#btw as far as I'm concerned - there's got to be way more of them in the warcraft universe than blizz is willing to admit

[lorarri]

★ . . . 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 , 𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒

summary , being forced to go to a gp was not something on Y/N's 2023 bingo card but who knows maybe she will create a friendships that could help her thought this tough time

pairing , step dad! lewis hamilton x fem! young teen! reader

pervious part | series masterlist | main masterlist | f1 masterlist | lewis hamilton masterlist | next part

MOTHER Lewis has got us VIP tickets to the Australian gp Isn't that exciting!

Y/N but I have an archery comp on that weekend

MOTHER dw about it I've pulled you from the comp you can do the next

Y/N are you fucking kidding me you pulled me from a comp to go watch you boyfriend's race what the fuck?!?!?!

MOTHER language young lady first of all he my fiance and he is gonna be your step father soon

Y/N he is not gonna be my anything as far as I'm concerned and the only way I am going is if you drag me there kicking and screaming so fuck you

MINJI babe where is u at?

Y/N @ the Aussie Gp 💀 ... girl don't u remember me telling you guys about this 🙄

HANNI We do but your mom just called asking if we knew where you were 😭😭

Y/N wtf would you guys know where I am 😐

DANIELLE cuz aparently she can't find you and she thinks you are trying to catch a flight out of the country to avoid spending time with her and lewis 🫣

Y/N tf is this bitch on? I would never put that much effort into her let that be know first and for most 😝 second of all I'm hanging out with Max and Daniel 😌 so dw I'm not trynna skip town 😔

HAERIN Max and Daniel? as in like Red Bull's drivers Max and Daniel as in like Mad Max 😡 and big dick Danny ric 🤠

Y/N ew 🤢🤢🤮🤮 never say that again 🚫 but yes that would be them 👍

MINJI ... proof or it never happened 👀

Y/N

happy now?

HANNI okay but how did you even meet?

Y/N walked off to have a smoke and ran into them and started talking

DANIELLE ain't your mom gonna be pissed though?

Y/N why?

HAERIN cuz your created a better bond with Max and Daniel then what you have with Lewis

Y/N tbh I don't really fucking care Lewis seems like an alright guy ngl but I don't like how my mother is forcing me to spend time with him it's awkward and weird escpially since my dad is refusing to answer my calls or texts and everytime a ask my mother about it she says "maybe he is busy sweetheart" and "well look at it this way it will be the perfect opportunity to bond with Lewis" so yeah I have 0 shits to give rn anyway I need to go time for the race max says I can watch in the red bull garage

NANA (EX WIFE) my plan isn't working I thought by forcing you to stay away Y/N and Lewis could bond but I think she hates him more now

JUNHO (EX HUSBAND) no shit sherlock btw I'm coming to pick Y/N up this weekend she staying at my house till she has to go back to school

NANA (EX WIFE) is that bitch gonna be there?

JUNHO (EX HUSBAND) yes my girlfriend is going to be there and I am going to show you the correct way of introducing your kid to your new partner and that starts by telling them the truth about why you marriage ended in the first place and since you refuse to tell her I will read

[carlyraejepsans]

UTY!Flowey, "lore" and how to criticize a fan prequel without being an insufferable pedantic, a guide by Biscia.

(for my muskless fellows, here's a transcript of my thread on Undertale Yellow that I posted on Twitter. enjoy!)

There's this really frustrating attitude in fan spaces i like to call "lorepilling" where people are substantially more concerned with encyclopedic knowledge of details & minutiae (so called "lore") in place of full-text thematic/narrative analysis as if the two are mutually interchangeable.

It's especially common in large franchises and story heavy videogames, and it's like... Are You Treating This Piece Of Art Like A Trivia Battle Or Are You Treating It Like A Story

This is coming from a person who is also deeply autistic about UTDR trivia btw, I'm just saying that when it comes to transformative *stories*, depending on the impact it has on character, themes, and narrative structure... lore is expendable.

Ultimately this is why most of the UTY criticism i see (on twitter specifically) falls flat. What does it matter if "lore" means Flowey couldn't chronologically be there when the justice human fell, as long as the game narratively justified his presence in the story in a compelling way?

The real criticism, in the end, is that it didn't.

He's a plot central, main cast character from the canon returning in a cast of mostly OCs and what does he have to show for it? An admittedly sick boss battle in 1/3 endings, sure but... not much else. He has no significant "presence" in the story, no tie, interaction, or even just... an opinion on the rest of the cast. Which is a huge miss when Flowey's meta role is to be Thee completionist player mirror. He's the OG lorepilled UT fan! He's an opinionated little shit!

This isn't to say that UTY *didn't* engage w/ his metanarrative. When me and @a-town-called-hometown first started playing the game (we were both skeptical of Flowey's inclusion), he immediately said "It would be really cool if they made it so this has been going on for a while and Clover has no idea". Which is precisely what the game did in the neutral ending, and what I will openly say was the most well written & well executed part of this game's story...

...a part we almost didn't see, because the pacifist ending disappointed us so much we lost all will to replay.

To put it in the words of my friend Mel @clowwwnbytes, there's a deafening hollowness to UTY Flowey's motivations & core principles where his guilt towards Chara—and resulting black and white thinking—should be. You're telling me Mr Kill-or-be-killed, "sacrificing yourself to do the right thing is stupid", would stand there after 1000s of failed attempts to make Clover survive, look on as they make the same mistake Asriel he did, and fondly call them friend? Cue the guitar, roll the credits?

He would lose it. Oh my god he would lose his goddamn mind, he would throw the nastiest temper tantrum in the world. Are you serious? How dare you. How DARE you. All this effort, all my patience, and you just let yourself DIE for a few worthless idiots? I should've let you ROT!

*clears throat* sorry got a bit too into character. as i was saying.

I can understand a UT prequel wanting to distance itself from the canon Chara storyline in order to form its own identity, but then turning around and choosing Insane About Chara The Character™ for a sidekick is... far from optimal. In the end, Flowey comes across as underutilized and inconsistent, with a whole lot of wasted potential.

This is an issue I have with UTY's character writing (original AND returning) and story structure as a whole. Lots of inconsistent character arcs, tonal dissonance, overuse of situational sadness... it's an amateurish work, after all, and you can feel it. There's no shame in that.

(Though, there ARE some issues that i take more seriously with its writing, especially when it comes to its two main female characters—Ceroba's lack of narrative agency and depth borders on misogynistic writing imo. But that's a topic for another day)

Over all, UTY was an incredible piece of collaborative transformative work, with gorgeous art and a genuinely incredible OST, which... would have benefited from more experienced writers. But hey, you can only ever learn by trying!

For all it could've been a better story, it certainly did not fail to entertain: both when my friend was playing it, and after in our many discussions of its writing, its faults and how it could've been improved (royal scientist!ceroba character fix you will always be famous. to ME!)

I'm sure this project served as an incredible source of experience for the developers: as individual creators AND as a team. I look forward to their future projects!

but also if i have to see another person say UTY is better than Undertale i might turn into The Jonker.

end of the essay! really couldn't stand any of the pedantic ""criticism"" I'd seen of this fangame so far, so i had to say my piece as someone more versed in analysis. happy to elaborate on anything in the replies or in my inbox!

[aventurineswife]

Hello! I hope you're doing alright! Please don't forget to take care of yourself and stay hydrated!

Would it be okay to request fem reader and aventurine but the reader is asexual and they're trying to hide it because they're scared he'll leave them since she thinks she won't be able to satisfy him that way..? Like they're about to be intimate but reader just panics and asks him to stop and explains that she really can't bring herself to go that far and says he can feel free to break up with her.... If it sounds similar yeah I'm that one anon.....

You can just ignore this too btw!

Love Without Conditions

Summary: When an intimate moment with Aventurine causes you to panic, you finally confess your fears about not being able to fulfill his expectations due to your asexuality. Expecting him to leave, you're instead met with his unwavering support and reassurance, showing that his love for you goes beyond physical needs.

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Fem!Asexual!Reader, Fluff, Emotional Comfort, Insecurities, Reassurance, Established Relationship

Warnings: Brief mention of anxiety/panic, Discussion of asexuality-related insecurities

A/N: As an aroace (still questioning), i approve 😪❗

The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the open window, casting silvery shadows over the room. Aventurine's cyan and magenta eyes sparkled in the dim light, a warm smile gracing his lips as he looked at you. You could feel your pulse quickening, a familiar wave of anxiety creeping in as he moved closer, his hands warm as they traced gentle circles over your shoulder.

He leaned in, his voice a low murmur, "Are you comfortable?"

You swallowed, trying to ignore the tightening in your chest. You wanted this, didn’t you? Aventurine was everything you could have dreamed of—charming, confident, and endlessly caring. You adored him, and every moment with him felt like a rare treasure. And yet, as he leaned in closer, the anxiety only grew, a coil of dread you couldn’t shake.

You squeezed your eyes shut. Why now? Why did this fear, this doubt, always surface when things got close? You feared that if you couldn’t give him what he wanted, he’d look at you differently. He’d lose interest. He’d leave.

"Aventurine," you blurted, sitting up abruptly and wrapping your arms around yourself. "Can we… can we stop?"

His brow furrowed in concern, his hand retreating immediately. He sat up with you, worry clear in his vibrant eyes. "Of course, love. Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

You shook your head, not daring to meet his gaze. "No, no… it’s not you, it’s… it’s me." Your heart pounded as the words slipped out, words you’d been dreading to say but could no longer keep inside. "I… I’m not like that. I mean… I don’t… I don’t want to be with anyone like that."

You waited for his response, bracing for a flash of disappointment or, worse, hurt. Instead, he merely looked at you, silent, as if allowing you the space to find your words.

You continued, your voice trembling, "I really like being with you, Aventurine, and I want to make you happy… but I just don’t think I can… give you what you need that way." You felt a surge of vulnerability and finally whispered, "You don’t have to stay with me if… if you don’t want to. I’ll understand if it’s a dealbreaker."

Aventurine was quiet for a moment, but his hand reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. He offered you a soft, reassuring smile.

“Listen to me,” he said, his voice calm and steady. "I didn’t fall for you because of some imagined future, or for what you could ‘give’ me. I love you, as you are, right here." His gaze was unwavering, filled with an honesty that cut through your insecurities. "I love your kindness, your sense of humor, the way you care about others… I’m here because you mean more to me than any fleeting desire.”

Your heart swelled with relief, though you still couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “But… won’t you get tired of me?” you asked, barely a whisper.

Aventurine tilted your chin up, forcing you to meet his gaze. "Never. What we share, the laughter, the quiet moments, all of it—that’s what matters to me. You’re all I need."

