#an actual ABO live action show

[kennyomegasweave]

IS THIS AN ABO SHOW? LIKE AN ACTUAL OMEGAVERSE SHOW IN LIVE ACTION??? AND NO ONE TOLD ME??????

Oh my excitement just went up to the sky. This is going to be a whole beautiful mess.

[mimeparadox]

Things that bug me about the current Gargoyles comic

It’s been more than one year in canon, and we still haven’t seen the clan grapple with the implications of living with Xanatos. This was an issue in the previous comic, where Elisa seemingly has no problem going to a party hosted by the person who ruined her brother’s life, but it’s especially glaring here, given that the current series shows us that the gargoyles still suspect him of being capable of doing things like kidnapping Maggie, and that, thanks to recent development, they now have independent resources which make Xanatos not their only choice.   

All of the romantic relationships—including, shockingly, Goliath and Elisa—are utterly devoid of the chemistry necessary to actually make them shippable. Broadway and Angela are about to get gargoyle-married, and we’ve gotten precisely zero fun scenes between them since they’ve gotten together. Broadway and Katana have been a thing for more than a real-world year and I have no idea why.

Despite the doubling of the Manhattan’s clan’s numbers and their vastly different circumstances, the comic has done very little to establish what the dynamics between its various members are. This, at least, was also the case in the cartoon, but, with the additional numbers, it is especially egregious.

Brooklyn has come out of a Young Justice-like time gap—except decades long—and he’s…exactly the same as before? His “focus” issue, rather than gives us any insight into his time travels and how they've changed him, treats him as if he hadn’t actually spent decades having adventures on his own and not having to rely on Goliath. 

Goliath is a cop. GOLIATH. IS. A COP. Even if this weren’t the most tone-deaf development possible in twenty-fucking twenty-three, that we don't see the offer made, discussed, or accepted beggars belief. TELL THE ACTUAL FUCKING STORY.

The series just seems to have a phobia for character-building interactions in general. The discussion where a half-dozen very different characters come to agree that Xanatos kidnapped Maggie, based entirely on vibes? Off-panel. The encounter between Toni Dracon and Broadway and Lexington? Off-panel. All the discussions between Goliath and Elisa about everything? Off-panel.

The sophomoric trial of Goliath arc, which misunderstands the court system, how lawyers work, and the history of the trials it’s meant to hearken to; makes everyone we're meant to root for seem incompetent; and ultimately has no interest in its own actual consequences. Like, gargoyles can totally be arrested for vigilante action now, right--or for everything a cop decides to arrest them for?  That is what it means for laws to apply for them, correct?

All the various continuity porn bits, there not because they make sense, but entirely of a misguided belief in the effectiveness of going "you remember this". The most glaring of these is the inclusion of “we are gargoyles” into every opening monologue in volume three, simply because the phrase is part of the season 2 opening.

A preponderance of what I call writing for the wiki: a focus on establishing facts simply for the sake of being able to say they've been established. The most egregious example of this is the introduction of the non-Dracon crime families, in a scene that has them all speaking equally stiltedly in order to ensure that we know every character's name, allowing them to be added to the wiki. The latest issue, Gargoyles: Quest #3, while actually one of the better ones, is full of this kind of writing, spending most of its page time letting us know exactly where the various Illuminati members rank within the organization, while telling us very little else. Meanwhile, Elisa reaches the end of her suspension from the NYPD, and not only was nothing actually done with it, the scene were we learn this does nothing to establish anything beyond the fact that, well, her suspension is over. What, then, was the point?

The series cannot actually be said to be about the Manhattan Clan.

[addictedtostorytelling]

team graveyard gsr reveal reactions: lab rats, morgue workers, & ecklie

part iii of this series.

__

hodges obviously, the show gives us nothing from hodges with regards to the big reveal, so in the absence of any evidence, i’d like to think he maybe has a hard time with the news of gsr at first, not for any reasons having to do with the relationship itself but rather due to the way grissom and sara go about conducting it.

on the one hand, hodges so hero-worships grissom he probably wants to view grissom’s actions in concealing his and sara’s relationship as justified and even romantic™, but on the other hand, hodges is such a rules-hound he may in actuality have a hard time reconciling grissom’s deception with his perceptions of grissom as the ultimate good guy, and this discrepancy between what he might want to believe vs. what he cannot help but actually feel could lead to some really interesting moments of cognitive dissonance for him.

for example, i can imagine a lab rats scene in which maybe wendy and/or henry might question how someone in a management position like grissom could willingly compromise the integrity of the lab for such a long time, seemingly without thought for the work of his subordinates or even justice itself, while hodges tries to rationalize how grissom went about doing things in the best way he knew how to, though the more he talks, the more obvious it becomes he doesn’t fully believe what he’s saying, until finally he just kind of blows up about it and storms off, because, yeah, the truth is, he secretly feels let down by grissom, too.

that we don’t get to see any of those kinds of reaction from hodges in canon is just a doggone shame! the writers could have really done some interesting character work with him, had they wanted to.

in any case, i imagine after hodges’s initially conflicted reaction, he eventually realizes—perhaps with some prompting from wendy—for all his brilliance, grissom is also human and therefore fallible, but the fact he is doesn’t make him a bad guy. hodges likely comes to accept he did what he did for love.

—at which point i think his main reaction going forward is to pivot the way he thinks not just of grissom but also of sara.

as i talk about here,

of course, the real breakthrough in [hodges and sara’s] relationship seems to come during the events of episode 07x24 “living doll,” when hodges, like the rest of team graveyard, learns for the first time that sara is the love of grissom’s life and finds himself in a position to help save her from the miniature killer. while we don’t see hodges learn the truth about gsr on screen—he’s not in the layout room when grissom drops his famous “only person i've ever loved” bombshell on the rest of the team—one can imagine that the news does a lot to shift his perspective. by this point in his development, hodges not only seeks grissom’s approval because grissom is the boss but because he genuinely admires the man and views him as his mentor and friend. grissom is his hero, so if sara is grissom’s girl, then that makes sara important™ in hodges’s view. from here on out, sara comes to play a more central role in hodges’s internal narrative. certainly, hodges would have worked hard to save sara from the miniature killer regardless—because, as expressed above, for all of his posturing, the truth is that hodges does actually care about other people and is fond of the members of team graveyard (if secretly and in his own way)—but knowing that sara is grissom’s everything does add an extra dimension to the case for him, building on the mythology and imbuing the events with extra meaning from his pov. while hodges never speaks to this new sense that sara is now marked as special because she’s special to grissom, he is noticeably nice to her once she returns to work following her abduction (see, for example, their interactions in episode 08x04 “the case of the cross-dressing carp”).

of course, since hodges is hodges, once he knows the truth about grissom and sara’s relationship and has gotten past his feelings of resentment toward grissom for his conduct, i have to believe, even given the dearth of evidence in canon, he becomes somewhat insufferable about the whole thing, insinuating to his fellow lab rats he actually knew about gsr all along even though such is very much not the case, making obnoxious “we’re two of a kind, as romantic rulebreakers”-type comments to grissom (a la what he does in episode 06x21 “rashomama”), asking invasive questions probably mostly to sara about her and grissom’s sex life, etc. on a more serious note, he may also do some quiet reflection on his own relationship with wendy in light of grissom and sara’s conduct, wondering if perhaps, lab rules be damned, he should take a chance on having a relationship with her, as she, like sara is to grissom, may be his one shot at true happiness.

wendy and the other lab rats again, in the absence of any evidence, i think, for the most part, the other lab rats—wendy, henry, mandy, archie, and bobby—probably react to the news of grissom and sara being a couple with an admixture of shock (because who would have thought?) and minor disgruntlement at the rules infraction, on professional grounds.

in particular, wendy may feel a little miffed, because while she is herself no stranger to having feelings for a geeky, silver-fox coworker, she, unlike sara, has so far denied herself of them out of deference for departmental policy.

they are probably also just generally curious about the nature of grissom and sara’s relationship itself, because—as relative outsiders—they don’t really see the appeal from sara’s perspective, in particular. i can imagine, specifically, henry and mandy maybe speculating, in a lurid way, over lunch about what kind of “daddy kink” weirdness they assume must be going on. the lab rats probably all also collectively play the game of thinking back on any previous exchanges they may have witnessed between grissom and sara over the years which in retrospect might indicate their attraction to each other—with hodges pretending to have known all along, while everyone else rolls their eyes at him, because of course he was just as clueless as they. of course, since the lab rats tend to operate on a different frequency from the field mice, neither their displeasure regarding grissom and sara’s deceptive conduct nor their fascination with the sexual politics of their relationship likely makes its way back to grissom and sara or the rest of team graveyard at any point.

particularly since sara starts working a different shift upon returning to the lab—meaning they see her less than before, and especially less than before with grissom—their curiosity likely dies down soon enough anyhow, until it’s just back to work, as usual.

the morgue workers

i think doc is probably a little surprised, as he seems to be of the opinion grissom has little interest in romance overall (see episode 06x23 “bang-bang”). however, given doc is generally an openminded person, he probably doesn’t have objection to the relationship itself or even much care about the way grissom and sara have chosen to conduct it, as the goings on of the lab proper are outside of his purview. he also probably would never have guessed grissom would go for a woman so much younger than himself because he wouldn’t think of grissom as being “that way.” however, he likely also recognizes there are many parts of grissom he doesn’t know very well. meanwhile, i think straitlaced super dave is more astonished on the grounds grissom and sara would break the rules—he’s a supervisor! and she’s so serious about her work!—however unwilling to be judgmental of them, particularly as he understands wherein lies the attraction for grissom. though he, unlike greg, is long past his crush on sara by s8, he still gets why a guy might want to “wear a clean coat” for her (see episode 01x17 “face lift”), grissom included.

ecklie

ecklie is one of the few characters who does get to show a reaction to grissom and sara’s news on screen, and i think what we see from him in episode 08x02 “a la cart” is pretty much what we get. he’s obliged to insert himself into the situation as an administrator and dole out consequences—by switching sara to swing shift—though in his heart of hearts, he doesn’t want to (and wishes grissom and sara could have just been forthcoming about their relationship from the beginning instead). for the first little while after they come out, he likely is holding his breath, waiting to see if there will be any legal fallout due to their improper conduct. he is also probably swamped with extra work, having to review their old cases and make sure everything there is above board. because he’s ecklie, he almost certainly has also got some incorrect views of the whole thing, and not solely because grissom and sara themselves give him the runaround where the timeline for their relationship is concerned. for one thing, i think he erroneously believes the primary attraction for grissom with sara is her youth. were he in grissom’s place, for him, to be with a woman fifteen years younger than himself would definitely be an ego thing, so he wrongly assumes such is the case for grissom, too, supposing he also is the kind of guy who wants “arm candy.” he probably also incorrectly assumes a) grissom hired sara solely due to his attraction to her, and, b) grissom may have allowed sara to keep her job following the events of episode 05x13 “nesting dolls” because they were already by that time sleeping together. for another thing, he also probably wrongly assumes, on the sara side of things, she’s got grissom henpecked (see his comments to her about knowing where grissom is at all times during their interview scene), as well as that she is interested in grissom for his status. he undoubtedly fundamentally misunderstands the nature of their relationship not only due to his own misogyny and poor romantic instincts—remember, this man has been divorced three times—but also because he doesn’t have a good grasp on who grissom and sara are as people. he ultimately believes their reasons for keeping their relationship a secret are a lot tawdrier than in reality is the case. going forward, i believe he is maybe somewhat smug, because now he has proof “st. grissom” isn’t ethically unimpeachable. for all grissom’s talk about the sanctity of the profession (see episode 01x07 “blood drops”), at the end of the day, he—in ecklie’s view—seduced his much-younger subordinate and carried on a torrid office affair with her for however many years, putting the lab’s reputation in jeopardy for his own selfish reasons. his actions prove he’s human after all, and i think ecklie takes a little bit of personal satisfaction in that “tarnish” on grissom’s character. he also probably, like many others at the lab, carries with him some poorly-concealed fascination about grissom and sara’s relationship dynamics themselves, curious as to what their dynamic is like, as well as what the truth might be concerning the actual timeline for their relationship.

conclusion

suffice it to say, while the show largely glosses over the issue of how grissom and sara’s teammates react to their coming out, i think reactions to both them as a couple and the fact of their deception probably run the gamut from placid acceptance to bitter resentment to deep curiosity to tacit professional disapproval. though generally the earlier seasons of the show do a better job at characterization than the later ones do, this area is one where i think the early writers really dropped the ball, as they not only failed to tell us any stories about how the members of team graveyard react to this potentially earth-shattering news but also, even more bizarrely, tried to pretend there were never any stories to tell to begin with, making out like everyone on the team would respond in the exact same way and on the exact same timescale to both grissom and sara’s relationship and their years-long efforts to cover it up (i.e., by being neutrally accepting of the whole matter by the time grissom and sara returned to work in october). despite having foreshadowed some potential disgruntlement from various team members at the news, they never followed through. my guess is they maybe opted not to due to the looming wga writers’ strike—by october 2007, they may have already realized there was a good chance their season would end up truncated (which did eventually happen)—and jorja fox’s imminent departure from the show causing them to feel as if they “didn’t have the (narrative) runway” to explore any kind of complicated reactions from the team, for fear of not being able to then resolve them before sara was off the show/by season’s end. however, regardless of their reason for not “pulling the trigger” (to speak in term’s of chekhov’s gun), i still feel like opportunity was a missed one, as having such a uniform nonreaction from the team has the probably unintended result of making grissom and sara look silly for ever fearing there would perhaps be negative consequences to them coming out to begin with. if everyone was ultimately just going to be fine with their relationship and even the administration could have in theory accommodated them had they just been forthcoming up front, then why did they ever go through all the trouble of lying to everyone and going to such great lengths to conceal their relationship from their coworkers for over two years? shouldn’t they have had some sense this situation would just be a “slap on the wrist before a pat on the back” kind of deal? but i digress. as should be clear from all of my speculation in this post, i do think not everyone would react in the same way to the big gsr reveal, and i wish we could have seen some more exploration of their various reactions in canon. there was a lot of wasted narrative potential there, i think. anyway, thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

[pieces-of-heaven]

Hey people!! I wanna share some analysis of this song that I've had for quite a while, specifically the characters. I'm VERY invested in the characters so I'll be sharing my observations!

Please note that I know none of this is canon to the song, confirmed, or the intentions of A7X! I just want to make lore and headcanons, so I completely made some of this up based on my observations!

TW: Mentions and discussion about murder, cannibalism, implied n*croph*lia

Now be warned, a lot of this is mostly speculation and theories and headcanons based off the music video considering thats the only source of media the song has other than itself, (not including the 3d concert video)

Scream and MC analysis

In a previous post I've mentioned on how I think Scream is connected to ALPOH lore-wise. So I'll be going more in depth on that!

So I think that the lyrics of Scream take place when the murder is happening. And clearly the mc has some delusional sadistic pleasure in doing what he does even if he does end up coming to regret it. Scream shows his sadism and his thought process during the murder.

If you look at the lyrics you'll see that it definitely reflects that!

And I think the whole murder situation was him going through a phase of hedonism and unhealthily indulging in his dark fantasies and primal urges (clearly hes very mentally ill). And of course he tries to justify his delusional actions until the moment of post-nut clarity where hes killed by his undead girlfriend.

The Girlfriend analysis

I think she genuinely did love him deeply and obviously wasn't planning on leaving him. As was mentioned in alpoh their relationship actually went very well, which is what started the whole thing in the first place.

So, of course her murder deeply angered her for obvious reasons. But I also think she felt a deep sense of betrayal, not just anger! Like how would you feel if the man you loved so much killed you for his own selfish needs? Betrayal, right? The person she loved turned on her in the worst way possible!

And I think after she died, she decided that nothing matters anymore since she wasn't living. Thats also why I think she flipped a switch and took revenge so easily, because what was the point in preserving her humanity when she wasnt even human anymore? Thats also why I think she gave in to forgiving and marrying him and murdering innocents so quickly after she got her revenge. She has nothing to look forward to since she's just a zombie now.

