#i still have one more silly name i'm tempted to make and then i need to work on the numbers crew...

[korattata]

[heartmix]

I Love It - MV1

Pairing: Max Verstappen x driver!reader

Word Count: 900+

Warning: named your pet dog, bear. Tempted to name the dog after my dog.

Twelve Fics of Christmas - Secret Santa

A/N: zhou FINALLY got a good gift this year!

F1 Masterlist / Masterlist

It was time for the annual paddock Secret Santa the F1 social team did with all the drivers. Honestly, you loved it. For the past few years, you got people you know pretty well so it was always easy to get gifts. You were one of the drivers who opted for meaningful and useful gifts instead of the silly ones, Zhou has gotten one too many Valtteri Bottas calendars. 

This year you pulled Max. Despite being so close, with you getting him a gift for Christmas every year anyway, you never pulled his name. You went back and forth if you should finally do a silly gift and save his real present for Christmas day. Your heart wouldn't allow you to do that and opted for both gifts to be sentimental. 

Max on the other hand pulled your name and to say he was freaking out was an understatement. He was also one to get you a present every year. It was always simple with a new purse or perfume, but he knew he couldn't pull that off for this silly video. He wanted to make this one special. 

As the weeks crept up you thought of the perfect gift, a neon sign with his cats' names on it so he could set it up by his streaming set-up. Sassy's name was red while Jimmy's name was blue, red bull colors of course. It was perfect and you happily handed it to the social media manager to give to him, excited to see his reaction when the video came out. 

Max was still freaking out. They would be exchanging gifts next week and he was still empty-handed. He was never good at gift-giving, opting for universally agreed upon "good presents." He needed to bring in reinforcement which was in the form of Daniel.

"What am I supposed to get her?!"

"I don't know why you are so stressed about this." That was a lie. Danny knew why he was stressed, he just wanted to see if Max wouldn't admit his crush. 

"I want to actually give a good gift, not just some expensive thing."

"Because you like her!" Daniel said with the goofiest smile on his face. He knew his best buddy had been crushing on you for years, but this was the first time he was freaking out about something so trivial. It was just an annual video the F1 media team did. He could get you a mug and you would love it.

"Daniel don't start." He couldn't help the sigh that came out. If he liked you or not he still wanted to get a decent gift. Maybe he was stressing too much, but he couldn't help it. 

"Okay okay. What does she like?"

"Music, sports, movies, animal-" As Max went on Daniel couldn't help but roll his eyes. Maybe that wasn't the right question to ask. He should've known to be more specific or the Dutchman would talk his ears off about you for hours. 

"I'm going to stop you right there. Let me ask again. What does she love most in this world."

"Her dog," Max said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Okay get her something relating to her dog." 

A huge grin slowly made its way onto Max's face, "I got it! thanks, Daniel!" Before Daniel could respond the facetime call ended.

When it was Max's turn to hand in his present he couldn't help but do it with a smile. Since he was stressing so much he didn't have much time to get it ready, but nothing a little money to rush the order couldn't help. Just like you, he can't wait for the reaction to be posted. 

"Okay, here you go." the media personnel said handing you the gift as the camera was rolling. 

"I can't wait." You excitedly said tearing open the wrapping paper.

As you tore open the gift you couldn't help the smile that broke out on your face, as you slapped a hand over your mouth in shock. "oh my god!"

"What is it?"

"It's a painting of my dog, bear! He's sitting in my car!" You happily flipped the painting to show the camera. "Max pulled my name?" You asked which shocked the people behind the camera at how fast you guessed.

"How did you know?"

"I just know." You said with the biggest smile running your hands all over the picture. "Did you give him his gift yet?"

"Yeah, we did him before you."

"I need to go find him." You rushed out before they needed anything else from you.

"Max!" You called out his name. Before he could process who called him you tackled him in a hug almost making him trip. 

"Woah, what's all of this for." He chuckled wrapping his arm around you to brace the both of you.

Slowly you pulled away from him holding the painting up with glee, "I love my gift, it's the best thing I ever got."

At this, he couldn't help but smile as he could feel heat rush right to his cheeks. You loved the gift. He swears your smile was bigger over the gift than your first win. Or maybe he was tricking himself into thinking that. Either way, you loved your gift and that's the reaction he was hoping for. 

"Looks like you're not the only good gift giver on the grid." He nudged your shoulder earning a giggle.

"How did you even think to get this?" 

Now it was your turn for your cheeks to heat up. "Well some of the best gifts I ever got are based around my cats so I took a page out of your book." 

"Well I love it, thank you." Again you pulled him into a hug not knowing what else to say besides thank you. If Secret Santa earned him this type of hug, he hoped to pull your name every year.  

"Anytime Schatje."

[muletia]

[tfp] starscream x human!reader

summary: starscream wakes you up to see the sunrise

cw: fluff, pinch of angst, starscream has feelings for you, silliness, bad writing, i may have butchered his character a bit but i want him to be happy for once

word count: 1365

Aggressive tapping on the window ripped you from a cozy sleep. You quickly propped yourself up on your arms, looking for the source of the sound. The warm blanket slipped off your shoulders, waking you even more. Your sleepy mind tried to shake off the fog with rapid blinking as you looked around, alarmed.

You tapped twice on the screen of your phone lying on the table next to your bed. Four o'clock. Good Lord. So much for sleeping in.

Who would even go through the trouble of reaching your house (crossing acres of untouched forest), tapping on the window hard enough to wake you up, and then disappearing without a trace? A thief? you thought. No, a thief would take extra care not to wake you. And would probably use the front door. With your still-clouded mind, you tried to remember who knew you lived here, but only two names came to mind: your mother and…

Red light pierced through the window, illuminating your bedroom.

Oh, right. He.

You slid out of bed and shuffled to the window. Even with limited light, you could make out the look of impatience on his elongated, metal face. You’d taken too long.

"Finally! Does it take humans this long to wake up?"

"Hi, Starscream," you greeted him. After a few months of acquaintance, you’d learned to ignore his jabs directed at you and your species. "May I ask what you need from me at four"—you emphasized the hour—"in the morning?"

You yawned, and he grimaced, his optics flicking away.

"I need you to finally step outside. Then you're coming with me."

"But it’s so early…"

"Will you be more encouraged if I punch a hole through your wall and take you by force?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't done that already."

"Don’t tempt me," he warned.

Your mind flashed back to the incident four months ago when he actually demolished half your wall because you apparently hadn’t come outside fast enough. Those were the days of testing his patience, which, as you quickly and painfully learned, was more fragile than porcelain.

"Get out. I'm not giving you a third warning."