The weight on your chest began to ease, his words sinking in. For the first time, you allowed yourself to believe that maybe, just maybe, this love didn’t have to come with conditions.

His fingers intertwined with yours as he leaned his forehead against yours. "There’s no one else I’d rather be with, in whatever way makes you feel safe and happy. Just promise me one thing," he whispered, his voice soft.

You nodded, almost afraid to breathe. "What is it?"

"Don’t ever feel like you have to hide from me, love. You’re perfect as you are."

A sense of peace settled over you, his words anchoring you. In that moment, you realized that Aventurine wasn’t going anywhere. That this love was real, built on something more lasting than fleeting desires.

As he pulled you close, wrapping his arms around you in a gentle embrace, you felt the last of your fears fade away. Here, with him, you were enough—just as you were.

[sansaorgana]

Hello love! I simply adore your writing and I was wondering if I could get a Gale Cleven x reader who's dealing with infertility? Probably something angsty? If not, that's totally fine. I'm just having a bit of a rough day :/

hi, sweetheart! 🥺 I'm sorry that you're having a rough day... I am trying to write these stories chronologically but I decided to write this one today so you don't have to wait too long 😊 btw I know that we treat Buck as a fictional character here but as far as I am concerned, real Buck Cleven never had children – at least I've never seen them mentioned anywhere like Bucky's daughters or Crosby's kids 🤔

my inbox is open for blurb/short fic requests for major cleven 🤗

You didn’t want to go there at all but you knew that you should leave the house finally for your own mental health. Buck was looking worried about you, too, and you wanted to show him that you were slowly getting better after your last miscarriage. But the truth was that some part of you was dying with each one of them.

For the first time it had been sad but not devastating yet – it was common to happen after all. Second time had started to make you worry. Third and fourth had only been a confirmation of your fear – you wouldn’t give your husband a child and you wouldn’t become a mother unless someone comes up with a magical cure.

Your best friend Eva was the only person who had known about it and she was as worried as Buck was. When one of your and Eva’s friends, Nancy, had decided to throw a tea party, Eva insisted on taking you there. So you dressed up and let her take you in her car as Buck watched from the window with a faint smile.

Eva was an independent woman. After her husband’s death in the war she decided not to marry again. She got her own car and managed most things on her own. She was a wild and free spirit and she never wanted to have children so as much as you appreciated her effort to help you – you knew that she would never fully understand your struggle.

The tea party took place at Nancy’s house. There were a few other women and you all sat by the table and sipped on the warm beverage from the china set Nancy had gotten for her wedding. She looked excited and her eyes were sparkling all the time as she was smiling widely. Eventually, you found out the reason behind that.

“So, I wanted you all to come here because… Because I have something to tell you, girls,” she giggled and all the women looked at her, curiously.

You felt a knot forming in your stomach. You already felt what it was.

“I’m pregnant!” She announced and everyone cheered. You did too, forcing a smile. Eva’s hand found yours under the table and squeezed yours to show you a silent support.

You felt tears forming in the corners of your eyes. You got angry at Eva for convincing you to come here but it wasn’t her fault after all, she couldn’t know… You looked around and realised that all other women in the room had children already or were pregnant. Except for you and Eva but she didn’t count since she didn’t want to become a mother anyway.

But the worst hadn’t happened yet.

“Now it’s (Y/N)’s turn,” Nancy smiled at you and you put the cup down with a shaky hand.

“Stop pushing her,” Eva reacted immediately.

“Don’t be like this, Eva. You hope she will never be a mother so you won’t be alone in this,” Nancy’s sister, Hannah, snapped at her.

“We don’t really think about having children, Buck and I,” you smiled nervously and the women looked at each other.

“My husband didn’t want them either but I convinced him,” Janis grinned at you, thinking that her words were in any way helpful.

“We just don’t…” you started and your voice broke. Eva jumped in the conversation quickly.

“Stop pushing her!” She insisted angrily.

“I’m only saying, he can wait but she cannot,” Nancy shrugged her arms.

You didn’t want to make a scene and leave after that so you only pretended to be more interested with the piece of cake on your plate although swallowing it was extremely difficult with a gulp in your throat. You waited about half an hour before nodding at Eva discreetly.

“It’s time for us,” she stood up and grabbed her purse. “I promised Buck to take her back home by eight.”

“These officers, they are all about discipline,” you chuckled while excusing yourself and picked your purse up as well. “Can’t have my Major waiting too long.”

You left the house as fast as possible and waited for Eva by her car.

“I’m sorry, darling,” she told you when she finally joined you. “I had no idea.”

“Let’s not… Let’s not talk about it, alright?” You sniffed back the tears and she nodded, furrowing her eyebrows at you but respecting your wish to stay silent.

In fact, you both remained silent for the whole ride home and she only kissed your cheek when she parked by your lawn and you jumped out of the car to go back inside and hide from the world.

Buck was in the living room, crouching down next to the TV set with a screwdriver in his hand as he worked on some adjustments. You smiled through the tears and leaned on the wall, shyly.

“You’re back already?” He mumbled without looking up.

“Yeah, it was no fun,” you answered. “What are you on about again, Buck?”

“The signal keeps being bad, I can fix that, I think,” he explained.

“Just don’t hurt yourself and, most importantly, don’t break the TV,” you sighed, trying to be in a playful and teasing mood but it was difficult, especially while seeing him – the man you loved… whom you couldn’t give a child.

You burst into tears all of sudden and Buck looked up, worryingly.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” He put the screwdriver down and approached you as quickly as possible to put his hands on your shoulders.

“Nancy… She… She’s pregnant,” you told him and he sighed before pulling you closer and pressing your face to his chest.

“I’m sorry, darling…” He rubbed your back, not knowing what to say.

“And she asked about us not having a baby of our own…” You tugged on his shirt.

“That is none of that woman’s business why we don’t have a baby of our own,” you heard Buck’s voice getting more stern and angry.

“I know… I told her we don’t want babies… I didn’t know what else to say…” You explained.

“It’s alright,” he shushed you and kissed the top of your head.

“No, it’s not…” You looked up with your wet eyes and makeup running down your face. You could see the pain on his face from witnessing you this way and you hated to bring him sadness, too, but you couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. “She said you have time but I am running out of it.”

Buck’s jaw clenched at the words. He hated when anyone was hurting you either with words or actions – no matter if it was a man or woman.

“Nancy’s never been a bright girl, you know that, baby?” He cupped your wet cheeks and leaned in closer to your face. You nodded, unsurely. “Girls like her only care about keeping a husband at home and showing off in town.”

“But I care about keeping a husband, too,” you gasped.

Buck sighed and shook his head, looking for the right words.

“Come here, baby,” he lowered his hands to hold yours as he led you on the sofa and sat you on his lap. You threw your arms around his neck and he pulled you closer by your hip and thigh. “How many times do I have to tell you, sweetheart, that you’re all I want? Only you,” he pecked your lips softly. “You make me the happiest already. Having a baby with you would be only an addition, it’s already perfect the way it is. If we have a baby, I’ll be happy. But if we don’t, I’ll be just as much satisfied,” he explained to you. “And I won’t let anyone say bad things about my beautiful and wonderful wife.”

“Buck…” Your lower lips trembled. “It brings me comfort to know you don’t really care about it but…”

“It’s not that I don’t care. Don’t say that,” he interrupted you. “I care.”

“I know, I’m sorry… But I want this baby. I want to have a baby with you more than anything in the world. I am glad you’ll be as happy without it but I don’t think I will be…” You looked down, ashamed of your confession.

Buck stayed silent for a while, caressing you and keeping you close as he rested his chin on your head and sighed.

“I know, my sweet girl, you just want a baby to love and take care of, right?”

“Yes…” You nodded. “And… And I hate how jealous I get when I see other women with babies or being pregnant. It brings the worst out of me and I don’t like this version of me.”

“Shh, hey, love, there are lots of babies out there who want a mummy to love them and take care of them just as much, you know?” He asked in a soft whisper and you looked up at him.

“What are you suggesting? That we should adopt?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Only if you want to,” he nodded and raised his hand to caress your head gently. “I want you to be happy, darling. That’s all I want, nothing else. I hate to see you so sad all the time,” he confessed and smiled sadly.

“It would be lovely to adopt a baby but I’m scared it won’t be the same… Because I want to have your baby, Gale… Ours,” you fixed yourself.

“You know that I’d do everything to make your dream come true, I really would. But some things… They’re just impossible to happen sometimes, you know that, baby?” Buck kissed your forehead. “We can keep trying and trying but it kills me to see you getting even sadder each time it happens.”

You only hummed to yourself and squeezed him tighter. A decision to adopt a baby couldn’t be made in the heat of the moment, you had to think about it more thoroughly. But your husband had a point. You also hated to make him worried so much about you and the fact that he himself would be as happy without having a child with you was bringing you lots of comfort. It would be way worse if he wanted this baby more than anything else.

“I have to heal after the recent loss first,” you whispered to him after a while, “and then we’ll talk about it again, how about that?”

“Sounds about right,” Buck caressed your cheeks with his thumbs and leaned in to place a soft kiss on your lips.

MASTERLIST || BUCK MASTERLIST

[porkcracker]

Hello!!

I just wanna say I really liked your Optimus father figure headcannons and Ratchet grandpa figure headcannons! It was really nice!

I was wondering if you can do a oneshot of those headcannons with a Non-binary reader? I think it'd be really wholesome and nice to see ^^

I was staring at this ask for a very long time and man I wish I had time to answer it quicker, because it hits some buttons. I'm happy you liked my headcanons btw. Still being probably months late, I still hope you enjoy this.

Dad!Optimus & Grandpa!Ratchet & NB!Reader It had been in no way your fault, but nonetheless you still found yourself shrinking into yourself as Optimus looked at you with a disappointed look in his bright blue optics. As the oldest of the humans on base, you had taken to watching over the three younger ones. Which as a result lead to you being equally in trouble, when they got in trouble and like in moments like this had broken something. You had been busy with yourself for a few minutes, so there was no clear way to say who had started it, but by the time yells and screams had drawn your attention they were running around the base, chasing each other with water guns.

To a degree you could understand them, the summer was hot, and even the base could grow uncomfortably warm at the height of the day, but to use water guns? Around a lot of technology? An exasperated sigh had left you, and you had to move to stop them, yelling after them. Alas, too late, an over enthusiastic shot from Miko had missed its intended target of Raf and instead hit Ratchets workstation. You watched with bated breath hoping it would do no damage, relaxing as it seemed to be fine and turning to the equally frozen kids, when there was a crackling noise and just as you turned back around the previously lit display darkened.

