#and his feelings about the twins are pretty clearly explained

[ridiasfangirlings]

So I've been rewatching and re-reading K stuff (yet again) and there was something that really really irked me the wrong way. When Homra are discussing "the new Blue King" in R:B Yata says "if only those Blues dare to try something with Anna again".....while they are actually the ones hiding the twins (who were involved in Anna's torture from Mizuchi to make her into the new Blue King alongside Shiotsu) from the new Scepter 4 under Reisi, since he wanted to bring them to justice. This is actually soo hypocritical and annoyed me to no end!?! The audacity to make Reisi out to be the bad guy when, let's be honest, he's the one person that always had everyone's best interest in mind and tried to always do the best possible thing for everyone and in every situation, yet the majority of people (both characters from the anime and irl fans) give him so much shit, totally undeserved! The truth is all of Homra should be thanking him for saving them again and again.....the ungratefulness is off the charts! But that line from Yata was the last straw for me!!! So I wanted to ask what are your thoughts on this matter?

I do think Munakata gets some undue shit from Homra’s end of things but most of my irritation on that point is like post-S1 with people blaming him for Mikoto’s death (and annoyance with the narrative itself that tends to paint S4 as in the wrong), I think the hostility makes more sense in the early part of the story. In this specific case, remember that R:B takes place before LSW, so Homra hasn’t helped the Minato twins at this point and their only interaction with S4 was the whole deal with Anna and the Center. That being the case I think it makes perfect sense that Yata would be distrustful, from his point of view these are the guys who did horrible things to Anna and now they have a new head. Yata’s not exactly the deepest thinker so I doubt it really occurs to him that there might be differences in leadership style between the old and new clans, and the idea that the previous S4 were doing what they did at the behest of Mizuchi and Shiotsu felt backed into a corner and that there was no room for argument isn’t something Yata would even consider. To Yata it’s just very simple, the twins were from the Blue clan and they were the ones harming Anna, so now that they have a new King he’s suspicious. 

Similarly at this point it’s not like Munakata’s done anything that should make Yata trust him, in fact at that point he was trying to interfere with a Homra member and Yata’s whole natural tendency to see things as ‘us vs them’ certainly makes this seem like the work of a hostile adversary. I don’t have any issue with Homra and S4’s hostility pre-S1, they’re clearly different groups with different goals, and what Munakata wants is not necessarily more correct than what Mikoto wants — and obviously this changes more with S1, where Munakata gets painted by the show itself as being a bit more villainous, early on at least, even though at that point he really is right and is trying to save Mikoto, and then after when everyone keeps bringing up that he killed Mikoto as if he had any choice. I don’t blame Yata for being on edge about a new Blue King, to him all of Homra’s interactions with the Blues at this point have been bad and why should he show any special deference to Munakata, Munakata isn’t his King and Munakata’s way of Kingship is different than Mikoto’s.

Also as far as Homra hiding the twins goes, LSW actually makes note of this. No one’s super happy about sheltering them, that was Kusanagi’s decision because he’s on good terms with Shiotsu and was doing him a favor. After Akito fights at Homra’s side Yata basically immediately switches to seeing him in a more favorable light because Yata’s the type who sees someone fighting at his side as a sign that they’re comrades now, something Fushimi gets notably irritated by. I feel like could be seen as one of Yata’s good points honestly, he doesn’t hold grudges if it seems like someone’s stopped being his enemy and he’s happy to invite Akito as a comrade. Also on the end of  Character Development, Yata has a lower opinion of the old S4 members who would go to the new King because he can’t imagine ever serving another Red King besides Mikoto and so in the moment he’s more sympathetic to the twins because he thinks this is what he would do if his King was gone, not submit to the new one (and then when confronted by the actual reality of that situation in MK he sees that it isn’t so simple and changes his mind, because Yata has grown up a little). 

[sassycheesecake]

"Hello everyone, I’m going ta do a -" The young Miya chef starts to speak into a video camera, his black shirt carrying his restaurant logo over his right pec muscle. His black messy hair looks like he just rolled out of bed ten minutes ago, which he secretly did because Atsumu has shown up at seven in the goddamn morning to remind Osamu of the bet that the younger twin has lost only a month ago.

The Miya twins challenged each other to do the Chubby Bunny challenge and when Osamu was about to win, you came running into the living room in just a towel because you saw a cockroach on the bathroom wall and didn't know that Atsumu came over while you were in the shower. The chef almost choked on the marshmallows when he saw you in a single towel, causing Atsumu to shriek in victory with his mouth full of marshmallows as well. In the end, you had to do the Heimlich manoeuvre on both of them.

Since it’s off-season for the professional volleyball player, he has nothing better to do than bother his younger brother and Osamu‘s pretty partner on a regular Saturday morning.

"You’re not even going to introduce yourself?" You interrupt him with a little laugh behind the counter with the video camera, where you are seated next to Atsumu so you can film your boyfriend.

"I’m Osamu Miya and today-" The ravenette starts again.

"Ya forgot ta mention the great Atsumu Miya's twin brother-" Atsumu adds cheekily, interrupting him yet again.

Osamu can’t stop the highly aggravated sigh escaping from him, and he sends his brother a death glare behind the camera.

“ANYWAY- I am going ta show ya’ll how ta make a simple deep fired shrimp onigiri. Joinin' me today is my beautiful assistant an' partner-in-crime, (Y/N)." The grey-eyed twin looks behind the camera where you are seated.

You look up with a surprised face, clearly not expecting to be helping your boyfriend.

Scooching off the bar stool in front of the counter, you hop down and make your way with slow steps to Osamu who watches you with adoration and fondness in his gray eyes.

"What’s the first step?" You ask excited, almost hopping up and down like an excited puppy.

Osamu gives you one of his rare breathtaking smiles, feeling his heart speed up by the happiness on your face.

"Well first, we need ta make sure we got all the ingredients for makin' this." The black-haired chef explains while the camera zooms out a bit and the viewer is able to see the laid out ingredients for making the dish.

Osamu points to each ingredient, explaining what it is, what you need it for and how much you need of it.

"Looks like we got everythin'. Ya ready?" Osamu leans on the counter as he watches you with a grin.

"Yes, chef." You giggle and roll up your sleeves on your hoodie.

You can hear Atsumu gag behind the camera as he hears your flirting.

"Alright. First, yer gonna crack an egg in a bowl an' whisk it, afterwards yer gonna add the flour an' the cold water. Mix all together. Add some spices so it’s not completely flavorless. Ya followin' so far?" Osamu raises his dark eyebrow as he asks you.

You do as he says, nodding in confirmation.

"Good. Now yer gonna put that off ta the side an' grab the other bowl with the flour innit an' put the shrimp in there."

Grabbing the already peeled shrimp out of the fridge, you dump them in the flour and mix it together, making sure that there are no bare parts left on the shrimp.

"Now what?"

"Now yer gonna dip the shrimp in da batter, hold it by its tail and then dunk it a few times in there. I already prepared da fryin' oil pot but I don’t wantcha ta hurt yerself so please let me do the fryin'." Osamu looks at you with his stunning ash-grey eyes and every time he looks at you with those eyes, it makes you weak in the knees, so all you do is stare at him with big eyes and nod your head.

The chef chuckles at your reaction and those chuckles send shivers down your spine.

"(Y/N), yer startin' ta drool over mah brother. Try ta tame yer thoughts please, I can hear them from here." Atsumu teases you with a mischievous grin.

Feeling your face heat up a thousand degrees, you watch as your boyfriend skillfully puts the shrimp in the frying pot, turning them over occasionally because taking them out to put them on a drying tray.

"Leave mah girl outta this. She just knows that I am a lot hotter than you." Osamu explains as he finishes the last bit of frying the shrimp.

"Yannow, if I'd known ya would be disgustin' like this, I would have stayed at home." Atsumu scrunches up his face.

"Door's right over there." Osamu mentions his head towards his front door, clearly not bothered and more than happy to have some alone time with you.

Atsumu pouts and slumps over the counter.

"(Y/N) do something. Yer ass of a boyfriend wants to kick me out." The Setter looks at you for help, giving you those brown puppy eyes.

Curse twins and their equally good looks.

"We still need Atsumu for making the video. And he can clean up afterwards since we are both cooking." You grin up at the younger twin.

"I ain’t cleanin' shit."

"He’s not gettin' anywhere near my damn kitchen."

The twins say in sync.

You laugh at their words, setting the already cooked sticky rice on the counter next to the shrimp, along with the seaweed strips, salt, water and boiled sauce for dipping the cooked shrimp in, before putting it into the rice onigiri.

The restaurant owner shows you how it’s done step by step, being slow with his movements, so you know how it’s done.

During the trying to copy his movements, the blonde excused himself to use the restroom and Osamu uses the chance to get closer to you.

He stands behind you, putting his giant hand over yours to help you shape the onigiri. He does it on a daily basis and you’re so happy that you are his and he is yours only.

"Try doin' it yerself." The dark-haired man whispers in your ear, sending shivers all over your body and getting goosebumps by his dark voice.

You feel his strong heartbeat against your back and your breathing picks up a bit. Leaning his head next to yours on your shoulder, you feel his smile against your cheek as he watches you try to shape the next onigiri by yourself.

Holding the somewhat triangular-shaped onigiri (it’s more heart shaped actually), you present it to him with an unsure look.

All of sudden, Osamu took a large bite out of it, getting some rice on his lips, shocking you a little bit even though you should have seen this coming, this is Osamu Miya after all.

Humming in bliss, your lover swallows the food before giving you a flirtatious look, turning you around so you’re standing face-to-face.

"Compliments to the chef."

Smiling in delight, the ravenette places a smooth and loving kiss onto your lips, pulling you closer to his body.

You forget the world around you, it’s just you and Osamu. And nothing else matters.

[winniefrezcomics]

Anonymous asked: When did Perry realize he was trans? Also are his parents also trans or non-binary or anyother gender identity? ♡

All three of them are trans, actually! Carlo strikes me as a person who went thru the lesbian-to-nonbinary-to-transgender pipeline, but I think Wendy knew she wanted to be treated like her twin sister was from a fairly early age, so transitioned much sooner than her husband. (Mama cosma’s disapproval also forced Carlo to socially transition in secret, and he wasn’t able to begin PHYSICALLY transitioning until turning 18 and moving out)

Here’s a comic that hurt tf outta my feelings to sketch lmao- (in a good way)

“orgin story” and more doodles below the cut!

(MILD cw for misgendering and a mama cosma appearance 😷)

As for HOW Perry discovered he was NOT in fact, a little girl, and rather a little boy?

Timmy noticed first, actually!! Though his adopted parents didn’t go out of their way to mention to their son that they were both transgender, a young Timmy eventually noticed them doing thier hormone shots, and Carlo and Wendy had to assure him that they were both okay, they just needed to take thier “mommy and daddy medication” sometimes. As Timmy got older, he noticed other things that made his parents unique, and they would explain anything he asked them, so by the time Poof was born, Ten-year-old Timmy had a pretty solid understanding of what it MEANT to be “transgender”. This understanding is part of the reason he wished on a star for a baby brother- he knew it MIGHT be possible for his parents to have a bio child as well, but also knew thier unique biology might make it difficult

(Sidenote: if ur parents still let u think babies were delivered by the stork or something by TEN, my condolences brother ☠️)

ANYWAY- from the MOMENT his baby sibling was born, Timmy and Poof were INSEPARABLE, with Timmy wanting to help with the baby in any way he could, as often as possible. His parents certainly appreciated the help, and baby Poof was never hurting for love or attention 💕

As Poof grew, his parents encouraged him to play with whatever toys he liked best, and do whatever he wanted, but USUALLY what Poof wanted to do was “whatever his big brother was doing”. From video games to comic books, poof was always incredibly interested in whatever Timmy was interested in, and his brother was more than happy to read the pages out loud, or give him a controller to smack around (usually unplugged lmao, regular older brother shi)

Even when Poof was a toddler, Timmy would occasionally notice things that didn’t quite sit right with him- stuff like poof getting upset when Wendy would tell Timmy his was playing too rough with his sister (despite how much poof LOVED being chucked into soft objects or wrestled), or how much poof seemed to enjoy being called things like “little dude”- but I think it was a visit to Grandmas house when Perry was 7 that finally made him ask the big question- (Drabble below this comic that legit makes me a lil nauseous to look at and I considered not including 🙃)

DRABBLE START

Timmy goes outside to thier front porch, to find poof already sitting on the steps, having clearly retreated from the Christmas party inside. Timmy sits with him and they chat for a while, before Timmy finally goes out on a limb and asks-

“Hey P- random question but- do you ever like, wonder what it would be like if you were a boy?”

Poof shrugs, simply responding “well yeah, everybody thinks about that….”

Timmys nose scrunches, as his hunch starts seeming more plausible

“Bud… I’ve like, never thought about that. even once.”

“Of course not, you already ARE a boy!” Poof pouts

Timmy sighs, clarifying- “no no, like- I’ve never really wondered what it would be like to be a GIRL- eveb when I once dressed like one to hang out with my crush!” He added with a laugh, but Poofs frown only deepened-

“Hmf! Why WOULD you? Being a girl STINKS.”

And with that, Timmy had his answer-

“Ah. Yeeeahhh, thought ya might feel that way… c’mon lil dude- I think we should ah- talk to mom and dad.”

