#but if we fight back and defend them they call us the “most vile”

[lokisasylum]

And the award for the most TOXIC and hypocritical fandom goes to...

ARMY 8D

Because the problem was never about the members having their own SOLO fandom & fanbases.

The problem is always JIMIN HAVING PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY SUPPORT HIM.

ITS OKAY... for Jimin to get dragged.

ITS OKAY... for Jimin to get hate.

ITS OKAY... for Jimin and his family to get d*ath threats.

ITS OKAY... for Jimin to get misgendered, "he's prolly gay/bi anyway" (yeah I've read some of you assholes here on tumblr say this).

ITS OKAY... for Army to continuously take STEAL credits for what Jimin stans & his solo fanbases bust their asses off day and night doing in order to keep "Like Crazy" and his other song stable.

Because "He'll only thank Armys anyway"

(Translation: Army are now openly admitting that they think Jimin is too stupid to notice that Army don't give a shit about him and will continue to thank them for the non-existent support. )

But what they forget is that Jimin is very aware of his fans OUTSIDE of the group fandom. Its why---just like the other members--he says "My fans" once in awhile; in fact he's been saying it since VIBE era, because he knows he is loved by MANY even if they don't identify as Army. Even his father knows about his solo fans. The only ones trying to gatekeep Jimin from having new/solo fans is Army, while failing to realize that their attitude towards him is actually creating MORE solos. And the SAME thing is happening with other members' solos.

Hell, I remember reading back when Jack In The Box came out TONS of "ot7" stating on X and IG that they would boycott every solo project, would ONLY hype, support and vote for GROUP related things (as well as harass anyone who refused to join ARMY). Because according to them and I quote:

"We have to force them (the members) to see that they can only strive and Army will only support them if they remain as BTS."

It's why you only see them making all these weird random Streaming Parties for OLD BTS songs, instead of helping to stream new or current releases.

Army don't care about BTS, they just care about their ego.

OT7 is DEAD, now its just 7 sub-fandoms at war with one another 24/7.

[zzthekaiju]

Best of the Reptiles in Media - 01 - Godzilla (Monsterverse)

I figure that while I'm using this blog, I might as well post my ramblings on a subject dear to my heart: That being the representation of reptiles as characters in media. And not just villainous or vile ones like we're so used to. I'm talking about ones that inspire me. The ones that are legitimately compelling to me. And these posts are an excuse to espouse why.

Plus, it's just fun. You can thank the likes of @tyrantisterror and @bogleech for inspiring me to do these.

So who better to start with than with the lizard who's been an inspiration to me for almost my entire life. That being the one known as Gojira. AKA...Godzilla.

This is the one character in these posts who probably needs no introduction. Ever since his debut in 1954, the walking embodiment of the horrors of nuclear war, among other things, has been nothing less than an icon. This is the beast people think about when they hear "giant monster" or "kaiju". This is truly the King of the Monsters.

My introduction to Godzilla was a children's book called "Godzilla on Monster Island". It was a fun read full of neat monsters living together and teaming up to stop an evil plan. And it left me wanting more. I wanted more stories of these fantastic yet friendly beasts being friends and living together while having fun adventures. Little me was a bit disappointed to find that Godzilla spent more time fighting his fellow kaiju and trashing cities instead.

The truth, as I would find out, was that Godzilla is never just one thing. He is a fun defender of the Earth. He's the terrifying consequences of our tampering with both nature and science. And in recent memory, he's been a lot of other things. But most of the time, he's either hero or mankind's hubris on two legs. To me, he was a giant dinosaur that could fire thermonuclear breath, and that was all that mattered. It was after hearing about the historical significance of him that my respect doubled.

Back then, I would tell you that my favorite Godzilla from a design standpoint was the 2002 version. Personality wise, almost every Showa appearance post-1964.

But in 2014, everything changed. In came a Goji that seemed to have everything I could ask for. So, we're going to look at the one that resonates with me the most. The Monsterverse version.

That right there is perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring entrances I've ever seen in a cinema.

Before the release of Godzilla (2014), the franchise had entered something of a slump period. The last film was all the way back in 2004, and sadly, the kaiju genre was still something of a niche thing growing up. Here in America, you either liked superheroes or real-life celebrities as a kid. If you liked monsters, let alone giant monsters, you were one of the weird kids. That, or one of the kids who never lost their passion for dinosaurs. But those were rare.

Then Gareth Edwards unleashed this film, and while one could argue that Pacific Rim (2013) got the ball rolling, THIS ultimately resurrected the entire franchise of the Big G, and got him a degree of general respect from most film-goers (so long as you ignore the irritating internet drama regarding screen-time back then).

But let's get to the meat of this post. Why is this Godzilla so much better to me than the rest? A few things, really.

First off, there's Godzilla's role in the Monsterverse's narrative. For the most part, he is a guardian of the natural order, a means of bringing balance to imbalance. He is a metaphor for how nature is capable of righting itself, and how we either have to deal with it, or live with the consequences. In practice, Godzilla ends up going up against almost every monster, most of which are only a threat because we awakened them/created them. Yet despite this, he doesn't go out of his way to destroy us. He's not mindlessly destructive or particularly vengeful either. He knows we're a part of the world too. We just tend to grate a bit more on his nerves because of how much we screw up. If there's one thing this series isn't afraid to show, it's that...well, "the arrogance of man is thinking nature is within our control, and not the other way around."

Design-wise, this is one of the best Godzilla's around. He's bulky, has a killer stare, and there's something oddly endearing about how...well, meaty he is. He's like if my aforementioned previous favorite design, the 2002 one, put on both a lot of muscle and weight. It also ties into his fighting style, said to have been inspired particularly by bears. Even the sounds associated with him are amazing. From that hype-inducing charge of his thermonuclear breath to what might be the best rendition of the classic roar.

Then there is the body language. This Godzilla's usual gait is slow, almost plodding at times. He shows clear signs of exhaustion in some scenes. What he goes through is hard, and his job is even harder, but he still does it. It really helps sell his personality most of the time.

Part of why I like the Monsterverse so much is that, for the most part, the kaiju are treated as characters in their own right (that's not to say they weren't in previous iterations, far from it, but it's a bit more pronounced here than most of the post-Showa stuff). Sure, some films in this verse are better about it than others (more on that later...), but I like how you can glean what Godzilla is thinking of just by looking at his eyes. Of particular note is how they widen in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" when Ghidorah gains the upper hand during the final battle, his absolute sneer of anger in the first movie when the male MUTO approaches him, or...this.

This scene. This one right here encapsulates so much of what I love about this iteration. Where Godzilla, dazed and thoroughly battered by both the fight with the MUTOS and having a building fall right on him, locks eyes with a tiny little soldier. You see a sense of tiredness, of pain, of acknowledgement, and maybe even a little wonder. This is not just some mindless beast fighting for its turf. It's a thinking being. And he's hurt. The most powerful creature on the planet isn't invincible, neither on the outside and definitely not on the inside.

And you know what? I've been there. There are times where I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world, that there are things too heavy to bear, and its suffocating. Godzilla constantly shows throughout the Monsterverse that his job as a living balancing act is wearing on him. He gets put through so. Much. Crap. From getting buildings dropped on him to being personally dropped from a distance above the clouds to watching his symbiotic partner/mate die, it's almost unfair how we're expected to not really sympathize with him as much as...I'll get to that later.

But he never gives up. Despite all the pain and fatigue, he gets back up, and he fights. And he fights. And he continues until the deed is done. Someone has to rise to the occasion, and it might as well be him. If not him, then who?

That is the biggest reason I resonate with this Godzilla. His awe-inspiring design is one thing, but he gave me the strength to persevere. I don't give up, because he never did. Never before had the Big G been such a hero to me. Such that in 2014 I found myself silently sobbing to myself when it seemed like he was dead near the end even though that was clearly not the case. It's hardly a surprise that I based my personal Godzilla AU on him, albeit with the more sympathetic traits dialed up. Stuff like this made G14 and KOTM some of my favorite kaiju flicks...

...which made it more than a little disappointing when Wingard took the helm and basically said "screw that, this is about the monke now!" Yeah, GvK is the weakest entry in the series for me for a reason. Godzilla's more redeeming qualities are buried under a narrative that clearly is not interested in giving him the time of day or even the benefit of a doubt. Both it and it's successor, GxK, are Kong movies through and through, and that means poor Big G is put out of focus.

I cannot tell you how much I HATE this idea that the only way a monster can be relatable is if it either looks almost just like us or is really cute. Yes, I understand the universal appeal, but they had such a good thing going for Godzilla! And they throw almost all of it away just so that they can make Kong look better by comparison.

Credit where it's due, these issues are slightly improved in GxK. It's not only firmly established that Godzilla is an overall benefit to the world for keeping the other Titans in check, but we get some interesting bits with him like how he instantly responds and prepares to answer the call of the Iwi and help them. It shows that despite his tenuous relationship with humans, there are ones he clearly gives a lot of thought to. And there's also how he makes the Roman Coliseum his own personal bed. Not only is it kind of hilariously adorable, but if you remember how in KOTM he had his own man-made temple, you get the impression that he has a bit of homesickness. That's the kind of thing I like to see! More of that and less "he's only ever angry and he only ever fights, character is for primates only".

Also, while the Evolved design has nice details, I WANT THAT GUT BACK! it just looks weird otherwise with that disproportionately skinny waist.

But thankfully, our prayers might be answered:

With GxK's roaring success (ha!), it's more than likely that the next Monsterverse entry will finally give Godzilla an overdue character arc that doesn't begin and end with "destroy everyone and act big and scary and nothing else". Just please make sure that he doesn't have to die to get that. There are plenty of ways you can make us invest in the guy's story without having to kill him. I WANT to see more of that emotional vulnerability teased across the movies. I want to see him come to terms with how he's been going about his job. And more importantly...I want to see a more explicit Mothzilla scene. A nuzzle and everything. But that's just me.

Whatever the quality of his current status, nothing is taking away how much I love this version of Godzilla. He's taken me out of some very dark places, and for that, I say long live the king.

Also, he brought Mothzilla into the public sphere and every Mothzilla pic made since is the cutest thing ever, so I just love him even more.

[just-orbiting-you]

i find it interesting that jikookers as a unit can’t decide on anything. you have:

diehard shippers - will believe jikook are real no matter what. most likely say “i don’t ship i support.” most don’t want to engage with anti rhetoric, others will write think pieces to defend jikook.

shippers lite edition - upon receiving new information, will try to remain rational in shipping. may boil jikook down to their bond rather than declaring they’re romantically involved. to some, maybe lumped in with “insecure shippers”

“insecure” shippers - these are the people who get targeted in the tags for being “suseptible to tkkr rhetoric.” they’re either too deep in the ship that anything that doesn’t meet their lofty expectations means jikook is fake or they’ve been reading tkk blogs. this also encompasses reformed jikookers who come back to the tags to say, “i used to be a jkker, but i’ve left.”

then you have the branches from there: whether or not you fight back.

ot7 shippers - in the name of all the members, condemns any “hate” criticism launched at other members from jikookers. they’ll compare you with the worst of tkker for saying tae shouldn’t be on are you sure.

shipper stans - immediately on the jikook offensive, targeting tkkers first and foremost, then pjms, jjks, kths, etc. their ideology is why not call them out on their bullshit publicly, report and block, to tear them down. these are also the first line of defense in the jimin defense team against tkkr/jm anti rhetoric, which is often vile and utterly disrespectful.

so any configuration of this interacting with another (like an ot7 diehard x diehard shipper stan, or a shipper stan diehard x ot7 insecure) will not go down well. this past month has been a lot of policing in the tags and on twitter on how we should be moving as jikookers.

is there really harm in following and spreading the report alert accts to try to minimize jimin hate? is there any harm in trying to think rationally about shipping two real individuals? is there any harm in thinking critically about bts from a jkk perspective? is there any harm in believing in jikook to the point of no return?

shipping is supposed to be fun and kept away from the artists, in fandom terms. yet we have turned it on its head due to the reality: tkkers are some of the loudest voices in the whole fandom who project horrific rhetoric on to jimin and jungkook separately and together. since everyone has their own way of interacting with shipping culture, those who don’t agree with a certain direction call this current tag situation or dominant twt timeline exhausting, weak and pathetic. when the opponent is tkkrs, this is bound to be exhausting due to their level of delusion and vile rhetoric toward jkkrs and jimin and jungkook themselves.

i don’t understand why we can’t seem to understand where others are coming from, respect the space of the tags which we all share from tagging our personal blogs, and disengaging with people if they truly ruin the shipping experience for you. there are times where people are blatantly incorrect or mouthpieces of the tkker voice, but everything turns into an all out war.

[regulusarcturusblvck]

Chapter One

REGULUS’ POV

Another argument between James Potter and Severus Snape, of course, led us all to the bathroom. I'd only followed to monitor my brother, Sirius, who now stands in the middle of all of us. I stay on the sidelines. Barty Crouch Jr blocks the door, but he doesn't do a good job. Unfortunately, none of us realized how terrible of a job he was doing until a girl catches our attention, barging her way into our affairs.

"Where is he?!" We hear the girl yell, causing Barty to spin around.

"Never you mind-" Barty tries, but fails.