As the Bots returned, the children and their guardians were quickly sent on their way to bring said children home, which left you alone with Optimus and Ratchet. Ratchet had not left his damaged station since returning, attempting to fix the damage. Optimus on the other hand had turned to you. Which was what had led to this moment. The big bot wasn't angry, but the disappointment in his optics was far more disheartening in your opinion. Disappointing Optimus never sat right with you at all, not that you had been at this point very often before. No, rather, you were far more commonly sitting on his shoulder and conversing with him.

"(Y/N), I'm very glad that you watch the younger ones when you're alone at base, but if you need help than please do tell me. I would not want you to be overwhelmed by watching three other humans by yourself. I am quite sure, leaving one of the others at base to help you, would be manageable.", his voice was as gentle as always and perhaps the fact that he was seemingly more concerned for you than the damaged equipment and even considered leaving someone at base was worse. With the Deceptions being more experienced fighters and having no qualms, leaving someone to watch would be impractical. While usual Ratchet was at base, he was ready to leave base when necessary, so to stop that would be impractical.

Still you nodded and watched, still hunched into yourself, as Optimus joined Ratchet to look at the damage from the equipment. Coming to a decision, the next day, when the Bots and the kids left base, you made your way towards the workstation and had a closer look at the damage. It was quickly clear why such technically minimal water damage made this much trouble. The cables were sized for humans and while it must have been hard to connect when building the station it had no casing then and no it did, making it even harder for big cybertronian hands to work half hidden small human cables.

It didn't take long to get a torch and a few tools from your back, something you carried with you just in case, since you had started to get along better with Ratchet, often listening to his stories and grumbled life advice. Once back at the workstation, you turned the torch on and climbed into the casing of the workstation and working along the few small cables that needed to be fixed. Fixated on your work, it only registered that Optimus and Ratchet had come over, both not out with the others, when they began to talk, or well you assumed began to talk as you hadn't registered it before.

"It's almost amusing to watch you, how do the humans say it, mother hen them.", the sentence made you slow in your work with curiosity, wondering if they were talking about the other kids, your curiosity mirrored by the confused tone of Optimus. "What do you mean, old friend?" "Hah, it's obvious. (Y/N), you talk like you're their creator.", the way Ratchet said it was not judgemental, rather it seemed genuinely amusing. "I-", Optimus began, but was cut almost off immediately by a yelp. Both bots snapped their helms around, looking around, pinpointing the origin just as you crawled out of the casing of the workstation, your finger bleeding where you had slipped at the answer of the medic.

Before you could even fully get over the hem of the workstation, Ratchet scooped you up and walked off with words of chiding for injuring yourself. As much as Optimus had been caught off-guard by the words of his old friend, reflecting on them proofed them true. But alas, at least he was not the only one, he mused quietly as he watched said old friend fret over your cut with a rare care in his optics.

[dyaz-stories]

Yuta, Gojo, Geto, and does the end justify the means?

[spoilers up until JJK 269]

I've seen a post floating around about what the point of Yuta overtaking Gojo's body was, and since I haven't seen many people interpret it the way I have, I wanted to take a minute to talk about it.

First of all, I do think Gege had several reasons to do it, one of them being to give the answer to the "are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest or are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru". However, while many people tend to center that idea, it's only one aspect of it for me.

I'm also of the mind that part of it was telling the fans that nah, he really really wasn't coming back (don't necessarily assign malice to it, but yeah I think it was part of the point). That being said, there is an argument to be made that it was foreshadowed in chapter 90 by Kenjaku, so I don't think that was solely the point and Gege might have had this planned for a lot longer.

However, for me, it's not so much about the battle or about the plot, but rather about the themes it sets in place for the story, and these themes have been present for a while in Jujutsu Kaisen.

At the heart of it is, essentially, "does the end justify the means?"

That's a big theme in the manga as a whole, I'd argue. It's at the heart of the Geto thing ("does saving the lives of sorcerers justify killing every single non-sorcerer") in particular. It's behind most of the higher-ups' actions, though their 'ends' don't appear to be altruistic. It's also a question Gojo usually refuses to answer, or tentatively says "no" to — in refusing to kill Yuuji, Yuta, in protecting Hakari, and probably plenty of people before them. He does end up playing in that game, though, when he kills the higher-ups — deciding that the end might justify the means, a gamble he hadn't always thought worth taking until then. [This is my read on Gojo, but it's open to interpretation]

(I can't be brief to save my life so I'm putting the rest of this Very Long Post under the cut)

We see this not so much with the fight, but mostly in the conversations we see Yuta having in chapter 261, before taking Gojo's body. That's the whole point of the debate they're all having. Yuta is arguing that you have to do whatever to win against Sukuna,

while others, Kusakabe and Maki in particular, have their reservations. [Which is interesting considering Kusakabe does think that killing Yuuji to kill Sukuna was warranted, shows that values are complicated things]

Yuta's whole speech is about, really, the fact that you have to do whatever you can do, no matter what that is, to win. No matter whether or not you destroy yourself as a person, no matter how heinous it is, if it gets a win, it needs to be done.

There's something a little self-sacrificial, self-martyrdom, lowkey suicidal about it too imo but that's besides the point (not necessarily a criticism of Yuta btw, think it makes him more interesting and gives him a lot of depth).

Anyway, back to the point: Yuta is emphatically saying, yes, the end justifies the means. That was also what the fandom was saying when the chapter was coming out, actually. I saw a lot of the argument that it was 'not realistic' for them not to do that, and that 'this was a war and yes, it's horrible, but war is horrible', etc, etc.

Now at that point, I was seething in my small corner of the Internet because from the moment that conversation was had, I needed Yuta to lose, because I fucking hated the message it would give if he won. This is, admittedly, a deeply subjective thing — it's a personal and political opinion, and everyone's going to have their own, but as far as I'm concerned, it would have been awful. At that point I was still really worried that the story was going to go full grimdark and I would have hated it if the last message we got was that renouncing all your values is justified in war if it gets you a win.

Anyway, we all know this by now, but that's not what happened.

Geto, who ended up renouncing even his own values by attacking sorcerers in the name of building his perfect world, loses to the love that Yuta has for Maki and Rika in particular, two non-sorcerers.

And Sukuna loses, not to a Kamo, a Zen'in or a Gojo, not even to the descendant of the big three vengeful spirits, all of whom have sacrificed so much of their values to get to the level of power they have, but to a no-name kid who doesn't even have a cursed technique armed with the power of love and friendship. (Not mocking this btw, thrilled about it) Just as importantly, Yuuji has done the very opposite of abandoning his values: he's fought to keep them until the very end. Even at the very end, he offers Sukuna a hand, because his main value is not to kill people, unless absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, Yuta going into Gojo's body gets him nothing. He's committed the abominable, and it's not a decisive move against Sukuna. He's gone against some very general human values — anyone can see why what he's done is fucked up (and I can't pinpoint it precisely but I'd argue that there's a parallel between that and him cursing Rika) — and it gets him nothing. Even if it had gotten him somewhere, there was another way. A way that didn't involve that.

So that, to me, is the point of Yuta taking over Gojo's body: no, you can't just do anything to win a battle, and yes, you can refuse to do certain sacrifices and succeed. Don't abandon the things you hold dear. You can lose, but you can also still prevail, Jujutsu Kaisen says in the end.

Now for the more critical part of this broadcast, while I do think this aspect is why Gege chose to have that happen, I 100% find that chapter 269 and the complete lack of consequences the action ends up carrying really really cheapens it. Everyone was up in arms about it at first, and then Yuta comes back and we act like nothing's happened? I mean it's a theme of the chapter for sure, acting like nothing's happened that is, but it still sucks.

I think that's partly why Maki is mad at Yuta in chapter 269, considering she was the one who was most strongly against the idea, but it's not brought up explicitly. It's completely incomprehensible to me that Gege thought the chapter would be better used talking about how they could have acted differently and that whole New Shadow Style school thing than dealing with the consequences of the characters' actions that he'd prepared earlier, but whatever.

So in the end, while it was an interesting point to bring to the story, it was not used to its full potential. In a story that's all about breaking cycles, it's a shame that there wasn't more light shed on how people kept repeating the same mistake.

[fandomfucker]

pls could you write another one shot off Rhea , Dom!Rhea x sub!Reader, with the prompt “Please mark me, I want everyone to know I’m yours.” btw your last one shot was just perfect 💜

Warnings: 18+ There is light smut in this! (Dom!Rhea, Sub!Reader, kissing, hickeys, oral and penetration mentioned, slight ownership) as well as a creepy man😔

A/N-This one is short and doesn't go very far so I'm sorry but please enjoy anyways. There will be another more detailed Rhea smut coming soon!

Word Count: 1,067

I waited backstage in the WWE arena for the night as my girlfriend, Rhea Ripley, fought against her former friend, Raquel Rodriguez.

Rhea had been on the road for over two weeks straight now, having her normal TV appearances along with house shows and PPVs so we hadn't seen each other in forever which gave me the grand idea to surprise her backstage at her last Raw show.

Dominik stood beside me as we watched Rhea on the screen before us. She was kicking Raquel's ass. And she looked smoking hot while she was doing it.

She wore her usual black bottoms with purple feathers and a cut-up T-shirt depicting herself on the front. She wore black knee-high boots that gave her an extra inch in height along with her famous 'Mami' choker as her hair swung wildly around her face.

A few minutes into Rhea's match, I felt a pair of eyes on me. Trying to turn my head around as discretely as possible, I saw a man staring at me from across the room. He looked like an average 45-year-old man but as he stared at me and we made direct eye contact, a chill washed over me and I got a bad feeling.

Dom looked over at me when I visibly shuddered, his eyeline shifting to see what I was looking at. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his body in a side hug.

While Rhea and I weren't secretive about our relationship, some men had chosen to ignore it and occasionally go after me anyway when Rhea wasn't around to fend them off.

I relaxed into Dominik's side as we continued watching the match, cheering quite loudly once Rhea won and her title was returned to her.

As the screens went black, insinuating a commercial break, the man from before stepped in front of the screen, forcing me to look at him.

Dom's arm got tighter around my shoulder as the man spoke.

"Hey cutie, I was thinking that after the show tonight, we could go out and grab drinks?"

He was rubbing his hands together in a really sleazy way that made me uncomfortable.

But before I could answer him, someone behind me answered for him.

"She already has plans."

I turned around, a cocky smile now growing on my face as I saw my girlfriend standing there, pissed as hell.

The man was also now visibly pissed. "Well, I think the little lady here can speak for herself. You don't own her."

I beat Rhea to the response this time. "Actually, she does."

I slipped out from underneath Dominik's protective hold on me, sending him a suggestive wink as I twirled around feeling certain that he could hold his own against this man, moving towards Rhea.

Grabbing her hand, I interlaced our fingers and began to pull her down the hallway back to her dressing room.