You sighed because, unfortunately, he was right; you could soon end up in his servo, your house with yet another unwanted window. You put on your warmest coat, an old shearling from your mother, and left your cozy little home, making sure to lock the door behind you. It was still dark outside, but the first hints of dawn were breaking through the treetops. Sunrise was near.

"Finally! I can’t believe such a simple task took you this long."

"I’m sorry, alright. I just don't want to freeze to death."

One moment, you were standing quietly on the ground, bantering with your alien companion, and the next, he scooped you up in his claws and placed you in his servo. You held tight to his thumb, pressing against the only anchor point several meters above the ground. He was warm, which still amazed you. You nestled closer to his slender finger.

Starscream’s optics lingered on you for a moment, ensuring you were alright. You noticed.

"I’m fine," you assured him, smiling softly.

He looked away, embarrassed to be caught in such a state; you shouldn’t see him like this. You shouldn’t know that he cared, that he was trying to be gentler with your body; that his spark shone brighter when he was with you, that your companionship mattered to him.

The problem was, you did know. The humans he thought were primitives did have well-developed emotional intelligence, and you were no exception. It took you just a few weeks to see right through him. At first, he thought it was about finding his weakness, then stab him in the back, contact the right people or Autobots, and turn him in. Betray him. But each week, the betrayal he almost expected never came, and before he knew it, he started to trust you. And he hoped you trusted him, too—otherwise, you wouldn’t have stepped out of your house at such an early hour to meet him, right? He wanted to call it foolishness and naivety, but he knew you too well by now. You weren't either.

"I haven’t seen you in a while," you remarked after a moment of silence. "Are you okay?"

His wings fluttered happily. If you noticed, you chose not to comment on it, and he was forever grateful for that.

"Yes, I’m alright," he replied briefly.

"I’m glad."

His spark flickered with joy. It was nice to have someone who cared. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone of his kind had asked him something like that. Maybe no one ever had.

"Where are we going?" you asked. You didn��t expect a clear answer, but just listening to his voice gave you comfort. You missed this diva.

"Patience," he deflected. "I don’t want to spoil the surprise."

Oh. You beamed. With one sentence, he made you feel special, not to mention excited. Suddenly, the night’s chill stopped biting your cheeks, and the last traces of irritation at being woken up early faded away.

Starscream noticed the sudden shift in your body language, allowing himself to catch the mood. A dangerous thought popped into his processor—he’d like to see you smiling more, him being the reason for your smile. He wanted to make you happy, not occasionally, not out of whim or boredom; he wanted your smile to be genuine, brought on by his gestures or words. He held onto the hope that his surprise would have a similar effect.

As you climbed the forested hill, Starscream pondered when you stopped being just another human and became [Your Name]. Was it when you didn’t hesitate to express disapproval of Megatron, who had tormented him for most of his long life only to abandon him on an alien planet? Or maybe when you outright told him that you cared for him and that his opinion mattered to you when he wasn’t pointing a weapon at you?

You’d both fallen hard, but he was at the bottom.

"I think I know what this surprise is," you whispered as the forest thinned out, revealing a meadow dotted with rocks. "You remembered that I love sunrises."

"It’s hard to forget when someone keeps pestering you about it."

He was bluffing; you saw right through it. You’d only mentioned it once, a long time ago, but you let him win, not wanting to spoil the moment.

"Thank you," you whispered.

He muttered something under his breath, but his wings lifted proudly, betraying his true emotions.

Starscream stopped in front of a large rock jutting from the ground in the middle of the clearing. He placed his hand on the hard, dewy surface so you could step down and admire the view in front of you.

"Wow," you whispered.

You’d arrived just in time for the sunrise, which was slowly emerging from behind thick clouds, creating an orange gradient, fading into muted pinks and shades of gray. The panorama before you was raw and ethereal. Untouchable. It formed an image Starscream had reserved just for you. And that meant so, so much to you.

"I think I’m going to cry," you sniffled.

"What? Why?" he squawked, stunned.

Did you not like it? Humans only cried when they were sad, right? For Primus’s sake, he’d messed up again, as always. But before his worry could turn to anger, your response reassured him.

"I’m just… so happy. You have no idea how much. Thank you for bringing me here; I’ll never forget it."

There it was again. That pleasant churning in his spark, throwing him off his calculated balance. Would you be just as thrilled if he gave you a star from the sky?

"The pleasure’s all mine," he replied, now focusing his entire attention on you.

Impulsively, he reached out towards you. A sharp claw, designed to cause suffering, now gently brushed your back with the utmost care. Starscream soaked in your contentment like forbidden nectar, losing himself in the moment, wishing it would last forever.

[raainberry]

Cross The Line - I

« It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything. »

Mina x gn!reader

synopsis - if you promise not to step foot in her hospital again, the line disappears, right?

wordcount - 3K

T/W - resident!mina x fighter!reader. mentions of violence, injuries, food. (reader is involved in an underground fight club) medical environment. angst for now and dahyun guest starring😎

A/N - i have decided to make this into a movie. it serves as a prologue to the series but tbh i feel like you can get it without it if you want. Enjoy!

You don’t know if she noticed you.

The minutes passed by, and so did she; a few times. You watched from your seat as you waited for your name to be called, various scenes from silly incidents to more serious ones, old people to kids...

The place was bustling, you could feel your head getting heavier, only keeping it up just in case Mina appeared. She seemed busy, focused. She must have a lot on her mind.

How selfish would it be to wish you were on it too?

You wondered, feeling the familiar tug at your heart when she took the time to reassure a little girl across the room. You could make out the tears staining her cheeks despite how far you were sitting, and witnessed how quickly they dried up under Mina’s gentle voice.

How wrong would it be to feel jealous?

You shook the ridiculous thought away, just in time to hear your name finally get called out. The voice was familiar, but not the one you were hoping for. Sweet, but not enough.

Your gaze left Mina’s figure to meet her dear friend’s, a nurse you’d gotten to know more than the one you heart longed for. She let you call her by her name, but only if you promised not to overstep the set of obvious boundaries that came with it.

You gave your word, although it was tempting to take it back. Everytime Dahyun assisted in your care, you fought the need to ask her anything about Mina. You only faltered once, anesthesia having gotten the best of you after a long set of stitches.

You had the decency to wait until Mina stepped out of the room before asking about her love life. That’s how Dahyun came to know of this… mess of emotions between the two of you.

She never answered you, but she did have questions to which she tried to pull the answers to from Mina herself a few hours later.

Nearly a year later now, and she was still trying. Pieced a few of them together over time and rare, quiet wine drunken nights, but it was nowhere near enough to uncover the reasons.

The ones behind your visits, not your interest in her best friend. She has glasses but she’s not blind.

Although she did wonder what still had you so hung up after years.

If you knew yourself, you probably wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Do you guys have lunch breaks?" Your voice was quiet in an attempt to conceal how awkward you felt.