She shoves her way past him and marches in, I normally wouldn't think twice, except that she's now in the boys room. I know exactly who she is, Nyx Crowley, the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She's the princess of Slytherin, and cunning enough to destroy the entire world. Ive heard horrid stories of her family, and all rumors lead to a dreadful accusation that she may be more vile than the dark lord himself. A monster, the public calls her, along with every other Crowley. Her elder brother attended Hogwarts, but he never graduated, joining the dark arts instead...just like their father. I would ask her personally, but I've never spoke to her, though we've both been in House Slytherin since first year, ironically we arrived the same year. She keeps an odd assortment of friends, refusing to be linked to too many purebloods, I assume to rebel against her own bloodline. She is however known to mock anyone that isn't a pureblood, contradicting herself. She usually remains quiet and reserved, though now is a different story.

"Hey, you can't be in here" Barty argues with her.

"Shut up!" She spits, marching her way to us. She shoves James backwards and pushes Severus behind her, staring up at James. "Are you all right, Severus?" She questions, not being bothered to look at him.

"Listen here, little girl-" James began.

"No you listen, Pottah!" She spits, emphasizing the P. "The best thing you can do is grab your books and return to class"

"You really need a little girl defending you?" He smirks at Severus.

"Don't speak to him" she demands, earning James's attention. "This is now between you and me. Severus, go to class"

"I can't just leave you in here alone with them" he worries. "You're outnumbered"

"Oh, it's them you should worry about. Go on"

"My wand, he has my wand"

"I'll retrieve that"

"As you wish" he sighs, reluctantly leaving. He gave Sirius a look, and Sirius gave him a subtle nod, I assume to let him know she'll be all right. The moment he left, she swings at James, but Barty grips her arms and holds her back. I feel my body tense in concern for her.

"Listen to me-" James begins.

"Did I say you could speak?" She scoffs at him, tugging at her arms. "Now I understand it's hard for you to see someone actually capable of using talent for achieving all that was handed to you, and you're scared because he's better than you, but how dare you stoop so low as to pick on someone"

"Me stoop low? That's rich, coming from a Crowley. Did you think we'd forget what your traitor brother did?"

"He's still better than you"

"He burned half this school"

"At least he didn't torture innocent students daily"

"Stop meddling in our business"

"The next time you go after him, I'll bloody your nose. Understand?"

"Why don't you do it now then? Unless your scared"

"A Crowley scared of some filthy little Potter?! Don't be so stupid"

"You can't fight a girl" Sirius says. "Leave it be"

"No, she's so brave, let her do something"

"You don't want me to do something" she stares at him.

"Let her go, let's all move on before something happens that we can't repair" Sirius tries. Barty agrees, letting go of her arms.

"Wait until Lily hears about this" she spits.

She starts to walk away when James grips her wrist, jerking her back to him. I step closer, refusing to let him fight her. She shoves him back, but he grips her collar and pulls her closer. I grip his wrist, placing a hand on her back in case he shoves her.

"Let her go" I stare.

"Regulus-" he began.

"I said to remove your hand from her" I demand.

He stares at me for a moment before letting her go. I let go of him and wrap my arm around her to walk her out. The moment we reached the corridor, she rips herself from my touch.

"The next time your hands find their way to me, will be the very last time that you have hands. Is that clear?" She snarls at me.

"Very" I sigh, clearly she isn't one for contact.

"Good" she nods.

"I'm Reg-"

"Regulus Black, we all know all about you and your filthy family history. I'd delve into the insults I could spew solely off your family legacy, but it's too much for me to tell in a single day"

"And you are Nyx Crowley. Your beautiful family history of thievery, sly tricks and dark magic is far worse than the tales of my house"

"Messe" she nods.

"So, James can't bully people but you can?"

"You're whole little crew deserves it. Severus doesn't...well, at least not from him"

"How is that fair?"

"Because at least I mock them for being mudbloods, not because of some little crush. It's pathetic and a total embarrassment"

"Do you know the entire story?"

"I'm walking away now"

"I take that as a no?"

"Do you know the entire story, Black? I didn't think so"

"Well it's been lovely" I sighed sarcastically.

"Don't lie to me" she teases, walking away from me.

"There you are" Sirius says, walking out and placing a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

"Grand" I nod, looking at him.

"Did she say something to you?"

"Nothing bad"

"Watch her, you remember what her brother did"

"Doesn't mean she will"

"Don't defend her, you don't know her"

"Don't judge her, you don't know her"

"Regulus-"

"I've got to get to potions class, I'll see you later" I say, walking away.

I'm extremely late for class, and I can only pray it would be an easy class today.

Only potions class wouldn't be any easier than dealing with that whole fiasco.

[the-orbz]

DND!Rayn Backstory C-4 Violence

Chapter 4 [Violence]

“What did he lose? We can’t end examining him just because he accepted the offer, we should know about him too.”

Rayn stands out on the hill, practicing his sword stances and fighting. A weapon still provides help even if he cannot cast, a weapon will let him protect her. Protect the town, protect what she cares about. He looks down the hill and walks down it, to the town.

“Hey Rayn!” She calls over to him, running up to greet him.

“Hi- how were your studies?” He hugs her, happy to see her after such a long period of time

“It was okay, I like studying with you more. How was your day?” She responds with her voice going from a low, being tired, to a joyful, happy tone, happy to be with Rayn again.

“It was boring, but it is much better with you here.” He lets go of the hug and holds her hand, responding with joy.

“Awe, glad to be here Rayn. Want to go hang out by the gates? I can show you what I learned.” She holds his hand tightly as she speaks, pulling him towards the gates.

“Okay okay, I am going.” He says as he runs with her, the town around as they run on the brown bricked path.

They look up at the walls, running out the gate and spinning around. Rayn looks as she twirls, leaves surrounding her and branches dancing in her light, the sun not as bright as her. He feels the breeze flow past him as she casts, happy to have helped her realize her potential. Happy to still know he is worth something with his sword, and making her happy.

- - - - -

The gods, not the friendliest with each other. They wish to be the most appreciated, and there are some who will commit to that will. There are people who want power, or just to siege places. People who commit wrongs and harm others for reasons that are no good.

The army lines up, the leader pointing at the town with her sword, declaring the army to attack. They charge towards it, armored soldiers and wizards with spells prepared, conquer for their god and conquer for power. No mercy in mind they go onwards.

Soldiers fight off the guards as they approach, killing those who do try to resist. Swords dig through the plates of the armor. Wizards take control of mages, many fall back to alert the others.

“Hey- fight the control- please, I do not want to hurt you.” He backs up as he speaks, holding his sword up and defending the thorny vines best he can.

She keeps forming vine attacks from the ground, grabbing at him best she can. Each attack tears past his heart and fabric, shredding into pieces.

“Please-” He begs as she keeps the attacks going, continuing to back up.

A soldier from the enemies approaches them, and slashes his sword behind her.

- - - - -

“Much of a reason to hate mages, don’t you think? Look at that, a mage used mind controlling to force his loved one to fight him, and the god’s vile will allowed this siege to happen, and that soldier to swing at her. If he had power, he could have stopped the soldier, he could have killed the mage who did this to her, he could have taken the hit for her. But no, all he could do was retreat as she told him with her last breath. Yes, he will obey us.”

[lightofraye]

All right.

I've largely kept quiet on this, aside from, I think, reblogging at seeing JDM speak up for Jared. Oh and I believe mentioning how stupid that TikTok was.

Celebrities are not exempt from being gossiped about. Even in other countries where there may be stricter laws to protect celebrities from invasive paparazzi (there's a reason why Shania Twain raised her son in Switzerland!), celebrities are gossiped about. It's part and parcel of the fame.

It sucks. It happens.

Even royal families, politicians, and other famous folk will be gossiped about. (And the tragedy of Princess Diana...)

What many a blogger and I do is just talk. Speculate. Maybe make fun of some sections of the fandom, point out the toxicity of the fandom, and overall talk about our favorites. Or whatever. We'll also try to debunk a ton of nonsense (hi Misha, you born liar).

Not one celebrity is above criticism. Not one.

Not the princes, sons of Princess Diana. Not Jensen. Not Jared. Not Misha. Not... hell, Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Not Glen Powell. Nobody is above gossip!

Hell, I'm pretty sure my neighbors probably gossip about my family. I certainly talk about others when it comes up. Gossip about friends. Life. It's how we connect and find like-minded people.

But keep in mind... there's a difference between speculating with decent evidence to make said speculation seem probable (like what I do) and then there's outright fucking lies, as those girls did with the TikTok video against Jared. (And Misha about his bullshit regarding the plane.)

It turned out those girls completely lied about the whole story. It went viral enough that Hellers went nuts and tried to use it as proof of what a "bad person Jared is". It caught the attention of no less than three well-known names in Hollywood--Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Burke, and Jim Michaels.

No one went chasing after these well-known names to get them to comment. They saw it all over Twitter and were annoyed enough to speak up! Jared didn't ask them to speak. He didn't have to.

They spoke up for Jared because he's well-known and well-liked in the industry. There has been endless praise for his achievement of work-life balance in Hollywood. Most sets would be working 16+ hour days. Jared succeeded in bringing that down to, what, 11, 12 hours? It meant people had a fucking life. Of course he impressed Hollywood enough to get a holding deal with a major broadcaster (CBS). And folks, it's way better with CBS than it would be with any of the streaming services right now. CBS is booming and leading in scripted shows.

Has Jared made missteps in the past? Yes. His fans actually acknowledge, actually have said they wished he hadn't done XYZ. (Doxxing in particular, they agreed, it was bad.) Yes, Jared was drunk and got into some kind of fight. He made his amends, kept to the agreement that the courts imposed upon him. And apparently attended the wedding of the person he got into a fight with! It's been years since he's done anything bad!

Meanwhile... Misha... christ. Orgasm sounds at CCS. Using the r word and his defenders trying to say "He's from a different time where that was acceptable (no it fucking wasn't no it never was)". Or the f word--he isn't queer, he cannot touch that goddamned word, back the fuck off Misha Collins. And the lies about the plane incident. (Again, repeatedly debunked by no less than three different bloggers with links to the original stories!)

Even Jensen has said some things in the past that have made me facepalm. Antis are right to call him out on it.

The difference though? I haven't seen any anti-Jensens deliberately tag him in, tell him to go kill himself, that they hope he commits suicide, or other vile things. Meanwhile I see Hellers and anti-Jareds do that to the extreme. When they were making comments in hoping that the cancellation of Walker would lead to Jared committing suicide.

It's not the same. Period.

We write gossip and speculation. We don't go to other blogs or twitters or other social medias and harass them, throw death threats at their faves. We don't incite violence. (I'm looking at you, Misha.)

None of us condone Jared's past bad behavior. The difference is, he's grown. He's owned up to it. He hasn't done anything in several years. His reaction to Prequelgate was absolutely understandable, as one story cites from Jensen that he saw Jared tried to call and text him before he gave up and tweeted. Jensen knew he fucked up. So spare me the defense of that.

Basically this is a very long essay to tl;dr: Jared learned and is doing better as a person. He didn't deserve that TikTok video trying to paint him as a bad person.

Period.

Not to defend Jensen or the rest of the SPN cast, but if they’re going to be called out why isn’t Gen also expected to come to Jared’s defense from all the constant slandering and hate online? Is she afraid of being harassed and bullied by Hellers too?

Honestly, why would she do that? The moment she would post that message, she would be slaughtered because it's her husband! She would be considered biased. If it was my husband, id tread carefully before acting and exposing my family any further. Also, Im glad Jared got defended (mostly because it was an evil lie to cast on the internet) but how stupid it is that celebrities need to go on Twitter and say he is a good tipper? I dont blame the ones that didnt vouch for him, I get it, the situation by itself is ridiculous and it shouldnt even have started in the first place. This is the scum of the fandom, right there, trying to harm a man's image for the sake of what, anyway?

[munsons-maiden]

Do you think Eddie was actually bullied in high school? I can see him getting snide comments etc but I can’t imagine someone trying to push him around or shove him into his locker or something. Or do you think he was when he was a freshman or smaller?

I'm not so sure about when exactly the physical attacks/bullying stopped (though I'm absolutely certain they happened; Eddie's first reaction at the boathouse is that of someone who had to fend off attackers before. Adrenaline can boost strength and reaction times but Eddie had a broken beer bottle at the ready to use as a weapon. He was prepared to fight. I'm currently in the process of writing an in-depth meta post on this).

What I'm sure about is that he wasn't physically bullied anymore after his freshman year, for a multitude of reasons:

Eddie's tall and as lanky as he is, he's strong as well. He manages to push Steve Harrington, the jock, against a wall and keep him there, that's proof enough that Eddie could definitely stand up for himself in a fight. He wouldn't want to, but he could.

His height coupled with his metal style screams mean and scary

We see Jason is...maybe not scared but definitely unsettled by Eddie - by Eddie's brashness and outspokenness, at least, and the fact that he doesn't cower for anyone.

Eddie would have founded Hellfire sometime during his early high school days, thus creating a safe space not only for the outcasts he takes under his wing but for himself, too. Stronger together. Bullies pick victims who don't belong to a clique because that makes them easier targets, and Hellfire is the shield which would have kept Eddie from being an easy target as well.

As for the kind of bullying he's still facing, I'm with you. No physical attacks, but definitely snide/vile remarks in passing, whispers behind behind his back. The kind of bullying that's subtle instead of outright, but that's the kind of bullying that persevered even into his third senior year - the scene which comes to mind is that in the cafeteria when Mike and Dustin stand at the side watching Eddie and the rest of Hellfire. We see that there's a guy walking into Eddie on purpose. It's subtle, but it's a glimpse at the kind of bullying he still faces. The one which makes you look stupid if you say something, and equally stupid if you don't, but it's unambiguously aiming to bully.

