#his name is ringo for a reason

[dullahandyke]

Well I've not really done work on that essay that's due tonight BUT I did more thinkering on Ringo. So its ok

[unoislazy]

Jealousy Looks Good On You

Mizu x Jealous! Reader

Summary: You and Mizu have been close friends for quite some time. You truly enjoyed each others company, that was until Taigen showed up.

Disclaimers; light language, has not been proofread, I am currently delirious from packing and moving all day but I had to write this out to feed the starved mizu lovers. A fair amount may not make sense at this point in time. My apologies ❤️

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You and Mizu have been friends for a while now. Honestly you were surprised you could even say that. Mizu was not someone who would openly accept friendship applications on a daily basis, they usually wouldn’t even talk to people unless it was absolutely necessary. But somehow, despite this, you had gotten past that wall and weaseled your way into becoming her friend.

That was how you viewed it at least, you liked to think that she at least enjoyed your company seeing as she had yet to just up and leave you randomly, which she very well could successfully do if she wanted. You two had learned a lot about each other through late night talks and just general conversations. You of course, had learned about her secret, and you vowed to keep it from anyone else that would cross your path. She in turn had learned a lot about you, things about your past, your likes and dislikes, the usual things that a companion would know.

However, there was one thing she didn’t know about you and you planned to keep it that way. You had been traveling alongside Mizu since you two had crossed paths in a town that she did not intend to stay long in.

Since then you had always admired Mizu for her skills with a sword. That admiration eventually turned to something much stronger.

You would never admit it outloud but you had developed a small crush on the blue eyed woman, and in all honesty it was pretty hard to keep it under control.

Your dynamic had just been you and her for a long time and once Ringo was added to the group it only added to your enjoyment. You loved spending time with them. You honestly found it pretty adorable how Ringo persistently followed the two of you around, just as you had once done to Mizu well before him.

However, once Taigen joined… things changed.

He was never supposed to stay this long, the only reason he did was because Mizu had saved him when escaping that stupid tower. You wanted to go with her, you pleaded with her to take you with her to at least have some back up in case something went wrong but she refused. She wouldn’t give you any other reasoning than, “I need you to stay here.”

No matter how many times you asked why, she would just give you the same answer until you listened. She didn’t want you to go along with her, she wanted to do this alone. And yet when you and Ringo had found her, was she alone?

No… of course not.

He was there with her.

You didn’t recognize him at first of course, you simply thought him to be some random man Mizu thought it was in her best interest to save. In the time you knew Mizu, that didn’t happen often.

You and Ringo had managed to get them both out of the icy water and make your way to the sword fathers house, keeping them both as warm as you possibly could while in such a state.

It wasn’t until Mizu had initially woken up did you finally find out who the man was.

“You’re awake.” You exclaimed, making your way over to a very dreary Mizu who was trying to prop herself up. You smiled, feeling a sudden wave of instant relief as she looked up at you,

“Is Taigen awake.” Were the first words to come out of her mouth.

“Taigen?” You asked, the name felt familiar but you couldn’t tell from where.

“He’s not awake yet.” Ringo answered, he was still very upset with Mizu after their last meeting and that would’ve been clear to anyone just through his tone of voice.

Taigen… Taigen… where have you heard that name?

That’s when you realized, on one of your very late night talks, Mizu had opened up to you a bit about her childhood. In the tale she told, one name continued to pop out.

Taigen.

The kid who was absolutely ruthless to her. All because of the color of her eyes. You remembered just from listening to the story, the anger you felt for Mizu, but even as she was telling the story she didn’t seem quite bothered by it. You supposed she’d have had a lot of time to think about it to the point the memories no longer brought up any emotions.

You looked away from Mizu and turned to the man who was resting quite peacefully not too far away from her. Your astonished gaze turned to a very clearly displeased glare. Never in your life would you think that you wouldn't end up coming across this man, not once, but twice. You had seen the man before, he had shown up a few other times before this, the only reason you hadn’t reacted as harshly was because you didn’t know who he was. You guessed you hadn’t recognized him this time due to the amount of bruising he sustained from his stay at the tower.

Deserved, in your opinion.

Once Mizu had woken up, she of course got right to work just as she usually did. She had no idea what the words ‘take a break’ meant. You helped her out with most of the tasks she tried to perform, but there was one she was insistent on doing alone, again.

So you sat back, preparing whatever medicine Ringo had asked for you to make as he followed around the sword father like there was no tomorrow. You sat in silence, Taigen sleeping not too far away from you, the fire still blaring keeping you both warm.

Why him of all people. Why did he have to be the one she brought back?

There was nothing you could do about him now except for hope that when he wakes up he just gets up and goes on his way.

You rolled your eyes, even thinking about the man made you mad, so you went back to your mundane task. That was until you heard the sound of what you realized to be Taigen stirring as he finally woke up.

“Great, you're awake.” You said sarcastically as you turned towards the man who had rolled over, making sure to make several groaning noises in the process. Sure he was in severe pain but literally everything he did, logical or not, annoyed you.

He didn’t even truly process who you were or why you were there, the first thing he asked was,

“Where’s Mizu?”

Seriously? Why did these two suddenly care about each other so much?

You tried your best to remain as neutral as possible as you very lowly answered, “Outside.”

You didn’t want to tell him, you didn’t even want to speak to him in the first place and You sure as hell didn’t want to leave him alone with Mizu. How could anyone trust him? Sure people change, and most of what he did to Mizu was from when they were kids… but your concern still stands. Who knows, maybe he’s still an asshole.

But in the end, it wasn’t your choice on whether he and Mizu got closer. You would protest it, and you‘d protest it hard but when it comes to it, if Mizu for some reason completely unknown to you decided he was good enough to keep around you’d have to be okay with it.

Some time had passed since they had both woken up. Mizu had gone out to try and remake her sword and Taigen had gone off to… well you didn’t really know nor did you care. You had been sitting outside on the snow covered ground, looking up at the night sky, trying to just clear your mind.

You didn’t like feeling so angry all the time, especially over someone who you personally had no reason to truly be angry at. You felt guilty, it wasn’t your place to make such decisions on who was good for Mizu and who wasn’t but you couldn't help it. It felt almost as if it was some kind of instinct, but you couldn’t really place what it was or why you felt it. All you knew was that you hadn’t felt like this before, and it frightened you. You didn’t want to be so pushy or mean to the two just because you didn’t enjoy one person's presence.

You sighed as you continued to stare up at the sky.

“What is wrong with me?” You whispered quietly to yourself.

While you were having your moment of self reflection, you noticed Taigen who had made his way back from the village carrying food. The guilt you felt seemed to double as you looked at him, so you simply looked the other way.

He walked inside the house not even sparing you a glance, he probably didn’t even know you were there. You were sitting in almost complete darkness, the only light being the glow from the fire inside and the moonlight. You enjoyed the isolating feeling it gave, it felt as if time had stopped as you stared at the bright moon above. You were completely lost in thought, zoning out as you stared at the moon. The only thing to snap you out of it was the sound of a large thud, as if something had hit the ground.

You panicked thinking that Taigen had attacked, just as you thought he would. You rushed over to the door of the house but you stopped once you noticed the position the two of them were in. They were so close to each other, and it didn’t seem like they were actually fighting with each other. You hid behind the door frame, not wanting your presence to be known as you thought about what you had just seen.

Does she actually like him? Why are they so close to each other? Is this seriously happening?

All these questions ran through your head as you backed away from the door. So badly did you want to ‘accidentally’ stumble inside and ruin the moment but then you knew you’d feel even more guilty about it. You just tried to let it go and move on with your night.

You tried.

The next day you had become incredibly standoffish. Mainly towards Mizu and Taigen which made it especially noticeable. Anytime Mizu had asked anything of you, you wouldn’t respond like normal, in fact this time you barely responded at all. Usually you seemed so happy to do anything within her company, but now it was as if you were looking right past her.

When Taigen would even attempt to talk to you, you wouldn’t even make a move to acknowledge his existence.

It was extremely petty and you knew that, but you seriously had no other way to deal with your emotions. You were trying your hardest to keep your thoughts down and just be happy for the two that you thought had some kind of chemistry but you weren’t getting far.

Later that night, you walked into the same room as Mizu. she had been sitting down drinking something from her cup, and staring off into the distance deep in thought. Once you had noticed her, you didnt give your normal greeting, you just sat down across from her and paid her no mind.

“What is your problem?” She finally asked. You simply looked at her, your face was as empty of emotion as you could make it.

“What do you mean? I don’t have a problem.” You lied, trying to not get ahead of yourself. You had so many things that were just so eager to get out, but you didn’t want to share them. You wanted to keep quiet and never mention a single one. If you never mention your problems you don’t have to feel guilty about them, right?

Mizu stared at you, astonished by your persistence with this new attitude.

“Why won't you acknowledge me?” She asked. You averted your gaze by the slightest bit, the guilty feeling coming back.

“I’m acknowledging you right now.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I don't understand your problem here, I’m the exact same.” You lied. You were trying so hard to keep everything under control.

“No you’re not. We both know that.”

“Since when were you an expert on personalities?”

Just because you were trying hard to keep your cool, doesn’t mean you were doing good at it.

“Since I’ve known you for almost a year.”

“You don’t know everything, you know.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask Taigen, you seem to go to him for everything anyways.” You didn’t mean to let that slip. If you could take back the words you had just said, you would’ve in an instant. You knew once you had brought up Taigen you wouldn’t be able to stop.

“What is wrong with you?” She asked, confused by your attitude towards every single thing she said. You would never act like this normally, so why now? It almost frightened her, it reminded her a bit of how the people in her past would turn on her so suddenly based on some trait about her, so she assumed the worst.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Taigen is the problem!” You shouted, now standing up to make your point clear, which took Mizu by surprise. You had never truly gotten so angry before and especially not at her.

“What did he do? Did he do something to you?” She asked, a whole new level of possibilities jumped forward in her mind. She had let her guard down around Taigen, what if he had made a move on you and she didn’t know.

“Are you kidding? I’m not worried about me, I'm worried about you! I mean, what hasn’t he done to you. You’re telling me he was an asshole to you for the entire duration of your childhood that you spent together, and then he suddenly comes waltzing back in claiming he wants to kill you? And then you forgive him? You saved his life sure but now he wants to act all buddy buddy with you? Are you serious? You’re setting yourself up for failure here.” As you went on your ramble, Mizu had begun to relax as she realized the situation. Her eyes followed you as you paced back and forth in front of her, an amused expression creeping its way onto her face.

“Hey.” Mizu began but you could barely hear her over the sound of your own voice.

“You could’ve picked anyone else to start getting close with and I would’ve been fine with it. I mean I don’t control who you can and cannot be close with, but him? Seriously?” You continued.

“Hey.” Mizu repeated, once again trying to get your attention to no avail.

“I mean, you could do so much better. The guy who bullied you for years on end? Oh please, even I would be a better candidate than him, not that I’m saying I should be, but I could be-”

“Stop talking.” Mizu had raised her voice just enough for you to finally hear her and take the hint. You immediately stopped yourself and looked at her with a shocked expression. You had gotten so lost in your thoughts you almost forgot you were ranting to her in the first place. You watched as Mizu’s stern expression shifted to one of a more… smug nature as she stared at you, her eyes looking at you from just above the rim of her glasses so you could see the color in its entirety.

“Are you… jealous?” Mizu asked, an amused smile very evident on her face as she slightly turned to you. Your head shot towards her direction as you opened your mouth to protest but nothing came out.

She was right, you were jealous. Really jealous. You had gotten so lost in your hatred towards Taigen you had forgotten to take a step back and realize how stupid your actions looked.

“I just… don’t think he’s right for you.” You muttered, crossing your arms in defiance as you averted your gaze. You weren’t looking at her but you could tell the woman was just staring at you with a very plain look, a look that probably said something along the lines of ‘are you serious?’

“Not right for me?” She asked, placing her dish down on the ground before looking back up at you. Once she had looked back towards you she had realized you still weren't looking at her, and that wasn’t going to do.

“Look at me.” She demanded. Her tone was not harsh but she was quite stern about it. You did as she said without another question, turning your head to look at her even though you wanted to do anything else but that at the moment.

“What do you mean he’s not right for me?” She asked again, wanting a serious answer out of you.

“I saw the two of you… last night. When you were sparring. I saw how you looked at him and I just. I don’t think he’s a good choice for you.” You admitted. You felt so stupid, couldn’t you have just kept your mouth shut and moved on like an adult. Why did you have to be so petty about someone who didn’t even reciprocate your feelings? You were friends, why would you become anything more than that?

She didn’t say anything in response, she simply stared at you as she usually did, but this time her staring made you feel so small. You already felt guilty about feeling this way and now that you had actually said it out loud to Mizu’s face and all she was doing was staring, it made the feeling unbearable. You wanted to cry, but you wouldn't dare to, not now. To risk looking even more childish than you do already? You’d rather die.

“Then who do you think would be a better choice?” She inquired, earning nothing more than a shrug from you. You had said what you needed and you feared if you said anything more you would dig yourself into a deeper hole. “Come on, you don’t have anyone in mind?”

She was teasing you.

She wasn’t mad?

Why was she playing into this, why wasn’t she upset with you placing your own opinions on her feelings.

“I don’t know… literally anyone else?” You responded quietly, not really wanting to answer the question.

“What, like you?” She retorted with a playful scoff.

“I didn’t say that.” You denied, quite defensively one might add.

“Yes you did.” She corrected.

“You heard me wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I heard you wrong.” She repeated, confirming the fact that you were actually trying to play that card.

You nodded.

“So you didn’t say, ‘even I would be a better candidate than him’.”

Well, she got you there, Those were in fact the words you said. You were in too deep to go back now so you committed to your sense of denial full force.

“Where are you getting these words from?” You tried to play dumb, obviously it wasn’t going to work.

“Don’t try to lie to me, I heard you say them.”

“I wasn’t saying that I would be the only candidate, I was just using myself as an example. I’m not saying that you’d have to pick me over him I’m just saying that in the grand scheme of things I just-” You had begun to ramble yet again. You couldn't stop yourself, you felt like everything you wanted to say needed a further explanation to make it not sound as bad as it did. Luckily, this rant was cut very short.

“Hey.” Mizu said, very quickly getting you to shut up unlike the last few times. This time however, she was much closer than she was before. Much, much, closer. You hadn’t noticed that throughout the entire duration of your little banter match, she had slowly made her way towards you and you had absentmindedly been backing away from her. Well, that was until you couldn’t back up any more. Now she was standing no more than a few mere inches away from you, her hands had managed to slither their way onto your waist, holding you in place.

“What…” You whispered. You didn’t know what else to do with yourself, you felt as if you could melt into a puddle right then and there as you stared into her eyes. Her eyes however, had not stayed focused on yours, and instead began to travel around to other areas of your face. You had never really seen this side of her. There would be no reason to really, unless she truly felt the same way.

There wouldn’t be any logic behind Mizu just messing with you to mess with you, she only ever really put up fronts for people she needed information from, and the only information you had was how much you wanted her in that exact moment. You would never say that outloud though.

“Stop talking.” She whispered back, her eyes almost entirely focused on your lips as she very slowly neared you. You couldn’t hold yourself back, moving yourself forward and making the move to seal the kiss yourself.

Words wouldn’t be able to accurately describe how you felt in that moment. Neither of you truly expected it, but the kiss had become a lot more heated way faster than you truly expected. Turns out you both had buried feelings that were going to be known one way or another. Your hands had made their way to Mizu’s hair and her hands had begun to travel away from your waist. Once you had eventually parted from the kiss, you both looked almost surprised that any of that truly happened.

