#i don't feel like fighting and proving anything to anyone anymore

[die-lerche]

two days ago the czech government decided that russians don't deserve to be citizens after all, because we all are terrorists by default i guess, and then my daughter got sick. my mood is... not good.

[slasherscream]

my girl can wear whatever she wants tiers please for crazy ass boys gang!!!

CRAZY ASS BOYS GANG + MY GIRL CAN WEAR WHATEVER SHE WANTS TIERS

❥ my girl can wear whatever she want cause I can fight ❥

Billy Loomis - When you look particularly good his arm might as well be glued to your waist. He's both possessive and protective. He hates the way everyone's eyes devour you, but can't help how prideful it makes him either. Yeah, you want her. Of course you want her. Everyone does. But only I have her. God help the idiot that's stupid enough to open their mouth and not just look.

Jordan Li - They love watching you put your outfits together. They make suggestions from your bed, glancing up at you every few minutes. They can't help it. Their eyes are drawn to you permanently. No matter how crowded the room they can find you in a second. Whenever there's a party Jordan loves watching everyone try to sneak quick glances at you. They jump like rabbits when they wind up meeting Jordan's eyes and watch that smile that Jordan only wears around you fall back into the usual scowl. No one wants to be caught staring at Jordan's girl.

Arvin Russell - It's not possible for you to feel fear in public when you're with Arvin. You could be wearing straight lingerie in the most dangerous city in the world at 2 am and be safe. He's not just ready to protect you but hungry for it. Every time he proves he'll fight till his knuckles are bloody and bruised over you he watches you walk a little more confidently. Shine a little brighter. Knowing that he's there to protect you has only made you more yourself every day. And Arvin? He's obsessed with the transformation that the safety net of his fierce protection has ignited within you.

Jason Dean/JD - You wish he'd only fight people over what you're wearing. Unfortunately, this is not the case. JD pulls out a gun. Not every time, granted. Just a large majority of the time. In his defense, how is he supposed to act when someone has the audacity to cat call you? Do you expect him to just watch and not care as you experience that brief shiver of fear that runs up your spine when a man whistles at you before following it up with even more salacious words? If you feel fear, he'll make them feel fear. Simple.

Sparrow!Ben Hargreeves - If someone is stupid enough to not recognize him before they say anything to you about what you're wearing they will quickly recognize the tentacle wrapped around their throat. "Apologize." He hisses through gritted teeth, increasing the pressure, knowing just how much strength he can use before it would break their neck. How he ever expects anyone to apologize to you with a giant tentacle wrapped around their wind pipe you don't know. This is the second time this month. You're running out of night clubs you're not banned from.

David Mccall - You walk out of the house with the confidence that only someone who's done 12 tours over seas should have. But no, you just have a boyfriend who is incredibly scary. You've watched him almost break a man's hand for brushing it against yours at a crowded bar while he reached for his drink. You don't even think before you throw on an outfit anymore.

❥ my girl can wear whatever she want because she a hoe and I knew that before we started dating ❥

Josh Washington - Could he fuck someone up if needed? Yes, but he feels no need to. As long as you're not in danger or being disrespected Josh loves the way you express yourself through your look. You're hot and beautiful, of course you wear stuff that's short or tight, or both. If he looked like you he'd do the same thing. People don't usually say anything to you anyways, since he's always pressed to you like a second skin. He's not a jealous guy, but he is a chronic clinger.

Stu Macher - Is probably the person wolf whistling you in the first place. Points at you from across the room when you're talking to other people and says, "That's my girl right there. She's smoking, right?" He will always be smug he pulled you and NEVER shut up about it. The more wild you dress the more smug he gets. People can look all they want. But you only want him. What's there not to brag about?

Kevin Khatchadourian - Kevin above anyone else would thoroughly understand your psyche before dating you. He's involved with you because, somehow, you intrigued him against all odds. He already expected and predicted with near perfect accuracy every step of the relationship. Skimpy outfits are not throwing him. Can he fight? Yes. But, frankly, if someone pisses him off by hitting on you swinging on them is not gonna satisfy him. He's more of a "put their fingerprints at a crime scene so their life is ruined" type of get back. If he decides not to kill them.

Sebastian Valmont - Sebastian is the one buying you more hoe clothes. He loves your style and is not insecure. If either of you wanted someone else, you could go get them. But you two were practically made for each other. He wants to show you off. Is never going to be the type to try and dull your shine. He wants to walk into a room with you and have jaws drop from the deadly combination of the way you look together. He thrives off of seeing how much people want you. Knowing how futile it is. How hopeless. He pulls you tight into his side and grins like the devil himself (also, and this knowledge is of utmost importance, he cannot fight for shit.)

❥ my girl can wear whatever she want cus I’m scared of her ❥

Nathan Prescott - Is possessive, jealous and insecure enough to absolutely want you to change what you're wearing. With anyone else he'd even be bold enough to tell them to change. You are not anyone else, though. You are you. Considering every other behavior you tolerate from Nathan on a monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly basis you would snap on him like a twig if he tried to bring one more red flag on board. He knows this. You know this. When you slide on your low rise jeans and the tiniest crop top known to man, you make eye contact with one another in the mirror. He looks away first. You go back to peacefully fixing up your hair. Upside, no one is crazy enough to actually hit on you when you're at parties held on campus together. Which means Nathan won't have the cops called on him. Hooray!

[lcriedlastnight]

Y/n and Lando are arguing, y/n confesses her feelings in the heat of the moment, and Lando kisses her

thanks for your request anon! sending hugs and kisses.

tw: fem!reader, she's hella short, lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 733

you cannot remember what you were fighting about anymore. what you do remember is that it started because some girl had hit on lando and you had gotten jealous. of course you were far too prideful to admit that the thought of lando with anyone else except you made you feel sick to your stomach, so instead you just gave him the silent treatment. was it wrong of you? for sure. did you feel bad? were you going to give in, admit you were in the wrong and apologise? fuck no.

"i don't get why you won't just tell me whats wrong! you always fucking do this! all i wanna do is help and y'make it extremely difficult!" lando yells. well it's a half yell half just talking extremely loudly at you. you frown as his voice raises in volume.

"there's nothing to tell you. i'm fine." you protest, arms crossed over chest as you stand in the middle of your shared kitchen. your standing still while lando is pacing around the place like a madman. you understand why but it does not make you any less jealous.

lando runs his hands through his hair with a deep sigh as he tries his best to calm down.

"look, if you aren't telling me because you think i'll be mad or get upset or whatever, i promise you i won't. i just wanna make you feel better, honey." his voice is significantly softer than before and his face seems less uptight too. the sight makes you happier because you were worried that you had gone too far with this whole thing. all you wanted was for lando to know that entertaining that girl had hurt your feelings but you could not find the confidence to do it. the driver watches as you hesistate.

"c'mon, love. you can tell me anything. you know that." lando utters, hands coming to run up and down your arms.

"i'm fine." is your reply. lando loses it, stomping away from you.

"fucking hell!" he shouts your name, frustrated.

"don't shout at me. you're the one not listening. i said i'm fine." you reply, feeling yourself rise up to match his level of frustration. lando scoffs at your words, clearly not believing them at all.

"yeah, sure and if i didn't ask you what was wrong then i wouldn't care about you or your feelings but if i do then i'm - what even am i doing wrong right now? how can i possibly be in the wrong right now when all i want to do is care about you and your feelings?" lando says exasperated. his hands coming to run through his hair again, making it ten times as messy.

"i just said that you're not listening to me and you've just proved my point! all i want is for you to listen to what i say!" you shout back at him, arms waving in the air.

lando stares at you and for a minute, for the first time in twenty minutes, the apartment is quiet. it is only seconds later that lando is striding towards you and smashing his lips onto yours. your immediate gasp helps him deepen the passionate kiss as his hand grips the back of your neck. you react as soon as his tongue touches your own. your own hands coming to grip at his shoulders. the kiss is sloppy and kind of pathetic until you pull away, panting for air.

"why," you breathe out, trying to catch your breath. "why did you do that?" you ask the brit, eyes staring into his own.

lando gives you that smile before replying "you told me to listen to you more and i thought i heard you say kiss me." he shrugs. you so badly want to roll your eyes at him but affection takes over your body instead as his cheesy grin makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.

"and next time, i would appreciate if you just told me that you were jealous instead of me trying to force it our of you." lando whispers in your ear, the feeling of his breath so close to your skin sending a wave of goosebumps down your arm. you scoff as you burrow your head into the crook of his neck as he laughs, the fight already forgotten about. seems like all you needed was a kiss or two.

[michanvalentine]

Looking at the beautiful Astarion fanart here on Tumblr (thanks so much for your wonderful work, by the way), I found myself thinking about that cry after the fight with Cazador. To everything it expresses and the power of it all. It is useless to specify how heartbreaking and masterfully interpreted the sequence is. It's simply wonderful and if you don't cry too when you look at it, it means you have the emotionality of a garden gnome, lol.

But I try to empathize.

You died, not pleasantly. They beat you to death and the one who saved you was a vampire who gave you a choice you didn't have: death or eternal life. And you didn't know the consequences. You undergo a very painful transformation, become a spawn, and wake up under seven feet of dirt. Like an animal you dig your way out, with your nails, and when you reach the surface he is there waiting for you: your master. You don't understand, you're scared, he doesn't seem so reassuring anymore. And you're hungry. A hunger you didn't think possible. He gives you rules you can't break, because he controls your mind and body. You have to obey him, you have to stay by his side, you have to go hungry and, above all, you are his. Forever. And mistakes come at a high cost: after all, just existing is enough to incur the wrath of your master. And then there are the pliers and the whip for you. When you're lucky enough. Suddenly you lost all dignity as a human being and became a thing, a property. A thing with a purpose and its use to your master. What you think, what you feel, what you want doesn't matter. So you stop thinking, you stop feeling, you stop wanting. It probably hurts less. It probably keeps you from going completely crazy. You keep everything inside you. You learn to smile and obey, you can't say no anyway. You are forced into prostitution to bring back the cattle - not the people - needed to feed your master. It doesn't matter whether they are criminals, misfits or perverts of any kind. It doesn't matter if they disgust you or if they hurt you. You grit your teeth and let them use you. You keep it all inside and smile. You can't say no anyway. And your looks are the only thing you have, sex is the only talent you have. When you seduce someone, for a handful of hours, you are the one in control. You're the one pulling the strings of the game. Otherwise you are nothing. You're just a pathetic little boy who never amounted to anything. An imperfect being, despite your master's efforts to educate you. Your brothers and sisters - the other slaves - see you as weak. And like a rival. Your brothers and sisters will do anything to avoid the whip and gain the master's favor. To feed better, to sleep in a comfortable bed and not end up in the kennel. So you learn not to trust anyone, not to let your guard down, to strike first and hit hard. To be vulnerable is to be weak. To be kind is to be weak. And you spent an entire year locked in a tomb for a moment of weakness. Alone, in the dark, dying of hunger. So you keep it all inside, keep smiling and cracking jokes. Even if, after 200 years, you're a mess inside and you're falling apart. You keep smiling because you don't have a future anyway, you can't escape anyway. Appearance is all you have left and your smile is beautiful, your body is beautiful. Looks are all you have, the only thing you are desirable for. The only thing you can use to please your master and avoid torture. You keep everything inside: the loneliness, the pain, the fear, the disgust for yourself and for what you are forced to do, the sense of guilt for the people you ruined by handing them over to your master. You keep everything inside for 200 years, hidden, buried, if you prove weak you will die. You don't have to think, you don't have to feel, you don't have to want anything. This way it will hurt less.

