#besides this is just me ranting and exposing my opinions which is okay for you to not agree with but just be respectful and kind

[vs-redemption]

Crime is Common. Logic is Rare. (Ch 15)

Chapter Fifteen: Breakdown (HawksxGN!Reader)

Plot summary: You thought your hands were full as a regular quirk geneticist, but then you meet Hawks and things get even more exciting!

Warnings:  

⚠️This story contains spoilers from the manga.

⚠️Some events and plot points have been altered from the original manga

⚠️ This Chapter is a little sad :(

Tag List: @ gayforkeigo/ @marshmallow-witch/ @redflannel

Next Chapter : Chapter Guide

You thought you had known what to expect when agreeing to date Hawks. He was a pro hero, so obviously he was going to have his life on the line every day, patrolling the streets for villains and putting himself in harm’s way in order to protect others. You’d come to terms with that pretty quickly. What you hadn’t expected was for him to be working directly with the league of villains as a spy for the Hero Public Safety Commission. That upped the danger factor exponentially, but somehow you’d taken that in stride as well. He’d been talking about a secret mission since the day you met, and by some weird twist of fate, you had actually ended up in a position that might even help him. The one thing you could have never predicted though, was the sight of Hawks bursting through the front door of your new apartment with no warning, eyes puffy and red, and appearing like he was on the verge of some sort of mental breakdown.

“Hawks!” You jump off your sofa in alarm and rush toward him. He puts up a hand to stop you and shakes his head while pointing to his wings. Whatever had happened, the villains were still monitoring him, and Hawks didn’t want them to know he was upset.

You watch him in silence for a moment as he tries to compose himself. It was weird seeing him this way when he had never been anything but in control of himself in front of you. You had already been a bit worried after he’d failed to get in touch with you after rushing out the day before, but now you were downright scared. You realize suddenly that all your concerns and questions would have to wait. Someone out there was listening into this strange moment and was probably wondering why nobody was speaking.

“Hey bird-kun.” The new, cutesy nickname for him spills from your lips involuntarily as you try to approach again. “I’m so glad you’re here. You wouldn’t believe the day I had!” The grimace on Hawks’ face relaxes a bit when he realizes what you’re doing. Even though he was still breathing quite heavily, he allows you to pull off his gloves and flight jacket to hang them up on a hook near the door. When you look back at him, he has his hands tangled in his hair with a weird tortured look in his eyes.

“The landlord was supposed to come by this morning to make sure I’d settled in okay, but he never showed up,” you grab a pen and piece of paper to use as communication. You quickly write down the most urgent question. ‘Are you hurt?’ “I ended up having to call him to reschedule the meeting since I had to go to work in the lab this afternoon.”

You show him the paper but he shakes his head. He wasn’t hurt. That was a relief, but he was still definitely freaking out about something. His eyes suddenly clench shut and he covers his mouth with his hand. He kicks off his boots and sprints towards the bathroom. Well, the villains were definitely going to hear that. You snatch your phone off the coffee table and go to your distressed boyfriend. “You mind if I put on some music?” You ask him. He was on his knees in front of the toilet, his face pale. You don’t wait for an answer and press play on a random playlist on your phone, turning up the volume as high as it would go.

The bathroom was hardly big enough to fit Hawks and his wings, but you someone manage to squeeze in behind him. You reach over and put your phone on the edge of the sink before squatting down so that you can rub soothing circles on Hawks’ back. You figure it must give him at least some comfort because he opens his wings a little to give you more access. It was tough though with such limited space.

“So then,” you start talking over the music to add more noise. “My train to work was delayed because some idiot tried to cross the road in front of us and ended up getting his car stuck on the tracks. Thankfully nobody was hurt. A hero happened to be patrolling the area and made it in time.” Hawks’ body tenses up and he finally empties his stomach into the toilet. You wished there was more you could do for him besides continue to rant and rub his back.

“Well, needless to say, I was very late to work.” You reach forward to pull some pieces of hair off his face that had gotten damp from sweat. “Dr. Garaki was super chill about it though, so I guess that worked out fine. I still didn’t appreciate being stuck on the train for so long, especially now that it’s getting colder outside.” Hawks finishes getting sick and finally slumps over with his forehead resting against his arm. You stand up and head to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. When you get back, he’s still on the floor. He’d managed to turn himself around a bit so that he could sit up against the wall. You hand him the water before grabbing a clean washcloth for him to clean up his face.

“Is the music bothering you?” you ask. He shakes his head before gesturing for the paper you’d been writing on. He writes, ‘I’m so sorry.’ You wave off the concern while taking the pen back and asking what happened. His handsome face contorts with emotion after reading the question.

“I wasn’t planning on staying long,” he finally croaks out while scribbling something down on the paper. “I just got off patrol and thought I’d stop by to check on you.” You’re still standing, which allows you to lean over impatiently from your spot in the doorway to read what he’s writing.

‘This isn’t fair to you. I don’t want you involved any more than you already are. Maybe it would be better if…’ You tap him on the head so he’ll look up at you and see the disapproval you felt over his words.

“I’m glad you’re here,” you tell him seriously. “I like spending time with you so I’d prefer it if you didn’t rush off.” You reach down as you speak and point to the paper where you’d written ‘What happened?’ Hawks lets out a sigh and rubs at his face, clearly still struggling with the answer to that question. You could tell that he regretted showing up to have his meltdown in front of you, but it didn’t make you upset. If the roles were reversed, you would want to protect him from being exposed to unnecessary danger as well. It still meant a lot that he had trusted you and felt comfortable enough to show you a more vulnerable side of himself.

“I like spending time with you too,” Hawks begins writing on the page again. “It’s unfortunate that we have such conflicting work schedules.”

‘Something big happened with the league of villains in Deika City. They wouldn’t fill me in on the details until I did something more to prove my loyalty. They asked me to do something there’s no coming back from, but if I don’t do it, my cover will be blown. The Hero Commission wants to keep me on the inside, so they’ve asked me to go ahead and do what the villains requested of me.’

There was no way you could respond to the verbal conversation after reading that. With a new feeling of dread you write you next question. ‘What are they asking you to do?’ Hawks shakes his head and pushes the paper away. He didn’t want to tell you and you could understand why. Part of you wasn’t sure you wanted to know either, but Hawks clearly wasn’t okay with what he was going to have to do and he shouldn’t have to live with the burden of this task by himself.

“We can’t let something like conflicting schedules keep us from being together,” you finally reply to his earlier comment. “We’ve made it this far and I don’t mind making some sacrifices if it means getting to be with you. I think you’re worth it.” You grab the paper and write ‘please, tell me.’

“Now who’s the one being cheesy?” Hawks asks while letting out shaky, pained laugh. He takes the paper from your hands.

‘The villains want me to bring them a dead hero.’

Hawks looks up at you to see your reaction. You hadn’t expected something so horrible, but it explained why your hero boyfriend was so upset. Hawks sighs and looks back down at the paper to add ‘The Hero Commission has already chosen someone.’

That was just disgusting. Your opinion of the Hero Public Safety Commission was suddenly becoming very negative. It was bad enough that they’d asked Hawks to join the League of Villains in the first place. That was already putting him in a position where he’d have to compromise his morals. Now they were forcing him to stay there and asking him to take the life of one of his fellow heroes. You hesitate for a moment before mouthing the word “who?”

The pained look is back on Hawks’ face and he averts his eyes to hide the fresh wave of tears. He scribbles something down and shoves the paper up at you. You half expected it to be a name you didn’t recognize, but you were wrong. They were asking Hawks to murder the number three hero, Best Jeanist.

You look back at Hawks and your heart breaks at the silent tears running down his face. You get back on the floor with him, exchanging the pen and paper for your phone so that the music would be closer to the both of you. Once you’re settled in a somewhat comfortable position, you grab Hawks’ hand to try and comfort him. He looks relieved that you’re pulling him closer and not pushing him away. Suddenly he’s shoving himself into your arms and burying his face in your shoulder to muffle the sound of his sobs. You hated that this was happening to him, and you had no idea what you could do besides hold him tight and let him know you were there.

[plus-size-reader]

Under your Skin

Negan x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1890 words

Warnings:none 

Summary: Reader takes care of Negan, but for some reason...she's the only woman he hasn't proposed too.

———————————————————————————————————

There was a lounge, a big room decorated from floor to ceiling in lavish trinkets. On one side were huge, wide windows that overlooked the cement courtyard, while the other walls were lined with paintings and decorative lamps.

It was quite the display but you didn't really care for it.

For you, the lounge felt like more of a prison. All of the women Negan 'married', all the women he called his wives spent time in that room. At any given time someone else was there, sitting around with the same black dress dressing their curves.

A dress that you would have looked terrible in, for the record.

Not that you cared. You were much more comfortable in your jeans than you ever could have been in something so flashy and ridiculous. Dressing that way was impractical, for any reason.

Besides, the last thing you wanted on a Tuesday morning was to be reminded of what you didn't have.

Negan enjoyed your company, that wasn't a secret.

The two of you spend quite a bit of time together, both inside and outside the compound. He asked you when he had concerns about how things should be done, or when he wanted your opinion.

However, the more time you spent in the man's vicinity, the clearer it became that he was running out of excuses to talk to you.

Eventually his real reason for being so infatuated would have to come out...and that was the day you were waiting for. That would be the day that you could ask him the question that had been nagging in the pit of your stomach since you moved into the saviors compound.

You wanted to know why he hadn't asked you to become one of his wives yet.

Sure, you weren't their biggest fan by any means but perhaps that was because they had something that you didn't. They had the man that you loved in the palm of their hand and you didn't understand.

It was practically nothing for Negan to propose marriage to someone, but for some reason, he wouldn't ask you.

Naturally, you took it as a direct insult. Maybe it was because he wasn't attracted to you or the way you looked? Maybe it was because you didn't have anything to offer him in terms of worth? You had no idea what reason he could have...but you were over it.

You were always there for him and you would have done anything for him. In every way, you were completely devoted to Negan, more than any of those other women he called his wives.

-But, that didn't change a thing.

Unless Negan wanted to marry you, it wasn't going to happen.

You couldn't exactly just ask him why he hadn't proposed to you yet, could you? There was no way that would go down well.

You knew that but it didn't make it any easier to accept the simple fact that Negan just didn't love you like you loved him.

~

You knocked on the door casually, as you did every morning. In one hand you had a single cup of black coffee, in the other-a chocolate chip cookie. It was breakfast time and Negan chose to have his breakfast in bed, like the divine leader he was.

He liked feeling like a king, on occasion...and you didn't mind.

By all accounts, your love for him made you blindly obedient in a way that would have been completely mortifying for another.

"Come on in" he called, his voice still bold and commanding, even this early in the morning. You did as he asked, opening the door and closing it behind you. You had gotten this down to a near exact science, a routine that you did every single day, without fail.

Usually, it was just the two of you, so that you could enter without fear of having to deal with 'Leader' Negan. That was the title you'd given to him when he was in front of other people.

That was the side that he showed to other people but you'd gotten to know a slightly softer side, that actually cared if he was doing the right. The side that cared for his people and just wanted to keep them all alive.

However, there were odd occasions when it wasn't just the two of you.

There were times when you would accidentally walk into something that you didn't exactly want to see-like this morning, for example.

As soon as you entered the room, you were greeted not only by the sight of Negan curled up in bed, his naked torso exposed to the light, but also Frankie, covering up with the sheet.

...Awesome.

You couldn't help but let your smile drop as you made your way over to the side table, setting down the breakfast you had brought. Out of habit, you felt your eyes flick up to glance at Negan but you dropped them quickly to the floor.

You didn't want him to see how much this was affecting you.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company...I only brought yours" you hummed, turning to leave the room entirely but before you could, Negan caught your wrist.

You should have just left, and caught up with him later but you knew better than to ignore Negan. He may have had a bit of a soft spot for you but that wouldn't make it okay for you to blatantly disrespect him.

"Frankie, give us a moment" he suggested, gesturing haphazardly to the door with his free hand, that wasn't currently holding you in place.

The redhead looked unhappy about the order, glancing between you and her husband but didn't argue. Instead, she took the sheet that was currently shielding her from your eyes and wrapped it around her body before making her way into the hallway.

Whatever Negan had to say probably wouldn't take long, anyway.

As she moved, Negan's eyes stayed locked on you. His gaze didn't waver but his expression was blank...he was having fun.

Negan actually thought that this was funny.

As soon as she was gone, the facade cracked and he smiled at you, his eyes sparkling. "Good morning doll face" he purred, finally releasing his hold on you, once he was sure that you were going to stay put.

You tried your best to still an eye roll, willing yourself to smile back, even though you didn't really want to. Unlike Negan, you didn't see the humor in the situation.

"I would appreciate it if you warned me next time, I thought you were alone" you grumbled, folding your arms across your chest. You really had no ground to stand on but you didn't care. It didn't matter that she was his wife and you weren't.

There was no reason that he should have done that to you.

After all, when he told you that you could come in, he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that it was you at the door, and he knew what seeing Frankie in here would do to you, but he didn't care.

In fact, he was almost curious what you would do.

He’d never known you to be afraid of a little confrontation, and it could be funny to watch you get all pissy. In some ways, he was playing with you, like a wind up toy. ALl he did was twist the nob and wait for something to happen. 

 “You didn’t like that? It’s just Frankie. You know you’re my number one girl” he winked, sitting up further in bed to take the cup of coffee from the side table. Your confidence didn’t waver as you stared, knowing he was full of shit. 

If you were his number one, you’d be a wife...hell, you’d be the only wife. 

“Why haven’t you asked me to marry you?” you asked, the words escaping past your lips before you even meant for them to. You almost couldn’t believe that you’d said it but Negan didn’t waver. 

He only smiled, looking at you with that look, that smug look that you could have slapped off his face if not for the circumstances. “I just don’t get it, are you not attracted to me? I mean, I do everything for you...way more than the rest of them do” you continued, crossing boundaries that you would normally respect. 

You had just been holding this all in for so long. You had no clue what was giving you all this nerve, but you were almost glad for it. Even if he did just reject you, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. 

You spent so much time just worrying about why he didn’t love you.

Something had to give. 

“You either care about me or you don’t, but I can’t do this anymore” you grumbled, your face flushed with heat as you finished your rant. Your blood pressure was through the roof and you were probably gonna give yourself a heart attack but you didn’t care. 

Right now, all your focus was on Negan, waiting for him to say or do anything. You needed him to set you free of all of this. You needed him to tell you how he felt because he rarely shared before now. 

Though, all the man did was laugh...which didn’t exactly make you feel any better than you did before. In fact, you could practically feel your blood boiling beneath your skin. You had been so level-headed before all of this, you never even raised your voice…

What was it about Negan that made you this way? 

Luckily though, before your head could explode, he laughed again. It was a much deeper belly laugh, more than enough to pull your attention from the pounding in your head. “What’s so funny?” you groaned, really not believing him. 

As angry as you were, it didn’t even phase him. 

“If I asked, would you really say yes?” he hummed, not even worried about further upsetting you. 

You were shocked by his question...You’d never even really thought about it. The idea of him asking always seemed like it was too good to be true so you’d never considered how you’d react if it happened. 

In fact, his question was a pretty good one. Right about now you would be happy to refuse his offer but you knew that you would regret it. You had always cared about him, you loved him, but you wouldn’t want to marry him if he didn’t feel the same. 

“If you loved me, and only if you really loved me” you allowed, shrugging. You couldn’t help  but feel silly saying it out loud but it was the truth. 

Negan nodded, thinking over your words for a moment. After a second, he scooted over in the bed, taking over where Frankie had been with her body. His motion left room for you where he had been laying but before you could question it, he spoke again. 

“Have a seat. I think we have a lot to talk about if you’re gonna be my wife” And as much as you wanted to argue, you couldn’t make yourself do it. After all, who would deny a man like Negan when he had such a delicious offer?

[panicatthehottopical]

Just Tell My Crush I Like Him

Summary:

This was it. This was the day Virgil was gonna confess...except he couldn’t. He promised the he’d confess today but he just didn’t feel comfortable so, he did the next best thing.

OR

Virgil rants with his crushes about his other crushes and none of them know he likes more than one of them

Pairing: LAMP

Warnings: Self deprication and a slightly sexual joke

Tags: Pining, fluff, angst, and a touch of chaos?

Chapter 1

If there was one thing Virgil could do, it was talk about his crushes for hours upon hours. During different days, Virgil would spend one on one time with different sides: On draining days- he'd recuperate in Logan's room, on emotional days-he'd bake with Patton, and on inspired days- he'd participate in a craft with Roman. At least, that'd how it started. A few days a month, he'd somehow end up with the other three, typically under those circumstances. Logan would invite him to spend time in his room as the other read. They would interact a bit here and there, sometimes sharing whatever they were looking at and debating the subject. Mostly though, days in Logan's room were just a relaxed way to spend time with each other. If Virgil was ever significantly distressed, Patton would ask Virgil to bake with him. Virgil accepted as the change of scenery and activity helped the anxious side calm down. In some cases, the baking even made him excited. After a particularly wonderful day, Virgil asked Patton if he'd like to bake. Now, he was definitely a tad bit nervous, but he knew it would make the other's day. Patton was certainly surprised but visibly excited. After that, baking became their thing: no longer as just a way to recover, but as a way to just spend time together. Virgil's first encounter spending one on one time with Roman was a bit different. Unlike the others who wanted to spend time with Virgil in those instances, Roman needed a helping hand and the others were preoccupied with one of Thomas's dilemmas. Roman didn't mind having Virgil be the one to help however, he was a bit weary due to never interacting with Virgil separate from the group. Their interaction was uncomfortable for a few minutes before they started playfully bickering as Roman led him into Imagination. Virgil leant Roman a second pair of eyes (not literally, Remus) as he observed the prince's painting. He had spent days slaving away on it and every second paid off thanks to the look on the shorter side's face. He-was-spellbound. The painting depicted a mixture of things the sides enjoyed but surprisingly the differences in interests complimented each other beautifully in the swirl of colors. Once Virgil was finally able to tear his eyes away, he complimented the prince and for the first time in his life, had no pointers to give. Roman didn't even try to contain his joy at the response. And yet even after receiving no helpful advice, Roman asked him for his opinion again, on another project. At some point Roman began helping Virgil with his drawing techniques while Virgil helped Roman with specifically dark or disney themed projects. Virgil helped when Roman created another castle in Imagination, only this time it had elements from every single Disney movie in existence: Pete's Dragon, Treasure Planet, you name it! (And let's just say Virgil made sure to leave a few extra surprises for Roman in that castle of his.)

Despite his effort to remain distanced from the others, Virgil found himself looking forward to every moment he spent with them. Light hearted conversations and banter with the others began to give way to something Virgil was extremely unfamiliar with. Conversations began going deeper and deeper and deeper still and this stirred something in Virgil that he didn't know he had the capacity for, love. Learning the though processes and dreams of the others along with their unfiltered care for him lead Virgil to fall deeply for them. The more time he spent with them, the more time he wanted to spend with them. Family meals and movie nights became more lively as they all became closer and he wouldn't trade that for any-well, maybe...no. He wouldn't trade that for anything. As they revealed personal things about themselves, Virgil began to as well. He was admittedly slower to open up but all three of them were patient, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, his feelings couldn't stay hidden. After a nice debate in the starry room followed by scrolling through tumblr and reading respectively, the silent agreement to avoid that territory was breached.

"May I inquire something?"

Virgil raised an eyebrow, "Shoot."

"I have nothing to 'shoot' at you, and even if I did, I doubt I would be inclined to do so."

"It's means ask away, buddy."

Logan loosened his tie seeming almost nervous as he spoke, "Do you possess romantic feelings for anyone?"

Virgil's body went ridged. Did he know? Virgil stuffed his phone into his pocket and kept his hands there as well. As much as he'd rather escape into the world of tumblr, if he held his phone any longer Logan might have noticed how much his hands had begun to shake from nervousness. Virgil tried to force his shoulders to relax as he shifted into a more comfortable position,

"What brought this on?"

Okay, that was good. Figure out how much he knows or thinks he knows and figure out a way to counter, just like any other debate.

"I've noticed an increase in the length of time you spend around Patton, along with more of a variety of expressions than you had previously shown when exposed to him, and an increase in the length and frequency of your time spent 'spacing out' or as Patton would say, during your 'daydreams.'

Virgil opened his mouth only to close it again, he had no idea how to respond to being caught but boy was Logan attractive when he did that. Shaking his head and snapping out of it, Virgil simply nodded. Logan gave him a small timid smile as he asked if the emo would like any advice, if he needed it, because despite not experiencing a relationship himself, Logan did have some helpful information about them in his pretty little head. "I'd uh I'd like that, thanks Lo," Virgil gave a two finger salute before slipping out of the room. It was a little earlier than he'd normally leave but not so early that he'd seem upset. This was a relatively rare occurrence, as he would spend every moment with Logan that he could, but what the heck it was a pretty weird day already and Virgil had a few things he needed to wrap his head around.

