#and why do they immediately assume said person did it out of spite because they didnt like ur set . like? the world doesnt revolve around u

[yangjeongin]

.

[shwoo]

Okay here's my headcanons of which Bugsnax characters actually know the Journalist's name. I'm also headcanoning that Lizbert mentioned their name when she told the others she wanted to invite them, and that they tend not to give their name unless prompted. They're a journalist, is that not enough?! (They may also have some personal identity issues)

REMEMBERED THEIR NAME

Lizbert: Knows their name and maybe also their address.

Beffica: Knew their name because she's read all their articles. Pretended not to know at first as part of her facade of detachment, which is why she said "You're that journalist!" when first meeting them.

Clumby: Presumably knows them as something more specific than "obsessed monster hunter who made me have to work late."

Chandlo: Remembered because he is definitely the kind of friendly and outgoing person who can remember anyone's name after hearing it once.

Wiggle: Makes a point of remembering journalist's names. Tends to unconsciously assume that any media person is there mostly for her, so she wants to make a good impression.

Snorpy: Remembered in order to look into them and figure out if they were the heroic truth-seeker kind of journalist or the villainous sensationalist kind. Liked what he found, but still suspected they were a Grumpinati impersonator when first meeting them.

Floofty: Remembers their name, but refuses to use it out of spite.

DID NOT REMEMBER THEIR NAME

Gramble: Forgot their name, and either asked them when they met, or asked Wiggle.

Triffany: Terrible with names, apologised and asked them for it when they met.

Cromdo: Told himself he'd remember their name in case they did show up and he had the chance to sell them something, then totally forgot. Asked them what it was when they met, and immediately did the "[diminutive], can I call you [diminutive]?" thing. The Journalist said "Sure," because they didn't really care.

Eggabell: Didn't pay much attention to what Lizbert said about them, since she didn't think they'd take the invitation. Despite having quite a bit of interaction with them and worrying about their health, didn't realise she didn't know what to call them until halfway through her "I just need Filbo and... Filbo's... buddy." line.

Shelda: Tried to remember their name so she could address them by it before they introduced themself, and impress them with her mystical knowledge, but got distracted by everything else that was happening and forgot. Got away with it for a while because of her tendency to refer to people with descriptions when overacting, but exposed herself when she said "Floofty, did you ask the journalist to throw acid at you?" The Journalist made fun of her for keeping up the charade for so long, so she reminded them that Floofty had asked them to throw acid at them, and they'd done it.

Wambus: Took a little while to realise that he couldn't get away with just calling them Stranger forever, and then was too stubborn to admit defeat and ask. The Journalist specifically suggested he use their name after his "I been calling you stranger, but you been around a while" chat, but he still refused to ask what it was, or admit that he didn't already know. Eventually heard Triffany refer to them by name, but she had to do it a few times before he decided that he knew it now.

Filbo: Forget immediately after being told, and also forgot to ask when they met. Didn't realise they probably had a name until after they'd interviewed him, and didn't want to ask out of awkwardness. Hoped they or one of the others would mention it, but coincidentally, nobody ever did, at least in an unambiguous way. Eventually asked them while they were heading back to the mainland, but continues to call them Buddy anyway.

Jamfoot: Clumby told him their name when she let him know that they were also going to Snaktooth Island, and he forgot their entire existence immediately. Was confused when Clumby mentioned them by name after they returned alive, even after she clarified that they were her ex-employee who went to Snaktooth Island.

[suspensefulpen]

Birthday Gift

TW: Pet Whump, Collar and Leash, Conditioned Whumpee, Creepy/Obsessed Whumper, Bad Caretaker, Being Referred to as It

Whumper dragged Whumpee across the polished floors. Despite how much it hurt, he knew not to react. Whumper would stop the entire party just to reprimand him. But he also knew they wouldn’t do anything to make Caretaker upset. Whoever she was.

Despite how much he had to endure Whumper rambling about her, he didn’t actually know who she was. He only knew that Whumper was willing to do anything just for her attention and praise. They’d drop to their knees and give up everything just for her. Whumpee didn’t understand what made her so great. It was almost like Whumper saw her as a goddess to bow down to. No, there was no almost. Whumper did see her as a goddess to bow down to. And worship. Whumpee saw it first hand.

He always wondered what made them so attached to Caretaker. Why was she meant to be hailed as a goddess? What made her so special that a sociopath was willing to crumble just for her? It had to be something. Whumper never mentioned why they felt this way towards her but there had to be some reason. After all, they cleaned Whumpee up and gave them nice clothes just to drag them here.

They approached a woman in an elegant green dress, gold decorating her neck and wrists as she happily greeted the other guests. Whumpee assumed this was Caretaker. There was something about her that made the space around her brighten. She was smiling and full of energy. Maybe Whumper wanted to be around her because they were incapable of feeling that. Or maybe she filled a void inside them that Whumpee had no clue about.

The other guests quickly stepped away when they noticed Whumper. Whumpee guessed that was a sign that they didn’t limit their abuse and threats to one person. Caretaker’s attention was instantly brought to the two approaching her. Her smile widened as she brightened even more. By this point, Whumpee was blinded.

“Whumper! It’s so nice to see you! How are you?”

Whumper immediately switched the hand that held Whumpee’s arm. Wiping their now free hand on their suit jacket as if Whumpee had germs, they took Caretaker’s hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “How I’ve been doesn’t matter, dearest. What matters is if you’re enjoying your birthday ball.” Whumper even gave her a bow.

“Oh of course I am! I’m enjoying it even more now that I know you’ve arrived. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” She said sadly.

“Deepest apologies Mistress,” They briefly lowered their head. “I’ve been busy preparing your gift.”

“For three months?” She raised a brow.

“Yes.” They nodded.

“I bet it’s wonderful.” Caretaker smiled softly. Whumpee didn’t understand how she could so easily ignore Whumper’s monotone. He assumed this was normal for them to speak with absolutely no emotion. He almost wanted to hide when her gaze landed on him. “Whumper, who’s this adorable person?”

Whumper glared daggers up into Whumpee before dropping it and tunring back to Caretaker. “It’s your gift, Ma’am.”

“My gift?”

“Yes. This is Whumpee. Your new pet. I trained it just for you, Miss.”

“For me? Whumper you’re so sweet! Thank you!”

Great. She’s insane too. Whumpee saw a small smile on her face before glancing at Whumper’s hidden one. Not as insane as them I bet.

“It’ll do whatever you ask it. I trained it with hand motions and verbal commands so you can switch between them if you ever need to.” Whumper explained.

“That was so very sweet of you.”

The hidden smile revealed itself, even in spite of the monotone. “Anything for you, Miss.” The expression wasn’t long to stay as Whumpee felt once again, daggers being glared into the side of his head for several moments before Whumper snapped out of it. “Would you like me to put on its collar and its leash for you, Miss?”

[my-name-is-apollo]

Two things! 1. Thanks for reporting on Apollo, he is my favorite god by far!! 😭

2. In an old post where you talked about the type of relationship that the main gods had with each other you said that there was a lot to talk about the relationship between Zeus AND Apollo!! Can you take advantage and tell it?

I can definitely talk about Apollo and Zeus!

Basically, Apollo is Zeus' favorite, his pride and joy. I know a lot of people believe Athena is the favorite, but I say Apollo is just as beloved, if not more and I'll tell you why I think so. I'll start by putting together various myths that surround both of them.

1) Zeus' protectiveness

Starting with Apollo's (and Artemis') birth, even though Zeus didn't directly help Leto, in one version, he asked Zephyrus to carry Leto away to Poseidon, so that Poseidon could protect her. He also managed to calm down Hera by the time the twins were born.

And when later Apollo killed Python, according to Pindar, Gaia wanted to send him to tartarus. But obviously that didn't happen and we can assume that it was because Zeus intervened on his son's behalf.

In Euripides' play, there's a particularly cute segment where Apollo, as a little boy, went to Zeus, wrapped his arms around him and supplicated him to deal with Gaia who has been interfering with his oracular business. And of course Zeus agrees and makes Gaia lose her prophetic influence on mortals.

There's also a version of Coronis' tale where Ischys, the guy with whom Coronis had cheated on Apollo with, got killed by Zeus.

In the satires written by Lucian, Zeus got defensive when Momos made fun of Apollo.

Lastly, this is just my interpretation, but in stories where Zeus intervenes in a couple of fights - the Apollo vs Heracles , Apollo vs Idas - makes me feel like Zeus did it because he was overly protective of Apollo (just like did with Athena - Pallas)

2) The way Zeus appreciates Apollo

In Iphigenis in Tauris, when Apollo killed Python and took over the delphic oracle for himself, Zeus is shown to have been proud that Apollo has started serious business at such a young age.

The opening of Homer's hymn to Pythian Apollo shows us Zeus welcoming Apollo and personally pouring a drink to his son. How sweet is that :3

In another scene where Apollo is entertaining the gods, Zeus and Leto together are shown proudly watching their son (Hera is absent oop-).

In the Iliad, whenever he commands Apollo to do something, he calls him "Dear Phoebus" (I've also seen it translated as "friend Phoebus) which is very sweet and shows that Zeus is quite fond of Apollo.

And in Lucian's work, he also appreciated Apollo by telling Momos how much work his son has to do everyday, and how difficult the job is for him.

3) Zeus grants a lot of Apollo's requests

even when he's personally offended. Take the story of king Periphas, whose reputation had personally offended Zeus and he wanted to destroy the king and his entire kingdom, but when Apollo asked Zeus to not do that, he ceased from killing them. In the case of Prometheus too, Zeus agreed to free the Titan when Apollo begged for it.

When Apollo appointed Hermes as the messenger god, Zeus approved that.

He also resurrected Asclepius on Apollo's request, in spite of Apollo killing the cyclops .

And here is what sealed my belief that Apollo is no less of a favorite than Athena: once Athena was using mantic dice to give out prophecies, and Apollo was unhappy with this. He complained to Zeus about it and Zeus made dice divination inferior (and Athena just threw away the dice lol)

Now this is again my opinion, but the whole thing with "Apollo tricking the Fates into postponing Admetus' death" is quite a serious offense, but surprisingly Apollo does not get punished for that. I like to think that that's because Zeus gave him the permission for that (maybe not openly, but more discreetly).

4) Apollo has some favorite child privileges.

He is said to be sitting on the immediate right of Zeus (according to Callimachus), he gets to use Zeus' lightning bolts and the aegis too (like Athena does), and he is the only one allowed to read the will/mind of Zeus.

5) Apollo acts as Zeus' right hand man

Now this could be said of Hermes and Athena also too, but I'm pointing this out because people tend to easily forget it. In the Iliad, Zeus sent Apollo to help the Trojans, since he was secretly rooting for Troy ,in spite of taking a neutral stance, and Athena was fighting against them. He also entrusted his son Sarpedon's body to Apollo and asked him to clean it up and hand it over to Thanatos and Hypnos.