You were sat on a similar table as your last time here, only surrounded by proper walls this time. Still as blank and unstimulating, letting your mind roam free and back to Mina.

Dahyun paused in her tasks.

This was her third time seeing you, and it was the first time you’d spoken to her without her needing to pull the words out of you.

She cleared her throat, setting down the tools she’d just used to get your cast off. "We do.” She answered hesitantly. “Why wouldn't we?"

The room fell silent once again as you gazed at your weakened arm, turning her question rhetorical. Dahyun only chuckled at the sight before offering some reassurance, "I'm going to show you a few rehabilitation exercises. Your arm will be back to normal in no time."

You simply nodded, your eyes glued to the foreign feeling in your limb. "Do I need to rest it?"

Dahyun’s eyebrows furrowed at your question, but kept her curiosity to herself. Not everyone has her knowledge, she tended to forget it so she cut you some slack although something in her itched to be nosy.

She watched as you tentatively moved your arm, clenching your fist as if trying to regain familiarity with it. "Just avoid putting excessive strain on it.” She finally said, causing you to stop. “No intense use for a couple of weeks, and it should be fine."

"A couple weeks..." You muttered. This wasn’t good. Money was getting short. “Can I have some paper and a pen?”

It was getting hard to do, but Dahyun concealed her confusion again before fulfilling your request, observing as you used your weakened hand to scribble something barely legible.

“Does that count as exercise?" You playfully questioned, causing Dahyun to chuckle.

“It could, yeah." She nodded and you smiled, glancing back at your writing before handing it to her.

“Hopefully she can read it.”

You don’t need to say anything else. Not even her name. Dahyun knew who you were referring to.

You were sure of it, but she managed to make you second guess - yourself and your own intentions - when she tensed up in front of you.

Her hand didn’t reach for the piece you offered of yourself. As futile and impersonal as it was, you couldn’t help but take offense at her doubts.

“Please.” You muttered. It was pathetic. It felt like it too. But it was worth the discomfort if it meant convincing the woman standing before you. Her silence was painful, it almost made you laugh. She wasn’t even the one you were trying to reach.

Were you even allowed to feel so troubled yet?

Rightfully so. Dahyun took forever to make up her mind, staring long enough for your arm to fatigue.

Part of her didn’t want to enable and push her best friend into what looked like a hopeless abyss. Mina deserved much more. She deserved something safer, easier than whatever you brought to the table.

Then again this wasn’t her place to say. This wasn’t her game to play.

She just hoped Mina wouldn’t dismiss its risks.

—

Mina looked down at the paper in her hand, her features tensed in a mix of surprise and apprehension as she processed the words she’d managed to decipher.

« I’ll try really hard not to visit ever again, so if you ever miss me and have a moment to spare : xx xxx xxx. »

She took the numbers in as they slowly burned themselves into her mind. She tried to suppress that small hope within her as it prayed you’d written them well enough.

Needless to say it was a vain attempt. Her thoughts were scattered and she struggled to compose herself.

“What are you going to do?" Dahyun's voice broke an eerie silence that had settled itself in the break room, and Mina exhaled softly, her gaze lingering on your message.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, meeting Dahyun’s eyes. "It's complicated, you know that."

Dahyun nodded, understanding. Or at least she hoped it came across as because quite frankly she had no idea.

It was complicated, yes, but for her, the next step was a no-brainer.

"Maybe it's worth considering," she offered, her words gentle. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

That pulled a chuckle out of the black haired woman next to her. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, but someone who needs to be stitched up every few months can’t not be involved in something dumb or careless.” Dahyun pointed out, but it only amused Mina even more. “I’m serious.” The nurse chuckled despite herself, “Something’s not right.”

“I can take care of myself.” Mina reassured, “I’m sure it’s nothing too bad. Careless maybe, but not dumb either.”

“How would you know?” Dahyun probed as Mina piqued at the nosiest part of her.

Mina only shrugged though, considering the paper in her hand. The weight of your message briefly pulled her thoughts back to the unspoken moments, the lingering emotions that built and shaped this odd link between the two of you.

"Just a feeling.”

—

“Looking to kill your winning streak?”

The coach’s voice resonated in the warehouse and you huffed out a breath, keeping your eyes from rolling back into your brain only to look at him instead. “What are you being so shy for? Hit it, damn it!”

You stayed silent, your jaw clenched shut to keep the thoughts in your head. The punching bag still swung back and forth behind you as you reached for the small bottle of water he was handing you.

The small ‘thank you’ you mumbled was enough for him to get off your back about respect and whatnot, but he still clung onto it about your arm.

“It’s been weeks, Y/n, you’ve had plenty of time to recover, come on…” He said, opting for a more gentle approach.

The switch up didn’t surprise you. He wasn’t exactly stable, but he was good at his job. Good enough to run this whole thing smoothly. You’d respect him if he weren’t so corrupt, pulling at big kids desperate enough for life to ruin it for them. People like you. Exposing them, showing them off in a violent spectacle only the richest could afford to enjoy.

The scheme was vicious. Designed to make staying in the only way out. To make him the only one you could turn to when life’s biggest troubles got too big to ignore.

He knew you well enough by now to know the gentle card wouldn’t work, but that’s also how he knew he had to give it a shot anyway. If not take action, you could open up.

You could, but you wouldn’t. Not to him. Your relationship didn’t allow it, as much as he tried to shape it that way over the years. Not that he was pushing it, he was decently nice. He cared. Just not enough.

You could feel it in the way he watched you, silent while his eyes questioned whatever you did he didn’t understand - which was almost always linked to whatever didn’t fill his pockets.

The edge of the ring pushed into your thighs as you took a seat there, staring into the space in front of you. Your gaze was vacant, you could feel yourself zone out, thoughts begging to drown into your heart and its selfish desire to burn over Mina’s absence; but the coach shaking his head kept you over the surface.

Seeing you space out was new, but he didn’t like how familiar the sight was getting.

You expected his rough tone to spit at you any second, but he surprisingly stayed calm. Too calm. So your eyes left the void to check on him, and his demeanor was all but reassuring.

You could feel his impatience grow by the second, the frustration practically radiating from him was off-putting, but the silence… It was as scary as it was encouraging.

“I need more time.” You finally said.

The words didn’t please him. They didn’t make you happy either. You’d love to be able to hit that bag as you used to just months ago.

“We can’t do that. People are damn near jumping the fence to see you fight, Y/n, you have to come back.”

“They’ll be fine.” You brushed off, feeling the guilt slowly weigh off your shoulders at the desperation in his voice. Something about hearing him beg, even implicitly.

You suddenly rose to your feet, feeling yourself growing wings as you clung onto the third rope of the ring. Entertaining the conversation seemed pointless, so you turned your back on him to get back to training. Something he made sure to prove as a mistake... He didn’t hesitate to burn those wings at the first sight of them.