“And then he just winked at me! Completely unaware of how adorable what he just did was! I swear that one is gonna be the death of me!” The logical side chuckled at this, Virgil had previously explained the phrase and it was certainly entertaining to see it in use.

“And did you feel his hair? Softest thing in the world I’m telling you. I just wanna hug him and never let go.”

“He is quite endearing.” A content sigh escaped the shorter one’s lips, “You can say that again.”

The next to find out was Roman. The prince gently rested his sword on his shoulder as the walked, similarly to how a guard would in old movies. The atmosphere was intoxicating from exotic plants to mystical beasts, this part of Imagination was not to be missed. They walked along the stone path as the Prince strayed from their previous subject, “He’s just soooooooooo annoying.”

Virgil gave him a look, “Who?”

“Logan. It’s just.he. He just. He’ll correct some of my ideas which can be helpful but is sometimes just hurtful but then there are these other times,” he trailed off for a moment as a dreamy look crossed his features, “and he’ll give me this smile.”

“So you’re upset he smiles at you?” Virgil didn’t know whether to be exasperated or amused. “No well uhm yes? It’s just so annoying. Have you seen the way he flips his hair out of his face after working out?” Roman turned to look beside him, only to find that Virgil had stopped walking a few feet back.

“Wait I’m not the only one?” Virgil took a quick few steps and stood facing Roman.

“The only one what?” Virgil was too wrapped up in the fact that he wasn’t alone in this that he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Not the only one that finds that extremely attractive.”

“Wait, you too? Yes he’s so freaking hot! And he, somehow doesn’t even know it.” Roman’s arms were thrown around in all directions as they fanboyed over the freaking hot guy who had no idea when he was being awfully distracting. They stopped by a creak along the path and Roman kneeled down to drink some. Virgil leant against a tree as he waited for his companion. Roman coughed for a minute or two before breathing steadily once more.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, choked on the water. Nothing shall ever defeat this prince! Nothing can choke me no manticore or spider people, I shan’t lose to this liquid again!” He claimed.

“You’d let Logan choke you,” Virgil smirked. Roman sputtered in response before increasing his speed as he stepped back onto the stone path, so that Virgil couldn’t see his blushing face. He muttered an embarrassed, “You’re not wrong” before attempting to distract the other. Virgil found his response surprisingly adorable as he sped up and fell into step beside him. He wasn’t gonna let Princey live this down but he’d let it go for now.

And lastly, Patton found out during one of their baking sessions. Patton had just finished washing the dough off his hands as they waited for the cookies to bake when he asked the question “Have you ever fallen for someone before?” Virgil was incredibly nervous at the question but quickly decided he do what he tried to do when Logan asked. He just has find out how much Patton knows and deny it. “Why? What’s up?” Patton sighed at the non answer, “It’s just, I have so many feelings. You know, I’m Thomas’s feelings, so does that mean that nobody else can have crushes?” Patton tried to dry of his sweaty hands on his apron, but it was no use. “I don’t think that’s the case. You know we can all feel other emotions so why would feeling-feelings be any different?”

“I have no way to be sure. There are so many things we still don’t understand about ourselves and other sides. I could spend my entire time pining and never know whether or not there’s even a possibility of having a shot.” Patton looked so lost that Virgil let his guard down just a tad, “At the very least at least two of us, other than you, have those kinds of feelings.” Patton’s eyes lit up, “Wait really?” At Virgil’s nod Patton started hopping up and down in excitement. After the initial excitement wore off Patton looked a bit perplexed, “How do you know? That the other person has feelings, I mean.”

“Well, we’ve talked about feelings like that before.” “Is it okay for me to ask who the other guy with feelings is?” Virgil thought for a moment, “I don’t think he’d mind me saying, he’s literally the side that covers romantic stuff.”

Patton practically squealed, “Roman!”

“Yep,” Virgil said popping the ‘p’

“I bet he’d be super romantic. Probably do all of those grand romantic gestures.”

Virgil would have laughed if Patton hadn’t looked so invested, “Yeah that’s actually like half of what he talks about.”

“I wish someone would do that for me.” Virgil frowned at Patton’s disappointment, “I’m willing to bet a limb that someone will.” Patton gave a small genuine smile, at that.

“So how about you?”

“Hm?”

“Would you like to be swept off of your feet?” “Depends on the person and how they do it. As long as they didn’t pressure me into anything or make me feel extremely uncomfortable, I wouldn’t mind it.”

“Wait, really? I thought you’d be against that kind of thing.”

“Nah, I mean I’m not dying for it to happen but I think it’s really sweet. Shows how much they care, ya know?” Patton smiled and ruffled Virgil’s hair, “Yeah, I think so.” The timer went off and Patton hopped over to the oven, earning a smile from V. Something was tossed onto Patton’s chest as he struggled to catch it, “Forgetting something?” Patton stared at Virgil with a puzzled expression before both of them said, “Mittens,” at the same time. The little guy had a habit of forgetting the oven mitts and burning his hands, while baking. Patton put them on his hands before pulling out the hot tray of goey cookies and breathing in the smell. The scent was a mixture of butter, flour, sugar, and chocolate, it was his favorite smell. Patton’s blissful expression caused Virgil to melt a little bit inside. They snacked on a few cookies and put the rest in a bowl, for later. The question from earlier got him thinking, “Hey, Pat?” “Yeah, kiddo?” “If you could date any of the sides who would you pick?” Patton looked away, a little embarrassed, “I’d probably pick Roman.”

“Okay yeah, I can see that.” “What about you?” Virgil had already kinda told the other two about two of his crushes so maybe it would be nice to have someone to talk about his last crush with? Well, he was about to find out. “I guess, Roman.” Patton was caught a little off guard but started gushing over how sweet Roman was and how he subtlety made sure all of the others were taken care of, in a way that differed from the others. Logan made sure they were physically taken care of, Virgil made sure they were safe, Patton made sure they were taken care of-emotionally, and Roman was extremely protective of them but tried to cover it up. They all had their ways of looking out for each other, one they all had in common was ranting. Whenever a side was stressed or confused or really happy, the sides would rant to each other and the receiving side, no matter who it was, always listened and helped where they could. Patton and Virgil had a new topic to talk about. Whenever Roman made something for Pat or did something out of the ordinary when with Virgil, they would meet up and talk about how incredibly sweet, dumb, and just overall ridiculous he was.

As amazing as this was, this was bad. This was so so bad! Virgil knew that Patton had feelings for Roman and Roman had feelings for Logan but he didn’t know if Logan liked anyone. It felt wrong hiding what he knew from his friends, especially since he hadn’t told them everything right off the bat. But, there was no way he could tell them that he liked all of them. He knew for a fact that they cared about him a great deal but that it was platonic, I mean he knew their crushes so how could they like him.

After a couple months of all of this, Logan forced him into a position he would rather not be in. Logan had informed him that while it was beneficial to confide in him with his feelings, it would leave him feeling unhappy if he did nothing about it. Something about it not being fair to let Virgil hurt and continue pining when he was certain Patton returned his feelings. What Logan didn’t know is that Patton liked Roman! Nonetheless, Logan had stated that either Virgil told Patton or he would. Virgil had till the end of the week to make a decision. And here’s the thing, he couldn’t ask for advice because Roman would think that he liked Logan and not Patton and would probably try to fix things but end up making them worse. He could tell Patton that Logan had said the same thing that he had actually said to him but change the fact that he would tell Roman instead of Patton but then Patton might try to confront Logan, in a kind manner which would just result in Logan telling him anyway. It was a lose lose situation so, he did the next best thing.

During a break between the movies of a nice movie night Virgil did the only thing he could think of. Moving the popcorn off of his lap and getting off of the couch, he double checked to make sure everyone that needed to be there was in the room. It wouldn’t be very smart to say something while Patton was grabbing drinks or Roman was in the middle of a song. Virgil stood up quickly glancing at all of them before staring at the floor, “Tell my crush I like him,” the second the words escaped his mouth, Virgil bolted out of the room. Even if the others hadn’t been stunned by the fact that he was telling them to tell his crush that he liked them, they still wouldn’t have been able to stop him from leaving. Logan was the first to break the silence by clearing his throat.

Chapter 3 is up on Ao3 :D

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25576879/chapters/62070481

[whetstonefires]

Sephiroth, 1, 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 20. I find your take on him so interesting! (And kind of sad too...)

Oh gosh this is so many! Haha okay, here goes.

1.Their physical weak spots

Huh. He’s programmed to be literally impossible to damage in the one actual fight in the Nibel flashback, the dragon. I theorize this might have been his first-level Limit? But of course you can’t use a Limit unless you’ve been injured first. (Apparently they reversed this in the Remake which is a major thematic change and I don’t like it? Anyway tho.)

So on one level his physical untouchability is part of his trademark and there’s a temptation to say ‘none’ and be done with it.

Normal human weak spots, I imagine, he’s not as alien as all that. The throat is the throat, I mean. His disinclination for wearing shirts may suggest an indifference to thoracic damage, but between his tendency to not get hit at all and the existence of healing magic that doesn’t necessarily mean much.

The vertical pupils which can dilate much further than normal would make him particularly vulnerable to flashbangs used in a dark or even dim environment. I assume Wutaian ninjas exploited the heck out of that. :D

2. Their emotional/moral weak spots

Abandonment issues was a big one, I think, and all the huge gaping vulnerabilities created by being a child with no one to love, or who loved you.

Thinking outside of Shinra’s standard pathways is a matter of some anxiety to him, in Crisis Core–his idea of resistance is ‘find my friend first and then oops fail to kill him they can’t prove it was on purpose’ and then later ‘turn down the assignment to find my friend and kill him.’ There’s just, a lot of emotional dependence on a toxic structure indicated by his behavior patterns.

I’m sure that was deliberately instilled, but it’s not that hard. His superpowers aren’t Superman scale self-sufficient until after he ‘dies’ once, and capitalism does what it does. He’s not much less dependent on the Company for survival than the average worker, and more so for identity.

Morally he was disadvantaged by being a corporate supersoldier with Hojo as his parent–the details of his upbringing have never been clarified but they sure didn’t put him anywhere outside Shinra enough for him to form external attachments, or even powerful internal personal ones prior to the rather shaky ones he managed with two peers sometime in adolescence, which leaves fairly few possibilities really.

Anyway morally he’s nothing but weaknesses, even before he got tangled up with The Thing From The Northern Crater and decided he was God and should consume all life. ^^;

5. Guilty pleasures 

You know, I don’t think even pre-evil Sephiroth did guilt much? Waste of energy, and (see above) he wasn’t socialized for it, it’s counterproductive in a soldier. The ‘guilt’ in guilty pleasure is really a species of shame though, and anyone with that much pride is vulnerable to the opposite, even if they weren’t exposed to someone like Hojo growing up….

You know, it was probably novels? He was a reader, and one of the most personal things we know about him from the OG is the deep impression left by Hojo’s furious rant about how inappropriate it was to use poetic expressions about magic. Even ‘magic’ was too sentimental for this domineering science twit.

So, every so often growing Sephiroth would get his hands on a piece of fiction, and the quality wasn’t necessarily great because it was whatever he could pick up in the break room or wherever, but he’d hole up out of sight and scarf it down. Even once he had his own living space and salary and could buy whatever books he wanted and store them, he’d pick up novels on the sly and get rid of them once he was done, like someone was going to catch him. One of the things he used to pick out of the ruins in Wutai during the looting was books.

He always felt a confusing mess of jealousy and scorn about Genesis’ Loveless thing. That he could just like it like that, constantly, right out in the open, where anyone could laugh at him. That nobody had ever taken it away.

Less tragically, I think sometimes he’d go home and watch bad TV. Whatever Midgar’s stupidest soap opera was. Sephiroth caught enough of the reruns to know most of the main plots. He had an opinion about who the father of Jaqueline’s baby should have turned out to be. He would never admit this.

9. Humiliating memories

Okay, as touched on above repeatedly, he grew up with Hojo, who loves breaking people down and laughing at them, so he’s probably got a lot of these.

The worst one is one time when he had a weak moment or an optimistic one, and asked out loud in words for something he really, really wanted, and Hojo said yes, and gave Sephiroth just enough time to get desperately excited and express gratitude before laughing at him and saying of course he was lying. Don’t be stupid.

That isn’t something important enough to bother with.

12. Grudges and vendettas 

‘Burning inside with violent anger’ isn’t there for no reason. From Nibelheim on these define him, and according to bonus materials of middling canon status he eventually sheds almost all identity elements but his grudges.

I think, based on the shape of his breakdown? That for most of his life he told himself that holding onto anger and pursuing grudges was a waste of time and energy. But that didn’t actually help him let any of it go, he just internalized and ignored things. Because he wasn’t actually not holding grudges, he was just reacting like someone who didn’t have any choices, and marinating in spite.

Spite against Hojo surfaces on the way up to the reactor in a way that says to me it’s a habit, almost a reflex. But it manifests in profound pettiness, and I think that’s the only way he normally felt he was permitted to act out against the people who really bothered him, though I’m also sure he channeled a lot of anger into unrelated killing. Natural thing to do when you’re a frustrated teenager who’s supposed to be killing people anyway.

By the time he did it in Nibelheim, it was an old habit.

The fact that he bothered to personally kill the Shinra President as his big debut says to me he was holding a grudge about his entire life against the person who commissioned him and declared the war and shaped the floating Midgar-world that defined his life. I think there were probably a lot of personal insults in there too, just because of the way Shinra Sr. seems to have conducted himself generally.

He’s a Donald Trump expy wouldn’t you.

Sephiroth is written as a much softer person in Crisis Core, almost absurdly so, but even there you can see him resenting Genesis and Angeal more than a little for abandoning him. It probably brought back his whole mess of feelings about Gast, who really did abandon him quite unforgivably but Sephiroth never knew the full circumstances, just that he was gone and later dead. There are signs he blamed Hojo, who doesn’t seem to have gloated openly about the murder even if he did make sure to inform the boy his favorite person was dead now.

And of course later on there’s Cloud, which doesn’t actually make that much sense until you loop in the retcon about Cloud throwing him into the reactor and cutting short his initial rampage. There’s the grudges he seems to have inherited from Jenova, against the Cetra.

It’s not out of the question that he killed Aerith the way he did in part because she was the thing Gast abandoned him for, as well as all the other less personal reasons. I sort of like to think so.

16. Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’

Of his own, as opposed to ‘about him’ that he found out about, I don’t think he really had many? He wasn’t much accustomed to privacy.

I think most of the worst things he did, as a human being rather than a transhuman monstrosity, were pretty unavoidably public; they were war crimes, and happened in front of some fraction of the rest of the army. He was praised for them.

There probably were a lot of dark things he never talked to anyone about, that weren’t really known, but except for outright humiliating childhood incidents like above he wasn’t particularly hiding them. He was just never in a position where it would have made any sense to him to bring them up.

Genesis wasn’t ever someone it was safe to be vulnerable around, and Angeal was uncomfortable with too much emotion, and besides they were fellow soldiers and it wasn’t like the things he didn’t talk about from the war were anything special, and he wasn’t going to complain about his childhood to them. And who else was there?

Dude needed so much therapy.

20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines 

I go absolutely nuts with alternate timelines for Sephiroth. He’s so much fun to work with that way.

Lucretia and Vincent stole the baby and went on the run: Firo grew up kinda isolated in the woods with his parents but runs away at thirteen to fight Shinra because he’s so mad they had to leave Wutai because of the invasion. Parzival AU.

Ifalna recruited Sephiroth to her escape scheme and he wound up raising Aerith on the run, under the names Rith and Roth. Beloved Dust AU, that one’s actually online as you may very well know lol.

Vincent blew up the Nibelheim reactor with Hojo and Jenova in it when Sephiroth was six, and then later Midgar blew up as well and the Shinra world order collapsed, and the recently married Mrs. Strife adopted the weird lab kid. Later on Cloud pressures his big brother into starting an anti-bandit militia. Time Of General Strife AU.

Cute three-way blood brothers ceremony contaminates Genesis’ body with Sephiroth’s DNA and sets off his degeneration several years early, when they’re all teenagers and not nearly as famous, powerful, or fucked in the head. Brother and Brother AU.

And so on. ;}

[inspired-by-the-music]

Kai

requests are encouraged! please read my guidelines before submitting your request

Genre: university!au, features Sehun and Chanyeol as the reader’s longtime friends & SHINee’s Taemin as Jongin’s best friend (bc i never stop being taemin trash lol). not really fluff or angst, but happy endings abound!

Word Count: 3,140

Note: this is an idea i’ve been developing for a while. it ended up being pretty long because it’s about one of my favorite themes: inaccurate reputations.this is an idea i explored in depth in my bts social media Any Other Name, which is referenced as a novel in this story. please enjoy!

As far as you could tell from your first month at your new university, there was only one rule: avoid the boy named Kai. Your roommate, a girl named Soo-ah, introduced you to an anonymous girls-only blog that meticulously detailed dramatic confrontations between other students. In short, it was a gossip website; however, instead of discussing the lives of celebrities, it was devoted entirely to exposing students. And the general consensus from the website and Soo-ah was that Kai was nothing short of a monster. 

“Apparently, he likes to befriend girls before breaking their hearts,” Soo-ah told you, her eyes burning with rage. 

“But broken hearts are kind of a part of dating,” you observed quietly. It seemed wrong to hate some guy you never met, regardless of how many anonymous people swore they were moved to tears by his behavior. 

“Didn’t you read any of that stuff I told you?” Soo-ah held her phone out to you once more. “He only likes for girls like us to stroke his ego, then he’ll drop up like we’re worthless.”

“But how do you know? We don’t even know who any of these people are—” You set her phone down on the end of your bed when she refused to accept it. “And they don’t include his last name or even a picture, so how would we even know if we saw him?”

“You would know Kai if you saw him,” she answered vaguely. Eyeing you suspiciously, she snatched her phone off of your blanket. “And why are you so determined to believe he’s such a good guy? Do you know him or something? Has he already gotten to you?”

A furious blush rose to your cheeks at her accusation, and you shied against the wall at your back. “No, I don’t know him, and I’m not determined to believe anything about anybody. Would you feel better if I was afraid of every boy in the school named Kai?”

“Honestly?” Soo-ah glared, “Yeah.” And when your stare clearly indicated that you were uncomfortable, she smiled and added, “You know— just so you’re safe.”

. . . 

When you recapped the conversation to Sehun the next day over lunch, he stared at you blankly. “You mean to tell me that the girls have a whole website where they post what they really think about guys?”

Rolling your eyes, you ripped a used page out of your notebook and threw it at him. “Focus, Sehun.”

“I am focused.” Sehun hurled the paper at your face, but you ducked. “We’ll talk about your weird roommate after you tell me if my name is anywhere on that blog.”

“I don’t know, I didn’t look for you.” You picked the balled paper off of the ground as you answered. “Besides, to be on there, I think you have to be some kind of affront to women.”

“Oh,” Sehun nodded. “Well, I’m a total gentleman.” Satisfied with your mocking laugh, Sehun said, “Anyway, are you sure that your roommate doesn’t have some kind of grudge against this Kai dude— or whatever his name is?”

You shrugged, “I have no idea— I literally just met her a week ago when I moved in.”

Sehun shook his head at you. “Seriously, Y/N, that girl could be a psychopath for all you know. I told you to just move in with me and Chanyeol—”

“Excuse me, I only finally escaped you two when you went off to college.” You teased, biting your cheek to avoid laughing. “You know, I didn’t even want to transfer here, but the scholarship—”

Sehun kicked you under the table. “Cut it out, punk. Chanyeol’s heart would break if he heard you.” He scolded as if he weren’t pouting himself. 

“Fine, fine. Anyway, I didn’t tell you everything so you could analyze Soo-ah or convince me to move in. Is any of that stuff about Kai true?”

As he shrugged, Sehun wrinkled his eyebrows. “How would I know? I don’t know anyone named Kai.” Then, more gently, he advised, “But Y/N, maybe don’t take a risk on someone with a bad reputation, ya know?”

Your tongue clicked in frustration. “No— I don’t know, actually. I mean, what if I listened to everyone in high who said you were a bully because of your resting bitch face—”

“Don’t play with me, Y/N, I know you had a crush on me and my mean eyebrows—”

Groaning, you complained, “Okay, first of all, literally nothing is sacred with Chanyeol.” Once Sehun finished laughing, you continued, “Second of all, that was back when I was a freshman and you actually seemed cool.”

“All these excuses.” Sehun smirked as he leaned across the table to ruffle your hair. Leaning back, he abandoned his jokes, and said, “Seriously, though, don’t be too naive. I know we think Soo-ah is a weirdo, but maybe she has some history with that guy, and she’s trying to protect you.”

Again, you refused to accept Sehun’s opinion that you should just be cautious. “But she didn’t even tell me who he is. And the blog calls him Kai— like some nickname.”

“Or a codename,” Sehun suggested. “Look, I’ve been to a lot of parties—”

“Is this really the time to brag about your social life?”

