#but this ask was so misguided i couldn't just not say something to try and help anon understand better

[whiskeyswifty]

Taylors so sweet. Most millionaires are greedy af and there she is donating insane amounts of money to her employees. Queen!

While I agree totally that she's doing an amazing thing, i want to very gently remind you that she's not donating anything or being sweet. But rather perhaps consider these people are her employees and she's properly compensating them for their their integral roles in earning her those millions of dollars in the first place, with months of grueling work that they’ve performed exceptionally and deserve said financial compensation for with a bonus, not a donation. Remember that she cannot earn that much money alone, it quite literally takes a large village of people to put on a show of this magnitude and put millions of dollars in her pocket, and she clearly values every single person who worked to make it happen, emphasis on WORK. Every single person who works on a show like this is a gig worker, and crew members make shockingly little for a gig like this, even when paid the industry standard. They often don't know when or where their next job will be, and live life from job to job. I gently urge you to see Taylor's bonuses, which is what you should call them not donations, as a recognition of their hard and exceptional work, which is what a bonus is for, and her simply wanting to fairly share the profits with them more equally and proportionately, which is fantastic to see and how it should be!! She is providing a model for workers to see that their bosses, especially in Taylor's industry at her level of success, can afford to pay more livable wages and bonuses and if they can, it should be industry standard that they should.

I also gently urge you to consider that paying workers their fair share of an extremely successful profit margin should not be considered a form of charity but rather just fair compensation. I agree that most millionaires, and billionaires really, are greedy yes, but not because they're not "generous" or "sweet" like Taylor. It's because they're unfairly and improperly compensating their workers for the labor it takes to earn that profit, paying them far too little. Paying your workers has nothing to do with generosity, it's simply fair compensation for their work. Taylor in comparison is not "generous" or "sweet" either but simply a fair and respectful manager and CEO who values her employees as people and values their work financially, which is FARRR more important than being "sweet" or "generous" from time to time. Instead, you should commend her for her exemplary leadership in this decision and I think it's a fantastic standard that we should hold ALL CEOs to for how they should treat their employees.

It's important that you understand that it's never charity when paying an employee for their labor, whether it's a raise or a bonus or any financial compensation. By your line of thinking, we are to rely on the benevolence of billionaires. Given that their inherent greed is what got them there in the first place, we would be truly doomed. I’m absolutely beaming with pride for her and to be associated with her because she stands for this kind of proper compensation, but that’s because of a managerial standard she holds herself to. Which is fairness, not kindness, and as we continue to fight across the country for more fair wages, it's imperative that you understand the difference.

[undiscovered-horizon]

[Old love never rusts. Shanks has to face that truth when he meets again the husband of the girl he almost had.]

Shanks's version | Enjoying my work? You can leave me a tip on Ko-Fi | Have a request?

Shanks knows he has no right to ask this question. Not when he's the one that up and left in the middle of the night, without even a word of warning that could soothe your aching heart. Nevertheless, he can't help but indulge his yearning:

"How is she?"

Mihawk raises his eyebrows barely noticeably. He seems surprised that after Shanks's disappearing act and a decade of dead silence, he's still interested in you, even if motivated by pure courtesy. But before Mihawk answers the question, he notices something strange in the red-haired captain's eyes, a sensation he's rarely seen in them before - sadness.

Interesting, how some things never quite change.

"Well," Mihawk answers laconically. Instead of indulging Shanks's lovesick longing, he wishes the man would finally accept his utter failure and move on. You're married to Dracule and this isn't going to change anytime soon. If ever.

"Wells tend to be cold and musty," Shanks jokes but his tone is far from lighthearted. In fact, his voice sounds strained like he's holding back tears. "I hope she fared better with you."

The Red-Hair pirates laugh at their captain's joke but quickly turn quiet again. Something about the tense confrontation makes their good humour virtually nonexistent. Especially when Mihawk gives them a curt, cold glare. He doesn't find his past rivalry with Shank to be funny in any way.

"She has everything she could ask for," he says with a sense of finality to his words. Mihawk feels himself growing irritated.

"Good, good..." Shanks nods, lost in thought for a moment. He clenches his hand, giving away the unpleasant tension inside his chest. The captain has promised himself to let go of you. Alas, here we are. "Is she happy?" he suddenly asks.

Mihawk furrows his thick eyebrows in an angry frown. It's almost insulting for Shanks to have any doubts regarding your well-being under the Warlord's care. "What sort of question is this?"

"A 'yes or no' sort."

"Then yes," he drones his words.

Shanks forces a wide, playful smile. There's agony hiding in his eyes and as though Mihawk is a blind man, he's trying to play it cool and appear unaffected. The truth is, the red-haired man is holding on by a thread.

"I bet she talks about me all the time," Shanks says in faux amusement. His voice almost doesn't shake. "We both know I've always been her favourite."

"And you'd lose." Mihawk begins to feel an insidious satisfaction from the distress of the other man. "In fact, I doubt she thinks about you at all."

"You keep telling yourself that, hawk-eyes."

"This misguided flattery is much unwarranted," Mihawk warns him. "No one bets on losing dogs."

But she would, Shanks thinks to himself. She always did.

Short fingernails leave bruising marks on the inside of Shanks's palm as he's clenching his fist. Once again he's reminded that when it mattered, he was a coward and fled from the overwhelming, crippling love he feels for you. Only know there's no hope, there's no ifs - you belong to another man.

Afternoon sunlight reflects off of Mihawk's gold ring. Shanks glares at it for a moment too long to pass off his intense stare as circumstantial. He can almost hear the mocking laughter of the universe as the consequence of the amalgamation of his bad choices is merely two meters away from him. There is nothing he wouldn't give up to turn back the time and make sure that things go differently, that he never became afraid of being too deep in love.

But time, like the seas, has no master.

_____

I was so torn about this one, I couldn't decide until the very end, so if you want to read a version where the scenario is flipped and Shanks is the 'lucky guy', just hit me up.

[charliehoennam]

Aww I love your writing so much!!!! 🩷🩷 The detective Loki A-Z felt so accurate 🥹 he’s so precious. Can you write something that kind of goes off the jealousy area? Like it’s a coworker who reader gets close with and is honestly clueless to the flirting?

F o r g i v e n

a/n: here you go, nonny! i couldn't agree more. David is my baby and he deserves some happiness and a warm hug

pairing: Detective David Loki x reader

summary: a new co-worker makes a misguided move on the reader and david gets pissed

warnings: language, angst, arguing (if i missed one, lemme know. minors, do not interact!)

SHARING IS CARING, SO PLEASE REBLOG

Sliding your legs over the edge of your side of the bed, you sit up and rub the sleep from your eyes. David’s on the phone with O’Malley. You already know he’s gotta go into work today.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in 30 tops” he says lowly in his gravely morning voice before hanging up his cell phone.

“I’ll make breakfast” you smile sleepily at him.

You reach out to reassuringly squeeze his arm to let him know it’s alright. He’s already mentally beating himself up for waking you up and not being able to be enjoy his morning off with you as he had promised.

You make your way through the one-story house and head to the kitchen to get his coffee going. You decide on making a hearty breakfast because you know very well David will skip lunch today.

So, you settle for a nice egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich on toasted bagels with cream cheese. You make two for him so he can take one to work and hopefully eat while he’s on the road. You even cut up some bananas, apples, strawberries and oranges to make a little fruit salad.

David isn’t the healthiest guy around, but he deeply appreciates that you care for him and his health. He never really had anyone to care about him – much less his health – so he’ll sure make to eat every bite.

You hear his electric razor shut off after his shower. A while later, he comes into the kitchen with his hair slicked back. His light blue button-up shirt is open, exposing his white sleeveless undershirt. His gold chain dangles and dances around his neck as he buttons the cuffs of his shirt.

You can’t help but smile to yourself. You wish you could stop him and slide his button-up off. You love it when he wears his undershirt and chain around the house.

“Honey, think you can get a ride to work today?” he asks kissing the back of your head as you slice up the fruit.

“Yeah, babe. It’s no problem. I already texted Jared and asked him to pick me up.”

His hands working the buttons closed on his front stop as his eyes narrow in on the back of your head.

“Jared? You already texted him?”

“Yeah. I figured you’d leave before me.”

“Oh…”

You know that there’s something he’s holding back from you. You turn your head to glance at him, hoping to get a read of him as you slide the chopped-up fruit in a container.

“Is there a problem with that?”

You already know the answer to that.

“No. Nothing. Just didn’t know you and Jared were so close already. I mean, didn’t he just start there like two weeks ago?”

His eyebrows rise and his lip press flat as he looks down at his hands, letting them finish their work on his shirt.

“Two months ago, but he was pretty much on his own, so I figured I’d be the first to befriend him. The first weeks are the worst when you start working at a new place.”

“Yeah, I get that. Just didn’t think you were already texting each other.”

“Dave, there’s nothing going on between us if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. Your face says it all.”

You’re slightly hurt that he would think there could be something brewinh between you and Jared. It may come from a place of worry, but isn't that trust is for?

“Look, I gotta get going. I’ll see you tonight.”

You nod as you hand him the containers of sandwiches and his travel mug. He leaves you with a kiss on your forehead and you watch him leave, letting the tension hang in the air. You try to put it on the mental backburner as you head up to get ready for your day.

Hearing a honk coming from outside, you look out the window and confirm Jared’s arrival. You grab your bag, keys and phone before heading out the door and walking to Jared’s car.

“Hey, Jare. Thanks for the late-notice lift. David got called in and my car’s still at the shop.”

“You know I don’t mind it at all. It’s been almost a couple days though. Have they given you any updates on it?”

“Something about the starting motor failing. Solenoid damage, I think? They have to replace some coils or some shit.”