There second scene which sheds some light on the topic is the one with Jason calling Eddie a freak. There's a lot which is being revealed to us in a few seconds:

Jason is the King of Hawkins High now that Billy's gone. And yet, Jason is scared or at least unsettled by Eddie. One of these days I'll make an in-depth analysis on the dynamic between Eddie and Jason but for now, knowing that Jason is unsettled by Eddie, feels threatened by him even - enough to rally an entire mob against him as soon as the possibility arises (I made a post on that here if you'd like to read it) - suffices here. It's only Jason who reacts to Eddie's comment while the rest of the basketballers watch the scene unfold, and Jason mutters his counter-insult under his breath before sitting down again. It seems he and the basketball team ignore Eddie and the rest of Hellfire for the most part. They hate each other, but they seem to stay in their respective lanes.

Thus, I think it's the other cliques subtly bullying Eddie (like the guy bumping into him on purpose).

Lastly, Eddie has two shields to defend himself from the bullying:

The first one is Hellfire, safety in numbers. The second one is the fact that Eddie took the name freak and spun it to be a shield, to own it and exaggerate it. People will talk shit about him, so why not decide on his own terms why they talk about him? He climbs tables and shouts at the other cliques to show them "I'm not scared of you, and I couldn't care less about what you think about me."

What baffles me is that he's doing all this, that he's created a place for the outcasts, teaches people to be themselves instead of letting society make them feel ashamed of themselves, that he takes the younger ones under his wings and shows them "high school doesn't have to be the worst years of your lives", cares so deeply to protect the lost sheep (we see how serious he was in his cafeteria speech when he uses his last breaths to make Dustin promise he'll take care of the lost sheepies for him when he's gone) - and still, he didn't think he was brave. When Eddie Munson has been a hero long before he jumped into Lover's Lake to save someone he didn't even really know.

[spookiifi]

Wings of Fire and Stardust (3)

More Sun and Moon as dragons!

We get a bit personal in this chapter

Idk how to say this but there’s intended animal death?? Moon catches dinner, that’s all.

ao3 link!

“Your father murdered out brother. We were only juveniles when we saw it happen.”

Your mind flickered back to memories of your father showing off his taxidermy and other fortunes. His prized possessions and gluttony were the only things he cared about.

You remembered him gloating about defeating the ‘vile beast.’ And how it nearly killed him.

“His name was Eclipse. We buried his stash where no one could find it.” Sun’s usual joyful voice dropped 3 tones lower. “He was defending us against poachers.”

It made you sick to your stomach thinking that Sun and Moon’s brother were on of your father’s taxidermy pieces, stored away in a fault somewhere.

You felt like you were going to pass out.

As if he could sense your emotions, Moon walked over and settled next to your and Sun. He rested his head in your lap, trying to ground your mental state.

“Eclipse was twice our age, meaning he had double the strength. We swore to be there for each other but he forced us back into the cave when the humans came.” Moon sighed. “I always think about what would’ve happened if we helped him fight.”

“I’m so sorry. God, I feel so terrible now for being part of his blood line.” Nothing would fix this, and you were afraid they were going to turn on you right then and now.

“Please know this; You are not your father, and never will be.”

You decided to experiment and ran your hand along Moon’s head frills.

He tensed at the sudden contact, his sharp pupils dilating. You pulled away, afraid that he’d snap at you but he pressed into your palm instead.

You could’ve sworn they glowed in the dark cave, matching the large quartz crystals on the ceiling.

Sun shifted in his position so that his arms were around your waist. “Can we stay like this tonight? Do you mind?”

Two of the most dangerous creatures were asking permission to cuddle.

It made you realize how long it had been since someone had shown you affection. It was weird being so close to them. But at the same time so welcoming and incredibly gentle. Plus, it was just cuddling.

Yeah, just cuddling.

Moon had already passed out in your lap like a giant cat. There was no use moving him

Nor did you want to, really.

“I’d much prefer if you did, yes.” You smiled as Sun moved to get as comfy as possible.

He finally settled against your back with your free arm draped across his neck. Sun pressed the side of his face into your outer thigh.

“Sleep well, starlight.”

Dragon pile.

…

...He called you starlight.

Several days passed, and you grew closer to the dragon brothers. Nothing scared you when they were with you.

Catching fish was a breeze, too. Thank the goddess that you wouldn’t have to eat all assortments of apples and oranges. Apple juice, orange juice, apple jerky, orange slices-

Yeah, you really didn’t want catching scurvy to be a part of your schedule.

Days quickly turned into weeks and suddenly a month had passed. Each day you learned more and more about Sun and Moon. Specifically, how they were the first to rule this land before any humans arrived.

This was before any settlements were made, boundaries weren’t needed. Even the forest creatures knew the land belonged to the dragons.

One evening while Moon went out to hunt, Sun spotted you sitting near the front of the cave. You rested your head against the rocks.

“Alright. What’s going on, starbeam? You’re usually so talkative.” Sun sat next to you. “You haven’t spoken all day.”

“You and Moon were right.”

“About what?”

“No one’s coming. Why am I not surprised?” You pulled your legs close to your chest.

“Do you miss your home life?”

Moon hid around the corner, listening in to your conversation.

“No. I’m just shocked it’s that easy to wipe someone out of their family tree.” You laughed sadly. “I never belonged there in the first place, and now I’m finally coming to terms with it.”

You fought back tears that threatened to form. “Turns out I was never wanted.”

Sun’s frills flattened and his ears flicked back. “Sunflower! Don’t you dare say things like that about yourself!”

He lowered his head, and you hugged his neck. “If you weren’t wanted, we wouldn’t have kept you here at all. My brother wouldn’t have saved you otherwise.”

Moon’s eyes widened as he continued to listen.

You held Sun’s face. “Really?”

He smiled. “We love having you around.”

The gust of air from Moon’s wings made you let go of Sun’s face.

A heaping pile of fur and meat crashed on the floor.

Moon sat next to his catch. “Steak?”

You and Sun fell silent, staring at the dead animal.

“What?”

--

[the-daily-dreamer]

Awww. I’m so glad you didn’t go into a green space and instead…saw a team green post that’s properly tagged and threw a bitch fit instead. So much better and so impressive lol.

First of all. Idk what team green blogs you’re looking at but every single one that I interact with as a part of this community hates the show version of Aegon and calls him out as a rapist. The blogs that do like Aegon like Tom’s portrayal and what Aegon could have been.

Second of all, Rhaenyra could have tried to help Alicent and asked her father not to marry her (and he could have relented). She also 100% knew that Daemon killed his first wife and still married him. But most of all Rhaenyra absolutely could’ve dropped her scumbag husband when he started chasing after a 16 year old girl. But instead she tried to have the 16 year old be killed and not her husband who was grooming her and potentially raping her (statutorily or not). She absolutely supports her abusive husband no matter how much he hurts women.

Third of all. Yes. Alicent is the queen, but Viserys couldn’t give less of a shit about her or her kids, so if she told him he wouldn’t have done anything. Idk where you all pull this idea that Alicent was this almighty powerful woman who could smite anyone she wants. She couldn’t even get an apology or punishment for her son when he lost an eye. She has certain privileges and powers, but in a patriarchal society such as this, she does not have power over her son who is the eldest and trueborn son of the king.

And besides, if Alicent did punish Aegon I know you black fans would be screaming she’s an abuser. She can never and will never win. Y’all were already crying because she tried to discipline him when he was younger saying she’s abusive and evil, and now you’re mad because she didn’t lol.

She did what she could the best as she could. She saw a young vulnerable girl. Tried to reassure her and give her an ability to escape from her son. I’m sure she could do more, but unfortunately Aegon is still her son. She will still love her son. I can’t speak on a parent’s love as I’m not one, but I’m pretty sure most parents hold a deep love for their kids that can make dealing with situations like this difficult. I do wish she did more, but she did what she saw as best in the moment. She apologized to Dyana, comforted her, and gave her an escape. All things Alicent herself never received.

Fourth of all, don’t give me that bull about how you call out Daemon and Viserys. I have seen nothing but black fans lusting over Daemon and excusing all of his abuse saying they don’t care Daemon killed his wife and that she deserved it and that Rhaenyra deserved to be choked by him. And I’ve seen nothing but praise for Viserys being such a great father and king. Not one of you ever holds these men accountable instead throwing the woman under the bus. Yes, Viserys was sick. But he was healthy enough to crawl outta bed to defend Rhaenyra and her bastard sons. So I don’t wanna hear excuses. He’s a father. He is just as responsible for his kids as Alicent. Maybe stop punishing Alicent for being the involved parent and start holding men accountable.

And fifth of all, guess what! I absolutely can call out sexism. Especially in a conversation about rape. While our side has been calling out abusive men since the beginning, your side has been talking about putting Alicent “back in her place”. You defend abusers. And even now, when you’re trying so hard to seem as though you hold vile men accountable, you can’t help but make excuses for them.

Do everyone including yourself a favor. Just block the Alicent and team green tags. The blog you reblogged this from originally, I know for a fact, uses appropriate tags and doesn’t cross tag. Just don’t hijack our posts and make your own. Fandom works best when we all properly tag and properly avoid posts. I see team black posts frequently and I don’t start commenting and fighting them.

- You do?

- I do. 

ALICENT HIGHTOWER & DYANA in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

[starrconch]

SMILE FOR ME

★ Includes: Kazuha, GN reader, pure angst, mention of death (specifically you dying), descriptions of fighting and injury with blood, spoilers for Kazuha's story

★ Word Count: 1773

★ Master List

★ Notes: I know I said I wanted to write fluff for Kazuha, and I managed to do two fics of that before I sucumbed to the dark abyss of angst once more. Also this was written before Inazuma comes out, so my interpretation of Baal might be different to what she's actually like. Enjoy! >:)

KAZUHA

★ The Vision Hunt Decree: a vile service arranged and commanded by the Raiden Shogun. It arguably had to be the thing you despised most in Teyvat.

★ You adored how much life filled your partner when he spoke of his home, all the memories he had made. There was a grand smile on his face whenever he told you about it, but there was also a small glint of sorrow hidden in his eyes as he did so.

★ Kazuha missed Inazuma, and you hated the Electro Archon for not allowing him to return. That was why you wanted to bring the dream of him living there once more to reality.

You marched up to the throne at the top of Inazuma’s city, brandishing your weapon once you reached the end of the stairs, drawing the attention of the guards stationed nearby. It was time to end this.

Fiddling with the maple leaf charm of your necklace one last time, you took a deep breath and stepped forwards. Kazuha had never been one for promise rings, saying that it would fall off when he would wield his sword and that he didn’t want to lose something so precious. So the two of you had decided on something a little more practical: matching necklaces. Yours had a maple leaf whilst he had a small heart attached to it.

You hoped he would forgive you for what you were doing.

The guards drew their own weapons to defend their goddess, but a voice emerged from behind them.

“Now, now. There’s no need to jump to conclusions. What we have here is a citizen fueled with rage, let them speak.” Baal stood in the centre of the open space, her arms crossed with an amused expression dancing across her face.

“I have come to challenge you!” You called, your fists clenched. “A battle until a victor is clear. If you win, I shall hand over my vision. But if I win, you will allow a samurai by the name of Kaedehara Kazuha to keep his vision and forgive him of all of his crimes. Do we have our terms?”

She took a moment to consider, tilting her head from side to side in thought. “Most of the terms are fair, however, if I should win, I will take your life instead of your vision. How does that sound?”

Swallowing your fear, you adjusted your grip on your weapon. It was too late to back out now, if you did the guards beside you would pin you down to take your vision. This was for Kazuha. You would get to see his true smile and everything would be okay. It had to be.

“The terms are fair.”

“Then let us begin this fight.” Baal motioned her hand for you to come towards her.

You wasted no time in charging at her, imbuing your weapon with your element. At first, you feigned an attack to the left, hoping she would fall for it and quickly aimed to the right again.

The Raiden Shogun merely stepped to the side to dodge your attack, sending you lunging forwards at a speed you couldn’t catch yourself on, and kicked you in the stomach, causing you to double over in pain.

You had to stay strong, for Kazuha if not for yourself. Getting back up, you charged again, pretending to feign another attack whilst actually striking with all of the strength you could muster.

The archon slammed her hand down on your back, pushing out all of the air from your lungs, leaving you crumpled on the floor. “Is this all you have? I was expecting something more from someone who stands for a criminal.”

You had to get up, but your body betrayed you. You had to keep fighting. For Kazuha, to see his smile. The tears that would be present in his eyes when he found out he could safely return home and live out the life he wanted.

While you crawled towards her, vengeance in your veins, Baal materialised her sword and placed it against your neck. “It was a refreshing battle. Getting to hear that samurai’s name again really made me remember how much I need to enforce the hunt for him a little more.”

This couldn’t have been over so quickly, right? But your energy felt like it had been drained from you. No. You couldn’t go down here, grovelling before the wicked Electro Archon.

Your hand pushed against her blade, cutting your palm as you tried to tear it from her grasp. Alas, she was much stronger than you and she pushed it closer to your neck so that blood was beginning to coat it.

“Your struggle is worthless. Accept your fate and let us be done with this.”

You lunged for her legs, hoping to steal her balance out from under her, but she stepped aside, gripping onto your hair and pushing your head into the cobbled ground.