So basically, after her death she becomes a fucked up version of a nihilist, considering she can't look forward to whatever previous goals in life she had since shes dead. But also because of that, the worse she does, the more she can't go back, she's becoming worse and for her that's all the more reason to not care.

Let's go back a few steps and talk about the music video real quick. I consider it some different timeline with mostly the same events but just a little different. The song obviously doesn't include the whole rejected proposal plotline. In the song he only kills her because of intense separation anxiety, but in the video he kills her because she laughed in his face when he whipped out an expensive ass ring!!

I think in this universe, she DID reject it, but not in the way shown. Lets start off with the reason why. My personal hc is that she probably wasn't ready for marriage!!! Maybe she has some life goals (as previously stated)! Or maybe its too early in the relationship! The mc is obsessive after all, so maybe he got too caught up in their love and proposed too early. Either way, no matter the reason, I imagine she rejects it humbly. (Or maybe im just coping) And he, being the delusional mentally ill fuck that he is, thought that she was just laughing in his face, which obviously makes him mad as fuck! And then the separation anxiety kicks in too, so he's feeling a lot of crazy emotions and twisting the situation into something its not in order to justify himself and what he's about to do to her. I mean, it's not totally out there. He's an unreliable narrator in some parts of the song, he could totally be unreliable in the music video too.

So now she's dead!

Which takes me back to the whole nihilism thing with her, she has nothing to look forward to so she might as well go through with the marriage anyway, whereas she initially rejected it in life due to looking forward to other things. (Or other reasons idk)

OR... she didn't reject him at all. Maybe she took a little too long to answer, maybe he was too nervous and anxious about her answer that he made up some sort of situation to keep her in order to avoid a refusal. I don't know!

MC analysis 2: electric boogaloo

Clearly, this guy is somewhat dual-natured. In the video and the song it seemed like he's usually a decent guy, but he has this really violent and fucked up side to him.

Also lets consider the fact both M. Shadows and The Rev (rest in peace) BOTH narrated the mc in the song! Both in different times and at the same time! So that FURTHER proves my headcanon of this character having two sides to him! Let me explain.

The Rev voices the more visceral and gory parts of this characters mind and story, M. Shadows ALSO voicing those parts AND the more sensitive and sweeter parts of the mc (the beginning, the apology, so on and so forth)

In the music video where both of them are laughing (when the mc goes to hell with his gf) it shows the flashbacks where the mc is in the process of murdering his girlfriend, like two different voices speaking to him at once that this was his doing, that at the time it was right to him and this what he should be doing, and also showing what his violent urges culminated in.

And the scene in both the song and video where the wedding murder happens the rev and m shadows are also SCREAMING during that scene! And they continue singing together onwards until the end of the song! so at this point in the story, this means the character fully embraces every side of himself. He is undead, so he can accept his violent urges by continuing to kill and cannibalize (which he very much loves doing), and he married the girl of his dreams, he got what he wanted in the end.

I LOVE THIS STORY!!!

Let me know your thoughts or if there's any mistakes I've made!

[marshmallowprotection]

Hello! I believe this is my first time sending you an ask! I've been following you for a long time, but was always afraid of coming on a little too strong...everyone I've tried talking to about this subject is either hyper-defensive or just ignores it? I can't really find anyone to give me an actual analysis.

I apologize if this comes on strong! Please feel free to ignore it if so. Thanks for taking the time to read it, at the very least.

I genuinely have a difficult time grasping the concept of people genuinely liking and defending characters like V and Rika, who both harmed children. Especially when those same people swear to care about Saeran and/or Saeyoung in a deep way. I think I would better understand it if they didn't claim to love Saeyoung or Saeran so much.

"How can someone who cares about either of them as much as they claim to also fight tooth and nail to defend the actions of people who repeatedly traumatized them?"

I can tell by your writing, analysis, art, and OCs that you put a lot of effort to share your love for Saeran! And Saeyoung, by extension. But, recently, I noticed a few posts where you seemed to be defending both V and Rika, or talking down on people who are too triggered by them to interact with their characters (maybe this is my autistic inability to read tone accurately).

I very genuinely have a difficult time understanding how someone can love either twin so much, but also love the people who were so cruel to them. I want to understand, and I'm frustrated that I can't.

Anyways thank you for creating the content that you do! I really enjoy your SE OC stuff especially, it always brings a smile to my face to see content with them when they pop up! Mine/others' lack of ability to separate feelings for the characters from the way they interact with other people isn't on anyone else, but having some guidance is always appreciated.

Again, thank you for your time.

Let me start off by saying right off the bat that you do not have to like Rika Kim and Jihyun Kim. You do not have to engage with anything in the fandom or the game if you do not like them. If they trigger you or make you uncomfortable in any way, please, do not engage with any content about them for your comfort and safety. Your experience in a fandom is about having fun and you should not put yourself into any position when your comfort is compromised.

I will never defend Rika and Jihyun's actions nor will I excuse any of those actions. I do not believe I have ever done so in the past, but if something I've written seemed to read that way, allow me to clear it up for you in a proper way here. I want them to face judgement and justice for their shared actions because that is what they deserve in every way, shape, and form. Hurting others the way they've done is not okay. It will NEVER be okay.

When I'm talking about the two of them, and I talk about how I wish I could discuss them in a deeper way with others, I'm not talking about telling everybody around me to excuse their actions or to learn more about them when those characters make them uncomfortable. Rika and V are polarizing characters. If you don't like them, that means the game has done its job.

It means the game has made you feel something and you felt that something so strong that it resonated with you. That's what makes great video games.

The only time I lament the fact that not a lot of people talk about the nuances that go into polarizing characters like Rika and V is when I'm unable to discuss the layers behind who they are as people since not a lot of people want to learn more about them.

Like, questions like: Why did their relationship dissolve? Why do they think the way they do? What taught them this? What showed them to live this way? Why do they do these things? Why do they think this is okay? Why do they think isn't okay? Why, anything?

Does me wishing I could talk to more about what I find interesting about them mean that I want everybody to go out of their way to learn about them? No! Heavens no. That is not what I am trying to imply. If you don't like them and you want nothing to do with them, then I support you and I respect you. You do what makes you feel comfortable and you stay away from characters that make you feel awful.

Just because I want to understand why doesn't mean you have to do that to yourself.

You do not have to learn more about them, Anon. You do not have to engage more with them than face value. That goes for any character, ever. Engage with what you like because you should be having fun playing games instead of feeling uncomfortable! If you don't like the two of them, you are valid. You are justified. Your opinion is yours to hold and I commend you for feeling strongly.

Because, Rika and V are not people I would like if I were in MC's shoes.

They hurt not just Saeran and Saeyoung Choi, but Yoosung Kim, Jaehee Kang, ZEN, Jumin Han, and countless others, too. I want the two of them to face the consequences of their actions and I want them to do so understanding that they need to take ownership of their choices.

They need to hold themselves accountable for their actions. Which, in Saeran's Route, by the end, they do that.

Do you want to know my ideal ending after that? The two of them face the prison time they need to appropriately face for everything they've done, get the therapy they so rightfully need, and then never engage with anybody in the RFA ever again.

Not just because it would serve no healthy purpose for any of them, but because that chapter has closed and there is no way to get back what has been lost. They need to move on. Rika and V need to never see each other ever again after they part ways. Nobody involved is going to heal unless this is closed for good and everyone's got their closure to move forward.

This is similar to my talk on forgiveness. Forgiveness is a personal choice. Saeran forgives and Saeyoung never does. They're both so rightfully justified and deserve their choice respected. Everybody needs to do what they need to do to truly make peace with what happened, and you need to decide what works for you personally, and that choice will be respected by the RFA.

Rika and Jihyun, actively and passively, created the experience we go through in Mystic Messenger. For us to explore the narrative of this game to the exact root source where it started, we end up looking at their relationship, actions, and the consequences that follow them. It is important to understand V and Rika, even in the smallest capacity, to know how we ended up where we are today.

For me, I like to study characters. I like to know why they are the way they are, and that involves learning as much as I can about them. I spend my free time thinking about these characters in every way you can think about a person because I really do like to understand how people end up where they do after something happens to them in life. Rika and V have a very codependent toxic relationship.

For someone who was trapped in a relationship like that for years, when I look at those two, I start to understand more about myself, and unfortunately, I see myself in Jihyun sometimes. I like Jihyun, he's actually my third favorite character, but understanding him as strongly as I do doesn't mean I approve of what he's done. It really just means he's a character that he's interesting to me, but I don't approve of his choices.

In fact, I'm shaking him every time I start a new route because he needs to talk to his friends instead of balling everything up inside. I'm shaking him because I know he can be a better person after having played his route and having had the experience to get to know who he can be. But, he's human, then that means he's not infallible. We're all capable of mistakes.

I like to understand what brought them to where they are today. That is something that is interesting to me and finds the way I like to enjoy media.

Understanding a character does not equate to justifying or even defending their actions.

Liking evil, morally gray, or downright wicked characters does not mean that you defend any of the things that they do. You just like a character and it's as simple as that.

I struggle with tone all the time when it comes to content online, so I understand where you're coming from. I use tone indicators a lot on Discord but I can and should begin utilizing them over here. Everyone deserves to enjoy the game in their own way, and everyone has their likes, dislikes, squicks, icks, triggers, etc. Make your enjoyment of the game what feels right for you. Block character tags and content that make you feel bad and focus on what you love! Life is too short to be uncomfortable when you don't have to be.

I hope this makes sense, Anon! Thank you for taking the time to ask this question in a considerate way.

[doyouknowyoudothatoutloud]

I could be doing the thing that this post is talking about right now...

Here are my contributions.

When we ask questions to try to get a already decided result, are we not being judgemental instead of curious?

Like if we think we know something why are we then asking the question in the first place?

If we stop listening because someone has a not so confident response does that not go against the very principles of science?

Like science is:

Step one: hypothesis

Step two: try to prove hypothesis wrong

Step three: what did you learn from that?

Science is literally about humbelling yourself to be wrong.

So if you confidentally say something you have either not humbled yourself to be wrong or have an enormous amount of data to back you up.

If we ask questions to try to justify our own opinions that is about insecurity not about curiosity.

Learning is at least partly about finding the misstakes you are making and changing your mind to adapt to what is rather than what you assumed is.

Like it would be so easy if we already knew the answer to everything. But we don't. We know very few answers with certainty.

Like isn't journalism and learning supposed to be about finding out and communicating what is and how to find out for yourself?

Humbelling our ego is necessary for us to actually learn. We want to believe that the world resolves around us, but facts show we are almost insignificant.

We live in a society run on money. Money or perhaps more accurately our economy is a belief system. Belief systems are not about learning. In a way science is a belief system.

Belief system of capitalism: use made up thing to exchange for goods and services.

Belief system of science: we are capable of asking questions but we mostly come to the wrong conclusions. Pointing out how we are wrong makes us move along quicker.

Another example of a belief system is Christianity.

Belief system of Christianity: humans are made perfectly. Our sins are a consequence of our own actions not a reflection of God's creation.

The belief system of science is capable of evolving and takes into account that we have capabilities and often are wrong. The belief system of science is rooted in our logic.

The belief system of capitalism is rooted in convenience. If everything has to be exchanged for something money weighs less than most other things. Most of the worlds currencies is connected to the american dollar and the american dollar is connected to oil. The belief system of our currencies are currently rooted in oil.

Our money hold no inherent value in of itself. It is no longer made of gold so there is little use from melting it down and making something out of it. The way that we document our economy has not really changed all that much since the roman empire.

In comparison during the roman empire science thought the sun revolved around the earth and things like penecilin was far from being invented. There are many more things which science has discovered and evolved since the roman empire than that.

Since schools and news media are all dependent on sponsors in our economic system in order to exist they are not really set up to be for well facts.

Science is literally about humbelling yourself to be wrong and capitalism would pretty much fall apart if we were to treat our currencies as well what they are, metal, pieces of paper and 1's and 0's. Capitalism is a lie, a fairytale and could fall apart if facts were used on itself. Capitalism confidentally says that money is the equivalent of the goods and services that we buy. But is it? What metrics were used to come up with that number? We could have an economy where prices were set from what goods and services are worth. But how would we value that? From the profit it can make? From the use it got?

What is capitalism for? Isn't capitalism supposed to be for well the quality of life we humans are capable of achieving?

But if capitalism was for the quality of life humans were capable of achieving it would be about making sure every worker got a good quality of life, that there needs were met at least to the level where factual reasons were the limitations not extra limitations which we impose on ourselves &/or others. If capitalism was for people then everyone would be free to change jobs, take a vacation, have food, shelter to have a balanzed life.

If capitalism was for people we would teach people how to take care of their own needs and speak up for themselves. Our needs would still have consequences but if we know of them we can plan and accomodate for them instead of dissmissing them. Having needs does not make you bad, it makes you human.

If we were taught to take care of our own needs, speak up for ourselves and do things based on our current ability rather than a made up target of should, then we would probably feel less insecure and be more willing to actually listen to the usually less than straight forward realities that the expert tell us about.

I don't know. My hypothesis is that our current inability to listen to complex truths is heavily effected by a lack of confidence in ourselves and that our lack of confidence in ourselves is prepetuated by a belief system which does not account for our own needs.

Maybe I went off on a tangent and am completely wrong. Feel free to point it out.

Ok now do NYT columnists

[burnedbyshoto]

peeping tom(mina)

— Mina finds a peephole in her room that looks directly into your room and discovers a sight that slightly rocks her entire life.

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pairing: ashido mina x fem!reader

warning: 18+, smut, voyeur!mina, mutual masturbation, vibrator, dildos, finger fucking, cursing, peephole, lesbianism

word count: 2,815

a/n: sorry its a day late!!!! have some pervy roommate mina rn and some abo shiggy in about a few hours!!!!

kinktober day 11 main kink: voyeurism | kinktober masterlist

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Mina has a dirty secret.

And just thinking about it makes her shy, and she has never been a shy girl.

Since she could fully understand what sex was, she had always been someone who was incredibly sex-positive. Mina was also a full-body worshiper, someone who found everyone’s bodies hot and attractive. It never really surprised anyone when they found this out. She was always the type to point out how that person’s ass looked hot in jeans, or how that shirt made that person’s boobs look full, soft, and luscious. She held back at absolutely nothing, making sure to let everyone know her opinion on how and why she currently found them attractive. 

So the ones she would eventually bring to bed were also unsurprised by the enthusiasm she held when she kissed down their bodies, fingers massaging every piece of skin and muscle as she moaned praises. To Mina, bodies were a temple, and when she was visiting, she was going to make sure you knew how fascinating she thought it to be.

Even now, at twenty-two, she never hated pointing out what she thought to be positive about people’s bodies. It was almost second nature.

“Can you please tell me why your legs look hot as fuck in those sweats?!” Mina practically screamed, dramatically fanning herself when you walked into the kitchen.

It was Saturday night, and Mina found herself in her apartment, blinds are drawn open, blankets were strewn around the living room, and hot homemade food sizzling on the stove. You were her roommate, and you’ve been her roommate for about seven months now. Both of you had met in a college class, being paired up multiple times for a few projects in the year had created an unlikely friendship that resulted in a roommate contract because you were moving to Tokyo after graduation, and hey! So was Mina!

You snorted by the stove, flipping the sweet crepes you had been making for the both of you in the pan. Turning your head to look at Mina, you playfully winked at her, posing your body in faux-seductive ways while you dipped your head back. 

“What can I say, the sweats of a heartbroken ex always look hotter on a champions fat ass.”

Mina laughed loudly, her hands bringing her sweet rosé to her lips, taking a long, deep drink of the alcoholic beverage. “I can’t believe you keep your exes clothes! I burn all of mine,” Mina states as if the two of you hadn’t already had this conversation a thousand times. 

“I don’t think you can talk!” you scoff, spatula in hand, flipping the light sweet into a roll. “You’re the one who goes and buys actual metals for every successive man you fuck! And you have sooo many metals!”