Mizu laughed a bit to herself as she looked at you.

“You know, Jealousy looks good on you.” she said before you rolled your eyes,

“Stop talking.” Was all you said before continuing where you left off.

[c0la-queen]

RAGHHHHHHHHH

Could you ever so kind and provide some general dating Headcannons for all the four boys?? 🥺👉👈

Maybe some extra with red leader or someone else if you’re fine with that??? 🥺💜

Mwah mwah you have amazing work <3 /p

Oh my gods I am SO sorry that this is so late!! For some reason, Mr. Tumblr decided not to notify me about your ask?? And then I was at my bestie's house this weekend, so I haven't checked my inbox until now. Begging for your forgiveness rn Anon!!

Also literally kissing you for asking for Red Leader!! Mwah, mwah!!

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Edd

If you are dating Edd... girlie I am so sorry for your sanity.

Don't get me wrong, I love Edd! He was my first Eddsworld love, my pookie bear for real! But he's the biggest bastard of the entire gang and I stand by that.

Calls you dumb pet names to try and make you laugh. Sugar Tits (regardless of gender or lack thereof, might I add), Baby Doll, Sexy.

He WILL grab/slap your ass all the time. Even in public. Only grins when you glare at him.

This man is a horrible influence. It will be so hard to get your shit done if he has decided that you need to be spending time with him. Why worry about work or chores when you could be all cuddled up with him and Ringo on the couch?

Will sulk if you reject his attempts.

If he's trying to get shit done and you're pestering him for attention? He will drop his basket of laundry or the dishes in his hands in a millisecond.

If he's working on a commission or animation, he'll let you sit in his lap in his chair, let you sit all pretty for him while he works. When he finishes, if you've fallen asleep by then -which you usually do - then he'll carefully move you both to his bed and snuggle up to you and take a nap with you.

Speaking of cuddling, he does naturally run hot. Comes with being a big boy <3 But if you don't enjoy that, then he'll use his powers to cool down his skin for you. Anything to keep cuddling!

He also uses his powers whenever possible. Will abuse them without shame. He puts things on the highest shelf, just so you have to him for help. He'll put patches of ice on the floor under your feet, just so he can catch you before you fall (he'll never let you actually get hurt), and uses his super strength to scoop you up randomly and carry you around.

You cannot show your text messages to ANYONE. He will say filthy things, just to fluster you. Horny Bastard. Finds ways to turn even the most mundane conversations into teasing.

He'd do cute couple things with you, like painting together and swapping canvases every 5 minutes. His favorite is going to cat cafes. The cats literally love him, its like he's made of catnip with how they swarm him.

Physical affection is a huge thing with him. Even little touches throughout the day, like ruffling your hair as he passes by, or a big hug from behind while you fix food.

Overall, big teddy bear that just likes to see his darling blush.

Tom

As I've stated in previous works, Tom is a secret romantic.

He's not a traditional romantic like Matt, but he's romantic in his own way.

Likes parallel play a lot. Finds it relaxing to just sit in his room, testing new songs on his bass while you lay on his bed reading a book. Or in your room, lounging on one of your plush beanbag and organizing his Spotify playlists while you fold your laundry.

Dates with him consist of record stores, concerts, and late night walks.

He'll sing for you if you ask him to.

Very down to earth, both as a person and as a boyfriend. If you have problems, he'll listen patiently until you're done, then help you brainstorm solutions. He doesn't downplay or ignore your feelings, but he doesn't jump to emotions like others might.

He tends to sleep in late on his nights off, since he's more of a night owl than anything. You know that, so you've made it a little tradition to fix him coffee around 11. You know exactly how he takes it, and he always thanks you with a kiss on the cheek and a sleepy, mumbled "you're the best."

Very caring. He'll make sure you've eaten and had water. Will usher you to bed if he can see that you're tired, or do your chores for you if you can't do them for whatever reason. If you can't sleep, he'll make you a mug of chamomile tea and sing you a little lullaby.

When it comes to his monster tendencies, he tries to keep you away from it all. He's bitter about what he is, and he thinks that you're better off separated from that side of him.

At the start of relationship, he'd get angry if you tried to push it. He'd snap at you, distance himself, not talk to you for maybe a couple of days. Further on in the relationship, though, if you push the issue and reassure him that you love every side of him, even the monstrous one, then he'd be more willing. Willing to let you in, to let you see that part of him. He'd be nervous about it, but he'd do it because he loves you.

Matt

He is a traditional romantic! His Mama raised him right, and he drinks his Respect Juice.

Makes sure you two have date night at least once every week. Dressing up nice, going out to dinner or a play, taking a walk through the town to wind down the night. Heading back into the house, changing back into comfortable clothes. He'd wipe your makeup off for you, if you wear it.

Absolutely the kind of guy to get down on his knees in front of you and unbuckle/untie your shoes or high heels for you. He's just so devotional.

If, for whatever reason, you guys are unable to have your date night, he'll make it up to you in some way. A bouquet of your favorite flowers sitting on your bed with a little note. A passionate kiss before one of you has to leave the house. A heartfelt love letter sealed with wax.

Makes sure to text you throughout the day with sweet messages. Compliments, "I love you"s, selfies, updates on what is happening at work. Or just reminders that he's thinking of you. Misses you.

Likes to cook meals for you if its just the two of you at home. Breakfast is his forte, but he's not the worst at following a recipe.

Always amazing for advice. He'll let you talk to him while he hugs you from behind. If it's something sad, he might cry. Just the idea of you going through something negative makes him sad, too.

If he doesn't have advice for you, he'd do anything in his power to find someone who does. One of the other roommates, or even his mother, if you're comfortable with it.

Speaking of his mother, she absolutely adores you. Since Matt has such a good relationship with her, he's already told her so much about you. She thinks its wonderful that her baby has fallen in love. After a while, Matt will even bring you along to his lunches with his mother. You two hit it off instantly.

If you're okay with it, then Matt would love to show you off on his social media. He thinks you're so gorgeous, the entire world should know that he managed to land you. Its never anything invasive, and he always gets your permission before he posts things. Blocks any weird or gross comments.

Loves going on shopping dates with you. Most of the time, its at the mall or a mall in a different town, because he loves walking around and window shopping. Occasionally, he'll take you to more expensive stores. It doesn't bother him, he loves spoiling you. No matter where you two are, he'll buy you anything that you want. If you are adamant to spend your own money, he won't put up too much of a fuss, though he does prefer to pay for you.

He'll do that couples trend with you where you find nail polish that matches the other's eye color.

Gift giving is just one of his love languages in general. It makes him so happy to give his loved one things that he bought. For you specifically, he'll also throw in hand made gifts. He may not be the most talented artistically, but he'll stay awake late into the night, sitting on the floor with a YouTube tutorial playing, paper and cardboard scattered around, a pencil between his teeth, paint on his hands and smeared on his cheek. The end result may look a little crude, but he'll still present it to you with pride. And, of course, you always love it.

Tord

Tord is probably the most romantically stunted of the four. Its not that he doesn't love you, far from it really. He just grew up in an environment where love wasn't freely given, and was often limited for appearances.

His father, as the Red Leader, insisted that he keep a professional and feared image. So, Tord never saw him being affectionate with his mother.

It might be hard at first. You'll struggle. You two may fight. But you'll always make up in the end. He'll listen to you, try to understand your point of view.

He's not against physical affection, but he's able to live without it. Will indulge you whenever you ask. If he's busy, which he usually is, he'll let you drape yourself over him from behind while he sits in his chair, letting you rest your cheek on the top of his head and watch him work.

More than anything, his love language is words of affirmation. Despite being a man of few words, he'll always give you praise. He'll make sure you know that you are his, he is yours, and he loves you. Nothing will change that.

Scary dog privilege. He'll always walk just behind you in public, keeping a guiding hand on the small of your back. Stays alert of you surroundings and the people around, so that you don't have to. You don't even have to worry about people approaching you in public. One piercing glare from Tord is enough to deter anyone.

Not the best at giving advice to problems. He'll listen, but sometimes he can't quite understand why something is an issue. Doesn't invalidate your feelings on purpose, it just happens inadvertently at times. Always, ALWAYS apologizes and holds you close when he realizes what he did.

His preferred dates are nights in at home. Cuddled up on the couch with takeout watching shitty rom-coms. Cooking food that he ate growing up in Norway while you sit at the kitchen table watching. Going to the convenience store at midnight to get Ben and Jerry's in the middle of anime binges.

You become his crutch. When he's having bad paranoia on nights that are too quiet, he'll seek you out. Just having you lay in bed with him, warm and solid and breathing, always calms him down.

He will never let you meet his parents. You are one of the very few good things in his life, and he wants to keep that away from his fucked up home life. Might let you meet his little sister, but not for a long time.

Surprisingly, he does tend to talk more when its just the two of you. He allows you into his head, verbalizing his thoughts to you. He'll ramble about his projects, tell you about the history behind his culture, or rant about things that annoy him. Denies it vehemently in front of others.

He is a huge tease, second only to Edd. What's dangerous is how casual he is about it. Loves making you squirm, and he'll never even change his expression. Sometimes he won't even be looking at you, but rest assured that he is swimming in satisfaction over how flustered you are.

Red Leader

I have so many thoughts about him. Oh my lord.

This is going off the scenario where Reader is a Red Army soldier and met him through the army, after the events of The End.

I want to clarify that this is NOT following the events of TBATF!!! This is my own Red Army timeline, what I refer to in my Eddsworld bubble as "The Bad End"

There are two ways that you'd be able to catch Red Leader's attention. Either you are an extremely talented soldier that does well among your peers, enough to earn the praise of your superior officers and eventually Red Leader himself. Or, you were assigned as his personal assistant to help with paperwork and meetings, but you were so good at handling his temper and attitude that he found himself surprised.

The latter of the two is my favorite, so I'll be working under that one.

Before you, Red Leader had been through several assistants. None of them lasted more than a month. By nature, he was a moody, temperamental man. The stress of the army and oncoming war only made that worse. He saw those previous assistants as nuisances, only getting in his way. He would yell at them, berate them, drive them to the brink until they beg Paul and Pat to transfer them.

When they assigned you to him, they expected the same thing to happen. The two even made bets on how long you'd last. On your first day, Red Leader was nasty to you. Gruff and rude. But... you bit back. That took him by surprise. Instead of taking the insult and shuffling out like a puppy with its tail between its legs, you pursed your lips and gave him a stern look and talked to him in a way that nobody dared to. He should've been angry. Should have screamed at you, discharged you from the army in a heartbeat.

Instead, he found that he quite enjoyed it. He enjoyed your spitfire. Not that he'd let you know. He only gave you a noncommittal hum and dismissed you with a wave of his hand. But... he kept you around. Even found excuses for you to come into his office more than necessary. His penchant for teasing came back full force. He'd poke and prod, finding ways to make you react with that fire he so loved.

It takes a long time for him to finally make a move. Probably takes a near-death experience for him, or an injury to you for him to realize that he wants this. He wants a future with you.

At first, he may seem a little cold in public. Not to the degree that his father was - he promised himself that he would never be like his father. Simply a more... professional air about the entire thing. It was more out of anxiety than anything. He didn't want to make you a target, didn't want to cause you to get hurt. As his army grows more powerful and takes over more and more countries, he grows more comfortable with PDA. He knows that when he is the most powerful man in the world, he doesn't have to worry about anyone hurting you.

He would probably treat you more like a spouse than a girlfriend/boyfriend right off the bat. He's older now, thinking more about the future than the present. He already knows that he wants to be with you forever, so why go through the formalities and hassle of dating?

Always makes time for you whenever he can. If he's in a meeting with his generals or another world leader, he'll sneak text messages to you. Doesn't give a shit if he's caught. What are they going to do to him, Red Leader?

If he's cooped up in his office all day, his door is always open to you. Loves having you drop by unannounced to bring him food or coffee. He'll let you climb into his lap while he works, or sit behind him in his chair and cling to him. Even if you're just sitting in a separate chair nearby, working on your own stuff. He's happy.

If you want to continue being a soldier, or his assistant, he'll let you. But he's also perfectly happy to have you simply be his partner and not have a care in the world. You could sit all pretty in his quarters waiting for him to get off duty, or use the time to pursue your own hobbies and interests. As long as you're happy and cared for, it's okay with him.

Spoils you rotten. You're Red Leader's, so of course you only deserve the best things. Anything in the world you want, you only have to ask for it. It's yours. He would raze entire cities just to see you smile.

He does enjoy taking you out on dates. While also spending time with you, he sees it as a way to show you off to the world. Dressing you up in the finest clothes that he got you, the prettiest jewelry that he bought. Taking you to restaurants and operas where everyone can see you hanging on his arm. It makes him puff up with pride.

When the two of you are alone, he's so adoring. Loves snuggling. It's a struggle to convince him to let you out of bed in the mornings, he'll just be clinging to you. If you do somehow manage to escape his grasp, he'll catch you around the waist and drag you back to bed. Won't stop until Paul or Pat message him to get his ass out of bed. He always grumbles about how "it's my damn army, I should get to sleep in as long as I want".

Sometimes, at night, he has pains in his right shoulder, the side where he's burned and amputated. It can range from a dull ache to excruciating pain. On nights that it hurts too much to move, you'll scramble out of bed and get his medication from his nightstand, gently coaxing him to take it. You'll hold him and comfort him until the pain subsides and he falls back asleep.

He doesn't like to talk about it, really. It feels weird, letting anyone see this part of his life. Letting you see his vulnerability. Letting you see him.

But he does.

[hastyprovocateur]

Ohaguro or teeth blackening was a common practice for aristocratic married women in Edo period, Japan and some men followed it too. There were a couple reasons for the trend, first being that richer women were able to afford regular makeup which comprised of a full white face as pale skin was considered beautiful.

With the absence of dental care, teeth were subject to appearing misshapen, discoloured so it was found prudent to blacken them. It was supposed to act as a cover for any dental imperfections that would otherwise stand out due to the white paint. It was also said to be a protective agent. Conversely, the look of rotten teeth were quite fashionable as it showed how many sweets wealthy women could afford to eat.

Considering Akemi, she doesn't fit the aristocratic beauty standard either. The Shogun's representatives called her "too old" with "a few good uses left." Aristocratic women, especially aspired to be plumper as it represented wealth and Akemi is a lot leaner by that standard. So in the show's cultural context, Akemi should've been glad to have her teeth blackened as her title rose to "Lady", she became wife in the Shogun's family and attained her ultimate mark of womanhood. To be ideal enough to be chosen as a wife to the Shogun's son.

This is where Akemi's individuality and wisdom falls in, she doesn't mind presenting herself beautifully and being feminine, however there is fine line between being forced to perform as a woman and doing it out of her own volition. With Taigen, Goro, Watari, Mizu and eventually Takayoshi, Akemi uses her feminine charm willingly. Being demure, appearing harmless, sweet and sexually inviting to get something out of the interaction.

She uses feminine talents like poetry, flattery and wit but not witty enough to make the man feel less than. However, at the time of arranging her marriage with the Shogun's son, Akemi was blindsided. She wanted to stay close to home, had apprehension against being raped/used/forcibly impregnated by the Shogun's son who was said to be a sadistic tyrant who likely killed his first wife for not being "wifely (read submissive) enough."

Of course Akemi was reluctant to blacken her teeth because it would be like being officially branded as a commodity. Thankfully, Takayoshi turned out to not be a brute and Akemi is more confident about her position in her new family.