Timmy scooped his younger sibling into his arms, but poof looked up at him with confusion

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Nah, Poofy- I just, uh- think they’ll be able to explain better…”

By Eight years old Perry had fully socially transitioned, coming out at his eighth birthday party, with his parents even getting his name legally changed as a ninth birthday present 💜 ;w;

Making yall look at this doodle again bc it’s relevant lmao- Perry’s aunts and uncles all adore thier little nephew, and couldn’t be happier to see him living as his truest self 💕

[thegoldencontracts]

Is Azul Actually Kind?

I know how it sounds but pleaseee hear me out.

Azul isn't kind. That seems to be pretty obvious, right? His benevolence is clearly a facade, meant to hide the selfish, cunning nature lurking within.

I thought that too. But then I saw something that made me question it.

Namely, Azul's Platinum Suit Vignette, where he looks at the Sea Witch's actions regarding Ariel, and calls it 'tough love'.

He isn't talking about himself, he has no reason to fib. He even brings up his Grandma, making it pretty evident he's being sincere. He views the Sea Witch's actions - punishing deal breakers and setting people on them - tough love.

And the Sea Witch's actions are remarkably similar to his own. He makes deals, and he punishes people who can't fulfill them. But there are some very interesting things that, to be, combine with this to bring about the theory that deep down (or maybe not so deep down) he views it as an act of tough love.

1. Azul almost never harms his clients in a truly crippling manner. The one exception to this is the Prefect, but I feel that's easily explained by the fact that this was shortly before his overblot, and like other characters, Azul too was behaving in a manner worse than usual.

Other than that, though, his punishments are typically servitude, or giving up a talent. Keyword: a talent. Not the thing itself. Someone with a good voice who gives it up doesn't become voiceless, they just start sounding hoarse. This is proven during his backstory.

2. Azul comes from a place where 'survival of the fittest' reigns dominant. This is proven during book 6, where he mentions being hypervigilant and a risk of predators under the sea. This was also heavily implied by the twins.

To him, people who don't understand not to trust others likely seem misguided - especially considering his childhood.

3. Azul and Riddle have a lot of Parallels

This one is interesting. If you look closely, Azul and Riddle share many similarities: Sophomore Housewardens, Honors Students, completely broke down during their overblot rather than still concealing their emotions, tyrannical behavior over underlings, heavily implied eating disorders, incredibly hard-working despite their smug appearance, being short-tempered, the list goes on.

Riddle also truly believed that he was doing a service to the students of Heartslabyul by enforcing the rules the hard way. He likely viewed it as a form of tough love.

And so, Azul being kind in his own, odd way starts to make sense. It would give him another parallel to Riddle. And his 'survival of the fittest', bootstrap-pulling upbringing may be he doesn't actually find his actions that cruel, if anything, he genuinely may believe he's doing them a favor by teaching them early on not to trust others, to only make deals they know they can keep. And he's not exactly crippling them, so it's better him than someone who will.

So yeah, maybe Azul really does think he's being kind - at least, deep down.

Discourse, critique, and requests for proper citation are always welcome!

[thepenguinweeb]

I love your writing about mashle x fem reader its so cute ( ✧Д✧) its so domestic and I know I need more about mashle male character x fem reader with a child.

So I came with an Idea a headcanon about fem reader as their wife.

Character: kaldo, orter, rayne, lance and domina (separate)

Romantic and fluff

About their reaction when they know fem reader is pregnant with twins, like fem reader is oneday have a sickness like puke or something like that as a symptoms of pregnant women. And when she check up to the doctor, the doctor said, fem reader is pregnant with twins. Fem reader is happy so she is planning to surprise her husband with the news when they came home from work.

🤭 I know that I have plenty Idea for mashle request ✨

[ ♡ Various Mashle characters x fem!reader ]

[ Includes; Kaldo, Orter, Rayne, Lance ]

[ ♡ Requested by: @kimura-uzuri <3 ]

[ ♡ You came to the realization that you are pregnant - but you did not expect the fact you'd be having twins. Neither did your husband, clearly, which gives you the perfect opportunity to share the news. ]

[ ♡ A/N: Obviously aged up some characters, because of the whole pregnancy thing. I'm really really sorry but I couldn't write for Domina, since they're not in the anime and I haven't gotten that far into the manga yet. Really sorry to you and that one anon who requested them 😭 ]

Your husband is a smart man. It probably comes with being a Divine Visionary, that's what you assume, atleast.

He's also very observant. He loves to people watch in general, but when it comes to you, he picks up on every little cue of how you might feel or what you might think.. it's both terrifying and attractive.

The first signs of morning sickness. You'd barely just gotten into bed at night when you started feeling nausea, and ran out into the bathroom to almost immediately throw up. When Kaldo asked if you were alright, you shrugged it off and told him not to worry.

The next day you go to a doctor and, surprise, it's twins!

In all honesty, you're more surprised than he is when you tell him the news.

"Hmm.. that would explain some things," is all he says.

But, he's genuinely happy for you. For both of you.

He gives you a kiss, and pulls you in. "They'll both be exquisite at magic, I'm sure." He looks into your eyes. "And just as fantastic as their mother, too."

Orter, like Kaldo, is an observant man. Not quite to the other's extent though. He definitely noticed something off about you, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.. so, he left it at that.

You tried to hide your symptoms from him, which backfired pretty quickly.

"I can tell you're sick," he tells you in the same straightforward manner he always uses.

You sigh. You intended for the announcement to be a little more.. exciting? Proper? But, alas, you cannot hide it anymore.

Upon hearing the news, his eyes widen and for a moment he freezes up. You almost giggle at the baffled look on his face, until he gains his composure back again.

"So... twins." You confirm with a nod. "That's.. nice."

It's hilarious how awkward he is about this. You know he's happy, you can tell - you know your husband more than anyone else, after all. Precisely because of that, though, you can also clearly sense the nerves he is trying so hard to mask behind his usual stoicism.

You have to reassure him that he'll be a great father to both of the children. But, whether he believes it or not, he'll be there for you trough the entire deal, he promises you.

You know that despite the tough and cold front he puts up, Rayne is a genuinely caring man who would do anything to ensure your safety and happiness.

As soon as he heard your sounds of vomiting coming from the bathroom, he rushed to help you out however he could. If you needed space, he was more than happy to give it to you. But, one eye was always on you to make sure you were alright.

He is devoted, and he knew from the moment he married you that he intended to have a family one day.

He did not expect to find out that that day would come sooner than planned.

Once you tell him the news, you can see the moment where everything just.. clicks. That look of realization.

"Twins.." he mutters after he gathers his thoughts. "I could have never imagined I'd be a father of twins."

He tries to keep it cool, but by the smile that's just barely visible on his face, you know he's excited.. and, by the way he fidgets with his fingers, you can also tell he's nervous.

"But, I don't mind," he continues as he looks up at you. "As long as you're with me."

Lance didn't have a single clue about your pregnancy.

You were on your own when the morning sickness came. He was away in his workshop, lost in his work as usual, and you didn't want to tell him about it. It would only worry him, you thought.

He feels genuinely upset when you reveal the news. Not with you, never with you. With himself. For not noticing the signs earlier, for not being there with you when you needed him.

Although not one for physical affection, he pulls you into a hug and whispers multiple apologies into your ear. You can only smile and assure him you're not upset at all.

After he's calmed down, he instantly starts to prepare for the twins. Looking for matching baby clothes, multiple toys to buy and the softest blankets you could get. It's amusing how dedicated he is to this.. but adorable, too.

For confirmation on Lance's part; the workshop idea is based on his official fanbook page, where it's mentioned he frequently visits the academy's workshop to make merch of his sister. I like to believe he continues that hobby and branches out into making more things in his adulthood! :)

[pizzabox-box]

You know… depending on whether Fake Peppino becoming Peppi-No hinges on him actually managing to eat his brain/the like or just taking a bite out of him in general…

Idea: middle of the road version on Dead Man Walking where Feppino/Peppi-no did manage to take a bite out of Peppino, but instead of a full decapitation the wound was something survivable like biting off some fingers/a nasty bite on the arm that drew blood or something

Peppino’s now got a weird traumatized clone twin that he’s pissed at (and frankly has the right to be) for trying to kill him/successfully biting off a chunk of him, but its softened somewhat that the clone A) clearly only just developed the understanding of what he did and is visibly horrified, B) is. Basically now really close to being Actually a Second Him despite being a weird dough-frog and C) apparently as part of gaining a copy of his memories, he now has the experience of being attacked in his brain from both sides including the painful one??

(Or. Maybe it isn’t softened/ it takes time for him to feel any way other than GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME. That’d be understandable esp depending on how major the injury was tbh-)

AN ARM FOR AN ARM (TW BLOOD and hurting Peppino...again.)

I've come to the conclusion that in order for Peppi-no to gain Peppino's memories Peppino has to die. Luckily this is NOT the case. Peppino survives. In this scenario Peppi-no gains inteligence of a regular human and the ability to nearly perfectly imitate Peppino.

But still Peppino would be out of order for a while, blood loss is no joke! So in the meantime Peppi-no would have to be the one completing the levels, atleast until Peppino recovers.It would be a long and bumpy journey but I think they would eventually mend their relationship.

Authors note: Usually putting pseudough onto an open wound would be a terrible idea, but for the sake of "cool" I'm putting that aside. Peppino with a strange new arm it is! Pretty fun concept!

Also, since I'm getting so many questions about this subject I will most likely make a big post where I will explain "What would happen if fake pep bit off this or that chunk of Peppino" and the logictics behind "getting a piece of Peppino" in more detail.

But after that no more bitting Peppino >:(

[obwjam]

a small surprise (gravity falls g/t!)

aka when you fall back down the gravity falls rabbit hole and before you know it you're brainstorming every possible g/t idea...

and then you end up with something like this: ford's borrower friend is left alone and confused when a mysterious force jolts them awake one night... and discovers that the author of the journals has a mysterious twin brother

s/o to @pocket-lad for all the ramblings about giant stans and for fostering this idea with me -- check out their take on this!!

part 2

--------------------

Jay had never felt tremors like this before.

She thought the earth was about to split open and swallow her whole with how intensely her world shook. Of course she had felt earthquakes before – or what she thought were earthquakes. Ford had tried to explain it a million times, and Jay pretended to get it around explanation No. 837,382 so she wouldn’t have to hear it anymore.

But that was ages ago. Ford had gotten pretty much impossible to talk to after the whole triangle worshiping thing, and after Fiddleford quit, the house had fallen into an intense state of disrepair. Jay still lived here, of course, because it was warm and safe and Ford still remembered to leave food and water out for her. But anytime she tried to talk to him, he would look at her like he was hallucinating. He probably was.

It had been a few weeks since the two had actually spoken face to face. She felt uncomfortable trying to get through to someone who clearly wasn’t himself anymore. But this – earthquake, whatever it was – was enough to scare her to the point where she was afraid of being alone. She at least had to ask Ford what had happened; even if he was delusional most of the time, she knew him well enough that she could glean some sort of answer from his ramblings.

Careful not to trip over fallen objects, Jay made her way from her little hiding spot upstairs to the small pulley system Ford helped her construct to get down to the bunker. That had taken a lot of convincing, since Ford didn’t understand why he couldn’t just carry her down with him every time – “It’s much more practical!” he would say, dramatically pointing his finger up in the air – but she eventually persuaded him because he liked a challenge. It worked just as lowering a bucket into a well did, a simple enough mechanism that Jay could use herself no matter what. Ford was always fascinated by her raw strength.

The house was dark and quiet – nothing new – but there was an eerie feeling in the air that Jay just couldn’t shake. Something felt… wrong. Ford’s presence was easily felt, and Jay couldn’t sense him anywhere. The only sound was the snowstorm battering against the thin glass windows, making the wood creak and shake but nothing more. With one hand, Jay clutched the sewing needle that served as her protection. The other was pressed behind her back, ready to fend off anything from behind. It didn’t make her feel much better.

“What did you do now, Ford…” Jay muttered to herself, eyes darting left and right. It was hard to make out much of anything, but the usual controlled chaos of the main floor felt skewed, and it was clear to see from up on the table. Maybe once she got to her makeshift elevator, she’d start to feel better.

But she stopped short of the bunker’s entrance, because a sudden noise scared the living daylights out of her. She flung her needle forward, but nothing was in her immediate vicinity. She cautiously lowered the weapon, and it didn’t take long for her eyes to find the source. Standing in the center of the main room, staring intently at the journal like it was his last remaining possession on Earth, was…

“Ford?”

Ford froze, stiff as a board. Jay swallowed the lump in her throat. He was probably pissed at her.

“Ford…” Jay paused. She didn’t really think about what she would say if – when – she finally saw him. “What–what happened? Is everything okay? It’s–”

She was cut off abruptly when Ford turned around, and Jay’s stomach dropped so fast she thought it might take her through the floor. He – this man – he had Ford’s face, but this was not him. The hair was all wrong (he had a mullet, for Christ’s sake). The posture. The clothes. The look in his glasses-less eyes as he stared right at her. This wasn’t him. Jay was baffled. Did he do something to himself? Is this just what he looked like now? Could he really have changed that much in a few weeks?

Not-Ford blinked, then blinked again. His mouth hung slightly agape, and his eyes were blown wide. He looked dirty and tired, but most pressing, he looked mad. Mad at Jay.

“What the…” 

Not-Ford’s gruff, hoarse voice was the final nail in the coffin. Ford didn’t sound like that. Even when he was losing his mind, he spoke with a surprising amount of authority. He was just like that. This man… he sounded lost.