Also, something that had been repeated a million times, and yet never failed to get either one of you two in some laughing flush. 

“I do have so many metals,” Mina sighs, the grin on her face bright and proud while you walk over, crepes in hand. Thanking you for the food, Mina waited for you to settle down next to her before resuming the movie the two of you had decided to watch. “I promise, y/n, if you just look a guy in the eye and tell him you like his shoulders and his thighs, you’ll get him in bed in a blink of an eye.”

You hum, taking a chug of the rosé straight from the bottle, releasing it with a small pop that made Mina’s eyes rest on your swollen, wet lips. 

“Yeah, no. You see, I’m not really interested in that sort of stuff,” you admit, taking a bite from the crepe as the movie slowly becomes background noise.

“You haven’t dated anyone since high school,” Mina more than points out, tugging at the indeed high school logoed sweatpants. “That was like, four years ago, and you don’t sleep around?! What is it? You waiting for the Prince of some unknown country to come and wed you without you realizing he’s a prince? I mean, you can totally do that, especially with that hot bod of yours, but I know all the princes our age, none of them are even remotely hot!”

Mina watched as your eyes dropped to your food, the smile on your face small, maybe a bit... sad?

“It’s not that,” you shrugged, your eyes moving to lock on Mina. “Mina, I’m gay.”

What?

Processing Data…

Processing Data…

Processing Data…

Data Processed. Please Continue.

“WHAT?!”

A shit-eating grin spread on your face, and you nodded, taking another gulp of the rosé and shoving more crepe in your mouth. 

“YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU ALLOWED ME TO HAVE HETEROSEXUAL SEX WITH YOU IN THE APARTMENT AND DIDN’T TELL ME?!” Mina shrieked, suddenly mortified with her actions as her fingers clenched her curly pink hair. “WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE MEN I TRIED HOOKING YOU UP WITH?! I mean, I know you didn’t fuck any of them, which ended up all fine because I would have cried if Kiri, Denki, or Sero stopped showing up.”

“Mina!” you laughed.

“I can’t believe you allowed me to force men on you; I’m so sorry, sweetie!”

Mina froze when your warm fingers suddenly grabbed onto hers, pulling her cold palms near your chest as your slightly glazed with alcohol eyes took her in.

“Listen, Mina, I’ll say this once, and I’ll repeat this. I didn’t tell you because I don’t care to share my sexuality. Not only that but all those men you introduced me to almost made me wish I was straight! Almost, but they’re a bit too…” Mina watched you trail off, your hammering heart a gentle smooth on her fingers.

“Stupid?” Mina tried, and you laughed as you nodded.

“Yeah, stupid.”

Mina gulped, her head nodding while you finally let go of her hands and sighed.

“Don’t be weird about it, Pinky,” you muse, shoving your shoulder against her. “I won’t hit on ya.”

Mina scoffed, clearly offended, “I think you should, though, my body is hot, and my kisses are just as good.”

It was said in jest, and Mina’s heart fluttered at the way you laughed with her in good spirits. That was normal, right?

Eventually, the contents of the rosé disappeared between the two of you, the movie long done, and the crepes sitting warm and sweet in your stomachs. Mina smiled brightly as she waved at you a simple goodnight as she needed to reorganize her snacks cabinet. Hearing the small click of your room door, Mina slumped against the counter, a weird feeling in her brain at the sudden revelation from you.

It didn’t make you any different in her eyes, she wasn’t a bigot, but there was something different.

Something new.

The cabinet wasn’t fixed up at all, Mina’s attention span forbidding her from reorganizing the cabinet until she turned off the lights and dragged her feet back into her room, conveniently located directly next to yours.

The apartment layout was weird.

Instead of a typical hallway separating the two rooms, it was a single, thin wall.

Now, Mina would categorize herself as many things, but dramatic was never one of them. But the way she had slammed her door in an attempt to clear the muggy storm of her thoughts might have been dramatic of her. Maybe a bit too dramatic. 

A loud tear came from the right side of her room, and Mina gasped loudly as the shelf showcasing her plethora of medals for all her sexual conquests tore the wall as it fell off. Stupid heavy bitch! Racing over to the wall, Mina frantically grabbed at the tearing cheap wallpaper, her eyes wide with worry as she tried to fix the shelf to no avail.

“M-Mina, are you okay?” a gasped breath came from the direct another side of the wall. 

“It’s all good!” Mina laughed loudly, her heart pounding because she was going to confess what was going on the second you asked again, as you usually do. But the only thing that followed was the roaring of her blood and heart as she stared at the wall.

Weird.

Mina didn’t dwell on it for too long, her hands throwing the medals off the shelf and onto the bed as she picked at the wall. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

She grazed the center of the wall and watched in horror as the wall crumbled at the touch, and she bit her tongue to keep from hysterically sobbing as a hole opened up from your room to hers. All things considered, it wasn’t a big hole, no bigger than the diameter of her pinky, but it was still a hole in the wall.

Despite the crack in the wall, Mina swore or prayed that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Pressing to the hole, she peered in and froze immediately. 

There weren’t many things in the world that made Mina freeze, but this was one of them. Her eye pressed to the wall saw that you were on the bed. Your sweats dropped around your ankles, shirt bunched above your breasts so that your fingers twisted and pulled at your nipples. The other hand held a vibrator to your clit.

Your face was scrunched up, the low hum of the vibrator suddenly piercing through the small crack in the wall, alerting Mina of a straight fire that erupted between her thighs as she watched you fuck yourself. The arch of your back when you come off the mattress makes her thighs rub together, and how your lips part in what she knows to be the most delicious moan, she’s ever managed to hear.

Mina isn’t sure when you stop masturbating that night, or even more importantly: when her panties became as fucking wet as they are.

She manages to put the shelf back onto the wall, her face absolutely red as she turns off the lights, ashamed to even go to the bathroom despite the discomfort of the slick between her folds. She dreams of having your mouth between her legs that night.

It doesn’t stop there, Mina’s ashamed to admit. 

As a matter of fact, she’s probably obsessed. 

She definitely didn’t keep her ear to the wall, desperately waiting to hear the low hum of the vibrator through the wall. She definitely didn’t pull the still broken shelf from the wall to peer through that crack to watch as you fucked yourself. She definitely does not, and she means, does not rub her fingers against her clit as she watches you.

But what was she currently doing when she heard the all too familiar consistent humming of one of your plenty of vibrators? She was stumbling off her bed, throwing the shelf off the wall, and using the crack in the wall to stare into your room. Except as she now unashamedly moved her fingers into her swats, fingertips grazing her already humming clit, she froze at the new sight she saw.

Typically, when you masturbated, you would lay along your bed. Your body laid out flat from the side for Mina to see. She never actually saw the slick of your cunt, or the way your pretty cunt would look like as you fucked yourself against a dildo. But today? Oh god, today was different.

You were propped up against the wall, your legs pressed open for Mina to see in all your glory. Your slicked, pretty pussy revealed for her eyes, and your head leaning against the wall as she watched. 

Mina moaned as her fingers began to rub her clit, the already fluttering, simmering sensation radiating from her bundle of nerves too tight, too demanding to ignore. She circled her clit as your fingers dipped into your core, and she bit her lower lip at the refined look of elation that wiped over your face. 

Your fingers moved in and out of your cunt, and Mina was hooked on the very exact angle your fingers were going in. Her mind wandering as she imagined that it was her in there with you. That it was her holding her fingers to your cunt, and not just fantasizes that drove her insane. Mina gasped as suddenly the dormant warmth in her legs sparked into a growing fire that made her legs shake and had her resting her forehead upon the wall.

Her eyes struggled to open when your feet kicked up off the mattress, toes curled to the balls of your feet as you keened loudly. A whimper left her lips at the way you moaned, the soft, beautiful sounds making Mina sink an impatient hand in her core.

She fucked herself, her eyes fluttering, lips gasping for air as she pressing her warm fingers against her even warmer walls. Mina gasped your name, her eyes trying to focus on that wall, and was absolutely frozen at the sight she saw next. 

You were holding a double ended dildo to your cunt, fucking your sopping wet cunt that Mina swore she could hear from her room. The vibrator was still on your clit, and Mina snapped her hips further, stronger into her scissoring fingers. It felt like you were teasing her with the toy as if you knew she was watching in and were teasing and testing her limits. Mina could feel herself shoving that dildo as far up her cunt as she could get it, her hands holding on to your beautiful thighs and bringing you in so that your slick cunts could grind against each other, fuck each other properly. If her brain wasn’t so muddled, she wouldn’t be thinking you were looking at her right now through the peephole, and she wouldn’t be thinking about the million different ways she’d fuck you given the opportunity. She wondered if you had a strap. Would you wear it if her fantasies were to ever come true? Would she? 

Mina couldn’t dwell on the secrets she wished to know because suddenly, you let out one of the loudest, most lewd moans Mina had ever heard emitted from your swollen lips. The slick of her heat and the wet of her essence easily letting her fingers glide about her clenching walls with practiced, well-known ease. You gasped, your eyes fluttering to the back of your head as your hand holding the dildo became more frantic, sloppier, before stopping altogether, and although you had reached an orgasm — Mina swore she saw god. 

Your orgasmic euphoric face was unlike anything Mina had ever seen.

The flustered, quiet pleasure reeking from every small line in your face, the way your mouth dropped just enough so that your pink tongue was on full display, the way you fought between biting down on your lip or letting yourself moan in your high. But it was the way your eyes crossed that sent Mina’s forehead slamming against her fist on the wall, muting the way Mina felt her walls clench wildly and tightly around her curled, lithe fingers.

She breathed in her descent, her cheeks burning with the same and bliss she always felt after orgasming. It wasn’t fair she came so soon watching you fuck yourself, especially as she knew she typically took so long in bed with men to make cum.

“Do you want to try it out?” your voice slipped into the room, and Mina froze, her blood suddenly turning ice cold. Her eyes snapped back to the dirty peephole to see that you were, in fact, staring into the hole, hand sliding the dildo into your cunt still, still willing and ready to go more round. “It gets a little lonely putting on a show for you night after night, Mina, and for you to never come and collect your prize.”

Mina swallowed, her eyes blinking owlishly at the way you shifted forward, turning so that your ass was in the air, knees, and chest on the mattress.

You knew.

“Come and collect your prize, please.”

“Y-Yes!”

Mina learned two things that night.

One: she especially and equally enjoyed having listless amounts of body worship mantra on her skin. The feeling of wet lips and hot breathes with things she was so used to giving made her cum around your pretty little fingers much more than she’d ever thought possible.

Two: you had known after the first night that she had caught you masturbating. Apparently, Mina was much louder than she thought herself to be, and when whining your name — she doesn’t remember even speaking — you had known and did all you could to finally getting your impulsive roommate to fuck you.

Oh, and I guess there is one more thing too!

Three: Mina had the absolute hots for you and was going to take you out for a proper date, tomorrow.

[thedancingwalrus-blog]

13. Is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

15. A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?

13: So originally I was going to say ‘ABO’ but I’m not sure that’s a trope. And then I got reminded of one that puts me in a frothing rage every single TIME. Ahem.

I really hate the trope where a strawman ‘pacifist’ is put in just so they can be converted to violence later in the story. And it’s so common. It really bothers me, partly because I am a pacifist. And I don’t think it’s a position you arrive at without thinking about things a lot. The world, our global society, is so structured to support violence that an absolute rejection of it is radical. And I don’t think anyone gets there without thinking a lot about what violence is, what it does, what the alternatives are and mean.

So I’m never adding to that noise. Pacifists when I write them are going to be committed to their ideals and behave like pacifists. Whether that’s dismantling landmines or feeding the hungry or just standing in front of an occupying force and saying ‘Shoot me’.

Violence in fiction can be fun. And stories that use violence don’t have to take it seriously. But if they’re trying to take it seriously, if they’re bringing in arguments against violence… then I think you kinda need to actually show those arguments and demonstrate those beliefs in practice.

That’s just me.

And my endless frothing weasel rage.

15: This is a toss up between And do Abominable Things With Grace (Hannibal/Pacific Rim crossover that’s mostly about unethical medical experiments) and Three Forms of Love (Elsa/Mulan Once Upon a Time that’s about love and duty and cultural differences).

I think out of the fic I’m proud of and I’d like to see transformed they’d have the most interesting imagery in live action. Larceny, Jailbreak and Running Red Lights would, obvs be better as an animated piece. And some of the pieces I love most (Another Man’s Freedom Fighter) just would not work as live action without changing them hugely. They’re too introspective.

Abominable Things as a live action would be incredibly trippy. And gory. And unlike anything I’ve seen in live action. Because it’s an action movie from the perspective of imprisoned test subjects. And because of the way I used the Drift would lead to some interesting pov confusion.

Three Forms of Love as a live action would work almost like an Arthurian romance. A lot of intricate costumes and sweeping shots. A lot of visual detail. Hell just seeing the ice creep over Mulan’s armour, a little at a time, as she falls for a Queen and doesn’t want to admit it to herself. The conversation they have about freyja vs skaldmaer vs idisi, all those quiet longing moments in the dark.

Maybe I’ve been listening to too much Gawain and the Green Knight but having written it out I’m going with Three Forms of Love. It would look beautiful.

[btsqualityy]

Assuage: Chapter 10

Yoongi x Reader

Genre: ABO (Alpha/Beta/Omega) dynamics, angst, fluff, smut, enemies to lovers

Warnings: None to note.

“Why the fuck am I so nervous?” Yoongi muttered as he paced back and forth near the stream. After spending a week making his vision come true, Yoongi had asked you to meet him at your favorite rock because he wanted to talk to you. 

Luckily enough, you didn’t really think anything of it and Yoongi was extremely grateful for it. He knew that you were super fucking smart and that if you really started to question why he wanted you to meet him at your favorite place, then Yoongi knew he wouldn’t have been able to hold in the fact that he was planning on giving you a gift; a gift to ask you to date him, to be precise.

He had poured all of his effort into making your gift, putting off the other work that he was supposed to be doing at the hardware shop and even getting yelled at by Kibum for it. Despite that, he still couldn’t help but to be nervous about how you might react. 

Logically, he knew that probably you liked him too based on your actions, the amount of time that the two of you had been spending together and the fact that you let him scent you multiple times. However, he couldn’t get the fact that you two didn’t get along that well when you first met out of his head and he couldn’t help but to think that you might turn him down. You had even said yourself that you rarely accepted gifts so Yoongi knew full well going into this that he was batting a thousand. 

“Yoongi!” He turned around, a small smile automatically coming onto his face when he saw you walking towards him.

“Get it the fuck together,” he whispered quickly to himself before looking back to you. “Hey, how was your day?”

“Good, busy though,” you huffed as you moved past Yoongi and stepped over to your rock, hopping up and taking a seat on top of it. “This is the first time I’ve been able to breathe all day. How about you, how was your day?”

“Good, actually,” he told you. “I can’t really complain.”

“That’s good. So, why did you ask me to meet you here?” You asked. “It sounded serious when you asked.”

“It is serious but not in a bad way,” he assured you. “I have something to show you.”

“Ok?” You chuckled and Yoongi took a deep breath before beginning to talk.

“So, I know the two of us really didn’t get along too well when I first got here and a part of that was because of me being a knothead but as I’ve settled into the pack and have gotten to know everyone here better, I feel like I don’t have to be the knothead that I was anymore,” he explained. “I’m so much happier here than I was in my old pack and as I thought about it, I’ve realized that a lot of that happiness has to do with you.”

“Me?” You echoed with a small smile and Yoongi nodded. 

“Before I got here, I never had anyone, let along an Omega, challenge me on anything but when you did, I couldn’t help but to respect you,” Yoongi said. “And as we’ve gotten to know each other better, I love how passionate you are. You don’t take shit from anyone, regardless of their subgender, but you’re still so fucking caring at the same time. The respect and loyalty that you have for the pack is enviable, and it truly makes me want to be better for the pack as well.”

“I appreciate it Yoongi, but what does this have to do with what you have to show me?” You wondered with a giggle.