“That shouldn’t take more than a few hours to replace though.”

“David says the same thing. He’s getting pretty impatient. Said he’s gonna stop by there today to check up. You know how some mechanics can be when they see a girl with car trouble.” You complete with a roll of your eyes.

“Yeah, some pricks take advantages. I know a thing or two about cars. I’d be happy to look into it for you if you want?”

“Really? Yeah, yeah. That’d be great. I’m gonna wait for David though. He said he’d stop by there today. I’ll give you a heads up though.”

After arriving to work, you head straight for your sector to settle in. You can’t help but notice how kind Jared seems to be towards you in this new light that David casted earlier in the morning.

Jared always offers to refill your water bottle whenever he gets up, always offers snacks, brings you back your favorite coffee or tea after his breaks, compliments your hair or nails or even your perfume. During the whole day, you can’t help but notice he doesn’t treat his other co-workers the same. You begin to wonder if you’ve led him on to believe you’re more than just co-workers or if it’s because he’s new and not very close to the others.

You decide to shake the thought from your head and go on about your work. However, with this new concept in the back of your mind, you start to politely deny Jared’s kind offers. He doesn’t seem hurt by it. A small wave of relief washes over you. Maybe you were just in over your head and overthinking what David had told you.

Around closing time, Jared stops by your station to check if you need a ride home. You check your phone, hoping David texted you with a reply about picking you up, but there’s no new messages.

Your heart sinks a bit. You’d hoped he could’ve at least replied. Is he really that upset with you?

“Yeah, I could use a ride.”

The house isn’t very far. You could walk home, but the rain is already pouring down heavy. And this time of year, the cold winter air is starting to arrive, slickening the streets and sidewalks with ice.

You smile to hide that you wished you didn’t need a ride from Jared. You know it’s not gonna make things easier to deal with at home.

Part of you thinks David is acting ridiculously like a child that's too selfish to share a toy. Only you’re not a toy. You’re a human being and you’re his fiancée. You’re supposed to be getting married.

The other part of you wonders how you would feel if it were the other way around. If he had a new partner on the job and spent hours with her. With everything Jared does for you, would you be ok with someone else treating David the same way?

Trying to settle the internal dispute, you remember that it’s your intentions that really counts. You’re not breaking his trust because you have no intention of getting with Jared. You’re friends and that’s all there is. And you would want David to have a good friend too in your situation.

You walk out together, gabbling on about the day as you climb into his car.

As Jared turns onto your street, you’re laughing over an amusing situation you’d survived in your first week at the company with an unsatisfied client. Jared had had his first unpleasant interaction with a frustrated client. Although he handled it pretty well, he was still a bit disappointed about it.

Grateful the rain has let up, you notice Dave’s car parked in the driveway. Why didn’t he at least text you back if he was home? You feel a slight pang in your chest, but you shove it down as you continue your conversation. Jared knows your line of though has been thrown off and he can only guess it has to do with the black Crown Victoria perched in front of the garage.

“It can happen to anyone,” you say looking up at the tall brown-haired co-worker as he turns the car off, parking in front of your house. You hear a door close from outside and keys jingling, but you don’t think much of it. Most of your neighbors get home at this time as well.

“You can’t please everybody and you have to accept that,” you resume looking down at the dashboard. “You’re not here to please, you’re here to do your job.”

“You’re an amazing person, you know that?”

Something is different about the way Jared is looking at you. It’s intense and you don’t like it.

He leans over the arm rest/storage compartment separating the front seats and places a surprising kiss on your cheek.

You quick react by pulling yourself back and gently push him away with a hand on his shoulder.

“Whoa, Jared. That’s sweet, but i-it’s not like that. We’re just friends. You realize that, right?” you ask frowning at him. “I’m happily engaged.”

“Y-yeah... I figured. I thought I-I’d shoot my shot. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He looks down embarrassed as his cheeks blush a bright regretful shade of red. “I misread things. I’m sorry. That’s on me. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just… Don’t do that again, alright?”

“Yeah. Definitely will not” he chuckles nervously. “It won’t happen again. I promise. Just like you said, we’re only friends.”

You’re not really sure how to react. You can tell he feels really awkward about the whole thing, but you just want to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Flashing a shy, nervous smile at him, you thank him for the ride and climb out of the car. You slowly walk up the concrete path, digging through you bag for your keys.

Upon finding them, you look up and freeze.

David is standing in the path, glaring at the young man in the car. As he keeps his furious gaze locked on Jared, his hands move to rest on his hip. Pushing back his black winter jacket, his gold badge and his standard issue gun are exposed to remind Jared of who he is.

You don’t realize it’s a non-verbal threat. You just think he’s pissed judging by the constant hard blinking of his eyes.

“David, it’s not what you th-“ you start only to be cut off.

“In the house. Right now.”

He has a point. This isn’t a topic to discuss outside for all your neighbors to hear.

You walk quietly past him and march up the porch. You leave the door open for him, but he’s not far behind you. Only a couple moments since he’d been staring Jared down until he finally drove away.

The door slams as he enters the house.

“Are you fucking serious? There’s nothing going on, right?” He asks loudly and angrily.

“Yes, there’s nothing going on, Dave.” You say trying to stay calm, unwilling to match his tone. You’d be angry too in his place.

“You expect me to believe that after what I just saw?!”

“Yes, because that’s the truth. I know how that looked like. He thought I was sending him signs of interest. I won’t lie about that. But I didn’t want him to do that. There is absolutely no interest on my behalf!”

“The fucking chicken hawk just kissed you!”

“I didn’t want him to! I told him that! Maybe if you had picked me up from work or at least fucking texted me back, I wouldn’t have gotten in that fucking car in the first place!” you seethe at him.

“Oh, so this is my fault??” he snaps back at you bewildered.

He opens his mouth to speak, but just in that same moment, his cell phone rings. A hushed ‘fuck’ escapes from his lips as he answers the call. You just roll your eyes and fold your arm across your chest because you already know what that means.

The conversation is quick. You can’t tell much; all you know is that Captain O’Malley is calling him into the station.

“We’re not done on this”, he says with a raised finger in your direction and opens the door behind him.

The door slams shut. You close your eyes and lean against the wall, wishing you had never gotten in that car.

Dragging your tired body up the stairs, you make your way to your room. You notice the comforter is rumpled on David’s side along with his pillows. It’s not as you had it in the morning; it was neat and made to look inviting. You sigh and run a hand through your hair. Now you know why he didn’t answer you at first; he had fallen asleep.

You set your bag atop of the dresser that you share. You dig out your phone to set it to charge. There’re a couple unread messages and 2 missed calls; all from David and right around the time you’d left work.

Sorry, babe. Fell asleep and just woke up.

On my way right now!

You feel guilty thinking about how you could’ve avoided the whole ordeal. Now, David is mad at you and you’re mad at him for thinking that you wanted Jared to kiss you.

You head into the ensuite bathroom to shower and let the water wash away the stress of your day. As the warm water pours over you, you just hope this isn’t what ends your relationship.

Once you’re cleaned and a bit more relaxed, you go about the house to start on some of the chores. Deciding on a simple, quick and easy dinner, you sit on the couch to eat by yourself.

It’s been hours since David’s left and you miss him. You just want him to come home, so you can tell him how much you miss and love him.

You look down at your phone. He read your “I’m sorry” text, but he hasn’t replied. You wonder if it’s because he’s busy or he just doesn’t want to talk to you.

Wanting to stay up and wait for him, you start on the dirty dishes and pots in the kitchen. Then the laundry. You can’t stay still. It bothers you too much and you have to stay awake. There’s nothing left to do around the house, so you plot back down on the couch and surf through the channels to try to find something to watch.

It’s around midnight when you hear his car pull into the driveway. You race to the window to look out and make sure it’s him. He looks tired as he approaches the house with his keys in hand. His shoulders are hunched from the weight of the day’s stress.

You stand by the window and watch as he drags himself inside. He closes the door and hangs up his jacket before kicking his boots off. His back is turned to you and he hasn’t seen you yet.

When he does, he gazes at you for a moment. He’s too tired to argue, but he loves the fact that you’re wearing his sweater.

“You hungry? I made dinner. I can make you a plate,” you say softly breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I could eat.”

It’s quiet between you both. It’s a moment of cease fire. The elephant is still in the room, but you know how his weighs heavily on him. Especially with the case he’s working on. You don’t know much about it. David likes to keep that away from you. All you know is what you heard on the news and that there are kids involved. Those types of cases hit too close to home for him.

You leave him to eat in peace and tell him that you’re heading up to bed.

Assuming he’ll sleep on the couch since he must be upset still, you head to the bathroom to have a final tinkle before bed and brush your teeth. You crawl into bed and hug your pillow as you stare at the wall, luminated only by the fluorescent orange light of the street lamps.

Tears prick your eyes. You hate this distance between you and him. It’s ridiculous, but you know it’s not the time for it.

You hear David’s footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall. The door creaks as he walks into the bedroom.

He goes about his usual routine; set his ring and chain on top of the dresser along with his badge. Then he walks over to the nightstand to open the drawer there. He pulls his gun from it's holster and makes sure its' safety is on. He had set it before already, but it never hurt to double check.

Soon after setting the gun in the lockbox within the drawer, he quietly makes his way to the bathroom. He opens the squeaky faucet and water pours from the shower.

He doesn’t take long. It’s a quick shower to wash his hair and body. He’s too tired to do more than he has to.

You hear him come into the room to grab a pair of boxers from his drawers. He seems quiet and still. Though your back is turned to him, you feel his eyes on you.

