#however i think it’s the opening trap sooo this guy probably going to get his eyes sucked

[iamdieterbravo]

NEW LOOK AT THE EYESUCKER……

[casper-the-rose]

You fell out of a van, and into my heart

Gareth Emerson x reader

Note: Reader is assumed to be female and uses she/her pronouns

Part 2 is up!!!

Synopsis: Your older sister (Ellie) has a huuuge crush on Eddie "the freak" Munson. But since your parents both work two jobs to keep food on the table for you and your siblings, and you being only 16 with no drivers license, Ellie ends up having to babysit during hellfire meetings. However, she won't let you sit on meetings, because she swears you'll embarrass her to death. Hell, she wont let you out of the car. You end up breaking a van window to get out during an especially long meeting, only to find a fluffy haired boy staring at you.

2.k words

Warnings: Cursing (not a lot a lot but a decent amount) and I think thats it, lmk if I missed anything

Hope you guys like it! Lmk if you want a part two :)

“That's it.” You mutter, trying to find something, anything to get yourself out of this godforsaken van. To the average onlooker, it would appear you were either kidnapped (which, wasn’t that far from the truth) or a crazy person trapped in presumably their own van. Maybe the average onlooker would’ve helped you out. But unluckily for you, it was midnight in the parking lot of Hawkins High. 

Your older sister was madly in love with Eddie “the freak” Munson, and since you were 2 years younger than her (you liked to remind her technically it was a year and a half) she refused to let you come to hellfire meetings with her. But your parents both worked multiple jobs in an effort to not get the house taken away, and to provide a decent life for you and your younger siblings. But guess where that left you? Being shoved into your sister's van for “only an hour or two” for one of her hellfire meetings. But one hour quickly turned into 2, which turned into 3, and before you knew it the sun was going down and you thanked the lord your sister left the window cracked. 

After lots of not pg friendly language and looking around, you gave up and just started throwing yourself against the cracked window. Your sister really should be reported for child abuse at this point. In your blind fit to get out of that damned car, you failed to notice the boy with fluffy hair and a hellfire shirt just like your sister wore walking up to his car, which happened to be right next to the one you were trapped in. Greaaat.

After lots of shoves into the window and a very sore and probably very bruised shoulder, you slammed through the window and with a squeal landed on the hot pavement, along with lots of glass. 

“Oh my god-! Are you okay??” 

You looked up at the fluffy haired boy you previously failed to notice right by the car, looking horrified while holding a bag of chips. Shit. 

“I’m fine, a little bruised and probably bleeding somewhere, but overall fine.” You muttered, still laying on a pile of broken glass and hot pavement. But then again, anything is better than that damned van floor. 

“Do you need a hand..?” The boy offered, reaching his hand out to help you up. 

You gladly took it, and after brushing dirt and glass (lots of glass) off your shirt, you thanked him. 

“Sooo, care to tell me what a pretty girl like you is doing breaking out of a van in the Hawkins High parking lot at midnight?” He asked, the words “pretty girl” making your heart do little summersaults.

“Well, my fucking sister locked me in her van for a club meeting that should’ve only taken an hour.” You said, audible spite in your voice. “ Oh, by the way, I'm Y/n. Y/n L/n.” 

“I'm Gareth Emerson. And damn your sister does not sound pleasant. Wanna go back inside to my club? There’s food and water and air conditioning.” He offered, the last offer making your face light up. 

“Oh thank god yes please.” You very quickly said, causing a huge smile to form on the boy's face. 

You both walked back to the school building, but he stopped you from opening the door. He rushed in front of you before dramatically opening it and bowing down. “ M’lady.” He said, causing you to giggle. “ Why thank you my good sir.” was your response. 

When you got into the club room, you immediately noticed someone. 

“You!” You almost screamed, pointing at your sister's face before storming up to her. “ You left me in a fucking van with the window cracked like a fucking dog for five fucking hours you little-” 

You started, before running out of breath and looking around, only to notice that everyone else in the room was dead silent… and a boy. Their jaws dropped as if they’d never seen another girl this close up.

You looked back at your sister, before seeing your sister’s face bright red. She was the first one to break the silence. 

“The hell are you doing here?”

“The hell am I doing here? I broke one of that stupid car’s goddamn windows to get out! And lovely Gareth over here,” You pointed over to where the boy was still standing in the doorway awkwardly, “was nice enough to bring me inside to an air-conditioned room!” 

Your sister groaned. “ Fine, just sit in a corner or something and don’t interrupt,” she muttered. 

Everyone else in the room was still dead silent. 

“Uhh, I got more chips?” Gareth awkwardly said, holding up the bag to the rest of the members. 

After an even more awkward silence, Eddie dramatically stood on the table, being careful not to disturb any of the dnd pieces. “So this is the infamous younger sister I've been told oh so much about. So are you Erin, or Y/n?” 

You recognized the boy as Eddie Munson, the freak of Hawkins high, the boy your sister was madly in love with. Even seeing him up close, you didn’t get what your sister saw in him. Gareth on the other hand..

“Hellooo? Earth to one of Ellie’s younger sisters who I still don't know the name of.” Eddie said, snapping you back to reality. You hadn’t realized you had zoned out.

“I’m Y/n, Erin is my younger sister, she's only like 7. I'm 16, I could legally drive if I wanted to.” You replied, before coming up with a genius plan to get back at your sister. 

“You must be Eddie the-boy-my-older-sister-refuses-to-shut-up-about Munson.” You nearly shouted, just to make sure everyone in the room could hear. “ I’ve seen you around. Honestly, I still can’t tell what my dear sister sees in you. She eve-” 

Before you could finish your sentence, your sister shoved her hand in front of your mouth and gave you a death glare. But it was too late, the damage was already done. Everyone was staring at Ellie, then Eddie, then your sister again. Both Eddie’s and Ellie’s faces were bright red, and when your sister cautiously moved her hand from in front of your mouth, you had the smuggest smile you could muster on. 

“Oopsies, I guess five hours of being trapped in a brain makes you forget to keep secrets secret.” You said, faking an apologetic look and frown.

The tension was so thick in the room you could cut it with a knife. Gareth, again, tried to awkwardly break the silence. “ Well then, how about an introduction? Uhm, Y/n, this is Dustin Henderson, “ He said, pointing to the curly-haired kid with a hat on, “ This is Mike Wheeler,” He pointed to a scrawny kid with black hair, “ And this is Lucas Sinclair, you might recognize him from warming the bench during all the basketball games.” Gareth teased, pointing towards the kid you did recognize from warming the bench during all the basketball games. “ This is Jeff, and lastly we have-” Gareth continued, before being cut off by Dustin.

“You broke through a car window?” He nearly shouted. 

This was the first time you’d heard the boy talk, and he had a huge curious smile plastered on his face. 

“Yep, Gareth saw me do it. Right?” You said, before turning to Gareth, who nodded. 

“It was pretty badass actually.” He chimed in. 

Eddie and your sister were still red, and they had been dead silent looking back and forth between each other and various things in the room. Apparently, your sister loved bare white walls, and Eddie loved the small table set up with various snacks. 

“You know what? Ellie and Eddie, how about you both set up the snack table while the rest of us treat Y/n’s broken glass wounds she probably has from breaking the window, right?” Dustin awkwardly said, looking at you.

“Oh yep yep, losing a lot of blood over here.” You stuttered out, and before anyone else could object or complain, you and Gareth, along with Dustin rushed everyone else except your sister and the Munson boy out before they had even registered what was going on

When everyone was out of the room and the door was closed, you spoke up. 

“Okay but in all seriousness, I think I’m actually bleeding, does anyone care to direct me to a bathroom?” You said, rolling up your long sleeve to reveal a small gash with a bloody piece of glass sticking out. 

“I’ll help.” Gareth volunteered, before getting up and walking with you to the nearest bathroom. 

“Okay, wait here,” he said, before disappearing into the boy's bathroom. A moment later he came back out with a wet paper towel. “ Mind if I-?” He asked, and when you nodded, Gareth knelt and grabbed your arm gently and looked at the cut a bit closer. Even given the circumstances, you couldn’t help but get butterflies in your stomach with his touch. 

He frowned, before pulling a bobby pin out of his hair, which made you raise an eyebrow. 

“You just keep those in your hair, Emerson?” You questioned

“Well, I like to be prepared when pretty girls break through van windows and get cut with glass. And have you seen my hair? Now, this might sting a little bit, so brace yourself.” He said the first part with a chuckle, but you barely paid attention. 

Pretty girl

You could feel your face get hot again, and you were silently thanking the lord Gareth was looking at your arm, not your face.

You snapped back to reality when he started cleaning the cut with the wet paper towel, and you started feeling sharp pains shooting up your arm. You winced and pulled your arm away. 

“Hey hey, I said it was gonna hurt. And it's gonna hurt even more when I try to get that piece of glass out.” Gareth said, looking up at you. 

You turned to face the wall, not wanting him to see your probably red face, before moving your arm back over to him.  He continued cleaning the cut, before using the bobby pin as tweezers to try and get the piece of glass out. 

“Ow ow ow ow ow,” you muttered, before wincing as he tried to wiggle the piece of glass out. 

“Sorry sorry!” he almost shouted, clearly a bit agitated. After a moment of silence, he sighed. “Didn’t mean to sound mad or anything..” he muttered. 

Before you could respond, you felt another sharp pain before Gareth quickly held the still wet paper towel on the cut, before taking a hair tie out of his pocket and using it to keep the paper towel on your arm so the halls wouldn’t be speckled with blood. 

“Ta-daa!” He triumphantly cried out, before standing up and holding up the bobby pin holding a piece of glass covered in blood. You smiled, before looking down at your arm. 

“How much hair supplies do you keep on you Emmerson?” You questioned, a mischievous smirk on your face. 

“Never you mind that L/n. Do you have any other cuts?” He said before a worried frown appeared on his face. 

“Nope, I’m 98.47% sure that was the only one. I think I would be able to tell if I was bleeding somewhere else right now.” You said with a chuckle, before ruffling Gareth's hair. 

“Hey,” He said, grabbing your wrist to stop you from further touching his hair. He looked around the empty hallway cautiously.  “Don’t do that in front of the others. The last thing I need is all of them messing up my hair 24/7.” He said before letting go of your wrist. Your heart dropped a little when he let go, but you smiled when your brain had processed what he just said.

“Oh? So I’m the only one allowed to touch Gareth Emerson’s hair? Jeez, I must be one special gal.” You teased

“You are one special girl Y/n L/n, one special girl indeed.”

[hee4won]

cuddles + kisses w/ en-

requested by @jihyosg4rden (thank you btw <3 i hope you like it!!)

warnings: very cute + sweet enha 😞

a/n: i have a feeling i will get very carried away with this one whew [edit: i got carried away lol]

heeseung

right off the bat i’m just gonna say he has the most tender kisses okah

LIKE.. everyone says it but it’s so true

and i can imagine him being super affectionate when he’s really sleepy or tired

he’ll come home from practice or a performance just completely worn out but once he sees you on the couch or bed..

HEART EYES

he just flops on you like he’s a dog no kidding

he’ll be big spoon most of the time even if he’s super fatigued

i think he gets more comfort from holding someone rather than being held??

hee just really seems like the type to hold and hug you while humming the both of you to sleep

i think he’s bigger on cuddling than kissing

BUT! if he does kiss you it would be on the cheek or forehead

and if you initiate a kiss on the lips he’s literally gonna act like a child goodbye

“awww u like me so much”

then you chase him around and he’s squealing like a kid

10/10 couple good for you good for you

jay

jay is most definitely the type to kiss a lot

i don’t even think he has a certain spot he likes to kiss the most he will kiss you anywhere

dont get carried away 😑

OMG WHEN HE WAKES UP AND SEES YOU IN THE BED NEXT TO HIM

he will smile so hard.. he’s so in love with you

if you guys are running late he would give you a peck on the lips and tug at you a lil’

but if you have time 🥺🥺

he’ll wake you up by planting kisses all over your face

i can imagine him starting at your forehead and going clockwise until the last place he kisses is your nose

then when you wake up he either smiles at you like an idiot in love which he is btw

OR... he’ll play it off like you had something on your face .. which backfires lol

“so you had to kiss off whatever was on my face? yeah okay”

you would call him a simp but you’re a big one for him too so where do we go from here 🤔

jake

jake is the most affectionate guy ever

i also think he would like to cuddle more than kiss

only because he’s huge on physical affection and sometimes holding you close is all he needs

he alternates between little spoon and big spoon quite often actually

when he’s tired he’ll hold you because he loves the feeling of your body up against his

he likes to say you’re his personal heater ?

take that how you’d like

OH BTW when he’s the big spoon he’ll have his head in the crook of your neck and just whisper to you about how much he loves you and how grateful he is to have you in his life

bye i tjink i have romantic feelings for him

he’s just the sweetest most intimate boy ever

did i mention he definitely giggles/smiles into kisses

sunghoon

more of a kiss and hand holding kind of guy

but i feel like hoon’s kisses are the type to linger.. if u know what i mean

like he’ll pull you close and kiss your nose and kinda stay there for a bit

it’s just so intimate AWWW

and he’ll pick your hand up and kiss it

if he’s just seeing you after a while then he’ll DEFINITELY take your hand in his and kiss your knuckles then pull you into a warm embrace

“you’re laying your head on my shoulder on the way home btw 😇”

he’s so sweet you just have to give him time to open up ok be patient

also his cuddles are the warmest

and you savor them bc they don’t happen often

he probably just pulls you super close and tight first thing in the morning and you’ll just kinda

lay there

basking in each other’s presence 🥺🙁😞💓

sunoo

ANOTHER CUDDLE BOY

we’re really racking ‘em up today huh

sunoo just.. he reallt gives the best cuddles

he will cuddle you any and everywhere

no kidding

the boys will invite you to come hang out with them and sunoo will make sunghoon get on the floor

he’s the warmest ever i can FEEL IT

just so you can sit with him and cuddle

“i’m literally older than you sunoo what are you doing” he’ll just deadpan until hoon moves 😭

hm.. kisses with him are very rare

if you’re crying he would totally pepper your face with light kisses

dont get me wrong they’re still full of love !!

just rare :D

jungwon

oh boy.

i will try to make sure my bias does not jump out on this 😊

jungwon is a good mixture of both tbh

he definitely cuddles in the bed though

like you guys might be watching something or you’ll be scrolling through your phone and bam!

there’s a jungwon attached to you

if he’s tired and you’re still up he’ll probably push your phone down then lay on his stomach with his arm around you and his head in the crook of your neck

i hope i explained that well AHH it’s cute though

HES SUCH A BACKHUGGER

you on the way to kitchen? hug. you on the way to the bathroom? hug.

he just can’t help himself

oh and for the kissing

he would definitely be a cheek and ear kisser

and sometimes when you’re cuddling he’ll blow strawberries(?) into your neck

you guys will turn into a giggling fit. i loev this boy so much

he just LOVES to baby and take care of you for sure

you’re both really mature and professional when doing things you’re passionate about so having the chance to lighten up and just love on each other is so wow

ni-ki

cuddle boy number... 4

because riki is young kisses just seem so eh.. save it for prom at least

have you seen how much he hugs on the members

he’s so affectionate and cute i ❤️ him

would see you and get that adorable smile on his face and proceed to tackle you while shouting your name

he loves hugging and cuddling you

AND HE HUGS SOOO TIGHT

he gives bear hugs

like he’ll just engulf you and you’re trapped until he wants food or something

“riki.. i can not breathe like this”

“it’s okay! my undying love for you should be enough 😁” cheesy alert sheesh

on the rare occasion that he does kiss you though

it’ll be when you’re sleeping (or so he thinks)

he’ll creep into your room and make his way over to you + kiss your temple then run out like a CHILD

i mean he is one, however.

riki cutest boy ever? yeah i do believe so.

[bakugous-bbygirl]

~Social media boyfriend~

Bakugou Katsuki x F!Reader

There needs to be more quarantine stories. Like come onnn we’re all stuck together anyway. That’s why I’m doing the public justice of giving us more fan fiction that’s current to the times. Please enjoy!

Warning: swearing. That’s it really.

Being stuck at home was really getting to everyone and it was pretty clear. From almost finishing your second year to having to do your third year at home. You didn’t even want to know how your hero course was gonna go. But now everyone is online all the time posting things they never would have if they got to go outside more.

You of course followed almost all your classmates on social media. Mostly twitter and Instagram, everything else was a little too much. You had your fair share of classmate followers so your posts were mostly pictures of everyone hanging out or weird selfies you took while half awake.

After reading one too many fanfics you opened Twitter to see a certain profile you liked scrolling through.

You have no clue why Bakugou had followed you one day but you figured it’s the poilte thing to follow back. After scrolling for an hour though you had pretty much summed up all of his account into a few words

Self centered music guy.

A lot of his tweets were just pictures of himself flexing in his mirror or screenshots of whatever his playlist consisted of with aggressive captions telling people to fuck off or listen to the song. Those pictures of his arms though. Ahh those hit differently.

You had a crush on the blonde since you started your first year however you didn’t think it shift into you calling him your online boyfriend and making constant tweets about him.

Nothing super obvious just the simple like “why can’t he love me back” or “when he learns I’m real it’s a wrap.” And on Instagram if it’s a cute photo of yourself your caption would consist of something like: “once my online boyfriend learns I’m desperate maybe we could cuddle” you know nothing weird or anything.

After scrolling through his twitter you found a old tweet that actually made you laugh. Like it was something actually funny. You figured kiri got ahold of his phone and posted it before Bakugou blew him up. It was a picture of Bakugou on his floor fixing his Grenade bracers with the tweet “he looks so cute all focused!”

You accidentally tapped the like button and didn’t even realize how weird that would’ve looked as you swiped out of the app. You went to your messages to text Mina since she always kept you busy durning these lonely days. “Hey crackhead you up yet? It’s almost 3 in the afternoon”

she replied pretty quick asking how you were and if you wanted her to FaceTime you. And who were you to turn down a chance to talk to your best friend?

After answering the call mina’s goofy pink face appeared on your screen while it looked like she was laying on her couch. “Hello!!” “Hey Mina.” You couldn’t help at smile how bubbly she is while talking to you. You figured her extroverted personality was put through the ringer being forced to stay at home. “Soooo how have you been? I see your keeping your social media pretty up to date with your creepy obsession with your online boyfriend?” You hold up your middle finger as you see her laugh “it’s not creepy. It’s the same as liking a famous person. You guys just don’t get to know who he is.” “Ooooo so he’s famous? That makes it totally normal.” You rubbed at your neck moving the phone from your face so she can’t see the Blush. “Well, kinda, not really, sorta..” you then noticed your phone vibrating that you got a new notification. “Oh hold up, I wanna check this.” “Oh no just ignore me as I try to find out who it is you love so much. I would really like to know someday” you waved her off with your hand going to your home screen, “you will one day. Hush up now.” You scrolled to the top of your screen to see your notifications and saw it was from twitter and it was someone wanted to message you, you played it off as Mina or one of your friends wanted to mess with you about a tweet you made early in the day or something. “What’s the point of messaging me when we’re on the phone?” You went back to the call to see Mina tilting her head like a bird “what do you mean? I didn’t message you?” “Oh, I figured it was you sending me something stupid on twitter. Lemme see who it is then.”

You opened twitter while half way listening to whatever story Mina felt like telling at that moment and noticed the message was actually Bakugou saying “what the fuck” “Oh it’s just Bakugou. Weird he normally doesn’t send me anything” you opened the message just as Mina said “maybe it’s him telling you what you tweeted was dumb or pointless? That’s normally what he does to me.” You laughed and saw he had sent a screenshot of a notification he got from you like a tweet from legit a year ago. You almost died. “Ahhhhhhh shit I gotta go minathanksforcallingbye!” And flat out hung up in her face. You couldn’t believe you were dumb enough to like the tweet. Why didn’t you notice? God you were stupid.

And what’s even worse you already opened the message and he could see you already read it so In a panick you just typed out some half ass reply acting as if you were confused “what? I didn’t do anything to you” you then texted Mina explaining how weird he probably thinks you are. “sooo Bakugou is mystery your online boyfriend and you got caught totally creepin?” You face turned red as you replied “I never said he was my crush!” “you posted on Instagram yesterday that sometimes you scroll through his account and read his old tweets. Get busted y/n.” You threw you phone away from you on the table and layed Your head into your pillows.

You were so caught. Almost all your tweets and posts from the last few months were you thirsting over this boy and showing how lonely you are durning this quarantine. You wouldn’t be so embarrassed if it was someone you were closer too, Like kirishima or denki. The fact Bakugou barely spoke with you durning your time in classes made it feel even weirder. How could you be so dumb to forget your one rule of being a simp. No liking old posts or tweets. Just saving the photo depending on what it is. That rule just got tossed out the window as you pushed your face tighter into the pillow. No way was he gotta think your cute or whatever after this.

The sound of your phone going off got your attention and you reached for it slightly hoping it was Mina with a way to get you out of this. However it was the dreaded online boyfriend messaging you again. “Don’t play dumber than you are dumbass. The fuck is with you liking my old tweets” You really didn’t have the best response so you came up with the best you could. “Mina had my phone. Sorry she was being weird.”

That was so dumb. You both knew good and well that no one was allowed to be around each other since this whole virus came out. Could this day get any worse? Yes. Yes it could shut up.

“Try again.” Was all he replied with but you could hear the smug in his voice. Like no way was he gonna not call you out for this. The only times he did speak to you was when he was being an ass and making fun of you. Or when he grabbed your hips and moved you out of his way. You always loved that because his hands trapped your figure so perfectly but decided it was better to keep that to yourself. You were fully ready to admit defeat. There were no more lies you could come up with on the spot. “alright look, I’m sorry if it’s weird. Honest mistake.” This was your last shot to keep your dignity after such a embarrassing day.

It actually took him a while to reply. You figured he was too busy to entertain your contuinus lies until you got a notification from Instagram saying Ground_Zer0 liked your post. You opened the app to see he liked the picture where your caption was you basically admitted you scrolled through his old tweets because he was your online boyfriend. Before your brain could kick you for posting that bold statement in the first place you got two more messages from him. He had screenshotted the picture and caption. “So gonna keep lying like I don’t follow your accounts” Yep. Mina was so right. You were busted. Nothing much was left to be said. You were caught simping on one of your classmates who was aiming to be the number one hero. Just great.

“You gonna reply or what dumbass” Here goes everything. No reason to keep your lies, nothing much to lose.

“Alright so yeah I’ve liked you for a while now, I don’t know what about you makes me like you so much but I always found you really cool. Your so passionate about wanting to do good it’s almost silly how mean you are to everyone. Your not all that ugly either so that helps or whatever.” You confidence found half way through texting him. Not like he could make fun of you to all your friends and school. He doesn’t seem like the guy. Right?

“Oh.” Oh. That’s all he has to say. What the shit. What type of reply is that! Here you are pouring your heart out and that’s all he says back! This was kinda worse than him laughing! You barely got a reaction at all! “So how long have you liked Me” you took a second to think of the least creepy answer, “I mean since the beginning of our second year, why?”

It wasn’t a whole lie. Like since you had liked him the beginning of last year too. Your heart was beating out of your chest. Your emotions were clearly a wreck. From anger to slight confusion and embarrassment. What if he used this against you for real? Like you could never live down how much you really thought about him and wanted to be around him. It was pretty clear since you layed eyes on him you really cared about him.

“Well, I’ve liked you longer so I guess it’s my job to ask your dumbass out”

“Wanna be my girlfriend you weird stalker?”

You legit couldn’t believe it. You rubbed at your eyes for a good five minutes. Was he being serious? Was it a joke? You couldn’t think straight your head was so fuzzy “OI DONT LEAVE ME ON READ DUMBASS!” “If this is a way to make fun of me it isn’t very funny Bakugou.”

It seriously wasn’t funny. You knew for a while he felt nothing back for you, he never liked any of your posts or made much of an effort to even talk to you when you guys did attend school. He was clearly better friends with Mina since she even got messages from him, even if they were insults you would’ve taken what you could get. No way were you setting yourself up any more to get laughed at.

At that moment you got a FaceTime call from a number you didn’t have saved. You had no clue who it was. Against your better judgement you answered figuring that telemarketers don’t make FaceTime calls. What you got was a grumpy looking Bakugou staring at his screen. You could feel his eyes staring through you. You wanted to throw your phone so far it wasn’t even a joke. “Bout time dumbass.” He was layed out on his bed with a black wife beater hanging loosely on his body. You could tell he hasn’t moved from the bed in a while since the sheets and blankets were slightly messed up. “Now tell me. You see anyone else in my fucking room?” You shook your head in a confused manner, what was that question for? “Okay then. So it’s clear this isn’t a fucking joke. I like your dumb ass. Now will you please be my real girlfriend?” You stared at his face for any sort of sign it was still a joke.

But all you got was Bakugou blushing. Wait blushing? Seriously. That’s screenshot worthy. “I..well..w-wait we can’t even see each other?” You heard him grunt as a smirk appeared on his lips “if that’s your way of saying yes ain’t no stupid virus keeping me from kissing you like I’ve wanted to forever now.” “N-no way! You’ll get in trouble! Or sick!” Your face filled with heat as his words flowed so confidently. Like he knew all this time this is everything he’s ever wanted to say to you. “Did you not hear me? No virus is keeping me from you or getting me sick. Just let me say your mine stupid! I won’t fucking ask again.” “Y-yeah! O-okay I’ll be your girlfriend!” Another smirk tugged at his lips. “Damn straight. Alright get ready I’ll be there soon.” After that he hung up.

“Wait what?! Don’t come! Hello? Ah shit.” You still couldn’t really believe that all this really happened. You just got a boyfriend. After accidentally liking his post. From a year ago. Wow. What luck! You opened Instagram to congratulate yourself by posting the screenshot you had snagged but saw that a certain someone had posted a screenshot of you looking all confused durning a FaceTime call.

The ass screenshotted you looking confused after he asked you if anyone else was in his room. You looked at the caption and it absolutely made you turn red

“Thanks for giving me her number pinky.”

P1nky commented “anytime! Get you some!”

You hate your friends. You do love them. But you seriously can’t stand them.

Thank you all for reading so much! Also thank you for the 100 followers! I appciate it a lot and it gives me more reason to keep writing!

[rina-writes]

Calm Waters (Part 1)

Summary:  For the last five years, you have been locked away twelve to sixteen hours a day in a cell...filled with water.  Your ability to hold your breath underwater for extended periods of time has led to a series of unfortunate events that led to your captivity.  The only time you get outside of your cell is as a worker at the aquatic theme park where you are trapped. You had resigned to your bleak life until one night, the newly hired, attractive lifeguard, Grayson Dolan, falls into your tank as a result of a prank.  Saving his life could be the start to saving yours.

A/N: This is probably the most unique thing I’ve written on this blog because it’s a sci-fi AU.  You know how a lot of original content being a former fan fiction (ie. 50 Shades originally being a Twilight fic)...this is the opposite haha. Where this is an original concept that I made a fanfic using the twins since they are my current muses.  Sooo....definitely let me know what you think!

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, loss of parents, captivity, and bullying.  There is also lots of fluff and teenage romance!

