#bonus points if anyone guesses what the hell is going on here

[sugarcowffee]

animatic making is fun but it takes so so long

out of context frames to hype me up through this process we are so close PLEASEEE

[banquetwriter]

୨୧ Gardening buddy ୨୧

pairing: Joel Miller ♡︎ Fem!Reader

warnings: ୭̥⋆*｡ porn with plot, sorta sub!joel, shy Joel, Tommy being an ass, softdom-ish!joel, pussy pronouns, Reader has hair long enough to “gather” (tho it doesn't matter much) with female anotomy, pnv and f receivng oral

summary: ʚ you have some plans to expand the garden and poor Joel just can't resist you ɞ

Words: 5.2k

A/N: lets pretend it didn't take me 22 days to write this lol

P:1 P:2 P:3

Joel swirled his whiskey slightly. He didn't even really want the damned thing. However, he would never decline a free drink. His jaw clenched slightly, eyeing the crowd. It was one of the many community events Jackson liked to host. Joel hadn't gone to many of them if he was honest but Tommy being the ever-intrusive brother he was, he pretty much had no choice but to show up tonight.

Plus you were gonna be there tonight, which was always a bonus.

It was no secret to Joel (or anyone else for that matter) how beautiful you are. You were younger, younger than him at least. He wasn't one hundred percent but early thirties he was guessing. 

You were funny, talented, and had a level head. Dangerous combo for a man like Joel. He'd seen you around of course. You didn’t go on patrols but you did run the gardening area when it came time and helped teach when it was cold.

Joel had noticed you but never had a real reason to say much to you so he didn't. That wasn't until Tommy had introduced you both. Fucking Tommy. You wanted to expand the garden, so you went to Tommy. 

————

Joel had just gotten off an extra patrol shift. He didn't have much to do nowadays so it was either sit around and play his six-string or go out and try and help out.

He had made a promise to Maria to stop by tonight for some planning. He wasn't too sure why, seeing how Joel didn't contribute much. As he knocked on the door and Maria’s half smile greeted him his curiosity grew. 

Everyone knew Joel was a little shy even if he would never say that. He heard your voice, he'd seen you teaching the littles outside enough times to recognize your voice by now. Why the hell were you here? 

“They're in the kitchen. Go ahead and head on back. I'll be right there.” Maria said with a soft smile and a strong hold on Joel's shoulder. She released her grip on the man, smirking to herself and she walked away. As her boot heel clicks got further away it dawned on Joel he had to now navigate a social situation with his brother and a person he didn't know too well.

Great. This oughta go well.

His face was neutral as he walked in. “Oh, there he is! My big brother, ladies and gentlemen.” Tommy walked around his kitchen island to hug his brother. Joel didn't have a moment to prepare as his younger brother's arm came crashing down around his shoulder. His eyes flicker to you who is, In defense, looking away but quietly giggling at his brother's actions. 

“Jesus Tommy, what is all of this about?” he says, fighting the way a red tint covers his face, neck, and ears. Embarrassment floods his system. Tommy loosens his grips eagerly looking at you. “Go ahead tell him.” you raise your eyebrows in surprise at the sudden spotlight. 

“Oh! Well um, well I sorta run all the gardening and whatnot here as well as teach the younglings how to garden and- sorry I'm rambling,” you say waving your hand a bit with a wide smile. You take a deep breath and lean into the kitchen island pointing to a paper, probably a map.

“The garden needs an expansion. There are a lot of people here, and everyone has a mouth to feed. I'm not thinking huge but bigger,” you said gesturing with your hands. Joel nods, walking over to the workspace. “Alright,” he states. Seems like a reasonable plan. “What’ you need me for?” his hands find the counter.

Your eyes flick down but just as soon as they look down they look right back up. “Well I came to Tommy- well actually to Maria THEN to Tommy but he said you're the man for the job,” you said placing your hand on your hip. Course Tommy would sign him up to do the grunt work for a pretty girl like you. 

The old man's eyes shifted to his brother who was now feeling less confident in his skills. “It ain't a big job Joel. We’d get the supplies in a few weeks max.” Tommy said encouragingly. He thought for a few moments.

He should say no. He's old and he ain't got time for no gardens.

————

His stomach swirled with anxiety for what felt like the thousandth time tonight. He told himself he was simply observing the dancing crowd. But he knew who he was looking for. You. He was looking for your awfully friendly smile. Your worn but cute jeans. 

He had spent so much time searching, eyeing the crowd he didn't see the very object of his affection damn near skipping up to him. “Hey gardening buddy!” you shouted holding out your arms. 

Joel's eyes widen at your contact. Your wave of joy crashed into him. “Woah don't kill the old man now!” Tommy shouts from the bar before getting a not-so-playful nudge from his wife. You pull away looking back to rolling your eyes at the younger Miller.

“What an ass,” you mutter, eyes fluttering back to Joel. Joel smiles looking down too nervous to look at you. “But how are you? Enjoyin’ the dancing?” your hand found its way to his shoulder. Your fingers smoothed over the fabric of his jacket, dipping under and pulling his flannel out.

His eyes watch your fingers drop the fabric as you chuckle to yourself. “What?” he finally manages. You were so touchy… it was weird. He didn't mind really. It wasn't anything that would cross a line. Just friendly things. 

Or he thinks.

He hopes it's more, secretly. There are several reasons why it could never work out between you two… You are younger, sweeter, softer. 

He can't think about it too long. He's alone most days now. And thinking about how fucking soft you are will ruin him. When those thoughts bubble up into his mind they don't just stay there. They find their way into his bloodstream… his bones.

He can picture your smile, the way your lips feel against his. The curve of your back, ass, thighs… anything his large rough hands could get on. He'd want all part of you. You smell like honey, or maybe you actually smell like honey. 

He blinks back to you smiling looking at him expectantly. “Yeah uh…” he scratches the back of his head, taking a deep breath in. You do smell like honey. “Ain't much of a dancer, to be honest darlin’,” he sighs. You nod your head with a smile, it is your turn to look down now. “Yeah sorry, I ain't buyin’ what you selling honey.” 

His eyebrows raise as his lips follow in a smirk. “Yeah?” he asks, placing his bands on his hips. Your arms cross with defiance, “Yeah.” your confidence oozed off of you like a waterfall. 

Maybe it was the drink you had or maybe it was you trying to ignore the beating in your heart whenever you saw Joel but you needed a dance.

————

You stood in the front room of Tommy’s looking at all their pictures as Maria shifted around her drawers for something she owed you. Joel, having just agreed to help you expand the garden, had gotten a hard smack on the back from Tommy, a warm smile from Maria and you guessed it a hug from you.

Joel rounded the corner to see Maria approaching you with something small in her hand. “Hey thanks,” you said taking it from her and pushing it in your pocket. “Anything to take the load off.” she winked at you. 

His sister-in-law looked at him and with a quick nod and a “Joel.” it was just you two in the living room. “Thank you again Joel for helping me with this and I promise I will help as much as I physically can,” you said walking up to him. “Quit thanking me, it's not a big deal.” not needing to put his heart in any more strain. 

You let out the (cutest) giggle and stepped back slightly. “Heh- sorry. My name is y/n by the way. I feel like I didn't introduce myself earlier.” 

It felt silly to Joel you felt the need to introduce yourself to him. Like you two haven't met before. Of course, it dawned on him. You just don't think about him as much as he thinks about you. Why would you? He's just Tommy's older brother.

“I know what yer’ name is darlin’.” A slight awkwardness hangs in the air, just like the Christmas lights in December. There to look at and admire. “Right, sorry. I know who you are too. Joel Miller. Tommy’s handsome older brother. You've got quite the reputation.” you said with a wide smile trying to use it to cover up how your face was starting to burn.

If your face was burning Joel’s must be on fire as he opened his mouth to speak but not a word came out. Not only did you know who he was but you called him handsome. That's when the schoolboy crush began in its full form.

No longer could he pretend he just thought you were pretty; those pesky little feelings found a way to weasel into his heart. “Handsome, huh?” he asked, not able to make eye contact.

You bit your lip at his nervousness, toe-ing forward slightly. “Well sure,” you explain. “Hard to miss those big ol’ muscles of yours riding into town,” you said. Your words may be teasing but your tone wasn't. You were more quiet now. 

That's right. The old shift he and Tommy would do usually had him coming into Jackson as soon as you were bringing the littles on a walk around. That means not only did you know him, you saw him. Nearly every damn day. Did you miss him on days he wasn't there? Ever think about sayin’ hi?

“Yeah uh, I remember now. You used to have the kids out about the same time every day when me and’ Tommy’d bring in the horses.” he said gesturing to nothing.

“Yup, that's right. Hey, why don't you do that shift anymore,” you asked, shifting your weight on your feet. It was weird that this didn't feel weirder. Felt like y'all had been friends a while and not for 30 minutes over talking about some garden bed plans.

It still was awkward. It seemed like a tidal wave could hit and you still wouldn't shake the nerves. 

It had been a while since he did that patrol. “Oh well, they can't have an old man on the new guy shift eh?” he said, trying to ease ever-flowing anxieties. It was also a reminder for himself. He is older than you. Therefore out of reach for you and him. Couldn't help it, however. Thinking of the older man. You say older like he isn't a mere 20-something years older. 

“Old man? I've seen the way you wrangle those horses. Old man, where huh?” you teased, arm reaching out for your coat on the rack. He chuckled following your lead pulling his old and tattered Carhart piece on. “Yeah well, I ain't young like I used to be. Think Tommy started to notice finally.” 

He thought back to when he first got to Jackson. Begging Tommy to take Ellie from him and save her. He felt like he was going to get her killed, no he knew he was going to. He was right. He ended up hurting her worse than any scar could.

Now he had no one. Except Tommy. Stupid Tommy.

————

“Well unfortunately for you I was just about to head out.” Joel declared. He wasn't planning on it but now was as good of a time as any. Wasn't it? “Oh leave? Oh no no sorry honey I'm not letting you leave without at least one dance. Are we clear?” you tease poking his chest slightly. 

You laced your fingers with his guiding him to the ‘dance floor’ of the tipsy bison. He felt the warm feeling of your skin bleed into his. He felt the eyes of other patrons on you both. An old man and a young girl. 

The slow country song filled the air. Once you settled on a spot a little far away from the watchful crowd. You twirled around settling your arms around Joel's neck. You start a small sway back and forth to the music. His eyes didn't meet yours, instead swam through the sea of faces

What were they thinking? Were they judging him? “Hey cowboy,” his eyes flutter down. “Eyes on me.” he looks away but not for long, his eyes fall back

To yours like a comforting hug. “Why are you doin’ this?” His voice is low but not mad. “Cause you're cute,” you whisper back faces inching forward. 

There's a beat of science before Joel feels like a familiar feeling bubble in his lower belly. His arms slink down to your waist, his rough hands gripping slightly. His face dipped down to your neck next to your ear, his beard tickling your skin. “You wanna uh- get outta here?” he asks slowly, trying not to make his idea very public.

“Thought you'd never ask.” 

You both chose an Irish goodbye as the safest option. Quietly slipping into the quiet cold night. Your dancing outfit was less than ideal for the colder weather. The freezing air nearly pierces your skin, and if god had heard you just then a blanket of warmth comes down and encapsulates you. 

You turn your head to Joel who has now wrapped his very thick and warm jacket around you. “Thank you,” you said leaning closer to him as you both walked toward your road. No further words were said but your heart seemed to be beating faster than it had all day. 

You rushed to your house's front porch eager to escape the cold. You opened your front door shuffling in and letting Joel in after you. He took in your space. It was cute. A few books were on your coffee table. He would need to ask about those later.

He watched you idly as you kicked your shoes off, tossing them into a shoe bin. You ran to all of the lamps in your living room, turning them all on. It gave the room a homey feel. The realization of what he was about to do started to sink in. 

He wanted to fuck you.

Fuck felt like such a disrespectful term. You were a lady and he was a man. Making love? That felt too cheesy. But maybe Joel was just a cheesy guy... God, 5 years ago he would haven't even considered you romantically, let alone get nervous at the thought of having sex with you.

But here he was watching, getting increasingly nervous as you started a fire in your fireplace. He started to rub his shoulder slightly, watching as you were satisfied with the height of the fire. 

You shrugged his Carhart jacket off placing it on the couch. Joel’s eyes followed you as you approached him. His heart jumped as he felt the air get warmer and it wasn't the fault of the fire. He saw you glance at his lips as you got closer and closer. 

“Are you nervous?” you asked in a teasing voice noticing his quietness. He stood there without making a noise. His silence answered any questions you had. “It's ok,” you took one final step towards him. “We can go at your pace.” 

Your fingers found the sides of his face. Your hands were so soft unlike his, “S’ been a minute since v’done this. S’all.” he breathed out looking down. “That's ok, we can go as slow,” your hands found him pulling them around your waist. “Or as fast as you want this to go. No pressure baby.”

He kept his hands on your waist. Big rough mounds of flesh gripping your waist. His breaths are shaky, he can feel you. He needed to feel more. Joel takes the leap of faith. He pushes his lips against yours. The rest of your body follows as you get pulled flush against him.

You're so warm. He can feel your warmth against his crotch. The flesh of your stomach warms and rubs against him from under the fabric of your clothes. Your lips are soft and you taste like the wood flavor of a good whiskey.

His mouth engulfs yours. His body needs you, craves you. Your fingers find his hair, begging to pull him close. “Joel…” you manage as you press your nose against his. “Come on baby,” he whispers back, nudging your nose slightly. 

He pressed his body against yours encouraging you to start walking backward toward your couch. Your knees hit the plush on the furniture. You let yourself fall back as your chest rises and falls rapidly. He stands over you watching. His pupils are blown.

