#but there's always going to be people with bad takes and now we're simply more exposed to them than before

[bogkeep]

okay there's just SO many video essays about "the death of media literacy". how dead can it be when all of you are so good at it. has media literacy gotten provably worse or do we just have the internet now. when was the golden age of media literacy

[cherrygirlfriend]

pairing: frat!rafe x tutor!reader synopsis: reader attends a frat party where the theme is to dress up as your type warnings: fluff! wc: 1.3k

you'd never really been much into parties, your best friend constantly trying to get you to go to some of the various parties the social butterfly had gotten invited to, but you simply held up the book you were in the middle of and let out a soft hum as a way to say that you had your own plans. after some more pleading, lexi always gave up trying to convince you to come and left you in your own devices, returning in the early hours of the morning, trying to be as quiet as possible yet waking you up every time.

but this time, all the girl had to do was mention the frat party she was going to that night when you let out a sigh and told her you'd come with her. maybe there was a second reason you wanted to go, other than to just please your friend.

"we're having a party this friday."

you chuckled, turning your gaze from the book in front of you to the boy next to you, "you're in a fraternity, rafe. i'm pretty sure that happens every friday without exception."

your words caused the boy to roll his eyes, yet the small grin you'd grown to like still remained on his lips as he repositioned his backwards cap, "yeah, but it's a themed party. you should come."

"why?" you furrowed your brows in suspicion and confusion as to why he'd want you to attend, "what's the theme?"

"you're supposed to dress up as your type."

"and what are you going as? some kind of variation of jennifer from jennifer's body? or regina from mean girls?" you let out a small snort.

"guess you'll have to come if you wanna find out." the boy poked your forearm with the rubber end of his pencil, licking his lips, "i wanna see what kind of guys you are into. i bet it's some thrifty hipster dudes or some broody bad boys that secretly get hard for poetry and emily dickinson and shit."

you felt your cheeks warm from the memory as you placed the backwards cap on your head. you looked in the mirror, clad in loose jeans that hung low on your hips so it'd show off the calvin klein logo on your underwear, and a sweatshirt adorning the logo of your university. the outfit you wore looked just like something rafe would wear during one of your tutoring sessions. hell, he probably had.

lexi looked at you with raised brows, the muscular girl who usually wore dark, baggy clothes looked strange in the blue sundress she'd borrowed from you, her biceps basically protruding from the short sleeves, the girl's short black hair pulled up into a tiny attempt at a ponytail, wearing some simple makeup that you'd helped her apply.

"you're going as a frat guy? to a frat party?" she snorted, taking in your ensemble, "damn, you date so little that i had no idea that's the type of guy you were into."

you rolled your eyes, throwing her the handbag that she'd asked you if she could borrow, "and you're going as...?"

"a straight girl." lexi said, her usual shit-eating grin taking over her lips.

"in that case, you could've just worn like, a grey hoodie, those flared leggings, and a pair of white nike air force ones. most straight girls here do. i think you've failed at your assignment."

"shut up."

you were surprised by how many people actually dressed up according to the theme, especially over the number of frat boys wearing different types of skirts and dresses, some of them even sporting poorly done makeup looks on their faces.

having gotten separated from lexi almost the moment you arrived to the party, you were now leaning against the living room wall, hiding a part of your face behind a red solo cup half-full of some sort of concoction you'd found as you looked around. you'd always been better at standing aside, observing what everyone else was doing, rather than trying to join in.

you lifted the cup to your mouth and drank some of the nasty liquid, nearly spitting it out when you spot rafe chatting to his friends, just about managing to swallow it before you keel in laughter.

he stood confidently in a grey cardigan strewn over a white button-up that was so small on him it actually turned into a crop top, showing off the lower part of his abs, a faint happy trail as well as a defined v-line leading to a short black pleated skirt, his calves covered by black socks that ended just below his knees.

it seemed that your amusement had caught rafe's attention, as the moment you'd finally managed to straighten yourself up, the boy was strutting over to you, his hands on his hips in a way that almost caused you to go into another laughing fit.

"what's so funny?" rafe asked with lifted brows as he reached you, looking over your outfit with a pleased look on his face before gesturing to his own, "you don't think i look hot?"

"oh, definitely. the hottest." you snorted, bringing the drink to your lips and taking a small sip before pursing your lips in thought, "so, what's your type? britney spears?"

the boy's brows furrowed at that, "huh?"

"you look just like her in one of her music videos." you explained, your lips falling open in shock as his eyebrows continued to remain furrowed, "you don't know 'baby one more time'?"

"i haven't seen it." rafe shrugged, "what, you can't recognize who i'm trying to dress as?"

"i can't say i do. who?"

"i'm dressed as you."

you knew that if you were able to see yourself, your eyes would comically widen the moment the words left rafe's lips; and as you looked at him up and down, you realized, that his outfit was something you'd usually wear; just more lewd. "you're... dressed as me?"

"yeah. and clearly you're dressed as me."

"based- based on what?" you laughed incredulously, feeling your cheeks light up, bringing the cup to your lips and drinking just so you'd be able to hide a part of your face from the boy.

"well," rafe snatched the cap on your head, placing it on his instead, making his entire ensemble look even goofier, as he took hold of the front of your sweatshirt. "i'm pretty sure i've worn this exact same outfit."

"that doesn't mean anything… plenty of guys wear this." you mumbled from behind your cup, only to have rafe grab it from your hands, your eyes widening as you watched him finish it in one swallow, scrunching up the cup and throwing it on the floor somewhere.

cupping your chin with his finger and lifting it up so you were looking up at him, rafe brought his face closer to yours, his ice-blue eyes looking into yours in a way that made you feel like you were naked as his lips twisted into a knowing grin, "it doesn't?"

"n-"

before you could finish denying it, rafe's lips were pressed against yours; your eyes still wide open when his free hand slid to your waist, pulling you closer to him.

slowly, you felt yourself melt into the kiss, your eyes automatically closing as your lips moved against his. your hands were pressed against his chest, slowly moving down to feel his defined abs over the sheer button-up.

you could feel rafe's grin against your lips before he even pulled away, looking down at you with a knowing look on his face, the boy licking his lips causing you to bite down on your lower lip, your head spinning from just kissing him.

"so, that didn't mean anything, huh?"

[problematicraccoon]

when people say "ignore the 3D" i always noticed how they just didn't elaborate, and for a long time that frustrated me to the point where i would avoid practicing loa because i didn't understand it and not one person would explain it in a way that made sense to me. im the type of person that needs things spelled out in a more detailed, realistic way, while most posts talkng about loa and manifestation are more abstract and conceptual. im not saying this is a bad thing, its just a different way to explain the law that makes sense to some but not to others.

so, now that i finally understand loa, im gonna explain it in a way that i wish someone would have done for me lmao

ignoring the 3D doesnt mean to stop living in your cr, to stop functioning and shut down, ignoring all responsibilities. it means to look at the outer world and accept it as the reality your PAST thoughts created. your PAST assumptions. reality has a bit of a delay for a lot of people (not all, but i've seen a great majority of people talk about how they struggle with it), in the sense that when affirming that they have their dream life or they've shifted, its not instantaneous like a lot of posts say it should be.

this delay reminds me of how light takes time to reach the earth. there are stars that are so far away from us, that when we look at them, we're seeing them YEARS in the past, probably centuries. the light of our own sun takes 8 minutes to reach us. when we see the sun, we're seeing what it looked like 8 minutes ago. there is a delay in what you see, but that doesn't mean that what you WANT to see isnt coming.

ignoring the 3D simply means that you see the reality around you, and you calmly accept that it's what your PREVIOUS assumptions created, and you continue to focus on affirming. intrusive thoughts going "but where is it? why isnt it here yet????" IGNORE THEM. shake your head like an etch a sketch and persist in affirming. live in the end, as in assume you already have it, and act as such.

ignore the 3D as in realizing that reality is created by you and your dominant subconscious thoughts, and is waaaaayyyyyyy more malleable than you first thought. nothing is set in stone, reality is fluid and ever changing.

[cosmic-dust-poltergeist]

Pt 4 of forever teen Danny adopted JJ Tim and Red Hood Jason. Sorry if you're a Batman or Nightwing fan, I'm not nice to them in this one.

[Pt3: Here][pt5: here]

The last 4 years have been a riot. Danny has 2 wonderful and slightly unhinged boys that he stole from the Bats. They've gotten in so many shenanigans, between normal vigilante shit, the Bats and/or ghost/supernatural hunters trying to bag them, and them just fucking around.

It's the most fun he's had in a while. They're good kids, but they, of course, have started branching out. They're 19 (Jason) and 17(Tim) now and don't necessarily want their dad following them around. So Danny gave them his personal summons just in case and made them promise to stay close together, the two of them are good at covering for the other's weaknesses. Like how Tim only being Liminal, he can take more hits from the ghost hunters that will clock Jason as a Revenant or Jason's supernatural strength taking out the bigger assholes that target Tim for his small size or Joker mannerisms.

So he tries not to worry, simply going to work and trusting them to either deal with any trouble themselves or summon him. And for 3 months they don't need to summon him once. But at the end of month 3, he feels it.

"Hey, Eddy! I got to go! My kids are in trouble!" Danny calls to his boss, already moving to somewhere there's less witnesses to see him poof.

"Okay! See ya! ...Wait, you have kids?" Danny doesn't answer, letting the summons take ahold and pull him through the fabric of reality.

A fun side effect of being summoned is that he always ends up in his High King form. The form is humanoid in the vaguest of sense. It's also just stars and the void of space. His eyes are giant stars and his mouth is too wide and full of rows and rows of needle-like teeth. A crown of ice smokes like dry ice on his head and the ring of rage is simple stripe of neon green on his right hand's middle finger (he thought it'd be funny to flip people off with it). All in all, he's terrifying for mortals to see unprepared.

And the cussing around him tells the people hassling his sons are NOT prepared.

"HOW THE FUCK DID YOU SUMMON THE GHOST KING???" A very distraught British man shrieks. Danny would feel bad, but this idiot is standing near the Bat and Nightwing AND Danny's sons are tied up in front of them.

"DAaaaAD!" Tim whines, flopping over to look at him. "They're trying to excorise Hoodie!"

"Are they now?" Danny hisses. His voice sounds like glaciers crashing together.

"Bats! What the fuck??? You didn't tell me THAT WAS THEIR DAD!" British man sounds on the brink of a mental breakdown.

"We've never seen this entity." Batman frowns.

"Yeah! They've been calling a ghost kid dad this whole time!" Nightwing defends. "How were we supposed to know they could summon this guy??"

"What...what did you say the "kid"'s name was?" British dude asks faintly.

"We didn't." Batman says.

"Weeell, Johnny-boy!" Jason sounds like he has a shit eating grin. "What they didn't tell you is our sweet ol' adoptive father is called Phantom~!"

"Oh goodie! We're so dead..." "Johnny" says and starts chugging his flask of probably alcohol. It suddenly clicks that this is the fabled John Constantine.

"You should know better than to take a job half-assed, John Constantine." Danny grins with teeth.

"Oh good, he knows my name.." Constantine mumbles to himself.

"Give me one good reason to not kill you all for trying to kill my son and kidnap the other." Danny waves a hand and slices his sons' bindings. "I have only been so patient with you bats because my sons are fond of you, but my patience is running out."

"Tim belongs with us! He needs help and healing!" Nightwing proclaims.

"I talk to a licensed therapist twice a week and take my meds every day! Try again, Big Birdie!!" Tim snarls. "Just because I'm not what you want me to be doesn't mean I'm a broken doll in need of saving!"

"Besides, don't you have a new bird to destroy?" Jason asks with a head tilt. "The second birdie died, the third got mentally fucked, the four died... I think we can count birdie #1 as mentally fucked up, meaning if we follow the pattern, birdie #5 will be mentally fucked by the time he flies the nest."

"How do you know so much about us, Red Hood?" Batman demands with a scowl.

"He doesn't have to tell you anything!" Tim steps in front of Jason and glares.

"I'm still waiting on a reason to not kill you." Danny reminds them. The bats look towards Constantine.

"Don't look at me, mates. That's head bitch of all head bitches. The fact he's letting you plead your case after threatening what he deems as his is a step up huge from most overpowered dead guys. From what I heard, the last guy would have just killed us the moment he was summoned and then destroyed the whole dimension afterwards. This guy beat that guy in single combat." Constantine pulls out a cigarette before addressing Danny, "Your Majesty, I had no idea these were your kids. I was just told a Revenant had kidnapped and "brainwashed" the ex-Robin. Clearly, I wasn't told accurate information."

Nightwing sputters, "What Do You Mean?? Clearly Tim has been brainwashed or something!!"

Constantine whips around to Nightwing, "Oh shut up, you big blue twit! King Phantom DESPISES mind control! Which means your ex-bird is with these two completely willingly."

"There's n-" Nightwing tries, but Constantine bulldozes on.

"I don't know what you did to the kid, nor do I care. But he's considered ROYALTY to the dead and undead now. He doesn't have to have ANYTHING to do with you. If you take him away from his new and apparently accepting family, that's considered an interdimensional crime, and no magician or supernatural or even god-like being will help you." Constantine takes a long drag of his cigarette. "I suggest you apologize, make your excuses, then leave them the fuck alone. Besides, crime has been at a record low in Gotham from what I hear. Let them do what they want. "

"That's because Red Hood keeps killing the Rouges!" Nightwing protests. "Who gives him the right to be judge, jury, and executioner???"