In Orphic theogony, a similar responsibility is given to Apollo - he is asked by Zeus to bury the remains of Zagreus.

In the account given by Plato on soulmates, after Zeus tore apart the humans, he tasked Apollo with stitching them and bringing them back to life.

And of course the whole deal with Apollo's oracles is to pass on the will of Zeus to the mortals. Apollo is basically serving as an extension of Zeus. Arguably, that is one of the most important responsibilities and Apollo was the one Zeus trusted it with. He also actively prevents other gods from taking away this role from Apollo.

6) Apollo's rebellious nature and how Zeus deals with it.

In Alcaeus' hymn, when Apollo is born, Zeus adorns him with a golden headband, gives him a golden chariot driven by swans and asks him to go to Delphi to establish his laws. But Apollo instead just takes the chariot and flies away to Hyperborea and stays there for a whole year (rebellious from the get go XD) Of course, Zeus doesn't punish Apollo for this.

(I'm not bringing up Apollo and Poseidon's servitude under Laomedon because even though it is believed to have been a result of Apollo and Poseidon rebelling against Zeus, we don't really have evidence to say that that was the case. I only vaguely remember there being evidence of it in some scholia but I'm not able to find it at the moment so. Also in the Iliad especially, the coup - whose participants are Hera, Athena and Poseidon- and the servitude under Laomedon are clearly two separate, unrelated events)

But when Apollo killed Cyclopes in retaliation for Zeus killing Asclepius, Zeus intended to throw him into tartarus. This was an instance where he was clearly very upset with his son, and probably felt betrayed too. Even so, he changed his mind thanks to Leto, which makes me feel like he did not fully intend to carry out that punishment, and it was more a decision made in the spur of the moment. And as the alternate punishment, he made Apollo serve a slave and spend time on the Earth. This is in contrast with say, Hera - who was tied and dangled above tartarus. Zeus could have done something similar with Apollo because while one could argue that exiling and making Apollo a slave is pretty humiliating, it's still not as bad as being hung over tartarus. Besides, Zeus made Apollo serve under a very kind hearted king (and by the looks of it, Apollo actually enjoyed his time there, being in love with Admetus and all). So I think even after all that had happened, Zeus still forgave Apollo and went easy on him and even agreed to grant godhood to Asclepius on Apollo's request.

7) Apollo as Zeus' eldest son

Apollo is Zeus' first son in Hesoid's Theogony (born after 19 daughters). Putting it in the context of ancient Greek society, that would make Apollo quite important for Zeus in a way that no other child can be. And while Homer doesn't explicitly say that Apollo is the first son, it is quite evident in his works (Homeric hymn to Apollo, the Iliad) that Apollo's image is that of a first born son, - he is the only one who has access to Zeus' will, all the gods except Zeus trembled when he entered Olympus, Zeus often turned to him for help during the trojan war.

("Apollo" by Fritz Graf)

Of course, Zeus is never going to give away his throne to anyone and Apollo has no serious intent of overthrowing his father, but some scholars share the view that Homer paints Apollo as a potential usurper of Zeus, but also emphasizes how Apollo is very much on Zeus' side, using his powers for Zeus and not against him.

(^Source for this bit: "The Homeric Hymns: Interpretative Essays" by Andrew Faulkner & "Nursemaid to a Monster: Typhon and Pytho in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo" by Kelly E. Shannon)

Moreover, Apollo being Zeus' first son and sort of an unofficial crown prince would neatly explain all the ways in which Zeus favors Apollo over his other children.

Lastly, this is my take on them: They both obviously have a strong bond founded on love and respect for each other. The road wasn't and isn't always smooth for them. I like to think that Apollo held some bitterness towards Zeus for not helping Leto (before eventually letting it go), but he still wants his father's attention and approval. In return, Zeus has complete trust in Apollo, which is why he entrusts a lot of important duties to him. After all, he knows very well of Apollo's struggles and his efforts to rise to power. Zeus might sometimes be more stern on Apollo than he is on the others, but that's because he doesn't want anyone saying anything unpleasant about his son. I also think he doesn't entirely understand or approve of Apollo's extreme attachment to some humans, but he is ready to turn a blind eye as long as nothing drastic is happening (not without his permission at least lol). It's easy for some people to call Zeus a bad father, but we should also remember that despite being knowledgeable and wise, Apollo can be a difficult child to deal with - he is haughty, reckless. Messes with primordial deities and cosmic order, wears his heart on his sleeve, forgets his duties when he falls in love. It's like he is a perpetual teenager not only in appearance, but also at his heart lol and Zeus does try his best to deal with it in the best way possible :') But they do get along well most of the times and no matter how bad their once in a while conflicts can get, I think nothing is irreconcilable :)

(Here's a post where I've linked sources for a lot of the myths I've mentioned. If there's anything you want to know the source for, let me know)

[crossdressingdeath]

Lucanis: Neve. In the Fade with Rook and Spite... you were there. I mean, not you, but... you know what I mean. You helped Rook. Sort of. Neve: Sort of? Well, isn't that flattering. At least I'm on your mind.

First, some housekeeping. If anyone comes on to this post to whine about how Veilguard was awful or claim Neve sucks or whatever the "waah the game wasn't what I wanted so it's garbage" complaint of the week is, you're getting blocked immediately. Fuck off. I'm sick of your shit. Second, this very much is not meant to say anything bad about Neve, mostly because... well, it's not really about her (hell, she isn't even there technically), it's more about how giving Lucanis any non-Rook LI plays with Inner Demons; Neve is just the non-Rook LI Bioware chose so she's the one whose name I'm using. Also: this is a very minor thing to complain about. I'm nitpicking. I know. But it's my blog and nitpicking amuses me so I'm doing it anyway. That said, let's get into it.

This is... an extremely generous description of what Neve does in Inner Demons. Or rather dream!Neve? Like Lucanis says, it's not really her. Anyway though, the thing is that dream!Neve does the same thing the other dream versions of Lucanis's family and friends do: she tells Rook to give up and insists that Lucanis is never getting out, and then when they refuse to give up on him she disappears. Which makes sense; the people ("people") we see in Inner Demons are as far as I can tell the darkest parts of Lucanis's mind spouting what he's afraid his friends and family think of him, they've got very little to do with the people themselves beyond potentially raising exaggerated concerns that Lucanis knows they had/have (for example Harding not initially trusting him). I mean, there's a reason why Rook eventually stops referring to them by name and just starts calling them Lucanis, they're parts of him and not the people they appear to be. Rook is different; they can act outside of those fears because they are themselves brought into the Ossuary in truth. Neve (or any other potential LI Lucanis could have; again, this isn't about Neve as a character, this would be a thing with any potential non-Rook LI) can't act outside of playing mouthpiece for those fears because that's not Neve!

I'm not saying Neve should've done something, to be clear; hell, I would've been annoyed if she had. Inner Demons is first about Lucanis's personal arc and second about how important Rook is to him! Having Neve suddenly show up and play a major role in the whole thing would a) weaken that relationship beat between Lucanis and Rook (there's a reason why all the major relationship beats between Rook and their companions are one on one, after all) and b) make very little sense in a Lucanismance/Nevemance run where they don't end up together, given their platonic relationship doesn't have much content (except in banter, which shouldn't be relied on since obviously not everyone will get it in a given run) and would leave her feeling like a pretty random choice (meta knowledge aside) compared to other options. Not to mention Neve's dynamic with Lucanis when they get together is different than his dynamic with Rook when romanced; she doesn't need to get in his head to help like that because her relationship with him is different than Rook's, that's fine. It's good even, it'd feel like a lazy copy of his romance path if they just slotted her into Rook's romance scenes with him.

The issue for me is that Lucanis is saying "oh you helped" when... she didn't. No "sort of" about it, she objectively did not help. She wasn't even there and that dream version of her just told Rook to give up on him until they refused same as the others did. If Bioware wanted to say Neve was helping Lucanis with his problems that could've happened in a cutscene between them! That would've been really nice, actually! They also could've just left it unsaid but safe to assume (the stupidity of the fandom aside) and that also would've been fine. But by having Lucanis go "Oh you helped! Sort of!" it feels kind of like... they're grasping at straws? Trying to make her seem more relevant to that sequence of events than she actually was? And to be fair that might be intentional and it's Lucanis doing that in-universe, but I just don't think trying to insert her into Inner Demons after the fact really... works, even if it is supposed to be Lucanis doing it. I honestly think that just not having this banter would've been better; hell, replace it with a mention that Lucanis went to Neve to discuss the events of Inner Demons at some point after the fact! That would've been great, have him actually make the choice to talk to her specifically about it! But Neve did not help during Inner Demons, that's not a bad thing (and hardly her fault given she wasn't there), and there was really no need to try to insert her into it after the fact. Let her have her own relationship with him and help him with this in her own way! Maybe it's just that it reminds me of those fics where people shove one half of their preferred ship into the other half's canonical emotional moments with someone else and call it a good romantic moment for their ship and those are a real pet peeve of mine, but this banter rubs me up the wrong way.

[manslaught]

mikayla assumed that being warned about the fact that @ladyintree would be at this wedding was enough to prepare her to see her for the first time in nearly eight years, that being in the same room as her wouldn't sting the way it might have back then. it shouldn't affect her, not when she's been over tai for years now— or so she's convinced herself after spending so many years hating tai for what she did. after they were rescued, the only thing mikayla really had to hold onto was the hope that they would be together again. all she had to do was survive a few months at most with her father, then she would be free, safe, able to figure out what the rest of her life with taissa would look like.

but apparently, she was the only one, because after mikayla's arrest, tai wasted no time ending things with her, leaving mikayla to believe that everything they had out in the wilderness didn't mean nearly as much to taissa as it did to her. she hated tai for that— for making her feel like all of that was for nothing, for being just another person to prove that mikayla desousa isn't someone worthy of actual, genuine love. she was just a distraction, one tai no longer needed the minute she was safe, when she could go back to the life she had planned without her. that's why she cut off all connection to tai completely, ignoring any attempt she made to contact her— she'd rather be alone than accept that tai was only reaching out to her out of pity, out of obligation for keeping each other alive out in the wilderness.

the only real plan she had for her future was figuring out one with tai. the specifics never mattered to mikayla, because just being safe, happy, was so unobtainable for so long that that would have been enough— but after tai proved that happiness would never be a real option for mikayla, she was forced to readjust, to figure something else out. it was difficult, given that she never particularly cared for school. she was only good at sports, and while she always preferred cheer in high school, mikayla knew that it wasn't a sustainable career. and that only left her with soccer, the sport she'd loathed for so long. it took her years in prison to actually decide to form her plan around it, and when she did, it was entirely out of spite— a final fuck you to her dead father, because if she succeeded, it meant she managed to do what he never could, and that alone would be satisfying enough.

it also meant that taissa would be forced to see her play the sport she loved, too— but that was just a bonus.

asher had repeatedly asked her if she would be okay, being in the same room as her ex-girlfriend, suggesting that he keep her away, but mikayla had insisted it would be fine. she didn't care anymore. tai might have broken her heart, but that was years ago, and mikayla's moved on. yet it still strike a cord in her heart, being this close to her, hearing her voice for the first time in years.

you look... fucking incredible.

immediately, it angers her, the nerve tai has to let those be her first words, as if eight years ago, she hadn't broken up with mikayla at arguably the lowest point in her life, leaving her when she needed tai the most. somehow, she doesn't let it show, keeping her expression controlled, almost bored, even if it takes everything in her to keep her composure. tai's not wrong, mikayla knows, because she made a point to go all out on her appearance, even more than usual, telling herself that it wasn't just because she would be here.