It's ironic that out of all the "men," Akemi used her charms against, Mizu is the only one who saw through it. Likewise, Mizu couldn't uphold her ruse of tough masculinity with Akemi who told Mizu that "youre not the killer you pretend to be" and "your face isn't even so scary, you're just angry."

Which is a HUGE flip from how vicious the men get. Hachi with the gun, Taigen, Shindo, Hamata, the Four Fanged, the Thousand Clawed completely bought how manly she was, resorting to name calling and dirty tricks because they felt insecure. It means something to me that Akemi, pinpointed Mizu's disposition without seeing her naked, unlike Ringo. And Mizu found Akemi's weak spots without having her in a position of sexual engagement, like Taigen or Takayoshi

[lick-me-lennon22]

How they act when they're in love, but haven't confessed yet

(here is the second request fill for the previous anon !! sorry to keep you waiting ✨️ I hope this is what you had in mind!)

John

John is openly affectionate and flirtatious with you and will do anything he can to get your attention

he's also the embodiment of the "if he pulls your hair, that means he likes you" trope

he'll engage in playful teasing and banter with you, trying his best to get under your skin

in conversation, he'll make subtle references to shared interests or inside jokes, showing that he pays close attention to your preferences

John often slips you silly handwritten notes or doodles to make you giggle and blush

he invites you to rehearsals and recording sessions in an attempt to impress you with his songwriting prowess and musical talent

he'll send you handwritten letters or postcards when on he's tour to let you know he's thinking of you, showing a bit of his softer side

Paul

Paul is more traditional in his approach, doing things like writing anonymous love letters and complimenting your style of dress

he initiates subtle gentlemanly displays, like holding the door open for you or offering to share his umbrella on a rainy day

when you're near he'll find reasons to touch you casually, brushing against your arm or offering a reassuring pat on the back

even from across the room, he's always gazing longingly at you or shooting winks in your direction

Paul makes an effort to remember small details about your life like your coffee order or the names of your pets

he'll even dedicate songs to you during live performances, using the stage as a platform to subtly declare his affection

George

George prefers a subtler approach rather than grand gestures and is somewhat shy about showing his affection

however, this doesn't mean he's any less in love with you

he'll share meaningful glances and smiles with you from across the room, conveying his affection and admiration in a subtle yet powerful way

when he's feeling bold he'll find excuses to be near you, positioning himself strategically to create more opportunities for chatting

George always shares new books and music with you when he discovers something he thinks you might like

he'll ask about your interests to find common ground and reasons to spark up a conversation

he plays you demos or rough cuts of new songs he's working on, showing you that he values your opinions and seeking your approval in a display of trust and vulnerability

Ringo

Ringo is a bit more shy than the other lads when it comes to his crush

he'll joke around and be playful with you, willing to do anything to make you smile

he'll try his best to act naturally and be himself, wanting you to feel comfortable around him

he always finds reasons to spend time with you (like inviting you to see shows with him), seeking out opportunities for one-on-one interaction

Ringo often gifts you small tokens of appreciation like snacks or trinkets as a subtle way of expressing his feelings

he favors physical displays of love, afraid he will trip over his words or become tongue-tied if he tries to express his feelings through language

he'll mirror your body language and gestures, subconsciously displaying his affinity for and connection with you

he always notices subtle changes in your mood or behavior, demonstrating his devotion and offering support and comfort when you need it most

[kisses4mizu]

current!mizu as your lover headcannons

- Has a soft spot for you 🎀 + acts nicer to you unlike with others

- Makes her jealousy CLEAR in front of Taigen ESPECIALLY when he chats with you in a ‘jokingly flirty’ manner

- When recovering at Swordsmotj Eiji’s home, she made sure she looked and acted better than Taigen 😭

^ Bro would swing her katana here and there just to have that “holy shit that’s so hot” effect on you

- “Why did you laugh at his joke? He isn’t that funny..” / “His sword skills are trash.” / “Should’ve left him at Fowler’s..”

- Sits on each other’s lap (I’ll give the freedom to the reader to decided whether they’re shorter or taller than mizu!)

^ especially in cold weather where they’ll share her cloak around each other and breathe on each others’ neck

- Enjoys it when you playfully train with her despite how much of a DUMBASS you are at it

- Literally dedicated time to learn from Ringo how to make simple snacks (bc she can’t cook for the life of her 💀)

- When you are sleeping, she’d bring your hand up to kiss like those ‘gentlemen.’ Prince Mizu au?

-Tilts her straw hat down to her face when she blushes at you bc god, she’s a nervous mess

- Daydreams about the future with you.. kids, a house, marriage, being not the same bad every night…

- Writes your name on trees using her blade

^ you know she’s down bad when she sacrifices her sword for you

- “(Y/n), have you ever considered marriage? Oh, no? Ah I see, I see… Nope, nope no reason!..”

[redclercs]

DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.

xiv. this feels like the calm before the storm.

— the one where the world is caving in.

warnings: cheesy pop culture references, aidan and victoria are back, more articles than usual. mentions of panic attacks, anxiety tics, spelling mistakes in the tweets that i am too lazy to correct, forgive me. 2.3k words (+articles!)

masterlist ✢ next

'Did Timothée Chalamet get y/n y/ln a role in 'Little Women'?'

By Bridget Thomas

As previously reported by various outlets, actress y/n y/ln has been cast as the youngest March sister for yet another remake of "Little Women", expected to be premiered by the end of next year. However, we can't help but wonder, how did y/n manage to get a role alongside actors of such high caliber, such as Meryl Streep and Best Actress Nominee Saoirse Ronan?

Despite the success of movies such as Supercut and The Hating Game, y/n's acting skills cannot even begin to compare to those of her co-stars, she's a romcom actress, and she's supposed to stay that way. But as Ringo Starr once sung: "I get by with a little help from my friends" and y/n is no exception.

Timothée Chalamet, Greta Gerwig's other main muse, has Hollywood eating out of the palm of his hand, and his influence goes a long way. So much so, that he was able to secure Amy's role for new friend (possibly new something else) y/n y/ln.

Right after they were seen mingling at a party in Paris with y/n's boyfriend (probably soon to be ex) Charles Leclerc, y/n got the call that they decided to give her the role.

Don't we all want a boyfriend who uses nepotism to our benefit?

Seriously, though, how does y/n manage to get this heartthrobs to spare a glance her way and do this stuff in her name? Somebody call the Winchester Brothers, we might have a witchcraft case right in front of our eyes.

Click here to go to the next article.

'Victoria Presley: I still miss my best friend, but all she did was use me.'

By Daniel Gomez

After staying away from social media and her job for a month and a half, beauty influencer Victoria Presley is back and she's not afraid of anything. Not even legal repercussions.

Back in July, Victoria received a 'Cease and Desist' letter from none other than former best friend y/n y/ln, demanding she stopped talking about her in public and to news outlets. This sparked the rumors that Presley had been selling her secrets to tabloids and was the one to reveal the engagement secret alongside actress Mia Kim, Aidan Kim's sister.

Victoria immediately removed herself from the narrative, deeply hurt by her ex-bestie's actions. Now, after gathering her thoughts and recovering from being stabbed in the back, she's giving us this exclusive interview.

"I can't help but miss y/n, she was my best friend for so long. But all she did was use me." Victoria is still in disbelief of y/n's actions, after giving her all her love and support. "I let her live in my house for months, and one day she leaves without any explanation. All to meet that Formula One guy."

Victoria has expressed her discontent with y/n's relationship with Charles Leclerc several times, arguing he is one of the main reasons y/n cut all ties with her and not the rumors that she revealed y/n's secrets to tabloids.

"He changed her for worse. Their relationship is so toxic, they breakup and get back together again and again, and they're just looking for ways to use the other's reputation for their benefit."

However, Victoria is certain the relationship won't last much longer, since y/n has her sight set on co-star Timothée Chalamet. "y/n has liked him for a while. When the rumors of his relationship with Kylie Jenner came out, she assured me she could steal him away with a flick of her hand."

Meanwhile, Victoria is focusing on her beauty line and its evergrowing sales. "I'm competing directly with Rare Beauty and Fenty. I'm in the big leagues, the way I deserve to be."

Click here to go to the next article.

'Aidan Kim reveals tracklist for "MIRRORS" and moves the release forward.'

By Paul Dean

Aidan Kim fans won't have to wait until October 5th anymore since their idol has decided to move the release date for his debut album forward by one month.

While we believe this decision was influenced by the news of ex-girlfriend y/n y/ln making her acting comeback in a high category movie, his fans also begged him to 'remind everyone of how awful y/n is' and judging by the titles of his upcoming tracks, we're sure he's leaving no crumbs.

Check out "MIRRORS" tracklist here:

In Your Pocket

All The Things I Hate About You

Him

Cry Me A River

Stabber

Stupid Love Letter

MIRRORS

Round and Round (Star-5 Reprise)

Yours and Mine (Star-5 Reprise)

Blinding Lights (The Weeknd Cover)

No Lie (With Mia Kim)

We can't wait for Aidan's insight on his relationship and breakup to y/n, we're certain the details are juicy! Don't forget to presave "MIRRORS" on Spotify and Apple Music!

Monza, Italy, September 3rd.

1...2...3... deep breath in, 4...5...6, breathe out.

You repeat the process five times until your heart has set in your chest and isn't trying to break free anymore. Until you've stopped squeezing your thighs with your palms and you can keep your eyes open without feeling like the red decoration is stabbing your eyeballs.

It's good that you can manage your anxiety before it turns into panic. You're still embarrassed about The Spain Incident, although neither Charles nor Carlos fault you for it at all. Still, every now and then, their panicked faces flashback in your mind and you feel sorry for them all over again.

You don't want this weekend to turn into The Monza Incident. Not when Charles' contract renewal was announced a few hours ago and he's on Pole Position, this weekend has to be perfect. Or as perfect as possible, for your boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

The weight of the word has multiplied by a thousand in your mind. Silly, when you really think about it. But palpable in a way that has butterflies flying around your stomach every time you think about the word and Charles' smiling face appears in your mind.

He's your boyfriend and you're his girlfriend, and this was a mutual agreement you reached with panic still holding you by the throat, only soothed by Charles' soft lips against your temple and his warm hands rubbing your skin.

You agreed to come to this Grand Prix because it will be the last one for you for a while. Filming for Little Women starts soon, and though they have a couple of races in the States, your schedule can be a little unpredictable. Also, you're hoping to score more roles soon.

You breathe again, deep enough that your lungs ache and lightheadedness threatens to rise through your body. You're overwhelming yourself, again.

According to the world, you’re not skilled enough to be in a movie with Saoirse and Timothée and should give up the role to someone who actually deserves it. Which you won’t do, of course. That someone who deserves it is yourself. It has taken a lot of pep talks in the bathroom mirror to brainwash yourself into believing it, but you’re getting there.

Plus, there are more things to worry about with Victoria back on her bullshit and Aidan's album coming out in two days. There are so many things to fix again, just when you thought you were getting there. Of course the two people that hate you most in the world have to mess with you again.

"Already here?" Carlos asks the second he crosses the door to the Suite. "It's way early."

"Good morning to you too," you let the air out of your already burning lungs and smile at Carlos. "I have nowhere else to be."

You could be at the Paddock Club, mingling with whatever celebrity or rich local is there. Or even visiting McLaren, since Lando offered to 'show you the garage', something Charles didn't like, of course. The secret of your newly earned girlfriend-boyfriend titles is one you try to keep close to your heart.

As if that has worked before.

A wave of anxiety runs down the back of your neck when you remember the tweet you saw this morning about a Deuxmoi tip on Charles and you. What could the exact price be, to reveal your relationship to the world?

"Have you had breakfast? Looks like you're going to throw up," Carlos says, sitting in the sofa opposite yours.

It's at least the fifth time he's told you that during the weekend. You know he does it out of a place of concern, but it still rubs you the wrong way. You also need to look perfect, not like you're going to throw up.

"I had breakfast back at the hotel, it's just the lighting."

"Sure?"

"I'm fine, Carlos. How are you?"

Carlos shrugs, he's not being the center of attention this weekend despite this being another home race for the team. "Good."

"Didn't you have to be at the meeting today?" you question, although it's obvious that by his getting there just now, he didn't.

"Had my PR reminders yesterday. Charles is different."

Of course. He has to know what he's allowed to say about his renewal and what he should not speak on at all.

Your own team advised you not to let yourself be seen at Monza. Mildred would have pulled you out of the plane if it had been up to her, and Walter would have helped her hold you hostage until the weekend was over.

They're both trying to find out about the Deuxmoi pictures too, although you doubt they can reach an agreement of any kind with whoever holds them to stop them from calling People Magazine up.

This whole avoiding being seen thing makes you feel wrong. As if you were doing something bad with Charles instead of just finally letting the love you've felt for him for months show. You hate it.

You're wrong to compare your current situation with your past ones. Aidan was your first really public romantic relationship, but before that, you didn't hide your partners either. Of course you weren't that famous, but even then, you didn't entertain the thought of scurrying around like criminals.

"He'll be fine, y/n," Carlos adds, looking at the way your foot keeps stomping the floor, like you're some kind of hyperactive bunny. "He's on Pole. You can pray for Max's downfall, though, maybe that'll help."

"I don't pray for people's downfall," you click your tongue, crossing your legs to stop the tic.

Karma and all that.

"Maybe you should." Carlos winks at you, and your conversation is finished as Charles leaves his meeting.

You can tell something's off just from the way his shoulders tense, but he smiles at you the moment your eyes meet.

"Everything okay?" you ask before he leans down to reach your height as you sit and pecks your lips.

"Yes, everything's good."

He's lying.

─────────

What was the point of coming to Monza if you're only watching the race through the screens?

You don't think the sun has touched your face at all since you got to the circuit, and you really want to be out there. But you stay put in your seat as the formation lap occurs right outside of the Suite.

It will make no difference, though, Charles is focused on the race, as he should be, rather than whether you're watching him through the TV.

Soon enough you know what will make a difference.

It's some kind of miracle that Charles has managed to regain the P1 position after the disastrous pit stop Ferrari put him through, and maybe Carlos was actually praying for Red Bull's downfall since Max has his very first DNF of the season and Checo can't get past George in P3.

Charles is going to win Monza again.

The decision making tree branches in front of you in a matter of seconds, people at the Suite are already talking excitedly and someone asks if you want to go down, there are four laps left.

You get up from your seat, aware that if life was anything like that videogame you played a couple times on the set of Parisian Valentine with your co-star, the "This action will have consequences" legend would appear on the screen right now.

You follow the Ferrari worker out, but even between the excitement and celebrations, you manage to hear what the PR Manager really thinks of your presence in the Paddock.

"She’s such a PR nightmare,"

She switches to Italian when your eyes fly to her face. And you can only wonder what cruel yet entirely accurate thing she said.

It's worse than a nightmare. It feels like the apocalypse all over again. And the weight of the world is back on your shoulders, feeling like you're messing up what was a weekend out of a dream for Charles.

You flashback to Monaco and the way Mati pulled you out of your head and locked your phone in her purse. You wish she was here more with each passing second. You cannot tear your eyes away from every single tweet speculating about your presence, about your relationship, about your intentions. It's overwhelming.

But Charles' happiness is what matters. He's absolutely ecstatic, even after the mishaps during the interviews where his PR training had to kick in and lead reporters back to Formula 1 related questions.

The thought that maybe you should have tried to make friends with more people occurs to you when you arrive at the celebration in the private club and Charles is dragged away from you. He tries his best to hold on to your hand, but the truth is people want to be with him and not you, so you let him take the spotlight he deserves and enjoy it.

