#but yeah i said it before and i'll say it again: it'd be SO easy for her to care about annie and/or rell

[noxianwilled]

katarina really doesn't want children. she wants the du couteau name to die. talon could still have kids and pass on the name to them I suppose (cass seems. unable to) but on her part she's intent on letting the family name die. after she's reinstated as part of the du couteau guild and their head, this doesn't change. the guild will live on even if the family doesn't, and it'll have as its next head someone who proves they're fit for the job and have the right purpose, regardless of their origins.

in spite of that, I think she'd end up looking after kids really easily. she doesn't want to birth them, but she certainly has a soft spot for children, especially the ones in dangerous situations and/or who are dangerous themselves. it's definitely because when she was a young girl definitely capable of keeping herself safe, she still wanted someone to have looked after her - she wanted someone to care. and i think she'd be unable not to care for kids in situations like that.

it's not to say she'd be good at it, or that she has time to be around a lot (which is why babies are certainly something else entirely). she is busy with a very dangerous job and she's often traveling, and bringing a child along is likely to prove troublesome. but at the same time, i feel she'd have the resources to ensure a child receives proper education and care while she's out and be caring enough to be around whenever she could. but yeah this would absolutely only happen with the kids no one wants because they're too dangerous or troublesome.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Me: don't make Charlie's habit of twirling / spinning Vaggie into a THiNG it can just be CUTE with no other headcanons behind it-

also me: what if Vaggie always loved dancing but took being an exorcist very seriously bc of the whole "learned to trust people on the battlefield" thing so the only time she felt she had an excuse for dancing with a partner was when she called it "training" or "unarmed sparing" and goaded Lute into doing it with her (Lute being Adam's second and Vaggie one of his best girls) (what, is Lute scared of not being able to keep up with her-?)

Lute: "This, is stupid."

Vaggie: "It's just like sparring."

Lute: "Then why can't I use a sword."

Vaggie: "The point is learning to read your opponent's body and move with it. A weapon only gets in the way."

Lute: "Or maybe you know which on of us would win in a real fight."

Vaggie: "OR maybe it's nice to practice WITHOUT someone losing feathers over it."

Lute: "Only losers lose feathers. If they don't like it they should start WINNING."

Vaggie: "Just put your fucking hand on my waist and do a box step."

Lute: "A what? Put my hand- where!?"

Vaggie: "Forget it. We'll dance like we're in a damn period piece ballroom scene. You can at least survive spinning me, right?"

Lute: "SPIN you?"

Vaggie: "Just hold up your hand and-"

Lute: "We look dumb enough as is! I'm not making myself look SILLY just so you can do a stupid spin."

Vaggie: "Fine."

Lute: "You need to watch yourself. Exorcist are heaven's first line of defense- we are the divine blades guarding the pearly gates. We need to keep ourselves sharp, focused- If you slip even once-"

Vaggie: "I said fine! I get it! Alright? God let's just, let's just get this over with..."

And then she's in hell, a year or so after Lute grabbed her wrist and pulled her eye-first onto a sword instead of a dance,

and it turns out the princess of hell is an eager and willing dancer, even if she's maybe not the most graceful or easy to follow- but it's the kind of challenge Vaggie loves-

(and not the only thing Vaggie loves)

-especially when Charlie's the one who cleared out a space, put on a playlist, and waved her into the middle of the room so they could laugh and bow / curtsy before making tracks across the carpet-

all of this, even though Charlie's still rusty at dancing, never was into it other much other than as another way to flail around to a beat, and here she is now, seriously trying to remember or learn all the different steps Vaggie shows her

this time it's a waltz

Vaggie's been avoiding waltzes. And sure enough she finds herself spacing out in the middle of it, coming back to the excited sound of Charlie's voice

Charlie: "I think we're doing it!"

Vaggie: "...hm?"

Charlie: "The waltz! It's been ages but, this is about right, right?"

Vaggie: "Oh uh, yeah. You've got it. Told you you would."

Charlie: (laughing) "And I told YOU if we made it through this it'd be because you're so good at making ME look like a good dancer! Even when my hooves keep snagging on the carpet... Even when you're a million miles away."

Vaggie: "Shit. Sorry."

Charlie: "No it's fine! Good practice for me leading!" (leading them onto a new patch of floor) "So! A lot on your mind?"

Vaggie: "Just remembered something, is all."

Charlie: "Waltz related?"

Vaggie: "I wouldn't compare this with that."

Charlie: "Aww, shoot." (pouts) "Well give me a few months and I'll get there."

Vaggie: (chuckling) "Charlie, you're already WAY past the last dance partner I had."

Charlie: "Wow. That bad huh?"

Vaggie: "What'd I just say about you and dancing?"

Charlie: "That at least I'm not totally the absolute worst ever?"

Vaggie: "Yeah no. Try again."

Charlie: (grinning) "I'm better than they were."

Vaggie: "You sure are. Actually trying counts for a lot, honestly."

Charlie: "You make trying things a lot easier." (hoof catches) (stumbles) (vaggie steadies her) "Case in point!"

Vaggie: "We really gotta remember to roll up the carpet next time."

Charlie: "Orrrr you'll just have to go on catching me!"

Vaggie: "I'll do that with or without the carpet."

Charlie: "Right!" (face hot) "Er so, were they clumsy too? Lacking in the whole smooth moves department?" (blushes MORE)

Vaggie: "The moves were fine, the ego got in the way a bit."

Charlie: "Ego?"

Vaggie: (sighs) (rolls eye) "Apparently twirling me would've looked too silly."

Charlie: "Wh- Twirling you?"

Vaggie: "Spinning. Whatever. They cared about that a lot and- I know I know- it's a dumb thing to still be hung up on."

Charlie: "Well I'd be honored to look silly with you!"

Vaggie: (laughing) "Okay?"

Charlie: "Can I spin you?"

Vaggie: "You really don't have to."

Charlie: "So we can do it on three? One. Two-"

Vaggie: "Really it's- watch out, table at 3 O'clock-"

Charlie: "-Wheeeeee~!"

Vaggie: "WHOA- that-" (breathless) "Now THAT was a spin."

Charlie: "Eheheh. Whoops?"

Vaggie: "Oh no, no whoopsing your way out of this one, I'm gonna need to inflict some payback spinning of my own." (grins)

Charlie: "Uh I'm kinda tall for-"

Vaggie: "You ever been lifted?"

Charlie: "I mean when I was a kid sure, but I'm like a foot taller than-"

Vaggie: "On three. One."

Charlie: "-Vaggie you come up to maybe my shoulder-"

Vaggie: "Two."

Charlie: "-not that you can't do anything you set your mind to, obviously! I'm just not sure how-"

Vaggie: "Three."

Charlie: "Hwha- OH!" (gleeful) (laughing) "Ohhh my gosh-!"

Vaggie: (smug) "There's more than one way to twirl a girl across the floor."

Charlie: "Spinning WHILE lifting!?"

Vaggie: "Fun right?"

Charlie: "SO MUCH FUN! Can we do it again!?"

Vaggie: "Sure-"

Charlie: "Ooh ohh can I do it to you too? Can we take turns??"

Vaggie: "Not worried about looking silly, huh?"

Charlie: "No! Why would-" (stops)

Charlie: (stops their dance)

Charlie: "Vaggie, I.... I really don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be silly with you. Or how it could ever be more important than seeing you happy like this."

Vaggie: "...Not everyone's like you, sweetie."

Charlie: "Or maybe everyone just needs to actually see you for once."

Vaggie: "I'd rather just stick to you for now. If, that's okay?"

Charlie: "Always."

(dance resumes, much slower, much closer)

Charlie: "It's, it's okay to miss people too, you know. I know, I mean. How much that sucks. If you, want to talk about...?"

Vaggie: "No. Thanks."

Charlie: "You're missing them though, huh?"

Vaggie: "It's not that. It's just, weird how much things change."

Charlie: "Like dance partners."

Vaggie: "Like your reasons for dancing with them."

Charlie: "....Oh."