If darkness had a temperature it would be cold.  That’s what you decided after five years in the cell.  It didn’t matter that the water was always kept at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal temperature for your survival, it always felt cold.  In the ocean, the vibrations kept you warm.  The sounds of a whale calling to it’s lover, dolphins whispering hello, and sharks chewing their prey all prickled your skin in tiny waves.  You didn’t get that in your cell, because it was just you all alone until morning.  Then the cover would be lifted and you could embrace the world.

If freedom had a temperature it would be warm.  It would be sunshine of a cloudy summer’s day or the cotton candy machine churning out treats for a long line of toddlers.  It would the smell of butter popcorn and the snug fit of a new promotional cap.  While your world was small, you savored the seconds of your warmth outside of the cell.  You knew your days of warmth would continue to decrease as you got older and you wanted to cherish it.  This was your so-called youth that you overheard your audience joke about in between performances.  Youth, the thing that you knew you possessed, and the one thing that was being taken away from you in order to provide it to another.  Youth, the phrase that you understood in concept, but not what it showed in practice.

Until he fell into your cell.

It was what started it all.  His kindness and curiosity launched you into a journey of discovering what it meant to be young.  What it meant to live for today and tomorrow, making mistakes, learning from them, and making new ones.  Falling in love. And ultimately, breaking out of your cell.

You were sleeping when it happened.  You learned to find comfort in the dark.  You would sink to the bottom and roll yourself into a ball.  The entire side of your body would lay on the smooth, cold floor. As you rocked yourself to create small waves in the water, that always felt heavier at the bottom, you would fall asleep.  You equated it to “tossing and turning” in a bed, a feeling you had not experienced since your confinement.

The moment his body hit the water, you felt it through all of your nerves.  It was like an electric shock.  Your eyes opened, despite not being able to see anything, but your skin told you everything you needed to know.  Your legs fluttered behind you as you glided toward your target.  It almost seemed insulting to call it swimming as your technique was so graceful that it looked like a dance.  

At first, you didn’t know what it was.

The creature in your cell was about 5 feet and 11 inches in length, 180 pounds, and terrified.  It was thrashing around, causing more waves in the water and alerting you of its presence.  Your hands reached out and touched what you could identify was the middle of it’s back.  It was covered in a jean jacket, that felt tattered even in the water.  It was at that moment that you realized it was a person and one that didn’t want to be here.  

You knew it wasn’t a threat.  Most threats came in the form of scientific experiments.  These tests were accompanied by a bright white light and white lab coats and shades staring at you almost in the nude. They wanted you to feel scared and powerless, so they would never sneak up on you in your own terrain.

Your touch obviously scared the person more, and with a gasp, you felt the last bubbles of breath leave their lips.  Now terrified, you pushed the person towards the top of your cell.  You figured there had to be a break in it somewhere if someone fell in.  As you  neared the top, you heard the sounds of distant laughter and footsteps.  You knew the sounds of mockery when you heard it.  It sent a chill up your spine, and a bit of anger burned in your heart.  Why did people always have to hurt others?  You saw a bit of light towards one of the edges of your cell and you pushed the person toward it.  With a few hefty pushes, you finally got the person over the edge.  You continued to push and push until the person was laying on ground beside your cell.

You poked your head through the hole and looked around.  It looked different at night than during the day. At night it looked abandoned and scary.  You couldn’t see the other cells from where you stood at all, despite knowing that the dolphins were one over and the hammerheads were on the other side.  Your eyes narrowed in on the person as they got used to the darkness.

Your brows furrowed as you recognized him.  His usually styled dark brown hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, his full brows relaxed, his hazel eyes shut close, his sloped nose twitching as he sucked in air and his full pink lips stuck shut.  Grayson was quite popular since his arrival.  All the girls liked him and all the boys envied him.  To assert their status, some of the guys started picking on him.  They would point out that he only wore old clothes and knock offs, and that his mother did all his hair cuts at 18. It seemed as though their latest stunt was tossing him into your cell.

They didn’t know what was in here.  This area had been closed off, but it was easy for workers here to get to if you knew how.  The cover didn’t allow people to see inside, especially not at night, and during the day, it was too risky to come up here without getting caught.  You often heard people whispering above you, but no one ever broke in.  You assumed it was neighborhood kids daring each other and backing out of it the moment it got too real.  Most likely, Grayson didn’t know the rumors about the “dangerous creature” that lurked the last cell.  He probably tried to look cool and pretend to go into the cell.  They probably pushed him.

You rested you cheek on your arm which was resting on top of the tank.  He really was handsome. Tomorrow, this damage to your cell would be repaired.  You wouldn’t be able to exit it on your own.  Part of you wanted to take your freedom and do something great with it.  Runaway and save yourself from this hell hole.  

Instead, you watched the breath finally enter through his lips and the rise and fall of your chest.  You told yourself you wouldn’t get far.  That no one els like was ever able to successfully blend in and you were the last person to be able to assimilate into society. But this, watching him, was something you could do.  

You reached a hand out to touch his arm and then move to his shoulder and then to his cheek.  His eyes fluttered open and you retracted immediately.  Those hazel eyes squinted at you past his long lashes.

“Angel…” He whispered.  He coughed, water coming out of his mouth as he turned on his side.

He may have said more, but you retreated to the bottom of your cell.  You curled into your ball and rocked yourself as fast as you could.  You tried to forget and fall asleep.  You tried to pretend that tomorrow would be another day and you wouldn’t have to suffer the punishment…

Surprisingly, it was a normal day the next day.  At sunrise, the glass top of your cell slowly rolled back, allowing the light to slowly seep through.  You floated upward with trepidation, worried that there was danger waiting for you at the top.  However, as usual there was nothing.  You stepped out on to the roof and looked out over the town.

The houses looked like little dots next to the long spiraling streets and highways.  You could see cars slowly moving in bumper to bumper traffic, and the specks of people leaving their homes.  You wondered, like you always do if you looked like a speck too.  You walked to your clothing station, waving at the dolphins as you walked by their cell.  You hummed so they knew you were near.

Doris, the eldest dolphin, waved her left fin and then flipped around to twitch her tail fin twice to the right.  You sighed and nodded understanding her message.  One of the youngest dolphins was still having trouble sleeping.  It was “rescued” from one of the fishing traps in the sea and was still adjusting to captivity.

You motioned with your hands at first creating a cover for your eyes with one hand and then letting that hand drop into a fist on top of your open palm.  I’ll see what I can do.

You continued walking and opened the storage container.  As far as other workers at the park knew, this was where they kept the cleaning supplies.  Only you knew that this was where you got your clothes. As you put on your uniform, a white polo shirt and white wide leg shorts, you stared in the tiny, broken reflective piece of glass you kept there as a mirror.  Your mother once told you that you couldn’t run around naked because it wasn’t polite. Yet, every night, you stripped off your clothes to your undergarments and every morning you got dressed on this roof.  When you first were captured, you would hide away as you got changed.  Then you realized that you were just a speck.  Not just in terms of distance, but also of importance.  No one would ever be curious what you looked like without your clothes.  

Angel

The word popped into your head and you shook your head violently as if trying to get it out.  It was the way he said it, his chest puffing up with air and then that air releasing from his mouth almost like a gasp as he looked at you with these hopeful eyes.

It didn’t matter.  Grayson worked the wave pool as a lifeguard.  He didn’t even work near the performance arena.  Even if you did run into him, he wouldn’t recognize you.  It was way too dark for him to make out your features.  Still, you had to confess that the thought of him made you excited. The fantasy of him falling for you, the real you, was one that could keep your mind occupied for a long time.

You put on your socks and your shoes, your skin always drying quickly.  Your hair took a few minutes longer, but you put the cap on anyway.

Pete’s Ocean Land.

To some people it was an affordable, local Sea World that saved aquatic creatures from the beach a couple miles away.  For you and the other aquatic creatures here, it was a prison.  At least you got the chance to leave, because of what you were.  The dolphins, sharks, seals...none of them had the ability to just stand on their legs and play human.  That’s why you did your best to help them.  Making sure they had good food, alerting when they were sick, and keeping them company when you could.  It was easier since they understood you.  

You had inside jokes.  For example, your main job at Pete’s Ocean Land was as one of the lead dolphin performance instructors.  Prior to your arrival, they couldn’t get the dolphins to perform any tricks, but you were able to convince them to do it.  While you yelled out commands to the crowd, in reality, you were signing the moves to them.  The dolphins would often sign back rude or unseemly comments that made you stifle your laughter.  Sometimes, they would even ask you who they should splash and you always chose someone who was ruining the event for someone else.

The best part was, the language was a secret.  No one knew about it, not even your captors.  It allowed you all to speak freely and have a bit of community.  You didn’t know the origin of the language, but it was one your mother taught you back then. You always assumed it was the language of her people.

Your  mother.  Your father.  The images of your parents brought both happy and sorrowful memories for you.  Your father was human, but your mother was...whatever you were.  It wasn’t quite clear.  Mermaid sounded a bit far reaching as you didn’t have a fin or gills.  If you had to describe your activity under water, it was holding your breath under water for long periods of time and gracefully swimming.  Essentially, you were an amphibian.  On the outside, however, you appeared like a completely normal 18 year old girl. That was how you were raised until you were 13 years old.  Your parents died in a mysterious fire and on the way to the police station to get you up for adoption, you were told that your uncle would take you in.

Your uncle, aka Pete, was your dad’s eldest brother.  Apparently, your uncle had tried to persuade your father to put you and your mother in his little exhibit for years, but your father refused.  With him out the way, he now could do whatever he wanted with you. He told people he put you in the best boarding school, but in reality, you were locked away in one of the old tanks at the park.  You called it a cell, but you knew what it was...it was a tank just like the other animals.

At 13, you ability to breathe under water wasn’t that strong, but Pete trained you.  If you could call it that.  Locking in that cell until you clawed at the glass for help.  He would invite scientists who would push and prod you without a warning, and often with out anything on.  You felt disgusting and less than human...thus leading you to feel like you were.

In the five years you lived in captivity, the only hope you had was your job.  The occasional little girl that said she wanted your job when she grew up, or listening in on what was hip these days as teenagers conversed in the cafeteria, gave you the will to keep pushing forward.

You considered yourself lucky that Grayson had scurried off and was not found by any of the personnel. It allowed you to keep up appearances.

“Aurora?” You heard a voice ask behind you.

That was your name at the park.  Obviously, your uncle couldn’t let you just walk around using your real name when you were supposed to be away.  To emphasize your difference more, your hair was frequently dyed bright red.  You hated it because when it was freshly dyed it would taint the water in your cell and your uncle wouldn’t bother to change it for days. 

“Yes?” You said closing the cabinet.  You expected it to be one of the workers here to feed the animals.  Whoever they were, they were early.

Your eyes widened when you turned around to see Grayson standing there.  He looked different in the light.  His skin was so tanned, the muscles in his arms bulging under his white polo shirt.  His white shorts hit him different at the waist, like he was a model or something.  His hair was styled up in the front  and he was cleanly shaven.  His eyes, twinkling hazel eyes that looked green in this light, stared at you brightly.

“It was you! You’re the person that saved me!” He yelled.

You dashed forward, your eyes darkening in a way that Grayson had not seen anyone’s eyes change before.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You said in your sternness voice  “But do not come here and yell at this time of the morning.  The hammerheads are still sleeping and they get restless.”

Grayson’s jaw dropped.  He let out a soft laugh that faded into a smile.

“I heard you were serious about this, but I guess I didn’t realize how serious.” Grayson put a hand on his chest and dropped his voice to a whisper.  “I won’t wake them.  I just, I can’t believe it’s you.  Last night…”

“What are you talking about?” You asked him frowning.  

Your uncle taught you how to deflect any weird questions and it was always by gaslighting.  Did you really see that?  Are you sure I said that?  He taught you threw practice and it hurt you to cause Grayson the same pain that you endured.

Seeing Grayson’s eyes saddened only made it worse.

“Please,” Grayson whispered.  “I don’t know how you were able to save me, but you are my guardian angel.  I can’t thank you enough.”

“I-I…” You stammered as you stepped away.  How could you deny something so sweet?

“Be honest…” Grayson asked.  “Is it just an empty tank?”

Your eyes widened.  Could this be the silver lining?

“Yeah…” You nodded, walking him over to your cell.  It was the first time you ever looked at it from this angle.  It looked so big, but down there, it felt so small. 

“Whew…”  Grayson said with a smile.  “I didn’t really buy that it was a monster or anything...but can’t say I’m not glad.”

“No monster down there.” You said, bitterly.  “The monster is up here walking around in sheep’s clothing.”

There was a silence.  Grayson looked at you, strangely.  You wanted to curl into your little ball.  You almost settled for the next best thing, running away, when his laughter stopped you.

“You’re so edgy, I love it.” Grayson grinned. 

You forced a laugh.  “Ha, yes, edgy.”  You didn’t really know what that meant, but you would figure it out eventually.

Grayson looked nervous and he glanced away from you.  You also took the opportunity to look at the sun.  You didn’t have a watch, but from the sun you could tell your shift was starting soon.  You needed to prep the performance arena area.  You motioned to leave when Grayson stopped you by grabbing your wrist.  His skin was so warm now.  It was warmth of the sun on the cloudy day, of the cotton candy machine, of butter popcorn...it was that warmth.

“Can I take you out to dinner?” He blurted out.  “I-I can invite my brother and his girlfriend if that would make you feel more comfortable for a first date.”

You shook your head. “Dinner? Date? Oh no, I can’t do that.”

You couldn’t leave the premises.  Even if you wanted to, you didn’t have anything else to wear.  He would know that something was wrong when you came in your uniform, soaking wet.

“How old are you?” He asked.  “Are your parents strict?”

“18...and sorta.”  Your real parents were not strict at all, but your captor was a demon.

“Hm,” Grayson rubbed his chin with his right hand.  “What about lunch at the cafeteria?”

You ate there anyway. There were no rules about you eating with coworkers.  You were just so weird, no one wanted to talk to you.

“Okay.”  You nodded.

His face lit up with the brightest smile you had ever seen.  You felt like your heart had been wrenched.  You felt your face get hot and you looked away.

“See you in front of Lu’s?” He asked.

You nodded again.  That was the burger joint in the cafeteria.  It was where everyone ate and the line was always long.  You never bothered to wait because it was lonely to stand on line by yourself.  Now, you had someone to talk to while you waited.

You heard Doris making noises and you turned around.  Grayson made an “aww” noise and ran over to look at her.  Standing behind Grayson, you saw that Doris was signing you a question.  She moved her head in a circle to the right before lifting and dropping her tail fin three times. That was an easy translation...

New mate?

“Grayson, let’s go.” You said, pulling his arm.  “Doris, is just trying to rile you up.”

“I don’t mind,” Grayson said, but he still allowed you to pull him, liking the way it felt to be held by you.

Behind your back, your crossed your index and middle finger before pulling your crossed fingers in a straight line toward the right.

Shut up.

You heard Doris make another sound as you both exited the roof area that you easily recognized as her laughter. 

By lunch time, you stood by the cafeteria with your head down.  The cafeteria was really just an outdoor food court with an awning made of cement covering each of the restaurants and a seating area.  It had archways all around that allowed people to enter from all side.  It was painted a pee yellow color that you hated, but you weren’t sure if it was only because you hated this place.  

With your (terribly) dyed red hair, people often stared at you.  When people tried to talk to you and realized that your vernacular and knowledge of the world was trapped to five years ago, you were seen as some kind of freak.  Once enough people realized you were weirdo, the bullying began.  They would make fun of you, sometimes pretending to be your friend only to humiliate you.  They would throw food at you.  The worst was just the laughing.  It felt like everyone who laughed just laughed at you.

“Hey Rory!” Grayson said.

You looked up to see him waving at you theatrically.  You pointed to yourself and he nodded with his laugh.  His laugh didn’t feel like daggers.  It felt comforting.

“Yes, you.” Grayson laughed.  “I wanted to give you a nickname and I think Rory is kind of cute.  You can call me Gray.”

“Okay, Gray.”  You felt a tingle of happiness.  You hadn’t had a friend or a nickname in so long, you forgot what it was like.

“Shall we?” He asked, gesturing to the long line, and you nodded.  

As you stood in line, you sucked in a deep breath.  All eyes were on you and you felt your entire body tense up.  You stared at the ground and said nothing as the line slowly inched forward.  Grayson cleared his throat and if you had looked at his face, you would have noticed his bashful expression.

“So, besides saving stupid lifeguards, what do you do in your free time?” You looked up to meet his eyes and saw his shining, pearly white smile.

Your eyes darted to the people around you, but this time you realized that it was not YOU they were staring, it was HIM.  Suddenly, you realized that people didn’t even see you around him because he was so gorgeous.  For some reason, this emboldened you to raise your head, just a little.

“Uh, I don’t really do much outside of work.” You said, trying to seem normal.  “I actually really like working with the animals.”

“Oh I see.  Do you want to be a marine biologist or something?” Grayson asked.  “I think you would be good at it.”

“I don’t know.” You bit your lip.  “I’m kinda known for being dumb.”

Grayson’s brows furrowed and you worried you somehow offended him.

“What do you mean?” Grayson asked.  “I see you rattle of facts about every species in this place every day, answering the wildest questions with grace.  Who is calling you stupid?”

You blushed.  “Well, outside of the water, I don’t really know much.”  You smiled.  “I mean, Doris doesn’t know what’s happening on Facebook.”

“Wait, you don’t have social media?” Grayson asked, his eyes going wide. “Like, nothing?”

You shook your head.  Grayson’s jaw remained wide for awhile and then he nodded.

“Oh right, strict parents.” He reminded himself.  “So, like how do you usually date people?”

“Ha, I don’t.” You gave a soft laugh that showed your shock at the ridiculous question.

Grayson smirked a little bit. “I mean have you ever kissed anyone?”

You thought about it and you did.  Before all of this, before you knew how different you really were, life was pretty alright.  You had your first kiss when you were nine, and shortly before the fire you had your second kiss with a boy in your class.  He said he wanted you to be his girlfriend, but he wanted you to think about your answer.  It was over a vacation break, so you had quite a bit of time. It was an easy decision, you were going to say yes. You just never got a chance to tell him.

“I have, when I was younger.” You glanced at him. “You?’

“Uh yeah, a few times.” Grayson looked away.  If you hadn’t kissed that many people, there was no way he was going to list his previous rendezvous.

“What do you do outside of work?” You asked, wanting to learn more about him.

“Typical stuff I guess.  I surf, skateboard, hike…” He continued to list outdoor activities that you remembered partaking in or hearing of during your childhood, but it all seemed distant now.

“You’re really active, huh?” You remarked.

“I like it!” Grayson jokingly flexed his muscle.  “I like to stay fit. Do you exercise?”

“Uh, I swim.” That wasn’t a lie.

“Ha, no kidding!” Grayson joked.  “A little embarrassing to be saved as a lifeguard.”

You smiled. Before you could respond, you realized you were at the front of the line.  It felt like a couple seconds with Grayson.  Time just flew with him which usually only happened during your performances.  The rest of you life was counting the moments until it was over.  You almost wished you could relish in this a bit more.

“Can I get the beyond burger, with the vegan cheese  fries?” Grayson ordered.  He smiled at you. “What would you like?  It’s on me.”

“What’s the beyond burger?” You asked, tapping your chin.  You usually went to the less frequented pasta place and got their pasta of the day.  You would split it for dinner, learning over the years that no one would feed you if you didn’t do it yourself.

“It’s a meat substitute.” Grayson explained. “I’m vegan, so…”

Grayson was getting embarrassed.  Being vegan wasn’t super popular in your area.  When he first starting working at Pete’s Ocean Land, the other boys ridiculed him for it, claiming there was no way he could have six pack without eating meat.  He soon learned it wasn’t worth arguing and just stopped talking about it.  It felt weird to have this conversation again and he didn’t want you to judge him.

“I’ll try it too.” You said to the person ringing up the order.  

Grayson’s eyebrows went up in surprise.  “Alright, well let’s throw in some vegan shakes too.”

The person nodded and gave the total. Grayson put it on his employee card and took the receipt.  You waited on the pick up line, rocking back and forth on your heels.  Conversation was so difficult for you, but you worried he would ask you more questions if you didn’t beat him to it.

“What do you want to do?  Is it your dream to be a lifeguard?” You asked.

Grayson laughed, shaking his head.  “No.  In my dream world, I would be a pro surfer, but right now, I could settle for being a diving instructor at some fancy resort.”

“You must really like the ocean then.” You deduced, a bit of hope in your voice.

“Yeah, I mean obviously I care about animals since I’m vegan.  But, ocean animals are like so cool.  It’s a whole ‘nother thing seeing them in their natural habitat and not in tanks.” Grayson paused and his voice drops into a whisper. He leans in to your ear  “Like don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Pete rescues these animals, but you never see him put them back.  They just stay here forever.  How sad.”

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up as you felt his hot breath on your skin.  It didn’t help that it felt like he was talking about you.  You would also have to stay here forever.  How sad.

“I wish we could set them all free.” You said in a low voice.

Grayson smiled.  He was staring at you with a soft sweet smile that made your heart loop-di-loop. “Yeah me too.”

The number on top of your receipt was called and Grayson went to retrieve your food.  You looked around the seating area for an empty space, chewing on your lip nervously.  You also hated looking for a seat, this where people would usually try to tease you or throw stuff at you.

“Come on, let me show you my secret spot.”  Grayson was holding your food in to-go paper bags, a move you hadn’t noticed until now.  

You follow him out of the cafeteria and around the corner.  There were some stairs that were blocked off, but Grayson ducked under the barrier with ease and confidence.  You followed his lead and walked up the steps to the top floor.  It was the roof of the cafeteria and there were tables with benches attached scattered around.  There was an umbrella on a few of the tables and Grayson chose one to sit under.  You guessed that people were once able to eat up here, but it was closed down for some reason.

“Nice and quiet.” Grayson remarked.

You sat down on the bench just as a cool breeze tickled you skin.  You didn’t feel like you were in your prison.  In this moment, you felt like you were on a real date.  With a very handsome guy who treated you to lunch and wanted to get to know you.  It was your first dose of normalcy in a very long time.

Grayson separated your meals, tearing the bag to use it as two plates.  You unwrapped your burger and inspected a bit before taking a bite.  Grayson was pretending not to stare at you, but he couldn’t help it.  He wanted to see your reaction.  Your eyes lit up.

“It’s delicious!” You said, covering your mouth as it was still full.  “I haven’t had a burger in a long time, but this tastes amazing.”

Grayson grinned. “I’m glad you like it.”  

You continued to devour your burger and Grayson watched as he fought back laughter.  He finally started to eat as well, but he would take bites without much thought, focusing mostly on you.

“Try the fries too.” Grayson suggested, pointing at your fries.

You nodded, shifting what was left of your burger to one hand and grabbing your a fry with your now freed hand.  Your eyes widened.

“This taste better than the cheesy pasta at Marco’s!” You remarked making Grayson laugh.

“As a mix of Italian and Irish, I can confirm that Marco’s may not be the best judge of cheese.” Grayson gave a bright grin. “But it’s really a cheese substitute sauce that add more seasoning to take compensate for the different flavor.”

“It’s amazing…” You gushed, eating more fries.

As you polished off your food, you couldn’t help but wish you had saved some for later.  It would have been nice to enjoy this for dinner instead of as one meal.  At the same time, something told you that it wouldn’t taste as good cold.  You hoped it would hold you over through the night.

“I love a girl who can eat.” Grayson said, sitting in front of his empty food wrappers.   “You almost gave me a run for the money.”

You gave him an embarrassed smile.  Your mother always criticized you for eating too quickly.  It would give you gas and cause uncomfortable bloating.  It had been so long that you had eaten something that you truly enjoyed that made you revert to your old habits.

“It’s not good for you.” You said, echoing our mom’s words.  Your eyes danced over to the milkshake, and your mother’s lecture was out of your mind.  You reached for it and took a sip.  

“This is amazing!” You said, sucking it down faster.

“You say that a lot.” Grayson teased, taking tiny sips of his milkshake.  “They are sweeter than real milkshakes to make up for the lack of fat, but I think this is made with oat milk.”

“I really like it.” You said, taking a breath of air.  “I want to eat more vegan food.”

Grayson grinned.  “There aren’t many vegan options here, but there’s plenty outside the park.  If you’re down, we can have a picnic or something after work.”

You face saddened and you shook your head. “I really can’t.”

“Where do you live?” Grayson asked.  “I am pretty good with parents.  Maybe if they meet me…”

You thought about your parents.  They would have loved Grayson.  He was sweet, polite, well-mannered and had a great sense of humor.  Your father would have probably tried to come off as intimidating, but then he would warm up within seconds telling embarrassing jokes.  Your mother would have made some iced tea or something and offer some of her homemade shortbread biscuits.  Tears stung your eyes and you blinked quickly to shove them back.

“No.” You shook your head again.  “It wouldn’t work.”

Grayson pursed his lips.  “Can I call you?  What about walking you home from work?”  

You shook your head sadly to both questions making Grayson sigh.  With slumped shoulders he announced why he was pushing you so much.

“Rory, my shift starts in 20 minutes. I can’t wait until tomorrow to see again.  I just want to spend more time with you.” Grayson leaned forward.  “I mean don’t you feel the connection between us?”

You blushed.  Of course you did, but not because you “saved his life.”  For the first time, you were just you.  You weren’t some freak being tested and experimented on.  For so long, your human status had been ripped from you and allowed you to be treated like garbage.  But Grayson saw all animals equally and it made you believe that he would be able to accept you too.

“I do.” You said, finally.  “But, I think we should take our time.”

Grayson nodded.  “Alright. That’s completely fair.”  He laughed nervously.  “My brother always says I fall hard way too quickly.”

You smiled.  Your friends used to say that about you too.  “Tell me more about your brother…”

You and Grayson talked for fifteen more minutes about your childhood and old memories.  It was easy to blend in with Grayson since he enjoyed reminiscing.  He didn’t ask you about current events or quiz you on gossip.  Talking with Grayson was easy and your mouth got dry from speaking and laughing.  Most of your interactions were with the other aquatic captives and that was all signing. You hadn’t heard yourself say things outside of the performance script in so long, you forgot that you had opinions and interests.

In the five minutes before Grayson’s shift, you cleaned up and took your trash downstairs to dispose of it.  Grayson reached into hug you and you tensed up a bit.

“Sorry, I smell like chlorine.” You apologized.

Grayson laughed.  “Don’t we all?”  

He hugged you tightly and you realized he was a liar.  He didn’t smell like chlorine at all, but of the most refreshing floral scent you had ever encountered.  It was almost like the smell of freshly washed linen being fluffed on a bed.  So comforting.  He waved to you and ran off to the wave pool.  You watched him run away before going to feed the dolphins.