Rhea walked ahead of me into the room as I closed the door behind us. She was seething as she paced the room in front of the couch. I locked the door to ensure we wouldn't be interrupted before walking up to her, placing a hand on her forearm causing her to stop in her tracks and look at me.

Anger and concern swirled in her eyes, mixed with a protectiveness over me. She stepped closer and held my hips in her hands. "Are you okay?"

I gave her a reassuring smile as I nodded up at her, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and out of her eye.

Standing on my tiptoes, I brushed my lips against the column of her throat, dragging them across her throat over to her ear. "Please mark me, I want everyone to know I'm yours."

That seemed to ignite a flame in her as she immediately locked one hand around my throat, the other still on my waist, using the hand around my throat to guide me to the couch.

The backs on my knees hit the edge and I automatically sat down, looking up at her as I waited for her next command.

Her hand was still wrapped around my throat, just loose enough to let me breathe freely. Her thumb began to trace circles around my racing pulse as she got down on her knees in front of me.

She pushed my knees apart with the hand that was formerly on my hip, pushing herself between my legs to where her hips met the edge of the couch. The hand that clutched my throat let go and dragged down my front to the hem of my t-shirt. Well, really, it was Rhea's I had just stolen it to wear tonight.

I lifted my arms above my head in a show of consent for her to take my shirt off and she immediately took it off as fast as she could.

She stopped and stared at the lacey purple and black bra I'd worn for her and licked her lips, her tongue piercing catching the overhead light.

I grinned down at her as our eyes met and she laid a hand on my stomach, pushing me down against the cushions.

Her lips brushed against my skin all the way from my waist up to just underneath my chin as she teased me. Goosebumps grew along my body at her touch.

"God, I missed you," She murmured against my skin, getting only a moan from me in response.

What was left of her lipstick left stains on my skin as she kissed her way back down, savoring the feel of my pebbled flesh on her lips.

Having waited to be told to take off my bra, once it was finally off, Rhea rolled each of my nipples between her fingers as she left my boobs covered in bruises, marking her presence.

She left hickeys all down my body—the biggest ones between my thighs and on my collarbone. Not only just marking me, but claiming me as hers.

My favorite mark, however, was the one she left on the lip of my pussy just before taking my clit into her mouth and sucking as her three main fingers were inserted into me.

The moans she created in me could be heard outside the door and the hickeys were blatantly obvious if the stares and refusal of eye contact for the next few days were any indications. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Nothing beats belonging to Mami.

[icrypop]

Hello I'm here for yandere sbg could you make one with the reader having abandonment issues but is scared of getting attached due to others leaving her out in the past?

(btw if you don't want to do it's fine :) )

Afraid to Hold On

YANDERE gang x GN! Reader

Warnings: talks of trust, abandonment, attachment issues

This one hit close to home but I tried to not...write trauma....so...uh- I love you guys 🥺❤️

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

You were a contradiction—one moment withdrawn, the next fiercely protective, but always keeping your distance. The gang had noticed. You kept them at arm’s length, not because you didn’t care, but because you cared too much. Too many times before, people had walked away, leaving you to pick up the pieces of your broken trust.

It was Logan who first caught on. The way you’d hesitate when someone got too close, how you deflected personal questions with a sarcastic quip or a forced laugh. But it wasn’t just him—Ashlynn, Aiden, Ben, Taylor, and even Tyler could see the signs.

They weren’t going to let you slip away, though.

-Reactions to your demeanor

- Ashlynn: She was the most patient of the group. Her sharp intuition picked up on your reluctance, and she made it her mission to create safe spaces for you. Ashlynn’s kindness was subtle—she’d invite you to sit next to her during group hangs or leave notes in your locker reminding you that you were important to them. When you recoiled, she only smiled softly and said, “I’m not going anywhere. No matter how far you run.”

- Aiden: He masked his protectiveness behind his usual goofy charm. But Tyler was far more attuned to your fears than he let on. He'd show up unannounced with little gestures: snacks he knew you liked, an extra hoodie when the weather turned, or random jokes to distract you. The more you pulled away, the more determined he became to be there. “You don’t have to talk,” he’d say, sitting beside you. “But I’m staying, whether you like it or not.”

- Tyler: He wasn’t as gentle about it. Tyler didn’t like seeing you hurt, even if it was from your own fears. He’d confront you directly, his voice a mixture of frustration and desperation. “Stop acting like you don’t need us!” he’d snap. “We’re here, and we’re not leaving. So stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not!”

- Ben: Quiet and observant, Ben took a different approach. He didn’t push you—he let his actions speak instead. If you sat alone, he’d silently sit beside you. If you looked lost, he’d steer you back without a word. And when you finally broke, crying in his arms about how everyone always left, he simply held you tighter and said, “I’m not them.”

- Logan: He didn’t fully understand your fears, but he hated seeing you hurt. Logan’s protectiveness often showed soft words to comfort you. "If you’re scared, that’s fine,” he told you once, leaning closer than you were used to. “Just don’t push me away. I’m stronger than that, and so are you.”

- Taylor: She was the most vocal about her feelings. “You think we’re like everyone else? That we’d just leave?” Taylor’s voice was raw, her frustration noticeable. “I don’t care how hard you try to push us away—we’re not letting go. Not now. Not ever.”

---

The Rainstorm

The sound of rain against the window was calming, yet it did nothing to ease the storm inside you. You sat curled up on the edge of the old couch, your arms wrapped around your knees, staring blankly into space.

“Y/N?” Logan's voice broke through the silence. The rest of the group hovered in the doorway, their expressions varying from concern to determination.

You didn’t respond. You couldn’t.

Ashlynn knelt beside you, her hand brushing against yours. “Talk to us,” she whispered. “I don’t know how,” you admitted, your voice cracking. “Every time I get close to someone, they leave. Why wouldn’t you?”

Tyler scoffed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Do we look like we’re going anywhere?”

“They all said that,” you shot back, tears spilling over. "And they weren’t us,” Aiden cut in, his voice fierce. “We’re not them, Y/N. Stop punishing yourself for other people’s mistakes.”

Slowly, you glanced at each of them. Their faces reflected the same unyielding determination, their presence a silent promise. “You don’t get it,” you whispered.

Logan crouched down, his soft gaze meeting yours. “Then make us get it. Let us in. We’re not leaving, no matter how hard you try to push us away.” The words hit something deep within you, and for the first time in what felt like forever, you let yourself hope. You let yourself believe.

From that night on, things shifted. The gang didn’t just tolerate your fears—they embraced them. They became your shield, your anchor, your proof that not everyone leaves.

And slowly, you began to let yourself hold on.

[hokkersujinn]

Author's notes; I'm a whore for Natsume and biting in general. First work btw:3!

Contains: Maybe ooc Natsume(?) Biting, Marking, Hickeys.. Gn reader, Y'all do it in your bedroom, kinda suggestive, Idk how to write properly!!

You can hear both of your breathing echoing in your bedroom. How many minutes have passed ever since you last felt comfortable in your current position right now? Natsume came over to hang out with you since he got the day off, And suddenly you were now on his lap facing him dealing with him.

"Natsume, can you stop for a moment?" You called out to the boy whose mouth was latched on your neck, It seems like it wasn't really effective because he just ignored you. Attempting to make him stop, you tried to push his head away with your hand but this only seemed to make it worse; he grabbed your hands and just held them in place while he continues to kiss your neck.

You didn't really mind him doing this but you still had a life, you need to start getting work done before it gets late. However Natsume didn't want you to.

"When will you be done? I still have work to do- Ah-!" You got caught off my him suddenly biting the side of your neck. He wasn't being rough with his bites but it still hurt. "Oh, Kitten, You'll have plenty of time tomorrow. An idol rarely gets his day off you know~ Let me relish this moment for as long as I want." You feel your face getting warm from embarrassment and shame. There's no way you just made such a noise.

Natsume let go of your hands and wrapped his arms around your waist and continued to bite and kiss your neck. You feel your face getting flushed and you just wanna run away and hide, you're not used to this after all. You put your hands on his shoulder and gripped it. "..hmm? you want more?" He teases you, ignoring the fact you were 100% uncomfortable with this situation but it's not like you're trying to get off him.

He gives you a soft kiss and continues to bite your neck, until he came up with a new idea.

"Hey is it okay if I... did this?" He pulled the side of your shirt, revealing more of your shoulder indicating he wants to bite that part. Before you could even say no, your head just nodded at him. "Tell me if its painful." He started with soft kisses that gradually resulted with him grazing his teeth on your skin, and suddenly he just started sucking on your skin. You shivered at the contact. You can't even find the words to tell him that it's painful, but the sensation of his mouth on your neck feels good to you.

You wrap your arms around his head while he continues to mark your neck with a hickey. His hand eventually letting go of your waist and inching their way onto your hips and your thighs. "So soft..," He murmurs between breaths. You on the other hand, you're squirming around against him since this feeling is new to you.

"Natsume..!" He snapped out of it when he heard your voice. "Are you alright? Did I go too far?" He asks with concern in his voice. He removes his hands from your thighs and cups your face. You couldn't take it anymore, you were overstimulated from the contact. Natsume being handsome doesn't help too. "I'm fine, Its just that- I couldn't take it anymore." He understood and waited for you to get off his lap, but you stayed.

He apologizes for his behavior and admires the marks he gave you. The hickey was red and it was pretty. He pressed his fingers on the hickey. You wince in pain a bit. "That's such a pretty color, don't you think so kitten?"

"We should do this more often.."

[purefandomonium]

The Lingering Ghost

(Title pending because titles are hard)

Alright even though it's late and I'm tired, I'm really excited to share this! So I'll be posting it here first before I give it one final edit and post it to AO3. I posted some snippets before but here's the entire thing.

I've been wanting to do some kind of horror story w/Initial D for ages and this is the result. It's more angst and bittersweet than true horror, but I still had a ton of fun working on it. It's a little under 5k btw so give yourself some time to hunker down if you do decide to check it out. Also formatting should be ok but I also just copied/pasted it so it's possible something got jumbled somewhere.

Summary: It wasn't uncommon in the world of street racing. People crashed all the time. Curses were shouted, cars fixed up, wallets run dry. Eyes too, sometimes. Stories of crashes were spoken about as often as songs were sung. Usually, though, the stories came from the drivers themselves. They weren't supposed to be told in hushed tones as a warning to other racers who thought themselves too good to wreck. They weren't supposed to end so badly. They sure as hell weren't supposed to happen on Akina.

Iketani slumped against a nearby pump, in part due to the day's heat but mostly from the weight of his gloomy mood. Its surface was covered in dust with a bit of grime, and he internally sighed at the thought of having to wash it and all the others before his shift ended. He drew bored little patterns across the filth. "Man… I haven't felt like hitting the pass at all this past week." The frowning stick man he completed seemed to share his miserable demeanor.