“ — Shut up! Anyway, I know almost everyone here, and nobody in my grade is named Kai. So maybe it’s just like a fake name everyone on the blog knows someone as?”

Your brow furrowed as you tried to rub the headache out of your temples. “But why warn me if nobody is going to tell me who to fear? The more I think about it, the more I think this is just some clever way for people to gossip.”

“Yeah? Well, welcome to college.” Realizing how troubled you were, Sehun recommended, “Don’t pry if you think it’s just girls being catty. What’s the point of going through the effort of finding out who the hell Kai is if they’re just venting?”

“Because it’s not fair for him to have a bad reputation if he didn’t do anything wrong.” You were about to begin your rant anew when your phone buzzed, signalling an incoming text. “Sorry, I gotta meet someone in the library. Group projects are so inconvenient. 

“Yeah, don’t lie to me about meeting other guys, Y/N, it confuses me about the true nature of your feelings.” It would have been impossible to know that Sehun was joking if you lacked the years of experience in noting the slight upward twitch of his lips. “You’re coming to the party tonight, right?”

You nodded, “Yeah, sure. I have nothing else to do.”

“Obviously.” Sehun laughed when you shoved his shoulder. “Go ahead and invite your boyfriend so Chanyeol and I can run him off.”

. . . 

Jongin was the only person who made a good impression that first month of classes— well, aside from his friend Taemin. As far as you could tell, the had to be the most popular guys on campus, judging by the whispers and stares that followed them everywhere. What were the odds, you wondered, that two seemingly perfect people would be inseparable best friends?

It was surprising to find him waiting for you alone in the library, since it was your first time seeing him without Taemin. 

“Hey.” Jongin greeted you with a warm smile, just as he had on the first day of class.

While people obviously initially admired him for his stunning appearance, Jongin’s personality was more worthy of appreciation. And you knew it was silly to be yet another girl whose heart raced for him, but you couldn’t help it. 

You returned his smile as you sat. “Hey.” 

“So,” he raised the assigned novel, “what did you think of the book?”

“Actually, that was, like, my thousandth time reading Any Other Name,” you admitted bashfully. “It was my favorite book in high school.”

Jongin’s jaw dropped. “No way! It’s my favorite book too!” His excited volume attracted several hisses from nearby students and the assistant librarian. While his cheeks turned scarlet, he flipped his book open and displayed the colorful annotations. “It’s a little embarrassing, but I did most of this before the book was even assigned for that contemporary literature class.”

Hours slipped away as you and Jongin discussed your favorite parts of the novel. By the time you finished the project, and took a few selfies, and made plans to watch Any Other Name’s film adaptation, the sun had set. A quick glance at your phone confirmed that you were running late for the party. 

 Sehun had only been joking about you inviting Jongin, but at this point you were confident that he enjoyed hanging out with you, and you weren’t ready for your heart to calm. “You know, I’m about to go to a party at my best friends’ place. You may know them— Sehun and Chanyeol?”

“Yeah,” Jongin nodded. “I know them.” He laughed as he rubbed at the back of his neck and admitted, “And I know their parties are a little wild.”

You dismissed his concerns by explaining, “They’ve been my best friends since high school, that’s the only reason I’m going.” You blushed as you realized that he was likely politely rejecting you. “Ah— actually, it’s okay if you don’t wanna go—”

“Wait, you’re inviting me to go with you?” 

Had it not been obvious? Jongin smiled when you nodded. “Okay, Y/N, I’ll go, and I’ll look out for you.” And he took your hand in his and allowed you to lead him out of the library. 

. . . 

The party was a chaotic blur. Evidently, Sehun decided to invite everyone he knew, resulting in little space to move and booming volumes. While the environment prevented a continuation of your earlier conversation, it didn’t discourage Jongin from remaining at your side throughout the evening, acting as your date and protector from the boisterous guests. 

Sehun nudged you as he passed you near the blaring stereo and teased, “I can’t believe you actually brought him.”

And Sehun wasn’t the only person suspended in disbelief. You would have to be blind to miss the stares, which you attributed to envy considering Jongin’s popularity. Until the following morning, after Jongin escorted you to your dorm, when Soo-ah shoved her phone into your hand again, you didn’t consider that Jongin’s reputation could be more sinister. 

“I told you to stay away from him.’ Soo-ah reminded— as if you could ever forget— while you examined the pictures displayed on her phone. They depicted you and Jongin dancing at the party. 

“This doesn’t make any sense— his name isn’t even Kai.”

Yet the caption clearly read: ‘Kai picks his newest prey. Don’t be naive!’ and linked to Jongin’s account, where he had posted the pictures of you from the library. So it was as Sehun suggested; Kai was an alias for Jongin. 

It wasn’t that you trusted Soo-ah or distrusted Jongin— so why was there a sudden sharp ache in your chest? Why was your stomach suddenly in knots? You didn’t know him well enough to suffer a broken heart, so your discomfort had to be caused by the embarrassment of having your pictures spread among anonymous strangers. 

All you knew for certain was that nothing could come from confiding your feelings in your roommate, so you returned her phone and resolved to remain silent. 

. . . 

You spent the weekend trying to interpret your feelings alone without much success. When Chanyeol collapsed into the desk next to you and stole a concerned glance, you finally realized how deeply confused and upset you were by the entire ordeal. 

“Hey Y/N, what’s the matter?” To comfort you, Chanyeol dug a cereal bar out of his bag and tossed it onto your desk. “Something happen with that guy you brought to the party?”

And you should have known better than to recount the situation to Chanyeol in that ten minutes before class; Taemin sat in the back corner of the classroom, and anything he heard would be repeated to Jongin. However, at Chanyeol’s compassionate provocation, you explained everything. 

Like Sehun, Chanyeol fixated on what you considered a minor detail. “You mean you’ve managed to find the only guy in the world who’s obsessed with your favorite book?”

“That’s what you picked up on?”

“It’s just— it sounds like you really like him. And it sounds like he really likes you. And you have the same interests. And it’s dumb that you’re letting some stupid gossip blog ruin everything.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like him anymore.” You glanced over your shoulder to make sure Taemin wasn’t listening; and when you were satisfied that he was listening to music, you continued, “I’m just not sure I’m okay with people taking my picture and talking about me just because I hang out with some guy.”

“Well, Y/N,” Chanyeol studied your expression as he leaned back in his chair, “If you really like him and you don’t believe what your creepy roommate says about him, maybe just avoid that website.”

Before you could respond, the professor began his lecture. 

Maybe Chanyeol was right. You could easily forget about the blog, since you only knew about it and read it when Soo-ah was forcing you to read it. But could you really ignore the real world scrutiny? Even as you took notes, you lost count of how many girls turned around to stare. 

If this was how they were acting after a weekend of ignoring all of Jongin’s texts, how could you believe everything would go back to normal if you swore off involvement with him? And, perhaps more importantly, why should you live to please a bunch of strangers? 

As an act of defiance when that girl in front of you glared at you once more, you yanked your phone out of your book bag to ask Jongin to meet you to lunch, and you didn’t try to hide your smile when he immediately replied. 

After class, Chanyeol rubbed your arm on the way out. “Everything will be okay. And if your roommate doesn’t back off, you can always stay with me and Sehun.”

You only nodded before heading to the campus cafeteria. A few steps later, a delicate voice called your name. 

“Y/N?” It was Taemin, approaching you with a gentle grin. “Um, no matter what anyone says, Jongin really likes you. Don’t tell him I told you, but he’s had a crush on you since the first day of school, and he had a lot of fun with you the other day. So maybe don’t believe everything you read online.”

“You mean—” Your voice dropped below a whisper as you were almost too nervous to ask, “You mean you know what everyone says about him?”

Taemin nodded before confessing, “Yeah, we know what everyone says about us. They’ve been talking forever. But please don’t believe it.”

As relieved as you were to learn that your instincts were right, you were more consumed by sympathy for Jongin and Taemin. Despite the growing guilt of ignoring Jongin because of unfair rumors, you smiled softly at Taemin. “Don’t worry. I don’t believe it.”

Bearing that in mind, an apology tumbled out of your mouth the moment you found Jongin waiting for you at a table by the window. He already bought both of your meals and set your food at the space opposite him. 

“For what?” He smiled at you, evidently determined to believe that you hadn’t deliberately avoided him all weekend.  

You sat down and began, “I’m sorry I heard rumors about you— I didn’t even know they were about you—”

Jongin took your hand in his to interrupt your rant. “Y/N, don’t worry about it. I know all about that Kai stuff. Honestly, when you were actually nice to me and invited me to that party, I guessed you just hadn’t heard anything.” A frown yanked at his lips as he concluded, “I knew it was just a matter of time before you heard that I’m apparently some kind of jerk and decided to distance yourself.”

You appeared to have forgotten how to speak until Jongin released your hand and stood to dismiss himself. “I didn’t believe them—” You blurted as you grabbed his hand and tugged him back toward the table. “I didn’t believe the rumors before I knew they were about you. Before I even liked you.”

He stilled and sank back into his seat. “Really?” He narrowed his eyes at you curiously. 

“Really,” you repeated. “It was just an instinct. But if you don’t mind me asking, why do they call you Kai? And why are people so determined to talk about you?”

“They’ve just always talked about me.” Jongin shrugged; it must be a part of life he accepted long ago, but that acceptance didn’t lessen his frown. “I don’t know why they call me a womanizer; I’ve never even dated a girl. I remember when Taemin had his first girlfriend, the other girls were so mean to her; I didn’t want anyone to go through that because of me. I really hoped things would change when I got to college, but— well, I’ve been here for a full four years, and people still whisper behind my back.”

Then, rather stupidly, you asked, “You still don’t date?” as if all you could think of was becoming Jongin’s first girlfriend. 

Thankfully, he chuckled and you could release the anxious breath you were holding. “Nope. Until quite recently, I didn’t attract anyone I really liked. Actually— until this week, I didn’t attract anyone who actually liked me for more than my face.”

In a feeble attempt to distract from your deepening blush and an earnest effort to console Jongin, you said, “Well— for everyone who chose to believe rumors rather than get to know you, it’s their loss. Your kindness is way more impressive than your face, and you’re beautiful so that’s really saying something.”

Jongin caught his bottom lip with his teeth to keep from smiling, but the corners of his lips curved upward anyway. “Thank you. And to answer your other question, I went by Kai in high school. The girl who runs the blog, Soo-ah, ran it in high school too, and I guess she hasn’t stopped thinking of me as Kai even though I’ve been running from that name because of her.”

“Damn.” Your jaw clenched in anger as Jongin placed the final piece of the puzzle in your mind. “I hate when Sehun is right. My roommate is a psychopath.”

And, on a less infuriating but still annoying note, Sehun also accurately predicted that you would have to move in with him and Chanyeol— at least if you wanted to date Jongin without enduring daily rants from your deranged roommate.

[eah-exchange]

Midnight

To: @grumpy-tea-enthusiast

From: @andtheyalllived Summary: Following the events of the Dragon Games, Briar invites Apple along on a blind date.

Rating: T

Characters: Apple White, Darling Charming, Faybelle Thorn, Briar Beauty, and Raven QueenShips: Apple White/Darling Charming, Faybelle Thorn/Briar Beauty

Author’s notes: Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy!

Once upon a time, there was a princess.

~

It was CPR. 

No matter which Fairytale Expert Apple talked to, they all said the same thing. Her mother, Milton Grimm, even the Evil Queen. When Apple fell into a coma after eating the Evil Queen’s apple, Darling had merely resuscitated her through cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- CPR. It has to be, they all explained. Because Apple White was a princess -- the future Snow White -- and Darling Charming was a damsel, not a knight in shining armor. 

(If it had been Daring Charming who woke her by placing his lips against hers that would be an entirely different matter. But nobody mentioned that.)

Princesses simply did not get rescued by damsels. They got rescued by knights. And that was the end of the story.

“That’s bullshit,” Raven said, leaning against the wall of lockers. Apple’s mouth dropped. Princesses never swore, but Raven Queen was not a princess, and -- over the year that they had been roommates -- Apple had discovered that she actually swore a fair amount.

“Excuse me.” Apple pulled her books out of her bag, organizing them by the Dewey decimal system as she placed them into her locker. 

“Nonsense. Crap. Faker than a fairy godmother’s personality,” Raven expanded. “Who says that TLK can’t happen between two princesses?”

“Literally everyone. My parents, for starters.” Because it was true. Literally, everyone Apple knew -- save Raven, Briar, and, surprisingly, Daring -- believed that True Love’s Kiss could only happen between a prince and a princess. But, Apple dismissed their opinions. Raven was the daughter of a villain, Briar was dating her arch-nemesis, and Daring was fiercely protective of his sister. They didn’t count.

Everyone else did. 

“Oh, my Fairy Godmother, Apple,” Raven groaned, “You’re going to have to disappoint your parents eventually. Do you think my mother wanted me to forge my own destiny? No. She wanted me to be evil. Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“I’m not being difficult.” Even Apple didn’t believe the words as they left her rosy lips. She remembered the kiss. She remembered the flutter of Darling’s lips against her’s -- how absolutely unsure of it all she had seemed. 

(There were nights when she dreamed of that kiss. It had been her first one ever. But she didn’t think about that. Not when she was awake, at least.)

“Have you ever considered that Darling might just be your Happily Ever After?”

“No.”

A lie, but Raven didn’t need to know that.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s a damsel and I’m a princess.”

“But if she weren’t -- if she were a knight in shining armor -- would you have any problems?”

The answer, of course, was no. Apple had never felt particularly attracted to the opposite sex. They were too loud, too smelly, and too different. If she were being honest with herself, her first female-crush was Raven herself. Not that Raven knew that. As far as everyone was concerned, up until the CPR incident, Apple had been one-hundred percent straight and destined to marry Daring Charming.

(Darling had been out and proud about her bisexuality since eighth grade. Sometimes, Apple hated her for it.)

“Of course.” 

Another lie.

Tall, blonde, and beautiful, with incredibly well-defined muscles, Darling Charming was a walking dream. With her knowledge of etiquette, fantastic fashion sense, and skill with a sword, Darling was Apple’s dream princess. 

But she couldn’t tell Raven that.

Because princesses ended up with knights in shining armor, not damsels.

Raven groaned. “You’re impossible.”

No, Apple thought. This is impossible. If she were Raven Queen, she’d be able to simply throw caution to the wind and race after the woman of her dreams, but she’s Apple White, and that means following her destiny. 

CPR, Apple reminded herself. It was CPR. 

She needed a distraction -- something to take her mind off of just how off-script her life had become in the past few months. She was Apple White, and that meant that she always knew what to do.

“Apple!” 

Apple jumped at the appearance of Briar Beauty. Ever since Briar started dating Faybelle, she’d been happy -- happier than Apple had ever seen her. It didn’t make sense to her, especially considering that they spent half their relationship fighting and the other half making out. Briar had tried to explain it to Apple several times, but she didn’t understand them -- just like she didn’t understand Ashlynn and Hunter. 

“Hey, Briar.”

“Hey yourself.” Briar grinned. “So, Faybelle and I have plans tonight, so I can’t make the book club.”

Apple’s book club was composed of herself, Briar, and Darling. But, since Apple wasn’t talking to Darling ever since the CPR incident, it now only consisted of herself and Briar. 

“So, you’re saying that book club is canceled?”

“It wouldn’t be canceled if you’d talk to Darling,” Raven pointed out. 

Apple glared at her friend. “You’re not helping.” Raven stuck her tongue out in response.

Briar gasped. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we have a double date?”

Apple blinked. “A double date?”

“Yes.” Briar nodded vigorously. “I’ll have Faybelle invite a knight in shining armor. It’ll be great.”

Apple hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“Come on. You need to stop worrying so much. Stop being so serious. It’ll be fun. Two princesses, a fairy, and a knight in shining armor. What could possibly go wrong?”

Apple could think of a dozen things that could go horribly wrong, but this was a distraction. She needed one of those. Apple released a sigh. “Fine.”

Briar squealed. Raven rolled her eyes, muttering something about Darling Charming and soulmates. Apple pretended not to hear her.

~

As far as restaurants went Way Too Wonderland was probably the fanciest in Book End. As usual, Apple arrived first. The maitre d’ ushered her to the table with an approving glance at her dress. It was deep red, slightly darker than Apple’s signature color -- closer to something Cerise Hood would wear, but Apple loved the dress. A black ribbon wrapped around her waist. Her back was exposed, covered only by sheer, colored fabric and a thin dusting of golden sparkles. The skirt was full, swishing in a satisfying way every time Apple moved. It was beautiful. 

Briar and Faybelle appeared three minutes before their agreed-upon time, their hands intertwined. Apple frowned. She would not be envious of her friend. She was supposed to be happy for Briar, even if she was dating her enemy. 

“I’m sorry,” Briar said. At that moment, Apple assumed she was apologizing for being late. At seven o’clock, Apple wasn’t so sure. 

Darling Charming appeared at their table, dressed in a silver suit that was tailored to her lithe form. Her blue eyes flicked from Apple to Briar to Faybelle. A frown marred her tan face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize-”

“Sit, Charming,” Faybelle interrupted. 

And because Faybelle was still terrifying and evil, Darling did, taking the remaining available seat right beside Apple. She offered Apple an apologetic smile. Leaning over, she whispered, “I’m sorry about this. If I’d known what Faybelle was planning, I never would have come. I know how uncomfortable I make you.”

You don’t make me uncomfortable, Apple wanted to say. Every time I see you I want to kiss you again. But she didn’t say that. Instead, she just shrugged. “It’s okay.” 

CPR. It had been CPR.

Briar, for her part, was glaring at her girlfriend. Faybelle smirked. “Let’s order,” she said.

And they did.

Dinner wasn’t nearly as horrible as Apple imagined it would be. In fact, it was nice. Darling had spent her free time exploring Wonderland with the Wonderlandians, so she was familiar with all the foods. Briar and Faybelle laughed along to her jokes, and, for a second, Apple was able to forget that she was in love with the woman beside her.

That’s what it was -- love. Regardless of it being CPR and not TLK, Apple was still in love with Darling. And she had been for some time. They’d grown up together -- spent summers sliding down the banisters of each other’s castles -- running and hiding from her brothers -- giggling while racing horses. There was a time when Apple White had known Darling Charming better than she’d known herself. And then Darling had come out of the closet.

She was there when Darling’s parents yelled at her because of her desires. She was there when Darling burst into tears. She was there, and, at the time, she didn’t understand it. She didn’t understand how the Charmings could see Darling as anything other than perfect -- how they could let Daring get away with anything, but punish Darling for who she loved. 

Now, she understood it perfectly.

Her father would be supportive if she told him, but her mother -- her mother would stop caring. She already spent as little time with Apple as possible, blaming her for having her father’s golden hair instead of her mother’s black, but if Apple were to tell her the truth, she’d stop talking to her. Could she sacrifice her mother’s approval for love? Apple didn’t want to answer the question.

All thoughts and worries flew from her mind as Darling’s foot brushed against hers underneath the table. Apple held her breath. Darling didn’t seem to notice. Darling’s checkered oxfords tapped against Apple’s heeled boots. And. She. Didn’t. Even. Notice.

A frown marred Apple’s face. This was unfair. How could Darling be completely and totally oblivious to the effect she had on her? 

“Is everything alright, Apple?” Briar asked.

Apple nodded, quickly replacing her frown with a tight smile. “Everything’s perfectly fine.” She took a sip of her water, paying close attention to Faybelle’s rant about her latest cheer competition. She didn’t notice the smirk that crossed Darling’s features.

~

Apple didn’t have a car, which meant that rain or snow, she walked everywhere she went. The strange thing was that she actually, genuinely enjoyed it. All of her princess friends called her crazy. Briar did when the meal was finished and they parted ways, rolling her eyes and dragging Faybelle to her car. Darling offered to walk home with her.

“You don’t have to,” Apple insisted.

“I want to.”

And so, they left Way Too Wonderland behind, strolling in silence down the snow-covered streets of Book End. Apple liked the winter. Most princesses preferred spring, but there was something peaceful about being surrounded by snow -- something magical. But that magic was stifled by the awkwardness that lingered in the air between Darling and herself. After a minute, Darling sighed. 

“I wish I’d never kissed you,” she admitted, breaking the silence.

Apple tensed. Of all of the things she was expecting Darling to say, that way not one of them. Bitterness seeped into her bones. Of course Darling wished she never kissed her. Nobody really wanted to be romantically attached to Apple White at the end of the day. She was never anyone’s first choice -- not her mother’s and certainly not Darling’s. 

“It was CPR,” Apple corrected.

Darling snorted. “Is that what you’re telling yourself?”

“It’s what everyone says it was. Even the narrators, according to Maddie.” And it was. Maddie had rambled something about there being a book version of their life that explained the incident as CPR. Apple didn’t understand what she was talking about. She didn’t really care. 

“Then why didn’t it work when Daring performed ‘CPR’ on you?”

Apple stopped in her tracks. “What?”

Darling stopped beside her. She arched an eyebrow. The light from the streetlamps shone against her blonde hair. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. She looked beautiful. Apple thought it was completely unfair.