The reality of the situation hit Jay like a freight train. Slowly, she held her hands up and began to back away, like she was retreating from an animal. Whether this was some weird, alternate version of Ford or a complete stranger, it didn’t change the fact that she was being seen.

Jay was quick. Not-Ford was quicker.

At a blinding speed that Jay would never get used to from humans, Not-Ford had grabbed a jar from an adjacent table and slammed it on top of her, eliciting a very high-pitched scream. She jumped when a piece of paper replaced the wood of the table underneath her feet, and in just a few seconds, her world turned upside down. Literally. She was flipped to the bottom of the jar as Not-Ford brought her shaking form up to eye level.

“What the hell are you?” That rough voice was distorted through thick glass, but still terrifying. “And what the hell do you know about my brother?”

Jay almost choked. Brother? Ford had never mentioned a brother.

“Wh–who–where’s Ford?” Jay barely had the courage to speak.

“Oh, it talks,” Not-Ford sounded intrigued for a moment. “What, are you one of his experiments gone wrong? You’re so… tiny.”

Jay opened her mouth to respond, but her words died in her throat when Not-Ford – Ford’s brother, apparently – tilted the jar to the side, causing her to fall to the side with an unceremonious oof. He was observing her, like some caged animal. She tried to regain her footing, but failed miserably each time. Her legs felt like they were still stuck in those tremors. She wanted to yell at him to stop, but she could barely get air in her lungs as she was swirled around like water going down a drain. 

“Huh,” Not-Ford said, going still after what felt like a million years. “Did my brother do this to you?”

Jay stumbled and tilted her head. “Do–do what?”

“What do you mean, do what. Make you tiny.”

“Make me – no, he didn’t make me tiny,” Jay shot back, almost insulted. She felt the anger boil up inside of her when Not-Ford almost smiled.

“Oh, man, you really got the short end of the stick, then. Literally.”

Despite herself, Jay rolled her eyes. Height jokes. Very original.

“L–look, I don’t know who you are, but–”

“Can it, pipsqueak!” Jay actually had to cover her ears at the sheer volume of his voice. “I’m asking the questions here. Did you help him with this – portal thing?”

The portal. The tremors. Jay’s eyes widened. No. He didn’t…

Ford’s brother evidently understood her look of recognition. “Ah, so you do know about it. Well, you’re gonna help me fix it.”

“Wh–” Jay didn’t get a chance to speak as he swung the jar to his side. She flew into the side, and she tried to ignore the way her arm crunched under the pressure. The world whizzed by underneath her feet, and she could barely keep her balance with the way Not-Ford was lumbering around. Looks like she was getting a ride down to the bunker after all.

Jay’s mind raced with ways she could get herself out of this. As badly as she wanted to figure out what happened to Ford, she didn’t care to have this guy help her. She could easily find Ford by herself. Maybe she could try to find Fiddleford, too, but for all Jay knew, he was halfway across the world at this point, so that was probably a fruitless effort. He was very adamant about quitting when he left that night, which always made Jay sad whenever she thought about it. She sorely missed his calm demeanor and gentleness with her. She liked spending time with Ford, but at the end of the day, he had a tendency to regard her as some kind of scientific marvel, not a fully functioning person. Fiddleford never seemed to care. He just wanted to make sure she was safe and happy.

A harsh jolt brought Jay back to reality. Oh. Right. Not-Ford. Ford’s crazy brother. It had taken her a bit to notice, but Not-Ford’s hands were shaking. And the anger… it didn’t seem like he was mad at her. That made no sense; the only crime she was guilty of was knowing Ford. But the way he spoke about Ford – like he wasn’t here right now – and how the portal needed fixing, and he wanted help doing it… what exactly happened?

“Stupid secret bunker… stupid portal… stupid brother…” Not-Ford muttered. He was glancing behind him, as if Ford would pop out at any moment and yell surprise!

Not-Ford definitely got discombobulated, but he eventually found his way back to the control room. He threw the jar onto the main control panel, and Jay shut her eyes, hoping the sensation of moving would fade away quickly.

“Alright, short stuff,” Not-Ford said gruffly, slamming a journal in front of her. “Tell me how to turn this thing on.”

Jay started blankly at the journal. It wasn’t even opened to the correct section, and she could barely see over the horizon of the pages.

Not-Ford grunted. “Well, what are you waiting for?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Tiny people can read, right?”

“Wh–what makes you think I can do anything?” Jay managed to choke out. It had worked on Ford when they first met; using her diminutive size to her advantage. She had wriggled out of so many things she didn’t want to do by playing the useless card. 

Ford’s brother stopped. He abruptly grabbed the jar, lifting it up to his dirty, unhappy face. Jay gasped and inched back until her head softly hit the glass. Through the distortion of her clear prison, it looked like he was actually considering her words. If he was anything like Ford, it would work.

He was nothing like Ford.

“Heh, if you want to weasel your way out of this, you’re gonna have to try harder, tiny,” he smirked, placing the jar back in front of the journal. 

Jay shook her head in disbelief. “But – what –” she paused. Trying to reason with him wouldn’t work. This guy clearly didn’t work like that. With wide eyes and trembling hands, Jay considered her next move. Her primary goal of getting the hell out of this jar didn’t seem like it was going to happen anytime soon, and he obviously wasn't going to fall for a sob story. She could help him, but based on the way he’s been acting, he’d probably put her in a closet and forget about her as quickly as he found her. She looked up, trying to read Not-Ford through the warped glass. His hands were tightly wrapped around his waist, and his eyes darted nervously at every little sound. His demeanor didn’t match his tough-guy attitude one bit.

A lightbulb went off in Jay’s head: He’s desperate. And she could use that to her advantage.

“I’ll help you if you tell me what happened,” she said, sounding way less assertive than she wanted to. Not-Ford regarded her in something of a condescending curiosity before bursting out into laughter. Jay felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Why was he laughing? What was so funny? Oh, she shouldn’t have tried to play tough. She was in no position to negotiate.

“Trying to do this my way, huh?” Not-Ford leaned back in his seat. “Alright, I’ll play along.”

Jay was stunned silent.

“Go ahead, ask me what you wanna know. But don’t think about trying to be slick, because I have no problem shaking you around like a martini.”

It took her a second to gather her thoughts. She wasn’t planning on conning him, because she knew the consequences, but it was interesting that Not-Ford defaulted to assuming the worst. There were a million things she wanted – needed – to ask, but he was volatile. She had to tread carefully. So she started simple.

“Wh… what’s your name? And are you really… Ford’s brother?”

“Name’s Stanley,” he said, brushing some loose hair from his face. “And yeah, Poindexter's my brother. We’re twins.”

“Twins…” Jay repeated. That’s why they looked identical, even down to their names. But why would Ford never say anything about it? “I… Ford never mentioned anything about having a twin.”

Stanley laughed. “Yeah, that’s not surprising. We haven’t seen each other in years. He was probably tryin’ to pretend I didn’t exist.”

Jay frowned. Stanley sounded miserable saying that out loud, and she didn’t need to ask to know what that meant. 

“And what are you supposed to be? Some kind of fairy or something? I know Ford was into weird stuff, but this is just unnatural.”

Jay crossed her arms. “I’m a borrower.”

Stanley blinked. “You say that like I’m supposed to know what that is.”

“Well, it’s what… I am,” Jay said, gesturing to herself.

“Okay… so, what? You were Ford’s pet or something?”

“I was not – no!” Jay cried as that familiar sinking feeling entered her stomach. She was not about to do this again right now. “I am not a pet!”

“Okay, okay, yeesh,” Stanley said, throwing his hands up. “Sore subject, I see.”

“We were… friends,” Jay said cautiously. “He respected me. I think.”

“You think?” Stanley laughed. “Oh, I’m sure he did. He loves listening to other people. Especially when they’re the size of a doll.”

Jay felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but pushed past it. There were more pressing matters at hand than her feelings. “Where… where is Ford? What happened?”

Stanley froze, like all his bodily control was stolen from him. For a moment, he stared off into the distance, something flashing before his eyes that only he could see. If Jay didn’t know any better, she’d almost say he looked… embarrassed.

“I – he – we got into a fight,” Stanley said, hanging his head a bit. “One second, he was here, and the next, some wacky machine turns on and he’s bein’ pulled right into it! And I can’t get it back on, because in case you haven’t noticed, I’m the handsome twin, not the nerdy twin. So either you help me get this thing back on or I’ll–”

“Wait wait wait. He went through?”

“What, are your tiny ears incapable of hearing? That's what I just said!” Stanley cried.

Jay felt like she was going to throw up. Fiddleford walked out on site from what he saw inside that portal, and Ford went mad trying to make sure it was never used again. If he got pulled through…

“...he might not even be alive,” Jay whispered, her voice trembling as violently as her body. 

Stanley leaned in, causing Jay to recoil. “What? You’re gonna have to talk louder than that, pipsqueak. I can barely hear you.”

“I said HE MIGHT BE DEAD!”

For a moment, Stanley’s face remained stoic. But it soon twisted into a cocktail of sadness, rage and annoyance, his eyes practically glowing red, staring straight through Jay’s soul.

Jay tensed up. Maybe that was a bad idea.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. F-forget I said anything,” Jay stammered, holding her hands up. She retreated – as if there was anywhere she could go. Stanley could kill her in 10,000 different ways, and she didn’t even want to speculate about any of them.

But instead of taking the jar, Stanley just sighed. “That’s right, tiny. I don’t wanna hear any of that. My brother may be the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever known, but he is one tough son of a bitch and there is no way some – stupid gadget killed him!”

Jay opened her mouth, but stopped. Something piqued her interest.

“How… how much do you know about the portal?”

Stanley glared at her. “Nothing. That’s why I’ve resorted to asking some half-baked person to help me.”

“No, I mean… did Ford tell you anything about what it does?”

“Yeah,” Stanley said, though he sounded unsure. “Something about a universal gateway into unfathomable knowledge, blah blah, boring nerd stuff. Look, it doesn’t matter, just – tell me how to get it back on already, will ya?!”

“I don’t–!” Jay started to yell, but she took a breath. She couldn’t lose her cool. “I was here – around – I would watch when Ford and Fidds were working on it, but it’s not like I understood any of it.” Jay shut her eyes, waiting for blowback, some kind of retaliation. But it never came. Stanley just stared at her, eyes shaking. “Besides, if you only have one journal, you can’t… Ford wrote three journals, see, and they have to be combined to build it. Sort of a failsafe thing. Do you have the others?”

Stanley shook his head. “He told me he buried them or something. He didn’t want to turn that thing back on, I – I don’t even know what happened.”

There was a long stretch of silence after that. The two of them just stared at each other, unmoving. It was hard for Jay to put all the pieces together based on the limited useful information Ford told her after Fidds quit, but one thing was crystal clear – that portal should be shut down at all costs. Ford kept saying he was tricked, and using the portal again would destroy the universe. Jay believed him, too, because the kind of stuff he got himself into always seemed bigger than themselves. If Ford actually was taken through the portal, then that means it was turned on… and the universe was still here. No mass destruction, no end of humanity, no triangles. Everything seemed to be okay… except for the noticeable lack of Ford.

Ford. The first human she had ever talked to; one of the only beings on earth she considered to be her friend. Sure, he was obsessive, invasive and sometimes lacked humanity… but he was also protective, curious and caring of her. Jay hadn’t had to hunt for food in a year. She had unlimited access to cold, clean water. The worst thing she had to endure was Ford’s endless stream of questions and experiments, but it was a trade she’d make 100 times out of 100 if it meant sustenance, shelter and safety for the rest of her life. 

Above all, Ford trusted her. He would let her watch other experiments, take her on trips, and even contribute to brainstorming sessions. She would listen quietly as Ford and Fidds reminisced about their Backupsmore days and the things they would do to change the world. She felt part of it all. Ford made her feel part of it all.

So what would he want her to do, right now, in this moment? He would never want to put himself above the safety of humanity; not once he found out what Bill was really up to. He would rather spend a thousand years in another dimension than risk the safety of this one. Maybe the portal didn’t do anything this time, but would they be so lucky again? Something told her no. Maybe there was a reason Ford didn’t talk to his brother anymore. Maybe he was just reckless. With Fidds and Ford both gone now… it really was up to her to keep everyone safe.

Jay sighed, realizing she needed to say something before Stanley shook her around again. “Look, even if I – even if I wanted to, you need those other journals, and I – I don’t really understand all that mechanical stuff. I’m… I’m sorry, Stanley. I don’t know how to turn it back on.”

Stanley said nothing. Jay gulped. Oh, boy, he was mad.

“I – I just mean – I can’t –”

“What do you mean, even if you wanted to?”

Jay paused. The temperature in the room seemed to drop 20 degrees. “I– well–”

“My brother is trapped on the other side of some – some – some inter-dimensional weirdness, and you don’t even want to get him back?”

“That’s not – I didn’t mean –”

But she didn’t get to finish her sentence as Stanley grabbed the jar off the table, throwing Jay to the back of the glass again. “Listen to this, tiny! I don’t care what some half-pint wants! He’s my family! And if you’re not going to help me get him back, then – then you’re useless to me!”

“Wait, Stanley, come on, I –”

“And stop saying my name as if we’re on the same level here! You’re just some – some – some thing my brother happened to find interesting. You don’t know anything about Ford!”

“You’re one to talk, considering I’ve spent more time with him in the last year than you have for the last 10!”