“Do you have any final words? Perhaps a message you would like to relay to Kazuha before I take his life too?” Her smirk felt like it was rubbing salt in your wound. This couldn’t be over, not now.

“You will never catch him,” you spat, pushing against her hold on you.

Baal shrugged. “Very well.” Her arm arched down to strike you, removing its position from your neck to stab you in the stomach, dragging the blade all the way up into your chest.

You yelled in pain as you were shoved to the floor, your body rolling back towards the stairs. You had failed him. All you had wanted was to make him happy and now you had only made matters worse.

Your eyes opened one last time to get a glimpse of your fading surroundings, only to meet with a pair of distressed crimson ones.

★ Your partner had awoken in Liyue a few days ago to a cold bed and a note on your bedside table.

★ The words inside hastily written by you told him that you had headed off to Inazuma by yourself to challenge the Raiden Shogun to hopefully bring some peace into his life. Although he should have felt grateful, he couldn’t help the sheer panic that flowed through him.

★ You couldn’t. He needed you, he couldn’t lose you too. This had already happened once before. He needed to stop you before you reached Baal.

★ With that, he got up and headed after you, not taking breaks to sleep in his journey until he was upon a ship. He didn’t know how you were getting into the country, so stopping you before you reached the Electro Archon was the best plan he thought of.

The samurai bolted up the stairs that led to the Raiden Shogun’s throne. His heart pounded in his chest with so much force that it was entirely possible for it to break a few ribs, and memories flickered through his mind of the previous time he had been here.

Bile rose in his throat at the images of his friend on the ground, his pale skin growing cold and his sword shattered on the ground beside him. The way Kazuha has held him in his arms for a few moments before fleeing with his friends burnt out vision.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he pressed onwards. All he needed to do was get there before you and tell you to come with him, to go back home safe with him. He didn’t care about the several members of The Vision Hunt Decree chasing after him, nor about the future you had promised him, he just wanted you in one piece.

As he reached the top of the steps, his eyes made contact with yours. You were lying on the ground, a wound running through your body so great he knew it couldn’t be healed.

Your partner felt his chest tighten, his lungs constrict with the rage and sorrow that filled his veins. “No!” He screamed, falling to his knees in defeat.

He had been too late. Perhaps if he had just run a little faster or had woken up a little earlier that day, then he could have saved you. But he’d failed and now he was to lose the thing he found to be even more precious than his sword that was the only reminder of his past life.

“I’m sorry,” you coughed, blood spilling out of your mouth and tears pooling in your eyes. “I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to be happy.”

“I was happy! With you!” Kazuha couldn’t help but yell, tears of his own spilling down his cheeks. “I don’t need anything more when I have you!”

The life and vibrant colour that you had present in your eyes slowly began to fade, your body growing cold in the hope to keep you alive a little longer. “Kazuha, can you smile for me? Just one last time?”

It was all you had wanted to see with your plan, a smile so undeniably bright. But you had been foolish, so very foolish. Because of you, he was likely to never smile again.

He tried for you, the corners of his lips rising for a second before they fell again, his body shaking with sobs. “I can’t, Y/N.”

“Please.” Your voice was growing even more strained. You didn’t have long left.

It was clearly forced, but he did it for you. Your partner reached forwards, placing a hand on your cold cheek while he smiled through his pain.

“I love you, Kazuha.” Were your last whispered words before your life drained from you completely. The vision at your side had become as hollow and empty as the one that he carried with him every day.

“My, my,” the Raiden Shogun began, “you’ve got quite the collection there now of visions from the dead.”

He carefully unclipped your vision from your belt and held it in his bandaged hand. It was still warm from the glowing life it had held not long ago.

“What would you like to do? Would you like to challenge me? Or should I have my guards take you in once and for all?” She stepped towards him, a lone samurai once more.

Wiping furiously at the tears that skewered his sight, he snatched the maple leaf necklace from your neck and jumped down the stairs, letting the wind ease his fall and he escaped again.

He would come back. He wouldn’t allow Baal to succeed in her vile ways. Kazuha would have revenge for his friend's death and yours too, for he had nothing left anymore without you.

[lokisasylum]

Lets talk about something controversial--

Lets talk about how BALLS-DEEP taekookers have embedded themselves inside the fandom to the point of Armys DEFENDING THEM over protecting the ones constantly being the target of this disgusting breed.

We (the OG fans who were there since the beginning and noticed the moment it started) warned ya'll about this; for MONTHS, for YEARS. But ya'll didn't listen. Just let it happen.

It started with Big “OT7″ accounts ignoring the issue and deeming it “just shipping wars”, “focus on BTS only”, to the fandom collectively turning a blind eye the bigger the hate got with every little "ignore and block", every "you need to curate your TL better so you don't constantly see that--"

We warned ya'll and you called us Crazy, you called us Delusional, you called us Entitled, you called us Problematic Old Hags. And now I fear we may never get rid of taekookers AT ALL.

EXHIBIT A:

Lets start with something that happened a few days ago. It started with a TKer using a set-up account to drag The Weekend for that weirdo netflix series. Which for some reason it called the attention of Abel (the lead vocal)'s attention to the point of quoting it, which in turn gave the tweet MORE attention/views.

As soon as the tweet started getting the desired amount of clout, the TKer changed the entire layout from taekook to Jimin to make it seem like "oh, pjms again starting shit because they're bored" (when in reality Jimin stans were hyper focused on streaming & buying 'Like Crazy' since the song was about to break the record for longest days charting and also the 119 #1s on iTunes), but what everyone ignored completely was the fact that despite switching the layout the person was actively dragging & defaming Jimin on that same acc & liking tweets from Jimin antis. But NOBODY CARED ABOUT THAT, because armys only saw "a jimin stan being problematic". And it took ONE Jennie solo stan calling out armys hypocrisy for the way they've always given trashcookers a free-pass in their fandom instead of defending Jimin, when both he and Jennie get the most hate from them on all platforms.

But AGAIN, what did the fandom do? Instead of actively reporting and trying to get the TKer suspended, they switched to attacking that Jennie solo stan AND slvtshaming Jennie as well. As for the person who started the whole thing? Deactivated and is probably STILL around with a different account spreading more hate and ways to get away with it.

EXHIBIT B: The #s war from yesterday.

Again, it was a TKer who started trending those disgusting tags over a harmless joke about spotify debut numbers. The hashtags were ALL initially AGAINST JIMIN ONLY, and each one more vile than the last and the bastards even celebrated that they got them to trend so quickly and were even putting money into keeping them up longer. 

(I spent an unhealthy amount of hours out of my life yesterday reporting & blocking people from BOTH ends, but it was just neverending! And for some reason twitter wasn’t showing all of the reports I made which frustrated me even more).

But armys only cared about the issue when Jimin stans actually started fighting back, using the SAME #s against TKers. NOT BECAUSE JIMIN HAD BEEN DEHUMANIZED/DEFAMED FIRST, BUT BECAUSE NOW IT INVOLVED 2 MORE MEMBERS (otherwise they would have ignored it). So instead of helping to clear the searches and reporting EVERYONE who was using the #s, they ONLY reported/suspended Jimin stans and instead trended “BTS IS 7″ initially, while the TKer who started this whole thing is STILL around, active on another acc after deactivating.

This gave TKers the upper-hand to once again SWITCH THE SITUATION IN THEIR FAVOR, by gaslighting armys/ot7s into thinking and trending: “solosOUT” “ALL SOLOS ARE ANTIS” “WE LOVE YOU TAEKOOK” “WE LOVE YOU [X, Y, Z member]”

(I even saw BTS members who weren’t involved in the issue being included in the tags as well to divert attention further from the fact that it was taekook shippers who started this shit).

And if you had looked closely at the first tweets using these tags, you would have noticed TONS of taekookers with the cult symbol on their username at the same time putting ALL of the blame on Jimin stans and accusing armys of ONLY caring about Jimin but never defending Taekook.

Which now has officially enabled the mentality inside the fandom that calling out Taekook Shippers = shading/hating Taehyung & Jungkook as individuals.

But its OKAY to call out Jikookers/Kookminers (cause they’re now “Tae antis” by association) & anyone who defends Jimin, because its OKAY for Jimin to get hate/shade as long as Taekook are protected.  LOL what a fucking joke of a fandom (Alexa, play “Face-Off” )

EXHIBIT C:  VMinKook at SG’s concert today

The 3 maknaes were literally standing/sitting together, playing. vibing to the concert (there’s literal clips of them talking, interacting and playing with the army bombs). But what topics made noise first?

“Taekook together at the concert” “Taekook concert date” “Taekook ignored Jimin, as they should” “Jimin left first/alone in his own car because he’s bitter.”

I even saw one where tkers were UPSET because “Jimin didnt pay attention” whenever tk interacted. Like sis makeup your mind, are you happy he’s no longer interacting like before or are you desperate for his validation that will never come???

Jimin is unbothered, happy and busy and probably had some schedule to attend after the concert, but these deranged mfers will always see what they want and armys will always give them a free-pass instead of addressing the pink elephants on parade in the room.

And if this is the fandom we have to go back to when and IF BTS ever return as 7 after enlistment (given that they don’t actually disband after that not so subtle hint suga made at the end of the concert)? Then I’m about ready to drop BTS as a whole the moment Jimin goes in for his service. ‘Cause this ain’t it.

[edenmemes]

assassin’s creed valhalla starters

words within ‘()’ are additional, optional choices! more maybe to be added at a later date. some n/sfw present. 