(do they kiss???) (i have no idea) (maybe Vaggie just relaxes and rests her head over Charlie's heart) (maybe Charlie tries her best not to think about how hard it's beating)

(maybe somewhere up in heaven, an exorcist with a sword does a box step while training, slips, and slices her target in half in fury when she realizes it)

maybe Vaggie always loved dancing but had to end up in hell before finally getting to dance the way she always wanted to

or maybe

it feels like Vaggie never danced at all, until she had Charlie to share it with

[directdogman]

Hey there's someone trying to say you said you were pro Israel on discord? They're anonymous and say you blocked them before they could get screenshots so I don't really believe them, but still :[

Mhm. Nice bit of news to wake up to, this.

Yeah, so this person's a troll and they're more than likely lying on purpose in order to try to me look bad because I blocked them on Twitter for being unpleasant, something I rarely even do and they're still seething about it. The block had nothing to do with Gaza, the person was just being annoying and I thought it'd be healthier to block and move on. I'd really prefer not to have to give this person energy, but if there's a rumor going around, I'd like to nip it in the bud, since it's very easy to disprove in this case.

To explain what this person's blathering about: Earlier this week, on a Phonegingi plush advert, this random user that doesn't follow me (and actually instructs fans of mine not to interact with them in their bio) made a dramatic QRT decrying me for posting a DT advert during a strike week, which I honestly had no clue it was, especially since my own timeline was (and still is) full of accounts posting normally.

Given that the person seemingly encountered one of my posts in the wild and ended up seething because of it + likely didn't want anything to do with me on their timeline (as their bio indicated), after thinking it over briefly, I did the healthy thing and just blocked the person + moved on. Makes sense, right? I'll admit: Even if the way the person approached me was regrettable, if I'd known it was a strike week, I'd have participated (as I'd participated in the last one), so I stopped posting teasers for the week anyway, only resuming again yesterday.

I'll also say: I checked my own timeline btw and looked at the accounts posting, and nobody else had anyone acting like this in their replies, even the much larger accounts. Nor did anyone else contact/reply to me in any way stating any disapproval.

Given that I've only blocked one account recently that isn't a replybot (and ofc, given the subject matter of that tweet), I'd have to assume that this is the anonymous person spreading stuff.

I'd understand where this person was coming from if maybe I'd stayed completely silent about Gaza, (which a lot of accounts I follow have) but I haven't. I had a Palestinian aid post pinned on my Twitter for weeks, I've talked about Gaza's child population and my support for South Africa's Hague suit in my discord server, I've engaged in the boycotts, wound down posting during strikes, donated a pretty substantial amount of Dialtown revenue towards sending money/esims... I have 4 bucks in my bank account right now and when my next DT check comes in, you'd better believe I'll be giving more. That's my right as a private citizen and one I'll continue to exercise.

I feel pretty uncomfortable having to put this stuff in front of me to 'prove' myself, even if some of it is public anyway. Charity should be something you do because you CARE and if it wasn't for this person, I'd have been far happier keeping a lower profile and not explicitly calling attention to my own aid, but given this ask, I feel it'd be stupid not to nip this in the bud. The majority of this information could be easily found with the tiniest amount of digging, btw, so it's not like the user couldn't have known any of this. This is the part of having a fandom that creators seldom talk about. You block one person for being a lil annoying, next thing you know, there's rumors that you support genocides! Fun.

So yeah, I'd like you to tell this person to just move on like a normal person (send them this post if you have to) and to stop spreading incorrect rumors about me out of spite. If they insist, I'm happy to pull up receipts to prove everything I've said. If they actually thought I was pro-Israel, they wouldn't be spreading it anonymously, they'd be writing another public post about the subject matter. Also if you see anyone repeating the rumor, please correct them. Thanks.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 1.4

Oh, John. It's hard because I'm like “fame was not good for that man” but I'm also like “he would've gone crazy with self-loathing if he didn't have the fame.”

John and Paul start to answer a question at the same time. John: no, go on, you can say it. They're seriously so married. 

John's schoolboy flirting is cute, but what's more noteworthy to me is a) how happy Paul is to be shoved and b) how he instantly leans back into John. It's like they're bungeed together or something. 

John gets me. Look how much he loves Paul bringing out the forced confidence shield to protect him. He's so in love. So turned on. 

Here's my question about the death threats. Did the other Beatles actually receive them and tell Brian about them and keep them from John? Because that would be incredibly sweet and noble of them, but also, in that case, surely John received death threats too. Meaning he just didn't care about his own life and assumed the others were being left out of it because they hadn't actually said they were bigger than Jesus. Or did they have people filtering all their mail by that point? And Brian had been keeping the death threats from all of them? Because that could be interpreted as both protective and selfish of him. Does anyone know?

Again. I just love how Paul goes to bat for John over and over during this tour. Batting his eyes and playing with his hair and shouting down any and all criticism of John speaking his mind.

This moment is so telling to me. An interviewer who was up front at several concerts points out the looks and smiles between John and Paul which you can only see from the front and asks, “is it really that much fun every time?” The easy answer is, “Yeah. We like what we do. It's fun!” But Paul gets cagey. “Oh well the thing is you know with things like that it's probably…” and he makes up a bullshit story about messing up on a song they haven't performed in a year. Why do that if you don't have something to hide? (Even if you're subconsciously hiding) That right there is a tip-off for me that they're not normal about each other. 

Interviewer: are you guys breaking up? John, immediately and emphatically: No. Paul: "Depends what you mean by breaking up, you know . . . Because we can't go on forever like this, so we've got to think now and prepare for, you know, if it did happen. The time has come for us to break up, but we've realized the possibility . . . Of breaking up as a natural progression." Literally shut the fuck up right now, you're going to give John an aneurysm.

I understand. I know. I don't relate to Paul much but I do relate to his hyperactivity and his avoidant attachment. I make sure constantly that I'll be okay when all my relationships end. But you don't talk about that in front of the other person. Especially someone like John whose worst fear is being left. Come on. Think. 

See, now look what you did, Paul. Here's John's answer the next time they're asked about breaking up. 

And yeah, the klan being the ones to “stand up against the Beatles blasphemy” really proves my point from the last post I think. It's just masked racism. 

It actually seems like Paul's more vocally political at this point in time than John is. I wonder what happened to change that? Was it just the influence of their respective wives? Was it just easier for them to play up the roles they'd been assigned for the most part?

Okay on this round of “are you breaking up” they look at each other first before they answer and then Paul goes “all together probably.” I wonder if they talked about their previous answers together and admitted – however cautiously or however veiled – that hearing the other say they might leave hadn't been fun. Who knows, honestly.  

Paul and John often talk about making a radio show together apparently. Gosh if only they could've done that now. I'd make them my token white boy podcast. It'd be great. They'd be so lame and so adorable and they'd talk about recipes and politics and they'd gossip and rank other people's music. But anyway, what really gets me is the often bit. So they really did plan their post-beatle future together. Enough that it was a frequent topic of discussion between them. They planned to be together forever. 

Ugh it always guts me that Paul brought a girlfriend to Paris with him to meet up with John.

Okay my tin hat is glued to my head for this but. But. Hear me out alright? So John starts filming on 09/19/66. He's there for 6 &½ weeks. Putting the end at the beginning of November, right when Paul goes in disguise and alone to Paris. Do we have tabs on John for those dates? John just talked about going around Paris in disguise. What if  they met up by themselves and in secret? What then?

 No fucking wonder John was exhausted with him. Damn. He takes a month and a half to write strawberry fields, shows it to Paul, then...

Interviewer: the songwriting team will keep going whatever happens will it? John: yeah, we'll probably carry on writing music Forever. It's just so ‘Obviously. Might as well ask me if the sun's going to come up tomorrow.’

His friend – try dangerous drugs with and take home to daddy type “friend” – just died brutally and suddenly two days ago, and this is what he looks like and talks like and he's going in to work like it's nothing. I just. Compare that to John talking about Brian's death? Obviously two very different relationships but still… Paul's upbringing really fucked him up so hard. He thinks he's not allowed to be human. What can I say? It's a drag.