“Well basically, I have a gift for you,” he said and your eyes widened a little bit. “You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to, but I wanted to offer it.”

“Can I see it?” You requested and Yoongi nodded, reaching down into his pocket and pulling it out. When he extended his hand towards you and uncurled his fingers, you couldn’t help but to gasp as you looked down. In Yoongi’s palm was a necklace with a wooden pendant in the middle of it. As you looked closer, you realized that the wooden pendant had the shape of your family crest carved into it.

“Yoongi,” you whispered as you looked up at him, tears springing up into your eyes without permission. 

“Taehyung explained the crest to me after I noticed that all three of you had a tattoo of it and I wanted to give you something that I knew would mean something to you so,” he trailed off sheepishly. “Will you accept it?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, making Yoongi’s eyes widen in surprise. “I will.”

“Great,” he chuckled in disbelief. Motioning for you to turn around and waiting until you did so, he unclasped the necklace and set it around your neck before clasping it closed. 

“I love it,” you smiled as you turned back to face him. “You made this yourself?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi confirmed. “I found the wood, carved it, and polished it. It took longer than I wanted because I had to inconspicuously draw Taehyung’s tattoo so that I could carve it right, but I did it.”

“It’s amazing,” you told him honestly. “Plus, it’s about time.”

“Oh is it?” He wondered with a laugh.

“I’ve only been sending you signals since the full moon party,” you admitted. 

“I know, I just wanted to make sure that I could be good for you,” he confessed. “And I think I can.”

“I think you can too,” you agreed, making Yoongi smile. 

“So, we’re dating now?” Yoongi asked for clarification purposes.

“Yeah, that’s what me accepting your gift means,” you laughed. “Unless you just wanted to hear me say it.”

“Kind of,” Yoongi smirked. Instead of replying right away, you stepped forward and pushed your way into his arms, wrapping your arms around his waist and pushing your nose into the juncture of his neck.

“Yes, we’re dating,” you whispered before rubbing your nose along his skin, scenting him. Yoongi smiled as he wrapped his arms around your back, letting your scent envelope him as you made sure to scent him thoroughly. 

“You know, I’m surprised that you said yes,” Yoongi murmured and you pulled away from his neck a little in order to look at him.

“Why?”

“Well, you said it yourself that you don’t really accept gifts and plus, you’re a very wanted Omega,” he chuckled.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” you smiled. “I never said yes to anyone else because they see how strong I am and think that they don’t have to work for me. Like, yeah I’m a pretty progressive Omega but I like to be wined and dined just like any other Omega too.”

“You know, I can do that,” Yoongi told you and you raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What do you mean?” You questioned and Yoongi just smirked conspiratorially. 

“Follow me back to my cabin and I’ll show you.”

............................................

“Ok, I have to admit, I’m extremely impressed,” you admitted from your place perched on top of the counter in Yoongi’s kitchen. You had followed him back to his cabin, where he had already prepared the makings of a beef stew that he was now standing in front of the stove of, cooking it in a large pot. 

“Didn’t think I’d know how to cook huh?” He guessed and you shook your head. 

“Nope,” you shrugged as you leaned over and looked down into the pot. “Well, at least not well.”

“Wanna taste?” He wondered and you nodded your head eagerly. Pulling open a drawer of the opposite side of him and picking a smaller spoon out, Yoongi dipped it into the pot and then held it up to your lips. After blowing on it gently, you opened your mouth, allowing him to feed the stew to you. 

“Wow, that’s really good,” you complimented, making him smile as he lowered the spoon away from your mouth. 

“You know, you accepted my gift and I haven’t even gotten a kiss yet,” he pointed out.

“You never asked for one,” you shot back.

“Oh, I can ask?” Yoongi joked as he moved closer to you.

“Now? Yes,” you nodded.

“Can I have a kiss?” Yoongi whispered and you nodded again, leaning forward a little bit and pressing your lips against his. You reached out and set your hands on his shoulders as he moved closer, while his hands came down to rest on top of your thighs. The kiss quickly became heated, the realization that you could technically kiss Yoongi whenever you wanted to now making your Omega preen like crazy. 

“God, you smell so good,” Yoongi muttered, pulling away from your mouth and trailing his lips downward as you tilted your head to give him better access to your neck.

“Yeah?” You hummed. 

“Mmhmm,” he murmured and you smiled when you felt him press a few gentle kisses right on top of your scent gland. 

“You’re gonna burn the stew,” you told him and his head popped up then, and you heard him curse under his breath as he moved back to stand in front of the stove. 

“You’re obviously too distracting,” he huffed with a smile.

“Well, do you mind if I go look around the cabin?” You wondered and Yoongi shook his head as he began to stir the stew.

“Go ahead.” After hopping down off of the counter, you stepped out of the kitchen and walked into the living room area. Yoongi had been slowly filling up his cabin with pieces of furniture that he designed over the past few weeks, and you could see small little pieces of him throughout the living room. 

There was a medium sized dark navy couch that almost looked to be black, two matching easy chairs, and a dark wood coffee table right in front of the couch. There was also a black fuzzy rug beneath your feet, and you couldn’t help but to enjoy how soft it felt against your bare feet as you walked on top of it. 

“You like it?” Yoongi asked and you turned your head, sending him a small smile as you shrugged.

“Could use more color,” you noted, making him sigh as he leaned against the archway that separated the kitchen from the living room.

“I’m an Alpha, pops of color aren’t my thing,” he told you. 

“It’s still nice though,” you continued on. “It’s cozy.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he smirked. “The stew is done. Did you wanna eat out here or in the kitchen?” 

“Uh, out here is fine,” you said as you moved to walk back into the kitchen but Yoongi held his hand up, stopping you.

“I’ll make you a bowl and bring it back out to you, ok?” He offered and you nodded thankfully.

“Ok,” you replied. He turned around and walked back into the kitchen then while you turned around and walked over to the couch, dropping your body down and taking a seat there. You could hear Yoongi clanking around in the kitchen and soon enough, he was walking back out to you with two bowls, one in each hand. 

“Here you go,” he murmured as he extended one bowl out to you and you took it silently, immediately grabbing the spoon that was already in the bowl and taking a big scoop of it into your mouth. Yoongi watched you closely, trying to decipher your reaction just from your facial expression alone. “So?”

“It’s really good Yoongi,” you complimented him once you had swallowed. “Like, seriously good.”

“Good,” he hummed contentedly as he began to eat from his bowl. The two of you stayed there together, eating your food with small bits of conversation exchanged back and forth in between bites. 

“So, do you consider yourself to be wined and dined?” Yoongi wondered as he gently took your empty bowl out of your hands once you were done, setting both yours and his on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

“Thoroughly wined and dined, literally,” you laughed, making Yoongi do the same. “Wanna know what would make it even better though?”

“What’s that?”

“Scent me?” You requested and Yoongi smiled, wordlessly opening his arms and chuckling when you didn’t hesitate to scoot closer to him and let him pull you against his chest. You rested your cheek on his upper chest as he brought one of his hands up to your neck, gently letting his fingertips ghost over your scent gland on your neck while letting his other hand rub circles onto your scent gland on your wrist. 

“Good?” He whispered and you nodded, snuggling closer to him as you closed your eyes. 

“Really good,” you muttered, and Yoongi couldn’t help but to smile at how relaxed you seemed to be just from his scent. As he sat there with you, covering you in his scent as you wore his gift around your neck, he couldn’t help but to think that maybe finally, finally, his life was going to turn out the way that he had wanted it to when he was a pup. 

............................................

Tag List:  @jikook-enthusiasts @veryuniquenamegoeshere @seolarsyj @littlrmills14-blog

[where-theres-smoak-2]

This Needs To Stop.

Trigger warning: Sensitive topics, p*dopilia, grooming, mental health and r*cism. 

Ok so this is a bit of a rant so apologies for that, I usually try to stay away from sensitive or controversial topics but this is something that I am passionate about and that I think is important. Also I just want to say that I am in no way directing this to the entirety of the M*lina fandom, I know most are just enjoying their ship, but there are those few who are deliberately seeking out darklina posts or are cross tagging and coming into darklina’s asks and just generally harassing the fandom which sadly I am seeing happen more and more often. Also I do feel like this can apply to all fandoms not just exclusively shadow and bone/ grishaverse, its just this is the one I am experiencing it in right now.   

I’ve seen antis call darkling/darklina fans many problematic things, delusional, mentally ill, ab*se apologists. They also like throwing around words like grooming and p*dophile. The thing that makes me angry about this is that they are taking sensitive topics, topics that many users have been effected by and they are using them to attack shippers merely for liking a character or ship that they don’t. What is even more frustrating is they seem to be throwing these words around without evening fully understanding what they even mean. For example the claim that the Darkling is a p*dophile because Alina is only 17 in the books. Well p*dophilia is a psychiatric disorder where adults are attracted to children and in order for it to be classed as p*dophilia the child involved has to be 13 or younger. A 16 year old can be diagnosed as a p*dophile if they become attracted to a child that is five years or more younger than them. So the relationship between the Darkling and Alina does not meet the criteria to be categorised this way as Alina is over the age of 13. As for it being a case of Alina is underaged, well, for one that depends on where in the world you are. This is based on imperial russia, in russia the age of consent is 16. This means that a 16 year old can have a sexual relationship with a 30 year old, a 70 year old or a 500 year old immortal and in a court of law it is still legal, whatever your own moral issues around age gaps might be. Even then it can be argued that it is irrelevant because, as with most historical literature where young girls marry older men, you cannot put modern day concepts onto them. Like I said this story is based on Imperial Russia, the life expectancy of a person in that time was around 30 years old. That means a 15 year old girl is already half way through her life, she is literally middle aged. It is at this point usually that girls started to prepare to get married and have children and yes sometimes it was to an older man because men were expected to provide for their wife and family which means having a house and job and means to support a family which an older man was more likely to have. My point is a 15-17 year old in say Imperial Russia is not the same as a 15-17 year old in modern day therefore you can’t take modern day laws and morals and place them onto that situation, it doesn’t work, they lived completely different lives. In Alina’s world, she is at the age where girls might get married and her being courted by a man of the general’s status would have been a normal occurrence, for her to have caught the attention of someone with his standing would have been considered very advantageous for her. I mean she literally gets two marriage proposals in book 2, where I believe she is still 17, and Nikolai is talking about how if she marries him it’ll be in name only and they can make Mal her guard so she can do the horizontal tango with him whenever she feels like it, so clearly the characters themselves feel like Alina is at an age where she can, one get married, and two be engaging in a sexual relationship. 

So why does all of this matter? Well it matters because people reading these posts, asks and comments left on posts, may be victims of p*dophilia and grooming. A lot of these comments don’t have trigger warnings and when you are talking about sensitive and triggering topics like this you need to be careful and when you are talking about them without even really understanding them, and where they can’t apply to the characters you are talking about anyway, then you are potentially triggering someone needlessly because you didn’t need to be talking about it in the first place, I hope I am making sense there. I am not saying don’t talk about these subjects if you do think they are relevant, I am saying make sure you do the research, that you understand the subject you are addressing and when you do talk about it do it in a respectful manner, don’t throw it out there in an angry spew accompanied by alot of other derogatory words because that won’t help anyone.     

Another subject I want to talk about is I am also seeing a lot of posts about how darklinas must be delusional or mentally unwell. This, again, is hurtful and harmful. Mental illness for a very long time has had a stigma around it, one that makes the person suffering from it feel weak and ashamed. There was always the attitude of if you are mentally ill then there is something wrong with you, or the attitude of oh just get over it, cheer up, think a different way. But mental illness isn’t just a state of emotion its often caused by hormonal imbalances and chemicals. Genetics can also play a part. There is nothing wrong with someone who is mentally ill their brain is just wired a different way. I also find it problematic when people throw around the word delusional. Maybe its nothing to you, just a word, but alot of mental illnesses have actual delusions as one of their symptoms. These can be scary and upsetting and are outside the control of the person experiencing them. Making the suggestion that liking a particular ships means you are delusional is potentially very triggering to those who do battle delusions and have fought to overcome them. The stigma around mental illness has prevented alot of people suffering from mental illness from seeking help out of shame or embarrassment or even out of fear of being judged and although I do feel like as a society we’ve become alot more open about mental health and alot more accepting there is still a long way to go. When antis start saying things like ‘I can’t believe people ship this, they must be mentally ill,’ or ‘they must be sick in the head’, or ‘if you like this ship than you must be delusional’ not only are they being incredibly prejudice against people who have mental illnesses but it is also so harmful because if there is someone reading that post who is struggling with their mental health and are considering seeking help then you’ve just made them feel more ashamed, more like there is something wrong with them which will make them even less likely to seek out help and as I said before there isn’t anything wrong with a person who has a mental health condition they are just different from you. That doesn’t give you the right to make them feel like they are less capable of deciding what they do or do not like or even what they should or should not like to be classified as a ‘normal’ person. 

The most latest problematic statements I’ve seen have been those accusing Darklina’s of being r*cist. This one I found a bit funny in a it’s not funny kind of way. I just don’t think there is much logic behind this view point. I’m not sure I understand the antis reasoning here. Mostly because I’m pretty sure the majority of the Darklina fandom comes from the books where Mal is described as being a white, brown haired, blue eyed guy. Funnily enough the Darkling is described as being able to pass for Shu, though to be clear it isn’t confirmed that he is a POC, but out of the two in the books the Darkling is more likely to be a POC than Mal. On top of that whilst many darklina fans have made it clear they are not a fan of Mal in the books many have said they like the show version of Mal who, as we all know, the actor Archie is a POC. So by anti logic darklinas are all r*cist because they don’t like book Mal who is depicted as white but we do like show Mal who is a POC. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I do understand that there were some ‘fans’ who made inappropriate and r*cist comments to some cast members including Archie and I would never ever condone that no matter who I ship. But you also can’t condemn an entire fandom just because of the actions of a select few. I don’t judge all M*linas for that one fan who accused Ben of being a pr*dator and p*dophile because of his friendship with Jessie. Once again my point is r*cism is a serious topic and not something someone should use as a retort or comeback to someone not shipping your ship. When we use these words casually it makes it less likely that they’ll be taking seriously when they really do need to be taken seriously, when they really are relevant to what is happening. If we keep using them so casually then when we really do need to talk about them, when it really matters, people will just shrug and go ‘its just antis being antis.’ 

I think it is possible for people to like different things, to debate and analyse different relationships and characters and talk about what flaws they may have in a respectful manner. I wouldn’t say I am anti m*lina but at the same time there are things about them that I find problematic but when I talk about those things I hope I do so in a way that doesn’t demean those who do like the ship. I understand that people will have a different interpretation than me and whilst I might not understand where their thinking comes from or why they have a particular opinion I would never make the assumption that they are mentally unwell or make judgements on their character or morals. I try to think about the words I am writing. I know how easy it can be to just throw a word out there without thinking about it. I used to use the word delusional to describe fans of certain ships, but when I recognised how damaging and problematic that was I stopped and I changed my behaviour because it was never my intention to hurt others. I guess the main message I am trying to convey here is we need to be careful with our words they’re not as insignificant as we might think.                

[shewhospeakswiththunder]

Perhaps you’re feeling bored at home or, if considered an “essential” worker like me, you need a little fun and stress relief. Here is my masterpost of fic recs from my two years of reading so far. Maybe you’ll find something new, or reconnect with an old favorite. Either way--

Enjoy! 😷💕

Reylo Fics that Deserve All the Love

Near Kinsman by englishable

Englishable is just one of the best writers I’ve encountered in fandom. This historical western mail order bride AU is top notch quality.

The Masochism of Self-Defence by greyorchids

The Reylo dynamic in this Boston PD AU is steamy, but also heartfelt. 

So Much Thin Glass by walkingsaladshooter

Never knew I loved modern day Gothic AUs until I ran across this one.

Heaven Forbid by DarkKnightDarkSide

I was stunned by the author’s creativity in this Priestlo fic. So smutty. So... inventive 😉🔥

Sonder by deathbyhumidity

Two strangers passing each other by on the train. Soft, dreamlike, somber, poignant. Modern AU.