Constantine points to Danny and says flatly. "The ruler of basically everything, that's who."

Danny grins at him, his ghost half is very pleased with the man. "I shall spare you, magic man."

Constantine looks like he's going to faint from relief, moving to park himself by the door. "Just fucking apologize and leave them be, Bats."

"But!" Nightwing looks like he's going to cry. He turns his teary eyes to Tim. "Why can't you just come home, Timmy?"

"What home?" Tim stares down his nose at Nightwing, anger clear in his voice. "The Manor was Never my home. I was simply the stand in for your and B's grief for a boy you both pushed to his death. Phantom showed me what family really was. And that was AFTER I was too broken for you to accept. I was NOT Joker Junior then or now. I'm my own fucking person and I'm staying with the family that accepts me for ALL my oddities."

"You tried to put him in Arkham when he tried to go to you." Red Hood growls. "He wanted your support and help and you were going to lock him up and throw away the key."

"We were n-"

"YOU WERE!" Tim starts to trembling in hurt and rage. "You couldn't even look at me! I wanted you so badly to help me and you were going to put me in there right next to Harley! I wanted you to be my family, but I've only ever been a tool to you!"

"You weren't-" Danny doesn't like how the Bats seem ready to jump at his kids, so he freezes the Bats' feet to the floor.

"Shut up, Dickwing." Jason snarls, pulling Tim into a hug. "You lost your chance to be his brother 4 years ago. Go pretend to care about the new cannon fodder. We don't want to hear it."

"Hood." Batman finally speaks. "Who are you?"

"Who do you think, old man?" Jason takes his hood off for the first time ever in front of the Bats. They visibly startle, recognizing him despite all the changes.

"Ja-" The Bat starts.

"Shut up." Jason glares. "You were a shit dad and brother to me in life. I found the BEST family in death."

Danny picks up his boys, deciding to let them decide on the severity of the Bats' punishment. "Maiming or death?"

"... I say maim, but only because I know the newest bird and want him to stay out of the death cult his mother's in." Jason says softly. The Bats sqawk as they Just realize Danny froze their feet to the floor. Mortal tools and fire can't break/melt his ice, but it's amusing to watch the bats try.

Tim is quiet for nearly 3 whole minutes, locked in some sort of internal battle, before he answers. "Maim in a, at least mostly, healable way. Gotham needs Batman, even if we don't."

"Hmm." Danny ignores the Bats' protests to think about what he should do. "Ah! I know exactly what to do!"

He unfreezes their feet and gently forces both to the ground and processes to break both of Nightwing's legs and both of Batman's arms. He pulls one of their coms off and hands it to Tim, he's the only one that sounds normal on normal tech. Jason hasn't been able to use normal tech since Danny fixed his ecto, so Danny modifies anything he or Jason use.

"Hi, Agent A! Batgirl!" Tim's cheerful tone barely hides his seething rage. "You should send a pick up for Dickiebird and B-man! They need medical attention! Ba-bye~!"

Danny can hear the shouting over the com, but Tim simply yeets it towards the Bats instead of listening to whatever they have to say.

"I have a reason for the injuries I picked." Danny informs the room. Jason and Tim look intrigued, Constantine looks exhausted and slightly guilty about the Bats getting hurt on his watch, and the Bats themselves look dazed and in pain, so who knows if they'll remember his reasonings. "Nightwing is an acrobat and truly a bird, so grounding him is cruel, but hopefully he feels as small and helpless as you both did. Grounding him will give him time to think on his actions and their consequences."

Danny's sons look curiously at the grounded Nightwing before looking back to him.

"I broke Batman's arms so that he's forced to ask for help and communicate. He's far too old for his shitty behavior." Danny frowns. "They both need therapy, but I doubt the flying furries will actually get the help they need."

Tim suddenly cackles in delight. "Maybe THEY should check THEMSELVES into Arkham! Ya know! Since they think I, the one ACTUALLY getting help, should be in there!"

Jason starts cackling alongside his brother while Danny chuckles.

"I shall take my children home now, good day." Danny says while wrapping his sons in his invisibility and intangibility and takes them home. A cozy 3 bedroom apartment on the top floor of a building Jason owns as Red Hood.

[ms-demeanor]

On insurance: I still live with my parents and don't know a lot yet about the sorts of things adults usually have to spend money on. I've always been skeptical of things like insurance and credit cards because it seems to me they wouldn't be selling that if they didn't expect to make money from it. I talked to my cousin a while ago about credit cards and basically came to the conclusion that they do that because they're betting on the customer getting sloppy and letting their debts stack up, and the way you beat that and get money from credit card companies is just by being careful.

I'm a little more confused about insurance though because it seems much more straightforwardly like a gamble they will simply not take if it won't pay off for them. Like, you don't go to a casino because every game they play at a casino is one they've done the math on and have determined that statistically most people will lose money on most of the time. Is insurance not kinda the same? Where they estimate the risk and then charge you an amount calculated to make sure it probably won't be worth it for you?

I know if you have a car you legally need car insurance so everyone knows you can pay for another car if you crash into someone, and I gather that here in the US at least health insurance companies have some kinda deal with hospitals so that the prices go down or something, and there's a reason I don't fully understand why not having health insurance is Really Bad. But we get to pet insurance, or like when I buy a concert ticket and it offers ticket insurance in case I can't make it to the show, and surely if they thought they were gonna lose money on that they just wouldn't sell it, right? Or they'd raise the price of it until it became worth the risk that something bad actually will happen? Wouldn't it only be worth it to buy insurance if you know something the insurance company doesn't?

So the deal is that most people don't use their insurance much, and often insurance companies will incentivize doing things that will make you use your insurance less.

So, for example, you can get a discount on car insurance if you have multiple cars because people who insure multiple cars are more likely to be responsible drivers (the ability to pay for multiple cars stands in as a representation of responsibility here). The longer you go without an accident, the lower your premiums get because that means that you are not costing your insurance company anything but you are paying into the system. The car insurance company's goal is to have the most responsible, safest drivers who never get into car accidents because they can predict (roughly) how much they're going to have to pay out to their customers and they want the number they pay out to be lower than what's paid in. So they try to discourage irresponsible drivers by raising their rates and encourage responsible drivers by giving them discounts.

Health insurance companies often do the same thing: I recently got a gift card from my health insurance company because I had a visit from a nurse who interviewed me about my overall health and made sure I had stable blood pressure and access to medications. It is literally cheaper for my insurance company to give me a $100 giftcard and hire a nurse to visit me than it is for me to go to my doctor's office a couple of times, so they try to make sure that their customers are getting preventative care and are seeing inexpensive medical professionals regularly so that they don't have to suddenly see very expensive professionals after a long time without care.

Insurance in the US has many, many, many problems and should be replaced with socialized healthcare for a huge number of reasons but right now, because it is an insurance-based system, you need to have insurance.

We're going to use Large Bastard as an example.

Large Bastard had insurance when he had his heart attack and when he needed multiple organs transplanted. He didn't *want* to be paying for insurance, because he thought he was healthy enough to get by, but I insisted. His premium is four hundred dollars a month, and his out of pocket maximum is eight thousand dollars a year. That means that every year, he pays about $5000 whether he uses his insurance or not, and if he DOES need to use the insurance, he pays the first $8k worth of care, so every year his insurance has the possibility of costing him thirteen thousand dollars.

The bill for his bypass surgery was a quarter million dollars.

The bill for his transplant was over one and a half million dollars.

His medication each month is around six hundred dollars. He needs to have multiple biopsies - which are surgeries - each year, and each one costs about twenty thousand dollars.

Without health insurance, he would very likely be dead, or we would be *even more* incapable of paying for his healthcare than we are right now. He almost ditched his insurance because he was a healthy-seeming 40-year-old and he didn't think he'd get sick. And then he proceeded to be the sickest human being I've ever known personally who did not actually die.

Health insurance costs a lot of money. It costs less money for people who are young and who are expected to be healthy. But the thing is, everybody pays into health insurance, and very, very few people end up using as much money for their medical expenses as Large Bastard did. There are a few thousand transplants in the US ever year, but there are hundreds of millions of people paying for insurance.

This ends up balancing out (sort of) so that people who pay for insurance get a much lower cost on care if they need it, hospitals get paid for the care they provide, and the insurance company makes enough money to continue to exist. Part of the reason that people don't like this scheme is because "insurance company" could feasibly be replaced by "government" and it would cost less and provide a better standard of care, but again, with things as they are now, you need to have insurance. Insurance companies are large entities that are able to negotiate down costs with the providers they work with, you are not. If you get hit by a car you may be able to get your medical bills significantly reduced through a number of means, but you're very unlikely to get your bills lower than the cost of insurance and a copay.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, which is flawed but which did a LOT of good, medical insurance companies cannot refuse to treat you because of preexisting conditions and also cannot jack up your premiums to intolerable rates - since Large Bastard got sick, he has had the standard price increases you'd expect from aging, but nothing like the gouging you might expect from an insurance company deciding you're not worth it.

Pet insurance works on the same model. Millions of people pay for the insurance, thousands of people end up needing it, a few hundred end up needing a LOT of it, and the insurance companies are able to make more money than they hand out, so they continue to exist. This is part of why it's less expensive to get pet insurance for younger animals - people who sign up puppies and kittens are likely to be paying for a very long time and are likely to provide a lot of preventative care for their animals, so they're a good bet for the insurer. Animals signed up when they are older are more likely to have health problems (and pet insurance CAN turn animals away for preexisting conditions) and are going to cost the insurance companies more, so they cost more to enroll (and animals over a certain age or with certain conditions may be denied entirely).

This weighing risk/reward is called actuarial science, and the insurance industry is built on it.

But yeah it's kind of betting. The insurance company says "I'll insure ten thousand dogs and I'm going to bet that only a hundred of them will need surgery at some point in the next year" and if they're correct, they make money and the dogs who need surgery get their surgery paid for out of the premiums from the nine thousand nine hundred dogs who didn't need surgery.

Your assessment of credit is correct: credit card companies expect that you will end up carrying a balance, and that balance will accrue interest, and the interest is how they make the money.

And it is EASY to fuck up financially as an adult. REALLY EASY. But you are still likely to need a good credit score so you will need a credit history. That means that the correct way to use a credit card is to have a card, but not carry a balance.

To do this, never buy anything on the card that you can't afford. In order to avoid needing the card for emergencies, start an emergency fund that is at least 3 months of your total pay *before* you get a credit card. That seems like a *lot* of savings to have, but from the perspective of someone who has had plenty of mess-ups, it's a lot easier to build up a $10k emergency fund than it is to pay off a $10k credit card debt.

If you don't understand how interest works on credit cards, or why a 10k savings is different than a 10k debt, here are some examples working with $10k of debt, 23% interest (an average-ish rate for people with average credit), and various payments.

With that debt and that interest, here's how much it costs and how long it would take to pay off with $200 as the monthly payment:

Fourteen years, and it would cost you about twenty four thousand dollars in interest, for a total amount paid of about thirty four thousand dollars.

To save $10k at $200 a month would take four years and two months.

Here's the same debt at $300 a month:

4.5 Years and it costs about six grand (again, just in interest - sixteen thousand dollars total). Saving ten thousand dollars at three hundred dollars a month would take just under three years.

Here's the same debt at $400 a month:

3 years, about $4000 dollars (fourteen thousand dollars total). Saving ten thousand dollars at $400 a month takes just over two years.

The thing is, with all of these models you're going to end up paying one way or another. Insurance vs out of pocket is you weighing the risk of losing a fair amount of money by signing up but not using the system, or potentially losing a catastrophic amount of money by not signing up.

For credit cards they really only work if you know you're never going to need them for an emergency, because an emergency is what you're not going to be able to pay off right away. I didn't have an emergency fund when Large Bastard had his heart attack and needed surgery, or when we moved between states suddenly, or when we moved between states suddenly AGAIN and needed to pay storage costs, or when Large Bastard needed a transplant, or when Tiny Bastard got in a fight with my MiL's dog, and the fact that I didn't have an emergency fund is still costing me a lot of money.

So, young folks out there: what's the takeaway?

Get insurance. Get the best deal possible, which usually ends up being the one you sign up for early. You may think you can let it ride without insurance, but man in the six months between when I graduate college (and lost my school insurance) and when care kicked in after 90 days at my job I got electrocuted and needed to go to the ER. If that hadn't been a worker's comp payout I would have had thousands of dollars in bills. Something could happen. You could break your leg, you could get hit by a car, you could suddenly find out that you actually have heart disease at twenty, you could develop cancer. Have insurance, you need insurance. You legally need car insurance in the US, and you financially need health insurance. If you have a pet, I think it's a good idea for them to have pet insurance.

Credit cards are not for emergencies, they are not for fun, they are not for buying things that are just ever so slightly out of your budget, they are for taking advantage of the credit card company and managing to get by in a system that demands you have a credit score. ONLY put purchases on your credit card that you already have cash for. Before you get a credit card, build up an emergency savings so that you aren't tempted to put emergency charges on your card.

If you DO end up with an interest-bearing debt, pay it off as fast as possible because letting it linger costs you a LOT of money in the long run.