He never did.

“But you won’t.” You heard him say. The words were heavy, probably because of how fast he’d thrown them at you.

Your features twitched, eyebrows creasing as you tried to argue, “I’m not ready.”

The weakness was bitter, obvious and unfair. Unfitting for a moneymaker like you. If anything you should be the one dictating things.

Yet he somehow always kept the reigns.

“You never were.”

—

His last words ran laps in your mind.

As hard as you tried to alter their course, nothing seemed to stop them. Nothing seemed to change.

The following days melted into themselves, fogging your memory with nothing but defeat.

You felt disoriented. Hopeless. Hurt. Yet somewhat motivated by it all. Problem was you had no goal to put it into.

This fighting thing proved itself to be nothing but a fickle string of glory. A glory you failed to even enjoy. Sure, the underground and illegal part of it didn’t help, but everyone around you seemed to do just fine.

Maybe you’ll ask them about it tomorrow. How they do it. For now you paced around the room, searching for a solution, only for your brain to come up with thoughts of her. You’d long passed the point of it being and feeling pathetic, surrendering to the insanity of the situation. Your soul yearned for the sense of peace she brought with her mere presence, and her absence was suffocating.

Why? It’s not like you were close. All she did was flirt back, it was no reason to get so attached.

You felt insane. Out of mind. All because of that bridge you’d humiliated yourself into trying to hold together.

Maybe giving her your number was a mistake. Maybe you’d have been better off keeping your distance.

Crossing those rarely ever was good.

—

Later that day, your apartment was cloaked in a hushed ambiance, the only source of light emanating from the soft glow of the TV screen as you absently filled up on what felt like a last meal.

A light, protein heavy collation you had no pleasure in swallowing. The only reason you were doing so was not to pass out mid-fight the next day.

You couldn’t go back to her. Not there.

So you folded into the old routine, only finding comfort in your favorite show playing in the background. It was a nice, fleeting distraction from the weight of your impending return to the fight club.

The night was slowly falling silent outside your walls. Your plate emptied itself slowly as episodes followed each other with few breaks in between. You nearly fell asleep from the monotony of it all, but the sound of your phone vibrating against the table jolted you back to full consciousness.

The screen had lit itself up, drawing your attention to the screen. An unknown number and a message that only made sense after connecting a few dots.

« I have a moment. »

Mina's words, a lifeline in the midst of this mounting anxiety.

Your fingers hovered over the screen, the weight of your feelings pulling them down to write and erase every word that came to mind before settling on a much simpler approach.

« Would you mind if I called? »

On the other side of the screen, Mina’s heart fluttered much to her dismay. Needless to say she was apprehensive, eyes fixated on your text while its content resonated in her mind. It stirred a few feelings she’d kept away and guarded for far too long now.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to, but she knew she had to try. She owed it to herself. She’d risked too much, jeopardized too much of her sanity over you to leave without answers.

So she called.

This type of adrenaline was nothing compared to the one you got in the ring. The ring, it was cold. Chilling. The things you did, that you’ve done to get to where you were… It was a rush you were getting used to.

This one was different. Warm. Thrilling. It was new. A rush you looked forward to. No matter how much you denied yourself it.

“Hello?” You spoke into the phone after raising it to your ear. The line was silent for a second before you heard the soft timbre of her voice greeting you back.

Three weeks was the shortest time you’d gone without hearing it yet there you were; practically giggling to yourself over the few words you managed to exchange. The first ones that didn’t revolve around an injury or her scolding you for using her first name.

You made sure not to use it though, as you told her about this colorful place you liked to hang at. It wasn’t the most vibrant, but you found the atmosphere to be fitting for a talk. Cute even, if you’d dared to say.

Mina couldn’t help the flutter of her heart, the burning in her veins traveling all the way to her cheeks as she listened to you trying not to stutter over your words as you basically asked her out.

She could - and she would - have agreed to meet you in the following second, but something held her back, unlike the words pouring out of her mouth with no control, “Sounds lovely. But I don’t know…”

A small silence took over the line as you thought, “What… do you mean you don’t know?”

“It’s just that…” Mina sighed, “The hospital—”

“I’m not a patient anymore, Mina.” You cut her off, desperately clinging onto the small opening. Mina could sense that, letting her frustration slip into her tone.

“Yes, but for how long?” Another silence. Heavier this time. Longer. “We can’t know, right?”

Mina’s voice rung through the line, startling a thought you’d been dying to voice out to her.

“You can’t, but you do know something.”

“What?”

“You know exactly why I can’t make sure to never come back.” You partially confessed in hopes she would understand. “Don’t act dumber than you are, Dr. Mina.”

“That’s the thing, Y/n. I’m not.” She sighed. “I’m not. I don’t know why you show up in such states, I shouldn’t want to know as bad as I do, but something about you makes me—”

Mina stopped herself, realizing what her words were leading to. Somewhere a little too real and raw too quickly. She fought the tears begging to relieve her frustrations, and opted for another sigh. One soft, barely noticeable and far too weak to have any effect on her state of mind.

“It feels like I’m playing with fire.”

For the first time since you’d heard it, the sound of her voice hurt. You could tell how much it cost her to say those words. Just above a whisper, tainted by the shadows of her unshed tears. Ever so softly, like it would glide over the lines, the cracks staining the distance and reach you with no consequences.

“Listen…” You started. “I know you’ve been… curious about me. I know you’ve made your guesses, your bets, and I don’t know what those are. I can’t say I don’t care, because I do, but I have enough self-awareness to know they’re not the most positive.”

You paused in order to gather your thoughts. The next words you’d utter felt like the most important of your life. How worthless had it been… “I feel crazy just asking you this - I’ll understand if you don’t want to, but… I just want to see you. Talk to you, anything that’s not you fixing me up.”

There was a small silence again. It’s agonizing, not being able to tell where this was going. All you could do was wait. You were tired of it but it was suddenly worth it all. The pain, the silence, the longing. The quiet tears you let go off in the dark, the memories and wonders of her gentle soul tormenting you days after your stays.

“I want to see you too.”

[cozage]

Hello! I'm always tempted to go anon because for some reason, I expect judgment from people who are here for the same reason I am. It's very silly. But anyway. May I please have Law and Luffy in an Ace-Marineford situation (captured by the marines and set for public execution) with their s/o being the Luffy, head of the pack coming to save them. But like they survive! Maybe their s/o loses a limb or an eye or is badly hurt or something, but they survive and are together at the end. I'm here for angst, not more Marineford related trauma!

Thank you for your time.