All the oxygen in the room seemed to evaporate. Jay didn’t mean to say that, not really – sure, it’s how she felt, but she didn’t want to say it out loud. Maybe Stanley didn’t hear her. Maybe he wouldn’t even care. Maybe he’d just say you’re right and come to his senses.

Maybe not.

It was perhaps scarier that Stanley didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he simply blinked a few times, took a few breaths, then got moving. 

He didn’t know where he was going, just that he wanted to be anywhere but here right now, talking to anyone but – but – damn it, he didn’t even know her name. It didn’t matter. This stupid little thing was right about one thing – she’d spoken to his brother more in the last week than he had for a decade. What did Stan do to deserve this? Just because he broke his dumb brother’s dumb science project back in high school? And just when he was hopeful Ford was ready to turn the page, they got right back into it – and now he was gone, with no way to come back.

He glanced down at the impossibly small figure in the jar. How was this even possible? He didn’t think any of that fairy tale folk junk was real. And Ford would befriend it, too. They probably forged some weird bond over being weird. 

Deep down, Stan felt bad. He barely knew this little guy, and he didn’t really have a right to keep them trapped. But right now, he was pissed off and feeling irrational. The more he stared at this tiny being, the more it reminded him of everything he lost with Ford.

So he found the highest shelf and stuck the jar up there.

“HEY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HEY!!!” Jay kicked at the glass, as if that would do anything. “YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME UP HERE!”

“I can do whatever the hell I want, pipsqueak,” Stanley mumbled, not even bothering to look her in the eye. In an instant, he was gone, head down and hands shoved in his pockets. He had work to do.

“STANLEY!!!!” Jay gave it one more try, but it was no use. Okay, don’t panic. You’ve been in worse situations. Maybe I can just push the glass off the shelf. Jay slammed her body onto the side of the jar until she became numb. It barely moved an inch. Okay, maybe if I… no, that won’t work. Or I can… no, that won’t do either. What if… if… if…

“If,” Jay sighed out loud, her legs crumbling beneath her. She was trapped. Stanley wasn’t coming back to let her out. Ford wasn’t coming back at all. She would die here. What first, starvation? Dehydration? Oxygen deprivation? It was all the same to her at this point.

Truthfully, she didn’t know how much time passed. The low light of the bunker was the same any time of day, and she never saw Stanley pass by, so either it had only been a few hours or Stanley was working nonstop for days. The whirlwind of everything had finally caught up to her, and the cool glass of the jar felt nice when she laid down and stretched her body out. There’s not much I can do right now. I’ll think of something later…

The second she closed her eyes, she passed out.

[stinkysam]

Vinsmoke Sanji - Me ?

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : “that shapeshifter thing was SOO cute omg. could you do something like that with sanji??” - anon

Reader : gender neutral (you/yours)

A/N : once again, reader can only shapeshift because their devil fruit allows them to steal someone's abilities.

You gently caressed his face, your thumb stroking his cheek. You didn't see how his heart jumped at your touch.

“Wanna see something cool I found ?” You asked and he nodded eagerly, heart thumping.

Then you touched your own face, changing into him in a blink.

He almost choked on his own spit when he saw himself.

What the fuuuck ?

“Huh ? W- w- what ? H- how ?” He blinked, feeling weird to see himself from this close without a mirror. You smiled, laughing. God it felt weird to hear your pretty laugh coming from his mouth.

“I stole it from someone.” You replied, winking proudly with a smirk.

“Why ?”

“Mh ? Because his power seemed cool.”

“No, why… turn into me ?”

“Because I like you.” You replied.

He blinked at you, not understanding how it could be this simple.

He doesn't doubt that you like him, though at times it's hard to believe for him but he doesn't understand how you could like to be him.

Sure, you didn't know everything about him to hate him. Because if you did know, you would hate him. But even with what you knew now, there was nothing special about him to like being him.

So he didn't understand.

He's a bit uncomfortable with you turning into him and he will tell you.

Yet this doesn't stop you from turning into him when you can.

“I like being able to hear your voice. Even though it's my own words.” You simply explain. “And when I look in a mirror, it's like you're here.”

He relaxes a bit at your words but he's still unsure about it.

Unlike Buggy, he doesn't particularly want people to think he's so confident he'd fuck himself. He's confident in his strength and cooking but not enough in himself to want to fuck his clone. Even if it's you.

He never thought about it unless you mention it and he quickly shuts it down.

“Why would I want to… fuck myself ?”

You shrug.

“To try ?”

He grimaces.

“Wouldn't it be like fucking my twin brother ?”

“Yeah but it's not really you, it's still me.” You say.

He looks at you, visibly uncomfortable. Nope. Clearly doesn't want to do that or to think about it.

“It's okay I won't force you, I was mainly joking. Don't worry, Sanji.” You say, turning back into yourself to rub his arm soothingly.

“Can I still turn into you when I miss you ?”

“Of course. As long as you don't prefer him than me.” He smiles gently, reassured you weren't serious about it.

“I would never, I prefer the original Sanji.” You grin, wrapping your arms around him, and kissing him. “I can't kiss myself.” You laughed, as if it were the only reason.

“Good. I don't want another man to kiss you. Even if he looks like me. Even if it's you.” He said kissing your forehead and you snort.

“I promise I'll only kiss you.”

[therainscene]

I’m obsessed with @wheelersboy’s theory that Mike thinks Will is in love with El. It’s one of those takes that’s so simple, yet so perfectly explains every odd little detail you couldn’t quite account for before, that you know you’re on to a winner.

I always thought it was bizarre that the Willel reunion at NINA was framed in blatant love triangle imagery:

If this was supposed to be yet another reminder that the sad widdle gay boy has fee-fees for his best friend, we’d expect him to be gazing at Mike or otherwise looking conflicted at both of them. But he isn’t. His steady, adoring gaze is for El only. Yes, he loves her, but that love is strictly fraternal, so why the romance symbolism?

Is it straight-bait? This scene comes after his thinly-veiled love confession to Mike (in the same episode, no less), and the Duffers and Noah both made a point of confirming that Will was gay in post-vol.2 interviews, so making the audience think that Will is in love with El clearly wasn’t the intention here.

The Willel romance-coding isn’t for the audience -- it’s for Mike.

We often joke about Mike being crushed that Will didn’t laugh at his vomit green socks, but follow Will’s gaze -- it’s a little hard to see in the still image, but he’s staring at El, checking to see if she’s going to heed his advice. Mike's discomfort isn’t because he’s upset that Will didn’t like his joke, it’s because he doesn’t understand the weird tension between these two and is frustrated that his attempt to lighten the mood didn’t dispel it.

Mike’s smart enough to correctly connect the dots by the time Will starts sobbing in the van though: Will is destroying himself in his efforts to be supportive of the relationship between his best friend and the person he’s in love with.

But heteronormativity and a severe inferiority complex lead him to draw the wrong conclusion -- he thinks he’s the best friend and El is the one Will’s in love with, and that gets confirmed in his mind when he catches them making goo-goo eyes at each other at NINA.

And not once, after figuring it out, does he get jealous about it -- he guides El into Will’s arms at NINA, he looks conflicted as hell during the “I love you�� monologue as Will hovers over his shoulder -- he just wants them to be happy and is prepared to put his own feelings aside to make it happen, even though it would hurt him terribly to do so. Exactly the same fucking thing Will is doing. It’s utterly farcical. I love this theory so much.

I’d like to springboard off this by taking a look at what it implies about S5.

Between Will’s history with Vecna and the Wonder Twins foreshadowing--

--it’s looking pretty likely that Will and El are going to be spending a significant amount of time together next season.

So we can already see that conditions are perfect for Mike to go through a similar arc as Will did in S4: being a third wheel between his best friend and the person he’s in love with and feeling like he can never truly be more than a third wheel, leading him to sacrifice himself in an effort to support what he thinks they have together.

Mike is very much at risk of doing something stupidly self-harming in S5 -- this is the same kid who jumped off a cliff to protect Dustin’s baby teeth, after all. He feels like he has no value if he isn’t needed by Superman. And there’s a goddamn mind-reading despair demon stalking his friend group.

Of course, it’ll all work out in the end. He’ll be saved at the last moment, the truth will be tearfully revealed, and we’ll finally get that big, dramatic, affirming kiss for our OTP.

You might have noticed that everything I’ve said in this analysis so far is consistent with either Byler or Milevn being endgame.

Many Milevns and GA members don’t just believe that Milevn will triumph over Byler -- they believe there isn’t any conflict between Milevn and Byler in the first place. The lack of evidence that Mike isn’t into boys is meaningless to the heteronormative mindset -- he’s the protagonist and dating a girl, therefore he’s straight, therefore Will’s hopes are dead in the water, therefore Mike has no romantic dilemma to solve.

By introducing a misunderstanding in which Mike imagines that his best friend is competing for his girlfriend -- couching his dilemma in relatable heterosexual terms -- the audience will be forced to accept that Mike is experiencing a distressing internal conflict involving Will and romance that won’t be resolved until the queer truth comes out.

The GA felt bad for Will in S4 because they assumed there was nothing he could do about it, but they’ll be tearing their hair out with frustration at Mike in S5 -- “you’re wrongly assuming he’s straight, you idiot! Just talk to him and this will all be cleared up!!”

It would be an absolutely genius way of getting the audience to question heteronormativity without them even realizing they’re questioning heteronormativity.

Once Mike’s queerness is revealed, the parallels between his arc and Will’s will suddenly become clear, and the audience will realize that, despite his straight-passing invisibility, Mike was just the other side of the same gay coin Will was on all along.

[Part 2]

[queerponcho]

Transfixed | part 3

previous part | part 4

collage made by me with pictures from pinterest

moonknight!system x female!reader

a/n: AHHH- Thank you all so much for reblogging, liking and commenting on my past chapters!!! I just reached 50 reblogs and it honestly means the world that people are embracing a newbie like me (✿◠‿◠)

Warnings: no use of Y/N, fluff, NOT beta read, gushing about the moonboys, flustered awkward dorks, plot-twists, Jake being a menace, (eventual smut, the chapters will be marked individually), inaccurate depictions of DID, egyptian mythology and religion (although I did extensive research I took liberty in changing some things to adhere to my plot...), if I missed anything or made any spelling mistakes pls don't hesitate to tell me!

Summary: Steven and Marc have a little...carfuffle when Jake finally lets them front again, after days of taking over. The date plans are set and both parties eager to meet soon but are we surprised when things don't go as planned..?

2,200 words

Steven at home

‘I can’t believe this- how does this even happen Steven?’

‘Mate, I don't know! You were there weren’t you? You know how it happened…’

‘So you’re tellin’ me that any pretty girl can just sit there and you will literally tell them all about our personal business???'

‘How else was I supposed to find out about Jake huh?? Say that he’s my identical twin brother and then have to explain myself-'

‘Steven you would never have had to explain anything! Because this was supposed to be ONE conversation over a non-committal coffee- not a damn first date.’ Marc replies sternly. He looks at Steven in the glass of the fishtank and notices him looking deflated and guilty. Great- now he feels guilty for making Steven feel guilty. ‘I-I am sorry man, I shouldn't've gotten this mad, you know how I am about…personal stuff.’ Marc says sincerely. He really has been trying to be better at communicating, it’s been a feat to get here but he would do anything to make Steven's life easier. ‘It’s alright Marc..you’re right I should call off the date’ Steven says while looking at his hands, remembering your touch on his shoulder. The way you made him trust you so easily, even though he barely knew you. How desperately he wanted to get to know you an- ‘Steven, you know we share a brain right?’ Marc says trying to stop Steven from swooning any further. ‘Look- clearly you like her and she seems to like you as well, so who says this won’t turn out well?’ ‘well- you know: “we share a brain”’ Steven says, mocking Marc's previous comment. ‘Okay okay I get it-  I messed up. I’m sorry. There, will you let me help you now?’ Marc looks at Steven expectantly.

Days passed since they had returned home after you left them in the cafe. Steven was pretty sure Jake had taken over after leaving the coffee-shop but he was finally fronting again after a few days. Steven squints his eyes at Marc but relents ‘alright fine, I don’t know what to text her…I think she might be waiting for me to initiate conversation…’ ‘You realise we wouldn't have this issue if I had fronted and you wouldn't have had the chance to fall in love like a desperate teen-boy’ ‘I thought you said you lay off with the mean comments! And i am NOT in love-’

‘yeahyeah, you’ve never had a girlfriend have you? You must be reeaaally nervous…’ he adds in a singsong voice. Marc won’t let up, he’s being dragged into this mess so he might as well have a bit of fun. ‘Okay now I know you’re just takin’ the piss- are you gonna help me or not?’ Steven says fully aware of his embarrassing situation. ‘Alright, you text and I tell ya how to start, alright?’

‘Oh bollocks- uum okok I-I can do this..’ Steven is fronting now sitting on the office-chair and stares at his phone screen, starting with a simple introduction.

steven is typing...

‘Hiya- it’s me Steven!’

He had written, deleted and rewritten the message about six times before finally sending it.

You answered very quickly, you’d been waiting for him to text since you got home a few days ago. Processing everything that happened between you and steven- and well, Jake.

‘hi:) glad to hear from you. I wanted to apologise for leaving so abruptly, but it was all a bit much to process and i was running super late for work haha…i hope you understand’

‘Of course luv. If you’ve got any questions you can always ask, I hope you know that.’