He stands still, hands on the wooden dresser as he mentally contemplates what to do. He knows it wasn’t your fault. He knows it wasn’t you who kissed Jared. He saw you pull away and push him back. He knows you didn’t like it or expect it just as much as him.

His head drops and his eyes close. In truth, the time at work had kept him too busy to think about it much, but he did think about you. Part of him felt you were like a victim, caught up in the crime with no fault. The other part of him wondered what could have happened to influence Jared to kiss you.

With a heavy sigh, you sense his footsteps approaching the bed. You expect to feel the wool blanket at the foot of the bed slide off along with his pillow.

To your surprise, you feel the comforter lifts behind you allowing a cool breeze to creep onto your back. Your heart beats faster. The mattress dips with his heavy frame. And you feel an arm drape over your waist.

“You awake?” His voice is a whisper in the dark.

You reply with a nod. You don’t want him to see you’re crying, though you know it’s inevitable.

“Can we talk?”

You quickly wipe your eyes in an attempt to omit the evidence of your pain. Turning onto your other side, you’re face to face. His hand doesn’t leave your waist. You let him slide underneath your shirt to feel your warmth.

“I don’t wanna fight. I don’t wanna argue,” he starts.

“Neither do I, Dave.” Your voice is soft as you reach to tenderly hold his bicep. You want to pull him close and hold him forever, but that might be too much.

“Are you really happy being with me?”

Your heart breaks to think that he feels like you might not be happy with him. You open your mouth to answer him, desperate to chase away his fear, but he continues.

“I know I’m not the best partner. I know for sure I haven’t been in the past. In some relationships, I didn’t even try to be. But I’m trying, sweetheart. I’m trying real hard because I love you and I want to be with you. I don’t know if it’s enou-“

You can’t listen to him anymore.

“Listen to me, Dave. I love you. You are more than enough for me and you make me the happiest in the world. And that’s enough for me. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You sure about that?” he asks with pleading eyes.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Jared is just a dude I felt bad for at work. I was just trying to be a friend, that’s all. But he misread my intentions. That’s it, that’s all that happened. And I’m gonna distance myself from him because I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

David feels relieved to hear your solution. He didn’t want risk sounding like a possessive jerk and ask you to not talk to Jared anymore, but he likes that you’re willing to make that change willingly for the sake of your relationship.

After all, he can’t be surprised someone else would want to have you.  The minute he met you, he wanted you for himself as well. He’s just lucky he got to have his chance before anyone did.

He smiles tiredly at you and closes his eyes as he rests his forehead against yours.

“Think you can forgive me for being a dick earlier? I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

“I don’t know. You might just have to make it up to me” you tease with a playful smirk, getting a low chuckle out of him.

“Whatever you want. Just name it.”

[necrotic-nephilim]

i simply must know: what are your thoughts on jaydick?

!!! JayDick my beloved, man do i have thoughts. disclaimer that all of these thoughts will be pre-Flashpoint in basis unless stated otherwise just because that's the canon i like best.

to me. JayDick is one of the more incestual ships of Batcest. there's this desperate, driving want from Jason, to have Dick as an older brother. he and Dick never really got to be brothers, they were definitely friendly with each other when Jason was alive, but because of Dick's distance with Bruce, he never got the chance to bond with Jason. he always made sure Jason knew he could go to Dick for help, but beyond that Dick wasn't particularly emotionally available with Jason as Robin. but Jason held Dick in a high regard and wanted to be his brother, even saw himself as Dick's brother. when he came back from the dead, i think the illusion shattered for him, but he still clung to that want for something familial with Dick Grayson.

i've vaguely rambled about Nightwing: Brothers In Blood before, because i think that arc really shows a lot of Jason's true feelings about Dick. of everyone in the Batfamily, Jason cares for Dick the most and wants an honest relationship with Dick more than anyone. Dick is the big brother he never got to have.

meanwhile on Dick's side there's... well, apathy would be the kindest way to put it. i think Jason's death pulled a lot of violent anger out of Dick, but that anger was toward Bruce at moreso the concept of Jason's death than Jason as a person. because Dick never knew Jason that well. so there is this guilt on Dick's side, guilt that he couldn't have in some way prevented Jason's death, guilt he wasn't at the funeral, guilt he didn't do more to accept Jason and possible guide Jason to be a better Robin. this is Dick's mantle after all, so when the first person to wear it after him so violently dies in it, that's a mark on his record too. even if Dick didn't give Jason Robin, he still okayed it and gave it his blessing, so he carries that on his own back.

but when Jason comes back it's... well, messy. Dick openly says he kind of wishes Jason had died when he faced Bruce and the Joker, and he hesitates a bit when he needs to save Jason's life. during an arc of the Outsiders where Jason helps out with genuinely no ulterior motives, nothing nefarious, he just knows Black Lightning is innocent and wants to prove it, Dick still doesn't trust Jason and has no reason to be trusting him. i saw a post on here say that pre-Flashpoint!Dick would've agreed with what Bruce did to Jason during Gotham War (reprogramming him to have a fear response to adrenaline) and like... ngl i agree with it. Dick does *not* care for Jason and regards Jason with a lot of apprehension. and that's the fun.

because usually, in Batcest shipping that centers Jason, it's always the other person in the ship seeking out Jason, trying to bring him home, trying to domesticate/fix him, etc. but for JayDick, i think it's the opposite. Jason would try to be good for Dick, if he asked. Jason wants to be close to Dick, he's reaching out when he knows he shouldn't and doing it in the most fucked up ways sure, but he cares about Dick. we bring up "Jason asked Tim to be his Robin" a lot, but never "Jason also asked Dick to be his Robin". it's always going to be misguided and fucked up because Jason doesn't know how to handle this love he has for Dick, that's an echo of the person he used to be. a person Dick doesn't even *see* in him anyway. that shit is fun and fucked up.

i think the one interesting thing Rebirth did was that one Nightwing Annual where Dick calls Jason 'Robin' to snap him out of killing someone. because in the moment it was to remind Jason of who he was. which is the fun of it. when Dick pictures a kind, loving Jason, he pictures Robin, not Red Hood. that will always be the version of Jason that Dick loves the most. i don't think Dick believes Jason could ever be good enough to be redeemed, but if Dick Grayson loves anything, it's a passion project of trying to fix someone. if Jason came to Dick and tried to be good (without putting on the Nightwing suit-) i do think in the end, Dick would try to help him. Dick wouldn't believe in Jason, but he'd put an honest attempt into helping Jason try to be good. and that's where the relationship for them works the best for me, imo. Jason wants Dick to be his older brother. Dick is apprehensive but looking for pieces of the "old Jason" in this person he doesn't recognize. it's weird and fucked up and they make it work so well. it's really one of my favorite Batcest ships for exploring the incestual nature of brotherly love. it's the Cain Instinct if i've ever fucking seen it.

honestly you could sum this entire ship up as "Cain Instinct but they want to fuck each other after the fist fight" and i do think you would be correct. they say i love you with bloody fists. it's so fucking good man, i love these two.

[cringe--is--dead]

formally asking for part two of misguided hearts, please!! it was an amazing read!! I'm so excited to see what will happen next :) your writing is absolutely phenomenal ❤️

A/N: We are gonna pretend it hasn't been for forever since I've not only posted on here, but done anything with DBZ. Anyways! Here we are!

The Blind (No Longer) Leading the Blind (Part Two)

Misguided Hearts (Part One)

"I still think you should let Gohan and I spar."

Trunks was on the same topic, pouting, though he'd argue he wasn't, as you fussed over your hair and your makeup, finally settling on an outfit with your mom's help. You sighed, turning to where he was seated on your bed.

"And I told you-- no fighting my friends."

"He made you upset though," He was looking at you as if you were the one who made no sense in this situation.

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head fondly at him, "Gohan didn't upset me."

Though he didn't believe you, "I could stop being friends with Goten?"

You moved to sit across from him, watching as he held one of your pillows to his chest, glaring at your comforter.

"Trunks I appreciate you being ready to fight on behalf of me, but you don't need to. And you especially don't need to drop your best friend for me." You ruffled his hair, and laughed at the offended noise he made, trying to bat you away.

"Whatever. If you come home crying I'm gonna tell dad."

You narrowed your eyes at him, all affection leaving, "You wouldn't."

You hadn't even told your dad you were going on a double date. The man would more than likely have a conniption. The first time a guy showed interest in you he declared no mortal good enough for his daughter and declared anyone after your heart and your hand needed to beat him in a match. You had been thirteen. It was embarrassing. Yet part of you had reveled in his protectiveness of you.

"I would."

You heard your mom shouting your name downstairs, and the jitters that had mellowed out hit you full force. You stood, motioning for Trunks to do the same.

"No hanging out in my room when I'm not here, brat."

He stuck his tongue out at you, "I don't wanna be in your dumb room anyways."

He dodged the smack you sent towards his arm and left you alone. Taking a deep breath, you forced a light expression on your face. Delaying the inevitable wouldn't do you any good.

"You at least look lovely honey," Your mom comforted you, and you smiled at her.

"Thanks, mom."

You made your way to the door, grabbing a thin jacket in case it got nippy, and opened the door, unprepared to see Gohan, Videl, and Erasa at your front door.

You blinked for a moment, staring at the three of them-- Erasa was your date for the double date?

Interesting.

"Sorry," Gohan rushed to apologize, "Erasa insisted we all went together."

The blonde beamed at you from where she stood, and though you were dreading this interaction, you could never dread hanging out with Erasa, and her happiness was always contagious.

"It's alright," You smiled back, shutting the door behind you, "Let's just hurry before dad finishes with his morning training."

Gohan shuddered at that, and the four of you moved to head off. Erasa was practically bouncing as she walked, far more excited than she had been earlier this week. Videl was with her, moving every so often to keep her from drifting into the street or getting distracted by something near by. You couldn't help but smile at the pair, Videl was always so soft with her friends.