And this is how each of those stabs inflicted on Cazador acquire power. This is how Astarion's screams and desperate cries become devastating to listen to. This is how it is impossible for the spectator not to cry. The moment in which Astarion kills and gets rid of his persecutor is masterfully directed and acted. It's a beautiful, cathartic moment that can shake you to the core. In that cry there is a whole world. There is everything that the spawn held back over those 200 years, everything that his beautiful smile hid. There is pain, desperation, relief, fear, tension, hope, loss and even grief. Because that bastard Cazador was his everything for 200 years and the void he left inside him is immense, however right, due and liberating.

And nothing, I'm all blaytering to say that I love the scene where Astarion slices up Cazador's dry ass.. For me it is a masterpiece! And I could watch it again and again and cry with the vampire spawn every time.

[goldenwilliamson]

strangers | leah williamson

pairing: leah williamson x reader

a/n: longest fic yet. enjoy pls, i kind of love this. slight warning it does touch on the grief that one feels after a big breakup including (briefly) the awful physical symptoms of breakups. if that's sensitive for you i wish the best and advise that this might not be the fic for you x

summary: reader and leah are together for years before breaking up due to long distance. after a couple of years reader moves back to england and sees leah, and all the love comes flooding back. angsty, but fluffy.

word count: 3.3k

Your life changed when you were eighteen, not only because you signed for Arsenal, but you were in love for the first time in your life. From your early encounters with Leah, you could already feel yourself falling for her. You found her endlessly endearing, drawn in by her quiet confidence and warmth off the pitch, and her fiery commitment to every game she played.

Even though you were too scared to confess your feelings to anyone, you somehow found yourself one evening telling Leah how much you adored her. You told her about how you had felt a connection with her since the first time you met, and how it had only proved itself since then. And she reciprocated every single word of your rambling romantic confession.

From that night, you two were together for almost six years. For the most part, it was the best time of your life. You were playing at your dream club, with the perfect girlfriend, and you were happier than ever. Things always ran smoothly for you and Leah, it was just the way your personalities complimented each other. Conflict resolution came easy to you both, and you were able to talk to each other through anything that was troubling you.

For years it felt like you two were growing at the same pace, and that was why you were able to be together for so long. You both had the same visions for your future, and you had really planned on staying in London with Leah by your side for the rest of your life.

But that was all before you got the offer from Bayern Munich. You never imagined being away from Leah, and maybe you were naive in thinking long-distance would be easy for you guys. So you made the difficult decision to leave Arsenal, to leave London and Leah, and move to Germany.

After your move it became clear very quickly that proximity was important for you both. When your were living several countries away from each other, your connection which you thought was strong enough to withstand the world ending had started to be put to the test. You were talking and understanding each other less, and fighting more about stupid, trivial things. You saw a new, jealous side of Leah who would accuse you of spending too much time with new teammates, and not making time for her anymore. And you yourself were questioning Leah's attraction for you, as you couldn't feel that daily love and affection you'd been so accustomed to through the phone.

It all got to the point where you were struggling to even get yourself to training because you felt so drained by your inability to make things work with Leah. Your teammates at Bayern had noticed and had created a space where you felt safe enough to confide in them. After talking it through with some of your teammates who provided you with their objective opinions on the situation, you made the hardest choice of your life.

Leah's voiced was raised to the point where her it was almost breaking, "Six years Y/N, does all that mean nothing to you?"

"Leah, I will always love you. I just don't think as long as I'm in Germany we can be together. It's not good for us darling, we've been fighting more than ever, and I don't want to feel this resentment towards you... I don't want you to feel badly about me either," you had tried to explain, but it had come out much less clearly through your own tearful voice, punctuated with short breaths as you gasped for air.

"You can't do this Y/N. You can't give up on us," Leah had begged you, but you had remained firm in your decision and it was the last proper conversation the two of you had. Other than a couple of Champions League games where you avoided each other, and one brief trip back to London where you collected all your things from the apartment you shared, you hadn't seen Leah since.

The breakup was something you'd tried to forget, and even though it's been two years since then, you still often question whether or not you made the right decision that day. What stuck with you was the empty aching you felt every time a thought of her passed through your head. In spite of your best attempts to put it behind you and to move on, you will never forget how much love you felt for Leah, and how much grief and sadness you felt the instant you ended things.

Every week that has passed since then you have wondered what your life would be like if you and Leah had made the long-distance thing work. But now you were thinking about it even more because after a few seasons at Bayern, you were going back to play in the WSL.

When Man City approached you, your first instinct was that you absolutely could not go back to England. Because to you, England was Leah. Every memory of your time in England from when you moved at 18, to when you left at 23, is connected to Leah. As much as you loved your time in the country, you never thought you could go and live there again without her by your side. It just wouldn't feel right. However, after several meetings with your manager and calls with City, it became an offer you couldn't turn down.

At least you weren't going back to London, you thought. The distance between the capital and Manchester was just enough to feel like Leah wasn't completely within reach. Of course, it had been different once you were actually living back in England, playing with City, and having to face the reality that you and Leah would be on the same pitch again, but this time as virtual strangers.

You'd heard through the grapevine that over the last couple of years Leah had done her fair share of dating around, but you also were aware that she hadn't been in any serious relationship since you two broke up, and it was the same on your end. How were you supposed to move on when you still thought about your ex every day?

One night you were cooking dinner at your flat for yourself and Georgia Stanway, who had become a close friend of yours since her arrival at Bayern. You two had hung out a bit when you and Leah were still together, but even though Leah was one of Georgia's closest friends, she had never uttered her name around you or asked you anything about your relationship since she transfered to the German club. Not until you two were talking about how you felt about moving back to England and what it would be like playing for City, and you mentioned it first.

"It feels kind of wrong," you said honestly, "I still can't imagine not being an Arsenal player. And you know, being there without Leah."

Georgia looked at you sympathetically, "Do you miss her? I can't imagine how hard all that was for you both."

"I miss her every day, Georgia," you sighed, smiling just to ease the pain, "But I just have to keep telling myself it was the right decision, otherwise I think I'd just live in misery."

She gave you a hopeful smile, "I hope you two can work it out one day, even just as friends. I've never seen two people make each other so happy."

"Yeah I hope so too," you agreed, though the voice in your head told you that you could never make up with Leah after the way you ended things.

You had finally moved back to England after a tearful goodbye to your teammates at Bayern, but you knew it was for the best. Your first week in Manchester you were reminded of how much you loved living in England, mostly because of how different it was from where you grew up. Stepping outside always felt like stepping onto a film set. It was nice too, to catch up with old friends. It was already so much easier to organise trips into London to visit old teammates.

It was on a weekend that you were down in London, when you saw Leah for the first time. You should have known better, walking around St Albans, expecting that you wouldn't see anyone you knew. It wasn't a big enough city to get away with that.

It was still August and the League hadn't started yet, so you were free to make a trip down to London for the weekend to visit Caitlin and Katie, friends you had missed so much while you were living in Germany. You missed everything about Arsenal, but you knew there was no way you could go back there after the way things ended with Leah. It would be much too painful to even try to be friends after everything. There was too much history there that would have been impossible to set aside.

In the morning you had told Katie and Caitlin you would walk into town and buy some bread since they were out, and it was on your way home that you found yourself looking into the face of the person who you once loved more than anyone. It took a moment to register that she was actually there, getting closer as you kept walking.

"Oh my god," you said out loud, finding it extremely jarring to see her after all this time.

You both slowed to a stop in front of each other and Leah, who had always been the more talkative one, was left speechless. Looking at you her heart was both beating for you and breaking all over again.

After a few beats of silence you shook yourself out of your state of shock, "Hi, how are you?", you said.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Leah said, finally smiling a little as she also moved away from the initial shock of seeing you again. The sound of her voice and the smile on her face brought you instant comfort. She looked different, in the best way. She looked older, which surprised you since she always had such a baby face. But now she looked mature, she looked her age, somehow so different from the 24 year old version of her you last knew.

"Me too," you agreed, laughing slightly at how awkward you were finding this to be. You'd imagined this moment endlessly over the last couple of years, but now that it was really happening you were at a loss.

"What are you doing here?" Leah shook her head, trying to make sense of seeing you.

"I'm staying with Katie and Caitlin for a couple of days," you explained.

"Oh, they didn't mention anything," Leah said, though she knows that people avoid talking about you around her. They know it's still painful for her to hear your name. Just like how Georgia never mentioned her around you.

You realised then that your transfer hadn't been announced yet by the City, and that Leah must know nothing of the news.

"You probably haven't heard, but I've actually moved back here," you say tentatively, knowing that the only reason you two weren't together was because you were living apart. But now you were closer than you had been in two years, and you had no clue what that meant, or if it had the power to change anything.

"What, to London?" Leah said quickly, her voice raising an octave in shock.

"No, I'm up North now. I've actually signed for City," you explain.

"Wow," she says, nodding her head and processing the news. The way she is looking at you doesn't give much away. Her face actually looks quite blank, as if she doesn't know at all how to feel about this.

"Yeah," you say quietly.

"Sky blue will suit you," she says simply and you smile, grateful for the playful comment.

"I don't know, I'm still struggling with the fact I'm not going to be back in red," you say, more meaning held in those words than you intended. Because not being back in red also for you meant not being back with Leah.

"I expected you to stay in Germany for a lot longer," Leah says and the feelings of guilt rush in. You'd thought about this a lot when you decided to come back to England.

The main reason you had called it quits with Leah was because you thought Germany was going to be your home for at least another five years. You couldn't do that many more years of distance, of short phone calls, of fighting and miscommunication. But of course you never thought after just a couple of years you would be coming back to England. And if you had, you might have been able to stick things out with Leah.

"I really did too," you say sincerely, hoping that she knows you wouldn't have done what you did if you knew you'd be back so soon.

Leah runs her hand roughly through her hair, and you can almost see the cogs turning in her head through the look in her eyes.

"This changes things then, doesn't it?" She asks, voicing the thoughts floating around both your minds.

"I suppose it does," you nod imperceptibly, afraid to admit it.

You stand in silence now, looking at each other trying to work out exactly what this changes.

"I miss you so much," Leah says, her voice thin and wavering.

"I know. I've felt sick without you," you say, voicing things you'd never voiced to anyone. You have genuinely experienced the most physical forms of grief for Leah. The first few months after the breakup you were nauseous everyday, throwing up even when your stomach was completely empty. It just felt impossible to go on without her.

Leah just nods, having been through the exact same things.

"I'm so sorry," you say finally taking the opportunity to apologise for the thing that you've felt so much guilt and remorse about.

"It's okay," Leah assures you, but you shake your head instantly.

"It's not, I don't know what I was thinking Leah," you say honestly, feeling the emotions all over again. Your eyes well up and Leah is quick to embrace you, allowing you to let it out in her arms.

"You were right about everything but," she says, "Things weren't working."

"Yeah, but I should've tried to work through it," you voice the things you'd been thinking over for the last two years, trying to compose yourself with deep breaths.

"I wasn't making it easy for you, I was so hard on you. I feel really bad about the way I treated you when you left," Leah reflects on her own behaviour.

"It's okay," you tell her now.