His skin feels so hot like he needs to jump out of it. On the other hand, he feels like his skin would ignite with yours to create the most beautiful fire. He can't believe he is gonna do this. You feel the same. You watch as he slowly sinks to his knees, choosing to ignore the small pop noise you hear as he settles closer to you.

His old, dark but kind eyes bored into your soul as you leaned closer to him on the couch. Your legs spread open to create room for him. Your mouth collided once more, this time with less urgency. Softly and slowly his tongue explored your mouth. 

Making sure every single inch of him tasted every inch of you. Your hands found quick work of his flannel nearly ripping it off of his body. He watched in awe as your soft eyes filled with lust. You needed him. Was he going to be able to give you everything you needed? 

You seemed sure he would. After making quick work of his flannel your hands started to pull his shirt up enough to expose his round soft belly. Something he is not particularly proud of. But he would be lying if he said the look in your eye didn't give him a slight ego boost 

To you, he wasn't a flabby old man. He was a damn near work of art. He couldn't bell but hesitate taking his shirt off the rest of the way as he watches your eyes track his torso. The only thing snapping him out of his state was realizing you were now looking right at him. 

“Huh?” he asked, staring up at you. You gave him a knowing smirk, “Do you wanna take your shirt off? Or keep it on?” you asked, biting your lip. In a preferable world, Joel could keep all of his clothes on for this. He can't… not easily that is. 

So he took a deep sigh. “Whatever you want honey,” his drawl bleeds into his words and your bearing heart. “Are ya sure? Cuz’ if I have my way you ain't wearing anything.” you said, dragging your finger down his chest. He shivered slightly.

You wanted him. “S’fine by me. Want you the same way.” a flash of heat finds its way to your core. He wanted you. “Oh yeah?” you asked, shuffling back to him and pressing your lips against him, fingers dancing to rip his shirt off. 

He lets you, it's hard to calm his breath enough to kiss you and not freak out. But soon enough his shirt is gone, and you guide your fingers to his having him dip under your shirt. He for a second isn't sure what to do, his brain only being able to think about how soft you are. Jesus, he is losing it. Eventually, he allows his hand to glide up your back.

Fumbling for a second with the bra strap before undoing it. It was at this moment that Joel slowly remembered who he was. He was dominant, soft, and experienced. Your eyes go slightly wide at his ability to snap your bra off. 

“My my he has many tricks up his sleeve,” you say with a smile as he pulls your bra completely off your body. “This ain't my first rodeo darlin’” he comments, unable to hold back a small smile. “For your sake, I’d hope not.” you joked. He rolled his eyes. The atmosphere shifted again. You gripped the bottom of your top pulling it off yourself.

His eyes and some drops. Your perfect tits sat looking right at him. “Christ,” he murmured, moving closer to you. His mouth instinctually moved to your collarbones, his hands slipped up your stomach. 

You breathed out at the feeling. He was wonderful. A breathy “Joel,” flew past your lips as his mouth went further, taking your nipple into his mouth. Slowly licking and sucking on your mound. Your fingers found his hair. The tips and nails tubing against the roots of the salt and pepper locks. 

He pulled away, a single string of spit still connecting the two of you. His mouth found your other tit, replicating the same love did to the other side. The slow-burning ache started to fill your system. You pressed down onto the couch trying to find any sort of relief from the pressure. 

Joel saw your struggle. His rough fingers slid down to your ass, even in jeans his touch felt so good. “Oh, we’ll get there.” he whispered, pulling away from you. “Please, Joel. I need you,” you whined. 

He pulled further away and he crept to your buckle, his eyes searched yours for permission. “Go ahead,” you whispered with a nod, he turned his attention back to your pants. He fumbled a second with the button, then in the blink of an eye had the button undone and the zipper down and was pulling your pants off. 

They were down at your ankles and then they got tossed aside. Joel eyed your thigh and stomach like an animal waiting to pounce. The feeling of his rough calloused hands rubbing against your soft flesh sent waves of pleasure down your heart. 

A prominent wet patch formed on your panties. Joel's touch was both gentle and comforting. Your finger dove under his chin holding him to look at you. “I need you, please…” you repeated. God, you sounded so whiny. 

“M’gonna m’gonna, ya gonna need to be patient f’me,” he whispered before he started kissing the flesh of your thigh. The words alone send you gushing into your panties. His scratchy beard added another sensation all welcomed.

You clench around nothing desperate for pressure. After he was satisfied with making out with your thighs making sure you were nice and wet for him, he pulled away. You watched as he moved to the top of your cunt hovering just above you. His hot breath sent shivers up your spine.

You breathed out and his mouth collided with your clothed heat. He covered you with kisses, slowly but deep, and the passion grew in your lower belly. His fingers slowly hooked into your panties. He slowly dragged them down.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head, your entrance was glistening with slickness. All for him. Had he really done that to you? “My god baby, you trying to kill me,” he whispered. His thumb slowly spreads you open, and his finger gently brushes you.

Your legs jolted and he knew he found your clit. He watches your face as he slowly begins to rub circles. Your eyes gleam over with love. He maintains eye contact. You slowly began leaking your pussy fluttering around nothing.

Joel licked a big stripe up gathering all your juices on his tongue. You let out a soft groan. He slowly began to stick his tongue in hitting your G-spot. “Wait-” you breathed out, smoothing your hand over his hair. 

He pulled away, lips glistening and pupils blown. His heart sank to his ass, what had he done? Why did he think he could do this? He wasn't any good, not anymore at least. Maybe he never was. 

“Can I take off your pants? But leave your boxers still on,” you asked with a sheepish smile. He blinks for a second before standing up. The world seems to rush up with him, he can feel you tugging at his belt but he gets so dizzy all he can do is slowly rub his thumb across your cheek as he looks down at you.

He could get used to this view. He begged you'd look real pretty down there, taking him in your mouth. The thought alone makes his cock jump, or maybe it was the cold air as you pulled his pants down. His hard cock begging to be released.

You don't answer his prayers as you scoot back on the couch with a content smile. Joel discards everything still left on him minus his boxers. His knees make a familiar pop as he settles back in between your legs. His kisses return and so does his tongue as he begins to re-light the fire growing in your belly. 

His hand flexes up to yours grabbing yours and putting you right on your clit. His strong arms wrap around your thighs, pinning your legs open. The cold sting of his watch sends a shiver up your spine. You rub your clit trying to keep up with his pace.

It was hard to keep in rhythm, your legs shook around his head and in his arms. You felt the coil threatening to snap and you couldn't take it anymore, you removed your hand and gripped your couch cushion. “Joel- I'm so close.” 

He hummed into your sex, your back tried to arch off the couch as he kept you pinned. Your legs shook as the coil snapped. Your orgasm deafening any other stimuli. “Ohhh fuck Joel.” you whimpered into the air.

After a second his ministrations stopped, and your legs were sore but a good kind of sore. The kind where you can feel pleasure for hours. You work to catch your breath as the older man on his knees for you slowly stands up. “Jesus.” is all you can say with a smile.

“Still got it in me huh?” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Oh no Joel you had it in me,” you whispered standing up to meet him. “Oh yeah?” he asked, letting you invade his space. “Yeah,” you whispered, pulling him into a kiss, your taste still on his tongue. You let out a small noise. “Taste yourself, baby? Sweetest pussy I've ever had.” and you moaned again. 

You needed his dick right now. 

Your fingers fumbled for the fabric of his boxers. They were hot and so was the rest of him. Chest tinged with a slight red color. You pulled down as you kissed him, and his hard member sprung up. Joel hissed inwards at the sudden cold air.

And Jesus was perfect. He was long, or at least longer than anyone you had ever seen in real life. And big. God, you were gonna feel this man in your toes. You looked up at him with a loopy smile. “Not too bad for an old man,” you mumble, your tease must have been good because at that moment his rigid cock jumped slightly up.

That was your cue to begin. Joel shot you a warning glance with his eyes, but a smirk tugged at his lips. You slowly begin to tease him, fluttering your hands around his hips and thighs. Before you can sink to the ground his strong hand gathers to the back of your head. He guides your head back up, and you're confused.

Worry starts to flood your system. You cock your head to the side trying to figure out why he wouldn't want you to suck his dick. He was already hard, he ate you out just moments ago… none of it was adding up in your brain.

“That's not how this is gonna work,” he says as his large hands find the sides of your arms. He gently moves you to the couch. You plop down, still confused. “Work? Work how?” you ask. “You don't needa suck m’off just cause I did what I did.” 

You shake your head with a smirk, “I don't need to do anything. I want to, Joel.” you mustered up your best puppy eyes. “No baby what ya’ need,” he starts walking towards you. Your knees hit the couch again as you flop down. His hand meets your knee, spreading your legs for him. “What you need is me in that pretty little cunt. She's begging for me,” he whispers in the last part.

Your mouth is slightly agape. Have you really just heard that? No way… right? Joel came down to meet you, his hands roaming your body tentatively. He lined himself up to your entrance.

“Sure you wanna do this with an old man? We can stop.” he reminds you. “No we can't,” you said

With a smile. “Yes, we can. This can end now. You don't have to do this.” and while his words were so sweet, you needed him to fuck you. “Joel, pleased I've waited so long for this,” you whispered. He nodded, positioning his hard length in you.

It felt like he was piercing you. As he pushed into you you mewled out. He instantly stopped,” You alright?” he asked his warm rough hands creating the greatest sensation in the world. “Mhm, just stings a little that's all,” you whispered nodding at him. Joel doesn't move his eyes searching for permission to keep going. 

“Go ahead, m’ ok.” you encouraged. He nodded pushing in about halfway, it was his turn to make a noise. You were so tight and warm and ready for him that he nearly keeled over at the feeling. God, he wasn't gonna last long. Once he pushed all the way in he dove down to kiss you. 

His hips began snapping against yours as your mouths melted together. You pulled away the feeling of his dick prodding your tummy become overpowering, to say the least. Your fingers scratched down his back leaving long traces in your wake. 

He breathed heavily, his forehead planted on yours. “Mm fuck me,” he muttered gathering your hair and yanking your head down to look at where the two of you met. To see you swallowing his cock whole. “Look at you, baby. Your-” he took a deep breath in. “Fuck, you're doing so good baby,” you whined out in response. 

Joel could feel his orgasm approaching. He gritted his teeth together, “Fuck! Come one baby m’ so close. Needa to come first. Make me all wet.” he cursed. You grabbed his hand and brought it to your throat. You were so close, he had fucked your brain quiet.

Any sort of thought beyond his dick, hands, or voice was a lost cause. The coil in your stomach snapped, your walls clenching around him violently. It was enough to draw out his orgasm. “Fuck.” you both whimpered as you clung to him.

[spookwriter-xo]

Coppélia

Chapter 3 - The Figure Painter

Chapter Summary - Y/N visits a childhood friend to go over Seonghwa's odd invitation.

Series Masterlist

"And then he gave you a contract... Like from Fifty Shades of Gray?"

"I told you it's not a contract, he said it was an invitation."

"Honey, it literally gives you a place to sign at the bottom."

After Seonghwa had given me the envelope and left, I wasted no time in rushing over to my friend, Mia's, house to tell her everything. Mia and I had known each other since we were seven years old, hanging off of each other like leeches since. Her family was rich too, but unlike mine, they supported her artistic endeavors.

She was a painter, specializing in figure paintings and realism, and was also my voice of reason.

"I seriously don't know what to do," I whine, my head resting on her kitchen countertop.

"Well, what does it say? Like what does he want you to do?" She asks, her fingers twirling a teaspoon around her tea cup.

I glance down at the papers in front of me. So many rules were listed I struggled to even wrap my head around it.

"He wants me to move into their home," I say.

"Their home?" Mia clarifies. "As in other people?"

"I guess so?" I clear my throat as I continue. "I can remain as a dancer for the society as long as I don't practice for any longer than I need to be."

"Well, at least they're offering you some freedom." She mumbles sarcastically, taking a sip of her tea.

"Mia come on!" I cry out rather dramatically.

"I feel like there isn't much up for discussion here? Yes, it's weird and borderline controlling but when was the last time something exciting like this happened in your life?" She argues.

"I don't want to be controlled, Mia. This whole thing, it's just way above my pay grade. I had enough of it living with my parents, I don't need it in a romantic relationship too!" I point out. She lets out a sigh, nodding in understanding.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Mia runs a hand through her hair. "Okay, let's try a different approach. What things in there benefit you?"

"Uhm, I get to live in a big ass mansion free of charge," I say, my finger hovering over the bullet point. It sure would be better than the cheap studio apartment I live in now.

"You can never go wrong with a big ass mansion." She quips before I continue.

"It says... I have to be willing to, share myself?" I tilt my head with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh, don't tell me they're the type to want a girl to homey hop." She seethes, leaning over the counter to read the paper. "Oh god, they are!" She exclaims.

"Just because you're monogamous doesn't mean you can judge!" I scold.

"I'm not judging, I'm cringing 'cause it's not for me." She says defensively. "If you're into that, I won't judge."

"Sure you won't."

"I might make fun of you a little, but you know I'll get over it!" She laughs. "Besides it's a bonus if they're all cute. I looked up Seonghwa and that Hongjoong guy and woo!" She whistles.

"Poor Mark." I tease, she gasps. "Listen, I don't know if I'm up for that either. I mean I don't even know who the others are, for all I know there could be a serial killer among them."

"Then call him." She states. "Call him and demand him to rewrite it on your terms."

"Would that work?" I ask, placing the papers back into a neat pile.

"He's a businessman, right? Of course, it would! Hell, you might even get to meet the others if you play your cards right." She says confidently. "You like this guy right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then fight for your own morals and boundaries, and if he doesn't accept that then move on." She says, moving over slightly to place her mug in the sink. "And if they try something, Mark and I will come over and beat them up for you."