AKA the happiest 6 months of John and Paul's lives. 

I find it fascinating that Paul alone is asked to compose and record what would eventually become the carnival of light and that he just went ahead and included everyone in that. Really makes me wonder if he got a vibe off John that him doing the family way alone was hurtful or if they maybe even talked about it? Or maybe he just didn't like doing the family way without John.

Actually quite a lovely, forward-thinking, humble speech. Imagine being John, though. Watching that from home like “why the fuck is he philosophizing to the world without me?” Because you know John shares all those sentiments and might even have got there first. It would be infuriating.

“A lucky man who made the grade” is an interesting way to describe Tara and I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with Tara being cool enough for Paul to associate with him. And Paul is many things but stupid is not one of them. He's going to at the very least wonder if this verse is about John laughing at his friend's death. Right? Like I know Paul's the repression CEO but seriously I don't think even he is that good. 

Maybe that Leopold and Leob quote isn't just about tearing people down verbally. Maybe Wooler genuinely got a vibe of a sense of superiority and therefore lack of empathy with Lennon/McCartney.

I mean he really does sound like he's describing sex though, doesn't he? Emotional, loving, romantic sex. Followed immediately by Paul's “I'd love to turn you on” lyrics and the “down with pants” and “sword swallower” pins. Alrighty then. 

What I would call my Beatles bio after watching this. "They Touched Dicks: The Only Logical Conclusion."

[marleyybluu]

Truth or Drink 2

Pedro x fem!reader

WC: 1.4k

omg not her posting another Pedro one after she said she wouldn't for a while... not sorry

Same spots. Same interview but under different circumstances. The makeup artist added the finishing touches to your face. Pedro was in awe of you as usual like a smitten kitten, love was written all over his face. You could feel it, you didn't even have to ask if he was looking at you. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" He innocently shrugged. You rolled your eyes.

The two of you were invited back for another segment of Truth or Drink but this time it was no movie promotion, though you two had separate projects going on, this was about your blossoming relationship. Since the last interview, you and Pedro had finally confessed your feelings to each other and it'd been a blissful ride ever since.

A whole year of surprise dates, endless compliments and kisses, whenever he touched you it made bumps form on your skin as if every time was the first. You too had never loved anyone the way you loved Pedro, you would do anything for him and you made sure he knew that. The makeup was done and soon it was time to record, you were a bit more nervous for this one because the crew had told you guys these questions would be different.

"You guys ready?"

"As always," Pedro answered. The cameraman counted down and pointed for you two to begin, but neither of you said anything. "Am I doing it first this time?" You asked. "By all means."

You blushed and looked at the camera. "Hello, I am YN YLN and this is my... boyfriend Pedro Pascal-" He uttered a giggle and covered his mouth soon after. You laughed hiding behind your hands, this interview might be more chaotic than the last one.

"What do you guys notice about this interview?"

"We didn't have to write our own questions." You answered. "We have pulled questions from various sources. Instagram, Twitter and even people you two are close to."

Pedro playfully frowned. "Shit."

"Same rules apply. You ask, you either say the truth or drink, and you can go ahead with a starter shot."

Pedro picked the drink this time, pouring his and about to pour yours until you stopped him. "Can I have this one, please? I asked them to get me this one." You politely informed pointing to the bottle in the middle. He shrugged pouring your shot and closing back the bottle before placing it back with the others, just like the last time you raised your glasses with a little nod and, "Salud." Once your drinks were down you asked the first question. "Where did you take me on our first date?"

Easy.

He became giggly all over again. "So, you've always said that you hate restaurants as a first date, too bland, too formal, so I booked out an entire arcade for the both of us and we were in there for hours."

You proudly nodded. "Best date ever."

"Good, I'm glad." He blushed. It was his turn to ask. He cleared his throat. "Do we have any pet names for each other?"

You winked. "You love my pet names. I call you Pedrito, Pookie, baby, love... papi Pascal." And judging by his reaction, that might be his favourite one. "My names for her are in Spanish though. So I'll call her mi amor, mi corazon, bébé... I think I'm missing one."

"Cariño." You added. "Oh yeah, she's my cariño."

You leaned back in your chair reading the next question. "What do you like about me, physically? Oh lord." Pedro rubbed his hands together and laughed menacingly, you hid behind your cards knowing he'll say the obvious answer. "Your boobs."

"Alright, interview over."

"No, no, no... relaaax." He played along. "I mean I do like your boobs, but, your eyes do it for me. They're so big and pretty and wondrous, they allow me to look into such a kind loving soul that puts up with me and my antics."

You pouted. "Aww,"

"Boobs are a close second though." He added. "I love your smile the most. When you smile or laugh your eyes close and it's the cutest fucking thing, your entire face lights up too and I could just squish you." You cooed.

You two continued your string of questions, so far nothing was asked that made you want to drink but you still took shots in between for entertainment and the fact that it's free liquor who was passing that up? The first round of questions, you were informed, were mostly from fans and that this round was from close friends and family so it was definitely about to get risqué. You sighed. "Do you think we have enough sex?"

Pedro beamed. "I think we may have too much for people with such busy schedules."

"Are you guys saying you do it whenever and wherever you can?"

You two nodded. "Have you ever done it at a movie premiere or something?"

He reached for the bottle and poured, both of your attempts at keeping a straight face were slowly failing, until you let out a snort that triggered Pedro's. You clinked glasses before taking the shot. "Do you think we'd last if we got married?" Pedro asked. You scrunched up your face, what a ridiculous question. "Of course. You are the most caring and kind person I've ever met, the way you treat me is insane, I've never had anyone love me the way you do," Your voice broke and your eyes burned, you fanned your face and giggled nervously. "Got me crying on camera and shit."

Pedro reached over grabbing your free hand, soothing you by caressing the back of your hand with his thumb. "You know I love you, mama."

"I know." You pouted. "I love you so much."

"I love you so much more." You rolled your eyes gently hitting his arm with the cards, he always had to get the last 'I love you.' He flashed that cute smile that made you melt 100 times over. "Come here," You didn't take even a second thought before getting up to sit on his lap, you rested your head on top of his while he held you close. "How long did it take you guys to say I love you?" One of the crew asked. "Three months," Pedro chuckled. "Truthfully I wanted to say it sooner."

You nodded. "Me too."

Last question. You had a surprise that came with this one. "Are you excited to be a new dad?"

The question didn't really register just yet. "Of course I am. I can't wait for us to start a family one day, and to have another cute face to wake up to. I mean I think maybe I'd wait until I could take a break and then that way I could spend all my time taking care of... wait."

It hit. "Am I excited to be a new dad? But we don't... you're not..."

Pedro bit his lip. "Are you pregnant?"

You reached into your back pocket and pulled out a folded picture of your first ultrasound. He broke. "YN... you're joking."

"I am not," You leaned in and pointed to the little dot. "That little peanut is ours."

Pedro sat speechless which was a rare occasion for him, he took the picture in his hand really trying to comprehend that he assisted in creating another life, that in just nine short months he'd get the one thing he deeply craved, that he yearned for. His own family.

He smiled as a tear slipped from his eye. You wiped it away kissing his temple. "Wait, so what have you been drinking?"

"Diluted apple juice," You answered, you turned the camera and pointed. "Which fucking sucks by the way so my faces were real."

The crew laughed. Pedro still stared at the photo, you rested your head on top of his. "You didn't answer my question. Truth or drink, are you excited to be a dad?"

"Of course, I'm fucking excited," He looked up at you, you pecked his lips. "Thank you," He whispered. "I love you." You whispered back.

"I love you more," He turned to the crew. "I guess the next time you see us we'll have another drinker in the mix." He joked. "Last time we ended this video as a potential couple and this one we are soon to be parents."