“When you fell into the enchanted sleep, everyone thought that Daring could wake you up, since he was supposed to be your knight in shining armor. He kissed you.”

Apple’s jaw dropped. “Daring kissed me?” She couldn’t even begin to consider how disgusting that was. Daring might as well have been her brother. She’s always had a hard time viewing him in a romantic light, even when they were together. 

“Yeah.” Darling nodded. “I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t.” Apple shook her head. “That’s gross.”

A small smile appeared on Darling’s face. “You’re probably one of the only girls at school who’d think that kissing my brother’s gross.”

“That’s because it is gross. Disgusting. Do you have any idea how many girls he’s made out with? I could have gotten mono.”

Darling laughed at that -- a beautiful, head-thrown-back laugh. Apple’s heart stuttered in her chest. A smile came to her face. She could be happy like this, she realized. Just making Darling laugh for the rest of her life. She could be happy.

A second later, Darling stopped laughing, the smile vanishing from her face. “But not as disgusting as kissing me,” she said, turning away.

Apple’s heart dropped. Darling thought she hated her. Darling thought Apple hated her because she was too afraid to tell her the truth. CPR. Darling was right. It was an excuse -- a lie she was telling herself. Because if the kiss was just CPR then she didn’t have to face the truth -- the reality that her mother would be disappointed because of her TLK. 

From the beginning, her parents had pushed her to have romantic feelings for Daring. They wanted Apple to be a Charming Queen. Oh, the irony. Darling was standing before Apple, disappointment clearly written across her face. She thought that Apple was disgusted by her. And she wasn’t. She could never be disgusted by Darling.

Raven’s words from that morning rose to her mind. You’re going to have to disappoint your parents eventually. And she would. So, why not start now?

Apple grabbed Darling’s arm before she could leave. “I’m not disgusted by the kiss,” Apple admitted because they were alone and it was quiet. Godmother, this was terrifying. “I liked it.”

A smile tugged at Darling’s lips. “You did.”

“I did.” Apple nodded. “I’ve been taught my entire life that I’d be rescued by a knight in shining armor. You’re destined to be a damsel in distress. And my mom said that it was CPR, citing some long-lost resource from our ancestors, and I believed her because she’ll be so  disappointed in me.” Apple released a shaky breath. “Darling, I think I’ve had feelings for you since eighth grade.”

Darling smirked. “You have feelings for me?”

Apple’s cheeks flushed. “Shut up.” She glanced away, looking anywhere but Darling -- the streetlight, the clocktower, the snow on the ground. 

“Apple.” Darling fingers brushed against Apple’s chin, directing her gaze to her face. Apple watched her pink lips form the words, “I’ve always been a knight in shining armor.” 

Apple’s heart swelled in her chest. Grabbing the lapels of Darling’s coat, she pulled the taller woman down, capturing her lips with her own. Apple White had only been kissed once before, and that had been short, tentative. This was anything but. This was a truly epic kiss. 

Behind them, the clock chimed midnight.

~

“Why’d you invite Darling to dinner?” Briar asked her girlfriend. 

They were sitting beside each other on her bed watching the most recent installment of The Great Book End Bakeoff on her laptop. These were Briar’s favorite moments -- sitting alone with the one person on the planet who truly understood her. Neither of them looked particularly attractive in flannel pajamas, their faces clean of makeup, but it didn’t matter to Briar. She was happy.

Faybelle glanced away from the screen. She shrugged. “I guess I got tired of you ranting about them. Decided to do something about it.”

“Are you sure you didn’t do it because you couldn’t ignore their pining looks?” Briar arched an eyebrow.

Faybelle scoffed. “That would insinuate that I care about anyone other than myself.” She hesitated for a second before adding, “And you.”

“Awe, babe. You care about me.”

“Of course I care about you,” Faybelle huffed. “Who else in this loser school would I date. I am not a fan of princes or knights in shining armor, and Duchess is unfortunately straight. Really, you were the only viable option.”

“Thanks,” Briar said dryly. A moment later, she added, “I care about you too.” She didn’t miss the way Faybelle’s cheeks reddened before she dived under the covers. Briar couldn’t help but smile. 

Silently, she hoped that Apple and Darling would find as much happiness as she had. Little did she know that they did.

~

And so, two princesses, a fairy, and a knight in shining armor, all lived happily ever after. 

[heyyyharry]

Cousin

(from the Couple in Flat 102 Series)

…in which Harry’s least favorite cousin pays him a visit, and Y/N thinks he’s a bad influence on Harry.

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"So, you're telling me he'd had this ring since graduation?!"

"Yes!"

"Get out!"

Layla and Y/N squealed at the same time, ignoring the judging stares from their boyfriends who have been watching them from the kitchen door this whole time. Y/N had been going on and on about finally being engaged for nearly an hour now, which made Harry feel very smug while Niall, on the other hand, was weirdly on edge.

"You've got to tell your girl to stop telling my girl about the 'romantic' stuff you do," said Niall as he furrowed his brows, eyes still on Layla. "When we get home she's gonna give me so much shit for this."

"Mate, you gotta—" Harry began.

But Layla jumped right into his mouth as she shouted at her boyfriend, "hey babe! Harry met Y/N's parents in person to ask for her hand, isn't it cute?"

"Yes, very cute!" Niall shouted back, punching the air enthusiastically then with that fake smile he whispered a quiet 'fuck you' to his friend who was trying his best not to laugh.

Luckily for Niall, his girlfriend was the one who changed the subject afterwards. "So what happened to the catsitter after you caught her stealing your ring?"

"I got rid of her," Y/N calmly answered before raising her voice intentionally. "Someone had to!"

When hearing that, Niall couldn't help but snicker and as a result received a slight slap on the cheek from Harry. Neither of the girls bothered to ask or pay attention to them though, Layla was too busy looking around for the little cat instead.

"Did that bitch steal Treasure too?" She screwed up her face, and Y/N quickly shook her head no.

"Ben and Nam took her to the park already."

"Wait, Ben and your super cool, super gay doorman know each other?"

"Apparently. Yeah." Y/N shrugged. "I think something's going on between those two. Neither would tell me about it though."

"Trust me. They can't hide it forever." Layla released a laugh then looked down at the watch on her wrist. And as soon as she saw what time it was, the girl threw herself out of the sofa immediately. "Shit, we're having lunch with my dad's family in half an hour! Niall, let's go!"

"Do we have to?" Niall groaned, dragging his feet to the front door, like a little boy whose mother had just told him to say goodbye to his friend because playtime was over.

"Yes we do, Niall!" Layla tapped a finger on her watch, urging her boyfriend to pick up his pace.

"But you hate your dad's family!"

"Yeah but...not my dad." She widened her eyes at her boyfriend. "Hurry up! That little whore Esther would have a lot to say about us being late."

"Oh, is Esther your stepsister?"

"Her stepmother..." Niall answered Y/N's question with a sigh. "She's not much older than us so...same thing."

Y/N and Harry just exchanged glances without any further comment on their friend's family drama. They knew Layla all too well and she would never shut up once she started ranting about the people she loathed.

Niall walked out first, and before Layla followed, she stopped at the door to say one last thing, "oh Niall told me Mason's coming over today. Good luck, H!"

Y/N chuckled in confusion as she switched her eyes from her best friend to her boyfriend. "Who's Mason?"

"He's Harold's journalist cousin who recently just got back from Barcelona. He's very hot."

"HEY!" Niall shouted from the hallway, causing Layla to frantically change her opinion.

"I mean he's hot if you don't count Niall!" She said loudly for Niall to hear before running off to catch up with him as the lift arrived.

With the friends were now gone, Harry watched Y/N close the door with a funny look on her face, and so he knew they were about to have a conversation about Mason, the name he tried to avoid in every family gathering.

"You've never told me you had a cousin named Mason."

"Because I like to pretend I didn't have a cousin named Mason!" Harry flopped down on the sofa, blowing up his cheek like a frustrated little boy. So his fiancé took a seat right beside him staring at him intensely with a cheeky smirk on her face, which got him curious.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow, making the girl giggle.

"I'm waiting for the backstory about you and this guy."

"Psst, you don't wanna hear it. It's silly."

"Is it? Because you seem more stressed about him visiting us than the first time you saw me naked."

That sentence left a wide smile on Harry's face as he took no time to drag her by the hips onto his lap.

"That's not true," he mumbled, nose brushing against hers while his hands founf comfort resting on the exposed skin of her lower back. "I can never be as stressed as the first time we made love."

The tips of his fingers were dancing dangerously close to her jeans button now. Y/N quickly swatted them away, before he successfully lured her into another one of their midday sexy sessions as an excuse se to get away from this conversation.

"You can't have me until you tell me about Mason."

Because Harry knew there was no way he could win this argument, he slightly pulled his face away and began with a long exhalation. "There's nothing much to tell besides the fact that he's a narcissistic asshole, who's like...really cool and good at basically everything. Everyone in my family loves him, in fact, every single person I know loves him."

Y/N chuckled, eyebrows furrowed as she heard him. "Then how come he's an asshole?"

"He's only an asshole to me! He was always bullying me when we were kids, he pushed me to the ground, stole my toys! But in front of our parents he was a fucking angel. He nearly drowned me once at the lake and somehow had everyone believe it was my fault!" Harry rolled his eyes as he continued, "back when we were still in high school, there was this girl Stephanie, and she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen! Not now though! Now you're number one!"

Y/N scoffed as she patted his cheek slightly. "Nice try, but go on."

"So I told him I wanted to ask Stephanie to the Prom because he was her friend and he'd already got a girlfriend back then."

"Lemme guess. He asked her to the Prom, didn't he?"

"He did!" Harry's bitter tone nearly had Y/N dying of laughter. "He broke up with his girlfriend and asked Steph to the Prom without telling me first just so she could reject me. I was very humiliated!"

Y/N bit back a smile, the pouty look on his face was undeniably cute. Competitive Harry always made her want to tear off all his clothes before begging him to do things to her, but she knew she couldn't do that now, not when he was still so upset about his seemingly evil cousin/childhood enemy.

"Well, if you two hate each other so much then why's he coming to visit us?"

"Mum's told all of my relatives that I got engaged, so Mason probably came back to prove that he's doing better than I am."

"Or..." Y/N stressed out the word as she traced her fingertip across his collarbone, making him swallow hard "...he heard about our engagement and wanted to congratulate us in person. You two are adults now, something has to change."

"You always believe in people." Harry grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. "That's one of the reasons why I love you. But I know Mason, baby, he's a dick, and I don't want you to meet him."

"But I do! I'm curious to see for myself how bad he can be!" She giggled, holding his face. "Besides, you're always the best. No other man can beat my man."

"You're biased because you're my fiancé."

Y/N couldn't help it anymore, she just had to kiss him now. With their mouths attached, she pinned him down on the sofa with her on top, then mumbled against his heavenly soft lips, "I'm not biased, you're simply, objectively, the best."

.

.

.

From Harry's and Layla's descriptions of the man, Y/N imagined Mason to be as sexy as today's Zac Efron. And she was sure not disappointed, because he was doubtlessly an attractive man!

Mason'd been living away from home for so long that you could barely make out the English accent in his voice, that took away the probably only thing that these two men had in common in Y/N's opinion. While Harry was cool, calm and collected most of the time, Mason seemed to have too much energy to spare. When he first saw Y/N, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek even though they'd never met before. Such overwhelming friendliness caught the girl by surprise though the hug didn't last for more than two seconds because her overprotective boyfriend broke them apart soon after.

"Okay, that's enough," Harry announced, pulling her back to his side while staring hostilely at his least favorite cousin, probably, person, in the world. Y/N swore she'd never seen him glare at anyone else that way.

"Harold!"

"Not even my name, but whatever."

"You're still as funny as I remember!"

Mason slightly punched the younger man's shoulder while giving him the biggest smile, yet Harry had the same straight face. It didn't take a genius to notice how much Harry hated his cousin. So Y/N assumed Mason knew, yet overlooked it to act all amiable towards Harry, which didn't make him such a bad person like Harry said he was.

"Why are we standing here?" Y/N broke the awkward silence between them three. "Let's go inside!"

"Wait, my fiancé should be here in a sec."

"Fiancé?" Harry snorted, thinking it was another lame joke, but Mason didn't seem like he was joking at all.

"Oh, there she is!"

The lift door opened, turning Harry's and Y/N's attention to the woman who had just stepped out.

"Fuck," Harry cursed when she removed her sunglasses. And without waiting for Y/N to ask, Mason gave her the answer right away by calling out his lover's name.

"Stephanie!"

Wait, Stephanie?! Y/N dropped her jaw. The-most-beautiful-girl-Harry-had-ever-seen Stephanie?! Harry's-high-school-dream-girl Stephanie?

"Remember Harold, darling?" Mason put a hand on the girl's back, pointing the other to his cousin. Stephanie, blonde-haired, long-legged, flawless-skinned Stephanie, put on a beam and goes in to hug Harry, who was still too in shock to even lift his arms and return the gesture.

"Wow, it's been years! How are you, Harry?" She asked after pulling away.

And Harry had to clear his throat to regain his composure. "I'm...okay. This is my fiancé, Y/N."

"H-Hi..." Y/N cracked a smile when the attention was switched to her. All of her self-esteem had vanished to make room for this woman's presence there.

"She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Y/N whispered to Harry after the other couple had entered their flat.

With a cheeky smile, he squeezed her hand and told her, "that's not true, you see your reflection everyday."

She snorted and rolled her eyes in reaction to his unnecessary remark, but to say she was tired of these lame flirting attempts would be a massive lie.

"I'd give that pickup line a 8/10, 7 plus one because you're cute."

"Yussss, new record!" Harry made her laugh by punching the air. Afterwards she felt much less stressed out and intimidated by the goddess in her living room, and could happily join Stephanie and Mason on the sofa.

The conversation began pretty casual. Mason mostly bragged about his perfect life in Barcelona and his new sport car, it was actually not so bad, it was tolerable. But that was until the relationship topic was brought up.

"So how did you two meet?" Mason asked, reaching out with the intention to touch Y/N's knee, but Harry was quick to put his hand there first so his cousin had no choice but to back away subtly. The funny thing here was how unbothered Stephanie was. Harry assumed she was probably too used to her fiancé being handsy with everyone to bat an eye, or she herself had never had a problem with that, which made sense if they were really engaged. Yeah, 'really', because Harry refused to believe their engagement at around the same time as his was just a coincidence.

"We were flatmates in uni," Y/N answered with a smile while Harry was smiling proudly at her.

"That's so cute!" Replied Stephanie as she turned to Mason. "Mason and I actually dated in high school! We broke up a few months after graduation but destiny brought us back together on a sunny afternoon on a beach in Bali. He asked me to marry him a week later."

"Wow...A week?" Harry laughed humorlessly as he pretended to look shocked. "Was it the same week that you heard about my engagement, Mason?"

"Baby..." Y/N tapped slightly on his leg to remind him to be polite.

Mason would be a fool not to recognize the sarcasm in Harry's question, but he was anything but a fool. He beamed at his younger cousin and gave him a shrug.

"I can't remember but if it was, lovely coincidence, huh?"

"Lovely." Harry nodded. He had to fake smiling so much his jaw began to hurt now.

"So Y/N, love, what do you do for a living?" Mason asked Y/N. And Harry wanted nothing more than to punch that smirk off his face.

"I work for a PR firm."

"Aww I'm sure you're good at that job, you're such a sweet girl."

Harry widened his eyes at the way his cousin emphasized the word 'sweet' in reference to his girl. In fact, Harry surely had something to say about it, but fortunately, Y/N stole his opportunity to speak as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Harry told me you were a journalist, right?"

"Yeah, that was also how I met Steph again." He turned to kiss his fiancé on the spot between her neck and shoulder, in a sensual way that made Harry and Y/N feel very uncomfortable. "I came to Bali on a business trip and Stephanie just happened to be shooting her new modeling campaign there."

"Wow, you're a model?" Y/N asked. But she could already see that coming.

"Yes! I would just hook Harry up with some of my friends but too bad he's engaged!"

"What?"

"Y/N, sweetie, I'm joking!" Stephanie burst into laughter and Y/N had to stop herself from pointing out how rude her joke was. Instead she just pretended to laugh along.

The awkwardness surrounding the two couples was getting hard to bear so Mason did them a favor (not really) by proposing an idea. "Harold, maybe we should go for a drink tonight and let the ladies spend some time together?"

Stephanie was more than thrilled with the suggestion; Harry and Y/N, on the other hand, were the complete opposite.

"I don't know I've got work to do..."

"Come on, Y/N! It'll be fun! I haven't had a girl friend in so long!" Stephanie pouted, holding the other girl's hand with both of hers and brought them to her chest. "I only hang out with models and most of them are boring and shallow! You, on the other hand, is the loveliest average person I've ever met!" Average?! "I like you so much already! Please don't say no!"

Of course Y/N didn't want to hang out with Stephanie. However, she saw this as a good opportunity for Harry to mend his relationship with Mason. Those two needed to talk it all out and the only way for them to do that was to leave them alone with each other.

"Oh...Okay...if you insist," Y/N blurt, only to receive a 'what are you doing?' stare from Harry.

"Try to have fun, baby. I'll make it up to you, I promise," Y/N whispered apologetically to him before standing up with Stephanie.

"Lock the door on the way out! Love you!"

"Love you too! Be safe!" Harry shouted after his fiancé as he watched her getting dragged out of the door, given only enough time to take only her bag.

"Your girl is cute," Mason commented once the ladies had already left, making Harry wish there had been a mute button to shut his cousin up for the rest of the night, sadly you couldn't do that to real life people. Harry could only try to tolerate, saving all the frustration to rant about to his girl once he got home.

Mason stood up, stretching out his limbs as the corners of his lips turned up. "So, Harold, just like old time huh?"

"Just like old time," Harry mumbled lifelessly as he rose from his seat as well. Oh how he wished Y/N could be by his side right now.

.

.

.

From her past experiences, it was safe to say Y/N was awful at detecting bad people. She'd got a good heart, she'd been told that so many times. But what was the point of believing in the good nature of people if some refused to discover the goodness in themselves? That, however, didn't stop her from doing what she did best, creating second chances.

She believed whatever had happened between Harry and Mason in the past should've stayed in the past and they could work things out after tonight. And Stephanie, she could be rude and shallow at times but Layla used to be like that too and now they were best friends. So, anything could happen. People could change. And to be fair, hanging out with Stephanie wasn't exactly an awful experience. She actually gave great fashion advice and she was straightforward, which was good. They hadn't found anything in common yet, but the night was still young. Maybe at the end of today, they would be close enough to actually go on double dates (okay, that was a far reach but it didn't hurt to be positive, right?).

"Are you having fun, Y/N?" Stephanie asked then she turned to scold the lady who was filing her nails for accidentally hurting her. Y/N had no idea why they were getting their nails done at 9PM but Stephanie said this was on her schedule and she couldn't cheat on her daily beauty routine by skipping it.

The younger girl working on Y/N's nails asked her if she liked pastel blue or pastel pink, and Y/N just waved her hand and told her to pick whichever she preferred before turning back to Stephanie.

"I am, thanks for asking, look Stephanie—"

"Call me Steph."

"Okay...Steph. Do you know much about Harry's and Mason's feud?"

"What are you talking about?" Stephanie chuckled. "Mason loves Harry."

What do you know, sister? You agreed to marry him after seeing him again for one week.

"I don't think so," said Y/N. "Harry told me Mason tried to drown him once."

"That was an accident! Everyone knew that! Harry fell into the lake and if it hadn't been for Mason who jumped in to save him, he could've died!"

Y/N rolled her eyes and decided she shouldn't argue with someone who didn't know what she was talking about.

"So Y/N..." Stephanie trailed off, smiling widely. "Have you started planning the wedding yet?"

"Uh no, it's still too soon for us."

"Oh honey it's never too soon! Men can just change their minds! Are you sure you want to wait?"

Stephanie's idea about marriage was a bit absurd to Y/N. She wouldn't say it though, instead she laughed wryly. "I'm sure. I know H and he's not the type to ask someone to marry him if he's gonna change his mind a week later."

"Well, whatever you say, but Mason and I are getting married at the end of this month and you two are so invited!" Stephanie threw her hands in the air enthusiastically and nearly kicked the lady who was painting her toe nails in the face. Y/N had to apologize for her, even though the model didn't seem to care that she'd almost accidentally assaulted someone.

"That's...fast," Y/N replied, not knowing what else to say. "Do you have like...a wedding theme?"

"I haven't come up with one yet, have you already got one in mind?"

"Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted an Alice in Wonderland theme for my wedding," Y/N happily told her new acquaintance (because using the word friend at this point would be a bit too much), who seemed pretty interested in the idea. "It'd be so cute, I haven't told Harry yet though, but that's definitely my number one option."

"Lovely!" Stephanie giggled, nodding her head. "You know, you're such a perfect match for Harry. I actually thought he would end up with Olivia."

"Olivia?"