"You and I both know Mark Lee is not going to beat anyone up." I laugh causing her to let out a snort.

"You're right, he could yap their ears off and give us time to escape the country though." She jokes, a wide grin spreading across her face.

I glance back down at the documents, genuinely contemplating for a moment. I hated the idea of being controlled by anyone again, let alone a bunch of men who, aside from 1, I have never had a conversation with in my life. But on top of that, it would be really nice to stay somewhere that didn't charge me almost my entire weekly pay for rent.

Plus Seonghwa was really good-looking, but was I really going to risk my freedom just because a cute guy gave me a second of his time? Mia was right, I needed to call him and set up some kind of meeting and get this document altered to my liking also, not just theirs.

"You're doing that thing again." Mia's voice cuts me out of my thoughts. "You know it's creepy when you stare off into space like that."

"Sorry, was just thinking about everything," I say softly, stuffing the document back into the envelope it came in.

"It's a lot, I know, but once you put your foot down like I know you can it'll all even out. You'll see." Mia was often right about these things, then again she was always the one to come up with the ideas that would get us into trouble growing up. I trusted her with things like this because I knew it would never leave the two of us, but trusting her to convince me to do something that could lead to me signing my life away? I was going to be a little more cautious of that.

"I should probably go, I got another show tonight," I say, hopping off of the seat I was perched on.

"Oh! I'm coming to the show next Monday! Don't mess up for me okay?" She says, skipping around the counter to give me a quick hug before I leave.

"Of course I won't, you're my lucky charm." I joke, pulling away and waving. She waves back, knowing I could find my way out.

I contemplated calling Seonghwa as I walked through the city streets. I let out an annoyed huff at the constant tug-of-war going on in my head. My finger hovered over the call button as I stared down at his contact. He'd probably show up tonight, but did I really want to decline his initial offer in person?

Without thinking I pressed call, holding my phone up to my ear as I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. I felt a sick feeling of nerves in my stomach, the same feeling I felt before I went out on stage.

It rings 4 times before he picks up.

"I thought you'd think about it a while longer." He states, his voice rough. I take a deep breath before I speak.

"I'm declining your 'invitation'," I stated, making sure my voice sounded defiant.

"What?" He asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"You heard me. This... Contract is far too controlling for my liking and I refuse to subject myself to signing my life away for a man who only graced me with his presence last night." I say, earning some looks from passersby.

"Doll-"

"I'm not done! Look, I like you. But the only way this is happening is if we rewrite this to include my own terms. And I want whoever the hell you expect me to share myself with to be there also. No way in hell am I agreeing to something like that without even knowing what they look like." I say, rather rushed. Silence follows, and I look at my phone screen for a moment to make sure the phone call didn't end. As I placed the phone back to my ear I heard laughter.

"My, I really underestimated you didn't I?" Seonghwa chuckles. "A real firecracker you are, so unassuming up until now." I could feel his grin through the screen, and it made my blood boil.

"If you're going to waste my time-"

"Hold on a second, Doll." He says, his voice still laced with amusement. "I'll organize a dinner, how does that sound? You, me, and the others who helped write the original contract. That way you can meet everyone and get your boundaries heard."

I blinked in surprise at his offer. Was it really that easy? "You're serious?"

"Of course I am! Honestly, it's refreshing to talk to someone as pretty as you about business exchanges." He chuckles. "You have a show tonight, yes? Are you free Saturday night?"

I clear my throat. "Uhm, yeah?"

"Excellent, I'll send you the details tonight with your Gardenias." He says, hanging up before I can get another word in.

I gape at the phone, staring at it as I stand frozen in the middle of the street. I look around for a moment before continuing on my way.

I had a sinking feeling that this dinner was not going to be as easy as he made it seem. The others were most definitely businessmen also, co-owners of ATZ Corp. Me, a broke ballerina versus 8 businessmen on their own turf.

Pray for me.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Heyyy

So I really liked the Damian Wayne x reader platonic friend thingy your wrote. I really feel like there should be more of those.

Anyways, k cam where to respect something similar. Can u maybe write hc on what it'd be like to be friends w him? Like bantering n stuff and maybe u can focus a bit on how Bruce feels abt it? Oh and bonus points if the reader is awkward.

Toodles!

Being friends with Damian isn’t easy in the slightest, mainly because he doesn’t make it easy for anyone to befriend him in the first place. So the fact that you managed to accomplish that was a major achievement already.

However that didn’t mean anything afterwards was made any easier for you just because you managed to make the impossible become possible. No. Why? Damian is one hell of a dry conversationalist if Titus or animals in general weren’t involved.

He’s basically an extroverts worst nightmare given a human form. For no matter how hard you tried to bait him into giving more then a one word answer out of him, it always ends with Damian not taking the bait and allowing a air of awkward silence to befall you both while everyone else was having a better time then you.

You: hey Damian.

Him: hello l/n.

You: how have you been?

Him: in peak condition, why?

You: it’s because I don’t see you that much outside of school, it’s almost as if your allergic to social interaction.

Him: Tt. why should I go out of my way to do such a thing? I have you as an acquaintance don’t I?

You: I mean yeah I guess-

Him: then I have no need to expand my friend group, for they’ll only disappoint me. Now is that all?

You: I mean there’s not much else to talk about at this point.

Him: good.

*cue to the pair of you sitting in utter, awkward silence*

When Damian says one friend is all he needs, he genuinely means it. One is enough for him. He doesn’t need anymore because he knows that he doesn’t have the time for them. Plus he might not say it out loud but he does appreciate your friendship, even if your both awkward individuals within most social situations, but he is happy that someone finally gave him a chance to be a friend.

So even if you were to ever ask why you were friends it’ll probably go something a bit like this;

You: why are you friends with me?

Him: you aren’t an idiot, plus you’re the only one who isn’t insufferable.

You: is that meant to be taken as a compliment or…

Him: take it as you see fit.

You: okay…

Damian as a friend would be protective i’d like to think? I mean you are literally the first friend he’s made so naturally he’s going to feel something when he sees you being friends with anyone else that wasn’t him.

Was it insecurity that you not day might not want to be his friend anymore? Possibly.

Will he ever admit to it though? No. This is Damian we’re talking about, of course he won’t.

Also being friends with Damian would best summed up as being two people who shouldn’t work but ultimately do either way, kind of like an ‘against all their differences they’re the best of friends’ type of duo because nobody and I mean nobody saw a friendship between you two ever happening. Ever.

Not even the great Bruce Wayne.

Speaking about him. If you ever got to visit the Wayne Manor and meet his father aka THE Bruce Wayne. Take it as a sign as you’ve made it as Damian’s best friend.

Would you shit yourself upon meeting quite possibly the most powerful man in Gotham? Yes and your sweating buckets on top of that, all the while Damian would be stood next to you completely unfazed as he introduced you to his father as his best mate.

Damian: father.

Bruce: Damian.

Damian: *points to you* this is my best friend and I expect that they get treated with respect during their visit here.

You: hi- hello it’s an honour to meet you M-Mr Wayne sir.

Bruce: tell me how you’ve come to befriend my son?

You: we were in the same art class and I noticed that he had no one to sit next to, and so I offered for him to sit with me, keep in mind I’m not that well liked and practically had a whole table to myself, and I’d like to think our friendship started with that small act of kindness Mr Wayne sir.

Bruce: and had Damian been kind to you?

You: in his own unique way sir but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Bruce: *smiled* you’re a good kid l/n and you can go ahead and drop the formalities and call me Bruce instead. I shall go and tell Alfred to add another plate at the dinner table tonight.

Bruce, upon hearing that Damian had made a friend, wanted to meet you within immediate effect and see whether or not his son made for a good judge of character and he wasn’t disappointed.

Given the fact that you were awkward aside, you were defiantly what Damian needed for a friend, and Bruce was happy to see his son finally get to be normal for once as he watched from the window as Damian practically dragged you out to the spacious backyard with an excitable Titus on your heels as the Great Dane tried to get up and personal with you.

Alfred: they are certainly a pair, aren’t they master Bruce.

Bruce: an odd pair they may seem but they even out the other perfectly. Besides when was the last time Damian looked genuinely happy?

Alfred; can’t say that I recall sir.

Bruce: neither can I. At first I was sceptical but I’m glad being wrong. I can only hope that a friendship like theirs will stand the test of time because there will be times that will test their limits with one another. But if they’re as good a pair as I think they are then they’ll be perfectly fine.

Alfred: couldn’t have put it better myself sir *smiles alongside Bruce as they watched you and Damian act on your own within the others presence while in comfortable silence as Titus fell asleep at both of your feet.*

Yeah you’ll both be alright. You’ve got each other after all and that’s what matters at the end of the day.

[vandme12]

can you do a Ronin x reader where reader is doing Necrophilia with Ronin after he died? when the bad ending comes, bonus points if nsfw but your wish 🤞 🤞 🤞

For the past few days/weeks, I’ve been working off. I’m a minor, and I won’t write NSFW—no matter what others do—because it makes me uncomfortable. Despite this, I keep getting asks for it or complaints about unfinished requests. Newsflash: I have a life outside of this.

It’s frustrating to keep repeating myself, but let me make it clear—I’m a minor, and I won’t write NSFW. No exceptions. If you keep sending asks for it after I’ve already set that boundary, you’re crossing a line. It’s not funny, it’s not cute, and it’s not okay.

And while we’re at it—I’m not a machine. I’m one person with a life outside of writing. I’m not here to churn out content on demand, and I’m definitely not obligated to fulfill every single request the moment it’s sent. If you can’t be patient, that’s not my problem.

Hate comments because I’m not working fast enough? Seriously? If you’re so pressed about it, you can write it yourself. I create because I enjoy it, not because I owe anyone anything.

Respect my boundaries, respect my time, or don’t interact. Simple as that.

If you’re sending weird or inappropriate requests—stop. I’m not here to cater to anyone’s messed-up fantasies, and I’m definitely not tolerating that kind of behavior. If you think it’s okay to pressure someone—especially a minor—into writing things they’re uncomfortable with, you’re the problem.

And for those who make me feel insecure about my writing with rude comments—what’s your goal? If you don’t like what I create, don’t read it. It’s that simple. I’m here because I enjoy writing, and I’m proud of the work I put out. I’m constantly learning and improving, and no amount of negativity is going to take that from me.

If you can’t be kind, if you can’t respect my boundaries, leave. My space isn’t for you.

I'm closing asks after this, I'm tired of saying this thing again and again.

I’m closing asks because, honestly? I’m done. I’m tired of weird, gross requests like “Can Ronin corrupt the reader’s ass more?”—what the hell is wrong with you? Ronin isn’t some creepy joke character for your weird fantasies. He has depth, and I actually put effort into writing this complex, interesting character.

If you can’t send a normal coded request, don’t send one at all. I’m not here to write gross stuff

From now on, if you can’t respect my boundaries or my characters, don’t interact.

And while I’m at it—if you’re sending hate because I didn’t finish your request fast enough, get a grip. I’m doing this for free because I enjoy it, not because I owe anyone anything. Acting entitled won’t make me work faster—it’ll just make me ignore you.

Also, stop guilt-tripping me with stuff like “I guess my request wasn’t good enough” or “You forgot mine, I’ve been waiting forever.” I see the asks, and I’ll get to the ones I actually want to do when I’m ready. If I didn’t do yours? Either I missed it, or I didn’t vibe with it. Deal with it.

From now on, if your request is weird, uncomfortable, or straight-up rude, I’m deleting it without a second thought. If you can’t send something respectful, don’t send anything at all.

I’m writing because I want to, not because I’m your personal content factory. If you can’t respect that, you’re not welcome here.

Please understand my day was ruined with the ask. I feel so insecure.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Eps 34-35

Not many photos here because anything I screenshot in these eps would literally just give me psychic damage at this point (-:

Spoilers under the cut!

Ep 34:

I'm being so brave watching this fucking opening scene again.

No actually though I've watched it several times by now and it just keeps getting worse. What can one even say about all this? Ow??? Fuck???

Probably the most gruesome onscreen death of a child character in cdrama that I've seen like I didn't know they could even go there like that. I guess maybe because it's not gory or specifically violent? Idk the rules but man. His expression.

The way they play TJR singing their song and then switch to LZY's version. Maximum pain thank you guys.

ZYC's "I'm sorry" is so damn loaded. For not being there, for failing to protect him, but also for being the reason Bai Jiu made this decision. For giving Bai Jiu someone to love and protect and die for. For unknowingly and inadvertently causing this just by loving him and being loved by him. ZYC's remorse and regret as he makes the connections and pieces together Bai Jiu's thought process is so fucking haunting. Just the most awful way for his own words of comfort to come back. And like I'd commented previously—the way love begets grief.

I'm going to kms I knew when they put yet another cloak on ZYC that he'd be giving it to someone else but NO!!! Not like this oh my god

"哥帶你回家" (Ge will take you home) I don't even have the words for how painful this is. Is this the first time ZYC refers to himself as ge? Not just acknowledging that Bai Jiu's made an older brother of him? If not, it's certainly the most salient.

Both actors' skills can hardly be questioned atp (like, that's a damn difficult expression to die with), but I just have to marvel at the way TJR's acting (his micro-expressions!!!) is at once subtle and incredibly clear. That ZYC's every emotion is clearly telegraphed—his shock, his horror, his anguish, his regret, his desperation, his exhaustion—but so naturally done.

ZYC struggling with the weight of Bai Jiu's body and dropping it, on top of paralleling the flashback, is just so terrible in its reality. ZYC must already be so incredibly drained after that final battle. To have gone through such an unspeakable loss, to carry it on his back and find himself unable to even properly do that, to protect what's left of Bai Jiu from the mundanity of physical damage.