"So," Sucks that it meant Gohan had to be stuck walking with you instead of his date, but hey, you'd soak up the time, "My mom says hi. And that you need to come over for dinner soon."

"Well, I'll never pass up an opportunity for Chi-Chi's cooking," He smiled at that, a bright look on his face as you continued, "We still have that project due soon so I could come over some time this week?"

"Yeah! That'd be great. Sorry in advance for how mom will be." He paused, "And dad, come to think of it."

You quirked an eyebrow at him, "I've known your parents since I was a kid, Gohan. I know how they'll be."

"Yeah, but this will be different. Well not really, for us I suppose. But for them. Mainly mom." He sighed, as if already exhausted by the dinner that hadn't even happened yet, "And dad's just excited that that gives him more excuses to hang out with Vegeta."

"That it-- what?"

He laughed as if your confusion was not only expected but entertaining to him, "I know. I told him that just because we're seeing each other it doesn't mean he gets to go over and bug your dad every day. Not to mention I think it'll just be another reason for Vegeta to not like him. Or me."

Your mind was reeling, and you felt yourself slowing down your walk, trying to process and make sense of what he was talking about. Gohan seemed almost too lost in his mind to notice at first.

"I wonder if there's some Saiyan tradition he's going to make me partake in. Or-- hey, what's up?"

He turned, and you realized you had gone from slowing down to not walking entirely.

"Gohan-- what are you talking about?"

It was his turn to look confused. "Well I mean, dad doesn't know a whole lot about Saiyan traditions so he never really did anything special with mom. I figured Vegeta would probably remember more so if there was one he'd force me to do it. It probably has something to do with sparring, knowing him."

"Why would-- why would you need to know about Saiyan traditions regarding-- what does my dad have to do with this?"

By now both Videl and Erasa had turned to look at you two, confused as to why their trip was pausing. Gohan looked from you, to the pair of them. The cafe was within sight, so he told the pair to go ahead, and you two would catch up in a moment.

Head tilted, he looked at you curiously, "Because if I'm taking you out then he's either going to have my head or make me partake in some... Saiyan courting ritual I know nothing about." He grinned slightly, joking as he said, "I'd like to get a head start on it so I don't lose against him."

"Why would you need to fight my dad in a Saiyan courting ritual to date Videl?"

You were met with silence as Gohan stared at you, mouth parted slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Before you could respond he stepped closer to you, "I'm-- I'm not interested in Videl? I asked you on this date?"

"No you didn't!"

"I did!" The pair of you seemed to be growing almost frustrated with each other.

"When?"

"When we were working on the project in your room-- I told you about the double date and you said you wanted to come!"

"Yeah, you said you and Videl wanted me to come on a double date. Meaning you and Videl were one couple, and I was--"

"Oh my God," He muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes under his glasses before pausing, looking at you with the biggest puppy eyes you had ever seen on him, "I messed this up."

He stepped forward, gently taking one of your hands into his, and you found yourself unsure of what to do or say.

"I... was asking you out. I wanted to come here with you. Videl had managed to get herself to ask Erasa out, but was too nervous for a one-on-one first date. So the agreement was I had to man up and ask you out."

"You... didn't do that well."

He laughed quietly, "I'm realizing this now." He paused, "Does this mean that... your answers changes now that you--"

"No!" Your voice was louder than you intended it to be, "No, no I... God, Gohan I was practically heart broken that I thought you were into Videl. I love her, don't get me wrong but I've had the biggest crush on you since we were kids."

His grin grew, becoming soft and almost dopey looking, "That's funny. I've had a crush on you since we were kids, too."

You could have face palmed then and there, could have cried or screamed with the amount of emotions you were feeling. Apparently, despite taking after your genius of a mother, you were an idiot.

"Oh," You blinked, "That's why Trunks was mad at you."

"What?"

"I was..." Moping. "Upset cause I thought you liked Videl. He heard me complaining to mom and wanted to fight you."

"Oh," He looked contemplative, "That... checks out. I'm just glad he hadn't told your dad yet."

You giggled, "He said if I came home crying he would."

"Well," He took your hand in his more securely, tugging you gently towards the entrance of the cafe, "I suppose I just have to make this an excellent first date."

[clavissionary-position]

What Emma Would Do

Ignore me. This is just me working through my own thoughts and feelings on this. Also I'm an idiot.

***BIG EDIT: I misread and misinterpreted. Azel was nearly drugged and SA'd, so his reaction, however cruel, makes complete sense to me. If he was real I couldn't apologize to him enough.

Moving @/caffedrine's billion-dollar comments up here.

My original, misguided post is below the cut if you're interested.

I have to ask myself what Emma would do. Within reason. And only within the scope of this fictional game, because I'm not about to touch this topic as it exists in the real world. That's for people much smarter than me.

But for the game, my dismissing of Azel as a cruel misogynist without seeing his circumstances and worldview shuts down the conversation the same way it does when Azel dismisses a woman as a slut without seeing her circumstances and worldview.

(Did he actually use the word 'slut' or did google just translate 痴女 like that for me... I should double-check... edit: oh my bad, he calls her a "female molester", which... I can't say he's wrong considering she tried to give him an aphrodisiac...? The word also means "stupid woman", so he could very well have meant it that way too, especially for some reasons I get into later in the post.)

Soooo, he didn't actually call her a slut. I'm an idiot 😌 I'm sorry, Azel. Dunno if any of my points below mean anything, but I'll leave it here anyway:

The running theme in Ikepri is to look beyond the beast and see the human inside. To meet them halfway. To see their heart. And that heart is always so very terribly scarred. All these guys have gone through their own traumas and come out the other end behaving in ways designed to be armor, to protect themselves from any further pain.

I can only speculate about Azel this early in his story arc, but being showered with the same adoration and reverence that people only show a god, day in and day out, probably fucks with your mentality a bit if you are still only human at the end of the day. Having women try to seduce you only because you're The Living God, well, we saw what that kind of shallow treatment did to Silvio. Women see you as an object and so women become objects to you. You want to be loved, but you don't want to be hurt.

That might only be scratching the surface with Azel, though. He's also clearly jaded from listening to the same old interpersonal problems people have when in relationships. Love is actual trash to him, not even worth a single penny. It's trash because the very people who follow him prove it to him on a daily basis, I imagine.

Yet that's still not the full picture. I mean, we obviously won't have the full picture until his main route drops, but there's another key factor to consider with Azel.

He quotes Pascal in Licht's sequel. "Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed." The full quote goes onto say:

"All our dignity consists, then, in thought. This is the basis on which we must raise ourselves, and not space and time, which we would not know how to fill. Let us make it our task, then, to think well: here is the principle of morality.”

(Did I read the entire context of the quote? HA! What do you take me for? A scholar or something?)

Free will and independent thought is arguably the most important thing to Azel. He has no respect for the sheep who flock to him for direction (though he'll happily take their money and tributes). Even with the dancer who tried to seduce him in the prologue, when he tells her to lick up the food she dropped after he tripped her, he presents it as a choice. Nevermind that the staggeringly unequal power dynamics at play made it so this was nothing short of coercion in the end; there was no way the dancer was in a position to stand up for herself and say no, even if that's exactly what Azel wanted. But from his perspective, defiance would have been welcome. That's why he phrased it as a choice. That she started licking up the food only solidified in Azel's mind that this woman is an unthinking reed without dignity. If you're going to act like trash, he'll treat you like trash... maybe that was part of his thinking.

On a slightly different note, I think another reason he hates the idea of love so much is because love makes people lose their ability to reason, to think. I believe he outright says as much, iirc.

In the end, I don't know from where exactly Azel's fury and cruelty comes from. It could be all of these things, it might be something else entirely. All I can think is, you can't be 'God' everyday and not be scarred by humans.

In conclusion, I can't excuse Azel's behavior. I don't excuse it. But I think Emma would try to understand the why of it, like she does in any other route. The other running theme in Ikepri is that, as a certain someone would put it, the essence of all people is love. It's their environment that twists them. Somewhere in Azel is the purest kind of love. A kind that would make any god look away in shame. That's what I want to believe in, anyhow.

Also, I need stress that I was SO wrong about whether he actually called the dancer a slut or not. Google fucked me over by translating it that way! Ah, Azel, I'm so sorry!

[imagine-darksiders]

Can I ask how Ulthane/Jones would handle a human in the tree that’s stopped eating and drinking due to either a depressive episode. Or thinking that they might be a burden on the group, and doesn’t feel like they deserve to be taking food from the other humans in the tree?

You certainly can! Thank you for this xxx

Ulthane:

This maker is often frustratingly good at keeping a watchful eye on each human in his tree. It is very difficult to hide things from him. Of course, it was expected that his charges would start to lose weight after the Apocalypse, given the stress they're under and the general shortage of unspoiled food.

Ulthane takes it upon himself to make sure everyone has enough to eat, even if he has to start travelling further afield to find food.

What he doesn't expect, however, is for one of his humans - you - to suddenly collapse one day and struggle to pick yourself up off the ground before he rushes to your side, demanding to know if you're hurt.

You try to push his concern aside, but after he stands you on your own two feet and you immediately topple sideways, he starts to get suspicious. You're reluctant to fess up, and it isn't until his thumb presses into the thick padding of your coat that he realises what's wrong.

Weakly, you protest as he all but tears the coat open and sweeps a - thankfully warm - forefinger beneath your shirt to feel over the very pronounced ribs that have until now remained hidden by several layers of fabric.

You know you're in trouble by the crevice that grows between the giant's bushy eyebrows, not to mention the heat-wrenched look he shoots down at you.