"When we come back we'll be married. I promise you that." He hinted. The cameras cut, the crew applauded and congratulated you two. Pedro grabbed your stuff and held them for you as you walked off-set. It's weird to think one little interview that involved a few shots would lead you to where you are now completely and utterly in love.

yes i made him a dad again. yes i warned yall i do this

if you liked this fic, feel free to like this fic. Comments and reblogs are appreciated. peace and love

tags @skyesthebomb

[an-au-blog]

I love zosan and think the art made me love it even more, but if I'm being honest with myself and how I feel about the canon, I'd say there should be zolu and sanuso before zosan. Let me explain:

The only logical explanation for Zoro - a pirate hunter, who had killed pirates for very petty reasons... to join a random guy with no crew, no boat and a pipedream, is that he saw something in him. The sheer amount of loyalty this man holds for his captain is more than akin to blind devotion than anything. And the trust Luffy holds in his first mate is absolutely astounding.

Outside of the ladies, Sanji only ever defends/vouches for Usopp. Even though Usopp is a man, Sanji doesn't treat him with the annoyance he sometimes has for Luffy and Zoro. During the water 7 arc, he keeps defending Usopp even though the Mary fiascos. He's super protective towards him.

In conclusion, here's how I think it'd go:

Sanji had been unintentionally courting Usopp and only realized it when water 7 happened. At some point while they're still in recovery or maybe while they were still traveling to enmys lobby, he tries to tell him what he's realized. Because if he really leaves the crew, this would be his only chance and he needed to live without regrets, as there was no guarantee what could happen.

Sanji: Usopp, I know it's not the time or place, but-

Usopp: Haha, this isn't Usopp, I'm Sniper King, remember?!

Sanji (defeated, knowing nothing will come of this): Yeah, well, when you see Usopp, can you tell him that I'm sorry I couldn't tell him on time, but I love him and I regret only realizing it now...

Usopp: ...

Usopp: Oh... well... I'll be sure to tell him.

Sanji might have taken that as a nice way to reject him, so he decided to take it with dignity and leave but was stopped when he heard

Usopp: And thank you... I mean, he'd probably thank you. For telling him.

Would it be too pathetic of Sanji to hold onto hope?

After everything was said and done, Usopp joined again. Sanji had forgotten, with all the things that happened, about his confession. So he was a bit surprised when he approached him about it.

S: Soooo... Sniper King told me what you wanted to tell me...

U, sweating bullets: Whaaat? I didn't mean- I mean I never told him to tell you anything, idk what you're talking about. That sniper king guy probably lied!

S: I don't think he's the type to lie. He's a man of honor, you know.

U, not believe that he's getting jealous of himself: you're so easy to defend him, you like him or something?

S, with embarrassment but loving adoration: Yeah.

U, heart broken: Oh. Well, I wish you two a happy life then.

(If he's wondering whether or not to "rejoin as SK", but living a double life would be hard and -)

S: Wait, where are you going. I just told you I loved you and you're walking away? Did something happen, I thought...

U: You said you like Sniper King, not me. (*insert rant about how SK is so much better than Usopp and all that self degrading bs*)

S: Okay, okay, no. I know you're the same person. But if you insist: I love you too. Not only in a friend way, not because of your persona, but because of you. Usopp.

And awww, would you look at that, they started dating. Time passes and Usopp stops feeling as insecure as he had before. Sanji keeps flirting with women but never means it and they all know it because they always ends up back in each other's arms. But then something devastating happens. Sanji can't stop thinking about how the mosshead never wears a shirt. It's infuriating and Usopp kind of understands, at one point he goes "Have you tried touching his chest? Maybe you'll get it out of your system."

To which Sanji is 1. Speechless, petrified, flabbergasted; 2. Shook and horrified at the suggestion; 3. Kind of obsessed with the idea now that he thinks about it; 4. defensive because "my love, you are all I need how could youuuu think thaaat".

In that order.

Usopp, laughing nervously: It's not like I haven't done it.

Sanji: What?

Usopp: What.

So it turned out, that one night of drinking made Zoro almost kiss Usopp, which he backed away because he was afraid, but then Zoro called it "physical traids" which made him.confused and a bit worried that he didn't know what that was, so he said he'd think about it. Zoro looked at him in a way that conveyed "what is there to think about", but never voiced it. With a shrug, he said okay and never tried anything after that.

So Sanji and Usopp decided that they needed to talk about it with the swordsman himself. To work out the logistics if anything... What he said, however, none of them expected.

Zoro: I don't know why you make it into a big fuss. Physical traids, yeah, it's like: I find you attractive, you find me attractive, we care for each other so we make out or if we're feeling it - more. How can Luffy het it, but you can't.

Jaws on the floor.

They call Luffy in on the conversation and it gets worse.

Luffy: Yeah, it's like when I'm bored, or feel like it, we do stuff. But I don't really wanna kiss anyone else and I told him you guys are okay to kiss cause I trust you!

Explaining to them that, yes - that's kind of what dating is, and yes - they've been technically exclusively dating until now, went about as well as one might have hoped. At one point, Sanji definitely got frustrated from his own overthinking about why Marimo had hit on his boyfriend but never him. To which Zoro responded that he had tried a couple of times but Sanji just kicked or ignored him, so he gave up, thinking he wasn't interested.

And at some point Luffy definitely drops something like "I'd like to try with you guys too, it could be fun." with a beaming smile and both Usopp and Sanji wouldn't be able to stop thinking about ot for a week straight, low-key obsessing over it until they decide, okay, yes. And then they would tell him and he would just go "Oh, right, forgot about that, sure, let's do it!"

(idk this was funnier in my head)

[nomoreusername]

Just a Pretty Face (part 3)

Pairing:Minho x female reader

Summary:After Minho is telling Newt the truth about his master plan you overhear.

I personally have had a great time annoying Y/N in the maze. In fact, I've been putting her down as my running partner so much that Newt pulled me aside just to ask what was going on.

"Nothing,"I shrugged.

"Minho, she hates you with a passion. Are you doing this to mess with her? Are you just so bored you're looking for a fight?"He interegated.

"Why do you assume there's a motive?"I asked.

"Maybe because the schedule has been with you two paired up for two weeks now."

"And?"

"You make the schedule Minho. Why is it so important that she's always running with you?"

"It's a coincidence,"I shrugged.

"Minho. You're being weird. Just tell me why or I'll start making the schedules so-"

"No. Don't do that,"I frantically interrupted. He gave me a surprised look at my reaction.

"What is going on?"He repeated.

"Don't make the schedules,"I said again, dodging his question. Then, he gave me a look that let me know no amount of pleading would work. If I wanted to keep running with her I'd have to admit what I've felt for years. It wasn't a love at first sight thing, but that's not too far off. 

"Fine. I've been making Y/N my running partner because I want to spend time with her. She can't avoid me in the maze."

"Are you kidding me? Minho, why don't you just be a normal person and talk to her in the Glade?"

"She doesn't like me. If we're in the maze though then-"

"Then, I'll fall helplessly in love with you?"A voice asked. A very, very specific voice that I did not want to hear right now. 

"That's my cue to head out. Have fun working out whatever that is,"Newt said before just abandoning me. 

"So what was the plan Mr.King of the Glade? You assumed if I had to spend time with you I'd start liking you?"She repeated. 

"Something like that,"I admitted, turning around to face her. She was expressionless as she leaned against the wall.

"You realize I knew that, right?"

"What?"I asked, thinking I misheard her.

"Yeah. I knew your plan on the fifth day. You were being all chatty and joking around. I must say it was quite a change in character,"She remarked.

"If you knew why didn't you say anything?"I questioned.

"Easy. I was waiting to see how long it'd take you to be a normal person and tell me your feelings instead of forcing me to be in a close proximity with you all day,"She explained.  

"So you want a love confession or something?"I asked.

"Something like that. Give it your best shot,"She challenged.

And I like challenges.

"You've been in the maze with me so you've seen that I obviously don't hate you. I never actually even hated you. You just never even glanced at direction so I got your attention by getting on your nerves. The great plan was to slowly work my way up to where you want to hang out with me on your own free will,"I admitted.

"Are you joking? You've had a master plan this entire time?"

"That's what I said, isn't I?"

"And what was the next move genius? You'd find a magical love potion, and we'd love happily ever after?"She deadpanned, dramatically waving her hands in the air. 