And Still I Would Remember by Inmyownidiom

A Victorian era AU of two souls that parted and come crashing back together.

So, You've Decided to Glamour a Human Girl. by selunchen

Faeries AU! Ben, a fae, and Rey, a human. Shenanigans ensue.

Live Long, and Prosper by SaintHeretical

For the Reylo Trekkies. Hell, even if you don't do Star Trek, read this. PHENOMENAL.

Mr. Solo & Miss Wellfound by LinearA

“Regency/Victorian AU, Ben sees Rey's stockinged ankle by accident.”

Diyari by Nervoustouch

Modern archeologists AU. Snarky banter with dashes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Sahara vibes.

Drawn to the light of your burning sorrows by Kyriadamorte

The Mothlo AU you didn’t know you needed. Both gritty and soft.

Crown Glass by RebelRebel

Fantasy AU, with lots of beautiful imagery and engaging character dynamics.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA

NYC Jewish Leia and Ben. Skillfully layered plot, nuanced characterization. Smut is HOT.

By the Shores of Varykino Lake by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

Unhealthy dynamics, definitely read the tags. “There’s a lot of fucked-up-ness”, in the author’s own words. But it’s good writing. Fair warning.

Let Me Put My Darkness In You by ArdeaJestin

Canonverse. Hux is an insufferable, pompous ass and Kylo Ren writes terrible, melodramatic poetry.

Wintertide by Zabeta

Whimsical and primitive in turn, this lives up to the style of a true fairytale AU.

The Forty Thieves by PoetHrotsvitha

Peaky Blinders/Gangsters AU. Rey starts as Ben’s bartender and ends up as so much more.

I Said to My Soul, Be Still by LinearA

Dark!Rey takes her man. 🥵🔥💕

Hux's Rousing Pep Talks by Riels_shorts

This fic is hysterical. It’s not Reylo, and I don’t care. My list, my rules.

It's All I Can Do To Leave You Alone by TazWren

Office AU. Silly, spunky, with a bashful Ben. 

Sip the Honey Sweet by dietplainlite

Anne of Green Gables-esque/Edwardian era AU, the title really says it all.

The Pull to the Light by HarpiaHarpyja

Entrancingly macabre. This modern/fantasy/monsters AU catches your attention from the get-go, and never lets you off the hook.

lay then the axe to the root by sciosophia

All the Bronte goodness, plus smut.

The Golden Age by TourmalineGreen

Golden Age of Hollywood AU in which Ben is a jaded actor in serious need of an image fix, in the form of fresh-faced actress Rey.

Never Be Your Curse by Kate_Reid 

Kylo Ren is a go-go dancer in this AU. That was enough to get my attention 😘

Gallows God by Killtheselights

Bursting with deliciously grim imagery, an intelligent take on Norse mythology.

Thunderstorms, Clouds, Snow, and a Slight Drizzle by aNerdObsessed

Who doesn’t love an ugly sweater Christmas party? Ben Solo, that’s who. All the nostalgic wintertime feels in this modern AU.

Though My Soul Has Set in Darkness by englishable

It’s not long, but it’s good. A lyrical dive into the mindspace of child Ben Solo. A true gem. Also not technically Reylo. Still don’t care.

I Dare You by tinylittlebrain

Daredevil Kylo has pissed off ER doc Rey Kenobi for the last time. Spicy!

stuck in colder weather by redbelles

Professor Ren stops grad student Rey from biking home in a snow storm. And takes her to his home. You can guess where this goes 😉

Between Sky and Sea by nessalk

Serious Indiana Jones vibes with a Caribbean flair. Painstakingly researched, and moments of true beauty and joy.

But Before Tomorrow by Kate_Reid

Such good writing. Canonverse.

The Sword of Prince Hector by englishable

Exploration of what redemption might feel like for Ben, canonverse. 

if compassion be the breath of life, breathe on me by Victoryindeath2

All the angst and unknowns that we were left with in the wake of TLJ are soothed in this canonverse piece.

build a ladder to the stars by redbelles

An exploration of events post-Crait. Fantastic, beautifully written.

nor are we forgiven (which brings us back) by TolkienGirl

Both Kylo and Rey get to see what life would have been like if they both got exactly what they thought they wanted after TLJ. Fascinating read. 

Forsworn by Erulisse17

This Mando/ST crossover has everything you could want--action, witty banter, space romance! So much fun!

Reylo Favorites & Classics

One Shots

59 Minutes by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

For Science by KyloTrashForever, ohwise1ne

He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8

light carries on endlessly by lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora)

Grey by ocjones

The Idiot's Guide to Flirting by Violetwilson

High School/College AU

I Caught Fire by KyloTrashForever

Mountain Springs High School by animal

Epithumia by pontmercy44

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth

Office/Workplace AU

Sensual Storytime by andabatae

The Food of Love by LovesBitca8

Historical/Dystopia AU

Hiraeth by Ferasha

a manner of virtue by neonheartbeat

The lamb's thirst by animal

Wanted by Inmyownidiom

She Who Would be Queen by sasstasticmad

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives

ABO

Knot My First Time by KyloTrashForever

Canonverse/Canon-divergent

variations on a theme of you by diasterisms (Reydar)

i will be the wolf by diasterisms

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink

The Death of Kylo Ren by nymja

World In My Eyes by sasstasticmad

i'm always in this twilight (in the shadow of your heart) by diasterisms

Catch Me I’m Falling by violethoure666

Sword of the Jedi by diasterisms

You'll Be the One to Turn by postedbygaslight

Dark Crown by Violetwilson

Harry Potter AU

Nocturnal Studies And Other Peculiar Magic by WaterlilyRose

Otherwise Modern AU

Pretense by Celia_and

Insta-heart by slipgoingunder

Serotonin and Dopamine by pontmercy44

The Elusive Mating Dance of the Porgus Adorabilis by andabatae

Hanging by a Moment by crossingwinter

WAR DOGS by fulcrumstardust

miles from where you are by Mooncactus

Charcoal by luvkurai

Stay by jeeno2

coarse and rough and irritating by frak-all (or_ryn)

Blades Crossed by the-reylo-void (Anysia)

Embers by sciosophia

Mitan, Midi by animal

Janus by englishable

Say My Name by Graendoll

Thank You for The Music by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

darling, so it goes by akosmia

This is the Sign You've Been Looking For by RebelRebel

Broken Things by midnightbluefox

One-Night Stand by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

The Rebel Side of Heaven by jeeno2

On The Bumpy Road (To Love) by violethoure666

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove

I’d Like My Obituary to Hint at a Sequel by Violetwilson

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson

Not Reylo, Still Awesome

Gingerflower/Gingerrose, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico 

Between Sand and Sea by Brit Hux-Tico (birchwoods01)

If Ever I Would Leave You by Weddersins

Her Yellow Rainboots by Weddersins

Merrical, Cal Kestis/Merrin (Jedi: Fallen Order)

The Stars Alight by FlyingMachine

Heavy Ice by FlyingMachine

Caltrilla, Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri (Jedi: Fallen Order)

No One Else by xanderwilde

call it what you want by xanderwilde

tear you to pieces by xanderwilde

Dramione, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter Universe)

Now Is A Gift by SenLinYu

Sex and Occlumency by Graendoll

Zutara, Katara/Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

oracle bones by an orphaned account

Fics by Me

Virtue Ethics

Reylo College AU (completed)

Dr. Ben Solo, adjunct philosophy professor and part-time martial arts instructor, discovers a young woman in his Intro to Philosophy course whom he thinks may not actually be enrolled at the University.

Chiasmus

Reylo Role-reversal canonverse AU (WIP)

Scourge of the galaxy, Kira Ren, is tasked by the First Order to eliminate the last of the Jedi. When she captures hotshot podracer Ben Solo to extract Luke Skywalker’s location from him, things do not go according to plan. 

This Dance of Light, This Sacred Blessing

Snapshots of a modern Reylo AU. Smutty, prosey one-shot.

Listen Up, Kid

Canonverse Reylo Post TLJ one-shot

The ghosts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's past are back to haunt him with a vengeance. A well-meaning, familial kind of vengeance. Or, A Star Wars Carol.

Ben’s Body

Reylo Modern AU (completed)

Rey is an up and coming sculptor specialising in human shape and form. Her new next door neighbour has a body to die for and she's determined to preserve it in marble forever. Now she just has to convince dashing and reclusive Ben to model for her. Preferably naked.

Growin’ Up

Reylo High School AU (completed)

Ben Solo was supposed to only be ruining his own life with his bad decisions. Rey Niima was just trying to pay attention in class. Both get stuck in detention.

Seven Texts, 2 AM

Reylo Modern AU, smutty one-shot

Ben has good reasons not to have sex with his neighbor, Rey. She has other ideas.

Song of the Forest

Reylo Fantasy/BatB/Fairytale AU (completed)

Once upon a time, a girl with an unknown past appeared on the doorsteps of a lord’s manor, and now the forest at the edge of the lord’s property is calling to her.

A Season of Frost & Warmth

Modern Reylo P&P AU (completed)

When Ben shows up to a Halloween party with no costume, it only confirms Rey’s certainty that he is the world’s biggest jerk. Until it comes to light that maybe... he isn’t. 

Follow Me Home

Modern Werewolf Reylo AU (completed)

Rey gets stone drunk and brings home a big cute husky she found in an alley. The next morning, she finds a naked man built like a fridge sleeping on her living room floor, and no dog in sight.

The Gentleness That Comes

Reylo Modern AU one-shot

Underground boxer!Ben is resigned to his life of violence, until he meets a pretty new bartender one night.

Unlikely, Unbidden, Unbound

Gingerflower canonverse AU (WIP)

General Hux is imprisoned by the Resistance when the First Order falls. He had known his death was coming, it was simply a matter of course. He’s disappointed to learn the Resistance has other plans, and an unwavering policy of giving people second chances.

@thereylowritingden @reylofic @nancylovesreylo @grlie-girl @lilia-ula @greyforceuser @tazwren @mhcalamas

[angelbabyszn]

Is it alright if you make a ruby Martinez x reader imagine. Where ruby likes the reader but gets jealous when any boy comes near her.

Be My Princesa (Ruby X Reader)

Requested!

OMB Masterlist

"Did...I...made it?" asked Ruby while trying to catch his breath with his supplies for math standing in front of the table where Cesar and Jamal were already sitting after running up the stairs in school.

"Um yeah. School starts literally in two minutes. Where were you?" asked Cesar as Ruby sat next to Jamal across from Cesar after catching his breath.

"The twins. They have an accident...again." said Ruby rolling his eyes in annoyance and Cesar nodded in agreement knowing the twins are a handful.

"So guys, are we going to talk about what happened last night?" whispered Jamal and Cesar and Ruby quickly turned their heads to Jamal.

"Not here. I can't believe that chica making four teenagers find a grown man." said Ruby in annoyance and he pinches his forehead with two fingers of his right hand to release stress.

"Don't stress about it. Just see what's behind me a few feet." said Cesar looking at Ruby with a grin.

"What are you talking abo-" started Ruby as he leaned his body to the right to see what was behind him a few feet. He stopped and started to stare to see you, his crush walking into class.

You were wearing a white shirted puff sleeve blouse with light colored jeans that hugged your body, your favorite color vans, silver jewelry, and your hair in a high ponytail.

"Wow..." said Ruby and he starts to stare at every detail on your beautiful face. He put his right elbow on the table, put his right cheek on his right hand still staring at you in happiness as you were walking in slow motion in his eyes.

Seeing you everyday at school makes Ruby full of joy and he wants to be your boyfriend so bad. He dreams about it almost every night.

"Ruby..." said Jamal looking at him weirdly but he didn't acknowledge Jamal.

Jamal put his left hand in front of Ruby's face and waved it up and down to get his attention but it didn't work.

"I told you Ruby was in deep." said Cesar and Jamal stopped waving his hand in front of Ruby's face.

You walked through the classroom until you heard somebody called your name. You turn your head and you see a boy waving over for you to sit next to him. You decided to, which Ruby got out of his stare.

"What is she doing with him?!" asked Ruby a bit louder than his regular voice and standing out of his seat, making some people start to look at him.

"Dude, sit down. You are causing attention to yourself." said Jamal and Ruby slowly sits down as he stares at the guy furiously talking to you a few feet away. 

"What is he doing with my princesa?" asked Ruby, still staring angrily at both of you. 

"They're just talking. She probably friends with him." said Cesar, looking from you and the boy to Ruby.

"Or he's trying to get my girl." said Ruby and his eyes were full of anger as he saw you giggling from one of the guy's jokes.

"That's it. I'm going over there." said Ruby getting up again angrily until the school bell rings.

"Save by the bell." said Jamal and Ruby turned and looked at him angrily.

"Don't look at me. You were about to make a huge mistake, mano." said Jamal with his hands up in offense and he took out his notebook to do the warm up.

Ruby slowly sits down again, following Jamal's actions. Ruby looks at you and the guy again to see you two helping each other out. Ruby's heart was burned even more in jealousy.

"Everyone, we have a new student in the class today." said the math teacher, Mr. Hamilton and the whole class looked up from their notebooks and looked at him up in the front.

A girl walked in and slowly tuned to the class with a shy smile and her supplies. Her appearance made Ruby widen his eyes.

"Everyone, I'll like to welcome Olivia. You can sit in any seat that hasn't been taken yet." said Mr. Hamilton and Olivia nodded and she immediately walked and sat across from Ruby and next to Cesar.

"Hi Ruby." said Olivia as she took out her notebook from the supplies she sat next to her.

"Hey Olivia." said Ruby and started to glance at her, which Jamal noticed.

"I'm glad I won't be alone in this extra math help session." said Olivia with a smile at him and start to work on the problems on the board.

The boys started to work on the problems again and a few moments later, Ruby looked up from his paper to see Olivia concentrating on the problem and seeing all of her details on her face which made his heart beat.

Jamal looks up from his paper and looks at Cesar. He made a small noise which made Cesar lookup. Jamal leans his head to the right repeatedly and Cesar turns his head to see Ruby literally staring at Olivia, causing his eyes to widen.

Cesar nodded to Jamal knowing what they need to do later on today and they continue working on their problems. 

-

"See y'all ladies later. We got this." said Cesar as Jasmine, Olivia, and Monse start to get up and go out the door of Ruby’s house to get new clothes at the mall. 

"Are you sure y'all got this? This is the godmother of the Santos we're talking about." said Olivia looking at the guys.

"Don't worry. I'm the leader so I know what I'm doing." said Jamal and showed everybody the name tag underneath his jacket he was wearing on his chest that reads leader.

"I don't trust them. Let's stay here." said Monse starting to walk back into the house until Olivia got Monse by her right arm, and back up while starting to pull Monse towards the door.

"Come on chicas! I need a new dress for homecoming!" shouted Jasmine outside. She took Monse from Olivia to get her out of the door before she said another sassy response.

"Bye boys. Bye Ruby." said Olivia, turning back at the boys with a smile in the doorway, causing Ruby to gain a huge grin on his face.

"Bye princesa. Be safe." said Ruby looking at Olivia. She gains a pink blush on her face and she closes the front door behind her.

"So, what's the plan to get Chivo talking?" said Ruby spinning around to his guy friends ready to find Lil Ricky.

"Oh, there's no plan. Or at least not yet. I think he likes brownies." said Jamal. Ruby rolled his eyes knowing Jamal was in motion of one of his useless ideas.

"I'm getting the girls." said Ruby, turning around again and starting to walk to the front door until Cesar quickly stopped him. 

"Ruby, no. We need to talk about something else." said Cesar and Ruby stays silent.

"Y/N and Olivia." said Jamal, causing Ruby to widen his eyes. He sat down on the couch with thoughts flowing through his mind as Cesar and Jamal joined him on both sides. 

"Am I a bad person that I like both of them?" said Ruby with his head down. 

