#boiling it down to 'i like this person so we are friends' does help me get through my discomfort opening up

[droodlebug]

i do struggle with making close friends, but i've started adopting my nephew's definition of friend which is just like. someone i had fun with and got along with and enjoy being around for however long it's been and it's made me happier I think

[namism]

Request: Heyyy!

I saw that you were requesting some fics, I was wondering if you could do a Trafalagr Law fic where Y/n or You has a flavored lipgloss gloss (any flavor), you could take it any direction you want!

Thank you and have a nice holiday!! ❤️

citrus | trafalgar law

➳ categories: canonverse, gender neutral reader, established relationship

➳ warnings: slight nsfw (detailed kissing)

➳ word count: 1.1k

➳ summary: Law isn't a fan of your flavored lipsticks and glosses when he tastes the flavor of Japanese plums, but you think you just found an alternative.

➳ notes: thanks for the request! ❤️ law canonically doesn't like umeboshi (pickled japanese plums), but for the sake of the fic, i made him a fruit hater ☠️ happy holidays, everyone!

➳ cross-posted on ao3

Before you began dating Law, you didn't expect him to be the many things that he currently is to you. To start, Law presents himself differently in front of many people that his attitude in dealings pretty much boils down to who he's talking to. As once a stranger to his crew, you saw a side of Law that was meant for business, a side of him so serious and monotonous that over time, became bothersome to deal with.

Yet you persisted through his seemingly dull personality until one piece fit into the other and you decided to date.

A relationship so sweet yet so unexpected, you learned many things about Law that he never would have thought of telling you, things about him that he always kept secret, locked inside his heart or his thoughts. Things that he could only say to his closest friends, others only for the ears of his lover.

That is to say, before you began dating Law, you didn't expect him to be a kisser.

He kisses you all the time, but the depth and length of his kisses vary. On some days, he would peck your lips. On others, he would peck your cheek. On most days, he would take his time kissing your lips. He can't help it—he scored a goal by dating you, and it gives him the peace of mind that he's the only one who can kiss you the way he does.

As much as he loves kissing you, however, there is one thing that deters him from doing so on rare occasions.

Your lipgloss.

He can explain—he generally has no problem with you and your cosmetics, secretly even liking it when you kiss him on the cheek and your lipstick leaves a faint mark on his tan skin, but he does have a problem when he kisses your glossed lips and tastes the faint flavor of fruit, some of them which he likes, some not so much. You love wearing different pigments on your lips, different products and brands that make your face look much more colorful, more full, so you often rotate among your collection of lipsticks and glosses, each one surprising your boyfriend whenever you greet him with a sweet and colorful kiss.

Law loves that you feel beautiful in your own skin to wear all of the makeup that you do, but he has a great distaste for some of your lip products. The flavored ones, to be exact. He's not a big fan of fruit (ironic, he knows, since he's literally a doctor), so he freezes up whenever he kisses you and tastes the flavor on your lips. You always make sure to tease him whenever he does so, calling him a big baby for not liking the taste.

"Oh? What's with the long face?" You once picked on your boyfriend as his lips flattened into a tight line after a short kiss. Law usually smiled afterward.

"You taste like plum," he said. Your eyebrows furrowed.

"Sad about it, are we? You hate my lipgloss?"

"It reminds me of that pickled snack Bepo eats." He shrugged, a chill running down his spine upon remembering the taste of Bepo's strange snack. Umeboshi, Bepo called it. Law could never get past its sour and salty flavor.

From that day onward, you would dodge Law's kisses whenever you happen to be wearing the ume-flavored gloss on your lips, often choosing to send a flying kiss toward his way as an alternative. When you visit Sabaody Archipelago, however, an idea comes to mind.

With the Polar Tang docked somewhere in the outer groves, you bid them goodbye as you make your way to Grove 30 for the island's shopping mall, where you stumble upon a vast selection of cosmetics. Eyes shining brightly, you indulge yourself in retail therapy as you blow your money out on the finest products you could find. When you walk past a stall vending a particular item, you halt in your tracks and come running back.

A lady sits behind the stand, her features telling of her youthful age. She smiles as you point at the array of lipgloss on the table, and urges you to swatch them out on your hand.

"That one's flavored," she says matter-of-factly as you hold a yellow tube in one hand. You read the printed label. Lemon.

"Do you have anything else?" you ask.

"I've got a lot to show you!"

As the lady disappears under the stand to rack for the new line of glosses, a smirk forms on your lips, the pit of your stomach turning in excitement.

When you come back to the Polar Tang, your excitement is apparent to your crewmates who wonder where you've been. You provide them with a giggle in response before you skip happily to your Captain's quarters.

You knock on the door. Law grants you entry a few seconds later.

"Miss me?" you tease him as he steps aside to let you in. You drop your bags to the ground, while he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Where have you been?" he asks.

"Just went shopping, like I told you."

He shrugs. He doesn't think much of it, assuming that you just had a few hours of fun to yourself before you set sail again. His hands drop to the side when you approach him for a kiss, your hands gliding across his chest before encircling his neck.

Before you can kiss him, however, he stops you abruptly.

"I smell something," he notes. He sniffs the air and looks at you questioningly. "It smells good."

You bite down on your lip discreetly to keep yourself from laughing. "How does it smell?"

"Like citrus," he answers. "Is that... you?"

Standing on your tippy toes, you move your face closer to his.

"Find out for yourself."

Law leans into you when you successfully catch his lips, his eyebrows jumping upon tasting yours. He notes the citrus flavor that he detected just a few seconds ago and almost scoffs at your little ruse. Expecting him to pull away, you sigh in relief when he leans further down to deepen the kiss, his hands coming to rest on the small of your back.

Law tugs on your upper lip slowly, eliciting a moan from the back of your throat. He swipes his tongue on your lower lip to taste the flavor of lemon, and repeats it so often until you're losing your breath.

Pushing away, you gasp for air.

"So? Do you hate it?" you ask breathlessly.

"No, I'm into it," he mumbles, pulling you in closer. "Another one, please."

The pit of your stomach stirs in need as he holds you intimately close. You peck his lips and pull him to the other side of his quarters, laughing to yourself at the turn of events.

You guess you just found your default lip combo. Law liked it more than expected, after all.

[bingbongsupremacy]

The Lakeside Cabin

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Warning: Y/N Use, swearing

Summary: The hate you and Bucky have for each other has gradually increased throughout your time knowing each other. This time, things went too far. Thanks to your arguments, you get sent on a unique consequential mission: You will both live together in a secluded cabin until you're able to come together and settle your differences. You're screwed.

This doesn't really follow the movies or shows.

*Not Proof Read*

No mentions of body type, skin color, or details of reader's appearance. Reader is able-bodied.

Pt. 2

□□□□□□□

My mom always told me hate is a strong word.

It's not strong enough to describe the way I feel about Bucky Barnes.

Bucky Barnes.

10 percent muscle. 90 percent jackass.

I never wanted to hate Bucky. He just makes it very difficult to like him.

We have different personalities-I like being loud and outgoing. I love the spontaneity life has to offer and being around people. I can be rebellious and don't like it when people tell me what to do.

Bucky's the opposite. He lives in silence and routine. Everything has to go his way. He's grumpy and constantly has a gloomy grey cloud of isolation that surrounds him.

He does fine with everyone else. He's not exactly their best friend, but he's civil. He's willing to work together with them.

Just like he pisses me off, I piss him off. We trigger each other. We're always looking for an in -a way to catch the other when they slip up and help drag them down.

It doesn't help that some people on the team think the only reason we fight is due to some extreme sexual tension. The way they make stupid remarks or exchange looks when they see Bucky and me fighting makes my blood boil.

Don't get me wrong, Bucky Barnes is an attractive man. He's got beautiful eyes and an amazing physique. He's strong and mysterious -the kind of bad boy type guy that makes girls swoon.

But the attraction ends there. His personality totally kills the mood.

Things have definitely escalated since Bucky joined us at the compound last year. It started out with small, snarky comments and evolved to full-on verbal warfare: no filter, no tact, just venom and fire.

"Are you always this loud, or is it just when I’m around?"

"Only when I’m trying to scare off emotionally stunted super soldiers."

"You know, I’d rather face Hydra again than spend another second dealing with your miserable ass."

"I’d gladly leave you to rot with them if I didn’t know you’d screw up the escape plan."

"You know, for someone with a metal arm, your grip on reality is weak."

"And for someone with a mouth like yours, it’s a miracle you’re still breathing."

Sometimes I don't even mean to fight back. I try to take the upper hand, face his words like a champ, and not let them bother me. It's just so difficult. When he starts the fire, I need to make sure it burns.

I know it bugs the team. We've been warned multiple times by Steve and Fury.

It's just so hard to stop.

I don't know why I do it. Maybe it's to get his reaction. Maybe it's because I like to get the last word. I don't know.

It's rare that the team pairs the two of us up on missions. They know the way things will play out.

We're only paired together in extreme situations in missions -situations where they need the best shooters in the group.

Situations like the one today.

Bucky and I haven't said a word to each other in half an hour.

The air is beginning to chill with the change in time. The sun is setting, casting a beautiful orange and pink glow over the chaos we're supposed to cover. If this were any other situation, I would be sitting down and admiring the beauty of nature. I love sunsets.

But this isn't any other situation.

Bucky and I are lying on the roof of an abandoned building a few feet away from each other. Our eyes are trained on the deteriorating warehouse across from us, fingers hovering above the triggers of our guns. The building, which looks like it's holding a bunch of secrets, is definitely holding a bunch of secrets -kidnapped human experiments and top secret information regarding planned attacks. The shady, untrustworthy exterior definitely matches the vibe of the horrors happening inside.

Outside of the warehouse are parked cars without license plates and scattered pieces of junk and broken machinery lying on rough gravel and yellowing grass.

Steve walks into my view from the left. He quietly guides, who are closely behind him. They stop behind one of the cars, using it as cover while Steve scans the area for any dangers. After the area is secured, the three begin making their way into the building through a side entrance.

Through my scope I briefly spot Tony as he enters through the other end of the building.

The comm in my ear gently crackles as Natasha's voice comes through. "I've got visuals on the northwest entry."

Steve's voice follows. "I'm placing charges."

"All right, folks," Sam chimes in. "Let’s make this fast and quiet. I’ve got eyes in the sky, but our rooftop lovebirds better stay sharp."

There he goes again, our number one shipper. He's so adamant about there being something between Bucky and me. It's annoying.

I choose not to let his words ruffle me, biting the inside of my cheek harshly instead.

Bucky ignores the jab as well.

The only sound between us is the soft click of his rifle adjusting. He ignores me, just as he always does.

The tension between us is strong. We're both annoyed. Neither of us wants to be here with the other one.

I try to focus on the task at hand. Observe. I need to observe.

It's difficult.

Every few minutes, I feel my attention shifting to the man in my peripheral vision. I watch him lie perfectly still, the only movement coming from his jaw, which he clenches and unclenches every so often like he's trying to hold back.

He probably is holding back. Something I did pissed him off. Something I do always pisses him off.

I shouldn't be distracted. I can't afford to be, not when the lives of innocent people are at stake. I need to stay focused.

This isn't about me or Bucky. This is about freeing civilians.

Because HYDRA is HYDRA, all hope for a smooth, easy mission is thrown out the window about 5 minutes later when Tony's voice breaks the tense silence.