"No. I was going to use my natural charm,"I corrected.

"You might be the dumbest person I have ever met. You're lucky I like you,"She sighed.

"What?"I asked in disbelief.

"I said you're lucky I like you you moron. I'll tell you what. Meet me by the maze walls next Greenie night, and we can hang out. Let's see if your natural charm will win me over,"She suggested.

"It will,"I promised. 

"We'll have to see, won't we? Now stop putting me down as your partner every time. You can't focus if you're staring at me, can you?"

I didn't think she actually noticed. Not that it matters though. We make a good match most of the time, and during Greenie night I'll prove it.

[y-junghyeok]

Synopsis: Junghyeok is shy out of nowhere. Inspired by Hajin's best ending in Picka.

Junghyeok knows nothing about what to make of the situation. He is awkward all over at once and his inability to navigate is making him queasy inside. When his nerves get this high-strung, there is only one correct action to take.

"Junghyeok, don't leave!"

Unfortunately, you grab him before he has the chance to execute it. Too used to reading the cues of his actions, he wants to curse you and your perception.

He frowns, not moving but not settling on the idea of staying either. You'd notice that, too. "Honestly, what's with you?" You pull him back into the room. There is no imminent threat which should make him this guarded, but he cannot help the feeling when it is there, taunting him. He dares to sneak a glance at it and regrets the decision promptly.

He needs to leave. "Junghyeok!"

Never mind that there is no escaping when you're grabbing on his arm to prevent any of his manoeuvring.

"It's fine," he says, "I don't need to sleep."

You pull him back again, frowning, "You look close to passing out," you argue, "don't be stubborn and rest for tonight, nobody is going to disturb us."

His grunt is low and feeble, almost a whine. You're not making this easy for him. He's not making this easy for you either, standing rooted at the door and refusing to meet your eyes. "I told you, I don't need to—"

"Nonsense," you take no argument this time, dragging him into the room with the ferocity that gets him staggering. "Come in, there is no other room available anyway. We're packed with refugees at the moment."

Junghyeok grumbles but staggers after you when you get him further into the room. When the door closes behind the two of you, Junghyeok knows his fate is sealed, but he won't give up. Not yet. The moment you get him to sit down, he pops back up. You miss not a single beat when you push him back down by the shoulder again.

He chances another glance at the thing. His ears burn with heat. "Then I'll take the floor," he says with his face half hidden behind his hand. "Just find me a blanket."

"I thought you have no love for Eden," you snicker.

Perplexed by your statement, he looks up, "What do they have to do with this?"

You prop one hand on your hip, staring down at him with an arched brow, "Then why did you convert into a church boy all of a sudden? Acting so bashful out of nowhere."

"I'm not—" Junghyeok trips on his words, coughs to the side, "I'm not bashful, it's just..."

"You weren't so bashful earlier when we were star-gazing together," you narrow your eyes and cross your arms. He feels small under your interrogation, unable to run anywhere under your scrutiny.

He fiddles with his fingers, avoiding your eyes, "I only wanted to talk but you..." He swallows when the memory resurfaces. Even after everything, you never fail to make him blush when you put your mind to it. He wants to scurry somewhere and hide.

"Not that part," you correct him, "you do know what you started when we were star-gazing?"

The heat from his ears creeps all the way up to his face. The room feels unbearable with this temperature. "It's because you kept staring at me and..."

And when you parted your lips, he couldn't really think straight. But if he said that then it'd be admitting all of the weaknesses he wanted to hide in front of you.

You look delighted. He's stuck in a corner and you look delighted. "So it's my fault that you kiss me?"

"Yeah..." He leans back, mirroring your pose but refusing to face you still. Maybe you'd back down now that he puts up enough of a front.

"All right."

Junghyeok mistakenly thinks that would be it. That he would avoid doing something stupid today when you step back with a contemplative expression on your face. "I guess I should go get some protection for us since I'll make you do something else tonight."

"Wait—"

It's his turn to pull you back and maybe it's a mistake because you stumble straight on top of him. Short of regressing again, this is the closest to self-harming he has ever done to his own psyche. You're too close and you smell so nice that he can't help but glance down at your lips again.

He swallows, annoyed by his own fallibility. He knows he won't last long like this, not when you taunt him with that smile on your face. And when you parted your lips, Junghyeok knows he won't come out of this alive.

But when you're this warm and soft against him, all else fails to matter.

[toujokaname]

HiMERU's 2023 Birthday Celebration

Characters: HiMERU, Anzu

"Fufu, thank you very much for your congratulations. HiMERU has been eagerly looking forward to your words."

[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Birthday Moment 1

HiMERU: (Phew... The earlier commotion seems unbelievable now. It's remarkably quiet.)

Oh, Anzu-san...? Thank you for your hard work at the party earlier. Have you finished cleaning up?

—HiMERU has been here drinking coffee and resting for a while.

💬 Once again, happy birthday.

HiMERU: Hehe, thank you ♪

You said it during the party as well, but it's always nice to hear, no matter how many times it's said.

💬 It smells nice.

HiMERU: —Ahh, is it this coffee's aroma? It's takeout from Cinnamon.

Shiina offered, "Here, have it after your meal," and handed it over. Feeling it would be rude to refuse, HiMERU accepted it gratefully.

Birthday Moment 2

HiMERU: Today's weather is nice. There aren't many clouds, so it should be clear tonight.

—If possible, HiMERU would really like it to be clear on Tanabata night.

What is it, Anzu-san? Hm, you want to meet here again later...?

💬 Is that okay?

HiMERU: Certainly, it's no trouble. HiMERU is available at that time.

There's just one more thing he has to do before the appointed time.

💬 It might be a bit late though...

HiMERU: You don't need to worry so much about that.

—Since HiMERU also has other matters to attend to, a later time would actually be more convenient.

Birthday Moment 3

HiMERU: In that case, let's meet here at the agreed time...

Well, HiMERU is considering returning to the ES building now.

Oops, apologies. It looks like a message just arrived from Hold-hands.

💬 Who's it from?

HiMERU: "I blew all my cash gambling, so lend me some! I'll pay you back triple as a birthday treat, yeah? ♪"

...That's what it says. Even without mentioning his name, it's obvious who it is, isn't it.

💬 I don't mind if you look at it.

HiMERU: Then, pardon. Hm, it's from Oukawa.

Everyone from Crazy:B is gathering at Cinnamon, so won't HiMERU come too... Since he's been invited, he must attend.

Birthday Night / First Part

HiMERU: Thank you for your patience. Apologies, HiMERU was a little late.

—Ahh, sure enough, it's clear tonight. You can see the Milky Way up in the sky.

Vega and Altair are visible as well. Look, over there...

Anzu: Are they the stars of Orihime and Hikoboshi?

HiMERU: Yes, that's right. They're the first-magnitude stars of Lyra and Aquila, respectively.

The town's lights make it a bit hard to see, but first-magnitude stars are exceptionally bright, so they're easy to find.

HiMERU: Speaking of which, HiMERU's birthday does fall on Tanabata. That may be why he received several presents with star motifs.

The Sweets Fan Club members even prepared a star-themed cake.

—Everyone must have put a lot of thought into giving gifts connected to HiMERU.

Anzu: It sure was a lively party.

HiMERU: Yes, it was. People kept coming to offer their congratulations, so it was quite hectic.

But, well, HiMERU thinks it was a chaotic yet enjoyable party.

HiMERU: —By the way, HiMERU missed the chance to give this to you.

Here you go, Anzu-san. It's coffee.

HiMERU brought it because he wanted to leisurely enjoy coffee with you.

Anzu: Thank you.

HiMERU: You're welcome. Thanks to Shiina's instruction on how to brew it, its flavor is guaranteed.

—Yes, it's as you guessed; this coffee is handmade by HiMERU ♪

Birthday Night / Second Part

HiMERU: Hehe, it's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the coffee.

Watching the Tanabata starry sky over a cup of coffee is rather pleasant, isn't it?

...Oh? Anzu-san, you have a present for HiMERU?

Anzu: Here you go.