"No. It's normal but the real question is...who do you like more?" asked Cesar looking at Ruby. Ruby looked at Cesar with a puzzled face. 

"I guess I'll figure out how to save our lives which I remind you, at stake by myself!" said Jamal, coming into a shout at the end of his sentence at Cesar and Ruby. They didn’t pay attention to him. 

"I should've left out of here when I had the chance with the money that I've found on my own." said Jamal underneath his breath and got up from the couch. He went back to the dining table to start making a plan to start finding Lil Ricky.

-

A few days later, it was Saturday afternoon and Ruby was looking through every Instagram photo you posted. He refreshes it every hour to see if you posted anything new on his bed.

"Hey Ruby."

Ruby quickly faces his phone down on his bed and quickly sits up to see Olivia standing at the doorway of his bedroom.

"What's up Olivia." said Ruby with a shy smile and he chuckled a little bit to try to act normal.

"Since your mom and Abuela are out with twins and your dad is working, I was wondering if you hang out together today." asked Olivia with a smile. Ruby quickly got up and went up to Olivia with a grin on his face.

"Really?! You want us to be together today?!"

"Yeah. I heard there was a Freeridge Festival going on today and thought we could invite the gang and have fun together." said Olivia. 

Ruby’s grin fades away for a moment because she wants to hang out with the gang instead of him by themselves.

"Oh um, they are all at the festival right now actually. But just as...couples. Or at least, Cesar and Monse are. You know. Don't wanna be the third wheel." said Ruby with a small chuckle.

"Oh really? What about Jamal and Jasmine?" asked Olivia looking at Ruby with a curious face.

"Jamal's with Kendra. Jasmine with her family.  So...would you like to hang out with me?" asked Ruby shyly. He started to get nervous because Olivia didn't respond after his question immediately. 

"Sure. Why not. I'll get ready." said Olivia and she closed the door as she left Ruby's room.

Ruby quickly goes back to his phone and  immediately goes to your Snapchat and he saw you posted a new story. His heart beats when he sees you holding a teddy bear that you won at one of the games of the carnival.

"Perfecto." said Ruby and he starts to get ready to go to the festival.

-

Olivia took time yesterday and made you go to the festival today for a "surprise" at the end of the day. She knew a lot about Ruby because he was an open book so she already knows he's going to try to be a gentleman around her to impress you.

The only problem is how to get both of you talking and Ruby confessing to you. It would just have to be something Olivia has to come up in her mind and hopefully fast before the day is over.

"What games do you want to play first?" asked Ruby to Olivia as they walked through the festival. Ruby slowly tries to grab Olivia's hand but he keeps on backing out.

Olivia looks ahead and she sees you talking to Monse at a table while Cesar was getting her some food.

You turned your head and your face suddenly changed. You started to stare when you saw Olivia and Ruby holding hands while walking past you.

"Y/N? You okay?" asked Monse leaning towards you to see your face again. You quickly look back at her with a fake smile plastered on your face..

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm great actually." you said and Cesar came back to the table with food, saving you from Monse's response.

-

Throughout the day, wherever you were, Ruby and Olivia were at the same place. You see Ruby treating Olivia like the good guy he was and you feel a type of way.

"Y/N, I got us tickets for a drive in a few blocks here. Do you want to go?" asked Rome, the guy who was talking to you all week and who you were hanging out with all day.

"Um, sure. Give me a few minutes."  you said and he grew a bright grin and walked back to his car.

You were standing at the entrance of the festival with your phone out checking on the time. The festival was almost over and people were starting to leave and the workers were starting to take it down.

"I hope Olivia didn't lie to me. It's already bad enough that she has the guy I really want." you said underneath your breath as you start to look around you to see anything out of normal. 

You give up and you start walking to Rome. By the time you get there, you see him making out with another girl on the driver's side of his car.

You stare at them with stink eyes for a few moments until you fake cough. It caused Rome and the girl to stop and his eyes widened seeing you with a furious face and your arms crossed against your chest. 

"Y/N! I can-"

"F*ck you, Rome. I was actually starting to like you but you're just like every single guy in Freeridge: players." you shouted at them and turned around, walked away angrily.

You walked back to the entrance and started to call your mom to pick you up. After the call, you walk over to the swings and start to swing slowly as you wait for your mom to pick you up.

It was too true to be true. For once, you wish somebody here would stay with you and not have anybody by their side as a fun toy.

"You know, I could treat you better than that jerk."

You turn your head to the right to see Ruby looking at you on the next swing.

"Trust me. I know you could. You're way better than them." you said.

"Thanks for the acknowledgement, Y/N." said Ruby and you nodded with a smile. 

"I guess I won't ever find the person who really likes me and actually wants to be with me for years." you said and looked down with a sad face on your face.

"You can find him in seconds." said Ruby and you looked back up and back at Ruby with a confused face.

Ruby got up from the swing and got in front of you on the swing to be in front of him.

"Y/N...I really like you. You're on my mind every second of the day and I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't have you soon in my arms and call you mine. I would have treated you like the princesa you are today at the festival if you were with me. I would make your world everyday if you just be with me. Please, princesa." said Ruby finally confessing his feelings for you.

Ruby slowly grabs both of your hands and pulls you off of the swing. You looked at him with a small smile as a tear started to fall down your right eye.

"Princess, why are you crying?" asked Ruby as he slowly wiped the tear coming down your cheek with his left hand softly.

"It's just nobody hasn't told me that before that I never actually believed it." you said with watery eyes. Ruby smiled softly as he started to caress your left cheek with his left hand.

"Can you be my princesa, Y/N?" asked Ruby as he holds your chin with his left hand while staring into your eyes.

You nodded and Ruby slowly kissed you. You felt warmth going through your soul and full of happiness.

"Finally!"

You and Ruby quickly turn your heads to the direction of the voice, ending the kiss to see Olivia jumping up and down with her phone that she was recording the whole scene in her hand.

"I have a feeling this was the 'surprise' I was expecting today." you said while looking at Olivia with a smile in her face and squealing at the same time due to the cuteness of both of you.

"And I have a feeling of kissing you again." said Ruby looking at you. He pulls your face to connect your lips with his again. 

Ruby was over the moon, finally getting what he really wanted forever: you.

[daydreamingsora-fics]

gn! reader with Trichotillomania

Rq: Are you alright with writing about a mental disorder? Trichotillomania? It’s totally fine if you’re not! （╹◡╹） I think a simple head cannon would do! Could the characters be: Yachi, Tsukishima, Akaashi, and possibly Osamu? Ah, gender neutral. Most definitely. A fluff! They’re fluffy uwu. What exactly is trichotillomania? Well, it’s a mental disorder and it has your pulling out your own hair. And most of time it’s difficult to resist the urge to pull. My family isn’t very supportive of this problem I have, so it would be nice to imagine a supportive HQ character... Could we have the reader admitting they have trichotillomania and then the character doing a bunch of research to help them out? 

A/N: Hello! I hope you’re doing well and having a great time. Sorry if this request took a while in posting. I did a small research about Trichotillomania and I hope you find some ways to resist it, even though I know it’s not that easy. I also hope you overcome it! I will always support you! anyways, here’s your request , I hope you enjoy this. Have a great day! as always take care and stay safe everyone! THIS IS ALSO UNEDITED.

WARNINGS: mention of mental disorder

CHARACTERS: Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei, Akaashi Keiji, & Miya Osamu

YACHI  HITOKA

at first, Yachi didn’t notice your actions of pulling your hair off but she notice that how wispy your hair is.

so she thought having wispy hair was only part of your genes.

but when she saw your parents, none of them have wispy hairs, hence their hair are silkier.

so one time when the two of your are walking home, she asked you on why your hair is not like your parents’t

you went on silent for a while but then admitted to her that you are experiencing trichotillomania. 

she was confused at first as was not familiar what it is about but you then explained to her the meaning of it and she suddenly had an internal crisis.

she immediately bowed down 90 degrees, and repeatedly said sorry to you.

“Sorry, Y/N-san! I didn’t know” 

“Sorry for judging you!”

“I’m such a bad person”

you just laughed at her and told her it was fine  then continued walking home. 

as soon as Yachi arrived in her house, she immediately went to her room and did some research about your condition and looked for some ways to overcome it.

she wanted to help to you to overcome your disorder, so she listed everthing that could actually help you. 

on the next day, when Yachi sees you on your classroom, she immediately went you and told you about what she researched.

she gave you 2 pages lists of ways that could help you in overcoming your disorder. 

“Y/N! I did some research about trichotillomania and some ways to overcome it! I listed all the ways that could help you and if you find it difficult, I could help you!”

Yachi said as she gave an eye smile that made your heartbeat skipped.

“Oh! let me read the things you can do—”

she started to ramble about it and you just chuckled on how excited she is, as she tells you about it.

“chill, yachi, I’m currently having my therapy but this would also help me a lot. thank you so much!”

you pulled her into a hug which made yachi’s face turns to red but she also hugs you back.

you are grateful to have her in your life, you’ve never felt supported like this before.

with Yachi being this supportive, you can’t help but feel more motivated and more confident wit yourself.

TSUKISHIMA KEI

Tsukisihima might act that he doesn’t care but deep inside he truly cares. 

he observes your actions and distinguish that you have this habit of pulling off the strand of your hair. 

at first, he thought you only does this habit when you feel stress and worn out. 

but eventually found out that you always does that.

he mostly sees you does that absentmindledly. 

one time, when the two of you are relaxing in the living room of your shared apartment, he catches you pulling the strand of your hair.

before your could pull another strand of your hair, he intertwined his hand to yours and brings it down between your thigh and his.

you were taken by surprise when he does that and looked his face then notice that there’s a hint of blush on his face. 

“why do you always pull the strand of your hair?” 

he straightforwardly asks you as he kept his gaze on the television but his attention is on you.

you looked down on your intertwined hands as you bit your lips, thinking if you should told him about your disorder. 

you remained quiet for a while and tsukishima notices your silence, so he gave your hand a light squeeze as a sign of assurance. 

“well you know, since I was a kid, I always pull my hair and my parents noticed that so they brought me to a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed of trichotillomania.”

Tsukishima was actually shocked when he heard about your mental disorder.

but even so, he remained calm. 

he asked you if you took therapy before and told him yes but it didn’t turns out well. 

After he learned about your disorder, he actually look for some ways to resist on pulling your hair.

he secretly did some research on how to overcome your condition. 

he actually helps you with resisting the urge of doing it.

one time, when you are stressing over college, tsukishima immediately notice how your hands starts to fidget and how you scratches your head.  

he knew that you’re having the urge to pull your hair out again, so he took some scratch papers and gave it you. 

your attention diverted to the scratch papers he is handing to you and stares at it with some confusion. 

“Tear this apart, dumbass. rather than pulling your hair out because of stress, vent your stress here in the scratch papers by tearing it apart.”

he said it while his hand is resting on the back of his neck.

you cooed at him as he sent you a glare and let out a “tch”

you went to him and gave him a tight hug then kissed him on his cheeks which made him blush.

you gave him a soft smile that made his gaze softened the also gave you kiss on your forehead. 

he will help you to overcome your disorder, and he will be there for you every time. 

AKAASHI KEIJI

he had already notices your actions in pulling your hair and he also catches you on how you tug handful of your hairs when you feel stress or worn out. 

he knew that this is not just a bad habit of yours, so he did some research and knew that your actions are similar to the people who are experiencing trichotillomania.

one time, when the two of you were just hanging out in the living of your shared apartment, he catches you absentmindedly, pulling some strands of your hair as you watch the series on the tv.

Akaashi’s eyes widen when he saw you’re about to put the strand into your mouth. 

but before you could do it, he immediately took your hand away from your mouth and rest it on his lap.

“Y/N! don’t eat your hair!” 

his eyes are still wide open and his worries can be heard in his voice while the grip on your hand went tighter.

you were shocked for a second by his action but then your gaze went your lap.

you bit your lips as you felt embarrassed for yourselves and worry about akaashi leaving you if he find out about your mental disorder. 

Akaashi let out a sigh as he intertwined his hand to yours and gave light squeeze. 

he knew that it’s about time to ask you, if you really are experiencing a trichotillomania.

“love, do you perhaps experience trichotillomania?” he carefully ask.

your gaze went from your lap to his eyes when you heard his questions.

your eyes are wide open as you didn’t expect him to know about the mental disorder and you eventually confirmed it to him with a silent nod.

he asked you if you ever had a therapy and you answered him that you didn’t as your family doesn’t really support you with your mental disorder.

they only think that it’s a bad habit of yours and you’re just over reacting to it. 

after he heard about it, he pulled you into a tight hug and cradled you in his lap.

he patted your head and you some comforting words as you lay your head on his shoulders. 

ever since then, he started helping you to overcome it and stops you when you urges to pull your hair. 

he did a lot research on how to overcome it and suggest some ways to you.

he even encourages you to attend therapy as he reassures you he will be by your side every session.

the two of you does it step by step until you fully overcome your trichotillomania.

MIYA OSAMU

Osamu is like tsukishima, he will notice your actions and will confront you about it.

he is at first confused on why you do that as you doesn’t seem look stress and you always show your jolliness.

but when he learned about your situation, he will then do his research about it. 

he would even ask his brother on what he does when he feels anxious, stress or worn out. 

but the only answer he got from him Atsumu is play volleyball. 

Osamu would most likely tries to distract you so you could prevent yourself from pulling your hair off. 

he would always ask your for some assistance in the kitchen.

the two of you would make onigiri together which you probably enjoy. 

when the two of you are in the apartment, the two of you cooks together.

however, even though you cooking can distract your hands, you still have the urge to pull your hair off. 

with that, osamu suggested some habits for you to pay attention with. 

one of his suggestion is cross stitching, which actually lead the two of you to be somehow addicted to it. 

the two of you enjoys doing cross stitch together, especially when the two of you do it as a competition.

which one looks better, or which one is way more cuter. 

cross stitch really helps you lot to distract your hands and it also gives you a peace of mind. 

however, even though, you busy yourselves with cooking and cross stitch, there were still time where you can resist and that’s when you’re feeling frustrated. 

so with that, Osamu suggest you to have a therapy.

he even promised to you the he will be there with you and will never leave your side. 

Osamu is the type of person that is quiet around with other people, and they may think that he don’t care about his surrounding. 

but with you, he always care and you will always be part of his priority. 

[dilly-oh]

Sleep With Me

Kakashi is woken up from a dead sleep at three in the morning by an urgent text from Genma. 

EMERGENCY!!, it says. He quickly sits up, a spike of panic shocking him fully awake as he’s dosed with adrenaline. He stares at his phone, anxiously waiting for the flashing dots to spell out: WE NEED CONDOMS, STAT!

Fucking Genma. He lies back down. 

Another text. YOU OWE ME FOR WATCHING THE DOGS.

...Fucking Genma. Kakashi gets up.

GET A BOX OF CONDOMS, Genma adds as Kakashi tugs on his boots. He shudders at the reasoning behind it. What the hell were he and Raido up to at three in the fucking morning, a sex marathon? Were they trying for the world record? Whatever, he just needs to stumble down the street to one of the nearby convenience stores and buy a box of condoms. Genma lives a few floors down so he can drop them off at the door before crawling back up the stairs and collapsing into his bed. His wonderfully soft, cozy bed.

He hopes it’ll still be warm by the time he gets back. 

It’s way past midnight and all the respectable convenience stores are closed, so Kakashi has to bite the bullet and settle on the least-skuzzy of all the skuzzy 24-hour shops, the one on the corner with the cracked window and perpetual smell of urine. There’s a hobo by the dumpster outside, but he’s busy arguing with a pigeon so Kakashi is able to sidle around him and approach the front entrance, a bell tinkling rather sadly above his head. The hum of the fluorescent lights should be added to the list of known torture methods, and Kakashi does his best to ignore the incessant buzz as he walks along the poorly-lit aisles, trying to find the item in question so he can leave before he catches something.