"His childhood best friend," said Stephanie.

Of course Y/N remembered Olivia who'd tried to steal her boyfriend once! She just didn't expect her name would be brought up in this conversation. What does Olivia have to do with this?

"I suppose you already know Harry asked me to the Prom and I said no."

Yeah I do, thought Y/N. You went with Mason instead!

"My friend told me Harry wanted to ask me and I thought I might say yes when he did, because Harry was such a hottie! But then Mason told me Harry only wanted to ask me out to make Olivia jealous."

"But Olivia moved away a long time before senior year."

"I know, Mason said they were in love and still keeping in touch."

Y/N knew it was just a lie so Stephanie would go to Prom with him, she was just surprised this girl didn't know it yet. Did she even know this person she was marrying in a month?

"If it weren't for Olivia, I would've ended up going to Prom with Harry!" Stephanie giggled while shaking her head. "I mean, can you imagine what would happen if we'd gone to Prom together? Maybe Harry would be my future husband, not Mason! How crazy is that? Although...we'd make lovely babies, Harry and I."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Y/N quickly interrupted the girl. She didn't blame Stephanie, who apparently never thought twice before she started speaking. However, now that she mentioned it, Y/N couldn't help but wonder what her fiancé would feel if he knew he could've ended up with his high school crush instead, who was now a freaking model! Would it make the idea of marrying her less...enticing?

.

.

.

Mason gulped down another pine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as Harry watched him in awe.

"Ten seconds." The older man slammed his hand down on the table and gave his cousin a smug look. "Unlike you I don't suddenly forget how to drink after getting engaged."

Harry scoffed but decided to let that one go.

"What's with the sudden engagement anyway?" He chuckled and put down his beer. "I get that you need to prove to everyone that you're better than me but dragging Steph into this? That's low."

"Hey!" Mason drunkenly pointed a finger to Harry's face while glaring at him with hooded eyes. "Not everything is about you. I love Steph. Just because you can't have her, doesn't mean you can say whatever the fuck you want."

"It was years ago!" Harry huffed. "You can have Stephanie. I'm happy with Y/N, and I love her."

"She's turned you into a boring little boy huh?" Mason reached out to touch Harry's face, but Harry pushed his fingers away immediately. He furrowed his eyebrows and finished his beer, trying to be the responsible adult here although he was not very much more sober than his cousin.

"I chose to grow up, this has nothing to do with her, and don't talk  my girl that way, asshole."

"Okay, let's not talk about her, let's talk about you and how lame you've become." Mason cracked up and Harry just ordered another pine without giving him his attention, which triggered the older guy to continue speaking. "How about we play the little game we used to play huh? Remember that?"

"No, no, no." Harry shook his head, smiling tipsily. "I'm engaged, I'm not gonna ask for some random girl's number."

"You don't have to call them afterwards! Just to see you and me who gets more numbers at the end of the night."

"I'm engaged," he repeated, looking slightly annoyed now. "I'm pretty sure that's also considered cheating on your partner..."

"It's not." Mason snorted, patting his cousin a few times on the back. "Jeez, I'm engaged too you know. Cheating means you're fantasizing about someone else or fucking someone else, this is different. We go to a random girl, ask for her number, then move on to the next. I swear most of the people here are drunk and by the end of the night they won't even remember our face."

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"You gotta have some fun, Harold! Y/N fell for you when you were this wild thing and if you keep turning into a boring old man, sooner or later she'll be bored of you and run off with some cooler guy." Mason put a hand on Harry's shoulder and added in, "I bet not a single woman in this bar would want to fuck you now because you're such a pussy it shows."

If there hadn't been alcohol in his system, he wouldn't have let those words get to him and said no without a second thought. Sober Harry was much smarter and made better decisions. But Harry was a bit far from sober now, and even though he regretted it soon after he nodded his head, Harry still agreed to take part in his cousin's little game.

.

.

.

"I did a bad thing tonight."

Y/N was taken aback by her fiancé unexpected confession as soon as he entered their flat, drunk, then pulled her into a bear hug.

"It's okay, I knew you were out drinking with Mason." She chuckled and attempted to withdraw herself from his embrace, but he grabbed onto her hips to keep her from leaving his side.

"It's not that." He pouts, bringing one hand to cup her face. "I..."

"You what?" She quietly laughed though she found nothing funny about his strange behaviors. "H, you're making me worried, just tell me what you did."

"I asked some girls at the bar for their phone numbers."

"You did what?!" She almost shouted at him and pushed him away to take a step back, as an instinct, Harry rushed forward to take hold of her hands.

"I can explain."

She nodded rapidly, eyebrows furrowed at him. "Oh, you'd better explain before I kill you!"

And he knew it was not just an empty threat, she would kill him if he failed to give her a proper explanation.

"It was a game that Mason and I used to play at high school parties. Whoever got more phone numbers at the end of the party won."

"And what did you get for winning, Harry?!"

"Just the feeling of winning I guess..."

"Unbelievable!" She raised her voice all of a sudden, making Harry jump. "I'm wearing your ring on my finger and you went out flirting—"

"Not actually flirting but—"

"Don't jump into my mouth!"

"Sorry, go on." He instantly stared down at his feet and heard her take a deep breath before letting it all out and continuing because she wasn't done with him just yet.

"You did that just to prove what? That you're better than your cousin? No, Harry Edward Styles, that doesn't make you better than him, in fact you're much more like him than you think! Can't you see what he's doing? He came here to screw up your life and it's actually working because you're letting him!"

"I couldn't let him win! He's already got the most beautiful girl in school as his fiancé." Wrong move, Harry. Wrong move! Code red!

"And you're stuck with me, is that what you're saying?"

"N-No! Absolutely not!"

"You're upset because he ended up with a model and you're getting married to an average girl like me."

"I never said that!"

"You meant that!"

Harry thought he'd better shut up before he unintentionally said something worse and had her throw his proposal ring to his face or something. He knew his Y/N would never do something like that, but it was the worst scenario he could think of so far.

"I'm going to bed now," she spoke after a moment of silence. She didn't ask him to go pack his bags and get lost, which was good, yet she seemed so disappointed in him, which was...not good.

"Turn off the lights, okay?"

"Okay..." He nodded then watched her head back to their room in silence. He wasn't fucked, but he knew he would be if he didn't do something about it. First, he needed to get sobered up though.

So Harry decided to take a shower meanwhile giving his love time to be alone and calm down before they had 'the talk', you know, the one couples had after both parties had calmed down from an argument so they could come to an agreement how they wanted the fight to end. He hated that talk, not really, because it either ended with great sex or him sleeping on the sofa. Considering how she'd stopped yelling at him before she walked away, this time...definitely the sofa.

When Harry returned to the bedroom, Y/N immediately sat up on the bed. He swallowed and scratched the back of his head timidly as he spoke up, "don't worry, I'm just gonna grab my pillow."

"Why?"

"To sleep on the sofa. Don't tell me I don't deserve a pillow too."

The frown on his face made her chuckle. Y/N gently patted down on his side of the bed as she told him to get in with her. She wouldn't need to say it twice. Harry almost ran to her and in just a split second he was already snuggling in her arms.

She let him rest his head on her chest while stroking his hair like she usually did, which he loved. And so they lied there for a while, Harry staring at Y/N, who was staring at the ceiling. She was thinking of something, and he was too exhausted try and read her mind.

"You're not mad anymore?" He asked quietly.

"Can't stay mad at you. Trust me I've tried." Her answer put a beam upon his face. "I'm sorry I yelled at you though."

"I deserved that, I was an idiot."

"I agree with that."

"Hey!" He scoffs, making her laugh.

"What you did was stupid, but you were honest with me and I appreciate that." Y/N kissed his forehead, feeling him shifting to get comfortable as one of his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I don't know what happened love," he started. "I turned back into that same immature high school boy when I was with Mason. I guess he made me feel so insecure about myself that I just had to prove him wrong, even by winning a stupid game."

"What's there to be insecure about?"

Harry gave Y/N this look as if she'd just asked him if one plus one was two, because to him the answer was pretty obvious.

"He was always my grandparents' favorite. He was good at school, he was popular, he hung out with cool people. Now he's still doing better than me, he's rich and good-looking and—"

"Stop it!" Y/N laughed slightly as she cut him off. "Why do you have to see this as a competition? You're better than that. I know that he came here with his fiancé to rub it in our faces, but you allowed him to get to you." Harry puckered up his eyebrows, biting his lip as he listened to her. "I think he's secretly jealous of you because you don't even have to try hard and put other people down to get such a great life. Your life is actually better than his if you think about it. I mean, you have good friends, a cat, a family, a job that you love, and me. Those are the ones that matter, not people like Mason."

"You're right." He breathed, looking up at her.

She didn't intend to tell him this, but she thought she had to because he'd been honest with her. "Stephanie told me she wanted to go to the Prom with you, not him."

"I know."

Her eyes grew wide when she heard those two words. "You do?"

"Yeah, he told me how he made up the whole Olivia thing. What a dick. But why do you think it'd matter?" Harry released a laugh as he propped his head up on his elbow, gazing down at her.

"Never mind, it's silly." She shyly smiled and covered her face with her hands, but he removed them both so they could look at one another as they spoke.

"No, tell me. I want to know."

"Okay so I was afraid you'd feel disappointed after knowing Stephanie's engaged to Mason when that could be you if you'd gone to Prom with her."

"Awww, love..."

Y/N's face turned red as she started giggling. "I told you it was silly! Just forget it!"

"It is silly, Y/N. She's just some girl I fancied in high school, who cares if she's a model now and engaged to that asshole. I'm already engaged to the woman I love, I don't care about her."

Seeing the smile on his girl's face made Harry realize how right she was to say his life was better than Mason's. Mason either asked Steph to marry him because he couldn't tell lust from love or he just wanted to prove he was always one step ahead of Harry; whatever the reason was, Harry knows those two weren't in love and knew nothing about each other. He, on the contrary, was marrying the love of his life, his best friend, the kindest and sweetest person he'd ever known. So yes, this might not be a competition, but Harry thought he'd already won.

"Okay let's put this all behind us and move on, alright?" Y/N declares. "No more talks about Mason or Stephanie. Just focus on our thing from now on."

"Agreed." Harry gladly nods and is more than relieved to finally leave the feud with his cousin in the past.

Y/N, nevertheless, doesn't know that she will be the one to go against her own words, not until a week later, when she receives a wedding invitation from Mason and Stephanie.

"That bitch!!!"

"Y/N, language! Treasure can hear you!" Harry covers the cat's tiny ears as he watches his girl fall down by his side on the sofa.

"Here! See it for yourself!" She handed him the wedding invitation which had been sent in a fancy-looking white envelope. The entire thing had been hand-written, using sparkly gold ink. If they could be this extra for just their wedding invitations, Y/N couldn't imagine how their wedding was gonna be.

"An Alice in Wonderland themed wedding?" Harry chuckled as he read quickly through the lines. "Clever!"

"Of course it's clever!" Y/N cried out. "It's my idea! She stole it!"

"Aww baby you've never told me you wanted a—"

"It doesn't matter anymore, she stole my dream wedding theme!"

"Y/N," Harry calmly spoke while stroking the kitty on his lap. "Remember what you said, no more competition."

"But—"

"Baby, there are plenty of other literature classics for you to choose from, let it go, don't let this get to you," he said, picking up their cat's two paws to wave at her, that made her go soft again. "I'll help you come up with a better theme, yeah? We'll have a much cooler wedding and those people won't even be invited. Besides, we both know one of them is gonna file a divorce after a few weeks into their marriage, a month's top, I bet it's gonna be Stephanie."

The crinkles between Y/N's brows slowly eased as Harry's encouraging words had calmed her down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling to retrieve her composure.

"Okay, you're right..." Y/N raised a forefinger. "I'm gonna let this go. But I'm not going to their wedding, because if I see her again I will fuck her up and it certainly won't be pretty!"

Then she soon noticed the strange look on his face.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Harry's dimples digged holes in his cheeks as he brought his lips down to lay a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I just love you a lot, s'all."

And as simply as that, he got to see her smiling again.

[go-diane-winchester]

How incorrect tagging contributes to SPN ship wars

@radioabsurd left this very impassioned rant about the behavior of SPN fandom in the main tags.  Let me point out that there are things here, that I would say are correct.  There are things however, that I am not happy with.  I am not certain about this person's sincerely.  Let me put it that way.  I edited bits that contained blasphemy because I don't want that nonsense in my post.  I also added bold font to the bits that made me smirk.  Other than that, everything is as it appears.  My commentary is in italics and brackets.  Thank to doll face for forwarding this to me. 

Supernatural Fandom

If you hate the actual angel Jensen Ackles, don’t talk to me, like my shit or any of that.

[A polite suggestion for people to ignore her]

If you hate the actual angel Misha Collins, fuck off and don’t talk to me or like my shit.

[Disrespecting Misha warrant the use of profanity.]

If you hate on the actual angel Jared Padalecki, please block me or you will get blocked.

[A please is thrown in, so the politeness is back.  Also, note the order in which these actors are mentioned.  Any other person would mention Misha last.  But no, Jared gets last place, like an afterthought.]

I’m so tired of this hate people give each other in the fandom with the ship wars and shit.

[Honey, I would like to point out that all the hate, especially the violent ones directed to the actors, comes solely from the destiel shippers.  Everyone else retaliates.]

I FUCKING ship #destiel and #cockles, but in no way do I think J2 are not important to each other. They are the bestest of friends. In no way do I hate on Daneel, Vicki, or Gen(They are all actually queens).

[Well, at least you agree that the Js friendship is hated on by the Misha shippers.  The wife hate is a landmine.  Do people hate the wives because they ship the boys or because they genuinely found nothing to like in the wives?  I don't really care much for an actor's relatives.  But if the boys are happy, whatever rocks their boats.  Besides, who they marry is not my business.  Out of sight.  Out of mind.  If I like them, I would have no reason to go overboard and call them 'queens'.  But that is just my opinion on the subject.  Julia Roberts was never called a queen, despite her success.  Just pointing that out.  Do I think they deserve any hate?  I don't know them well enough to answer that one.  But if you put yourself out there, you are going to get the bad attention with the good.  As long as the hate doesn't extend to death threats, I say freedom of speech.  Just tag it appropriately.] 

Even If I don’t ship #wincest I’m not going to FUCKING hate on somebody for their ship because guess what! I FUCKING ship #thorki and #t'cherik and wow I must be such a disgusting human being but these are freaking fictional characters and aren’t real! (Not talking about real people ships)

[This seems friendly enough until you get to the second mention of this topic.]

If you don’t agree with something please FUCKING get over it and block it or ignore it.

[You should see the replies I get, from hellers I call out of tagging incorrectly.  They don't block or ignore.] 

Jeez, and all the ships hate on the wives and the other people on the show, not just one ship. XXXX, why am I even in this fandom.

[I concur.  There are haters of ships and people.  But unless you go into their appropriate tags, you will never find them.  Guess who tags all their hateful filth, including calling Jensen a homophobe, in the main tags? Yep, the destihellers.]

Also, if I get freaking hate on shipping #thorki (they’re not even real brothers okay, get over it) or #t'cherik (in the comics theyre not cousins thank you very much) and your in the supernatural fandom then your actually the problem.

[I don't know how to tell you this, but Sam and Dean are not real brothers either.  They are fictional.  So basically, in an offhanded manner, you have kind of insulted the people, you are telling others not to insult.  Just thought I would point that out.] 

haters get on my nerves 👌🏽

[You are absolutely right.  I cant stand them either.  Especially the ones who tell Jared to kill himself and threaten to kill Jensen.  All destihellers.  I don't deal with haters as much.  Because I believe it is your prerogative to hate whoever you want.  As long as you tag it properly.  But I draw the line at death threats, because the hate has moved into malevolent territory.  That is why I don't go onto the anti tags.  Let them hate.  But when possible felony becomes an issue, I speak up.]

(there might be spelling errors but that’s life so what eves)

 [True!  My typing is atrocious.]

My issue with this rant: 

I appreciate the effort.  Don't get me wrong.  But there are issues presenting themselves here.  This rant is addressed to the entire fandom.  The problem is that is doesn't differentiate between the instigators and the retaliators.  There is an assumption, within the rant, that everyone should like the same things in the same manner without personal opinion or prejudice.  And to be honest, that kind of uniformity in human psychology, is unheard of in human societies.  We are all different.  We cannot be expected to enthusiastically love anyone or anything unless we have been given viable reason to.  The other baffling thing on this post is the anti Vicki tag.  Interestingly, there is no other post with this tag.  As far as I can see, nobody hates Victoria.  People are generally quite indifferent towards her. 

So you are basically giving fandom and onlookers the impression that this woman gets hated when, in reality, she doesn't even force a blimp in the radar.  The only time I saw her being discussed, was when I watched in bemused amazement , as J2 tinhats were comparing her to one of the Js wives and talking about how much more nicer she was and how they respected her more.  So those particular J fans don't hate Victoria.  Do Misha's fans hate her?  If so, how are they tagging their hate.  I haven't seen anything. 

You post makes no mention of actor harassment, cast and crew harassment, threats of arson and vandalism and actual attacks on fans by other fans.  There is a different between someone saying ''I cant stand Vicky'' and ''I am going to burn Vicky's home down, while she is still in it''.  A similar arson threat was sent to Jensen by a Misha fan.  Receipts for this, and other threats, are on my blog.  To my logic, death threats are a more pressing issue than hate.  All of the aforementioned are by destiel shipping and Misha stanning perpetrators.  To people who are not aware of this reality, if they read this post, they will assume that everyone in the fandom is hateful.  They won't know about the truth.  So no, all the shippers do not have an equal hand in trouble making.  There are some that are worse than others. 

Finally, your tagging is contradictory and troublesome.  Tumblr recognizes 30 tags only, but the most effective are the first five.  For a post of this nature, you shouldn't have tagged Danneel twice.  Danneel has fans from her other endeavors. like One Tree Hill, who are not SPN fans.  They don't need to see this drama, which has nothing to do with them.  So that tag is a general/main tag and you should stay out of it.  The last two tags are for ships outside our fandom, and basically what you have done, by including those tags, is exposed outsiders to the dirty laundry that this fandom is known for.  This is where SPN's faulty reputation comes from.  ''Mentions'' is also a very widely used external tag.  It has not an SPN related tag, neither is it related to this post.  Tagging this post under that tag, also brings this fandom into disrepute.  The tags on this post, does this fandom no favors.   

The post is not a hate post, [you are reprimanding all and sundry over putrid behavior] and therefore does not belong in the anti tags.  If you are trying to right the wrongs of this fandom, do it in the main ship tags, for the whole shipping section of fandom to see.  You cant tell people how to feel about someone.  And posting this particular rant in the anti tags, is essentially you telling those people not to hate whoever they genuinely cant stand.  If you are talking about a ship, tag the ship.  If you tag your post #anti Jensen, you are telling people, this post is about why I hate Jensen.  That is the point of that tag.  That is not exactly what your post is about, is it?  Now I tag in the main tags, and not in the anti tags because I tackle any subject that is going to cause a death threat to reach Jensen.  That is the policy behind my tagging system.  Your tagging system doesn't seem to make sense.  You cant tag Jensen and anti Jensen.  These two tags contradict each other. 

Don't tag the characters on a TV show, because that is not what your post is about.  People who are non-shipping fans of Dean Winchester, don't want to be bombarded with this shipping-related rant.  This is not courteous to them.  Also, if you misspell a tag, the tag has consequently been rendered useless.  So there is essentially no point in having that tag.  Just replace or remove it.  Its not that hard.  Also, I don't think you know what a bibro is.  There are non-shippers amongst them.  So why are they a part of this ship-war rant?  You can't tag SPN or Supernatural, because the entire fandom doesn't need to see this.  The entire fandom are not shippers.  You were not addressing the entire fandom, so leave them out of it.  In fact, your title is incorrect too. 

Judging by the crux of your post, the tags should have been:

Destiel, Wincest, Cockles, J2 Tinhats, Wincestiel  

All the ship names are present.  So anyone who is involved with these ships will read them and understand.  If you want to add more tags [which I don't recommend] then add the following:

Sabriel, sastiel

I would tag these two ships because they are ships that three actors are a part of.  I don't recommend tagging the actor's names, because the post is not about them, but about shipper behavior.  They are merely mentioned as the motivation behind the hate, by your logic.  Their names are still general tags, and people searching Jared Padalecki might hate shipping and this post will give credulity to their hatred because it is invasive and makes shippers looks bad....well, worse would be the apt word to use.

I am conflicted about the motive of the rant.  No, I don't believe any of the actors are ''actual angels''.  They are human and flawed, some more than others.  I don't think their wives of sovereign control of anything.  But I appreciate the effort in bridge-building.  The doll face that sent me this, found the wincest remark offensive, but I am willing to give your the benefit of the doubt on that one, because I assume it was an honest mistake.  I am not a wincest fan though, which I why I am reacting a little differently.  Perhaps, because I am not emotionally invested. 