You stand in the middle of the footpath in St Albans, holding each other, both unable to believe that this was real.

"You don't absolutely hate me do you? Because I'd understand if you did," you say, stepping back to look at Leah, trying to ease some of the tension.

She laughs, "I tried hating you," she says, "But that lasted about a minute and then I just went on trying to love you less."

"And how did that go?" You ask hopefully.

"Yeah not very good," she says.

"I couldn't really get the hang of not loving you either," you say.

Leah is smiling, but you can see the reservation in her eyes. She knows that everything has suddenly changed, but still, nothing is the same as it once was. You feel it too.

"What do we do now?" She asks.

You shrug your shoulders, "I've got to deliver this bread back to Katie and Caitlin, do you want to come?"

"I'll come," she nods, "But what happens after that?" Leah says.

"After that," you sigh, "We are about two years overdue in catching up on each others lives, so I'd say we'll have a nice long chat."

You are stepping forward now, beginning the journey back to Katie and Caitlin's, and Leah is by your side.

"Best start now then," Leah says, and the two of you fall deep into conversation immediately. It warms you heart how at home you feel, even after all this time.

When you knock on the door back at the girls flat, Katie answers with a look of absolute shock on her face.

"What are you doin here!?" She looks right at Leah, as if she was an intruder.

"Well I bumped into this one in town and she invited me over, is that alright?" Leah explains.

Katie takes a moment to process the words before nodding and stepping back to let you both inside.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" Caitlin echoes when you all walk into the living room together.

"We've just bumped into each other," you say, "I thought I'd drop off the bread before Leah and I go and catch up."

"Cool, cool," Caitlin says, trying to mask her shock while Katie looks on, stunned into a very uncharacteristic silence.

"God, you two look like you've seen a ghost," Leah says.

"I feel like I have!" Katie stresses, and you feel the exact same way.

"Alright, let's go down the park," you suggest to Leah, a place where you two used to walk around in circles, chatting for hours. It seems like the perfect place to go.

"Perfect," she nods, "Bye you two," she looks between her teammates.

"See ya, have fun," Caitlin says.

"Don't kill each other," Katie says and you scoff.

"We won't," you roll your eyes.

You and Leah step out the front door you share a moment of laughter about the interaction.

"Did I hide my shock better than those two when I saw you?" You ask.

"Absolutely not, I believe your words were oh my god," Leah laughs.

You two end up at the park, walking around at first, talking about how you are going to be playing for City now and your time at Bayern. Leah gives you the big run down on what's been happening at Arsenal since you've left, telling you about all the new players. It's like seeing an old friend, and you're just so glad that she hasn't spent two years hating you.

After what must be over an hour, you two sit at a bench. Same one you would always find together on your morning walks.

It's weird being so physically close to her again. You want to reach out and hold her forever, but you think it might be too soon. Leah feels the same though and she shows it in the way her hand reaches out to find yours.

"Can I be honest with you?" She asks.

"Of course you can," you say with a squeeze of her hand.

"I haven't felt this..." she pauses trying to find the word, "Happy? Peaceful? I don't think there is a right word to tell you how right this feels to be with you again," she says, healing all the cracks in your broken heart.

"It feels the same as I remember it feeling," you say in agreement, "Like this is just how it's supposed to be."

"Would it be absolutely crazy of us to try to pick up where we left off?" Leah suggests.

"People will definitely think we're crazy, but I don't have a problem with that," you say.

"Is this really what you want?" Leah asks, using her free hand to gesture between you both.

"Yes," you say without missing a single beat, "I don't want to ever go without this again."

"Good. We're on the same page then," she nods finally.

Not wanting to wait any longer you ask her a question you've been dying to ask, "Can I kiss you, please?"

Without even a word Leah just smiles, leaning in to kiss you. Somehow it's a goodbye kiss, and a hello kiss, an I missed you kiss, and an I'm sorry kiss. It's everything you wish you could've said to each other in once simple gesture.

"I haven't stopped loving you for a minute, I hope you know that," you say quietly, as you pull apart.

Leah smiles, looking at you with all the love in the world, "I've spent years dreaming that one day we'd see each other again and you'd say that."

"In my dreams, you say it back," you joke.

"Sorry," Leah shakes her head, "I love you."

[yanderes-galore]

Honestly, Trafalgar Law is one of my favorites, can I ask for a concept of him if that's okay? Thx!

Like most of the fandom, I love him lots. He deserves it. I hope I get his character right, if I didn't, I'll take suggestions.

Yandere! Trafalgar D. Water Law Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Violence, Drugging, Clingy behavior, Fear of loss, Biting, Murder, Blood, Forced relationship/companionship.

Law's backstory is a tragic one.

He originally lived a good life before hitting the age of ten, then lost everything.

He has experienced what it's like to nearly die from an illness... and has witnessed those he cares about die protecting him.

Point is, I don't doubt Law struggles with personal connections at times.

He's a doctor and would fear losing his obsession at times.

He views alliances as a means to an end.

He's patient, tactical, and oddly calm in tense situations.

Although many know him for his cruel and nihilistic nature.

Such a thing he no doubt learned from Doflamingo when he was part of the Donquixote Pirates.

He's the captain of the Heart Pirates and many know him to be ruthless.

In reality, Law can be soft... but it will take some effort to get there.

He likes to observe before making a move due to being so tactical.

There's a good chance when he meets his obsession he's going to observe everything they do before trusting them.

He seems like he'd be a yandere slow to obsess.

Yet when he does, he would do just about anything for his obsession.

Law has a complicated relationship with love.

He used to have Corazon and now has his crew...

Yet anyone outside of that is very foreign.

He's cautious when he first meets you.

Maybe you're a captain of a crew, or maybe even allied with the Straw Hats yourself.

Or, if you want a more established connection, you could be a newer member of the Heart Pirates or an ally of them.

Law, most of the time, is often stoic and seems cold.

He's easily annoyed and rather blunt.

He'd probably be the type to tell his obsession what's on his mind if he feels he needs to.

Considering he's a doctor who has witnessed those he loved die, I can see him using that to his advantage.

He has access to various medicines and possible drugs.

Not only that but he would insist on being the one to take care of his obsession.

Sure, you could ask Chopper, but would you really want the reindeer instead of him?

In a strange way he enjoys taking care of your injuries, although I feel most doctor characters in general enjoy that as a yandere.

After all, you'd be completely reliant on him at that moment.

It makes him feel oddly calm to know you're safe with him.

While Law may appear distant with his obsession at first, he's keeping an eye on your every move.

Law is insistent on being protective of you due to his strong Devil Fruit Ability.

He can literally teleport within a specific area with it by swapping places with things.

Escaping? Not anymore.

In danger? He'll take it for you.

He brushes off the things he does for you, too.

He's casual when taking care of your wounds, oddly gentle despite his borderline sadistic tendencies in battle.

If he aids you in a fight, he says nothing about it.

He treats caring for you like he has to.

It's different from him with the Straw Hats.

He holds a certain compassion for you that he didn't think he'd show some outsider.

Yet over time, the more he meets up with you...

You manage to distract him from his goals.

Law, for most of his character, is obsessed with revenge.

He wants to kill Doflamingo because he killed Corazon.

Corazon was probably Law's strongest connection.

Ever since then he feels he has to prove why he should be loved.

Yet with you, he doesn't need to prove himself.

You trust him, you ally with him...

You're just as bad as those damn Straw Hats at times....

Law is a One Piece yandere who would kill.

He's seen it, he's done it, this is the same man who gave the World Government a hundred pirate hearts to become a Warlord.

He's infamous.

He puts together good plans and may even be a bit of a perfectionist at times.

When it comes to his obsession, I feel that means he's planning everything.

He notes your abilities, how you act, who you interact with, potential threats, and ways he can limit harm to you.

At first he doesn't understand why he cares so much.

You're just someone he can use to achieve his goals, right?

... no.

For some reason... He feels fond of you....

Part of him may wonder if Corazon sent you for him.

He's quick to push aside such a thought.

That doesn't stop him from trying to protect you though.

He can be possessive at times... although his possessive nature and protective nature are closely linked.

He wants you safe... but he also wants to be the one you solely rely on...

If he keeps you by his side.... He can have both, right?

Since he plans so often, I can see him manipulating you.

You trust him and that trust allows him to get away with more than most.

Especially if he's tending to you after battles.

Law no doubt lectures you on fighting.

You should take care of yourself... He doesn't want to keep patching you up.

Even if part of him likes it when you lay on his table and let him lightly touch you.

Law loves to take care of you even if he doesn't admit it.

He'll take care of your wounds... however...

I can also see him drugging you.

It wouldn't be often, but if he felt you were being too reckless he'd probably do it to 'treat you'.

In his eyes, keeping you out of harm and under his care must be love.

He's ruthless to most but you.

You're probably one of the only people he smiles around.

He considers you family in a way, if not something more intense.

Sure, you may complain when he tries to force you out of battle...

But the doctor knows best, does he not?

He'll treat you for any ailment... real or imaginary.

I'd say in terms of affection I'd say he can be gentle and rough.

There's times, like when he's patching you up or trying to be comforting, he'll gently kiss your skin and hold you close.

He has a certain soft side he rarely lets anyone but you see.

Then there's times where he gets a bit rough, usually when stressed about someone or something... it's then he gives you love bites, loving the sight of his marks on you.

Law would get his clothes covered in blood if it meant it kept you safe and to himself.

He doesn't care, he's killed before, countless times.

If it's for you, someone he loves, of course he'll do it.

He hates to admit it but he feels dependent on you.

He hasn't had love in a long while... with you it feels so warm.

He craves it.

He loves your warmth, the way you feel against him...

He wants to hold you and never let you go.

While Law is slow to get attached, he can be quite intense.

He'll trap you beside him if it means he won't lose you.

That's his biggest fear, honestly... losing you like he did his family and Corazon.

Honestly, locking you by his side in order to keep you to himself works for him.

It means he doesn't lose you... You may be unhappy, but he promises he'll care for you.

He understands your want to fight... but too much will take you away from him.

Pardon him for being cold and cruel...

But Law knows what's for your own good...

Even if you don't love him... You'll come to understand his reasoning eventually, right?

[raayllum]

The thing (or one of the things) about Ezran in early S7 is that while he's not being unreasonable, he is being hypocritical and unproductive ("You forgave Zubeia"). 7x01 is his breaking point after seasons of trying to keep everyone else together and weathering each conflict in as most an unaffected manner as possible, and he quite simply couldn't do it anymore.

Zubeia sent an assassin to kill your father? You long for your mother so deeply, you don't know your dad is dead yet, you do everything you can to get Zym back home because you love him (you can literally see through his eyes) and because it's the best chance for peace. Forgive her for killing your father and trying to kill you because she was grieving and Zym's dad for killing your mother because he's dead and they miss him. Put all your anger in a box at the one person who actually did kill him, because Zubeia saw her baby and changed her mind, and your found family sister (who is also missing) defected and spared your life that night, and he didn't.

Deny the ugly truths as long as you can by focusing on peace ("I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable"). Why should you have to acknowledge anger? Can't you just get past that? And then you can't, with the picture. (Then you can't, later, with yourself.)

Rayla comes back and Callum is fighting with her? Forgive and welcome her back unconditionally and try to counsel Callum through his big feelings. Rinse and repeat when Soren and then Zym goes missing. Advocate for and refuse to give up on Rex Igneous until he sends you sprawling into a wall.