Stay the fuck away from tobacco and nicotine products they are fucking terrible for you, they are fucking expensive, and they are not worth it put the vapes down put the zyns down put the cigarettes down I will begin manifesting in your house physically i swear to fuck. Knock that shit off and put the cash that you'd be spending on nicotine into a savings account.

Take care, sorry everything sucks, I promise that in some ways it actually sucks less than it did before and we're working on trying to make it suck even less but it's taking a while.

[goldfades]

𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 ─ PB⁵

౨ৎ ─ summary | paigey being your girlfriend - a list of relationship "headcanons"

─ warnings | in a bullet-point formatting, i hope you guys like it! fluff (lmk if yall want nsfw ones bc i can provide), paige being DOWN BAD, social media tingz, maybe alluding to being outed but not really, some angst but you can skip over it, paigey being protective (duh), nothing else?

─ taglist | @xocherishxo @iienstein @yazmunson and here's a link to my taglist if anyone would like to join!!

─ ev's notes | THIS IS SUCH LONG MESS BECAUSE I'M HAVING PAIGE BRAINROT RN, but i hope y'all enjoy nonetheless LOL being in my paige era i've read so many of these and i'm sure you guys have as well, so i'm making this as unique (or descriptive) as i possibly can to make it because it's more fun to read (and write cus im a sucker for details)

PRE-RELATIONSHIP STUFF

when you guys first started dating, i feel like paige would be kind of secretive about it

maybe secretive isn't the right word but very... private but not secret type of vibe (at least irl)

not because she doesn't want to show you off, because believe me, she wants to (she's a bragger what can i say)

but just because she wants to keep you all to herself for a while

she knows that as soon as people find out about it, everyone will be talking about it and making assumptions and she just wants to keep you to herself

at least for a couple months

she doesn't care about the public's opinions but she wants to make sure that y'all are LOCKED IN before she makes it public on social media

but it's clear to paige that y'all are very much locked in after the first couple weeks

she's not new to relationships and she's had her fair share but she can tell that it's different now

so the whole "not sure if i wanna hard/soft launch her cus what if we're not a long term" sentiment turns into "i wanna keep this special thing to myself ONLY for at least a couple months"

and of course the entire team knows paige is down bad for you, they've never ever seen her this WHIPPED

because paige seems like she'd be nonchalant and SHE IS... for people she doesn't give a fuck about

so when she likes someone, she LIKES someone

she is extra what can i say

they tease her about it and in any other situation, she would be annoyed but she loooooooves it because it's like "yeah i'm in the best most awesome relationship with the cutest sweetest and kindest girl in the PLANET"

you and paige would've definitely known of each other since freshman year but like... she's kinda intimidating so you sorta tried to steer clear of her

you were really close with some of the girls on the team, specifically azzi so you saw paige kind of a lot

but sophomore year, azzi kind of pushed you guys to be close and since she knows you guys so well, IT WORKED!

you guys clicked so quick and that doesn't happen a lot with paige, it takes a lot to earn her friendship

but you practically ripped down all her walls within like an hour of talking to her

definitely the first one to catch feelings

at least... to her ;)

very much friends to lovers trope with lots of sexual tension cus who doesn't love that?

i feel like after 3 months of being really close friends, you guys would spend like a shit ton of time together

you guys were ALWAYS together

she even tried to convince you to come to practice with her but you said no cus... what the heck

everyone knows... EVERYONE knows that paige likes you

and it kind of becomes like cemented (for paige at least) after she realized you were her literal COMFORT PERSON

like after every terrible, long practice or after losing games all she wants to do is be AROUND YOU so she could forget about everything

especially when she gets injured, she's such a wreck and the only person who made her feel better was you

it wasn't even what you said or what you did, it was simply just you

and after going through such a bad time with you, she realized that she liked you and she can't keep pretending

and she asked you (yaya!) and you said yes cus you liked her back (yaya!) and everything is just YAYA

so it's safe to say she knows she's found her soulmate within a month of knowing you

but she doesn't wanna seem like she's love-bombing you or whatever so she pretended to be nonchalant

which of course FAILS because she's down bad

so she tells you she loves you within like a month of dating

i KNOW it seems bad but you guys both felt it because of the whole injury and spending every moment together

when you know, you know vibes

she told you she loved you after you were there for her through some of the worst times of her life and you said it back of course and it's all cutesy

paige's love language is TOTALLY quality time and touch

even before you were dating, she just liked having her hands on you whether it was like holding your hand while walking through a crowd, or braiding your hair, or putting her head on top of yours or something as simple as just HUGGING you

but she kept it cordial of course cus y'all weren't dating

yeah that was all thrown out the window as soon you became her girlfriend

hands on you at ALL times, it becomes so subconscious neither of you even know you're doing it anymore

so remember that whole secret relationship thing?

well... everyone kind of figures it out online after like 3 months of dating

it was because of paige, poor girl couldn't keep her hands and lips off of you after a particularly hard game and somehow 🤨🤨someone gets a picture and it was all over twitter and tiktok the next day

literally "paige bueckers girlfriend" trending after an hour of getting posted

but neither of you cared too much about it because A. it was totally worth it cus the kiss was 😫😫😫 and B. she finally doesn't have to turn off her girlfriend mode when she's with you at games

cus she has the prettiest and best gf in the world and she wants everyone to know that

the only reason she was slightly annoyed was because she couldn't hard launch you on instagram :( poor girl had potential captions in her notes :( cus she's our little drama queen:(

but that doesn't stop her cus she ends up doing it! (shameless plug right there hehehe)

now that she can freely touch you and just be herself finally, she literally doesn't GAFFF

of course nothing like over the top because sure she loves PDA to a certain extent and she's an athlete so she needs to keep it civil

RELATIONSHIP STUFF

we've already covered how paige is a physical touch and quality time girly

and paige loves spending literally all her free time with you because you just recharge her

but it isn't in like an overwhelming way

paige understand that sometimes you need quiet time (or vice versa) but the thing is she doesn't even need you to talk just being around you is enough

so idk if it's necessarily QUALITY time but just being around you and spending every free second she has with you tells you that she is in love with you

paige is the most protective person IN THE WORLD, not just with you like in general

it doesn't even have to be someone she knows, if she sees someone giving someone else a hard time SHE WILL STEP IN!

and with her friends, y'all have seen her... she does not back down and will literally murder anyone who comes for the people she cares about

so if that's with people she doesn't know, and her friends, you guys can imagine how crazy she gets over you

if somebody says something even slightly consendecing or mean, slap. someone looks at you the wrong way? slap. somebody breaths wrong around you, slap.

obviously she won't lay a hand on them first but likeeee would she back down, nope

she is actually your guardian angel

like at parties, her hand is always on you and she never ever leaves your side

you need to get a drink, she's coming to

if you need to pee? she'll wait in the bathroom for you

yeah don't expect her to leave your side

because even when she IS by your side, there is always a weirdo in your guys' ear trying to get with one (or both!) of you

but yeah she's not afraid to defend you when it comes to literally anything

and this doesn't only apply to strangers, if there is someone that you know (your friend, her friend, etc) she WILL stand by you and defend you

like she doesn't shy away from confrontation, she will say something but only if you want her to

and GOD HELP THEM if you shed a single tear, cus the next morning you bet she's saying something

like i said, paige is a confrontational person and that means she's the biggest communicator

if she has a problem, she will tell you so that you guys can fix it

but sometimes she can come off a little argumentative and like she's just attacking you

she uses a lot of "you" statements so it seems like she's pushing the blame all on to you

so that can be the root of a lot of your guys' arguments when paige is only trying to solve the issues

but of course paige doesn't back down so she will be arguing with you even if she doesn't even know why, she just hates being wrong

but she doesn't let you leave or go to sleep unless the problem is fixed (or at least on the road to being fixed)

she'll give you space, she'll go another room to take a breather but she will not let you leave until it is fixed

usually after the breather you guys can come to an agreement and then paige usually hugs all the anger outta you

cus who could resist her?

if the argument lasts a couple days (it usually doesn't unless it's something serious) paige will talk it out with her mom or her friends

and you'll usually do the same

and paige will force you to sit down and talk about it until it is FIXED because she hates not being able to talk to you

and when you guys do eventually talk about it, especially if it's a serious topic, it will end with tears with both parties

but you guys always make up and everything will be better

okay okay no more angst ... for now hehehe

i feel like paige's nervous tic would be braiding the ends of her hair so i feel like that would transfer to YOU somehow

she just likes braiding your hair!!!!!! or just running her hands through your hair, it would help her relax

and if you're like me, it will help you relax as well

if you're black/have braids, she would only touch your hair if you let her!

paigey takes pictures OF EVERYTHING so obviously that includes you

her camera roll consists of ONLY you atp, like... 20% pics of literally anything else, and the rest would just be pictures of you or something to do with you

and oh my gosh don't get me started on the damn .5's of you, some of them are HORRENDOUSSSS and paige uses them as reaction pictures sometimes

and you found out from azzi that she does indeed use them in the girls groupchat

but she argues that you just look adorable which you respectfully disagree

oh and don't get me started on her tiktok drafts, she has at least 1,000 (rip her storage)

and when y'all started dating she just makes cute relationship tiktoks but she never posts them

EXPECT the "you're spinning me around, my feet are off the ground one" cus she wants to prove to the world that she has muscles

and the tiktok girlies will cry but WHO CARES!

oh and if you're on the basketball team, they will started to fan-girl over you as well

HELLA TIKTOK EDITS

and paige will favorite, repost and comment on them

like the most down-bad, insane comments you can think of

"GET THE STRAP GET THE STRAP!" is one of many ✨✨

if you aren't on the team, trust the tiktok girlies will find a way and they will make edits of you

and paige will do the same

obviously you do the same for her, your favorites are just paige edits atp (mine too)

ESPECIALLY THE GET IT SEXY ONE OMLL

and everyone will make ship edits and cutesy things like

"omg the way paige looks at her" and like a slideshow of paige being like all 😍😍😍

after paige gets more comfortable with like the media knowing about you two, she posts you every five seconds

usually like stories and stuff and especially if you’re also a basketball player, she reposts ALL your stuff

she is a proud gf !!!

she also has a highlight FOR SURE, she loves

also she def has like 10 diff wallpapers of you and her, some are really cute and some are really… 🫣

also paige strikes me as the type to like be texting you ALL DAY

and girl doesn’t care if you reply, she will send you 8 consecutive messages of different things

“omg look at the group chat 😂 *insert screeshot*” “baby they ran out of fucking caramel at dunkin, how does that happen ?” “i ended up going to a local cafe why did this shit cost me 9$” “baby you’re coming to my game on saturday right?” “HAHA look at this meme 😂” “why haven’t you responded to my tiktok’s in 2 days?”

yes she 100% uses the laughing with tears emoji argue with the WALL

or skull emoji

she also sends you 20 minute snapchat vlogs and they’re so chaotic, especially when she’s at practice or something

kk will steal her phone and say hi then you’ll hear them play fighting for like 80% of the vlog

also she does grwm’s on snapchat too when she’s at away games and her morning voice is SOOOO SEXY CUTE

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[leonneon1422]

Ok but, what if there's a Kon Kent centric AU that goes like this??

Kon is sent by Luthor to seduce Tim, to get as much information about the Waynes as posible.

Maybe Luthor had been sending Kon to seduce people for some time now, which would make Kon kinda experienced at it by now.

As Kon would have been doing this for much time now, he would know how most people act in different situations, especially because the targets are mainly rich people(most of who should be in horny jail).

So Kon's mentally prepared for some degradating comments here and there, like comments about how he's lucky he's pretty with how "cutely dumb" he is, or maybe even some of those comments that rich assholes do when you're way too pretty so they *know* they can't make you dubout it, like: "you're so beautiful, baby. Don't ever let that change." Kon had learned that one's a clasic, they lower your self esteem so low that you fell like you don't deserve anything, which leads to you feeling extra special or flustred when they give you even the slightes bit of attention(he was teached this by Luthor before being sent to do it for the first time).

He's fully prepared to get those comments at least twice a day from Timothy Drake-Wayne, who is his current target.

Luthor had said: "The target is one of Gotham's playboys, and my son just so happends to be absolutely breath taking to the sigth." And he wasn't wrong, Tim was DOWN.

But it's Tim who we're talking about here, so of *course* he's not down in the way everyone else had been down before, Tim is somehow *actually* captivated by Conner's charm-AGAIN- Not in the expected way. First he though he would just toy around with Kon for some time, and then just forget about him, but in one of their "dates", Kon slipped up just a little from his "dumb and pretty boytoy" persona, and he was acctually himself by accident.

And Tim surprised himself being increadibly amused and actually kind of endeared by Kon's just newly discovered actual personality.

So Tim is down bad, and he asks Kon to be more relxed and not so "Oh, i'd do whatever you want me to" coded, because what Kon had veen doing had been the classic "Giggle-twirling his hair-just smiling and nodding-hand in bicep" combo that he always used with everyone, so Kon started being himself more but not as much, still cautious and being as charming as posible.

But Kon is slowly starting to fall for Tim too, because he was mentally prepared for a normal playboy kind of guy, but he was surprised with how gentle and caring Tim acctually was to him, so he strated falling for Tim, even when he keept reminding himself that Tim was just using that to get exactly IT, to get Kon to fall for him like a fool, and Kon was *not* gonna get fooled nor played with, he wasn't *that* stupid(also, he was the one who is supose to be fooling Tim in this, not the other way around!!).