[khiphop-writings]

Promise

Boxer!Jay Park x ER Doctor! Reader

Warnings: Suggestive(?)(not really) lil bit of violence

Word count: 4k

“Okay” you finished gently rubbing the antiseptic and placed a bandage over the fresh stitches you had just done “now, rest and absolutely no physical contact for-” “Y/N you’re needed over here” your coworker interrupted you and you rolled your eyes “2 weeks, you can go over there to book a follow up” you gestured towards the reception desk “okay what’s happening now” you were at the sink washing your hands and prepping a fresh pair of gloves “I just need you to take that patient behind curtain number three I’m busy” Minho handed you the chart once you had your new gloves on and rushed away “let’s see” you opened the thick chart “geez this is huge how often does this person get hurt” you pulled back the cream curtains and you were met with the familiar tattooed man, this time a lip gushing with blood and a swollen eye “seriously??” you threw your arms up in frustration “this is what? The third time this week, the eighth time this month??” “wow are you keeping track of me?” he grinned but it quickly turned into a grimace cause of his lip injury “whatever you’re doing you need to stop this isn’t healthy” you scolded him “but then I wouldn’t get to see you” he reached towards you hand and you quickly dodged it and got your suture kit out “you don’t need to keep injuring yourself if you want to see me” you sighed and began cleaning his bottom lip, he winced when you applied pressure “of course I do, you refused to give me your number the first time” you shook your head “I work in an emergency room for a living, relationships don’t work with me” “then I’ll continue to get hurt these are our dates” you placed the needle through his lip without warning and jerked away from you “that’s cause you won’t shut up now hold still”. 

“So what exactly do you do” you asked mindlessly checking things off in your chart “do you want to see?” he put his jacket on and walked towards you “not really know if you end up looking like this” you used your pen to gesture towards him. “You should come one night I think you’d have fun” you finally met his eyes “well too bad I work every night, tending to idiots like you” you sarcastically frowned “come on you don’t work EVERY night” “and what if I do?” he knew you were lying “okay I don’t work Thursday’s” you sighed “that perfect!” a smile appeared on his face “be careful you’re gonna pop the stitches!” you hit him with his own chart “sorry sorry!” he held his hands up in defense “so give me your number and I’ll text you details” he handed his phone to you and you regretfully complied, entering your number. 

You walked over to the desk, rubbing your neck, it had been a long night. “That took you so long” Minho was sitting across from you in the receptionist seat you knew wasn’t his “Jay Park… again” you rolled your eyes “seriously that the third time I’ve seen him here” “I know he keeps insisting on seeing me”. You went through your charts to make sure everything was in order. “aw that’s kind of sweet, why don’t you go on a date with him?” you looked at him as if he was insane “the man is literally a masochist, who gets hurt like that all the time? an insane person” you answered your own question “Okay but you don’t know that maybe he does…” Minho couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for Jay’s frequent injuries “exactly… but I might’ve agreed to come see him at his work” you gave him an embarrassed look “oh no way… you def like him” he grinned “do not! I’m just curious” you stacked up your charts and began to walk away “yeah sure” Minho called but you just walked away smiling. 

You got out of your car and stared at the unfamiliar brick building, unsure if you should continue, you tried texting Jay but he was suddenly unresponsive. “I’m gonna get killed” you thought as you locked your phone and walked towards the building. You saw a lot of people standing around a table waving cash around, you checked your wallet and hoped you brought enough money, he didn’t tell you you had to pay. You walked up to the table and people were throwing names out along with cash and men were writing the names, counting cash and yelling at people, the whole atmosphere was chaotic. 

You stood around unsure of what to do, trying to find a way out “So who are you betting on?” a strange man asked next to you “bet?” your eyes widened and you looked at him in confusion he started laughing, too loud for your comfort “is this your first time?” “y-yeah” you felt embarrassed “what is this place? Jay never told me” you tried to look around for any clues but failed “Jay?” The man was seemingly in shock “Yeah Jay Park, he’s been coming to my hospital a lot, do you know him?” “of course everyone here knows him” “they do why-” “are you gonna bet or not” “I’ll do $100 on Jay for tonight” the man placed a stack of cash on the table “she won’t be betting tonight” he moved you guys away from the table. You started to walk through the dark hallway towards the main area “why are you betting on Jay?” he just stared at you with an incredulous look on his face“god you are in for such a shock” he ruffled your hair “I’m Hyukwoo by the way” “Y/N” you gave him a nod.

The two of you arrived to the main area and it all started to make sense, you looked around at the audience stands, the dark lighting and right smack dab in the middle, a huge boxing ring lit up by a few bright lights “no shit” you looked at the ring, running your fingers along the ropes. “Are you shocked?” Hyukwoo practically shouted at you, the room was too loud “kind of? But not really?? I don’t know it kind of explains the frequent injuries” you shrugged “what do you mean? Have you met him before?” “Yeah, who do you think stitches him up all the time” you scoffed. It was his turn for his eyes to become wide “no way you’re the cute doctor???” he shut his mouth quickly “the what???” you laughed “I’ve said too much, look they’re about to come out” he turned his head towards the ring and you followed suit. 

The announcer came out microphone in hand, it was all so cliche you couldn’t believe this stuff actually went down like this “tonight we have newcomer Alex” the announcer’s voice boomed and out came a really young looking kid however he looked fearless and scary, the crowd cheered loudly for him. He was shirtless with black boxer shorts on, and his hair in a man bun, one thing you did take note however he didn’t have any gloves on. Your stomach twisted, this was most definitely illegal, the bets, this sketchy looking place, no gloves which meant they could basically pummel each other to death “that explains the busted knuckles one time” your face twisted. “Next up we have, your favorite and mine Jay Park” the announcer stressed out the last syllable of his name for what felt like forever and the crowd roared, out came Jay hands wrapped up, shirtless, in white boxer shorts, hair draped over his face. Your heart began to speed up a little bit, you weren’t sure if it was because you thought he looked nice or if you were anxious about what’s to come. 

Jay started swinging as soon as the whistle blew, he missed the first couple but he finally landed one straight in Alex’s jaw, that knocked him back a bit but Alex started furiously throwing punches at him that he tried his best to dodge but Alex managed to get a few into his ribs. You were very noticeably at the edge of your seat, practically almost falling off, Hyukwoo chuckled and pulled you back “he’s doing great” he whispered in your ear and you finally breathed in what felt like forever. The match ended by Jay trapping his opponent between his legs and Alex had finally tapped out, you breathed a sigh of relief and stood up with the crowd to congratulate him. 

Hyukwoo helped lead you to the locker room and wait for Jay, when his eyes landed on you a shit eating grin formed on his face “wow I can’t believe you actually came” he tried to pull you into a hug but you unknowingly dodged it and began examining him, the doctor in you taking over. “And how’s your breathing I saw he punched you in your chest pretty hard, could you breath for me” you placed your hand on his muscular chest, eyebrows knit in concentration, he placed his hand over yours “hey you’re not working today so don’t worry about it alright?” he swiftly removed your hand from his chest and intertwined your fingers, you blushed, unfamiliar with this sudden touchy-feely behavior. “Let me just-” “no no no let’s go out to eat” he smiled dragging you to his car. 

A few minutes later you were sitting next to Jay, across from Hyukwoo enjoying some burgers “and he literally comes in all the time, even for probable concussions” you laughed explaining how often Jay frequents your hospital “well you can never be too safe” he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment “yeah especially when the doctor is so cute” Hyukwoo raises his eyebrows suggestively “yeah that too” Jay coughs “who? Minho?” you try to hide the blush on your cheek and Jay just laughs. Hyukwoo had to leave early, leaving you and Jay alone, he leaned against your car before you could get in, “sooo” he looped his fingers through your belt loops, pulling you closer, your bodies practically touching “I would really like to see you again, minus Hyukwoo” he smirks. You look down playing with a rock under your shoe “I don’t know… I’m always working you won’t like it” you frowned “I work every night just like you” he argued “how about we let the day time be for us” he holds your chin to make you look at him “okay maybe we can go on one date” you smile.

The following Thursday you found yourself in the same booth as the last time except you were sitting across from Jay this time Hyukwoo nowhere to be found. “Sorry this is the only place that’s open this late” he mumbled “that’s okay I like this place” you gave him a warm smile that seemed to ease his nervousness. After that you fell into comfortable conversation, trying to get to know each other as best as possible. “And so what’s the grossest thing you’ve seen in the ER” you pretended to think for a minute “you” you teased and he threw his head back laughing “what? Sometimes you have nasty cuts” you laughed with him. “But seriously ummm” you paused “ooo okay so one time we had to pull an axe out of this man's stomach and then once we removed it he just didn’t stop bleeding so I had to-” you looked up and Jay looked a little sick, you chuckled “I’ll stop this is clearly too graphic for you” “sorry I just wasn’t expecting it” he sighed “no worries” you nodded and you guys fell silent. “Well so why do you box?” you rested your chin in your palm leaning into him “hm I don’t really know, it's good money, I’m good at it” he shrugged “it’s as nice way to get anger out” he gave you an unsure look “well I have a lot of anger maybe you should teach me one day” you raised your eyebrows playfully “maybe” he smiled.

After three more dates Jay wanted to make you his, officially, which you were hesitant about. Yeah you were falling for him but his career made you extremely anxious. You grew accustomed to the routine you two had created, seeing each other practically every day going on little dates and sometimes just spending the day at either of your guys apartments, Some nights when he had small cuts or bruises, he would show up at your door using it as an excuse to be able to spend the night even though you would have let him anyway. 

You even let Jay take you to his gym to teach you how to box. He strapped you in the protective gear, patting the padded helmet on your head and giving you a kiss on the nose. “Okay so you’re going to want to” he placed his leg in between yours, guiding your foot into a proper stance in front of the red punching bag “yeah stand just like that” then he wrapped his arms around yours lifting them up in front of your face you blushed slightly at the closeness. “okay now keep your elbow straight” his fingertips grazed your elbow and then he tapped lightly signaling you to throw the first punch, it wasn’t hard at all, he heard him hold back a laugh “ugh come on” you turned around hitting him lightly “okay okay let’s try again” he turned you around placing you back into the same stance. 

After a couple of missed punches you finally landed one straight on the punching bag “OH NICE” he shouted picking you up and shaking you “hey don’t congratulate me yet I want to be as good as you” you raised your gloved fist in his face turning back to throw more punches at the bag. “I see why you like this” you said between punches “although I usually just punch minho whenever I’m upset” “maybe we should get you your own” Jay laughed “or maybe I can just come here with you” you grinned “well then I would end up being too distracted by you” he wrapped his arms around you. 

In turn you met him at his apartment, medically prepared first aid kit in tow, you agreed to teach him how to treat his wounds. You were seated on his bathroom counter, Jay placed himself between your legs, you were teaching him each product and what order he would need to apply everything “Okay so this is called…” you held up the brown bottle “peroxide” he responded and you nodded with a smile. “I don’t see why we’re doing this I have you” he ran a finger down your thigh,“well sometimes I’m asleep when you show up I’d like to sleep a full night” you swatted his hand away and leaned forward wiping his cut with the peroxide. “Plus you asked me” you got defensive “maybe it was just so I could get you in this position” he wrapped your legs around his back and picked you up off the counter, he pressed a peck into your lips.

As quickly as things had happened, things fell apart just as quickly.

You tried to attend every match you could and you gave him a thorough check up whenever you could, it just made you so nervous even though he was undeniably good. You would never express to him your uneasiness, he loved boxing and you don’t expect him to stop it for you, that would be unfair but it just made you want to throw up sometimes. Every time someone bursted through the doors on a late night, your heart raced and you always had to check to make sure it wasn’t your boyfriend. 

“Good job” you clapped your hands lightly, you met Jay at your usual after match spot, he pulled you into his arms swinging you around “that was seriously one of my bests ugh that was great” he grinned widely “yeah you were really great out there” you patted down his sweaty hair “do you want to go to our usual place?” you asked as he grabbed his bag “of course” he took your hand in his “ugh wow I still can’t get over how great that-” Jay hunched over coughing a bit “are you alright” you rubbed his back “did anything come out when you coughed? A color-” “stop Y/N seriously stop” he moved away from you “do you have to baby me all the time? This shit happens it’s normal after getting a few hits” his words hit you like a truck “well excuse me for caring about you” you bit back tears “no- that’s not what I meant” he tried to grab your wrists but you pulled away “no I know exactly what you mean” you sighed walking away. 

You woke up and surprisingly found Jay next to you in your bed, you only remembered crying yourself to sleep, not him coming home with you. He placed a soft kiss on your shoulder but you moved away from his touch “Y/N please” he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you in close so you couldn't move away. “That was so stupid of me to say, I know you’re a doctor and its just instinct, I actually really do appreciate your care” you stayed silent so he could continue “I don’t know what came over me I was just all really excited about winning and I didn’t want to think about things that could drag the mood down” “are you saying I drag the mood down” you spat “no of course not, it’s just if something bad were to happen to me I didn’t want it to be in that moment.” You finally turned around to face him “I’ll try to hold back” you ran your hand up and down his muscular forearm “no please” he placed a kiss on your cheek “don’t” one on your other cheek “hold back” and finally a kiss on your lips “I really like not having to go to the hospital to see you and I get a free check up” he mumbled into your neck “now will you give me a check up doctor?” he gave you a smirk.

Things seemed to go downhill since that day. After another attempted check up a couple weeks later and him lashing out in the same way except you didn’t wake up next to him that morning. 

[To: Jay]: Hey… I’m sorry about last night can we meet up?

[From: Jay]: Sorry :( I have a huge match to prep for later this week

[To: Jay]: Oh… okay well if it’s on a night that I’m not working let me know so I can watch! :) 

[From: Jay]: Sure.

You went to work extremely distracted, constantly checking your phone for an update. When your phone locked and you were met with your reflection you finally heard Minho “Y/N did you hear what I said?” you looked up sheepishly “no sorry” “come on let’s go get some coffee”.

You hadn’t told him everything that happened just that you were currently in a “weird spot”, he knew there was more to it but he didn't want to push you. “Okay I’m taking your phone for the rest of the night” he pried it out of your clutch “you’re a doctor focus” he nudged your arm. 

“How are you and Jay doing?” Minho asked one day while you two were trying to rest in the on call room “umm” you trailed off. “I actually haven’t seen him in a while” your voice was quiet “really? What happened?” he rolled over to face you “I guess I’m too pushy, the doctor in me always wants to check up on him and we talked about and I thought we got over it but I guess not” you frowned “He can’t date a doctor and not expect that to happen” Minho scoffed “he says it ruins the mood” “oh Y/N I’m so sorry” he opened up his blanket and you squeezed into the twin bed with him, he rubbed your arm “I’m sure things will get better soon” he whispered.

You hadn’t seen Jay for about a week after that, his texts were short and he never told you when his matches were. It was impossible to get a hold of him and it was very much distracting you at work. It wasn’t until you started to cut a patient's circulation off with a blood pressure monitor minho decided enough was enough.

-Minho Pov-

“Hi is this Jay?” he tried to say as sternly as possible, gathering up all his courage. “No he’s training right now but I can take a message?” a man said from the other end “Well I don’t know if you know who Y/N is but he’s completely cut her off and it’s affecting her heavy, I need him to figure his shit out and talk to her” there was a moment of silence until the other man spoke up “wow I had no idea… I’ll talk to him for sure thank you” minho nodded even though he couldn’t be seen and hung up.

It was a very quiet night in the ER you were tending to your last patients when suddenly the EMT’s burst through the doors rushing past you with a gurney “I've got an unconscious male, seems to have taken multiple hits, Y/N I need your help on this” on of the EMT says as he placed the gurney behind a curtain, pulling out an ambu bag. This type of thing was normal for you, you were always calm in these situations, that was until you actually saw the unconscious man, you clipboard clattered to the floor and your ears began to ring, you felt dizzy, hoped, prayed it was a dream. “Y/N please pump his chest” the EMT placed the ambu bag on Minsik’s face and waited for you to get beside him. Your body moved unconsciously doing the actions it’s known to do by heart, that was all you could do, in your head you were screaming at him trying to tell him how stupid he was. Tears began to fall down your face and you began to pump his chest harder “I can’t…. we can’t lose him” you strained out “we’re not going to” minho stroked your hair, you had no idea when he had gotten there “keep going you’re doing great” he was frantically checking Jay’s pulse for any sign. Your hands hurt from pumping so much and your vision was blurry, you were so tired, you wanted this to end “I’m feeling something keep going Y/N” Minho perked up keeping his thumb on Jay’s wrist. You pushed yourself to keep going no matter how much it hurt “come on you idiot don’t leave me please” a second wave of tears began to flood “please please” at this point you weren’t sure if your pumping was hurting or helping him. Five minutes felt like eternity, five minutes had passed and that’s when Jay finally jerked up taking a deep breath, for some reason you were still pumping until Minho took your shaking hands in his pulling you to his chest “He’s alright look, he’s gonna make it” he whispered into your ear but you just continued to sob until your tears ran out. 

The next time you saw Jay you felt like punching him straight in the face, however when you looked at the man all hooked up to the machines and in a hospital gown you grew extremely sad. You immediately ran to his side wrapping him in your arms, last night you thought you wouldn’t be able to feel this again “you’re an idiot you’re such a fucking idiot” you sobbed loudly  into his chest “I know, I know” he whispered caressing your head.

A/N: Hi! how is everyone! I hope you guys liked this, please note I really know nothing about the medical field this is just me w my research lol. Requests are open please let me know what you think about this!

[dvoz-alternate]

Idol Room Scenario

Request: can you do a mingi x reader when the reader is their senior in a gg (kinda like bp, twice, etc) and both groups go to idol room for an episode 🥺

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AN: I have actually really wanted to make something like this for the longest time and now I’m able to make it for you! I am pulling some of my ideas from a post I made earlier this year! Also the Queen of Hearts is my favorite card in the deck and the group is based on a straight royal flush sooo…. For the sake of the fic you are born just a few months before Seonghwa, so Jan-Mar.

Summary: Part of an all girl group you are the leader of Royals. Both groups have heard of each other and seen each others works/MVs/live streams/etc., but have never met in person and happen to be fans of each other. For the most part all they know are names and faces. Royals and Ateez are doing a collab on an album and their companies thought it would be a good way to introduce each group through the idol room.

Word count: ~1500

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The MC looked over towards ATEEZ’s leader, “So, it’s true that you are going to be working with the Royals on your upcoming album?” “It is true and we are really looking forward to doing this collab. There is going to be a lot of new concepts between our groups,” Hongjoong said leaning forward slightly on his stool. The other MC spoke up, “And neither group has met in person right?” The group of boys all shook their heads. “Perfect than this would be a perfect time for us to introduce the girl group Royals to the set!” the MC gestured off stage to where you and four other girls entered from. Mingi’s jaw dropped slightly seeing one of his favorite groups join them for the episode. Yunho noticed the look on Mingi’s face and casually raised a hand to close his mouth. His eyes instantly locking on your form.

Smiling you walked onto the set with two of your members in front of you and two behind you  lining up next to the MC who introduced your group. Glancing at the MCs and then to the boy group ATEEZ you sucked in a quick breath before quickly recovering your smile. Your members have teased you before about your attraction for the giant rapper, but now you were finally seeing him in person. Bowing you introduce your group flashing a stunning smile. You were partially dreading your personal introduction but you pushed on. “Hi I’m (Y/N), the leader of the Royals and the queen of hearts, and more specifically the queen of your heart,” you gave a wink and a finger heart to the camera and to the boys before immediately hiding behind your taller group members who chuckled at your embarrassment. Mingi and the rest of the group couldn’t help but remember their first person intros when they first started. 

Sitting in the stools the MCs turned to view both groups, “Alright, so what do you know about each other.” You shared a look with Hongjoong and he nodded at you to take the lead, “In all honesty the most we know of each other is each other’s name.” “And position within each group,” Hongjoong added. Feeling eyes on you, you slowly moved your attention from the MC to where you thought you were being stared at. Seeing the flame colored hair you tilted your head slightly giving him a warm smile. Facing flushing from being caught Mingi ducked his head running a hand through his hair. “Well how about this,” an MC said looking between the two groups, “let’s have each of you guess who is older before revealing how old you actually are.” The other MC spoke up, “Seonghwa why don’t you try guessing?” Standing the dark haired male in leather went to stand in front of your group. Taking a good look at all of your features he came to a conclusion, “I think based off the music videos we have watched that you’re all at least born in 1999.” Your group all glanced at you giggling. “Was I wrong?” Seonghwa asked turning to look at his guys for help even though they were just as clueless. “I mean you were mostly right,” you offered teasingly. “Wait what?!” several of the boys jumped from their seats staring at you. “Wait a minute… who’s the oldest?” you asked as you clasp your hands together pointer fingers scanning over the group. “I am. I was born on April 3, 1998,” Seonghwa said raising an eyebrow at you. Eyes widening your jaw dropped. “What, no! This should be illegal!” you and your group stared gobsmacked at the eight boys in front of you. “I’m just a few months older than you,” you gestured to Seonghwa. “What?! You look so young!” Mingi’s eyes were comically wide. Everyone started laughing at how much chaos had broken out over this topic. 

“Alright, alright. Between your groups, who holds the sex appeal,” the MC decided to move onto the next topic. Collabately from both ATEEZ and Royals everyone pointed at Wooyoung before they turned on you. “Wait no! No!” you quickly waved your hands around, “I’m definitely not the sexy one in the group. I’m just cute.” A choking noise came from Mingi and Jongho thumped him on the back. “Then what do you call this?” the MC pulled up your groups most recent music video which you covered your eyes with your hands. “I don’t know I just do that…” you called your words trailing off slightly embarrassed. Your crush however was watching the screen intently with cheeks slightly pink. “How and why are you the only one dancing in those heels?” Mingi asked prying his eyes away from the screen where you were dancing in ridiculously high heels. “Ah, I’m the shortest in the group so it was to help make me appear taller, and it fit the theme of the music video,” you shrug. “So you had to learn that entire choreography in those death traps?” Yunho asked. Nodding you explained, “Yeah it was definitely an experience. I learned the choreography beforehand and then had to relearn it in the heels.” “I can’t believe you actually did the splits like that though,” Wooyoung said as they watched the part where you go into the splits as you all point up and out in the opposite direction. “We have watched the reaction video of you on youtube when you saw you had to wear those heels, and it’s probably still one of the cutest things ever,” Mingi didn’t mean to call you cute out loud, but when he thought back to you staring wide eyed and mouth open like a fish he couldn’t help it. Cheeks burning from Mingi calling you cute you covered them with your hands. 

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Each group performed their preferred arrangement in front of each other along with random dance play. You couldn’t help but jump in and dance Mingi’s part when Wave was played. Both groups intermingling knowing the dance to each groups songs. 

“So we have one last thing to do before we end the show,” an MC said standing between each group. “Finally we will do a lyric battle between the groups, and to make it a little more even would one of you volunteer to join the Royals for the final game?” Sheepishly Mingi stepped forward rubbing the back of his neck. Your heart started racing as you held a hand out for him to join you. The rest of ATEEZ already knew about the giant’s crush on you so they decided to give him a hard time and something about “abandoning the group”. “I think we need to redo our opening,” Yeosang teased as they all recounted back to their time with Oneus. After they finished you wrapped your arms around Mingi, “You know if that’s the case then I might just have to keep him.” Mingi’s face darkened at your words with his blush now touching his ears while everyone “oohed”.

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Stepping off the stage together you and your group faced the boy group. “It was really nice being able to meet you all officially,” you told them your group bowing. “We look forward to spending the next few weeks working with you as well,” Hongjoong lead his group in reciprocating the courtesy. You and Mingi both seemed to have the same idea lingering behind the others as they started leaving. Brushing your hair behind your ear you looked up at the smiling giant. “I still can’t believe we actually get to work together,” Mingi said following behind you as you went to pick up your bag. “Likewise. You’re an extremely talented group of guys, and am a big fan of a certain rapper,” you turned to look at him as you adjusted you bag over your shoulder. The red haired rapper’s smile seemed to grow bigger for a brief moment before it disappeared, “Wait… do you mean Hongjoong?” Giving his shoulder a slight shove you laughed, “No, no. This rapper has red hair and a ridiculously deep voice,” you giggled as you watched his smile reappear and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh!” you started digging through your purse before tearing out a small piece of paper from a notebook and a pen. Mingi watched as you scribbled on the paper before you handed it to him. “Hopefully we can talk more than just during the project time period,” you told him tilting your head slightly. Mingi stared in shock at the small piece of paper. You had scrawled your number on it with a cute heart at the end. He also didn’t noticed that you had started to walk away before you called out to him. “Mingi! Come on! Our groups are going out for lunch!” Snapping out of his trance he pocketed the paper before running after you.

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masterlist

[redeadepression]

Untitled John Fic | John Marston x F!Reader | Angst

I couldn’t think of a title so... Get it? Like the Goose game. Lol.

Sooo I misread this ask as specifically asking for fem reader which is how I have written the fic. I apologise if you were wanting GN or M!Reader. But I do state in my rules if you don’t ask for a specific gender I will probably write F!Reader as it’s what I am most confident in as a female.

I would also LOVE to write an Arthur fic along the same vein but need to wait for inspiration to hit. Feel free to send me sad Arthur headcanons you wouldn’t mind me using as a prompt to get the juices flowing.

~~

Warnings: Mentions of suicide/suicidal thoughts | Tags: ANGST, Hurt/Comfort

Relationships: John Marston x F!Reader, (past) John Marston x Abigail Roberts | NO CHEATING

Word Count: 4608  

Summery: John is struggling with juggling a new relationship and his commitment to Abigail as ex-husband/co-parent to Jack. Reader comforts him when he’s down.