❝ you should see the other man. he got the worst of it. ❞   ❝ and who better to lead us to glory than me? ❞ ❝ i am most at home helping others. ❞       ❝ i’ve waited long enough for you, and you for me. ❞   ❝ thank you for not saying anything about my past. ❞       ❝ know that however far away, you’re always in my thoughts. ❞   ❝ when you see your god, tell them i sent you. ❞   ❝ what you make up in muscles, you’re lacking in spine. ❞   ❝ i almost envy you, to see the world through such a muddy glass and live with such petty concerns. ❞   ❝ i smell the stink of a dozen kingdoms in your beard. ❞   ❝ this feud is not yours, yet you fight it all the same. i find that strange. ❞   ❝ by the look on your face, you have lost your will to live. ❞   ❝ my arms are numb from battle. does it need any dressing?    do you think it is a serious wound? ❞   ❝ oh dear. this is not how i foresaw things. not at all! ❞   ❝ should we take this to your chamber? ❞   ❝ i want this. i want you. ❞   ❝ turn around, walk away, and you keep your insides inside. ❞   ❝ stay back! back! i will fight you! ❞   ❝ you look like reddened shit. what happened? ❞   ❝ i have always wanted to experience the world as you do. ❞   ❝ you come like a valkyrie out of a fog. but i have no dead to give you. ❞   ❝ all right, stay close and do as i do. ❞   ❝ home. or...it was home, once. now it is nothing but bone. ❞   ❝ i’ll have no qualms wiping clean your grin. ❞   ❝ just take care. such hatred can make you careless. ❞   ❝ away from your table for a day and you are already lusting for blood. ❞   ❝ if i did not know any better, i would say you are teasing me. ❞   ❝ the dream of new lands is a powerful lure. ❞   ❝ i love climbing up here. makes me feel as high as a raven. ❞   ❝ if i don’t find your horse, i will steal you a new one. ❞   ❝ i feel somewhat trapped. in this room, in this settlement, in this life. ❞   ❝ you are lost in a sea-storm of your own making. ❞   ❝ the poet in you sings once again. ❞   ❝ tonight, we will eat and drink like gods and wake in a kingdom made new. ❞   ❝ i wish i understood you better. for those i do not understand, i do not trust. (and i cannot stomach a lack of trust.) ❞ ❝ i’ve been called worse. ❞   ❝ you have nothing to fear from me. i bear you no ill will. ❞   ❝ you are a shadow of your father. weak and witless. ❞   ❝ what is this? is this...are we in hell? ❞   ❝ keep company with kings and you will soon have a crown of your own. ❞   ❝ a toothless cub may grow to be a dangerous wolf. ❞   ❝ you are far too young to speak so wise. ❞   ❝ i need clear, sound judgement. i need you. ❞   ❝ kind and courageous people live the best lives, but it can be a difficult path to keep. ❞ ❝ i want to say...i love you. and i have for some time. ❞ ❝ you smell that? the stink of jealousy. (of our budding friendship, i think). ❞   ❝ ah, while i have you, i’m reminded...i have this for you. ❞   ❝ your lies are just like you. big and bold. ❞   ❝ don’t excuse yourself. you enjoy this too much. ❞   ❝ you've come back. why are you wasting your time with me? ❞   ❝ care to sing a song? helps me pass the time. ❞   ❝ that is twice you have earned my admiration. ❞   ❝ you have only the setting sun to tell you when to stop. ❞   ❝ i want to know what you know. name your price. ❞   ❝ people like you deserve something worse than death. ❞   ❝ they called me a lout, a disgrace. they were right. ❞   ❝ i will have to get used to watching the sights of war from afar now. ❞   ❝ there’s no other way. fight or hide. it’s up to you. ❞   ❝ do not think me a coward. i am not afraid of war. ❞   ❝ friendships end. often at the point of a spear. ❞ ❝ i will make you beg as your father begged. ❞   ❝ (until that time,) it would be best to keep all discussions about...    about us to yourself. ❞ ❝ without you i would have lost my way a thousand times. ❞   ❝ you have no other friends. so tread lightly here. ❞   ❝ be it a blessing or a curse, family is always first. ❞   ❝ let’s not walk too far with that idea. i need you right where you are. ❞   ❝ you bested me. yet, i’m the one left standing. ❞   ❝ it’s a pleasure to meet you at least. ❞   ❝ you and your people here have done more for me than i could ever repay. ❞   ❝ you have my highest respect, regard, and trust. ❞   ❝ you’re not shy, are you? ❞   ❝ if we do this, you’ll earn the right to call me friend ten-thousand fold. ❞   ❝ does this have the stench of betrayal to you? ❞ ❝ today has meant so much. we rode, we fought, we drank, we laughed. (you showed me your world.) ❞       ❝ your end was written the moment you came for me. ❞   ❝ i am a sellsword. i ask what i please, and i take what i’m owed. ❞ ❝ you move and i will take your eyes. you hear me? ❞   ❝ i will leap first. on my word, you must follow. ❞   ❝ many times i wished to tell you. wished to say what was in my heart and what i desired. (but duty kept me from it.) ❞   ❝ these wounds will heal quickly. you’re lucky. ❞   ❝ anything to help you feel at home. ❞   ❝ our friendship is the best thing to come from this mess. ❞   ❝ you will be remembered for this, for years to come. ❞   ❝ i thought i had lost you. for good this time. ❞   ❝ you have shown me a great kindness. it is only fitting that i do the same. ❞   ❝ the mess you’re in...you don’t know the half of it. ❞   ❝ you have drawn a dark conclusion about me, haven’t you? (that is all well and good. i’ve drawn some about you as well.) ❞   ❝ you seem...strangely familiar. ❞   ❝ here i am, an upright man who never once learned how to bend the knee. and yet...i shall try. ❞ ❝ that’s a bread knife. do you mean to butter me? ❞   ❝ is that not something you worry over? ❞   ❝ a blind pursuit of vengeance has made you predictable. ❞   ❝ no matter where you are, or how far you travel, i will hunt you down. ❞   ❝ i came for you, looking for a friend and ally. ❞   ❝ people change.    it may be that you change with them, or you go your separate ways. ❞   ❝ i wish you whatever peace you may find in this new life you’ve found. ❞   ❝ i want your word: you will follow my orders. ❞   ❝ the day is new, and the air is bracing. are you ready for the fight ahead? ❞   ❝ er...good to meet you as well? ❞   ❝ what riches are worth so much misery, and the deaths of honorable men and women? ❞   ❝ my destiny is mine to weave. ❞   ❝ my road forward has been a muddy one. slick with blood and tears. (but we can reach its end together.) ❞   ❝ it is a wise leader who considers the needs of others. ❞   ❝ i think my mouth has gotten me in enough trouble today. ❞   ❝ at the end of all things, you will find yourself with nothing but your regrets. ❞   ❝ you saw fit to keep me guessing through your fits of madness. ❞   ❝ by all the gods, what was that? ❞   ❝ i was...restless. a quiet walk alone clears the head. ❞   ❝ when winter is past, summer will come and wind you in a flowered skirt, for you are beauty and shall not wither. ❞   ❝ ...unless you had a more interesting day planned for us? ❞   ❝ i do hope you see it now, for all you have done for me. ❞   ❝ your passion, your strength. i have never met such a burning soul. ❞   ❝ i have no guilt nor regret for what we have done, but we should be careful. ❞   ❝ i see before me a person full of passion, vigor, and a love for their people. ❞   ❝ if i wanted to hear you talk shit, i’d cut out your tongue and shove it up your ass. ❞   ❝ you! you look stronger than most of the others. ❞   ❝ your hatred for me burns bright. i could warm my balls on it. ❞   ❝ you’re quite like your arms: incredibly thick. ❞   ❝ i fought as i do, as hard as i do, to survive. (for i know what awaits us in the end. only darkness.) ❞   ❝ a shameful trick. you are your father’s child. ❞   ❝ you destroyed my life. i will take yours. ❞   ❝ you snore a little, like a wounded bear. ❞   ❝ that’s when i knew i would live and die for you. ❞   ❝ i’m going to pretend your last words were taken by the wind. ❞   ❝ i might still kill you yet, if your prattling doesn’t cease. ❞   ❝ you are weak like your father was weak. (you dance better than you fight.) ❞   ❝ have you ever seen muscles as massive as mine? ❞   ❝ i’m honored by your faith in me. and your confidence. ❞   ❝ after my missteps, i worry what you must think of me. ❞   ❝ with so much blood in the water and death in the air, i’d like to know your name and purpose. ❞ ❝ i have a good feeling about this place. ❞   ❝ you helped me reclaim what i had lost in myself. ❞       ❝ you speak of honor. where’s yours? ❞       ❝ you will throw away all reason to defend what you sworn to. ❞       ❝ you really are like a hero out of folk tales. ❞       ❝ how much would you sacrifice to be freed of fate’s shackles? (would you give your tongue, your hand, your sight?) ❞   ❝ there’s no power strong enough to do what you say. ❞       ❝ please, you must fight for me.    who knows what vile people might come to harm me? ❞   ❝ i have no need to count my kills. they number too many. ❞   ❝ i appreciate you for all of your qualities. ❞ ❝ not even the gods can change fate. ❞       ❝ i think it is time i take my leave. ❞ ❝ you really thought my life was in danger? (and you risked your own life...) ❞ ❝ the path ahead is bright, with glory at its end. ❞ ❝ it is easy to lose one's way on the road to glory. do not let false victories blind you to what is true. ❞ ❝ the act of leaving so beloved a home, there is a sadness to it. ❞       ❝ so there’s nowhere...you call home? ❞   ❝ all things end. ruins are not a warning, they are a testament. ❞   ❝ be nice to sleep in a real bed when this is over. ❞   ❝ in my sleep i dream. and in my dreams i see an end to the doom that will grip the earth once again. ❞   ❝ even when we win, we lose. ❞   ❝ i am as good with my lips, as i am with my tongue. ❞   ❝ is this your idea of a pleasant ride through the country? ❞   ❝ no whispering god brought me here. i brought myself. ❞   ❝ i would like very much to pass some time with you. ❞   ❝ ...and that’s how i got that scar. ❞   ❝ do i now haunt your dreams? ❞   ❝ it was never in their character to lead, it was always within yours. ❞   ❝ so easily wounded by words. imagine the ruin my axe would inflict on your flaccid ego. ❞   ❝ i have felt this way for some time now. i care for you. ❞   ❝ i have not felt safe since then. not really. ❞   ❝ how long have you been chasing me? seventeen winters? eighteen? ❞   ❝ you are not always to be trusted. your passions overcome you. ❞   ❝ i like you. you may help me here or step on me...and by the look of you i’d welcome either. ❞   ❝ it is good to have you in this fight. ❞   ❝ you need only know my impressive scale and flawless build. ❞   ❝ i am better than any man here. ❞   ❝ i can tell by looking at you, you are not a great warrior. (you know it too, there is no reason to deny this.) ❞   ❝ i am looking for honor, and have become lost as a result. ❞   ❝ many apologies. you are no child, simply a frail and fully-grown fool. ❞   ❝ i was stupid, selfish, reckless, blind, boneheaded, and i smell like blood and shit. ❞ ❝ anything to say for the mess you led us to? ❞   ❝ how was your...first kill? ❞   ❝ you squirm like that and my axe will miss your neck! unpleasant for both of us. ❞   ❝ i know you would defy me to the death, fighting for a glorious end.     that i will not allow. ❞   ❝ most men choose to be loud or stupid. impressive, that you managed both. ❞   ❝ you are a great warrior. conquerer of this land and that of your birth. ❞   ❝ you’re chasing shadows like a madman howling at the moon! ❞   ❝ quite a hit you took. how many were lost? ❞   ❝ well fought! even if your wits were somewhat rattled. ❞   ❝ we suffered no losses in this fight, and the men who humiliated us are dead. what is there to say? ❞   ❝ i would like to be close to you. ❞   ❝ if you are a warrior with honor running like sunlight in your veins, then you may help me fulfill my destiny. ❞ ❝ you are a long way from any warm hearth, warrior. Is this where you call home? ❞ ❝ am i to go the rest of my days without love or attention? i think not. ❞   ❝ the gods favor you. they always have. ❞   ❝ the others, they are like clubs. blunt and ungainly, you are nimble, like a knife. ❞   ❝ people with eyes that gleam like yours are always up to something more. ❞   ❝ only a fool stays awake all night worrying. you are tired when you get up, and the problem is still not solved. ❞   ❝ i liked you from the first. i saw something in you that captivated me. (as if a forgotten memory of an old friendship had suddenly resurfaced.) ❞   ❝ you've done nothing but give me your blind word! ❞   ❝ did you bring me any treasure? ❞ ❝ the woodsmoke from your firepit does sting the eyes. but the warmth is welcome. ❞ ❝ it is not something i can speak on. or wish to. ❞ ❝ i'm with you. only say the word. ❞ ❝ until we cut off this serpent's head, it will poison us, day by day, drop by drop. ❞ ❝ get some rest and return here at first light. ❞ ❝ i missed having you at my side. how i wished i could have taken you along on my travels. ❞ ❝ i do not like this, but i will not stop you. ❞ ❝ i have waited too many years for this day. when ___ stands before us, give me the final blow. ❞ ❝ why do you carry such a useless burden? let it go. ❞ ❝ i have waited years for this, but i will not risk losing it through rashness. ❞ ❝ i cannot fathom your game. you are either a young fool...or deceptively wise. ❞ ❝ your confidence blinds you to so much in plain sight. ❞   ❝ it’s good to be here, with you and your people. (i feel my life has found a new road.) ❞   ❝ there has always been war, even among the gods. ❞       ❝ my honor has been stained. until it's wiped clean, i want nothing else. ❞ ❝ i lack the patience for pole fishing. i would have better luck with my bow. ❞   ❝ if we tell all our stories, we’ll be here for a week. ❞ ❝ can you teach me the art of archery? ❞   ❝ bury the past. build the future. ❞       ❝ i missed you. your clear head and your courage. (we have not had enough of both in recent months.)   ❞   ❝ i have a good feeling this war is near its end. ❞ ❝ explain in plain words why you have willfully disobeyed my commands. (do you mock me?) ❞   ❝ the gods favor you. they always have. ❞   ❝ my love for you rises tall and strong, like the tree of life. ❞   ❝ the prize is some of my time. (a walk in nature, maybe more if that is where our conversation takes us.) ❞ ❝ together, we are unstoppable. ❞ ❝ it is natural to fear change. to resist it. (but all things change, and all things end.) ❞ ❝ you said nothing of this to me, not a word. ❞ ❝ so long as men and women fight to secure honor and freedom, their allegiance hardly matters to me. ❞ ❝ i care for you. i do not know how to say it any other way. ❞   ❝ love can burn brighter near death. ❞ ❝ i knew this would be difficult, but sometimes the weight bears down heavily. ❞ ❝ you are young and still foolish, so i will spare you your life. (but cross me again or harm anyone i cherish, and you will join your friends in hell.)   ❞ ❝ if you are as brave as you appear, you will come. ❞ ❝ this is not a natural quiet. it's as if a curse has befallen this place. ❞ ❝ there was a curse here long before i came along. ❞ ❝ we’ll forge a warrior from your softness, hammered on the anvil of war. ❞ ❝ you are different than the kind my flights of fancy attract. burdened, decorated and…delicate. ❞ ❝ i do not know what else to say. m-my memories are faint, hazy. ❞ ❝ how are you doing? you survived a serious blow. ❞   ❝ we’ll weave our sagas together, thread upon thread. ❞ ❝ i try to use my knowledge to help others. i am only a threat to those who fear the unknown. ❞   ❝ slap some moss on that gash and wrap it well. ❞   ❝ a knife to the back is a wound that never heals. ❞       ❝ with me you have wisdom! glory! power! what more do you need? ❞       ❝ if your hell is real, i’m glad you’ll get to see it. ❞   ❝ to fight beside such legends is an honor. (i've only heard tales of your conquests. now i get to live them.) ❞   ❝ i have tried to live well. it is enough that the gods know that. ❞ ❝ a cloud hangs over you. is something wrong? ❞   ❝ you have plunged my city into chaos. ❞   ❝ my sword is gore-greedy. i am ready to fight. ❞   ❝ accept your fate and die a coward, here before your people... and i will spare the rest. ❞   ❝ you would take the rescue for yourself, so the victory song is written about you? ❞   ❝ kneel, and i will spare your life. ❞   ❝ it has been some time. what brings you so far to see me? ❞

[latenightartist-author]

Shot In The Dark

Pairing: Zemo X Reader

Summary: zemo,Y/n,Sam, and Bucky need to escape from Madripoor

Warning: Shooting, Blood, Protective Zemo{i’m not sure thats a warning though}, Self doubt, Ex HYDRA, language, TFATSW slight spoliers I went off plot for this

I did research people in sacovia spoke German and russian sometimes a combination.