P.S.:  Speaking of wincest, someone told me that even wincest ship posts are being tagged with the actor's and character's names.  I don't care what you ship, but by using general tags, you are not driving on your lane.  Stop mistagging.  Unless Jared Padalecki is really pregnant with someone's lovechild, don't tag him in an mpreg post.  I don't think he wants people knowing about his baby bump.  Tag politely.  Tags like Top!Sam and Bottom!Cas are NOT general tags, so that is ok.  But Sam Winchester and Jared Padalecki, for example, are general tags, so keep your shippy stuff away from it.  Wincest fans, its your job to clean house. 

The reason why I am lenient with the wincest ship and J2 tinhatters, is because they are not repeat and frequent offenders, and they don't send death threats to actors.  In fact, if you search the wincest tag, you find a small handful of offenders, and a destiel offender who tagged her post weecest and wincest even though it was about destiel.  Now, why do that? 

Respect the tags.  Respect the actors.  Stop behaving like SPN owes you something, and keep your fantasy on your side of the fandom.

Please excuse the typos.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

This whole thing were some blogs are going "just because we don't expose your IP adress dosen't mean we don't know who you are",to people they don't like or is rude to them is so infuriating.Yes,they got a hate anon.Yes,that sucks and the anon should fell ashamed.But going "I know what you did last summer" on people dosen't give them moral high ground, if anything it makes them lose it.If the message is that awful, just post it and say that you'll either report them to Tumblr's staff... 1/2

2/2 …or to the police.Treatening people like that is what starts shame cultures,wich could lead to a crazy person jumping on the “know the IP adress” bangwadon and try to ruin someone’s life over a difference of opinion.I know that hate mail is horrible and they should seek an authority for help if it happens,but threatening someone over “wank” is really bad.Sorry for the rant, but the way some influential blogs are handling some situations is making me worried about the future of this fandom.

No need to apologize for the rant. I completely understand the need and I’m more than happy to provide that service to you. In fact, I often rant to myself all the time about these bloggers (most of the time when I’m in the shower, I do my best thinking in the shower). And this threat they keep on falling back on is absolutely reprehensible and I despise it. It absolutely contributes to shame culture. They think of it, like you said, as a moral high ground and a satisfactory way to deal with the hate, but really all it is is an intimidation tactic. It’s basically saying, “if you don’t agree with me, just know that it’s within my power to find you and I can ruin your life”. They say they’re not the bullies but in fact, they are bullying, they are exerting power over another, trying to take away a person’s right to free speech. And a little bit of truth here, free speech is a double-edged sword. You have the right to say whatever you want but guess what? Other people also have that right and you don’t get to dictate that person’s free speech just because you don’t agree with them. I’m vocal about my opinions on my blog and I do at times get hate but I still respect it’s their right to free speech to get in my ask box and accuse me of being all sorts of atrocities and I’m okay with that because at the end of the day, I only have to be able to live with myself, I’m not going to lose that much sleep if some anonymous person on the internet thinks I’m terrible and a waste of space. Some people I have perfectly legitimate and healthy debates with and others not so much. But I will never get down on someone for having a different opinon than me.

And once again, when I first heard this story about people being threatened like this, I asked, “who decides what ‘wank’ is?” Do people not realize how slippery of a slope this is when it comes to fandom and just in general, free speech? Sure, it may start as simply silencing the trolls but that’s just the first step. It’ll inevitably lead into silencing anyone who has a different opinion than you until we have a fandom that only has like-minded members who think the exact same way, and from there an entire society that’s only allowed to think one way. And I don’t know about you but that’s not a fandom or society I want to be a part of. Plus, stifling free speech through intimidation is exactly what a corrupt government does, which is ironic considering how “woke” some of these bloggers seem to think they are, they don’t even seem to realize they’re mimicking the same behavior of those they say they despise. And you’re absolutely right. Truth be told, most of these people that are making these kinds of threats, I don’t believe a lot of them actually have the ability to make good on some of these threats. But all it takes is one person who does have that ability and begins doxxing and/or swatting and having their life and livelihood threatened and suddenly the fandom becomes this scary intimidating place where no one wants to talk about anything out of fear. So much of fandom is already policed so much and it’s really scary to think that if the current behavior keeps on going as it is, fandom could turn into this kind of Stepford Wives society where no one is allowed to think in color.

And there’s also a huge difference between a difference in opinion and “hate speech” and I’m not sure some of the folks in the fandom understand that difference. Someone disagreeing with you is not hate speech, even if they do it in a rude way, it still doesn’t necessarily make it hate speech.

It’s getting to the point where I kind of just stop reading these meta blogs. In fact, I’ve been seeing this so much particularly in the Destiel fandom, that it’s actively making me not want to ship Destiel. I’ve never been a super hardcore Destiel shipper but that’s beside the point. I ship them as more companions than as actual romantic partners. Some of these big name bloggers are just so caught up in their own heads and their own speculations about a Destiel endgame that they can’t comprehend the idea of someone not shipping Destiel and if you don’t ship it the exact same way they do or even at all, that means you’re heteronormative or some shit like that and I can’t stand seeing that. A romantic Destiel reading is perfectly valid but so is a non-romantic one. I wouldn’t mind a romantic Destiel endgame but nor would it be this huge affront if the writers choose to not go in that direction. But some of these bloggers are so caught up in it and call any one who thinks differently as being stupid, homophobic, heteronormative, a nazi, the gambit of atrocities you can be as a human being and I hate seeing it. Once again, that’s an intimidation tactic and I find it absolutely reprehensible and I’m growing further and further away from the Destiel community every day because of it.

[mrs-han]

Hi! Can I request a fic with an MC who had a slight crush on Jumin before joining the RFA? Not the billionaire playboy the media sold but the Jumin who made this funny cat projects which she always supported, the one who made huge donations to Charities, who had to deal with the press because of his father or some woman wanting his money (for what she felt sorry), who had so interesting ideas about ecology, economy and politics (and who is also drop dead gorgeous) thx! Good luck with the blog!

—

Hi there, anon!! Thank you so much for your wishes! Here ya go~ hope you like this!!

~ ~~ ~

Just A Crush

~ ~~ ~

It was like an unprecedented fairytale, a fairytale you didn’t ask for.

You, the unwitting protagonist, joined a private yet relatively well-known group known for its charitable donations and auctioning of photographs.

Did you ask to be a part of the group? No. You could have incriminated yourself and said you hacked your way into the RFA chatroom, even though you hadn’t hacked a thing in your life. You could have been rude to the people who talked to you; a suspicious business woman, a flirty actor, a perky college student, a reclusive hacker...

And him.

It would have been easiest to be rude to him. He was rude to you first, but no. You just had to be the bigger person.

It took you some time to memorize the other members’ names. But you already knew his.

Jumin Han.

You remembered clearly; before you tumbled into the RFA, escaping him and his influence was near impossible. He was all over the place; magazines, television screens, newspapers, books; you couldn’t escape his gray, lifeless eyes staring at you and millions of other people.

While you didn’t share the hype that surrounded him... you did like him. A little. You may have saved the magazines with his interviews and headshots in your coffee-table drawer, and you may have decided to study business administration because of him.

But being so close to him, closer than even his business partners, made you... feel things. Dangerous things. The spark of admiration you had for him kept growing, with every phone call he made and with every message he sent.

He was... definitely different from how you thought he was. While he kept that adorably stupid poker face on at all times, and while he was certainly one of the most successful men in his field... Jumin Han was a massive dork.

—

He was obsessed with his cat...

—

“MC?” Jumin stood from his desk and moved toward you, “what do you think of these patterns?”

“What are they for?” You set your book down and moved closer to Jumin, a gentle smile on your lips.

“It’s for the current cat project I’m working on,” Jumin smiled. “I’d like to know your opinion.”

He tried to hide his excitement, but you knew how he truly felt. Your smile widened as you closely observed the patterns. “Polka dots or stripes, huh?”

“See,” Jumin eagerly moved closer to you, “I was thinking of placing Elizabeth the Third on a nice, plain backdrop, but that’s just what it is. Plain. Elizabeth the Third deserves better.”

You nodded. “Obviously.”

“Exactly,” the excitement in Jumin’s voice climbed and he sank into the space beside you. “So, I produced these two patterns. If I go with the stripes, it will naturally look classic, and Elizabeth the Third’s beautiful fur will make a perfect contrast to the pattern.”

You frowned. “Mm... the stripes make it look like she’s guarding a cage. Polka dots look playful yet elegant, and that description alone fits Elizabeth the Third more than anything.”

Jumin’s eyes sparkled. “Yes... yes, I like that idea. MC, I truly appreciate your help. Please excuse me.”

—

... and he ranted to you about weird things.

—

“MC, I have a question for you. Do you think lying is bad?”

You set your cup of tea down. “Lying? Well... I mean, it depends on the circumstance.”

“You can agree that you can’t give me a black or white answer about this, am I right?”

You pursed your lips. “It’d be difficult to. Why?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute.” Jumin leaned back and fixed his tie pin. “Say, did you know that Borfes magazine said that I was a good person due to the money I donated last Christmas?”

Your face flushed; of course you knew that. You saved the magazine article. But it wasn’t like he would find out about that, so you feigned your ignorance. “What, really? Jumin, that’s amazing!”

“Yes, it was a huge success for C&R. But, the article insisted I was a good person when really, I’m not.”

You sat up straight. “... What? Where did that come from?”

“Hm. You must have noticed as soon as you heard me say it, but that was a lie. Of course, I’m a great person.”

Your brows furrowed as you processed his words. “What?”

“Okay,” Jumin sat on the edge of his seat, “going back to my original point. It is widely believed that Santa Claus does not give presents to children who are naughty. A lie is considered naughty, therefore a child who lies does not deserve a present from Santa.”

You blinked.

“What will happen to me this Christmas, MC? Am I already on the naughty list for next year because I just lied? Or am I on the naughty list for this year since Christmas is still far ahead of us? Who is this Santa Claus to dictate whether something is good or bad? What if a lie needs to be told to save someone’s life? Christmas is just so irrational. Are all your good deeds canceled if you do something bad?”

“... Jumin, we are in the middle of June. What are you talking about?”

—

The press only managed to show how glamorous he was. But they didn’t show everything.

—

They didn’t show how vulnerable he could be...

—

“Jumin?”

Jumin lifted his head from his hands and quickly adjusted himself as you quietly approached him. “MC, what are you doing? You should be asleep.”

“I couldn’t sleep... hey, is everything all right?”

Jumin adjusted his sleeves and sighed. “No. No, my... my father is truly under Glam Choi’s spell, it seems.”

“Jumin...”

“I’m sorry, MC,” Jumin’s heavy-hearted eyes were a sight you had not seen before, and did not wish to see again. “I shouldn’t be burdening you with anything, you already have a lot to think about.”

“Jumin Han,” you scolded lightly, your hands latched onto his, “talk to me. You’ll feel better, trust me.”

An amused smile tugged at his lips. “MC, you may not get to sleep tonight if I talk to you.”

“It’s okay,” you squeezed his hands, “I want to hear what you’re thinking.”

He pulled your hands close to his chest and, as if they were delicate pieces of silk, he cradled them as he spoke. “My father... how could he behave this way? How could he treat the company this way, and his employees... MC, how could he treat me this way?”

You didn’t say anything. You didn’t know what to say. But you did scoot closer to him, your thumbs running over the back of Jumin’s hands.

“I know I should be used to this. I know I should know how to deal with this, but I don’t. I still don’t.” Jumin’s eyes met yours. “He’s behaving so irrationally... and now he wants to go against my wishes and have me marry a woman I don’t want.”

“Jumin...” you reached over and rubbed his arm. “... you shouldn’t always expect yourself to know what to do. You shouldn’t have to be so guarded all the time... this is very unfair to you.”

“Unfair...” Jumin allowed himself to slouch a little. “... is that what this feeling is? It’s unpleasant... I don’t like it.”

He was like a child discovering new emotions. It was completely unconscious on your part, but you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him in for an awkward hug.

“MC?”

“You deserve so much more than this, Jumin. And I know it may not feel like it right now, but it’s going to be okay,” you whispered. “You shouldn’t hide what you’re feeling, though. It’s not good for you.”

You didn’t know what you were doing. That’s why it surprised you as Jumin wrapped his arms around you, enforcing the awkwardness of the hug.

“It will be okay,” Jumin repeated, his voice reverberated through your body. “With you by my side, I believe that.”

—

... and they didn’t show how open-minded he was.

—

“MC, try this wine. It’s absolutely exquisite.”

The allure the red liquid had as it danced against his lips made you reach over and pour yourself a glass. As soon as you took a sip, your eyes widened.

“Wow... I’ve never had anything so fancy before!”

“Everyone should have access to the best resources,” Jumin swiveled his wine glass, “regardless of wealth or stature.”

“Yeah well...” you set your glass down. “... in an ideal world, that’s how it would be, but it isn’t that simple. Most people have to work harder, and even then, they may never be able to even lay their eyes on this type of wine in their life.”

“I see...” Jumin pursed his lips. “... there are many trials in life that I may never be exposed to. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn.”

“That’s very mature of you to say,” you smiled, “not many people in your position really seem to care.”

“It’s easy not to care when you’re blinded by what you have,” Jumin said gently, as if acknowledging himself. “I believe that, the more I’m around you, the more I can learn.”

“What are you saying,” you teased, “are you saying I’m poor, huh?”

“Huh? No, MC, that’s not what I —“

“I’m joking!” You laughed. “Think of it as commoner humor.”

“Common...” he stopped himself and laughed. “... maybe you can teach me more of this type of humor.”

You scoffed and took another sip of wine. “You’re too posh for it, I don’t think you can deal.”

“I know some slang words. Open your ears and listen.” Jumin sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Fetch me dem cookies. The feels train be chugging along. And dem onion ninjas... yo.”

You snorted your wine and coughed. “What...?! What was that, Jumin?!”

“What, did I not use them correctly?” Jumin jumped up and grabbed napkins.

“You’re so cute...!” You took the napkins from him and covered your face. “A for effort! Haha!”

—

It was an unprecedented fairytale. One you knew had to end sometime. Once the party was over, you would return to your life, and Jumin would return to his. Jumin would settle things with his father, meet someone who made his heart race, and he’d marry them.

And you? You’d go back to your apartment, and enroll in classes that were on campus. Maybe you’d reach out to him, just to see how he was doing every now and again. But then life would get busy, and you’d forget to text or call him until the next party came around the following year.

You sat up in Jumin’s king-sized bed and watched him as he snoozed soundly on his couch, his papers scattered around him forming some makeshift blanket.

The feelings you felt... it was better to keep them to yourself.

It was just a crush, after all.

~ ~~ ~

[kyunsies]

WAAAAH i just realized i never responded 😭😭 i’m sorry. i too wish i had know about kpop in high school, i was very much into 1D and bieber 🙃 i transitioned from CNCO and reggaeton to kpop….that was a ride going from spanish to korean 😂 but anyway i agree about 3rd gen music being so timeless, i do love it very much.

about 4th gen they really are getting younger and younger. every time i see their ages i audibly gasp, they’re younger than my sister (she’s 03). i personally think they shouldn’t be debuting any younger than 19 but i’m considered ancient to kpop stans so who am i to have an opinion lol but i keep thinking of all the discourse over shohei, the new sm rookie and ppl complaining about him being 96 line. personally I AM ALL for him debuting!

anyway i do hope ppl migrate back to tumbly bc twt is so ehhhh. i mean i use it a lot but i barely follow anyone except the groups i stan. though it would be nice to have more moots lol but only good ones

HI AGAIN LINA !!!! i hope u have been doing well these past few weeks we didn't talk!!! ITS TOTALLY OKAY !!!! i've been a bit busy so absolutely no worries, you just take your time <3 but LSDKFJ STOP i was such a hard core directioner in high school it's not even funny ;____; listened to all their albums kept up w everything they did all that jazz lsdkfj :') but ooooooh spanish music too!!! that's cool that you have experienced a lot of fandoms tho skldfjs it's always interesting :) and YEAH i don't want to sound stuck in my ways all the time and ofc i think there is talent all over the place, 3rd gen will always just have a special place in my heart <3

and yes 4th gen just keeps on getting younger and younger and like, i do think that it's cool that ppl are recognizing talent at a young age! but i agree with you in that there has to be some sort of system behind this stuff lol like, i think i've heard somewhere that nct has some new SM rookies and one of them is a 98 liner or something (which is my age lmao) and like !!! fans are getting mad that this is considered 'old' like,,,,,,,how messed up is that?? sorry i don't think children should be exposed to the crippling industry that is entertainment where you are basically being stripped from your core under the eyes of millions of ppl SLDKFJ ;____; i'm sure i'm considered ancient for kpop fans standards (i turn 24 this december hhh) but it's literally crazy how the younger generation has such a warped idea of what is "old" and in kpop it's no different,,,,, like did anyone give other ppl crap for liking one direction at literally any stage of life ?? i don't think so !!!! i am ranting at this point i am SORRY SLDFKJ but i just think it's getting really toxic that so many younger fans are putting like, an "age limit" on how to enjoy things that genuinely make us happy and that the younger you debut is the better when it's like no you need to become a resilient older individual i think !!! AND THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS LOL i completely agree w you lina !!!!!

and PLS DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THATTT after wonho left there was such a huge migration from monbebe tumblr to twt because of hashtagging and stuff but i was surprised mbb never migrated back here :( tumblr although is a hellsite LMAO gives you much more creative freedom not to mention the algorithm just makes SENSE. i hate twt besides being updated on stuff as well kdsjf <3

[xbrokenxdollsx]

You think its kinda a given with what will happen with the new fairy tail sequel. Fans will always go crazy with pairings and you can't stop it.

So I’mma put this under cut because, knowing me, I’m a chatty, ranting bitch and like to go into detail about stuff like this, my babehz either do or don’t care about what I have to say. If you’re interested in making your own stuff and/or working for the art industry, this might be interesting to you!

So I work in the entertainment industry (i.e. films, shows, comics, books, etc) and have seen successes and failures of a lot of ideas and pitched projects from popular companies that many people know. My opinions under are from experience, so you’re going to have to be prepared for some chat-chat.

In my profession I usually get to dig deep in archives and listen in on pitches and past projects that turn into an absolute failure because of what people propose to make for “canon content” as I put it. Patterns of people’s attempts to make sequels and/or revivals of past successes of material or box offices have the same result of ugly failures because they want to stick it to “canon content” from the original success.

This is really difficult to do a good job, especially when you do it within a 1-5 year timeframe of the original and expose it to the public.

((As a heads-up, I’m just going to use more recent stories from the last couple years for more familiarity and have my explanations make sense.))

I’m going to take for example of the Naruto franchise: when Kishi originally wanted to end the series with Naruto vs Pein and the fandom (also the company/contract he works under) basically tells him “no, you can’t do that because you’re making it big right now.” Kishi goes on to extend the plot with tropes of confrontation for the audience with romance, family, self-discovery, redemption, when (in my eyes) the focus of it was Naruto and his bond with Sasuke and their growth. Anyway, fans ate it up with their own theories and material that kept bringing in money to Viz to keep going with the different possibilities and basically throw ideas to Kishi on what to do with his content.

When Kishi ended the original Naruto series with the Epilogue with the pretty self-explanatory results of:

Naruto becomes Hokage

Naruto and Sasuke resume their friendship bond

Sasuke journeys on to pay for his crimes

The remaining cast have a pretty suitable/happy ending with rather solid end-game pairings and then some (based on Kishi, not the fandom)

Kishi ends his 15 year project and calls it with writing his own movie plot for Naruto: the Last, which focused on romance. Kishi has stated in the past that he’s not much of a romance writer, but he admits that he had a good time with the Last and getting a good 80% (Rotten Tomatoes). Critique was more on storyplot of the romance that some Western audience didn’t really pick up and didn’t like that it lacked Sasuke (who is said to now be Naruto’s best friend again), which is fine.

Now I don’t know what the Viz Media have for contracts with creators and what their process is for projects, so I can’t and won’t point fingers to either the company or Kishi himself for coming up with the sequel of Boruto. Contracts are very vague and, since I don’t know Kishi’s contract, I can’t say.

What I can assume (not confirm!!) that Viz “owns” the Naruto/Boruto name, and thus wants to continue with the story…which where the Naruto Project set in with the whole “who is Sarada’s mom and all this Uchiha bloodline, etc” shit came to be that drove the fandom up and me outta there like “bitch, bye”, despite Kishi having some hand in it.

In short: I would have preferred that they stopped Naruto at 700 and kept it that way, not extend it to 700+1 and all that. That was a usual use of getting more income for the company/publisher because they had a huge audience and pulled it in by using the “next generation”.

In my OPINION, if the company/creator were to wait for more than 5 years from the completion of the original, there would have been a better impact and impression on the fandom/audience.

BUT THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH ENTERTAINMENT WITH LONG-RUN SUCCESSES, SUCH AS NARUTO.