A/N: Im so glad you don't turn anon! And I'm so glad you're here :) Ohhhkay! I imagine this takes place in Dressrosa. You get captured during the escape, and the Strawhats + Law rush to come to get you in Marineford. 

P.S. I realized you wanted Luffy and Law separately about 2/3rds through writing this story IM SO SORRY. 

Characters: gn reader x Strawhats & Law

Cw: reader peril, fighting, reader getting injured, Marineford spoilers

Total word count: 2k

How to Save a Life

Looking down at Marineford, Luffy found it all extremely foreign. He remembered the platform where you kneeled to the world. But everything else was unfamiliar. 

Of course, they had to rebuild a lot of it after Ace’s execution. Luffy remembered that much. The devastation that had been caused by both sides had been immense. But they had chosen to rebuild regardless. And now Luffy was back here again. For you. 

His entire command of 4,000 individuals had come along with him, as well as Law. But Luffy refused to allow the execution to drag on longer than it needed to. The world government knew how much of a threat he was now. And if he didn’t get to you quickly, they would kill you in a heartbeat. 

They had two Vice Admirals ready to perform the execution. Luffy’s conqueror haki wouldn’t impact them the way it had the last time. His best bet would be to get up close to you and get out. 

Everyone was frozen, waiting for the first person to make the move. 

“Please leave, Luffy!” you screamed, breaking the eerie silence that had begun the moment his ship rose from the sea. “It’s a tr-”

Akainu slammed his foot into your back, shoving you down into the ground to keep you quiet, and Luffy’s rage ignited. There was no way in hell that Luffy would allow Akainu to kill two people he loved. 

“Torao-”

As he spoke to get the other captain’s attention, a blue hue appeared around him. It didn’t encapsulate the entirety of Marineford, but it would get him closer to you. Close enough. 

“Ready!” Akainu commanded, and the two Vice Admirals raised their swords. 

Luffy gritted his teeth, praying he would get there in time. He felt his surroundings change, and suddenly he was in the middle of the air. His hand slung back and shot forward. But even if he could take out one of the executioners, there was still another sword that would end your life. You closed your eyes and braced yourself for the end. All you could do now is hope that Luffy and the others would make it out alive. 

A fist met your face, and you could feel your entire body blow backwards from the impact of the punch. You could hear the sound of two swords smack against the wooden platform, and you cracked an eye open to see what was happening. 

Luffy was soaring through the air, diving headfirst to you. He had punched you out of the way of the execution. It was such an idiotic but obvious answer, and of course Luffy thought of it.

He screamed your name, reaching out towards you. You could see the Marines tense, looking to Akainu for direction, but you didn’t care. The only person you cared about now was Luffy. 

“Luffy, wait!” you screamed, desperate to get him to stop. You expected that Akainu anticipated some kind of complication. To him, you were just bait for a bigger fish. “It’s a trap!”

“I’m coming for you!” Luffy yelled back. “Don’t stop fighting!” 

You knew he wouldn’t stop. You knew he didn't care if it was a trap. He had a panicked look in his eyes, only focused on you. So you listened to your captain. 

As Akainu approached you, his hand began flowing with magma. He was expecting you to cower, to be frozen in fear as Luffy had been the last time he was here. And when Akainu went in for the kill, Luffy would sacrifice himself to save you, just as Ace had last time. 

But you refused to let that happen. Luffy wouldn’t be dying for you. He wouldn’t be dying anytime soon. Not before he became king of the pirates. 

You scrambled away from Akainu as best you could, giving Luffy as much time as possible to come up with some kind of plan. Your shackles didn’t give you much movement on the platform, but it was enough to keep yourself away from him. 

You saw the outline of one of Luffy’s Elephant Gun attacks, and you braced yourself for another punch. The wooden platform splintered under you, and you felt rubber arms wrap around you, pulling you to him. 

“Watch the sea prism!” you cried out, but suddenly Zoro was next to you. He looked startled, as if he wasn’t expecting to be there, but he quickly examined the situation and drew his blades. He sliced your shackles off and grabbed your arm, trying to stop his forward momentum. You all tumbled to the ground, Luffy turning into a balloon at the last second to cushion your fall. 

“Stupid cannons,” Zoro mumbled, holding his swords out while looking at the Vice Admirals. Luffy stood next to him, gearing himself up for battle. Zoro glanced over at you and gritted his teeth in irritation. “Get back to the ship!”

You looked at the two of them, protecting you. “Luffy-” 

“Just get inside Torao’s room,” Luffy reasoned. For once in his life, he actually made sense. “Then we’ll join you.”

You nodded and turned on your heels to run towards the blue hue in the distance. You didn’t want to leave them, but you were the Navy’s primary target, and you knew everyone would be coming to attack you. You had to remind yourself this was a rescue mission, and if you died, then everything they did would be for nothing. 

You ran, fighting off Marines as you ran past them. You picked up a sword from a fallen soldier as defense, thankful for all of the times Zoro made you train with him. Marines were surrounding you slowly though, and you knew you wouldn’t last much longer like this. 

You had made a mistake. You knew that, and as much as you wanted to correct it, it was too late. Pain ripped through your abdomen, and you screamed out. A sword had found its way into your flesh, and you could see blood beginning to blossom from the wound area, spreading over your clothes. 

You wanted to collapse from the pain. To curl up and die, to give in to the will of the World Government. But you had to find a way to survive. You couldn’t die now, so close to freedom. Luffy would never forgive you. You couldn’t leave him alone. So you stabbed at the Marines, sweeping them to the side and continued on your journey. 

“Y/N!” Luffy’s voice came from behind you, screaming out in desperation. You were too tired to turn around and look at him, but you could hear the slap of his sandals as he approached you. It was all you could do to keep upright.

His arms wrapped around you, helping support you. The second you felt him, you leaned heavily into him, the adrenaline wearing off now that you knew you were safe. You still had at least 500 yards to go, but you knew Luffy wouldn’t let anything happen to you now. Your vision began to blur, and you suddenly felt very cold and very tired. 

“Don’t give up yet,” Luffy yelled, shaking you awake. “You have to keep moving.”

Luffy’s voice held a certain urgency that willed you back into the moment. You blinked away the sleep from your eyes and kept moving closer to the blue hue of safety. It was closing in fast, 400 yards, then 300, then 200. 

“Zoro?” You paused to look around for the mossy haired swordsman, but Luffy kept propelling you forward. 

“He’s holding off the admirals,” Luffy said, adjusting his grip around you. 

Luffy could feel you tense at that, but he kept moving. He was practically dragging you now from walking so fast. It was all your legs could do to not give out, but neither of you could worry about Zoro now. He was capable enough to hold his own against any enemies you faced, this was no different. 

You practically flung yourself into the blue sphere, and instantly felt weightless in the air, before dropping onto the deck of a ship. You groaned and rolled over, face to face with a green haired man that wasn’t Zoro. 