‘i do’

‘i was actually hoping to ask you some questions on that date you promised me;)’

You seemed a bit more forward over text and Steven did not mind it one bit, since it was just the push he needed.

‘Right! I thought we could meet friday? There's this great vegan restaurant, I'd love to take you there?’

‘sounds great! could you pass me the address of the place?’

‘No need luv- I’ll pick you up.’

‘oh!’

‘that works too’

You hadn’t realised the age gap until this moment. They were probably around 10 years older than you with you being in your mid-twenties. You did notice the wrinkles and silver strands when you first saw Jake but hadn’t really thought about the fact that he was about a decade older than you. Just now as he offered to pick you up did you realise the generational difference. You didn’t have an issue with it, you’ve always liked your partners to be a bit older so this definitely wasn’t a turnoff. If anything it only amplified your attraction.

‘I’d love your address’

‘Whenever you get the chance to send it:)’

‘right! sending it now…’

You send him your address. 

‘Thanks luv. Alright, I’ll see you Friday at 7pm then?’

‘yes! see you tomorrow steven<3’

He sat back, setting his phone on the sink. ‘Alright there's your date’

‘Thanks for taking over, Marc- couldn’t have done it alone’

‘Relax Steven- this was just texting. But you realise I can’t just take over during the date, right?’

‘Of course I know that…doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stand by just in case…’ 

‘So- wait, what are we gonna do with Jake's notebook?’

‘I uuhm couldn't find anything besides drawings and sketches of her…I mean at least we had those, otherwise we would’ve never found out about him loaning that book.’

‘By the way…we know Jake likes her as well, by getting to know her better, we have a chance of actually luring Jake out-’

‘That might be true but that's not our goal! I- I actually like her…she might become my first proper girlfriend, I don't wanna mess this up.’ Steven is adamant on getting to know you, very hopeful of the connection he feels towards you. An almost magnetic pull he felt between you, one he has never felt with anyone before.

Marc chuckles at the reminder but reassures Steven, ‘And we won't, I promise, you will do fine Steven’

Friday

It’s 4 am. You’ve been trying to sleep for the past four hours but the thought of getting to see Steven and possibly Jake later today was not letting you relax. If anything it was causing a very persistent tension…in places you really dont wanna delve into. In fact, you’re trying really hard not to think about that tension, which might be the exact reason as to why you can’t seem to find your way to a peaceful slumber. You try to distract yourself by thinking of how this all even started. The way Jake intrigued you since the beginning and had you speechless every time he appeared. And you think about steven- steven who's the polar opposite to jake and is this shy sweetheart that can’t seem to even look you in the eyes but somehow managed to bluntly ask you out on a date. You keep thinking about them and their differences and analyse them, not noticing your eyes slowly shutting closed and your thoughts slowly forming into vivid dreams based on your memories with the boys…you sit up in your bed abruptly remembering your texts with steven. Realising you had shared your private address with a fucking stranger…you hold your head in your hands and push your palms into your eye-sockets trying to calm down. You don't actually know shit about these men…you really should’ve told your friends about them cuz literally no one knows about these encounters. But truly it was all so bizarre and absurd that you really didn’t want your friends to spoil it for you by using anything close to logic or realism. To maybe argue that they could have anything untoward in mind with you. 

You lay back down and finally feel a wave of exhaustion hit you. You want to believe that they actually maybe even like you…of course there is a possibility that Steven only asked you out to find out more about Jake. oh and marc, was it? You wonder what he might be like and if he's anything like his alters. You turn from your clock having hit 5am and finally force yourself into sleep.

You wake up to your alarm blaring and prepare yourself for work. You start the day groggy and tired due to only sleeping four hours. But just the thought of your date tonight has you motivated enough to hurry up and catch the next bus.

Moonboys POV

Marc woke up around noonish since Steven took forever to finally fall asleep. Lately he’d been better but last night he was as jittery as a six year old the night before christmas. Currently standing in the kitchen brewing himself a cup of black coffee and prepping his mug with two brown sugars. ‘So loverboy, what are you planning for tonight?’ He says while wearing an amused smirk on his face.

‘Okay well first off, cool it with the nicknames yeah? And secondly you literally texted it for me yesterday. We are goin’ to my favourite restaurant.’ Steven replies proudly while also ashamed for not even having the balls to text you himself. ‘About that…I don’t think that place is open right now- in fact I think all the restaurants are closed today, no?’ Marc remarks and pours himself the long awaited bitter brew. ‘Wha-Whatareyousayin mate??’

‘Well’ He clears his throat ‘when I woke up I saw today's date and remembered that today is that weird holiday, the only thing open are convenience stores and the 24-hour Tesco’ he says, his voice laced in an amused tone and takes a slow sip of his sweetened coffee. ‘Bollocks- what am I gonna do?...I could cook?’ ‘Steven’ ‘No, I-i can't even make a- a salad! How the hell am i supposed to cook for her if I can't cook marc?!’ he says panicked ‘Steven’ marc sternly interrupts, carefully putting his half empty mug on the counter 

‘I can help you. I may not be amazing at it but I can remember a few things from- from what our dad taught us.’ Marc and Steven rarely talked about their past but recently they were kinda forced to deal with it. Just the fact that they, let alone Marc, can mention anything from that time so casually is kind of a huge step for them. 

Marc and Steven spend the rest of the day planning, buying and preparing the food for the date. The time comes when Steven has to take over the body to get ready to pick you up. He finds a shirt in the back of his closet- same oversized cut as his others but a bit less casual and more sleek looking than the usual shirts he wears. His hair is as unruly and fluffy as usual despite Marc insisting on sleeking it back. He convinces him to use some curling cream he had found in the back of the bathroom drawer.

Steven applies it sceptically, coming to the conclusion that it does look pretty good. He makes his way to your address making sure to ring on the right door. Basically buzzing from anxiety, Marc is doing everything to keep him calm and rehearse with him what he was gonna do and say when you ringed him in and opened your door, knowing full well, that all the preparation would fly out the window when he actually met you…Jake is silently watching this all transpire and cant help but be amused at all this, not admitting that he was actually a bit nervous himself.

You came back from work tired BUT extremely excited to get ready. You had to stay a bit longer than anticipated and thus only had about one hour to get ready. Hopping in the shower as quickly as possible you try to calm down under the warm streams of water hitting your body, melting all the tension out of your back, shoulders and sore legs. Work had been exhausting and this shower was proving to get difficult to leave. But the alarm you had set to remind yourself of the time, successfully cut your relaxation short. You quickly exited your shower wrapping your body in a fluffy white towel. Wiping the steamy mirror to see your reflection more clearly, you start getting ready. Adding whatever products you use to your hair and applying sweet smelling lotion to your body, basically doing any- and everything to make you feel as confident and ready as possible for your date, who was supposed to arrive iiiin…twenty minutes?!

You hurried your makeup routine and rushed to your room quickly picking out an outfit you felt sexy in but also had a grounding and comfy vibe. You threw on a beige knitted sweater, which had an oversized fit with a mini-jean skirt. Paired with sheer brown tights, thigh-high beige cashmere socks and brown leather knee-high, high-heeled boots. Finishing off the look with your favourite jewellery and accessories, you look over at the clock. It's 6.50pm and you are just adding the last finishing touches to your look and making sure you've moved all the important things from your ‘work-bag’ to your ‘going out purse’ when the door rings. ‘He's here’ you mutter to yourself, running to the door making sure it's him and pushing the button to the intercom. ‘Yes, hello?’

a/n: hope yall liked this chapterrr- in the next chapter you'll be able to read all about the date and i am SO excited for yall to read about it *squeals* don't mean to toot my own horn but GURL it's so good i already wanna post it ♪(´▽｀)

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910

please notify me if you want to be added/ removed from the Taglist<3

[dc418writes]

✨Pairing✨: NFL!Ari Levinsonxblack!reader

Summary🪄: Your brother has the worst timing

🚨: allusions to past happy adult fun times, mention of nudity (brief), mention of parent death, pretty much all floofy hilarity

🎤: an early Valentine’s Day-esque fic based off an idea I recently had. Hope you guys like it☺️!

*DISCLAIMER!: although visual made by me via Canva, I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP of pictures used as they were all found via Pinterest*

“What are you doing here?,” you ask locking the door after your brother casually saunters in. Unannounced and uninvited you might add

“Wanted to treat you for Valentine’s Day,” he answers. A slight tilt to his brow - looking every bit like your father - from your unusual greeting. “Sup with you? Why’re you acting weird?”

“N-Nothing I just wasn’t expecting you. Plus you typically call first and let me know you’re in town.” Which would’ve been very useful right about now.

“I wanted to surprise you. Plus I knew you wouldn’t be doing anything.” Rude.

Arms outstretched, he flops back on your light pink sectional making himself comfortable as if it were his own home. His wide smile instantly twisting into a smirk noticing the bouquet of mixed flowers along with a yellow duckling plushy leaning against the clear vase. Luckily you're able to grab the notecard before he can prompting that eyebrow tilt again

"Who're those from?"

You nonchalantly shrug your shoulders, "A friend.”

"This friend got a name?"

"Marshall I don't come in your place being nosey," you sigh feeling yourself becoming increasingly annoyed. "And you haven't been doing anything for Valentine's Day, so why now?"

The mood between you visibly shifts from the drop of his playful smile to something more serious. Regretful even.

"...Since dad passed, I uh..realized how we really don't know when our last day is you know?," he explains slowly rubbing his hands together. His eyes focused on them as a way to help clearly put his plaguing thoughts into words. "I just don't want something to happen to you or ma and I have all these regrets about what I didn't say. How I could've done more."

When his gentle eyes - doe like and dark brown - finally look up to meet yours, an instant warmth mixed with sorrow fills your chest and strikes deep in your heart. At the reminder of your father’s sudden passing and hearing your twin be so vulnerable.

Since college, it was pretty much football 24/7 with Marshall. Training to be the best and improving in any and every area so he could eventually make it big. Now in the NFL, there wasn't much change. If anything it got a bit worse now having to keep up with public appearances and meet with press here and there. Needless to say, you figured you and your parents rarely crossed his mind besides for the occasional, and rare, check-ins

To hear his worries, it sends a pang of guilt from the pit of your gut and throughout your abdomen

“Marshall,” you quietly speak taking a step towards him before a thud startles you both.

"The hell was that?,” he asks.

"Probably the neighbors kids,” you answer with a wave of your hand as if it were nothing. “They play around a lot."

Another thud followed by an “ow”, has your brother standing to his feet ready to investigate. "That sounded like it was in here though."

"Well you know they make these walls thin. Plus it doesn’t help their room is right next to mine," you nervously giggle. Actually it was the bathroom sharing a wall with you, but he didn't need to know that. “I’m gonna go ahead and get changed. Meet you in the car?”

“Uh..yea sure.” You know he’s still suspicious from his hesitation. Taking one last look towards your bedroom - where he could swear the noise directly came from - then at you flashing your most innocent smile, he strides from your living room and to your door. “Aye try not to take so long. I wanna get there before I’m 60.”

Rolling your eyes, you just nudge his chest - well try to at least - urging him past the threshold and choosing to ignore his little jab as he chuckles on the other side.

“What’d he want?”

Turning your head, you’re equal parts annoyed and flustered seeing Ari - your boyfriend not boyfriend? - standing in the doorway of your bedroom naked as the day he arrived on Earth. His sun kissed skin, smooth and toned, with dark hair sprinkled along his strong and defined pecs, arms, and legs. Being a linebacker for the NFL, you wouldn’t expect anything less than the gladiator physique

“He wants to take me out for Valentine’s Day. And what was that? You promised you’d stay quiet.”

“I’m sorry somebody threw my shirt behind the bed,” he retorts rubbing the back of his head with a wince checking to make sure no blood was left on his fingers

“Get mad at yourself then. That was your doing when you took it off me in the middle of the night.”

A smirk forms on his pretty lips remembering that exact moment. You lying peacefully on your side throughly exhausted from your earlier rounds. Lips pouted as your even breaths fanned across his arm under your head.

With your backside positioned right in front of his crotch, he just couldn’t help letting his large hands wander and mouth attack your neck and shoulder. Feeling you push back on him amid your tired groan, he silently chuckled before his shirt on you was gone and moans were filling the room again.

“Oh yea,” he chuckles biting his lip. “Definitely should do that again when we get back.”

“Ari I’m going with Marshall,” you say gently brushing past him for your closet to find something to wear.

“I was here first though.” Even with your back to him you can clearly see his toddler like pout. How his thick arms are more than likely now crossed on his chest. And you can’t lie, the adorable reaction makes you want to stay to make him happy again.

When did you turn so soft for him?

“But he’s my brother,” you call over your shoulder as you scan through your dresses. “I’m not gonna say no if he wants to spend time with me.” Ari knew he couldn’t get too upset at that, but that didn’t stop the small ache at his ruined plans.

“Plus I uh thought dinner last night was it?”

“That was the main plan, but I dunno..was open to see where it went,” he mumbles towards the end with a shrug. At his slightly defeated tone, you turn around unfamiliar with this side of him. Since your first meeting, he maintained that confident and uncaring attitude he carried on the field

Some might even call it arrogance how he paraded around with chest puffed and that signature tilted smile

Stepping towards him - a dress in each hand - you give him a sympathetic smile wanting to hold him but restraining yourself

“Maybe we can do something tomorrow? Or later this week,” you suggest.

His tongue clicks against his cheek. “I’m busy this week. Maybe you could come to my game for once..?”