It's the other humans that confirm his fears.

Several come forward, scolding and worried.

'You told me you were full, and gave me your sandwich!'

'You said you'd already eaten and had leftovers to give me!'

Turns out, you've been splitting your rations among the others little by little, burdened by grief and the guilt of not contributing as much as you think you should to the other survivors.

Aghast, borderline furious, Ulthane chews you out for endangering your life in some misguided notion that you need to earn your place in the Tree.

He's the one taking care of you, he's responsible for you - responsible for keeping you alive.

Inwardly, Ulthane's heart jack-hammers at the thought that even now, he's failing the people he already ushered towards their doom.

But besides the point, you've been contributing! Stone's Breath, you help in any way you can, whether that be cleaning the living quarters, helping distribute meals to your fellow humans, telling jokes to make them smile in their darker moments...

'Can I help?' is a phrase he hears from you on a daily basis.

He's not going to let you kill yourself for thinking you're a burden. Because you're wrong.

And you thought Ulthane was overbearing before.

Every morning, afternoon and night, he tracks you down in the tree with a fistful of your rations. He tells the others not to take food from you, no matter what you say, and waits until he's certain you've eaten every last bite.

Worse still is his insistence upon checking your weight. He's threatened to hold you down and just look at your waist himself if you don't let him of your own volition. Extreme, perhaps, but you've done something not a lot of beings can claim they have.

You frightened the Black Hammer.

Though his tone is gruff when he reprimands you for not eating, you can always hear that undeniable thickness at the back of his throat, born from the worry that he came so close to losing someone he's hellbent on protecting.

Jones:

Jones almost had an aneurism when he learned you've been skipping meals.

Even with the heightened senses of a Horseman - albeit a disguised Horseman - he only realised you were doing it after he caught you sneaking your daily share back into the supply crate one night.

He wasted no time in cornering you about it. He just... couldn't understand why any human in their right mind would put food back.

You told him you weren't hungry, but at that moment, your stomach gave a loud, painful gurgle that nearly had you doubling over in pain.

"You're not hungry..." he echoed, a haunted look in his deep, brown eyes, "You're damn-near starving."

His suspicions were correct. The supplies never added up at the end of every audit. There was always extra for the next day, but nobody complained because more food is more food.

Now though, the Horseman realises this was a gift horse who's mouth he should have looked into.

Jones is a little... protective of his 'fellow' humans.

Rather embarrassingly, you are... well. Elanya has pointed out on several occasions that Jones has a soft spot for you.

You'd always find time to laugh at his poor jokes, or check up on him if he ever came in from a supply run and got growled at by Ulthane for sneaking out of the tree. You're heart is so laden with grief, but you're loathe to let your stiff upper lip droop around the others at the risk of stealing their cheer, even though they're in the same boat.

He can... relate. To that, at least.

You're not about to starve yourself for lack of hope, he won't allow it.

Jones has been doubly careful to make it seem that he takes his own fair share of rations, often smuggling it from the tree, only to return later and simply add it to the rest of the night's haul.

You however, don't leave the tree, though not for lack of trying. Jones is sharp-eyed, and usually heads off any attempts for you or the other humans to try and escape to help him gather supplies.

Immediately after he realises you're nearly starving, he keeps it quiet, by your insistence. You're already burden enough, you don't want to give the others cause to worry about you. Jones scoffs at your words, but gently promises this will stay between you and he, on the condition that you promise to eat.

Even if he has to force food down your throat, he'll get you eating again... Saving a life is sometimes more important than maintaining a friendship, and if you end up hating him for holding your chin and pressing dried crackers past your lips until you swallow, well... so be it.

Alongside getting your weight back up, Jones makes sure to give you some tasks to occupy your mind. Things like maintaining the guns other humans have scrounged up, counting out ammunition, trading stories and jokes with him... just little tasks that add up to help you feel that you're giving more to the tree, even if your survival is payment enough.

[lookatmysillies]

[ A wild Kioku approaches Yael ! ]

HEY! Man, are you okay?

I heard you nearly drowned in the river! That's not good at all obviously, and I should know! I've fallen into my fair share of rivers. I saw a green-haired kid fish you out, though, which I'm grateful for. I've only just recently arrived and I'm no good at remembering names, so I couldn't tell you who it was. I'm sorry.

I don't really know you all that well, but I think you should eat something. The other kids tell me to be careful with you, and I've seen you pat your body pretty often, so I'm worried you might have health issues.

Here, take this jelly. It's plain, so hopefully it won't bang up your innards or anything. Don't even worry about where I got it! Haha. Ha. It's super important to eat and gain at least a little more strength! Maybe it'll help you out in the future! you know, with the falling or fainting and drowning stuff... I wonder how you ended up there...

Anyway, I know this is super sudden, but I kinda know what almost-drowning feels like, too. I just wanted to try and help a little bit. I'm not really sure how to do it properly... I just want you to feel better. I hope you can feel better.

Oh, the teacher is coming... I'm gonna run now, see you around!

Hiiii!! This is Para!! Sorry for all that, I just thought it would be silly. I'm here to ask what Yael thinks of Kioku! He's a super interesting character to me, and while you've already explained a bit of his thoughts on Kio, I'd like to ask if you could share any more/explain further? If it's okay with you! The whole angel thing was particularly intriguing...

Love your characters as always, and I truly do enjoy learning more about them :)

[Yael stares back at Kioku with wide eyes like she’s just given him the world rather than a single somewhat unremarkable jelly.]

Oh! Yes, um, it was an accident. A bad one, but I’m still here… Can tells me he’s the one who found me, and I’ll take his word for it. He seems like he would do something like that…

Sorry you’ve fallen into water a lot, too. Drowning feels stranger than I would’ve imagined. A lot worse. Thank you for the food, it almost tastes a little bit sweet if I hold it in my mouth for a while! You really are an angel. [He says this very seriously, though it flies over Kioku’s head. He’s quiet for a moment.]

I hope maybe we can talk more and—oh, yes, go ahead. Goodbye Kioku! The teacher’s probably here to take me for another useless checkup.

Hiii Para! Thanks for dropping this in my inbox, Kioku’s adorable face was the best thing to wake up to earlier today 🥺 To expand on Yael’s thoughts on Kioku a bit, I’ll establish some comparisons with his other fundamental relationships to give you a reference point:

He has the strongest feelings for @paradisedisconcert’s Can and @alien-til-i-stage’s Macbeth and Innamorati, Can being his purest relationship, Macbeth more muddled, and Inna just. Ridiculous. Who even knows

Add Kioku to this bunch of people he takes an especially strong interest in once she arrives, Kio being a person he looks up to and believes wholeheartedly in (due to misguided reasons, but there nonetheless).

He thinks of her as an Angel; Macbeth as Death; Can as Life; and Innamorati as personal Salvation. Kioku and Macbeth both represent “selfless” ideals: He adores Kioku because he believes she is here to save them from their eternal prison—not just to save him, but ALL of them. He truly believes she’s filled with all the good in the world and she can do no wrong in his eyes. His feelings about her are misguided but pure in nature. He also mixes up romantic and platonic feelings a lot, and she is the only one of these 4 he doesn’t feel confused about. I’ve mentioned that he’s subconsciously drawn to unhealthy relationships, Can being (for the most part anyway) an exception. Kioku is too good to have those kinds of feelings for, in Yael’s mind.

His perception of Kioku as an angel is different from his idea of Can as life or Inna as salvation. Can and Inna are what he perceives as his “selfish” ideals. Can isn’t holy or angelic in his eyes, but rather incredibly human; flawed and damaged, proof of their existence. Yael views his own existence, simply existing for himself, as selfish, and Can encourages living for himself. Inna is Yael’s personal salvation from his own mistake of playing a part in Macbeth’s death; Macbeth, who he believed was supposed to die and be free. He missed him so badly and questioned if it would be better for him to still be with him. He can’t change it, though, so he seeks absolution from the last piece of Macbeth there is.

Yael creates his own Saints in his head and Kioku is one of them. She represents a twisted sort of hope to him, and he wants to protect her and help her with whatever she needs to repay her for descending to Anakt Garden.

Thank you for the ask, I love yapping about the children. I love your characters too, I’m excited to learn more about Jiu and Kioku! That said if Jiu hurts her I will be seen on the news

[vshthestmpede]

Hello ✨ requesting a how knives would react to reader showing him interest and affection 🤍 based on the manga, he’s always wanted a deep connection with humans as a kid so does this make him feel any specific kind of way ? This precious plant baby is hard headed im sure 🥺

knives + a whole new feeling

word count; 610

warnings; awkwardness, but overall adorable dorkiness

note; tysm for requesting!! i'm currently reading the manga and all of the characters are growing on me, especially knives! he really does seem like he's just super misguided n just wants to do the right thing in his mind. still getting a feel for writing knives so please feel free to critique <3

cross-posted to ao3

you were tentative to approach knives lately and he had picked up on this. usually you were always trying to get his attention, to spend time with him even when he pushed you away. at first, he kept pushing the feeling of worry away and told himself that it was nothing.

as one quiet day turned into a week, knives found himself growing more worried about you and pondered what could've caused this sudden change in behavior.

have i been too mean to them? did i say the wrong thing?

he would try to cut the thoughts before they got too out of hand, reminding himself of who he was and what he should be focusing on: the plants. however, it was almost impossible not to notice how lonely it got without you constantly around.

maybe that's why he found himself gravitating towards your room and maybe that's why he was staring at the closed door, fist frozen inches from it.

is this a good idea? he faltered for a second, then regained his posture. it won't hurt to ask them what's been going on. humans love talking about their feelings. just a few minutes and then back to normal. right? yeah, great, so just kno-

knives almost screamed when you opened your door suddenly, stumbling backwards. you jumped at the unexpected presence, covering your heart with your hand as you let out a shaky sigh.