WX's dad nooooo you're leaving her to ZYZ but ZYZ's not planning on staying either nooooo

Are we sure the magic rain couldn't have saved WX's dad tho ):

WX don't tell ZYZ your self-sacrificial plan there's no way he'd let you go through with it girl!!! You gotta pull a ZYC and be vague as fuck and make sure everyone's feet are frozen to the ground so they can't stop you

ZYZ backing away after using the spell on WX, slapping himself when he nearly can't get himself to go through with dying. Good shit. But also my god I'm so sorry WX what a fucking traumatic ten minutes will anyone give her a fucking break? Living at any cost, at the cost of her beloved dying several feet away from her, yet another manifestation of her trauma with Zhao Wan'er, and knowing it's about to happen, begging to be given a say—cruel. PSJ has been offscreen for forever just because plot convenience (which, in itself, already sucks) but if she were here she would kill ZYZ herself for putting WX through this and the rain would just be a bonus.

The Cloud Light Sword stained with blood to the point it looks unfamiliar—good shit.

ZYC's fucking voice when he asks if there's any other choice. Art, I tell you.

Fucking hell. The twist on their fate being ZYC choosing it rather than being forced into it, to absolve ZYZ of the cruelty he's had to bear responsibility for in doing this to his loved ones. Zhiji was not misapplied in this damn story—ZYC understands and he understands over and over because who else could do this for ZYZ? To find one last way to lighten his burden in such a conflicting and complicated and impossible situation. To know exactly what must be hurting ZYZ and to bear the weight instead and to make sure he knows full well that's what's happening. For ZYC to take that hurt upon himself, entirely upon himself. The way that ZYC dealing the killing blow is actually the furthest thing from a moment of hardening his own heart, that it's in fact the height of his soft-heartedness. And how much that must hurt. Pain.

Also, imo ZYC making it purely his choice at the last moment is so clearly and specifically for ZYZ. Not for anyone else's sake, and precisely against his own and WX's wishes. Upon knowing ZYZ's commitment to death in this moment, whatever else happening has been made secondary. He is giving ZYZ all that he has left to give—fulfilling ZYZ's sacrificial determination, carrying out ZYZ's will to save the people, absolving ZYZ's guilt at what it's taken to get here.

(Totally tangential but I referenced AOT in my last post so I figured I'd make further reference: if anyone's familiar with Eruri—I'm somewhat reminded of Levi's choice. Being the only one with the power to save or let their loved one die. Choosing death for them, on their behalf, perhaps a decision opaque and counterintuitive to the rest of the world but completely and utterly made out of love and an inimitable understanding of the man they love. The most painfully and unimaginably selfless act, to give them peace at the cost of their own suffering.)

"小卓，你還是這麼..." (Xiao Zhuo, you're still so...) Oh this line kills me (ha). I love that it's unfinished. That it encapsulates ZYZ's surprise, his understanding and gratitude, and ultimately this sense of marveling at the man in front of him and what he's given ZYZ even now, at the very end. It tells me ZYZ recognizes ZYC's choice for what it is: the utmost act of a soft-hearted and boundless love that sees through him completely. Zhiji indeed.

The way ZYZ has unfulfilled promises with both WX and ZYC, the way they both call him a liar—good shit.

When I didn't know there was an episode 35 (or special episode I guess) I was boutta throw hands like what do you MEAN that's it??

Ep 35:

I do love a good hair-turning-white-from-grief trope (': But man, white hair like that at 24/25........Also though PSJ and WX finally have more noticeably different styling/silhouettes yayy they look gorgeous

God, but I can't bear looking at how small their group is now.

Searching all the mountains and seas, all 28 mountains in the Wilderness. ZYC, that kind of devotion...I really feel the need to echo ZYZ here, you're really so...

ZYC looking like ZYZ from behind because of his hair......ZYC's hand shaking holding Bai Jiu's bell............................

Also I'm really glad (I say this through tears) because I saw Bai Jiu didn't have his bell in ep 33/34 and I was like ??

Ah, are you kidding me I thought the pain was more or less over what do you mean Bai Jiu wants ZYC to 勿想勿念 [wù xiǎng wù niàn] (don't think of, don't miss)?? The way 不念不响 [bù niàn bù xiǎng] is literally the title of ZYC's character song, which then plays in the bg ('''':

(I can't really tell how well the subs explain it or how it comes across in translation so apologies if this context isn't necessary but the characters in the song title say "don't read, don't ring," but the character for "ring" is a homophone for "think of" and the character for "read" can also mean "miss." Missing someone/something is "想念" [xiǎng niàn]. Bai Jiu tells ZYC not to miss him through homophonous terms—a book he can't read, a bell that can't ring—and the song title is directly referencing that.) What an elaborate way to hurt me.

Bai Jiu really pulled a ZYC though with a box full of hurt/comfort just like ZYC had left WX

Ohhh the way WX's narration turns into ZYC's?? Honestly this drama's commitment to canonizing ZYC's love for ZYZ to the same level as WX's is really gratifying. And ZYC talking about a bone-deep sadness after ZYZ died. The parallel of baby!ZYC in front of the pond. I especially love the mention of ZYZ's age in comparison to ZYC's, these glimpses of the perspective ZYC has gained with hindsight. The distance of time and reflection and yet the unmistakable fondness and love. It is in part healing to hear.

Also imo ZYC if the scene chosen for ZYZ's POV of you is accurate I'd wager he saw you not as some angry child but as the pinnacle of humanity's beautiful bleeding heart.

ZYZ said it before right? That every human emotion is important? Well ZYC really has been constantly feeling the entire range of human emotion this whole drama lmao

Why yes I do think I need a heartwrenching MV-style montage of all the tragedies of this story that ultimately offers bittersweet catharsis and closure as the OST narrates about searching for someone and finding them in the end. Just what the doctor prescribed tyvm

WX saying ZYZ's final wish was to 落葉���根 (translated as returning home, literally translates to "fallen leaves return to their root," implies returning home after a long time) the way humans do and ZYZ's soul literally being on a leaf of paper (which kinda sorta works in CN as well since "leaf" and "page" are homophonous) that, carried by the wind, returns to ZYC?? Home??? Are you joking bc I'm sobbing.

Gonna have to use this photo again bc literally how else do I describe how I'm feeling rn?

And that's a fucking wrap. I'm so. I don't even. Wow. Maybe in another couple of business days I'll throw together a brief review of the show as a whole, but right now I'm gonna drown myself in other people's metas and gifs and fics as god intended. Thank you as always for spending the time on my silly ramblings and I hope you enjoyed the ride!

[f4iry-bell]

BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE

a/n: just some rubbish hehe.

pairing: grayson hawthorne x reader

synopsis: gigi invites a captivating random stranger to an event and she mistakens grayson for someone whom he totally isn't...

taglist: @unnoodles @nqds @alwaysthefangirl @clarissaweasley-10 @benny1989fredd @imaseabear @never-enough-novels @nikolaisprivateer (LMK if you want to be added)

“Can you get me a glass of water?” asked the girl who was wearing a light green tube top and a matching green skirt with fake wings attached to her back, her hair done up as a bun. 

“Excuse me?” Grayson’s eyebrows formed a frown. If this girl is trying to mess with a random stranger at a party, he was not the right person to do this.

“Should I repeat myself?” She asked. 

“I'm Grayson Hawthorne.” He was clearly offended.

“Great. Grayson Hawthorne, can you get me a glass of water, please?” At least she said please this time, but still Grayson wasn't letting this go.

“No, I can't.” His words were sharp.

“Why not? Aren't you paid for this?” Now it was her turn to frown. Clearly confused.

“I'm Grayson Hawthorne.” He repeated again, she gave him a look that says am-I-supposed-to-know-what-that-is?

“I'm not a caterer.” He scoffed.

“Oh.” She said, realisation hitting her slowly taking its fine time. “Oh! I'm sorry! You just…”

“I just what?” He asked, still offended that she mistaken him for the caterer.

“I mean, your outfit.” She pointed at his Armani suit which she probably didn't know that it costs ten times her whole outfit.

“What is wrong with it? Is it not ironed properly?” He asked. He got it ironed just this morning, it was impossible to find a tiny wrinkle.

“No. This is a costume party. Or am I wrong?” She looked around to make sure she didn't imagine people dressing up as ridiculous characters. “I'm not!” She confirmed.

“You're not”

“Then why aren't you in a costume?” 

“I am.”

“Oh? What are you dressed up as?”

“Figure it out yourself.” He wasn't dressed up as anyone, in fact he refused to dress up as anyone but himself. Even with all the begging that Gigi did or threatening that Jameson did couldn't make him change his mind. He was probably the only one who wasn't in a costume.

“You are” she tried to think of a character. “Oh! I know, James Bond!” She exclaimed.

“No.” It was a good guess, he'll give her that.

“Um, Elijah Mikaelson? Aaron Warner? Chuck Bass?” 

He had no idea who these people were.

“I'm sorry. What's your last name?” It was a very weird and specific question.  Yes, this was a costume party, but also a fundraiser. He wanted to know if she is here with an invite or just snuck in.

“Why?”

“Just tell me.”

“But why?”

“Show me your invitation.” He demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Um.” He was right, until she looked around for something or someone and finally pointed at someone. “Her!” She pointed at a short haired girl who was dressed as a star, a literal star with cat ears whom recognised well. It was his half sister Gigi.

“What do you mean?” He was confused. But I had an idea.

“We met last week and she invited me in exchange for a discount.”

“Discount?”

“At the vet slash pet shop.” 

Grayson was confused and disappointed. 

“You know? Vet where you take your pet and pet shop where you buy stuff for your pet.”

“I know what those are.”

“You just seemed lost.”

“I was not”

“Were too.”

“Excuse me, I need to have a word with your “invitation”” With that he walked away to have some serious conversation with Gigi on how she invited a stranger to a charity even for a discount when she's literally rich as hell. 

Part 2...

BONUS

“We need to talk.” Gigi immediately knew that with that phrase, there I'll be a lecture coming up.

“What did I do this time?” She asked, she genuinely had no clue.

“You invited a stranger to a fundraiser.” He went directly to the point, as usual. 

“I- She's not a stranger! She's a friend!” 

“Whom you met a week ago.” He pointed out the fact.

“We're platonic soulmates.” She gave him a cheerful smile hoping it'll ease him down.

But it didn't.

“Juliet, you can't invite random people you've just met to important events like this where she serves no purpose.” He lectured.

“I know! But she was talking about how she makes cute dresses for cats and dogs and for humans too! And then I was like do you like to dress up? And she said yes! And that's why I invited her. She had the costume ready! And it was too pretty to let it go to waste.” She gave her statement.

“That's it? She likes to dress up so you invited her?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Uh huh.” Gigi was easy to read for Grayson.

“Tell me what you're hiding.”

She sighs giving up. “Fine. Her brother, well they both sometimes switch their shifts at the place where they work. And he's really cute…I thought this might help her give me his number.”

“All this for a boy?”

“A cute boy! Who loves cats!”

[shu-box-puns]

OH TO SHOW TSU’TEY HUMAN CUSTOMS UGH

this man would nawt be able to comprehend how many languages we have, or just how complex they can be; “wdym there’s a language of pictures? 🤨”

MUSIC OMG MUSIC he would deffo be intrigued by classical, but his ears would flatten once something like heavy metal comes on shuffle and you try to stifle your laughter; “why would you listen to someone scream? they’re saying words??”

DANCING i wanna tango this bitch or grind on him (his eyes would be BULGING at a lap dance, but that tail would be a thump-a-thumping), or something a bit more cute along the lines of slow dancing

proposing to him :( his partner wants to mate with him as they would on earth, so they get down on one knee, neck STRAINING, and holding out a ring that he glances at with a beating tail behind him; “what is this” “i’m proposing, you idiot. accept it before something eats me out here” he’ll eventually accept the ring (do they wear rings? if not, he will struggleeee to get used to it, but finds comfort in playing with it) and nearly hisses when his partner asks if he’d prefer something else. jake nearly toppled over when he sees it and is now wondering if he’s supposed to be doing this with his own mate

AHHHH I LOVE THISSSSS!!!!! ANON, THIS IS BLOODY AMAZING!

Tsu'tey would be so intrigued to hear more about your life on Earth, even if he's a little grumpy about it in the beginning. But once you've warmed that man up, he wants to know EVERYTHING! He is hungry to know more about you. I like to think he's nosy just like Mo'at but he's more subtle about it. As in he's more careful about how he pries information out of you, whilst Mo'at will just straight up demands what she wants to know, whether you plan to tell her or not she will find a way.

Maybe Tsu'tey overhears you or a co-worker speaking in a language that he doesn't recognise and that opens a whole new conversation about Earth and how there are about 7000 spoken languages back on Earth. And of course he's nothing short of impressed. He's like "what do you mean you know English, Na'vi and (insert however many other dialects here)?!"

(Bonus points if Reader learnt Na'vi on duolingo or some na'vi speaking app they found in the app store instead of going through an intense learning course run by Grace).

I feel like the music and dancing would come hand in hand. And you'd test out what he likes by playing him random genres whenever he visits the lab. And depending on if his tail wags or if his ears flatten you can pretty much guess what he likes and dislikes, even though he pretends to be neutral about everything. I feel like anything with a strong beat would have him craving to dance regardless of whether he feels he can let himself or not.

As for slow dancing, there's a height difference, but that's easy enough to get round since Tsu'tey has no issue holding you and fumbling the steps on his own whilst you sway together and let the music set the mood.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, if you get this man flowers, he will not at all get your intentions and think you just don't know which flowers are useful. Where you might be thinking, "I picked these because they're as beautiful as your eyes," Tsu'tey is having a mild panic attack because that specific species of flower has a pollen that could down an ikran in seconds, and the only reason you're not dead yet is because you have an exomask on. Whereas if Tsu'tey inhales any of that he'll be seeing Eywa instead of romantic gestures.