Ari’s playful, blue eyes and finger tapping under your chin makes you softly giggle. “You know I can’t.”

“No one would know who you’re there for. Just a fan lucky enough to get in a suite.”

“Or someone wonders why Marshall’s sister is there,” you counter. He simply tilts his head back and forth. There goes that hint of disappointment again. “One day though.”

A fraction of that brilliant smile returns on his lips making you feel somewhat better. “One day,” he begrudgingly agrees before his gaze drifts to the dresses in your hands. He goes back and forth for a moment before pointing to the shortsleeved, burgundy knee length dress in your left hand

“This one. And take your black sweater. The long one you usually wear because you know you’re gonna get cold.”

Your stomach flutters as a shy, “thank you” leaves your lips and his soon press against yours. Softly at first, but then moving together how they were last night - and many times before then. So passionate and needy until you’re both left breathless yet still craving more

“Get dressed. He’ll be calling soon,” Ari says leaving one final peck on the corner of your tingly mouth. “I can use the spare to lock up.”

Then that guilty feeling returns. The same one that you’ve tried ignoring the past few times you’ve hung out with him, but just couldn’t shake immediately thinking of your brother. How you’re slowly yet surely falling for his rival

[yuseirra]

I was drawing something about Ruby and how she'd be feeling but while I was jotting things down, it made me think: is it really worth it?

I mean even the writers just brushed it off.

She lost a family member and the story handles it with a bystander going she cried a lot but she overcame it with friends, and started shining, became everyone's idol! She's truly someone sent by a god to bring light to darkness! In a few panels

That's it.

They could have had this same idea going but illustrated it with some depth into it. She lost her TWIN. Someone who she lived with all her life right beside her! And he was someone who she had a very unique and special type of bond with over the span of not just one life but two. But Aqua's presence and significance is just nonexistent in the final chapter. What he meant to Ruby was huge and it's not illustrated very well because Ruby doesn't get to speak for herself in the last chapter.

If that's what the authors deem is for the best, then what is the point of me trying to make it out? They clearly don't want to share it so much in depth even when they have the skills to, so this is what they want to do with their work and handle Ruby. I think this is coined this way to portray the nature of how idols "appear" as. Ruby isn't... Handled like a human being in the last chapter or the past several chapters actually. I'm not even sure if Aqua understood her well because he viewed her very idealistically the way he described her. Yeah.. Ruby did turn out the way Aqua described her as but that's how she appears outwardly. It's her shell. So sending out love is a role of hers now huh? But where is her personality as a person? She gives out love to people but... That can be achieved through anyone who has those "eyes" or "talent" isn't it? It actually doesn't have to be Ruby or herself as a person if it's about the eyes, it's more about the ability? You can put out a pretty doll out there and if it's charming enough, wouldn't it achieve the same effect?

I liked the movie arc a lot because it showed Ai was a human being but people wished her to be a cute, perfect and a convenient doll that could love anyone. Isn't THAT exactly what Ruby's become in the end? I didn't really take Ruby to be that way but the ending makes it seems like she's worshipped for a shell she's developed. It doesn't feel genuine. And I think that's intentional so why... What point does the author want to make about this industry~~~ Ai sends out a way better message in terms of what an idol goes through!!! This is so unfair to Ruby!!!

Everything Kamiki said was so right I just. Everything played out the way he said it would. People don't see Ruby as a person, the same way it was like for Ai. Ai wanted her truth to be out there though!! Ruby isn't following her mom's legacy~~~ I went oh he had insight!! He knew what was going to happen to his daughter!! He saw the same thing happen to Ai of course he would have. Aqua should have stayed beside Ruby and cheered her on. There is no point. On everything. Kamiki SAID he should go watch Ruby's journey as an idol? Doesn't that mean!!! He'd have let her live through it!! Dunk him later then!! Or is it that Aqua wouldn't be able to find him later? Honestly I really think!! The guy tried to bring back Ai, that was what he was gonna do- considering mephisto and fatal's lyric I feel the guy was going to die anyway even without Aqua having taken those measures??? He doesn't seem like he had a will to live ANYWAY but sure, Aqua sure. take your dear life along with him. This isn't explained.

It does make me think: why should I care about a work the author has dropped...how can this writing be something that isn't ditched. Let's face it, it is. That's the sad part. If I could feel the author did their best within the abilities they have, I'd still feel it's loved. But I'm not sure if they care for their own work?;; what's the point on trying to work with something the writers themselves don't care for?; I want to be convinced they do. But it's pretty hard to believe so. You have to love what you create or have some sort of passion in it to get it across to people. I couldn't really feel it in the end. So despite the art being very good.. I can't feel so much about it and it doesn't really give out a better message than it already did in the beginning of the series either. That's quite saddening. I hope they don't do something like this ever again in the pieces they write in the future, I'm not going to follow them because it's too risky to follow an artist who does this about their piece, regardless of how talented they are.

[shortystack75]

I just did my annual rewatch of Stars Align aka Hoshiai No Sora and now I once again have too many thoughts. Anyone seeing this is now the victim.

So basically this post is gonna be a long post explaining a tierlist I made for the kids and how they were effected by their parent/s. I made the tierlist at like 3am this morning and immediately passed out while working through my thought processes

OTHER PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO READ MY RAMBLES TOO IT'S PRETTY ACCESSIBLE BC I EXPLAIN EVERYTHING

So I'm actually going to go from the bottom and work my way up bc I have so many more uncoordinated thoughts about Touma, Tsubasa, and Nao than anyone else.

RINTARO His adoptive parents have done everything right, he and they are delights. his main issue is the FACT that he's adopted. he feels like there's something inherently wrong with him that caused his birth parents to not want him. at the end of the series his birth mother gets ahold of his adoptive parents and wants to meet him, its assumed she shows up at the tournament but leaves before he can catch up to her, making him believe that because he lost his match she doesn't think he's worth even meeting. And yea I'm with the theory that he's Touma's twin and that makes his mom Rintaro's mom and boy would that fuck him up even more and I so wish we could've gotten our original 24 episodes. Overall his ACTUAL parents that he grew up with and currently have did not cause his problems so 10/10 love them sm

Arashi + Class Pres They are rich kids and though we dont see them being effected by this very much i assume they are negatively effected but overall their parents are probably okay

TAIYO Very soft spoken and probably would roll over and die if a bully or mugger approached him. His parents, while very well-meaning, dote on him in a way that probably killed any kind of confidence he had. "It's okay if you dont win" WOULD be good parent words, but they were followed up with "tennis is a two person sport, so its not your fault if your partner messes up" Taiyo actually scolds them for this which made me really happy, as by saying this not only are they making a dig at his friend and partner(who does not need anyone hurting him anymore goddamn), but also could be interpreted as if they do win then it could be all his partner and not him Overall 8/10 this boy just needs more confidence and screentime

ITSUKI He was hard to place because his parent situation has already been handled actually. he got todorokied as a kid. When he was a baby, his mother clearly suffered from some pretty hard postnatal depression, and possibly other stuff, and poured boiling water onto his back. this left him with some pretty horrific back scars that he actually doesn't mind but he clearly doesn't like talking about it, as shown in the show by him not changing in the club room until about halfway through the show, after he'd already known the MC Maki for a while. He's shown to have a very easy trigger to violence however when people belittle his homelife. Without even knowing about his mother, some bullies come talk down to him about his mother being out of the picture and his response was to bash them over the head with his racket 8/10 Current situation, we never see his dad but we can assume he's doing a decent job as a father bc Itsuki and Namie are actually kinda well adjusted despite his lil aggro moment

Mitsue Mitsue is not part of the tennis club but hands around them as the only people she can stand coughcoughADMITTHEY'REYOURFRIENDSLOSERcoughcough and uses their matches as inspiration for drawing. Her parents belittle her passion for drawing and tell her seemingly often that she'll never go anywhere in life, its implied that she starts hanging around the tennis club and Maki's house to get away from her parents as long as possible until she actually starts liking them

Yuu Yuu is a canonicaly non-binary/X-gender character and i love them but their mom is transphobic and yelled at them and was really shitty i hope she dies. not directly related to their mother, but we also see other students bullying them for being gay (no one other than Maki, their mother, and their sisters find out about them not being cis, but most people seem to know theyre gay or at least suspect it) they are physically harassed early on, only to have a friend, Touma, step in and literally scare off the bullies(more on that when we get to him) and towards the middle of the show some other sports guys come into the tennis team's room to talk and start to make comments on Yuu being gay. This is immediately shut down by several of the tennis club members showing their clear support for them at least in the gay sense.

SHINGO His mother is either dead or otherwise out of the picture completely but there seems to be no ill will from him or his father, who remarried. Father is great and supportive of him. His step-mother however... She's constantly comparing him to his mother who she clearly doesnt like and wants as little to do with him as possible. Shingo has a little half-sister whom he adores and she adores him right back, but his step-mom HATES them interacting and does everything she can to discourage it, despite his little sister's clear adoration and love for him. He overall isn't super outwardly very effected by her, but is still clearly put-out by her random hate towards him and likely feels very uncomfortable in her presence. 6.5/10 overall, 9/10 dad but 4/10 step-mom who gets a"Not being as bad as you could've been" award

Now we're getting spicy

MAKI Our main character Maki! He's an overall quiet but pleasant person who has a very realistic outlook on life. His single mother is amazing towards him but works very long hours at her job and so most of the chores fall into him, not that he minds all that much, when he was younger he was often looked after by his mother's friend Shou, a canonical transman that lead Maki to be very informed about gender and was just what Yuu needed. His father however.... physically and financially abusive. despite being divorced he shows up at their apartment when he knows his exwife wont be at home to steal money from them and be mean to Maki. in the after credits scene of the first episode he hits maki so hard something in his mouth starts bleeding(he likely bit his tongue or a part of his cheek) and he curls up into a ball and waits for him to leave. He's terrified of this man. Later in the show he shows up to terrorize maki again and Touma, Maki's doubles partner, gets involved to put an end to it. Throughout the exchange Maki is practically cowering behind Touma which is so jarring because Maki's normal demeanor is so nonchalant and calm. It's implied he's been abused for as long as he could remember to some extent. We see a couple other time that he has an interesting reaction to threats and violence, such as another character threatening him with a racket(he doesn't react and simply says "Use your hands") or upon learning Itsuki bludgeoned a guy with his racket(tells him not to break the equipment because its expensive) Oh also his mother is in the process of getting a restraining order but its not in place yet Mom and Shou are 8/10, dad is 0/10, overall 4/10 experience for our sadboy Maki

TOUMA He's some kind of neurospicy i just know it. His father is ??? never see this man but we know he;s in the household, i think he travels for work or smth cause its mentioned he's rarely at home His mother HATES him. like for no reason. She gives us a lot of vague words she says to his older brother, who seems to be Touma's only positive family relation, at one point she says that he scares her but she also yells at him all the time and compares him to his brother and basically constantly belittles him for no reason. He seems to blame everything on himself but silently. When the tennis team isn't doing good he blows up be throwing his racket on the ground and storming away, but later reveals to his brother that he thinks its his fault and that he's a bad captain. Similarly, when the team is having a celebration he stays to the edges and explains to Yuu that he doesn't like being around people who are having fun because he feels like he's going to ruin it be engaging. We can actually tie this into a little moment he has with Maki during a game when Maki turns to him exactly and goes "I really love tennis!" and Touma stands there with awe on his face as if he couldn't imagine someone having fun by playing with him. Speaking of Yuu, back when he scared off the bullies, 2/3 of the bullies were IMMEDIATELY scared upon seeing him walk up, they told the third one that "Everyone knows he's a psycho" while Touma stands there with a blank face. This coupled with how his mother talks about him makes me think he's had a little bit of a violent streak that may be linked to autistic breakdowns Back to his mother, it is revealed at the end that there's a third brother we've never seen or heard of when we get a scene of his mother and older brother talking. his brother says "I love both of my little brothers" and later that episode his mom calls him to tell him she's divorcing his dad and taking his older brother with her. I just know he'd be even more messed up if Rintaro ends up being his twin brother. Anyway his dad is 4/10 for absence and his mom is 1/10 for doing the bare minimum (really sad that she has any points at all). Overall 2.5/10

TSUBASA he's my little crunchy guy i love him so much We very very briefly see his mother have worry for him at a bad moment but never goes after him when he runs away and she never seems to check on him at any other point. The bad moment is when he falls down the stairs. Specifically he is hit in the face by his father so hard (on a flight of stairs) that he slams into the wall and then loses his balance and falls backwards onto his dominant wrist hard enough to break it. Let me backtrack a bit. at about 2/3 through the anime, we get a scene of him at home watching tv with his 2 older brothers. His dad comes through the door and the music stops, all three boys look tense but Tsubasa specifically immediately gets a fearful look and when addressed by his dad tries to leave the room. Tsubasa is a very loud and confrontational person, likely caused by his dad's toxic masculinity, and says something that isn't important but causes his father to follow him and grab his wrist so hard he looks in pain. What follows is the stair incident. He then runs out of the house in the middle of the night and ends up in front of Shingo's house. Shingo is his tennis partner. Shingo sees him, Tsubasa tries to run away but is quickly caught by the hurt wrist. After Shingo realizes he's hurt he immediately gets his dad to take Tsubasa to the hospital. When the doctor asks if anyone else was involved, Tsubasa denies this and calls himself an idiot with the most heart wrenching expression on his face i swear. He later confesses to Shingo he's sure his dad hates him all because he's not as good at soccer as his older brothers, and blames himself for Shingo not being able to play in the upcoming tournament. When asked why he came to Shingo's house he responds with "I didn't know where else to go" Which makes me want to hit someone, personally. At the start of the series there a part where he raises his racket as if to strike Maki with it, but backs down when Maki doesn't even flinch. I'm taking this to mean he was never actually planning to hit Maki, but acting big and threatening violence is likely something he learned from his dad. When it doesn't work he immediately backs down and leaves the situation, similar to how he acts with his dad. He's also one of the few we see get physical with anyone else. Barring Itsuki and the racket incident, Tsubasa is the only member of the tennis team to threaten another middle schooler. In the club room incident where Yuu was starting to be harassed, Tsubasa was one of the three (Touma and Maki were not present) out of 6 members to intervene. While Shingo and Itsuki told the other boy off and insulted him in turn, Tsubasa actually got up in his space and grabbed a hold of the other boy's face, lightly shoving him. The other boys immediately backed down after this like Tsubasa was assuming they would, like how he learned to behave with his father. Mom is like 4/10 for being useless 🎉and Father is 0/10 for an overall score of 2/10!!!