"Cameras are down," Tony’s voice is quiet. "Something triggered the internal defense system—doors locking. They’re trying to cage us in."

"Bucky, Y/N, keep the perimeter secure." Steve orders, his voice more urgent than before. "Watch for backup."

I force myself to focus on the building below, knowing this could turn into a life-or-death situation. "Copy." I reply calmly.

Bucky stays silent beside me. He shifts his scope lower.

"You could at least pretend we’re working together," I mutter, frustration laced in my tone.

"Didn’t realize babysitting you required small talk." He snaps back without looking at me.

I roll my eyes so hard I practically see stars. "Right. Because you’re just so pleasant when you’re brooding in silence."

"Silence is better than listening to your constant whining."

"Whining?" I let out an annoyed laugh. "God, you’re insufferable."

"And you’re loud. Even when you’re trying to whisper, you’re loud."

We both freeze at the same time.

Footsteps.

Close and fast.

Fuck, just what we need.

I turn my scope, just in time to see a group of Hydra agents breaching the stairwell two floors below us.

"Oh, shit," I breath.

Bucky moves first. He's up in seconds, his rifle in hand. "We’ve got company."

"Team, rooftop’s compromised," I say sharply into the comms. "We’ve got Hydra climbing the building."

"How many?" Asks Steve.

"At least six, maybe more. All armed and in tactical gear." I get up, clutching my rifle securely in my hands.

"Get out of there. Now."

Bucky moves towards the door we entered onto the roof from. His steps are light but purposeful. He stands to the side of the door, barely waiting for me to get to the other side before opening it quietly.

Of course, he didn't wait.

He doesn't give a shit if I'm shot down. One less problem for him to deal with.

"Sacrifice me, I guess," I mutter snarkily. "It's not like I mind getting shot. Thanks for asking."

"Have you ever considered shutting up? You're going to give our location away." He hisses, still not sparing me a glance.

I can't resist. "Have you ever considered thinking about anyone but yourself before? I know it's a new concept for you -possibly a little difficult for you to wrap your brain around, but I promise you'll be slightly more tolerable."

"Ha ha." Bucky's tone is unamused. "Thanks for the life advice. I'd try it but I really just don't give a shit about what you have to say or your opinion."

We continue making our way down the stairs, eyes constantly scanning in front of us.

"Fuck you." I huff, annoyed by his presence. I just want to go home and get as far away from this man as humanly possible. I've spent enough time with him for today -for a lifetime.

"Very mature. What, can't think of anything better to say-" Bucky is cut off by the sound of gunshots echoing through the room.

Immediately, he's quiet, his lips tightly pressed together. He's pissed we drew attention to ourselves. He's so going to give me shit for this.

The next ten minutes are a blur. Everything happens so quickly.

Gunfire cracks through stairwells. We move, dodging, weaving through offices. We take down the agents who come at us, neither of us needing to speak a word. It's about survival right now.

Then Bucky has the nerve the piss me off again.

"I said left, Barnes!"

"You want to lead? Be my guest," he snaps, ducking behind a filing cabinet as bullets tear through drywall. His lips are pursed into a tight frown, his eyes crinkling with anger.

"I am leading! You’re just too busy trying to look cool to listen! Newsflash, Bucky. We're not in a fucking action movie. No one gives a shit if you look cool and mysterious." I hiss back, pressing myself tightly under a desk as the bullets continue to come.

"Right, because this is such a great time for your little ego trip!" He quickly shoots down two agents with ease before retreating behind the filing cabinet again.

"My ego? Oh, please -like you don’t walk around with a six-ton chip on your shoulder and a martyr complex the size of Manhattan!" I manage to take out the last agent left shooting at us.

"You don’t know the first thing about me." Bucky brushes past me, his shoulder roughly knocking into mine.

I don't let it faze me. I quickly follow him, still keeping my eyes searching the room. "And you don’t know the first thing about working with someone who doesn’t worship the ground you stomp on!"

"You think I wanted to be paired with you? You think I asked for this?" For the first time all day, Bucky's head snaps towards me. His striking blue eyes are dark and narrowed at me. His face is tense and clearly angry. "You're the last fucking person I want to be paired with."

By now, we're screaming. Our boots thud down staircases as we duck another volley of shots. He's pissed. I'm pissed. We're on the verge of quite literally killing each other.

And through all of it—

The comms were still on.

-------

When we finally burst out onto the street, smoke in the air, Hydra agents down for the count, I am heaving. My hands are shaking from adrenaline and rage. I can't stand one more minute with this asshole.

Bucky is beside me, jaw clenched like it might crack. We storm across the lot to where the Quinjet is freshly landed and waiting for us, steam hissing from its wings. The team is standing and waiting.

Sam crosses his arms slowly. "Well, that was subtle."

"Shut up, Wilson." I roll my eyes, wiping a little bit of blood from my hand onto my shirt.

Steve looks like he aged five years in ten minutes.

Natasha just raises an eyebrow. "You two done with your little lovers’ quarrel?"

I blink. "What—?"

And then it hits me.

The comms. The fucking comms.

"Oh, god."

Sam smirks. "Not gonna lie, I was really rooting for one of you to throw a punch. Or kiss. Hard to tell with you two."

I scoff. "Keep your fantasies to yourself."

"You’re both exhausting," Steve mutters.

Bucky looks like he wants to dig a hole with his metal arm and crawl into it. His face is slightly flushed -most likely from a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

I lift a hand. "I didn’t mean ...he’s just -this whole thing-"

"Sexual tension like that could level a building," Natasha deadpans, eyeing the two of us. "And apparently did."

"I hate him," I state.

"Right back at you," Bucky growls.

We glare at each other for a moment.

And then we both walk in opposite directions while the rest of the team stares after us like exasperated parents watching their toddlers throw tantrums.

The mission was a success.

Our dignity? Dead on arrival.

------

The silence on the Quinjet is suffocating.

We are barely five minutes in, and already I feel the tension crawling across my skin like static. No one is speaking. No one is even pretending to make small talk. Even Tony is quiet (Something I thought was impossible), which meant we had officially fucked up.

I sit with my arms crossed and my jaw clenched, staring furiously at a very interesting spot on the floor. Across from me, Bucky sits in his own simmering silence, eyes fixed straight ahead, metal fingers twitching like he wants to strangle a ghost.

Every bump of turbulence feels like a passive-aggressive nudge from the universe.

I get it. What the fuck else do you want from me?

Steve is seated beside the cockpit, flipping through a report like it owes him an apology. Natasha leans against the wall by the hatch with her arms folded, wearing the expression of a woman who'd just listened to two coworkers have a very personal argument on speakerphone.

Because she has.

Because everyone has.

Sam lets out a long, theatrical sigh from the back bench.

"Just say it," I snap without looking at him. I tightly clench my fists, waiting for his remarks.

"What?" he asks, all innocent.

Fucker.

"Whatever comment you’ve been chewing on since we left the ground."

He grins. "Oh, I wasn’t gonna say anything. I’m just wondering who’s gonna crack first and scream ‘I love you, you emotionally constipated bastard!’ because honestly, I’ve got twenty bucks riding on Y/N."

I open my mouth. Close it. Turn to glare out the window instead. If I could kill Sam legally, I would. At this moment, he's on the same level as Bucky on my shit list. "I hate you."

"You've said that a lot today," Bucky mutters.

I snap my head toward him. "And you keep earning it. Care to earn another one?"

He finally looks at me, face hard. "I didn’t ask to be stuck on a roof with you."

"Believe me, if I could’ve picked anyone else on this planet to crouch beside for two hours of pure hell, I would’ve!" I tear my eyes away from him as I roll them.

"Oh my god," Natasha mutters, dragging a hand down her face.

Steve stands up abruptly, closing his folder. "We’re debriefing in an hour. Separately."

He's tired of our shit.

Tony, from the cockpit, calls back, "Debrief? Nah, just show me the footage of their comms again. That was way more entertaining than the mission feed."

"Delete it," I hiss. "Or I swear to-"

"I enhanced the audio," he replies brightly.

Of course he did. Why wouldn't he?

Sam wheezes. Natasha covers a snort with a cough.

Bucky is back to brooding in silence, but I can feel the heat rolling off him. Or maybe that's me. I can’t tell anymore.

We don’t speak for the rest of the ride. But I can feel his anger in my bones.

This has been the worst day of my year.

------

When we arrive back at the compound, we're all instructed to fill out our mission reports. Of course, I fill mine out as honestly as possible.

According to Bucky, he does, too. Sure.

Then we're called into a meeting by Nick Fury. Of course we are.

I sit with my arms crossed, refusing to look at Bucky, who’s already slouched in the chair across from me like he’s being forced to endure a root canal. His jaw flexes. Mine probably looks the same. The silence stretches like wire, taut and ready to snap.

Fury walks in, holding two tablets. He doesn’t sit. He just stops in front of the table, stares at us for a second, and looks like he’s calculating how hard he’d have to throw them for one to hit me and the other to clock Barnes. His glare is sharp enough to slice a block of metal.

“Alright,” Fury says, voice low and loaded with irritation. “Let’s recap.”

He lifts one tablet and reads.

"Agent Y/L/N: 'Mission compromised due to Barnes' refusal to follow sniper protocol. Irresponsibility put my safety in danger. Verbally hostile. Referred to me as, and I quote, "a trigger-happy liability with the patience of a caffeinated squirrel.'""

My arms fold tighter. I stand by my words. "Accurate."

Fury doesn’t react. Just switches tablets and reads again.

"Sergeant Barnes: 'Agent Y/L/N compromised positioning with unnecessary movement, broke radio silence to argue during enemy fire, and nearly shot me during an escape maneuver. Refers to me as having, quote, "the emotional range of wet drywall.'""

Bucky shrugs. "Still stands."

I scoff. "Only because I didn’t include 'walking splinter with a martyr complex.'"

Bucky snaps, "Maybe if you'd shut up for two seconds—"

Sure, maybe it's a little immature, but we're both already in deep shit. I scowl as I mock him.

"Enough," Fury barks, slamming both tablets onto the table like they’ve personally offended him. His glare shifts between the two fo us.

The silence that follows is blistering. Bucky looks like he wants to say something else, but I throw him a glare that could slice through vibranium.

Fury pinches the bridge of his nose like this briefing is physically draining him. "You two do realize your comms were on the entire time, right? While you were sniping. Escaping. And—what did the tech guys call it—oh right: 'screaming like a divorcing couple on Judge Judy.'" He spits. His brows are furrowed in anger.

My face burns. Fucking tech guys.

Bucky mutters a sharp curse under his breath.

"And thanks to that little performance," Fury continues, "Tony enhanced the audio. Sam made a remix. Natasha uploaded it to the team drive under the file name 'The Sound of Sexual Tension.'" His eyes narrow. "Not to mention, you put yourselves and your teammates at risk."

"I’m going to kill him," I mutter. "Actually, all of them. I'm going to kill all of them."

"You’ll have to beat me to it," Bucky growls. His posture is stiff and straight. He looks ready to jump up and hunt them down the second Fury excuses us.

Fury claps his hands once. Loud. Final. "Great! You'll have plenty of time to coordinate the murder. Together."

My stomach drops. What does he mean? Together. I don't want to spend another minute with Bucky. "Wait, what?"