So the whole trope is about Kon trying not to fall for Tim(which is already a failed case because he's already down BAD) while Tim is just really in love with this pretty guy.

All of this while Luthor keeps giving Conner a hard time and pressuring him to milk as much info out of Tim as possible.

Let's say that somehow, Luthor manages to poison Clark with something, could be both Clark and Jon, maybe ever Kara. And he uses this to manipule Kon, being Luthor the only one with the antidote(it would be better if it didn't reallycure them, but keept them alive, still weak, but alive, like some kind of medicine, so Conner needs to stay serving Luthor kind of like forever).

So it's going to be all the more painfull when Tim finds out, because we know he's gonna go FERAL, feeling betrayed and all that angsty stuff, because he trusted Kon, and he thinks that Kon just was a gold digger or something, when Kon just wants to protect his family.

So let's make Kon suffer, not because he deserves it, but because i simply like to make my fav characters suffer.

He's all stressed with everything, because his family is sick, and Luthor is pressuring him, and then it gets worst because Tim finds out and he decides to get revenge by not being gentle nor caring anymore.

So now he's stressed because Tim is always pissed and he's not the loving boy he was dating anymore, and Luthor might be pressuring even more, all of this while his family is still sick.

So yeah, have yall ever think of this?? :)

[marali-iin]

Sharpwolf (Antinous x Telemachus), is the peak of "Enemies to Lovers" BUT only before "Hold Them Down". HEAR ME OUT-

Yeah, I know Antinous beats the shit out of Telemachus in "Little Wolf" but THAT'S LITERALLY THE FRICKIN POINT. I know I've always said I hate enemies to lovers, but you know what I hate even more? BAD EXECUTED ENEMIES TO LOVERS. They're supposed to be ENEMIES, not rivals, which people often confuse. "But it's toxic-" TOXIC MY ASS THEY'RE LITERALLY THE TROPE. Enemies are supposed to hate each other, to want the other to suffer, to DIE, they have to be ruthless against each other, because they're supposed to have opposite views of something and be hostile because of it. Antinous and Telemachus are literally that trope

Now, if it's after "Hold Them Down" FUCK THAT, I DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE. I can accept attempted murder, but I draw the line at rape. I can forgive the first two thirds of the song, when Antinous plans to kill Telemachus and break his bones? Enemies at its peak. When Antinous plans to then rape Penelope? GET THAT AWAY FROM ME I'M GLAD THE DUDE IS NO LONGER ALIVE.

I'm slightly disappointed that they had to make the suitors literally rapists so they "look bad", they were shitty enough as they were, in the original Odyssey they never try to rape Penelope, and yeah I know it was to build anger, even I fell for it and I get so fuckin angry. But still, I think we as writers in general often fall for whenever trying to make a character be disliked immediately turn them into a rapist, I've fallen for it, some of my writer friends have fallen for it, I've seen it in books and fanfics. It's normal, I'm glad we collectively hate rapists, but it's still a cliche I'm not ready to accept.

And just to circle back to the original topic and finish this, Antinous and Telemachus have so much potential for enemies to lovers. Antinous simply wants the throne? Telemachus is right there, younger than Penelope and more naive, easier target to manipulate, enemies manipulate each other. Telemachus wants to kick all the suitors out of his home? Antinous is literally the leader of them, manipulate him. Imagine both of these scenarios at the same time, both trying to use the other for their own benefit. And that's the point of Enemies to Lovers, hate each other at first, wish for the other's downfall and slowly start warming up to each other, realizing the flaws of your own view and how they're not that bad. Add a redemption arc and we're good to go, the problem with rapists is that they have no redemption (except Deidamia from Song of Achilles, I'll eventually talk about that but just to make clear in this house we DON'T hate her. Suck it up) That's why I REFUSE to work with post "Hold Them Down" Antinous.

So yeah, that was my rant for today, take this as a lesson. I can really, reallyyyy hate a trope, but I'll always hate more a rapist and a badly executed trope. I have standards

[songbirdseung]

simply jaded / sim jaeyun

going into the new year single again was not gonna be on your bingo card anymore. the problem was that no other guy could satisfy you nor treat you like your best friend did. so maybe, why not date him instead?

going into the new year single again was not something you had planned for. after a string of disappointing dates and relationships that fizzled out faster than fireworks, you were fed up. no one seemed to measure up, no one could treat you the way you wanted, the way you deserved. except, maybe, your best friend.

the thought had crossed your mind more times than you’d like to admit. jake had always been there for you—kind, funny, supportive. he knew you inside and out, better than anyone else. so why not give it a shot? maybe dating your best friend wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.

with a mix of nerves and determination, you grabbed your phone and sent him a text. it was short, direct, and maybe a little impulsive: “why don’t we just date each other?”

you barely had time to process your own boldness when your bedroom door flew open, and there stood jake, slightly out of breath and looking thoroughly baffled.

"are you stupid or just that desperate?" he blurted out, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

you couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. he wasn’t angry, just visibly confused—and maybe a little disgusted at the sudden proposition. "oh c'mon," you said, sitting up straighter. "you make it sound like i'm a horrible person to go out with."

"well, you kind of are," he shot back, crossing his arms. "with how indecisive and bossy—hey, don't even think about throwing that pillow," he warned, cutting himself off as you grabbed one from your bed.

you rolled your eyes but put the pillow down. "you're acting like you're repulsed by the idea of dating me."

jake scoffed, though there was no malice in it. "and if i am? will you drop the idea?"

"tell me what's so bad about us dating?" you challenged, crossing your arms now, mirroring his stance.

he sighed, ruffling his hair in that way he always did when he was thinking. "it’s not that it’s bad," he admitted, his tone softening a little. "it’s just... weird. we've been best friends for so long. what if it ruins everything?"

"or," you countered, leaning forward slightly, "what if it makes everything better?"

he paused at that, the room growing quiet as he considered your words. "you’re really serious about this, aren’t you?" he finally said, his voice quieter, more thoughtful.

"i am," you nodded. "look, jake, we already know each other better than anyone else. we trust each other, we have fun together. isn’t that what people want in a relationship?"

"yeah, but... what if we screw it up?" his voice was laced with genuine concern, and it tugged at your heart.

"then we deal with it. but i’d rather take the chance than keep wondering 'what if.' wouldn’t you?"

he let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "you always have to make things complicated, don’t you?"

you smirked. "you love it."

"yeah, yeah," he muttered, but there was a small smile playing on his lips now. "fine. but if this goes south, i’m blaming you."

"deal," you grinned.

he shook his head, still looking a bit amused and bewildered. "guess we're doing this, huh?"

"guess we are," you said, feeling a strange mix of excitement and nervousness.

jake sat down next to you on the bed, bumping his shoulder against yours. "well, if i’m going to be your boyfriend now, does that mean i get to boss you around for once?"

you laughed, shoving him playfully. "don’t push your luck, sim."

he chuckled, leaning back on his hands. "this is going to be interesting."

"yeah," you agreed, smiling. "but i think it’s going to be worth it."

and just like that, the new year suddenly didn’t seem so daunting anymore.

the first date came quicker than expected. jake insisted on planning everything, wanting to make it special. after all, this wasn’t just any date—it was the first date, a big step from best friends to something more.

when he picked you up, he was noticeably different. instead of his usual teasing grin, he had a nervous smile. he even opened the car door for you, which immediately made you suspicious.

"wow, look at you being all gentlemanly," you teased as you slid into the seat.

"well, i thought i'd make an effort," he replied, scratching the back of his neck as he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

the restaurant he chose was cozy and intimate, a little different from the casual places you usually went to together. jake pulled out your chair for you, then sat down across from you, trying to maintain a composed and charming demeanor. it was almost too much.

"okay, who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?" you joked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"very funny," he muttered, but you could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to suppress a smile.

as the evening went on, it was clear that jake was struggling. he kept catching himself before saying something sarcastic or teasing, his usual go-to moves. instead, he attempted to be more romantic, which only made things more awkward. like when he tried to compliment you but stumbled over his words.

"you look... um, really... uh, nice tonight," he said, his face turning a little red.

you couldn’t help but burst into laughter, covering your mouth with your hand. "jake, seriously? 'nice'? that’s the best you’ve got?"

"hey, give me a break," he groaned, leaning back in his chair. "this whole romantic thing is harder than it looks."

"just be yourself," you encouraged, still chuckling. "i liked you better when you were teasing me about my terrible taste in movies."

he grinned, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. "so you do admit your movie taste is terrible."

"don’t push it," you warned playfully, narrowing your eyes.

the rest of the date became much more relaxed after that. jake let go of the awkward attempt to be overly romantic and instead fell back into his usual rhythm—teasing, joking, and making you laugh until your sides hurt. it felt right, natural, like slipping into a comfortable old sweater.

as you left the restaurant, walking side by side, he reached for your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. "okay, maybe i overdid it with the whole gentleman act," he admitted, glancing at you.

"just a bit," you teased, squeezing his hand. "but it was sweet. thanks for trying."

he stopped walking, turning to face you. "i’ll get the hang of this boyfriend thing," he said, his tone more serious now. "just... bear with me?"

"you’re doing fine," you assured him, smiling softly. "we’ll figure it out together."

"yeah," he nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "together."

and with that, you continued walking, this was the beginning of something new, and you were both ready for whatever came next—together.

[alwaysless]

posh gang as chess pieces lets discuss

We all know that Annabel treats other characters like chess pieces. Annabel herself is the queen, and Lenore, from her point of view, is the king who must be protected at all costs. I admit, however, that Annabel may be wrong about this, because unlike the chess king, Lenore is quite an active participant of the game. Interestingly, in this frame, the king is white (Annabel's color) and the queen is black (Lenore's color). Perhaps this is a reflection of how their roles changed after death, or perhaps it means that Annabel initially misinterpreted their positions with Lenore.

As for the others, in the comic Annabel clearly says that Prospero is a bishop and Monty is a rook. I would assume that Duke is a rook as well, solely because it makes Annabel's attempt to save Lenore by immuring him in the wall a castling.

What about the other characters? I won't consider the misfits but I want to talk about Ada and Will, as the last members of Annabel's group.

Will is obviously a pawn. Most people don't take pawns seriously, and they're not even always considered pieces in the game. Will is at the bottom of the characters hierarchy, he is nothing more than a tool to achieve other people's goals, even misfits treat him very leniently, absolving him of responsibility for his actions. And I mean it in a bad way, as if they see him as an extension of Monty's willpower, and not as an independent person. I love Will, but seriously, what reason did they have to stop Monty in that one scene?

However, many underestimate pawns. They have a lot of advantages: they are numerous, and this reflects Will's ability to clone himself. What's even more obvious is that when pawns reach the end of the board, they can transform into any other piece, just like Will can transform into other people. This is one of the many things that make me think of Will as a dark horse among the cast: after all, every pawn can become a queen. A pawn can replace any piece on the board except the king, but no piece can replace a pawn.

In addition, pawns usually open the game. Either pawns or, a little less often, knights.

And now we're moving on to Ada. In fact, at first I've chosen a knight for her by elimination, because all the other pieces are already occupied. But let's be honest: it suits her. In the first season, Ada has long been one of two characters (along with Morella) who "torn" between the two groups, so she is the most unpredictable among the entire cast. You never know what to expect from her. Similarly, the knight's movements cannot always be predicted, because unlike other pieces, knight "jumps" through the diagonals, stepping over chessmen just as Ada is ready to go over students heads. In addition, Monty calls Ada his "ace in the hole," that is, his unobvious advantages. This also corresponds to the style of playing knights, whose moves are often simply not read by the opponent in advance.

An interesting feature of the knights is that when attacking it, the attacking piece remains safe, because the knight needs space to move, it is useless up close. When Ada is attacked by other characters (and this happens all the time), she cannot defend herself. The only exception is her first manifesting against Prospero, but even in that scene she is technically unable to protect herself. She just snaps at him and uses violence, which in the long run does not change his attitude towards her. No one begins to take her feelings seriously, she remains alone and becomes an easy target for Monty. He gets as close to her as possible, and she becomes defenseless.

However, when she finally does have the strength to attack? She is unstoppable, deadly, she will sweep away everything in her path. You can attack the knight without the risk that he will respond, sure thing. But if the knight attacks you? Good luck.

As someone once told me on this website: let Ada become her own knight. The girl deserves it.

[wizard-on-whales]

Jealousy

NSFW 17+

You had been friends with James as long as you could remember, but one detail you never shared with him was how you lost your virginity (consider this an apology for bullying James so much recently)

Warnings: Smut, cursing, James being a little shit, him also scaring you a little, grammar mistakes Word count: 3k

✭-----------------------------✭

Tonight was a typical night after one of the band's very loud, energetic shows, and like always, there was an even louder and even more chaotic after-party. By now, it had died down mostly, and you sat around a table with your childhood best friend, James, and his bandmates. Somehow, the conversation had gotten to the topic of how everyone had lost their virginity. 

“I don't think you've ever told me how you lost yours,” James says, looking over at you as he casually sips his beer. He sat leaned back and relaxed in his chair, a small buzz flushed over his features.

“No, I haven't,” You reply simply, a small smile tugging on your lips as you fiddle with your own, now-empty beer bottle.