Now I’m gonna use Pixar’s Finding Nemo/Finding Dory as the next example of what it results to WAIT before going public so soon. I can easily talk about this because I have access to material and individuals on this side and am pretty familiar with Disney/Pixar’s contracts and regulations, so I can clarify this as simple as possible:

Disney owns Pixar, but Pixar is it’s own separate company when it comes to certain material that Disney can not touch.

Everyone remembers Nemo, right? 2003 film that left an impression with the characters of Marlin, Nemo and Dory (and Bruce, Crash, etc) and we were eventually blessed with the 2016 sequel of Finding Dory, a same concept but different plot with our beloved protagonists and newfound ones to adore (I’m lookin’ at you Becky). Now, Disney/Pixar is more child-centric with entertainment, as we all know, but majority of people will admit that, as adults, enjoy the films that they see and can enjoy it and hope for a sequel.

NOW OKAY, if you remember that little period in the 90s/00s when Disney did those Direct-to-Videos of our favorite movies like Mulan, Pocahontas, Atlantis: the Lost Empire, Little Mermaid, Hunchback??

Lets be honest, babes, they were crap. 

Disney, honey, I love you, but I refuse to acknowledge that era. I loved the TV shows of Aladdin and Hercules, etc, but not the films.

What Pixar learned from Disney’s oopsy of making fast sequels and trying to promote a revival of our beloved childhood films was that they didn’t treat it like the original. Treating it as the traditional animation styles from the original, getting the original cast and crew (ORIGINAL CREW IS VERY IMPORTANT, BABES, TAKING IT FROM EXPERIENCE) was not the goal of the studio and therefor did not do well on leaving a lasting impression on the audience or made people happy.

Granted, many of the talents on the animation teams from the originals either left the studio or refused to take part in the sequels, but you can also see where they were coming from.

With Pixar, they take time with the story development and ensuring from the previous success that they don’t do “repeat plots” - because sequels are not about repeated plots.

EXAMPLES OF DISNEY’S NOT-SO-GOOD:

Little Mermaid (1989) - Ariel wants to be human. Little Mermaid II (2000) - Ariel’s kid wants to be a mermaid.

Most of my friends who are avid LM fans can’t remember Ariel’s daughter’s name (Melody), but will rant for a good hour on Eric’s voice change and the lack of animation details compared to the first.

Mulan (1998) - Daughter desires to bring honor to her family. Mulan II (2004) - Princesses following honor/duty to kingdom, but are conflicted.

Besides the animation style, which I will fuckin’ SCREAM about, the plot of fairly similar if you watch it carefully and lacks true impact.

What Pixar directors and writers learn from those mistakes is repetitive patterns of plots. While Disney DID seem to pay attention to time-frame of exposure, there was the rise of media exposure, DVDs and the shift of traditional animation to digital 2D/3D that effected the results.

EXAMPLED OF PIXAR’S PRETTY-DANG-GOOD:

Toy Story 2 (1999) - Woody is taken by a Toy Collector, adventure ensues on rescuing and obtaining new friends while maintaining a child’s love for his/her toys. Toy Story 3 (2010) - The Gang is struck to the fact that Andy is grown up, yet impact the love while giving it to the “next generation”.

I skipped Toy Story 1 because it was the first Disney/Pixar 3D animated success film (not counting Bug’s Life) that left an impression on the audience to continue. It maintains the pattern of childhood imagination and adoration of beloved toys.

Finding Nemo - Son gets taken, journey across ocean to Dentist office, heck yeah. Finding Dory - Dory sets off to find her family and her friends (adopted family) journey in search for her towards a rehabilitation center/aquarium.

Similar plot of searching for a loved one, but it shifts between saving and discovering.

Pixar takes SO LONG with developing stories and characters to keep an audience happy and they also keep it on the DOWN LOW. Pixar is very hushy-hush on their projects and keep it secret until it’s REALLY time to reveal the big news. With Pixar, despite having the money to easily make sequels out the ass, care so much about story development and the audience together, which is why they a) take so long with sequels b) pretty much surprise everyone ever 5+ years that makes the fandoms rather positive and open-minded.

IN CONCLUSION

While I trust Mashima more than Kishi with the sudden sequels, since his epilogue was more vague on pairings/fandom wars than Kishi was, I still remain extremely cautious as to what he’s going to do. Knowing Mashima’s rather sarcastic style with every chapter and concept of characters, there really is no telling what he’s going to do and I’m all for it and hope he has control on his creations as he so deserves and Kishi lacked…

It’s just the fandom that I’m hoping will remain chill as they are now with the end of Fairy Tail to the upcoming sequel.

[shona-sims-blog]

Other Side of the Game (An Urban Sims 4 Story)

Part 10 || Quentin

  The rain started pouring down by the time we made it to Isabella’s house. I waited to make sure that she made it inside of her home and when she invited me to stay in until the rain stopped I declined her offer. I knew that Griffey would have told me I was stupid.

“Text me when you make it back home Que, be safe.” She said sweetly and kissed me on the cheek.

“Okay, I will Bella.” I told her that I would. I left her apartment and chose to wait out the rain at the Quick Mart on the corner by her house instead. I didn’t know how long it would be raining and was unsure if I wanted to be at her house for that long. I couldn’t decide if I was hungry or if her kiss had given me butterflies, but I went to grab a bite to eat anyway.

I bought a Jamaican patty and a cream soda, by the time I finished eating and chatting it up with the store owner the rain had almost completely stopped. I threw away my trash and made my way back home. The streets were almost  empty of people. With barely any traffic or crowded sidewalks it took me less than ten minutes to get home from the store.

All together, I had been gone for at least forty-five minutes. When I walked in the door Corianna and Griffey were closed up in his room and her cousin was asleep on the couch. The lights were dimmed and I was standing beside a sleeping girl, I probably looked like the biggest creep.

  She was lying down on our black couch and snoring lightly. I didn’t want to wake her up because I wasn’t sure how she would react if I disturbed her, at the same time I was worried she’d get an infection on her face from resting her head where most of our friends sat their asses. Okay, maybe not, but why take the chance? Not that they were dirty people, but only God knew where they had sat before they came to our house and it’s no telling how many girls Griffey had boned in that same spot. She could be breathing in thousands of microscopic germs, dried bodily fluids, and bacteria. I couldn’t just let her sleep there knowing that.

 “Hey,” I called out loudly and flipped on the light switch. What was her name again? “HEY!” I said louder. I must have startled her, because her shoulders jumped and she woke out of her sleep. “Excuse me, um..” She shot straight up and looked forward as if she had forgotten where she was.

  “Uhh… Hi,” She said between yawning and looked up to me.

“Hi?” I repeated back to her awkwardly, not knowing what to say now.

“Um, do you know h- how long I’ve been sleeping?” She asked.

  “I’m not sure. I just got home.” I said sheepishly. She chewed on the bottom of her lip and wiped the corner of her mouth, checking for drool. There was none. “You looked comfortable and all, but that’s not exactly the cleanest place to lay your head.” I told her. She looked appreciative of my concern.

“Oh! Yeah, you’re right,” She nodded and I think I heard her laugh lowly, her cheeks turned a little rosy. She was becoming embarrassed, much like she had been earlier. “Thank you,” She said.

“It’s cool… Um. May bad, but what’s your name?” I asked her finding it weird that I wanted to know it.

“My name is Kali and yours?” Her name fit her, simple and pretty.

  “Nice to meet you Kali.” I said.

“Same here.” She returned the compliment, waiting for me to introduce myself.

“It’s Quentin – I’m named after my dad.” I stated when I took a seat beside her on the couch.

“That’s cool, like the famous film director? I love his movies, especially Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.” She said leaning forward slightly with an expressive look in her eyes.

“Yeah, I wish my parents thought I’d be that cool. His movies are insane and brilliant,” I admitted and registered that her facial expression changed, like I’d surprised her by something. I continued. “Our names are the same but I’m actually the Quentin the fourth. I’m named after my grandfathers too,” Kali smiled and nodded, but then looked at me questioningly.

  “Oh, I see. Is it sorta like a family tradition?” She asked.

“You could say that, at least it has been for the past five generations.” I mentioned and her facial expression was still curious. “All of the first born sons in our family get the same name. I would have liked my own, but I’m still proud of it.” She slowly shook her head up and down with a look of uncertainty.

“So, umm.. Why does Griffey have his own name?” I guess Kali must have been confused. “He’s older right?”

  “Oh. We have different fathers,” I explained and watched as her cheeks started to become flushed again, she was embarrassed because of her curiosity. “His dad’s name was Griff.” I added and watched as her shoulders started to hunch forward.

“I’m sorry for being nosey, I didn’t know. You guys look so much alike,” Kali apologized in her soft voice and I smiled causing her mouth to mirror mine. Her parted lips exposed braces on top of her white teeth and a small dimple in her left cheek. Her stretched mouth looked soft and plump. I must have been staring because she quickly dropped her grin. I regretted it because she looked so appealing when smiling.

“Sorry Quentin, I um- yeah,” Kali sighed and continued talking. “I do that all of the time, you know?” I nodded yes, even though I didn’t. “I ask too many questions and then? It’s just.. yeah. I’m working on it, like last week. Oh god,” Her eyes looked downward as if realizing something and she continued. “I’m seriously talking so much.” She gasped and I started to laugh, she was so amusing. No wonder Griffey laughed at me so much when I got nervous around girls. “Sorry. I - well. Nevermind.” She repeated her apology and stopped her guilty rant, it was kind of cute how she fumbled over her words.

  “It’s okay, you’re not the first person to ask Kali.” I told her and the redness subsided from her cheeks. “We also have two younger sisters and two younger brothers. My ma’ named our baby sister Quentinesha because she looked so much like my dad, she’s two. I know she’s going to have a time spelling that in Pre-K,” Her smiled returned and we laughed together. “I thought Valerie would have been nice, but my mom is kind of extra. I love her though,” I added.

“Quentinesha, is uh- nice too,” Her voice was unsure, but she giggled. I enjoyed the sound. Her voice was so soft and sweet, her laughter was no different.

  “Our other sister is Princess, she’s sixteen and her personality is quite the opposite of her name. She’s kind of a tomboy so we’re really close. Then there’s Bryan and Brandon, they’re fraternal twins…” I trailed off watching her smile again. Now I started to feel like I was talking too much, which I never did. I supposed it was a good thing that I felt I could talk to her.

“Wow! That’s so awesome,” Kali’s eyes widened and so did her kind smile; it made my stomach tingle. “I’m an only child. I always wished I had brothers and sisters, you guys are so lucky to have such a big family.”

  “I wouldn’t trade them for the world,” I told her truthfully. My family was the most important thing in my life and I couldn’t imagine living without them, no matter how dysfunctional we could be. We talked alone for a long time until Corianna and Griffey came out of his bedroom to announce that he’d be grilling burgers on the balcony for us. They had the munchies and the cold pizza that had been sitting on the kitchen table all night was hard and looked unappetizing.

  Corianna seemed surprised when she saw us chatting on the couch, but quickly suggested that we go into my bedroom because “in her opinion” the couch we were sitting on was uncomfortable and unclean. The sofa was actually soft and wasn’t too dirty to sit on. I figured she just wanted us to give them privacy. I didn’t argue with her since I wanted to keep talking to Kali alone.

  She told us that her and Griffey were about to play the game while the burgers rested. Even though I don’t think it was needed, she reassured Kali that I wouldn’t bite her so we ended up chilling in my room.

  We just sat on my bed chatting and spent time getting to know each other better.

  I didn’t keep track of how much time had passed during our conversation; it was as if time had stopped. I found out that she was a big movie buff and a proud bookworm. I then confessed to her that all of the books in our bookshelf belonged to me. I also liked to read.

  We realized that we shared similar interest and had a few things in common. Kali asked me what I had planned to do once the summer was over. I told her about all of the colleges that I had been accepted into and about my academic scholarships.

  She seemed impressed and told me how proud I should be. I admitted that I was and told her how happy my parents had been. I asked her about where she used to live and she didn’t go into detail about her life before San Myshuno, but she said that she missed her school and friends. I was satisfied with that answer and didn’t pry any further.

  I looked at her for a moment, like really looked at her and realized that she made me get a feeling that I couldn’t yet explain. She wasn’t a typical “Pretty” or “Gorgeous” woman by San Myshuno standards, but she was beautiful to me. Kali stared back at me and for a few moments we just sat in silence. Too soon the moment passed when Corianna called out to us that the burgers were almost done. “I said come and get ready to eat y’all!” She repeated. We stood  quietly and went back into the living room.

  I watched Kali as Corianna try to teach her how to do a few of the dances that were popular in San Myshuno and it was easily one of the funniest things that I had ever witnessed. Kali had absolutely no rhythm; my side was aching from laughter by the end of the night. If my boys Mohammad, Trent, and Geechie were still here, all three would have probably died from laughter.

  When the burgers came out we all sat down and enjoyed the food. Griffey made a few jokes and of course he unintentionally embarrassed Kali in the process. He made a joke about her size and Corianna made him apologize. Kali spoke up and dismissed it as banter then cracked a joke about his head being shaped like an egg.

  She was cute when she blushed and I found myself observing all of her movements. The way her generous hips swayed when she walked and even the way she chewed her food. The sight was so adorable, she looked like a chipmunk.

  After noticing her go for another burger, Griffey commented on how good his food must be and we all chuckled. All jokes aside, he really did know how to cook. I liked the fact that she wasn’t afraid to eat in front of us, most girls that came over always said they weren’t hungry or only snacked.

The rest of the night had gone by pretty fast and when we checked the time it was close to 3:00 AM. I hid my disappointment when it was time for them to leave. I wasn’t even tired of their company yet. Griffey and I offered them either one of them our beds to sleep in, but Corianna insisted that they get back home before the morning so that her mom wouldn’t ask why Kali had stayed out so late.

  We talked some more until Griffey called them a Yellow Cab taxi. He gave them money for their ride home since his new car was a two-seater. After we said our goodbyes and it was time for bed I couldn’t get her off of my mind. I thought about Kali, her laugh, and her dimples until I fell asleep and dreamed about holding her in my arms. I had forgotten to text Isabella earlier when I made it to my apartment and decided that I’d text her in the morning.

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[panicatthehottopical]

Just Tell My Crush I Like Him

-Part 1-

Word count: 2808

Pairing: Romantic Lamp (Virgil/Logan/Patton/Roman)

This was it. This was the day Virgil was gonna confess...except he couldn’t. He promised the he’d confess today but he just didn’t feel comfortable so, he did the next best thing.

OR

Virgil rants with his crushes about his other crushes and none of them know he likes more than one of them

Ao3

If there was one thing Virgil could do, it was talk about his crushes for hours upon hours. During different days, Virgil would spend one on one time with different sides: On draining days- he'd recuperate in Logan's room, on emotional days-he'd bake with Patton, and on inspired days- he'd participate in a craft with Roman. At least, that'd how it started. A few days a month, he'd somehow end up with the other three, typically under those circumstances. Logan would invite him to spend time in his room as the other read. They would interact a bit here and there, sometimes sharing whatever they were looking at and debating the subject. Mostly though, days in Logan's room were just a relaxed way to spend time with each other. If Virgil was ever significantly distressed, Patton would ask Virgil to bake with him. Virgil accepted as the change of scenery and activity helped the anxious side calm down. In some cases, the baking even made him excited. After a particularly wonderful day, Virgil asked Patton if he'd like to bake. Now, he was definitely a tad bit nervous, but he knew it would make the other's day. Patton was certainly surprised but visibly excited. After that, baking became their thing: no longer as just a way to recover, but as a way to just spend time together. Virgil's first encounter spending one on one time with Roman was a bit different. Unlike the others who wanted to spend time with Virgil in those instances, Roman needed a helping hand and the others were preoccupied with one of Thomas's dilemmas. Roman didn't mind having Virgil be the one to help however, he was a bit weary due to never interacting with Virgil separate from the group. Their interaction was uncomfortable for a few minutes before they started playfully bickering as Roman led him into Imagination. Virgil leant Roman a second pair of eyes (not literally, Remus) as he observed the prince's painting. He had spent days slaving away on it and every second paid off thanks to the look on the shorter side's face. He-was-spellbound. The painting depicted a mixture of things the sides enjoyed but surprisingly the differences in interests complimented each other beautifully in the swirl of colors. Once Virgil was finally able to tear his eyes away, he complimented the prince and for the first time in his life, had no pointers to give. Roman didn't even try to contain his joy at the response. And yet even after receiving no helpful advice, Roman asked him for his opinion again, on another project. At some point Roman began helping Virgil with his drawing techniques while Virgil helped Roman with specifically dark or disney themed projects. Virgil helped when Roman created another castle in Imagination, only this time it had elements from every single Disney movie in existence: Pete's Dragon, Treasure Planet, you name it! (And let's just say Virgil made sure to leave a few extra surprises for Roman in that castle of his.)

Despite his effort to remain distanced from the others, Virgil found himself looking forward to every moment he spent with them. Light hearted conversations and banter with the others began to give way to something Virgil was extremely unfamiliar with. Conversations began going deeper and deeper and deeper still and this stirred something in Virgil that he didn't know he had the capacity for, love. Learning the though processes and dreams of the others along with their unfiltered care for him lead Virgil to fall deeply for them. The more time he spent with them, the more time he wanted to spend with them. Family meals and movie nights became more lively as they all became closer and he wouldn't trade that for any-well, maybe...no. He wouldn't trade that for anything. As they revealed personal things about themselves, Virgil began to as well. He was admittedly slower to open up but all three of them were patient, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, his feelings couldn't stay hidden. After a nice debate in the starry room followed by scrolling through tumblr and reading respectively, the silent agreement to avoid that territory was breached.

"May I inquire something?"

Virgil raised an eyebrow, "Shoot."

"I have nothing to 'shoot' at you, and even if I did, I doubt I would be inclined to do so."

"It's means ask away, buddy."

Logan loosened his tie seeming almost nervous as he spoke, "Do you possess romantic feelings for anyone?"

Virgil's body went ridged. Did he know? Virgil stuffed his phone into his pocket and kept his hands there as well. As much as he'd rather escape into the world of tumblr, if he held his phone any longer Logan might have noticed how much his hands had begun to shake from nervousness. Virgil tried to force his shoulders to relax as he shifted into a more comfortable position,

"What brought this on?"

Okay, that was good. Figure out how much he knows or thinks he knows and figure out a way to counter, just like any other debate.

"I've noticed an increase in the length of time you spend around Patton, along with more of a variety of expressions than you had previously shown when exposed to him, and an increase in the length and frequency of your 'spacing out' or as Patton would say, your 'daydreams.'

Virgil opened his mouth only to close it again, he had no idea how to respond to being caught but boy was that attractive. Shaking his head and snapping out of it, Virgil simply nodded. Logan gave him a small timid smile as he asked if the emo would like any advice, if he needed it, because despite not experiencing a relationship himself, Logan did have some helpful information about them in his pretty little head. "I'd uh I'd like that, thanks Lo," Virgil gave a two finger salute before slipping out of the room. It was a little earlier than he'd normally leave but not so early that he'd seem upset. It was a relatively rare occurrence, as he would spend every moment with Logan that he could, but what the heck it was a pretty weird day already and Virgil had a few things he needed to wrap his head around.

“And then he just winked at me! Completely unaware of how adorable what he just did was! I swear that one is gonna be the death of me!” The logical side chuckled at this, Virgil had previously explained the phrase and it was certainly entertaining to see it in use.

“And did you feel his hair? Softest thing in the world I’m telling you. I just wanna hug him and never let you.”

“He is quite endearing.” A content sigh escaped the shorter one’s lips, “You can say that again.”

The next to find out was Roman. The prince gently rested his sword on his shoulder as the walked, similarly to how a guard would in old movies. The atmosphere was intoxicating from exotic plants to mystical beasts, this part of Imagination was not to be missed. They walked along the stone path as the Prince strayed from their previous subject, “He’s just soooooooooo annoying.”

Virgil gave him a look, “Who?”

“Logan. It’s just.he. He just. He’ll correct some of my ideas which can be helpful but is sometimes just hurtful but then there are these other times,” he trailed off for a moment as a dreamy look crossed his features, “and he’ll give me this smile.”

“So you’re upset he smiles at you?” Virgil didn’t know whether to be exasperated or amused. “No well uhm yes? It’s just so annoying. Have you seen the way he flips his hair out of his face after working out?” Roman turned to look beside him, only to find that Virgil had stopped walking a few feet back.

“Wait I’m not the only one?” Virgil took a quick few steps and stood facing Roman.

“The only one what?” Virgil was too wrapped up in the fact that he wasn’t alone in this that he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Not the only one that finds that extremely attractive.”

“Wait you too? Yes he’s so freaking hot! And he somehow doesn’t even know it.” Roman’s were thrown around in all directions as they fanboyed over the freaking hot guy who had no idea he was being awfully distracting. They stopped by a creak along the path and Roman kneeled down to drink some. Virgil leant against a tree as he waited for his companion. Roman coughed for a minute or two before breathing steadily once more.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, choked on the water. Nothing shall ever defeat this prince! Nothing can choke me no manticore or spider people, I shan’t lose to this liquid again!” He claimed.