"You’re both being reassigned to Safehouse Bravo-Tango-Twelve,"Fury says, way too casually, "for a mandatory cooling-off period."

Bucky and I speak at the same time.

His tone is annoyed. "You've got to be kidding me." For a moment, he closes his eyes like he's wishing this was all a bad dream.

"You’re locking us in a cabin?" I demand, staring Fury straight in the eye. I'm ready to fight. No way am I staying in a cabin with Bucky, we'll kill each other in minutes. I'm not kidding.

"No. I’m locking you in a lakeside four-room, twenty-camera, panic-button-equipped safehouse with 2 weeks' worth of rations and no mission clearance until I get a report that doesn’t read like it was ghostwritten by a Real Housewives producer."

"You've got to be fucking with us!" I groan, leaning back further into my chair. This is a nightmare. "Tell me you're fucking with us."

Bucky leans back, arms crossed like he’s bracing for a fall. "I'd rather bunk with Hydra."

Fury leans down, voice low and lethal. "Don't tempt me."

He grabs the tablets, heads for the door, and pauses just long enough to twist the knife.

"Oh -and if either of you so much as touches the surveillance cameras, I’m putting you in a room with Loki for a week of trust-building exercises. You are not allowed to leave the premises. If this isn't sorted out by two weeks from now, someone will bring you more supplies until it is. You two decide how long you want to let your egos get the best of you."

The door slams.

I whip my head toward Bucky. He turns at the same time. We both have a similar glimmer of rage in our eyes.

"This is your fault," we snap in perfect sync.

This is a nightmare.

------

Taglist: @buckysdoll85

[tsumey]

fem. reader, not proofread, 815 words

miya atsumu has a problem.

well, multiple problems. but all his problems boil down to the teacher’s assistant in his physiology class.

it was annoying how she’d always hold him back after lectures to remind him of his deadlines, how she’s always up his ass about his test scores, and how she’d never fail to mention tutoring for him.

he doesn't need a tutor, his grades are average! and besides, he didn’t get a scholarship to be a star student, he was asked to be there to play volleyball, dammit.

his friends tease him about his academic performance, which further annoys him because again, he is not failing! he’s only missed like….five deadlines..but he still managed to submit them after a week!

he doubts he’s the only one falling behind in class, so why does that damn ta always single him out?

“i don’t know why you’re complainin’ so much ‘bout her. it sounds like you’re her problem more than anything.” atsumu pouts at this, his stupid brother doesn’t know anything.

“you don't understand. she definitely has it out for me. i don’t remember doin’ anything to her but she definitely has a grudge against me.”

sunarin chimes in, “y/n? sweet little y/n? grudge isn’t in her vocabulary, you’re just stupid.”

“and how would you know? you friends with her or somethin’?” atsumu rolls his eyes at his friend. god, even when she wasn't around, she still manages to put a sneer on his face.

“nah, we’re just cool like that. we were in a group project for biochem.” 

“let me guess, she was all strict n uptight about your part.” he has a smirk on his face, confident that y/n was as bad to suna as she was with him.

“easiest person to work on a project with.” suna counters atsumu’s smug look with his own. 

atsumu reacts to this by groaning loudly and frustratedly pulling his hair while osamu and suna snicker.

“remember, midterms are next week!” the professor’s reminder gets drowned by the noise of students’ chatter as they go bustling out of the lecture hall. atsumu scurries out with the rest, already dreading the coming week. his eyes narrow as he nears the exit, spotting his biggest headache by the doors, seemingly waiting for him. 

he lets out a loud sigh when he hears you call out his name before he could even try to blend in with the other students. he quickly wipes off his irked expression and mustered up a polite smile. 

“hey atsumu, sorry for holding you up again. i just wanted to talk to you about something.” you gave him a smile that looked sweet, and he wasn’t used to sweet.

atsumu raises a brow at this. now why in the world are you smiling like that when you’re probably just going to scold him again for his missing work?

“what did you want to ask?” he couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive, this was certainly not how he expected you to greet him, all smiley and upbeat, a stark contrast to your usual serious attitude towards him.

“so as you know, midterms are coming up,” atsumu internally sighs and braces himself for the usual words that were going to come out of your lips, “and i was wondering if you’d like to study together.”

now this. this is definitely not what he was expecting at all. his brows shot up at what he heard, “you mean you wanna tutor me?”

“no, not like that!” you chuckled, “just studying, but like, with the two of us.” you awkwardly explained.

is she asking me out on a date? a study date? is what atsumu thought, because his mind was so boggled that you, the annoying ta, was asking him, miya atsumu, if he wanted to study for midterms together.

“uh yer askin’ me?” his accent accidentally slips out, a telltale sign of just how puzzled he was. “i mean, yer askin’ me ‘cuz of my shit grades, right?”

your smile gets wider, perhaps too wide, but atsumu’s not surprised any more so than he already was. he watches as you erupt into a fit of giggles at his question. it’s cute, he thinks. you’re cute, when you’re not bugging him about school. he could finally see your charm, now that he actually looked at you with his mind quiet of disgruntled thoughts of you.

“no no, you’re actually doing very well recently. i know we have some classes together so i just, y’know, thought i’d ask.” atsumu sees your wide smile ease into a more bashful one. just when he thought you couldn’t get prettier. you really are full of surprises, and atsumu is so pleasantly surprised.

atsumu releases an amused breath and flashes you his famous grin, “sure, i’d like that.”

“meet me in the library later?”

“great, its a study date.”

[prying-pandora666]

Azula Respected Mai The Most

I just saw another Reddit comment saying Azula wasn’t friends with Mai and mostly only cared about Ty Lee. And I just gotta say…

I respectfully disagree.

The Boiling Rock proves Mai meant a lot to Azula.

First, Mai publicly commits treason and betrays the Fire Nation and Azula.

What does Azula do? Order the guards away and gives Mai a chance to explain herself. She even says “I never expected this from you” and “you of all people know the consequences”. Put a pin in that for a moment.

Giving a traitor who just publicly and flagrantly betrayed you and your nation to help an even worse traitor to your nation (Zuko, who on a personal level hurt both Mai and Azula by doing so) a chance to explain themselves is already significant. But even moreso is the fact that Azula doesn’t make a single move to harm Mai until Mai purposely and effectively hits Azula’s trauma weak point like the master marksman she is.

When Mai says “I guess you don’t know people as well as you think you do” this is already an insult. She’s putting down Azula’s intelligence and manipulation skills, things Azula clearly takes pride in. And yet despite how insulting that is, Azula still waits for Mai to explain herself. Even as Mai throws that barb at her, Azula wants to hear her out. Until Mai throws the even worse insult right at Azula’s weak point.

“I love Zuko more than I fear you” isn’t a statement of Mai being afraid really. It’s Mai throwing a powerful dig at Azula’s biggest fear and trauma, the one Azula tried to dismiss during The Beach with a joke to avoid showing her own vulnerability: Azula fears that Ursa hated and feared her but loved Zuko. It’s why during the mirror scene, a grief stricken and emotionally volatile Azula bitterly says to the hallucination of Ursa “even you fear me”.

Only then does Azula get triggered enough to lash out in return. Mai was only capable of hurting her so much precisely because Azula loves and trusts Mai so much, and precisely because Mai knew what to say to hurt her.

Even so, Azula does the forms for fire, not lightning. And after she is chi-blocked, Azula orders both Ty Lee and Mai jailed, not executed or banished despite having every right to do so since they just publicly committed treason against the Fire Nation.

See the quick strike? It’s more like when she attacks Iroh in The Chase with blue fire:

Lightning, by comparison, always has a wind up for her. Even when comet-boosted or otherwise.

Remember Azula’s line we put a pin in? Let’s go back to it now. Why does Azula say “I never expected this from you” and “you of all people”. What is the significance here?

We know Azula is a perfectionist. She can’t stand a single hair out of place. This informs her frustration with Zuko and Ty Lee, both whom she adores, but whom are constantly failing to stay in their place and play their role. Zuko messes up, gets himself banished. Ty Lee runs away and joins the circus. What does Azula do? Endeavor to use any means necessary to bring them back into the fold. It sounds crazy, but from her perspective, she’s helping them shape up.

But Mai? She’s different. Mai knows her place. She knows what’s expected of her. She says herself that she learned to be quiet and still so as not to risk her dad’s political career. She hates it and searches for any excuse to leave her stifling expectations at home, but she only does this in an acceptable way: when ordered by the princess to join her on a mission for the Fire Nation.

This is why Azula is especially shocked. Because of all people, Azula thought Mai was the only one of her friends who understood their duty to the nation and wasn’t a colossal fuck up.

Azula may be more affectionate with Ty Lee, but she definitely respected Mai more.

And I think the fandom doesn’t give their fascinating relationship or how it breaks down enough credit.

[egalitarian-tomboy]

"The body language was intentional." Body Language Difference Between Sonic & Amy vs. Sonic & Tails

Although the DC x Sonic the Hedgehog 4 part mini series is non canon to the mainline story (as far as we know at least...) in one of the previews we got for the first issue we get a moment where we see Sonic grab Tails and Amy for a retreat.

However the difference in how he grabs them is interesting enough to warrant a post of its own.

ABT (Adam Bryce Thomas, artist for the crossover) said the body language was intentional and later on went on to elaborate that Sonic is simply being more gentle with one than the other and that he's not interested in shipping theories nor does he have any personal stake in that realm of fandom. He just said that it'd be more in character for him to have a little tact.

First off: HARD AGREE!

Like don't get me wrong, I've been a Sonamy shipper since I was in Middle School when Sonic X was still on 4Kids TV and SA2 was on the Game Cube but I'm against shipping theories / fan shipping wars getting heated between fans. Like y'all lets calm down these are fictional characters.

Secondly: I'm making this post specifically to talk about the body language in terms of how Sonic personally interacts with Amy vs. Tails in different situations. Because they're both close to Sonic but their bonds differ to an extent. So this is really my excuse to talk about something I've wanted to for a while.

Whether you ship Sonamy platonically, romantically, or you just consider them to be friends. I hope you can at least appreciate the observations in this post. Because it also has some appreciation for Sonic & Tails brotherly relationship as well.

So let's start off with the above body language in question and focus strictly on the hands.

The lines in the panel signify the strength of the grip he has on Amy's hand vs. Tails' wrist. With Amy, Sonic is holding onto her hand gently yet with enough grip to get her attention and to draw her close. While his grip on Tails' wrist is more firm with more like a "Get over here!" level of urgency to it. They both convey the same intention yet Sonic's touch differs depending on the person. Which it should because you don't act the same way towards everyone regardless of who they are 100% of the time. Sonic's no different. Sonic has always been protective of Amy and Tails but with Amy he won't physically harm her or act aggressively with her unless it's for her safety (Like pushing her out of harms way or keeping her from running into danger). So his gentle hold of Amy's hand is a good example of that level of softness he treats her with even though he knows how she's able to handle herself. With his grip on Tails' wrist, it's done in a way that screams "Brothers" to me. The older brother pulling his little brother out of harms way and getting his attention when he's too focused on the wrong thing at the wrong time. He's not being as gentle with him because sometimes Tails requires a bit more force to get his attention when he's invested in what he's doing. But the intention is still the same: Getting him out of danger and taking him along with Amy out of danger.