“ i know. ” it's said with the same overbearing confidence she'd had in high school, if not more. mikayla doesn't let herself look tai over, like she's not even worth the time, although the truth is, she doesn't need to, because she already has by now, stealing glances in her direction every chance she got— but she sure as fuck won't dare to let tai have the satisfaction of watching her do it now. “ do you, like, need something, or...? ” she trails off in confusion, as if needing something could be the only possible reason tai's speaking to her at all. and it should be, given that mikayla told her years ago not to bother talking to her, and nothing's changed since.

[thatstormygeek]

"People don't understand how different things would have been if Hillary had won!"

This is true. Things would have been very different. Ideally we'd have fewer Trump clones running for office now. But Trump didn't make the GOP what it is. It's been like this. Forever.

Why are our choices Biden or (presumably) Trump? Liberals love to point the finger at the Republicans (while using the other hand to indicate the left is pretty close to just as much at fault, really), absolving their own party of all responsibility.

"It's this or fascism!" Okay, but why now? What have the fucking Democrats been doing while in office that it's gotten to this? Hmm? Feel like taking a look at Bill Clinton's presidency? And then maybe truly ask yourself why exactly his fucking wife thought we'd want her to be running the country.

I voted for Hillary (because what choice did I have), but the woman couldn't even pretend to support indigenous people protesting a pipeline on their land. People keep acting like she was this great progressive hero and she's not. She was not. And still, we fucking voted for her.

And liberals re-litigated the 2016 election constantly over the following four years, until Biden was elected. Then not a peep. They were content. Until 2022 midterms. And until now. Because now it's time to remind all of us to fall in line again, and they're so tired because they have to come out here again and lecture all of us leftists about our responsibilities to vote for their guy because we are all just too incapable of complex thought processes to understand the value of compromise and lesser evils and all that.

It's almost like the only activism y'all think is worth doing is beating leftists over the head with your "Vote Blue No Matter Who" stick. Which, fine. Just stop pretending you actually give a shit about anything else. Because we see you. And we see what you're not talking about. And when.

If the height of feminism to you was filling in the circle next to Hillary Clinton's name, here are some better targets for your messaging:

It's so fucking frustrating because it's clear y'all aren't listening to what folks on the left (people way smarter and with way bigger reach than me) are saying. And it reveals a lot of what the "Just Vote" bluster tries to conceal:

We're not real to you. We're not people whose needs and desires matter. We're there to be numbers to prop up your bulwark against fascism and a convenient scapegoat when you inevitably lose elections (because you will not win every time). But you don't want to make those defenses too strong because if the Other Guys aren't a constant threat, you might have to grapple with the ideas you've considered beneath you forever.

I'm going to vote. I've been voting for years. I'll continue voting. Never in my life have I told someone not to bother to vote. But I'm not doing it because of y'all. I'm doing it in spite of your messaging.

The chart that should scare Dems is this one

The votes of that 49%? They do not belong to you. You are not automatically owed them. And yes, maybe voting for Dems is in the best interest of that 49%, but there's nothing saying they will do so. People do shit against their own best interests all the time. And they sure as shit do things against the best interests of people in general.

Which means y'all have to convince them to want to vote for you. If you're the type of person whose mom said "Clean your room" and you immediately jumped to do so after thanking her for the reminder, I can see why the Democratic party's messaging is working out for you. I am not that person and I don't know a lot of people who are. So y'all are going to have to offer more than the constant demand if you're going to pick those folks up.

Not to be a doomer, but I think y'all are a lost cause at this point. You've been told the same thing over and over and refuse to adapt, so I have to assume you prefer things the way they are. Which means it's only a matter of time--and probably not a lot of time, really. You can't win every election forever and if that's the only plan, well...it sucks.

I'll tell you what, though: nothing would make me happier than the Dems proving me wrong here.

[cephalog0d]

Batfic - Rhymes with "Pest"

Rating: Teen and Up (language)

Category: Gen

Characters/Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

Words: 553

One day Jason would figure out how to actually Batproof his space, but today was, apparently, not that day.

(Full text behind the cut or over on AO3)

One day Jason would figure out how to actually Batproof his space, but today was, apparently, not that day. Thankfully it wasn’t the actual Bat himself, although Dick was on a bit of a sliding scale with regard to how little Jason wanted to see him, depending on their relative moods. Personally Jason had been feeling okay, although the unexpected company definitely put him a little on edge. At least this didn’t seem to be a visit of the “I have a sanctimonious lecture and you’re going to hear it” variety, considering Dick was currently slumped on the couch and staring vaguely somewhere in the vicinity of the ceiling without acknowledging Jason’s appearance.

Jason was reserving judgment on whether that was better or worse than the lecture option.

“There something you need?” he asked bluntly as he shed his boots and jacket and headed to the fridge and grabbed a drink.

“Nope,” Dick said with a pop.

Weird, but whatever. Maybe he was just hiding from Bruce. Or the Bat Baby. Or Babs. Or her minions. Or something else entirely, who the fuck knew, there was no blood or tears or yelling so Jason assumed it wasn’t anything catastrophic. (Or at least not immediately catastrophic.)

He already regretted his next question, but better to be prepared, or at least know if he needed to execute a quick escape plan.

“Something you want to talk about?” He tried not to sound as deeply hesitant and distasteful as he felt at the idea, but he might not have succeeded considering Dick snorted a laugh and twisted his head to finally look at him.

“Not even a little.”

Well thank fuck for that. Existing in the same space and not talking about things was something Jason could probably handle.

“Good answer.” He dropped one of the bottles he had grabbed generally in the direction of Dick’s head. (Un)fortunately he caught it before it could hit him, absently opening it and taking a sip before his face scrunched up in disgust.

“Ugh, cherry, really? Why do you buy this?”

“Because I base all of my grocery shopping on what I know you, specifically, hate,” Jason deadpanned.

Dick narrowed his eyes at him and pointed an accusing finger.

“Your tone says sarcasm, but your history of spite-based decision making says that’s a possibility.”

Jason swiped the bottle back and took a swig before dropping onto the couch.

“You know I just drank out of that,” Dick pointed out.

“I’m not wasting a perfectly good drink because you have terrible taste. Not like anyone in this fucking family has any concept of ‘personal boundaries’ anyway.” He gestured at Dick’s general presence to emphasize the point.

Dick made a vague noise of agreement and shifted, swinging his legs up onto the couch and, subsequently, onto Jason.

“What did I just fucking say?”

“I was here first.”

“It’s my place.”

“Then I’m a guest,” Dick said with a smirk.

“It’s pronounced pest.”

Dick rolled his eyes and glanced at the TV.

“Can I-”

“Absolutely not.” Jason moved the remote as far out of reach as he reasonably could, just to be safe.

(If he ended up ultimately choosing something they could both stand to watch it was only because he didn’t want to torture himself just to annoy his brother.)

[eccentricphilosoph]

boo im a big scary trans person, youre so scared rn lmao

What gave you any indication a trans person would scare me? Because I once named the original LGBT movement the “LGB movement”? As far as I know, that movement was at the time mainly for rights for gay people at the time of the Stonewall riots and the T wasn’t even added until later. If I’m ignorant, then don’t assume everyone should know the correct way to answer anything as to not be labeled a bigot. Assume ignorance and teach instead of trying to start a fight. It’s unproductive.

I didn’t purposefully omit the T out of spite. I did it because the movement used to be called “LGB Movement”. Period.

I thought the T was getting their due now, so I thought it apt to call the original movement that due to the nature of the movement being mainly in favor of gay people being protected and such and to make a point of difference between the two movements’ names.

Otherwise, this is a very silly thing to get worked up over. I was told to get fucked with a chainsaw for being left leaning moderate AND to kill myself by someone on that thread. So, if I were to be afraid of anything, it would be threats like that. This does nothing to help anyone.

I do not call for the violence against trans people and me to making a statement within a historical context shouldn’t be assuming that I do. That is like me assuming all trans people want people like me dead or to violently rape me because of the hate comments I received on that thread in addition to your attempt at harassment. Is that true?

However, in this situation, compared to what I said within a historical context, there is actual evidence that someone means harm to me and moderate leaning people. Whereas there’s no such evidence that purports that I wish harm on trans people nor do I wish that.

Again, this is why people are leaving the Left for now. Any tiny misstep or question or giving another point of view is given an immediate violent threat or seen as violence. It’s not right and very upsetting to attack your own people, allies and supporters like this for not being “sheep” (which I was also demanded to be on the same thread).

Any Gen Z doesn’t know what the Left has been up til the past 7 years or so, so butt out with your ideas of what the Left is or should be.

[invisiblegarters]

My Beautiful Man S2 E4 (Final)

“Maybe I’d be better off giving up,” Hira says to himself, as if he’s not constantly on the verge of it every damn day. Hira, I love you, but sometimes I want to reach through the screen and throttle you. 

Then again, he just thinks so very lowly of himself and that doesn’t go away just because someone loves you. The only way that goes away is if you work hard every day to make it. And even then, it’s less a straight path and far more a zig zaggy round about. 

I knew Kiyoi would be back. One fight isn’t going to send him flying off forever, even though Hira tells himself that’s how it will go. 

Kiyoi: Why didn’t you chase after me?

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. Here we go again. This is every time Kiyoi tried to get Hira to chase him in S1 all over again. 

The whole darn show and not one kiss. Robbed! Robbed, I say! But also ha, I’m going to go ahead and feel free to assume that Kiyoi withdrawing his kisses as punishment means that they are usually all over each other, even if we don’t get to see it. 

Wow, what poor girl did Shirota convince to date him? I do wonder how much these people have changed. My guess is not much at all, sigh. 

Still love these opening credits so much. 

Kurata? NO. Come on Kurata you were the only one that I liked. Although okay I will give them this - none of them were that bad. I guess I expected them all to still be the same petty, awful people they used to be. Rude of me. 