The condom section of this store is disturbingly well-stocked, and Kakashi spends a good five minutes uncertain on which brand and variety to buy. He has an internal debate on whether to buy ‘ribbed’ or ‘studded’, unsure of the difference or which Raido would prefer. He finally settles on one of the flavored variety, cherry, because who doesn’t like cherries, right? He grabs the box and heads to the front.

Standing in line with the other half-awake zombies, Kakashi yawns, his jaw creaking spectacularly. It really is late and he’s looking forward to kicking down Genma’s door, whipping the box of condoms at him, turning his phone off, and going the fuck back to sleep. He peeks impatiently over the shoulder of the man in front of him to see how close he is to the register-

Oh. God. Oh GOD.

The cashier is hot. He’s smoking hot and Kakashi hasn’t brushed his hair all day and has bad breath and bags under his eyes and a box of condoms in his hands.

OH GOD.

Long, luscious hair pulled back into a low ponytail, dark eyes with even darker lashes, and that TAN. Is it natural? Is he that toasty…all over? Fuck, he can see muscles flexing beneath his shirt when he moves, he’s fucking ripped. Abort. ABORT. There is absolutely no way Kakashi is going to greet this ethereal being of his wicked fantasies with a box of fucking condoms in his hands. But it’s already too late, the customer in front has been dealt with and the hot cashier has spotted him next in line and is waving him over, fuck, SHIT, he’s screwed. He’s made eye contact, there’s no backing out of this now. Fight or flight instincts take over, and Kakashi isn’t about to be arrested for stealing a box of condoms. Taking a deep breath, he strides forward with all the confidence he can muster and slaps the box of jumbo-sized, cherry-flavored condoms onto the counter, refusing to show any hint of shame.

The cashier (his name-tag reads ‘Iruka’ and is a million times hotter up close) looks down at the box, blinks, and looks back up at him.

“…So who are you buying these for?”

Kakashi’s brain shorts out for a moment.

Did he just… He wonders, his sleep-deprived brain slow in catching the veiled insult. Aloud, he answers, “I…they…they’re…for me. To wear when I- you know. With...you know.” He trails off lamely, wondering if he should attempt to elaborate more or just die right here.

“I’d rather not, actually.” ‘Iruka’ eyes him for another beat, then picks up the box, frowning at it. “You know, I’m pretty sure we have extra small on the shelf back there, too,” he suggests. “Might be a snugger fit.”

“No, thank you,” Kakashi replies, struggling to maintain a modicum of politeness. Because, you know, hot cashier. Though he is being a bit of a dick.

“Alright, just remember there’s a thirty-day return policy. I’m sure you’ll be needing it.”

Okay, scratch that. He’s being a huge dick.

If this guy wasn’t such a fox I’d pop him one, Kakashi thinks to himself, fuming inwardly. …Instead of popping one-

Finally moving on, Iruka swipes the box over the scanner with no reaction.

“Huh.” He frowns and tries again. Still no beep. “That’s funny. Just a sec.” He leans over towards a small, black object-

Oh God. Please no.

“PRICE CHECK ON THE JUMBO-SIZED CONDOMS,” Iruka says into the microphone, his distorted voice blaring through the store for all to hear. “CHERRY FLAVORED-”

Kakashi lunges forward and grabs the mic, the feed cutting off with a high-pitched squeal.

“Do you really have to-” he hisses out.

“If you want your cough-syrup flavored DICK, YES,” Iruka hisses back, yanking the microphone away from him.

“Hey, I like cherry!”

“Cherry is disgusting. Your opinion doesn’t matter.”

“Okay, dude, you’re being really rude to me for no reason-”

“No reason?!” The cashier all but bares his teeth at him. “I could feel you eyeing me from across the store! Don’t you think I get enough of that from the rest of the creeps?”

...He has a point there. 

“Look, I’m sorry, it’s not like I asked for your number-”

“Good, because the only numbers you’re getting from me is on your receipt,” Iruka snaps, shoving his purchase in a plastic bag. “That’ll be $19.86.”

“Okay, fine, Christ,” Kakashi takes out a twenty and whips it at his head. “Keep the change.” He snatches up the condoms and storms out of the store. The hobo is still there by the dumpster, babbling on. Kakashi stops, fishes in his pocket for a moment, and hands the man a five.

“Here, have a better night than me,” he bites out. The hobo gasps with delight as he takes the crumpled bill, eyes going wide.

“We feast tonight, Fitzgerald!” he cackles, grinning at the pigeon, which is now perched on his knee and cooing.

Kakashi starts down the street, the bag of condoms bumping against his knee with every angry stride.

“Hey!” A voice barks out from behind him, but he ignores it, intent on sulking. “Hey, you! Cherry dick!” Kakashi stops and looks back.

The hot cashier is running down the road after him, breath steaming in the night. He catches up, panting lightly, his cheeks flushed from the cold as much as the run. He glances up to meet Kakashi’s gaze. 

“…Hey,” Iruka says quietly, flashing him an apologetic look before dropping his eyes to the ground. “Um.” He fiddles with the zipper on his jacket for a moment. “I just got off, and… look, man, I’m sorry about back there. I didn’t mean to be such an asshole. It’s just…I was late this morning cuz my car wouldn’t start, and then my stupid co-worker ditched me so I had to work a double shift, and when I’m tired I get bitchy. Like...real bitchy. I’m...really sorry.” He groans in exhaustion, reaching up to free his hair from its constricting ponytail, scrubbing his scalp with relief. It’s an endearing action that cools Kakashi’s irritation and heats up other things. “I mean, it’s past midnight, for God’s sake. Who’s still up at this hour? I just wanna go home and pass the fuck out in bed.”

Kakashi knows exactly what that’s like.

“I’ve been there,” he says. “It’s fine. Sorry for...ogling you.”

“S’okay.” Iruka looks up at him, hopeful and shy. “Listen. Maybe we could…try this again? During the daytime, when we’re both fully rested?”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Kakashi replies, his voice completely calm while his brain is a litany of high-pitched screeches.

“Yeah?” Iruka’s whole face lights up, and holy FUCK he’s a billion times hotter when he’s smiling. Dear God. How is he going to survive this? He'll probably die when he sees him in the light of day. “Are you free tomorrow? For lunch?”

“Make it a late lunch,” Kakashi agrees, nodding. “I’ll probably sleep in.”

“God, me too,” Iruka snorts, and even that’s hot. “There’s this nice cafe that- oh, wait.” His face drops. “Those, um, cough-syrup- I mean, cherry-flavored condoms…are they for… anyone special?”

Anyone special? What is he talking abo- Oh. Ohhhh.

“They aren’t for me,” Kakashi explains quickly. “I was...there isn’t…I’m not…” He shrugs helplessly. “I’m just doing a favor for a friend.”

“...A friend who needs a box of condoms at three in the morning?”

“Don’t ask.”

“I won’t.” Iruka lets out a long sigh and rubs his eyes wearily. “Anyway, I need to be heading home. Ugh, it’s gonna take, like, an hour to walk back to my apartment, none of the buses run this late and I don’t have the cash for a cab. Maybe if I hurry I can-”

“Sleep with me,” Kakashi blurts out before he can stop himself. He can almost see Iruka’s hackles go up. “I mean, like, actual sleeping, no sex stuff. Not that I wouldn’t want to do that with you, you’re fucking gorgeous, it’s just I’m way too tired-” He cuts off his babbling, unsettled by Iruka’s stoney silence. “I’m just saying I live, like, five minutes away and I thought since it’s closer, maybe you’d appreciate-” Iruka’s still not talking. He’s probably about to kick Kakashi in the dick and run. “I, uh, promise I’m not an ax murderer or anything. You can take a pic of me and send it to your friends to let them know you’re sleeping with me-”

“I’m sure they won’t at all take that the wrong way,” Iruka states, finally speaking. He studies Kakashi for a moment longer. “...Yeah okay I’ll sleep with you. My standards are low enough right now.” He pauses to snicker. “Look at me, sleeping with a guy whose name I don’t even know. It’s like college all over again.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Kakashi.”

“Iruka.”

“I know, I saw your name-tag. So, wait. You’re not worried I’ll try something?” he asks cautiously. Iruka scoffs.

“I know jiu-jitsu. Touch me and I’ll throw you through a wall.” 

That would explain the muscles. And Kakashi’s desire to be pinned by him. 

“I have eight dogs,” he warns.

“They’ll make excellent feet-warmers,” Iruka says dismissively. “Do you have good pillows? I’m a stickler for good pillows, I need the support for my neck, otherwise I get stiff shoulders.”

“I have a couple memory foam ones, plus a down comforter and some quilts-”

“Oh God, yes, talk dirty to me.”

“Anyway, I get the bed, you can have the couch.”

“Screw you, I just worked a double shift. I get the bed.”

“It smells like wet dog.”

“I babysit a five-year old. I’ve smelled worse.”

“Okay, fine. We share the bed, but I get the right side.”

“That’s not fair, I want the right side.”

“You can have the right side if you cook us breakfast tomorrow. Or lunch, rather. I’m not getting up till noon.”

“I’ll cook, but you have to clean up. Deal?”

“Deal.”

They shake on it, firmly sealing the agreement, and head off down the road together.

They don’t let go.

(Written for @kakairu-fest Nine Weeks of Summer, Week Two Prompt: Shop AU)

[bffsoobin]

Windflower

01| 02|03|04|05|06

↳ after a heartbreak you find yourself in a small town looking for purpose. you find employment with Choi Soobin and his impressive ancestral home. when you start to fall in love again, there’s no way for you to predict what you find in the depths of the home and Soobin’s mind.

➤ hanahaki au, fluff, angst

Word Count: 2,438

Warnings: Light swearing, Soobin being a cutie pie, me not proofreading. I think that’s it??

A/N: This does include the writing that was part of the preview post I made, but it is the first official chapter of Windflower! Please know that genre and warnings will change with every chapter I post! I also don’t quite have an upload schedule, sorry about that!! Hope you all enjoy nonetheless! 

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Your car groaned in protest as you turned into the parking lot of the quaint diner. Giving the dashboard two loving yet harsh hits with the palm of your hand seemed to do the trick. Now silent, the beat up blue car seemed to quietly thank you as you settled between the white painted lines of a parking space and shut off the engine. It was a gray, overcast day but humidity hung in the air wherever you went, making your hair puffy and the back of your legs stick to the cracking leather of your driver’s seat. Heaving a sigh at the uncomfortable stickiness, you pulled down the mirror from the roof of your car to survey the reflection staring back at you. 

It’s a startling thing, to look at yourself in a mirror and barely recognize your face. Your skin was dull and starting to break out, the bags under your eyes had seemingly never been more prominent than they were in this moment. Your fingers danced over the darkened skin, wondering at what point of your trip you began to look so worn down. Was it the moment you left your apartment? The twelve hours of mindless driving with no destination in mind? Or had this degeneration begun the moment you found yourself completely alone in life? 

You snapped the mirror back up against the roof and rubbed your hands over your face. Mindlessly, you pushed through the items littering your passenger seat until you clasped the familiar quilted fabric of your wallet. As soon as you stood up outside of your car, a wave of dizziness sent you grasping at the top of your car for support. You needed food more than you had originally estimated. Your legs were still a bit shaky from disuse as you walked toward the small white building. Portions of the paint had peeled off in jagged strips to expose the tightly stacked brown bricks waiting underneath. The simple clear door displayed a sun-faded open sign with handwritten hours of operation. As soon as you pushed the door open, the smell of grease and fresh apple pie invaded your senses and your face involuntarily shrunk up in disgust. Another thick paper sign attached on a tarnished metal stand boasted a cheerful cursive that read “Please Seat Yourself!” You could hear a radio playing faintly from somewhere in the building.

Almost every booth in the rectangular dining area was vacant, save for one elderly couple sharing a plate of fries. The floor was sticky under your feet as you made your way to a booth, and whether the texture was a result of the humidity or a lack of cleaning, you couldn’t tell. Sliding into the booth was familiar, almost comforting as you thought back to all of the times you had slid into booths with your friends at dinner, or slid yourself into a booth at the coffee shop near your apartment to work on a paper. Well. Your old apartment. The thought of adjusting to past tense created a scowl on your face as an unsuspecting waitress approached your side. She cleared her throat and caught your attention. To your surprise, she was fairly young, maybe in her late 30s; and she stood in her bright blue blouse and skirt uniform with a cock to her hip and a serving tray tucked under her arm. 

“Hi, hun. My name is Melissa, what can I get ya?” the woman’s tone was deceivingly cheerful, given the slow restaurant and heavy air. You heaved a sigh and looked down at the thin paper menu. It wilted in your hand as you picked it up and you soon abandoned the idea of even trying to read through it. 

“Hi. A vanilla milkshake and fries, please.” The order was so simple that Melissa didn’t even write it down, just nodded and turned to head into the kitchen to relay your order. A dull buzz warned you of the beginning of a headache but you expertly pushed the feeling aside and decided to ask for a glass of water when she came with your order. Mindlessly, you began searching your phone for places to stay in the tiny town you had stumbled upon. This hadn’t been the kind of place you expected to end up for the summer, but you were never one to plan anything. Enthralled in your scrolling through motel listings, Melissa scared you as she set your order down in front of you. She caught a look at your phone and your face flushed in embarrassment. How much of an obvious tourist could you be? You asked for a glass of water in an attempt to shoo her away, but when she came back with a glass covered in condensation she didn’t leave. 

“Not from around here?” it was a rhetorical question, but you gave her props for trying to ease you into the conversation. You shook your head, not really caring to elaborate on where you came from as you shoved a few fries into your mouth. 

“I don’t usually talk to customers like this, but; well, we’re dead today and I saw you looking at places to stay on your phone. I don’t recommend any of them. Especially not to a young pretty girl like you. Most of them are way too pricey for their rooms. And the Moonlight motel is literally run by a druglord. He’d gobble you up,” she shivered at her own words. 

“Well, where should I stay, then? Unless I missed a Best Western on the way in, I don’t have many other choices,” you deadpanned, hoping to hide the nervousness that was rising in your stomach. If you didn’t stay here, where would you go? But then again, why do you want to stay here so bad in the first place? You took a slurp of your milkshake as you contemplated. 

“Look, it’s sort of a town secret, but you remind me of my niece, so I’ll just tell you now. There’s this estate- gated, two story house, old timey stuff, gorgeous garden” Melissa waved her hands around as she spoke, chipped red fingernails putting on a show of their own. “It’s called the Flower House, actually. It’s been passed from generation to generation, since the town was founded. The boy who owns it now is just about your age, but he’s been living there alone since his cousin moved away for college years ago. He’s a lovely boy, we love when he comes into town, it just isn’t often.” you raised your eyebrows at her, trying to figure out how this mysterious boy and his ancestral house had anything to do with your housing predicament. “Long story short, he came around a few weeks ago looking for anyone who would be willing to help him keep the house and yard clean. No pay, but it’s free living in a beautiful home. And he’s not bad looking either.” she winked suggestively. “If you want, I can give you the address and you can go talk to him?”

You looked into her eyes, sparkling with hope of giving you a helping hand. “Okay, yeah. Sure, what have I got to lose?” Melissa hurried away to get writing materials as you continued eating with renewed vigor. 

As Melissa cleared your minimal dishes away, she set a ripped piece of paper in front of you that simply read;

“Choi Soobin, 476 Gardenia Dr.”

After paying and being sure to leave your helpful waitress a generous tip, you hopped back in your car and began your journey to discover the mysterious Flower House.

The drive through town was oddly peaceful, even with the grumbling of your car to accompany you alongside the pop songs on the radio. Air whipped into your windows as you drove by houses, small restaurants and one single chain grocery store where everyone seemed to be shopping. Stopping at an intersection with a single blinking stoplight, your phone instructed you to turn left. You passed the town’s schools, elementary and highschool; all huddled onto one campus with a large parking lot separating the two. The electric sign posted reminders of the last day of school for the students as you sped by. The farther you got away from the school, the older the houses became. Some were rotting apart, others covered in creeping vines. The street gradually slanted upwards as you continued to drive towards your destination. At the end of Gardenia Drive stood a towering home with a multitude of windows circling the entire building. A large chimney stood out on the top, one of the only signs of the home’s age; as the outside was wonderfully kept. The most impressive feature was of course the garden, for which the house gained its nickname. Your mouth hung open as you tried to fathom the sheer amount of flowers that were in full bloom on the front lawn. Blues, pinks, purples, reds and whites all stitched together in a beautiful quilt of florals. Some ivy was growing up the old wrought iron gates and the trunks of a few towering trees. While the growth made other houses look dated and worn down, the ivy here only added to the elegance that took your breath away. With your car parked on the road right outside, you exited your car to approach the gates. 