Next we have this scene from the main series:

Now in this scene, as they're confronting Eggman, the body language between the three of them says a lot more about their feelings in the moment. Sonic is ready to fight and protect, Amy is slightly concerned for Sonic, and Tails is nervous but ready to fight by Sonic's side to stop Eggman. The difference between this scene in the previous scene however boils down to Tails' junction to Sonic in the situation. Instead of being brought out of a situation, Tails is preparing himself to work as a tag team with Sonic or provide backup in a fight. For a while now Tails has been wanting to prove he can be useful to Sonic and help him on his adventures. Which is one of the big motivations for him in the first Sonic Adventure game that rolls into SA2. Most recently in Sonic Frontiers he's expressed his desire to be a hero that Sonic can be proud of, that doesn't need to rely on his help 100% of the time anymore. Which Sonic encourages but reminds him that growing up is learning also that it's OK to rely on others even when you're capable of being a hero that helps everyone. One way that Sonic is letting Tails grow into his own hero is by letting him fight with him and on his own two feet (or in his case with his two tails). Now when you focus on Sonic's body language with Amy close by, he's taking more of a defensive stance with her. Again, even though he knows damn well that she's very capable of handling herself with that hammer of hers, he is still very protective of her. One of his arms is slightly in front of her and he's positioning himself for an attack but he's also capable of taking the full brunt of Eggman's attack if he has a weapon or robot shoot at them. Just because Amy is capable of defending herself that doesn't mean that Sonic will stand by and let her be attacked.

One more scene from the mainline series and then I wanna wrap up this post by talking about the inherent difference between Sonic's relationships with Tails and Amy.

After everything is said and done with the Phantom Rider arc, when they all prepare to head home, Sonic puts his hands around Tails and Amy as they smile and leave together. The thing I want to point out is, similar to the difference in where Sonic grabs them in the DC crossover first issue, Sonic's hand placement is tactful yet at the same time very indicative of his relationships with them. Albeit maybe even a little subconsciously. With Tails his arm is wrapped around his shoulder with his hand wrapped around his arm. Very big brother like and sweet, the clear difference in height is also more pronounced in this interaction. Overall if you were to look at them acting like this and Amy wasn't there it gives the air of two brothers who just got done on an adventure. But when you look at his hold on Amy, you can tell Sonic has a different kind of relationship with her compared to Tails. First off his arm is behind her back with his hand either firmly on her lower back or just close enough to be around her waist. Generally speaking it's traditional for a guy to escort a lady with a hand on her back or around her waist to keep her protected and close so she's safe until she gets where she's supposed to be. But it's worth pointing out that Sonic is becoming more comfortable with his physical interactions with those he's close with. He's a very private guy who doesn't do a lot of PDA with friends, especially with Amy when he knows that she's in love with him and he's "runned away" from her advancements in the past. But after everything is over and the battle has been won, he happily holds her close and walks with her back home. And look at her! She's so happy that he's safe and sound she leans her head against his with her eyes closed. Like she's enjoying the fact he's holding her so tenderly and protectively. If this shot was just him and Amy walking together like this, you would say his smile here was a comfortable yet nervous smile like we've seen in the past where she's given him a hug and he looks a little nervous yet happy.

There are many moments in the Sonic Franchise where we get glimpses into the personal relationships Sonic has with his friends and unfortunately there are a lot of people who think that body language doesn't matter when it comes to understanding a relationship. But body language plays such a huge part when it comes to SEEING how close characters are to each other and how they truly feel about each other. With Tails, Sonic's relationship is that of a brotherhood by bond rather than blood. Sonic's always been there for him and yet he respects and encourages his desire to become more independent as he grows up. He will always be there to help him when he needs help and he will always stand up for him but he won't stop him from becoming a hero himself to fight by his side on equal footing in his own way. Sonic calling him "Little Brother" and "Little Bro" openly and more frequently truly shows how he really considers Tails his family.

With Amy, there is a friendship with her but he doesn't view her in the same sibling way he sees Tails. She's straightforward in her love for him and has openly asked him in the past if he would marry her. She's confessed her love for him openly and maturely to him in the IDW series saying she loves him and she doesn't WANT to change him. He's offered her to come with him on his adventure at the time but she had to help out with the struggling resistance. For Sonic, shyly telling her it isn't ALL or NOTHING is HUGE. Because he wasn't against the idea of her being by his side or adventuring with him after she candidly said she loved him for him. After that there's been a lot more flirting from Sonic's end that can be read as just being playful like he is with others. But when you consider in the past he wasn't the type to flirt back or first AT ALL with Amy, there is an inherent romantic undertone to their interactions. But it shows...if ever so slowly (how ironic)...that Sonic is either becoming more comfortable / open to the idea of a public romantic relationship with her or he's becoming more honest with himself since he's always been interested in her but has always been too shy to confess.

If that was too long for you, TL;DR end summary: Sonic's relationship with Tails is a brotherhood, Sonic's relationship with Amy is a slow burn love story.

Hope you enjoyed reading that because I had fun writing it.

[lookingformoondrop]

Hiiii! Thanks for writing for tcoal! If you have time can I get a yandere Andrew x reader? Thanks :)

Sure thing~ Once again, it seems highly unlikely that Ashley would let this obsession slide, so for the sake of the story, she's been bliped. Happy (late) Halloween! <3

Yandere! Andrew GravesxReader

TW: Yandere themes, possession, obsession, murder, implied kidnapping, intimidation, stalking, Andrew has a foul mouth (Y/N too), not proofread

♡1,438 WORDS♡

Andrew Graves has a mask.

It's a very well crafted mask that's used to blend in with his peers, his friends, his girlfriends, his parents, and even himself.

It covers the dark parts of Andrew that even himself is too terrified to look at.

For if you look into the abyss, it looks back at you.

But when he met you, swinging back and forth at the playground swing, he could've sworn he heard something crack.

You were beautiful.

As he watched you, with the breeze blowing at your cute overalls and baggy shirt, god, so pretty.

Your smile could open the gates of the heavens. Your laugh could make rainbows last, your tears would be prettier than diamonds, and you in his cage would bring him closer to your hell.

He couldn't help but imagine you as some sort of art. Something valuable that wasn't ever to be touched by another person. Only seen by him, just him.

His mask cracked the more he looked at you.

That day started a life-long obsession.

He would venture to that park a few more times after that, until eventually introducing himself to you. Naive you, who believed him to be a kind and stoic person.

You weren't wrong, but it was your fault for thinking that's all it was.

Even if Andrew never admitted it to himself, the thought of you being his and ONLY his made his heart flutter.

How when you breathed, when you walked, when you spoke, when you laughed, it would all belong to him.

Those thoughts kept him awake at night, even if a light blush would always dust his cheeks.

As time went on, he learned that his dakmfk thoughts that he pushed to the back of his mind would only resurface when a man talked to you. Even a father-figure was enough to put him in a foul mood.

Andrew didn't say anything, but hearing his name come out of your mouth made his blood boil.

"Andy? Are you okay? You've been glaring at the ground even since we walked past Mr. Mancho."

"Why do you even like him? He's so...weird," Mr. Mancho was an innocent looking math teacher, one that always smiled at the students. And yet, Andrew hated the fact he smiled at Y/N...he didn't like that very much.

"Weird? He's been pretty nice to me...," You scratched your chin in deep thought, "do you not like Mr. Mancho?"

Andrew looked up at your doe eyes and heard something crack again,

"...he keeps looking at my things."

Andrew justified his growing hatred.

Even as you shrugged away his weird moods whenever you talked to cousins, friends, and teachers, Andrew never lacked as your friend.

Through every obstacle, he'd be there to help you jump over them. Although he'd complain about jumping in the first place, he'd never leave you.

He'd care about your issues, he'd care for your wounds, and he'd listen to your problems.

Especially when you were bullied.

The keyword here is 'were'.

While in school, a boy had groped you. When confronting him about what happened, his friend group laughed at you, claiming that you were just making shit up for attention.

This had made you cry when you got home.

Something that Andrew instantly knew about...somehow.

"Jesus Y/N, what happened?"

"S- Some boy touched me, and- h-he then said I was just making it up for attention! My friends all believed him a-and I," you broke down in sobs as your day was retold to your best friend.

As you continued to share your day with Andrew, he remained completely silent.

Several times throughout the call, you'd check if he was even still on. Still, when you called out for him, he'd answer with praise for trying to stand up for yourself, no matter what they had said to you.

You didn't know it then, but Andrew was squeezing his pack of cigarettes so hard that by the time he had gotten off the phone with you, they were all broken.

The next week, when you came to school, authorities were there questioning all the students. When they came to you, it was explained that the boy who groped you was killed and stuffed into his parent's basement freezer. Along with his friends, who all mysterious died in the forest, with some sort of satanic pentagon painted beneath their bodies.

You told the police you knew nothing, and all your friends who had doubted you came to you in an instant with apologies.

When you had told Andrew everything that happened he had only said,

"How strange."

As the years went on and you grew older, your friendship with Andrew always stayed strong.

Andrew would never say it, but when he kissed your cheek or patted your head, he was screaming,'I love you.'

But his dark thoughts, the ones he kept far back in his mind, would only double.

"Andy! Guess what happened today?"

"Hah?" Andrew turned his head from his spot on the couch.

"This cute boy at my job said he would love to take me out to dinner sometime!" You smiled brightly at the sly possibility that your bad streak with love would finally be over.

Every guy that ever walked into your life promptly bolted for the door the moment you opened it.

Andrew always told you that those guys just didn't appreciate you enough and that someone who bolted just like that was a quitter. Ashley?

But even then, you never gave up. Despite the long list of guys who ghosted you randomly.

"Oh...you said no, right? "

"What?" You walked over to Andrew from the door of the apartment. "Why would I say no...?"

Andrew looked at you with a dark shadow over his face, "Y/N, there are millions of creeps and perverts that are going to ask you out. They're only leering at you for your body."

You frowned at this notion,

"When you go to your next shift, tell him you don't want to anymore." Andrew thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

Andrew looked at your confused eyes.

"Just realized I have to get up early tomorrow to take out the trash."

When you went back to work the next day, he had quit just as suddenly.

Sad and upset over the millionth guy that ghosted and dumped you, you'd sulk to Andrew. Who would always make you warm cup of tea.

"Dumbass, you just keep picking quitters. It's not because of you."

"But Andy, I haven't had a boyfriend in years! At this point I'll die alone, probably with you right there to bury me with my hundreds of cats."

Andrew laughed at that and reached his arm around your shoulder.

"Just wait a little longer Y/N, I'm sure there's some jackass out there waiting for you."

"Yeah, right." You smiled at Andrew, "You're the only jackass I know, though. "

You leaned your head on Andrew's shoulder and began to fall to sleep rather quickly.

"The only...jackass...in my life... Andy, I'm sleepy."

Andrew took a sip of his tea and placed the cup far away from your drink.

"Rest Y/N. When you wake up, you'll have me right there besides you."

"Andy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, you're my best friend."

Andrew patted your hair as you drifted off to a drug-induced slumber.

"Yes, I'm your best friend," Andrew stared off to the distance as he thought about it.

"Soon, your only friend," He nodded at that statement, "Yes, the only friend you'll ever need."

His mask, although long forgotten, had finally cracked open.