“Oh, come on, spill it. It can't be nearly as bad as mine, you knew how Kathy was…,” James snorts, shaking his head in disbelief as he thinks about his first experience.

“No, it wasn't bad, it was actually really good…I've just never told you,” You tell him, grinning over at him as you remember the night.

“And why not? Scared I'll make fun of you for who it was?” James snickers, mirroring your grin.

“Nope, you'll absolutely fucking hate who it was,” James gives you a look, now even more curious than before. 

“Who?” He asks, leaning forward a little as he abandons his beer. You think for a second, wondering if you should really tell him before smiling widely and looking him straight in the eyes.

“Mustain.” You snicker, James' face immediately drops, and he leans back in his chair again, staring at you in complete disbelief. You look over to see Lars burst out laughing at your answer. 

“Mustain? Seriously?? That asshole?!!” James practically groans, still looking at you like you just killed his dog. 

“Yeah, I remember it all pretty clearly, honestly, still the best sex I've ever had.” You grin, deciding to egg him on, knowing just how much he despises the redhead. 

“Oh yeah? How come?” He grits through his teeth, his jaw clenching.

“Well, after you guys kicked him out of the band, he came straight to the house we were all living in. Asked him why he was back and he told me everything, assumed he was just gonna collect his stuff but nope…he decided he wanted to fuck the absolute shit out of me right on your bed,” You tell the story to the whole table, Lars and Kirk laughing the whole time while James sits fuming in his chair. His hand was gripping his beer bottle so tightly that you thought it might explode. 

“On my bed?” He questions, his face red with anger. You snicker a little before you decide to keep going.

“Oh yeah, we went at it practically the whole night, made such a mess of your sheets I couldn't wash them and had to just replace them. I'm surprised you didn't notice when you got back….God, I couldn't walk straight for a week.” James continues to glare at you before taking a long sip of his nearly cracked beer bottle and then slamming it down on the table.

“Welp, we're gonna go,” Lars says through a snicker, wrapping his arm around Kirk's shoulders as they feel the tension that was starting to grow. As they get up and leave, you realize they were the last people in the house. The party had subsided, leaving only you and James in the mess of bottles and cans. 

“We should probably clean up a little,” You say, glancing around the disaster of a house and standing up from your seat. James stays in his place, his knuckles white as he continues to grip his bottle, his breathing ragged. You knew he'd be upset, but you didn't think it'd get to this point. He looked like he wanted to rip your head off, and it honestly scared you. You went to step away from the table, but his heavy hand gripped your wrist tightly, making you stay. 

“James,” You say quietly, your wrist wiggling a little to try and escape his grasp, but he only tightened it, to the point it was starting to hurt. 

“All that true or were you just saying it to piss me off?” He asks, his voice low as he glares up at you, pulling you closer by your wrist. 

“It's true…maybe a little exaggerated but mostly true,” You say quietly. James stood up, towering over you like always, making your heart leap to your throat. You fucked up, you thought, definitely fucked up and he was about to kill you.

“You're hurting me,” You tell him, trying to move your wrist again. His grip falters slightly, but it was still tight enough that you couldn't escape. 

“You've got a way of pushing my buttons, you know that, always have. It's like you enjoy pissing me off,” James grits through his teeth. He sets his beer bottle down before gripping your other wrist, pinning you between him and the table. You were sweating at this point, unsure of what was to come next. You had pissed him off plenty of times but it had never gotten to a point where you were scared of what he would do. You avoided his gaze, your breathing starting to pick up. 

“I'm sorry, James, I was just joking around…” You say softly, he pushes himself further against you, and that's when you feel it. Right against your leg was something undeniably hard and horny. You felt your cheeks heat up as you glanced up at him to see a sly look on his face. 

“Said you couldn't walk straight for a week after him, yeah? I'll make sure you can't walk at all,” He lowers his face next to your ear, his words low, his tone threatening. You wiggle in his grasp again, cheeks burning at his voice in your ear. 

“Is that what you want?” He asks, his lips grazing your neck as if he were already teasing you. You think for a second, heart racing in your chest before you slowly nod. He pulls back a little, grabbing your chin so that you look at him.

“Use your words, Birdie,” There it was, that damn nickname he called you growing up and still does, just the same way you still call him Jamie. You swore your legs became jelly the second he said it. 

“Yeah,” You breathe out, nodding your head again. He gives you a small smirk, pinning you even further against the table, his boner prominent against your leg.

“Yeah, what?” He asks with a small grin, playing with you. You let out a small huff, giving him a bit of an annoyed look, which causes him to squeeze your chin tightly. Suddenly, you felt shyer than you ever had around him as you tried to speak your request. 

“...fuck me,” You say quietly, cheeks on fire as you see the smile that spreads across his face. 

“Fuck you till…” He decides to drag it out even further, enjoying the feeling of tormenting you.

“I can't walk,” You practically squeak out. He moves his hands from your wrist and chin and places them on your waist, his hands shoving under your shirt and drinking in the feeling of your skin.

“You sure?” He asks sincerely, giving you a genuine look, but that doesn't stop his hands from wandering further up your skin.

“Yeah,” You say again, looking up at him. You place your own hands on his waist, your fingers gripping the loops of his jeans. He gives you another grin before leaning down again, pressing his lips harshly against yours. He tasted like the beer he had been drinking all night and smelled like the aftershave he often used. His hands roughly grip your waist before easily hoisting you up onto the table. He moves his lips to your cheek before placing them against your neck, his lips and tongue attacking your skin, his teeth nipping lightly. 

You lean your head back, a soft moan escaping your lips, and you feel something start to pool between your legs. Your hands reach for his shirt, pulling it out of the waistband of his tight jeans, allowing your hands to feel their way up his soft abs. His hands grip your waist tightly, his skin shivering under your gentle touch. 

“Do you know how long I've wanted to do this?” He says in your ear, more of a statement than a question. He pulls away from your neck and rests his forehead against yours, looking at you with lust-filled eyes. 

“Just as long as I have…”You reply, your hand grazing the straining fabric in the front of his jeans. He lets out a soft noise, one you wouldn't expect from a man with a shell like his. He takes a moment to just quietly look at you, his bleary, drunken eyes roaming over the features on your face. A small smile spreads across his features as he realizes you're doing the same.

“Stop staring and kiss me,” He demands softly, pulling you a little closer. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and envelope his lips in a too-wet and too-toothy kiss, but neither of you care. He wraps his arms tightly around your frame, pulling your front against his, your faces squished together as your saliva mixes. It was a desperate action, one that had been built up and hidden under layers for years. One that had always been longed for but pushed away in fear. It all spilled over as James quickly swiped away anything that was on the table and pushed you back, crawling onto it himself and pressing his body overtop of you. 

Despite the fact that James was on the leaner side, he was still heavy on top of you, his full weight crushing you to the table, warming your body even further. His mouth continued to move desperately against yours, his tongue tasting every inch. You wrapped your legs around him, lifting your hips up a bit to grind against him, causing his movements to falter for a second. You could feel the shudder that washed over him. He lifted his head away from yours, his hands instantly moving to your shirt and working it off of you, discarding it to the floor with the empty beer cans. 

“Jesus,” James lets out, his eyes drinking in the sight of your bare breasts. Sometime during the night, you had gotten too hot from the alcohol and taken your bra off without a care. Now you lie half exposed under your best friend as he practically drools over the sight of you. You smile before grabbing the back of his neck and pushing his face into them. He wastes no time, nipping and licking the sensitive skin like a starved animal. The small buzz you had made your body feel extra sensitive, you arch your back with little restraint, your head falling against the table. His hands grip your waist firmly as his mouth assaults your chest. Slowly, his kisses start to move down, his tongue dragging along your skin, tasting every inch he can as he reaches the hem of your shorts. 

You smile down at him, moving your hands above your head to push out your chest and lift your hips for him. He wastes no time fumbling with the button and tugs them and your panties down at the same time, leaving you fully bare under his gaze. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly pulls his own shirt over his head and tosses it to the side, reaching for his belt. You sit up and move his hands, unbuckling his belt for him. His gaze flickers down to your hands, watching them intently as they work slowly to reveal his skin just as he had yours. You could see his chest heaving with each heavy breath he took, his skin hot under your touch. 

“Once we start, I'm not gonna be able to stop…” He says, his voice low and husky as he watches you push his jeans down his hips. 

“Who said I'll want you to?” You reply quietly, meeting his eyes once more. Something had shifted in them, something darker now lay behind his baby blues as he pushed you back down on the table. He kicks his jeans off the rest of the way and crawls back over you, looking down at you as if you were his prey. He leans down and connects his lips with yours once more in a slow, sensual kiss.

With one hand above your head, he keeps himself planted there, the other trails down your side and to your thigh, wrapping it around his waist. His short nails dig into the skin, leaving little half moons against it. You feel his tip brush against your entrance, causing you to raise your hips, wanting him. He groans against your lips and pulls away to look down at you. 

“I need you,” He says quietly and eagerly, his hand gripping your thigh tightly. Your hands make their way into his hair, loosely pulling the wild, blonde locks.

“Please…” You breathe out, trying to pull him closer. He looks down between your legs and positions himself once more before slowly pushing into you. A low groan escapes him, his eyes shutting and his mouth hanging open. You wanted to do the same, but you couldn't look away from him. You could feel a shudder run through his body once more as he pushed himself a little further. A soft moan leaves your lips, which causes his eyes to shoot open and bore into yours. 

“You're so perfect…” He mutters quietly, his hand moving to your cheek and stroking it as his hips press against yours as far as they'll go. He stays just like that for a moment, his breathing heavy as his eyes roam over your face. You move your hands further into his hair, pushing it back so that it wasn't dangling in your face. He smiles before slowly starting to move his hips. You let out another moan, your walls slowly loosening around the invasion of his cock. He leans down and connects his lips with yours once more, his tongue slipping into your mouth. He lets out a groan, his hips moving a little faster the wetter you get. 

It was no time at all before his hips were pistoning into you at a rapid pace, his hands gripping your waist almost painfully tight. His chest glistened with sweat under the low light of the room, his face halfway shielded by his hair, casting a shadow over his pleasure-contorted features. Your hands clawed at his forearms, holding yourself there, your legs trumbling under his movements, a desperate noise leaving your lips with each harsh thrust he delivered into oyur eager cunt. 

“Oh fuck me,” He groans out, his head falling back, his adams apple bobbing as he hashly swallows back the whine that threated to escape. 

“Please, James,” You cry out, pussy quivering around his needy cock. He looks down at you with an almost animalistic expression. He leans down, trapping your head between his forearms as he picks up his pace, his hips rutting into yours with desperation. 

“Thats it, fuck, sound so good…feel so good,” He mutters under his heavy breathing. He lets out a cry, his hips sputtering for a moment, his body trembling as you feel him cum inside you. 

“Mm’sorry, sorry, fuck,” He almost whimpers. Your brain couldn't quite comprehend why he was apologizing, considering the sight of him was almost enough for you to come undone yourself. You somehow manage to flip your bodies over, mounting James and staring down at him intently as you practically ride him like a cracked out pornstar. His head falls back against the table, a loud groan leaving him, his hands gripping your hips tightly and attempting to guide them. 

You plant your hands firmly against his chest as your hips rock back and forth, more grinding against him than bouncing on him. His cum leaked out of you, making a sticky mess across his hips and your thighs. The feeling of him filling you from this angle was almost too much, his soft blonde pubes brushing agaisnt your sensitive, swollen clit brought your orgasm forth quickly. Your movments picked up for a moment, loud, shameless moans spilling from your mouth as you practically use James as a fucktoy. You could feel his body trembling under you, his hands leaving bruises against your hips, his own moans loud and shameless. It hits you all at once as you collapse on top of him, your arms pulling him as close as possible as your high runs through you. 

James wraps his own arms tightly around you, pulling your chest flush against his, his cum spilling into you for a second time. His heavy breathing in your ear and the feeling of his skin sticking to yours were almost overwhelming. You sit up just enough to look at him, his eyes meeting yours. He lets out a quiet, breathless laugh, pulling you back down to kiss you. You pull away after a moment and rest your forehead against his, smiling down at him.

“I love you,” You whisper. You feel him give your hip a small squeeze, a smile spreading across his flushed face. 

“I love you, too.”

[youraverageaemondsimp]

No Escape. // Obsessive!Ex!Aemond x Fem!Reader [ONE SHOT]

THIS IS A DARK FIC, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

MDNI.

WARNINGS: dubcon (reader is drunk, and drunk people cannot fully give consent), dark themes, obsession, jealousy, alcohol consumption, fingering, p in v, creampie, cumming inside, breeding kink, babytrapping, guilt tripping, manipulation, mentions of getting an abortion. + not proofread.

Requested by @namelesslosers ! hope you like it!

WC: 2,570

Dating your friend's brother was never a good idea, especially when you both break up, even worse if it was on bad terms, having to constantly bump into him or bear his presence when going over was irritating, you didn't want to abandon your friendship just cause of that.

Aemond was an extremely toxic boyfriend, it felt like walking on thin ice whenever you spoke with him, tip toeing carefully on what to talk about, what words to use and it was extremely exhausting. He would get jealous immediately the moment you mention a guy friend, he said he was just being protective over you but rather it was just him being possessive.

He didn't know how to regulate his feelings at all, bottling all of them up before they pile up and crumble down immediately, and usually the weight will fall on you. He would take his outbursts on you.