"Same here," Kenji sighed from beside his friend. He kicked a small pebble and watched it ping off a nearby sign. "I don't know what it is but something about the whole thing just has me on edge. I can't stand the thought of being anywhere close to the mountain right now."

"Yeah… Me three." Even Itsuki's usual energy couldn't overcome the heavy air around them as he, too, leaned against one of the pumps in despair. Despite being far from it, Mount Akina's presence seemed to loom right over his shoulder. He felt threatened by his own sanctuary; the ultimate betrayal from what he considered an old friend. It hurt in a way he couldn't describe.

"Wonder how he's holding up." Iketani nodded to Takumi who was finishing with a customer. "Not having a choice in the deliveries and all that. It's gotta be hard on the guy." It would certainly be hell for him, and he'd only driven out there once since it all went down. He couldn't imagine having to be out there every night. Alone. At the mercy of whatever strange force was holding their mountain hostage.

Kenji hummed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I dunno, he seems the same as always. It's hard to tell if it even bothers him or if he's just spaced out as usual." Takumi was a strange one. Hard to read and even harder to get a reaction out of. He looked normal but there was no telling what inner turmoil he may be hiding, if any.

Two sets of curious eyes soon landed on the youngest Speed Star. Itsuki met them both and shrugged in response, not quite as easily excited by the attention as he used to be. "I couldn't tell you what he's thinking," he replied as he shifted his gaze to the approaching Takumi. There was only one way to find out. Standing straight and adding some energy into his voice, he called out, "Hey, man, how you holding up?"

Takumi stopped in his tracks and noted the three sets of eyes fixated on him. He couldn't quite pin it, but they seemed… concerned? "Fine, I guess," came his reply. "It's pretty hot out though." He blinked in confusion as the three idiots he called friends simultaneously groaned. OK, so that was the wrong answer. What was the concern for then if not his health?

"Dude, that's not what Itsuki meant," Iketani sighed, rolling his eyes. Pushing himself up straight and smudging his little dust doodles, he continued, "We're wondering how you feel about the crash on Akina."

A sharp jolt shot through his spine, but he reigned it in before his body could respond to it. His voice was steadier than he felt. "Oh. Well, I feel awful about it, obviously. It's sad." He leaned back as Itsuki shoved himself into his personal space.

"Yeah but… what about all the, y'know…" He glanced around like there were people eavesdropping. Lowering his voice to a whisper despite the lack of paparazzi, he spit out, "The stories?"

"What, about a vengeful ghost or whatever?" He nudged Itsuki away and kept his expression neutral.

"A lot of the guys have been talking about some weird stuff going on since it happened," Iketani supplied. "I thought they were just being paranoid but the one time I went out there…" He shivered despite the oppresive summer heat. Already, goosebumps were dotting his arms at the mere memory. "I can't really describe it, but I got the worst feeling of dread. Like I wasn't supposed to be there and needed to leave immediately." He huffed out a bittersweet laugh. "Imagine that. Chased off my own turf by some invisible force." He absently rubbed at his arms, still feeling a lingering chill.

Takumi mulled the story over in his mind with a quiet hum. He'd been running the deliveries like usual and while there had been an odd sense of something, nothing had ever come from it. He was pretty sure what he'd been feeling the past several days had been nothing more than discomfort at the whole situation.

Not that they needed to know that.

Keeping his voice in its usual deadpan, he said, "Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I haven't noticed anything. Driving on Akina has been the same as always." Same corners, same speed, same road. Nothing had changed. Nothing except for one unfortunate spot.

"Bah! That ghost probably doesn't want anything to do with a boring person like you anyway," Itsuki shouted, forgetting about the imaginary spies from just moments ago.

"Or maybe," Takumi began, flicking his best friend on the forehead, "there is no ghost and you guys are just being weird."

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Takumi," Kenji said as he crossed his arms. "But this is…" He glanced in the direction of Akina and grimaced before turning away from the distant titan. "I don't know, something really does seem off out there. The other Speed Stars all have some wild stories. Don't you think it's strange that so many people are agreeing on this?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He shrugged and went to head inside to cool off for a minute, ignoring their combined chagrin at his nonchalance. He could really use some water and a nap right now. It was unfortunate that he'd be allowed only one of those things.

***

Having finished the deliveries, his run down the mountain was no different than the countless other times he'd raced home. It was the same as always, just like he'd told the others earlier. The familiar road blurred beneath the Eight–Six, headlights the only things cutting through the darkness of Akina. There was only one thing that stood out amongst the shadows, revealed by the Trueno's yellow-white glare.

The words of his friends echoed through his mind as he slowed to a stop and stared at the only remaining signs of wreckage. The engine's soft purring did nothing to soothe the sudden wave of emotion that hit him, so much stronger than it had ever been before.

The guardrail was still twisted and deformed—far worse than when Iketani had wiped out—and its silver sheen was marred with scrapes and oil. Caution tape fluttered about, a pitiful barrier between life on the road and death on the side of the mountain. Fragments of plastic and glass twinkled like they were stars embedded in the earth. The emergency workers had missed a fair bit of debris, or perhaps they would get the rest of it once the guardrail was replaced.

Somehow, even though he hadn't been present to witness it, he could hear the jarring sound of the impact, of metal shrieking and plastic crunching. The sharp echo of breaking glass rang in his ears as his imagination played out the scene against his will. In his mind's eye, he watched the car hit the guardrail and shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. The headlights were first to erupt in an explosion of glass. The front end crumpled as the windshield formed a network of cracks before giving way and sending shrapnel into the cabin. The force that bent the guardrail into its horrid shape would no doubt have been enough to cause the interior of the car to shrink. If it somehow wasn't, well, the jagged cliff face would take care of that.

With a gasp, Takumi blinked the terrible vision out of his mind before it could show him what the driver must have felt like.

The driver who had been declared as unsalvageable as the car was. Loaded up and taken away in something better than a weathered tow truck, but loaded up and taken regardless. It was no wonder the guys were so shaken up by the whole thing. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely unbothered by it either. Every time the gruesome scene flickered past his headlights he felt the cold grip of dread squeeze his insides. He hated that feeling.

It wasn't like he could avoid driving on Akina though. The deliveries weren't gonna run themselves, and they'd sooner do exactly that before his dad would bother.

Really, he wasn't sure what about it was getting to him. The road had been scrubbed of oil and the tiny fragments of a broken vehicle were the only things left behind. Well, them and the destroyed guardrail, of course. He'd been spared the worst of the details—not counting the ones his mind unhelpfully supplied whenever he least expected. Aside from the grim melancholy of his friends, there was nothing tying him to this depressing turn of events. Some people liked to race on dark mountain roads, bad things were always possible, and there was nothing to be done about either.

Despite the fatigue gnawing at him and willing him to get home and sleep as much as he could before school, Takumi found himself stepping out of the Eight–Six. Without its refuge he was left at the mercy of the chilling breeze. There was nothing he could have done, nor could do, that would make any of this better. Yet he felt compelled to do something anyway. Perhaps it was because it happened on Akina. He continued to deny he was a street racer, but he did consider this his mountain. In a way. He'd been driving it for years, no one knew it better than him. So far anyone who tried to prove they could drive it better than him ended up losing.

He sucked in a heavy breath as it hit him. Was that it? Was this feeling… some kind of guilt? Whoever it was that crashed hadn't been local. That was the first thing he learned about all this. The second had been that they weren't the most experienced racer. Any further detail than that—like who they raced with or even who they were—was a mystery to him and probably for the better. He wouldn't know what to do with that information anyway. Send his regards? No.

He sighed and stepped closer to the mangled sheet metal, hand hovering over it. The Eight–Six murmured behind him, the only sound in the quiet static. He stood there for several—seconds? Minutes?—before mustering up the courage to rest his hand on the railing's cold surface, at the last spot before it became a misshapen mess. He sniffled and couldn't tell if it was from the cold or something else.

"I'm sorry," he breathed into the silence. His fingers tightened against the guardrail as he stood there wondering what in the hell he was doing. He'd driven past this same spot every night for the past week and never felt compelled to do… whatever this was. Still, he was already out here. Might as well commit.

"I, uh, I know that saying sorry doesn't really change anything but…" Dammit. What was he trying to do here? Apologize to someone who was already dead? Whose death had nothing to do with him? He sniffled again and realized the weather wasn't the culprit. It was the middle of summer. It should only be slightly below stifling right now. Yet out here, silhouetted by the warm glow of the Eight–Six, his skin felt cold and prickly. Goosebumps. Maybe there was some truth behind Iketani's ghost story after all.

Takumi let his hand fall from the guardrail and turned back the panda Trueno, the stark white of its paint the only other thing standing out against Akina's darkness. There was no whispering of leaves in the wind, no insects making their grating calls, nothing but empty silence punctuated by the still-idling engine. The goosebumps returned full-force as he froze in place.

Standing beside the red glow of the Eight–Six's taillights was a lone figure. It looked to be about his height—the same age too, by assumption—and that was all he could make out. The shadows clung to them like a cloak.

Takumi swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he stared at the entity. "Hello?" He was met with silence. The shadowy mass remained motionless, seeming to stare right through him. Without thinking about the risks of turning away, he craned his neck to glance at the site of the wreck once more. Noting a lack of changes, he swiveled his gaze back to the eerie figure who still hadn't moved.

Their silent staring contest went on for another uncomfortable few moments before Takumi worked up the nerve to try speaking to them again. He took a couple of steps closer and when nothing happened, he spoke up. "Are you… the one who died here?" He winced. Of all the things to say to a potential ghost, the first thing out his mouth was questioning if they were dead? Brilliant. It would be a miracle if he survived this encounter.

That unnerving silence still hung in the air as what Takumi assumed was their head dipped down once in a simple nod.

His lips formed a silent 'oh' as though the answer weren't already obvious. As his mind processed what to say next, he blinked once only to stumble back in shock at its sudden proximity. He lost his footing and landed on the dusty pavement as the ghost loomed before him, mere steps away. Even with the headlights shining against its back, it remained shrouded in pure darkness. The shadows of its body seemed to swallow the light whole, a hungry abyss. The air around it was still and icy, like that of a frozen lake. Aside from its humanoid figure there was nothing else separating it from the dark night around them.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if dying meant erasing who you were somehow. He shoved the thought away before he could really question it. Lying vulnerable in the dirt before a potentially angry spirit was a bit more important than a mortality crisis.

His own shadow began to pool in wisps around him and a bolt of panic made his stomach drop and his heart lurch. The smokey tendrils tickled his skin like electrified feathers as they danced along his arms and hands. His throat was tight and he didn't know if it was the spirit's doing or his own primal fear. He remained rigid, helpless to the supernatural force before him.