Disclaimer: I fucking LOVE Abigail!!! Don’t @ me about her characterization in this fic! John/Abi is my OTP. I am fully aware they are BOTH at fault for their shitty relationship early game and I try so hard to never write her as purely “the bad guy”. I make sure to always try and give her solid reasoning behind her shitty actions. However, this fic is from John and his new gf’s POV so obviously Abigail is going to be the antagonist.

~~~

It had been a hard few months. Tensions were high in the Gang and as a relatively new member you were finding it hard to hide that fact that you felt uncomfortable and out of place.

Most of your awkward feelings came from the seemingly unanimous contempt that had been placed upon you by a large number of gang members. A strong dislike so thinly veiled that it hung in the air like a bad smell. It felt absolutely suffocating, intolerable at times.

But you couldn’t walk away now. Not after what you had done to cause this cloud of abhorrence that seemed to follow your every move. You’d made a commitment and you planned to stick it out until the heat died down.

If it did die down… You worried more than you cared to admit that you had made a name for yourself. That your time here would always be miserable.

You sat by yourself on a log near the fire. Having risen earlier than usual to try and avoid the bustle of the morning. Gang members arguing over who got the first cup of coffee and whining at the taste of left-over stew for breakfast.

Most people were still asleep. The sun had only just begun to peak its head over the mountains across the distant valley. You were enjoying your moment of silence, a second to yourself to catch your breath after a horrible night of restless sleep.

As if the universe itself was against you, an almighty shriek ripped through the camp, a sudden wind, unrelated to the noise jostled tent flaps and wiped your hair around your face. If you didn’t know better, you would have sworn the breeze was a shockwave from the force of Abigail’s wrath.

You exhaled slowly, turning to look in the direction of the disturbance but still trying to be discreet lest anyone was watching.

Abigail was berating John. Absolutely tearing shreds off him as he stared at her blankly like a startled deer. He had been on his way to the fire, empty coffee cup in hand when she had caught up with him. Her mannerisms telling anyone that was watching that she was finally at the end of her tether.

You pursed your lips, turning back to the fire quickly and trying to pretend you hadn’t heard. Couldn’t still hear, the screaming and cursing.

You couldn’t blame her. It was your fault she was so high strung lately.

You listened as John tried to defend himself meekly. His arguments palling in comparison to her accusations. She had every right to be as upset with him as she was. But you felt perhaps this discussion could have happened in private instead of airing your dirty laundry for the Gang to witness.

It had been a good 6 months now since they had broken up. Amicably at first with the intensions of working things out after a trial separation. John had needed space from her constant nagging and Abigail felt she needed time away from here ‘second child.’

They kept their separation to themselves. But due to the nature of their volatile relationship it wasn’t such a secret. Abigail and Jack moved out of John’s tent and Jack had spent days crying on his bedroll. Heartbroken over his parents splitting up.

This caused frequent quarrels. Abigail arguing that John didn’t care and wasn’t doing anything to try and console the boy that everything would be fine. John arguing right back that there was nothing he could do. Why give him hope for something that may never happen?

The fact that Abigail refused to leave him in peace after their separation just pushed him further away. Even if her arguments were valid and with good intension. John felt caged. Breaking up didn’t make her stop. He couldn’t catch a break. He felt trapped with the only option being to run again.

You bit at your bottom lip, taking a sip of your coffee to seem nonchalant as more and more gang members began to rise from their tents to see what all the commotion is about. A few were looking directly at you. Their eyes squinted and full of loathing. But most were looking at Abigail and John. Watching as she paced in front of him, ranting and raving about his lack of care.

It seemed she’d had a rough night. With Jack falling ill she’s not slept a wink. Between comforting him and cleaning him up after he’s been sick, she was awake the entire night. Resentment at John’s blissfully unaware state growing by the minute as he slept right through a few tents over.

He was arguing that he didn’t know. She should have told him he was sick. Asked for help and he would have been there. Abigail was screaming back that asking him for help has never done her any good in the past so  why should she start now?

John was flailing, you could see it plainly as you chanced another glance around. She was too damn angry to hear anything he had to say. You felt for her. You really did. That was, until she noticed you.

She turned on you with the fury of 3 angry bulls.  She screamed your name, pointing. All eyes were on you as she shouted.

“And you! You don’t help a damn thing you homewrecker!”

Your jaw droped, unable to speak as you blinked in disbelief. She’d not spoken a word to you in months. Of course now was the time she chose to hash it all out.

“Hey!” John interjected, grabbing Abigail by the arm and spinning her back in his direction. “You leave her out of this!” He warned, eyes stern as she reeled around, hand clapping hard against the side of his face and making him falter. He let go of her, staring with wounded eyes as she took a step back. Realising what she’d just done and clearing her throat.

She opened her mouth to apologise. Her own disbelief greater than that of anybody watching. It had been a reflex. Muscle memory from her days as a prostitute. She hadn’t meant to hurt him.

John turned away, standing there for a second longer before walking away in the direction of the horses.

You watched in stunned silence as she let him go. Even the birds seemingly invested in the situation as an awry stillness descended on the whole area. The only sound the crunching of John’s boots as he stomped towards Old Boy.

He mounted up and left. Forgoing a saddle or any other tack. Hands holding tight on to Old Boy’s mane as he dug his heels into the horse’s ribs and directed him away from camp.

It took a few minutes and Abigail retreating to her lean-to to check on Jack before anyone dared to make a move. Gang members slowly exiting their respective tents and going about their business quietly. None of them bold enough to mention what had just happened for fear of Abigail over-hearing.

You stood slowly, knowing people were going to be looking in your direction regardless. They knew where you were going. What your plan was. There was no point in sitting around any longer in an attempt to try and hide it.

You moved towards your horse. Taking your time to saddle up and make sure he/she was ready for the ride before mounting up and spurring them into a trot along the path out of camp.

 ~~~~

You didn’t have to ride long. Knowing in your heart where John would be you had ridden towards that area, following along the fresh hoof-prints in the loose red dirt.

You turned off the beaten path, your horse whinnying in annoyance at having to walk through the brush. You petted them on the neck, promising a treat for following your direction. You know they couldn’t understand you but smiled non-the-less as they seemed to calm at the idea.

You could have left them hitched to a tree near the main road. But you ran the risk of another gang member noticing them and walking through the forest to find you.

You spotted John and Old Boy up ahead. The large Hungarian Half-bred munching happily on some greenery about 10 metres from the edge of a large cliff overlooking the valley below. John was sitting near the edge. Face in his hands as he contemplated his life thus far, oblivious to your approach.

You hitched Y/HN next to Old Boy and called out softly to alert John to your presence. He jumped slightly. Looking over his shoulder briefly before wiping at his face and letting his hands fall to his lap.

You sat down beside him, placing a familiar hand on his upper back and rubbing small, comforting circles as he glared at the ground in front of him. A large, angry mark flaring up on his cheek where Abigail had hit him.

It had been about 4 months since you’d officially started dating. Four months of absolute hell if you were being honest. But when you were alone like this, in your special spot away from camp, it was absolute bliss.

This specific situation wasn’t ideal. But you had been yearning for some alone time away from prying eyes.

Eyes that seemed to never stop watching. It was taking its toll on you. Making you regret things you shouldn’t be regretting. Questioning things, you didn’t want to be questioning.

Like was he worth it?

John seemed to follow your train of thought. Side-eying you silently as he rubbed at his cheek.

“You can go.” He said weakly. “If you want.” A long exhale following his words as he licked his lips and fell silent once more.

“I just got here.” You laughed, hand falling from its place on his back. You placed it on his thigh, squeezing reassuringly and watching as his jaw tensed. Seemingly gritting his teeth.

“No... I know.” He said softly, struggling to find the words. “I mean… You can leave. If you want to.” He paused, finally turning to look at you and realising his point had not been made. “The Gang.” He clarified. Making your brows shoot upwards in surprise.

He turned back to his hands in his lap and closed his eyes for a moment. You suspected he was waiting for your confirmation on the subject but it didn’t come.

You had been enjoying your time in the Gang up until recently. Having worked hard every day for a week to pull a con on two men you’d met in the saloon nearby. It turned out those men were actually trying to con you as well. When the truth was realised you had all had a good laugh. Dutch and Arthur inviting you to join them for a drink and upon realising you currently didn’t have a stable home, the Gang.

Everything was fantastic for a few months. You felt at home almost instantly. You made new friends, new family. You were welcomed with open arms and you had never felt so secure in your lifetime.

When you’d met John, the chemistry had been instantaneous on your part. Finding him attractive, friendly and useful to boot. You had caught him staring more than once and were relatively sure he returned your feelings. But something was off about the way he acted towards you. He had been skittish. Dancing around your attraction to him and outright avoiding any chance you’d had to be alone. It wasn’t until you’d cornered him after a night of drinking that he finally admitted he did feel something for you as well.

He was very guilty about his admission. Explaining that he was supposed to be trying to work on things with Abigail. He was struggling hard with the feeling that he knew deep down their relationship was a dead-end. Every time they were supposed to try and talk it out it ended in a fight. Abigail becoming increasingly impatient that he wasn’t ready to recommit himself to her.

He had word-vomited his darkest thoughts to you that night. Slurring about how he wanted to run away again and saw no way out. His attraction to you was the straw that broke the camels back. The last nail in the coffin of his resolve to fix things with his wife. He hadn’t meant for it to happen. But that didn’t mean he could ignore it.

He wanted to tell Abigail it was over for good. He wasn’t interested in fixing things and he felt they parented better separately anyway. She was always going on about Jack. What about Jack? How will this affect Jack? He was scared to tell her it wouldn’t. To seem callous towards his son and his feelings. He felt he was a better Father without her hanging over his shoulder.

Somewhere in the middle of his rant he had begun to cry. Head heavy with the drink, he hadn’t been able to stop his usual stoic core from breaking. Mortified by the turn of events he’d tried to pretend as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t just spent half an hour rambling his sorrows to a relative stranger.

He shut himself down. Locking away his feelings and refusing to acknowledge them even after you’d both bitten the bullet and started to date a few weeks later.

He’d had to tell Abigail first. Before he could in good conscience being seeing you in earnest. He had been too afraid before your drunken talk. Terrified of ending things and risking everything he had for the sake of your rejection. But after the conformation he had been looking for, he’d found a renewed sense of courage. Letting Abigail know he was done with their romantic relationship but that didn’t mean he was walking away from Jack.

To say she hadn’t taken it well was an understatement. You had learnt swear words that day that you hadn’t previously known the existence of. She had been absolutely furious at your betrayal. Having gotten along fine before that. She’d never expected that you would pounce on her husband.

You’d both argued that had they been an item you would never had made your feelings known. But as John was for all intents and purposes, single, you felt it was alright to proposition him.

You understood where she was coming from. She had been blindsided by your interest in him. Having had it set in her mind that they would work things out and become that happy family she had always dreamed she’d have.

For the most part, the gang agreed with your argument. Tiptoeing around Abigail and letting you know that you didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t until rumour started to spread about the night you confessed your feelings that things started to take a turn. It spread like wildfire and although you were both pretty confident of its origin, you couldn’t prove it anymore than you could prove you hadn’t slept together that night.

The general consensus of ‘You’ve done no wrong’ quickly changed to ‘How could you do that?’ after rumour spread that you had slept together before John had officially ended things with Abigail.

Looking back, you feared you had worsened the situation by buying into it. Telling people that even if it were true, they were still separated; had led people to believe it was true. You regretted it, more for John’s sake than your own. You thought of these people as your family. But these people were his family and had been for over half his life. The damage done by the entire situation was breaking him. You could see it in the way he looked at you. Hear it in the way he spoke.

You hated to admit it. But this morning part of you was worried you would find Old Boy hitched on the edge of the cliff and John’s mangled body at the bottom.

You looked at him now, your own teeth clenched as you tried to find the words to let him know you weren’t going anywhere. That he hadn’t risked all for nothing. You would stay and you would listen. You would wear the criticism and backhanded comments with an air of pride as long as you were making him happy.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” You whispered, shuffling closer so your sides were touching.

John jumped at the initial contact, head snapping back to look at where you’d bumped against him before he seemed to relax, turning his gaze back to the ground.

“I understand if you want to, deep down.” He mumbled, not really moving his lips as he spoke. “You wouldn’t be the only one.”

You winced at that, hand on his thigh squeezing once more as you leaned in to kiss the mark on his cheek. He jolted away out of reflex before settling himself down and letting his forehead rest on your own cheek.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re feelin’?” You asked quietly, hand coming up to run through his long hair and massage his scalp. He moaned against you softly, shuddering at the feeling.

“Not feelin’ anything.” He said against your shoulder, eyes staring blankly at the stitching on your collar.

Your lips tightened, eyes flicking towards him as you removed your hand from his head and waited. It took a few seconds before he realised you were done. Sitting back to look at you sadly as you raised your brows in question.

“What?” He asked, looking away. You could tell he wanted you to drop it. To just pretend it hadn’t happened and move on like you’d done that first night.

“What was all that about?” You asked, gesturing back in the direction of camp, his eyes rolling at your question.

“Just drop it will ya?” He asked, annoyance in his tone as he stared out over the valley. The sun now having fully risen above the mountain was tingling their skin with warmth as it worked to rise enough to shade them under the trees above.

You stayed silent, feeling the mood shift. His demeanour hadn’t changed but something was different. You didn’t want to push him too hard, lest he fling himself over the cliff in front of your eyes.

“It’s just…” He started, crossing his arms and huffing indignantly. “It’s… dumb.” He said weakly, trailing off from his train of thought.

You watched on sadly. Brows furrowed as he sniffed audibly. Shoulders shuddering momentarily before he managed to compose himself enough to stop them.

His eyes were squinting in the morning sun. Face scrunched into a scowl as he blinked back his emotions.

He obviously wanted to talk. Not sure how to go about it or if he would be judged for what he was going to say. Perhaps he stopped himself because he felt you would be offended by his statement.

“I’m sure it’s not.” You probed. Deciding that if he truly wanted you to drop it, he wouldn’t have spoken.

“I’m just…” He paused, questioning if he really had the emotional stability he would need to talk about his feelings without breaking down. He swallowed, taking a calming breath before continuing. “I’m really trying.” He said simply, voice cracking on the last word as his face crumpled and he brought his hands up to cover it.

You made a sound of acknowledgement, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and squeezing his opposite arm tightly.

He let you, too busy in his own mind to push you away. He admonished himself harshly for thinking he could vent a little bit without opening the gates entirely. It had been such a long time since he’d cried, properly cried and not just let a few tears slip when he was heavy on the drink. He’d been holding in years of unpleasant feelings and lately he’d been struggling. Feeling particularly vulnerable at inopportune times and taking playful jabs way too seriously.

He choked on his words of apology. Mumbling nonsense into his palms as he finally began to let it all out.

“I… I been tryin’ so…” He paused, stumbling over his wording. “So… hard.” He stuttered, shaking uncontrollably under the weight of his own words.

You shushed him lightly, hand squeezing soothingly as you gently pulled him towards you. He let himself fall, head resting on your chest as he huffed quietly, his breathing uneven.

Once he was resting his weight against you, you moved your hand to his back. Running the pads of your fingers lightly up and down his spine and encouraging him to breath in the same slow pattern. He obliged, slowly but surely calming as his breathing began to return to normal. His leaking eyes burning as he struggled to stop the flow of tears he regretted letting go of.

“I don’t… I don…” He stammered, cutting himself off. He already felt so damn weak. Nerves grating on the feeling of helplessness.

You shook your head, other hand coming up to run through his hair once more and then down against his unmarred cheek. You pressed lightly, encouraging him to look at you. He reluctantly did so, red rimmed eyes sheepishly averting as he caught your look of sympathy.

You could tell he was on the verge of shutting down. Composing himself and bottling it all back up until the next time, whenever that may be. All of the thoughts and feelings would come back twice as hard. Knocking against him when he least expects it and finally pushing him off the precipice he had so delicately been balancing on since long before you met him.

Since Jack was born.

“It’s okay.” You cooed, holding him tighter in an effort to make him feel safe. “You can tell me anythin’, you know that.” You whispered gently, the feeling of him slowly coming undone almost physical as his dam-wall broke apart in your arms.

He stuttered uncontrollably, breath hitching almost constantly as he tried his hardest to tell you how he was feeling. Words broken and slurred as he let you in on his darkest thoughts. His deepest fears.

“I been tryin’ so… so hard with Jack.” He cried against your breast. Pressing himself closer to you as if he could hide from your judgement. “She… she told me… I…” He stammered, cutting himself off as deep, wracking sobs overtook his ability to speak.

You shushed him lightly. Making sure to let him know it wasn’t his words you were trying to stop. You wanted to hear it all. Wanted him to let it out and get it in the open so you could calm his tears and all his insecurities.

He was mortified, you could tell by the way he kept trying to hide his face. Wiping at it irately as if being annoyed with his tears would stop them.

You supposed you would be embarrassed too if the situations were reversed. Your relationship was relatively new, even if it had already felt like a lifetime. He was scared of your judgement. Afraid you were going to leave once you’d seen what a wimp he really was.

You reassured him once more that you weren’t leaving. Making it clear you were staying put without his prompting. Hoping it felt more genuine that way.

He seemed to calm down a little after you spoke. Sobs turning to uneven breaths as you resumed running your hand up and down his back at a slow pace.

He followed your movements, long soothing breaths making him weary after his emotional collapse.

“She told me… I weren’t tryin’ hard enough with Jack.” He said finally, nearly getting through the entire sentence without a hitch. His arms wrapped around your waist loosened, falling slack as he took a deep breath and pushed himself to sit up.

You took in his dishevelled appearance, feeling a pang to your heart at the sight of him. Your hand came up automatically to brush his hair behind his ear as he turned to look at you with the saddest eyes you’d ever seen.

“She said I ruined his life breakin’ up his parents. Said he’d never be happy again.” He elaborated, barely above a whisper. You smiled sympathetically, hands cupping his cheeks as you leaned into brush your lips against his. He let you, not closing his eyes as you kissed him. Wanting to see as well as feel you.

“You know that ain’t true.” You said against his lips, thumbs swiping under his eyes to wipe away some of the wetness. He paused, nodding hesitantly as if he didn’t really believe it but felt he had to agree for your sake.

“She hurt my feelings.” He admitted quietly. Voice so small you weren’t sure you had actually heard it. He looked away, pulling his face from your grip and you knew then that he had said what you thought. “I been tryin’ so hard.” He repeated for the third time. Driving home how much she had hurt him with her words and making your heart ache. You felt for him. You knew too well the pain of truly trying your hardest only to be shot down and slapped with a punishment for not putting in any effort.

“I know. I’ve seen you.” You stated as a conformation, smiling fondly to yourself at the memory him playing swords with Jack earlier in the week.

“I don’t know how to fix it.” He said simply, hands ringing together unconsciously as he worried his lip between his teeth. You frowned, taking his hands in yours and turning to face him fully.

“You don’t need to.” You stated firmly. “Jack is happy. Ain’t you heard the phrase don’t fix what’s not broke?”

John’s lips twitched at your wording. It was one of the things he loved about you. Your subtle wording that changed a common phrase ever so slightly to your own version.

“I meant… with Abigail.” He shifted uncomfortably at the admission. Your hands letting go of his as you looked at him in surprise. He grabbed at your hands frantically. Scrambling to correct himself and clarify. “Not… romantically.” He pressed. “Just… in general.”

You breathed a small sigh of relief. Closing your eyes for a second before focusing on his statement.

“You don’t have to hon.” You said softly. “You’ve been tryin’. I’ve seen you. It’s up to her to make things civil.”

John furrowed his brows. That didn’t seem quite right. He was sure it was his responsibility. She had made that clear from the start.

“I ended it. I hurt her.” He said blatantly, his tone questioning. “I have to make things right.”

You sighed, squeezing his hands tightly as you replied.

“There will be no right as long as you’re with me.”

John looked at you for a long moment. Eyes flicking between yours as he waited for more.

You watched as the realisation hit him. His red rimmed eyes beginning to water as he tensed his jaw once more. He stared at you, hurt plain as day across his face as he assessed your meaning.

“Can you live with that?” He asked, voice thick with emotion.

You took a moment to reflect. Really think about what you were going to say before you responded. To make sure you really meant it.

“Yes.” You smiled. “You’re worth it.” You said, taking his face in your hands once more and pressing your forehead against his.

You felt his cheeks rise. Teeth bumping against your lips as he attempted to kiss you through his smile.

“So are you.” He whispered.