Take on the responsibility of negotiating with the dragons. With Finnegrin (you offer up your hand, and so do your friends, your family). Talk your brother out of a more violent solution, and Rayla sides with you. She does again about hiding with the pearl and you save each other's lives. You look after home while she and Callum leave to save the world, and tell Soren the hard truth and deal with Viren till you don't. You try to spare Karim and his forces. You believe in peace. You believe in breaking the cycle.

"I am a king, and as a king, I choose love over strength."

"King of what? King of ashes?"

Ezran looks at what two years of trying to do the right peaceful thing has earned him — a destroyed kingdom while he was away — and he desperately, angrily, grasps at any semblance of control. This can't be all it was for. He feels like he's failed as a king, and is therefore a bad king. He needs to punish Sol Regem for it, but he can't. It needs to be Runaan's 'fault' because Runaan made him a king, even though keeping Runaan chained up in the Banther Lodge basement doesn't do anything but keep another family (Rayla's family) apart and make him feel in control. His pendulum swings so hard and strong, the target of his anger constantly changing to the most recent wound stacked upon themselves. After 7x02, he's not visibly angry at Runaan again until the finale; he's angrier at Callum than he is at Rayla because he thought he had control over his brother ("Callum. High Mage. We need you at this council meeting") even if that shouldn't be the goal or the focus at all anyway.

Callum doesn't betray him just because of Rayla, but because Ezran is perpetuating the cycle in a way that is antithetical to everything all three of them have striven to break, which is exactly what Callum points out to him. (If Rayla had surrendered or Callum had stayed, they just all likely would've been arrested, as it's unlikely Rayla and Runaan would've made it in the boat with Callum's magic, either. Would that have made Ezran, or anyone, feel better, hunting down his brother and friends, bringing them back in chains? No, and only Aanya is brave enough to say it out loud after Ez proves he values his bond with his brother / Callum's life over destroying Runaan's and Rayla's by proxy.)

"Because pain and loss feel so terrible inside, you want to hate. You want to hurt someone else."

What would killing or imprisoning Runaan (again) really have done?

"Hasn't he already been punished enough? Viren trapped him in a cursed coin for years. It's time to set him free." / "How much suffering is enough to pay for the mistakes we've made? No amount of suffering, yours or mine, will ever bring him back."

("As a father, I have a selfish wish, and that is for you and Ezran to be... free.")

"A life for a life. Is that justice?"

We also see that his scene with Runaan is one of the very last in the season. It's been months, if not nine, before Ezran was ready to have that conversation, ready to do with Runaan what he willingly did with Aaravos ("A king must look into the face and hear the words of those he judges"). A few days or a week by Callum's estimate wouldn't have been enough.

Ezran set Terry free to see if they could really trust him. He refused to do the same with Runaan even when it was causing clear pain and fracturing within his own family unit, nor did Runaan come to Katolis to face justice; it was just happenstance. But in Runaan being freed, he was then able to choose to come back to face Ezran's verdict. And then Ezran makes his own conscious choice.

"I'm going to forgive you. I don't know how, but I have to try."

He told everyone else that they had to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss in their hearts while also holding love. It was hard before. It was hard now. But he has to try.

(Nor does Harrow being in the bird erase the two years of mourning hell that Ezran went through, remove the crown from his brow, make things with Runaan any easier tbh, or mean he's 100% getting his father back.)

[hugmekenobi]

A Series of Firsts

A Bad Batch S1 Prequel Oneshot: 'First Fight'

Gif by @imalovernotahater

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: A mission to Ryloth sees some underlying tensions getting expressed in the wrong way

Warnings: No use of (Y/N), canon-typical violence, awkward Hunter and reader, slightly angry Hunter/he doesn't quite act like himself, my limited battle strategy knowledge, minor lies/deceit, swearing, very light angst, scheming brothers

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

<Previous Prequel Oneshot

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3.9K (I forgot how writing everything on one doc worked so ignore my previous idea of this being much longer... had a dumb moment lol)

Rating: 18+ (a catch all for all my works)

Author's Note: Yes, this is a reasonable length. No, I clearly don't know how word docs work anymore haha but I hope you all enjoy and it's still long enough!

Ryloth

You were a couple months into your membership with your newfound squad and things with the Batch had settled surprisingly well. Each of their personalities and ways had made it easy for you to feel comfortable and at ease with them. They were all likeable in their own way: Echo was a kind, solid voice of reason that kept you- and you guessed Hunter- sane, Tech had some funny quirks that kept things light and his intelligence made him both fascinating to watch and converse with, Crosshair’s natural sarcastic and cool disposition was something you had no trouble matching, and Wrecker, well there wasn’t much to not like about the gentle giant of the group who rarely had a negative thing to say about anything or anyone. Plus, you had no issue getting behind their atypical strategic plans and blatant disregard for regulation. So, to look at, everything should’ve been great so far, but it wasn’t.

Even with all this goodness, what had not settled for you were your complicated feelings for the certain clone sergeant who was determined to make your life a living nightmare– and that was saying something given your already tricky personal predicament that you still hadn’t worked up the courage to inform the squad of- but keeping that hidden was proving to be the easier task. You could keep up the pretence of being normal about that but for some reason, you had to channel all your focus into being normal around the clone with enhanced senses. You’d really hoped Devaron had been nothing more than you adjusting to the shock of seeing a clone as- well- as attractive as he was. You’d almost hoped it was only as shallow a thought as that.

But no, of course that wasn’t the case. Not only was Hunter a patient, understanding and caring person but he was also a highly skilled and capable squad leader which meant now you were just constantly feeling confused. You didn’t know what this feeling was, but you needed to get a handle on it because you couldn’t afford nor allow it to grow into that territory that you’d been warned of all your life, especially because he acted perfectly normal around you now. You knew you could do it; it was just proving to be something that was easier said than done.

“Hey, you with us?” Hunter asked as he rested a hand on your shoulder.

You remembered where you currently were and snapped back into the current moment as you gestured to the holomap and avoided the questioning looks of the others. “Wrecker and I enter through the back of the base as the rest of you create a distraction out front before joining us inside to provide back up as Wrecker brings the base down.” You confirmed hurriedly as you focused on not noticing the fact that his touch was setting off that warm tingling in your veins.

Hunter nodded and realised his hand was still on you, so he quickly removed it and cleared his throat as he spoke more professionally to the whole group, “Let’s move out.” He ordered before he put on his helmet and led the way out the ship.

You pulled your hood and mask up and did the same.  

The others watched the two of you head out first and shared knowing glances. They had noticed the lingering looks, the brief but meaningful touches and building tension between the two of you but it seemed you both were determined to ignore it and act like complete morons about it. However, the opportunities for action were few and far between given the busy mission schedule but they knew something had to be done to speed this along.

--

“Where the hell are you guys?” You shouted into your comm as you and Wrecker mowed down line after line of droids. It was simple task but back up wouldn’t go amiss and they were late which you knew wasn’t a strategic change. Something had gone wrong.

“The intel we got before taking this mission was wrong! They had more numbers and sent more out front that we thought!” Echo’s voice informed you both over the sounds of blaster fire.

“I should point out that this has been a growing concern.” Tech’s voice inputted, “We have rarely had a mission where the intel we received beforehand was accurate.”

“Okay, well, can you make it, or should we just do it ourselves?” You asked as you worked on opening the control room door whilst Wrecker stood guard.

“Negative. You need to pull out! Leave and we’ll regroup!”

“Hunter, we’ve already made it to the control room! We can still-” You started to protest as the door opened.

“There’s a large wave of droids heading directly your way! You’ll be boxed in! The two of you need to get out of there right now!” Hunter interrupted sharply.

“Oh come on! I haven’t blown something up in weeks!” Wrecker complained into the comm channel, but he was readying himself to leave.

You placed a hand on his forearm to stop him. “Keep setting the charges.” You ordered as you scanned the room and caught sight of a familiar panel in the wall.

Wrecker propped his helmet up on his head and looked at you in confusion. “But Hunter said-”

“I know but we’ve come this far, we can finish the mission and get out of here, I promise.”

“How?” Wrecker asked before he fired off a round of shots down the corridor to down the approaching line of droids and took up position by the door to cover you as you searched for whatever it was you were seeking out.

You pulled on the handle and when you were sure he wasn’t looking, you summoned your gift and widened the manipulated the metal walls so it would accommodate both of you. “Garbage chute exit?” You offered with a mischievous lilt to your voice.

“Oh hell yeah!” Wrecker boomed as he turned away from the door got to work on setting the explosives.

Your comm chirped again and you heard Hunter’s insistent shouts of your name and Wrecker’s. Hunter spoke with a type of authority that on any other day might’ve convinced you to stand down your or it might’ve evoked a far more inappropriate bodily response, but you were determined to leave Ryloth with a win and you were already too far gone in the plan, you wouldn’t turn back down so you turned yours off before the order could finish.

“You sure about this, Wrecker?” You double checked. You knew you’d instructed him to keep going but if he wasn’t comfortable disobeying both his brother and squad leader, you wouldn’t make him.

“I’m all in.” Wrecker confirmed as he silenced his own comm and got to work on finishing up the layout of the charges.

You tossed your dagger into the control panel of the door to keep the oncoming wave of droids out and to keep you both in.

--

At the sound of static, Hunter ground out a deep and aggravated sigh as he stared up at the console room.

He knew you and Wrecker were still in there and coming up with a dangerous, ill-conceived plan and he was racking his brain for a way back in to stop it and get you both outta there. They’d finally taken care of the droids that had been sent out to meet them but the ones inside were the problem now.

“Let them figure it out.” Echo advised calmly.

“I believe the two of them are capable enough to find their escape route.” Tech agreed but he still began working on pulling up schematics of the building to see if there was a better way in for them to go should they need to.

Hunter clenched his jaw, “She’s trapped in there with no clear way out. We don’t know that she’ll be fine.”

“They’re going to be fine.” Crosshair corrected him bluntly.

Hunter swallowed thickly, “Right. That’s what I meant.” He said, shifting on his feet nervously as he could only wait and hope you made it out of there in one piece.

--

“All set?” You asked as you hovered by your exit.

Wrecker nodded firmly and activated the bombs just as the two of you entered the chute.

--

The four of them watched on from the safety of the ground and they heard the low booming and telltale sparks of explosions, but they saw two figures tumble out of a chute just as the base started to collapse.

“See? They had covered.” Crosshair said with an amused lilt to his voice.

But Hunter wasn’t amused in the slightest. He holstered his blaster and dagger and led the way towards the two of you.

--

“That. Was. Awesome!” Wrecker whooped as the two of you finished sliding down the landfill pill and pulled you to your feet. “We should have plans like that more often!”

You wiped some of the trash off your body and tugged your mask down to grin at the clone, “Nice work on the bombs.” You said with an impressed nod back to the wreckage.

Wrecker smiled proudly and went to say something else, but Hunter’s voice interrupted him.

“What the hell was that?” Hunter asked angrily as he removed his helmet.

You met Hunter’s stern stare but placed a hand on Wrecker’s chest to stop him from taking the heat as you sensed him getting ready to speak. “Totally my idea, Sarge. Wrecker had nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, I know, and I want to know why you felt it appropriate to go against my order?” Hunter interrogated tightly.

“We needed to complete the mission.” You disputed.

“And deliberately risking the life of a teammate was the only way to do that?” Hunter challenged.