Before the tears that had been welling up could start running, the shadows that were lapping at his hands and legs slithered away to the ghost. They flowed and swayed around its feet with wild movements, like a writhing octopus.

Takumi blinked back the wetness and realized the misty darkness was shaping itself into words. Slowly, as if it took great effort, a sentence was formed.

Why are you here?

He didn't know the answer to that question. How could he answer that question? As the sheer panic he'd been feeling dissipated—gradually, because this was still an unknowable entity before him—Takumi felt his shoulders lifting in a half-hearted shrug.

The ghost tilted its head, clearly just as lost and confused about all this as Takumi.

He found his words after a long, uncomfortable silence. "I, uh, I guess I'm here because I feel really bad about what happened." And he really, truly did. The thought that this could have been him in his early days of deliveries hadn't escaped him. "Uh… Lots of people feel terrible about what happened." The shadows twisted before him once more.

Why? It's not your fault.

Now that it was clear the dead racer meant no harm, Takumi slowly stood and dusted himself off to stall for time to process. His eyes locked onto the ghost once he felt his heart rate return to normal. The abyss that was its face seemed to swirl and twist like a smoky whirlpool, and he found himself almost entranced before snapping to his senses after too many moments. His gaze then drifted to the crash site beside them, illuminated by the Eight-Six. "I know it's not my fault. But still." He turned back to the ghost, careful not to get lost in the inky blackness once more. He found focusing on the harsh lights of the car to be good at preventing that.

"I've been driving here for years. My dad owns a tofu shop and I run the deliveries to the hotel." He scratched the back of his head as something like fondness bubbled up. It was strange. "I kind of consider Akina my second home, so something like this happening has me shaken up."

I see. I appreciate your honesty.

What an odd thing to say. Then it clicked. His eyes widened. "Wait. Have you tried talking to people before?" It would line up with all the creepy stories his friends and the other racers were talking about. Some of them had mentioned that it seemed like the 'Dead Racer of Akina', or whatever they were calling it now, had tried to communicate with them.

Most of the people I wanted to talk to ran from me, the shadows spelled. Their movement was becoming sluggish now; it took longer and longer for them to form words. I tried to catch up to them but they were too fast. I never was a very good racer.

The ghost's 'shoulders' bounced like it was laughing. Then it stilled again.

I thought I could use the practice, but now I can't even form my car.

I think it's getting harder for me to stay here, but I don't want to go.

It's not fair.

Takumi's heart clenched. He wasn't sure if there was an afterlife, and he wasn't keen on finding out anytime soon. He could relate to the ghost's fear and anger about being left behind and doomed to an uncertain future more than he cared to admit.

I was able to talk to a couple people like this, the shadows offered to the silence. But they were more interested in the gruesome details of my death than anything else.

It made me angry.

Now it all made sense. The ghostly car chases, the heavy feeling of dread, the anger the mountain seemed to radiate to anyone who dared drive it. All except for Takumi. It was weird how he was spared from all of that.

I know who you are.

A sound of surprise escaped his throat. Was his mind being read? Before he could question it, the shadows had already shaped the answer.

I came out here that night because I was hoping to race you.

I didn't expect to win. But I didn't think I'd lose my life either.

The guilt boiled over and before he could stop them, the words were pouring out of his mouth. "I'm so sorry! I know I didn't ask you to come out here but I didn't want this to ever happen. I never wanted to be famous like this. I just wanted to get home as fast as possible to sleep! I-"

It's OK.

The words presented themselves right in front of his face, cutting off his rambling. Takumi felt the warmth sliding down his cheeks despite his best efforts to hold back the tears. There was something strangely comforting in the ghost's words even though they were never spoken. It was as though the shadows emitted more emotion than a voice ever could.

Speaking of shadows, he noticed the way the Eight-Six's light seemed to cut through them now. The darkness was no longer absorbing the light. It seemed whatever hold the dead racer had on this reality was slipping.

The ghost sensed this as well, as it stated, I know there's a lot you want to say but I don't have time.

All he could manage was a pathetic nod as he wiped away tears.

I don't know what happens now but I have a favor to ask you.

Will you race me?

Takumi's jaw nearly fell open. "After… everything… you still want to race me?"

It's the only reason I came out to Akina after all.

'Please allow me a proper sendoff,' was unspoken. Takumi didn't know who this person's family was but he could only hope they gave them a formal goodbye. It was obvious now that none of the racers on Akina had bothered to pay any respects; they were either too scared or too callous. Who would he be to deny their final request?

I don't expect to win, the shadows revealed, mistaking Takumi's hesitance as something other than realization. I just want to do the thing I died trying to do.

"…OK." Nothing more needed to be said. He'd give the ghost what it wanted, make it home in time to catch some sleep, and lay awake all night hoping the dead racer finally found peace.

Takumi's legs carried him past the ghost to the Eight-Six, mind alight with too many thoughts once more. He fell into the seat, the suspension creaking in response. As he shut the door, he looked up to where the phantom shadow had been standing only to find it gone. A glance in his rearview revealed a semi-solid mass of car behind him. A… 3000GT, Iketani had told him shortly after the accident. It wasn't the blinding white it had been pre-crash; it was comprised of total darkness just like its owner.

There were no lights on it but the red glow of his brakes confirmed it was there. He didn't need to be told to give it his all. Anything less would be downright disrespectful. Putting it into gear, the Eight-Six crawled away from the side of the road and began gaining speed. The ghostly car behind him lit up once more in his rearview as he hit the first corner, only to vanish into darkness again as he barreled away.

Three corners was all it took for him to no longer feel the presence behind him. He didn't know if it was because of the gap he'd made or if they'd finally lost their hold on the world of the living. It didn't matter. At least they'd gotten their final wish.

Takumi drove home feeling oddly lighter.

***

"It's so weird," Iketani said to a wide-eyed Itsuki. "I finally worked up the nerve to confront this ghostly pressure keeping me away from Akina, and it's just… gone. Like it was never even there." It had been just over a week and it was still all he could think about. After all that time being afraid, he'd gone out the previous night and had a completely normal drive.

"Maybe you guys were buying into that ghost stuff a little too much," came Yuichi as he exited the station with the intent to scold them for standing around.

"You don't understand, boss," Iketani argued as he whirled around. "I felt it! I couldn't make up that feeling if I wanted to."

He let out a disbelieving hum. "Not even if you were listening to a bunch of hogwash that got you all worked up before you even set foot out there?"

The leader of the Speed Stars deflated. "I know what I felt when I went out there a few days ago," he mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I believe you," Itsuki said. He hadn't been out there at all since the crash due to the stories he'd been told, but that didn't change the fact he believed every single one. He didn't need to be out there to sense the creepy pressure warning him to stay away.

Iketani sighed. "Yeah, nothing screams believable like you of all people having my back."

The younger balked. "Hey I'm trying to help you, man!"

"Will you two quite goofing around and get back to work? Takumi's the only one who's got any semblance of sense right now, and that's saying something." The latter was spoken quietly so as not to catch his attention, though it wouldn't have mattered.

Takumi was lost in thought yet again, though this time it wasn't one of his usual dilemmas. He was distracted by what it meant to become a ghost and what sort of afterlife there was, if any. He couldn't get it out of his head. For all he knew, the ghost of that racer had faded into oblivion. That thought bothered him the most but he just couldn't shake it from his head.

It was fortunate he had a boisterous Itsuki to do it for him.

"What's got you all spaced out now?" he asked as he latched an arm across Takumi's shoulders. "You've been dazed a lot lately, you don't have a secret girlfriend, do you?" He gave his cheek a good pinch.

"Ow! Cut it out! That's not it at all." He managed to pry his friend's hand off his face and weasel out from his grip with an annoyed scowl.

"Are you OK, Takumi?" Iketani questioned as he shooed Itsuki aside. "You're not still upset about the accident, are you?"

It wasn't often his senior could get a good read on him, but when he did it never ceased to take him by surprise. He struggled to get his bearings. "I mean… It's just kind of messed up, you know?" Even moreso, now that he knew the real reason of the crash.

"Hey, I hear ya." He rested a hand stop the teen's shoulder and squeezed. "It's always terrible to hear about someone crashing. It's even worse when it leads to a death."

The three fell silent as the heavy truth settled over them. Even Yuichi took a moment to grieve the deadly stories he'd been privy to over the years.

Moment over, he continued, "Look, all we can do is try to be safe. Us Speed Stars take great pride in sanctioning races and making sure there's little to no risk. All the other teams worth their salt do the same. The sad truth is there will always be people who bite off more than they can chew." Hell, he'd nearly done the exact same thing not too long ago. It was a constant reminder to be more aware of his limits.

Itsuki, not wanting to be left out and hating the melancholy look Takumi wore, butt in with, "It's not your fault, Takumi. You didn't make them crash. I know we've been going on about ghosts and stuff, but Iketani was just out there last night and said it's fine now."

Takumi wanted the words to soothe him, but they did the exact opposite. None of them knew—nor would they ever know, if he could help it—that the whole thing was his fault. What a twisted way of fate. If he hadn't been so famous, if he weren't so skilled, if he had been the one to crash five years ago-

No. No going down that road. He couldn't control what other people thought of him. He couldn't stop people form wanting to become street racers. He certainly couldn't stop anyone from making a fatal mistake behind the wheel. The very person who'd died assured him he wasn't to blame. It would be disrespectful for him to ignore that fact in favor of self-loathing.

…This was going to eat at him for a very long time.

Yeah so I thought about giving 'the ghost' more of an identity but decided not to. Partially due to laziness but also because I like how mysterious it is. They're dead. They're just a mass of shadows so does the identity really matter anymore? They clearly aren't themselves anymore and I was trying to capture that but I'm not sure how well it turned out. I still had a ton of fun with this. It took me a long while to get it complete. I thought about adding a scene w/Bunta after Takumi returns home later than normal but decided not to. It was so freaking hard to write Takumi and I don't know how well I handled his personality or the hidden things I was trying to carry across. There was no way I was gonna attempt to write Bunta lol. Anyway. Thoughts are always appreciated. If you see any weird typos or something doesn't make sense, please tell me. I probably won't post this to AO3 for a little while longer because there's some stuff I'm still considering.