 End

~~~

PLEASE let me know if you liked it/What you liked! I am dying for comments on my fics and it’s to the point where I’m not above begging for feedback. 

[rt8815]

Bradbury...and Boogie-Woogie

Two years I’ve agonized over this piece. Two. Years. It’s kinda the reason I started writing this story out of order. Anyway, it’s one of those ‘filler’ chapters, I think they’re called. Not a CM Bingo piece, though I’m working on more of those atm.

Triggers: None, I think.

WC: 2,840

Before diving in, first read Let It Bleed, as it immediately precedes this one.

Bradbury…October 27, 2017

“Hey, New Girl! Welcome-welcome!” Garcia squealed happily, rolling a cart onto the sidewalk.

“Hi, Penelope. It’s great to meet you in person,” replied McKinley, lifting plastic containers off the concrete and placing them on the cart.

“You too, Kinley. Oh my gosh, you’re even cuter in the flesh. Love. Your. Hair.”

“Uh, th-thanks,” she stuttered, unsure how to take the compliment or politely ask the bubbly techie not to play with her amethyst locks. Then Garcia moved in for a hug. McKinley stepped back. “No, sorry. I’m kind of weird about hugs.”

“No need to apologize,” she insisted, pushing the dessert-laden cart through the door. Remembering their lively video chat from the other night, McKinley deduced that verbally and physically affectionate was Penelope’s natural state.

McKinley handed her ID to a grumpy man behind the front desk. “If we get to be friends, I’ll warm up to you,” she told Penelope, throwing her visitor’s badge around her neck.

Penelope’s eyes glinted mischievously. “We’ll definitely become friends. I’ve already decided. You’re a smol bean and you’re my baby now, no arguments,” she concluded as entered the elevator.

McKinley giggled. They chatted while the elevator climbed.

“So, you’ve got the hots for our Boy Genius,” Penelope mused aloud.

“What? No! No, it’s not like that.”

“Oh really, now? Doughnuts, cupcakes, a cake, and Season 10 of Doctor Who on Blu-ray, all to apologize because you accidentally grabbed a handful?”

McKinley’s face burned. “Did Agent Alvez tell you that? Son of a bitch!” she fumed, helping Penelope maneuver the cart into the hall.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” she reassured her. “These things happen.” Her lips pulled into an inquisitive smirk. “Okay, tell me - what’s he packing? We talkin’ Small Flat Rate Box, or Freight?”

McKinley’s eyes bugged behind her sunglasses. “Sweet Lord, why would you wanna know that?”

Penelope shrugged. “Reid’s always so buttoned up; however, I suspect he’s smuggling something impressive under those corduroys.”

“Yeah well, I’m not comfortable discussing that, so keep suspecting.” They rolled through the glass doors of the bullpen. “And to answer your original question: I don’t have the hots for him,” she stated simply as they came to a stop at Spencer’s desk, “and I’m not looking to date.”

“You guys are perfect for each other, though!” Penelope insisted. “You’re a lot alike. You’re both kind, nerd-funny, super smart, reserved…”

“Ha! Remember that last one when you’ve seen me drunk,” McKinley cautioned, opening the containers to check the decorations.

“Hey, it’s Twist ‘n’ Shout!”

She spun, hands on her hips, electricity crackling in her hair. Luke’s grin slipped at the death glare on her face, his coffee mug hovering midway to its destination. After a pregnant pause, McKinley responded.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one…Mocha Latte. Just know that I bite when I have to.” He raised his coffee-free hand in surrender, inching forward to inspect the desserts.

“Get away, you!” Penelope warned. “These are Spencer’s.”

Luke broke into a lopsided smile. “Oh, because of the ‘short and curlies incident’?”

McKinley thumped his arm with a stack of paper plates.

“Ouch,” he chuckled, no hint of pain in his voice.

“That was for telling people about the…awkwardness. Also, yes, it’s part apology, part ‘let’s be friends.’”

Luke raised a brow. “Friends? You got a free preview of the goods and you’re looking to be just friends?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes! He’s a lovely person and…I dunno. When we talked, my heart went all squishy and I knew my life would be greatly lacking without him as my friend.”

­“Okay, just remember that opportunity gropes but once, Doc.”

“Alvez, why are you casually discussing sexual misconduct in the middle of the office?” McKinley turned to see a tall brunette woman approaching. She appeared formidable but caring.

“Ah, it’s Dr. Durand! That clears things up,” she laughed, extending a hand to McKinley. “I’m Emily Prentiss, welcome to the BAU.”

McKinley offered a small, awkward wave in return. Emily smiled knowingly.

“How beautiful!” she exclaimed, eyeing the sweet treats. “The attention to detail is remarkable!”

McKinley smiled bashfully. “Thank you so mu- wait, how did you know who I am?”

Emily tore her eyes from the cake. “Well, Penny mentioned your video chat, and Luke jumped in and told us about your encounter with Spencer,” she winked, making a fondling motion with her hand. McKinley’s face flushed yet again.

“Penny spilled about your plan to surprise Spencer, and we got curious. I had her run a background check on you.”

McKinley inhaled sharply, feeling exposed.

“Em!” Penelope squeaked in disapproval. “It’s not like that, love, it’s just- ”

“Spence is like a younger brother to us,” interjected another blonde. “We’re very protective of him. He’s been through a lot, so whenever somebody new enters his life, we’re concerned about their intentions. Jennifer Jareau, by the way. Call me JJ,” she said, not forcing a handshake.

“I understand,” McKinley sighed. “Spencer has that effect on people, doesn’t he?”

She hugged the plates to her chest. “One conversation with him and you realize, ‘He’s a precious cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs!’ I assure you, that’s my only intention, JJ: to be his friend.”

“Well, that’s certainly a good start,” an older gentleman joined the conversation, pointing at one of the containers. “Chocolate frosted doughnuts with sprinkles are his favorite. It’s a bit clichéd, but there’s truth in the adage ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ It follows; you’ve already had him by the b-”

“Rossi, stop! We’ve made enough jokes at her expense,” scolded a woman who introduced herself as Dr. Tara Lewis. “This looks exquisite. Do I smell coffee in the cake? Reid loves coffee.”

“Yes, and there’s plenty to share as soon as he’s had some. Where is he, anyway?”

Luke pointed outside the Bullpen. “He’s down the hall printing handouts for his seminar next month,” he said, sipping his coffee.

“He doesn’t email them?”

“Reid’s a bit of a technophobe,” explained yet another agent, Matt Simmons.

“He still insists on hard copies of case files,” added Penelope. “It broke his heart when we went totally digital.” She glanced over McKinley’s shoulder and grinned. “Speak of the Luddite devil.”

Everyone watched as Spencer staggered towards them, clutching a thick stack of papers. He stopped short when he saw the crowd milling around his desk.

Spencer smiled, confused. “McKinley? What are you doing here?”

“She comes bearing gifts, Big Brain,” Penelope winked. “Apology gifts.” The others avoided his gaze but couldn’t hide their sniggers. Then Spencer caught Luke’s eye.

“You told!” he grumbled, flinging the papers onto his desk.

“If I give y’all food, will you shut your traps about us touching each other’s fun places?”

“No.”

“Probably not.”

“Nope. Sorry, not sorry.”

“Heh, you’re new here, bean. You’ll learn.”

While they lined up to choose their treats, McKinley leaned closer to Spencer. “When does the hazing end?”

“They’ll get bored soon, but that’s when the pranking starts.” He bent forward to focus on the cake properly. “Ray Bradbury?”

“Yeah, Garcia said Halloween’s your favorite holiday, and I know you’re a voracious reader. I put two and two together and ta-da.”

“Let’s see…the lions are from “The Veldt,” and the flowers are from Dandelion Wine, but what’s this one?” he asked, pointing to a swing set and a sandbox.

“The Playground,” she replied, and they smiled at each other self-consciously.

“McKinley, did you make all of this by hand?” asked JJ, marveling at the miniature sculptures.

“Most of it, except my friend Taylor painted the lions, and the chocolate TARDISes on the cupcakes came from a mold.” She popped open another container, revealing police boxes, each wrapped with a Fourth Doctor’s scarf and set in galaxy frosting. “Oh, and I bought the Jelly Babies online.”

“Would you consider making birthday cakes? My boys would love these.”

“Sure thing,” McKinley agreed, sitting in the chair Spencer brought her.

“Sooo, Reid, what are you gonna do for Kinley?” Garcia interjected.

“She’s right, Spence,” JJ concurred, sneaking an extra cupcake. “You’re not innocent in all this.”

Behind her, Luke held two doughnuts, squeezing them suggestively and mouthing ‘honka-honka.’

McKinley scowled at him. “What’re you, twelve?” Turning to Spencer, she continued. “I’d choose a book or record shop, but you don’t owe me a thing.”

“Oh-oh-oh,” Garcia enthused. “Then after, you could watch Who together at your place. He doesn’t have a TV,” she whisper-yelled.

Shaking her head, McKinley checked her phone. “Sorry, time for me to go.”

“Nooo,” Garcia pouted. “Hang with us!”

“Tempting, but I have to meet friends at some bar named…O’Keeffe’s?”

McKinley swore Garcia’s squeal of delight broke the sound barrier.

“That’s where we’re going! We’re all gonna get smashed on pumpkin-y, fall-themed grownup drinks together! Yes!”

…And Boogie-Woogie

The team kept an eye out for McKinley at O’Keeffe’s and were surprised to hear her shout out to them from the stage. She introduced the team to her bandmates following their final set, which consisted mostly of Tom Petty songs as a memorial of sorts, though McKinley couldn’t resist adding The Rolling Stones’ “Fingerprint File” at the end.

They talked late into the night getting to know each other. McKinley sat transfixed as the team regaled her with stories about their cases, one of which revolved around what they called a Vengeful Cinderella.

“Really? With her stilettos? Yikes!” she grimaced, sipping her drink.

“Yeah, but Spence was able to bring her in quietly by playing into her fantasy, acting as Prince Charming to her Cinderella. Got down on one knee, slipped her shoe back on and everything.”

McKinley threw Spencer an appraising look.

“I can see that working. He fits the bill.”

“He also gave me a new appreciation for the original, unsanitized versions of fairy tales. See, I felt that children ought to be protected from harsh realities, but Spence explained that the tales’ intended purpose was to allow kids to safely confront their fears.”

McKinley cocked her head in thought.

“Actually, the intent of those particular versions was to punish women - through some combination of marriage, rape, bodily mutilation and or death - simply for being women, because the Brothers Grimm were a pair of angry, bitter, he-man woman-hatin’, misogynist prick bastards.”

She took a drink and drew a breath before continuing, waving her hand for emphasis.

“Meanwhile, historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth traveled around Bavaria, transcribing the stories directly from the very people who’d kept them alive in the oral tradition: servants, peasants, laborers - many of them women - rather than reframing them within his own worldview.”

She breathed in again, oblivious to the team’s stares.

“These fairy tales had strong, independent female protagonists in leadership positions. They were the ones having adventures, slaying dragons and rescuing men! Yes, the stories’ purpose was to help children navigate life’s challenges and prepare them for the adult world,” McKinley clarified, “but not at the expense of women’s agency and autonomy.”

Her gaze shifted to Spencer, whose mouth had dropped slightly.

“Unfortunately, Grimms’ Fairy Tales garnered all the attention. Fast-forward and now we have watered down, artificially flavored, saccharine animated films teaching kids that girls are helpless and need saving, and that the boys who rescue the girls are entitled to them. It’s just one more way the film industry has contributed to toxic masculinity and rape culture. Thanks, Disney, I hate it,” she concluded.

McKinley returned to her drink for a few moments before realizing the booth had fallen silent.

“Oh boy, there are two of them now,” Emily snorted.

McKinley scrunched her face in confusion. “Two what?”

“Spence rambles too,” said JJ, in a tone that conveyed mild annoyance and embarrassment at the behavior, almost as though she were apologizing for him.

McKinley frowned at her. She had seemed nice enough in the Bullpen earlier.

“He’s gotten better about it over the years, though,” she added, patting his shoulder.

The misplaced pride grated on McKinley’s nerves.

“Asphinctersayswhat?” She deliberately slurred her words, downing the last of her drink.

“What?” asked JJ.

“Exactly,” McKinley murmured, eyes fixed on her glass.

Before JJ could ask again, Spencer spoke.

“How had I not heard of Schönwerth before?” he wondered aloud, sounding disappointed in himself.

McKinley perked up. “I can lend you my copy of The Turnip Princess if you’d like. It’s a collection of his work.”

“Yeah, definitely!” he said eagerly. “I’m always excited to learn something new.”

Luke leaned around Matt to join the exchange. “I’ll have to buy a copy myself. I read Grimm’s as a kid but I hate to think I only knew biased versions. Schönwerth’s sound much better.”

��

“I appreciate the ride home, Luke,” McKinley called from the backseat.

“Me too. Just don’t get used to hearing those words pass my gorgeous lips, Newbie.”

“No problem, happy to do it,” he answered, laughing at Garcia’s drunken antics.

Under the cranked-up radio, McKinley addressed Spencer.

“Thanks for your text that morning after the park. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you for insisting on the wellness check.” He paused, fiddling with his messenger bag and smiling thoughtfully. “You know what? I’m glad we met.” 

“Hey, is this the right place?” asked Luke.

McKinley peered through the window.

“6565, yeah that’s the one,” she confirmed as Luke parked.

Penelope waddled across the driveway.

“I have to see your tiny house - the outside I mean, since I already got a video tour of the inside. Guys, it. is. Adorable,” Penelope gushed.

“I thought you lived with Taylor and Jaimie,” said Spencer, pointing to the porch.

“I’m parked out back,” McKinley explained, unlocking the gate.

Penelope gasped. “I almost forgot! Can we see your baby too?”

“Absolutely! He loves meeting new people.”

Luke closed the gate behind them, carrying McKinley’s guitar. “Wait, what? You have a son?”

“Weeell, sort of…” McKinley twirled around, landing on her knees, arms spread out.

“Boogie, baby! Come to Mamma!” she bellowed.

A multicolored mass of fur burst through the door and made a blurry beeline for her, knocking her fully onto the ground.

“I missed you too, buddy!” she cried as the dog assaulted her face with kisses. Sitting up, McKinley faced him towards the group.

“Look! I brought new friends. Boogie, this is Luke, Penny, and Spencer. Guys, this is Boogie.”

“Boogie?”

“Yes, Mocha Latte, Boogie. Short for Boogie-Woogie, which comes from the Bantu phrase ‘mbuki-mvuki.’ It means ‘to dance wildly, to the point of ecstasy.’ I didn’t have a name picked out when I brought him home, but when I put my music on shuffle, the first song was John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen’.” He started shaking his butt and tapping his feet. No other name would’ve sufficed.”

He approached Luke, slowly at first, then promptly shoved his snout into the man’s crotch.

“Boogie! Manners! I raised you better than that.”

“That’s okay, I know it’s the dog version of shaking hands.” Luke knelt to give him more attention. “You’re just introducing yourself, aren’t you? Yeah. You probably smell Roxie, huh buddy.”

“You have a furbaby too?”

“Yeah, a Belgian Malinois. What’s Boogie?”

“A Border Aussie. Mom was a working Border Collie and Dad was a show Australian Shepherd. He got Mommy’s smarts and Daddy’s derpiness.”

Penelope bent over to scratch Boogie’s ears, surrendering herself to sniffs and kisses. “If you two don’t have playdates at the park, I’ll dognap them and take them there myself.”

Boogie seemed to wag his assent, shuffling over to Spencer and nosing his hand.

“N-nice doggie,” he stammered, gingerly patting Boogie’s head.

McKinley stood, swaying slightly on her way to the door. “I better grab that book while I’m thinking about it. Keep our guests entertained, buddy.”

They heard her rummaging inside, talking to herself. “You were here just the other - aha!”

She reappeared, waving a tattered paperback. “It’s dog-eared and coffee-stained,” she sighed apologetically, “but it’ll read.”

“Well-worn is high praise for a book. It shows how much it’s been loved,” Spencer reasoned, climbing the stairs to the small porch. 

“Take your time with it. Some things aren’t meant for speed-Reiding,” she joked, handing him the book.

A comfortable silence settled between them for a minute.

“The swing set on the cake is an inedible figurine, by the way. That night, sitting on the real swing…I dunno, it seemed to comfort you. Now you have one to keep on your desk.”

McKinley couldn’t decide if ‘impressed’ or ‘perturbed’ better described Spencer’s expression in that moment.

“It’s late, guys. We should head out,” Luke yawned, handing McKinley her guitar.

“Night-night, Lovely! We’re having that knitting bee at my place next weekend, just us.”

“Sounds great, Penny, but I’m nervous about knitting in the round. It’s intimidating.”

They waved their goodbyes as they returned to the gate. “Don’t worry, Auntie Penelope will teach you all she knows.”

McKinley retreated into the warmth of her home. She climbed into bed, beaming to herself.

“A whole new group of friends. Imagine that, Boogie! I’d only dared hope for one…”

—

“There are no faster or firmer friendships than those between people who love the same books.”Irving Stone

@illegalcerebral @dreatine @cynbx

Others let me know if you’d like to be tagged.

[santouryuuu]

Muse

pairing : luffy x reader

requested by : @akutagawahakuryuunosuke

Hello, can i request a high school au with Luffy please? the plot is what if he was a soccer team captain, he met her when he accidentally kicking the ball to far and knocking her off from the bench, she was the art student who lost her muse because her must got a girlfriend and meeting Luffy bring her back to painting after that is up to you hehehe thank you very much

×××

hellooo~ here's your request! i hope that it's what you envisioned! this is actually my first time writing for Luffy so, i'm sorry if he seems out of character 🙇‍♀️ but anyways enjoy~

×××

"Blank again, huh?"

You felt your hands freeze and your heart drop as you heard Usopp's comment. You tore your gaze away from the blank canvas to face your art teacher. You looked at the ground in shame and gave a slight nod in response.

He sighed and patted your shoulder, "It's fine Y/n. I understand that you're going through a rather rough art block. You'll get back on your feet one day."

You could feel him send a reassuring smile your way as you watched your hand tighten around the charcoal.

As if on cue, the bell rang to signal the end of the day.

"Pack up everyone! I expect to see drafts by the end of the week!" Usopp announced as he made his way around the room.

You carefully placed the charcoal back where it belonged and took out a wet wipe to clean your dirtied hands. As you were wiping your hands, you couldn't help but stare at the canvas in front of you. You wrinkled your face in distaste and felt a strong urge to just punch a rather unsightly hole through it. You resisted the urge and finished up packing.

You slung your bag around your shoulder and quietly headed to the soccer field.

In all honesty, you weren't a big fan of sports. You were far more interested in any activities that didn't involve sweating up a storm. However, you had discovered that sitting on the bleachers and watching the soccer team practice always cured your art block.

For some reason, it couldn't cure your current art block. Nevertheless, you still persisted.

You found an empty seat on the bleachers and sat down. You attentively watched as the soccer team kicked the ball around and performed a few trick shots here and there.

"Hey captain! I bet I can kick this ball farther than you can!"

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can!"

You watched as Luffy, the captain of the soccer team, made his way towards his teammate. They had a quick game of rock paper scissors to decide who would kick the ball first, Luffy won.

As the ball was set down, Luffy made running start and kicked the ball with all his might.

"Hey! Watch out!"

It was too late. The next thing you knew, a soccer ball flew straight into your face and had knocked you unconcious.

"You're in trouble now captain."

"Hey! This is your fault! Back me up Sabo!"

"Yeah no, I'm with Ace on this one."

The voices seemed to be distant but you knew it was coming from your right. As your eyes opened and adjusted to the bright flourescent lights, you groaned and sat up—instantly regretting it.

A pang of pain coursed throughout your body and you cursed as you slouched your body against the headrest of the bed.

"Oh you're lucky she's not dead."

You watched with a puzzled expression as an energetic brunette runs towards you and grabs your hand, "Hey! Are you okay?! I'm really really sorry for kicking that ball into your face!"

"Sorry what?"

"Uh oh, you gave her amnesia," the blonde sighed, "Good luck with this one Luffy."

"What are we gonna tell the old man?" the other brunette sighed.

The two men waltzed out of the clinic whilst sending mischievous glances towards the younger male. The boy next to you, Luffy, seemed amazed at their behavior, "Weirdos. "

"Sorry, what happened exactly?"

He turned to you and sent you a sheepish smile, "Ah...well you see... I may or may not have accidentally kicked a soccer ball into your face..."

You nodded, "Oh..."

"Oh? That's all? You're not mad or anything?"

You shrugged and started to look around, "It's an accident right? What could I have done? And you're sorry anyways so it's fine."

He started to laugh out of the blue, "S-Sorry, you're so weird! I just kicked a ball into your face and—Sorry."

He continued to laugh and soon you joined in his laughing, "Y-You're contagious!"

It went on like that for nearly five minutes before the nurse got annoyed and sent the both of you out.

You did argue that you were injured and unfit to leave, until she stated that you were passed out for five hours and that the only reason for your aches all over was because of your extremely poor posture, that she so generously decided to fix.

Both of you stumbled out of the clinic, still slightly giggly.

"Hey, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Luffy, the soccer team's captain. And you are?"

"Y/n, nice to meet you."

"Oh! You're that prodigal art student right? Usopp never stops talking about you!"

You felt your stomach sink and a slight blush rise to your cheeks, "H-He talks about me?"

Luffy nods his head, "I'm really sorry about your art block. But if you ask me, I think you could always just you know grab a hammer and smash it?"

You laughed, "What?"

"Isn't an art block like a big block of art?"

"No Luffy!" you laughed even harder, "It's not like that!"

He shrugged, "I don't know much about fancy art terms. I just know that you're really good at drawing!"

"Oh? How would you know?"

"I went to see your exhibit! I really really liked it—no I loved it! Everything you drew was so cool! I can't believe you drew them! Your art is really awesome!"

"You really liked it?"

He nodded, "Yeah! Hey next time do you think you could draw me? I'd love to see you draw me!"

"I'll think about it," you smiled cheekily as he looked at you with pleading eyes, "Hmm... It's getting dark already. We should probably head home."

"Oh you're right... Hey! I'll walk you home!" he beamed and trapped your hand in his own.

"N-No that's—"

"Let's go!"

You yelped as he dragged you into the street and strung you along. You weren't sure if he knew where you lived, but you just decided to follow him, because maybe the nurse had told him or something along those lines.

After hours of aimlessly wandering around, your legs began to feel numb and you were tired of being dragged around, so you spoke up, "Luffy do you know where we're going?"

"Nope," he confidently replied.

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope."

"Oh my lord," you murmured a silent prayer and stopped in your tracks, "Luffy, I really appreciate the effort, but—"

He shushes you, "Trust me!"

"No Luffy listen—"

"Y/n! I've got this!"

"Luffy we've passed my house four times already!"

"No we didn't?"

You sighed and gently tugged your hand out of his grip. You pointed to a house parallel to you and gave the most patient smile you could muster, "That's my house..."

"Oh... Well why didn't you say so?!" he chuckled and grabbed your hand again. You couldn't help but scoff and slightly smile at his airheadedness.

Once the both of you reached the front door Luffy let go of your hand.

"Oh! We're neighbors!" the brunette from before exclaimed from the second floor window of the neighboring house. He smiled brightly at the both of you and continued, "I'm Ace! That's Luffy! What's your name?!"

"She's Y/n!" Luffy yelled back, "I walked her home!"

"Luffy brought a girl home?!" a blonde had then squished his way into the window, "Luffy! Do you remember what I told you about bringing—Oh! It's you!"

He waved energetically, "I'm Sabo!"

"She's—"

"—You damn kids are too noisy!"

"Uh oh," Ace and Sabo exchanged frightened looks before closing the window and making a run for god knows where.

"Sounds like they woke gramps up," Luffy giggled, "They're in sooo much trouble now."

"You guys seem really close," you commented.

"Of course! We're brothers!"

"Really?! You guys don't look alike. At all."

Luffy hummed and placed his arms behind his head, "Not by blood anyways, we basically drank gramps's sake when we were little and swore an oath."

"Wait wait wait wait," you shook your head and chuckled, "so you guys are like an exclusive cult or something along those lines?"

"I guess?" he shrugged, "I don't really know either."

You laughed and pinched Luffy's cheek, "You're really cute... Thank you for trying to walk me home. I appreciate it."

You noticed a small blush creep up his cheeks before he sent you his signature beaming smile and a thumbs up, "No problem! Good night Y/n!"

"Good night Luffy."

As you both went your seperate ways, you couldnt help but feel more than inspired to grab a pencil and sketch.

Your hands wouldn't stop working and it seemed as though your inspiration was unending. Despite all the sketches laid out messily on your desk, the one that stood out the most was Luffy's portrait.

Maybe a muse was all it took to get out of an art block...

[mariosomething]

MISTAKES I MADE AS A COMIC OR NOTICED AS A BOOKER...

(NOTE: Never say never, but I can’t imagine getting back on stage again. However, now that comedy is returning to clubs--and potentially booming here in Austin--I think this is worth repeating. Especially #15. Enjoy!)

So, I might be hopping on stage again for my own, personal reasons. Number one being distraction from the crushing loneliness that comes with self-employment. Woo! On the first page of my newly-purchased comedy notebook, I started making a list of things I don’t want to do this time around. The comic I don’t want to be, should I continue performing. Getting in my own way with unfounded beliefs about my abilities or lack thereof. I will—NO DOUBT—repeat some of the following blunders out of muscle memory, and if you catch me doing so, by all means, call me out! In no particular order:

1- Worrying about who’s heard this bit before. One cure for this is to never stop writing new stuff. Also, it’s the JOB of a comedian to repeat the same shit with the same zeal and sincerity for different crowds…crowds that probably don’t attend comedy shows as often as we perform on them.

2- Worrying about making the comics laugh. This is still the hallmark of a great comic to me…the person we’ve all seen before but stop the chit-chat when they get on stage. It’s the opposite of a “crowd-pleaser.” In a perfect world, I can please both—as some do—but ultimately, we don’t get paid to make the back of the room laugh. If I’m building a half-hour, those comics may ‘check out’ during my set, and that’s to be expected. If I concern myself with their approval, I’m ignoring the audience, and by extension, disrespecting them. THEY bought a ticket. They deserve my best attempt.

3- Starting your act with a risky joke. Are there exceptions for these “rules” of mine? Absolutely. But they are just that…exceptions. This one always drove me nuts when I ran the Velv. Especially when the rest of one’s act is relatively benign! Would you lead with your “crazy” on a first date? Talk about all of your flaws on a job interview? Or with music you like…if I wanted to get you into Tom Waits, I’m not gonna recommend The Black Rider—an album only die-hard fans might appreciate. I’d start with something accessible, like Small Change or Rain Dogs. Get them on your side first with your palatable stuff, then give ‘em what you want. (Now go listen to Tom Waits’ Small Change and Rain Dogs.) 

4- Worrying about looking stupid. This is the big one for me. Even though I KNOW the audience WANTS us to look foolish; even while I KNOW they want us to be both vulnerable and confident about it, I have a crippling fear of embarrassment. And this is NOT a good quality for any comedian. I learned that words account for only 7% of communication. The rest is body language, facial expressions and tone. I’ve always hidden behind my words, and have given up on bits that require me to be more animated. So dumb. Which leads me to…

5- Not doing enough ‘act-outs’ in bits. When I watch amazing comedians, they all have this in common. They perform or act-out dialogue. More show than tell. They don’t just recite jokes or one-liners. Even Steven & Mitch & Todd do/did act-outs in their own, low-energy styles. When you start looking for them, they’re everywhere. So much rolling, sustained laughter derives from act-outs. They don’t have to be BIG, they just have to be well-delivered.

6- Writing what I think they might like, not what I like. Another big ‘duh’ but worth repeating. I fell in this trap on the road. I was lovingly told to “write a dick joke already!” when I was a new, quasi-clever comic. And man alive, did I ever make up for it! Some may have had a fake nose and mustache, but they were dick jokes nonetheless, and I wasn’t proud. But they got laughs, and more laughs meant better comment cards, which meant return visits. Awesome way to remain a road comic…shitty way to evolve or get industry to pay attention. It’s also a fast track to burnout. If you’re not doing stuff you like, resentment builds and ambition wanes.

7- Not having goals. A new, tight 10 minutes is my goal today. If that goes well, a new 30. Then maybe an album. When I DID have things to strive for, they “magically” happened. I kept comedy goal lists on my wall, and most came to fruition. Then I got in my head and stopped making those lists. The more I was learning about the biz, the more inadequate I felt. I stopped writing, stopped going to mics and eventually stopped touring. With no new goals, I lost steam and confidence. I was a competent middle, but a spotty headliner…THAT is my ceiling for now. I’d love to be a rock-solid, reliable closer with at least one killer album to show for it. It’s feasible, but I need to start with that initial aim of a new, polished, consistent 10 minutes that I like.

8- Not watching more pros. Something that baffles me about so many new comics. You have the option to catch A-list comedians for FREE at Cap City, your home club, etc…why would you not take advantage? You learn by watching pros, even if it’s what NOT to do. Or what’s being done to death. You can learn structure, pacing, opening and closing. I used to watch comics I knew I wouldn’t like, but came away with respect for how they did things. People forget or don’t know that the late, great Bill Hicks used to be a clean-ish, set-up/punch kinda comedian. He learned the rules so he can break them effectively. Even at his viscous best, he was still super-polished. It’s respect for the craft, dammit. All of your heroes have it.

9- Getting jealous of your friends’ progress. There is sooo much leap-frogging in this business, there’s no need to denigrate yourself for not keeping pace with a peer. “Comedy is the closest thing there is to justice,” according to Colin Quinn, and I 100% agree. If you’re funny, consistently funny, you will get work. Period. When producers run and book shows, they want reliability more than anything. There is no island of misfit-but-actually-brillant comedians out there, waiting to be discovered. Funny gets noticed by EVERYbody. If you’re not getting booked, start looking inward. Seriously. When Cap City demoted me from headliner, I didn’t fight it. I thought they were right to do so because I knew my 50 minutes was about 15 shy of reliable material. Challenge your beliefs about your own act. Maybe you’re better than you think, but maybe it’s just the opposite. It’s worth asking, “What am I doing wrong?” if you’re having trouble getting past open mics. Maybe you are indeed funny, but still too green or inconsistent. Maybe you had a bad showcase set and your friend killed. Your friend may get Montreal before you, but you might get a manager first. You just don’t know! Keep plugging away, because there’s too much out of your control.