You never really told helaena about the toxicity of aemond, you didn't want her to think of her brother as such, so much for being kind.

You remember one day being fed up and breaking up with him over text, to which he simply replied with ‘no, we're not.’ so you ended up blocking him, and avoiding him for 2 weeks, meeting up with helaena at a cafe shop instead of their house to avoid him.

You moved on pretty quickly, since there were no genuine feelings of love, even if there were, it was all weighed down by the anger and suffering you had to endure, so you began going on dates, you weren't looking for anything serious, just harmless fun, and you made sure to clarify that.

It didn't take long for Aemond to catch the wind of this, listening in on his sister's phone calls whenever you called her was a habit he picked up over the course of time, furious would be an understatement to what he felt in that moment, he had been desperately trying to reach you, refusing to let go of the relationship you both had, he loved you in some sort of sick and twisted way.

He was currently sitting at the pub, sipping on a non-alcoholic beverage, tapping the glass from time to time in thought of what to do until his caught a familiar face across the room.

You were alone, looking irritated, he laughed at the thought that your date stood you up, you pulled out your phone and texted your supposed date, but he didn't reply, and so you decided to block him and delete his number. You were so frustrated and embarrassed at the incident that you didn't notice aemond when you went to the counter to order a drink.

“What a coincidence seeing you here.” you froze up, turning your gaze to meet a purple eye looking at you, you gulped, you had been trying to avoid him for the past few days and then now suddenly you bumped into him. You remained silent, ignoring his presence which only ticked him off more. He hummed at your silence, “So what are your plans for tonight?” he asks and you raise an eyebrow, “Definitely not spending it with you for sure.” you quip.

“Always so fiesty.” he chuckles and just then your drink arrived, you quickly downed it with annoyance coursing through your veins and ordered for another.

One turned into two, and two to four, by the end of the night you were heavily drunk, you normally don't drink heavily, but Aemond's presence made you annoyed and he wouldn't leave you alone, so you decided to down as many as drinks possible to forget about his existence.

It was a wrong move on your part, you had only realised after you found yourself in a compromising position, Aemond had offered to drive you home, to which you only agreed after he pointed out how there were multiple guys staring at you, ready to strike when you were alone, so you agreed, for it was better to go with your toxic ex than a complete stranger.

But here you were, in your apartment legs wrapped around his hips as he thrust violently into your cunt, causing you to mewl in pleasure, you would never deny his ability to pleasure you, he was always extremely good at it for whatever reason, which is why even though it was a toxic relationship, you had stayed.

He was kissing your neck, pulling your top down to reveal your breasts as he kissed your hardened buds, the only thing on his mind was how they would swell with his child in your womb. Aemond had a sinister plan to get you back to him, which you were unaware of, he knew your habits, you would drink heavily under stressful situations and he knew that he would cause you a lot of stress. His plan was being perfectly executed, he had you where he wanted you, the only thing left was him spilling his seed inside of you so he can get you pregnant. In that way you’ll never be able to leave him.

He knew you had stopped taking the birth control pills, considering how you were facing multiple side effects, you decided you wanted an IUD and you had plans to get it in 3 months, or rather your appointment was in 3 months, he had pretty much collected a lot of info. Borderline stalking you.

“F-fuck Aemond!” you moan out his name as he thrusts into you at a brutal pace, your knees pushed against your chest, almost in a mating press while he rams his cock into you, “Look at you- so nicely wrapped around my cock—” he moans when he feels you clench around him, “Gods, you're squeezing me like f-fuck.” he groans, he shifts his position and leans back, placing your legs down as to now have them be pushed against your breasts anymore before he spread them wider, propping himself up on his hands, which were placed on either side of you, as his hair curtains around his face.

He closes his eye in pleasure, mouth falling wide open, small gasps leaving his mouth, he looked so beautiful, too bad his personality didn't match it. He leans down to capture your lips with his, moving passionately, one of his hands trail down to your hips to hold for stability before he pulls away, trailing kisses down your neck to your breasts, before he holds himself up.

You feel your core beginning to tighten, a band formning that is about to snap, and aemond's hand, which was previously on your hip, trails down to rub fast and small circles to your clit, sending you over the edge.

You are blinded by white hot pleasure, back arching, a loud moan slipping from your throat as you feel the intensity of your orgasm hitting you, your cunt pulses around his cock greedily, almost as if it's sucking him further in, urging him to cum.

And he does exactly that, pushing to the hilt before shooting his warm spend inside you, the white coating your vaginal walls as he rides his orgasm out. He pulls out to watch his semen dripping out, leaking onto your bed below, he groans at the sight.

You breathe heavily, trying to comprehend what just happened but then you feel aemond lifting you up and turning you around, your back facing him, On instinct you prop yourself up on your hands and knees, back arching like a cat.

“Good girl, you didn't even have to be told mhm?” he coos a praise at you, causing you to clench around nothing. He watches as his cum drips further down, coating the inner side of your thigh, “Uh oh, we can't let it go to waste.” he scoops it up before thrusting it inside you again, but he doesn't just stop there, he dips his fingers further inside, thrusting in and out, you mewl at the overstimulation, you shift your weight on one hand, the other hand coming behind to weakly hold his to stop his actions, but he shrugs it away and you go back to holding yourself up on both your hands. You watch from your shoulder as he pulls his fingers out, before licking them clean, tasting your combined essence, causing you to gasp at the inappropriate sight.

He feels himself get hard again, his cock which softened growing as the blood filled the vessels, he pumps himself, before lining it up against your cunt, and shoving in without the mercy, “Fuck-” you say, falling to your elbows, your ass up in the air, back arched.

He moves his hips again, dragging back slowly before pushing in harshly, you whine, asking him to go faster but he doesn't listen and continues the same pace he set, teasing you to no edge. So you take it into your own hands, by moving yourself but he grabs you by your hips, halting you.

“Ah, ah. Behave.” he commands and you immediately obey, you hate the fact that he has so much control over you.

He rewards you for obeying him but going more faster, and just like that, you both topple over the edge once again, his spend coating your walls once again.

You guys went for multiple rounds that night, him making sure his seed really takes, cumming inside you multiple times.

You woke up with a headache next morning from all the drinks you drank, hungover and your body aching before your memories came back to you, about how you spent the night with your ex, you looked around to see if he's there, but to your surprise, it seems that he had left, leaving you to your own space knowing you would start panicking in his presence. You let out a small sigh of relief at that.

‘This will never happen again.’ you think to yourself.

Three months passed by really quickly as you got busy with life, you and aemond only bumped into each other a few times after that night, except this time he had a shit eating grin whenever he spotted him, but to your surprise, he didn't approach you.

You thought that you missing your periods was a sign of the hormonal changes happening in your body since you got off of birth control, that was until you visited a gynec for an appointment to install IUD, you told her all your symptoms and she asked you to do a scan immediately, to check if there is something wrong inside.

And when you saw the screen, your stomach dropped, you felt your heart beat stop while you just looked at the out line of what seems like a fetus. You gulped and looked over to the doctor and as if she read your mind, she nodded. “You didn't know you were pregnant?” she asks and you shake your head no, “N-no, i was rather ignorant of the symptoms thinking it was just a side effect.” you confess and she clicks her tongue, “Well, what do you say?” she asks, and you gulp, “I need some time to think about it.”

As you go out of the clinic you immediately call helaena, your best friend, to tell her what happened, you knew who the father was, and she knew what had happened between you both at night, but instead of being angry at you, she understood your situation, she was a really nice friend.

“Hello?” you hear her voice from the other side.

“H-hel. I- i it's oh my god.” your voice breaks, panic coursing in your veins, “Hey, hey, hey, calm down, it's okay, what happened?” she asks concerned and you tell her that you are pregnant.

“You're pregnant?!” she tells in shock and you shush her down, hoping she wasn't at home and that aemond doesn't hear the convo, but to your misfortune, he was listening in the on the convo secretly, pretending to listen to music while sitting on the couch, face completely void of emotion, enough to fool helaena that he wasn't listening.

“So what now?” she asks.

“I don't know, I'm considering whether I should get rid of it.” you sigh feeling like a bad person, “If that is what you want then yes, you should get rid of it, it's your choice y/n.” she says comfortingly and now this catches Aemond attention and he controls his face to not let it shift into a scowl, ‘get rid of it?’ he mentally scoffs, he sees from his periphery that his sister hung up before he heard you utter something about making an appointment.

He cannot let that happen.

You reach your apartment and sit down on the sofa, thinking of what to do, it's not like you didn't want a baby, just not now, but the guilt of getting rid of it is weighing you down, you press your hand to your stomach, noticing the slight bump before smiling to yourself. You haven't made up your mind, and your rational thinking is constantly being dominated by the way your hormones are working against you to guilt trip you into keeping the baby.

Just when you think you can relax, you hear the doorbell ring and you go to answer it, opening the door to find Aemond, he was breathing heavily, panting, it looks like he was in a rush, you quickly step aside letting him in, pitying the state he was in.

“Y-You're pregnant?” he asks, feigning innocence and you look at him in shock, wondering if helaena told him, “I heard over the phone when you were talking to my sister.” he answers before you could suspect any further.

Shakily you answer with a nod, and you expect him to just be baffled, but to your surprise you feel him placing his hand atop your stomach, caressing it and it makes your heart wrench. A small but genuine smile reaching his face.

“Was it from the last we…?” he asks and you gulp before nodding and he sighs, “I- I know I haven't been the best. But- knowing you are pregnant with my child, I just- want to fix things between us.” he begins, licking his lips and bite your lip in thought.

“I- was uhm, planning to get rid of it?” you gulp and you immediately feel bad when you see his face drop, being none the wiser, you didn't know aemond was just pretending, an act to make you feel guilty, so you walk into the trap by yourself.

“Oh.” he says it so desperately, as if he had been stabbed multiple times and you panic, feeling like a bad person, hurting aemond. Honestly you shouldn't be feeling bad, but for an odd reason, you are. Your emotions are all over the place.

“You're willing to try Aemond?” you ask.

Bingo. Aemond thinks.

He slowly nods his head and you purse your lips in thought before swallowing the lump in your throat, not knowing whether you'll regret this decision.

“Okay.” you say and his eyes light up with excitement before he pulls you into an embrace and kiss your lips passionately, pouring all his love and excitement, which was completely for a different reason, into you.

He had you right where he wanted.

A perfectly set out trap for you to walk into.

So you would forever be his.

With no escape.

———

[redhoodlover1]

𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐮! 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺

🃜 𝐀/𝐧: What you read here is not canon and is simply an idea I had. Please enjoy and let me know if you see any mistakes.

🃁 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: The South tracks were a big part of the Bats life, it was something that shaped them. But was it a good idea to invite someone from the ruthless North tracks?

🃚 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1,3k

🂺 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫s 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝: Stephanie Brown - Jason Todd- Richard Grayson - Tim Drake - Barbara Gordon - Duke Thomas (and few other just mentioned)

The South tracks belonged to the Bats. They didn't race for money or fame. They were there for the love of speed, cars and, of course, each other. The name 'Bats' came from the man who started this all, a man who showed them how to drive like they do now. He was known on the tracks by the name 'Batmam'. 

And even if their group wasn't unknown to people. They have never been able to get to drive on the infamous North tracks. People there drove for money and influence. They did not know the word 'safety'. And The Joker? He was the real deal out there.

But they didn't mind being in their little world. And the after-parties on the beach? They were the best part of it all.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the beach. Jason, just a moment ago, tried throwing Tim into the sea, and now they were all sitting by a campfire with red plastic cups filled with juice.

"So... Guys, I have an announcement." Stephanie started and everyone's attention was suddenly on her. 

"You made new modifications to your bike?" That was Tim's first guess, because it was usually Stephanie's announcement, but she quickly shook her head.

"We're going to have a special guest right from the North tracks!" And that's when everyone went silent. The last time someone from the North tracks was here, it ended up in them having to repair their vehicles for a good month. And still after that, for some reason, Stephanie always wanted to be noticed by a certain biker from the North. 

"Stephanie, you remember what Bruce said about people from the North, right?" Barbara asked suspicions about the new special guest.

"I know. But they don't race for Arkham... And they complimented my custom bike." It still wasn't enough to completely reassure Barbara.

The other members of the Bats exchanged glances, the unspoken tension thick as the evening air. No one had a chance to even utter a word when the air was suddenly filled with the sound of engine. The vibrations resonating through the sand beneath their boots. They all turned to see a lone figure approaching, a silhouette framed by the setting sun. As the bike drew closer, they could make out the sleek lines and the distinctive growl that could only belong to the machine. They pulled up to the group, their eyes hidden behind a pair of mirrored shades, until the person took off their helmet and left it on the seat.

You walked up to the group with a smile so genuine that none of them expected. They had heard the rumors, the stories of the North's ruthless tactics and the unsavory characters who frequented those tracks. But here you were, in the flesh, casually accepting their invitation like it was nothing more than a friendly neighborhood barbecue.

"Welcome to the South," Jason said, trying to sound casual, but the edge in his voice was unmistakable.

You took a good look around. "Looks like a good time," you said, and took a seat on the sand. "It's actually a nice change of scenery."

"We didn't expect you to actually come..." Duke remarked, and that was something to be expected.

"I could've guessed so. The rumors are pretty bad... But it's not like you are a small topic in the North."