Requested by: @joyfulinternettraitor

Madripoor was a vile city to Y/n it looked at lot like Las Vegas. Currently Y/n was looking out the window while Zemo negoated with Selby, while Sam pretended to be someone named Smiling tiger and bucky acted like the winter soldier. Y/n was there having to pretend to be Zemo’s ‘pet’ which no one was very thrilled about. Y/n looked aover at Zemo and he motioned for Y/n to come over to him,

“Komm her liebling,” (English: Come here darling) Y/n sat beside him she didn’t know much of Sacovian language but she knew enought to hod a simple conversation. he put his arm arounf her and whispered “apologies” to her. She had to look smitten with him this wasn’t the first time she had to pretend to be involved wth him she had to under cover when she worked for HYDRA but right now she was doing a pretty good job she had managed to fool Bucky and Sam. Things were going well until Sarah called. Y/n moved a bit closer to Zemo when sam was told to put the call on speaker phone. Y/n whispered to Zemo,

“Das wird nicht gut enden,” (English: It won’t end well) she grabbed Zemo’s arm Y/n looked at Zemo then heard a shot and saw Selby on the floor a bullet through her head. Zemo grabbed Y/n pulling them out of the room.

“Follow me,” He grabbed your hand pulling you with him somehow he was still keeping up the act. Bucky and sam werent far behind they got out of the bar and started running right before bullets started flying at them, “Damn it.” he shouted as sam more of jogged had the situation been diffrent Y/n would have laughed at how rediculous sam looked.

“I can’t run in these heels!” sam shouted to bucky who was running infront of them.

“Try being me!” Y/n yelled she was half tempted to take the shoes off and run. through the streets barefoot, “At lest your hells downt slip through a freaking vent!”

“Y/n if I recall corectly you used to fight in worse clothes and shoes than that when we were with HYDRA.” Zemo shouted back to her she rolled her eyes and threw the shoes offas she ran,

“Baron I suggest you shut up and keep yourself from getting shot!” zemo ran off to a side street and Y/n followed him, “If sam hadn’t gotten that damn call!”

“I’m aware, liebling,” he said and stopped since no one was shooting anymore, “I think we’re safe dor the moment-” he looked down and notice her shoes gone, “When did you do that?”

“A while back Baron,” she said then saw something move in the shadows and the shine of light refelcting on a gun pointed at zemo, “Zemo move!” She shoved him out of the way and the bullet hit Y/n and she fell on the ground, “Fuck!”

“Y/N!!” Zemo shouted and shot his gun in the direction the bullet came from before going to Y/n, “Your boys are gonna kill me. Where did you get hit?” She had her hand on her thigh, “I think it’s safe to assume you can’t walk.” he ripped part of his shirt and wrapped it around Y/n’s wound befor carfully picking her up bridal style. He carried her being causous of who was around to find Sam and Bucky. when he finally found them they checked to make sure you weren’t in any life or death danger. Sharon walked towards them. Zemo noticed you were slipping in and out of consciousness, “Apologies for the interupption but we need to get Y/n somewhere where her wound can be tended to.”

They arrived at sharons house and sharon opened the door to a room with a first aid kit. Zemo took her in the room and covered her with a blanket only leaving the area he needed to work on visible. He was getting the bullet out and the pain from it woke Y/n up she tried to sit up but Zemo gently pushed her down.

“I need you to stay down and stay still, schatz,” Zemo pulled the bullet out of the wound and began cleaning it and holding a cloth on it until her blood started clotting, “You are a foolish girl.”

“Oh god now you sound like peirce.”

“Well I’m saying it for diffrent reasons. You shouldn’t have shoved me out of the way. I accepted death many years ago.” he said and got hit on the back of the head, “Ouch! what was that for?!”

“Bad Helmut,” She sat up, “you accepted death because you want to see your wife and son again.”

“How do you know about-”

“Hydra files were released remember? Everything about you, about me, and bucky everything was release. I know you were sent to help defend against ultron and it took two days to find them. I know what it’s like. You met me after my fiance died.”

“You still shouldn’t have taken that bullet!!”

“Because I don’t want you to die!”

“Why!!”

“Because Zemo I care about you I thought you’d know that from The fact that I have vsited you every day for the past eight years. Hell I vistited you on christmas and ditch a new years date with Bucky to visit you. He doesnt know I went to see you.”

“You pity me. No one can understand what I did,” He walked toward the door Y/n got up and grabbed his wrist as a pain shot through her leg she ignored it.

“You really don’t understand do you?” She made him look at her, “I do understand. Pierce’s PA in HYDRA didn’t run away. Starks building didnt blow a fuse. I have been getting reveger on everyone my former fiance knew for years. I finished right before Thanos came here. it’s not the same but it would put me in a cell right next to you if they knew.”

“Y/n...” He turned to her and th silence made her realize the pain shooting through her body. She grabbed onto him so she wouldn’t fall as the the door opened. Zemo picked her up setting her back on the bedto take fix the wound fully. He held a cloth against the wound again as Walker came in the room.

“Well two criminals in one room. Must be my lucky day-...oh it’s just the freak and Zemo.”

“I can beat your-“ she is cutt off by the pain from Zemo stiching it.

“Well you were harboring a criminal so I get to take you and zemo to that prison you Freak.”

“Perhaps you should put your lack of braincells to better use somewhere else I need to help Y/n and your voice is highly annoying!” Zemo snapped at Walker. Bucky heard them arguig and pulled John out of the room. Zemo continued, “Humor me. How much of our under covers was an act”

“lets put it this way most of your apologies were unnecessary.”

“That isn’t an answer that makes sence,” he said and tied off the wrapping on her leg. She sighed,

“for an observant man you are very dull. Maybe youll uder stand this, Ich liebe dich,” (English: I love You) She kissed his cheek before going to stop Bucky and john from killing eachother. Zemo sat there in shock and confused at her action and what she had said. He didn’t know if she ment it platonically or not.

[viscountessevie]

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BRIDGERTON FANDOM

Okay so context for why I decided to write this: I had started drafting the last two Salty Asks since I got them yesterday but the fandom drama and fighting really has reared such an ugly head. It's just awful the language and hostility on both sides - especially to those on anon. Just because you can hide behind the screen and anonymity to throw such terrible rhetorics that are just straight up being racist and misogynistic, doesn't mean you should do it.

That being said I don't think posting my answers for those questions are going to be productive or create positive content in the fandom tags and spaces no matter how funny or in jest I make it. So I'll refrain from posting them and if the anons who sent them would still like to know my answers, you can hit me up again via asks off-anon so I can reply privately or even drop me a DM if you're feeling comfortable enough to do so. I promise I don't bite! For reference these were the questions the last two anons asked:

Anon 1 - 15 (Show/Books Unpopular Opinion) , 26 & 27 (Most & Least Shippable Char) Anon 2 - 7 (NoTPs in fandom) , 11 (Unpopular Char I like) , 14 (Unpopular Opinion About the Fandom)

Now to the Main Part of this post. I would really appreciate it if EVERYONE could read this. Like literally if you don't wanna read the first two paragraphs fine, just scroll and:

EVERYONE PLEASE READ FROM THIS POINT ON

I initially wrote this part as an answer to the asks and was going to post it last to close out the Salty Asks because it felt like a good way to end out everything that had been answered and make it clear how to maintain fandom boundaries and just be civil and nice. Here it is as I wrote it last night and just added a section about the language and 'defences' used on anon but are really attacks on the blog user:

We all need to take a breather and cool off - even me I'll admit. We need to stop clutching our pearls every time our faves get criticised.

Across the board and depending on the ship/story, it's a scale of "Yes, he's trash but he's my trash <3 what about it?" (Me about Anthony tbh) to "HOW DARE YOU INSULT THEM - THEY CAN DO NO WRONG" (this goes without saying which stans defend their characters like this). It's the doubling down on awful actions that get to me. And now I'm seeing that once these toxic people (I'm not even going to dignify calling them fans - if you were fans you wouldn't spend all day harassing other blogs about their ships) hiding behind anons run out of defences for why their ship is superior and should be liked by everyone, they start attacking other ships. Especially if the blog that they are sending anons to like this particular ship. This point is very much an observation of what I saw unfold last night and it was absolutely vile:

I do not understand how discourse on Promogate (coined by my brilliant friend 🔔) had devolved to toxic people who claim to be Polin fans slinging mud at Francesca and Franchel? Like Francesca has literally done nothing and isn't even around and THEY ARE USING THAT??? against her. Like please guys Frannie is the least problematic Bridgerton, why single her out?

Like I mentioned earlier, once the toxic anons run out of any semblance of a defence to 'protect' their faves, they either start attacking bloggers themselves or reduce to being petty and going after the blogger's ships in hopes to make them feel as bad as they clearly feel to lash out like this.

Then of course, going straight to the root of the problem and the original reason that I disliked Show!Penelope was how her storyline with Marina concluded. That was fully on the writers and CVD's shoulders. They should have never written it like that or at least taken a step back to evaluate the racial implications of Penelope lashing out at Marina in such a vitriol and public manner, leading to Marina almost dying after being publicly humiliated and outcast from society. And instead of toxic anons using some critical thinking for once in their lives we get shit like this:

I'm not even going to explain why these comments are horrible and let the obvious racism and misogyny that jumped out tell it for you.

Like Jesus Christ, I know they are fictional characters. But think about why you (toxic anon) have such a deep rage about a black woman being chosen and loved by a Bridgerton, and why you feel the need to throw awful words and comments like this at her. And yes, Marina is fictional and this won't affect her but the BIPOC fans and people who follow the tags will see these comments. I can tell you as a WOC myself, it fucking hurts to see these kind of asks. It shows us there are people in the fandom who do not give a shit about us or view us as humans beings, probably see us as disposable and find our opinions and concerns about these storylines as irrelevant.

The main takeaway from this is that if someone - especially a person from the targeted community - tells you why these characters' actions are hurtful/disgusting/ problematic, LISTEN. As a whole fandom, we have forgotten to listen and take into account of other voices. Especially within our fandom, the biggest problem I would say is not listening to minority group's voices - be people of colour or the queer community.

[Examples include: Black fans about the treatment of Marina, the Desi community about the Sharmas and the unnecessary India plotline and backstory as well as the Queer community with the Benedict Being Bi/Lesbian Eloise discourse. LISTEN to us when we talk about these issues and try to see it from our point of view.]

On the flip side, the fictional 'crimes' (I use this term loosely and I mean the bad problematic behaviour/actions) aside, I think snarking on characters you dislike is fine but don't go around attacking people who like them just stay in your own corner of the fandom.

You can stay in your lane by: unfollowing/blocking, tagging posts accordingly like let's say you often reblog snarky comments and posts about a certain character, just tag it as '[Character] Critical' and then if you have a follower who likes the character they can just block that tag. And stay out of ask boxs if you're going to be overtly mean and not offering any constructive criticism.

This is a lesson I learnt personally as well over the last year being in the fandom. I'll admit I snark a lot on a couple of characters I just cannot stand but I'm trying to do better to minimise the snarking from now on. I also know there are groups of people who like them and view the tag. We are all real people behind our screens, so I respect their preferences and them as a person. It's not like I am running a hate blog about these characters and sending death threats via anon. There's just that line between snark and being cruel and we should be mindful of it.

This is the first and last time I'll ever laid it all out in a post like this but that does not mean I will stop calling out bad behaviour should it come to my blog. If not, I'm going to follow my own advice and block tags.

If none of you read any of that, here's a TDLR:

1) Racist/sexist/homophobic and generally hateful anon asks are not it!

2) Listen to the minorities groups within the fandom when we bring up valid issues and concerns with problematic storylines/promo/character actions

3) Just be civil and respect fellow fans - we are all in the same fandom at the end of the day and have to co-exist.

4) Carve out your own fandom space on your blog and curate your fandom experience via unfollowing/blocking and tagging posts accordingly if you want to keep away from different parts of the fandom.

[Note: I will be keeping my ask box open for constructive discussions but the moment I catch any whiff of hate or distasteful comments about me or any characters, I will block you and turn off anons. As my personal rules goes: if you have something rude to say or want to shit talk me, say it to my face.]

[aomineavenue]

Summary: Six years ago, L/N Y/N wouldn’t exactly say that she loves her life. It had always been problematic but her best friend, Miya Atsumu, since she was eight when she moved to Hyōgo, has always been there for her, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. However, things would always fall apart for her ever since, so she should have expected of such. Running away from her problems seemed like the easiest route to take at the time, so what happens when the past comes barging back into her life demanding answers? Will she be able to confront her demons?

Pairings: Miya Atsumu x f!Reader

Genre: Angst, ANGST I LOVE ANGST, a lil bit of fluff here and there.

Warnings: Language, etc.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for the reader and my ideas. I do not claim any images used for content in this fic, everything goes out to their respective creators unless it is mentioned that it is mine.

Status: completed. | series masterlist

↩ at peace | dearest daddy

mia speaks!: 

okay, wow. So it took awhile for us to get here and I apologize for that but we’re finally done with Homesick, wew. It’s been a challenge but I’m so happy and grateful for all the positivity you guys have been sharing with me. Also, thank you so much for your patience. 

It’s been an emotional ride but we’re finally done. There may be a few short stories after this chapter but no promises. Hopefully I get the chance to though, I do want to be able to. But for now, if you guys have any requests for imagines/scenarios with this series, don’t be afraid to send them over!

Also, big thanks to @oii-sugasan​ and @sunshinesero​ for beta-reading this for me! I apologize if this chapter is any way lacking compared to the first nine chapters, it’s been awhile since I wrote anything so I hope this was a great way to end this series. 

I love you guys so much, I’m so glad to be (sorta) back. I hope you guys enjoy this!

Time was a funny and fickle thing. Sometimes there was never enough of it, and other times it stretched out endlessly. It had been seven months since your life had once again made drastic changes. It often surprised you how time flew by so fast.