10- Not being humble. Jeezus H. Christmas, where did all of this unearned confidence come from?? Not only will I never relate to this, I will continue to chastise and scoff at it. Don’t assume your shit is crushed fruit, especially when you’re new. Don’t trash talk other comics, it WILL bite you in the ass eventually. Or immediately in some cases. Don’t think you’re immediately entitled to the same things that other comics took years to obtain or achieve. There is always something to learn, even from people you disagree with…it’s the definition of being open-minded. There are comics I detest personally, but goddamn if they aren’t great performers/writers. And I’ll probably get push-back for this, but I never called myself a “comedian” until I was able to quit my day job. Until that happened, I was just a dude who “did comedy.” I wanted to earn that title, don’t you?? Skip the business cards and build your act.

11- Not taking chances on stage. I’ve heard from too many comedians that if you’re always killing up there, you’re not taking chances. When I booked a room, I wanted to reward comics who tried new stuff every open mic, or was tweaking it. If a comic kept going up with well-worn bits, I ignored them for a few weeks or longer, even if they got laughs. It’s open mic, the point is to experiment! When I worked the road, I stopped doing mics when I was back in town. Big mistake. I was afraid to try untested jokes in clubs on the road, and too lazy or complacent to take chances at open mics. I stunted my own growth. 

12- All agenda, no punchlines. I remember watching a well-known comic in NY struggle with Jesus jokes. He could NOT have been in a more welcoming arena for such, but he wasn’t funny, just angry. So he said, “Oh, I guess you guys don’t like religious jokes,” To which my friend replied, “We do! We keep waiting for one.” I think comedians can be the most insightful people on the planet, and the great ones don’t berate, they put funny first. It just makes sense! If you really really really want your message to be heard, then it’s in your best interest to make it funny. Funny cuts through. Or maybe you just wanna use the stage as a soapbox, in which case, quit comedy.

13- Not presenting both sides. I once told an established headliner he couldn’t return to the Velv, despite the numbers. In fairness to us, it was Valentine’s Day weekend, we were packed anyway. He never gave me a chance to explain why, but here’s why: he was too angry about women and wasn’t self-deprecating enough to balance it out. Conversely, I had a female comedian come through a couple of times, and the bulk of her act is male-bashing, BUT, it’s tight and well-crafted and funny as shit…AND she sprinkles in enough self-effacing humor so as not to divide the crowd. If the guy I banned was her parallel, I would’ve re-booked him. But I’m a freak about balance. While I don’t believe ANY person or group of people is above criticism, you can’t just point fingers at others while patting yourself on the back.

14 - Not putting more of ‘me’ in my act. Trends are fun as a reference, but full bits built around them have a tiny shelf life. It’s fluff and filler at best. Relationships will never be hacky. Aging will never get old. Folks! We all have specific quirks or approaches to life in general, why not explore those approaches? That’s when a ‘comic’ graduates to ‘comedian.’ When they stop saying funny things and start saying things funny. Not my line, but damn accurate.**

15- Knee-jerk hating and never asking WHY? Okay, this one’s a personal lament. When I found comedy, I found harmony. Anyone funny was welcome. I didn’t see us as men or women or gay or straight or black or white, we were comics, and I fucking loved it. We were equals from every walk of life, and no jerks allowed! I found a circle of curious, liberal-minded pals who were always asking why. Friends who would call out each other’s bullshit or hypocrisy or bad bits, then laugh about it at Mugshots. Friends who preferred brutal truth over blowing smoke. It was bliss for someone who values sincere feedback and funny, earnest people. Comedians we respect and adore are always challenging norms of behavior and tradition. Pryor, Chapelle, Carlin, Rock, of course, but even Larry David, who’s the king of offending people by rejecting small, societal niceties. 

I’m starting to see too much division and moral cowardice in comedy--on and off stage--and this is antithesis to its value, in my opinion. Everything I hated about high school. Cliques and whispers and spiteful exclusion. I will echo what I wrote earlier: NOBODY IS ABOVE CRITICISM. This is the salty to the sweet of “Everyone welcome.” Comedy is a LOT of failing, tons of real-time rejection, and that SUCKS. But if you think it has anything to do with anything but your act, you’re not asking Why. It’s easier to say, “Well, it’s clearly ‘cos I’m ________.” Really? Maybe it’s ‘cos you’re not funny, or not funny YET. Maybe it’s because you haven’t written a new joke in months, or refuse to change the ones that never work. Maybe you think there are no rules to comedy, and you can just get up there and people will love you because so-and-so does it that way. Maybe you don’t have so-and-so’s natural talent or likability. Or work ethic. Or self-awareness. If your first response is to blame a crowd, a booker, society, or whatever, ask yourself: are there successful comics who look like me? Why them and not me? What are they doing differently? My first guess is: they’re addicted to the craft so they keep their head down and write and tweak and fail and ask why and learn from mistakes. Stop complaining and start paying attention. At the end of the day, you and you alone are responsible for your career. If you believe women aren’t funny, I pity your ignorance and sheltered life. If you think men have it easier, tell that to the thousands of male comics who go nowhere in this business.

Maybe I’m an idealist hippy dippy doofus, but I believe that what we admire about others is pretty universal stuff. Regarding comedy, we all like someone who’s fearless on stage. Confident but not cocky. Capable. Quick. Genuine. Someone who keeps writing and honing their act. Someone who connects with people. Someone who comes back once a year with 30 new minutes. Someone who plows forward, not consumed with the opinions of others. Are these gender or race-specific qualities?? Hardly. And when you’re a top shelf, A-list comedian who’s paid their dues, it’s all preference at that level. It’s Gin vs. Vodka vs. Bourbon vs. Tequila, no one is “better” than the next. Maria Bamford is Bill Burr is Dave Chapelle is Carrot Top. They’re all pros who never stop working.

I’ll leave you with this…Comedy is a powerful and special thing, and I’ve always been crazy-grateful to be part of this tiny, uniquely rewarding world. Even if this experiment crumbles after a few months, even if I can’t vanquish some personal demons, it’s been a pursuit I’ve yet to regret. If you’re just starting out, or five years in, or going on the road, relish every minute. Meet all the people. Make all the friends. Get over your fears, get over yourself and get better. xoxo mario 

**This is how I first heard it. Comic/comedian or vice versa. You get it. Though I personally feel that “comedian” sounds more like an official title, while you can’t spell “comic” without “mic.” Just sayin’ is all.

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

My Ranking of Shin’s Drama CDs

Oh boy did this get long so I’m putting it under the cut. Updated as of July 2020.

Some quick notes before I start: -I am only including main series full drama CDs so no bonus CDs or mini-dramas (which means I have not included the Operation X CD as that features different versions of the song and a mini-drama). -I am ranking these CDs as someone who is deep in Shinhell, therefore I'm only really focusing on interactions with him in these CDs -Expect mild spoilers -And lastly this is all based on my own preferences so if you have a completely different order for these CDs then that is 110% okay With that out of the way, let’s go (^^)ｂ

11) Lost Eden Vol. 3 Tsukinami

It may come as a surprise that this CD is ranked lower than CL when it features both of the Tsukinami brothers, but I had to put it here as it’s the only CD on this list that I can’t see myself relistening to very much (if at all). Unlike their DF CD, which I would recommend listening to even if you’ve played Shin and Carla’s DF routes, I would not say the same for this CD if you’ve played their LE routes. I don’t feel like we really get any new information or interactions out of it, even if it is always nice to have some scenes with Shin and Carla. I also don’t feel like the writing was terribly strong here as there were a lot of very short scenes, particularly in the beginning, which made it feel a little choppy. Additionally I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a Diabolik Lovers CD with so little bloodsucking, I think Carla and Shin each bite you once and that’s it (which means I can’t even recommend it on fanservice grounds). I would only recommend getting this CD if you’re a die-hard Tsukinami fan and you already own most of the CDs on this list as well as some of Carla’s and you don’t mind the slightly sad tone to the ending (tbh I would actually recommend getting the Operation X CD over this one).

10) Chaos Lineage Vol. 3 Orange

I think if you’re a fan of the Tsukinami brothers as a duo rather than favoring Shin, you’ll probably enjoy the LE CD more than this one, but if you want a good Shin x you/Yui scene then I think this is probably the better pick. Although there’s only one bloodsucking scene with Shin, it’s very hot because he actually likes the taste of your blood. It was also fun to see the relationship dynamics between the characters in this different set up (although this might be a bit redundant if you’ve played CL). That being said, this CD isn’t any higher on this list because none of the other guys in it are that high up on my favorites list and as the boys’ memories have been altered there’s no romance with any of them either because they have no clue who you are. The conclusion feels very unsatisfying as this CD is just a set up for the game, although at least unlike the above it doesn’t have a sad undertone. 

9) Versus III Vol. 2 Laito vs Shin

Honestly I’m sad that I had to put this CD so low down but I just like the others more. It’s interesting to see Shin interact with Laito, especially as they really don’t get on that well. There’s also a scene where Laito gets EXTREMELY distressed which really hits you the first time you listen to it, as it’s such a break from the usual facade. However like all of the versus CDs I’ve listened to, there isn’t really a conclusion and there isn’t that much plot to this one either (or least not compared to the other CDs on this list in my opinion). If you’re looking for some hot bloodsucking (or a very anguished Laito) then this is a really good CD but if you’re looking for something with a bit more feeling on Shin’s part then I’d say other CDs on this list are better for that.

8) Versus II Vol. 4 Carla vs Shin

This CD has a special place in my heart because it’s the first CD I ever heard with Shin in it and one of the first DL CDs I ever bought oh how far I have fallen. It’s also the first drama CD the Tsukinami brothers appeared in, and as a result they’re not exactly nice to you. Still, I like that it offers a slightly different version of their first meeting with you/Yui than we get in dark fate and as their opening CD I think it does a good job of introducing them. This is a really good one to get if you’re a Tsukinami bros fan and you like mean founders because there’s no romance here.

7) Versus IV Vol. 1 Ayato vs Kino vs Shin

I was very torn as to whether to put this CD higher or lower as it contains one of my favorite tracks of all time, but that’s just the problem; I only really like one track. The track in question, features a very desperate Shin and it is such a treat to listen to. My problem with this CD is that Ayato and Kino are not terribly high up on my favorites list and so tracks with them, while still enjoyable, are not ones I choose to listen to that often. My other issue is that this CD is set up as though the heroine has chosen Ayato, which is great for Ayato fans but not so much for me (T_T) As much as I like hearing Shin sound desperate, I prefer it when he knows he’s loved. 

6) More, More Blood Vol. 4 Tsukinami Shin

Okay I can’t really explain why this CD is where it is without majorly spoiling it but I’ll try my best. First off, I love the first two tracks of this CD, it’s almost pure fanservice and the scenes feel like they’re straight out of one of the scenario chapters from the games. I was super invested for the rest of it and it was interesting to see Shin deal with the plot of the CD, but then there was the twist that takes place towards the end and I just spent the rest of the CD like ( ﾟoﾟ). I do think it’s good from a writing perspective because I really didn’t see it coming (that might just be because I’m an idiot though) but it also made me feel slightly disconnected from the story. To be fair, I felt a lot better after listening to the bonus Another Story track that came with the deluxe edition, but I think if I’d just bought the regular version then I would have found the ending a bit unsatisfying.

I think how much you like this CD will be entirely dependent on how much of a fan of the twist at the end you are (but I can’t say anymore without spoiling it >_<). If you can spare the extra cash I would 100% recommend getting the deluxe edition over the regular one just so that ending feels a bit more rounded out.

5) Dark Fate Vol.1 Chapter of Eclipse

It might seem strange for me to put this CD so high up as only two of the four tracks feature the Tsukinami brothers directly interacting with the listener while the other two are flashbacks to when they were trapped in Banmaden. However it is a really good source of information on the Tsukinamis if you haven’t played Dark Fate (in fact I think it might actually go into more detail on some aspects than the game does). The flashback scenes include Giesbach’s death (although he does not have a speaking role) and how the Tsukinamis discovered that they could break the seal keeping them trapped. On top of all of the information, you do also get a very nice track with Shin which features quite a bit of bloodsucking and menacing behavior. I will say however that I would recommend this to fans of darker content as there is no fluff/romance to be found.

4) Zero Vol. 4 Tsukinami Shin

I enjoyed this CD in a very different way to how I thought I would. Originally I thought I’d like it for the bloodsucking fanservice scenes with portrait!Shin but I actually just enjoyed the tracks with the real Shin. The final fight scene between Shin and portrait!Shin sounds incredible and I like that this CD has a satisfying conclusion (unlike the versus CDs where it just ends on a bit of cliffhanger after bloodsucking with multiple boys). While the concept is refreshing and I like that Shin has to defend you from an actual villain, I guess I just prefer the CDs that focus on your relationship with Shin.

3) Born to Die Vol. 2 Tsukinami Shin

Okay if you’re a fan of soft Shin content and you haven’t got this CD yet, do yourself a favor and get it because it’s 47 minutes of pure Shin fluff. I do think that if you prefer the darker side of DL then you’d enjoy his Zero CD (or his MMB CD) more than this one but for me personally, partly due to the animosity I felt towards Shin’s portrait counterpart, I like this one more. The final two scenes are really romantic (and they actually made me cry) and the conclusion is satisfying. That being said, I also like my fluff to have a side of angst, which is why I can’t rank this CD above remaining two, but if you just want to have a romantic date with Shin then this is the CD for you.

2) Bloody Bouquet Vol.7 Tsukinami Shin

This CD makes me so emotional ;-; It distresses me a bit because Shin sounds like he’s dying for a good part of it but I like that emotional aspect of it. Some of Shin’s dialogue in the penultimate track is pretty romantic (even if you are in a terrible situation) and the final track just makes me melt (ﾉ∀`♥) Morikubo always does an exceptional job as Shin but this CD is the one that sticks out in my mind the most for the voice acting, it is sooo good. The reason this CD is not number 1 is because as much as I enjoy it, listening to Shin suffer is pretty painful (made worse by the brilliant acting).

1) Para-Selene Vol.4 Tsukinami Shin

This is honestly my favorite drama CD of all time. The main reasons for this are that I like the concept a lot and, to me, it perfectly showcases the aspects of Shin’s character. You get some hot bloodsucking in the first track, some tracks where he gets really angry (which is great if you’re a huge masochist like me) and towards the end you get to see his softer side. Overall I feel that it showcases his faults as well as his good points in an interesting way which is exactly what I want out of a drama CD with my favorite character.

So what do you think? Which of these CDs is your favorite? My askbox is always open for discussing Shin related topics

[firebunnylover]

Hannah Watches LoSH - Chain of Command

Ho boy... has it been a while since I've been doing this. I apologize to everyone for the wait, but a lot of things been going on for me IRL. I recently got approval for student loans so I’m just waiting for that to come in before school, which will be full time this next semester. I'm trying to resume this on a regular basis as means with coping with recent... frustrations. 

Also, if you notice inconsistencies with the different gifs regarding fonts, that is because I was busy figuring out how to make sure they stood out. And then I had computer problems right as i was halfway done making all of them. And then I thought I lost them. 

BUT WHILE MOST OF THE FILES WERE OKAY, I HAD TO GO AND FIND EACH GODDAMN INDIVIDUAL FONT.

So if it takes me a while to get the next one out, know that there is a good chance it’s because I had a heart attack OR/AND I seem to take my frustrations out on my pillow via screaming...

Chain of Command

We kick off the episode with the Cruiser going highspeed someplace, while the Legion are trying to maintain contact with people, Lightning Lad seeming to be the most concerned.

Wow the same face syndrome here is worse than with Disney.

Lightning Lad asks the people on screen how they're holding up, to which they reply that they need help as the storm they're experiencing is getting worse.

You gotta give this show credit for constantly making Bouncy pilot on board.

Oh. That ain't good.

DON’T GIVE THIS PLANET SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE TREATMENT GARTH!

… Ohhhh...

As soon as the opening finishes playing, we see the Cruiser is still speeding, and Lightning Lad is incredibly anxious about arriving to his home planet. To the point he's constantly asking for updates from the team.

Sooo history class time?

He then goes to describe Winath, stating it's the "breadbasket of the galaxy", as it provides most of the galaxies food supply.

Certainly makes his farm boy insults from the first episode look weak.

But he moves on to discuss that cosmic storms used to be a big problem for Winath until they built "THE CORE DIFFUSOR STATION". A station that turns storm energy to usable energy. But unfortunately, the current storm is way more powerful than the maximum the station can handle, which makes the Legion's first priority to make sure the station doesn’t overload.

Awwww~

However, as soon as they approach the planet, turns out that storm is way worse than anticipated. Saturn Girl manages to get in contact with the people on the planet that are in the shelter.

SO MANY TWINS.

Ah, parents... gonna have to discuss them later.

Saturn Girl you should have caught him in your arms. You're the only one who hasn't!

Seeing as the Cruiser wasn’t built for the storm either, Lightning Lad instructs the Trips and Bouncy to stay on board while everyone else takes the battle pod.

Wait. Battle pod?

Huh.

Don't crash, this isn't the Intergalactic games.

Well, that's what he get for telling another person to do something outside their capabilities.

Unsurprisingly, Lightning Lad crash lands. Typical.

And that's why Lightning Lad is not the pilot on the usual schedule...

Upon entering, the place looks trashed but Lightning Lad says they got there just in time. Mm-hm.

Whom?

Aww he lookin a little heartbroken for a moment~

Bromance.

And then the introduction between Superman and Cosmic Boy. And honestly, Cosmic Boy starts to fanboy a bit.

JEALOUS GARTH!

Lightning Lad demands to know what Cosmic Boy is doing on Winath, and he states they got a distress call...

Wait. Plural?

Turns out he brought someone along. Ferro Lad.

Ok I can't help but laugh a little bit at this.

Cosmic Boy encourages Ferro Lad to demonstrate his powers, which is turning into Metal. And then Lightning Lad interrupts. He tries to give orders, but Cosmic Boy quickly overrides him, having Superman Lighting Lad and Colossal Boy and Ferro Lad stabilize the building while he and Saturn Girl and B5 go to the core.

Aww.

He snaps out of his emo mode pretty quickly though and goes to work.

The core meanwhile is well beyond f***ed, making Cosmic Boy project a magnetic field over the central part, but doesn't seem like it will last.

Outside, Lightning Lad is whining to Superman about Cosmic Boy about bringing in a new member with no audition, only for Superman to say it seems like a good choice.  

Wow, it's like this show loves making Superman compatible with just about everyone.

Unfortunately, the generator they were trying to put back together outside overloads.

Ouch.

He isn't able to contain the core, and Brainy is unable to work on it, and the radiation happens to be building, getting ready to blow. When trying to reaching Superman, due to communication problems caused by radiation from the core. But who needs communicators when you got Saturn Girl?

She quickly instructs Superman to get the core out ASAP, and he does. But when it blows, he passes out, making it impossible for her to reach him.

As Superman is falling back to Winath, Bouncy goes to save him.

What a pure relationship.

Unfortunately, they lose sight of him in what I assume is smoke. THankfully he lands on the ship.

Bouncy then has to maneuver the ship to prevent debris hitting them, which does make superman tumble, but Triplicate Girl catches him from the hatch door.

But the debris decides that the cruiser isn't enough to pick on, and targets the guys that are still on the ground, while throwing in cyclones into the mix. So ground team goes to meet up with inside team.

As there is no core to help pacify the weather, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad get into an argument on getting the system back online vs saving whatever they can.

When Lightning Lad asks who's going, much to his surprise, Ferro Lad and Colossal Boy volunteer. Brainy stays, being the nerd he is.

And there's the jerk persona again.

While outside and fixing a bridge, Ferro Lad confronts Lightning Lad.

Okay. That would include the entire BatFam on Lighting Lad's suspicious people list.

… WELL NOW I DO.

Back on the cruiser:

TRIPLICATE GIRL IS THE TEAM MEDIC!

Bouncy notices a pattern to the storm, but gets ignored by the ground team. And then despite protests, Superman leaves as well.

I feel u.

Meanwhile, Brainy is building a replacement for the old core. When Saturn Girl asks what she can do, Cosmic Boy tells her to step back so she doesn’t get hurt.

The outdoor squad is still struggling with the damn but Lighting Lad flies off when he sees a farm getting wasted by the debris, despite Colossal Boy's statement on not being able to save everything.

He tries to blast away the hail that's falling, but can only split the largest piece in half, which still does a lot of damage. Superman does arrive to help knock the hail stones away, but the ground starts to fall out from underneath.

DUDE THE HOUSE IS FALLING APART WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!

Wait. That room.

Oh.

OH

OH SHIT OW NO STOP MY HEART IS NEVER READY FOR THIS PART

Just as the house is going into the ground, Lightning Lad flies out just in time.

Ow.

After this, we cut to Lightning Lad telling Superman that it was his home.

OW.

Saturn Girl contacts them to inform them that Brainy fixed the power system, and they fly off to go back.

When asked where she’s going, Saturn Girl states she's going to the shelter, to which Cosmic Boy says she's too vulnerable. And thus she lays down the best burn she made yet on this show.

List of things that have happened to her beforehand:

-Carried off by Timber Wolf while he was in full feral mode

-Nearly blasted by Alexis

-Trapped in a fear-feeding abomination of a space station AND GOING THROUGH HER WORST FEAR OF ROLLER COASTERS

-Trapped in the Phantom Zone

She’s dealt with worse.

Ok if even Brainy, one of the least sociable of the group, knows you f***ed up, then you f***ed up big time.

Back on the cruiser, Bouncy predicts where the next massive part of the storm will hit. The damn, where it will rupture, causing mudslide and sinkhole at the shelter.

But the people on the planet won't listen. At first.

YAS BOI

Yeee

With everyone finally getting in line, Bouncy gives instructions.

As the boys are working on this, Saturn Girl arrives to the shelter, offering assurance they will be ok.

Back with the boys, yes I know, that was fast, Lightning Lad starts a fire intentionally, and Superman moves a tornado, directing the flood into what I assume is another river, lake or possibly ocean. It ain't a pond, I know that.

The station finally goes back online, and it seems to be functioning.

WElp, Brainy certainly likes to leave his signature.

So pure~

Back with Saturn Girl as she and the Winathians begin exiting.

Sarcastic SG is what I live for.

Lighting Lad arrives, with the picture he saved from the house. But doesn't go for Saturn GIrl.

Hmm.

We cut to the cruiser leaving Winath, and Cosmic Boy and Lighting Lad soon dissolve into another argument.

Wait, MONTHS?! Yeah, Lightning Lad has a right here to be mad, give an update at least once a week.

Fair enough. If Lightning Lad knew where you were, he probably would have made a massive bad impression.

I thought that was Tinya's role... then again I doubt she enjoys it.

Aww, poor ferro lad.

So, to put this argument into the ground, they hold an election. Probably will end better than the american ones can.

Nothing but respect for my team leader.

THIS SHIP IS CANNON!

Is Mekt in jail? Or do you consider him more of a nuisance on the level of STAR FINGAH?

But yeah I guess nothing can go wrong.

… SHIT.

So final thoughts on the episode overall and the characters

This was the first episode without a villain character. The main conflict is among the team and trying to keep the planet from being shredded. It's also the only episode with no villain character. I really wish we got more episodes like this, or even on the Legion's everyday mundane lives.

As for the storm plot point, it does remind me a lot of actual natural disasters and nuclear disasters. Which I think from a writing stance is a good thing.

Now. Winath. In all honestly, I kind of want to do a whole post on Winath culture and on the Ranzz family and my personal thoughts, but I'll put some tidbits of that discussion in here.

Big source for food in the galaxy. How big is that planet? Earth size? Moon size? Seems suspicious they only showed us one shelter and that there's only one station, so I'll have to go with moon, maybe smaller. So that should mean that year-round it is the optimal place for most crops. Minus cosmic storms.

But onto the whole subject of why there are so many twins.

In the comics, it was completely normal for twin births, while solo children are the minority. We aren't given any particular reason why though. We did see some people without twins in the shelter, but that doesn’t mean they weren't born single.

Another thing from the comics I want to mention is that Solo children were stereotyped as psychopaths.

Hmm. Wonder how that could possibly negatively impact kids who were solo on Winath. I said sarcastically, looking at a certain trash baby.

When I first watched this, this was when I started doing research into the old Legion comics. Where Mekt was about as sane as a cat on catnip. And had no sense of fashion.

Yes, of course I'm bringing the Trash Lord into discussion, he was in a photo! Don't worry, I'll keep the topic on him short.

Mm. He doesn't seem very happy. Pretty distant from everyone else. Gonna have to go with the possibility that solo children don't get the best treatment on Winath.

… Wonder how he felt hearing about the whole event for this episode?

And then there is the subject of Mr. and Mrs. Ranzz. How did they treat their sons exactly? Because clearly they love Garth and he did a lot of accomplishments, but Mekt came out as a mess.

In a post from Tom Bierbaum, who worked on the comics, located here, he describes the family as ”...Bit of a mixed bag. There was a lot of good there, but the parents were probably highly accomplished, career-driven people who expected nothing less of their kids but were so wrapped up in their own responsibilities that they weren't giving their kids the kind of attention and support they'd need to reach their positive potentials.”

One thing to keep in mind is that the family were a bunch of farmers. And farming is not easy. So it is possible that being too busy was one of the reasons that the kids ended up as they did, although unintentionally.

But I just gotta mention something based on personal experience.

So most of my Dad’s side of the family live in North Carolina and were in the countryside and worked with farms. 

And most of them conservatives.

Like, racist homophobic conservatives.

You can imagine how uncomfortable I, a biracial pansexual Latina girl, can get around them.

So, based on a personal experience, I am suspicious if there was some neglect towards Mekt as he was a minority that was discriminated against, and favoritism towards Garth and Ayla for being twins.

But it’s hard to say given that we barely see them or their behaviors.

Moving on.

Now the actual characters in the episode.

Starting with Superman. His fanbase grows. Not much development but we also see he's a little impulsive here, judging by how fast he went to get back out of the cruiser.

Brainy doesn't get much development either. But he definitely seems far more open to people now, given he was smiling at Cosmic Boy. Smiling. Our little grouchy pants. SMILING. The writers are keeping consistent with how he has been becoming more and more open to people emotionally, as well as expressive.

And then we have Colossal Boy. This is his second speaking role episode. He seems rather close to Cosmic Boy. Not exclusive to pet names. Which does warrant... shipping grounds. As far as character development goes, it is interesting to note that even though he's close to Cosmic Boy, he volunteers to help Lightning Lad outside the core. So, he might be more pro-active than CB1. But he also says Brainy has a big head. This could be seen as a jab at B5 because of his intelligence, but Brainy also asked if he could get any smaller than what he currently was. Perhaps being asked go get smaller is something he has to deal with frequently, and that was one of his ways of throwing it back into another person's face.

Ferro Lad... so, he seems generally nice in this episode, a bit on the social awkward side, and prefers to stay out of arguments that don’t necessarily involve him. But he keeps his face covered to hide whatever is underneath it, saying people don't want to see what's underneath. We can easily figure this means that he has been disfigured somehow, but whether or not he himself is conscious on it as well is another matter.

Which reminds me of Deadpool, who is self-conscious in his movie and that serves as the motivation to find Axe – oh I'm sorry, FRANCIS.  

But let's talk some trivia about his comic book origins. Originally, Jim Shooter, a white guy, who worked on LoSH comics, wanted to make him black. However, as writing the character took place during the 60s, DC shot down the idea, saying they would lose distribution in the South. Whitewashing him in the final product.

So, good on Jim for trying with good intentions, bad on DC for tearing it down.

As for where that goes as a consequence overall in most media for LoSH, we'll discuss it in the future.

But... that now begs the question... have other adaptations tackled this race-change? In the cartoon, we can see the skin around his eyes as well as his hands, which are light. So, it’s probably unlikely. 

Given Jim Shooter's original idea, I would totally be down for seeing a POC version of Ferro Lad.  

But I only found out Ferro Lad's backstory thanks to a friend in the last year, so it's might not well known, and the people working on the show might not have known at the time. And I've stated this before, and I'll say it again, the show originally had Triplicate Girl with darker skin, and given that they made her lighter in the final product was executive meddling, so who knows?

Speaking of Triplicate Girl, this episode once again gives us a lot of character development with her. She seems to be the medic of the group, or at least seems to have sufficient knowledge to give medical treatment. And that's a pretty interesting idea in the show. I personally would love to see more superheroes with more real-world skills. Most of the time.

(Glares at Marvel's Doctor Strange)

But she is shown around Bouncy for the majority of the show. But she has her own individuality, as she has more confidence than him, and reassures him that there was no mistake with the votes.

And now, our lovable Bouncy. This is episode gives him A LOT of development, as we watch him assess the situation and take control, making the best decisions on how to treat the situation. And accidentally becomes the new leader during the polls. Something he also has a hard time believing.

Okay, so he had to try multiple times to get into the Legion, and even when he’s in, he finds people questioning his abilities. So now, all of the sudden, he has been elevated to LEADER. That’s a definitely a big shift.

This does look like a good thing (especially since most of the legion think their worst enemies are behind bars based on what Lightning Lad said), and back when I first watched this show, I thought it was the best outcome. But now I can’t help but wonder, what are the qualifications?