Fumbling with your hands, you navigated over the brick path leading up to the intimidating 10 foot tall gates. Despite the obvious history of the metal, a modern doorbell buzzer and camera system was installed just to the left of the entrance. It was harder than you’d like to admit to raise the courage for pressing the button. Your mind blanked as you performed the action, not knowing what to expect. A voice crackled through the speakers and made you jump. 

“Who’s there?” a smooth voice inquired. Suddenly you were unsure of what to say.

“I, uh. I’m Y/N. A waitress at Russ’ Diner told me to come talk to you about an um.” your mouth was suddenly going dry. “A living arrangement?” A small exclamation of understanding was music to your ears. 

“Okay! Hold on, I’ll be right over to the gate!” The static disappeared with the voice. You looked down at your phone out of habit and realized you had no reception. Figures, as you were sort of in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t matter right now anyway. You put the device in the back pocket of your shorts just as the gate began creaking open and welcoming you onto the property. You could faintly make out the shape of a body making its way toward you through the dense trees. 

When he stepped into your line of sight, sunshine managed to peek through the thick blanket of clouds that had been permeating your entire visit and bask him in a wash of gold. He was tall, with long legs covered in the material of light wash skinny jeans. The knees were a bit dirty, and you recognized the stains as a mix of grass and dirt. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt that clung perfectly to his wide shoulders and showed off his defined waist. 

Not only was he dressed in a way you definitely didn’t expect, but his looks threw you even farther into surprise. His face was evenly tanned, and not a single blemish could be found. Suddenly, you became all too aware of the dismal state of your own complexion and fought the urge to bring a hand up to cover your face from him. Dark, hooded eyes examined your form as you stood awkwardly on the path and waited for his next words. He seemed amused by your lack of introduction, and chuckled a little as he asked, “Y/N?” 

Hearing your name broke the spell that his beauty had put you under and you nodded. His face lit into a smile as he beckoned you further onto the land with a waving hand. You followed him closely and caught his words as they floated in the wind back to you. “I’m Soobin. This house belonged to my great-great-great uncle and his wife. Well, wives.” He chuckled to himself as he led you into a gazebo. Soobin settled into one of the wooden chairs situated around a matching table and gestured for you to sit in the one across from him. A pit of nervousness built in your stomach at the close proximity between the two of you. The table was only three feet wide, and Soobin’s long leg stretched in front of him and decreased your distance even more. Up close, you could see the permanent upturn of the corners of his mouth, and the sparkle in his brown eyes.

His honey brown hair ruffled in the breeze that passed you by and he closed his eyes at the feeling for a moment. “So,” he began suddenly, “you were at Russ’? Who sent you my way for the job?” He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on the new structure. He blinked owlishly as you took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, I just came into town for the summer. Melissa served me and she told me that all of the motels here are pretty shit,” Soobin laughed and nodded at that, and your heart skipped a beat. “So she gave me your info. Said you might be able to give me a better place to stay if I helped you out.” 

“Ah, I see. Melissa is right, though. Those motels are awful. I definitely wouldn’t want to see you staying there.” He appraised your face for a second while he paused. “If you want the job, it’s yours.” He stated as if it were the most casual thing in the world. You sputtered. 

“Wait, what? That quick? You don’t even know anything about me! I could be a murderer!” He laughed openly at you now, and the sound stirred an emotion in your stomach you hadn’t felt in months. 

“Well, are you? A murderer?” 

“No! Of course not.” Soobin nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“So, can you clean? Cook a decent meal? Drive to the city for groceries? Water some plants?” You nodded at every question he raised and watched as his smile upticked more with every bob of your head. 

“Then you’re perfect. Welcome to the Flower House.” He stood, frame towering over your still sitting being and offered you a strong looking hand. Ticking his head toward the massive home behind him, he grinned. “Tour?”

[jadekitty777]

On Your Six, Chapter 1

Okay first of all, did we all coincide the Taiqrow Week with Father’s Day... accidentally? Because that’s secretly genius. 

Secondly, whoops we’re also meshing with Qrowin week - hope y’all are okay to share!

Finally, let’s get down to business. Hi y’all, hope you haven’t missed me too much. Hopefully I can make up for my silence with this absolute beast of a fanfic. This is going to be a single, interconnected story matching the prompts of the entire week. I hope those of you who choose to read it, will enjoy it!

Day 1: Tattoos for @taiqrowweek

Rating: T for this chapter, M for overrall

Words: 2.3k

Summary: Qrow was what most of society would call a small-town criminal. But to those oppressed, he hoped only to be a healer. In an effort to make a change in the world, he moves from kingdom to kingdom, searching for branded omegas in need. His goal? To turn the derogatory words the reformatories forced them to bear on their skin into works of art.

Then one day, his past catches up to him in the form of Taiyang, his former best friend, with a brand of his own stained onto his skin and a plea for help in his eyes. Qrow has no choice but to answer, even if it means he’d have to face his mistakes once and for all.

[An ABO-style universe in a modern-day style Remnant. No Grimm, because people are the real monsters in this one]

Ao3 Link: On Your Marks

~

The day Taiyang walked into his shop, before even a single word was spoken, he knew.

It wasn’t from any particular mannerism. Everyone’s body language was different. A chattering mouth. Averted eyes. A tapping foot. A drooped posture. In the short time Qrow had been doing this, he’d learned no single action could encapsulate the variety in which people expressed their shame.

Yet, not a single one could escape the stench. It was a foul thing. Sharp and smokey, like a tire fire on a junkyard, it lacquered over an omega’s scent so completely that it was near impossible to catch a whiff of the true smell that was originally there.

Even now, as Qrow inspected the damage upon his former friend’s bare back, mere inches away from the man’s scent glands, he couldn’t pick out a hint of the sunflowers and fresh soil that was Tai. Nothing left except the reek of burnt rubber and dishonor.

He didn’t call attention to it, just like he didn’t call attention to the shake in his friend’s shoulders as he placed a hand over the first mark. “This is extensive.”

“I know. But, I didn’t know who else to turn to.” Even as he turned his head to look at him, Tai hunched over a bit, and the brand seared across his shoulder blades stretched with the movement. “You’ll help me, right?”

Qrow’s eyes flitted between watery eyes and stained skin where the word SLUT, all in caps like some mockery of a grand declaration, taunted his every decision since their falling out and left the taste of bile on his tongue.

“Of course.” He promised.

~

It was widely thought that it was a farmer that first came up with branding back during the Early Modern period. Having been “inspired” by the tagging of the cattle which kept them in order, the alpha decided to do the same to omegas, ascertained the same outcome would follow. The practice was later adopted by prisons and other corrective facilities. Back then, it was merely a way of keeping track of those who had been in and out of the system by searing the skin with an iron that had the center’s insignia on it.

Advancements to the printing press and mail systems did away with that particular need, but while the jails abolished the practice, reformatories did not, releasing studies that claimed the procedure resulted in more ‘proper’ and ‘desired’ behaviors in omegas and were absolutely critical to full rehabilitation.  Despite newer evidence showing these original claims were likely falsified simply for convenience and often actually had a devastating effect on an omega’s psyche, the three-century long old policy had yet to be abolished from the system.

The most the outcries had done the past few decades was change the method on which the ‘brand’ was applied. Instead of an iron, it was done with a tattoo needle and instead of an insignia, it became a single word that was like a permanent reminder of what landed the omega in the facility to begin with. The stench was caused by the use of the chemically enhanced ink that made it impossible for laser technology to fully remove.

In short, if an omega wanted the mark gone, their only choice was to cut out their own skin. Most, like his mother, accidentally killed themselves trying.

Which led to where Qrow was today, trying to shake things up in the only way he knew how. So, he jumped off society’s grid, took up a needle and his drawing skills, and turned the marks into works of art. More importantly, he gave the omegas who came to his door a way to recover and take back their lives.

He just never thought Tai would be one of them.

Once he’d taken the pictures he needed and Tai’s shirt was back on, things were relaxed enough he could brew some tea. As he handed the other man his cup, Qrow finally asked, “So, how’d you find me?”

“Wasn’t that hard.” He replied, fingers wrapping around the porcelain. “The omegas back at the reformatory would whisper before bed. It didn’t take me long to figure out they were talking about you.”

Qrow froze, trying to hide his trepidation. “Oh? They say my name?”

Tai snorted. “Not your name, but a name.” His expression turned cheeky. “Don’t worry though. Only someone who knows Harbinger used to be your Relics & Wyverns character could put the pieces together.”

“Ah, can it!” He barked as a flush worked its way up his neck. Still, tension drained from him. While there were no laws that specifically stated what an omega was required to do with their mark after their rehabilitation was complete, if he was caught tampering with it for them, he knew the courts could claim he was willfully interfering with a person’s emotional stability. Might even get him on a few counts of practicing mental health care without a license too.

Still, he didn’t particularly want to be sent to the slammer, which was why he worked so hard to keep to the underground. Never told anyone his name. Moved often. Kept minimal contact with clients. Whatever it took to make sure only the people who needed to find him could.

“I’m glad that you’re doing alright for yourself.” Tai said, giving a cursory glance to the shoddy working space that doubled as his apartment. Beyond his tattoo kit, he rarely took much with him when he relocated. Sometimes he got lucky on the accommodations and the place would already be partially furnished, other times he had to make do with what he could afford from the nearest thrift store.

This place was one of those latter times. He had a mattress on the torn up box spring with a chipped nightstand beside it, a circular, rickey table with two chairs for the dining room, a fairly barren kitchen area, and a slightly beat-up leather recliner for the clients.

It wasn’t hard to see Tai was really reaching as he said, “Your place is… nice?”

It was Qrow’s turn to snort. “At least be honest and tell me I live in a shithole.”

“I was not going to – okay, yeah it is kind of a shithole. But, you’re eating okay and everything, right?”

What an omega. “Yes mom, I’m getting my three squares a day and I’m even brushing my teeth before bed.” He lent back, the plastic chair creaking underneath as he did so. “But you didn’t exactly come here to critique my living conditions. Think there’s a lot more important stuff to talk about, don’t you?”

Suddenly, the tea was much more interesting than his face. “Yeah. Right. Um, guess there’s a lot to catch you up on, huh? You don’t even know about-”

“Whoa, hold up a sec.” He quickly interrupted. “Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t ask for any of my clients’ stories unless they feel like sharing. Some do, some don’t. But my help doesn’t come with any strings attached.” He met his gaze, stressing the next part carefully, “Even if they’re friends, okay?”

Tai still seemed to hesitate. “But, don’t you want to know about Yang?”

Of course, he did. He had about a thousand and one questions whirling through his head. But that didn’t matter right now. “You ready to talk about her?”

For the second time that day, tears shimmered in Tai’s eyes. He looked away quickly, saying nothing.

Yeah. He figured as much.

“Then no.” Qrow cleared his throat some. “Besides, I’m still a total disaster when it comes to handling people when they cry.”

That one, at least, earned him a weak chuckle.

“Some things never change?” Tai said with a sniff, rubbing the corner of his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“If it ain’t broke…” He shrugged. “Anyways, what I meant was, how do you want to change up that lil’ blemish a’yours?”

“I, uh, I don’t know. What do you normally do?”

“Turn it into a single design. But, I’ve never had to work on one so large before. That thing’s taking up about half of your back. Still doable, just… more difficult.” It was easy to busy his designs enough the word got lost under all the rest. Working on a scale of this size though, there weren’t many things he could think of that would both look nice and cover up the word. “Not to mention, we’ll have to take a lot of breaks, so your skin can heal.”

“How long do you think it would take?”

“Well, with three weeks between each session and the scale and details… probably nine to twelve months?”

Tai’s face fell. “Oh.”

“Something wrong?”

“Oh, no I mean…” He sighed. “I was just, kind of hoping it would be done before October, is all. Before the kids come home.”

Kids?!

As in plural?!

Qrow had to bite his tongue to physically stop himself from breaking his own rule. Took a deep, steadying breath.

Okay. That was six months away. There was no way. Unless…

“Well, we could make it four separate designs. One for each letter. That way I could work on one side and then the other while it’s healing. If we meet every week, should be doable. Gonna be some long hours under the needle for you though.”

Tai lit up just like the sun he was named after. “I can handle it. I’ll do anything. Oh-! We could even make it four dragons, couldn’t we?”

Qrow barked out a laugh. “I mean yeah, if that’s what you want. Give me your scroll deets. I’ll work up some designs over the next few days and send them to you.” As he pulled out his device to input the information, he added, “We gotta work out a schedule too. What days are RO?”

“She visits on Tuesdays and Saturdays right now. It’ll go down to once a week pretty soon. I’m also TA-ing at Sanctum Middle, so weekdays are pretty full.”

It was all par for the course. Even after doing time at the reformatory, omegas still had to have frequent visits from their rehabilitation officer, to make sure they were keeping a steady job and homelife. That meant good evaluations from his superiors and a living space that looked like not even a speck of dust had had a chance to touch down. This was especially important for omegas like Tai, who would have to fight for every top mark he got. If he failed to, the RO would claim he was still unfit to raise his own children and keep them in the fostering system.

Qrow knew that was the reason for the six-month time limit. He had no doubt that once Tai was out of parole and had his pups back, he’d be hightailing it out of the kingdom. But for the RO to still be visiting at that frequency… “Did you come looking for me right after you got out?”

“I-” The tea had become interesting again. And cold. “Yeah. I knew you were working out of Mistral, and Atlas allows for transfers to Argus.”

At this rate, his tongue was probably going to have indents from his incisors. Once he knew he wasn’t going to start prying or, worse yet, shouting at Tai - because really how stupid could he be?! – he opened his mouth and said, “So, Sundays then?”

For the first time in nearly six years, Tai smiled at him. “Sounds perfect.”

~

For the next few days, Qrow did nothing but draw. Whether it was with a buzzing needle or a pencil, his hand was rarely empty. Even as he downed his morning coffee or spun his suppertime noodles onto his fork, his other hand was moving over a sheet of paper, his muse on overdrive as he tried to pick out the perfect designs for each letter. By nightfall, he was sending at least half a dozen pages full of sketches to Tai, then checking his phone every five minutes as he impatiently anticipated his reply.

It didn’t actually matter where they started, because once they decided on which letter was going first, Qrow’s focus would narrow to the second one over. The tricky thing was, Tai had always been the type who was simple to please – well before a reformatory could ever drill that lesson into him. Even when they were young, whether it was a question of what game they wanted to play or what food they wanted to eat, Tai would almost always just grin and say ‘whatever you want’. Which meant, every sketch was perfect and Qrow had to work twice as hard to actually find something he truly fell in love with.

He knew he finally struck gold for S when Tai figured out how to use the circling tool on his scroll and sent the shot back with an exuberantly loud ‘THIS ONE’, followed by a horrendous amount of exclamation points.

Qrow had never felt prouder.

It was a small effort to resketch the piece in full and line it. Adding color was more challenging, as he had to balance what looked nice with the limitations of his inks. But leaving it without was absolutely not an option. Not for someone who used to decorate his walls with paintings of tropical beaches and autumn-locked forests and had had a Crayola box spectrum of begonias sitting on his windowsill in his childhood room. Tai was a man who radiated a rainbow both in his life and in his heart. To try to dull that by leaving him in nothing but blacks and grays was a crime Qrow wasn’t willing to commit.

Besides, the design wouldn’t translate well without it.

So, he kept working at it until he knew it was just right. When the omega’s excitement only seemed to grow, he knew his labor was over.