Seven months since your two precious boys had been introduced to the man that they now call their father. And well, seven months since you had been reunited with the love of your life. Sure, it had ups and downs, it wasn’t bound to be perfect since the two of you were your own person. It was inevitable for such different personalities to clash, it didn’t help when there were two children present, one of them being as handful as their own father.

Atsumu had shown that he was a doting father, despite only being a part of their lives for less than a year, he had put his new family as his top priority, wanting to make up for lost time. He would instantly drop anything and everything, sometimes even volleyball when he could for times when his family needed him. Not that his new family had been a burden since then, his sons and of course you, have been nothing but loving and supportive. Showing up to games to cheer him on and the twins attending his training to either join or just watch their father and new favorite uncles.

It had been a rollercoaster ride since it was officially announced that Atsumu was off the market and that he actually had sons. Some fans were supportive, believing the news and claiming that both the young twins were striking replicas of the volleyball player. And of course, there were fans that were against it, raging how you were nothing more than a money-grabbing harlot and that you had probably lied to Atsumu about the twins being his.

They were quickly shut down, of course, by not just fans but various people close to the volleyball setter who defended you without you even asking for it. You weren’t going to lie, that particular month filled with venomous words thrown your direction stressed you out but it was mostly because of your motherly instincts, wanting to keep your sons away from such unnecessary drama. You and Atsumu had decided to ignore the majority of the vile comments but seeing you so emotionally exhausted had only fueled the already tiny flame in Atsumu. He was quick to announce that he would no longer tolerate any form of slander towards his family and would handle things legally if anyone were to step out of line.

And by the next few weeks, the hate simmered and the stress that had engulfed you and Atsumu in its grip had vanished. All that was left that made you both worry was Atsuhiro’s health.

Fortunately, Atsuhiro’s sickness didn’t grow worse as time passed by since his first transfusion. If anything, the boy was healthier and it was very much evident in his features. The healthy glow returned to his skin, he was smiling more and had shown his usual energetic-self like before he had fallen ill. Atsumu on the other hand, much to Atsuhiro’s dismay, had started becoming such an overprotective father. It took a lot of begging from Atsuhiko for their father to spend the day outside of the protective bubble of your apartment.

It took time and patience from everyone’s side to get this far, and for Atsumu, (and of course, you) he didn’t mind it one bit. He had grown more mature, despite his twin brother’s disagreements, he not only took care of himself more but he had become a role model to his sons.

Not only that, but as his relationship with his sons grew stronger, the love the two of you had for each other only seemed to intensify as well. Sure, the two of you had ups and downs back then in your friendship but it was as if time and distance hadn’t kept the two of you apart. If anything, it was as if it made your bond stronger. Two best friends, reuniting and finally expressing their true desires, it was easy for the two of you to fall into a comfortable routine.

“Where are the boys of the hour? I’ve been wanting to see how good Hiko looks in my jersey!”

Bokuto interrupts your thoughts for a brief second before you return your focus to your duties of cutting up the vegetables in the kitchen. You can’t help but chuckle at the sour expression that graces Atsumu’s expression as he fills a tray of refreshments on one of the island counters. “Don’t remind me, Bo-kun.”

“You’re just jealous that your sons didn’t want to wear your jersey," he teases, a playful grin on his lips as he lifts himself off of the ground by his hands to sit on the counter.

The scowl on Atsumu's face only deepens at the reminder, "Get off the counter, Bo-kun. Don't be rude. Why don't you actually start to help and give out these refreshments to the guests?"

You watch in amusement as the two exchange their usual banter around the kitchen of your home in Hyogo. It was decided a week ago after Atsuhiro's second transfusion was a success, that the twins would celebrate their birthday back at Hyogo instead of having the guests cramp up in your small apartment in Kanagawa.

It was also then decided by your sons what theme they would be having for their birthday. It was traditional for the twins to have their birthdays themed depending on their current interest. Lately, since the two were very fixated on volleyball due to their new favorite uncles and of course, their father, it was decided that they would be having a volleyball themed birthday where the guests were required to wear their favorite player's jersey.

For a minute, your new friend Bokuto had been rather excited upon hearing the idea.

"So show up with our own jerseys? Great!"

And as for Atsumu, he was excited at the prospect of seeing his own sons wearing his jersey. That is, until his sons destroyed such dreams.

"Are the two of you really sure?" you hear Atsumu's voice echoing from the twins' bedroom throughout the walls of the apartment as you stepped inside, shutting the door behind you as you ventured further into the comforts of your home. “Like really? Those are your choices?”

You grew curious as you slipped out of your shoes and let your hair loose from its tight bun, wincing slightly from your tugging. There was a tinge of whininess dripping from Atsumu’s voice that you couldn’t help but wonder what the three of them were talking about. It wasn’t unusual for Atsumu to be around when you had to work on days where the boys came home from school or when they didn’t have school.

At most times, when Atsumu didn't have training, he would be the one taking care of the boys instead of your mother or Osamu. Majority of his free time away from volleyball was spent with his sons, wanting to make up for the time he had lost. And there wasn't a day where the young twins wouldn't ask about their father and if he was going to visit. It was as if they were scared one of them would disappear, wanting to spend the entirety of their lives together.

"Maybe we can go with superheroes this year!" Atsumu's voice grew louder as you reached the door to the room where they occupied. Leaning against the door's frame, your eyes land on the back of Atsumu's head as he's seated on the carpeted floor facing the twins who were playing with their action figures. A small grin curling upon your lips at the sight of Atsumu’s slightly dishevelled bleached hair.

Atsuhiro, who seems to have the ability to sense your presence, looks up from his toys and in an instant, his eyes widen happily. He was about to greet you but you quickly pressed your index finger against your lips to signal the little boy not to announce your presence just yet, wanting to see Atsuhiko and Atsumu's interaction. The smart little boy that he is, nods and returns to his toys.

"But daddy," Atsuhiko protests, his focus still on the action figures in his hands, "We did superheroes last year! I wanna wear Uncle Bo's jersey!"

You fight the urge to burst out into a fit of giggles as soon as you catch a glimpse of Atsumu slumping his shoulders dejectedly. Now you understand as to why he had his moppy voice on. "But don't you want to wear daddy's jersey for your birthday?"

"But daddy," Atsuhiko lets out a sigh, looking up at his father with a look that meant the little boy wasn't up for any arguments on the matter, "Uncle Bo is the best! So I wanna wear his jersey!"

You could have sworn you heard Atsumu whine, suddenly wishing you had decided to film this from the start. "But it will make daddy really happy if you wear his jersey!"

Atsuhiko shakes his head as he continues to play with his action figures, "But I want Uncle Bo and I to match!"

Atsumu sighs in defeat before turning his attention over to Atsuhiro, looking hopeful. "What about you, Hiro? Would you wear daddy's jersey?"

"No, daddy. I wanna wear Kageyama-san's jersey," he nods with a proud smile, "Wanna be just like him! He's so good!"

"But daddy's just as good a setter as Tobio-kun!" Atsumu cries out, throwing his hands up in the air, "betrayed by my own children. 'Samu isn't going to let me live this down."

This time, you let your presence be known by finally releasing a bubble of laughter. Atsuhiko instantly drops his action figures and rushes over with a happy squeal. Atsumu pivots his body, looking up at you with such a pitiful gaze as he juts his lower lips out ot a pout, "I want new children."

Needless to say, Atsumu had been pouty ever since and has been dreading today due to the reason that every single one of his friends had found out about it. He had tried a handful of times to change their minds, unfortunately, the young twins won't budge.

“It’s not my fault your kids like me better than you,” he huffs, folding his arms across his chest, “I am an ordinary ace after all!”

A scowl graces on Atsumu’s features which causes the other occupants in the room to chuckle in amusement. It wasn’t as if Atsumu didn’t like the idea of his sons becoming close to his teammates, but lately, it was getting harder for the setter to share. “Get your own children!”

“Ah, about that...” Bokuto trails off with a nervous chuckle which causes everyone to fall silent and look at him in curiosity, “I actually will be getting my own child soon, I think.”

“You think?” you ask with an arched brow, “You can’t just think you’re having a child, Bokuto-san.”

Atsumu interjects, “And aren’t you in love with that best friend of yours? What happened to never being with anyone else but her?”

He waves his hand in the air dismissively with a frown etched on his lips, “Well, I can’t exactly be with her when she just got married.”

“You are so getting your ear torn off by the management when this news gets out,” Atsumu snickers, which he earns a smack to his shoulder from you. “Ow!”

You narrow your gaze at your boyfriend, completely unamused with his behavior. “Don't be dramatic, I didn't hit you that hard!" Letting out a huff as you wipe your hands on the apron you were wearing, "You aren’t helping Bokuto, ‘Tsumu.”

His lips curl up to a cheeky grin at the sight of your expression. He leans forward to nuzzle his nose against your cheek, your cheeks growing warm from the public display of affection. His heart swells from your reaction to his gesture, murmuring teasingly, “Sorry, darling.”

“Please, don’t make me barf.” Osamu interrupts with his features scrunched up in distaste from the interaction between you and his brother.

Atsumu sticks his tongue out at his brother who returns the gesture with a shake of his head. His arm snakes around your waist to pull you closer to his side as he returns his attention over to his teammate, “Well, is the woman making you marry her?”

“Making you pay for child support?” Osamu quickly adds.

Atsumu quips with a chuckle, “Threatening to expose your sins?”

You interrupt the two with a glare towards them, “Stop ganging up on him!”

Bokuto lets out a laugh as he begins helping your mother set up the desserts onto one of the trays to bring outside to the guests, “Nothing like that, she’s pretty chill and we’ve gotten pretty close lately. So we’re going to co-parent.”

“That’s very mature of you, Bokuto-kun.” your mother compliments him with a smile before patting his back.

He feels his cheeks grow warm from the compliment, his heart swelling with pride. “Thank you.”

“Maybe you’ll end up falling for her anyway,” Osamu teases with a smirk playing on his lips, leaning against one of the kitchen counters.

He shakes his head at the idea as his brows knit together, “Jess and I won’t fall in love.”

“Jess?” Atsumu blinks at the familiar name before his eyes widens at the realization, releasing his grip from your waist, “Jess, that journalist that you showed around town when she first visited Japan?”

Bokuto nods with a smile gracing his features, “Yeah, she’s pretty cool.”

“Maybe you’ll learn to love her in your own way through your child,” you suggest with a shrug of your shoulders as you began untying the apron you were wearing upon realizing what time it was.

Atsumu shakes his head and responds before Bokuto could utter a single word, “No, no. That’s impossible. Bo-kun’s heart belongs to his best friend.”

“Stop teasing him,” you scold your boyfriend with a shake of your head, handing over the apron you successfully took off, “make yourself useful and help out here in the kitchen,"

"Bu—"

Cutting him off with a stern glare as you lift a tray from one of the kitchen counters and handing it over to Bokuto, a small smile gracing your lips, "Don't mind him, Bo. Can you bring these to the backyard and help out if anyone else needs help? I think Reiji needs a hand setting up the bouncy castle,"

Retrieving the tray from your hands, his eyes lighting up from the excitement, "bouncy castle, you say?"

"That's for the kids, Bo-kun." Atsumu scoffs but soon lets his lips form into a pout when he had been ignored, turning his attention over to you once Bokuto slips out of the kitchen, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check on the boys to see if they're ready for their big entrance," you muse with an amused grin. Of course, you knew what your sons had prepared for the big entrance that they insisted. Atsumu had pestered both you and the young twins since he had heard of their plan but as your sons refused to budge, you had feigned clueless, claiming that your sons had opted it to be a surprise.

Little did Atsumu know that you had helped your sons pull off such an idea.

"I don't get why they have to have a big entrance," he sighs, brows furrowing as he racks through his thoughts on what the surprise could be. It didn't help that he was both curious and excited at what his sons might pull off.

Osamu lets out a snort, rolling his eyes at his twin brother as a smirk curls upon his lips, "What do you mean? They're your kids."

"What does that even mean?" Atsumu scowls as he slips on the apron you had handed over, walking over to where your mother was situated to take over what you were doing.

You shake your head at the two bickering older twins and shoot a look of sympathy towards your mother that was going to be left with them in the kitchen before she waves you off. Your heart was swelling from happiness at how natural everything felt, despite the silly banter thrown around. It was home.

As you step into your childhood living room, you're hit with a nostalgic wave from the memories surrounding the whole area. Though it may be a mixture of good and bad memories, since you had come to terms that you were no longer running away from your past, you only feel comfort. You made your way through your childhood home over to the bedroom that had been renovated to the liking of your twin boys.

The mere thought of your boys growing to love the place where you had grown up yourself was enough to bring a smile to your face. You press your knuckles against the wooden door to signal your presence by knocking on it repeatedly, “Are you two ready?” you ask, your voice probably muffled on the other side. Your fingers wrap around the handle of the door and as you were about to twist and push it open, the door instantly snaps back shut with a loud thud. “Can’t-”

“No, mommy!” Atsuhiko screeched causing you to blink from both the surprised force and tone. Pressing your palms and ear against the door to hear what the commotion was all about, you frown upon hearing only their shuffling feet, “What are you two doing? Guests have arrived and your party will be starting soon,”

“We’re almost ready, mommy!” Atsuhiro assures you from the other side.