HiMERU: —Very well then, if you don't mind, HiMERU will open it.

Aah, what a beautiful brooch. The ruby-like deep crimson stone is quite dreamy.

HiMERU: What do you think? HiMERU thought it'd be a waste to just put it away, so he decided to try wearing it.

He didn't expect that you would organize a party for him, much less give him a present.

—Please let HiMERU do something to thank you.

Anzu: Don't worry about it.

HiMERU: Hm, you gave it because you wanted to... Is that right...?

Well then, next time we meet, please let HiMERU treat you to coffee again.

HiMERU: —The night is starting to wear on. It looks like some clouds are coming in as well.

We've finished our coffee, so shall we go inside before the wind picks up?

Thank you so much for today. Not only did you prepare the party, but you also arranged such a wonderful gift... It must have been tough, right?

Anzu: I enjoyed it.

HiMERU: Is that so... It's heartening to have people who give it their all for HiMERU's sake.

For your sake, HiMERU will strive even harder as an idol. Please look forward to HiMERU's future.

[ ☆ ]

[libraryofneith]

Out of Mind - Chapter 4 (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Summary: You settle into life with Joel and Tess and try to win their trust.  

Warnings/tags for this chapter: [18+, minors DNI], mentions of sex, no actual sex though, not yet, kinda bratty reader.

You'd seen the way Joel looked at you that first night as he'd dabbed at your wounds. He looked like he'd wanted to kill someone and you didn't think it was you.

You

The days are hard, harder than they ever were on your own. but they're also better.

It's been weeks and they're still not allowing you to go on runs with them, but in that time Tess drills you all day every day in basic fight techniques. By evening you're covered in bruises, your muscles ache, you're dripping with sweat and grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't know what you look so happy about. You haven't even made me break a sweat." It's true. Humiliating, but true. Despite being about twice your age Tess could still pin you in minutes, but that was progress. She used to be able to pin you in seconds.

"Don't get too comfortable, maybe I'm lulling you into a false sense of security."

"Yeah? Then maybe you'll be able to beat me before I drop dead of boredom."

"If I do, will you finally let me go on runs with you?"

"Maybe, but you'll probably be fuckin a hundred by then."

That's how you two communicate. Jabbing at each other with words as well as fists - endless amounts of sarcasm even when her body is pinning yours to the floor, especially then. You don't want to admit it to Tess, but that's what's making you smile: the fact that you have a rapport with her. You can almost call her a friend. Just her of course. Joel still doesn't like you, he makes that clear everyday. He barely speaks to you, and when you speak to him, he only grunts or offers monosyllabic responses. 

---

He has shown no interest in helping with your training, except once when you thought you'd pinned Tess until she wrestled her knee between your legs and thrown you off her. You'd been working yourself into a huff until you heard:

"Almost had her." Joel had been leaning against the door frame looking faintly amused. It shouldn't have meant much, if anything, but it felt like some small acknowledgement of your improvement. He was gone before you could think of something smart to say back. That was the trouble with Joel. The more determined he was to close himself off, the more determined you were to claw your way in.

You plagued him with endless questions, tried ribbing on him to see if it'd work the same way it did with Tess. It did not. When that didn't work you started teasing him. It didn't make him like you any better but it at least got him to acknowledge you. And he was just so easy to rile up.

It started by accident. You'd both tried to enter the kitchen at the same time and wound up squeezed against each other in a door frame. You'd noticed Joel's eyes glance down at you then very quickly away again. With a mixture of exasperation and spite, you'd whispered,

"You didn't seem to mind looking when we first met." His eyes had flashed.

"I wouldn't bring that up if I were you, especially not in front of Tess."

"Don't look at me that way then."

"I'll try to control myself."

It was the most he'd said to you in days. The next time he'd caught you stepping out of the shower.

"You better not have used up all the hot water."

"Feel free to jump in with me next time," you'd retorted with a grin. Joel's face had turned a remarkable shade of crimson then he'd disappeared into the bathroom.

From then on it was an endless series of grins, winks and raised eyebrows whenever the poor guy happened to look your way. It did nothing to improve your relationship but you felt a strange victory in how you could make him squirm.

---

"Sit tight, we're gonna be gone a few days."

"Where?"

"Going on a supply run - no, you're not coming with us" Tess cuts in before you have a chance to ask.

"Y'know, I could've sworn the whole reason you took me in was so I could help you with situations like these. Or did you just pick me up so you could have something pretty to look at?" Tess snorts but Joel just rolls his eyes.

"You come with us when we decide you're ready. Right now you'd be more of a hindrance than a help."

"Ugh. I should've just stuck it out on my own. At least then I could actually do something."

"Then maybe we should've let Robert gut you" Joel spits, stalking past you and out the door.

"He didn't mean that. He's just mad cos he doesn't like the people we're going to see."

"I know." You really did know. You'd seen the way Joel looked at you that first night as he'd dabbed at your wounds. He looked like he'd wanted to kill someone and you didn't think it was you. He may not like you but he didn't want you to die. Progress I guess?

"Shouldn't be gone for more than four days. Keep your head down and stay out of trouble, ya hear?"

"I hear." Tess gives you one last sympathetic smile before following Joel out the door.

Keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Well if all goes to plan, there shouldn't be any trouble.

---

You sit at the kitchen table all day waiting for them. Your ass is completely numb by the time they finally make an appearance but its worth it. It's all set up exactly as you imagined it.

"Hey Ciara" Tess calls as they trudge through the door. "Did ya miss-" she stops short as she takes in the scene in the kitchen. You kicked back, cocky little grin spread across your face, and spread across the table: enough contraband to open a small shop.

"How did you..."

"Just a few things I picked up in town. Please, help yourself." Tess just gapes at you.

"I thought I told you to keep your head down."

"I did. No one spotted me."

"You think no one spotted you."

"I can tell when people notice me."

"And how did that work out with us?" Your lips quirk.

"That was a fluke. I was careful this time." Tess looks like she's trying to stay angry.

"So... this is all stuff you picked up off the street?"

"Yup."

"Liar." Joel stalks forward and picks up a particularly high end brand of cigarettes. "These you can only get from inside FEDRA barracks." The colour drains from Tess' face

"Ciara. Tell me you didn't." A stony silence hangs in the air. "For fuck's sake how could you be so stupid?"

"Hey, I was in and out in no time. Used to do it all the time before." If Joel was angry before, his fury now is a thing to behold.

"Did it ever occur to you while you were showing off that if you were caught you could be traced back to us?"

"Please, FEDRA officers aren't meant to have these in their bunks so who're they gonna go crying to? Besides, I took those the night you left, if they were gonna come looking they would've come already." If Tess's jaw dropped even more, a bird could nest in her mouth.

"Seriously? The first night we were gone? Do our orders mean anything to you?"

"I've been following your orders to the letter for weeks now but frankly, your orders are dumb. I've done stuff like this before and I was good at it. If I just waited for you to decide when I'm ready I'd live the rest of my life a glorified house pet."

"Oh if you think you are ever, ever going on runs with us after the shit you just pulled..."

"Wait! I saved the best for last." You reach down and pull out a packet of condoms, chucking them to Joel who still manages to catch them despite looking like he's just seen an infected stand up on the table and do the can-can. "I knew you'd run out a month ago cos I could finally get some fucking sleep. You're welcome."

They both just stare at you and for a second, you worry you've made a horrible mistake. But then you hear a snort. It's Tess, she's laughing.

"It's not funny!" But Joel looks like he's supressing laughter too. And once Tess is gone, so is he. Holy shit, you made Joel laugh.

"This," he holds up the box as menacingly as you can hold a box of condoms, "does not mean we're ok with what you did. We're still very, very angry" he wheezes, trying to put his serious face back on.

"Eh, what the hell Joel, let's take her out for a spin, see how she does."

"You can't be serious. She can't even follow basic orders."

"Yes I can! If you take me with you I'll be good as gold I swear."

"We'll just take her to Bill and Frank's. We're due a visit there anyways. We know the route like the back of our hands, we hardly have any trouble there, and if we can't trust those two, who can we trust? Besides, you know Frank would fucking adore her."