"So, are you and Charles dating, then? Didn't you use to be engaged?"

You half-smile at the girl who just asked you the question, so boldly it takes you aback. But you guess her eyes are so bright from how much alcohol there is in her system, she's bound to be direct with liquid courage running through her veins. She's pretty in that dark hair, dark eyes way that has you momentarily doubting your own looks.

The extra heartbeat that takes you to reply, has her eyes shifting around the room before settling on Charles, who is finally walking back to your side.

Your boyfriend hands you a drink and smiles at the dark-haired girl and her friend, politely. "Are you having a good time?" the question is mostly directed towards you, but both girls jump at the chance of saying they're having the time of their lives and congratulating Charles for such an epic win. But they prompt you to join the conversation a few seconds later, so you're grateful for it either way.

There's a song in Spanish playing on the speakers and Charles is doing his best to sing the words while encouraging you to move to the beat with him. With his arms around you, things feel a little lighter, the whole in your chest that anxiety carved out is slowly filling with the love you feel for him, and the happiness of the day outshines the darkness of the thoughts in the back of your mind.

That is, at least, until the first notes of 'In Your Pocket' replace the previous song, after the DJ announces it's a special request. It's a remix, obviously, so people can dance to it, but a few of them have stopped moving altogether just to be a little less discreet about eyeing you.

"C'est pas amusant," you hear Charles say to one of his friends, who is hiding his mouth behind a tall glass of alcohol, his eyes still betray his enjoyement.

"It's fine," you squeeze Charles' arm, trying your best to smile although you're being put in the spotlight and there's nearly nothing worse than being the butt of a cruel joke. "It's just a song."

You wondered many times what those surrounding Charles thought of you. They didn't know you, after all. His brothers were nice to you when you saw them around the Paddock, and it wasn't like you'd hung around the rest of his friends. Did they mock him when tabloids called him a homewrecker? Or did they believe he'd just embarked on what seemed to be a dead-end relationship?

"I'm sorry, soleil, they're just— they're idiots," Charles adds, his hand reaching for yours. He looks genuinely upset and you can't help but hate whoever requested the song a little more for spoiling Charles' mood rather than for making fun of you.

"Charlie, it's okay, I've been through worse," your reassurance doesn't soothe him, so you squeeze his hand and he presses his lips to your temple. "I'd rather listen to Bad Bunny or something, though."

Charles laughs and pulls you out of the dancefloor, to a more private part of the club where you both can catch your breath and share a few kisses, unafraid of people staring at you.

New York, United States, September 7th.

You know you're in trouble when Mildred calls tells you that you need to be at her office ASAP. She also used that condescending 'I'm the adult' tone that sends you back to when you were fifteen and got in trouble with your mother, so it's another indication that she's angry at you.

Of course you know why, the words 'PR nightmare' haven't left your brain in days. And the moment you set foot in New York, Mildred was all over you about every single thing that was being said about the Monza Incident—aka seeing your boyfriend like any normal person would.

"This isn't ideal," Mildred says after a while, she has been explaining the public's perception of you for the past half hour. "It's like you—"

"Like I fucked up?" you cut her off, squeezing your knees to stop from biting your nails.

"We were rebuilding your brand, y/n. People think you waited for things to die a little so you could go public with Charles. Aidan's new album is not helping your case."

If you thought 'In Your Pocket' was bad, nothing compared to the rest of the songs. Some in which he called you a list of things including a homie-hopper, drama starter and said you settled for a 'bum' when you could have had a 'rockstar'.

"How is that my fault?" you don't intend to sound so whiny, but you can't help it. Why are Aidan's actions always your fault somehow?

"People are talking more about how you are dating a Ferrari Driver after spending months saying you weren't, rather than the fact that you landed an incredibly important role."

"We haven't told anyone we're dating,"

Mildred rolls her eyes despite her best efforts to remain professional. "Do you really think that's necessary?"

"What do you suggest we do?" you ask, knowing you won't like the answer.

─── team principal radio: ❝remember when I said it wouldn't take me one month to update delicate and then it took me longer than that? I'M SO SORRY LMAO. also not loving this chapter but i just want it out of my way for now i need it off my drafts, but don't worry this time i'll try for the next not to take me a century. thank you if you're still here, your patience means the world to me i love you all so muuuuch♡❞

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want to join the paddock club? click here!

[franklyimissparis]

hi there can i ask what are your favourite fics??

ahhhhhh this was so hard to narrow down since i think i have something like 300 beatles fics bookmarked on ao3 (plus a ton saved from livejournal but i’ve only included ao3 ones here). at first i was gonna pick a top 5 or top 10 but that was too hard so here are my top 24-ish i think? could have picked a lot more tbh. i only included fics that are completed, even though there are a lot i love that are either WIP or abandoned. also didn’t include any modern AUs though there’s a lot of those that i love as well! if anyone has any specific requests for other fic reqs i’m always happy to suggest more :)

on our way back home by kathleenishereagain

this fic has the most kudos in the fandom for a reason! old paul time travels back to the touring days and his relationship with john changes from there. love the way they integrated the magical realism into this and it’s just such a beautiful, touching story.

knowing that the sun is there by tarenas

john comes out after brian dies. lovely look at john’s individual relationships with all of the beatles and cynthia (but especially his relationship with paul of course)

cutting water with a knife by savageandwise

may’s perspective on john and paul. love love love. heartbreakingly realistic and so poignant. feels like it could have been a cut chapter out of loving john.

i’m so tired, my mind is set on you by dornfelder

god how i wish this is what would have happened in india. i’ve read this fic so many times, it just feels so real i keep coming back to it.

india, actually by inspiteallthedanger

jane notices that john’s india tapes are all of paul a la love actually. love jane in this and paul and john’s dynamic is great.

grow old with me by inherownwrite

john and paul in scotland in the 80s - paul breaks his arm and gives john a fright. such a tender picture of what could have been had things not ended how they did.

i was a younger man then (now) (post hoc) by fingersfallingupwards

using the time traveller’s wife premise in quite literally the best way i have ever read. the way it unfolds is…. stunning.

having coffee by dornfelder

old paul and john reflecting on life and being outed in the 80s through an interview. lovely.

to lead a better life by downtothelastdrop

1966 ringo mistakenly thinks john and paul are together, leading to a revelation of paul’s own.

going nowhere by inspiteallthedanger

fix-it where after surviving the shooting, john moves back to england.

if i could choose my own name, it’d be the one that falls best from your lips by kandakicksass

one of my favourite reincarnation fics ever. i really enjoyed how simple it was, how the pieces just slid into place so naturally.

the birthday party by merseydreams

everyone reunites for ringo’s 40th in july 1980. an excellent look at the dynamic between all the bugs and how things could have gone.

something old something new by inspiteallthedanger

john shows up to pattie and eric’s wedding causing a beatles reunion for the first time in years and some shenanigans and talks with paul. this fic is hilarious and THIS is my george, i love him so much

1967 by please_dont_wake_me

paul and john stay in paris after their 1961 trip. they return to liverpool in 1967 as a couple. this feels so real, the way every minor character is written… the dynamics between them all - every detail is excellent.

the beatles holiday au series by econhomework

an AU that follows john and paul (and george/ringo) being a committed couple in the 60s/70s and having their children via surrogacy. i’ve been subscribed to this series for years now and it’s a lot of fun getting an update that builds upon the last around every holiday, giving a little snippet into their lives as the kids grow up chronologically. (they also have other fics set in this AU in their beatles fic requests series)

the brother dearest series by javelinbk

jim and mimi get married, causing john and paul to become step-brothers (sort of). interesting premise and an even better execution of it. not to mention the idea of jim and mimi getting together will never fail to make me laugh (but also sort of makes a lot of sense???)

how much was mine to keep by mynamesbetty

paul is ‘unstuck in time’ and lives his life out of order a la slaughterhouse five (one of my favourite novels). done very well.

take a sad song and make it better by javelinbk

1980s paul moves his ex-boyfriend into his house because he’s an idiot but i love him. great fix-it.

christmas lights (keep shinin’ on) by distinguished_like

paul invites john to the mccartney family christmas party, leading to some discussions between the two. very cute early years fic.

here today by herspecialagent005

december 1980 except john and paul are hosting a dinner party for some friends in scotland, with magical realism elements. ugh loved this so much, especially linda and just all the little details of john and paul settling into a life together.

kissing the blarney by tikk

paul is the blarney - this turns into a superstitious ritual in the band which emotionally complicates things but ends very satisfyingly.

writing letters (on my wall) by 15clubsaday

70s paul writes to john under a pseudonym while they aren’t speaking. newly finished and wonderful!

the jumper by merseydreams

john sees denny laine wearing HIS jumper and flies back to england to retrieve it. this fic has everything: miscommunication, john being a dumb shite, jealousy, confused denny laine, paul in all his 70s glory, and lesbian linda. truly could not ask for more.

back to where you belong by sleeprettydarling

george on johnandpaul throughout the early years. i’m a big sucker for the george & johnandpaul dynamic and how complicated and devastating it can be so naturally i loved this.

[majorbaby]

it takes a conscious effort to break your patterns of consumption and unlearn the notion beauty, interiority, diverse ways of existence aren't exclusive to whiteness or maleness. part of that isn't your fault. certain music is played on the radio, certain shows survive cancellation no matter what, certain people seem to be able to commit the worst possible acts against other human beings and are excused on account of their creative genius. others are selectively punished, with good reason sure, but still, selectively.

now more than ever it's easier to immerse yourself in art made by people outside of the mainstream. reading lists, free resources, playlists... all this stuff is more accessible than ever, but you've got to make an effort to give it a try. it's black history month, the recs are pouring in, go have a look. or take a chance on something absolutely no one has recommended anywhere and if you find something you like, rec it to someone else because the likelihood is they haven't heard of it.

tracy chapman's "fast car" is one of eleven songs that appears on her self-titled debut album. can you name the second hit single from it? if you're american and you fell anywhere left of center as of the 2016 election, it should be on the tip of your tongue if you were engaged in your country's politics at the time, regardless of your level of actual investment in the system. if not, the next time you're doing a task you need both hands with, washing the dishes, having dinner, doing your makeup, put that album on.

there's a post with over 100K notes on here that i see all the time of bruce springsteen and clarence clemons kissing. there's a part of that that is immediately meaningful to many if you're lgbtq, and a part that is harder for non-black lgbtq people to feel the weight of. but it is worth trying to do and was part of the reason why they kissed so often in the first place. clarence clemons was from norfolk, virginia. he released multiple albums outside of his work with the e street band. they may not be for you, but give them a try.

give enough music, or movies, or books that aren't a part of the approved canon a try, and there's no way you won't find something you don't feel as passionate about as you do about springsteen, siken, the beatles, what have you.

james baldwin was a prolific artist. see if you can't find something of his you like more than giovanni's room.

immerse yourself in ringo sheena, who mitski cites as one of her influences.

if you have difficulty paying attention to music you don't recognize, (i get it) make a playlist that alternates tracks you know and love with brand new tracks. start small. 5 faves of all time, 5 you're going to try out. you won't like everything, but you might find yourself looking forward to 6 songs instead of 5 eventually.

for movies, pick an actor whose performance you loved in something and explore their work. last year i picked whoopi goldberg, also a prolific artist, with a vast body of work that's pretty accessible as a result of her constant, intentional effort.

if you're an artist yourself, you can only stand to improve by getting to know your fellow artists better. so expand your notion of what art is. you can do it for free in lots of cases, and you're spending that time listening to music or reading or watching movies or series anyway, what have you got to lose?

anti-racism sometimes means engaging in real-world narratives of pain endured by brown and black people. that pain permeates much of our art, but we're just as three-dimensional as everybody else, and every aspect of our experiences come through in our work. you know that already, because what else is happening when you indulge in various genres. for everything you love or enjoy, there's a brown or black person who's doing something along those lines, in many cases, those genres wouldn't exist in their current form without the influence of our communities, some more than others, depending on where you're from. you can actually keep one foot inside your comfort zone and dip your toe into something else. that choice is both a joy and a luxury.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day 22

@javelinbk I’ve got another one for your “Paul McCartney doesn’t touch other men” compilation.

They’re really just going to keep goofing off with each other until the bitter end, aren’t they?

Who is this?? She’s gorgeous and I’m obsessed with her eye makeup.

I wonder if there’s a *reason* John broke randomly into “Run for your Life”. I’d actually feel better about that song if it was secretly about Paul, though I'd never considered it.

That face!

I’d actually love to know what Ringo and Billy were talking about that prompted that hug, though! I’m sure it must’ve been just so cute!

John saying “Okay Jim” to Paul. Reminds me  of that quarrymen story where John called Paul that. Such an awkward nick-name, considering John hated Jim. Like I know Paul’s first name is James and all, but it’s just weird. I wonder if he called him that often and why and how Paul felt about it.

It’s physically impossible for two people to actually love each other that much and break up. I just. It’s not real. I can’t process it. 

The fact that Paul wore a suit again, though, and plays standing. An example of Paul doing what makes him feel good whether it’s cool or not. He feels professional and put together in a suit and standing for the “performance” of these softer songs, so that’s what he’s going to do. I guess Ringo’s in a suit too, and tie. I just didn’t catch it at first because his tie and shirt are such a fun purple. 

John focused on Paul for the entire song of “Two of Us” and Paul very purposely avoiding eye-contact. It’s like a much less painful, but still awful, reverse version of the strawberry fields moment. 

The silly fake German. Paul’s “Ein Schwein, fille naught rhine.” Reminds me of John’s “Un. Du. Ein schwein hickle pickle” in front of “I Don’t Wanna Face It” which also used a very similar riff to “coming up”. IDK they’re just always talking. Always logging away every little eyelash flutter. Every meaningless thing means something with John and Paul. I know. I realize I’m fully certifiable. 

“Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?” “Yeah.” 

Paul’s just purposely ruined what’s probably like the five-hundredth take of Let it Be with his drunk uncle voice, and this is George. No matter how much he might want to stay annoyed at them, he never can. 

I wonder when exactly John goes from “I think that was rather grand. I’d take one home with me.” on Let it Be to, “Yeah, he was just trying to write another bridge over troubled water. Could’ve been Wings.” When exactly did the meaning (dead mom says not to fight for your relationships) sink in that made him hate the song?

I love that we end on Paul saying, “we’ll do one more.” I love that there’s never a tied-up, clean-cut ending for the Beatles. There’s always a “Her Majesty” tacked on after “The End” to leave room to continue on. 

[erinwantstowrite]

You seem to be having fun writing chapter 15 of LoF... (i.e, crying, annoyed w/ characters, etc...)

Here have a cat! His name is Ringo and I love him (even tho he broke his toy in front of him)

i would die for Ringo oh my god look at his wittle face,,,

for some reason the characters aren't wanting me to write in their POV's for this chapter which means i've been rewriting scenes over and over again trying to figure out what's up with that 😭 it's almost always that i need to change the POV (whether for dynamic interest, plot, or it just fits better in their POV) or the set up to it is wrong. or i'm not being dramatic enough. actually holy shit that might be what's wrong with the Tim POV wait guys wait

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

FINAL for real this time: Davis (Juror 8) from Twelve Angry Men vs the Bimodal Distribution from statistics

Propaganda under the cut, and it's REALLY worth it:

Davis (Juror 8) (these are all from the single submitter)

a quick lil list babes, and I apologise for all of this in advance:

He's from the fucking film 12 angry men. like, aside from letterbox bootlickers and middle school hass students NO ONE has watched this film let alone care about it, it was made in 1957, is shot almost exclusively in one room and the entire film is just middle aged white men yelling at each other over whether some not white poor kid should be sent to the electric chair. what the fuck.