Because as much as Bouncing Boy is a good person and does have skills and can assess a situation, we do have to acknowledge that if he doesn't meet the qualifications, he really shouldn't be in the position. Good intentions don't automatically mean good results in the long run. I think the next episode looks into this a bit more but keep it in mind.

I never thought I would criticize the show on that aspect when I was younger, but given the 2016 election results and where that has led, can you blame me for being concerned with this now?

Which reminds me – PLEASE GO VOTE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE THIS NOVEMBER!

And now, the founders.

So this is Cosmic Boy's first major off screen appearance. And the show quickly show he's Lightning Lad's foil. He does take his duties seriously but does leave the team for a time to try establishing themselves to others, without contacting anyone. Diplomacy seems like a more reasonable reason than just because you're going through the ego-emo phase, but still.

 Does seem to like Saturn Girl, but unlike Lightning Lad, seems to be more overprotective, where he won't have her do anything. Something similar to Timber Wolf in the degree of unintentional misogyny. Something she calls him out on. And like Lightning Lad, doesn't back down from a challenge. But there doesn't seem to be any malice/anger on his part, unlike Lightning Lad.

Saturn Girl also gets developed as well. But it is in terms of her relationship between the two boys, in a love-triangle sort of way unfortunately. She reassures Lightning Lad that she would be with him regardless of what happens, but as soon as Cosmic Boy shows up, she goes to him. And when Lightning Lad is getting ready to go outside, she chooses to stay to serve as communication. But she makes her own decision on going to the shelter. And later, she lets Lightning Lad go to his parents without intervening or apologizing. She practices agency in these relationships, and makes it clear no one owns her and she is capable of doing things, which I really like to see.

And now our favorite Trash Child.

Lightning Lad is confronted with a threat to his home, so he takes this mission far more seriously than most other missions we have seen so far. He is going out of his way for all efforts to protect Winath. And it is understandable why. As for his jerk-and-pride personality issues, he seems to be in better control, except he seems to have focused most of it on Cosmic Boy. However, it does pop up in the tone of his voice when Saturn Girl stays behind. And has trouble trusting new people. But he seems fast to warm up to Ferro Lad.

But he doesn’t demand any apologies from Saturn Girl for siding with Cosmic Boy, showing he truly respects her.

When Bouncy becomes the new elected leader, he doesn't hold anything against him. Instead, he is supportive. We wouldn't have gotten that with our Lightning Lad in the first episode.

And can I just say the quiet moments in this episode really delivered? Both the moment when he goes to his room and when he goes to his parents show his vulnerable side.

But before I wrap up this episode, I just want to thank everyone who has put up with me taking so long to resume these reviews.

Hopefully the next one won’t take as long to get out, but... we’ll see.

[rpchive]

Ninety Second Encounter-- Infinity City

Oz is probably gonna be up there for Worst Dad of the Year awards after this

Upon entering the IT, the group finds that the entire interior has gone dark. The console room still seems to be the same size, but the floor has changed from a mirror to a carpet.

Collin: Well this is... weird.

He creates a small ball of light that floats up a foot or so above his head while Fawkes deploys his flashlights once again. "Hell of a time for the IT to renovate, huh?" alienrabitt: ...Hey, if that's the only weird thing going on, I don't mind it. Daedalus: Somehow I doubt that. Where were you keeping the Wizard of Oz again, night light? Firefly: He was in my room, but now I have no idea where he is...

Rio: Do you think he wound up on the island?

alienrabitt: No way; he'd need to either be alive, or have a body. He wasn't even bound to an object, so he didn't get the boot like we did... Collin: Sounds like we need to check Firefly's room, then. Azreldeh: Shouldn't you be looking for the marble Demo's been complaining about? Collin: Er, maybe so, yeah. Sorry, got stuck on one track there... Karumet: Just be careful; I know he can't do anything when it's so far away from Demo; but knowing the luck you all share, anything's still on the table... Collin: Fingers crossed, I guess. Let's get to Demo's room then. Jay and Zenith head off for Demo's room. Collin, Fawkes, and Daedalus follow after them.

Zenith: How big is the marble we're looking for anyway? The size of a golf ball?

alienrabitt: More like a lime, I guess. Close, but too small. Daedalus: What color is it? Or does it change like a mood ring or some crap like that? alienrabitt: Not so much a mood ring; it's like every other saa-based kleivenn's...whatevers. Changes based on whoever touched it last; though I wasn't really paying attention when I gave it back to her...she acted like it changed for her in her own hands too, though? I didn't think that was possible, but Demo's not exactly normal...

cannocly, they’re referred to as oracles, because of a line in a FOB song

“I'm the oracle in my chest”

Daedalus: I kinda picked up on that when she dragged me out of your boyfriend. alienrabitt: Honestly, I still have no idea how she managed to do that one... Jay opens the door of Demo's room to find little more than a solid wall with a piece of paper attached.

Zenith: Wh-where'd her room go? What's that note?

alienrabitt: ...It says "I already got what I wanted..." Collin: Oh this is bad. The group returns to the console room to find Demo standing on Silky's back, holding the Candy Cane's sharpened end towards the back of her neck as she waits for the group to return. XL and Nydins are standing nearby, equally tense and nervous, while Firefly and Azreldeh seem to be debating the safest way to get Demo away from her.

Demo?: There you are! I was getting tired of waiting for the two of you. Thought you were gonna stand me up or something.

alienrabitt: L-look, don't do anything you're gonna regret... Demo?: Regret? Do I seriously strike you as the kind of person to have regrets? Seriously, it's like you don't even know me or something.

Stepping down, Demo quickly kicks Silky across the floor, knocking Firefly over. Quickly closing the distance between them, Demo rips Jay's heart out and shatters it in front of him as she pulls out her marble. "...Not like that matters; after this, you won't know anything at all."

As the marble absorbs the shards of Jay's heart, Zenith frantically attempts to stop Demo, and Nydins calls out to try and stop them, however her warning remains disregarded as Demo places the marble against Zenith's chest.

"...And if you're anything like him, you probably took that terrible trait of his, didn't you? Not like you could ever stop taking people in anyway. It's the one thing the two of you truly have in common." As Demo takes Zenith as well, the entirety of the IT vanishes around the group; sending all of them hurdling off in various directions as the very fabric of reality itself seems to tear like a film that's off track, leaving their surroundings an ever shifting plane of brilliant reds, greens, and blues. One by one, everyone's view of each other is cut off by pillars of what appear to be a mixture of memories and separate timelines; each one focused on the person trapped inside.

After several moments of falling in uninterrupted solitude, Daedalus finds himself placed alone in a city that is constantly changing it's layout and appearance. From across the "city," Daedalus can hear Demo call out to him:

"Don't bother looking for the others; there's only the three of us left now. Well, four if you include Collin, but if you take too long to find me, he won't be a problem. See, I kind of figured that he'd be about the only person who could reach through to Jay, and I really can't have that, but leaving him somewhere to find me seemed...well, not a good idea. So I'm just straight up going to rip him to pieces. His soul, I mean. It's totally getting shredded. 'Course, I couldn't risk any of those magic users sitting up here to do that kind of thing either; so I'm making Nydins do it. Don't worry, she has no idea what's going on; pretty sure she can't see or hear any of this, actually. Anyway, if you take too long, you're stuck out there, sooo...get walking, pal."

Daedalus: ... Wow. Literally everything fell apart in less than fifteen seconds. That's gotta be some kind of record for you guys. Alright, fuck it, looks like I'm saving that worthless idiot's soul a second time. Time to really give this bad boy a run for its money.

He adjusts the gauntlet on his arm to make sure that it's firmly attached and then points it out in front of him. He activates a sprayer from the underside of the glove which shoots out an orange gel on the ground in front of him. Stepping onto the material, he begins sprinting forward at a drastically increased speed as he continues to spray in front of him, heading off toward the direction of Demo's voice. Switching over to a blue gel, he splatters a decently sized puddle at the end of his trail and launches off of it like a spring pad, hurtling through the air.

Before he hits the ground, he shoots another blotch of blue gel onto the pavement and bounces off of that as well. He repeats the process to make his way around the shifting city, occasionally rolling to a stop on a splatter of the gel which absorbs the impact of his landing so that he can orient himself and continue onward.

can’t believe Daedalus is gonna LARP Splatoon to save everybody’s lives

In the center of the shifting expanse is a building that continues to shift in size and layout, however the upper half remains the same, an amalgamate of neon lights; colorful windows; and walls that are placed nonsensically, barely qualifying as proper rooms. Daedalus glances around at the structure for a minute before finally picking out a spot on the upper half to try and shoot a portal onto. He successfully places a portal on a solid portion of the brilliant building. Daedalus: Nice, half-expected that not to stick, but I'll take it.

He shoots the other portal on a nearby wall and steps through, carefully making his way onto the top of the bizarre structure. Once he has his footing, he starts cautiously making his way around as he looks for a way inside. There seems to be a door on the roof, however it's sunken into the roof rather than protruding, leading into the building more like a cellar door. Daedalus: God, what the hell is with this place anyway? I know we're from the seventies but honestly...

He pulls the door open and heads down inside. "... If I didn't know any better, I'd think M. C. Escher bodyjacked Demo rather than the world's shittiest pseudo-scientist." The interior of the building isn't much better, stairs going both up and down despite being on the uppermost floor; some of them actively moving as wholes or shifting  like escalators. The building seems to get more stable the closer he gets to Demo's location, however, making it easy to tell where she is. Using a combination of portals and gels, Daedalus gradually works his way toward the more stable parts of the building. He raises his voice slightly as he continues talking to himself, seeing if he can get any sort of response from Demo. "At least Aperture's layout was vaguely practical! I mean really, stair elevators? Stairevators? That doesn't even make sense!"

I...guess it makes sense that Daedalus wouldn’t have seen an escalator, but it’s still kinda funny that he doesn’t know what they are

Demo?: "The stairs are moving? I haven't even left this room, honestly; I'm kind of enjoying the view. Well, that and trying to get Zenith to stop talking so much. It won't stop complaining about Jay; ugh; seriously; the guy's dead for sure; I mean, you'd think it'd pick up on that after his body disappeared when I literally broke his heart, but noooooo..." He pauses on the next staircase and looks blankly in the direction of Demo's voice for a second. "... Buddy, you'd better hope you're wrong about that." Demo?: "It was kind of a rush if we're being totally honest; I was a little nervous or something at first, but the sheer concept of finally being whole made it more satisfying. I mean, really, this is all I've ever wanted. Nothing can hurt him; or take him away; he's not bound to anybody anymore; there's no other people in his life that are better than me; I'm just...the only thing that's important. The only thing that he has. Literally keeping him alive...as a part of me. It's the safest he's ever been; and it just feels right."

you know that, since he’s still soulbound to Collin, if you kill him, you kill yourself too, right?

After another moment, Daedalus continues moving deeper into the building with a fortified sense of determination. "Right, well, you can keep being a clingy psychopath for now, but I think it's only fair to warn you that you are seriously screwed the moment I put Collin's soul back in his body." Demo?: "If there's even enough of him left to punish me." Daedalus: You seriously underestimate how damnably resilient he is. Trust me, I know that better than any of you fuckers. Demo?: "Seriously? With a shredded soul? Would he even care? Didn't seem like he was too worried last time he lost it." Daedalus: God, you're insufferable like this, you know that? Daedalus finally comes across the room Demo is in; perfectly stable, and similar in appearance to the room Zenith was made in. Behind her is Nydins, Collin's unconscious body floating a few feet away from her in a large, blue bubble with the grief symbol on it; though the eye is open for once. Nydins makes no attempt to look away from what she is doing. Demo, however, stops watching them to face Daedalus.

Demo?: You got here faster than expected...! I'm impressed. Daedalus rolls his neck and his shoulders for a second before pointing his gauntlet at Demo. "Yeah, well, I learned how to get around pretty well from my twin back in the day. So, are we doing this the easy way or the hard way? I might not have any magical nonsense to drag Oz out of you, but I know someone in here that sure as hell does." Demo?: ...Why are you even bothering to help him? To help any of them? What exactly do you have to prove; that you're redeemable? That you're finally a good guy; that you can finally think and act on your own? What good does it do you to save these people; they can't even punish you if they can't save themselves. Daedalus: I'm not doing this to "prove" anything. I'm not trying to avoid punishment, or get a pat on the back, or whatever other dumb excuses you can come up with. I'm here because of two simple things. The first is that you collapsed the only place I had to stay into some nonexistent space and dumped my ass in some crack-fueled nightmare of an Escher wannabe, so no shit I'm gonna want to find a way out.

The second is that after Demo brought me back here, things felt... different. They felt... real. It was like everything I knew up until then was some sort of manic hallucination. Before, I could only feel jealousy, anger, hatred toward everyone and everything. All that mattered was sabotaging Collin's life and everything that he stood for. Now I look back on all of it and I feel... guilt. Like a lead weight in my chest pulling me down into something I still can't quite understand.

I might not be pushover goodie two-shoes that my twin is, but I'm not letting myself become some mindless rage monster again either. I'm not living a life that I'll despise ever again, and I'll carve a bloody fucking path through anyone that tries to get in the way of that. So, one more time then. Let Collin go, undo whatever the fuck you've done to everyone, and give us back the IT, or things are about to get really. Fucking. Ugly. Demo?: I really don't understand you. I'm not sure why, I just...can't place it in the slightest. You've got nothing holding you back; no obligations; don't you get it? This isn't just the ship; this...this is everything; every reality they see is one I can tear into; one I can pull from, or go to; I can do anything; make anything; I've got eternity in front of me, and the fabric of reality is playdough in my palms!! And all you want is... to go back to how things ought to be? Don't do this to yourself; don't go back to that subpar lifestyle of living in this...nobody's shadow! You can be a god; why settle for less just because it's "the right thing to do?" Daedalus: I'm not settling for anything. I don't want to be a god. I just want to be me. Letting out a sigh, Demo shakes her head. "I can't make you something you aren't. I mean, I very much can, but I was really hoping you'd just be on board with this whole thing out the gate. Suit yourself, pal; just remember-"

A long, sharp, steel rod protrudes from the floor abruptly, impaling Daedalus through the chest.

"-Time means nothing here, and your lives? They're just my playthings. And we're gonna be playing this game for a long, /long/ time, until I get the answer I want."

Demo continually reverses and redoes this for quite some time, not really relenting as much as taking her time to undo it occasionally.

thanks pal

you’re about to experience the wrath of a god

(those are two separate links btw)

As Demo continues to torment Daedalus, Firefly comes crashing through one of the windows, causing her to stop. It is impossible to read Firefly's expression as she rushes Demo, pulling everyone Oz pulled in apart from each other.

Firefly: ...You shouldn't have underestimated me!

With the trio now separated, the chaos that had consumed the various dimensions stops all at once, and reality returns to the way that it was. Zenith pushes themself upright, but can barely support themself. Leaning against the wall of the console room, they look at the shards of Jay's heart, floating several feet away, gray and cold. Demo lies on the floor between them, incapable of moving beyond shifting her view up. Firefly keeps her grip on Oz's raw soul, breathing heavily as she tries to hold back tears.

Firefly: ...He's not gonna wake up like that...! And Jay...he might not even come back! You...I tried so hard to find a way to stop you, or to help you, but...there's no good in you, is there? I was stupid to give you a window like this...I shouldn't have even kept you here...

Oz: But you did. You left me here, and kept the Zenith. You made too many mistakes, you made this happen.

Zenith: ...Sh-she didn't do anything; nobody did anything; nobody but you...you're the only one who wanted to hurt everybody...you're the one who did this... Daedalus staggers to his feet, still clutching his chest with his unarmored hand. He groans as he looks at the others for a moment before focusing back on Oz.    "... P-.... Permission to wipe this asshole off the map?" Azreldeh: Go for it. If you don't, I'll drag him to hell myself. Daedalus: Wonderful.

His eyes suddenly burst into brilliant white flames as he takes one step forward and holds out the gauntlet toward Oz. A shockwave starts forming in the palm as flames burst to life along his arm and coalesce around the charge. A blazing ring of fire suddenly appears on the ceiling directly above Oz and several spears of searing hot fire spike down and pierce through Oz one after the other, knocking Firefly clear. As one last spear plunges through him, Daedalus screams in fury and unleashes a massive blast of flame from the gauntlet. The blast seems to wrap around Oz's form like a snare and twists around him, engulfing him in an overwhelming surge.

The flames dissipate in a sudden gust of air a moment later, leaving absolutely nothing in its wake, not even a char on the carpet.

Daedalus: That's for treating me like a fucking shishkebab, asshole.

As he finishes his sentence, he drops to his knees and then flops gracelessly to the floor, still conscious but groaning in pain. Zenith: Wh-what the...?! You can do stuff like that!?

Clair: L-let's talk about that later...as...terrifying and awesome as it was; d-...Oz...still left a lot in his wake for us to deal with...

Rio: Are...are you gonna be okay after doing something like that? Daedalus: I.... think.... not sure... what I just did... Karumet: ...More questions for later, I guess...

Azreldeh: Nydins; you're the one who messed Collin up like this; you've gotta be the one that can pull him back together.

Nydins: M-me?! I can't! Not like this--!

Azreldeh: Your powers are grief-based, right? They work off the pain and suffering of others? Everyone around you's going through a lot of that, but if that's still not enough...use me. Look back to everyone I wound up sending off; everyone I saved; and you'll find more than you need, I'm sure.

Nydins: B-but won't that hurt you? T-to...to see all that again?

Azreldeh: Collin's basically comatose and Jay might be dead; do you seriously think I care about hurting? C'mon, let's hold hands and do whatever you did with Collin, but...good this tine. Okay?

Still reluctant, Nydins steps over to Azreldeh and takes her hand like she asked. Azreldeh tells her it's not bad, just a little cold, then abruptly goes rigid, even her tail standing on end as she seems to stare straight through the wall and off into space. As this happens, the eye that normally physically appears on Nydins appears in the fire between her horns instead, and a multitude of small, blue, magical circles appear on the floor around Collin, each erupting into a beam of light that forms a pyramid over his body. Extending her free arm, palm forward, Nydins aims at Collin, and yet another beam of light seemingly pierces through the entire IT, connecting all the glowing circles into a symbol before the entire setup vanishes along with the eye in the flames. Exhausted, Nydins releases Azreldeh and staggers aside, and Azreldeh collapses onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily as she curls her tail around herself uncomfortably. Collin suddenly gasps for air before breaking out into a coughing fit. He rolls over onto his side and puts his free hand on the floor in front of him. Simultaneously, the large, dull crystal lying on the floor off to the side of the console room suddenly bursts back to life and is consumed by a ball of light. The shape then stretches out to form a humanoid shape before dissipating, leaving Sanglied behind who then just as quickly falls to one knee, shaking slightly as they hug their arms around themself.

Collin seems to come to his senses first while he slowly starts to push himself up off the floor. His movements are unsteady, but his sheer determination drives him to keep moving.

Collin: J-Jay... Where... is he? I... have to... Zenith: ...Oz made Demo break his heart. I...I don't know if you can fix it...

Karumet: ...If he were dead, he wouldn't have left anything behind. As it stands, he just looks...empty.

Demo: ...I couldn't...hurt him...I didn't...want to do...that....I wanted to...keep him...safe...not...this. Not...this... Daedalus: What the hell are you going on about? Zenith: ...Oz just...did what he did to everybody; he took what Demo wanted and...made it all wrong. She wanted to keep Jay around; so Oz tried to make him a part of us. She wanted Collin out of the picture, so he was gonna kill Collin. She wanted to be alone, so he sent everyone spiraling off into space. She wanted you to help...and he wanted the worst of that. Daedalus: ... I know I just cremated him somehow, but I kinda wish I could do it again. Collin finally pushes himself onto his feet, slowly approaching the floating shards of Jay's heart. His expression is locked in a mask of stunned bewilderment as he tries to push the shards together with his hands. "N-No.... I... H-How do... How am I supposed to fix this?"

Karumet: ...I'm...not sure. It looks like he's just totally empty; no wish; no magic. And there's no way we'd have enough magic to fix him in the state everyone's in right now. The best you could do is try to make the wish that made him again, and hope he regains color. After that, the shards will be able to pull together again, and once you have magic, we can bring him back in full. That's about the only guess I have...it's still better than just...assuming he's gone for good. Collin: I... Alright, I'll...

Still trying to pull the shards together himself, he takes a shaky breath in as he closes his eyes as tight as he can. "... Please... come back... You can't just... It can't end like this..." /Though the shards make no effort to conjoin, there is a moment where they flash a bright green; a bright red; and a deeper shade of green before settling on their proper shade of blue. Collin slowly opens his eyes and seems to relax just slightly when he notices the color change. "Well... It's a start..." Zenith: H-he'll get better eventually...! Hopefully...

Demo: ...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...J-Jay... She begins to choke up as she buries her face in the carpet. Daedalus: This is just one white-hot shitstorm of a day, isn't it... Azreldeh: Dude; you just burned a kid's dad do death in front of them...

Zenith: He...definitely deserved it... Daedalus: Maybe I should feel bad, but I don't. Clair: ...I don't blame you. It...was really a long time coming...at least nobody can let the Operation know where we are now...

Azreldeh: ...You're not handling this well. You're also terrible at hiding how you feel.

Clair: ...There's nothing /to/ feel. I can't feel sorry; or mad; or even guilty. Nothing he caused was because of me; nothing I could've done would've stopped him...I've got nothing to hide, and nothing left to lose. Daedalus: I'll admit, this part's going better than I expected. Azreldeh: Really? Because it looks like big guy's boyfriend just turned into a bunch of glowing rocks; but I'm glad you're having a good time.

Zenith: At least nobody...actually died? Daedalus: I was talking more about- Ugh, nevermind...

Collin: I... guess I'll try to take these back to the room. I'm not sure what else to do with them right now. Silky: I'll just take Demo to XL's room for now too...if anyone's actually hurt, they should go there also; otherwise, we probably just need to lie down for a while or something...

XL: Anything but...whatever the hell all that was. I don't care what you do. If you're hurt; come to me; if not...please, don't.

With that, the pair leaves, taking Demo with them. Sanglied finally steps back onto their feet, but their gaze seems somewhat distracted and distant. "I'm sorry, we... we need some time alone."

They hurry off down the hall to their room.

Daedalus: Well, I'm just gonna... lay here for a bit. Can't really move still, so unless someone wants to drag me along, I'll be here if you need me.

Collin wordlessly scoops the shards of Jay's heart into his hands and gently carries them back to his room. Zenith: Would you, uhh...rather be in your room? Daedalus: Buddy, after taking about umpteen metal rods in the chest, I'm just taking life as it comes.

I think about this line more than I should tbh, lol

Zenith glances at Clair, unsure of what to do in the situation. Sighing, Clair shakes her head and takes a seat on the floor beside Zenith.

Clair: ...How are you handling this?

Zenith: Jay being...broke; or...dad?

Clair: ...Both, I guess.

Zenith: ...I'm not. I just don't wanna cry in front of everybody. They're gonna think I'm a baby or something. Daedalus: I think half of the IT is in tears right about now, so now's the time honestly. I promise not to be snarky about it. Zenith: ...Why didn't you tell me?

Clair: ...Tell you what?

Zenith: ...You...you knew about Alzedeth, but...you still tried to protect them. Why?

Clair: ...Look, I told you I don't hold that against you...I know he can't go back to that, but...it was all I had left of--

Zenith: I never went anywhere; I just...I don't know. I guess I got so caught up in everything, it was hard for me to say who I was.

Clair quietly stares at the floor for a moment before looking over to Zenith. "...If you're lying just to make me feel better, it's not."

Zenith: I'm not lying! When I was...stuck with those guys, I saw a lot of stuff that wasn't mine. I knew how Demo felt about what was happening; I knew Oz was the one doing it; and...somewhere in it all, I think Jay did too. But Oz just...took all this out on me when he made me like this; he knew who I was supposed to be...and so I found out.

Clair: Y-you...you were there for everything he did?

Zenith: ...Yeah. I watched everything. He was there every time he made me take somebody else. He justified it as a funeral since he kept making everyone's friends and stuff forget them.

Clair: This...this is too much. I don't even know where to start, I-...

Zenith: ...Look, you don't...owe me any sorrys or anything. I know you tried to stop him. I know you care.

Unsure of what to say, Clair is the one to burst into tears as she wraps Zenith in a hug; though they seem more confused by the gesture than anything. Daedalus suddenly seems slightly uncomfortable with his current situation and tries moving again, but he barely gets his limbs to budge. He lets a minute or so pass as he tries to will himself to become invisible. Failing that, he finally musters up his courage and uneasily breaks the silence. "Well, uh... At least something good came out of all of this, huh?" Azreldeh: ...I don't think she's gonna stop crying any time soon. You wanna go somewhere else? Daedalus: I don't really want to interrupt your reunion, but uh... I'm feeling a little out of place suddenly, so it might be for the best. For what it's worth though, I'm... well, I'm not sorry for torching the monster, but I do feel a little bad for doing it in front of you guys. Zenith: It's...he deserved it. I guess we were both kind of hoping he'd maybe...get better or something; but instead he just kind of...didn't. This is on us as much as it is Firefly... Daedalus: Oh please, don't give me that crap. There was only one person at fault here, and they're a fine vapor at this point. Zenith: ...Y-yeah...I guess so. Um, Clair; I kinda wanna check on everybody else, could you...let go?

Embarrassed, but still crying, Clair backs off. "S-sorry! I just...I really missed you."

Zenith: Hey, don't worry, alright? I'm not gonna leave you alone. Getting up off the floor, Zenith heads for Collin and Jay's room first.

“hey do you wanna be somewhere else?” *leaves him on the floor*

good job Zenith

The room is almost eerily quiet as Zenith approaches the door. He can practically feel the despair emanating from inside. Zenith debates knocking for a moment before indecisively pulling the door open slightly and sheepishly calling into the room instead: "...You don't have to sit all by yourself..." Collin: ... I know. Still uncomfortable, Zenith steps into the room anyway. "...I know it's not okay, but...he will be. And until he is, you...shouldn't stay like this. You're only gonna feel worse." Jay's shards are floating gently above his side of the bed while Collin sits with his legs pulled up against his chest next to them. He looks at Zenith as he comes in. “I... I just don't want to leave them alone. If this situation gets any worse, he'll..." Zenith: ...Yeah, I know. I don't think it will, though. I...don't really have what it takes to help him entirely after what Oz did, but I could probably pull him together enough to get him out here again? He'd probably still be broken up, but he'd be here... Collin: I don't want to rush this if it's going to hurt him. Zenith: Does it hurt? I thought he'd just forget stuff... Collin: I... Look, it... I just don't want to see him look at me like a stranger. Zenith: ...Then I'll wait here too. You don't deserve to be alone, not after all that... Collin: You don't need to do that. I'll have to leave eventually, I just... don't know what to do with myself right now. Zenith: ...What's there to do? The IT never even stopped moving; Oz is gone; Demo can't even move... Collin: You mean Daedalus? Zenith: No, I mean Demo. When we all showed up, she was lying on the floor the whole time. Silky had to take her to XL's room because she can't move. She could barely even look at you when you started trying to help Jay. Collin: Oh. God, I guess I was so out of it I didn't even notice... Zenith: Do you wanna go check on her? I can watch the shards... Collin: You... don't need to do that. You're right, he'll be fine here. Zenith: I just wanna help you out. Collin: I get that, but just... don't weigh yourself down for my sake. I'm sure there's something else you'd rather do than babysit my boyfriend's... pieces... Zenith:  already had one big conversation with Clair; the only other thing on my list was see if your god friends were okay too. They looked really shaken up when they left... Collin: Yeah, things got pretty bad for both of us there... Anyway, I should go check on Demo like you said. Zenith: Okay; I'll go try to find the gods then. Unless you want the company. Collin: .... Tell you what, I'll go with you to see Sanglied. It feels more personal than just this weird telepathy thing. Zenith: Sounds good to me!

With that, they leave the room again. They head for the gods' room and Collin pauses for a moment as they reach the door. After that, he nods and gently opens the door to their room. Stepping inside, they find themselves inside a room like a small palace. The floors are made of a gleaming marble tile, and the walls are stylized like those of a cathedral. A lifelike mural of a starry night sky is painted in a circular indent in the ceiling. Various bedroom furnishings are set up along the walls, and a large fountain filled with glistening water stands at its center.