That made Richard raise a brow in curiosity. He liked the thrill, but the fact that they were noticed by the North was something to be cautious about. He had some experience from when he started taking driving more seriously and was still going by the name 'Discowing' back then. "So, there are rumors about us too? I would gladly hear them."

"Well, you can never escape them." You started before continuing. "Since Harley was seen with your group lately, people started making speculations."

"All the fuss is about Harley? What about Selina? She's once here and once there," Tim asked. Having someone from the North telling them everything could be useful for the future, since he already knew the model of your bike and a few of the modifications. Don't ask how.

"Selina's a different topic. Opinions on her are fifty, fifty. I think she's a great driver tho," You said without any further ado. "But besides that, almost everyone think they would win against you."

Jason rolled his eyes at your last words. Of course people would think so. He once had a similar tought, and after that he ended up in a collision with Joker. "And do you think that you could win against us?"

"Oh well..." you didn't even manage to answer it and Tim already knew that you were no better than any people from North. But was there a hint of doubt? "Maybe..."

"And what about we test that 'maybe' of yours?" Dick suggested, the corners of his mouth raised, his dimples showing ever so slightly. "Barbara, you can already set your drone up in the sky."

When Dick got up from the sand, almost everyone followed. They expected that you'll do the same. To prove your words.

Stephanie, the girl that invited you and showed clear admiration, now looked at you with anticipation. She was clearly waiting to see if you'll go with everyone to race. You gave her a nod and got up.

It wasn't long before they led you to the beginning of the road where they usually started their races. You were there few times maybe, so you already knew your way.

Everyone was ready with their vehicles set next to you. You could see Duke on his motorcycle on your right and on the left was Jason and Stephanie. Then there was Tim and Richard in their cars. Barbara was also there, sitting on the safe side of the road with a tablet in her hands and a drone in the sky. You all were waiting for her to give you a sign to finally press the gas.

Jason leaned in a little closer as you adjusted your helmet. "Let's see if you can beat my time."

And then you saw it, the light which made everyone go with the wind as the trees and buildings raced by. The track was a serpentine dance of turns and straightaways, a place where only the brave and the skilled could tame the beasts under their control. The roar of your engine was a symphony of power and speed, drowning out all other thoughts.

This was your world, a place where the only law was the speed limit you set for yourself. The asphalt was your canvas, and the tires were your brush, leaving a streak of rubber as the masterpiece. The race was on, and you were ready to leave your mark on every race track in Gotham.

But as you rounded the first corner, you caught sight of a figure in the distance. It was already someone of the group that managed to get to the front. Their vehicle a sleek shadow against the moonlit backdrop.

You pushed on the gas even more to try and pass the person on the front. You weren't racing for the dirty money you get on the North tracks. You were racing with them to prove that you're as good as everyone says. To not lose your name.

And with that, the race was on. The line between friendly competition and a battle of reputations had been drawn, and you had no choice but to cross it. But the they won't give up like that, cause the South tracks belonged to the Bats.

[romeolucci]

What the ghouls from the same house think about each other

It’s one of the questions that appeared in the latest B’s-log magazine issue. I decided to share this one because it’s fun.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a translator, so please take this with a huge grain of salt because I don’t speak let alone read Japanese very well. I mostly used machine translation and some of the little knowledge I have to get through this. I added the original Japanese script if you wanna read that on your own.

Jin, Tohma, Ren and Subaru didn’t receive the question unfortunately

Frostheim

Lucas: “Ever since I transferred to this school, Kaito has been my first friend and has always been very kind to me. I'm also grateful to Ishibashi-san for all his help. As for Kamurai-san, I hope he'll just fulfill his duties...”

「この学園へ転校してきた日から、魁斗は俺の初め ての友人として、ずっと仲良くしてくれている。そ れに磴さんにも、とてもお世話になっているよ。あ とは、冠氷さんが責務さえ果たしてくれれば良いん だけど･･････」

Kaito: “Hmm... To be honest, the captain and vice-captain seem like people way above the clouds... Rumor has it that the two of them are in collusion with the school and are doing terrible things. What? Luca? ...I've never heard of such a faceless bastard.”

「ん~………………寮長と副寮長は、正直雲の上の人って感 じだしな〜………………噂では、ふたりとも学園と癒着して、 えげつないことやってるって聞いたこと���るけど。え? ルカ? ………………あんな顔面無双野郎なんか知らね」

*I’m really not sure what あんな顔面無双野郎 means.

Vagastorm

Alan: “We're just half-baked people who happened to have powers. But they're willing to die and crawl back up... they have the potential.”

「俺たちは、たまたま力を持っただけの半端もんだ。 だが、死ぬ気で這い上がる･･････あいつらには、その 素質がある」

Leo: “No matter how you look at it, our captain is a complete loser. As for Sho-chan... I guess he's my slave♡”

「誰がどう見ても、うちの寮長サマはポンコツでし ○よ。え~、翔ちゃんはね･･････オレの奴隷、かな♡」

Sho: “Ahh... Leo and I are just old friends. We've been hanging out since middle school. Mido-senpai... I don't really know what he's thinking. He's a man of few words, right?”

「あー…………………玲音とはただの腐れ縁な。中坊の頃か ら、なんとなくつるんでるっつうか。御堂センパイ は･･････何考えてっかよくわかんねぇわ。あいつ、言 葉が足りねぇタイプじゃん?」

Jabberwock

Haru: “Both Ren and Towa have good bodies, so if they could put that into use and work, they'd be a lot more reliable than they are now...huh? What's that sound...Hey Towa! Wait a sec!!”

「蓮も叶空も、せっかくええガタイ持っとるけぇ、 そいつ活かして働いてくれりゃ、今よりずっと頼も しいんじゃがのう･･････ん?この音は･･････おい叶空! ちょ~~~待て~~~~~~~!!」

Towa: ~~~~♪~~~~!!

Sinostra

Taiga: “That Lulu gets so angry every day, I don't know how he never gets tired of it... Ah? Shinjo? Who’s that?”

「ルルのやつ、毎日あんなキレまくって、よく飽き ねぇよな~･･･････あ〜? シンジョ? 誰だそれ」

Romeo: “I’m disgusted by my boss. No matter how many times I say the same thing, it's WEFCP. What? It's "waste of effort", "fist-clenching" and "pressing". As for Shinjo, I'm going to give him a thorough training from now on, and we'll see how he turns out.”

「うちのボスには呆れる。なんべん同じこと言った って、N・U・Oだからさぁ。は?「暖簾に」「腕」「押し」 だよ。まぁ針条に関しては、これからみっちり教育して、 どう化けるかってとこだねぇ」

*I tried my best to translate Romeo’s abbreviation but it’s still bad I’m sorry…

Ritsu: "I have concluded that it is futile to try to change the tyrannical behavior of our Sinostra’s captain, Taiga Hoshibami, and vice-captain, Romeo Scorpius Lucci. From now on, I will defend them and definitely obtain the 'Laurel Crown'."

「我がシノストラ寮長の星喰大我、および副寮長 のロミオ・スコーピウス・ルッチについて、その横暴 な素行を改めることは不毛という結論です。今後は、 私が彼らを弁護することで、必ず『栄冠賞』を手に入 れてみせます」

Hotarubi

Haku: “Another difficult question. Hmm... Subaru-san is simply great. However, his tendency to take on too much is his only flaw. Zenji-san... Well, you see, being with him makes me feel energized. I'm grateful for that.”

「また難しい質問ですこと。うーん･･････昴流さんは とにかく出来が良い。ただ、何かと抱え込みすぎる のが玉に瑕だな。善治さんは･･････まあ、あれだ、一 緒にいると元気になる。ありがたいことですよ」

Zenji: “If I had to describe Subaru-kun in one word, it would be...heart of glass...but in contrast, I can't help but worry about Haku-kun's lack of enthusiasm. As my manager, I would say he should be a bit more considerate.”

「昴流クンを一言で表すならば･･････ハート・オブ・グ ラス･･････それに引き��え、伯玖クンのスコドンぶり には気を揉まずにはいられないよ。ボクのマネージ ャーならば、もう少し気が利くべきだと言っている のだがねえ」

*Zenji says “hāto obu gurasu”, I’m not sure, but I think he means to say heart of gold? lmao

Obscuary

Edward: These two are young and strong, I'm so envious of them. When I was their age... Oops, it was so long ago that I’ve completely forgotten."

「ふたりとも、若くて体力もあって羨ましい限りだよ。 俺があの子たちと同じ年頃の時は･･････おっと。もう 随分昔のことだから、すっかり忘れてしまったな」

Rui: “Ed-san has no ability to live on his own, so he's really a pain to look after. At this point, I’m in charge of nursing care... and then what about Lyca-kun... Huh? I'm taking care of the kids... What do those two think of me!?”

「エドさんは生活力なさすぎて、ほんと世話が焼け るんよね。もはや介護っしょあれ･･････そんでライカ くんは~･･･････あれ? こっちは子供の世話だ･･････あ のふたり、俺ちゃんをなんだと思ってんの!?」

Lyca: “They're that moth-eaten Casanova and that blond gigolo. I'm human, so why am I not in the same place as Suba-kun and the others!!”

「色魔ジジイと金髪ジゴロだろ。おれは人間なのに、 なんでスバくんたちと同じとこじゃねーんだよ!!」

Mortkranken

Yuri: “You're talking about Jiro-kun, who is both Yuri Isami's assistant and patient? He's still in training. He still lacks knowledge, skills, experience, and culture. It'll probably take another 100 years for him to become a doctor at my level.”

「この衣佐美佑理の助手であり、患者でもある次郎 くんのことです? 彼は研修中の身ですからね。ま だまだ、知識も技術も経験も教養も足りていません。 僕レベルの医師になるまで、あと100年は必要でしょう」

Jiro: “Oh, the only ghoul in my house is Yuri. He's my doctor. If it weren't for Yuri, I'd probably be dead by now. Well, I'm grateful.”

「はあ、同じ寮のグールは、佑理しかいませんけど。 俺の主治医ですね。佑理がいなければ、俺、今頃死 んでるらしいんで。まあ、感謝してます」

If a professional sees this, feel free to translate it yourself

[thejakeslayla]

╰─▸❝ enhypen reaction to reader accidentally hurting themselves❞ hyung line ver.

pairing: enhypen x gn!reader ୨୧ genre: fluff ୨୧ warnings: reader getting hurt, blood, bruises, sprained ankle, burnt hand maknae line

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ lee heeseung 이희승 ✩

people might think you're a bit crazy, but in heeseung's eyes, you were nothing short of perfect. when you suggested heading out in the middle of the night for ice cream from the local seven/eleven, he couldn't have been happier.

now, standing at the front door, he wrapped a scarf around your neck. as he finished, he pinched your cheeks with the biggest smile on his face. in response, you scoffed, gently poking his side.

"ready, my beautiful?" he asked. even though you had been dating for the longest time, the endearing names he called you still made your cheeks heat up.

he offered his hand, and as soon as you grabbed it, you were on your way out. stepping outside, heeseung hid your interlocked hands in his pockets to keep you warm.

as always, you thanked him with a warm smile, which he returned. the walk to the shop wasn't that long, and you kind of wished it was longer to spend more time with heeseung like that.

you left the store as quickly as you entered, now holding ice cream in your hands. you convinced heeseung to try a new flavor, one of your favorites, making you even happier.

however, the happiness didn't last long. just seconds after you looked at him for too long, you tripped. now, your ice cream was on the floor, your knees hurt, and your hand had a big scratch on the lower palm.

heeseung reacted almost instantly, scolding himself in his head for not catching you in time. your eyes got teary as heeseung started picking you up.

"god, you okay, angel?" he asked, but the look on your face was enough of an answer. "can you walk? what hurts?"

"my hand," you said, your voice all wobbly, trying to stifle the sobs. "and my knees. i don't know, hee. it hurts so much."

"it's okay, it's okay," it sounded like heeseung was trying to calm himself and not you. "here, grab this. eat it. i'll carry you home."

"no, no, it's fine, it's not that ba—" you tried to dismiss the idea, but it was too late; his ice cream was already in your hand, and soon after, you lost the feeling of the ground under your feet.

"it's okay, we'll be home soon. focus on your ice cream, and it won't hurt that much, angel."

and how could you say no to that? you felt bad for taking away his ice cream, but you also enjoyed how thoughtful and kind your boyfriend was. after you arrived home, heeseung took care of your wounds and made sure you rested well for the rest of the night.

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ park jongseong 박종성 ✩ warning: reader gets burnt by fire

you sighed, finally finishing packing yours and jay’s backpacks to go camping. you both always wanted to go under the tents, enjoy some nature and each others company in such a peaceful environment. however, every free weekend jay had somehow ended up packed with schedules, or he simply wanted to rest in your apartment, being too tired to go out anywhere.

this weekend, you successfully coordinated everything. jay stood in the kitchen, packing the food for the campsite, while you approached him from behind, hands wrapping around his waist, cheek resting on his back.

"i'm almost done, dear," he said, and you hummed in response, melting into his warm embrace.

a few minutes later, jay turned to you, enveloping you in a tight hug. "i'm so happy we finally managed to go," he expressed, and after a brief exchange of soft smiles and eye contact, he planted a kiss on your forehead.

"do we have everything?" you asked, and he glanced around the kitchen. bags were scattered across the countertops, so he nodded.