You know, they’re not in a great place, but Kiyoi and Hira’s thoughts still tend to mirror each other. They still think along the same lines, it’s just that their ways of processing are completely and utterly different. 

It’s so nice to see Kiyoi pushing through his reluctance to open his mouth and say what he wants or means to try to make this thing with Hira work. I’ve always said I get Kiyoi’s personality better than Hira’s, that’s true, and I do tend to sympathize with hm more overall, but this is what I mean when I say that he’s trying. Kiyoi is doing his level best to make himself understood by Hira in spite of his inclination to hint and then expect Hira to get it. He knows Hira won’t, so he tries to meet him, tries to give Hira something to work with. 

Hira...often does not. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely sees the need for change and he’s utterly aware that he has to move forward to keep their relationship going, but where he loses the plot is exactly how he needs to move forward. He focuses on the fact that he has no job, or that he isn’t established, and while yes that would be good, what Kiyoi is mostly looking for from him in the moment is someone to meet him halfway emotionally. He needs to feel like Hira is hanging on to him as tightly as Kiyoi is hanging on to Hira. Unfortunately Hira isn’t quite there yet. 

I remember those steps. I wonder if Kiyoi will get all up in Hira’s face again. That’s always nice. 

AW. Okay, Kiyoi sliding over to rub Hira’s back when he starts stuttering is sweet. 

And yes, he did get all up in Hira’s face. Thank you Kiyoi, I can always count on you to just get right in there even if you are still not planning on kissing him. I also really like how he clocks Hira’s disappointment at being told that he doesn’t have to find a job immediately after graduation and adjusts. 

YAS they kept him being out at work! I wasn’t sure if they would and I honestly loved that so I’m glad it’s there. I think Kiyoi is just dying to tell people, haha. But who does he really have in his life that he can? It’s a little sad that Anna might be the first person he’s really gotten to tell. And I say again, I really like her. And I am once again just baffled by the idea of people being unable to date who they want because it is better for their image to be seen as single and thus possibly available to fans. I know it happens all over the place and it’s like, dudes. It’s really no one else’s business, no matter who they are. 

Oh Hira. He doesn’t even realize that he’s being offered a job. Well, to be fair, Noguchi was hinting and Hira doesn’t do hints. And damn, his tear down of Hira’s photos was brutal. Possibly painfully accurate, hut brutal just the same. I do think that Noguchi sees real talent from Hira, though. Now it’s up to Hira to learn. 

I think that Hira telling Kiyoi that he wanted to take his picture on the same stage was probably the most romantic thing he’s ever said to him, lol. Kiyoi looks so touched. And aw, he took Anna’s words to heart and got Hira chocolates. I adore him. 

Okay, did NOT expect that kiss. 

AW THE CHOCOLATE DUCK IT’S TOO CUTE IT’S BROKEN ME. 

People calling Hira “Suspicious kun” is never not going to crack me up. 

My goodness I loved this. I can see very clearly how it’s setting us up for the movie, showing us how they care for each other while also showing us the cracks that could easily widen if they aren’t careful. They papered over that fight exactly as I expected they would, but the underlying issues aren’t going to go away.

My goodness, now I have to wait possibly up to eight months to see the movie? Worst. End of February. Present. Ever. 

(also, of course it’s a 10/10. Was that ever a question?)

[quite-actually-a-nacho]

RANT INCOMING (TW: mentions of queerphobia, transphobia, racism) Gossiping about shit my boss says.

complaining about my boss is cathartic because it’s wild actually dealing with a super conservative dumbass conspiracy dude in person in an area where I don’t often bump into such people. the funniest thing in the world is him embellishing stuff he insists happens to him. like, for sure it’s embellishing and he won’t say what really happened because it makes him look like the raging asshole he is.

says his queer friends/people online get sooooo mad at him assuming their pronouns. I told him most people just correct people when they first meet, because we know people assume first and it doesn’t make them evil, and then we all move on. aside from him definitely watching ragebait, without a doubt I have a feeling he isn’t just “assuming their pronouns” for the first time and is actually deadnaming and/or misgendering people to their faces after learning, and gets upset when they get mad because he doesn’t take transitioning seriously in the first place.

he constantly makes it a point to misgender my cousin, he misgenders his “friends”—he recognizes the fact they did transition, but calls them by their deadnames whenever he mentions them. he insists that he “doesn’t care how you identify” then immediately follows it up with reasons why he cares a lot and why you’re crazy. he comes up with the most stupid reasons as to why people transition without asking anyone why they actually did, like saying they basically went off the deep end and just decided to become trans. I said these friends realized who they were late in life. he says they look terrible in makeup and dresses. first of all it obviously isn’t their job to be ‘passing’ for your satisfaction, but also, they transitioned late in life you fucking pillock. you expect them to pass instantly?

just the other day he was miraculously able to make a connection from a woman incorrectly calling our classic arcade games “retro”, to trans people using “wrong” labels they force everyone else to use. had nothing to do with trans people, managed to bring up trans people—yet WE’RE the ones making everything about trans people and some “agenda”.

said all lesbians choose to love women because they weren’t given enough attention by men or had too many failed relationships with men. said asexual & aromantic people choose to be that way because they saw bad examples of relationships growing up. said all trans people are severely traumatized, or—here’s a good one, he said one of his friends (before she transitioned) hung out with a group of gay men once and suddenly decided she was gay, and then dressed up in her mother’s clothes once and suddenly decided she’s trans. I had to try not to laugh, it was fucking ridiculous. I told him she was likely living a lie for the past forty years and was having a new journey, he mocked what I said about her journey a few days later. do you even LIKE your friends? he seems really fucking spiteful about some of the people he calls friends.

he is a fearmonger. uses his conservative non-white friends as mouthpieces for generalizing communities/movements like BLM. 100% believed the “eating the pets” thing Trump said, claims he has proof, never tried pointing me to said proof probably because it’s on some obscure racist conspiracy forum or Facebook group full of “truth seekers” he knows no one would take seriously. his hate isn’t just contained to demonizing non-white immigrants, it’s also everyone that doesn’t speak good English. but mostly it’s the non-white immigrants. thinks there’s hundreds of criminals sneaking through the U.S. borders every year. has the self-awareness of a brick—says people come to our country to escape their previous living situations, only to be racist about them actually coming here.

he thinks he’s a good person because he’s selfless, and in many ways he is selfless and kind. but he sees in black & white thinking, his nature is much more nuanced than he thinks it is. he is fundamentally a miserable, bad person who does good things at times. people can be good and bad. but he has a lot of bad. he would be slightly less miserable if he cared to respect people, especially those he calls “friends”. in his mind he probably thinks he’s still friends with these people out of “pity”, when I think it’s the reverse. it is baffling to me how nobody has dropped his ass, please drop him you deserve better.

[asleepinawell]

things to add partly based on a conversation I had with my friend about this dumbass:

for context, there is no emet/wol thing happening in this scenario. neither of them would enjoy that

the wol has zero understanding of the whole shard of azem thing and at this point everyone's given up trying to explain it. his response to hyth talking about the color of his soul was "thanks I work out"

also the first thing he said to hyth in elpis was "are you from lakeland?". within fifteen minutes of knowing him, hyth was like wow this kid is mega stupid I need to add him to my collection of idiots immediately

for some reason, he assumed that his role in elpis was being hyth's bodyguard and that emet was hyth's personal assistant (this was almost 100% something hyth told him). he tried to beat up a unicorn for looking at hyth funny, but he lost :(

he did eventually grasp that elpis!emet and shb!emet were the same person, though he remained confused about the time travel aspect. he didn't want to believe it at first because their hair was different and that was the main criteria by which he judged

showed up in elpis dressed like this (and did not change):

has sorta grasped the whole sundering and ancients thing and mostly thinks it's "hella sad". when shb!emet explained it the first time his response was the equivalent of zuko's "that's rough buddy"

venat was confused at first about why future her would choose this kid but then was like no you know what someone who "was sad this one time but it seemed like a drag so I stopped" and is known to spontaneously burst into tears whenever he thinks about how much he loves his friends or sees a cute animal is actually perfect for this. bonus points that he pisses off emet

venat beating his ass was the greatest moment of his entire life

shb!emet's take on him was wow this kid really got none of azem's admittedly limited number of braincells, guess I should clear my schedule and troll him. he also concluded that venat was completely off her rocker for choosing this kid and the whole thing was clearly just done to spite him personally (possibly correct)

the wol's initial take on shb!emet was: haha what a funny little guy. thancred had to be like okay but he killed a gajillion people. wol: oh that's totally not cool dude. does this mean I'm allowed to punch him? thancred, exhausted: yes, you're allowed to punch him. wol: rad!

the hyth/hades/azem thing went right over his head to start with. thancred, his perpetually exhausted dad since midgard left, sat him down and explained it to him. the wol was like aww that's really sweet I hope it works out for those crazy kids. thancred: uhhh...you know what, sure, let's just go with that

loporrits make him nervous. what do they want from him?????

misses his mom (venat) and his other(?) mom (hydaelyn) who he has...mostly figured out are the same person. he got there eventually

merlwyb is his role model. he has no clue about her politics (or politics in general), he just thinks she's the coolest for having buff arms and neat bang bang guns and the whole pirate aesthetic

complete fanboy for y'shtola. thinks it's so cool the way she dropped a meteor on that weird little dude at the end of shb. (also slightly terrified of her)

besties with alisaie. they share a love of swords and explosions

likes alphinaud but tends to zone out whenever he talks

jumped up on a table when they were talking to the forum to yell at fourchenault because disowning his kids was "like totally not cool, man". fourchenault is now in therapy for this

aymeric tried to ask him out once but not only did aymeric totally botch it but it went right over the wol's head. aymeric spent three days locked in his office having a nervous breakdown after this and lucia has been forbidden from ever mentioning it. the wol remained clueless but got that aymeric was not feeling great and sent him a really cool rock he found because who doesn't like really cool rocks

has never understood a single word that's come out of urianger's mouth but thinks he's a swell guy with great fashion sense

considers ryne his little sister

envious of krile's hoodie

bros with estinien now that he's calmed down and is "way less harsh, dude". they have "I never know what's going on and at this point I'm afraid to ask" solidarity

emotionally dependent on his carbuncle

he never had a single clue wtf was going on with zenos and actually forgot his name a few times, something which only encouraged zenos who found it "stimulating" that the wol considered him so beneath his notice. zenos gave at least three horny monologues about this. the wol remained oblivious to all of this but had a great time fighting him after that whole thing with the sad bird that thancred promised to explain to him when they got back

besties with sadu. if only zenos hadn't sucked so much he could have joined their fight bromance club (alisaie and estinien are in this club too)

once tried to carry his chocobo because he thought it was only fair they take turns. this may be related to why grani bit him

owns bootie shorts that say "hydaelyn's perfect idiot" on them

my background story for my himbo lizard boy wol has always been fairly vague and mostly along the lines of: he grew up in thavnair, his family were fishers who made him learn to fish even though he preferred fighting things, he attempted to fish by just jumping in the water and wrestling fish, and then a giant fish kicked his ass so hard he left home on a journey to grow into a better fighter so he could come back and get revenge (he never did. he got thancred to beat up the fish for him and now it lives in an aquarium in his house)

but I was thinking of elpis and the wol being told to relate the whole story from the beginning to the elpis squad and like...this boy cannot stay focused on a long story like that, he doesn't have a single braincell, if you tell him to relate the story from the beginning he's gonna go way too far back and spend half an hour complaining about the fish that beat him up back home

and there's hythlodaeus in the corner quietly making notes about this fascinating fish. notes he will find in his pocket after he returns home and turn into a concept leading to the creation of the fish ancestor of the wol's nemesis. the circle of stupidity is complete

other things that probably happened in elpis:

1) the wol almost definitely made some vague comment to hermes that hermes then recalled later as he looked down at meteion and inspired his decision to destroy the world. the comment would have been something you'd expect to find on one of those awful motivational posters that has some trite phrase over a stock photo of the ocean

2) the wol asked venat "have you ever wondered what the ancients really are?" (he probably read a conspiracy theory on tumblr) but he had a brain slip (without the brain part) and said "have you ever sundered what the ancients really are?" and venat was like hmmm while taking notes

3) wol told emet he looked "out of shape" and "not at 110%" in the future and offered to teach him his exercise routine. this would have happened in the middle of him relating how emet was going to have everyone he knew die and then murder millions of people. hyth prevented another murder from taking place but also took notes on the exercise routine and later built a home gym based on them. azem used it regularly. emet threatened to divorce both of them. soon after, emet unmade azem's favorite barbell in a fit of pettiness leading to them squabbling, a fight which started out serious and then drifted into more mundane topics like should we summon zodiark. azem took his gym and left

4) grani bit the wol. this didn't have any far-reaching consequences but it made him sad and he wants you to know

the legend himself:

[sunfish-studies]

Greed

✄・・・ Feathery Ink [Karasuno Manager Series]

➜ Pairing: Karasuno x Manager! Reader

➜ Warning: none

➜ Notes: This is a separate series from Crisp Leaves. Similar to Crisp Leaves, manager in this story will be portrayed as a girl. She will be tall. This is just my appreciation towards tall girls, you guys are amazing.

Previous:  ‹ Acceptance › | Next:  ‹ Moonrise ›

↷ SUMMARY ↶

Hinata’s overwhelming greed to grow–will it be a blessing or a curse for the team?

As the temperature rise, so was the tension–at first you didn’t really acknowledge the heaviness present in the air, but now it was suffocating. Your team certainly had it around them at first, however it now increased tenfold after Hinata bumped to Asahi for the ball. The prickling in the air almost felt as if it was scratching your skin.

“I wasn’t imagining the tension between Hinata and Kageyama-kun, right?” Yachi asked uncertain, but Shimizu nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. But it’s not just Hinata and Kageyama. Ever since Hinata and Azumane bumped into each other, they’re all on the edge.”

“That, and Hinata-kun just blurted out what everyone’s thinking right now,” you added, making the two turned to face you. “Hinata-kun wants to rapidly change, if everyone couldn’t keep up or made their presence clear in front of him…”

They’ll be eaten by that overwhelming greed the orange-haired boy has.

.

.

When the penalty was over, you quickly distributed the water bottles and towels with Yachi while Shimizu handled the notes. The absence of Hinata, Kageyama, and Sugawara were clear because as soon as they finished their penalty, the third year asked them to have a private chat outside the gym.

“Azumane-san, you felt that, right?” you asked the older boy, handing his water bottle. “The feeling of being eaten up.”

“Yeah,” Somehow, Asahi didn’t really surprise hearing those words from you. For him, you’re rather different–maybe it’s because you’re quite knowledgeable about volleyball and a quite observant person.

“I think you should try putting him in his place,” hearing those rather bold words from you made his eyes widened.

“P-putting him to place!? L-like scolding him? I don’t think I can.”

“N-no, just declared out loud that the ball is yours? From what I saw, Hinata-kun is trying to steal that ball away from you. You need to tell let him know that it’s not his.”

Asahi fell silent at first, thinking over and assessed what you just said. He found that you’re right–it’s ace’s job to get everyone in the team grounded. He gave you a smile and a nod. “Yeah, I’ll try. Thank you for the insight, [Name].”

“Oh, Hinata-kun, let me see your chin!” Asahi then watched you jogged towards the shorter orange-haired boy.

“Huh? Why?” he asked in confusion.

“You hit it when you’re doing the diving drills, right? At least let me check if it’s bruising or not.” You bent down to take a closer look, although still keeping a respectful distance from the boy so he wouldn’t be having a heart attack.

“A-alright, thank you!”

.

.

Your team didn’t stay for too long–once the last practice of the day was done, all of you were already packing to return to Miyagi. This practice camp was short, but you heard Coach Ukai mentioned that it would be even longer the moment summer vacation started–at that time, you will be staying around for a week.

Huffing, you lifted up a big luggage with the team’s necessities and began walking towards the bus in the parking lot. Ennoshita mentioned that if anything’s too heavy, you should ask for someone in the team’s help–however you were reluctant, especially after knowing all of them were certainly tired from practice match and diving penalties.

“Here, let me help you,” suddenly, the weight was removed from you. You were greeted with Akaashi’s figure with the bag in hand, you almost felt jealous on how he could carry it with ease.

“Thank you, Akaashi-san,”

After that you didn’t exchange any word as you approached the bus, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable either.

“So, how is it being the manager?” his question threw you off guard, not expecting him to start a conversation.

Laughing nervously, you replied. “It felt like being thrown into a room full of color and being doused in ice bath.”

Once again, you didn’t expect him laughing slightly at your metaphor. You cursed the moment you laid your eyes on his figure because how can someone be so goddamn gorgeous from just laughing. Your heart skipped a bit and blood rushed to your face almost instantly.

“I could relate to that,” he hummed. “Especially having someone eccentric in the team, like Bokuto-san for example.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Otohaku-chan!!” As if being called, the mentioned boy jogged towards the two of you. Akaashi put the bag onto the ground after asking if it’s okay to do so. “Be sure to join the summer training camp so you can cheer on me, alright!?”

“That’s a wrong thing wrangled into one sentence.” Kuroo commented, accompanied by his infamous smirk. “And why would you drag other team’s manager when you already have two?”

“Please don’t request anything weird to Otohaku-san.” Akaashi deadpanned.

“What?? Why!? The only one here’s nice enough to compliment me is Otohaku-chan!!”

“You pushed her into doing so, Bokuto-san. Otohaku-san, if he’s bothering you feel free to ignore him.”

“AKAASHI!!”

“Well, Bokuto do have something correct, though,” Kuroo folded his arm across his chest. “Be sure to join the summer training camp. The more, the merrier, you know?”

“I will,” you smiled. You had no reason not to join–a manager’s duty is to help the team grow by letting their mind off doing mundane things, so you would do your best to support your team.

Kuroo’s hand reached out, finding itself on your head again and ruffling lightly. “Then we’ll be waiting.”

“[Name]-san is already good friends with Fukurodani and Nekoma’s captain,” Ennoshita, who watched the interaction from the sidelines, commented. Sugawara and Sawamura nodded in agreement, smiling proudly. You were known for being rather reserved, but seeing you began to have more friends were a huge development.

“It’s good she begins to open up and make friends, but,” Ennoshite flinched from the murderous atmosphere surrounding Sugawara. “I hope they could limit the physical contact with our dearest manager, though.”

“Right? They’re too close to my liking.” Sawamura added, smiling but with menacing intent.

“Whoaa!! You’re so tall!” as if the world was trying to spite the two, Lev joined into the picture–his hand found yours and immediately had them in his grip. “And pretty!”

Ennoshita had to refrain Sugawara and Sawamura from murdering the oblivious first year.

.

.

It was quite late at night the moment all of you were back at the school. Assuming it was late, you didn’t have any reason to stay longer and need to go home as soon as possible. However, noticing how the gym was lit, both you and Yachi decided to check it out–finding Kageyama and Hinata were in there with net fully set along with volley cart.

“Huh? You two aren’t going home yet?” Yachi asked.

“It’s quite late. You should get some rest instead.” You added, knowing how harsh the practice match and penalties combined together.

“Yachi-san, [Name]-san, if you don’t mind, could you throw us some balls?” instead of answering, Hinata requested some help.

“Huh? I can do that?” Yachi yelped.

“You just have to throw the ball above Kageyama’s head.” Hinata pointed out.

“S-sure, I’ll give it a try.”

“If you’re tired, switch with me, Hitoka-chan.” You said and she nodded.

Yachi throw ball after ball for Kageyama to toss while Hinata tried to hit it–and he failed. The ball didn’t sync at all with him, his movement didn’t fully pull out because he’s too focused on the ball. It’s not just second or third, with every ball being tossed, not once did Hinata successfully spike it.

“One more time!” Hinata called out, however there’s no ball this time because they already used it all.

“Instead of practicing an attack we’re not sure you’ll ever be able to do, you should be working on the attacks we’ve been using as well as serving and blocking!” Kageyama spat.

“But if this quick doesn’t work, there’s no point in me being on the court!”

“And I told you, your will isn’t needed for that quick! I’ll give you tosses that won’t be stopped by blocks!”

“But then I’ll never get better!” Hinata argued.

This is bad, you internally said. It’s not the usual bickering the two always do.

“The prelims for the spring tournament start next month! They’re right around the corner, what do you think will be an effective weapon for us? A complete quick or an absolutely useless quick!? Huh!?” Kageyama yelled, his hand already clutching onto Hinata’s collar.

“N-no fighting, guys.” Yachi stuttered, trying her best to get situation under control. “Calm down, Kageyama-kun. You, too, Hinata…”

“I want to be strong enough to compete by myself!” Of course, the two wouldn’t give any spare second to your friend’s pleading. And Hinata’s words seemed to be the trigger that snapped the chord.

“Your selfishness is going to destroy the team’s balance!” shouting in anger, Kageyama threw the shorter boy to the ground–the sound that echoed throughout the gym made both you and Yachi winced.

“L-Let’s all be f-friends, o-okay!?” Yachi stuttered.

“Stop it you two,” you stated, making sure to said it out loud so it could be heard. “Fighting doesn’t solve anything.”

Your heart thumping against your chest, your ears were ringing from the adrenaline rushing in your bloodstream. If you or Yachi couldn’t do anything, thing would escalate to a bad degree–the worst would be fist fight. And that would result the two being suspended from club activities. Separating the two physically wouldn’t be a good thing either–as much as you want to, you’re a girl and it would be dangerous.