"jeez, you really scared me," you managed and knives gulped, a sudden nervousness washing over him. "is there something you needed?"

fidgeting with the long sleeves of his cloak, knives couldn't seem to shake this odd feeling no matter how he tried. you raised an eyebrow and looked up and down the hallway before stepping back into your room, offering the haven of privacy to him as well.

"thank you," he murmured as he slipped by you into your room, watching you as you closed the door and took a seat on the edge of your bed.

"c'mon, sit." you patted the spot next to you, to which he obliged silently. "now, what's bothering you?"

knives cleared his throat, avoiding your gaze as he spoke, "well, i haven't really. . .seen you around and i, um, have been wondering what you've been up to."

you snorted into your hand but as soon as knives turned to furrow his brow at you, you burst into laughter. he stared at you as you fell back onto the bed, gasping for air.

"i'm sorry? what's so funny, (name)?" knives peered down at you and you wiped your eyes, regaining your composure. "did i say something?"

"no, no," you assured, "i'm just laughing at myself. i thought i was annoying you, knives, with all my affectionate advances so i decided to take a step back."

"affectionate? you -"

he stopped short, all the pieces in his brain clicking into place. the little gifts you've been bringing, the times you'd stick around late to listen to his rambling, the way you would go out of your way to spend time with him?

"oh my god, why didn't you say something sooner?" an embarrassed warmth spread over his cheeks rapidly and you sat up, poking him in the face.

"because i wasn't sure you felt that way about me," you admitted, pinching his reddened cheek playfully. "so, now that it's out in the open, is everything okay?"

"i'd like you to keep doing the affectionate stuff," he admitted meekly. "it makes me feel. . .warm inside. wanted. a feeling i didn't know existed. please, continue?"

"gladly," you responded quietly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "expect more than what i've done before, okay?"

[kimaratomoya]

I know I don't follow you but like- Maybe an Analysis on Oscar? Idk he's just one of my favorite characters =]

Out of Stock deep dive for @namedoggo (still finding it super awesome that a fellow Faz Frights fanfiction writer who I love is asking me for analysis!!!) because they asked for Isaac and Raj too at a later date!!

THIS WAS DONE WITH THE ACTUAL BOOK!!! NOT THE GRAPHIC NOVEL!!! I AM USING THE ORIGINAL INFORMATION!!!

Also I'm so sorry for the delay my motivation suddenly spiked so here ya go!!!

Oscar Avila:

Our main protagonist of the story!

Basic info:

- Pretty broke family

- Lost his dad at a young age to an infection

- Helps his mom at the Royal Oaks Nursing Home

- Likes Freddy's

- Has the nickname "Little Man"

- Loves his mom

- Wrong thing right reason

- Decent sense of fairness/justice

- Really good friends - Honestly like they are super cool and he does recognise it a few times

He seems like a good enough kid, with some wonky morals, but a good heart. He genuinely does love his friends, even if it's hard to see. He loves his mom too, and tried to be there for her, but he also needs a childhood. He's trying his best and the book seems to be his breaking point. Oscar is one of those characters you feel bad for, and can sympathize with, but still kinda looks at and be like "bro??? What the fuck???"

A bit more in depth:

- Feels like his childhood was stolen

- Often says he has "almost" of stuff he wants/strived for

- Has a decent relationship with Mr. Devereaux

He's just a little guy with a lot of issues. He often overlooks that his friends are really good and they aren't an "almost". He says almost for a lot of things, and lists about the baseball and getting a phone, etc. He's still a good kid, just a bit misguided, especially with his father's death and how he feels like he lost his childhood to help his mom and be the "man of he house". Mr. Devereaux seems like the "wise sage" (looney) of the story, but he's trying his best and Oscar doesn't appreciate him, but I feel like a lot of people wouldn't, but he still seems to like being around him for a bit. He just wants something for himself because he seems to believe that everything is just out of his reach.

Raj:

- Good guy

- Weird mom

- Honestly kinda chill

- Blunt and direct (Very Cool)

- Seems like the reasonable one

Honestly he doesn't get too much development, but it's clear he's the a chill guy. Seems like the smart/reasonable one of the group. Does have a very weird mom though and I do want to mention that because wtf is she on?? Her punishment for the sister is insane.

Isaac:

- Has a brother

- Tbh seems like a good guy

- Again there's not a lot on him

- A tad bit dumb compared to the others

- Easier to get a bit spooked

Ok so I don't like Isaac as much as Raj, more because he seems a bit dense, but he's still a good friend. He risks it for his buddy and, while not quite registering when Oscar gets electrocuted, seems like he does love his friends.

Overall:

They are great friends and it's good to see such a good bond in the FNaF books. They are honestly great people, of not a bit young and misguided, but they tried their darndest. They also are one of the few books with all main characters surviving so congrats.

I do however have to point out that they are sophomores, which is around 15-16, and I have noticed a LOT of ship content for a pair, or all three of them. I understand that they are a few of the most known characters, mostly from people not reading the full series, but please refrain from shipping minors, at least when interacting with this post, as they are not a canon ship.

I try to keep all my AU stuff out of the way so this is all based on actual plot points from the book.

[EDITTED BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND THE AGE AND NOW HAVE IT, THANKS NAMEDOGGO!!]

[youngroyals-hc]

Wille gets a call from the royal court at stupid o'clock in the morning, which he promptly ignores, but the 5th time they call back he groans and realises they're not going to go away. He begrudgingly answers the call, slipping on tracksuit pants and a hoodie and blowing a kiss to Simon who watches his boyfriend go regretfully.

A few hours later and he still hasn't returned; Simon is sitting at breakfast making small talk with the Forest Ridge boys but continually glancing up at the door whenever anyone walked in, hoping it would be him. 10 minutes before breakfast closes he decides that the prince won't be coming, so he gets up and makes him a sandwich and heads to class.

Wille arrives at class 20 minutes late looking cranky and tired. He slips into his seat next to his boyfriend and drops his head to Simon's shoulder for the briefest moment before getting his books out and staring blank-eyed at the teacher. Simon reaches out and puts his hand on Wille's thigh, rubbing lightly with his thumb to comfort his boyfriend. Wille's grimace turns into a tiny smile as he traces the lengths of Simon's fingers with his own under the desk.

A few minutes later the teacher instructs them to get into small discussion groups and find somewhere to work. Wille turns and looks at Felice and Fredrika, gesturing with his head as he stands up, holding Simon's hand for just a moment and giving it a gentle tug. The four of them head towards the library and sit down at the desks. Simon takes the opportunity to reach into his bag and place the sandwich on the table in front of Wille, quickly kissing his cheek and smoothing back his (rapidly growing) hair behind his ear. Wille looks for a second like he is about to cry, before quietly whispering "Tack, Simme" and gently unwrapping the green paper.

As the four friends sit and discuss the structure of the Riksdag, Wille nibbles on his food, and his mood slowly starts to rise. He still sits quietly for the most part (years of being told not to share his political opinions is not an easy habit to break), but he nods along to what Simon says and gives him encouraging smiles, especially when Fredrika says something misguided and Simon tries to hold in his annoyance as he explains his point of view.

The class ends and the boys gather up their belongings and walk down the corridors of Hillerska.

"So what did they want this time?" Simon says gently.

"They're still trying to convince me to do Military service like Erik did. I just can't Simon, I can't imagine spending 12 months learning how to hurt other people, even if it is just for show. Why can't they just let me take alternative service and let me actually do something good instead?" Wille's voice rises in panic as he speaks, and Simon pulls him aside and into a nook in the hallway.

"Wille, they can't make you do anything. If you object publicly, what could they do about it?"

"Make my life more hell than it already is" Wille replies miserably.

"Maybe... Or maybe, you could put a spin on this. Think about it. Showing alternative service as a valid option to those who view it just as an excuse. We could do some really public acts during it, invite the press. Surely the court will see that as a positive impact on your image?" Simon says, taking his boyfriend's hand with his while circling his other over Wille's shoulder and chest to calm him.

"I couldn't ask you to do that Simon, I know how much you hate the press." Wille says sadly, but less dejectedly than before.

"You're not asking me, I'm offering älskling. Plus, it gets me out of the conversation too; I'm certain they were warming up to that."

Wille huffs out a breath and leans in closer to Simon.

"Will you ask them, mi amor? Next time they call, be super positive and tell them all the things you will do and why it's a good idea. I'm sure you can win them round."

"What would I do without you, my Simon?" Wille says, finally circling his arms around his boyfriend's waist and hugging him tightly.

"Well, for a start, not eat breakfast I suppose" Simon teases back, and it earns a laugh from Wille.

"Come on Wille, military service can wait but I don't think Mr Englund can" Simon says, breaking away and leading Wille back into the hall as the other boy groans and starts spewing complaints about their teacher instead.

[hungry-skeleton]

eugggh, I don't like having to not send this on anon, but I don't want to be misinterpreted as just being that same guy defending their own points or whatever, but, dear god, I think there is a point to be made about wanting your art to be viewed, and some people feeling dejected when they can't actually get any audience for their work.

I know this is a valid and real feeling because I feel it all the fucking time. It sucks. I hate it. I truly wish I could understand how other people are able to just do art and not feel like they've wasted their time when no one acknowledges it. I want to do art for myself, but I've something like 5-7 different vent posts, and vented privately to various people about my struggle with it.

I think this feeling is a combination of many factors, some of which are likely psychological in nature, and I also think that it's a FINE thing to feel. It's fine to feel hurt when you don't get any recognition.

Anon's fucking problem is that they're asserting their feelings and their thoughts about art and the creation of it onto you, and projecting these feelings about how other artists feel.