Sanglied is sitting on the edge of the fountain with a fairly large goblet in their hand. They finish off its contents and then dunk it back into the fountain to refill it. They look over to the pair and raise their goblet to them in a mute greeting before taking another drink. A little awestruck by the room's contents, Zenith slowly enters before remembering what they've come for. "...Um, y-...are you guys okay? I don't know what exactly happened to you; I'm pretty sure Collin was unconscious from the start of that mess, but Oz didn't target you guys at all..." Sanglied: Didn't have to. I don't know what was happening to Collin's soul, but almost killing him like that almost killed us. Well, "killed".  Our connection to the physical realm was falling apart, and this body of ours was giving out. Everyone started panicking because we knew Collin was in danger but we couldn't do anything about it, and about that time we lost consciousness. After we came to, the The pain and confusion had sent Ezorius into one of her... episodes, so I had to calm her down from that. We were all trying to get up to speed with what had happened, and so I just... got us back here so we could regroup, I guess. Zenith: ...I'm really sorry we couldn't stop him. I can't even begin to imagine what all of you went through while we were stuck together. I mean, I know what he wanted to do; but he didn't; I don't even think he could...well, he could've, but when all of us were holding him back, things...didn't totally work out for him either. Sanglied looks at him from over the rim of their goblet. "... You wanna try being a little less vague?" Zenith: He really was trying to send everybody else everywhere else, but since we didn't want him to do that, everybody just kinda kept falling, surrounded by the infinite possibilities of places they could be... Sanglied: That... doesn't sound much better. Zenith: Hey, if he'd actually sent everybody away, nobody would've been able to stop him! I...still have no idea how Firefly escaped all that; but maybe she'll explain that later. Regardless, I think we were both messing up each other's stuff. You're lucky you couldn't see his poor excuse for a "city." Sanglied: We'll take your word for it. Regardless, Ezzy's okay, and everyone else has calmed down. Mostly. I guess we'd already gotten spoiled by being back here; almost being forced back into the Inbetween was not a fun thing to feel again. Zenith: I understand. The entire experience was uncomfortable for everybody involved; I don't think anybody walked away from this totally unscathed. Azreldeh's trying to be tough by not admitting it, but even she got scared of all that. Collin: Oh shit, is she okay? I'm still a little fuzzy on what was happening in the console room... Zenith: She's fine; she wouldn't be sitting in my shadow watching you right now if she wasn't. Collin: Oh, she's-? Alright, that's good. Zenith quickly apologizes to his shadow before looking back to Collin.

"Seriously though, what about you? I know you're worried about Jay, but, I mean...Oz tried to kill you too." Collin: I... I don't know. Everything had happened so fast. One second I was watching Demo shatter Jay's heart right in front of me, and the next... I think I was drifting in and out of consciousness or something, because everything until I woke back up in the console room is just a mess of voices and colors and pain. It doesn't make any sense. Zenith: ...I had no idea you were even remotely awake during that whole mess. Oz kind of tried to make an entire building out of one of the rooms he used for his weird funeral things; and that's where Daedalus found us. He was making Nydins rip you apart, but I don't know how much she knows either. She looked like she wanted to stay away from things, but Azreldeh told her she was the only one who had a shot at helping you, so she did.

Azreldeh: ...For what it's worth; she really tried to get you back together. I've never had that many flashbacks that realistically so close together in my whole life...but I still don't regret all that stuff. And hey, it helped you get back on your own...foot, I guess; so that's, like, a double plus, right? Like, 200% great. Collin: Well, I appreciate it. I just hope whatever Nydins had to do to you wasn't that bad. Azreldeh: I'm basically from hell; nothing she could've done would've been too much for me to take. Collin: Well, I can't argue with that. So, just to make sure Sanglied, everyone's still okay?

Sanglied: Yeah, we're alright now. I'm probably going to take the fiercest nap in a century after this though. Azreldeh: Just don't oversleep. Sanglied: Does sleeping til the turn of the next year count? Zenith: Uh...yes? Sanglied: Dammit. I'll have to set an alarm...

Collin: Well, I still need to go check up on Demo, so we'll just uh, leave you to it then. Zenith: Just don't sleep through that too! Sanglied: Eh, someone else will get tired of hearing it if I don't.

Collin and Zenith leave the pantheon to their nap and head back down the hall toward XL's room. Collin: So Demo wasn't looking too good after all of that either, huh? Zenith: She couldn't move at all, but she didn't look physically hurt or anything? I guess it just really wore her out or something; which doesn't really surprise me; I'm, uh...a lot to handle. Collin: I suppose so. How are you feeling after all of that, anyway? Zenith: I uhh...watched my dad die...again, I guess? But I'm more guilty that I wound up hurting everybody somehow...I mean, I know it wasn't me doing all that stuff, but I still feel bad that I got used against you guys... Collin: Heh, you can join the club there, honestly. It's happened to a fair chunk of us. The "getting used" thing, not the... dad thing. I am sorry you had to be there for that, even if he was a complete psychopath. Zenith: ...I know he deserved it. Clair and I both quietly hoped he'd...maybe not be like that somehow, but he clearly only ever had one thing in mind at any point in time, and nothing anyone did or said could change that. I kinda didn't want to be wrong, but we both always knew it'd come down to something like that... Collin: There's only so many chances you can give someone, y'know? It's no one's fault but his. Zenith: ...Yeah. I know... Collin: .... I do get how you feel though. I actually had to stop what....used to be my mom myself. I still feel awful about that sometimes, but I know that if I let her continue on, more people would just get hurt. It was the right thing to do, even if it didn't feel right.

the arc of OZ is pretty much just “DECIMATE YOUR PARENTS”

Zenith: ...I...kinda knew about that. I don't know everything Jay did, but I got enough context to understand who was who and why they were where they were. It just wasn't really the kind of thing I figured I should be talking about, so I never brought it up or anything. That must've been a terrible choice to make, though; but at least you got to make it. And you're right; you did do the right thing. Collin: I don't really mind questions if they're brought up at the right time, I guess. It's funny, I don't actually get too many questions about Aperture at all, even from the people who've known me the longest. Anyway, let's see how Demo's holding up. Staying at the back of her room, XL and Silky quietly discuss something with each other while Demo continues to lie on XL's metal bed. Demo makes no effort to look at the door once she hears people enter, though she does quietly acknowledge it. "...Why are you here?" Collin: Well... Jay's gonna be out for a while, and I've already talked with Zenith. You're the only person I haven't really checked in with that got the worst of... all that. Demo: Me? I almost killed you. I almost killed Daedalus too. I thought I'd killed Jay for real until I saw you try to fix him; do you know how that felt? ...No, I don't even need to ask, of course you do; you know everything about Jay; I'm sure he's already waiting for you like some stupid puppy back in your stupid room...don't try to pity me.  I don't deserve it. Collin: Jay's still in fucking pieces back in my room, asshole. I didn't come here to pity you, I came here to see how you were doing because I still care about you, even if you are an absolute ass sometimes. Demo: ...But why? Why do you care about me?  I  know I tried to do the right thing once I came back, but...everything that happened back there still happened because I wanted it to a degree. It wasn't exactly what I wanted; that much is true, but...I still wanted to get rid of everybody. I still wanted to get him alone, even after all this time...I'm barely better than I used to be. Collin: At least you tried to change. That's the difference between you and Oz. He would've kept ruining lives until the end of time if he had it his way, but even if you did have a hand in all of this, you're still not that computer-generated thing that I first met all that time ago. And beside all of that, you've shown that you can care about people other than Jay, and that alone proves that you've already changed from before. Demo: ...I just wish I could've stopped him before he did all that. If you two had actually died, I don't know what I would've done...literally; I don't think there'd be anybody left to help anyone...but somehow, despite almost losing you both, things worked out, and I got stopped before Oz could force me to do something really stupid...I never wanted you dead. Not even before. I just wanted Jay to listen to me...I know, I figured that maybe that kid he's stuck with might've been my other half, but it's not; it can't be. It has to be Jay. Just Jay. But I don't want to be whole at his expense. I don't want to be whole at all if it takes something away from him. Oz didn't get that; or maybe he just didn't care.

now, there is gonna be something substantial to Demo realizing “hey, Jay’s actually my other half” beyond competition, but that’s gonna be some serious slow burn

Collin: Probably the latter, if I'm being honest. He wasn't exactly a font of sympathy. Er, no offense, Zenith. Demo: ...Regardless, I'm just...sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't hold him back; sorry I couldn't stop him; sorry he tried to read me and twisted it into something that worked out for him instead...Firefly wants to blame herself, but this is the third time I couldn't tell somebody no enough and everybody around me got hurt because of it. Collin: If you really want to make it up to everyone, then don't let something like this happen again. And while you're at it, maaaybe try not to mess with Jay anymore? I'm not sure how much more of all this "breaking down and being absorbed by other things" nonsense he can take. Demo: Trust me, if I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have touched him. Collin: Fair enough. I can leave you alone now so you can rest, if you want. Demo: ...Fine by me. Just let me know when Jay's...Jay again. I'm sure he has a lot to say. Collin: I will, I just don't know when that'll be. Demo: Your guess is as good as mine, pal. I have no idea how much that stuff burned him out. I never even tried to take any part of him in; I tried as best as I could to keep us all distinct; but that was about all I could do. Collin: Well, hopefully that was enough. I guess I'll go back and make sure the shards are safe for now. Might take a nap while I'm at it, honestly. I still don't really remember what happened, but I feel like my tank's running at half-past empty at this point. Demo: Probably for the best. Sleep well or whatever. Collin and Zenith take their leave again and head off their separate ways.

the next log is gonna be p much just...solid aftermath from all this, tbh. substantial enough to not be considered filler, but it doesn’t have any Action or anything afaik

[dialoversotaka]

DL Character Meme

Hey guys! Another DL tag game, yay! Thanks for tagging me, ma’ bros @vampiretsuki and @mythicamagic (i feel so loved, srsly)! Anyway, here we go:

Rules: List your top 10 favorite DL characters (it doesn’t just have to be the dateable guys, any characters are fair game) in order. And the answer the questions. Blank questions at the end.

1. Ayato 2. Subaru 3. Shin 4. Carla 5. Reiji 6. Ruki 7. Yuma 8. Kou 9. Shuu 10. Azusa

1. Number 5 (Reiji) has decided they want to completely change up their wardrobe and they take you shopping with them so you can give your opinions on what new outfits they should buy. What sort of clothes are you going to recommend? Wooah, that’s so crazy! Tbh, idk if Reiji would listen to my opinions... anyway, I’d reccommend respectable, but stylish clothes, I think they suit him well

2. You walk into your room one day to find number 2 (Subaru) standing on your bed, dancing to your favourite song while wearing nothing but your favourite underwear. How do you react? I’d start to laugh and cringe at the same time, then I’d make him go out and start listening to ‘’The Sound of Silence’’ trying to make sense of what just happenned and be traumatized for life

3. Number 7 (Yuma) has to go to the dentist but they’re adamantly refusing. How would you persuade them to go? Idk how Yuma thinks very well, so idk a good way for me to convince him... my strategy is usually sweet talk first, and if that doesn't work, threatening is right after, but it wouldn’t work on Yuma since i wouldn’t make him afraid haha

4. You lose a bet with number 6 (Ruki) and now have to be their personal maid for a day. Do you go through with it or do you try to get out of it? I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t ask for anything sexual, but i’m too lazy and doing chores is a pain in the ass for me! But I guess it’s better to put up with it if I don’t want to get punished

5. Number 4 (Carla) takes you to see a horror movie however they end up getting absolutely terrified halfway through and bury their head into your shoulder. How do you react? ...There’s just NO WAY he’d do it, srsly! What about his pride as a Founder King? I mean, I wouldn’t tease him for it, but I’d sure think there’s something rlly wrong with him that day, thinking like ‘’His Endzeit must be affecting him deeply, not only phiscally but also mentally...’’

6. Number 9 (Shuu) surprises you with a cake they’ve baked especially for you. Are you going to eat it? Oh... i must be very special for Shuu if he gets up to bake a cake for me... I guess I would? But before i’d say ‘’...If you put something inside on purpose and i don’t feel good, i’ll make you my butler until i feel better, you hear me?!’’

7. Number 8 (Kou) accidentally manages to completely trash their room, to the point where it’s uninhabitable. They don’t have anywhere to stay while it’s being repaired and so they ask if they can room with you for the next couple of weeks. How do you respond? Kou, I like you, but I wouldn’t, srry! I’d let you have my room and I’d even clean up yours so you could go back to it, I’d even sleep in the dungeons but i wouldn’t share, srry babe

8. Number 1 (Ayato) has decided to learn how to play the trumpet. The downside to this is that, for some reason, they’ve taken to practicing right outside your room around the time you normally go to sleep. What are you going to do? Ayato, my dear husbando, sometimes you go off the edge! But i don’t think he’d listen if i complained anyway, so i’d let it go till a certain extent, and then when i exploded... well, let’s just say that he would be handling a throwing tantrum Kanato, haha...

9. Number 10 (Azusa) recently purchased a cat onesie and they’ve insisted on wearing it everywhere over the past few days. They’ve now purchased a matching onesie for you and they’re being very insistent that you wear it and go out in public together. What do you do? Aww man! How can I say no to cutie Azusa? I’d go once, but more than that I don’t think I would... it’s too embarassing and i don’t like cats so much

10. Number 4 (Carla) is still scared after watching that horror film with you. It’s now late at night and they’re demanding that you let them sleep in your bed with you. What do you do? I’d be rlly suspicious and still think that the Endzeit’s effects were too strong that day, so i’d say there’s no problem and then wait till he was asleep to get the hell outta there and sleep somewhere else (i’m cunning and kinda deceiving when i feel threatened)

11. Number 3 (Shin) confesses to you that they want to be an Olympic gymnast but struggle to even touch their toes. What sort of advice do you give to them? I’d laugh (srry), but then i’d say that he needs to start doing some flexibility exercises every day and gradually he’d be able to pursue his dream

12. Number 7 (Yuma) decides they want to paint a picture of you. They make you sit still for hours while they work on it, only when they finally reveal it to you, the image bears absolutely no resemblance to you. They ask you for your opinion, what do you say? I’d thank him for the effort and say that it’s good, but that it doesn’t look like me so much and say ‘’if you want to try again some other time, just ask me and i’ll do it with joy ok? Don’t be sad! I took 1 year to draw bearable things to the eye and 3 years to get a good looking Foxy OC, so don’t lose hope ok!’’

13. Number 5 (Reiji) buys a large pet python and they try to talk you into keeping it in your room. How do you respond? i’d say like ‘’...Wow, Reiji... i mean, i knew you didn’t like me and eventually wanted to kill me, but i didn’t know you wanted to do so in such a horrible way... If you don’t want me here just say so, you stupid four-eyed pidgeon!’’ and then i’d get rlly mad and lock myself in my room till i got calmer...

14. You go on a Ferris wheel with number 6 (Ruki) but when you reach the top, it stops moving and stays still for a long time. There seems to be some kind of fault, which means you’re trapped with number 6 till someone can get it working again. What do you do? I guess we’d stay in a rlly akward silence and i’d try not to make eye contact with him until he gets annoyed by it and maybe we start having a normal conversation? I hope it would turn out like this, srsly

15. Number 2 (Subaru) proposes you play a game of twister. Regardless of whether you want to or not, you get dragged into it. As you’re playing, you notice number 2 seems to be touching you a lot more than necessary. Do you call them out on it, or take some other course of action? I guess I’d point it out like ‘’oooh, so you wanted to play with me just so you could freely touch me, ya punk? Who d’ya think you are?!’’ just to see his tsundere reaction and enjoy how cute it’d be haha (srry, I’m S, i can’t control it)

16. You’re getting changed in your room when you suddenly hear a noise from your wardrobe. You open the wardrobe to find number 3 (Shin) standing in it. How do you react? ‘’...Wtf??’’

17. Number 1 (Ayato) manages to accidentally handcuff themselves to you. They don’t have a key and for some reason, no matter what either of you do, you can’t seem to get them off. What are you going to do? ‘’Accidentally’’, yeah right! Me knowing Ayato, that’d probably be on purpose and he wouldn’t quit unless it was troublesome, so i’d do my best to piss him off and make him find the key. I mean, unless he wants to spend an afternoon with tantrum Kanato, I’d suggest he found it the quicker he could

18. Number 10 (Azusa) presents you with a bouquet of roses and declares that they have feelings for you. How do you react? Oooh man... I’d be so heartbroken to have to turn him down since I love Ayato... but of course, i’d do it gently and explain to him as calmly as i could, choosing well my words, but i’d feel guilty after... aaah, srry Azusa!

19. You go swimming with number 8 (Kou). You’re having a great time until they pull you aside and tell you that they’ve somehow lost their swimwear. Are you going to help them and if so how? I’d say ‘’how tf did you lose it, srsly?’’ but after i’d help him find it and if we couldn’t, i’d go and buy him a new one

20. Number 5 (Reiji) wrote a love letter to you and slipped it into what they believed to be your locker, however the locker actually belongs to number 8 (Kou) and they didn’t bother writing your name on the letter. How does number 8 react when they find it? Ohoho, I don’t even want to think what it’d be like... it’d end up badly for sure, but still be funny

21. Number 7 (Yuma) gets very very drunk and tries to give number 3 (Shin) a strip tease. What happens? Shin would be sooo pissed haha and i would laugh and cringe (laugh cuz it’d be funny and cringe cuz i don’t like yaoi, just by imagining it i get nauseated)

22. Number 6 (Ruki) and number 2 (Subaru) get into a rap battle and they want you to be the judge. Who do you think is going to win and why? Idk! I don’t have such a great imagination for things like this... i’d have to see it happen to have a conclusion (srry)

23. Number 1 (Ayato) accidentally ruins number 9’s (Shuu) most prized possession and begs for your help in covering it up. What do you do? That is just so predictable, Ayato ruining things haha! I guess Shuu’s most prized possession is his violin? We wouldn’t be able to cover it up, I think he’d find out and we’d be DEAD

24. You wake up in between number 4 (Carla) and number 10 (Azusa) with absolutely no memory of how you got there. Do you have any idea about what might have occurred and what are you going to do now? ...I’d have no idea of what happened, but i’d scream and think the worse scenarios... probably kill myself if they didn’t explain it either

25. You go on a camping trip with number 9 (Shuu), number 6 (Ruki) and number 3 (Shin). What sort of stuff do the four of you do together? Haha, i thin they’d be fighting and nagging about everything the other does and i’d find it funny till it begins to annoy me and shout “STOP FIGHTING, GODDAMNIT!”

26. Number 9 (Shuu) and number 4 (Carla) have somehow swapped bodies. How do they react and are you going to try to help them get back to normal? I think Shuu wouldn’t care so much apart from the Endzeit and i bet Carla would be outraged haha it’d be funny, but i’d ask if Reiji or Ruki could help in some way

27. You’re playing a game of Monopoly with number 5 (Reiji), number 7 (Yuma), and number 10 (Azusa). Who wins and who goes bankrupt and storms off in a rage? Reiji wins of course, the rest goes bankrupt and Idk if Yuma would rage... i think noone would rage, it’s just a game rlly

28. You go on a hike with number 8 (Kou) and number 2 (Subaru). Number 8 is in charge of the map and they manage to get you completely lost in the middle of nowhere. What are you going to do? It’s a possible scenario haha, I bet Subaru would get pissed and they start fighting, but i’d say ‘’calm down for a second and listen!’’ and i’d suggest we rest for a bit and try to find ourselves the right way by analyzing the map well and then keep going once we’re sure of the way

29. Number 1 (Ayato) has given up on learning the trumpet and has taken up the banjo instead. They write a song and play it for you but it sounds beyond terrible. How do you react? He’d be angry if i got honest and said it wasn’t... ideal, but to keep practicing so he could be the best!

30. Number 1 (Ayato) and number 2 (Subaru) get in a fight over you. Number 2 manages to win and asks you for your hand in marriage. How do you respond? Aaah why do you have to divide me like that?? I mean, it wouldn’t be bad to marry Succhan, but my #1 is Ayato! But if he liked me for who I am and not bcz i’m food, i’d have no problem on accepting it

I tag: @shadyraisincookie @soranokiku @tabooneko and @firstbloodkingdl 

[livingwithashipname-blog]

Ermanda’s Inner Sanctum: Scorpion 4.07 “Go With the Flo(rence)”

I liked this episode, but it failed to live up to its predecessor (2.09 US vs. UN vs. UK) referenced through MI6 agent, Gemma.  The premises were very similar: Scorpion was commissioned for a job with an ulterior motive they didn’t realize until they reached a point of no return.  This episode’s strength came through the EQ rollercoasters scattered throughout beginning to end, much like season 3.  The prevailing question was, “what do women want?”  And it was really funny to see Walter try to answer this question with Paige going back and forth! 😂  Plus, Ralph was testing his own plans to get Patty Logan's attention!  Let's talk about this and more! 

Walter & Ralph: Problem Solvers

I really like the juxtaposition of Ralph and Walter's issues with the women of their affection.  Walter sees an issue with Paige's accumulation of beauty items and develops a serum that addresses all her concerns without notifying her beforehand.  Ralph is taking the time to think about ways to get Patty's attention by appealing to that which she values most - punctuality.  Considering Walter is the one who has to learn more EQ, it seems quite odd that he feels led to advise Ralph.  Ironically, the advice Walter gives Ralph ends up working in his favor.  The instance set up another father-son dynamic between them that I anticipate to grow more throughout the season.  

Walter's struggle with Paige in this episode is very reflective of the IQ/EQ clash that the writers are heavily exploiting this season since Waige is officially a couple.  It is comedically executed. At first, he assumes.  Then he shows lack of emotional support by following Gemma without giving emphasis to Paige's vibe.  When Paige requests emotional support, Walter gives it at a stressful moment for the team, prompting Paige to make a request that contradicts what she says earlier.  No doubt Paige is not helpful when she doesn't provide enough context to support what is needed when, which makes it harder for Walter.  However, one of Walter's best qualities that I mention countless times in these reviews is his ability to accumulate information from a series of events and come through in the most clutch moments!  His success leads to a really sweet moment between Paige and him at the very end of the episode.  The whole experience also helps Paige cope with her son's romantic pursuits when Walter suggests that Ralph use this experience to become better at relationships than he is right now.  Thus, these combined scenarios highlights the family harmony that exists between Walter, Paige, and Ralph!  ALL THE FEELS!!!! 💓💓💓💙💛💙💛💙💓💓💓

Back to Basics 

One of the highlights of this show is Paige's role as the team's communicator - a job that extends in her romantic relationship with Walter.  We have seen this dynamic exploited in other relationships within this team (e.g., Happy and Toby, Cabe and Walter).  It's a core facet of the overall premise and we are seeing it again between Patty and Sly.  She specifically reminds Sly to speak to his governance and constituents as humans, not as students requiring lecture.  This is vital for him to effectively reinforce and execute his platform.  If one can not garner interest for a proposed solution to a problem, then it is increasingly hard to sell it no matter how many facts are provided.  I hope Sly manages to figure it out!  He always tries his best to come through when people need him most!  I love these little things that bring me back to the beginning!  

Hello Florence Tipton! 

Scorpion has a new "friend."  And I get so many season 1 Walter vibes from her.  Isn't it funny that Walter doesn't like her after their first encounter?!  Can we say that he has grown so much that he is averse to former versions of himself? 😂😂😂  (Side note: As a preview to a topic I will likely address in my review for episode 4.09 It’s Raining Men (of War), it is by design that Walter, Happy, and Florence are trapped together. You probably know where I am going with this if you are familiar with how I talk about Walter and Happy. 😉)  

She doesn't like noise.  Takes pride in her work.  Has an outcast story like the other geniuses on the team.  Plus, the showrunners tease that she will be a burr for Walter and Paige.  Don't know what way that will be yet, but I have a feeling it will fall along the lines of intellectual connection.  I am excited to learn more about her!  

Drabbles...

So it seems like Cabe and Toby are meeting for regular sessions! Aww yay! But Cabe is not progressing because he refuses to open up. 👀😒

Patty: Some advice… K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Sylvester. Speak to those guys in a way they can understand, like a human. Not like a lecturer. Speaking of lectures, I gotta get to school.  Sly, Cabe, and Happy (in unison): Because you’ve never had a tardy and you’re not gonna start now. P: Damn right. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Why is Ralph hiding from Patty? Why is he scared of her? 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Oh lordt! Walter is trying to give Ralph advice on girls’ wants and needs! Send help! 😂😂😂😂😂

Walter, Walter, Walter… never come between a woman and her beauty products without making her aware of your suggestions first! Or better yet, just tell her she’s beautiful regardless! *facepalm*

It stinks and Happy figures Ray is back… 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Florence calls the ruckus in the garage by a certain name. Is it just me or did the writers manage to make a play on “covfefe” as a synonym for ruckus? If this is the case, I AM DEAD! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀💀

Walter: Team! Just got a call from Gleason. Toby: MI6 agent, Gleason? H: Cut his finger off to help us beat a dictator at the UN, Gleason? I love that guy. T: Easy on the love, darling. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Space lasers are going to hit the earth if Scorpion doesn’t stop the satellite. Toby’s response… “Who’s up for Vegas?!” 👀 Gets yanked right back in place by Happy. 👌🏾 Me: Interesting… very interesting. 🤔

Paige has a negative vibe about Gemma and Walter doesn’t see it to make a statement in support as a response. Uh oh! 🎧We going down, down baby…🎧 👀  

Why are they taking Cabe’s vehicle? Paige or Walter’s car would be more appropriate considering they are 10x more reliable right now. Happy just started working on it! I understand it is an extension of Cabe’s arc.  Yet, it makes sense that only Walter and Paige are his passengers. Happy already stated that she wasn’t going to hop into that vehicle; Toby travels with his wife; and Sly would choose to go with Happy with whom he is already familiar than travel in a vehicle that’s essentially a “struggle bus!” Besides, Sly is like Quintis’ little brother! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Revolutionary war joke with a British spy?! Ooh BURN!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The hacker dumped the fob in the toilet and flushed it down the city’s drainage system! EWW! In the words of Cabe… Oh crap! 💩💩💩💩

Gemma: Ugh, it’s not in there. It’s gone. S: You’re gonna want to have that arm removed.  😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀

H (to Toby): Quick! Give me your keychain. (keychain says “attaboy”) T: What are you doing with my “attaboy?” (Happy flushes the keychain down the toilet.) T (to Sly): See that’s why I can’t have nice things. H: Uh… After Collins escaped, I installed GPS onto your keychain in case he kidnapped you again. T (to urinating guy): Don’t you see how much this woman loves me? Urinating Guy: I just came in to urinate. Now I can’t. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💚💚💚💚💚 Btw, Jadyn’s hair is sooo ridiculously gorgeous in this shot!

H: We don’t know what could happen to those guys down there. We need to stay close to the fob in case we need to take their place. S: I am only gonna say this once. There is not a chance in H-E- double wizard wands that I am ever going down into the sewer. Me: Yeah… that only means Sly is going down into the sewer. 😂😂😂😂😂

Sly says schematics show there is debris in the pipe. VFX doesn’t convince me of that. Lol! #gaffe

Toby and Cabe are the epitome of “good cop, bad cop” during this interrogation! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Florence: Was I not direct with you people?! I thought I made myself very clear! (looks around) Sirens, flashing lights… is this some kind of a party? (perp flies out of trailer bound & gagged) Oh! It seems that it is some kind of party. Uh, I do not wish to attend this party. C: We can explain. F: No need. Good day. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀

Flo and Toby’s banter as she is trying to leave… 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀

Walter recognizes Paige’s feelings and validates them… doesn’t work! 😂😂😂😂😂😂💀 Oh pobrecito! Paige is losing her patience because she’s too scared about the rat! Lordt! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Umm… when did the back bed cover on Happy’s truck suddenly disappear?! Ran the red light… it was there. Shot of her driving fast down a residential service street… not there. When she and Sly reach the waste facility… it suddenly reappears! 👀 #gaffe Anything on the license plate, Ann @aspiestvmusings?

The stud finder joke returns! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Toby is an enthusiastic lover, huh?! Happy repeats the phrase! Hehehehe! #KinkyQuintis

W: Sly, I need your tablet! S (to Happy): Can you give him my tablet? H (to Walter): Don’t drop it! P: Uh no offense, Walter. I think I should probably catch it. W: (thinks) I concur. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀 Also, doesn’t anyone find it ironic that Happy tells Walter not to drop it?! Funny considering she dropped that wrench he passed to her last time. 😂😂😂 Yeah, that was a bit of shade from me. Tehehehe!

Man! Sly is getting a huge dose of exposure therapy this season!

Is it just me or does it seem like the emotional effort behind saving Sly was a bit slow?

I just love this Quintis tag team with Cabe! How awesome is it that Happy is the one to tell Cabe to stop being so closed off?! HOLY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!! GIVE ME MORE!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

The atomic watch Ralph makes for Patty looks a lot like an Apple watch… 👀😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Family moments a la Walter, Paige and Ralph… 💓💓💓💙💛💙💛💙💓💓💓

Ralph: My woman had a problem and I solved it. W: (looks to Paige) I don’t know where he got that. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Aww Flo!!! She’s just like them!

Walter’s still working on that love song! EEK!!!

P: Well? W: Well what? P: Look at me, Walter. I don’t have any of my beauty products which is why I need all that stuff now. W: (stares) I see absolutely no difference. P: Are you kidding me? W: No. All I see is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I truly see no difference. 😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍 WAIGE FEELS!!!

Okay guys! Paige and Walter wear a lot of blacks and blues. Could there be a theme?! Hmm, I wonder… 🤔