“You’d let Logan choke you,” Virgil smirked. Roman sputtered in response before increasing his speed as he stepped back onto the stone path, so that Virgil couldn’t see his blushing face. He muttered an embarrassed, “You’re not wrong” before attempting to distract the other. Virgil found his response surprisingly adorable as he sped up and fell into step beside him. He wasn’t gonna let Princey live this down but he’d let it go for now.

And lastly, Patton found out during one of their baking sessions. Patton had just finished washing the dough off his hands as they waited for the cookies to bake when he asked the question “Have you ever fallen for someone before?” Virgil was incredibly nervous at the question but quickly decided he do what he tried to do when Logan asked, find out how much Patton knows and deny it. “Why? What’s up?” Patton sighed at the non answer, “It’s just, I have so many feelings. You know, I’m Thomas’s feelings, so does that mean that nobody else can have crushes?” Patton tried to dry of his sweaty hands on his apron, but it was no use. “I don’t think that’s the case. You know we can all feel other emotions so why would feeling-feelings be any different?”

“I have no way to be sure. There are so many things we still don’t understand about ourselves and other sides. I could spend my entire time pining and never know whether or not there’s even a possibility of having a shot.” Patton looked so lost that Virgil let his guard down just a tad, “At the very least at least two of us, other than you, have those kinds of feelings.” Patton’s eyes lit up, “Wait really?” At Virgil’s nod Patton started hopping up and down in excitement. After the initial excitement wore off Patton looked a bit perplexed, “How do you know? That the other person has feeling I mean.”

“Well, we’ve talked about feelings like that before.” “Is it okay for me to ask who the other guy with feelings is?” Virgil thought for a moment, “I don’t think he’d mind me saying, he’s literally the side that covers romantic stuff.”

Patton squealed, “Roman!”

“Yep,” Virgil said popping the ‘p’

“I bet he’d be super romantic. Probably do all of those grand romantic gestures.”

Virgil would have laughed if Patton hadn’t looked so invested, “Yeah that’s actually like half of what he talks about.”

“I wish someone would do that for me.” Virgil frowned at Patton’s disappointment, “I’m willing to bet a limb that someone will.” Patton gave a small genuine smile, at that.

“So how about you?”

“Hm?”

“Would you like to be swept off of your feet?” “Depends on the person and how they do it. As long as they didn’t pressure me into anything or make me feel extremely uncomfortable, I wouldn’t mind it.”

“Wait, really? I thought you’d be against that kind of thing.”

“Nah, I mean I’m not dying for it to happen but I think it’s really sweet. Shows how much they care, ya know?” Patton smiled and ruffled Virgil’s hair, “Yeah, I think so.” The timer went off and Patton hopped over to the oven, earning a smile from V. Something was tossed onto Patton’s chest as he struggled to catch it, “Forgetting something?” Patton stared at Virgil with a puzzled expression before both of them said, “Mittens,” at the same time. Patton put them on his hands before pulling out the hot tray of goey cookies and breathing in the smell. The scent was a mixture of butter, flour, sugar, and chocolate, it was his favorite smell. Patton’s blissful expression caused Virgil to melt a little bit inside. They snacked on a few cookies and put the rest in a bowl, for later. The question from earlier got him thinking, “Hey, Pat?” “Yeah, kiddo?” “If you could date any of the sides who would you pick?” Patton looked away, a little embarrassed, “I’d probably pick Roman.”

“Okay yeah, I can see that.” “What about you?” Virgil had already kinda told the other two about two of his crushes so maybe it would be nice to have someone to talk about his last crush with? Well, he was about to find out. “I guess, Roman.” Patton was caught a little off guard but started gushing over how sweet Roman was and how he subtlety made sure all of the others were taken care of, in a way that differed from the others. Logan made sure they were physically taken care of, Virgil made sure they were safe, Patton made sure they were taken care of-emotionally, and Roman was extremely protective of them but tried to cover it up. They all had their ways of looking out for each other, one they all had in common was ranting. Whenever a side was stressed or confused or really happy, the sides would rant to each other and the receiving side, no matter who it was, always listened and helped where they could. Patton and Virgil had a new topic to talk about. Whenever Roman made something for Pat or did something out of the ordinary when with Virgil, they would meet up and talk about how incredibly sweet, dumb, and just overall ridiculous he was.

As amazing as this was, this was bad this was so so bad! Virgil knew that Patton had feelings for Roman and Roman had feelings for Logan but he didn’t know if Logan liked anyone. It felt wrong hiding what he knew from his friends, especially since he hadn’t told them everything right off the bat. But, there was no way he could tell them that he liked all of them. He knew for a fact that they cared about him a great deal but that it was platonic, I mean he knew their crushes so how could they like him.

After a couple months of all of this, Logan forced him into a position he would rather not be in. Logan had informed him that while it was beneficial to confide in him with his feelings, it would leave him feeling unhappy if he did nothing about it. Something about it not being fair to let Virgil hurt and continue pining when he was certain Patton returned his feelings. What Logan didn’t know is that Patton liked Roman! Nonetheless, Logan had stated that either Virgil told Patton or he would. Virgil had till the end of the week to make a decision. And here’s the thing, he couldn’t ask for advice because Roman would think that he liked Logan and not Patton and would probably try to fix things but end up making them worse. He could tell Patton that Logan had said the same thing that he had actually said to him but change the fact that he would tell Roman instead of Patton but then Patton might try to confront Logan, in a kind manner which would just result in Logan telling him anyway. It was a lose lose situation so, he did the next best thing.

During a break between the movies of a nice movie night Virgil did the only thing he could think of. Moving the popcorn off of his lap and getting off of the couch, he double checked to make sure everyone that needed to be there was in the room. It wouldn’t be very smart to say something while Patton was grabbing drinks or Roman was in the middle of a song. Virgil stood up quickly glancing at all of them before staring at the floor, “Tell my crush I like him,” the second the words escaped his mouth, Virgil bolted out of the room. Even if the others hadn’t been stunned by the fact that he was telling them to tell his crush that he liked them, they still wouldn’t have been able to stop him from leaving. Logan was the first to break the silence by clearing his throat.

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

What do you think of men in women's lingerie? or men getting pegged by women? Like I think it doesn't make them any less of a man really personally, but idk is it inappropriate?

**Okay, so disclaimer, me saying “you” in my response doesn’t specifically mean you, anon. I don’t want you to think I’m ranting at you specifically. I’m saying “you” meaning everyone who reads this and thinks such practices are inappropriate :) **

Why would that be inappropriate?? If a woman wears a man’s boxers or boxer briefs or any form of male clothing, do we say it’s inappropriate? NOPE. In fact, a lot of the time we talk about how empowering it is, for women to do that. So why would it matter if a man wears women’s lingerie or clothing? 

I really don’t understand why, as a society, we’ve assigned genders to things that don’t need genders, like clothing and career fields and even COLORS. Like, who first looked at the color pink and thought “yep, that’s only a women’s color”.....???? And now we look at men differently if they wear that color....just WHY?! Seriously, think about how god damn stupid it is, that a COLOR makes someone “less of a man” in a lot of people’s eyes. Or a certain fabric or piece of clothing does so. It’s ridiculous.

People can wear whatever they want, in my opinion. If you’re not in a relationship with that person, then how is anything they do or wear hurting you? How is it inappropriate? Wtf does inappropriate even mean, really? Me saying “fuck” in public might be “inappropriate” to a lot of people, as would me talking about sexuality topics in public and not caring who hears, but I’m sure as hell still gonna do both those things XD 

People can also do whatever they want sexually (so long as it’s with other consenting adults), and it shouldn’t matter. Unless you are fucking that person, or in a relationship with them, what does it matter what they want to do sexually? How is it affecting you, besides maybe making you feel uncomfortable (which is your own stuff and issues to work out)?

Just because something makes you or whoever else feel uncomfortable, that doesn’t mean the other person shouldn’t do it. Other people aren’t to be expected to hide their identities or preferences, just because other people are arrogant enough to think that their own comfortability is more important than someone else’s identity or preferences. If something makes you uncomfortable, stop and think about why it makes you feel that way. Is it because society told you that you should find it uncomfortable? Or is it just because it’s something you don’t see often and aren’t exposed to, so it’s outside your comfort zone? Neither one of those reasons means that the other person is inappropriate; it means you need to challenge your own stigma against such practices, and perhaps look up the practice and educate yourself on it a bit, because education is an important part of learning how to accept and advocate for those who are “different” than you are. Rather than demean others for living their lives and being brave enough to express themselves, regardless of what society thinks, I wish more people would stand up against the stigma and hateful comments. People always want a reason to feel “better than” other people, and frankly, I think THAT is what’s inappropriate. 

[malilimago]

Starry Nights Part 12!

Riley is a nanny who seems to have it all. She’s got an awesome job with an extremely rich family that only needs her a few hours during the week, a loving Fiancé, and wonderful family and friends, but somethings missing. Lucas is a Veterinary Technician in a very similar situation. See what happens when their two world collide on one starry night in December.

Word Count: 2,300

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Better off Dead (1985): "First, we have: Frawnch fries…and…Frawnch dressing…and…Frawnch bread…and to drink, Ta-da! Peru.“

Author’s Note: It’s been awhile, but I’m back with part 12!  As always, a shout out to my inspirations!: @iwantyoutochooseme, @whenrileymetlucas, @katdvs and @grizbehr! Y’all are amazing! And to all those who’ve stayed with me THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT! I appreciate it SO MUCH! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Part 12: “Pillowtalk" 

Lucas 10:41pm

When we enter the apartment a feeling of relief comes over me. These past few nights have been WEIRD to say the least, so it’s nice being somewhere I’m familiar with. I look to Riley and can tell she’s ready to be done with this evening as well and I don’t blame her. Like I said tonight’s beenWEIRD!

“Well.” We say at the same time. 

“Sorry, go ahead.” I chuckle.

“No, you go first.” She insists.

“I was just going to say, I had a really fun time tonight.”

“You’re such a liar.” She accuses politically. “But, that’s okay.”

“I’m being serious!”

“Fine-” 

“Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional. I’ll take it.” 

Her face brightens as her brows lift. “You’ve seen the Italian Job?”

“Of course, I love movies like that!”

“Me too.” She sings.

I’m just about to ask her what her other favorite films are when-

*Buzz* *Buzz* *Buzz*

I close my eyes and watch my insides cave in on themselves.

This can’t be happening.

“You should get that.” She whispers.

Yup, this is happening. 

I reluctantly do as she says and jam my hand in my pocket to retrieve my stupid, STUPID PHONE! I shake my head as I see who it is and hold it up for Riley to see. She gives me an apologetic smile and encourages me to answer it.

“Hey, Pey.”

She gives me another smile than tiptoes towards the bathroom, my spirit deflating with each step.

“LUCAS?!” Peyton screeches through the earpiece, triggering my younger sibling flinch.  

“Hot damn! Peyton! Where’s the fire?!” I shout back.

“WELL IT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY THING THAT GETS YOUR ATTENTION! NOW! Christmas!”

I roll my eyes and shuffle towards my room. This is gonna take a while… GREAT.

Riley 11:28pm

I finish up in the bathroom and peek out into the hallway. I can hear Mrs. Hanson’s voice seep through the crack of Lucas’ door. I let out a soft chuckle as I quietly creep back to my room. I slowly lock the door and when I hear the click I let out a silent cheer!

Finally!

I quickly strip down to my undies and dance to my suitcase. I need some much-needed sleep! The past few days have been… Weird.

I take in a deep breath and smile big as I shake out my over-sized sweater with its huge Santa head eating a loaf of bread on it!

It was last year’s Christmas gift to Charlie from Maya. She thought he’d get a kick out of it since he specialized in breads, but he didn’t. In fact, he was deeply offended, which is why I own it now! 

I throw it on then clumsily slip into my awesome calf length tube socks! When I’m finished, I wiggle my freshly warmed toes and let out a tiny giggle.

I’m complete!

I glance over to my pajama bottoms and stick my tongue out at them. I only brought um for Lucas’ sake. Ya know, just to be polite when I walk around at night, but right now I don’t care! I just want to be free and let my legs breathe!

I fall backwards onto my bed, bumping my nightstand as I do. Without warning, an unexpected item falls to the ground creating a loud clanking sound. Of course, I scream bloody murder till I realize it’s just Joey’s baseball bat!

Oh thank goodness!

However, my relief is short lived as another loud noise pierces the air. Lucas!

“RILEY?!” He calls as he pounds on my door. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”

I clutch my chest and with a newly found vigor, reply, “YES!” as I try my best to steady my pounding heart.

“Are you sure?!”

“Yeah!” I reassure him as I rush to the door and open it. “I accidentally-” My jaw comes unhinged as I gawk at Lucas’ shirtless body. Greek Gods do exist! He snaps his fingers, bringing me back to earth.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asks with a concerned expression etched into his gorgeously formed face.

“YEAH!” I reply with a nervous chuckle. “I accidentally knocked over a baseball bat.”

“You play?!”

“No! I was- it was when- I-”

“Long story?” He guesses as he flashes an adorable smile.

“Yeah.” I reply shyly.

WHY IS HE SO CUTE?!

His eyes drop to my chest and I feel my cheeks heat up.

He’s checking me out!

My feminist mind is about to unleash a harsh rant on equality and respect when he says, “Nice sweater.”

SHIT! I totally forgot what I was wearing!

My eyes shift to the floor as I stumble through the explanation of it.

“It was a Christmas mess- GIFT! Christmas gift from Maya to Charlie and he was a prick and tried to throw it away- NOT THAT I THINK HE’S A PRICK per say, just an asshole- JERK!” How I keep sticking my foot in my mouth, I have no clue, but boy do I wish I could stop! “I’m sorry I-”

Hey!” Lucas interjects. “ONE! Stop saying sorry for having an opinion and TWO! You wanna do something crazy?”

“Please!” I squeak.

Riley 1:03am

A silly grin makes its way across my face as Lucas and I tumble to the ground. He must have magical powers or something because it’s been years since I’ve done anything like this!  

“You’re brilliant.” He pants.

“The feelings mutual.” I grunt, propping myself up on my elbows as I do. We look to each other and high five. All of the sudden a feeling of regret comes over me as I think of Auggie.

“My brother would’ve loved this.”  

“My siblings too.” He sighs. “I know!” He states as he sits up.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s dedicate this to them!” 

“That’s a PERFECT IDEA!” I cheer.

He rolls out of the ginormous fort we’ve just finish making and calls for me to follow. When I stand up, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Lucas?” 

 A slight sting takes over my right arm as a puff of feathers explode beside me. I turn to find the culprit sporting a cheeky grin as he holds his pillow at the ready. 

“Lucas!”

“Forgive my rudeness, fair maiden.” He cackles in a horrible yet charming British accent. “But, twas you who suggested we dedicate this mighty fortuitous to our kinsmen!”

“Tis true, but an attack I did not!” I reply with an equally bad British accent.

“Well, Darlin’, that’s how it’s done in the kingdoms down South.” He states in a thick southern drawl. 

“Fighting?” 

“Mmmhmm.” He hums.

“For what?”

“Rule.” He replies with a bow as he tosses the other pillow in front of me. “This Palace needs a ruler before a proper dedication can commence.”

“Then a ruler it shall have.” I retort as I shift my gaze into a glare and pick up the offering.

“TO THE DEATH!” I shriek, quickly striking him in the head.  

“TO THE DEATH!” He repeats as he deflects my feeble attempt and swings his mighty weapon of fluff! 

I barely miss his deadly blow as I fall to the floor and speedily crawl behind the couch. I do my best to regain my bearings, but am cut short when Lucas leaps over my useless cover and shouts. “HA-HA!” 

He lounges for me, but I skillfully doge him once again and race towards the Kitchen. I’m just about to clear the entryway when I feel a cushion knock my balance off. I stumble to the ground, losing my pillow in the process. I watch as it slides across the floor and a feeling of dread creeps in as my eyes dart to Lucas to see if he’s caught my disadvantage.

HE HAS!

I scramble towards it, but he beats me to it and kicks it further away. I quickly jump to my feet and tickle his exposed underarms. He’s so caught off guard that he loses his focus for a split-second, allowing me to snatch his pillow from him!

“HEY!” He laughs. “That’s not fair!”

“All’s fair in love and war!” I quote as I get a good whack at him before running it to the Kitchen. He catches up to me and traps me at the island.

“I see I’ve misjudged your abilities.” He huffs as we circle it.

“That you have!” I state as I book it for the dining room. He’s close behind me, but not for long! I pull the highchair in front of him and laugh as he trips over it. That small distraction gives me enough time to slip back into the hallway. I wait at the end of it making sure he’s still following from that way. When he rounds the corner I quickly flip off the lights and sprint back to the family room where I hide behind the recliner. I peek behind it as he defensively re-enters the room, his eyes peeled for me.

“Can we call a truce?!” He calls out with his awful British accent still intact. “I’m winded!” 

I remain quiet as I position myself right next to him then yell, “NEVER!!!”

I spring out and send the final blow to his stomach! 

His eyes widen as he looks to his stomach than back to me. 

“Riley!” He Wheezes.

I nod with great satisfaction as I watch him fall to his knees. 

“Any last words?”

“Long live Cuddle Bunnies!” He huffs.

“Awww! That’s lovely.” 

He salutes me the dies (tongue out). I salute him back and for a moment, bow my head in reverence of fallen opponent. After a second of mourning I muster all the strength I can and shout, “I’m the QUEEN!” as I make my victory laps around the now “dead” Lucas Friar. He sits up and joins in my celebration!

“All hail, Queen Riley!” He cheers.

I giggle, slightly embarrassed at how serious I got and take a bow before going back into my fort. He tries to follow, but I stop him.

“First, state your loyalty Sir …” I search his eyes for a name and he laughingly replies, “Mortimer Twigglebottomsmythe.”

“WOW! You are definitely from the Southern Kingdoms.” I joke. “So, go ahead. State your loyalty Sir. Mortimer Twigglebottomsmythe of Austin.”

He takes my hand and gazes deeply in my eyes as he replies, “From this day forth my loyalty will forever be to you Queen Riley of Greenwich Village.”

He finishes with a kiss on my hand and I feel my heart pick up speed.

“I guess that will do.” I exhale.

“Will it?” He taunts and I pull my hand back as I stick my tongue out at him. 

He flashes his famous Friar smirk and starts to crawl forward, but I stop him again.

“But I pledged my loyalty?”

“I know. Now you must bow.” I demand coldly.

“But-”

“Bow!”

“How deep do you want it?” He asks with his cheeky smirk still in place.

I gulp hard and shrug. “You may go as deep as your devotion.”

“Okay.”

He sprawls out flat on the floor and my eyes widen because in Mulan that meant a lot of respect?!

“Can I come in now?” He asks, his face still pressed against the rug.

“Oh yes, of course!” I stutter as I help him up. “I’m so sorry! I kind of get carried away with things like this.”

“It’s alright, your highness. I’ve experienced worse.”

“Your sister?”

“ZAY!”

A fit of laughter takes me over as I imagine King Zay forcing everyone to kiss his pinky ring.

“OH MAN! That is worse!”

Lucas 1:54am

Our laughter settle as we resume our positions in the fort. We take a moment to marvel at our work as we try to steady out breathe. This has got to be one of my best. I glance over to her and find she’s already looking at me.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

The feeling from her room come back and all I want to do is grab her beautiful face and kiss her, but I stop myself. 

“What is it?” She asks as I back away.

“I’ve never been good at hooking up-”

“Is that what you think this is?” She asks, clearly upset by what I’ve just said. 

“NO!” I correct. “Far from it, which is why I can’t kiss you.” Her shoulders slump over and I can tell she still isn’t getting what I’m trying to say, so I rephrase it. “Because if I kiss you now, I’ll never leave.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” She questions as she wiggles into my arms. I breathe in the scent of her hair and feel my body weaken. 

DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! SHE SMELLS LIKE STRAWBERRIES! NEXT YOU’RE GONNA TELL ME SHE LOVES BASKETBALL!

I clinch my jaw as I massage her arm. “Not at all, but we gotta be real about this, Riles. We both have a lot goin’ on right now.” She’s about to cut me off again, but I stop her. “AND I WILL BE DAMNED if I’m the reason you don’t get time to heal!”

“I don’t need time!” She pouts.

“You think that now, but I promise you, you’ll be grateful you had it. I mean look at me! I was given that opportunity and it lead me here to you.”

“But, what if that doesn’t happen for me?” She asks as she leans back to look me in the eyes. “What if this is all we get?”

I lightly brush her cheek and whisper. “Then I am the luckiest man on Earth to have gotten a week in your world.”

A tear falls as she quickly tucks her head back into my chest. I pull her in closer and pray.

Oh, please, PLEASE say she’s wrong! But if not. Thank you for this moment.

I lightly kiss the top of her head and rock her till we both drift off to sleep.