The miscommunication between human courtship and na'vi courtship would be hilarious to anyone who's familiar with both, and painful to either party who thinks their S/o is being dumb.

THE PART ABOUT THE RING!!! HELL YES! Of course you're mated by na'vi standards, and to be fair, you also have to be married by human standards. Tsu'tey will weave that ring into a custom necklace to have it on him at ALL times, and although he has no desire or access to metals, he's definitely off to find a pretty rock to whittle into a ring in return.

[indigo-greer-collins]

wanderer's soul✧.*

OKAY UH HI GUYS

author's note: i wish i knew how to make this little intro thing all aesthetic and shit, i do not though, this is my first time with this thing. i was inspired by @samfucker to write something kinda angsty about teen darlin, so thank u matt!!! this is my first time posting like an actual fic here so i am so sorry if it sucks but uhhhh i'll improve i promise! lemme stop yapping now

content includes: gender neutral pronouns for darlin, teen darlin, autistic darlin, underaged drinking, mentions of parental conflict(?), teen shaw pack, depictions of meltdown/spiralling, angst-ish(idk if its that bad)

word count: 1.6k! (woah thats kinda long)

They just needed to leave.

The circumstances weren’t ideal. To get away from a house that hated them, they had to hang out with a bunch of wolves who didn’t like them. But the lesser of the two hells was obvious.  They grabbed some old, worn-out sneakers they were unhealthily attached to; the first pair of sweatpants they could find and a hoodie that had (barely) stood the tests of time. Hanging out at a park was hardly a special occasion, so they defaulted to their usual look: homeless. But the look wasn’t complete yet. They took a flask from the kitchen and mixed some of their parents’ alcohol with some soda. Now it was perfect. Their parents had less to drink as punishment for all the insults they'd thrown at them, and as a bonus, the Shaw pack would make a way more tolerable bunch if they were slightly drunk.

The journey to the park was a blur - their feet took them in the right direction but their mind was in a different place, repeating the harsh words thrown at them by the people that allegedly loved them so much. Were they eternally destined to be surrounded by people who were supposed to care, but didn’t? That’s stupid. They cut off the line of questions they saw their brain preparing. You don’t need people anyway. People don’t want you, and you don’t want them either. Or at least that’s what they told themselves. Before they knew it, they were sat cross-legged on a park bench watching the other shifters their age play and laugh together. How did people their age even make so many friends? Big groups are so exhausting, and every conversation seemed to be some kind of stupid secret code or guessing game that only a select few knew the rules of. Everyone got a little bigger and a little older and suddenly just going up to people and bonding over legos or sandpits or hand painting wasn’t enough. You had to look right. You had to talk right. You had to act right. You even had to think right or somehow they’d know you aren’t one of them. 

No one was going to tell you what “right” was either, they just point and laugh if you happen to be wrong.

Their less-than-sober spiral was broken by a familiar face deciding to take a seat beside them without even asking. They didn’t care that he didn’t ask, but whenever it was them, people usually looked at them strangely.  “Chrissy.” They finally said, wanting to know what the hell he was up to. “Yeah?” He sounded snarky, but they were used to that. Sometimes his snark was a little better than being alone with their thoughts. “Why?” Silence fell for a short while, so they elaborated on their question. “Here, why are you sitting here?”  “Well you’re not waiting for someone are you?” The sip they took from their flask said enough. Of course they weren’t keeping the spot for anybody, they hardly had anyone to sit with. “What’s that?” “None of your business.” “Boring. Can I have some?” “No.” They turned to glare at him, to which he pouted back. They needed the alcohol to hit faster, Christian was already finding their last nerves and tap dancing on them. “Answer my question.”  “The others were annoying me, and you don’t have any friends, so I’m here now.” He put it bluntly. The bluntness was actually sort of refreshing. They looked less tense now. “Is it alcohol?” “Fuck off.” Never mind then.  “I’m snitching-“ “-No the hell you are not.” They insisted before being presented with Christian’s open palm. It looked like their options were a) share the wine that they took the time to steal with their own 2 hands or b) get chewed out by even more adults that pretended to care out of obligation. 

And with a grumble, they let him have a sip. 

Christian’s face twisted in disgust at the bitter taste, which at least amused the angsty teen wolf before they snatched the drink back. They would’ve been reprimanded for a face like that too, but that was also stupid - why did they constantly have to restrain every facial muscle so that people liked them? Is everyone constantly trying to keep up a more pleasant expression? It felt unnecessary. 

“That’s nasty.” “You did that to yourself.” They rolled their eyes before chugging more of their drink, mostly to prove a point. They then wiped at their chin with their sleeve “You gonna go back to your friends now?” “They’re not really my friends.” Chrissy scoffed, though they weren’t quite convinced that was true. He might not be best friends with everyone in the pack, but he was definitely accepted in a way that they weren’t. “And I am?” They stifled a laugh, to which he answered with a shrug. The ambiguity of that answer was frustrating, but now they were too tipsy to be bothered by it. Nobody liked being clear anymore. It was always shrugs, “whatever”s and “I don’t know”s. But everyone did know, and just didn’t want to tell them.  “Why are you drinking anyway? I thought being an alcoholic this young was a European thing.”  “I’m not an alcoholic.” They defended, narrowing their eyes at him. “You and your friends are just impossible to deal with sober, actually.” They snapped back. “So you’re drunk at every pack meeting then?” He asked with a slight tilt of his head. If they weren’t restrained by the drink in their hand, he would’ve earned a whack to the head. And everyone calls their questions dumb.  “Obviously not, jackass.” They glared again before looking back at the others. They were kicking a ball around now and yelling at each other from opposite ends of the grass. It was loud enough to drown out whatever Chrissy was rambling about now. They almost felt hypnotised, fantasising about how things could be if they could just fit in. Sure it felt impossible, but everyone made it look so easy. 

If they could just learn the rules. 

If they could just force a bigger smile.

If they could be smaller, just take up less space. 

If they just weren’t so much of them self they could be running around, playing the sports they love, yelling to friends who actually cared.

But in the end that’s all it was. A fantasy. No amount of watering down or pretending was going to make it feel right. Once these social circles form and bonds are created, there’s no magically changing them.  

“—Are you even listening?” They finally heard Chrissy say before the ball came flying in their direction. They’d barely moved their head out the way in time, but managed to catch it in their hands. In this one minor instance, luck was actually on their side. “No, I did tell you we aren’t friends.” They answered, staring at the ball in their hands. 

Everything and everyone seemed to stop. Did they have to fucking stare like that? They thought, looking up to several expectant pairs of eyes. It honestly infuriated them more that they still cared. People were always staring and squinting and waiting for them to do something. Why can’t they just let it go? Why did they have to be so self-conscious?  “…How did you even manage to kick the ball over here?” They finally asked, trying to be lighthearted. 

No one caught on though. Instead, David awkwardly walked over, blankly staring at them. Was he mad at them for the question?

“Are you okay-?” “What-? Yeah I’m fine, it didn’t even hit me—“ “Okay, you don’t have to be so aggressive, I was just asking.” He rolled his eyes before taking the ball from them. “You don’t have to be here with us y’know,” “Well they aren’t spoilt for choice, who else do they hang around?” Christian asked, making a smile tug on David’s lips before he threw the ball back to the others.  

Are you fucking kidding me? They chugged the rest of their drink and tossed the flask aside, glaring at the ground. Apparently these people were fine with Christian’s shitty jabs when it was them, but not when it was Asher, or Milo, or David or literally anybody else. This was stupid. All of it was so damn, stupid. “Wait, are you crying?” “What the fuck— no!” Their head snapped up, but inconveniently their voice was starting to break. “I was only joking jeez, I thought the drink was supposed to make you less— whatever this is—?”   This?? They furiously repeated in their head, glaring into Christian’s soul before looking down at the grass again. The drink wasn’t going to make them less of anything. In fact, all it did was make those buttons easier to push. Why was everybody so against them? Who did they wrong in a past life to be born this way? Is there nothing and no one that can fix them being such a failure? Is this really completely out of their control — had they somehow become a helpless puppet to their useless, clueless mind? 

“Christian, go away.” “Someone’s a sad drunk,” "I said get the fuck, away!” They shoved him, and he stared, taken aback by the yelling. Everyone had stopped again to figure out what was going on, but no one dared interfere with the newer freak and that snarky Aussie. Their shoulders tensed, they were heaving, every thought in their brain came crashing down on them and there was a burning sensation in their throat to match their glistening eyes. Home, some desperate part of their soul begged, home I want to go home, it insists while they pick off the empty flask and storm away. 

But for them, there was no home. For their soul there was no rest. No one could hear their hearts cries behind the bars of their mental prison. The young wolf was doomed to be an eternally wandering soul. They will never truly feel at home. 

[thebruno65]

Sato defence thread

I know nobody gaf about her, but the few that do despise her ass, so I made up my mind and decided to write a defence post abt her. So, without further ado... Why Sato is a more complex character than you think:

For starters, who in the world is Sato? That's probably a question 90% of all Dangan fans ask when they see me talking about her. So ill give a little background information to inform you/remind you who she is.

Sato is a minor character whom was introduced in Danganronpa 2, Chapter's 2 motive, Twilight Syndrome Murder Case as Girl E. She is known to be friends with Mikan, Hiyoko, Ibuki and most importantly, Mahiru.

But what she is more known for is being the culprit of Natsumi Kuzuryu's murder, the little sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. And its what most people point to when criticizing Sato and her behaviour towards her, most of the time saying Sato was fully in the wrong.

But I'm here to prove, or at least try to, that while murder wasn't the way to handle it, Sato had all the right to behave the way she did towards her. But before I start, I just want to clarify that I don't hate Natsumi, but it doesn't excuse her behaviour towards Sato and Mahiru.

When people blame Sato, they usually go ahead and say that her motive is weak as hell, saying that she is a generic, heartless yandere whose only reasoning is "I love Mahiru!" But that just isn't true, she has much more complexity and issues that people dismiss:

People have kind of forgotten that, despite Natsumi's and Hajime's conversation that showed a weaker side of her character, she was still not an angel. Its shown in the anime that she constantly bullied both Sato and Mahiru, and this is very clearly backed up in episode 3 where she intentionally provokes Sato to start a fight over with her. I mean, there is no way she didn't intend that.

Plus, this bullying can be dated to as far back as the photography club, I'm guessing that's like, around a year or more. So it isn't a recent thing she could just ´ignore´ like most people say, because I'm genuinely sick and tired of people saying that, like, if they met before hopes peak, then I can guarantee you that she has probably tried that before and ultimately fail. Either because Natsumi doesn't stop herself, or she genuinely cant mentally drown her our.

EVEN THEN, this is still not everything she has done, because there is still one more, pretty major thing Natsumi has done constantly to both, threatening to kill them. Ok, before anyone goes ahead and says something like "But those threats are empty! She didn't actually mean it, she is just mad". Put yourself in Sato's shoes first:

Imagine the daughter of one of, if not the biggest Yakuza clan in Japan says she will kill you to your face. I don't know about you all but id be shitting my pants and leave the country if I ever heard that. Not to mention she is also threating my best friend?

And its not like she just based it off of a simple word, she quite literally has physical evidence to prove that Natsumi, in her eyes, does not fuck around. I'm talking about the scar she gave her back in the photography club. After Natsumi and Sato had a fight, its said some men went ahead and scarred her arm.

In general the scar serves as a great way to remind Sato that "if you don't protect Mahiru, they might do something to her, they have done it to you before"

(BONUS)

Please note that, while I may have come as extremely harsh and rude on Natsumi's behalf, this is not a hate post. She is in fact a great character too, and I highly recommend checking this thread that explores her character in great detail. https://x.com/CHISALOVEBOT/status/1735610111245095022

Now, another reason as to how people misinterpret Sato and her motive is her relationship with Mahiru, her best friend. Now I'm not going to argue that she wasn't the reason to why Sato did what she did, in fact, Id argue its her biggest and most important reason for her. But what I'm trying to argue here is that it wasn't (just) because of "love"

I don't know about you all, but i find it very clear to me that Sato is not mentally stable, and this is most prominently shown when she shares her scenes with Mahiru, and how being with her has affected her psychologically.

lets talk about their first scene together, in which sato says, and I quote: "Mahiru, you're the hope of everyone in the Photography Club." At first glance, this sentence seems completely normal, but if you analyse just a little bit more, you will realize something odd... who the fuck unironically says this?

Even if its true that they are an Ultimate, one of the best at what they do. Going to extremes to say "hope" is... a bit overdue, especially speaking for everyone in the photography club. As seeing how the other reserve course students reacted when Mahiru came over, (though I do have to add it was because of Natsumi's comment) were not too sure if she truly meant everyone, or even anyone at all.

But, we can still tie this to her mentality of Mahiru, how? Well, when I said who unironically thinks this, there was an answer, and that my friends, is Nagito Komaeda.

Yes, i know, i seem crazy comparing Nagito and Sato, but think about it, they both have this support over hope, with both reminding the other ultimates that they are the "hope" of the world. Don't believe me? then look at this line said by Sato only a few seconds after the first one:

So in the end, she is not only referring to the photography club, she is also referring to the entire world. Now you could argue that she means this logically as once she graduates, her photos would probably spread around the world. But the fact that this comes right after her line about "hope" may have it signify otherwise.

Though this isn't the only comparison you can actually make between the two, as I've recently discovered that their views on the reserve course and talent are pretty darn similar too! Of course they show this in different ways.