I'm sorry you had to deal with someone like that, and I only come here to explain so that other people don't just write off people who feel these things (I'm looking at you other anon who called them lame and sad, and capitalist for some fucking reason???????)

I can't speak for everyone ever who has ever dealt with these sorts of feelings, but I do love art, and I love creating art, and I want to create so much art with as much care and depth and love as I feel towards it. But it is painful. It is painful every step of the way to make art. I recently described it as "peeling off [my] skin for others to wear".

But I still try. I still try to make art. I try to find ways to minimize that feeling. I try to do it as often as I am able to. And unfortunately, acknowledgement & recognition for my works does let me forgive the process. It makes that pain and suffering to create things worth it.

I hope that the anon who spoke to you was just bad at speaking and couldn't phrase this idea. I hope they're just misguided in assuming this is universal. And most importantly I hope in writing this overly verbose ask that people do not just overlook these feelings as "something only bad people who don't understand the point of art feel".

Once again, I'm sorry you had to deal with that anon, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Oh, I absolutely feel that way all the time too. I just know it's not a rational thing to feel. The last thing I want is someone to try and enforce those thoughts as facts. The biggest challenge as an artist is overcoming those thoughts.

I understand what you're getting at dw 💚 but anon saying "you'll come around eventually" makes me feel like they were intentionally being a doomer lol

[gacha-incels]

Video Anon Yet Again

Thank you for not flaying me alive when I sent in my initial ask. You linking the tumblr post and goo's twitter thread helped to refresh my memory.

The first thing I checked in the description was for a link to the sources, but couldn't find one. So a friend reached out on my behalf, as I don't want to publicly "out" myself. I'll keep you updated if/when the drive owner gets back to my friend.

I've been trying my best to stay educated on the ripples indirectly caused by PM's firing of vellmori, as well as learning about the societal causes that lead to the huge gender gap in SK. I feel like part of the reason of the west's easy dismissal of the whole controversy is partially because the things Korean women fight for, are rights westerners take for granted/see as a given.

I will say though, trying to keep up with all of the news and how they were caused by PM does wear down at my mental state. I know it's important to care, and I know staying informed and informing others is one of the best ways to do that; but honestly speaking, I've been so worn down by all the other garbage from my micro and mesosystems/local politics, that I'm exhausted trying to stay afloat in my day to day life, and I'm unable to muster energy to try and advocate for women on the other side of the planet. I still try my best to stay informed (and your blog really helps with it, when I'm in a mind space where I can think more about these things), but its definitely frustrating/uphill battle trying to correct misinfo.

Personally speaking, I still have very complicated feelings regarding PM's actions and their IP, that i'm still trying to navigate/sort through since personal feelings aren't as black and white as the internet often makes it out to be.

Thank you for being a good resource aggregate that keeps track of everything that's happened since then, and thank you for being open to inform and discuss some of the things I brought up prior.

no problem, sorry if I come across as a person who would flay someone alive for asking a question, I thought I just wrote kind of bluntly lol tbh it's hard when you're not speaking to someone face to face.

in regards to stressing yourself out over learning this information I'll post my thoughts.

There's no reason to repeatedly expose yourself to disturbing news like this if it's affecting your mental and physical health. Completely burning yourself out mentally reading things online in some sort of kind, sympathetic but ultimately misguided solidarity doesn't do anything. maybe you'll feel like you really did something dramatic because your health has taken a serious toll in a short amount of time from reading, but these issues aren't flash in the pan. they didn't start in the past year and unfortunately they won't stop in the near future. on the ground level of advocacy we need consistency and stamina. at some point it becomes arrogant to think you can learn absolutely everything about a complex societal issue from another country by overwhelming yourself with information online. it's important to take action when needed and you don't need to understand decades of complex politics to protest pressing issues regarding misogyny, racism, colonialism et al. obviously. acts like protest, boycotting, mutual aid, strikes, walk outs, disruptions, and other street tactics are extremely important to a movement and typically require more immediate action. that's not what I'm referring to with any of this so please do not misunderstand. the average person learning things online needs to be consistent more than they need to totally stress themselves out trying to take in years worth of information within a week. in the long run you could develop fear and anxiety around reading news like this and completely avoid it, in the short run the stress will begin to negatively affect your health. this isn't going to help anyone. Learning your own mental limits is legitimately one of the most important things anyone can start doing, this is also something that doesn't happen overnight. it's a process. this will also give you the confidence to understand how much information you can take in and you won't feel as if you need to explain yourself to strangers online if you feel guilty about not doing more. I'm not saying you're doing this but I have seen it quite frequently and it begins to disturb me. It's dangerous because you're putting your self worth in the hands of a stranger, it's like a secular confession booth. you can get confidence from learning and speaking with others but none of this happens overnight and it's not something you can rush. understanding the amount of information you can take in to stay informed isn't the same thing as closing your eyes completely towards it. this entire thing is a process, maybe in a year I'll disagree with what I've written but this is how I look at it now. I'm glad this small blog can be helpful and as always I wholeheartedly thank those posting the information that I repost here and I will continue posting what I can in solidarity with the women in South Korea.

[storm-driver]

Having finished the DLCs in full, and thus gotten my fill of FFXVI in its entirety (save the Final Fantasy mode and the Kairos Gate endings), I can officially say, with all certainty, FFXVI is a game that exists.

Spoilers below the cut for FFXVI and its DLCs.

I'm not one to mince words when I wanna gush about a game I love. And FFXVI has the makings of something truly fucking incredible. Wonderful fight choreography, out-of-this-world kaiju battles, music that brings you to tears through passion alone, environments that speak for their rich history, characters with such strong bases and motivations, all tied up in a bow of underwhelming character writing and a misguided ending to what could've been one of the best stories I'd seen in the JRPG genre.

I wanna reiterate: I love this game. I think FFXVI is fucking amazing, was worth the 60$ price tag, and it's two DLCs were very fun to play through. I stand by my original word that Clive Rosfield is one of the best FF protagonists we've gotten since Final Fantasy X.

However, loving the game for what it does right can stand in the same room as disliking the game for what it does wrong. It's unfortunate that I feel the need to tear into the game like this, given how much I want to praise its feats. And I still will, I still think this game is worth playing in spite of what it does wrong. But it also be remiss of me to say "just ignore these parts of the game!" and hope that people can turn a blind eye like I can.

I was hoping the DLC could ammend something I originally disliked about the original game: the ending. The ending is by far one of the most contested parts of the game when it comes to discussing the positives and negatives. Some people like the ambiguity of it all, others would rather have the truth spilled.

For me personally, I'm not in either field. Because I don't think the ending to the game is a culmination of the journey Clive takes. It does not feel genuine. It doesn't feel like he deserved his fate to be left up to guessing. If he died on that beach or if he let his name fade away in history in favor of his brother. Neither of those choices speak to me as "Yeah, that's where the story was going."

It's bitter. Not bittersweet. Plain bitter. It feels like a kick in the teeth for trying to fight his destiny. How dare he try to change fate for himself and the world. You are now cursed to live a false life, if you even survive that long. Not even your dust will be remembered.

Now, my fervent and desperate hopes regarding this game were that the acquisition of the Leviathan eikon would change his fate. After all, we saw at the end of the game that Clive was an "incomplete" vessel, thought we're never told exactly why. The assumption is the missing Eikon in Leviathan. But if not Leviathan missing, what is? Is his humanity itself keeping him grounded, to a point where he cannot change his fate? The fate of his brother?

Is the ending, and I ask this with the utmost of curiousity, meant to tell us that Clive was destined to lose everything in the end? That fighting his shackles only helped the world, and he couldn't even save himself or his brother? That a price must be paid for hubris on this grand a scale, and Clive is the unfortunate victim of it all?

This game screamed to me constantly that he wasn't going to die easily. He would not let himself lose everything he'd worked so hard to retain. For god's sake, the main message of the Bearers and Dominants is that they should get to choose how to live their life, and to live their life to the fullest.

The ending of the game speaks of inevitability. A direct contrast to everything Clive was fighting for. The ending doesn't do a good job of making it feel like a bittersweet victory, as it just kills off Joshua and deliberately tells Clive, "Nope, not good enough."

I digress, this is gripes with the ending, and how I had hoped it would change. Obviously my hopes were misplaced. Or maybe I'm jaded and trying to interpret this in ways that the writers didn't intend. But I can't help but percieve it this way, especially when I look at other people discussing the DLC and finding a lot of them thought the same.

Another thing, the hidden Eikon in the Kairos gate content. Ultima being an eikon you channel. I genuinely do not understand the point of this eikon outside of it being a means for trailer bait. Because that's all it ending up being. No story implications. Not even true practical usage besides being intense damage nukes and an overall homage to Ultima as a source of power. Prove me wrong if something at the end of Kairos gate ends up being story related, but I have a very strong feeling it is not.

[alexanderlightweight]

Prompt: If Alec got a magic tattoo for Magnus what would it be and what would it do?

this ended up being (because each alec would be different) this eldritch delight au because i couldn't pick and when I can't pick i ask @saeths and they mental roulette for me.

i hope you enjoy

-

Alec is just finishing up when his door opens and Mirai’s voice comes through with a “sir, your video call with the clave has been postponed for another two months. Apparently, the Inquisitor wasn’t expecting your latest accessory and the reason why the meeting ended was she accidentally overreacted and stabbed her tablet.”

Alec snorts because he can’t help it and Mirai makes an agreeing term that immediately turns into a, “by the angel. Commander, what in Raziel’s name are you doing?”

Alec pauses from where he’s about to tap the very last of the marks he needs to complete the design he’s painstakingly stabbed into his chest.