"Yes please take me to Bill and Frank! I love Bill and Frank, can't wait to meet them." Joel gives you one last withering stare, heaves an exasperated sigh, and gives in.

"Fine." He turns to you. "But if you pull anymore crap like this..."

"I know Joel, I know."

Guess you’re gonna be meeting Bill and Frank soon, huzzah! Thank you so much to everyone who’s shown their support by liking and reblogging, it means the world to know this is actually getting read. If you have any feedback, feel free to let me know in the comments and make sure to follow me so you know when I update. 

[lumenflowered]

[Another video file is attached. It seems to pick up seconds at most after the previous one, with Mallory holding an entire bladed weapon (albeit sheathed) in her lap and Maria staring at said weapon with... some kind of emotion in her eyes. Which emotion? Good question. She's even less likely to know than us.

"Oh," Maria whispers, still staring. "When you said that... you were in possession of something of mine..."

"Yeah. I meant this." Mallory sets the sheathed twinblade on the table between them, within easy reach of herself or Maria, and picks up her coffee cup again. "Won't claim to know the full situation. It'd be funny to, but I wasn't there, I only got bits and pieces."

"What... do you know?"

"I know that you loved this weapon," Mallory says. "I know that you threw it away when you couldn't bear to use it—or look at it—any longer. Was that because of the hamlet?"

"...Yes," Maria says. She hasn't taken her eyes off the blade. There's something far away in her expression.

"Nice! Score one for wild speculation!" Mallory sets the (now empty) coffee cup back on the table. Maria's hasn't been touched in several minutes. "Anyway. This was yours. Found it roughly where you left it, I think, and it's a very nice weapon but it's really not my style, I'm more of a brute force and stubbornness person."

"I see."

"If you'd rather not have it back," she says evenly, "I get that. Won't ask again, I'll find someone else who will make sure it doesn't sit around in my inventory gathering dust for the rest of time. And I know you're pretty unlikely to actually need it in a world like this, so it'd be... mostly sentimental, more than anything else."

"This... is true," Maria allows. She doesn't sound like she's... all there, for lack of a better description. She's gripping the handle of her own coffee cup tightly enough that it's a small miracle that it hasn't broken under the strain.

"Do you want it back?" Mallory asks, very bluntly. "I don't want to know if you think you deserve to have it back. But do you, Maria, want your weapon back?"

Maria says nothing for a time. Her gaze flicks from her own blade, her own Rakuyo, the original Rakuyo, to the former Hunter who has brought it back to her. Very slowly, as if she doesn't trust herself to be delicate enough, she places the mug back on the table.

She looks at her weapon again. At Mallory again. She opens her mouth to speak, and her lips move, but nothing audible comes out. So she closes it again, returns her gaze to the first Rakuyo...

...And gives Mallory the very tiniest of nods.

"Oh, good! In that case, it's yours." Mallory, or her human-adjacent illusion, stands from her seat. "I likely shouldn't keep you too long anyway, since you're the Champion now and all, but... hey. You've come a long way, Maria. A really long way. It's nice to see."

She smiles as she walks off, leaving Maria sitting alone at a table with her sheathed weapon before her. Maria watches her go. Only several seconds after Mallory is out of sight does Maria mouth something else not quite audible and reach out to take her blade.

To hold it again, for the first time since before the Nightmare. Since before she died.

There are tears in her eyes as the video ends.]

[soraviie]

mtl wait the longest to introduce you to the members/close family

TAEHYUNG/YOONGI — I think Taehyung would have a festering fear of something going wrong. Either them not liking you, you not liking them or even both. So as to not lose anyone, he'd perhaps end up gatekeeping you in a way lmao. He'd give excuses and empty promises about someday arranging a meetup but once the date draws nearer, the details remain just as foggy. As for Yoongi even though the members are family, he'd want to keep this part of himself, one that he is with you and by extension the life that you both share, his own. His own private island. He'd show them a picture of you (or someone *cough* Jimin *cough* would just happen to be be peeking over Yoongi's shoulder as he received your selfie), talk about you a bit but wouldn't necessarily be all that keen on making acquaintances you feel

NAMJOON — he wouldn't exactly hide you but he'd want to have this...I don't know a moment of still point. Want to or not, introducing you to members or family is taking the next step, especially family, so for some time he'd just want there to be you and him, no questions, no side stares, no possible conflicts. For some time he'd just want there to be a peace

HOSEOK — similar to Joon but just does not try too hard in either direction. He's not actively trying to either hide you or introduce you to everyone. They know he's seeing you, he's definitely gushed at one point and at another has bought a shit ton of presents for you but his thinkig is sort of to let it unfold naturally. If someone hops by his home and you're there he's game but he won't like orchastrate a big ass date and event, at least not with the members. Maybe. Hoseok is hard to read (T_T)

JUNGKOOK — I feel like he'd be kind of easy-going about the introduction part, given how much everyone adores him (lmao yeah, he might be banking on his own charms rather than yours) and how much he'd actually start scrapping if anyone said anything ill-meaning towards you. Legit would go:

"☺ this is ________________ ☺ and look how well we're all getting along 😃🔪"

JIMIN — he wouldn't force it but the meetings would occur fairly quickly, especially with the members 'cause 1. they're actually glued to each other 2. he'd lug you around probably. There's no way Jimin wouldn't ask you to hear a demo or watch a dance practice or be there at a concert so the introductions would happen almost by proxy. As for family, it'd also be relatively soon but for some reason I imagine him calling ahead and already telling them all about you before hand so the reactions in person are a bit rehearsed hehe

JIN — The fastest. I don't know but I think he's partially traditional like that and partially he wants to just get it over with (T-T) I've said it before and I'll say it again — he would deadass quiz you on what to reply for which question, what to ask and how to act, especially if it's his parents and it's not because he's ashamed of you or wants to change your personality. It is simply to ensure smooth sailing and that no one ends up with sour feelings. You and his family or members being on the opposing sides of the conflict would literally be the worst for him.

[positivelybeastly]

How do you feel about X-Men '97 coming back?

"Quite the meritorious happenstance, don't you think? One might have thought our tale lost to the annals of history, a dusty page in a tome left up on a shelf to be only occasionally perused as a curiosity or in a pique of nostalgia . . .

But it is not to be so!"

"As Tennyson himself said, "Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them, volleyed and thundered; stormed at with shot and shell, boldly they rode and well, the X-Men.'

. . . Paraphrasing, of course."

I am incredibly excited.

Now, that's not to say that there aren't issues already - this is very much a nostalgia driven series, aimed pretty much precisely at me and my generation, and if I'm objective about it, I would have preferred it if X-Men: Evolution had come back instead. In terms of long form storytelling and character development, it was just better than the 90s show.

There's also some iffiness going on with Sunspot, who's joined the main cast - I believe his skin tone is incorrect, which is a common problem with a lot of Latino and Afro-Brazilian characters in comic books to this day, and given that they've made the cool choice to make Morph non-binary, I would've figured they'd want to depict Sunspot as accurately as possible?

That being said.

It just looks fucking good, man. Ray Chase is doing an amazing job of channelling the original Cyclops actor, who is no longer with us; the animation still feels very much in keeping with the original show, while still looking a MILLION TIMES BETTER (I completed a rewatch of the show not long ago, and hoo boy does season 5 especially look really rough); and after so many years of Krakoa comics, there's something to be said for going back to basics.

Is it a reversion? Yeah, a little bit. But I like my X-Men to be warm, and a family, and friends, and to play baseball and basketball, and not to all fucking hate each other, so sue me, I'll accept a step back for the story if it means I get the characterisations I prefer back.

Besides, the comics still exist for people who want the Krakoan stuff, so a bit of more original flavour X-Men for those of us who don't want our mutants to be living in various kinds of dystopia won't hurt anybody.

This also gives the show runners an opportunity to fix some of the issues the original show had, like a much more weakly written Jean and Jubilee than they ever were in the comics, and a chance to adapt some storylines that have NEVER been adapted before, like Inferno. I'm optimistic!