You furrowed your brow. “I’d never deliberately endanger anyone or-”

“But by making that call you did! You can’t ignore a direct order like that!”

“Crosshair and Echo pulled something similar two weeks ago!” You argued as you gestured to the two clones watching on.

“She has a point, Hunter.” Echo said tentatively with Tech nodding in agreement and Crosshair giving an affirming but mostly unbothered shrug.

But Hunter ignored him and only spoke to you. “That’s different! They’ve been in this squad long enough. They’ve earned the right to behave that way, you haven’t!” Hunter said before he could really think the words through.

The words stunned you. “Haven’t earned the right.” You repeated under your breath but the hurt you felt was written across your face. You knew you’d only been with them for a relatively short period of time given the circumstances, but you’d thought you’d bonded with them in some way. Clearly, you’d thought wrong.

Hunter had never regretted a choice of words more. He’d let his fear drive him and now he wished he had the power to turn back time to do this all again. “Wait, I didn’t-” But he was too late. You turned your back on him and walked away in the direction of the ship before he could finish.

--

There was a brief moment of silence as they all watched you storm off before Wrecker broke it.

“Come on, Sarge, you have to admit that was a pretty great plan!”

“Wrecker-”

“She let me use all the bombs I wanted and even getting to that control room was easy!”

“Wrecker, that’s en-”

“You can’t have meant what you said cause she’s one of us for sure!”

“Wrecker, enough.” Hunter snapped bitterly but he immediately regretted his tone. He knew his reaction wasn’t fair. He wasn’t angry, not really, and if he was being honest, it wasn’t the fact that orders had been disobeyed, it was seeing how Wrecker had reacted to you and the fact that his brother sounded so fond of and completely captivated by you that was really bothering him right now. And none of that should have bothered him, but it did though he couldn’t fathom why it-

Oh.

Dammit.

This was jealously.

He was fucking jealous. He was jealous of his own brother, and he had no valid reason to be.

“Was waiting for you to figure that out.” Crosshair remarked knowingly as he saw the expression on Hunter’s face even though his brother masked it quickly.

Hunter gathered himself and got his emotions under control. You weren’t his in any way and that was fine. Plus, you clearly didn’t think of him or any of them like that, so he had to get himself together. Echo’s voice pulled him out his thoughts.

“You were a bit harsh, Hunter. We’ve all acted out one way or another.” Echo pointed out.

Hunter sighed as he said, “She disobeyed a direct order-”

“Uh yeah… that’s kinda what we do.” Wrecker countered in bewilderment, “And it was brilliant! I got to blow things up and we completed the mission.”

“She put you in unnecessary danger.” Hunter disputed.

“I wanted to, Hunter. She made sure I was okay with it.” Wrecker told him.

Of course you did. He should’ve known that you would’ve. You clearly cared for the safety of the team, and you had a sense of duty and responsibility that he admired… and it was one of the many reasons why it was so hard for him to simply shove every annoying flicker of unprofessional emotion away. You kept giving him reasons to fall for you. This was foreign territory that he was clearly terrible at navigating right now. He’d really fucked up here and he could only hope there was a way to fix this.

“I believe his reaction has more to do with the immediate danger she placed herself in over the disobeying of the order.” Tech hypothesised.

“No shit.” Crosshair said with a roll of his eyes.

Hunter glanced between his brothers who all had variations of the same expression that gave the impression that they knew something he didn’t. “What are you talking about?” He asked, his voice wary because, aside from today, he thought he’d been good about acting completely normal towards you since Devaron but the looks he was receiving suddenly made him think otherwise. The caution was also because he knew Tech was correct- the idea of you being caught in a collapsing building with no way out had made him more frightened than he cared for and that was what had been driving him when he’d spoken to you in that way.

“You feel a different kind of affection for her that surpasses the usual friend or familial kind.” Tech explained but with a lilt to his voice that suggested he didn’t understand why his brother had even asked the question.  

“I- no, I don’t.” Hunter barely managed to sound convincing.

“Please,” Crosshair said with a dismissive snicker, “We all see it.”

“There’s nothing to see.” Hunter insisted, doing his best to keep the frantic edge to his voice at bay. This was the last conversation he wanted to be having.

“It’s okay if you do-”

“I don’t.” Hunter interrupted Echo through gritted teeth. He couldn’t allow their words to give him any sense of false hope. You didn’t think of him in any way other than a friend and right now, probably not even that. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by hypotheticals that he knew would go unanswered or give him the answers he didn’t want. There was a war going, that was the priority, whatever feelings he could feel growing for you could and should be ignored.

“But she also does. We’ve noticed-” Wrecker started to say.

“I’m not listening to this.” Hunter said defensively before he turned his back to head back to the ship and to signal the end of the conversation. He may have disagreed with the core substance of what they were saying but he knew they were right about how he’d unfairly reacted to you and that was something he needed to rectify.

--

“Can I come in?” Hunter asked cautiously from the doorway to the cockpit.

“It’s your ship, you’ve earned the right to go wherever you want. I’m just a visitor.” You said coldly without glancing up to look at him as you continued to sharpen your weapon.

Hunter winced at your tone, and he took a deep breath as he sat across from you. “I’m sorry. I really am. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“I never would’ve carelessly risked Wrecker’s life, Hunter. You have to know me better than that by now.” You put your weapon into the strap on your back as you finally looked at him.

Hunter ran a hand down his face in complete shame over how poorly he’d acted. “I know that. I didn’t mean- I was just-”

“I know I’m not one of you so if you want me to leave-”

“No, no I definitely don’t.” Hunter admitted hastily because the thought of that was a bit too unbearable.

You tilted your head in exasperated confusion. “Then why did you say-”

“I was scared, okay.” Hunter interrupted through an abrupt breath.

Any argument or fight evaporated your body as you heard him say those words and while part of you wondered if the deeper fear you sensed from him was rooted in anything more than the concern he showed as a good leader, the other part of you knew those words wouldn’t have been easy to say. “Hunter…”

“You never told me what your plan was.” Hunter pointed out gently, “You just turned off your comm and left it at that. I had no idea what you were doing or how you were getting out of there. All I knew was that building was getting swarmed by droids and there were charges that could go off any minute and that you and my brother were trapped inside.”

You reached across and squeezed his hand before you could stop yourself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think,” You apologised, utterly mortified by your carelessness, “I guess I’d been on my own for so long, I’d forgotten what being part of a squad means.”

Hunter nodded his acceptance of your apology before he said, “Well, you have one now and we have to tell each other things- especially when those things involve risk. So, when you didn’t, I was left thinking of all the worst-case scenarios.” Hunter felt himself growing more awkward as he said next, “And- I- I like having you around and out there it really did feel like for a moment that wasn’t going to happen anymore.” He took a moment to gather himself before he carried on more professionally, “But regardless, my reaction wasn’t fair. You’re a part of this squad, I shouldn’t have implied anything different.”

“Yeah, that stunt made it official! You won’t be rid of us that easily!”

You half turned to smile at Wrecker and that was when you noticed the faces of the others who all had a mix of proud and impressed expressions on their faces. “Glad to hear it.” You said with a smile but that was more to mask your rising guilt. The idea of being was one of them was something that you really did want but you were living a lie. Until they knew they true you, how could they fully accept you? You pushed that to the side for now. There would be an appropriate time to tell them, there had to be. “So, how about if I’m going to disobey an order, we agree that I tell you what I’m doing instead? That way we can avoid any and all worries?” You said light-heartedly instead.

“Sounds good.” Hunter agreed with a quiet chuckle as he looked at you.

Your gaze locked with his and for a moment, you found yourself getting lost in the warmth of his dark brown eyes.

A pointed cough from someone- probably Crosshair- reminded you both that they were all still here.

You both swiftly looked away from each other at the same time.

“Wrecker, you okay if I grab the shower first? As great as that was, I don’t know how much longer I can stand the smell.” Plus, internally you knew it had to be bothering Hunter in some way, and you didn’t want that at all.

Wrecker nodded.

“I was trying so hard not to say anything…” Hunter teased.

You scowled playfully and lightly punched his shoulder. “Don’t forget, this is the stench of success.” You said with a warm smile in his direction before you hopped up and left the cockpit.

Hunter watched you go and shook his head to remove the hopeful thoughts that entered his brain before he followed you down to tidy his stuff away.

--

“We’re all in agreement, right?” Echo said in a hushed tone from the cockpit as he watched the two of you dance around each other in the tight space.

“Definitely.” Wrecker concurred enthusiastically.

“Yes. I’m already tired of watching this,” Crosshair said grouchily, “For a while it was funny but now it’s just fucking annoying. He could certainly do a lot worse. And if she wants him, then that’s her problem.”

“Supportive.” Echo remarked sarcastically.

Crosshair shrugged, “I’m on board, aren’t I?”

Echo conceded the point with a dip of his head, and it was only because he knew Crosshair well that he could tell that he did have a vested interest in both you and Hunter’s wellbeing. “Tech?” He asked as he realised that he was the only one who hadn’t spoken yet.

“Hmm?” Tech asked distantly as he focused on uploading the latest recordings and report on his datapad.

Crosshair shoved his datapad down and simply pointed.

“Oh, yes. That. I thought it was so obvious we didn’t even need to comment on it.” Tech stated frankly as he looked ahead to you both.

“Well, how are we going to show them it’s obvious?” Wrecker asked.

“I have a long list of ideas.” Crosshair said with a scheming smirk.

“Any of them not based around the idea of deliberately putting either of them in immediate danger?”

Crosshair gave Echo a hard stare- he thought the danger route was obviously the most effective one, but he relented. He huffed out a short breath. “I’ve got a couple of ideas.” He corrected himself reluctantly.

Echo shook his head and ran a hand down his face, “I’m sure we can think of some together.”

“When do we start?” Wrecker asked excitedly.

“No time like the present.” Tech suggested as he nodded down the hallway.

The four of them shared in an exasperated group sigh as they stared at the scene ahead of them. You had come out of the refresher clearly having forgotten to grab something. You were still dressed, the only thing missing was your hooded layer, so you were simply in your tank top, but their brother’s reaction upon seeing you in minimally less clothing was anything but subtle.

You two may have been in denial about what was going on with your feelings, but it was clear as day to the rest of them and they weren’t going to stop until you and Hunter finally admitted it to yourself and to each other.

Next Prequel Oneshot (to be posted)>

Tagging: @andreaaxy, @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @moonychicky, @notgonnaedit, @dreamsight73, @dizzy-9906, @thegreymarveljedi, @nightmonkeysstuff, @allthingsimagines, @jellybeanstacey0519, @callsign-denmark, @superbookishhufflepuff, @qvnthesia, @justsomerandompersonintheworld, @ooostarwarsfandom501st, @youreababboon, @livin-life-to-the-coolest

[espinosaurusrexex]

Tough Luck

MiguelO'Hara x Spiderwoman!Reader

summary: Miguel is the most agitating person in all universes, but somehow, you have fallen for him still. Too bad he realized his feelings towards you when it's too late. Now he needs to fix his mistakes.

a/n: yup... I caved. So here is this because Miguel is literally the only person my heart is beating for at the moment 

word count: 2.8k

warnings: mutual pining, idiots in love, Miguel is a wannabe tough guy, some angst, and just a lot of fluff, ! I don't know if all the Spanish phrases are correct - please tell me if not !