What do I mean by this? We all know Nagito's certain distain for non-talented people right? and how only those can be born with a talent? What if i told you, this also is the case for Sato, only of course, to a lesser extent.

During the fight with Natsumi, Sato states that since the main course didn't scout her, she should give up since she had no talent and that she should "know her place" You guys see what I'm talking about?

Sato saying to know her place pretty much means she knows her role in the overall school of the academy, she is only there to support the Ultimates, be a stepping stone.

(BONUS)

Ok but like I generally find the idea of a conversation between Nagito and Sato be pretty hilarious, with Nagito going over the usual reserve shit and Sato's like "Ok that was pretty rude, you could have toned it down a little... But you're not wrong either."

Sato's sprites:

Anyways, back to my point. But then, why does Sato act like this, Is there a reason for it? And that's where good ol' Hopes Peak Academy comes in:

Its no secret that Hopes Peak does not care for its reserve course students, seeing as they just swooped both Natsu's and Sato's deaths under the rug.

Another thing that they like to do is remind them of this nonstop, where as would be with Main Course students like Nagito 24/7, Juzo when Hajime confronts him. Or other, more indirect forms.

These guys clearly think of talent and hope being the priority, then the rest after it. And Sato is a victim of this type of mentality, she puts down Natsumi and her wish constantly because she's thinking the way hopes peak wants everyone else to think. She praises Mahiru and calls her "her hope" because she is meant to be a stepping stone for the Main Course.

Now here comes a little bit of theorizing, but it will make sense trust me: This mentality has been driven so far into her brain, that it seems like a lot of the actions she takes, she always excuses it as "what Mahiru wants"

for example, every time she's arguing Natsumi, she always goes ahead and claims if she does something to Mahiru, she will not let her get away with it. Notice how its always Mahiru and not her? She quite literally cares for Mahiru's safety over her own.

(BONUS)

Can I just please gush about the genius way they made the Natsumi and Sato conflict work so well with their beliefs? Like they are quite literally the humanization of what the one of them thinks of the other:

Natsumi hates people that seem to have given up and not try to join the Main Course. Sato is someone who represents that by putting down others for them to 'give up'.

Sato hates people that don't know their place and think they can do more than what they can chew. Natsumi is someone who is openly stating to trying to join the main course as the 'Ultimate Little sister'

But, you may be wondering, "well if she cares so much about Mahiru, then what about the others? She never mentions Mikan, Hiyoko nor Ibuki in any way"

And here's were her motive becomes more complex, as I personally believe that her personality around Mahiru is more than just a Nagito complex. I'm going to throw the idea that Mahiru is pretty much the only thing from keeping Sato from quite literally existing. Yeah, depressing, right? But hear me out:

When I tell you that her first anime appearance wasn't when she slammed Hajime's desk, then what do you think it is? I bet almost none of you would have said this scene right here.

FYI, this scene plays right before Natsumi talks to Hajime about always looking out of the Main Course. (Special Thanks to @kousaka-erena for telling me abt this scene btw)

But, how does this scene signify my extremely absurd comment? You may ask. Well, lets take away our attention from Sato for a bit to look at the rest of the reserve students around her.

Notice how all of them seem to be having a conversation, or at least be with another student? Even though we cant confirm that all of these people are friends, per say. We can confirm that they are at least able to talk with one another.

Now look back at Sato, none of them are even looking at her direction, they don't even care about her. Not to mention that this is not a one off thing, she is never even seen interacting with any of the reserve course students aside from the other two.

In fact, I'm going to throw around the idea that the reserve course might actually hate her, or at least have some sort of distain. Probably from the fact that she's friends with an Ultimate.

The students are probably jealous by the fact she is able to talk to someone from the Main course. So in return, they don't talk to her out of jealousy, which in turn probably makes her time away from Mahiru extremely difficult for her.

The worst thing is that I would have glossed over this if it weren't for the fact she was in THAT position. While you could argue they did this with a writing perspective, so that they don't reveal her face until their reveal.

But if it really were the case, then why did they opt to specifically do it like this? Wouldn't it have been actually easier to just animate her with her back towards the screen talking to other students? So I believe they they had a little more in mind when drawing her here.

But, what about her other Main Course friends, Wouldn't you also count them in? Here's the thing though, apart from the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case game, do we ever see them interact? I mean, none of the 3 never seemed to really go ahead and visit her when they had the chance.

Sure, they are still seen together in the game, but how close are they really to each other? To be honest, Mikan, Hiyoko, Ibuki and Sato only seem to be friends because of proximity with Mahiru more than anything else. So I doubt Sato would have strong feelings for them either.

Like sure, she probably still respects them because they are still ultimates and all, and I'm sure she still considers them closer than anyone else, but just not by much.

And I think this loneliness also overall leaks its way into her treatment of Mahiru, with the way she feels the need to protect her at all costs, to praising her to none ends, to even hiding vital information from her:

When I'm talking about the ladder, I'm referring to Sato's and Mahiru's final scene together, which is infamously know as the retcon of Mahiru's involvement in TSMC, while I personally don't mind the retcon as much as others, Its still a blow to Mahiru's character and what she stands for in DR2.

But, lets put that aside, as were not here to talk about that. Lets instead talk about how this scene, despite not being great for Mahiru's character, is brilliant for Sato and how much she is willing to go to protect her.

So, we know how in the original TSMC, Sato immediately confesses her crime to Mahiru after being confronted. And while I can still see this in character, I much prefer her other interpretation.

In were, instead of confessing at all, she constantly hides the fact she murdered Natsumi and even reminds her how 'horrible' she was to the both of them.

Now, why do I generally find this better than the original? Because it shows you how fare she is willing to go to protect her, going as far as to hide the truth from her. The reason she does this is so that she doesn't get herself involved in it.

She even shows her the scar the Yakuza left her in her arm to gain pity and convince her to just leave the case alone. That's because she needs to protect her, just like she said before this scene.

Now of course you can always argue that Mahiru already knew about this and she just didn't tell her, but what's important is Sato herself couldn't know this, so she tried her best to not get her involved.

So, she is willing to go as far as to do this, for what? Well, I believe this goes back to the fact that Mahiru is her only true friend. She acts overprotective and obsessive over her because she doesn't want to lose her, she is afraid to.

As I've said before, Mahiru is the only thing she has left, its her only hope. So in return, she will do anything it takes for her to keep Mahiru by her side.

Now obviously, you can also deduce it to being, love, or something else. In fact, its been heavily implied that Sato is a Lesbian with the way she talks to Mahiru sometimes. But i personally found it to be this as there's just much more evidence supporting it.

(BONUS)

One thing that I also want to mention, but didn't find anywhere to fit this in, is when right after Mahiru leaves, her expression changes from a happy smile to a frown.

Which makes me thing she has also hidden her own emotions from her, maybe to not have her worry about her as she was probably told from Mahiru how her life at home is. Or it could also be that she hates lying to her. It can be anything really.

But, while this may be a lot, there is still one last push to try and convince you that she isn't your typical Cold, Heartless yandere you see the fandom depict her as: And that is she never intended to hurt Natsumi in the first place.

"But, you were literally just talking about her motives, what do you mean she didn't intend to kill her?" While yes, I did go ahead and explain her motives, I never said outright that it was to justify the death of Natsu.

In the motive, Sato says to Mahiru that she tried talking it out with Natsumi, but after another death threat from her yet again, Sato succumbed to her anger, and in a FIT OF RAGE, she strangled Natsumi to unconsciousness.

After calming down, she realised what she has done. In a state of fear and panic of the possibility of Natsumi waking up and having her send men to kill her and possibly do something to Mahiru, she kills her.

When people blame Sato, they usually say something along the lines of "omg! Sato is so dumb, why did she do that to Natsumi? Doesn't she know that the Yakuza would kill her?" And I can bet 10 bucks that these are the same guys that don't play the games.

Sato quite literally states she wasn't in her right mind when she strangled Natsumi. She was overcome by built up anger from years of bullying from her. Having those feelings closed up for so long will only make them come back stronger.

To be honest, its kind of weird to see this as Mondo Owada had a similar outcome with his murder, as he killed Chihiro in a state of anger. But one of them is regarded as sympathetic and the other a demon.

Of course its not the same, as Sato crime has two main differences that separate her from Mondo's crime. The first one being that Sato didn't kill her victim in her fit of rage, it was after.

And yeah, Sato killed her in her state of panic, which is actually pretty similar to both Sayaka Maizono's and Leon Kuwata's motive, both being scared and in a panic that they didn't think rationally and did some dumb moves.

I can see Sato in the same light as the other two, as the three of them were put in a situation where if they don't do something, a worse thing could happen to them. So thinking fast, they resorted to murder.

And the second reason, is that Mondo showed remorse for his actions, while Sato didn't... Or is at least what you'd expect from the outside. Because in my opinion, she is remorseful about her actions, she just doesn't show them.

A great example of this is the scene right after Mahiru leaves, in which Hajime confronts Sato about Natsumi. She starts of smug and states that she probably killed herself. Bur after Hajime states that she hadn't given up, her expression changes to an odd one you wouldn't expect.

Her face turn blue and she starts to state that he is wrong while she grabs and shakes her head in what seems to be in distress. So answer me this, would a person who is cold and heartless react like this?

Sure, you could argue that she is acting like this because she got caught and knows what's gonna happen to her. But I don't think that's the case, as we have seen her breaking down in that fashion before.

I'm referring to day 4, in which we see when Fuyuhiko kills Sato. She starts screaming for forgiveness while running away. And I don't know how to explain it or if its just me, but they feel different for some reason.

Like the one we see in Danganronpa 3 has more depth and a different reason for it. What do I mean by this? Well, this is purely a theory, but when sato started saying "You're wrong" she wasn't talking to Hajime, she was talking to herself.

She is trying to convince herself that she was right on killing Natsumi, trying to convince herself she did the right thing. That she's protecting Mahiru, but deep down, she probably regrets taking the life of another.

So in conclusion, Sato is more than just a 2-dimensional character with a complex motive. But since she isn't given a lot of screen time, she sadly gets thrown aside by the fandom. Which is something that I wish to change.

And that's everything I have that I can convince you all. If your opinion has changed about her, for the better or for the worse, then I'm glad I was able to change it!

If you guys have any criticism, like I yap too much or my points may not make sense, feel free to speak out and tell me, its my first time doing one of these and I'm open to change.

And if you liked my post, then feel free to follow me! I wont promise to make threads like these constantly, but I talk about Danganronpa a lot!

Uhh anyways, Sato is peak, the student council is peak, sato should join the student council and kiss every women in there, platonically and romantically. (Kisato my beloved)

[itsmelloww]

Store: A case study 🔪🖤

Have such a love for the eldritch so Store and his little butchery thing are fascinating to me, like i love this awkward pool toy looking bird so much and I've decided to make it everyones problem with this shitpost

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

Anyone too lazy to read all that tho, heres a quick summary of all points below that paint the picture of who Store really is:

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

A businessman 👨‍💼📈

Concerned greatly about the future of his establishment < takes an active approach by engaging in production and release of new products. 💡

Monopoly: market forces are irrelevant < sole seller < niche market < great profits 💹

Great Marketing Skills < Utilises marketing techniques 🗂

Is a TV celebrity 🎥⭐️

Has a Phd 🎓

Loves Boss ❤️

Great hygiene 🫧🧼

Supports native fauna and flora 🌷🦇

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

now lets get into it -

Inside his Butchery :

I literally love how he has just chucked all the devil meat into a literal bookshelf, like no fridge, no glass case, no nothing , just straight into the shelves.

But then i also noticed the sign at the top which translates to 'Old Meat' apparently , which made it even funnier to me like anything not fresh he just shoved right in there and thats just how you run an institute at the end of the day

2. We got some unintelligible posters, like what are those?? I kept squinting and turning the screen upside down, could literally not tell whatsover

3. Speaking of posters though, in a bonus curse the posters were replaced with a Chidaruma picture and honestly thats the cutest thing ever , big 'i love my boss' energy.

But I need to know the specifics now like was Chidaruma handing pictures, like where did Store get that pic from?

4. At another point also, after Asu was butchered, we had a new posted hand written talking about fresh meat?

So Store can write now??? Is my manic angel bird demon educated? its giving phd

5. Lastly on the point of posters, Store is out there promoting sales - a whole 20% off, he is running a business!!!

6. We got a little ottoman chair, dont want the waiting customer to be standing and getting tired ofc

7. Those horn like things that are all over Hell are also hanging from the ceiling and thats confusing to me cause like was this an active decor decision?

cause i know damn well it didnt come with the property - unless theyre like a sort of flora or fungus idk

[not even going to comment on the bats]

8. Hanging helps tenderise the meat, and its a common practice where butchers will hang the animal bodies in fridges and freezers and whatnot, but have you also considered you can just hang it in the middle of your shop, right in the open, over the customer's head?

9. Are these bones??

10. mysterious liquid jars??? (its blood isnt it)

11. A sink with some soap, we love hygiene ❤️ - An a kettle cause why not we know store likes tea

12. But then on the topic of meat, you also have sausages at a certain point - And im 99% sure Store only deals in Devil Meat (talk about niche market) , so hes just flat out making devil sausages?

Which actually not surprising - his pie chart literally shows how hes working on new releases, I mean we got a mince meat version now! ++ the Niku Strong K that helps with hair loss!

13. Big of him to be worried about keeping devil meat fresh when hes out there storing meat uncovered in room temperature but im not judging

14. Expandable areas -- There's extra rooms to the butchery we havent been shown and now I have to be mad and wonder cause how does this thing live!!!! I need to know!

My guess: guessing he has like an actual meat prep room, plus if hes mincing and making sausages sure he should have a space for that -- I think he also lives there (?) so guessing another extra room could be his room.