[noisyquokka]

I know this is a very vague request and im really sorry in advance 😭… do you think you could write some headcanons/reactions for wayv? I noticed that most nct content is for dream, sometimes 127, and rarely my wayv boys and i LOVE them 😮‍💨, i dont really have a concept in mind i would prefer if it was made with a female reader in mind but gender neutral works just as well, and idk maybe a little bit suggestive if youre in the mood for it?? Idk anyways thanks for listening and im sorry im not giving you much to work with :)

+ OMG OK I JUST SENT IN A VAGUE REQUEST FOR WAYV BUT I THOUGHT OF SOMETHING NOW, idk if you’ll see this but do you think you could do wayvs reaction to a female reader whos more dominant, not necessarily in the bedroom sense (although that too) but just someone who looks more feminine but automatically takes on more masculine gender roles in a relationship like being big spoon, or bringing home the bag, or being the one to take care of things and fix things? Again i don’t necessarily mean in a sexual way just more in a general relationship because i know you said you werent confident/comfortable writing nsfw stuff, but if you wanted to take a more suggestive route too i wouldnt be mad, youre the writer here, im just here to support 💗, thank you again!

A/N - Not me having a whole-ass brain fart on gender roles as I wrote this🤪but ohhhohoo I love this idea!!! I'm sorry it took forever :( also some of these are longer than others, I apologize. But I still hope you enjoy 💛 Thank you for the request, Love!

WORDCOUNT - 1,165

WARNINGS - F!reader, suggestive if you squint from the other side of the galaxy??

Kun

you had told him that you were quite independent from the beginning of your relationship

perhaps you hadn't been persuasive enough, or it didn't register in Kun's head...

because when he comes home from tour, he doesn't expect to find you in the kitchen, cursing under your breath with your head ducked beneath the sink

it appears you're too busy groveling at the plumbing to notice his presence, the clanking of metal on metal hitting his ears

"What... are you doing?" is followed by a thud! and another hushed curse as you emerge from the cabinet, rubbing at the crown of your head with a grimace

you're met with warm hands and a concerned gaze as you straighten up, adjustable wrench in your grip

"The shut-off valve for the cold water failed," you wipe the sweat from your brow, eyeing the small space you have to work with under the sink, "so I went and picked up replacements for both."

and Kun's just standing there like 'woah, babe, go off'

but also a little worried

cue the "shouldn't we call a plumber", and the "are you sure's"

it's not that he believes you're incapable, far from it!

he's just got no clue about the tricks of that trade lmao

asks if you need help

will literally sit by and watch like a curious Retriever whether you need extra hands or not (without being in the way, of course)

he has no idea where your confidence comes from when it comes to these types of things, but it's kinda... 😏

you finish the job in two hours, checking for any leaks after you turn the water back on and let the water flow through the pipes to clear the air in the lines

after this, he quickly adapts to you taking lead around the house with similar things

he's so used to being the leader/taking lead on so many things that it's so refreshing for him.

you're just the type to say "Hey, I've got it!" with no expectations

he's gonna find his ways of thanking you for the things you do btw

cooking you dinner, cleaning the entire house, buying you something you've been eyeing for forever.

also lives and breaths you cuddling him

back hugs, waking up to you pulling him back into your arms before you're both falling asleep again

this man is so content being little spoon if it means you're right there

Ten

totally into it!

I'd bet that this man goes full doting boyfriend

probably the most curious out of all the guys

would be super invested if you were an HVAC technician or something just because of how physically demanding the job is

asks you if he could tag along to work one day like an excited child

to which you tell him that it's not as exciting for him to watch considering most of the job is you crawling into tight spaces

like you'd literally be in some dusty attic, sweltering as you work

it happens anyways, because you find that your HVAC unit is outdated, so naturally, you choose to update it yourself

cue a sneaky head peeking around the corner every chance he gets because, contrary to what you had said, Ten is very entertained

the man has the biggest heart eyes for you through the entire process - which is roughly 6 hours

"your attention to detail is beyond admirable!"

"I'd say it's necessary when I'm working with electrical, Babe."

wants to learn how to do whatever it is you're working on

doesn't matter what it is you're doing

soaks up whatever you teach him

mans is a whole sponge istg

at the same time he's absolutely gonna tell you to keep being the boss-ass bitch that you are

WinWin

supportive but a lil insecure :(

like he loves you loads, supports you 100% in all that you do

but sometimes it'll make him feel like he's not doing enough in terms of your relationship

I don't see the insecurity coming from your confidence of taking on a more masculine role, but more out of worrying that his time is so limited with you and around the house so when he is home, he feels like it's not enough

feels like he shouldn't tell you at first

like it sounds a little like an excuse to be an ass

but eventually thinks it's the best thing for your relationship

y'all take communication so seriously so why start holding back over something like this

you're quick to reassure him that he does more than enough

like sir, sit down and kick your feet up, you literally do so much for me, I will write you a whole list rn

it works to a certain extent, so you offer him some options "to make up for it" cough I'll leave this up to interpretation💀

fair to say that all is better with a little communication

Xiaojun

I say this solely for his safety and benefit

do not, under any circumstances, let this man know you can do some of the things that you're capable of!!

boy is too petty and competitive to have this knowledge

I feel like he'd be the type to see you so confidently take care of yard work and the next week turns into a competition of who can complete said tasks better

he wouldn't do it to make you feel less than, or to put you in your place (as if you wouldn't set his ass straight)

he's just a little dramatic

a lil competitive

he loses almost every time 😔

either makes excuses for it ("I didn't know there were levels to the lawn mower", "the handle on my rake was broken") or stays quiet

will be whiny for a few days afterwards

you have no issue giving him something to whine about-

Hendery

full cheerleader mode!!

he literally grew up with three sisters, ain't no way he's gonna be against a strong and independent woman doing her thing

is the best assistant when you need an extra set of hands

literally the kid that holds dad's flashlight while dad fixes the car except you don't have to remind him to hold it steady

he's on top of it, baby 😎

mans takes this as seriously as performing open-heart surgery

I'm talking brows set in concentration and hands as steady as my granny threading a needle (that woman was so talented)

tools are in your hand before you've even finished telling him what you need

bro is just that good

loves helping you to the point that when you don't need his help, he's just a pouty boy in the corner

like Kun and Ten, he'll just watch and cheer you on in those instances

he is the ultimate ally

YangYang

I could see him drawn toward a woman who takes initiative in a relationship

probably finds it attractive as hell

at the same time, I could see him not caring much about traditional gender roles

sees it as a social construct that is meant to be broken

he digs how dynamic you can be in any situation, definitely!

that said, he is the reason you fix so many things 🧍🏻‍♀️

listen, him being your boyfriend does not guarantee your safety from The Menace™

feels bad about it sometimes

but like... you never complain

YangYang swears he's a magnet for finding patient people that can tolerate his antics

which is exactly why he's wrapped around your finger

MASTERLIST

[thebunnednun]

Buggy the Clown x Fem!Reader Enchanted meeting (Part 1)

Authors Note:

Hello everyone!! This is my first time writing so please tell me what you think! I'm sure we've all seen the live-action one-piece. And I've taken a strong liking to a certain clown. Please enjoy as I spin this tale. There's a good deal of flirting, banter, and much more. Definitely going to be a slow-burn fic. If anyone is a little out of character I do apologize. Btw, this is not set in a specific arc but the straw hat crew is included as follows: #MonekeyD.LUffy #RoronaZoro #Nami #Usopp #Sanji #TonyTonyChopper #NicoRobin #Brook #Sanji

Anyway, on with the show!!~

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

Context:

"FUCK!"

Screams and cursing erupted everywhere. As far as safety was concerned, there was none. Who knew that going into the forbidden tundra of ice and snow for ice cream would be such a bad idea?

It didn't matter now anyway. The wind whipped at your cheeks as a pair of familiar gummy arms stretched around the crew. There was no ability to see five feet in front of you. After much pushing and shoving the steering wheel was turned and the Thousand Sunny began to fight back.

Finally, with mercy, the storm had to spit you and your crewmates out. Where? No clue. None. The feeling of sand and splintered wood accompanied you all before the darkness followed.

---------------------------------------------------- Current time-----------

"Y/n?!" a voice called out. Opening your eyes hurts like hell. The sun was too bright. And the sand was too cold. Wait... sand?!

Rolling over onto your back the sun's sharp rays began to bore their way into you. Suddenly, a fluff clown covers you. "Y/N!! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Luffy, the sweet goof that he is, crushes you in a tight hug cutting off your oxygen

"Alright, give the girl some space," Nami pulls at the arm closest to her. "What the fuck, happened?" You sit up slowly. "Well-" "THE FUCKING SHIP BROKE!" Heads turn towards a sobbing Usopp trying to rub two pieces of wood together as Sanji comfortingly pats his shoulder. Not too far away, Zoro stands quietly looking over the horizon. A sigh escapes your lips as you deflate into Nami's arms. This could not get any worse. Until a thought hits you.

"Wait, where are the others?" you begin to sit up and look at Nami again. "Robin and Chopper are trying to salvage what they can. Brook got buried under the sand for a while so he's resting." You nod and try to take it all in. So far everyone was alive and counted on. But where were you? Climbing out of Nami and Luffy's company you decided to have a look around. Items were thrown about the beach everywhere including large piles of ice and snow making for a strange scene.  

There’s a moment of uncomfortability that you register but don’t address. Silence never bothered you, but one thing was for certain. You and your family were stranded, highly wanted criminals, with no proper way of fixing the ship unless there wasn’t that much damage. Your feet stop as you come across the sight before you. “Shit.” 

Half the fucking ship was missing. Well, to be exact the giant ram's head was half buried in the snow. The middle of the left-hand side of the haul was cracked open with continents spilling out. As you got closer you could see Robin and Chopper creating piles of things salvageable. A little bit past them lay Brooks looking more lifeless than you’d ever seen him. 

Robin’s eyes caught yours and she waved you over. Watching out for glass and wood you made your way to the haul and placed a hand on the still damp wood. How could everything have changed so quickly? One moment you were all enjoying a frozen treat. The next, holding on for dear life as the elements took their wrath out on you for trespassing. Seeming to read your mind Chopper tugged Robin's leg. 

 “No need to worry,” Robin said as she pressed a compass into the empty palm of your hand. “I think I know what island we’re on. It’s very secluded on this side so we should be fine. However, the other half holds a very populated town known for carpentry. We just might be saved.” Well, that was the first good news all morning. Zoro had been voted to go with you and pick up some supplies. Also so that he didn’t get lost and have the crew spend 14 years to find him. But the walk was pleasant and you took turns humming different toons until you got to the outskirts of town. 

The sound of laughter could be heard as some decorations and flags waved in the air. Seemed like a festival was taking place. Perfect! With all the chaos no one could possibly recognize you both. Zoro managed to find materials needed for the ship while you gathered more basic supplies. However, something about the crowd drew you in. Zoro would be busy for a while so might as well look around,... right? 

The middle of the market square was filled with bright colors, noises, and various performers. You made sure to stick to the walls of the town. However, the cheers and yells for more soon had you stepping closer until you found yourself in the middle circle of a performance act. A slightly chubby man who resembled a sheep was fighting with a pink lion and a green-haired man.