･ﾟ✫* 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 ｡✭･ﾟ✶ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐎𝟑 ✧*･ﾟ

picture is not mine - credid to owner

You pushed through the doors of Miguel’s office and into the hallway with tears burning in your eyes. 

You just wanted to prove yourself. You were capable, a good Spider, exceptional if you could believe Peter B. Parker - but he was a little biased. Yet all you ever got from Miguel was resentment and scolding. 

Not once had he complimented you on a successful mission. Not once had he acknowledged your skills and ideas. Not. Once. 

It was bad enough he was your boss, in a way, and you wanted him to see you belonged amongst all the other heroes in spider society. But of course, through the constant pressure and struggle, your heart had decided to fall for the only person so out of reach - you were sure the universe was laughing at how pathetic it was. 

Because you had a big fat crush on him: Miguel O’Hara. The boss, the big bad grumpy so-sexy-it-hurt guy that seemed to hate your guts. The guy that probably only tolerated you because you were a version of Spider-Man in your universe. 

But he was such a hunk, ugh.

His jaw - so sharp it could cut you if you looked at it for too long, his broad shoulders - those arms, and that deep sexy smolder his mouth did when he was concentrating. All of it sent your body into a frenzy, burning you up from the inside as you tried got fight the urge to jump his bones every time you were in a room together. 

You were so sure to have seen a soft side beneath all the frowns and eye-rolls. Just not for you. 

“I should have never recruited you."

It was embarrassing. The way you so desperately tried to impress him, to have him see you as more than the annoying fuck-up he had to welcome because you were a spider. 

Peter always told you that you did nothing wrong, that Miguel was the way he was with everyone. But it didn’t go past you that his frown seemed to deepen, his eyes rolled a little more, his jaw tensed in anger when he talked to you. 

You never said anything to Peter, though. You didn’t need him to feel bad for you. Not when he had some issues himself and not when all of it was entirely your fault. 

Especially today. 

Okay... you admitted that you had tried to provoke Miguel on the last mission. You figured, if you were to get yelled at anyway, you could just as well do the things you thought the smartest - following protocol or not. It didn’t matter. 

And normally it worked. But this time you had gotten a little distracted. Because as you had swung from the beam of the museum and past Miguel and Jess, the light hit his face just right, making you stare as he angrily squinted at you and causing you to not let go soon enough. It resulted in what felt like a broken rib and maybe a minor head injury. 

But, hey. You’d caught the guy! It was just the exit that lacked grace. 

Not that it mattered anymore anyway. You’d been lacking for over a week now - made so many mistakes, that you'd considered giving up the secret identity thing altogether. It was just exhausting you more - robbing you of valuable sleep (in case it wasn’t plagued with nightmares) and just seemed to be the root of all your problems at the moment. 

You heard Jess call out after you when you pushed through the spider people on your way to a quieter place - ignoring her. 

You just wanted to be alone and not talk to anyone - preferably ever again. 

❁❁❁

It’s just his damn tough luck, Miguel sighed as he shook his head, hands ruffling through his hair. It’s not been enough he had to punish you for flunking the mission, no of course it had come with a generous side of emotional mess. 

Mierda. (shit)

He closed his eyes and could see the tears brimming in yours. How you had tried so hard to stay stoic, how you held your head a little higher when he told you off. But he saw the way your lip quivered when his eyes lit up in angry red - a stutter in his heart he tried to suppress when he pointed a finger at you. 

“What did I tell you? You follow orders or you’re off! I should have never recruited you.” The words still tasted bitter on his tongue. He had gotten too good at it.

Miguel didn’t like it - hated it, in fact, despised the way he talked to you, really. But he had to. For your sake and that of the multiverse. There was no other way.

So there was no use in beating himself up about it, right?

But why did he feel so defeated then? Miguel sighed once more. Of course he knew why, but that didn’t help in the slightest. 

“Hey Bossman, there’s someone on the line for you - should I tell them you need another minute to sulk?”

Miguel groaned at Lyla. Dios mío. (my god)

It’s Jess. It’s got to be.

“Now, what did I tell you about making people cry!” Her voice screamed at him through the monitor and he winced.

“I can do whatever I want!” He snapped back, instantly regretting it as a short but pressing silence covered the room.

Yup. He’s in for a lecture. 

“And she put us all in danger.” His jaw was clenched. 

“She’s a mess! You’d think Spider-Man would have sympathy for someone who just lost their Ben.”

“She– what?” Miguel finally looked up, his heart sinking in his chest - Jess’s stare was scolding him through the flickering hologram. 

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

He didn’t. But he had been so careful, had monitored everything in your universe to make sure you were safe. How could it have slipped past him?

“Oh my god, Miguel!” He could practically see her disappointed, motherly glare. Jess had that one already.

Miguel muttered a curse word under his breath, the Spanish barely reaching Jess. 

“Now’s not the time to beat yourself up about it. I’ll do that for you later.” His eyes squinted angrily. “You need to fix this mess ASAP. I need you on top of your game and apparently, you can’t be without her. So get yo ass up and stop whining!”

“Where is she?” His voice was hoarse, void of the lump he swallowed a minute ago. 

“Her universe–“

“Thank’s Jess.”

“Hey–“ but Miguel had already ended the call. He knew where. He knew everything about you. He knew where you worked, the names of all the employees you associated with, he knew which bagel you preferred for breakfast - he even knew which parts of the paper you read in the morning ...and he also knew where you went to be alone. 

Miguel rose, still kind of catty from Jess’s call-out, and immediately opened a portal to your universe to step through. Miguel knew he needed to apologize. He was determined to - really he was, because the situations he constantly found himself in, the anger and arguing, didn't benefit anyone. 

But when he stood in the streets of your version of Nueva York, pictures of you flashing along the screens on the buildings, celebrating and broadcasting your talent, he came to a startling realization: He couldn’t explain anything without revealing his feelings for you. 

❁❁❁

Miguel watched from a safe distance as you kicked your legs sitting on the edge of the building. It wasn’t the highest building. A rather average-sized one, right by the water with a bakery on the ground floor. 

He analyzed your posture. Hands perched on the ledge and head hanging low, the occasional rocking from the kicking motion. Miguel's fingers itched to reach out and hold you. But he couldn’t. I probably never would.

Because he had spent the last year making sure you’d hate his guts. And - no much to his dismay - he had succeeded. 

He huffed. Miguel had no damn idea how to go about this. He knew the spider society needed you - he needed you. At least close to him. 

The gravel on the roof crunched when his foot stepped from the shadow. Joder. (fuck) You had spider senses, Miguel was wondering why you hadn’t found him out already - then again, you probably just wanted to be alone right now...

His arms wanted to reach forward again, his body emerging from behind his cover ever so slightly. And when he looked back up at you, he winced at your piercing eyes directed at him. ...yes, he deserved that.

You waited, just stared at him - almost daring him to move again.And Miguel felt so small, so out of control. 

He knew he had no right to be here. He had no reason to in your eyes. But he needed to fix things. Or he’d hate himself ...and Jess after she whopped his ass if he came back without you. 

Miguel’s eyes avoided you, willing his rampaging pulse to still. Cállate, corazón estúpido. (shut up, stupid heart)

“What are you doing here?” His hand fell from his chest when you spoke. It wasn’t a friendly question. More of a warning... don’t you come any fucking closer. 

“I–“ But his voice betrayed him. What the hell was he thinking coming here? One look at you told him that nothing would be fixed with a quick apology. He had a year's worth of mistreatment to make up for. And then there was still the thing about his feelings. 

Qué lío. (what a mess)

“I want to talk,” Miguel tried again only for you to become more agitated. 

“I think I heard everything I needed to hear from you.” You spat Turing back around and Miguel nodded defeated. 

“I’m sorry about Ben.”

He saw your shoulders tense, your head hanging a little lower, but you didn’t say a word. 

Miguel knew better than to approach you. You had all right to be angry at him, he had fucked up - big time. But he was too stubborn to accept defeat just yet. You were too important and he hated himself for not seeing it earlier.

“I haven’t been fair to you.” That got your attention.

“Fair?! You haven’t been fair?!” If they could, your eyes would glow red, Miguel was sure. 

He watched timidly as you closed the distance between you - fuming. Maybe this had not been the best approach. 

“You have been nothing but cruel!” Your finger pushed into his chest and Miguel's heart jumped at the touch. “Benching me for minor mistakes, arguing with me about every little decision I make, not trusting me!” You took a breath, your eyes never leaving his. “Yeah, that’s a big one.”

The broad brunette gulped visibly. He knew he was walking into a messy discussion when he stepped through the portal, but his sweaty hands and hammering pulse told him that he was not prepared still. 

“I’m sorry.” It was too quiet, not strong enough to convince you. But he didn’t seem to find his voice in the fire of your wrath. 

“Oh, are you now?”

“Yes, I'm sorry.” Why did he keep saying that? Imbécil. (idiot) It clearly didn’t make things better. 

You shook your head with a huff. “You know what? I’m done with you - with this. You’ve done nothing but made my life miserable.” His eyes cast downward in guilt. He knew that. And he was punishing himself enough already. “And now you come here and think it’s all forgotten with a fucking apology.”

You were right. So right. But Miguel could bring his mouth to open up. It was as if he was cast under your spell. The dreading anger rolling off of you paralyzed him with shame. 

“What I need is respect. Trust. Your having my back.” You smacked your hands against his chest with every word. And Miguel let you. He could have easily withstood, but he deserved to be pushed around. What an absolute asshole he was.

“But you’re not willing to give it to me... to trust me. And the worst part is that I still like you!” 

He wanted to tell you. Show you that he knew he deserved all your rage, but he did not want to interrupt you. Even though his heart– wait a minute. Did you just say you liked him?! 

¡Mierda! (holy shit)

Miguel just stared at you as you kept on punching him, the words you just said seemed to get swallowed in your rage. But he’d heard them. Loud and clear. 

You liked him. Miguel's heart was hammering in his ears, so loud it almost drowned you out. It was as if he had forgotten the situation he was in when his lips twitched upwards and the words just tumbled over them.

“You like me?”

You stopped, looked at him with wide eyes, and then sighed. “Just go please.”

The beating slowed when you turned away again. Miguel tried to call out your name - pull you back. But when he did, he saw the tears falling from your eyes. 

“Please let me explain–“

“What's there to explain? You don’t think I'm capable. Okay fine. I tried to prove you wrong but it’s not getting through your stupid thick head.” Your tears fell relentlessly as the anger covered your features once more. And, again, Miguel just stood dumbfounded and helpless. All he wanted was for you to accept a do-over, to at least settle on neutral ground again. But you were throwing truths at him that hurt more than anything he’s ever endured. It just reminded him how inconsiderate he was. And that there were probably a lot more people that didn't like him. But Miguel didn’t care about those. You were the one important thing. The person he needed around, and safe. And he had messed it up. 

“I don’t know what kind of problem you have with me, why you can’t seem to show me a little human decency, but I’m–“

He didn’t know what came over him when he reached forwards and pulled you into a kiss. The panic had just risen to his head with all the overthinking and screaming. And he knew it wasn’t right to shut you up, but he had tried to think of a way to say what he had wanted to say. But he had come up empty, and the feeling of your lips on his felt a little too good to stop. 

You even kissed him back. He could feel your shoulders relaxing a little - even imagined feeling you tug your arms towards his neck, but before he could register, you had pulled out of his grasp again. 

“What the fuck?!”