You were his. Like a forbidden piece of art, it belonged to him. He was your painter, and as the painter, he declared you to be covered up. Only his retinas were allowed to peer at you.

It's your fault he went through all this effort to keep you safe. He's obligated as the painter to keep his art safe from dirty influences.

He's mildly disappointed in you whenever you speak to another man, but it's okay. It's his job after all to stalk the said man and hack his tongue off for even going to speak to you.

No matter how many guys he has to threaten, no matter how many people he's had to hack at, no matter how many people he's had to kidnap, it wasn't his fault.

It's yours.

All the blame is on his sweet, naive, poor, Y/N.

Still as innocent the day he found you at the playground.

"Still mine..." He mumbled as he stared at your sleeping face.

"Only mine."

Thanks for the ask!<3

[contract-crawdad]

Hello! I'm trying to understand Leigh. I thinked about how she loves to inflict pain, and possibly loves to just leaving disturbing words or bump into others real hard or anything that cause discomfort to her roommates. But then I felt a little confused, about why she didn't take it further.

If I'm a murderous monster who now live with the people defeated me, I will very likely eat said person alive when he's asleep or just unguarded, however Leigh never did such things. We can literally have her carrying unconscious Sam around, and heal him. It seems she really considered herself a friend to us, and will avoid attacking us when conscious.

That's very perplexing to me. Can you share some of your thoughts?

This is a thought I’ve had as well! Leigh is weird. Love her to pieces.

She’s introduced as a monster that tries to kill Sam and his companions and only joins them after Sam proves he can fight her off. Constantly talks about how much she likes KILLING and VIOLENCE and HURTING PEOPLE.

And yet!

She only ever threatens violence, backs down from a fight with Hellen, clearly has a soft spot for any of the three recruitable children, and challenges Sam to a rematch via arm wrestling of all things.

A big part of this boils down to the fact, through the dinner conversations, we can learn that Leigh had (what she considers to be) a prophetic dream revealing that she and Sam are destined to kill the other in mortal combat. Come to think of it, this is probably WHY she attacks Sam in the first place, aside from loving to fight: she saw her chance to beat the guy she’s destined to kill or be killed by and she took it.

But it still leaves it a little unclear why she continues to help!

She does continue to threaten that she’s gonna GET Sam eventually and that she’s building up her strength… but she’s a lotta talk. I think her rationale is that she and Sam aren’t enemies right now, so she’s willing to work together instead of fighting. Yes, they will be fighting in the future as she foresaw in her dream. But that’s later, and she’ll be stronger than him by then, she figures. She even says as much!

…But wait a second, she was actually preeetty easy to beat. Yeah she’s slightly challenging by early game standards, but a few forks in the face and she’s backing off. It really feels like bopping a shark on the nose.

Ultimately? I think she just really loves the thrill of the game. She disappears forever if you run from her, and it’s hard not to interpret that as her getting bored. She’s a competitive spirit who has been suppressed up to this point in her life and been allowed to let loose during the apocalypse. But… all of her interactions in the apartment are either people just assuming she’s going to hurt them, or Leigh not actually putting her money where her (very large) mouth is.

She’s not as tough or as feral as she’d prefer people think she is.

[mswritergirl02]

Jealousy Jealousy.

In which y/n is a bit toxic and can't help but feel jealous when Lexi and Fez hangout.

Pairing : Fezco X Female Reader

->Reader advisory: This writing includes explicit language and references to substances. It may not be suitable for all readers.

A/N: I'm now accepting requests

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/N was excited for her Friday night plans. She had decided to surprise Fezco, her boyfriend, by bringing over a pepperoni pizza and some of his favorite snacks. She hoped they could watch a movie together and maybe smoke a little. Y/n didn't smoke often but when she did it was usually with Fez. The idea of spending quality time with Fez always made her heart flutter. Y/n knocked twice and waited anxiously.

As she stood in front of Fez's door, balancing the pizza box and snacks in her arms, she couldn't wait to see his smile. But instead of Fezco, it was Lexi Howard, her best friend Cassie's sister who greeted her with wide eyes.

Lexi's heart skipped a beat when she saw Y/N standing there with the pizza and snacks. She knew Y/N well, having witnessed her fiery personality in action many times before. Y/N was fiercely loyal to Cassie, Lexi's sister, and would always stand up for her, no matter what. Lexi had seen Y/N's temper flare in arguments and watched her boldly defend Cassie from anyone who dared to cross her.

Now, facing Y/N's intense gaze, Lexi felt a surge of fear. Not to mention Lexi and Fez had just smoked so she was panicking, scared that Y/N knew she was high.

"Lexi?" Y/N's voice broke through the tense silence, her confusion evident.

Lexi swallowed hard, trying to compose herself. "Hey, Y/N" she managed to say, her voice trembling slightly.

Y/N shifted uncomfortably, the weight of the pizza box suddenly feeling heavier in her arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone sharp with suspicion.

Lexi's nerves prickled under Y/N's scrutiny, her mind racing for an explanation.

"-I was just...hanging out with Fezco," she stammered, her voice wavering

Y/N's frustration boiled over, her suspicions pushing her to continue pressing Lexi. "Hanging out, huh?" she scoffed, her tone dripping with skepticism.

"And what exactly were you 'hanging out' doing? Chatting about the weather?

" I was keeping him company ?”

Y/N's voice grew louder at Lexis comment, "Keeping him company?”

“What does that even mean, Lexi?" she demanded. Y/n's face was now bright red, the redness creeping up to her ears, and a nervous twitch now flickering beneath her eye.

"No, um, Fez just invited me because I was nervous about my play, and we ended up watching Stand By Me," Lexi hurriedly clarified, her words slightly rushed.

"And... and smoking a little," she added hesitantly.

Y/N's eyes narrowed at Lexi's response, her suspicions confirmed. "Smoking?" she echoed, her voice filled with anger. "So you're just here to get high with my boyfriend?" Her words were sharp and laced with accusation.

"Get the fuck away from the door, Lexi," Y/N spat.

Lexi glanced back at the empty couch, seeing that Fez was now gone. "He must've gone to the bathroom," she muttered, stepping back reluctantly.

Just as Y/N stepped inside the house, Fez came walking down the hallway, a half-smoked blunt tucked behind his ear. "Yo, Lexi, gonna lock u-" Fez began, before his eyes fell upon Y/N sitting on his couch, legs crossed with pizza box next to her.

Fez recognized the look on Y/N's face and the twitching of her eye having seen her like this many times before. She was mad.

"Hey, ma," Fez greeted Y/N with a smile.

"Explain," Y/N said, jabbing a finger in Lexi's direction.

Fez scratched the back of his buzzed head, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he glanced between Y/N's angry face and Lexi's nervous stance.

"Explain what ma ?" he grunted, his tone thick with confusion. "I was just watching a movie with Lexi, ain't seein' nothin' wrong."

Y/N's eyes narrowed, "Explain why the fuck she's here, Fez.”

Fezco's face scrunched up as he tried to piece things together. "I ain't know you was comin' through, ma,". "Just thought she needed someone to talk to, you feel me?"

Y/N's face tightened with anger. "Why's she in here with you while I'm bringing you food?" She questioned, her voice rising.

Fezco looked unsure. "Again, I ain't know you was comin', ma," he admitted, feeling kinda guilty. "I thought Lexi needed some company to talk about her play and shit"

Suddenly, Ash popped out of his room, the look of annoyance plastered on his face. "What's with all the noise?" he grumbled.

Ash spotted the pizza next to Y/n and grabbed a slice. "Oh, shit, you got pizza"

He then took a second to look between the three figures staring at him and pieced together what was happening.

"Looks like you're gonna get your ass beat by Y/n", Ash smirked.

Fez rolled his eyes, shooting Ash a glare, "Bro shut the fuck up."

"Yo go back to yo room," Fez said noticing that Ash was making himself comfortable on the couch next to Y/n.

Ash grinned mischievously, taking another bite. "Nah, I'm stayin" he replied, enjoying the drama. "This is getting good."

Y/N's frustration grew noticing Fez wasn't paying attention to her. "And what about the smoking'?" she pressed.

"Was that part of your hangout?"

Fez put his fingers to his ears remembering the half-smoked blunt he placed there. "Um, yeah, me and Lex smoked a bit," he confessed, rubbing his neck nervously.

Suddenly, Y/N noticed something that sparked her anger even further. "The fuck did you just call her?" she snapped.

If Y/N wasn’t seeing red before she definitely was now.

Fez blinked, taken aback by Y/N's sudden outburst. "Uh, I..I mean Lexi," he stammered.

Ash, who had been quietly munching on pizza, perked up at the confrontation.

"Ooh, drama," he muttered, taking another bite.

Y/N stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. "What the fuck are you still doing here?" she spat, turning her attention to Lexi, who was shrinking into the corner.

Lexi scrambled nervously to grab her purse, whispering a quick goodbye to Fez as she rushed out of the door.

Y/N walked up to Fez, jabbing her pointer finger harshly into his forehead emphasizing her frustration.

"Lex?" she said mockingly. "Lex?!" she repeated, continuing to shove her finger into his skin.

Ash smirked, sensing the opportunity to exit. "And that's my sign to leave," he declared, grabbing the box of pizza and walking off to his room but not before shooting a smirk at Fez and adding "Good luck, bro", to which Fez flipped him off

Y/n raised her finger to jab Fez's forehead once more, but he caught her wrist firmly, stopping her in her tracks. "I told you to stop that shit long time ago," he grunted, his voice rough.

"I don't give a fuck," she shot back, her tone sharp. "Why the hell are you inviting girls over to smoke and acting all lovey-dovey with them on the couch?"

Fezco was now beginning to get annoyed "You need to chill ma," he stated, his voice rising as he tried to assert his point. He hated when she got like this.

"We just watched 'Stand By Me,' for real. What's your deal?"

Now their argument had escalated into a screaming match, with neither willing to back down. Y/N reached for Fez's pants pocket. "Give me your phone then if you aren't hiding anything," she demanded, her eyes flashing with determination.

Fezco snapped, his patience long gone, he moved her hand away. "Yo, you trippen, chill the fuck out!'

"So no?" she added, raising an eyebrow. "No?!"

"Fine!" she declared, pulling out her phone and began typing a message.

Fezco's eyes narrowed snatching the phone from her hands when he saw her click on Elliot's name.

"What the fuck you doing, Y/N?"

"Yo you fucking for real?" he exclaimed, his anger boiling over as he read the message she was about to send.

From Y/N: Hey Elliot, you wanna watch a movie? We could smoke. I have some weed.

Fez's brows furrowed, "Yo and whose stash we talking 'bout?" he demanded.

Y/N's smirk widened looking to piss him off even more, "Yours baby."

Fezco's eyes narrowed. "Quit playin' games shortie," he growled, his voice taking on a low menacing tone.

He knew she was trying to push his buttons, and it was working like a charm.

"Or what?", she questioned.

"Yo, you tryna get Elliot's ass beat?" he snapped, his voice laced with warning. "Keep saying that shit, I ain't fucking with you.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, "Elliot can handle himself."

He clenched his jaw, "You think this a joke, huh?" he countered. "Trust me, you don't wanna go there."

Fez now towered over her, his piercing blue eyes clouded with anger. "Quit playing these fucking games wit me ma," his voice was low and dangerous as he lifted her chin to fully meet his eyes, giving her a final warning.