While the act was obviously for kids. You couldn’t help but smile as the three began to fight until a man with blue glasses and a strange ponytail ushered them to stop. He whispered something to them and the expressions of fear were almost completely masked. Then as if the fun had been sucked away, they began to bow and pass out folders. You reached forward to receive one from the lion, thanked him, and began to retreat to where you had last seen Zoro. “Well?”

You held out the flier, “We could kill some time tonight?”

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

Author's note: This was Chapter 1! Sorry if it's a bit short. Don't worry though. I have more planned. Please share and like my post so I know to continue with this. Also, just as a nice little tidbit.

I am downbad for this clown.

Part 2

Like they didn't have to make the live action cast so hot. (Yes, yes the fuck they did.) Now, I found him funny in the anime. But, live action? DAMNNNNNN!!!! I think his eyes are so fucking pretty. His jaw and neck look like they need some special attention. Cheekbones? Biteable. Like I DEMAND to see more of this man. Oh, btw, reader gets very flirty and sassy as the story goes on.

[abandoned-quiche]

Oh hey I got a good one

Rank ut/dr characters by if they pour milk or cereal first

alphys: milk first. she vehemently defends this decision against everyone who says it's the wrong way. also, she exclusively eats cereal from like, those japanese snack loot box services that send you foods from japan.

papyrus: milk ONLY. cereal is "A SUGARY CONFECTIONARY TREAT THAT HAS NO RIGHT TO BE CALLED A BREAKFAST." meanwhile milk is full of strong bones. when it comes to breakfast he prefers oatmeal

papyrus is right btw most cereals have no right to be called a breakfast. anyway

sans: you do NOT want to know how this man eats his cereal but i'm going to tell you anyway. he pours orange juice into a bowl, pours chips ahoy cookies into it, and mashes it together until it is an orange chocolate cookie sludge with little chunks of solid cookie in there. and then he eats it with a spoon. he has to eat breakfast in a separate room because of it. as punishment and because nobody wants to see that. he always "accidentally" walks into the room everybody else is in anyway eating his "cereal" because he "thought of a joke" or something. they hate it so much. he loves it

undyne: doesn't eat cereal because itll rot her awesome sharp fish teeth, but she knows alphys is doing it the wrong way

napstablook: they always have to use a very small amount of milk in their cereal because their tears fall into the bowl, watering down the milk, making their cereal soggy, and increasing the amount of liquid by a lot, which would cause it to overflow and spill, causing them to cry more because god why

mettaton: cereal-in-the-shape-of-mettaton's-face after milk-in-the-shape-of-mettaton's-face. by the way, every item of food merchandise he sells is available as ghost food as well. he's one of the staples of a ghost's diet on the surface because of this, as there aren't many ghost foods available. in the underground ghost produce was a lot easier to come by but on the surface they now make up an even smaller portion of the porpulation than they already did so it's tough to come by. thanks mettaton!

mew mew: hates mettaton for the way he does his cereal, but honestly, she would hate it no matter how he did it. eats mew mew cereal. cereal before milk

toriel: doesn't encourage eating cereal because it tends to be unhealthy, but occasionally takes a cheat day. milk before cereal. doesn't understand why there's a debate about this. as far as she's concerned the only wrong way to eat cereal is sans's way

asgore: milk before cereal. would let the children have cereal as a treat sometimes if toriel wasn't around. "our secret".

flowey & chara: absolute snobs about this. HATE anyone who does milk before cereal. not literally of course.

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

susie: milk first, because she's not the one who pours the milk.

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

thanks for the ask! :D

[yellows-secret-blog]

Dear local pop culture expert why do people kepe threatening to burn down france whats going on at the oscars

I'm not a pop culture expert in any way shape or form, but I am latina and I'm going to explain this

This french director decided to make a musical (Emília Perez) about an ex-cartel leader (?) Transgender Mexican woman

The issues

None of the actors and actresses are Mexican or Latine (as in, born in Latin America, I've heard there's some 2nd gens there but as far as I'm concerned people born in Latin America don't consider them latinos)

The producers don't speak Spanish, the songs are made with AI and are generally garbage

The director said that Spanish is the language of the poor and marginalized or something like that, basically, racist stuff

The latin comunity and the trans community hated the movie

Mexicans in specific hated it so much the premier in Mexico was delayed

The director didn't do any research on the culture btw

Also I'm not certain about it because I'm not Mexican but, the cartel situation in Mexico is very delicate and a serious matter that was not taken seriously by the director (but again I'm not Mexican so I've only heard that, I'm not 100% if that's the reason they hated it that much)

Also the main actress said shit about Fernanda Torrez so I hate her

Also they're like "latin representation :0 when everyone there is European/American

Also the song that got awarded is shit, sing sing deserved it more

I think that's it, forgive me for any misunderstandings I might have committed, I'm very stressed

[curioushabitforarivergod]

What would've Tom eaten in the orphanage growing up? I love your history posts btw

hiya thanks you!! im sorry this took so long :((

It got a brief mention here, but I found a few new things so, this is kinda an update to a small paragraph I wrote there.

As I mentioned in the original post, food was served in a long dining hall with long tables, not dissimilar to the Great Hall but a lot less nice (no magical ceiling I'm afraid). Meals were generally alright, although largely vegetarian and bland.

Breakfast would've likely been something like gruel or bread with dripping. The probably weren't able to afford milk for a lot of children, although by the 50s children in schools in the East End (and over much of England I think) were given little jars of milk they ate with their school dinners. I'm not sure how far back this goes though, and whether something similar would've been given to the orphanage. I digress though, and I'll return to this in a moment.

Gruel, by all accounts, doesn't sound particularly nice because it was water and oats, but kids seemed to like bread with dripping, which was basically animal fat. It's vaguely unhealthy by todays standards, but it would've been a very important source of protein for Tom who likely didn't have anything else otherwise.

Now lunch gets a little complicated. Because of the way schools worked during the period, students could go home for lunch or bring their lunch to school. Alternatively, some schools provided free lunches to kids who wouldn't have anything otherwise, and I'm not quite sure whether this would've been a thing in the East End which were essentially slums. If Tom returned to the orphanage, I imagine something similar to breakfast would be served. Bread maybe, possibly dry or with a topping that was inexpensive and easy to mass produce, or gruel. Alternatively, kids would often bring potatoes with their name carved into it which schools would heat onsite in ovens. If Tom's school supplied food, it wouldn't be dissimilar to the type of food served at the orphanage, although perhaps, if there were benefactors, he would've had something a bit more fancy like a vegetable stew of some kind. Also, like I mentioned earlier, milk was given out to children, but I think this was more of a post-war thing because people were concerned with children's bone density. My mum can't stand milk to this day because they used to put them on the heaters and the milk would be warm by the time they were forced to drink it. My granny used to swap her milk with the boy who sat next to her because she also hated it.

The fourth option is that Tom simply went without food for lunch. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me — during the 30s, the Great Depression was obviously a huge issue, more so for the people in the area who were largely living sustenance based lifestyles where there would be little or no money by the end of the day. Even with limited government funding during the era, feeding orphans who would never amount to much probably wasn't a key concern.

The thing is though, the way food was structured during this period was that there was typically only one cooked meal a day and that was a midday meal, confusingly called "dinner". So Tom's main meal might well have been this lunch and he might well have returned to the orphanage to have a vegetable stew instead of having a main meal later. I think it's up to personal headcannons at this point, so if you want to decide whether Tom's main meal was in the middle of the day or later, what it was or whether it existed at all, that's all on you.

Dinner, like I mentioned, might have been vegetable stew, but if the main meal was at midday rather than later (like it typically is nowadays, especially in Western countries), it wouldn't have been dissimilar to breakfast. Basically, bread and some kind of topping whether that be dripping, butter or jam (but not both butter and jam because that would be a waste).

Like I mentioned in answer to a similar question, Tom's diet would've been vegetarian because meat was insanely expensive. If he had it at all for Christmas or on Sundays during the 1920s, he wouldn't have had it once the 30s and the Great Depression hit. He also wouldn't have eaten fruit regularly, except perhaps Christmas as fruit like oranges or other citrus was a typical Christmas gift. I don't think Tom would've gotten much sweet food, unless he stole it (very likely) as lots of corner stores sold chocolate bars for half a penny. Alcohol was also particularly common in the area so I imagine if Tom had stayed, he would've stolen alcohol eventually.

[zurdurer]

Re-listening to malevolent from part 1 and I'm less than 5 minutes in and am already getting so worried for the next updates - also my tired brain is making shoddy (probably very obvious) connections

Btw it's been a while since I started this and I did not go further in the 1st episode than 5 minutes cus I stopped to write this lol

So urh spoiler warning for Malevolent probably!!

So it starts by flicking through radio stations followed by Arthur making panic noises. Then he's scared, can't remember who/ where he is, what happened and has a voice inside his head. Soo this got me thinking, obviously there's significance in the music. There's no way that it's JUST setting the scene of the office, it may be that in part don't get me wrong but given later context there may be a lot more in it.

Obviously there are musical associations with Kayne so this could be symbolising the beginning of his interest, the point where Kayne discovers Arthur? Or at least this one to see how he works out situations. There are probably things I've missed or forgotten that meant my brain thought of this but I cannot remember right now for the life of me.

What sticks out to me though is that the only times we hear or have mention of radio (to my knowledge) is when Arthur is in the coma (it's mentioned that John listened to the radio during) and at the end of part 43 after the resurrection. So they're pretty big events. The entity appearing, John's time alone in the care of the nurse, Arthur coming back.

I mean this could all mean nothing but if either idea holds any truth to the meaning of radio in this show then I have some ideas (and concerns) for what may happen in 43.

If radio signifies the attention of Kayne then 44 may include a visit from a very irritated and blood stained god. Which yk- that could be fuuun!!

However! I'm more worried about how similar that last snipet of 43 is to the beginning of 1. I'm concerned that maybe this will be cyclical. People are talkin about Arthur losing memories but oh my gods is that a concerningly possible future. Maybe I'm misremembering 43 but book event followed by Arthur not having fun followed by the KIY being his friend in some capacity with radio somewhere in the mix feels far too similar so it would not at all surprise me if memory fuckery was back too.

bonus thought about the beginning of the first episode. the song that played could have been a little reference to their developed relationship. The switching stations being their rocky start and journey before settling on a song that is preferred and turned up high as they accept their love for the other and they both become each other's main focus. The lyrics do just fit so well I mean come ON

"I cant forget the night i met you, thats all im dreaming of // and you call it madness, ah but i call it love"

ITS LITERALLY THEM!! Gods they make me sick

Anyway. Yeah so I'm concerned for 44 but am way too tired to think about anything much longer