“I’ll toss to anyone who’s essential to winning.” Kageyama declared. “But I don’t think you’re essential to winning right now. And I don’t feel any different now.”

“Kageyama!!”

Hinata certainly didn’t accept those words–picking himself up, he threw himself to Kageyama and clutching on to him.

“Damn it, let go!”

“I won’t let go until you give me a toss!”

 The second time Kageyama threw Hinata to the ground full force, you knew you had to stop this somehow. Turning to look at Yachi, who’s standing behind you, you said, “Call someone, Hitoka-chan. We have to stop them!”

“B-but, what about you [Name]-chan-!?” she yelped, not wanting to leave you alone in a place where two boys were fighting.

“I’ll be fine, now go!” Yachi immediately bolted towards the exit to search for anyone who’s near–now that left you with the two. “Stop it, Kageyama, Hinata!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“That quick was stopped!! Today and during Seijoh’s match!”

“Are you trying to say that my toss was a fault!?”

“Enough!” You tried to pry Hinata away from Kageyama, holding onto his arm and pulled it. And it didn’t end up good for you. Maybe he was too blinded by anger or desperation or your existence currently didn’t exist in his mind, he shoved arm to shook you off.

His elbow hit you right in the stomach, which made you winced in pain and the sheer power you never thought he had thrown to the ground. If it’s only the ground then you wouldn’t have any difficulties, but you forgot there’s a volleyball cart near by and your back just happened to hit that first before the ground.

There will be bruises without a doubt.

Their yelling flew past your mind because the pain from your back and stomach already had your mind occupied. Soon, you heard another yelling and another set of footsteps. Yachi immediately ran and kneeled beside you.

“Y-you okay, [Name]-chan!? B-blood! You have blood on your arm!” she yelped, hands trembling.

At the mention of blood, you lifted your arm automatically–Yachi was right, there’s a long cut running from your elbow to your wrist. You didn’t even feel any pain from it, maybe it was being overshadowed by the pain from your back and stomach even though the cut was dripping blood.

It was a rough night for the four of you.

.

.

“This will be enough,” you said, making Kageyama stopped on his track to look at you. “My house is just around the corner. Thank you for walking me home, Kageyama-kun.”

“Y-Yeah…” he replied in stutters.

You didn’t immediately turn your back to him and walked away–because he was shuffling on his feet while looking here and there, you knew he had something else to say. Kageyama isn’t the best in pouring his mind into words, that’s why after knowing that you tried your best to be patient and let him composed himself to talk.

“Is there something you need?” you coaxed, noticing he couldn’t get his thoughts straight.

“Uh,” Kageyama lifted his hand, finger picking on the band-aid you put upon his cut from where Tanaka punched him. “Y-your arm,”

“It’s fine,” showing him the long cut, he stiffened when he rested his eyes on it. “It stopped bleeding and I already cleaned it so it’s fine.”

Silence fell between the two of you for the second time.

“Sorry…” Kageyama finally said–you almost didn’t hear it from how soft he spoke.

“It’s fine Kageyama-kun, it’s my fault anyway. I should’ve waited for Tanaka-san instead of trying to stop you two on my own.” You sighed. “I’m worried about you two more, to be honest…”

The raven-haired boy outwardly grimaced at your statement.

“But, I know everything will fall into place soon,” you quickly added, trying to ease the guilt Kageyama was feeling. “Hinata will find a way to have mid-air battles, and you will look for a way to do something with your tosses. Then in the end, everything will connect and Karasuno will have a new weapon.”

“…Yeah,”

Seeing Kageyama’s shoulders shook slightly, you understood this also took a toll on him somehow. Stepping forward until you’re one foot away from him, you reached your hand out to gently hold on to his. You didn’t really know how to comfort the opposite gender, usually you would just pull Yachi into a hug when she’s not having the best feeling. Kageyama replied to your gesture by tightening his grip on your hand.

Not caring for the time, you choose to stay with Kageyama until he let go.

[yoonpobs]

bad boy good thing viii.

pairing: jeon jungkook x oc

genre: angst, smut, fluff, miscommunication (we hate her lol), pining

warnings: smut, jungkook is really an asshole, the angst hurts a lot tbh, unhealthy relationships (?)

words: 1, 964

summary: a series of drabbles where you're confused and jungkook's confusing

“I can’t believe this!” Jeonghan puffs while he drops his belongings loudly onto the table in the study lounge, causing a few other students to turn and glare.

“Would it kill you to be quiet?” Jungkook grumbles, picking at the edge of the paper of his textbook, eyes never straying away from the content of the page.

“No. I will not be quiet because I thought football bros were bros for life!” Jeonghan whines.

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. “You know that’s kind of concerning when you put it that way.”

Jeonghan simply waves the other boy off before he leans forward as if he has something important he has to say. Jungkook knew him well enough to know that it would either waste Jungkook’s precious study time or be something so out of the ordinary that he can’t help but be intrigued.

Jungkook shrugged and takes the chance, anyway.

“Namjoon bailed.” He deadpans. “Again!”

Jungkook stiffens ever so slightly but feigns disinterest with a noncommittal hum.

“Really.”

Jeonghan nods his head, or shook his head—it was hard to tell because he was all over the place and he seemed more displeased than anything.

“I never thought we’d lose our own captain to a girl.” He sniffs.

Jungkook sighs, already done with the conversation because somehow no one can ever mention Namjoon without mentioning you now, apparently because the two of you were hanging out much more frequently. He’s bitter. And he’s confused—because he’s attempted patching things up with you but you only would ever reply to him with curt responses than the enthusiastic ones you used to flatter him with.

JK: hey. there’s a new cafe outside of campus. U wanna go?

Smarty Pants 🐰: Im busy. Next time? :)

JK: are u free tonight?

JK: im heading to the library later. wanna meet up for some ramen first? On me!!!

Smarty Pants 🐰: sorry jungkook, meeting w administrators for pastoral care matters

Smarty Pants 🐰: Do you need help with the content?

JK: oh… it’s fine, just wanted to hang out with you. We haven’t done that in a while

JK: jimin said u finally have some free time next week? Let’s catch up! i’ll treat u to some banana bread :D

Smarty Pants 🐰: i have plans with joon. which day were you thinking?

JK: Anytime. When are you meeting hyung?

Smarty Pants 🐰: we kind of have plans every day, here and there. could I get back to you?

And that was it. The blow that Jungkook knew he deserved but couldn’t deal with. You had tried your best to avoid any personal interaction with Jungkook and he didn’t know what the fuck to do.

“They’re kind of perfect for each other, don’t you think?” Jeonghan interrupts Jungkook’s sour mood when he recalls all his failed attempts at trying to meet with you personally.

Jungkook blinks then furrowed his eyebrows.

“Who?”

Jeonghan rolls his eyes. “Joon and your friend _____.” He knocks on the table. “Bunch of nerds together.” He adds with a snicker.

Jungkook stiffens, hands clutching his textbook tighter.

“You say that like there’s something wrong with being a nerd.” He says slowly.

“There isn’t. Really.” Jeonghan defends. “It’s just so … fitting. Captain of the football team who’s lowkey a softie and an art nerd with the overachiever on campus. Their IQ’s combined are probably in the 300 range.”

Jungkook scowls.

“Haven’t you heard of the phrase ‘opposites attract’?” Jungkook asks sourly.

Jeonghan scoffs. “Yeah. Like you actually believe in that cliche phrase. Come on—we all know you’re likely to end up with someone who’s more like you than different.”

The insinuation doesn’t sit well with Jungkook, but he can’t chew Jeonghan out for it anyway. He didn’t know the nature of your friendship with him, nor was he aware of the history the two of you shared.

“Never say never.” Jungkook shrugs.

Jeonghan rolls his eyes before taking out his laptop and settling into a comfortable position.

“I think he’s going to ask her to be his girlfriend soon.” He says off-handedly as if he assumed Jungkook gave a shit.

He did, and his heart drops to his stomach.

“Hey,” Jungkook calls out when he spots you slip past him at the foyer outside the humanities building.

You twirl around at the sound of your name being called, and your eyes widen when you spot Jungkook walking towards you with furrowed brows.

“J-Jungkook?”

Why you sounded so scared to see him, he wasn’t sure. But he knows that he’s frustrated because it’s the first time he’s seen you after the game where you and Namjoon left to hang out at the exhibition, despite his desperate attempts at calling you out to hang out with him.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Jungkook frowns, cutting straight to the chase.

You splutter for a response, and you realise that you’re basically gaping at him when you clutch your folders tighter to your chest.

“I’ve been busy, Jungkook. I told you this.” You softly remind him.

Jungkook scoffs, and he feels his mean bone grow; feeling the need to correct you because you were smart—and both of you knew that your excuse was lame.

“Really?” He says dryly. “Too busy to hang out with me but not with Namjoon?” He can’t help how bitter he sounds, especially when he’s heard from the rest of the football members; including Jimin and Taehyung that you were spending a suspicious amount of time with the captain.

You furrow your brows at him when Jungkook stares you down, waiting for a response.

“That doesn’t change the fact I was busy.” You huff.

Jungkook frowns at you, clutching his backpack tighter with his hand as he notices the way you avoid his eyes by dropping them to the ground.

“Why are you being like this?” Jungkook accuses, tone already on the offensive.

You gape up at the boy, brows scrunched in displeasure.

“Me? I’m not being anything. I told you that I was busy and we would rain check, didn’t I?”

Jungkook tongues the inside of his cheek, frustration pooling in his stomach. “Somehow you’re only busy whenever I want to hang out, right?” He scoffs sarcastically. “I thought we were good.”

You stiffen, knuckles turning white when you grip your belongings harder.

“We are.” You say curtly.

“No, we’re not.” Jungkook retorts. “If we were then you wouldn’t need to find shitty excuses to get out of hanging out with me.”

You open your mouth, then close it. You feel yourself grow more exasperated with Jungkook the more he can’t realise the fact that you were still finding a way to navigate the throes of your relationship with him.

“They were not shitty excuses.” You snap. “Listen, we can meet tomorrow for coffee if you really—”

“That’s not what this is about!” Jungkook exasperates, breathing out in a huff.

You purse your lips. “Then what is it, Jungkook? You came up to me and started accusing me of lying to you because I couldn’t meet up at the times you proposed.”

Jungkook clenches his jaw when he notices the way your voice gets increasingly sterner when you talk to him. It only reminds him of the way you used to chastise him when he was younger when he’d do something that was ‘immature’ but standard for a teenaged boy.

“I apologised!” He cries. “I’m sorry I was a dick before this but I’m really trying to fix things between us but you’re—”

“I’m what, Jungkook?” You interject with a frown. “I’m doing my best at healing?” You add softly. “An apology won’t erase what happened.”