15. Extra: Store in a tshirt and a bib - love.

Outside the Butchery :

All these trash bags must be waste, but now I wonder who collects the trash? Does Hell has its own trash collection system?

Also is that a satellite?? Store watches TV? good for him. Actually no surprise there since he has his own channel he stars in (celebrity ⭐️)

Anyways 10/10 , he's doing a great job

Final author note: You know in retrospect, if i was one of the strongest beings in existence that could kill Devils and was the only one thus handlind Devil meat thats so essential to the lifecyle of devils, I also wouldnt give a fuck and a chuck all the meat raw in the shelves - either take it and pay up or leave it , idc

[oh-no-another-idea]

OC in fifteen

Tagged back in ancient times by @cherrybombfangirlwrites, @tragicheirs, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, and @sarandipitywrites -- thanks, beloveds! Here's good old Lewis from Invisible Girl <3

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

“No fare?” Lewis said, outraged. “That’s theft! That’s taking advantage of the workers on this train, do you think they just pay themselves for the fun of it—”

“Oh,” he said flatly. “It’s you. Dobbson neglected to mention that delightful detail.”

“Why are you so strange, Antonio West?”

“I’m not going to promise things I don’t mean because you gave me a sandwich.”

“You new to the whole alcohol idea?” Lewis guessed.

“The Roberta,” Lewis repeated, raising his brows. “The Runaway Train.”

“Don’t call me that or I’ll dump your body over the side where your stupid tie will get caught in the coupling and drag your corpse till that face of yours is rubbed right off.”

“You couldn’t have alerted us sooner?” Lewis said.

“I’m not a stray, or a child,” Lewis said indignantly. “I work on the West Railways and only got dragged into this whole mess because this idiot here couldn’t keep his nose out of trouble.”

“We have to discuss what to do with the gunman,” Lewis said.

“Next time Antonio’s bleeding out, you can volunteer the clothes on your back, Paris Carlo.”

“Take them,” Lewis said, sighing gustily. “It’s all in the interest of thumbing noses at rich idiots, isn’t it? That’s alright in my book.”

Lewis shrugged. “It depends on what we’re gonna do about the body.”

“That isn’t even innuendo, Fynn,” Lewis said, but gently. “That doesn’t make any sense, so it’s not even funny or meaningful.”

“Give him hell from me,” Lewis said, and made a hat tipping motion before disappearing into the crush on the sidewalks.

SO many of these are said either to Antonio or about Antonio, which makes me 🤭 But I'll pass the tag along to @writeouswriter @dontjudgemeimawriter @sleepy-night-child @reneesbooks @vsnotresponding and anyone else who sees this! <3

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Sunflower: Chapter 4

Series rated: M Chapter warnings: drinking AN: Bonus chapter- It's cold AF in most of the USA right now. We deserve a bonus posting this week. I know I do, my toes are still cold from changing the Bunny's water for the 3rd time today. Chapter 3, Masterlist, Chapter 5

They walked as the city woke up slowly around them. Most of the buzz was from new arrivals, not yet having had the chance to drink too much or stay out too late. 

“There’s a shoe store,” Tom pointed to the shop up ahead. “Do you want to get some better shoes? I can’t imagine your feet are comfortable in those heels.”

He was right, the heels were far from comfortable. She had been trying not to show the discomfort though it seemed that she hadn’t been successful. “Oh no, it’s fine. The Tram isn’t far ahead and then it’ll be a little bit of a walk.” 

“Why are you lying to me?” The cheer that seemed to be near always present in his voice was gone. It seemed to disappear whenever the topics turned more serious. 

“I’m not?” It was useless to lie but she tried anyway. 

He grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side of the walkway. His grip was strong but not so much so as to hurt her. Facing him, she felt ashamed for the lie.

His blue eyes were earnest and caring. Again and again he insisted he wanted nothing but to help her, to be there for her, to know her and yet she lied about her sore feet. 

“You’re limping.” 

“It’s fine-”

“Why do you not want to get some more comfortable shoes?” Why did he have to care so much about her? “If we’re going to do this we have to talk to each other. We have to be honest with each other.”

“I don’t need new shoes. I have shoes-”

“Talk to me.” He was pleading with her as his grip on her arm turned slack.

“Look, I just- It’s not in the budget.”

“I’ll get it.” Tom offered as if it was nothing. Hell, to him it probably was nothing. 

“I don’t want to take from you. I- everyone is going to think I married you for money or to use you or something. Fuck, for all I know I did but…” 

“But what? I’m offering. Your feet hurt. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. You need shoes. I can afford shoes. Simple mathematics.

She felt terrible for allowing him to buy her new shoes on top of the clothes and breakfast. Whenever she had mentioned it, he would just remind her that he was her husband for now. He would say that it didn’t matter because of that but she wasn’t so sure about it.

“So, where do you live?” She knew he was British but there wasn’t a lot she knew otherwise about him. It seemed to her that British People tended to spread out and settle all over the world, making their accent and nationality little use in telling where someone actually lived. “You know I’m a local so I guess I should know that about you too.”

“London, England. I travel a lot for work though. I’ve spent most of the year in America for filming, going here and there as needed.” 

“When do you go back?” They walked by women wearing nothing but a thong and stickers on their nipples. The city was warming up and coming to life but the man walking beside her didn’t offer them so much as a glance. 

“I’ve got a ticket a week out to go back home.”

“What happens then?” She couldn’t make sense of how they were going to give this marriage a chance. Was there any point when they were strangers and he lived halfway around the world.

“We’ll figure that out when it comes. I can move the ticket or maybe you can come with me.”

“Maybe we’ll need a break from each other too.” Mia wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.

“Do you need to head home?” Tom asked, glancing at his watch. 

Mia sighed. Going home was something she did need to do but it wasn’t something she wanted to do. “Probably, yeah.” 

“Do you have a car?” He was well aware that it was the norm in America to have cars but with her hesitation to spend the money on shoes, he wasn’t sure if it was something he should assume.

“Yeah, the employee parking is just around here.” She gestured toward a large building tucked away behind the resort they had met in. “What will you do?”

“Would I be too forward if I asked to go with you?” 

“Oh,”

“I- we have so much to work out still but if we stay separate, especially this soon, I don’t it’ll help us get to know each other.”

“You want to stay with me?” Questions raced through her mind. Risks were calculated and weighed and she didn’t have enough time. 

“I’ll sleep on the couch if you’d rather and I can be out when you’ve got engagements to attend to.”

“Work- normal people call it work.” He chuckled and she hated how she liked the sound. 

“I can busy myself outside of your home while you’re working if you’d rather.”

There was no way he would want to stay in her apartment. It was small and cramped and he was a goddamn actor of enough note to have Ashley swearing. “We’ll see.” 

“I’ll take it.” Reaching out, he grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it softly. Her face grew warm at the small affection. Until now, they hadn’t touched each other since they woke up. “I’ll go get checked out and grab my bag. We’ll meet out front?”

“Okay.”

“Mia Maria!” Michelle called for her as soon as she stepped into the employee locker room. “You’re not supposed to be in today?”

“Thanks, I didn’t want to see you today either.” Mia teased. Michelle had long been a good friend and trusted coworker. “Stayed on the strip last night.” 

“AC not fixed still?”

“They said it’ll be fixed by noon.” Mia unlocked her small locker and grabbed her keys and purse. Tom had found her Driver’s License and debit card in his wallet but everything else she left safe in her locker. Of the things she wanted to experience in life, losing her purse on the Strip was not high on the list. It was better to have a few cards in her pocket and leave everything else locked up safe and sound. If only she knew where her clothes had ended up.

“Sal stay with Ashley last night?” 

“Yeah. They’re having a day together while I get my shit figured out.”

“Must be some shit- You look stressed.”

“You wouldn’t believe it.” Mia said as she closed her locker. “We’ll take later.”

Was it silly to feel insecure about her car? It was nice enough for normal people but for him? Who knows. He didn’t appear to be stuck up or worried about appearances. On the other hand, he had designer suits in his closet for a casual trip to Las Vegas.

The ringing of the phone on the speakers cut off her thoughts as she answered. “I’m just walking out the doors.”

“I see you.” For better or worse. “I’m two cars back. Red SUV.”

Long legs made quick work of the distance. As soon as the door unlocked, he pulled open the hatchback. The suitcases were large but he didn’t have many. He was a light traveler which was good- there wasn’t a lot of space in her apartment. 

“Are you sure about this?” Mia asked as he slipped into the passenger seat.

“Sure, what better way to get to know you than to get to know your life?” He adjusted the seat back, making room for his legs. “How far is it?”

“About thirty minutes.” Mia sighed. “It’ll go fast, we just have to get off the strip first.” 

“You drive half an hour into work and back?” 

“Every day. Well, five days a week at least. I avoid the strip like the plague most of the time otherwise.” 

“Have you always lived here?” He was looking out the window, watching the heart of Las Vegas quickly give way to what could be mistaken as any other city. So many people never saw Las Vegas as anything more than the glittering lights and cacophony of noise in a handful of miles. 

“Yep, born and breed here. What about you?” She needed to get to know him. He seemed safe enough, kind but there was so much unknown about the man she was bringing into her home. Their home. 

“Spent most of my life around London when I’m not traveling.”

“You travel a lot?” The city gave way to highway traffic and wide open spaces. Neighborhoods and small town centers spread out around them, crashing into each other as she technically left Las Vegas without ever leaving a city.

“More than I’d like sometimes.” 

“I thought all actors thrived on travel.” A horn blared behind her as she changed lanes. They wouldn’t have gotten cut off if they were going the speed limit but who was she to tell someone how to drive.

“At times,” He admitted. “But I’ve always been a bit of a homebody. The stage is my passion though I enjoy film well enough. It’s nothing compared to a live show. Are you close to your family?” 

Silence ticked on for a few moments before she answered, “I don’t have much family. It’s just Ashley for the most part.” She needed to tell him. “You?”

“Fairly. I’ve got two sisters, nieces and nephews. I’m close with my parents, though they’ve divorced. They did their best to give us the best they could.”

“Must be nice.” She mumbled under her breath.

“I didn’t catch that, I’m sorry?” 

The exit was coming up quickly and she was running out of time. “Why are you single?” 

It was a dumb question. He wouldn’t just come out and say ‘well you see, I’m a terrible man’ or ‘I tend to be quick to anger’ or ‘I’m not safe’ or ‘I hate kids and pets’.

“I’m not anymore, technically.” he chuckled as she shot a annoyed glance his way. “I know, not what you mean. I’d been with a woman for a while but when my career shot forward; There was a lot of eyes on me, a lot of interest in me from fans. Many of them woman and she wasn’t comfortable with that. We’d gone our own ways a bit ago, some months now. She found someone else, they got married. Turns out I wasn’t so hard to move on from.”

“That sucks.” She wasn’t sure what to say. The idea of being the target of media or fans in a negative way hadn’t occurred to her but she was well versed in the sting that was somehow being easy to leave behind.

He cleared his throat, “What about you?” 

“I was with a guy for a while right out of school. Then he decided he liked a stripper better. Can’t blame him too much, she was pretty. But he left our whole life behind. I thought we were going to get married and be a family but, oh well.”

“It doesn't matter how pretty she was, he shouldn’t have gone around on you with another woman.” 

“If you say so.” She laughed, taking her hand from the wheel and pulling strands of hair behind her ear and out of her face. Before she had a chance to replace it, he enveloped it in his. 

“I swear to you, for so long as we are doing this together, I will be loyal to you. It doesn’t matter how pretty anyone else is, I will only have eyes for you.”

“You can’t promise that.” Do not get you hopes up, she told herself. He held her hand in his. His hand was large, much larger than hers, soft, warm and begging her to believe him.

It felt weird to be touched by him. It felt even weirder as he placed a soft chase kiss to the back of her hand. 

“I am.” 

They laughed as they exited the bar. It was a small but fancier than she had ever thought she would drink at. It hadn’t mattered, though; he had been buying her drinks.

“Oh, look!” She gushed as a mass of white caught her eyes. 

“What’s that?” He draped his arm around her shoulders and it felt warm. It felt comfortable.

“A wedding party.” The bride and groom were perfectly styled. The white dress was fairytale poofy and flowed as she moved down the steps. “I always love stumbling on a random wedding here.” 

“People really do just get married here?” Tom mused, his words slurring some.

“Yeah. The clerks office is open late and the paperwork is quick. You can rent dresses and shit.”

“Do you want to get married?” 

Tag List: @winterisakillerr, @alexakeyloveloki @jennyggggrrr, @dangertoozmanykids101, @tilltheendwilliwrite @tinchentitri @wizardcherryblossom @buttercupcookies-blog @violethaze @kats72

[slveepyscwrs]

You want ACTUALLY obscure ship dynamics inspired by small fandoms WITH prompts for each of them to help you write? I got you bestie:

I get the frustration. You want to explore a new ship dynamic to practice your romance writing skills, but you can't find anything aside from the same old.

If that sounds like something you struggle with, here are some ship dynamics that are criminally underused because I've either seen it in a fandom that's teeny-tiny, or I thought of them myself and I haven't been able to see it anywhere.

(Disclaimer: Some of these MIGHT be slightly popular already, so don't go saying "erm actually I've already seen this trope used a bunch of times." I'm not saying that these ideas haven't been used at all, I'm just saying that their popularity is very less compared to some other tropes. I'm also not trying to judge anyone who likes popular tropes.)

Be sure to tag me if you use any of the prompts included here!

Teacher x Teacher. Blame Mr. Ajayi x Mr. Farouk from Heartstopper for my obsession with this. I know, Heartstopper itself isn't a small fandom, but this shipping trope is. Student x Student has already been done a gazillion times. Student x Teacher... uh... not everyone's cup of tea. Teacher x Teacher has a lot of opportunities for fluff and angst, and is also good practice for writing older characters.