You yelped out in surprise, trying to scramble backwards away from the stranger. 

“Oh man, you look like you’re in rough shape!” the man said. “Nothing you haven’t been through before though, right?” 

You gave him a confused and irritated look, but he turned his attention from you and looked out. “A doctor! Y/N needs a doctor!”

“I’m a doctor, idiot!” You heard Law’s voice in the distance and felt calmer. At least you were amongst friends, even if you weren’t sure who they were.

“You can’t leave Mister Luffy and-” The green haired man spoke again.

“I’m not!” Law shot back. His voice was still strained, but it was softer when he addressed you. “Can you hold on a few minutes?”

You nodded, pressing your hand against your stomach wound. You needed to slow down the bleeding as much as possible. Your vision was hazy and you felt cold, but you forced your eyes to stay open. 

A few seconds later, Luffy and Zoro appeared next to you where some barrels were. Luffy ran to you, covering you in kisses. 

“Luffy,” you said, struggling to hang on to consciousness. “Tell Law I’m type F.”

“Type F?” he asked, looking at you with concern, but you had already given into the darkness. 

---

When your eyes fluttered open, you laid in a bed with bright lights above you. There was a mechanical whirring and steady beeps of machines, letting you know you were alive. 

“You were lucky,” Law said, looking down at you. “Incredibly lucky. If that blade had hit one more inch to the left and you wouldn’t be here now.”

You let out a shaky breath, scared of what could have been. “Thank you, Law,” you said.

He raised an eyebrow. “For what?” 

“Saving me?” you laughed, which in turn made you wince in pain.

“I didn’t save you,” Law said. “There wasn’t much I could do besides close up the wound.” His eyes darted to the bed next to you. “What you needed was a blood transfusion, which he helped with.”

You turned your head slightly to find Luffy sleeping in the bed next to you. He had a bandage wrapped around his arm, but other than that he looked relatively fine. 

“Luffy?” you asked, and Law nodded. 

At the mention of his name, Luffy stirred, mumbling a strew of syllables mixed between your name and different kinds of meat. After a moment, his eyes flicked wide open, and he bolted upright, looking around frantically. 

“Did we do it?” he asked, looking at Law. 

Law’s eyes darted over to you, and finally Luffy turned, his eyes meeting yours. A wide grin appeared across his face, and laughter bubbled up inside of him. 

“You’re okay!” he cried. Luffy jumped out of his bed and into yours, wrapping you tight in a hug.

You ignored the pain of your wound for the moment, thankful to be in his embrace again. 

“Get off!” Law scolded his fellow captain. “If that wound opens up again we’re all back where we started!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Luffy said, still giddy with the fact you were back in his arms. He loosened his grip, but didn’t let you go completely. 

You leaned in to him, trying your best not to cry. “Thank you, captain. Thank you for saving me. Twice.”

“I’ll always come back for you,” Luffy murmured in your ear, giving you a light squeeze. “No matter what. You’re stuck with me now, and I won’t let anything happen to you. That’s a promise.”

[shatcey]

Jude's route

First of all!!!! I DO NOT recommend going on this route immediately after Alfons. The atmosphere on these routes is completely the opposite. Ally tries his best to make a joke in any situation to lighten the mood… It's not the light route, but Ally is doing his best to make everything less gloomy. But Jude… is so damn dark. This contrast is so huge that for several chapters I've been asking myself what I'm even doing here. But I believe it won't be so difficult with literally any other route.

Okaaaaay… (claps the hands) Let's go!

I won't say much, so as not to spoil your fun. Again I'm a very kind and generous person. You have to experience that for yourself. I can only say that this is absolutely NOT what I expected.

@.judesmoonbeauty is made a lot of theories and assumptions about this route and I tried to add a bit from myself, but none of them turned out to be true. I've never been so disappointed in myself.

But!

My wishes for this route have mostly come true. I haven't read his chronicles yet, but I think I'll find the rest where… Surprised. Maybe I asked for too little? A note for the future: I can ask for more!

Jude turned out to be completely different from what I expected (his words "perverted masochist", which are canonical in literally every event, appear only in the ending).

Kate turned out to be completely different from what I expected (I admire her and fear her at the same time, very-very much so).

The main theme is completely different from what you might expect from a teaser. Not the moon, guys, it's not the damn moon. Yes, it plays a huge role in Jude's life, but that's not the main topic.

His childhood wasn't as terrible as I thought (at least he didn't live on the streets, but maybe it would have been better if he had lived there. Hmmm).

And I still have question about where he got the medicine for Ellis' epilogue? He don't work in developing medicine. Is his trading company cooperating with a drug manufacturer? I have more questions, but that would be spoilers.

There is no information about Vivi! Like…@.dear-mrs-otome noted that there was a line about loneliness… And there was a pretty big scene with him in the Romantic Blind Love ending… and my imagination ran wild. Butler? Why is it so tempting when I think about Vivi? (Ally, don't look at me like that, you have nothing to worry about). That's all. OR… I'm really inattentive (which is quite possible). But… I don't know when I will have time to re-read Jude's route, maybe Ciele will translate it even earlier… Yes, Vivi appears here and there, but mostly to dispel the rather gloomy atmosphere of this route. But, as usual, he only shows his goofy and caring side.

I'm slightly (not slightly in the slightest) disappointed that there weren't much twin boys. Nica was a bit present, but there was more of him on Roger's route. And NO Ring at all. But… one expression on Nica's face in response to Darius' question and… I like this guy, I need to know more about him. I expect to see Nica in dramatic Mad love ending… his words hint at this very strongly.

And… just a silly joke before I say a few words to people who aren't afraid of spoilers.

In the main part of the story, Kate gets into a very dangerous situation... twice. And… saying Jude's name out loud (or just thinking about him)… will summon him. He's a superhero! (superhero music is playing).

And now my thoughts on the route… with spoilers

Depression

I understand why Jude is depressed. He has no goals in life. Life is practically meaningless. Hatred and violence… he doesn't have anything else. And day after day, he literally does the same thing. No goals, no plans… nothing. He feels that it is impossible to fulfill the promise (I believe that the level of development of engineering at that time was not very helpful). And that promise was the only thing that kept him going, and it's starting to slip away, as well.

I just thought he wasn't the only guy with depression at Crown.

Liam… He doesn't have a purpose in life either. He's just going with the flow.

Elbert… a very vague goal. It can be very depressing if you have no idea how to achieve it, in which direction to move, or where to even start… And Elbert, by definition, is depressed because of how he sees himself.

Ally… as I mentioned earlier… the same… has no purpose in life. But at least he has no desire to die. He just doesn't care.