His other hand twitched. The urge to hurl her phone against the wall was almost overwhelming. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure before he did something he'd regret. With a heavy sigh, he deleted the message and set her phone down. Deep down, he knew she was just hurt and didn't mean anything by the message. This left him feeling guilty for the tension between them.

Realizing that Y/N had a valid point and knowing he just wanted to de-escalate the argument, Fez softened his tone slightly. "Ma you gotta chill out," he continued, his voice gentler now. "We just watched a movie and smoked, that's it. I wouldn't do you like that."

"Lexi's just a friend, she was hella nervous about a play she's putting on and needed a friend."

Fez handed Y/N his phone, his gesture a sign of trust. "Check it, ma. There's nothing on it," he urged.

I'm sorry, ma," Fez stated.

Fez's apology hung in the air, but Y/N remained stubborn, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared at the phone he held out to her.

"I'm sorry, ma," Fez repeated, setting his phone on the coffee table next to hers and reaching out to gently touch her arm

Y/N pulled away slightly, her expression still guarded. " I don't know, Fez," she murmured, her tone hesitant.

Fezco sighed, frustration evident in his eyes. "C'mon, baby," he pleaded, using the nickname he knew she couldn't resist.

" I messed up having her here without you knowin, I know. But you gotta believe me, ain't nothing going on with Lexi. You're the only one for me."

Y/N's eyes softened as she looked into his pleading eyes.

"My feelings were hurt, Fez," she admitted, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

"But I'm sorry for the way I acted. I might have overreacted."

Fezco pulled her close, landing a kiss on her lips before pressing his forehead against hers. "It's all good ma, he reassured her, his voice filled with affection.

"We all mess up sometimes."

As they pulled apart, Y/N met his gaze, feeling a pang of guilt. "I feel bad for scaring Lexi, I probably ruined her high," she confessed, her voice laced with remorse.

Fezco chuckled, shaking his head. "Hell yeah, yo you scary as fuck when you get like that," he joked, wrapping her into a tight hug and squeezing her ass playfully. "You crazy as fuck ma but that's why I love you”

Masterlist

[dontbesoweirdkira]

A/N: The Coney Island episode did something to me. Like it brings me so much joy! But I can't help but wonder how it's be if Peter was a little jealous of Harry. Peter is so hopelessly in love and is spiraling.

Warnings: mentions of obsession, stalking, possessiveness..

Requests: Open

Masterlist

-----------

You're a close friend of Peter and he has this super huge crush on you...maybe he doesn't even realize it. I personally like to think you are both spiders and that's where his obsession started. Your bond is just extremely strong and tight so he just passes off the intense feelings as something to do with the whole "being bit" thing.

He's always been a bit over protective and maybe a bit over bearing but you know that Peter just cares a lot.

Anyways, Peter instantly regrets inviting you out with Harry. Like he almost forgot just how charming this man is and he's panicked. He doesn't understand why tho. Like there's room for you all to be friends, why does this bother him so much.

At first his jealousy isn't noticeable. He seems relatively normal, you are all playing games and having fun. Of course, Peter makes it a point to sit next to you and be your partner. Maybe he's a bit more clingy than normal but it's nothing worth noting.

He is definitely trying to win you everything you lay your eyes on. I mean, he's super strong so it's insanely easy for him. He's taking so much pride in this until Harry starts showing him up. That whole muscle thing where Harry breaks it...geez. Somehow Peter is back to being that same 15 year old boy standing in his cooler friend's shadow.

It isn't until he steps away to get a snack, when he comes back to you and Harry doing the soulmate quizer thing where it gets bad for him... Seeing you guys be declared as the perfect couple really peeved him. Yeah. Those things are stupid and rather inaccurate but...damn just the thought alone really bugged him.

Peter is still in denial tho. He is chalking his feelings up to his best friend taking away his other best friend and not maybe that he's utterly insane for you. He's far too sweet to be a dick so he's passive aggressive.

Peter is actively standing in the middle of you two like.. he's not having it!

Oh my gosh the way his face dropped when you guys started bonding over your favorite ride. The speed demon roller coaster. Peter did try budding in the convo and said it was his fave too but was met with "umm I thought the ferris wheel was.." poor baby. He wasn't able to prevent you guys sitting next to each other on the ride. He's sitting behind ya'll and watching you hold onto Harry while the ride went down was blood boiling...

You offer to go on the ferris wheel to try and sweeten his mood with something he'd enjoy. All that ends with Peter blocking out the endless banter from Harry while he stares you down. Like why did you choose to sit next to him instead? It was hard watching you guys in such a romantic scenery. You looked so perfect in the night sky, ferris wheels are the perfect place to get cozy and share some loving kisses...It didn't look right with Harry being the one to share that space with you..it should be hi-

There's a part of Peter who feels deeply insecure and scared that you're choosing Harry over him. Everyone else used too, and it's highschool all over again...

Peter would definitely cut the night short after that. He's grabbing your arm and pulling you away from Harry.

"well, Bud. This was...great to say the least...but we should really get going. Night."

Harry doesn't even get a change to protest before he's walking out while dragging you along with him. You're so confused because what was that? Why was he seemingly so angry when he desperately wanted you to meet Harry all week.

Peter doesn't even know. He just doesn't like you being so close to someone who isn't him. After becoming friends, you're practically each other's only contact and he hates the idea of Harry becoming one.

"Pete, can you chill out..? What's going on with you? I didn't wanna leave."

"Well I did."

You questioned him further, begging him to stop and tell you what is up until he broke.

"I just dont-..... Whatever it was between you and him..I don't like it. I don't care if it was just "friendly". It. cannot. ever. happen."

"...but why....?"

Peter walks you home, it's silent on his end. He doesn't elaborate...or ever bring up the subject matter again. You can continue to press him but he'll either change the subject or leave. He's confused, jealous and even a little embarrassed. But from then on he's a lot more on edge over you. You notice him looking over at your phone when you're texting...questioning who you are interacting with...even you can sense his shadow over head as he follows you around town ...

He slowly realizes he's completely smitten over you, that this is all because of a fat crush. yet, he can't seem to control his spiral into his obsession with you.

[allmonstersxarehuman]

I Need Space

Bang Chan x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Only terrible writing and no editing. Angst with no comfort.

“How many times do I need to apologize, it’s not a big deal. I was just being nice, She wanted help with some lyrics she was writing and had mentioned how much she admired my work, she’s new to the company I wanted to be helpful.” Your boyfriend says following you like a lost puppy, you weren’t having it though. When you got into a relationship with Chan you knew he was a natural flirt but it happened time and time again, this time a mutual friend had spotted your boyfriend out with a new employee from the company. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if he hadn’t lied to you about where he was going and have his phone off the entire time. He had told you he was working with the guys on working on more of the songs they were preparing, when you called Changbin to ask if they wanted you to bring dinner he was confused saying that Chan wanted to take the day off. You had hung up with a simple thanks before passing back and forth through your living room. You had been so stuck in your own head that the ding of your phone scared you, it was a text from Minnie a mutual friend of yours and Chans. You had been texting her about what was going on and trying to get some advice, what she had sent you made your blood boil. There he was, your boyfriend with the “new employee” they were in a coffee shop as they talked and he took his hand and rubbed it up and down her bare arm almost in a comforting way she gave him a smile as she placed her hand on his before she grabbed his laptop and started to type on it. The laptop that no one ever got to touch including you and the other members, now that was something that made you upset. Sounds stupid but he was trusting a complete stranger with his laptop but not you or the boys? That didn’t sit right. After that the video ended and Minnie said she was going to go give him a piece of her mind, you protested through text but you knew Minnie if she has her mind set on something nothing is going to change her mind.

This is how you got into the situation you were in, you looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Really I didn’t know that kind of stuff included touching someone else and lying to your girlfriend and some of your group mates. What makes you trust her more than us?” The question through him off and arched an eyebrow to question what you were talking about. You were tired of him acting innocent until you showed him a snapshot of her using his laptop. “Oh. Technically I didn’t let her use it, she grabbed it from me and I took it from her very quick, that’s when Minnie came over and gave me an ear full and I came here because she said that I needed to explain myself to you.” You sighed and ran your fingers through your hair, maybe you are just being dramatic but this also wasn’t the first time he’s been overly friendly to new staff. Though you do know that Chris is a social butterfly there is something different about the way he acts with the new employees especially ones that run around in tiny skirts, he definitely tends to flatter the person he is talking to and ends up sending mixed signals. You know this from experience, that’s how things were before the two of you started dating. But about a month after dating he started up this habit. Now a year into the relationship and he still does it sometimes you’d catch him with one of them in his studio looking awfully close the women always smirked at you like they New something you didn’t, he had an explanation for anything and everything. But now you didn’t want to hear anymore of his excuses. “I think we should split up.” You whispered. “I’m not sure I heard you right, it sounded like you wanted to split up.” He laughed lightly thinking it was most likely a joke to scare him to get back at him. “Chris we need to split up. I can’t do this anymore, I’m exhausted wondering if you are lying to me or telling the truth. I cant trust you and maybe I need the space, I can’t continue to sit here wondering if you are cheating or just trying to get an reaction out of me but I can’t do it anymore. I’m to tired for this.” You said softly walking to your bedroom with Chris trailing behind, you ignored his pleas to just sit with him and talk but you ignored him and started packing the things he had left for when he stayed over. Once you were sure you had finished packing his belongings, you handed it to him but not before setting the necklace he gave you for your one year anniversary. You felt dirty keeping it especially knowing that he probably did this with everyone he found attractive, you unfortunately fell for his sweet talk and gentle touches.

“Here I think that is everything, don’t worry about giving me the key I’m having the locks and passwords changed. I’m sorry this didn’t work out but know that I really did truly loved you. I wish you the best.” You said opening the front to see him out. He looked at you his eyes looked sad and a single tear fell. “I’m sorry. But know I never cheated, and I definitely never meant to hurt you. Please don’t shut me out, we can get over this hill. I promise we can make this work.” He said dropping the box and taking your small hands in his larger ones, it was so hard not to give into him. “No Christopher, I need space; maybe we will have another chance to do this correctly but right now…” you couldn’t finish your sentence before swallowing the sob that threatened to escape. “Please Chan don’t make this harder than it already is.” You said looking down at the ground. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it knowing he wouldn’t be able to change your mind right now but he was determined to win you back. “I love you y/n.” He said softly before walking out your door. Once he was gone you collapsed on the floor letting a sob escape, you know that this was probably for the best but why does it’s feel so wrong.

[olderthannetfic]

There is something confusing to me about older queer people (which is to say, older than I am, at a relatively young 24 years old) who get mad at original fiction whose worldbuilding involves neopronouns. I'm hoping maybe, ONTF, since you've been in queer spaces a lot longer than I have, you can explain why people have such a negative reaction to the idea.

Basically, I'm working on a novel based that takes white-throated sparrow biology and uses it for building blocks in the same way A/B/O takes (now debunked) wolf science and used it for building blocks. This means there are essentially four genders, the two viewed as more intelligent (brown-haired men and women) and the two viewed as more physical (white-haired men and women). Those two groups then get further divided along the lines of 'women are better at making smart decisions under pressure' and 'men are better at staying home and defending the children, as God intended'.