(+ Bonus Points if the students notice and try to get them together and/or just sit there confused because how the hell did we get here?)

Prompt Ideas:

"It's 10:00 P.M., and you're still grading tests? Nope, I'll handle them, and you need to go home and rest."

"This is the third time this week that you've been crying in the teacher's lounge. That's it, tell me the names of the kids that I need to give a piece of my mind and extra homework to."

2. Childhood Enemies to Lovers. Before you say, "Wouldn't that just count as enemies to lovers?," the vast majority of enemies to lovers that I've seen involve A and B meeting when they're already teens/young adults.

We love childhood friends to lovers. We love enemies to lovers. Why not have both?

The media that I got this trope from is a BL drama called "We Best Love." If I gushed about how much I love this series and how it lives rent-free in my head, this post would last forever.

(+ Bonus Points If they realise that they never really actually hated each other, it was just a silent lie they were telling each other throughout their childhood.)

Prompt Ideas:

"You couldn't even let me have the slide for five seconds when we were kids. Why are you doing all this for me only now?"

"Wait, don't tell me you're still holding grudges from when we were literally in diapers?"

3. Okay guys today we've gathered to come up with a plan to get these two gosh darn idiots together. I don't really know how to describe it other than that. I also don't recall seeing it any of my fandoms, mostly from my OC stories.

However, I don't know if it's just me, but I LOVE seeing the ship's friends getting involved in having the ship sail successfully. We Stan supportive friends, and the comedy that comes with such situations is a surefire way to keep readers hooked.

(+Bonus Points if two of the friends slowly realise their feelings for each other WHILE doing their shenanigans to try and get the main ship together. Extra Chaos.)

Prompt Ideas:

"What are you suddenly doing here?" "[Friend] sent me." "That's weird, [Friend] sent me too." "Wait..."

"You're telling me that they still didn't realise they have feelings for each other? Ugh, fine, I guess it's time for Plan B..."

I have a lot more of these, but this post is getting too long. If you want to hear more about lesser known tropes, please show some love to this post!

Love,

Your Gay Writing Bestie

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

Based on what we've seen so far, what are your predictions for Season 2?

Nine built Metal Sonic. I can guarantee it. The different look, the lack of hostility, the fact Sonic was expecting to see Nine when Metal first appeared? That's Nine's boy, not the Eggmens'. They probably made him build it as a weapon and he's turning it against them. Of course, if Sonic does something he doesn't like...

Nine is also doing his villain arc, and seeing the other versions of himself is either gonna drive him further towards it or back to heroism. It's gonna have a huge effect either way.

Sorry to talk so much about Nine but we see him strike a bored pose before stancing up at the Eggbot next to him… with his handcuffs on the floor. Can guarantee Mr Dr Eggman is threatening to kill him, and then Nine just. drops the handcuffs. cause he's been able to get out of them the whole time

We see the Eggmen invading the other worlds, and Thorn looks PISSED. Sonic may not like killing people but hot damn is she gonna start stabbing

Rusty seems to reset to heroism quite quickly as she joins the pirates in the fight. Either Sails gets his mechanical prowess on fast, or actually making physical contact with Black Rose is what's gonna give her the reset. Someone said we see an image of her with green eyes so that's not a Nine reset at all... if her eyes ARE green I'm leaning more towards the Black Rose theory for obvs reasons.

At one point we see the Eggship surround Sonic and Dread on an isolated sea area. It looks like they've lost the crystal and Dread's on the ground, so my guess is they just had their heart-to-heart.

I think the "hand over the shard or say goodbye to your friends forever" bit will happen a bit before that, too; it looks like Sonic is running away to draw the attention away from his friends.

and here's kinda my main one

As we can guess easily, Shadow tells Sonic that they have to destroy the shattered worlds in order to repair theirs. However, when Sonic says, "That could work, it has to work!" and it cuts to Shadow looking upset? Sonic's trying to come up with an alternate plan. He wants to fix the world without hurting anyone, he's gonna come up with an alt idea, and Shadow's not going to like it. It's too risky, or Shadow's just desperate to get his world back and truly believes the others are not real. The fact Sonic has all his dimension-hopping tech BEFORE this scene implies to me that THIS is when Shadow tries to steal it. Sonic won't get those crystals and destroy these worlds, so he'll do it. That's a VERY Shadow move– he focuses on the end goal to the detriment of everything else, and compartmentalizes like HELL. "Those worlds aren't real so what happens in them doesn't matter and I don't have to think about it. And if I have to beat the shit outta Sonic to do it, that's just a bonus."

[weebsinstash]

Ugh okay I’m not sure if this will really fit with ur ideas but whenever anyone brings up group yanderes I’m always drawn to a specific scenario: Reader, by some miracle, gets a significant other outside of the group that, again, by a miracle, they don’t know about (I’m thinking, in this scenario, Reader travels through universes often to hang out with different spiders, and in a universe they visit frequently, they sneak off and see someone whenever the local spider is doing their spider stuff). Said s/o breaks up with Reader and they’re obviously upset. The group starts freaking tf out because their darling’s upset and not telling anyone what’s wrong, while Reader’s going through a whole internal conflict because they know they’ll be in trouble if they tell the truth, but also they know their ex will be in MAD trouble, so they’re desperately trying to hide the whole situation, which only makes things worse as the group descended into chaos, knowing that their darling is hiding *something* and not telling anyone. The whole spiderverse is working together to manipulate you/figure out what’s going on. People like Jess, Pav, and Gwen try to approach you as sympathetic friends who you can vent your issues to, while characters like Miguel and Hobie are much more upfront in telling you to tell them what’s going on, not even asking. When the truth does inevitably get revealed, it’s hell on earth for both you and your ex. (Bonus; imagine if said ex actually hurt you in some way other than breaking up, like admitting to cheating or was generally cruel to you either during the relationship or just in the breakup. The fury of your captors would be biblical)

God and from their perspective some/most of it is justified because you're walking around SIGNIFICANTLY more depressed than before, you're starting to become more anxious and jumpy, and with some people you're outright lashing out in anger if they press you on the subject, so like, even if some of the Spiders are trying to invade your privacy or even manipulate you, from their side, there's no telling how serious this problem actually is, or if it's nothing to be concerned about (in the grand scheme of things, you having a fight with your partner isn't some world shattering event, but to THEM it's 'wait Reader's been dating? who???' And like virtually no matter who it is, if they're a Normie they aren't good enough by the Society/your group's standards. Although technically if dating could potentially interfere with any of your future canon events, well, then you have a particular spicy papi very upset with you...)

So like, I haven't seen all clips of Miguel's scenes and speaking lines yet but I've been spoiling myself to a little more (I aim to see spiderverse on the big screen this weekend so I was kinda leaving some to surprise, fucking hid all my wax and edibles, im gonna dry out for a few days and hit some dabs and see this shit in IMAX and itll rewire my fucking brain shits gonna be so good) but oh my god this man gets so fucking scary. He's just on his brooding platform already stressed as fuck which is a constant state he lives in at this point and here's Jess and Peter B as concerned parents to fill him in on their concerns, what they've seen from you: sudden increased self isolating, crying more, becoming more withdrawn and quiet, refusing to talk to them about it, trying to spend all your time alone. Miguel just, trying to tether the last pieces of his mental sanity together as he decides to go visit you personally, and he can immediately tell you're hiding something from all the darting glances to the fact you don't want to look him in the eyes.

Like can you imagine, I guess it depends on how you see Reader "going about", like do they have their own home universe or whatever, but, Miguel hasn't confronted you himself yet and he decides, fine, you want to keep secrets, good fucking luck, and all of his dimensional watches he's given out are probably connected to the same servers and systems so he just, looks up your travel log and quickly identifies that you've been visiting the same universe repeatedly, but none of your friends seem to know why you would be going there. Say you've been hanging around in Gwen's universe and Miguel assumes, oh maybe you're spending time with Gwen, maybe that emo little drummer said something to upset you, but Gwen looks confused (and a little upset) when it turns out you've been apparently popping in her universe without even saying hi? And Miguel is gritting his teeth because he's starting to form a theory on what's going on and he doesn't like it one fucking bit

He teams up with Jess and Peter B and Gwen and some of your other pals and he starts triangulating your bracelet and. Wow what the fuck you're in Gwen's dimension RIGHT NOW. So then they all race towards your location to watch from a distance, some real loony tunes, "all 6 or 7 of us are hiding behind the same tree" bullshit, and, there you are from a distance, out of costume as you're clearly very upset, talking to someone that, most of the Spiders recognize instantly minus characters like Pav and Jess and Miguel and there's this resounding GROAN OF DISGUST "oh god, NOT FLASH THOMPSON" (for Spiderman lore newbies this is literally the character that bullies the fuck out of Peter Parker in high school like literal actual shoving him into lockers shit)

Peni uses her mech to send out a listening device and everyone is comically gathered around as they eavesdrop and start getting progressively more furious as they start piecing things together: you HAD been there to visit Gwen initially, but somehow you met Flash out of costume and the jockey SOMEHOW managed to woo you, but the relationship quickly became manipulative and controlling until you eventually caught Flash with another person. They're all GRITTING THEIR TEETH as you're in tears, asking him what you did wrong, where did you mess up, and Flash basically tells you to your face, "you're nothing special, I got bored of you"

Your little groupie gang of platonic and romantic yandere WITH STEAM BLOWING OUT OF THEIR EARS as you whimper "but... you-you said you loved me! We SLEPT together!" And he just. Fucking laughs in your face, SHOVES YOU, and calls you a slut before walking away with someone else on his arm

Gwen absolutely seething as she reflects on how Flash treated her Peter and Pavitr is swearing curses onto his entire family line meanwhile Hobie just like "oy would it break canon if I smash my guitar over that pisser's head". Peter 'I just wanna talk to him' B Parker as he hands Mayday off to Jess while cracking his knuckles. Miguel is, well, upset about like 10 different things because God fucking damn it, how long have you been hanging around with non-Spiders in other universes? (Do you think the Spider Society would be like, more than just a little possessive and insular, since youre supposed to be part of the Ha Ha We're All Spiderman club and they catch you hanging with normies over them) Is there anyone else? What have you been doing? He's just instantly a mixture of furious and hurt because damn it don't you know you're like his favorite, why the fuck are you running around potentially flirting with canon, don't you know how dangerous this is

But also deadass he wants to tear that man apart with his claws and he's considering checking the canon events of this universe to see if he can make it so

The Gang just watching as you pick yourself up but can't stop crying, and you drag your feet as you head to sit in a park or something, seeming like your entire form and surroundings are nothing but a depressed, deep blue. You're in a park or something so they can't exactly approach you normally because there are people around, but you just sit there crying for ages before you eventually pick yourself up and draaaaaag your feet, seeming to walk around aimlessly until, eventually, you go to a dark alley or under a bridge somewhere and they all pop out at you just as you're about to warp home anyways and you're just immediately bombarded by all these people

"Hey, you know what he said isn't true, right? Dude's a punk bitch!"

"Scuse me? I take that personally. He IS a total fuckin wanker though"

"Hon, you can't let what some ego-tripping blonde who peaked in high school said make you feel like this! He ain't worth it!"

And you're just standing there looking at them as your heart breaks a little more because you HAD been wanting some kind of support in all of this but you're muttering out with disbelief, "you guys followed me...?" And you're really hurt by that, but, here comes Miguel, stalking forward, putting a hand on your shoulder that's one part sympathetic comfort, one part possessive anger as he glowers at you with chestnut eyes that almost look RED, "anything else you wanna share?"

Miguel marching back to the weekly We Love Reader meeting and slapping a graphic up onto the wall with your face like a PSA "THIS Spider FUCKS and only YOU can stop it" fhfjfjg no not really but like non yandere Spiders are doing their own thing when, from a secret meeting room somewhere in Nueva York, the ground practically shakes with dozens upon dozens if not hundreds of voices crying out in agony "NOT FLASH THOMPSON 😩"

Bonus points if like, one of the things The Gang had witnessed was you crying and all that right, but, what if Reader had specifically said to Flash, "but I gave you my VIRGINITY" like. Mayhem. Pandemonium. All the Spiders have a sudden "aha!" because wow no wonder you suddenly started talking about how you're worthless and don't matter, this DICK HEAD lured you into a false sense of security and trust and then took your virginity and bounced while calling you a fucking loser and judging by that shove, has maybe even put his hands on you before? Like fuckinnnngggg The Society and your entire friend group freaking the fuck out one day because you have a black eye one day you were trying to hide with sunglasses and you say it was from a Villain but they're all like Nah Fam That's Sus because how would a villain pop one off on your face when you have super strength and Spidey Sense and they get you/intimidate you to open up and it's like, oh, that was because your "boyfriend" didnt like how you thought you smelled someone else's perfums/cologne on him and he lost his temper when you pressed him for answers, and even when you tell them the truth you're still crying with a small laugh, "it was my fault, I should've backed off and realized I was upsetting him"

Reader just gets surrounded by all their friends and "the cute Spiders" like the cat Spiderman and oh my fucking god there's a plushie Spiderman and just, gosh, they try to basically smother you with love to cheer you up and bring your confidence back but your heart has been wounded and needs time to heal 🥺 regardless, later on Detective Stacey is having to investigate and finds Mr Thompson in an alleyway with a busted knee that permanantly ends any sort of athletic career and the words "CHEATER" cut across his body in multiple places while he's covered in scratches, bruises, bites, and he keeps mumbling the weirdest most incoherent shit under his breath that gets him hospitalized

"The- the pig... it TALKED... it pulled out a HAMMER... from its POCKET... the pig... had ... POCKETS..."