“I’m bad at coping mechanisms,” he confessed blushing as you looked up at hun confused and staggered. “I didn’t know how to ignore my feelings for you so I went with the safest option... making you hate me.”

You frowned but at least you let him talk, so Miguel just continued. Whatever the outcome now, he had to get it off his chest. “I wasn’t ready for you. But I can’t hold it any longer it's tearing me apart... hurting you - that was never my intention. I just wanted to make it easier for me.”

“So you made me doubt myself for you to feel better. That’s – wow – not a red flag at all.” You crossed your arms. Though Miguel saw that you wanted him to continue. 

“I am sorry - verdaderamente. (truly) I know it’s not done with these words alone, but I promise to make it up to you... if you'll let me.”

His chest was heaving with nerves when he finished his little speech. And Miguel swore to have seen your eyes soften as you realized how sincere he was. He closed his eyes in the silence overtaking you both and shot a player to the sky. There was only one thing he was wishing for.

“How can I trust you won’t mess up again,” your voice piqued up and his eyes fell back to you. 

“Because it’s tearing me to pieces to see you like this. I know now that it is I who brings misery into everyone's life. For years I thought it was tough luck, but I realize I have fate in my own hands.” He carefully stepped forwards and took your hands in his, squeezing them lightly. He wouldn’t take this for granted. “So, please... let me show you. Give me a chance to change things. Give us a chance.”

You bit your lip debating. Miguel knew the uncertainty you must have felt, the anger and frustration of his ignorance. He would understand if you said no. Shit, he deserved it for all he knew. He wouldn’t stop you, but he would be miserable. 

Miguel squeezed your hands once more, pulling them to his chest to have you feel his heart vibrating in his chest. Por favor. (please)

And then you nodded with a small smile falling on your lips and his heart began to sing. Miguel smiled, pressing a kiss to your knuckles as a happy tear rolled down his face. 

To hell with tough luck - he was the master of his fate. 

Wanna be added to the Taglist?

@circe143 @valkyrie418 @mirikusashes @noideawhyimdoingthislol @nikkitc0703 @lethallyprotected @erynnnn @misshale21 @wattpaduser200 @buckyseddie @adoreyouusugar

[cheerfullycatholic]

Hey, this is totally random, and honestly I apologize for dumping this out on your blog. But I need to talk to someone and I don't know what to do.

Hi, I've been in a relationship for about 4 years now. I love him with all of my heart. But I've been thinking of leaving.

I need to know if I'm justified in this. If maybe this is a push from God, or something, to get out.

He's always been insecure, I've always had to reassure him. Constantly. It was fine at first, but it's exhausting sometimes. It feels like I have no privacy. When I am on my phone, he asks what I am doing, when I am talking to someone, he asks what we are talking about and makes sure that I'm "not talking about him". I have to tell him what I write in my journal, just in case it's about him. He says he doesn't read it, but I don't entirely believe him, or think he wouldn't.

He usually sits in the bathroom while I shower. If I have my phone to play music, it's suspicious to him. If I'm on the couch or anything and my phone is face down, it's suspicious to him.

He has gone through my phone before behind my back. He has told me about the one time, but I suspect there's others.

He doesn't want to go through RCIA or attend Catholic mass. Something I have been passionate about, or at least was, until he ruined it. We would fight every time I wanted to go to church. He would make me feel so selfish for dragging him along. So I stopped fighting it. I never asked him to be a member. I just asked him to learn with me, to explore. But he doesn't want to. Now, he wants to pick a different church. I said I would. Because I don't know what else to do. Mind you, it is non negotiable that we have to attend the same church, he will not compromise.

We talk to each other about our expenses which I don't mind, but often, when I want to buy things, he calls it a waste of money. But when he wants to buy things, it's not. I have spoke to him about this, it doesn't seem to change.

We have to eat the same foods for dinner. I can't eat things that are different from him. I don't know why.

I have an opportunity to get a college degree with a mild commute. He doesn't want me to take it because we won't work in the same town anymore. And he is worried I will meet someone more interesting and leave.

I have told him that I'm doing it no matter what. But when I bring it up, he shuts down, or gets angry.

Our intimate life has been lacking, as I have had issues with pain during and after, and hormonal imbalances, due to possible Endo. While I know it's been out of wack for the better part of two years, and that can be frustrating, it seems he really isn't understanding about it. After about 3 weeks going without intimacy, he gets depressed, and ends up either arguing with me, or making me feel bad because it must mean that "he's not attractive to me" or "I think he's gross". I can understand insecurities stemming from that. But it's a struggle for me too, and I'm literally scheduled for a surgery to fix things and diagnose. That doesn't seem to matter. I feel like I have to constantly prove myself loyal to him. Even though he says he trusts me, I constantly have to tell him I'm not cheating on him.

I can't talk to him about this, because I'm almost certain nothing will change, and it will just make him more insecure. I'll have to reassure him more. And I can't. I don't have any more to give. I can't talk to anyone about this through text or anything because I know he'll find out somehow. That's why I'm doing an anon ask, so that it will not be in my notifications.

Am I wrong for feeling suffocated? Is this unhealthy? I don't know what to do. I have no family where I live, they're halfway across the country. I feel so trapped.

Oh my gosh, Anon, that's awful. I can't imagine how hard being in that position must be and I'll be praying for you both 🖤

You are absolutely justified in leaving and I recommend you do so soon. I won't rant but, man, that is far from a healthy relationship and you deserve better. But please, be safe. I hate to assume, but do you think he'd be the type to lash out? Just from what you've told me, I personally wouldn't trust him to just let me leave. If you think it wouldn't be safe, maybe have a friend or even a police officer there with you, just in case. I wish I knew what else to say. Maybe someone else will have something to add?

I really hope you'll both be okay and that you'll be able to get through this safely. I wish there was more I could do

[fell-maverick]

Uh... BIG OL' WORD BLOB ABOUT MY FEELINGS ABT HOW X ACTED IN X7, and a little HC as to why Zero acts so cold to X in the game, BELOW 👇

X'S TANTRUM WAS DUE.

The Guy has been betrayed or had to fight someone he trusted and/or cared about AT LEAST once per-game before X6 and had been through SO. MUCH. CRAP.

Every Maverick in X1 used to be an ally of X's in some way, Sigma was his Captain! - Flame Stag in X2 AND Zero if you don't collect his bits - Grav Beetle and Blast Horner in X3 - X4 IN GENERAL WAS ALL PAIN AND BETRAYAL IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT - Technically Zero in X5

AND THEN ZERO LET X THINK FOR AT LEAST 2 OUT OF THE 3 WEEKS BETWEEN X5 AND X6 THAT HE WAS DEAD. MAN DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO GIVE SOMETHING - ANYTHING TO INDICATE TO HIS BEST FRIEND, WHO WAS DEFINITELY STILL IN MOURNING AT THE START OF X6, THAT HE WAS ALIVE!

I DO NOT BLAME X FOR HIS INITIAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS AXL IN THE SLIGHTEST.

X had EVERY right to believe that Axl was there to eventually betray them, especially after Double.

But X also really wanted Axl to prove him wrong. He's the one who handed Axl his gun back, not Signas, not Alia, not Zero. X handed Axl his gun even after his whole tirade against violence and wanting to send Axl back to Red

Because X is still X, even when he's burnt out- which is absolutely what he was in X7- he still WANTS to believe in other reploids.

I also find it interesting that in X's ending he's super harsh about Axl not being a hunter to Alia and Signas, but in Axl's ending his words feel almost... Parental... when he tells Axl that he can't join the hunters, and he DEFINITELY goes after the boy when he runs off after Alia tries to reason with him.

And then there's Zero being cold and distant through the entire game to X, the only time he warms up a little is when X speaks up before the assault on Crimson Palace but after that he's back to "Do as you please."

There's a good chunk of really good fics and head canons that Zero's attitude is X's fault, that he just snapped at Zero because they had an argument in some shape or form when X decided to take himself off of active duty. And GOSH do those hurt my soul good.

But what if this is Zero's way of giving X space?

There was no argument, no spat of any kind.

X just told Zero straight up "I can't take this anymore, I'm stepping away from active duty."

And he expects SOMETHING. For Zero to be his light at the end of the tunnel, to say something that'll motivate him to NOT do that. To kick his butt back in gear.

And instead Zero says "Do as you please." And walks away.

And X feels something inside him shrivel.

That's not to say X couldn't say something hurtful later on. Maybe around the time Zero brings Axl into HQ like he just brought a stray puppy home.

But X doesn't really address Zero much, if AT ALL in X7 outside of when he tells him he's going to join him and Axl on the field.

What if X needed Zero, and Zero just walked away because he thought X needed space?

And in the end it's not Zero who brings X out of his funk, but Axl. Because X didn't need space, he needed someone to bring the fire back. And Axl has a way of bringing out the fire in anyone.

... I may try to write that, at least that first bit. Maybe...

[rpmemes-galore]

Cult of the Lamb follower thoughts ... sentence starters

"Must… obey…"

"My poor head!"

"That was divine!"

"How disgusting!"

"This is horrifying!"

"It comes for us all."

"I was magnificent."

"I had so much fun!"

"I ate a decent meal."

"I made a new friend!"

"I am cleansed of sin."

"They were innocent!"

"Better than starving…"

"I will never love, again…"

"I don't know about this…"

"This shouldn't be allowed!"

"This is the one, I can feel it!"

"I need somewhere to sleep."

"I will work harder, I promise!"

"None are above punishment."

"Our city grows more glorious!"

"I felt like a king upon a throne."

"They deserved a proper burial!"

"A thrilling fight! But the death…"

"Wow! I am so happy to be here!"

"Seeing that gave me the creeps."

"Their sacrifice makes us stronger!"

"Death is not the end, I am not sad."

"I see it every time I close my eyes…"

"I know I will be much happier here."

"You're rescuing me must be a sign!"

"Their suffering is a just punishment."

"If I am not sent to bed rest, I will die."

"They finally locked that heretic away."

"I will prove myself through discipline."

"I was rudely awoken during the night."

"Lock up the heretics! Show no mercy!"

"I am blessed to witness such a miracle."

"Boring! I must avoid them in the future."

"Such nauseating, putrid mess… I love it."

"What an honour to partake in their flesh."

"I don't feel good, but I don't feel too bad!"

"My faith is shaken, I see through your lies."

"You converted me by force, I had no choice."

"Maybe they're right? I don't know anymore…"

"That was scary… I hope I said the right thing!"

"I know our leader has their reasons, but still…"

"An inspiring sermon from our glorious leader..."

"I have never been so sure of anything in my life."

"I am honoured to confess! I have nothing to hide."

"I need something to eat or I could starve to death."

"I have lived a good life of service, but now I grow weary."

"The outside world is terrifying! I never want to leave again!"

"Gross! Someone should clean that up before someone gets ill."

"I wish I had gotten to know them better, may they rest in peace."

"How beautiful! Why would anyone want to leave such a paradise?"

"Things are different out there… are we really doing the right thing?"

"I thought I heard something in the night.... and when I woke up, the body was gone."