Henry Fonda, the actor, was 52 years old at the time of filming

Henry Fonda is the father of Jane Fonda, the woman who would revolutionise the 80's with her home workouts and her blindingly neon leg warmers.

His name wasn't revealed until the very end of the film and even then it's just "Davis."

I could honestly give him a lil smooch

He's absolutely not girlypop but he's the ally-iest ally who's ever allied

He's categorised as a "Benevolent Leader" on the Heroes Wiki

instead of the overwhelming urge for me to coddle him like most all other blorbos, i would appreciate it switched

I have a photo of him inside my saxophone case and sometimes i forget he's in there, then he creeps into my saxophone bell and when I play it he shoots out like a ballistic missile

Dude, on ao3 there's more fanfiction about the real life 80's British punk band The Clash than the entire film of 12 angry men, let alone Davis (80 fics come up under the clash, while 10 come up for 12 angry men)

I have a counter, and I've watched 12 Angry men a total of 145 times. The figure is up on my wall in tallies. whenever the number goes up, I like to watch it in 5's so then I can put another full group of tallies on my wall.

I have incredibly detailed stories about how Davis would boogie down to ringo starr's solo career, and they're written within the margins of a book called Tobruk written by Peter Fitzsimons. The only reason I reread that book is to wonder at my elaborate works of fiction

My HASS teacher was the one to introduce me to 12 Angry Men as he played it for the entire class. He gave us a set of questions to complete on the film and a few Law based questions as a little treat, and he expected it to be handed in the next day. What he didn't expect was an 11 page monster of a response that included social commentary, 4 paragraphs dissecting the character of Davis alone, deeply discussed comparisons between the landscapes of politics and law in the 50's to the present, and basically an entire point-for-point summarisation of the film, completed with obscure quotes from Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Presley (Elvis). He presented the printed masterpiece in front of the entire class to shame me.

After class he explained how his favourite Juror would either be 6 or 5, because 6 seems like a big dumb teddybear and he just liked 5. I explained how I liked Davis because he didn't want to send a kid to die, then he told me how Davis would make a good cowboy (at this point in time I was unaware of Henry Fonda's role in Once Upon A Time in The West) and I proceeded to go home and write a 3 part orchestral composition that I could pretend would play as the soundtrack to Juror 8: A Cowboy's Tale or something like that

I had started to make an animation meme starring Davis but only gave up when photoshop literally deleted itself from my laptop

I didn't even hear that Juror 8's name was Davis when I first watched it in class, somehow I only heard it on my 6th rewatch but when I did I literally got so excited I literally got winded and cried a little bit, I had to take a panadol because I got so lightheaded

I have learned the musical motif that plays throughout the film on saxophone, clarinet, recorder, guitar, bass, ukulele, piano and trumpet

I have visions of him

One of Davis' 3 children HAS to be gay and nothing can convince me otherwise

honest to god I'd be a home wrecker if it came to him

I quote not only Davis but the film a lot, and sometimes in the dead silence of all my friends I go on about how the old man couldn't have possibly made it to the door in such a short amount of time to see the kid running down the stairs (because the old man has a limp, and Davis proved it my limping around the room, which I have to say was incredibly attractive of him)

He's literally an architect

I once had a dream where Davis was in my bass guitar case when I opened it, and i literally just picked him up and started picking him like a bass guitar until I tried to play a full chord and he bit the hand that was meant to be on the fretboard. I dropped him and he fell on his ass, and when I said "what the hell dude what was that for" he said bass chords are lowkey ugly to listen to, and since then i don't like playing bass chords because now they're lowkey ugly to listen to. before this ordeal, i enjoyed them, but alas

i once got my romantic partner to write me a davis x reader fanfiction as a birthday present

my parents believe that Davis is my first celebrity crush, and while they're actually wrong it's still actually so embarrassing they believe that because OH MY GOD it's literally JUROR 8 FROM 12 ANGRY MEN

I've attempted slam poetry about him

I've eaten a paper printed full a4 size photo of his hand

I would also not mind him to be literally my father, but given the rest of the things I've just said about him that's really weird and I recognise that

the Bimodal Distribution

First of all, it's a math concept. that is already pretty bizarre of a thing to be blorbo-ifying. Second of all, I don't know any calculus, and I don't consider myself a math person (because I hate arithmetic), but I really like this guy for some reason. I mean this graph clearly holds the secrets of the universe. don't you just want to l o o k at it . like you could solve everything in the world with that boy

[unoislazy]

I lied to all of you, Hiccup later, Mizu now!

Spar With Me

Mizu x Reader

Disclaimer; Possible spoilers.

Mizu will be referred to as “he/him” since the reader won’t know her secret at this point in time.

I can’t guarantee this will be completely in character, I’m still learning more about the characters so bear with me.

Part Two

Part Three

————————————————————

You had been traveling alongside Mizu and Ringo for a fair amount of time. You had been haphazardly picked up along the way, very much to Mizu’s dismay. The only reason you were allowed to tag along was your fighting skills. Your skills were no wear near Mizu’s level, not many people would be, but you were able to do enough that if the need arose, you’d be able to form some sort of protection for yourself and possibly Ringo.

But you wanted to learn more.

You didn’t want to do like Ringo and become a Samurai, it should be clear to anyone that Mizu was not a samurai, you wanted to learn how to fight. Throughout your travels with the two you watched how the man practically danced with a sword, the elegance as he leapt through the air and sliced up men with ease. The sword seems to be a sort of extension of him, of his arm, or his heart. When he wielded the sword it was like they were connected more than just physically.

You didn’t understand it well but you wanted to learn.

You had your reasons for wanting to fight. You didn’t want to learn in the name of tyranny or even greed, you wanted to learn to prevent a situation from happening ever again.

When you were younger, you certainly weren’t the most popular kid in your village. You never truly did much to attract attention so people often never really batted an eye to your presence. However, that meant no one truly noticed when you would walk around with several visible injuries some days after being picked on by some of the other village kids.

They didn’t pick on you for any other reason than they were bored and they knew they wouldn’t face any consequences if they went after you.

And they were right.

You tried your hardest to fight back but they were always a step ahead of you. So from then on you knew you wanted to learn how to fight, if not to protect yourself then maybe to have the hopes of one day protecting someone else.

You all continued to travel in complete silence, the snow lightly crunching beneath yours and Mizu’s feet. The only thing giving away Ringo's position was the bell that was wrapped around his foot. You looked down at his bell and smiled, it was almost like putting a collar on a pet, it was kind of funny to you. Ringo turned to you, noticing you looking at the bell and he excitedly smiled.

“Do you like it? Master gave it to me, he says I’m too sneaky so now he knows where I am at all times!” He loudly exclaimed, you think he was trying to whisper but he was obviously doing horribly at it. Mizu, who was walking a few steps ahead of you two, gave you a slight glance over the shoulder. You didn’t really notice as you were still smiling at Ringo, you enjoyed his ever optimistic demeanor on everything, it was so different from everyone else’s dreary lives and it gave you a reason to smile.

Ringo leaned over to you, trying his best to lower his voice but he still said everything quite loud.

“Maybe master will give you one too! That way we can both be sneaky apprentices.” He whispered, causing you to burst out laughing.

“Me? Get a bell?” You laughed before continuing, “I’m not going to call the man my master, I have no reason to.” You stated pretty plainly, which obviously confused Ringo.

“You want to learn how to fight, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“And you want to learn from Mizu, right?”

You nodded your head agreeing with him before realizing what he was getting at.

“So then Mizu is your master!”

“Woah, no way.” You argued, now crossing your arms with your head raised high.

You had your issues with calling some man your master. Especially one that barely gave you the time of day. Plus, if it wasn’t for your persistence and Ringo's persuasion, he would’ve left you on that street corner where he found you.

But he didn’t.

He instead let you travel along like a stray dog, following him around on his dark mission that you felt no need to ask about. You had talked to him maybe a handful of times before but he clearly didn’t want to give you the idea that he wanted you around. You were welcomed here, but with very cold and rigid arms instead of nice warm ones.

You might’ve been following him like a stray dog but you’re no pet.

And so you refuse to get that stupid bell.

“Why don’t you want to be Masters apprentice? I’d say it’s very fun, I get to do stuff for him all the time!” Ringo said, it was obvious he was trying to persuade you in some way.

“Well my friend, I think that position is occupied, number one. And number two, I want to learn how to fight, that’s it. I don’t want to learn the ins and outs of being a samurai. I’m simply hoping Mizu will teach me, as a friend.” You explained, it seemed this finally clicked with Ringo, but then you watched as his face contorted into more confusion by your answer.

Before he could ask, Mizu abruptly turned to the both of you and simply stated,

“It’s getting late, we should rest here.”

You both nodded as Mizu walked off in some random direction with Ringo following him. You however, took a moment to just stare at the already dark night sky. You hadn’t realized just how long you had been traveling, and you were a bit peeved that you had missed seeing the sunset. Although it’s not like you would’ve really been able to see it anyways, you were currently deep into a forest, surrounded by hundreds of trees with no clear direction in any which way.

Speaking of not knowing your direction, you quickly looked back down and spotted Ringo, quickly following after him as to not get left behind. If they had left you you would’ve been screwed, you have no idea where you are, or how to get out of the forest, not to mention there’s usually many dangers in the woods that you’re not yet prepared to deal with.

It didn’t take long for a fire to get set up and for Ringo to start cooking. He might not have made the world's best soba, but you’d argue it was pretty high up there. You and Mizu sat quietly by the fire, not really saying a word to each other as you stared at the scorching flames before you.

You wanted to ask if you could try training, while you’re both not doing anything, you wanted to try.

But you were almost afraid of Mizu. His stoic demeanor often sent shivers down your spine especially when he had such a stern tone of voice.

Well it’s now or never.

“Hey Mizu?” You began. You could see him just barely out of your peripheral vision. He turned his head ever so slightly to look at you, but you didn’t want to look back as you continued,

“Before Ringo finishes the food, would you mind sparring with me?” You asked. Mizu stared at you for a moment before looking back to the tree he had been looking at before. Maybe he was thinking about his answer?

Your eyes slowly crept over to look at him from the side. He didn’t really make a move to give you an answer, he simply sat there, thinking.

“It can double as extra training for you. Obviously not to your level, but you can use me as a warm up.” You persisted, now fully looking at him. You stared at him for a moment, he was probably in the most relaxed position you ever have, or ever would see him in. He rested one of his arms on his knee with his back against the tree trunk that lay behind himself. His dark hair was in its usual top knot and his glasses remained on and pushed up.

You didn’t know why he wore those glasses, you had never seen him take them off, and you had never seen behind them. Maybe he just really enjoyed wearing them, maybe a family heirloom?

Well, from what you knew about the man, his family definitely wasn’t something he’d want to honor with an heirloom. Plus, they seemed more of a newer style of glasses so there goes that idea.

After staring for what was in reality, maybe ten seconds, you looked away. If he wasn’t going to train you then who was, why were you even here if he wasn’t going to give you a chance. Were you seriously just along to be Ringo's makeshift bodyguard? Seriou-

“Fine, get up.”

You looked confused, being snapped out of your thoughts so abruptly had you thinking you completely made up what you thought you just heard.

“Do you want to learn or not?” Mizu asked, now standing before you, looking down at you as he waited for your answer. You nodded eagerly, quickly standing up and following Mizu just a little ways away from the fire.

It wasn’t like the forest was pitch black, you could still see thanks to the bright moonlight, it was just a little bit harder.

Mizu stopped in a little open area, just enough room for a fight to take place. You looked back, seeing that the fire wasn’t too far but It was enough that you couldn’t exactly see what Ringo was doing because of the trees that blocked your vision.

You stood a little ways away from Mizu, getting into a fighting stance, unarmed. You knew how to use a katana and naginata very loosely, but you wanted to just start with hand to hand. You knew Mizu could easily kill you if he wanted to regardless of what the fighting style was, but you trusted him even the slightest bit to not commit to ending your life.

Now you both stood quietly before each other. Both in fighting positions as you waited for the other one to move. If you were to attack first you were far enough away to give Mizu time to counter you. If Mizu attacked first, you might have time to counter or dodge but you weren’t going to get very far.

So, without another thought, you charged at Mizu. He waited for a moment before doing the same, and just as you were about to swing, he threw snow right in your face.

“Hey!” You shouted, wiping the snow out of your eyes before looking up and seeing Mizu sending a punch right for your face. You successfully dodged underneath and swung your leg to send Mizu off balance.

“You must be ready to use all the elements to your advantage.” He instructed, easily jumping out of the way of your kick and backing away. You quickly got up, dodging another one of his kicks before going in for a punch. You sent too much momentum into it which left you way too open and vulnerable leading Mizu to easily knock you off balance.

It was clear he wasn’t going to hurt you, just humiliate you for your lack of understanding of how to fight.

You fell to the ground, looking up at Mizu who was just staring at you, waiting for you to make your next move.

You two continued to fight for some time and you honestly could have sworn that you saw him smile a few times. Sure it might’ve been at your expense but you still felt proud enough to achieve such a feat.

You were slowly but surely getting the hang of it as you went.

Or so you thought.

You had gotten yourself into a position where you had a full plan of attack, but it seemed like Mizu was already eight steps ahead of you because with one simple move, he had knocked you down, now pinning you to the cold and snowy ground.

You struggled beneath his grip, trying to find a way out to attack but it was no use. He was indeed a lot stronger than you.

“Stop fussing, you lost.” He stated with what you could have sworn was a teasing smile. Fighting really brought out a different person in Mizu and honestly you didn’t mind it. It felt as if you two had finally started to get to know each other, even if it was just through a series of dodges and snarky remarks. It took you a few moments to realize he was actually straddling you, very tightly one might add. His hands were firmly holding down your hands and it was clear he was not going to budge.

You couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the current situation you were in. It was nothing short of humiliating to practically beg to fight someone only to wind up underneath them, but you also couldn’t help but admit you also felt embarrassed for other reasons.

You looked up at him, and it was just then you noticed that his glasses had fallen off. You didn’t know when, you didn’t know where, all you knew was now you were staring at a pair of bright blue eyes that seemed to be watching you in amusement.

He watched as your face changed from a sour expression to one of confusion,

“What’s wrong, can’t handle losing?” He teased, nearing you ever so slightly.

That was until you muttered,

“Your… eyes.”

With those two words, Mizu’s amused expression dropped suddenly and he jumped off of you and faced away in a matter of seconds. He quickly grabbed his glasses that had gotten thrown off during one of his many expert maneuvers.

You sat up, now staring at the back of the makeshift samurai who didn’t utter another word.

You had heard stories of ‘the demon eyes’ when you were a kid, everyone did. You might’ve believed those stories when you were younger but here stands someone with those ‘demon eyes’ and you saw nothing more than just a very scarred individual. Sure, Mizu was scary good at wielding weapons, but that wasn’t some demonic power, that was pure skill, and you admired him for it endlessly despite never wanting to admit that outloud.

You both sat in silence, you leaning on your hands and Mizu, sitting with his legs crossed and his back towards you. After a moment of just sitting you took a breath in, as you did so you noticed Mizu’s head lower ever so slightly as if he was preparing to hear or feel something he had heard before.

Your eyes softened as you stated,

“Your eyes… they’re very pretty.” You complimented. You could see Mizu freeze for a moment as you stood up, walking just up behind him.