Harrison, Williams, Roger, Ellis - they have goals. So they're fine. But some of them are very odd… I'm not judging, the goal is the goal. Everything is right if it works for you!

I'm not sure about Vivi… I think we'll see pretty soon.

Kate

I think Jude's Kate has an adrenaline addiction. It just feels that way. She said herself that life has become more interesting since she became a part of the Crown… Her decisions are very daring and putting her in danger… constantly. It's like she's doing it on purpose. She ran into a room full of armed men (to save Jude), decided to search for evidence alone in enemy territory (for Jude), and at the end of a romantic ending… she works undercover in a criminal gang (again to help Jude). She just too obsessed with him or she has adrenaline addiction. Maybe (most likely) both. It's not bad. Just… unusual.

Additional characters

I can't help but mention Gilbert. He's awesome. He's definitely someone Willy would love. Stubborn and full of conviction about what is right and what is wrong. Who is ready to do literally anything to defend what he considers right. He really looks like Gilly-bee, but… he thinks of himself as "white".

And, of course, Theo. A funny guy who has no idea where he should shut up. The whipping boy. I thought Ellis would be such a person for Jude, but they created Theo for that very purpose. I feel sorry for the guy…

Main theme

I think the main idea of this story is...

This is again my free interpretation.

So… Jude doesn't ask or demand that she do this (he's not Roger, I still not get over it). He really doesn't understand why she's doing this. He really wants to know how far she's willing to go. And the story is all about that. How far she would go… to be with him, to gain his trust, his respect, to safe him, to give him a reason to live...

Maybe I'm wrong, and this story is about something else entirely. But that's how I see it. She is ready to follow him to hell no less. It's obsessive love. I'd say it's no less obsessed than the one we saw on Will's route. She accepts him completely. And just follows the same path.

I'm Ally's Kate, and it's a little weird for me to just accept their fate. I would have struggled, tried to find a solution… I would never give up. Perhaps that's why I'll never agree with them, never delve into their stories. I understand that it's just the concept "they just have to have the same craziness to be together." And I think my craziness is too different from that.

Similarities

Some parts of this story made me feel very similar to the routes of Harrison and Alfons. I'm not saying they're the same or story repeats itself. Not at all. But some of the thoughts were so similar that it was impossible to ignore.

I haven't found Jude's exact words, but it's pretty obvious… He constantly pushes her away because she doesn't belong to this dark world. She's too bright… too soft-hearted. It was the same with Harry. He stays away from her, for her own good.

And this one from romantic blind love ending...

Once again… my very free interpretation.

This is so familiar. The meaning he puts in is a little different, but the words are almost the same. I felt the similarity in the main part of the route, but now I can't remember where exactly.

And again… there is nothing similar either in situations or in stories, just the same vibes, mood, intentions. Nothing else.

Oddity

Jude is one of the characters who literally looks at me (one of his sprites). I don't feel that way with many characters. And it's quite unnerving… It's like the very intense gaze that makes you feel uncomfortable. In the real life I pretty much get used to stares and don't feel them anymore… it was totally impossible to not feel it here.

I'm so weird...

And one more thing. I remember that on Will's route or his events, Kate kept asking him why he was laughing. Damn it, girl, he's happy. Why else are people laughing? But on this route, at least at the end of it… the roles have changed. Jude gets very angry when Kate laughs. And it's so... funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[wingherc]

@gaiaspoken

｢𓆄｣ There's no point in going back home to Cotes now, not when he's already in the Archimedes ward, actually. Though he was tempted to turn his phone back on, anxiety for what messages might load onto his phone when it goes back online creep into his mind. Hawks really didn't want to deal with that right now. He just...

Wanted to go home. And one statement rang through his mind.

'You are home, silly.'

Once he recalled that statement, that was when the heartache and longing had really set in. Hawks missed her more than he initially realized, even.

Shaky legs picked up to a brisk pace, muscle memory being the only thing dragging him to the residential area of Archimedes. Her home is tucked away in a private corner, the porch light indicating she was indeed inside. Which...Typically meant the front door was unlocked, at least, that's what he could recall from when he stopped by with flowers for her that first time he came over.

Well, hopefully it was unlocked, if not, he was about to scare the shit out of her by slamming into a locked door...

In one fell moment, Hawks pressed his body weight against the door as he pressed down on the handle, effectively swinging the door open. He looked a mess, those windswept wild curls were wild for all the wrong reasons. His eyes heavy with bags indicating he'd been sleeping like hell, and just in general how disheveled he looked, he just looked totally different from the last time she had seen him.

"Aerith!!" He called out, not that he really needed to, given he might've accidentally scared her with how loud his entrance was. But, just shouting her name was enough to make him realize the weight of it all, the weight enough to bring him to his knees at her front door. "Aerith..." Her name spoken in succession, like it was the only thing that could escape his tongue...And for the moment: that was true.

Hawks couldn't even vocalize anything further, as he felt his arms that were bracing him from the floor, begin to shake as he could only choke out some sobs. Tears welling up, and crashing against the hardwood floors. He couldn't even remember the last time he cried like this, let himself be exposed at his rawest and most vulnerable.

"I'm....Sorry." He starts, as he slowly drags his head up to meet her gaze, he didn't deserve her eyes on him. Yet, here they were. He felt like he put her through so much of his drama, and she asked nothing of him. It wasn't fair to her, no one should have to deal with that. But, she stayed anyway, dealing with his heroics and whatever else that entailed. Which, unfortunately: included this. "It felt wrong to just keep up with what we've built here. I had to run. Not to escape it..." As he spoke through his tears, eventually, he was able to at least bring himself to his knees, wiping at his eyes with his forearm. "It all hit me at once. The reality of what's going on. It was...Too much."

Then, flashes of Nagant's story align with his own in his mind, effectively: he was raised with the intention of being a weapon for the Commission, not much else. While that has no bearing to him in Spirale, it still weighed on his mind.

And that beckoned the question.

"Are you really okay with loving someone who was raised to kill?"

[aboutcustardcreams]

Can't hide you the truth

Wilhemina Venable x reader

I've got no warnings for this os, it's essentially fluff and a bit silly. I wrote it down using these two prompts "Please, stay on the phone with me." & "Stop telling me you're fine." I've been watching a lot of Modern Family recently, so it's not exactly angsty as one would expect. I hope it's decent anyway. Lemme know <3

It was the third time that I tried to reach out to her, but no answer. I know I shouldn't worry, but it wasn't like her to avoid my calls, especially if insistent. I start thinking about every little scenarios, from the worst to the least worst, with my mind focusing on the first ones obviously. What if she isn't feeling well? Maybe I did something bad without noticing? Could be? I quickly check the date on my phone, think a couple of seconds and no, it wasn't neither our anniversary nor any other special date worth remembering. I squint my eyes in thought. What was happening, then?