So it seemed natural to me that this worldwide quaternary system would result in at least some languages having pronoun sets for each of the four options. Some languages in real life have more complicated pronoun systems than that, particularly ones where there's a bunch of formal and informal pronouns. It'd also help the reader keep track of who was a part of what group without my having to turn around and state people's coloration constantly. Yes, these people are human, just as humans in A/B/O are, but society is fundamentally very different. I'm not throwing this in to just complicate things or sound smart or something. It's here because my minoring in Anthropology and majoring in Linguistics taught me language usage reflects the needs and values of a people.

The writing group I'm a part of IRL is mostly queer, mostly 40+, with some cishet women who are also present and active writers. The writing group I'm a part of on DW is mostly DWRPers, in their 30's and up, though no older than 50, and entirely queer. I did not expect these to be groups that were uncomfortable with the idea of "different world, different pronouns".

Instead the reception has ranged from suggestions it's pretentious or overthinking things to requests I reconsider doing it. I've been informed this could be seen as mocking the real life queer people who go by pronouns other than she, he, or they. One person asked if this was went to be me "artificially justifying" nonbinary pronouns and implying I didn't find them valid in the real world. That was an awkward conversation, to say the least.

In reality I wasn't really thinking about real life people who use nonbinary pronouns when I was writing. I was just asking, "Logically, wouldn't it make sense for things to work very differently under a quarternary than it does under a modern European binary?" and following my brain along to its' conclusions as it processed that.

I have gotten zero negative feedback from my queer friends my age regarding this. So obviously, generation and the experiences informing a generational context are key, here. I'm just... still lost on how anyone finds this objectionable.

Help?

--

Ahaha. Oh god.

Well, as a reader of sff in the 90s, the first reaction I have to such things is "IS THERE A CONLANG AND A MAP?" Because, man, the conlang people were some of the most tedious motherfuckers I ever had to deal with in sff spaces.

But broadly... I think the reasons queer people get annoyed about this stuff boil down to a couple of big factors:

Disrespectful children who don't know history

Idiot old people harrumphing about "history" they clearly failed to pay attention to while it was going on in the first place

I personally hate being asked to use new words most of the time. A few bits of fandom slang I'll pick up at once, but I'm usually like "Why would I call it 'spirk'? We already have 'K/S'!" *shakes cane*

If you're American, they're your "roommate", not your "flatmate". No, I don't care how much more precise this foreign term is, you pretentious wanker. (But then I'll use 'wanker' because fandom adopted that years ago...)

So my reaction to being asked to say aloud any pronoun not in very frequent circulation in my offline life is "Urrrgh. Do I have to?"

However, the reality is that people have been messing around with pronouns in English since forever. Do you see 'heo' in Modern English? No, you do not! (Not that it was gender neutral, but the point is that even words as ancient as pronouns have changed quite a bit.) The early internet was full of pronoun stuff in MUDs and the like. You had a choice of a lot more than just three in a bunch of these. People besides men and women have always been in queer communities.

So some people like to cry about neopronouns being actually neo, and they're just wrong.

As for the why do you care part...

There is a nasty habit in contemporary queer spaces to act like gay rights issues are solved. Bisexuality? Passe! etc. Gays and lesbians finally got a little mainstream acceptance only to suddenly be treated like the worst of the establishment by the queer youth. How dare?!?! It's even more egregious with bisexuality where the focus of a bunch of queer activism finally swung that way in the 90s... only to be sharply cut off in the 00s.

There's a real "You already got yours. Where's mine?" vibe to some queer discourse today, and it's directed at people who never got theirs. It shows up in demands for mentorship by people who've barely had a chance to escape a rocky start and figure out who they are themselves. It shows up in yowling about this or that bit of queer media we finally got not being progressive because it's the wrong letter of the acronym.

None of which has a damn thing to do with what pronouns you use in your novel, obviously, but I think some unresolved embattled feelings are why some older queer people are very weird about pronouns.

Some of them are also doing the old person version of throwing the weirdos under the bus to placate the normies. Respectability politics became a term long before the behavior was rife on tumblr.

--

If someone really does find it pretentious, though, and not just as a cover for crying about nonbinary identities being fake, I suspect they just remember how 1970s SFF was full of privileged anthropology students misunderstanding kinship systems from elsewhere in the world and then trying to tell everyone how ~deep~ their extremely contrived novels based on them were.

I'm not saying your writing is like this or that every one of these old sff novels was either, but when I hear "anthropology student", I groan internally. It's an instinctive reaction. It's less about the real fields and more about the bevvy of dilettantes I've run into over the years who'll say they study those things but really want to talk my ear off about Joseph fucking Campbell or the strong form of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis or something.

--

Those birds are a really cool source of inspiration. Like with A/B/O, the first thing I wonder is how queerness works in that context and how much people like to defy their designated roles.

Omegaverse started on porn logic, so "The one I say tops always tops!" makes sense. When it gets expanded to try to make it make logical sense as a whole world, I often enjoy it, but it can break down quickly if treated as biology is law. I don't know how often the birds veer off of their set patterns, but humans certainly would.

One place where I get a strong "Oh god, this again" feeling from people's plotbunnies is when they're trying to make up a sff society that strikes me as too rigid in a way that real humans aren't. I'll see people using fake wolf biology (not just for horny reasons) but never looking at what's going on with gender in contemporary Thailand or whatever. Like... Le Guin may have made sedoretus feel plausible, but nobody I've ever seen stanning the concept as something fandom should play with has. That's probably because Le Guin was using over-complicated social norms as a thing that breaks down and causes trouble, and "This should be the next A/B/O!" posts are treating it as something that actually works and is a good way to get the pair you don't ship separated while shipping poly.

"It'd also help the reader keep track of who was a part of what group without my having to turn around and state people's coloration constantly."

This, in particular, gives me that cold shudder of recognition from when Homestuck fandom was everywhere and everyone wanted to over-explain those stupid playing card suits and why I should care.

Your concept sounds neat, and I think a set of four pronouns could easily make sense there...

But I also think that if people need the pronouns to keep track of coloration, you haven't set up a system that feels organic enough or haven't given enough cues about how characters are treating each other or why. Use the pronouns too, but just keep that in mind. It's like the "m/m is hard because the pronouns don't tell me whose hand is where" problem. It's almost never actually a pronoun problem.

--

Anyone else have thoughts here?

[offsidetracked]

Don't worry @ven0moir you're not alone in the trenches, we're going crazy together in real time 💀

I have to admit that bychance felt mostly like a fun crack ship at first. Why not you know, he's attractive, Will deserves some fun, I like drama, let's go. But the more I twist and turn it around the more it feels like an actually... good and not at all farfetched subplot. Huh. Whaddaya know. Well, let's get into it.

For me it comes down to mainly one thing;

A bychance storyline would serve Will and Mike's individual character arcs and help pave the way for byler

@ven0moir has already made a great point about how Will having some prior experience would give him more agency when byler eventually happens. And Mike is long overdue for a rude awakening: his undisputed spot as Will's most important person will not go uncontested forever. One way or another, the show has to address how uncomfortable this realisation will make him. And force him to confront what that means for the nature of their relationship. Bychance is a simple and effective way to accomplish exactly that. And honestly, if Mike is going to be a jealous confused mess in S5 (it's for your own good Micheal), give him something to be actually jealous about.

So far the show has given us mainly one flavor of internalized homophobia. Mike hides, he plays pretend at heterosexuality with a beard girlfriend that he, although he likes and cares for her, isn't attracted to. Bychance would be a juxtaposition to Mike's coping mechanisms by having Will go the complete opposite route.

Will already believes he has no chance at a healthy, mutual, romantic connection. So why not engage in a toxic situationship with someone he doesn't like or trust but is sexually attracted to? The world is ending anyway. Might as well.

It wouldn't be strange at all.

Will has been valiantly holding out so far; being happy for whatever kind of intimacy he can have with Mike. There's been cracks in that facade however. The rain fight, destroying Castle Byers, the argument at rink-o-mania... all point to the fact that Will, for all his valor and selfless behaviour, actually holds a great deal of frustration, maybe even resentment, because of the situation.

Would it really be so weird for him to act out and seek some sort of relief, if the opportunity presented itself?

We already know that temptation will most likely play a part in Will's arc this season. Vecna could very well be involved in manipulating a bychance situation. Separating Will from his support system would make him vulnerable and potentially more receptive to Vecna whispering promises in his ear later on. What better way than to lure Will away with a twisted version of what he actually wants? Juicy🧃

Throwing a wench in Mike and Will's relationship is also crucial if Vecna wants his plan to succeed. Those two have proven to be absolutely lethal when they join forces. Bychance could be a way to make Mike feel like Will has gone to a place he can't follow. At least not until he confronts the less than platonic feelings he has for his best friend.

Anyway, what it comes down to is Mike and Will showcasing two diametrically opposed but equally toxic coping mechanisms. Both being consequences of internalizing the belief that this is as good as it's going to get. Ugh my heart 💔

Bychance could, if played right, help deliver a really powerful message about the more insidious consequences of homophobia and what a hateful, intolerant society truly does to a person. Underlining one of the core lessons of the show;

When you betray who you are by trying to conform things go wrong

Forced conformity really is killing the kids.

We're also in the final arc of The Five Arc story structure. That means one thing and one thing only; catharsis.

Everything is coming to a boiling point and the lid will blow in a number of ways. Especially when it comes to byler. Things must implode, explode, for both of them. Only then will they have to stare truth in the face and actually deal with their feelings for each other. And what living a life that is truly their own would mean.

Sure, you could do all this without bychance.

But it would be a neat and simple way to do it. And there are things in the show that could be interpreted as hints towards it (@ven0moir and @cypherheartnokey have made posts about it). Some of it could be reaching, but not more of a reach than some stuff we bylers regularly parade around as evidence for our ship.

This is a show that goes crazy hard with foreshadowing and self-referencing after all so... yeah. You be the judge. Whether it will happen or not is anyone's guess.

But I actually wouldn't be mad if it did.

[httpsdana]

hi sorry I’m an anon but can you do one for Gavi from the prompt 7 in jealousy . “I don’t like sharing what’s mine, and you, my love, are very much mine.” Where she was talking one the phone to her ex because they’re still “friends” and Gavi gets really really jealous also like if you can make her she’s quite soft and nice and quiet like she doesn’t talk much so the fact that she’s talking to her ex like with passion pisses him off even more and then when she’s crying after because he yelled at her and she’s quite sensitive he feels really really guilty and bad then can we turn it into fluf from promt 7 also. “I know it sounds silly, but I just like watching you be happy.” And he goes out with her and buys her a gift and stuff even though she only wanted ice cream

(I’m sorry for the bad English it’s not my first language)

Can't Help It~Pablo Gavi

・❥・prompt list

・❥・masterlist -> part 2

・❥・who I write for

7- “I don’t like sharing what’s mine, and you, my love, are very much mine.” (jealousy)

7- “I know it sounds silly, but I just like watching you be happy.” (fluff)

Her quietness and shyness were the things Pablo loved the most about her. He loved how sensitive she is, how her soft laugh fills the room with happiness instantly, how she had a different personality when she was with him, one that only he gets to see.

But as she sat on her phone talking to one of her ‘old friends’, one Pablo wasn’t particularly a fan of, he wondered if that friend got to see this side of her more often than he did.