and now... for NAO My head is in my hands over him So to start, he's an only child and his father is distant and doesn't seem to interact with him or care for him whatsoever(unlike with Tsubasa and hopefully Touma, he's somehow being an absent parent while sitting right! next! to! him!!!), leaving him with no help or reprieve at home from his monster of a mother. She never physically hurts or lays a hand on him from what we've seen but she clearly has deep-rooted mental and emotional manipulation that has negatively effected Nao very deeply. We see a lot of signs early on that we brush away as little quirks he has, such as telling a lot of lies or "fairy tales" as the tennis club likes to call them, staring off into space, or even just looking impassively at what transpires around him as if he wasn't apart if it. That's right this boy disassociates. hard. His mother, to put it lightly, is an extremely controlling and authoritarian parent who wants to hand steer every little thing he thinks, feels, and does. She's constantly complaining to the principal about the club and lying or exaggerating in order for club activities to be suspended or halted because she doesn't think he gets anything from playing and would rather he spend all his time studying. Speaking of studying, that's what she has him do constantly at home. His room doesn't look like that of a middle school boy. It has a desk, a bed, and a dresser. I would even go so far as to say some of his spacey-ness comes from exhaustion. who knows how long she has him studying every night, and its revealed he gets up early so he can go on runs and practice swinging because she doesn't let him after he gets home from school. All of this feeds into his lies. He's learned that whenever he tells her the truth he gets yelled at and belittled and punished. So he lies. he tells her what he thinks she'll want to here and this bleeds into all of his relationships. Upon meeting Maki he lies immediately, something broad to appeal to everyone, but its called out by the rest of the club and he just sits there smiling through it all while looking at the sky. He's left handed and she hates that. He uses his left hand to eat once and she yells at him, making him freeze up and pull his right arm into his center, almost mimicking the fetal position. SPEAKING of eating... boy unintentionally has an eating disorder. We are shown multiple times when he is at home he pushes his food around his plate and eats little to none of it. While there are other scenes of him with food away from his mother, I dont think he's actually specifically shown eating then either, and could've easily not eaten anything there. OKAY so onto the really scary/sad part. There's a part where Shingo brings his little sister to watch their practice game with the girls' team, and she gets lost in the school. She ends up found sleeping in the nurses office, but they skipped over it bc the door was locked and figured she couldn't have gotten in there. They only find her when Maki hears the keys jingle in Nao's pocket and realizes he locked her in there. Nao himself seemed shocked that he had the keys and was the one to lock her in there. His mom had been yelling about the practice game and wanting it cancelled the night before. He found her, and instead of telling everyone or waking her up, he disociated and locked the door, than lied that he hadn't seen her. He seemed so shocked that Maki even thinks that he'd thought his own lie was real. Think of how scary that is. I also think he's neurospicy which his mom would absolutely fuck up even more but thats just me things Dad gets a 3/10 for personally pissing me off and his mom gets a funny lil 0/10 along with the two other shittiest parents. Overall a 1.5/10!!!

In all seriousness In my own little world most of them move in together and share an apartment. Yes ive seen the extra scenes no I dont care im ignoring them.

[thewalrusespublicist]

hello！It seems rare to see your opinion on Paul's songs. I would like to know your thoughts on "However Absurd," a song that constantly lingers in my mind, both for its lyrics and the way Paul sings it. Honestly, whenever I find myself doubting whether they had sexual relationships, I always revert to the moment when Paul clearly mentioned John and their relationship while explaining those lyrics：Something special between us,When we made love the game was over.I couldn't say the words,so I keep talking to you.

Hi anon!

I've never thought about it before but you're right I don't talk about his songs much, even though I love them and have a lot of opinions (shocker lol). To be honest, a big reason is I just haven't been asked!

Saying that, of all the ones to ask about...

However Absurd is like the one ring from LOTR to me. I keep that thing hidden in a drawer in the back of my mind despite its always there lurking: an enigma, a puzzle, an unresolvable question. I take it out sometimes to stare at it and it stares back at me, mocking me with its bloody egg dish. It knows that my take on their dynamic is 'queerplatonic but blurry' and it knows that it raises so many questions that make me doubt everything. It does not care, it delights in toying with me.

But as with all questions from my lovely anons, I'll try my best to give some form of coherent thought! The one good thing about the Pound is Sinking's eviler twin is that Paul did give us something to go off:

“‘Absurd’ was another thing you start off and think ‘Ooh no, that’s too Beatley, so I won’t do it.’ So I resisted it for a little while, but… it was a good system then, why ignore it now?.. .There’s a sort of ‘Walrus’ intro to this track… It’s a style I know and love. The lyrics on this one are a bit bizarre, but then again they make a kind of sense… In the middle it explains itself a bit… ‘Something special between us… Words wouldn’t get my feelings through’. That’s taking off into The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran – there’s a line of his that always used to attract me and John, which was ‘Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you.’”

Paul McCartney, 1986

So, just from the quote alone, we have the following information:

The lyrics are meant to make sense, even if done in a surrealist style

The middle section is the key to everything

The feelings and emotion connect to the phrase that both he and John enjoyed. This phrase is about trying to reach someone even if you can't express yourself properly

The music and theming is nostalgic to late 60s Beatles

Looking at the lyrics with these points in mind, I'm pretty certain one can decipher a basic outline or meaning to the song, however the following is just my interpretation:

However Absurd - Analysis

Ears twitch, like a dog, Breaking eggs in a dish. Do not mock me when I say This is not a lie.

From the off, we are introduced to the themes of unclear communication and vulnerability. If you've seen a dog at dinnertime, they perk up at any suggestion of food. The scrape and crack of eggs against a dish is a sharp sound that a dog's hearing would pick up on. Whatever's being said is enough to grab the attention of the person, but they, like the dog, cannot fully comprehend the meaning. Does the sound mean something for them? Is it for their owner? All they know is the sound is there.

Then the core vulnerability of the song, the fear that the person they are trying to open up to won't take it seriously. This indicates that the person might not accept that the singers feelings are possible or true. The denial suggests either the subject's dim view of the singers emotional depth towards them, or that the singers feelings are out of the ordinary/unexpected.

It's funny thing, half serious, With our hands on our ears. Living dreams with mouths ajar, Wide awake, we go to sleep.

Again, the joke that isn't a joke, the thing that the singer can't outright say.

Now we move to the seemingly current state of play. Our hands on our ears' is reminiscent of the 'speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil' monkeys. Is this a western or eastern interpretation of the monkeys? Is the singer and the subject (or general society?) refusing to let negative thoughts in, or refusing to hear the truth? Then the 'living dreams' vs 'wide awake' going to sleep dichotomy. There is something absurd and dreamlike about the life both lead that leaves them a little slack-jawed, overwhelmed perhaps by the insanity of their lives. If we were to put Paul into the narrative for a moment, the wide-awake dreaming would makes sense for someone whose dreams are so vivid and waking life so strange, perhaps there's a sense of escapism there. If the first stanza introduces us to the situation of uncertain communication, the second stanza gives us the context of a strange dreamlike existence wherein the singer and the subject avoid the uncomfortable truth, whatever that truth may be.

However absurd, however absurd It may seem. However absurd, however absurd It may seem.

Something special between us, When we made love the game was over. I couldn't say the words, Words wouldn't get my feelings through, So I keep talking to you

This section is supposedly the key and it's quite a bombshell key. This section reveals that the song is nonsensical to reflect that the singer cannot express themselves properly. They keep trying but what they feel is beyond words, or at least, beyond what the singer is able to express in words because crucially, they 'couldn't say them'. Another key point is that this is the only section where the past tense is used. In this framing, the making love was the inciting incident that lead to the current stalemate. What's intriguing to me is if you were to take this in any way autobiographical is that in other songs like Let Me Roll It and in interviews/general anecdotes, Paul expresses that he uses sex as a cover for real emotions and it's his easiest and potentially meaningless (?) form of expressing affection. Paul is very much a sex-first ask and talk about anything later (or never). So why would the game be up if he had sex with someone? It's Paul, he flirts with literally every woman that moves. Why would it even have taken a while to have sex or it be a crossing the threshold moment if its his first port-of-call? These are questions that I will come back to at the end.

However absurd, however absurd It may seem. However absurd, however absurd It may seem.

Custom made dinosaurs, Too late now, for a change. Everything is under the sun, But nothing is for keeps

'Custom made dinosaurs' is an unusual phrase, who are the dinosaurs and who made them? Did they turn themselves into has-been dinosaurs through their own personal issues or are the dinosaurs the people around them? That dinosaurs are perhaps best known for being extinct lends yet another meaning to 'nothing is for keeps'; it's too late to change things between them either because the dinosaurs are too set in their ways ... or because they're dead. The singer and the subject could have had it all, everything under the sun, but they couldn't keep it, either because what they had or the other person is no longer here.

However absurd, however absurd It may seem. However absurd, however absurd It may seem.

The final refrain. Normally the chorus connects a song together but here its doing double duty by reinforcing the central meaning of the song. The singer will keep talking to the subject; no matter how nonsensical, no matter how meaningless, they will never stop trying to reach them.

Overview of the song

So in a rough translation of the song: The singer keeps trying to reach someone, to tell them something that the singer feels too afraid to speak of and that the subject might not believe to be true. Whatever the truth is is either preposterous to the subject or is framed in a funny/light-hearted way that gives the singer an 'out' emotionally. The pair lived/live in a half dream-like reality which renders them unable to communicate their feelings or allows them to avoid them. Whatever the situation, this fragile peace/ignorance was ruined when the pair consummated their relationship and things were never the same, exacerbated by the continued difficulty of the singer to convey their feeling. The last two stanzas are a sad contradiction. They had the potential to have everything and they squandered it and it's now too late to go back or change anything BUT the singer will keep trying, no matter how absurd the attempt is.

So, what the hell to make of it?

Well, I mean...well. Like I mean ... it's the timing of the mid 1980s, it's the similar theming to another song confirmed to be at least partially about John ('This One') as well as the sentiments expressed about John in several interviews/'Broad Street', the nostalgic reminisces to the late 60s and most of the presentation of the relationship and living in a dream-like world. I mean come ON. And yh, if this song was taken to be entirely autobiographical and entirely about John then yes, the middle section is explosive. There's no two ways about it. Hidden in the last track of one of Paul's albums is the revelation he and John had a romantic relationship and that they slept together.

But there are a few problems with this viewpoint that make me hesitate. The first is the fundamental issue of taking songs as a 1-1 autobiographical account of events as that's just not how songwriting works, especially not how Paul's writing works. Songwriting is often autobiographical but not necessarily in an 'this is x from my real life, I love x. Here's a song entirely about x. Yay for x'. A lot of songs are like that true, but in many cases it's more a 'this is x from my real life that has inspired feelings. I'm writing a song about those feelings and inserting them into a song about a fantasy relationship with y. As it's a fantasy I can also pull feelings from my other real life relationships with Z and Q. Therefore the song is inspired by X but contains elements not applicable to X as the relationship has been fictionalised.' A perfect example is 'Don't go jumping into waterfalls' which started out as feelings of protectiveness Paul had towards his children but then morphed into a romantic song. Even if he was heavily inspired by John and their late Beatles work, it doesen't rule out the relationship depicted in the song being made-up or based on other relationships throw in as well.

Adding on to this is Paul's own words in interviews and general response. This is probably better in another post but, hell its my blog and I'm just going to say it: to my mind there has been nothing Paul has ever said that has indicated that his relationship with John ever got to having sex. Have some of his interviews, comments and song lyrics about John come across as blurring the boundary between platonic and romantic? Yeah, especially the 'if I was a girl' and 'confessing all our past affairs' and 'last mistake' malarkey. But most of these come across as Paul grappling with something he himself does not quite understand/has yet to come to terms with. Paul has also been quite emphatic about his love for John being brotherly and there have been no rumours of Paul being bisexual outside of his relationship with John. Am I willing and open to believe Paul is perhaps concealing something? Yes in theory, but I would need a lot more evidence than what has currently been laid out.

