regular at a local shooting range near your school. You were very interested in the art of shooting a gun, so much so that you’re also a great FPS player. But you prefer the real deal. 

One time, a competition was being held at your local shooting range, so naturally you signed up. 

Your skills astounded everyone, even those who were older than you.

You naturally won the competition, and decided to stay back to get some more shots in. 

That's when a guy with blonde hair stood next to you and shot all the targets with a bullseye before you could even blink. 

You were shocked, and you looked up at the man

“Wha-” you stammered, impressed by this man’s marksmanship. You stared at him in awe, “I watched your game, you’re quite the natural” The man complimented, facing towards you. ‘Oh damn, he’s pretty’ you thought, “oh.. Uhm… Thanks, it's a hobby, I guess” you answered. 

“Is that so…” He trails off, “Were you the one who shot those bullseyes in a flash? How’d you do it?!” you asked excitedly, getting over your shyness. “I’m in the US Military.” He answered, shocking you. A military officer just complimented your skills? “Wait, really? That’s so cool! Thank you for serving our country!” You exclaimed. 

 “I’m Stanley by the way, Stanley Snyder” He introduced, “I’m Y/N L/N, nice to meet you!” you replied.  “I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but honestly, why not? Hey, want me to show you a few tips and tricks? You’ve got skills, it'd be a shame to not see them prosper.” He offered, making your eyes wide. You nod aggressively with a smile. 

Whenever he had free time, he’d meet you at the range. Sometimes, he’d take you hunting or to paintball to test your improvement. He’s taught you about different guns, about how to properly feel for where the bullet will go by knowing how the wind affects it and all that other stuff.  Since then, you’ve joined lots of tournaments and won. 

Unfortunately, your family had to move to Japan, and Stanley was being deployed on a mission, so your time together was up for the meantime, however, you made him promise to you that he’d keep in contact whenever he can, and he agreed. 

Fast forward to Japan where you met Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha when you transferred to their school. Taiju recognized you as the famous junior marksman. You easily fit right into their small friend group. 

The day of the petrification, you were in the science lab along with Senku, just playing a shooting game on your phone after Taiju barged in and did the whole Yuzuriha confession spiel, and that's when you noticed the green light. 

You were revived by Tsukasa, after Minami said that your marksmanship can help with hunting, along with Ukyo’s. 

As confused as you were, Taiju and Yuzuriha filled you in on everything that’s been happening, and obviously you sided with the Kingdom of Science.

Since then, your new weapon of choice has been a bow and arrow since no other projectiles were present. You aided the Kingdom with hunting for food. As well as in battle during the treasure island arc.

After the treasure island arc, Senku made you your own gun. 

Background done, let’s move on to the New America City Arc. 

You and your friends were just minding your business when Tsukasa asked everyone to get into cover because a plane was shooting at your boat. 

Despite the initial fright, you grew excited, knowing that the big guns are back in the world, but grew scared again once you remembered that it's the enemy team that has them. 

When you saw the plane flying a bit lower, you grabbed your gun and took a shot towards its engine. Hitting it and making it crash in the forest. 

Now, this was your new friends’ first time seeing your gun skills since you’ve been using the bow and arrow. So they were shocked when you hit the mark. 

“Y/N-chan?!” Gen screamed in shock, Yo’s eyes were bulging out, and Ryusui was laughing out loud. “Well done, marksman. That ten billion percent took out their engine” Senku exclaimed with a smirk. 

After that whole incident, you, Kohaku, Chrome, and Gen were sent to pursue the plane’s pilot. However, Gen asked Kohaku and Chrome to stand back, and asked you to come with him but to leave your weapons. 

You eventually found the person, with Gen going into panic, but you just stared at the man in shock. 

“Stan…ley?!” You whispered, although apparently enough for him to hear and set his eyes on you, which widened at the sight of his old student. “Ah, I didn’t expect our next meeting to be like this.” He said, “you know each other?!” Gen exclaimed in surprise, “He’s my mentor.” You answered. 

“Well, I'll need you two to come with me. I got a whole heap of questions. Bet you’ve got some too. So, How about you come meet our leader?” Stanley said, walking towards their base. Gen looked at you, letting you know that this mission is a now or never deal. 

He brought you to their base, where you met Dr.Xeno, who you remembered from before when Stanley would tell you about his childhood best friend. After threatening Gen, he looked down at you. “And you?” he asked. “Y/N L/N, pleasure to finally meet you, Dr.Xeno.” You said in a calm voice to help with your situation once you realised that you were being read on a Polygraph test. 

“Oh? That name’s quite familiar.” Xeno ponders, looking towards Stanley. “My Mentee back in the old days” Stanley answered. “Ahh, is that so. Yes, I’ve heard quite a lot about you. In that case, this will make this whole thing easier.” Xeno said, a smirk on his face.

“You of all people should know how dangerous my dear Stan is, so it will be in your best interest to comply with us.” Xeno stated, his back towards us. “Yes, I understand. Although, I haven’t been with the group for long, so I don’t think I can give you much information” You answered calmly again, as if you were stating facts.

After the whole act Gen put on, with him revealing that Dr.Taiju was the lead scientist, you were let free to go for the time being while Xeno gets ready to talk to the Kingdom of Science. 

“Yow, Y/N. It’s been a while, how’re you fairing?” Stanley approached you while you were with Gen. “I’ve been better, seem’s you’ve been enjoying life here recently, yeah? I mean, I see you’ve even got machine guns.” You answered with a smile. Although he is your enemy right now, It’s still a great feeling to reunite with your childhood mentor. “Heh, I’m guessing you’re the one who shot down my plane with a single bullet to the engine?” He smirked, looking kinda proud. “So what if it was me? I learned from the best, didn’t I?” you smirked back. 

“A person who blindly trusts a person who double-crosses their own people needs an appointment with a head doctor. That said, Y/N, I don’t trust you one bit, we might’ve been Mentor-mentee in the old days, but until your little kiddy science team surrenders, you’re not off the hook.” He states, a serious look in his eyes.

“I knew that much, you’ve always been a cautious person. It’s fine, I’ll just prove myself to you perhaps.” You answered, you knew he wasn’t going to be buddy buddy with you just yet. But it’s worth a shot.

“Mhmm, you do that.” Stanley replies, walking away. As you look at his back profile, you’re reminded of the same person who you’ve bonded with since your childhood. A small smile appears on your lips.

You notice the man stop before the door, looking back at you, you see a small smile of his own, with a hint of pride in his eyes, are you imagining things? Maybe, but his next words shocked you.

“I might not trust you, but that doesn't mean I'm not glad to see you again.”

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