You couldn’t imagine the amount of stuff he had gone through throughout his life, having to deal with people treating him differently for something he couldn’t control. You didn’t need his whole life story to know it was probably rough. It didn’t take a genius to know that considering where you are, sitting in the middle of the woods as the man before you continued to try to track down certain people for a reason unbeknownst to you.

Mizu continued to sit in silence as you kneeled down just behind him, you reached out your arm to touch his shoulder but you hesitated for a moment. Maybe you shouldn’t, maybe you should just leave him alone, it’s clear he is not comfortable.

You just wanted to show him some kind of comfort, even if it was just in the sense of one little shoulder touch, so that’s what you did. Your hand ever so gently rested on his shoulder before you quietly muttered,

“I mean it.”

Mizu’s head ever so slightly turned towards your direction, but before he could say or do anything you took your hand off of him and quickly stood up, quietly rushing back to Ringo who was still carefully preparing your food.

It was only a few more minutes before Mizu followed behind you, making his way towards the fire. Neither of you mentioned what had just happened and you continued to sit in silence just as you had done before. It was as if all the progress you had made to getting to know him while fighting, had gone down the drain.

Until you heard him quietly mutter,

“Thank you.”

[dreamwatch]

My Occupation is Syncopation

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest

Day #14 - Prompt: And The Winner Is... | Word Count: 999 | Rating: T | CW: language | POV: Gareth | Pairing: Steddie (background) | Tags: banter, Gareth wears glasses, not as often as he should, 90s Corroded Coffin

I promised you no misery today, but I made no such promise to Gareth! 😂

Title from a quote by Ringo Starr.

****

“What?”

“You can’t answer your phone like that, man, it’s unprofessional.”

“Did you wake me from my slumber to berate my telephone manner?”

“Why are you still in bed?”

“You know how we’re in a band? Well, unless you want to start playing at weddings and bar mitzvahs we need songs, which someone has to write—“

“Okay—”

“—and that someone is me. I sacrifice my sleep when inspiration strikes—”

“Yeah, yeah okay, woah is you, the tortured artist. Have you seen Modern Drummer today?”

“Oh yeah, I like to read it after I’ve perused The Wall Street Journal. It’s a real palette cleanser.”

“You’re a dick, you know that?”

“I do know that.”

“Never mind, man, I’m on my way over.”

“No, no don’t—“ 

Gareth hangs up before Eddie has a chance to say no. Because this is fucking big, and the only way Eddie is going to understand is to see it in person. He grabs a few copies of the magazine (he had to get more than one, there’s his mom and dad, his brother and sister both need a copy, one for each of the band, and then a few extra in case he forgot anyone), and his car keys and he’s out the door like a flash.

Eddie lives ten minutes away which is either very convenient when they’re drunk and they need to get each other home, or very inconvenient when only one of them is drunk and needs a ride or a place to stay. Today it’s very convenient. Matt has a cool little townhouse, but it’s like an hour away so he’ll drive over to him later, and Jeff is out in the hills now ‘because you can get so much more for your dollar out here, dude’ he said like some weird real estate bro, so he’s getting the news by phone.

Outside of Gareth and the magazine staff, Eddie is the first to know.

He pulls up outside Eddie’s little apartment. He can afford something better now but he refuses to let go of this two bed little shit box, because of ‘the memories’, as if the fact he bought Wayne a really nice house by the beach isn’t the reason he can’t afford something bigger and better. But he spends as much time there as he does in this shoebox so…

He takes out his key, the one Steve gave him because ‘he worries’, and strides into the kitchen where Eddie’s sitting in his boxers, nursing a coffee.

“Why are you in my house?”

“Good afternoon to you, too.”

Eddie stares at him bleary eyed. “It’s afternoon?”

“Never mind that!” Gareth throws a copy of the magazine onto the counter where it lands in front of Eddie. “Page eight!”

Eddie rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath, no doubt abusive, but then he begins to read. Gareth watches on, waiting patiently as Eddie’s eyes slowly grow wider.

“Oh shit!” Eddie grins at him. “Drummer of the year?!”

“I won drummer of the year, man!” Gareth gives up any pretence of trying to be calm.

Eddie gets up and hugs him tight.

“So fucking proud of you, man. This is awesome.”

It makes something burn in his chest, this feeling of having other people, talented, brilliant people, who he gets to perform with and be around, tell him they’re proud of him. And it’s all the more heightened when it’s Eddie.

“Thanks, man,” he says sincerely. “Seriously, thank you for everything.”

Eddie’s eyes leave the magazine and focus on him, making him squirm a little under the scrutiny. 

“You don’t have to thank me. Fuck, you did this! There are some big names on this list, and you beat them.” Eddie drops the magazine and pokes Gareth in the chest with a long finger. “You. It’s all on you, man. You talented little shit.”

Gareth smiles, feeling oddly shy for some reason. “It’s just… I know, you guys, well you specifically, didn’t want me in the band—”

“Gare, no—”

“No, let me just. I’m not. It’s not a dig, or anything. I know you and Shawn were best friends, and I know you were sad when he left. And he was a great drummer. He would have been brilliant for the band. Probably would have won this years ago.” He huffs a little laugh, trying to take the frown off Eddie’s face, because that’s not what this is. “But, you took a chance on me, and it changed my life. I owe you guys everything.”

“Gareth, I’m not a man prone to hyperbole—”

“Like fuck you’re not.”

“Shut up! Listen to me and understand this: you are an incredibly talented drummer. You don’t owe anyone shit. You earned this,” Eddie says tapping on the magazine cover, “You earned all of it. Fuck, we should be thanking you for not leaving us. You with your fucking… flams and paradiddles and ratamacues—”

“How the fuck do you know what a ratamacue is?”

“I don’t! Thats the point!” 

Gareth can’t help the giggles now. It feels amazing to be celebrated by his peers, sure, but by Eddie and the band? That’s next level, top tier shit. 

Eddie goes back to reading the article properly, but Gareth catches the frown as he starts to read.

“What?” he says, moving into Eddie’s space.

“Uh… who is Garth?”

“What?”

Eddie points his fingers under the text, not that small admittedly… does it really say…? 

Oh no.

“Where are your fucking glasses?”

“Does it really say Garth?”

“It really says Garth.”

He flops back on the chair. “Oh for fuck sake!”

Eddie doubles over with laughter, traitorous asshole that he is. For Christ’s sake can't he have one nice thing?

“Dude, its fine, the label will reach out and get it fixed for next month.”

He let’s out an exaggerated sigh, practically deflating in Eddie’s kitchen. “I bought thirty copies of this,” he whines.

Eddie shakes his head. “And they say guitarists have big egos."

[makemeactup]

Ringo Starr x Reader - Stolen Glances

Summary: Ringo has feelings for his long time friend, but cant bring himself to do more than steal glances.

This is actually something I wrote for my oc but thought everyone would enjoy it. So — here ya go!

---

It wasn't that Ringo was scared to say anything to you. No, he wasn't the least bit worried about the outcome. You were adults now, it'd be fine. But, perhaps, he was just being cautious about the situation. Weighing up the possibilities and the comfort of the now. Such as:

Everytime you would playfully shove him, or playfully punch his shoulder, or playfully try to fight or wrestle, or just sit next him or drape your legs over his lap or put your head on his shoulder, Ringo held a humongous grin. His cheeks would tint a soft red. His blue eyes took you in as quickly as they could without drawing any attention.

Each time, he played along or dismissed you with a joke. Sometimes he would wrestle or take an exaggerated boxing stance, or he'd put his hand around your legs to make sure that you could relax and not worry about them sliding off. You'd smile at him then, beaming and radiant. And it'd be just for him — until one of the other boys, usually John, demanded your attention.

You were like that with everyone for the most part, Ringo had reasoned. You'd playfully shove George, but you wouldn't try to fight him. You'd use Paul as a pillow, but you wouldn't try to wrestle with him. You'd offer both men your smile, the one they all knew so well. But John, to Ringo's eyes, was too close to how you treated him.

John did get the playful fights and attempts to wrestle, and sometimes you'd get put into a headlock or he'd have his arm wrenched behind his back. John did get sat next to, and he got your head on his shoulder, or legs over his lap. But worst of all, he got the smile. The others got the smile, sure, but that wasn't the same. It was a specific smile.

But who was Ringo against John? Clint Eastwood versus Larry Fine?

Oh well, Ringo would shrug to himself at the thought. You were all long time friends, nothing more. His feelings had to pass, right? The denial certainly wouldn't, but that was neither here nor there.

Sat behind his drumkit, drumsticks held loosely in hand, he watched his friends interact. He watched you as you laughed at something George had said, waving him away. He admired your side profile, your shiny hair. Your shirt was nice today.

Sporadically, his eyes flickered to whoever was talking, an attempt to cover his tracks. He'd crack a smile and laugh at a joke or story, but he wasn't actually listening. Not as he gently hit the cymbals absentmindedly, and not as he looked at you again.

"—right, Ringo?" Came the sudden voice of Paul, the use of his name knocking him back into the room.

It was only then, under the scrutinising stares of his friends, did the drummer realise that his face gave away his previously absent mind. His eyes, dark with the apparent lack of sleep lately, grew briefly wide as he perked up and looked at Paul.

"What'd you say, Paul?"

"You alright? You look spaced out."

"Oh," Ringo blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. And you?"

"You're gonna get bug-eyed if y' keep starin'," John hummed, smirk wide. He had obviously seen something the others hadn't.

"In me own world," Ringo raised an arm and moved his drumstick in a circular motion beside his temple for emphasis.

"Can I join your world?" You asked innocently, brows arching, as if you'd have to plead for him to say yes.

"'course ya can!" He beamed softly. "None'a these jokers can, though."

"What have I done?" George asked, sounding offended to be included with John and Paul.

"Dunno, let me get back t' you," Ringo offered, earning a small laugh and smile from his friends.

His eyes met yours, and he offered a small shrug. When you didn't immediately turn around, he swore he felt his neck grow warmer and the grip on his drumsticks grow ten times tighter. His lips grew into a lopsided grin, nose turning a soft shade of red.

When you did eventually turn back around, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Swallowing thickly and lightly hitting his drumsticks together, he feigned interest in whatever joke or story was being told. All the while, as subtly as he could in the background, he kept stealing loving glances at you.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Being Kaidou's prisoner and falling in love with Yamato would involve...

Yamato x reader. My first One Piece animanga fic! This fic is dedicated to the amazing @wendigoselene!

Warning: mentions of gender dysphoria (Yamato fears that his partner will not accept the fact that he has a female body).

*****

👹 You were born in Wano, the eldest child of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, daimyo of Ringo. You spend your early childhood living peacefully with him, your mother and your younger siblings, as well as your father’s pet komagitsune Onimaru; you meet Oden a few times, and the two of you grow very fond of each other. 

👹 Everything changes when Oden is executed by Kurozumi Orochi, backed up by Kaidou; your father and the other daimyo refuse to submit to Orochi, which leads them to be imprisoned on Onigashima. Your family expects to be wiped out, in order to avoid any future rebellion, but to your great surprise you are summoned in front of Kaidou: he has heard about the exceptional powers you alone in your family were born with, and wants you to put them at his service. In exchange, he promises, your family will be allowed to survive and even treated well, and you will want for nothing. 

👹 Even at your young age, the thought of serving the man who has imprisoned your father makes you seethe with anger; nevertheless, you decide to accept, wishing to at least protect your mother and siblings, and to remain alive until you can get your revenge. Once you have sworn to serve Kaidou, you beg him to free your father and the other daimyo, or at least to allow you to meet him, but are coldly rebuffed. 

👹 And so your life as a prisoner of Kaidou begins. You are kept in a small apartment little bigger than a cell, with three meals a day, a bed worthy of the name and your own toilet, but you’re still forbidden from going out if not under strict surveillance and from contacting your family, who is kept in a similar situation, if not through letters that are read by Kaidou’s men before being delivered, and a single meeting in person per year, also chaperoned. Your mother and siblings are kept healthy, housed and fed, which is more than can be said for most of Kaidou’s prisoners, but you’re never allowed to forget you are also prisoners, your family kept hostage to secure your subservience. You know that if your master -this is what you’re ordered to call him, and you do, the word tasting like poison in your mouth- were displeased with you, or had reason to suspect you are trying to escape or to oppose him, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate hurting the people you love.

👹 In the meantime, Kaidou has you trained by his men, in order to develop your natural powers. You’ve barely entered adolescence when you’re sent on your first mission, to which many others follow, against your master’s enemies, rebellious subordinates, or to subdue a new territory to his flag. You are strong, and determined to do what you have to for the sake of your family and the hope that one day you may gain freedom for you all, so it’s not long before you start making a name for yourself as one of Kaidou’s most formidable subordinates. In time, thanks to your successes, growing privileges are afforded to you and your family: more comfortable lodgings, good food, even a tutor for your siblings, who are now old enough to need formal education. You are paid more than well for your job, and your meetings with your family are increased to one every four months.

👹 All things considered, you have reason to be, if not happy, at least content with the existence you have carved for yourself, and relieved you and the people you love are at least safe and healthy, but you’re not. You hate your life, hopeless rage and shame and guilt filling your heart and, at times, making you feel as if you were suffocating. You keep repeating yourself that you’re only doing it for the sake of your mother and siblings, to keep them safe, that you’ll never be truly faithful to Kaidou and that you are still waiting for the chance to escape -or even better, to kill him- and you really are!, but you can’t help feeling that it’s not enough. After all, you have put your strength, and the powers you were endowed with, at the service of your mortal enemy, and your hands are stained with the blood of his enemies, innocents or people who simply wanted to regain their freedom; it’s them you should have tried to help, not this monster who helped that snake, Orochi, enslave your people and your land. Maybe you should have let Kaidou kill you, you think sadly, in order to spare yourself the indignity and at least die with honour; maybe, in that case, your father would have been proud of you. 

👹 Speaking of your father; you know he died just days after his and the other daimyo’s imprisonment -and you never cried as hard as you did that day, having harboured in your child’s heart the secret hope he would one day come save you- but you were never told what had happened that day, instinctively thinking that he had sacrificed his life to oppose Kaidou and Orochi. You’re not sure that, even considering you were only a child when you were forced to choose between servitude to Kaidou and the slaughter of your whole family, he’d approve what you did and are still doing, but you allow yourself to believe that he’s still watching over you, and will be proud when, one day, you find a way to kill Kaidou and Orochi and avenge him, your lord Oden, and all those who have suffered and still suffer under the usurper. 

👹 Soon after you reach adulthood, Kaidou chooses you as the leader of the Tobiroppo, a position you more than deserve but are supremely uninterested in, given the fact you care nothing about raising through the ranks of your master’s army, and that has the unforeseen consequence of earning you the envy and the resentment of many among Kaidou’s subordinates who had aspired to the same position. This matter leaves you indifferent as well; you’ve never made friends among the Beast Pirates, for obvious reasons on your part. Rather, you’ve always done your best to look cold and unapproachable, and some of Kaidou’s men also resent you for the apparent position of privilege you occupy, or distrust you because of your origins and the fact that you’re only serving Kaidou in exchange for your and your family’s safety. 