A chuckle escapes your lips at their antics as you decide to not interfere any further, “Alright you two, just be sure to be out in a few. You don’t want your daddy to come fetch you. It’ll ruin the surprise.”

“Okay mommy!” you heard Atsuhiko yell out, their excited muffled voices purely obvious from the other side that you couldn’t help but smile.

On the other hand, back in the kitchen, the father of your twins was having his own little dilemma back in the kitchen. It wasn’t as if he was uncomfortable being around your mother, but it was more like he felt he was still lacking.

Despite him knowing that your mother and you hadn’t had the greatest relationship when your father passed away, he still wanted to be someone your mother would approve of. He didn’t know whether your mother knew the whole story of the relationship between the two of you but being away from you and your sons during most of their childhood was enough to make him worry. The mere idea of his sons looking up to him sent his heart soaring, but of course, he also wanted your mother to feel secure enough for him to be together with you and the twins.

“I’ll bring out these sliced up fruits outside,” Osamu cuts the clear tension surrounding the kitchen. Atsumu resists the urge to glare at his twin for leaving him behind with your mother, knowing full well that his brother knows his current insecurities. A small smirk graces Osamu’s features but not the obvious one that would make your mother notice.

Atsumu watches his twin slip out of the kitchen with a tray full of food for the guests before flickering his gaze over to your mother situated at the other side of the room, making final touches to the cupcakes. “Is there anything else that I can do?”

Without looking up, a smile etches on your mother’s face. “No, it’s fine. We’re just about done with everything.”

“It looks good,” he states with a nod of his head, not really knowing what to say.

Placing the piping bag to the side, your mother lifts her head up to look towards the direction of Atsumu and wipes her hands on the apron she’s currently wearing, “You know you can always start calling me mom.”

The mere sentence made Atsumu want to leap in excitement, but at the same time he was nervous, a sudden fear of messing things up engulfing him. “I don’t want to overste-”

“Oh please,” your mother waves her hand in the air with a light chuckle, “I’ve known you since you were eight. We’re practically family. So you might as well call me mom.”

Atsumu couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth tug up to a wide smile, “Alright, mom.”

“I’m really happy that the two of you decided to work things out,” your mother spoke with a smile as she delicately places the cupcakes on the cupcake stand.”

His feet shuffled across the room to help your mother stack the cupcakes onto the stand, “We had to for the kids anyway.”

Your mother hums in thought for a second before responding, “I think the kids were just the push the two of you needed. If anything, I’ve always thought the two of you would always end up together since the two of you always leaned on each other for anything.”

He nods his head slowly, leaning against the counter as he feels his heart swell with happiness. “I guess you’re right, mom. I did lean on her majority of the time when we were growing up. I guess I still am now. I just wish I could make her happy.”

“Don’t worry, you do. Before she left Hyogo, I know for a fact that she was miserable in this house after her dad had passed. You were the only one giving her a reason to move forward,” your mother spoke, sadness dripping from her voice.

A sigh escapes Atsumu’s lips as his features scrunch up to something that resembles pain. “I was also the reason why she left. I may be even the biggest reason why she left.”

Your mother extends an arm out and places a hand on Atsumu’s arm, trying her best to give assurance and comfort, “You weren’t the only reason behind that. I don’t know if she’s told you, but I had neglected her. I’m not proud of it and apologies are probably never enough for forgiveness. I was barely a mother when my husband had passed. I was almost an empty shell and instead of being a moth-”

“Mom,” Atsumu cuts her off and grabs hold of her hand in his own, “Don’t blame yourself. She loves you very much. It’s all in the past. We’ll be able to move forward, we already are.”

The two were interrupted with Osamu’s arrival, knocking by the kitchen’s door frame to announce his return. A smile etched on his lips at the scene before him, “Hey, Y/N wants everyone in the living room. Apparently the boys are ready to make their big entrance.”

Your mother excuses herself as soon as she removes the apron tied around her, excitement clearly evident in her features. Atsumu knew it well, despite the relationship that you had been slowly rebuilding with your mother, she was just as excited as him to have the twins into her life. She has equally doted on, if not more, on the twins ever since and well, Atsumu wouldn’t have it any other way.

Atsumu knew for a fact that you adored the time you’ve been sharing with your mother. As long as you were happy, nothing else mattered.

Osamu gives him a pat on the back, arching a brow in curiosity as they make their way out of the kitchen, “Everything alright?”

Atsumu gives him a nod, giving him the largest grin that he could muster. “Yeah, definitely.”

“You look disgusting,” Osamu jokes, pretending to shudder which causes Atsumu to give him a shove as they step into the living room where most of the guests have already gathered.

“Hey ‘tsumu!” Bokuto calls out from next to you as soon as Atsumu comes into view. “Hurry up! I’m excited to see Hiko in my jersey!”

Atsumu rolls his eyes as he approaches, grumbling to himself. As soon as he reaches your side, he places a quick kiss to your temple before snaking an arm around your waist to pull you closer. “Yeah, yeah. You have to stop rubbing it in. We get it.”

You couldn’t help but let a laugh escape your lips as you lean yourself into Atsumu’s warmth, “Oh come on now you two, focus on the big entrance will you?”

Bokuto just snickers from the side while Atsumu sends him a glare. If you were to describe the two of them, they were practically acting like petty children but you know those two will eventually switch attitudes as soon as your twins step out to make their entrance.

You flicker your gaze over to Osamu who was situated a few steps ahead from your little group, trying his best to act natural with his phone up. The two of you had discussed prior to the party that he would be the one to film the whole thing going on. Your little boys had practically begged their uncle to film their big entrance but mostly, what you hoped Osamu to capture was Atsumu’s reaction.

A part of you expects that he would be a grinning mess at the sight of his kids but also, you’re also hoping he’d be speechless from all the teasing his kids put him through of having to wear someone else’s jersey.

“What’s taking them so long?” Atsumu asks, tilting his head slightly hoping to meet your eyes as his fingers play with the hem of your shirt.

As you were about to answer him, the familiar voices of your two boys echo throughout the room from the top of the stairs. You didn’t even have to look to know about their surprise since you know very well of what they had planned. Well, obviously, you had helped them out with picking up the jerseys that they were going to wear.

However, you had wanted to capture Atsumu’s reaction to your boys with your own two eyes instead of just watching it from a video. And honestly speaking, you didn’t think you’d fall in love with this man any more than you already do but here you are.

Just the mere sight of his features scrunching up to a look of awe was enough for your heart to swell. It looked as if he was close to tears as watches the twins descend the stairs with the prodest smiles they could muster.

You pry yourself away from his side as soon as the twins approach Atsumu, knowing full well what was going to happen as they had practiced what they were going to say. Flickering your gaze over to Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro, seeing them in Atsumu’s high school volleyball jersey made your own eyes water despite the fact that you were the ones who had gotten them the uniform a week ago.

“Wh-What are you guys wearing?” Atsumu almost chokes out his words, “What happened to the jerseys that we bought that you said you were going to wear?”

Atsuhiko throws his arms out in the air, smiling widely. “We changed daddy!”

“We wanna wear your jersey daddy,” Atushiro nods his head enthusiastically, lifting his hand up to grip onto Atsumu’s shirt.

Atsuhiko wraps his arms around Atsumu’s waist, “‘cause you’re our favorite volleyball player daddy!”

The scene itself was enough for everyone to watch in awe, a few of the guests that were invited had their own phones up to capture the moment with smiles on their faces, the others were almost practically in tears themselves, and well there was also Bokuto by the side with his pouty self at the realization that neither of his nephews were wearing his jersey like he thought they would. Atsumu on the other hand, had eventually dropped down to his knees and wrapped his arms around his two boys, burying his face in between them as he let out his own tears stream down his face from the overwhelming joy that coursed through him.

Yes, this is your family.

This is your home.

You stare out the window from the kitchen of your childhood home, a smile on your face at the beautiful afternoon of your backyard full with people you adore and have missed so much. 

The party was still in full swing despite the sun about to set, the laughter from the guests and a few children present rang in the air. Happiness had engulfed your heart and honestly, you had trouble believing it yourself but here you were. 

You wouldn’t trade this for anything. 

An arm snakes around your waist from behind and you would have been startled if you hadn’t felt Atsumu’s presence a minute ago. Despite not having seen each other in years, everything about him was still familiar. Sure, there were a few things about him that you didn’t know but that didn’t mean that he still wasn’t your Atsumu that you’ve grown to love. 

“Thank you,” he whispers as he nuzzles his nose into your hair, a smile playing on his lips. 

You place your hands atop of his and lean yourself back into his warmth, your brows furrowing in confusion. “What are you thanking me for?” 

“For everything,” he lets out a sigh, causing a shiver to run down your spine from the heat radiating from his breath close to your ear, “For giving me two amazing boys and for existing yourself.” 

Pivoting your body around so that you were facing Atsumu, your hands settling on his chest as you look up at him with your lips curling up to an assuring smile, “Thank you.” 

“And what for?” Atsumu questions, matching your own smile with his own as his hands cup your face. He lowers his head slowly, nudging your nose with his own as the pads of his thumbs brush delicately against your skin. 

Heat spreads across your cheeks at his gestures, feeling shy yourself but despite that, the majority of what you felt was only comfort in being in his arms. “For loving me as much as I love you.” 

He hums in response, placing a quick kiss to your lips. “No, I probably do love you more. More than you can imagine.” 

Before you could respond, he places his lips back firmly on yours and your eyelids flutter shut as if on instinct. The hands of yours that were resting on his chest eventually found their way around his torso to pull him close. Tilting your head to the side, the kiss itself deepens as he runs his fingers through your hair. 

It just felt so natural being with him.

Before the kiss could grow more heated however, a loud yell from outside had interrupted the both of you causing you to pull away much to both of your dismay. Your heads turn towards the direction of the commotion, the bouncy castle coming into view.

Or rather, the depleting bouncy castle with Bokuto and Hinata coming out hastily in laughter. 

You shake your head at the scene, a bubble of laughter leaving your lips before turning your head back over to look at the man before you. Just when you had decided to pull back and return to your duties of being a mother, he wraps his arms back around your waist to pull you back against him. Another laugh escapes your lips as you playfully slap his chest, “What now? We have a party going on, we have to entertain our gue-” 

“Move in with me,” he interrupts, his features showing nothing but seriousness. 

You meet his sincere gaze with your own and your heart makes a leap out of joy. There was only one answer you could possibly give. 

“Yes.”

[robertreich]

Covid is Resurging. So is Trumpian Politics.

Despair is worse after a brief period of hope. I don’t know about you, but I was elated earlier this spring when it seemed as if Trump and COVID were gone, and Biden seemed surprisingly able to get the nation rapidly back on track.  

Now much is sliding backwards. It’s not Biden’s fault; it’s Trump’s ongoing legacy.

The new Delta strain of the virus requires, according to the CDC, that we go back to wearing masks inside in public places where the virus is surging, even if we’re fully inoculated.

This would be nothing more than a small disappointment and inconvenience were it not for Republicans using it as another opportunity to politicize public health.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responded to the new CDC recommendation with the kind of unhinged hyperbole Trumpers have perfected. “The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state,” he said.

Republican politicizing of public health will get worse if the Delta variant continues to surge. At some point vaccines will have to be mandated because being inoculated is not solely a matter of personal choice. Herd immunity is a common good. If infections mount, that common good can only be achieved if nearly everyone is vaccinated.

But those eager to exploit the virus’s resurgence – the know-nothings, Trump wannabe’s, vilely ambitious political upstarts, Tucker Carlsons and similarly cynical entertainers – are already howling about “personal freedom” threatened by “socialism.”

The investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 is further evidence of how far the Republican Party has descended into opportunistic treachery.

We need to know what happened and why if we are to have half a chance of avoiding a repeat. Just as with the history of systemic discrimination and brutality against Black people in America -- which Republicans are calling “critical race theory” and trying to ban from classrooms -- the truth shapes our responses to the future.

Here again, the dispiriting aspect of the present moment is Republican denial and obfuscation.

As Officer Michael Fanone -- who suffered traumatic brain injury on Jan 6 when rioters attacked him -- testified yesterday at the start of the hearings, “What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens — including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend — are downplaying or outright denying what happened.”

With the exception of Rep. Liz Cheney – whom I never expected to hold up as a model of integrity -- Republicans are eager to divert the public's attention. Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik declared at a press conference yesterday that “Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as speaker of the House, for the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6.”

This is absurd on its face. The Speaker of the House shares responsibility for Capitol security with the Senate majority leader, who at the time of the attack was Mitch McConnell. If Pelosi was negligent – and there’s zero evidence she was -- McConnell was as well.

Stefanik and other Republican leaders don’t want the public to know about Republican members of Congress who were almost certainly involved in the travesty, either directly or indirectly. The list includes Representatives Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Andrew Biggs, and McCarthy himself. Senator Josh Hawley also seems to have been on the know, given his fist-salute to the rioters.

And then there’s Trump himself, cheerleader and ringleader.

All should be subpoenaed. All, presumably, will fight the subpoenas in court.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to stage rallies for his avid followers as he did last weekend in Phoenix, where he declared “Our nation is up against the most sinister forces… This nation does not belong to them, this nation belongs to you.”

Wrong. America belongs to all of us. And we all have a responsibility to protect its public health and its democratic institutions. The real sinister force is the Trump Republicans’ cynical exploitation of lies and anti-scientific rubbish to divide and divert us.

Months ago, it seemed as if this darkness was behind us. It is not.