Jungkook feels himself deflate, especially at the way your eyes dart away when he attempts to look into them.

“I know it won’t but I just want things to go back to normal.” He sighs.

You screw your eyes shut, finding the words to say before you look at him with such sad eyes that he nearly pulls you close just to comfort you so that he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the fact that it was his fault.

“It’s not that easy.” You whisper, gripping at the hem of your sleeves. “It may be for you but it’s not the same for me.”

Jungkook releases a sigh so loud that your eyes widen, as he attempts to think of something better to say—to offer.

“I really am sorry.” He lamely apologises, his voice sounding a lot like a scolded child.

“I know.” You nod. “But you don’t know how it feels to have …” You swallow. “Whatever. We’re good. I just need time, Jungkook.”

Jungkook furrows his brows when you turn away to stalk off, but he grabs at your elbow to turn your body to face him. Your eyes briefly make contact with the way he’s gently holding onto you before they tilt up to meet his confused gaze.

“How it feels to have what?” He pries.

You sigh, shaking off his grip. “Look. It doesn’t matter. I’m being sensitive.” You deprecate immediately.

Jungkook doesn’t miss the spite in your tone, especially when you say it so firmly and seriously when you dismiss him.

“I want to fix this—us.” He pleads desperately. “Why can’t you just be honest with me?”

As if his words set you off, your eyes snap up and blaze with the pent up fury and anger you’ve been suppressing the entire time.

“Me? Be honest with you?” You scoff. “Real fucking funny. Because when I was honest with you, you turned it on me and took advantage of my vulnerability.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen. “What—?”

“You want honest?” You fume. “Fine. I’ll give you honest but you better listen closely this time because I won’t be repeating myself again.” You poke into his chest, even if it’s fierce and stern, he feels the heartache pouring through. “You were my best friend, Jungkook. You were and are someone important to me and you fucked me over because you knew I couldn’t say no to you. You knew how I felt and you took advantage of that fact just so you could get what you wanted and go.”

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows, confused at the information you were throwing at him.

“How you felt—?”

You cut him off again with a huff. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t know. Why else did you think I did all the shit you wanted?”

“I-I don’t understand.” Jungkook stutters, head caught in a loop when you glare at him harder.

“You knew every bit of insecurity that I had and you weaponised that against me just so you could keep me close.” You say softly. “You knew, either way, I would’ve stayed because I’ve always been there, Jungkook.”

“You’re confusing me.” He deadpans, grabbing onto your shoulders so you were forced to stare at him.

He notices the glistening of your eyes as he feels his heart constrict when he realises you’re trying your best to keep your tears at bay.

“Well, you did it first so it’s only fair.” You sniffle. “You can act like shits fine because you weren’t the one who was attached. I was. So just let me have this time to myself to figure things out because I can’t even be around you without being sad, Jungkook.” You whimper.

He calls for your name but you're already furiously rubbing at your eyes as you curse under your breath as you spin on your heels to hurry away.

Jungkook gapes at you as he attempts to process what you just said, but before he can get another word in—you're leaving him to feel the weight of your words in the footsteps that draw further and further away.

[archived-kin]

diluc ragnvindr and the secret spouse

note from kin: i was running around dawn winery looking for any chests i might have missed when this idea suddenly popped into my head. honestly i was tempted to do this similarly to the obey me solomon piece i did a while back and give diluc a husband but then i figured i should probably keep it gender neutral for both the girls and the gays

this is super short but i’ve had writer’s block for AGES so at least i got something out! i hope this isn’t so awful it burns your eyes out :,) i tried my best okay

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn!reader, diluc, aether, paimon

pairing(s): diluc/reader

warning(s): none

genre: fluff!!

You wake to the distant buzz of household conversation and a distinct absence of the usual presence beside you. Slightly disoriented, you sit up, rubbing at your eyes as the morning light peeking around the edge of your heavy velvet curtains casts the creases of the sheets around you into sharp definition.

A still-steaming mug sits on the bedside table, indicating that it hasn’t been long since your dear husband got up and made you your usual morning cup of tea. There’s a little red flower sitting on the saucer - a Windwheel Aster, which, if the flower language the two of you have developed over time still stands true, means that he’s still at home. He’d have left a Snapdragon if he was going out, a Calla Lily if he’d be gone for the day, or a Cecilia if he’d be away for an extended period of time. Of course, he tells you these things in person when he gets the chance, but, well - duty calls, and duty certainly doesn’t wait for a sensible wake-up time.

You throw your arms up and stretch, limbs trembling slightly as all the knots and cramps that have built up throughout the night finally straighten out. Windwheel Asters usually herald a good day in your household - though with Diluc, they can become Snapdragons and then Calla Lilies in the blink of an eye - and you’re looking forward to spending some time with your husband. It’s been a busy week for the both of you, what with an unexpected increase in the number of Abyss Order attacks cropping up around Mondstadt as well as several sudden unexplained deaths of hunters from Springfield, and you’d really like to have twenty four hours to just relax.

Diluc’s usual coat is still draped over the chair beside the desk, so, after a moment’s thought, you pull it on over your nightclothes. You have the weekend off, anyway - all your pending cases have been essentially solved and are ready to go - so you don’t see any need for donning your usual detective garb, though you do feel tempted to put on your trademark scarf to ward off the morning chill.

You take a few minutes to make the bed and open the curtains before you sit down in the armchair by the window to enjoy your tea. You can see several of the usual workers milling about between the grapevines, as well as what looks like a carrier balloon being docked just by the road. That’s new - deliveries to Dawn Winery usually come by carriage, but then again, the fact that the balloon also appears to be smoking extensively and is being accompanied by a very dishevelled-looking man who looks close to tears indicates that this probably isn’t a delivery,

On further inspection, you realise that your husband is standing nearby the smoking balloon, conversing with a young man with long golden hair tied back in a braid that you’re not particularly familiar with. You’re sure you recognise him from somewhere, though - in the same way that you might recognise the general composition of a painting you’ve seen in passing.

You don’t have time to continue contemplating the boy’s identity, though, because next thing you know, Diluc is leading him inside. You drain the remainder of your tea to the dregs with one gulp and pull yourself to your feet, resolving to go down to greet the two.

While you don’t bother with changing into something more formal, you do take a moment to wash your face and freshen up your breath with some of the mint-water Diluc keeps in the bathroom. You’re not fussed about keeping up a ‘respectable’ image, but you do at least want to be presentable.

Diluc is sitting with his back to you when you slip into the front room, still dressed in just your nightclothes and his overcoat, now with your feet tucked into a comfortable pair of slippers as well. The boy he’d invited in is the first to notice you, looking up from the map in his hands and face steeling slightly as he registers your presence.

An odd little fairy of some kind is bobbing about behind him, chewing on what looks like a large slice of cake. Her eyes widen to the size of saucers as she spots you, exclaiming so loudly that she sprays crumbs all over her unsuspecting golden-haired companion.

“Who’s this?!” she shrieks, alarmed in an almost comically exaggerated way. Her shock sends her even higher into the air, and she threatens to hit the ceiling head-on. “Y-you don’t look like a maid!”

You raise an eyebrow, mildly amused. “That would be because I’m not a maid.”

Diluc finally turns around, eyes lighting up slightly when he sees your choice of attire. A small smile curls at the corners of his lips as he moves to the side, leaving enough room on his seat for you to settle down beside him.

His young friend’s eyes dart between the two of you rapidly as Diluc continues droning on about something to do with transport balloons and the influx of monster activity in the area without a word as to your sudden appearance. He’s certainly quick-witted, you’ll give him that - he seems to deduce your relationship almost immediately.

Still, he asks about it in a polite and roundabout way - bless the boy. You can imagine that he’s a little afraid of making assumptions, especially about a man like Diluc.

“Is that your coat, Master Diluc?”

Diluc pauses in the middle of his explanation, eyebrows lifting slightly. You don’t know why he seems so surprised by the boy’s question - after all, the impression of the prideful Darknight Hero he has probably doesn’t incline him to think of him as a relationship-y sort of man.

“...yes.” He says finally. You don’t miss the way he steals a glance at you through the messy fringe of his red hair.

“Why so surprised?” You chime in, smiling at the boy as he straightens up slightly at the sound of your voice. “Surely you’ve deduced our relation already?”

He looks thoughtful for a moment. “Are you two… partners?”

You laugh. “Well, you could certainly put it like that.”

“You’re so clueless, Aether!” complains the boy’s fairy companion. “They’re obviously dating or something!”

Aether shoots her an unimpressed look. “That’s what I meant, Paimon.”

“Your name’s Aether, then?” You note. He nods. “Good name, Aether. You seem like a smart boy.”

“Hey!” The fairy glares at you, but it doesn’t really have much effect when she’s got the face of a baby lamb and crumbs still decorating her lower face to boot. “Don’t forget about Paimon!”

“Paimon’s a lovely name too,” You comply with a smile. “Very trustworthy.”

She looks appeased by the compliment, crossing her arms with a smug grin aimed at her taller companion. “See? Paimon’s trustworthy.”

“I heard them, Paimon,” sighs Aether, wearing the kind of expression that tells you he has to put up with this sort of thing a lot.

“What are you doing up so early?” Diluc asks you, and you start slightly at his sudden question. “Normally you sleep til noon on Sundays.”

You shrug and give his thigh a firm pat, taking great enjoyment in the way his ears flame up slightly at the gesture. “Guess I just missed your lovely face.”

The red of his ears darkens. “...you’re ridiculous.”

“You’re cute,” you counter with a smile, leaning forward to kiss the tip of his nose. He chuckles in spite of himself, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a smile that he rarely lets anyone but you see.

“You’re both gross,” Paimon decides with a pout, and the two of you suddenly remember the presence of the two other people in the room. Aether is pointedly staring at a painting on the wall, but at Paimon’s words, he hurriedly turns back.

“No, no, it’s fine,” You laugh, waving off Aether’s apologies for his fairy friend’s comment. “The maids often say the same thing.”

“The maids wouldn’t say such things if you didn’t insist on being so affectionate everywhere,” Diluc comments, though the smile still tugging at his lips tells you that he definitely doesn’t consider that a bad thing. “If you don’t want them to talk, perhaps you should take it down a notch or two.”

“Who said I didn’t want them to talk?” You counter, inching closer to him again. You'll refrain from kissing him right in front of Aether and Paimon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tease him a little. “Besides, you’re one to talk. You’re the one always hanging off my shoulders whenever you get the chance.”

Diluc, however, doesn’t seem to have the same qualms as you about abstaining from affection in front of guests. His smile widening almost playfully, he gently lifts a hand to your chin. “Oh? Are you complaining?”

“Who said that?” is your response, and you lean in and kiss him.