And, selfishly? Between the Marvels, X-Men '97, and what's currently going on in X-Force, I'm just ready for Beast to be written well again. I'm really hoping that he gets some good dialogue, a fun fight scene, maybe even a focus episode this season, but so long as he isn't doing some abominable shit, then I'll happily take it.

Maybe that makes me fickle or easy to please? Guilty as charged, then. I'll happily be easily pleased, because it means I'm fucking happy with what I get. :P

I don't know if I'll have a '97 verse? I can already tell you it'd be verse: hated and feared, but there's not a lot that's substantially different about TAS Hank to how he was in the 90s. That being said, I'm DEFINITELY going to try and get my hands on as many caps as possible - as you can already see, the lad looks so handsome!

[possibilistfanfiction]

Aw snap dude sorry to hear you had a bad day. What about a prompt for chocolate? (Also hope you get to eat something comforting and nourishing! Idk food is the answer to everything to me lol)

[chocolate is great, ur right! idk what i'll have for dinner but smth along the lines of comforting & nourishing for sure :)]

//

'i don't think that's what it's supposed to... be like,' you say, watching ava very terrifyingly try to cut through brownies. or, what were supposed to be brownies, but are so hard the knife isn't even doing anything.

'if i could just —' she grunts — 'use the halo —'

'— ava.'

'ugh,' she groans. 'i really wanted to make these for bea. how did i fuck up brownies so badly? the recipe said they were easy! and we have this giant kitchen, and bea's been grumpy today.'

you're just visiting for a few days, partially because nothing is really happening at cat's cradle at the moment, but mostly because you'd missed their friends. lilith had plopped you right into the water, instead of into their house or yard, but you'd gotten a good shot in — a slew of bullets through one of her wings; regular ones, so harmless, she'll heal in minutes — and she had careened right into the water too, spluttering. you're even, you think.

'well, did you forget an ingredient or something? they don't look burnt.'

ava goes through the list on her phone, muttering quietly, and then reluctantly starts to laugh. 'i forgot the flour.'

'the... flour?'

'yeah,' she says, looking at the various ingredients still strewn about the counter, and then goes into the pantry. you join in on her laughter when she emerges with, indeed, a bag of flour.

'ava.'

'i know! i know. look, i'm doing my best.'

she's not upset, but you still squeeze her hand. 'i know.'

'and, alas, i'm just so brilliant and cool and, conversely, hot, and my boobs are from heaven itself, so, you know, gotta balance things out somehow. otherwise it'd be unfair for everyone else.'

'sure.'

'wanna help me make another batch? we can try to throw stuff at this... brick —' she laughs again, rapping her knuckles on the rock hard tray of brownies — 'while they bake.'

you had planned to go to the beach, but this sounds fun too. with ava, most things are more fun than they ever have been before. 'sure. but i'm in charge.'

it's too late, you realize, when ava cocks a hip and then grins — inevitable: 'that's hot,' she tells you, and your eye roll doesn't seem to discourage her at all.

[oncasette]

AIN’T NO SUNSHINE. send in a character + one of the prompts below for a blurb

roommates prompt — having movie nights more frequently the more they bond — with eddie munson 🫶🏽

“you’re still coming over tonight, right?” eddie asks as he's flicking through the various magazines at the counter of family video.

"yeah, yeah, of course," you say, despite the fact that you'd been at his place the night before. you think the only reason you'd even left is because you had a shift this morning. and you're sure you would've called out if robin hadn't been scheduled to work with you.

you'd been having movie nights with eddie for a couple months, now. it'd started on accident, really. you'd invited the whole gang over on a friday night and slowly, over the course of the day, everyone but eddie had cancelled.

it became a weekly thing as you got deeper into the summer. friday nights. until the two of you had stumbled into watching the friday the 13th series.

"we're never gonna get done if we only watch one a week," eddie had grumbled as he ejected the first movie.

"so, why don't you just come over again tomorrow. we'll watch a couple of them," you said. it was an easy solution, one that had eddie's cheeks blazing red under the implications. he'd get to see you for longer than just a couple hours on a friday night.

"your parents are gonna be cool with that?"

"yeah, sure. they don't care," you hummed.

the two of you were on the sixth one now on day four of your jason voorhees bender.

"i gotta get more popcorn. do you need anything while i'm at the store," eddie asks. he's leaned so far over the counter that you think he'd fall over if a gust of wind hit him just right. "do you need some more rolos?"

"yeah, some rolos would be nice," you say. you hadn't even realized you'd run out.

"alright, sweetheart. i'll see you at seven," he says, pushing himself up from his position to press a swift kiss to your cheek before he's spinning himself around to exit the store.

[bistaxx]

JINX !! tell me why you ship Quackity x Luzu and why you dont ship Quackity x Wilbur I need to know the Lore

Hiiiiiiiii Vin! oh gosh- I'll try to condense this as much as I can OKAY SO...

yeah I don't vibe with tntduo 😭- I already talked about q!tnt so I'll just explain about c!tnt instead:

Why don’t you ship it: The Fandom. Listen I hate saying it but it really is 90% of the reason why- I always try not to let annoying fandom stuff sour my opinions but like... MAN- Because like I actually did really use to enjoy /r tntduo fuck man I was shipping it back in October 17th 2020 after the moment in the button room and especially after the famous Niki's birthday stream like- idk I just liked the dynamic and the chemistry it was fun! I was even still shipping it when I first started getting really into the c!fiances and was hyped when Wilbur and Quackity met up again... but then. IDK- something about the fandom take on their dynamic just didn't click with me it didn't feel like the same characters I enjoyed ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO THE WAY C!QUACKITY WOULD GET TREATED- like GIRL- Quackity would not cave and be visibly annoyed or flustered by the first jab Wilbur makes hello-??? or the fanart that would portray Wil as like completely disregarding Q's personal space as this 'teehee funny flirty' thing like I HATED that shit- I also just hated how when I tried to look up c!fiances content I had to filter like 5 million tags to actually find what I was looking for because there'd be so many c!tnt fics that had the fiances tagged in them and 50% of the time it was just so Quackity could break-up with them for Wilbur 😭 I also just like got sick of seeing it everywhere when I wanted to find c!Q content it felt like it was inescapable and that people only cared for my favorite character solely to mischaracterize him in a ship I was quickly growing tired of... yeha I think that sums it up-

What would have made you like it? Um.. All of the above not happening LMAO-

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? Like I said earlier I DID really like it and I have tnt shipping mutuals who do the dynamic justice even if I got super burnt out on it (shoutout to Thes)

... So anyway uh- SO LUCKITY-

(this will be a lot shorter despite how much I have to say about Luckity I'm just really tired rn SORRY 😭)

This will be about k!Luckity specifically cuz I rly don;t have much of anything to say about q!Luckity outside of finding Arinckity cute

What made you ship it? Started for the fluff and stayed for the toxic ship 😈- GOD Quackity and Luzu fucking outdid themselves with Luckity in Karmaland V like dude it's just so good- like looking back on it the writing was already on the walls that they were so doomed from the very start- like they somehow manage to be both "it's tragic because it didn't have to end this way" and "it's tragic because it was always gonna end this way." if that makes sense. But god at the start it was just so easy to overlook the blaring the red flags because they'd give us just enough hope that it'd end well only for the rug to get pulled during the elections and the whole dynamic get's flopped on it's head but now instead of cute fluff or funny flirting it's this Angry passion and resentment- from start to end they were devoted to each other whether in hatred or in love. The build-up and payoff were both just amazing even if I felt miffed about the ending of the arc at first I've since come to love it because really it's just the cherry on top of their tragedy leaving the possibility they could just end up doing it all over again yeah <3 They were The Moment yeah!

What are your favorite things about the ship? A lot of things but like- I love that they're sun and moon coded <33333 I remember associating them with sun/moon imagery before they took those iconic photos with the sun and moon and like I was so hyped when that happened <3 my toxic sun/moon boys yeah <3

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? Not really no- but HEY check out this web weave I made about Luckity that I'm still super proud of and debate remaking one day: X :3