She was laughing effortlessly, talking with such passion he had never seen before. Maybe he wouldn’t have thought about it too much if he didn’t know who that was. But this one person was the only person who knew her more than he even did. Her ex.

In other times, Pablo would’ve been smiling so widely at her genuine laugh, but this time he was getting mad, too mad. She had been sitting there for what felt like hours just catching up with her childhood best friend, her first love too.

And the jealousy was boiling in Gavi at how easy it seemed for her to talk about everything and nothing with him.

“You’ve been talking to him for hours. Aren’t you done?” His rude voice caught her attention, making her look at him confused.

“I have to go. It was nice catching up with you. Bye” she said quickly, hanging up before putting her phone down and looking at Gavi

“What’s wrong?” she asked, putting her hand over his except he snatched his hand away from hers, making her even more confused, even a bit hurt.

“Pablo?” she said, her voice barely above whisper.

“What y/n?” he said through gritted teeth, his anger and jealousy evident in his voice. “You’re just gonna act as if you haven't been sitting there for an hour catching up with your ex? Your fucking ex y/n” 

She flinched at the aggressiveness of his voice, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“What do you mean? You know me and him are still friends” she said, blinking away the tears that have started to form in her eyes. She hated how this was going to end because she knew it was gonna lead to an argument, and that’s the last thing she wanted.

“That’s the problem y/n” he said, standing up angrily from the couch as he started pacing across the room. “That’s the fucking problem. And what’s worse is that you can’t even see it!”

She let out a shaky breath, standing up to stop him from walking around the room.

“Pablo I love you. I’m yours, you know that” she stated in a soft voice, unable to hold back her tears

He stopped his movement, stepping closer to her. He looked down at her, his eyes full of anger, jealousy, and something else she couldn’t point out.

“I don’t like sharing what’s mine,” he murmured, “and you, my love, are very much mine.”

“You’re not sharing me with anyone Pablito” she whispered.

“Then why does it feel like I’m competing with a guy from your past y/n? Huh, tell me?” he raised his voice once again, making her step away from him immediately.

The tears streamed down her face faster, as she watched his angry expression, the jealousy in his voice and the uncertainty in his eyes.

“Pablo please” she said in a low face, her cheeks stained from her tears.

He turned to look at her, his anger melting into guilt as he watched her broken state. The tears on her face, her shaking hands, and the desperate look in her eyes.

“Oh baby” he whispered, walking closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her quickly, cradling her head against his chest, brushing a kiss over her hair.

“lo siento amor…lo siento mucho bebé” he whispered against her hair, swaying their bodies slowly. (I'm sorry love. I'm so sorry baby)

As she sobbed quietly in his chest, he couldn't help the guilt eating him up. He hadn't meant to make her cry, his jealousy and anger got the best of him and now he regretted every second of it.

After holding her for a few minutes, her sobs died down and she pulled away to look at him.

“Pablo…I love you” she mumbled, making him smile weakly at her.

“I know baby I know” he said, brushing her hair away from face.

“He's really just my friend. I don't like him anymore. I have you now.” she said, wiping her tears with the back of her sleeve.

Pablo's smile widened, yet he couldn't shake the weight of blaming himself for turning her happiness into tears.

“I'm really sorry amor,” he cupped her cheeks in his big hands as he gazed into her slightly red eyes. “I know I shouldn't have been mad at you but I couldn't help but feel jealous at how you were laughing and talking so passionately to him”

“but that doesn't mean anything. i told you he means nothing to me anymore” she said back, putting her arms gently around his waist.

He smiled with a nod, leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead.

“I trust you, amor. Let me make it up to you” he said, making her raise her eyebrows.

“How?” she asked with a smile

“Put a jacket on. we're going out”

As the two walked hand in hand around their neighborhood, the silence took over them. That was until Pablo stopped in front of the ice cream shop by the corner, looking down at his girlfriend.

“let's get some ice cream” he nudged his head towards the shop, making her grin widen as she tightened her grip around his hand

“This is so good” y/n hummed, as they stepped out of the shop, each one of them a cup of ice cream in hand.

Pablo smiled at her, humming in response. While they were chatting as their walk continued, a flower shop caught Pablo's attention. He smiled to himself before turning to her.

“Wait for me here,” he said, and without letting her say a thing, he rushed to the shop.

After about two minutes, he came back. A huge bouquet of red roses in his hands, and a wide smile on his face.

“And these pretty roses are for my pretty princesa” he handed them to her, watching how her face softened with a pout on her lips.

“for me?” she said in awe, while he nodded proudly.

“I’m sorry” he said, making her look up at him. She smiled widely as she looked at the gorgeous roses in her hand.

“These are so pretty. Thank you” she said, unable to hide her smile. He couldn’t help but smile as wide as her

“I know it sounds silly, but I just like watching you be happy.”

Her face softened at his little confession before one of her hands reached up to the back of his neck, pulling him down to kiss him. She kissed his soft lips so gently, while his hand wrapped around her waist, and the other one steadied the bouquet in her hand.

“te amo mi niño precioso” she mumbled against his lips, making him smile. (I love you my precious boy)

“te amo más mi vida” he whispered back. (I love you more my life)

my taglist: @barcapix @paucubarsisimp @spidybaby @mxryxmfooty @n0vazsq @joaosnovia @ilovebarcaaa @f1lover55 @jajajhaahaha (lmk if you want to be added!!)

[nicoleshifting]

what has helped me recently with shifting

I was reflecting some today while talking to my best friend about shifting and all the downloads I have gotten recently, wondering what exactly has changed for me to suddenly getting all these downloads and having so much more success in shifting than I probably have ever in the last four-ish years of me being on this shifting journey. and it all boils down to this: my intent, my focus, and my renewed motivation for actually, truly shifting.

I had made a post on january 1st on tiktok talking about how I am absolutely and completely locking in with shifting this year, and how I had recently come to the realization that I have been nonstop resisting shifting since the beginning and have probably never once been actually consistent with it, as well.

I realized all of this, and learning from my past misguided steps, I shifted to my waiting room within three days and have also received six separate memory downloads from my twd dr (all received during a meditative state while intending to shift to my dr). truly never in the time I have spent wanting and trying to shift have I had so much happen. and why now? well.. because I am actually for once being consistent, actually putting in effort, and not treating shifting like a chore, or simultaneously, something I am deep down resisting.

at the core, this is what I have changed/done recently that I think is really helping me finally get this shit done!!

1. focusing on my dr/myself in my dr and NOT the act of shifting. gone are the days of me robotically affirming "I am shifting, I am in my DR, I have shifted." girl okay??? why are we doing all that.

2. again, focus. I have been making it an active goal of every shifting attempt to keep my focus on my dr and thinking about myself there, memories, scenarios, etc, and not letting my thoughts wander. if they do wander, which is completely natural especially if your brain is not used to keeping a sharp, single minded focus on something, I instantly reel it back. this has helped me TREMENDOUSLY.

3. letting myself get as relaxed as possible using meditations prior to doing anything shifting related. (I truly believe allowing myself to get into a deep meditative state is what has allowed me to have so many downloads recently). I am not focused on if I am in a good mood or not, as that does not determine if I shift or not. forced positivity does nobody any good, and truly idgaf if I feel miserable and depressed, how would that prevent me from shifting... it won't!

anyways, just thought I would share what has been helping me personally! go shift <3

[sufferingsokkatash]

THAT famous zukka hug in the atla north and south comic : an essay you did not need, by me.

i was thinking about how, in writing, there should be no accidents or coincidences in how and why something is described, or the detail the writer chooses to use. for example, zuko tapping his hand on his desk would be used to show that he is impatient or anxious about something.

so THEN i decided to apply this to the zukka hug, because why not be delulu about these things idk.

first of all, here are the zukka hug pages for context:

disclaimer: i don’t really know how the fandom feels about the comics. personally i like them, so i will proceed with that bias in mind. also please take this with the humour that is intended, it’s more fun that way.

i go down a sabre tooth moose lion hole below the cut.

this whole scene to me is largely what we all love about atla - humour and good characterisation combined with serious subject matter. king kuei and bosco are the comic relief and oblivious party in the face of quite a complicated issue, as zuko himself acknowledges. this humour then extends to kuei offering zuko the chance to join in on his hug with bosco, which zuko politely refuses. obviously, there is the clear issue of zuko being afraid of being eaten by a bear, but we’ll pretend that ernest hemingway is grading our papers here, okay.

it is a very deliberate writing choice and contrast to have zuko refuse hugs from one person/animal and then immediately and happily accept one from sokka. (see also: sokka running excitedly with a big grin on his face at the bottom of page 17 to greet them, naming zuko first, but remembering that he is a good ambassador to the swt and using their proper titles despite his excitement. more silliness mixed with seriousness. see also, also: HE RAAAAAN!) zuko may be touch averse and not a huggy person, but screw that when it’s sokka who’s offering the hug.

remember there are no accidents in good writing. kuei happily says: hello friends! to which, in both that panel and the next, he is clearly ignored. sokka and zuko are so absorbed in hugging each other that sokka neglects his duties in welcoming them both properly. zuko : 2 swt ambassador role: 0. also ignored is the fact that kuei brought his bear, which would normally be subject to some kind of smartass comment from our boomerang boi, even if he knows he’s obsessed with his pet from the ba sing se episodes.

this could be an actual mistake, but sokka ran towards zuko, who was standing in front of kuei. but in the hug panel, sokka is between them. that means kuei walked all the way around them trying to get their attention, and it still didn’t work. sokka, nor zuko, say a further word to kuei. like exactly how much tunnel vision is there in this, my goddddd.

bosco is protecting kuei and sokka is protecting zuko. could be why they mirrored them and their positions in the hug panel, so not a mistake. a swt person says: protecting foreigners, sokka?! but that is exactly what he does by ignoring the protesters and telling zuko not to worry about them. despite wanting to do his duty to everyone sokka puts zuko first, basically, and doesn’t care about what they all think of him. that’s kind of huge for sokka.

yes, hakoda is injured at this time and yes he’s proud of sokka, but surely as chief he would have gone to meet the earth king and firelord? why did the writers go to so much effort making sure that sokka was there to meet zuko and have them hugging take up a third of an entire page when printing and space in the comics is such a consideration? it is clearly important, y’all.

their faces when they see each other. sokka can’t stop grinning and zuko closes his eyes in relief he’s so happy. enough said.

sokka says: thanks so much for coming! like he doesn’t already know zuko would travel the world just to make him happy or help in what’s important to him. have you forgotten boiling rock, sokka? because that dude you’re wrapped around, acting like he’s been starved of you, sure hasn’t.

this comic is all about nations coming together and traditions being upheld and shared. in other words, marry him sokka. it is in your diplomatic interests to do so.

in utterly insane conclusion:

i am always surprised at how much they made the effort in the writing for this one scene. i don’t see the comics as something that tease ships, they aren’t natla. what i do see is two guys who clearly care about each other, almost to the detriment of their roles and responsibilities, and their relationship was worth the effort taken in the writing and artwork to show that. it is super heckin sweet. does this mean i think zukka is canon or could be? no. maybe did i have fun pretending and overanalyzing every detail? yes.

ps in all seriousness, the answer is that this is about my fav boy and how far he has come in his character growth journey - exhibit a from ‘the avatar returns’ episode:

the end, i am getting blocked and going to jail but it’s okay because zukka is my bosco hug.