[lizparkcr]

Ramble ahead -- I want muriel to be full of rage because it fixes so much about his characterisation and story

(i think the devs were avoiding him having any real anger bc the fandom would have crucified them as they did for everything else which sucks, but would explain a lot of his woobification)

it would explain how on earth he was actually able to kill yknow?? call me whatever but his characterisation as it is i don't think he'd be able to kill anyone or anything, past or present -- even when his only loved one was at stake. but if he was angry. if he let the years of subjugation, loneliness, helplessness, and exposure to corruption and violence just take hold of him, give into it -- because hes always been assumed to be violent due to his size and strength, and he gives up trying to prove he's not. Its not necessarily a consious decision and no, he doesn't want to kill, and maybe he does refuse to kill at first. but when forced and trapped in this horrific situation and treated like a monster and an object he throws himself away and gives in to the anger, and takes it out on people who are no longer people but those who have hurt him, people who its ok to hurt and kill (not that i think he would think about it this deeply, i think there'd be a whole lot of detachment and disassociation involved)

Less relevant stuff under the cut

it would add depth to his apparent self loathing and lack of self-worth

which would explain more deeply why he isolated himself and sees the curse of being forgotten as a "gift", why he doesn't even want to think about himself as a real person or be seen by anyone

it would add complexity to his pacifism, which in canon is less of a choice and more an extreme aversion to hurting anything due to PTSD. imo pacifism is not a very interesting trait when no part of you actually wants to hurt. like a part of him wants to use his strength, to actually fight back to show people they cannot control or subjugate him anymore. It just happens to twist into an awful rage that rots him during the gladiator days because there he is, being controlled and subjugated, but its the only power he has. I think he'd fantasise about killing lucio, but becomes utterly hopeless because he knows he cant, lucio becomes this figure of absolute power because of just how powerless he feels against him in the arena (which would further explain his passivity!! Like the way he didn't seem to even try to find a way to escape or figure out if he could keep asra safe. once he was done with a fight he just becomes hollow and passive, without that anger driving him he just empties, andd would let himself be hurt if someone attacked him -- similar to how he is in his route when attacked by those muggers)

He's afraid of becoming that monster again, or the MC seeing that side of him at the very least. Anger being associated with combat would have been a very real obstacle to break down during their training which could have added complexity to morga's character and their relationship

it would also make his and Inana's first meeting and him leaving make more sense: she's the straw that breaks it, muriel is beginning to crumble, or he's almost at the point of no return is maybe a better narrative. she is completely calm and knowing, and since she is/becomes his familiar, he sees himself for a moment as she sees him, as everyone sees him, and he's brought back to reality. and that's when he runs away

[pancake404]

Stella Art Practice/Ideas

So, I made more art on Stella and my ideas(or maybe it's just headcanons) about her character, especially in the original timeline with Alan.

I mentioned this before, but I take Stella as a character who enjoys writing. She enjoys making stories, writing her thoughts, or writing fanfics about Alan saving her from an evil monster. She would put anything she could think of on paper and sometimes she would show this to those close to her who are proud of it for the most part. Stella also imagines being a writer sometimes as a career.

Unlike Silvia, Stella isn't really popular or nicely treated by others as she can get bullied from time to time and it worsens when they find out that she's dating Alan, the outcast. Occasionally, like Valentine's Day, there is a change in tune where she can get asked out by multiple other Pokemon mostly because she is quite pretty(being a Sylveon) to them but Stella often turns them down.

She struggles to defend herself as she isn't normally one to partake in violence so whenever her sisters aren't around to defend her, her main two friends(or her only two friends), Alan and Pearl come to the rescue. Pearl and Speed drop any niceness and they can get threatening quick against others.

However, with the help of Alan especially, Stella was taught more moves that can her help her fight back. "Too bad, it wasn't enough, and later she died...right Alan?"

Speaking of Pearl, Speed later truly meets Pearl through Stella, and although their first encounter is interesting, they quickly get along as Pearl is never the type to judge someone based on reputation or rumors. Her mind reading which she accidentally does from time to time further proves to her that Alan can be trusted and is a good individual.

They form this close friendship with one another though Pearl does joke that she feels like a third wheel sometimes.

Pearl behaves motherly still yet she develops a more energetic side as in this case, she has no worries about Sunshine or Axel. Stella is the team leader and although is way more laid back than Silvia, she can get into some antics. Alan is, of course, the protector and rational-minded one ensuring they don't get into anything too serious or dangerous.

Speaking about how she is, I imagine her to be laid back, especially on good days. She doesn't take anything seriously and is easily forgiving. From her experiences with Alan, she aims to be more open-minded to other Pokemon not from the town which sometimes works well as they have a friendly interaction, and other times, they attack first. She tends to contrast Alan's tense and trauma-driven nature.

Hanging out with her(especially Alan but more or less anyone) is a breath of fresh air as you can talk about anything and she will gladly patiently listen without much judgment.

However, she can be unmotivated at times to put effort into things as well as have a poor sleeping schedule which whenever Alan struggles to sleep and stays up late, there is a high chance she's up too. Her parents had tried countless times to get her into a normal sleeping schedule but later down the line, it mostly goes one ear in and out the other.

Speaking about her parents, she also doesn't try to make them proud as much anymore as she gets older or focuses on their approval. Despite their numerous warnings to not hang around with Alan, Stella started to just not listen, and eventually, her parents gave in and they later accepted Alan in(with an exhausting effort on Stella's part).

When she was younger, it wasn't like this as she struggled to argue against any of their decisions or anything they said even if she disagreed.

This wasn't supposed to be anything in particular, I just liked the idea of them dressed up and dancing which I imagine has occurred a few times. Of course, they were alone and somewhere isolated where others couldn't spot them both.

Stella is the type of Pokemon to talk big and attempt to flirt with Alan but the moment Alan proceeds to respond to it with some of his own, she flusters up and freezes. Her ribbons then go crazy, flying all over the place. Alan finds the reaction funny and a good method to get Stella's attention somewhere else.

I imagine that Stella as well as other Sylveons often wrap their ribbons around those they love especially if they enjoy giving physical affection. Alan at first gets annoyed by it but starts to enjoy it even if he doesn't want to admit it as it will just further motivate Stella.

Overall, Stella is a chill Sylveon who sometimes bites more than she could chew but she tries to be kind and open-minded as well as keep whatever friends she has close to her. She is less of a ball of energy/pranks but more of a warm, guiding light that helps others.

Though she may struggle to get motivated into doing things or not wander off in her head about the next story she would prefer writing, she's forgiving, compassionate, and talented in her own way.

Hope you enjoyed my explanation and artwork, feel free to share your thoughts.

[stone-stars]

Transcript:

Murph: You see a giant figure attempting to push open a door. Before anything else, you recognize the giant greatsword on his back. Howl. Your mother's sword. Calder: Need a little help? Murph: Gowan turns around. Gowan: What are you doing here, Calder? Calder: Looks like you're struggling with that door. Just wanna make sure you know you can always ask for help.

Calder: What can we do for you? Command us. Gowan: With all due respect, Calder. I always thought you would've made a great ranger, but… you are not a ranger. You left. So, the most I can ask of you is to please look out for mom and dad. But, I'll talk to my rangers and I'll figure out a way to take care of this. Thank you all for everything.

Murph: He… looks away from you. Gowan: I already have help. There's nothing you can do for me.

Calder: I-- no. No. I don't wanna be protected anymore. I wanna help.

Calder: Well. You're my brother. The least you can do is let me try.

Gowan: Calder. I'm proud of you. You've gone out on your own, and you've met people who seem like great friends. And you braved the tundra, you came out, you warned us, and we appreciate that. But again. You chose not to be a ranger.

Murph: Gowan starts to walk towards you. Gowan: Alright. Can you make a hard choice here? Calder: We can make a choice together, that's what we can do. You don't have to do it yourself. Gowan: I made a deal with Alexandrite, Calder.

Calder: What are you worried about? Gowan: I'm just-- I'm worried about everyone. I don't know how Mom did it. It feels like everyone who died, died on my watch.

Gowan: She told me that she'd already snuck replicants into the village, and that she'd take out everyone one by one until I gave her the Ice Knife. She can't get in here. Havoc won't let her. And to prove it she killed my best friend, and told me if I told anyone, Mom and Dad would be next. She replaced our neighbors. Have ya talked to any of our neighbors? Because they're watching the house. They absorbed Ingrid. And then you told me she's bringing in more from the lake. She knows everything, Calder. She's everywhere. Calder: Yeah. Yeah, we might be fucked. But we can be fucked together. We can-- we can go down fighting, or you can-- or you can sacrifice yourself like some martyr. But that's not gonna help us. Gowan: If it was just sacrificing myself, I would gladly do it, Calder. But what would you do in my situation?

Murph: Calder, as you are battling with Ultrus here, it feels like the world is being pulled apart as Glen is trying to remove this helm from your head. You see like, cracks. As you look up into the sky, you see the battlefield projected. You see that Callie is missing, you have no idea where she is, and you see that Sol is bleeding out on the ground.

Gowan: Knife to Mom's throat, what would you do? Murph: And he pushes you.

Calder: Ultrus! Make a deal with me! I will let you go. I’ll let you choose your side in this war. Just… don’t let Glen hurt my friends. Ultrus: You would give up yourself? Calder: If that’s the choice you ask me to make.

Calder: I might've done the same thing. I might've done the same thing. But you have to understand that somebody coming in this thing with fresh eyes, somebody who's seen her up close, you don't know the duplicity that she's capable of. You're acting on intel that you got from Alexandrite! Gowan: The intel that I got from you was that Gregor was compromised! And that just meant I stayed around until she killed Ingrid! Calder: So she wants us not to trust each other. She wants us not to work together. She wants us fractured and weak, like this. Gowan: We are fractured and weak, Calder! She's here already! Calder: So circle up with us!

Gowan: Well, if there's one good thing about being a leader in a time like this, it's-- it's that I'm really glad I got to make you a ranger. Calder: Yeah. And… and Gowan I think we're gonna have… we're gonna have a long time together, fighting side by side. Gowan: I hope that we could be so lucky.

Calder: You are my brother, aren't you? Murph: You see the bloodlust kind of leaves Gowan's eyes, and he looks down, and he goes Gowan: Yeah. Yeah I am. Okay.

[fortpeat]

"I believe we all have moments of weakness, days when we cry, and feelings that, for once in our lives, we can't take anymore. Until we meet someone who becomes our shelter, our safe place, our strength. Someone important in our lives." - Love Sea The Series Tongrak to Mahasamut

Meeting someone like that is rare, it's even more rare for them to stay in our life proving over and over again that they are not going anywhere. When we are so used to people leaving us in our darkest times we built ourselves to anticipate that everyone will leave us one day and when that person stays despite everything it completely leaves us breathless.

There will be times when we feel like we deserve that kind of love but there will also be days where we feel we are not worthy of that. What did we do to have this. We feel we are not good enough coz they deserve someone who is not so damaged or problematic. Someone who isolates themselves when things get hard. Someone who prefer to deal things alone coz that's what we are used to.

Yes we trust them. Yes we love them. But the things that we do when we are vulnerable, those are our self defenses, our instincts and no matter how much we want to let them in to help us, to be there for us - all we can think is "why should we burden them with our mess". You know why we think that way because everyone before this person has only left us when things got ugly so we believe that maybe if this person didn't see the ugly parts they would stay.

All we can say is be patient with us. We are trying to fight the demons within us. The urge to alienate ourselves because we don't deserve anything good. Everyday we are fighting the thoughts "What if I disappear, will anyone notice?" It's exhausting some days but all we can ask is even if we don't tell you that you are important to us everyday know that you are everything to us. Just stay. Don't go anywhere. We need people like you in our life.