It isn’t until the two of you pull away that you realise that Paimon has started making gagging noises as Aether frantically tries to shush her, all the while determinedly refusing to look in your direction. You almost feel bad for the kid - he clearly isn’t the best with affectionate couples.

“Sorry, sorry,” You say airily, moving away from Diluc, though you keep a hand resting on his knee.

“Is this what all married couples are like?” Paimon says, still wrinkling her nose in disgust. “If so, Paimon doesn’t want to get married, ever!”

Aether, still avoiding direct eye contact with both you and your husband, mutters an exasperated, “Bold of you to assume anyone would want to marry you.”

She immediately kicks him in the head, nearly knocking the poor guy right off the sofa. “Paimon heard that!”

“What a rowdy pair,” You comment cheerfully as Aether retaliates by flicking Paimon hard in the head, sending her spiralling halfway across the room with an indignant yelp. “You really do make strange friends, Diluc.”

He makes an odd chuffing sound in response to your words. “They aren’t any stranger than you.”

You shake your head. “You still married this strange detective, didn’t you?”

“I suppose I did,” He smiles softly again, setting his right hand over the one you have on his knee. “I wonder if I made the right decision?”

You give his knee a reproachful pinch and he gives short, sharp laugh in response - something that you don’t hear nearly enough from him. “Of course you did!”

You move to jab him in the sides, knowing exactly where all of his sensitive spots are, but he stops you quickly, seizing both your hands in his and firmly refusing to let go. You struggle for about a second before giving up and slumping against him with a dramatic huff.

“You’re too strong,” You complain, though your affectionate nuzzle into the side of his neck directly contradicts your pseudo-annoyed words. “I don’t like it.”

Diluc chuckles, knowing full well that you love the fact that he can lift entire tables without breaking a sweat. “Whatever you say, darling.”

The look that you give him as you raise your head nearly knocks all of the breath out of him. The adoring grin on your face doesn’t relent as you lift a hand and brush his cheek, your touch feather-light and sending shivers down his spine.

He finds himself leaning in again, overwhelmed by your presence. You smile knowingly and reach up to meet him - only to be interrupted with a start.

Paimon complains, half-disgusted and half-resigned, “They’re doing it again!”

[shroudcore]

Speak now, or forever hold your peace. (III)

Summary: You successfully convinced Eliza to stop the wedding. Unfortunately (or is it really), Eliza has come to a solution that she thinks would be best for everybody and it’s happening no matter what. 

Idia x GN!reader. Reader is MC, or takes the role of MC in this story.

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

Warnings: none

As if by some miracle, he was still standing—even after you failed to convince Eliza how unnecessary a wedding would be. Now face-to-face with you on the altar, he still couldn’t believe how things turned out. This wasn’t  supposed to happen in real-life. Things like these were the stuff of movies. Or anime. Or dating sims. 

Ace, Epel, Rook, and Riddle were freed at your request. They, along with Ortho, were now arranging the paralyzed students into chairs, since Eliza refused to let them move for disrespecting the “couple”. When you ran out of excuses, some heavily opposed the impromptu wedding. Idia knew why: he wasn’t the only one in NRC who liked you like that. He’d been aware of some schoolmates’ attempts to romance you for a while now. Really, all you had to do was pick a route. 

How did he know, you might ask? It’s not like he secretly researched and listed down his competition so he could keep an eye on them. 

Alright… maybe he did. Heat crawled up to his neck at the thought of anyone finding out. 

“So… we’re getting married,” you said, pulling him out of his thoughts. You spoke slowly, as if testing the words in your mouth. Like him, you couldn’t quite wrap your head around the fake wedding just yet. You fidgeted more than usual—barely looking at his face or talking to him since you joined him at the altar. 

Were you thinking of the same thing? The inevitable kiss after you say your vows?

A weak hum was all he could manage. A smile appeared on your face, showing that you understood. You didn’t tell him to speak up; you never told him to. Somehow, the sight of that smile put him at ease like a recovery potion after a Despair battle ailment. It felt like another day in his room, the two of you hanging out and eating candy. 

“Nice suit, by the way.” 

“Th...anks?” Idia turned his head to the side. If he looked at you any longer, he might combust. Not that he didn’t already. Which was embarrassing btw.

You inched closer, making him gasp and jump back as multiple alarms went off in his head. Really… mind the Personal Space Bubble! Oh wait… that’s right. He’d stopped telling you off for getting too close long ago. 

Your face flashed a look of surprise, which quickly faded into concern as you observed him. When you whispered, your breath grazed his neck and ear. Hopefully his shudder escaped your notice. 

“You okay?” Immediately, you backtrack. “Wait, that was stupid. I know you’re not.”

“So many people watching...” he mumbled. His eyes quickly scanned the hall. “I can’t do this.” And he ended it there. You didn’t need to know how he felt about marrying you.

Again, you understood. Your smile faded and Idia found himself missing it immediately as it went. 

“Sorry, I...” you look down, fiddling with your fingers again. “I really should’ve tried harder to stop this.” 

Idia silently wished for dialogue options, because he didn’t quite know what to say to that. However, it looked like he didn’t need to. You took his hand and squeezed it, a determined fire flickering behind your eyes. 

“This’ll be over soon. Just hold on,” you said, squeezing his hand. “It’s just another quest, player 1.”

At the familiar nickname, he smiled in spite of his thumping heartbeat and everything that had happened. “Let’s do it, player 2.”

“Let us proceed with the ceremony!” Eliza, who had been watching the two of you closely, was eager for the wedding to commence. She clasped her hands in anticipation, looking no different from a normie watching a Rom-com. At her command, the wedding music played again—the same one as before. You gave Idia a look and shrugged. 

“Can’t believe we’re getting married to this music...”

“Sounds like doom, doesn’t it?” 

“Isn’t that what marriage is? Doom?” 

“Haha! E-exactly…” Normally, he would’ve agreed wholeheartedly. This time, he couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how you felt marrying him. 

The ghost officiant returned to the makeshift altar (maintaining a good distance from you). Each NRC student who had the misfortune of attempting a proposal sat in a chair, watching the event. You smiled reassuringly, eyes sparkling like embers. 

“We are gathered here today to unite these two lovers in the bonds of matrimony,” the officiant begins. The darkness of the hall gave him quite a sight: the flickering flames of his hair illuminating your face in blue light. Seeing it, when in the safety and darkness of his room, made him feel this warm, fuzzy feeling he thought was reserved for 2D characters. 

“Do you, Idia Shroud, take … as your lawful spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward—for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, keeping yourself solely unto them for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer " I do". 

This’ll never happen in real life. “I do.” I don’t have a chance, do I?

Confessing would only ruin the bond he had with you. If it meant never losing your friendship, then this fake wedding would be enough. 

He looked at you, standing in front of him as you were about to say your own vows and silently implored Mnemosyne to burn this scene into his memory forever. 

“Do you take Idia Shroud as your lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward—for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live? If so, answer "I do."”

It seemed that you were doing the same. Idia faltered under the intensity of your gaze. “I do.”

“I now pronounce you as spouses. You may now kiss!”

Here it comes. CODE RED! CODE RED!

The way Idia’s face burned rivaled that of his hair. He was becoming hyper-aware of the snickers coming from his schoolmates. Seeing you made him worse—the corners of your mouth twitched and your shoulders shook as you fought back a laugh. 

“Hey! We’re about to kiss and you’re laughing?!” he cried, covering his face. “Kill me now.”

Just like that, your quiet and tender moment was gone. You couldn’t hold it in anymore. Covering your face like he did, you erupted in giggles. Peeking out from the gaps of his fingers, Idia thought about #3 from the Signs of Attraction list he found on the Internet: 

“Another unconscious sign of attraction is mirroring, or matching another person's movements. When people are interested in one another, researchers have found that they tend to mimic each other's movements and gestures.”

Nah. Can’t be. He would have thought it was cute, if you weren’t laughing at his expense. 

“S-sorry! Your hair’s just—” another round of giggles interrupted you. “...burning really brightly!” 

“I can’t help it, okay?” he said, face red from annoyance and of course, the thought of what you were about to do. “Stop!” 

You tried to stop, but just the sight of his red face and hair sent you into another round of wheezing laughter. So hard you laughed, that an inhuman sound came out of you. Immediately, you stopped and looked at him, eyes wide. 

But it was Idia’s turn to lose it. 

“You… sound like… a Minecube pig!” he said, each word punctuated by uncontrollable peals of laughter. The wedding attendees had no choice but to watch on as you and your groom wheezed at the altar instead of kissing. 

“Baaya, what is wrong with them?” a confused Eliza asks. 

“I do not know, but it is apparent that they were made for each other.”

It wasn’t until the annoyed officiant cleared his throat that you and Idia stopped. You straightened up, wiping tears from your eyes as you tried to catch your breath. It was only then that your expression turned serious, but not without a few traces of your mirth from a few seconds ago. 

“Idia, we don’t have to—I’m really, really sorry about this, okay?” you whisper to him. “I know how much you value your firsts…”

“It’s fi—”

“...not that I’m assuming you haven’t had your first uh, kiss yet but—oh god, I uh… ” 

No dating sim—nothing could have prepared him for this situation. But strangely, laughing his ass off with you gave him a spark of courage that he rarely ever felt. In a moment, he would be kissing you. He hopes that courage lasts. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Idia surprised even himself with how steady his voice sounded.

“Oh…” 

You were still, staring at him open-mouthed for what seemed like a few minutes. He stared back, until you were forced to avert your gaze to the ground. Something told him that he was doing something right. A lone voice from the audience chanting “Kiss!” pulled the two of you back to reality. Someone was making an obnoxious kissing sound. Neither of you dared to look and see who it was. 

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” the ghosts joined in on the chant. 

Shyly, you lifted your head back up. “O-okay. Here goes nothing!”

He tried recounting how first kisses were described by people on the Internet, from his manga, and the countless dating sims he played. Some said there were fireworks. Some said it felt electric. Some described the feeling as the rest of the world falling away. One swore it made them feel like the ground disappearing beneath their feet and before they knew it, they were floating. 

Should he close his eyes? Which side should he tilt his head? Where does he put his hands? How exactly do you kiss? Questions, panicky thoughts, and movie kissing scenes ran through his head like a computer reading code. When you leaned in, someone pressed ‘mute’ on the sounds in the hall and all that was left was him and you. 

When you held his face in your gloved hands, it was Error 404. He let his eyes flutter closed. When everything went dark, all he felt was the shy, feather-light brush of lips against the corner of his mouth. Not quite on his lips, just dangerously close. 

Purer than a first kiss, but more than just a friendly peck. The students of NRC witnessed Idia’s hair at its most fiery just the same. 

~~

To be continued. 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA Characterization hard

Hehe, hope you liked this. Part 4, the finale, coming soon. 

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)