👹 You don’t mind being alone, since after all you’re surrounded by enemies; you have your mother and your siblings, safe and sound even though you can spend so little time together, and that is enough, or at least you force yourself to be content with it. Today, though, you feel particularly melancholic and lonely, and not without reason: exactly ten years have passed since your father’s death, and even longer since you were taken captive. Ten years… it’s more than half the time you’ve been alive, which means that you have spent more time under Kaidou’s thumb than free, and you can’t help wondering if those years were worthy the shame and dishonour of having sworn loyalty to the man who had your father killed and the land of Wano enslaved under Orochi. There is nothing you would not do to keep your family safe, but you are an adult now, and while you still train tirelessly, you know you are no match for Kaidou, nor have you ever had even half a chance to kill him. Maybe you never will, and you’ll spend your whole life serving him, working and fighting for him, a -sort of- willing slave to the man you despise, your family’s honour forgotten and your father’s disappointment and condemnation waiting for you in the next world…

👹 That night a big party, as usual hosted by Queen, takes place at Onigashima, but you’re not in the mood to celebrate - not that you usually do. You even considered asking Kaidou for an exceptional meeting with your family, to celebrate your recent promotion, but you don’t want your mother and siblings to see you while you’re feeling so dejected and hopeless. You mustn’t forget that you’re not the only one for whom those last ten years have been hard, and lonely, and you don’t want your family to worry about you. 

👹 You sigh, sitting on a large boulder facing the sea, on a little beach you sometimes spend time in when you want to be alone - which is most of the time. If only Oden were here, you wistfully think; you cried all your tears when you heard your noble lord hard been killed, and you don’t doubt that if he were still alive, and able to fight Kaidou fairly, he would easily dispatch both him and Orochi, and free the land of Wano. If Oden were here, everything would be different…  

👹 “Hello.” Yamato says, making you jump.

👹 You’ve never formally met before, which is probably surprising, since Onigashima is a tiny island. You only knew vaguely Kaidou had a daughter, even though you had never even bothered to find more about her, even just her name, instinctively convinced as you were that your master’s child could not be any better than him, and consequently that she wasn’t the sort of person you’d ever want to make friends with. Yamato, on his part, only knew you vaguely as one of his father’s many subordinates; he discovered the truth about your identity only that morning, as he heard him discuss your recent promotion to leader of the Tobiroppo, and immediately decided he needed to meet you.

👹 You stand from your seat and turn to face the person who has joined you on the beach; he doesn’t seem intentioned to hurt you, but ten years as Kaidou’s prisoner have taught you to be wary of anyone you meet, and this white-haired man must be no exception, no matter how bright his eyes, and how lovely his smile, are. “Who are you? Were you spying on me?” “Not at all; I just wanted to talk.” Yamato answers in a friendly tone “You’re Shimotsuki (name), yes?” “Talk about what? And who are you?” “I’m Kouzuki Oden.” “WHAT?!?!”

👹 It takes you a few minutes to clear up the misunderstanding. You’re immediately concerned to discover that Yamato is Kaidou’s child, fearing he has been sent to spy or hurt you in some way, but he promises that he has no ill intentions towards you, and moreover, that he opposes his father’s actions and intentions as much as you do. “The reason why I wanted to meet you is… well, I have a message for you.” Yamato says, and his excited smile slowly turns into a serious, almost solemn expression “From your father.”

👹 You end up spending most of the night together talking. Yamato tells you about how he met your father, as well as the other daimyo, when his father locked him together with them to punish him; he, as well as Yamato himself, thought the daimyo would hurt him because of his heritage, especially after they had been given swords and a single portion of food, after days of starvation. “But they didn’t; they were better than that. They cut me free from my chains, and gave me food. I promised them I would fight to liberate Wano like they wanted to do, to free it from my father, and they… they sacrificed their lives to make sure I lived. I will never forget their courage and kindness; it’s thanks to them that I am here today.” he tells you quietly “As he and the others prepared to break out, your father told me: I have a daughter who is about your age; you remind me of her sometimes. I fear Kaidou will attempt to hurt her, and to break her will to his. If you ever meet her, tell her I love her more than anything else in the world; that even though she’s still so young, I know she will make me proud, and that she will never forget her duty and the blood that runs in her veins.”

👹 Yamato is at first hesitant, fearing you might blame him for your father’s death, but your reaction is the exact opposite. To know this young man was with your father when he died, and that he and the other daimyo trusted Yamato enough to sacrifice their lives for him… emotion has filled your eyes with tears, and to receive your father’s message today of all days, while you felt so full of doubts about yourself and feared you would never succeed in avenging him and free Wano from Kaidou and Orochi, has rekindled hope in your heart, and filled you with a new determination. All of it thanks to Yamato, who you immediately feel sympathy for, and who is happy to tell you about the courage and kindness of your father and the other daimyo, of how they deliberately suffered hunger to make sure he was fed, helped him read Oden’s diary, and entrusted him with their hopes that one day Wano would be liberated and its enemy punished. 

👹 Yamato, on his part, envies you for having met his idol, Oden, in person; you have to admit that the two of you didn’t actually had that much of a relationship, since you only met a few times and you were too young to hold a conversation anyway, but you gladly share your memories of the man you both admire. You can’t help finding it a bit odd that Yamato has gone so far as to make Oden’s identity his own, adopting his mannerisms and even emulating his gender, but you deeply admire his courage in opposing his father, who clearly disapproves of his own son idolising his worst enemy, and who has done his worst to make him relent. That night, as you talk sitting on the beach, alone save for the waves crashing on the shoreline in front of you, a deep friendship is born between you and Yamato, a bond born of spiritual empathy and shared intent; you promise that you’ll support each other against all those who oppose you, united against the rest of Onigashima, and one day, when the opportunity arises -and it will; I promise, (name), one day we’ll get our chance. You mustn’t lose hope, your father wouldn’t want you to- you’ll fight together to liberate Wano and avenge both Oden and the daimyo. 

👹 Your friendship with Yamato becomes one of the few sources of joy in your life. You had never fully realised how lonely you felt, having no one to confide in, share your fears and hopes with, and ask for comfort when loneliness and guilt threaten to crush you. For ten long years it was your family’s safety, and the secret hope of one day finding a way to avenge your father and realise his ambition to restore Wano to its previous splendour, that sustained you, but you did feel isolated, forced to rely on your own strength without a friend to watch your back and to dry your tears when the loss of your father and the fear you’d spend the rest of your life serving the man who had killed him threatened to destroy you. Now you have Yamato in your corner, and he’s worth more than a whole army of friends; for his part, he also treasures your friendship, both as a link to his idol and his past saviours and since you’re the only person in the whole of Onigashima who doesn’t oppose his desire to emulate Oden but rather supports him. One could think that, given his exceptional strength and position as Kaidou’s son, Yamato has lived an easy and privileged life, but even though he has been opposing his father ever since he was a child, courageously enduring all the abuse and violence Kaidou has inflicted to make him relent, he's sincerely happy he has found someone in whose company he can simply be himself, and who accepts and even share his desire to see a free, open Wano. 

👹 That is not to say you are free to live your friendship in the open. Having agreed that knowing his two biggest detractors in Wano are spending time together would immediately make Kaidou suspicious that you're up to something -which you sort of are- you and Yamato find several ways to meet in secret, in the most hidden corners around Onigashima or on your favourite beach. You spend hours talking, but sometimes you bring food and drink to share a meal, an innocent pleasure you hadn’t known since the family dinners of your childhood. You also train together; Yamato is extremely powerful, not least thanks to the powers he acquired, he explains to you, eating a strange, foul-tasting fruit that allows him to transform into both a makami wolf and a human/wolf hybrid but took away his ability to swim. You spent your youth training under Kaidou’s orders, his underlings having no qualms about hitting and hurting a child, but this is different, this is you willingly sparring with a friend, both confident enough in each other’s power to use your own to the fullest. In those moments you feel free, powerful, in control of your own destiny - in a word, you feel alive, and all thanks to the young man who would have more reason than anyone to distrust you, but who has offered you his hand in friendship, and made your life worth living like it hadn’t been for a decade. In the depth of your heart, you don’t know if the two of you will ever be able to defeat Kaidou and free Wano; but even if your hopes were to be dashed, you’re happy to have met Yamato, and to have been gifted his friendship.

👹 Your moments together are the happiest of your life, as much as the few hours you are allowed to spend with your family; Yamato, who feels no filial love whatsoever for Kaidou, is nonetheless outraged you’re only allowed to meet your mother and siblings three times a year, for such a short time and always under strict surveillance. “I wish I could ask my father to allow you to spend more time together.” he sighs “But if he had reason to suspect we are friends, he’ll make sure we can never speak or meet again.” You assure him that you know, and that even though you are disappointed you can’t meet your family more often, you are grateful for his desire to help you. 

👹 On one clear night, you are both able to steal away from the castle, and meet at your usual boulder, at the beach; Yamato has brought a bottle of fine saké he stole from the kitchen, you some sweets to munch on. You sit quietly side by side, enjoying the warmth of the night and the sweet song of the sea. “What would happen to Wano, though?” you mention after a while, unable to forget, even just for a moment, how unlikely the success of your secret plan appears to be “Even if, by some kind of miracle, we were able to vanquish Kaidou, and Orochi, and all the troops under their command, who should rule the country then? Oden is dead, and his children have disappeared. As far as I can tell, there is no one in the world with the right to become the next Shogun.” “In the past, when the Shogun was incapacitated or died without leaving an heir, it was the council of the daimyo that ruled the country. You’re the eldest child of your father, and the other daimyo’s families have been killed; so you could become the next regent, until a legitimate heir of Oden is found.” Yamato suggests, which gives you pause. Becoming the new daimyo of Ringo after your father is a destiny you have known awaits you since you were a child, and in the event you’re actually able to vanquish Kaidou and Orochi you’ll be proud to do it, and follow in the path of your ancestors. But governing the whole of Wano, even though only as a regent… well, that’s a different matter altogether. Would you be worthy of it? And what if it turns out that there is no one left in the country with Oden’s blood in their veins, and who could legitimately assume the role?

👹 “And what about you? What will you do once you’re no longer under your father’s power?” you ask, and Yamato grins. “I’m going to leave.” “What?!” you cry, dismayed, and your friend explains that as soon he has freed himself of the explosive handcuffs Kaidou has put on his wrists, and that prevent him from leaving Wano, he plans on sailing away as a pirate, just like Oden did in his youth, to live adventures and discover the world. “I can’t wait! It’s going to be great!” he exclaims, while you stare at your own feet, dismayed, already dreading the day your friend’s hopes will come true and he’ll depart, maybe forever, leaving you alone. As Yamato’s friend it’s your duty to encourage him, like you know he would do if he were in your place, and you can’t very well ask him to renounce his dreams to stay and keep you company, especially if by then you’ll have become the new daimyo of Ringo, but the mere thought is almost unbearable: you have become so fond of Yamato, and he’s the only person you love in the world besides your family, your dearest and only friend. The only thought of never seeing him again, of losing him, breaks your heart. 

👹 Pretending you’re not upset is hard, but you’re able to hide your unhappiness. You and Yamato spend a couple hours sparring, finding out once again that you’re evenly matched, both feeling spurred to improve and do your best to defeat the other and still satisfied you haven’t been defeated, and in the end you say good-bye as usual before returning to your quarters. You are both walking back to the castle, but since it’s imperative to avoid being seen together, you reach it from opposite directions. You also make sure never to mention each other with other people, and even to keep your gazes from meeting -but not to the point it becomes evident you’re avoiding looking at each other- when you’re both forced to attend one of Kaidou’s parties or war councils.”I’ll see you soon, right?” you ask, and Yamato looks at you strangely, as if surprised you’d need to ask - as if surprised you had reason to fear otherwise. “Of course; you can’t get rid of me so easily, you know.” he jokes. Half an hour later you’re in your bed, in the small apartment you’ve lived in since you were eight but that you still refuse to consider your home; you stare at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, and think that you will never stop Yamato from leaving Wano, not even if it meant losing him forever, but you’ll treasure his friendship while you can. 

👹 Months pass; one day, looking at the calendar on your wall, you realise it’s your birthday - not that you have ever celebrated it, given your situation; your mother and siblings will certainly send their wishes with their next letters, and that is all the celebration you can expect, or need. You have just come back from a long, difficult mission on Kaidou’s orders, so you treat yourself to a day of rest; you spend two hours in a meeting with the Tobiroppo -and then feel the uncontrollable urge to drink yourself into a stupor, as it often happens after you’re forced to deal with all six of your underlings together- and then take a walk by yourself in the woods. Later, you’re about to have a quiet, solitary, peaceful -and not lonely; you’re not lonely, you repeat firmly to yourself, not when the large majority of the people in the whole of Onigashima wouldn’t even spit on you if they saw you on fire- dinner in your room when you notice a piece of paper that has been slipped under your door: Kaidou summons you to a meeting, in a little-frequented wing of the castle. Grumbling -can’t you just have a moment of peace, at least late at night and at the end of a three-weeks mission?!- you leave your dinner untouched and leave, soon reaching the room you’ve been summoned to. You open the door, and…

👹 “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, (name)!” your mother, siblings, and Yamato cry out all together; the room is festively decorated, there is plenty of food on the tables, and wrapped-up presents with your name on them. “I’m so sorry; I have known you for years and never thought about asking about your birthday.” Yamato apologises as you share a hug, and you quickly tell him you could never be angry, since you don’t know his birthday either. “You’ve planned all of this? For me?” you ask, stunned, and your friend grins, openly satisfied with himself; he found out your birthday was coming soon by accident, and so found a way to meet with your family privately, and proposed to organise a party in your honour. “Nobody deserves it more than you, (name); and I made sure neither my father nor anyone else knows, so you don’t have to worry.” 

👹 It is without a doubt the happiest day since you were eight; you open your presents -Yamato has ordered his in one of the best shops of the Flower Capital, your mother and siblings have used the allowance Kaidou has granted them on your request- eat much more happily than you were about to do alone in your room, and in the end, while Yamato entertains your siblings, you speak to your mother, for the first time without Kaidou’s men listening to your every word. “The last thing I could have imagined is you making friends with Kaidou’s child, but this young man is clearly different from his father.” she admits “I’m glad you can count on him, (name); you know how much we love you, but you need a friend to confide in.” You couldn’t agree more; you had never told your family you had made friends with the son of your worst enemy, not wanting them to worry for you, but you’re happy they appreciate Yamato as much as you do. “We’re going to save Wano, mother; we’ll defeat Kaidou and Orochi, and I’ll avenge father. You have my word, I don’t know how, but I’ll make sure they pay for what they have done.” you tell her, and she hugs you tight, murmuring that she’s so proud of you, of how strong and resilient you are, and she knows your father is as well. 

👹 Yamato insists on walking you back to your room, again making sure no one sees; the silence between you as you walk is easy and comfortable as ever, but when you’re standing at the door you suddenly feel shy… like a girl deciding whether to invite a suitor to come in at the end of a date, which is clearly not your case, but then why do you feel yourself blushing? “Are you alright?” Yamato asks, unaware, and you rush to nod. “I’ll never thank you enough for this; I’ll return the courtesy for your birthday, but… It’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Yamato.” “You’re very welcome; as I said, you deserve it.” “I’m not sure I do; but I’ll remember this night forever.” On impulse, you kiss him on the cheek; Yamato grins, but even in the darkness of the corridor you can see he has blushed furiously. You go to bed feeling much better than a few hours ago, falling asleep with your friend’s name on your lips. 

👹 The unexpected event that leads you to question, at least in the privacy of your heart, your friendship with Yamato takes place on a day like many others, when you reach your usual beach to meet him for yet another evening to spend together, and find he’s not alone. “This is Ace; Ace, (name).” Yamato says, clearly enthusiastic as he clasps the shoulder of a young man -he’s still a boy really, much younger than you- who you’ve never seen before. “He is a pirate from the East Blue, he came here to kill my father; we just fought, he’s very strong!” 