"i think we're ready to go."

not even ten minutes later, you both were seated in the car. the drive wasn't long since you had chosen a nearby campsite, considering it your first camping experience. driving too far seemed unnecessary and time-consuming. perhaps in the future, you'd explore more distant sites.

upon arrival, jay unpacked the heavier items, while you focused on setting up the spacious tent he had bought, your boyfriend wanted to focus on your comfort and since money wasn’t the problem he bought the largest one he could find.

when everything was out of the bags you brought, jay sat down in front of the tent, inviting you to join him. as you sat, you took out your phone, capturing a few pictures of jay, who happily posed for each one. once done, he grabbed your chair, pulling you closer.

"are you hungry?" he asked, and you looked over to the fire ring, unable to contain your excitement about experiencing this with him. your gaze returned to jay, and you nodded.

"let me handle the meat; you want to start the fire?" he stood up, reaching for your hand to help you up.

"yeah, sure. i'll do my best, chef!" you replied, and he laughed.

not long after you were crouching in front of the fire ring, trying to start the fire. since the logs of wood were already near the campsite, you only collected some sticks. engrossed in starting the fire, you didn’t notice jay peeking from the tent with a fond smile. you were blowing some air into the fire now and he couldn’t help but pull out his phone, capturing pictures on his phone, just as you had done to him before.

the camera sound made you look in his direction, and you smiled, posing for the picture. unaware that raising your hand for a peace sign would bring it close to the fire, you yelped when the burning sensation made you realize the fire had touched your skin. jay rushed over, grabbed your hand, and examined the red mark.

"it looks like a second-degree burn," he said. "i'm glad we brought the first aid kit. let me take care of that."

he led you inside the tent, removed your rings, and brought you to the portable sink he had bought for a more convenient cooking experience. he put your hand under cold water, and you hissed at the temperature, but he comforted you by caressing your back.

"that's my bad; i shouldn't have distracted you," he said, guilt in his voice. you quickly protested.

"no, it was me who didn't notice the fire getting bigger. i should've been more careful since starting a fire is dangerous. it's not your fault."

he smiled, not wanting to continue the conversation, and you knew he probably still blamed himself. after about ten minutes, he stopped the water, fetched the first aid kit, and applied ointment and a bandage to your burn. he then kissed your hand and with a smile on your face you thanked him, soon after placing a kiss on his lips.

"no problem, dear. it's my responsibility to take care of you."

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ jake sim 제이크 심 ✩ warnings: sprained ankle, bruises

jake had been pestering you for weeks to join him and his friends on a fishing trip. initially, you always declined, dismissing the idea of standing for hours in cold water as unappealing. however, when jake, with his irresistible puppy eyes, pleaded for the eighth time, you found it impossible to refuse.

and so, there you were, contemplating your life choices in the car. your boyfriend, practically vibrating with excitement, sat beside you. sunghoon, riding shotgun as heeseung's designated passenger princess, enthusiastically explaining to you how fishing really works. heeseung, interjecting with pride, bragged about his one fish catch. it dawned on you that, despite their passion, they hadn't actually succeeded in catching anything. you giggled, which niki, seated to your right, noticed.

"y/n, fishing is tough. i bet you won't catch any fish either," niki remarked, sounding a bit offended.

"hey! don't be mean to my precious fishing partner. they agreed to come with us; be happy they're here," jake defended you.

the rest of the drive was surprisingly peaceful

now, standing by the lake, the boys geared up and ready to dive into the water, you looked lost and probably a little bit funny in your waders and with a bucket in hand.

"babe, come on. grab your fishing rod and let's go," jake urged, suddenly appearing next to you.

"jakey, i'm not sure… i have no idea what to do. can i watch first?" you asked, hesitation clear in your voice. but your boyfriend only smiled, grabbed your hand, and led you toward the water.

jake had to grab his own bucket, so he let go of your hand. carefully walking on your own, you looked down at the slippery rocks. "do we need to go that far?" you asked, following jake deeper.

"if you were a fish, would you stay here or in deep water so no one can catch you? exactly, y/n. they're not expecting us there," jake explained, his passion making him adorable, causing you to smile.

"be careful of the rocks! niki just fell over and busted his ass!" sunghoon shouted from afar.

"watch your feet, y/n," the boy in front of you warned. you did, but perhaps not carefully enough. one particular rock made you slip, and you quickly grabbed onto jake, but your ankle had twisted too much. you yelped in pain, raising your feet as if it would make it less painful.

jake turned to you, dropping his fishing rod and bucket. your bucket was quickly forgotten too. "you okay, baby?" he asked, finally able to look at your face.

"my ankle really hurts, jake," you sobbed, tears streaming down your cheeks. jake noticed your feet in an unnatural position, quickly crouching down.

"get on my back. i'll carry you outside, and we'll call a medic," he said. you complied, hopping onto your boyfriend's back.

he carried you to the land, almost running. heeseung, still getting ready, looked at both of you confused. after seeing your wet cheeks, he realized something was wrong. "what happened—" he tried to speak, but jake cut him off. "call a medic."

a few minutes later, two medics arrived. while one of them took care of your ankle, the other one questioned your boyfriend, who was tightly holding your hand. you sat on a blanket that heeseung had laid down for you, while jake sat on the grass due to limited space, still explaining what happened.

after your ankle was bandaged, jake still held your hand. you wiped your tears, but still felt sad and guilty for ruining something that important for your boyfriend. you looked at him, when he was busy watching the rest of group fishing. you noticed that medics were still standing outside instead of going back to the rental shop.

you sighed, catching jake's attention. "what's wrong, princess?" he asked, turning toward you.

"i'm sorry for ruining this trip," you said, avoiding eye contact. "it was supposed to be fun; you even rented the fishing rod for me. but i ruined it by being clumsy."

"hey, it's nothing like that. you didn't ruin anything. it's okay," he chuckled. jake leaned closer, kissing your forehead. "you can gain experience by watching the boys; next time, you'll be the one to catch the biggest fish in this lake, yeah?"

you looked up, smile forming on your face. “yeah.”

jake leaned in again, but just as you were closing your eyes for a kiss, heeseung yelled, causing you both to back away. "I THINK I GOT SOMETHING!…

.. false alarm!"

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ park sunghoon 박성훈 ✩ warnings: blood

"we look like a fitness instagram couple," sunghoon remarked as you both entered the gym.

you chuckled, playfully slapping his bare arm. "stop it, we don't. we look normal," you replied, still laughing.

"so, you're saying that instagram fitness couples are not normal?" he teased, placing his water bottle down. "that's mean, y/n."

"i'm not saying that! stop framing me!" you protested, slapping him again. this time, he flexed his biceps in anticipation, "ouch!" you yelped when your hand met his hard muscles.

"see? that's what you get for hitting your hot, muscular boyfriend," he teased, flexing his arms and now looking in the mirror.

"you're so annoying," you sighed, heading over to the treadmill to start your usual workout. "can't believe i agreed to go with you." it seemed like sunghoon didn’t hear you. even though you both came together, you focused on yourself and your boyfriend focused on himself. an hour and half went like that. you already tired out multiple gym equipments, slowly getting mentally ready to go home. your boyfriend on the other hand was just getting ready. you sat down near him, taking a break. you observed how precise he was while doing his exercises and how his muscles perfectly demonstrated how much strength he had.

"you're staring," he said, causing you to nervously look away. "told you i'm hot, and you called me annoying," he grunted as he pushed through another set.

"your ego is big, that's what i'm saying," you retorted, stealing another glance at his arms.

"i'm just aware of my looks, baby," he said, finally releasing the pull-up bar. walking toward you, he grabbed your water bottle and took a few sips. upon closer inspection, you noticed a couple of his hair strands sticking to his forehead. 'sunghoon was right,' you thought, realizing how attractive he looked.

"get up; i have one more set, and we can go home," he instructed, handing your bottle back. you nodded, getting up. as you finished your exercises for the day, you decided to hop on the treadmill again, while your boyfriend went back to the pull-up bar, right in front of you.

the speed increased, and your focus drifted to sunghoon.. maybe if you were more focused on your shoes, you would noticed that one of them had untied itself. you only realized it when you stepped on the lace, creating a loud thud that garnered the attention of everyone in the gym, including sunghoon.

"y/n!" he shouted, rushing towards you. he quickly appeared next to you, helping you up. "are you okay?"

"damn, my knees hurt. thank god i grabbed the rails," you said, massaging your knees.

"is everything okay?" a staff member approached, wrapping her arm around your shoulders and completely pushing sunghoon away, who was left confused. "did he hurt you?"

"no, no. that's my boyfriend; i just tripped," you explained, attempting to smile, hoping no one noticed the blood seeping through your pants. the staff member scanned you up and down, not easily convinced.

she led you to the front desk, and sunghoon walked behind you, eager to hold your hand. however, the staff member kept him at a distance, and you both couldn't comprehend why. ‘she was probably just doing her job’ - you thought.

finally, as you sat down, the staff member fetched the first aid supplies, and sunghoon was able to hold your hand.

"she's so weird," he whispered.

you nodded. "she is, but maybe she's being careful—"

"still, you said that i'm with you, so i don't understand," he interrupted. the staff member returned, interrupting your gossiping session. she quickly bandaged your scraped knees and advised caution, all while giving sunghoon a pointed look.

when she walked away, sunghoon helped you get up. "we should change our gym, y/n."

"definitely."

for the rest of the day, sunghoon didn't allow you to get up. he made you a spot in the living room to stretch your legs, and whenever you wanted to move, he protested, rushing over to get things for you. eventually, unable to resist your overprotective boyfriend, you lay down with your cheek pressed against his chest, his hand on your waist, both of you unknowingly falling asleep on the couch.

requests: open © 2023 — all rights reserved to user thejakeslayla, please do not steal, plagiarise or translate any of my work !

[thatghostinyourbog]

THIS SCENE

THIS FUCKING SCENE

I always thought this scene SAID everything it needed to say

And I just never looked too deeply into it until now

Atsushi and his tiger are separate

They are portrayed as 2 separate beings throughout the entire show

And his ability might be like that

But if we're thinking of this from a storyteller point of view

Atsushi is the tiger

The tiger is Atsushi

In that scene atsushi admits how much he hates himself

And later Akutagawa reveals that Atsushi thinks he doesn't deserve to live unless he's helping others

But that doesn't change, atsushi just doesn't think he deserves to live. He is trying to earn to live but helping people is just keeping him alive

I think the tiger came out to help him (he helped himself) only because he finally thought he deserved to live, he was helping so many people and in that moment he realised this gives him a right to live

So why was that not the end of the season and his character development??

WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED

After all that happened SECONDS after the ENTIRE CITY was saved Atsushis main focus was still on making sure as many people lived as possible. After all that it still wasn't enough.

Then we move onto his quality bonding time with the little Victorian boy

I've already talked about Atsushi and Akus relationship so I won't say much more

But the interactions at the end of season 2

Aku not only figured out Atsushi was trying to make it so he deserved to live he also told him how stupid it was

Atsushi and Aku need to hear things like this

Natural behaviours and beliefs they have from their trauma are stupid, but they have so much weight to them neither of them can help but live by those things and sometimes it takes your rival to go up to you, stab you in the shoulders, and say you're stupid for you to think somewhat rationally

Aku tells Atsushi he doesn't have to live his life by other people's morals

He does actually have a choice

With Atsushis past at the orphanage hearing this must've felt like being hit by a truck

Atsushi realised he can have his own morals and he's free to help or kill whoever he pleases

Aku shows Atsushi that he is free

Now there isn't a set way to overcome trauma or improve your mental wellbeing

God everyone wishes there were but that's just life

And I think that's what bsd is

It's people trying to overcome their trauma

People trying to get better

People who seem to be worse at just living than others

Imo bsd is about getting better

Some characters won't

Some will

Some people won't get better

Some will

Bsd is so special because of that fact

It's the only show I've seen that is aimed towards people who simply find living more difficult than others

This is the show you watch when you feel completely alone

The characters are written so well and they're so different from eachother but they all are still suffering

It covers topics that the viewers probably thought they were entirely alone in even thinking about

(My thoughts were all over the place I can't figure out a better way to put all this together so just suffer through the edited thoughts of my brain)((Yea imagine how I feel I have to suffer through the completely unedited ones))

Atsushi views the tiger way higher than himself

The tiger represents the part of Atsushi who no matter what will help others

Atsushi himself does not believe he is such a good person

He doesnt believe he is as good as he is, he believes he can harm to people when in reality he would never be able to bring himself to hurt others

The tiger represents Atsushis natural good nature

And Atsushi himself represents all his doubts and worries and feelings of worthlessness

He thinks he is such a bad person he has separated the natural good things about himself and put them into his ability

Which is why in dead apple he seemed so lost and helpless

For half the movie he was following Aku and Kyouka around unsure of what to do

And once he faced his trauma and got his ability back he realised he doesn't HAVE to be such a good person

He doesn't have to be this perfect being who saves everyone and doesn't let anyone suffer

He learns he has to fight

He learns he has to kill some people and there's no way around it

That doesn't make him a bad person

It just makes him human

And this is what he realises at the end of the movie

It's also what he shows Dazai right at the start and the end with those little interactions they have

Atsushi never doubted Dazais humanity

They're all just human

And they're all trying to live to be better people