“A present for Magnus—” he explains as he carefully pours out another small dose of phoenix ash and then carefully adds five drops of Magnus’ blood and a thick, dark tar-like substance. It’s the corrupted essence of Magnus’ most heretical magic and Alec carefully grinds the ingredients together. He’s been at it for hours now, forgoing sleep to get his project done.

“Don’t touch it.” He orders, because Mirai looks ready to dash across the room in some misguided attempt at protecting him and is something she hasn’t done since her second month under Alec’s command.

“Sir, why?”

“I think he’ll like it.”

—

Mirai wants to stab herself so that she doesn’t have to deal with watching her commander tattoo himself with a vile concoction that has the hair on the back of her neck rising and her spine curdling. It’s with a deep wish for some kind of sanity that she retreats. Shadowhunter tea is more potent than mundane coffee, especially the kind grown in the ‘safe’ greenhouses. Mirai doesn’t normally indulge, it’s a terrible habit to find yourself half asleep and chugging down an entire pot of tea after a hunt, but she does now.

It takes four mugs before she feels like she’s not about to run back and try to unnecessarily save her Commander. Instead, Mirai plans on how to get herself and the rest of an Institute a break. It’s been two weeks of Alec’s latest accessory and Mirai is running out of excuses for why so many of their younger hunters are running into walls. Alec just doesn’t understand how terrifying and wrong the animals from Lake Lynn are. They aren’t corrupt, it’s almost worse than that and their commander wears one as if it’s a mundane hair clip.

So Mirai tries not to panic, cuts Inaya out of the process and goes straight to Andrew because at the moment, he’s Alec’s favorite.

“Stop breaking yourself when you break other people.” Mirai mutters, rolling her eyes and grabbing Andrew’s shirt. She pulls the backup, ignoring his startled, half-asleep squawk and iratze’s his back and then activates his speed runes and a few others before she slaps the shirt back over them for good measure. Andrew hisses and sends her a hateful glare that withers into panic when she smirks.

“Oh no, what is going on now. What do we need to do, do I need to hide? I’m off Commander duty for two days. Why does it feel like you activated half of my battle runes?”

“We are getting ourselves a vacation, by getting the Commander to take one.” Mirai says with a dark gleam to her voice that she doesn’t bother trying to hide.

“You hate vacations.” Andrew says, suspicious and eyes squinting up at her from where the light is undoubtedly blinding him. “You said it’s a crime to unleash Alec on the rest of the world and it’s our sacred duty to protect everyone else from him. And you want him to take another one? After the Bermuda Triangle Weekend?”

Mirai said every single word of that, and she doesn’t mind admitting she’s changed her mind.

“We’re not unleashing him onto the unsuspecting public or causing Alicante’s paranoia to build. We’re sending him to Bane, because Bane will contain him if only so that he doesn’t have to share him.”

Andrew seems to consider that for a minute and then nods, “okay and how are we getting Bane over here again? Last time it worked because the Commander was planning a surprise. Which, between the engagement and the snakes, Alec’s going to stop telling you things so you can’t ruin them for him.”

Mirai rolls her eyes because that would require their Commander to be upset that his plans are upstages, instead of simply delighted that he doesn’t have to spend as much time without seeing Bane.

“I’ll deal with that. In the meantime, we do have a reason. I just need you to clear the halls because Bane’s going to come in hot.”

Andrew pales and runs, socked feet slipping as he decides the protection of shoes aren’t worth the time it will take to pull them on. His speed rune

Mirai wonders when her Commander’s strange penchant for courting death influenced her so greatly and then she picks up her stele and sends a simple fire message.

Commander seems tense. Favoring chest and side - Mirai Lakecastle

—

Magnus doesn’t remember the time between getting the message and portaling to the Institute.

The moment he read the words that meant Alexander could possibly be injured in a way that Magnus didn’t create, Magnus felt his world crashing down around him.

How dare something exist that can harm his beloved that isn't Magnus.

It’s a tragedy Magnus is unwilling to suffer because Alexander deserves to be poisoned and bitten and coaxed to tremors by only Magnus’ hands and magic.

Not by whatever inferior existence has harmed his lovely boy.

The halls are empty, which Magnus only notices because there is a lack of charred flesh as he passes through them, and the rot and decay of bodies doesn’t hinder his way. Alexander is a dark presence, cold like the bottom of an icy mountain lake and Magnus’ fire demolishes the door parting them.

Alexander looks up with delighted surprise and Magnus has to deprive his darling of a welcoming kiss, too concerned.

Magic twines around Alexander, binding him tightly as Magnus strips him and lets his magic sear through Alexander’s body as it checks him over.

The thin, delicate lines that form a familiar cluster of flowers on Alexander’s skin cause Magnus’ knees to wobble and he lets himself crash down.  Alexander follows him and Magnus reaches out and pets over the tattoo freshly inked into his boy’s skin. The familiar bite of Magnus’ own magic stings his fingers as it greedily tries to protect Alexander from all outside touch.

“Mine—” Magnus reminds it, asserting his dominance over the portion of his magic now greedily attached to Alexander. The bouquet on Alexander’s chest is a perfect replica of the one he first brought Magnus, down to a particularly petulant lily.  It’s ravenous maw is open, as if it’s about to take a bite of Alexander’s heart and Magnus leans forward and presses his own s. p teeth to the delicate skin and nips it.

The magic thrums in pleased, ravenous delight and Alexander hums contentedly in Magnus’ arms, “you can call my heart back to you now.” Alexander tells him, like the permanent representation of his fervor wasn’t enough. Like he isn’t giving Magnus the lightning strings of his life with a kiss and a smile and Magnus has to create a portal and pull him through.

“Three days—” Magnus demands, “minimum! I won’t be able to spare you a minute sooner, my darling.”

Alexander laughs, delight in his voice and he presses close, and Magnus hungrily places one hand over the tattoo and holds his boy close with the other.

“I’ll send a message.”

[streets-in-paradise]

Waiting - Andy Barclay x Reader

Requested by Anon

" hey can you make a story about Andy Barclay getting jealous at someone because they’re flirting there S/O. Btw it can be fluff or whatever I am having you have that choice thank I love your content ❤️❤️❤️❤️"

Sure, anon! And thank you for your kindness <3

Warnings: No proofreading, Insecure Andy being reassured by his s/o in fluffy and flirty ways.

Summary: A hopeless time of watching him unsuccessfully date other persons in front of you preceded the beggining of your relationship with Andy and now you can't believe he is the one feeling jealous.

Tags: @losersclubisms

Too long you had watched in the shadow of his failures, waiting untill he would stop ignoring the fullness of the woods for a single tree. As a server in the restaurant were most of his disastrous dates took place you had a privileged spot to observe the regular downfalls, convinced that you have never meet anyone with such terrible luck for romance. What started as an empathy driven approach just trying to help him out quickly turned into something else and you found yourself trully Interested on him.

Andy was a sweet guy who just have been lonely for too long. Everytime one of his dates would leave him heartbroken you were there to pick up the pieces hoping he would catch your signs. Getting to a point where you could start dating required a lot of patience from you, virtue that you lost after the redhead fiasco leading to directly asking him out by yourself.

It took him a while to understand you actually wanted to be with him, since at first he was convinced you did it out of pity. His way of loving made you feel as if your relationship was the best thing happening in his life and he was constantly afraid of loosing you.

He was not the kind of man who would start a fight over jealousy, but you could tell whenever he would be swallowing those feelings pretending to be just fine.

The first time it happened you realized he was so not ready to deal with other people flirting with you. A silly confussion with a stranger at a bar ruined the whole moment for him. The actual episode wasn't even a big deal, since you politely declined and sneaked your hands on top of the back pocket of the pants of your silently angry boyfriend to send a passive agressive message making the stranger dissapear.

Andy felt your hands softly squeezing his butt and that at least managed to distract him a bit.

" Did you notice how shocked he was? That dude couldn't believe i'm with you. " He openly commented. " … Sometimes even I can't believe i'm with you. "

" After all I have been waiting for you? " You sweetly complained. " How many cute people did i see you with before you stopped drowning in self pity and noticed I wanted your attention all along? "

He didn't consider that before, probably because those dates had such terrible outcomes he couldn't imagine you caring for that.

" Did I make you jealous?" He asked while a soft shade of blush in his face made him look down for a brief instant. " Me?? How?"

" I saw you put your heart and soul into each one of those, trying so hard for things to work because you liked those persons. That amount of dedication had completely won me over even before we started dating. " You frankly admitted. " They may have been desperate to run away, but I was there watching and wanting so badly to be them. You didn't have an easy life, i could tell that, but you are a wonderfull man so sweet, thoughtfull and handsome. A bit weird, maybe, but still adorable. You wanted love and I was desperate for a shot to love you, but there was always someone else rejecting you that you cared more about. "

" I was a fool, i know. " He apologized, still in disbelief. " Let's say I was misguided by the advice of an old friend. "

" You were driving me insane and I was so jealous of your dates. I began to ask myself what else could I do to make you notice me. I almost changed my hair colour but a friend told me that going redhead would have been too much. "

The confession made him chuckle.

" I love you exactly as you are … and I'm feeling quite jealous."

Verbally expressing his feelings was hard for him, but he did it in the spirit of his surprise.

" You have no damn reason for it, because i'm going nowhere. " You reassured him, pulling him closer. " I'm here with you and there is no other one I could want to be with ríght now. "

He was a happy, awkward mess evidently affected by your words in all kinds of ways.

For so, you decided to carry on taking things a bit further.

" Once we get back to my place you are all mine." You whispered close to his ear. " I'm going to show you exactly how much I love you and how wild you drive me. "

The insidious thoughts temporally faded under such delightfull promise.