👹 Ace, you must admit, seems like a nice person, very friendly. You drink saké together, which you have stolen from the kitchens, Ace introduces you to his crew, the Spade Pirates, and tells you of his younger brother, Luffy, who he’s clearly fond of. “So your dream is to see the world outside of Wano? Why don’t you join us then, and leave with us?” Ace proposes in the end, once it’s time for him and his crew to depart, and you, standing only a few feet away, feel your heart break. Yamato thanks him for the offer but he’s forced to refuse, given the fact he's still wearing the handcuffs bound to explode as soon as he steps outside the borders of Onigashima; in the end, Yamato creates two Vivre Cards so that he and Ace can find each other in the future.

👹 “Are you sad?” you ask Yamato as, sitting on your usual boulder, you observe Ace’s ship getting smaller by the second on the horizon, and he shrugs, admitting his disappointment at having been once again precluded from leaving, this time in addition in the company of a person he had made friends with. “Well, that’s too bad; but one day we’ll meet again, I’m sure of it. Oden never lost faith in his dreams, and I don’t want to either.” he says then with a smile, bumping his shoulder against yours “Good thing you’re still here, (name); I don’t know what I would do without you.”

👹 Knowing that your friendship is important for Yamato makes you very happy, but at the same time meeting Ace, and seeing him and your friend together, filled your heart with an emotion you had never experienced… longing, tension, fear, and jealousy, but for what, since Ace has been perfectly civil, even kind and friendly, and did not upset you even unintentionally? It’s not fully his fault, you reason on the next day as, having been sent on a new mission by Kaidou, you contemplate the stormy sea your ship is easily sailing through, rather… the unpleasant sensation was due to the presence of a new person near your friend, who Yamato clearly liked, respected, and paid attention to. You like to think you’re not an egotistical, or possessive, person, and you should have been happy that Yamato had made a new friend, especially given Ace seemed to be a really good person and Yamato never neglected you to spend time with him; nevertheless, you felt your heart break when Ace offered Yamato to join his crew, which would have led him away from Onigashima, and away from you, and you did sigh in relief when the fire-powered pirate finally departed, leaving things as they were before his arrival, the routine you and Yamato had peacefully lived in for years. 

👹 Whatever the reason for that emotional state you can’t quite give a name to, you do feel instinctively guilty for it. No matter how much his friendship means to you, Yamato is not a toy in your possession, but a man who is entitled to form relationships with other people and to live his life the way he wants, even if his desires were to lead him away from you. Nevertheless, in the depth of your heart, you can’t help wishing things were different; that your company, your presence by his side, were enough for Yamato, so that he would not feel the need for other people in his life, and that he would decide to remain in Wano after you’ve liberated it, or at least to make sure that wherever he decides to go, you can come with him. It’s wrong, and self-centred, and selfish, but you can’t help it; you don’t know why you’re feeling like this all of a sudden, you only know it all started when Ace entered the picture and you did feel better, safer, after he had left…

👹 Oh. 

👹 You don’t really know what love is - romantic love at least. You know your parents loved each other; you never saw them exchange a kiss, that wouldn’t have been proper for a couple, but you remember the way they looked at each other as they danced together in your home following a music only they could hear, tenderness and an intimacy that had nothing to do with the fact they had had three children together. And you’ve never asked, but you know your mother loves him still, and that even should she marry again one day, she will never forget him. You’ve never experienced anything of the sort; you’ve never been in a relationship, and your only sexual experience has been an hour spent in a brothel during one of your missions away from Wano -you could have done the same in Black Maria’s pleasure hall, but you didn’t want the whole of Onigashima to know about your preferences in the alcove- that left you with a fleeting sensation of pleasure that soon disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind. You thought that maybe, one day, once you were no longer surrounded by enemies you were forced to keep your real allegiance secret from, you could find a partner, someone you liked and trusted and cared for, and with whom you could be yourself; it might be nice. Until then, you were more than satisfied with your family’s love… and Yamato’s friendship…

👹 Oh, shit. Shitshitshitshitshit… 

👹 But it’s impossible. You’re not… you’re not in love with Yamato! How could you? He’s your best friend. You’ve never done couple-y things, like dancing and… and he’s never given you flowers like your father did with your mother at least once a month… all you do together is training and drinking saké, he’s organised a secret birthday party for you and you’ve patched him up a thousand times after his fights with his father, and you’ve shared secrets and laughs and tears, because that is what friends do! He’s your only friend, the only person you care for and who cares for you besides your family; is it so surprising that the simple thought of losing him breaks your heart? And yes, you do find him very attractive, how could you not? Yamato is tall and strong, and he has a beautiful smile, bright eyes, and there have been a few times during your training that you’ve felt his body pressing against yours and your heart skipped a beat and blood rushed to your face and then there was that time you went to the brothel, and when the man you paid for his time saw how unresponsive you were, he told you to think about something nice, and your thoughts instinctively went to Yamato, to that time you had fallen asleep together on the beach, holding each other close against the cold, his arms holding you by the waist and your cheek resting against the softness of his chest…

👹 That had been the closest thing to peace you had ever experienced; a sensation so pure and perfect you never wanted it to end, and you know it never fully will, as long as the two of you remain together. You can’t lie to yourself any longer: you’ve fallen in love with Yamato, a feeling that is deep and true and lasting, something that is not better than, or even completely different from, the deep friendship that has existed between you for so long, but that has grown from and is made more precious because of it. You still consider Yamato your dearest friend… it’s just that now you also shiver at the thought of kissing him and the sight of the many among his father’s underlings who try to attract his attention -or him, directly, in their bed- makes you seethe with anger. 

👹 Should you tell Yamato what you feel? There have never been secrets between you, but this time, after agonising on the matter for days -and dearly wishing you could ask for your mother’s opinion; unfortunately all the time you spend with her and your siblings is still closely monitored, and you don’t even want to know what would happen if Kaidou found out you’re madly in love with his son- you decide it’s better if you keep it to yourself, at least until you have reason to believe he feels the same, since you want to avoid the heartbreak and awkwardness and that will surely follow a refusal. You still feel blessed to have him as your friend; and one day, you tell yourself, things may be different. 

👹 Two years after you and Yamato have said good-bye to Ace, his Vivre Card disintegrates, which makes you realise he has died. You both mourn him, and you privately apologise to Ace for not having gotten to know him as much as you could have during your time together, and for the secret, unjustified resentment you felt for him in your heart. Later, you read about your friend’s demise on the paper, and also about his brother Luffy, who has become a powerful pirate captain. Yamato tells you that this young man you’ve never met could be exactly the person you were waiting for, to help you bring down Kaidou. 

👹 You’ve been friends for exactly a decade -and you a servant of Kaidou for two- when finally everything changes, thanks to no one but Luffy himself, who just like Yamato expected has come to Onigashima to defeat his father, free Wano… and restore as a shogun Oden’s own son Momonosuke, who is miraculously alive -but, for some reason, is still eight years old even though he was born the same year as you and Yamato- and has returned together with his father’s retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards. In order to assist them, you decide to separate; Yamato goes to meet Luffy, and asks you to try and neutralise the All-Stars, the Beast Pirates’ top executives, in order to weaken Kaidou’s potential response to the invasion. 

👹 Knowing that your friend trusts you enough to face as strong opponents as King and the others -and he’s not simply saying it to please you, since he clearly doesn’t want you to be killed- fills your heart with warmth. As you prepare to part, well aware that you may not survive the night and not wanting to die with more regrets than you already have, you impulsively grab Yamato by the front of his shirt and kiss him passionately; he freezes, clearly taken aback, but a moment later he’s taken you in his arms and is kissing you back. After all the time you had spent fantasising about your first kiss, reality is a thousand times better than everything you might have expected; so sweet and passionate you wish you could spend the rest of the night just holding each other and smooching, but you have a battle to fight and a land to liberate. When you finally part, you and Yamato are both grinning. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.” you confess, and your friend, who has gone adorably red in the face, smiles and admits that he wouldn’t have minded - far from it. You hold each other tight, well aware that tonight all your dreams and aspirations could come true, or be cruelly crushed by an unforgiving reality.

👹 “See that you survive.” “Right back at you; I’ll see you later.”

👹 Having left Yamato, you force yourself to ignore the warmth of his kiss lingering on your mouth and the fact your heart is still pounding, to focus on the battle that awaits you, and that you have waited for since you were eight. First of all, you reach your family, quickly defeating the guards who try to stop you, and lead them to safety to a hidden room you had selected a while ago, expressly for this purpose. Your siblings beg to be allowed to fight as well, since they also want to avenge your father and liberate their home from Kaidou, but you convince them to relent: they need to protect your mother, and should the battle be won without you, it will be up to them to continue the family line and rule Ringo. Your mother embraces you; she doesn’t try to dissuade you from your duty, but begs you to be careful, and kisses your forehead in blessing. 

👹 Your primary objective is to vanquish King, Kaidou’s right-hand man, and you find him on the castle’s Live Floor, fighting a young man who you assume to be a member of Luffy’s crew… a young man who looks exactly like your father did in his youth, except for the colour of his hair. You look at him, flabbergasted, and he looks back, equally stunned, having noticed the strong family resemblance between the two of you. “Who the hell are you?!” “Who the hell are you?! Why do we look like we are siblings?!”

👹 You’re completely astonished -this man does look like he could be your brother, but you’re ready to bet your father never betrayed his marital vows, not to mention that your new acquaintance doesn’t look old enough to have been conceived more than twenty years ago- but you quickly decide you’ll have time to talk later. “Name’s Roronoa Zoro.” “Pleasure, I’m (name). Mind if I help you against this guy?” 

👹 King is one of the strongest fighters you’ve ever encountered, but Zoro is, you find out, an exceptionally talented swordsman, able to wield three blades at the same time, and joining forces you’re able to defeat him. You and Zoro share a grin, having already developed respect for each other, and then part; you later meet Momonosuke, and help a kunoichi named Shinobu protect him from Kaidou’s men while Yamato battles his father. 

👹 You and Yamato find each other again after Kaidou’s defeat; you embrace tightly, happy and relieved to see each other unscathed. Together with your family, who you have freed from their hiding place, you witness Momonosuke, now in his adult self, present himself to the people of Wano as their new Shogun. Yamato introduces you to Luffy; you hear the two of them discuss Yamato joining Luffy’s crew, just like your friend did with Ace years ago, now that the straw-hatted pirate has removed Yamato’s exploding handcuffs, and you feel your heart break at the thought you’re going to lose him forever, just when a new future was opening in front of you. But you have known for years that this would happen, and no matter how painful it’ll be, you’re determined to encourage Yamato to realise his dream, rather than stop him or beg him to stay, whatever the price might be. 

👹 Once things have come back to normal after Kaidou’s defeat, you have a long interview with Momonosuke, who officially makes you the new daimyo of Ringo, as your father’s heir, and you promise you’ll do everything you can to support him for the creation of a free, happier Wano. You and your family return to your childhood home; you cry tears of joy when you find out that Onimaru, who had run away after your father’s arrest, has survived, spent five years protecting the graves in Ringo’s cemetery, and then was cared for by Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards. Your father’s old pet happily joins the family once more, to the great joy of your mother and siblings. 

👹 Speaking of your father. You and Zoro have a long conversation, soon realising that your resemblance is no coincidence but you are, in fact, related; his grandmother was Shimotsuki Furiko, your father’s younger sister, who in her youth left Wano with a small group of other people and -he tells you- settled in the East Blue. You introduce Zoro to your mother and siblings, and to Yamato, who also recognise his resemblance to your father, and Zoro tells you about his dream of becoming the world’s strongest swordsman, and about Kuina, who you both realise is also a relative of yours, through your clansman Shimotsuki Kouzaburou. You spar, get drunk on the best saké you were able to steal from Kaidou’s castle after his defeat, and quickly become friends.

👹 A few days later, a great festival takes place in the Flower Capital, to celebrate the return of the Kouzuki family to power; you and Yamato participate together with Luffy’s crew and your other allies, but at one point you’re forced to go intercept a Marines Admiral who has come to take Luffy, with no regards for the safety of Wano’s people. Momonosuke orders you to let him fight by himself, and he’s actually able to hold his own against the invader until the Admiral is forced to leave.

👹 Later on, you and Yamato take a walk together - or at least that was your plan, even though you end up hidden behind a hedge as you kiss senselessly, holding each other tight as the symphony of your moans fills the air. You’ve never felt so happy in your life, and once again, you wish you could spend the rest of your life held in Yamato’s embrace, hearing him purr contently as you kiss his neck; that will probably not happen, but you’ll enjoy your time together while it lasts. Yamato admits that he had known he didn’t just want to be your friend for a long while now, but never found the courage to tell you what he felt, mainly because he was almost sure you didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

👹 “The truth is… well, you remember when you told me you had gone to a brothel? The person who serviced you was a man.” “Yes, and?” “Well…” unsure like you’ve never seen him, Yamato points to his body “No matter how much I try to be like Oden, you know I still have the body of a woman. So I thought that maybe… if one day we’d become… intimate…”

👹 You immediately reassure Yamato that his gender has nothing to do with the affection and the attraction -yes, the attraction- that you feel for him. “If you really want to know… that night at the brothel, the man I paid did everything he could to make me feel good, but while he touched me I could only think about you.” you admit with a slight blush; how blind you have been, taking so long to realise friendship was not all you wanted from him! “I don’t care if you have the body of a man, or of a woman, or-or of both, or neither; you are Yamato, my Yamato, and I am in love with you. I will never stop wanting you… and I will still be here when you return from your journey at sea.”

👹 Yamato looks at you, suddenly crestfallen. “What? You’re not coming with me? I thought we’d depart together!” he protests, and you, while happy that he’s not planning on abandoning you to go gallivanting around the world -even though you could have told me at least!- point out that you can’t very well decide to leave on a whim. You are the daimyo of Ringo now, you have sworn allegiance to Momonosuke, and your land and your people need you, after so many years under Kaidou’s abusive rule. “But I don’t want you to remain only because of me; I’ll miss you like air, but you’ve been imprisoned here on Onigashima your whole life, no one deserves freedom more than you.” you add, forcing yourself to encourage him even though his happiness will automatically mean your loss “You can sail, either with Luffy or by yourself if you want, discover the world like you’ve always wanted… and when you decide to return, I’ll be here waiting for you.”

👹 You both reflect on the matter for a while, hand in hand as you sit on the stone steps of the Shogun’s castle, observing the fireworks exploding in the sky above you; the multicoloured light kisses Yamato’s pale skin and hair. “I want to protect Momonosuke too; I think this is what Oden would have wanted.” he says in the end, his tone pensive but not sad “And the Admiral’s attack today has proved that there are so many forces that could hurt him, and Wano; so I think I’ll stay, at least for a while.” “Are you sure? You’re not… disappointed?” “Well, the world is not going anywhere, is it? And in any case, departing without you would only be half the fun. Let’s promise this, (name); that one day, when there’s no longer need of us here… you can leave your mother and siblings to govern in your place for a while, and we’ll sail together.”

👹 Nothing in the world would make you happier, and you tell him; you and Yamato share a grin, finally free of fears about the future and your feelings, and kiss some more, oblivious to the fact you’re in plain sight, under the eyes of Wano’s partying people. 

👹 “(name)?” “Yes, Yamato?” “I love you too.” “I know.” 

👹 His cheek rests on your shoulder as you keep staring at the sky, where flowers of light bloom and disappear only a few moments later; you sigh, happy and in peace, and take your lover’s hand in yours, determined to never let go for the rest of your life.