It's this contradiction that has me in such a bind about However Absurd. For my reading of the current evidence to work, I have to believe that the song was only partially inspired by John or by something else we don't know about (which itself is plausible, we read into songs what we know, especially if we don't have the full picture). In addition, I also have to believe that the weirdness of sex as a 'no turning back' moment despite that not being how Paul works at all in his relationship with women is due to it being a made up circumstance. In that reading, I have to ignore how confessional and weirdly specific it all seems and the sense that the emotions and circumstances are being concealed. Then there's the feeling that whoever the middle section of the Pound is Sinking is about is also the subject of this song. That's nothing but my gut talking but this feels like a continuation of that song and if that is the case, then there was a real life muse for both.

On the other hand, if I just throw caution to the wind and say 'yep, this is a confession' I have to chuck out most of what Paul has said in both public and what we know he said privately over the past 50 or so years. Am I willing to do that for a line in an highly ambiguous, potentially at least partially fictional song? No, that would be poor reasoning. But that doesen't mean everything sits right with me.

I'm really sorry anon I usually can come up with better than this but this song is like a kill-switch for my brain. There just isn't enough information and context available for me to come up with a better take on However Absurd. Weirdly, I think that was the point, I'm not sure we as listeners were ever meant to. There are some things that Paul wants to keep under wraps, and I personally believe However Absurd might be one of them.

[r0-boat]

Some SFW headcannons if that's ok with you. Can we get some headcannons about Dad Submas with their kiddo (whether separate or a poly s/o au is both fine)?

Holy fuck yes sir(gender neutral) been waiting for this shit

Submas as the fathers of your child/children

Ingo

Ingo has always dreamed of having a family despite that permanent frown on his face being quite menacing to the children. He was pretty fond of kids. Always very gentle and patient. Holding his kid in his arms for the first time, he shakes, afraid he might hurt him or scare him. But who could ever be scared of that soft kitten smile? His heartwarming, when his child looks, sees him, and giggles.

His child is a precious treasure, and their happiness is Ingo's number one priority. Yes, Ingo may or may not have spoiled them a few times but seeing them so happy warms his heart every time.

Like any good parent, Ingo values his child's safety he's a Subway boss safety is part of the job; of course, safety is an important part of his parenting. And it is the same with Emmet. They both agree that their child must know about safety.

Ingo is a first-time father. He doesn't mean to be bad, but of course, some parents make their own mistakes. As their child grows older, Ingo seems to have a problem where he still sees his child as his sweet baby, and sometimes he gets a little protective because it's bittersweet when a parent sees their child grow up. Eventually, he does accept that his child is growing up, and sometimes he won't be there to protect them, but he'll make it known that he'll always be there for them.

I can already feel that poor kid's embarrassment when Ingo screams their names during assemblies every time they get a reward or their name called for one.

He's always having a conversation with his child, even if it's just babbling. He would be having a fake argument with his toddler.

Emmet

Emmet is the for-your-own-good type. He's a serious parent, but he is not unfair; rules are there for a reason and are very important, and he'll make sure that his child knows. He ensures that he teaches his child that actions have consequences; good behavior gets rewarded while bad behavior is punished. ( though not every situation is black and white like that.)

If his child ever asks why for anything, he will explain clearly and calmly. Rip for their belief in Santa when they inevitably ask their father.

Emmet takes safety very seriously, and Emmet can be a little bit of a mother hen. He just doesn't want anything to happen to his child as their parent and a Subway boss; it is their job to protect them.

No parent is perfect; Emmet struggles with personal space and privacy issues. He's always had this. He himself is not really a private person. He says what he says, and he means what he says. It might sound mean, but he'll say it anyway. And the lousy habit is from expecting everyone else to be like that, especially people who are closer to him. He wants his child to be open and honest with him at all times, and he wants to know what's happening in their day-to-day life even though they don't want to tell him. And I can see him getting a little antsy when someone won't tell him or they are hiding something from him. It's something that he always struggled with.

If his child ever gives him a logical argument on why he's wrong when he says no to something he will just freeze and think about it for a few seconds then just say "Ok, verrry fair... carry on."

Emmett gets obsessed with little baby onesies and baby clothes "look!! a little Joltik Halloween costume ah! So verrry cute!"

Ingo x parent!reader x Emmet

( the brothers are sharing one love interest no incest)

Usually, they're pretty good at getting along when it comes to Parenting, but sometimes their different parenting methods clash between two. Usually, they would ask you for advice after that or come to a fair agreement.

If they have twins, they can't be happier. Ingo would bring it up constantly, and Emmet would immediately start picking one color for each twin.

When they come home from Gear Station is usually your time off. They make sure you get plenty of rest because they know how tired you would be after taking care of your children all day.

Emmet would let his child hold a Joltik for the first time.

Ingo would give them a Litwick night light.

When the twins are together, they will always be excited to take their children for hikes or go places to have fun, like parks. We're walking around the amusement park or just seeing Aunt Elesa while you take a rest.

The first thing they do when they realize they are becoming fathers, is cram their minds with as much parenting knowledge as possible they're both excited and scared and praying they'll be prepared enough to deal with a kid.

Soon enough, you'll find them both asleep on top of a pile of notes next to another pile of parenting 101 books.

[theawkwardsiren]

Toxic - Veneer x F!Reader (angst/fluff) part 3

summary - things just kind of snowballed. part three of this series i ended up writing. part one, part two. part three. part four. part five.

warnings - angst (little bit), more insane, toxic behaviour from your ex

a/n - guys please don't think Veneer is a cheater 😭 i don't think he'd ever be. also i think i'll finish this at 5 parts...hopefully...

"Don't kill me! I can explain!"

As the green-haired boy stuttered and stammered out panicked nonsense, your eyes drifted back to the pictures. The message was definitely connected to them, and you were pretty sure you knew who sent it.

"THEN EXPLAIN!" Velvet was strangling her brother, obviously pissed off. "We can't have any of this drama! It will ruin us!"

You didn't know how to feel. On one hand, doubt and fear started to creep in, like it was a repeat of what happened with (Random Name). But on the other, this just didn't strike you as a flirtatious encounter, and it didn't feel like a Veneer thing to do. Boy is so clingy, he would never risk losing what he already has.

"She just dropped her new bag! I was picking it up and giving it back!" He was protesting, trying to get his sister to loosen her grip. "And then she asked for an autograph so I signed her arm!"

"And WINKED?!" Velvet didn't let up. "Why would you wink?!"

"I wink at all my fans!"

"I believe him," you finally looked up from both phones.

Veneer exhaled in relief as Velvet lets go of him to turn to you. The look of disbelief is evident on her face, so you explain yourself.

"Veneer can't keep secrets. And he has no game. Also he's super clingy so it's hard to believe he would seek someone else's attention. Once he's attached to something or someone, he doesn't let go."

"Hey! Why did this turn into a Veneer-bashing session?" He pouted, crossing his arms like the cute big baby he was.

Velvet rolled her eyes and snatched her phone back, "I guess you're right. But we need to deal with this rumour and fast, before we lose all of our fans!"

Before you could respond she was gone, which obviously meant you and Veneer needed to sort this out. The moment she was out the room, Veneer's arms and legs were wrapped around you and he was clinging to you like a koala.

"(Name) I'm so so sorry, you know I would never!"

He was clearly panicking, so you had to calm him down before you could think about how to get your maniac ex to stop ruining yours and the twins' lives.

"I know, I just said I believe you," you rubbed his back soothingly.

"Oh, I thought you were saying that just because of Velvet." You raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled nervously, "Sorry."

You sighed, "He's never going to leave us alone."

Your phone buzzed again, but this time it was a message from (Friend's Name), who was no longer gushing about Veneer, but rather her new boyfriend - the interviewer Kid Ritz.

my platonic love <3

remind me what you ever saw in (random name)?

he is screaming psycho rn

call the police

or better yet, i'll get the shovel

You couldn't help but laugh at her last text, shaking your head at her words. She was crazy, that's for sure, and that's why she was your best friend.

"She sounds like Vel," Veneer observed over your shoulder, "It's scary."

You laughed at that, "She does. Never thought of that before."

You messaged her back, not sure what to say for the first message. Clearly what you had seen when you were with him had just been a facade, a mask he wore to hide who he really was. Thinking back on it, a lot of his behaviour had seemed crazy and irrational, but you were too infatuated to care. Now that you had moved on, it was easy to see his faults and pick up on what he had done wrong. (Friend's Name) was right, he was screaming 'psychotic'.

Something ticklish danced across your shoulder, and as you giggled you realised it was your lovestruck boyfriend giving you soft kisses.

"That tickles!"

He laughed with you, before becoming serious, "But you know I'm really serious when I say I would never do that right? I'm not like him."

"And never will be," you smiled, nodding. "You are the furthest thing from him, the complete opposite. Being with you has opened my eyes up to what love and joy really look like."

"Good," he pecked your lips.

-

That cheating rumour was shut down so quickly by Velvet and Veneer that a few days later, no one even remembered that article. Even the girl involved debunked the rumour, clearing Veneer's name. By their next performance, his fans were screaming for him and going crazy like nothing had happened.

For once, (Friend's Name) was at the performance arena with you, because she had been invited as Kid Ritz's plus one. You were so happy for her, and even happier that this meant you had someone to share all the chaotic parts of being the girlfriend of someone famous with.

"That girl's looking a bit too long, don't you think?" She asked you as you stood aside, watching Kid Ritz have a brief interview with the twins about the performance they were about to give.

"Hmm?" You hummed, not really paying attention. Your eyes were drifting around, sieving through the crowd. You weren't sure why you were so paranoid, but you had a bad feeling about today.

"(Name)!" (Friend's Name) waved a hand in front of your face. "Earth to (Name)!"

You snapped out of it and turned to look at her, "What happened?"

She sighed, "You don't have to worry, okay? he won't try anything with Veneer here, and those massive bodyguards, but if he does I'm right here to defend you. So relax, and enjoy your boyfriend's show!"

You took a deep breath and smiled, "You're right, I shouldn't be worrying. Let's go find our seats."

The two of you entered the building, completely missing the mop of dark hair that appeared at the back of the raging crowd.

-

"He's so hot!"

"VENEER MARRY ME!"

"Girl, how do you stand this?" (Friend's Name) laughed as you both listened to his crazy fangirls.

"End of the day, he goes home with me," you replied, laughing as well. "Why? How do you handle girls raving about your famous lover?" You looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"With a knife," she answered, then laughed harder, "Kidding! I ignore."

"Right..." You teased. "Cause you're so good at that."

"Do I detect sarcasm? Is Velvet rubbing off on you??"

"Surprisingly, Veneer is more sarcastic than her."

Enjoying the show was easy. Your boyfriend was an amazing singer, and his voice never failed to leave you in awe. Your eyes remained on him the entire show, and he seemed to notice because his cheeks were slightly pink. He took his revenge, pointing at you in the crowd and blowing you a kiss. Your cheeks burned as you smiled shyly, and he chuckled.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Too engrossed in the music and your boyfriend's enchanting gaze, you didn't realise that there was someone slipping closer to you and (Friend's Name) behind you. You didn't notice that the crowd was making it easier for them until you realised you were further from the stage than you originally thought, but by then it was too late.

A hand touched your arm, and you whirled around to hit whoever it was but stopped dead when you saw the girl (Random Name) cheated on you with.

"Hey, (Name) right?" She bit her lip. "Can we talk?"

You frowned, "I have nothing to say to you."

"I know, I know," she sighed, "I can't tell you how sorry I am. He didn't even tell me that he had a girlfriend. But I'm here because I need to talk to you, it's urgent."

"Well I'm kind of busy, my boyfriend is performing," you tried to excuse yourself, but she gripped your arm tighter.

"Please," she insisted. "He did the same thing to me."

This made you hesitate, and you eased through the crowd with her to get outside. You had no idea why you did, and no idea why you hadn't told (Friend's Name), but you did.

Silly mistake.

"For a second I thought that wouldn't actually work."

Your blood turned to ice at the sound of that voice, body stiffening in fear and shock. You didn't need to turn to look, the panic told you enough. You looked at his affair partner, but she just shrugged and had the nerve to look apologetic.

"He's hot," she tried justifying it, "I'd do anything to keep him."

"You do realise that he's obsessed with me in all the creepiest ways, right?" You tried to keep your voice from shaking.

"He'll get over it eventually," she replied, "Once he gets tired of you again."

Again.

That word echoed in your mind, bringing back the traumatic image of him and her making out on his bed. So that's why he'd done it? He'd gotten tired of you? Bored?

"He'll notice I'm missing," you warned them, "He'll come looking for me." Your voice was starting to shake, giving away your fear.

"Let him," (Random Name) smirked smugly, moving closer. "He may not be easy to frame for cheating, but you are. By the time he finds you, the whole world will know you cheated on him, and no one will be there to vouch for you." His hand came up to caress your cheek, and you had to try to hardest to keep your nausea at bay.

"He won't believe you."

"Really? Not even if I have proof?" He held up a camera.

Your face paled, "Get away from me."

"Hmm, let me think...no."

You tried backing away, but he grabbed your arm roughly and shoved you into his car, getting in the driver's seat with what's-her-name in the passenger's. Before you could complain, or call out for help, your phone was tossed out the car and it took off.

You could only watch in despair as the building faded into the distance.

-

"(Friend's Name), where's (Name)?"

Veneer and (Friend's Name) looked around the emptying room, but found no sign of you.

"Maybe she went to get some air," she suggested, "She was looking a bit worried before the show."

Veneer's worry only grew, anxiety gnawing at his heart. It worsened when they went outside and found noting but your phone laying on the ground, and Veneer felt faint.

"Looks like she had every reason to be worried."

a/n - please don't kill me, i don't even know what's going on 😭