I tighten my grip on the wheel and let out a long sigh. On top of all of this, I'm stuck in the traffic, and visibility is partially limited due to the light haze covering the surroundings. I groan, after waiting a couple of extra minutes, "Siri, call Mina, again." I'd have tried to reach out to her on and on if I had to. I silently beg that she answers me, counting each second passing inside my head. In the meantime, I turn on the heating, because my fingers are getting cold due to their stillness on the wheel.

Finally, she answers. When I hear her voice, murmuring a soft "hi, little one", I let out a long breath, I didn't know I was holding. "Mina, hi! I've tried calling you for a while, is everything okay?", I wonder aloud, "Also, I'm stuck in traffic, " I make a face, "I go at a snail's pace if you're wondering and-", I stop a moment, realizing that, as per usual, I'm speaking on and on without giving my girlfriend the opportunity to answer any of my questions. I hear a faint chuckle from her part, when I mutter a faint, "Sorry."

"I was taking a shower, sweetheart, that's why I didn't answer," I frown at the sound of her voice, that appears to be a bit off, tired maybe... but also, kind of restrained. Normally she would tease me, use one of her sarcastic jokes to tell me how silly I am, but none today. "Are you sure it's just that?" It's not that I don't believe her. On the contrary, it's essentially because I do, that I believe there is more to it she isn't saying. Plus, she normally waits for me to take a shower, because it's our thing. One of the moments we share to enjoy the intimacy of one another. Each and every time she reminds me how much she loves to lather and rinse my hair, occasionally leaving sloppy kisses here and there on my skin. Her hands make my stomach flip and my head fly into outer space.

I avert my gaze from the street ahead of me to the phone, tempted to activate the camera, when she hums without giving me a verbal response. "Wilhemina...", I insist, in a sing song tone. She knows that when I use her full name, I'm either concerned or mad. I hope she knows it's not the latter. "Y/n...", she mimics my tone, probably wriggling her eyebrows too. I can't immediately tell if it's an attempt to take the edge off or not. Truth is, she gets particularly annoyed when I insist on asking her how she feels. I've learned to know that the last thing she wants is to feel a burden to me. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her she could never be, that my asking is simply a way to show her I love her. Yet it still doesn't stick in that stubborn head of hers for some reason.

"We have been on the phone for ten minutes and you haven't made any sexual innuendo yet," I point out. I start worrying for real, when she doesn't even chuckle at that. Perhaps, she has a bad back pain? Or maybe those dickheads at work did something bad to her? I need answers or I'll go crazy, "Little one, how many times do I have to tell you I'm fine to make you believe it?", I can tell she is trying to use a more cheerful tone, but it breaks my heart that after all this time she still tries to hide from me. I sigh tiredly, as i slowly massage the root of my nose, "we can continue for all the time you want, or you can just tell me the truth," considering I move at the pace of an ant carrying ten thousand times its weight, I let my guard down and rest my chin over my  arm.

I don't hear her tapping her cane, so I suppose she is sitting somewhere, or maybe she is lying down. She normally would have after an answer like that, but purposefully avoids what I just said, to ask, "Are you still long away? Where are you precisely?", her voice seems to crack a bit when she pronounces her second question. Or maybe it's only my imagination considering she insists on saying she is fine. I blink softly, still taking a mental note on that. "Uhm," I look around me, before answering, "I'm pretty close. If it wasn't for this traffic, I'd be there in five minutes at max. I just passed the florist on the 14th street, " I inform her and she hums. I can almost hear her breathing through the phone. It's like she is clinging to it, keeping it super close to her ear. I can almost see her frowning, her slow blinking.

If the camera was on, I'm sure I'd recognize it in a split second. "Mina...", I voice out softly, "are you in pain, love?", she takes a while to respond, giving me the further proof I didn't need. Yet, she decides to keep lying to me. "No, of course not, why would you think that?"she says flatly. As she speaks I shake my head in slow motion, without beliving a single word that is coming out of her. "Babe...", a bitter smile cracks my lips. I'm hurt honestly, but I push past that pain to focus on hers, "I told you, I'm-", "Stop telling me you're fine." I interrupt her, my voice laced with urgency and deep care. I'm pretty sure she's just rolled her eyes at me now, which puts a brief smile on my face. Wilhemina can be the most stubborn woman in the whole world, when she tries.

I lost count of all the times I reminded her that hiding, lying, pretending serve no good in a committed relationship like ours. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to be in pain and tell your girlfriend about it. There is no shame in it, but Wilhemina is still so proud to let go to such vulnerabilities without a little fight. "Do you want me to lie to you?", I scoff and say, "You're already doing that, that's why I'd like you to stop," I grin softly, when I hear her groan on the other side of the phone.

Without noticing the car before me has come to an halt. I almost bump into it, but I manage to help it by hitting the brake by force the very last minute. My car boings off a bit and as consequence I bounce on the seat, "Woah, shit!", I curse under my breath, but loud enough for Wilhemina to hear. "Y/n? What happened?", she questions, her voice an octave higher, "Are you alright?", I can't help but melt at her caring tone, "Yeah, all good, still alive unluckily for ya, " a hint of a smile graces upon my lips, when she scoffs and calls me imprudent for getting distracted while driving.

I know how much she hates it when I multitask while on the road, but in my defense, she is giving me enough reason to worry about her with all those unnecessary mysteries. "You should keep your eyes on the street, little one. We can talk once-" I don't let her finish, letting out a loud and urgent, "No!", instead. I sigh and move my finger over my smartphone to activate the camera. When she can see me but in return I'm still facing a black screen, I snort again, "I mean it- I will not let you change the topic, Mina," nothing changes yet. "Can I see my girlfriend or should I speak to a black screen?", I pout and she hums in thought, "Come on!", I insist.

"I'd very much prefer you focused on driving, little one," she says as I hear her sigh, and slowly shift position. Something tells me she was lying down by the sound of the sheets moving underneath her. Now she is sitting up, I'm sure, "Please, stay on the phone with me," I whine, displaying my infallible, fine as hell, pickle lips. I hear a faint chuckle from her. She is probably shaking her head too. I'm dying to kiss that face once I'm back home, "Besides, I can multitask," I add to prove my point. I hear her click her tongue in response, a clear sign she doesn't agree with me, "Like that time you tried to make french toasts and record the episodes of 'Orange is the new Black'?", she teases and I gasp in shock. Each and every time, she uses that story against me to prove a point. "Stop using that story! It's as old as the birth of Rome!"

She chuckles, "It doesn't make it less efficient, though," she retorts making me snort, "If you don't turn on the camera right now I'll scream," I'm playing all the cards at my disposal now, and this one beyond my wild expectations works, "Fine! I wouldn't want to arrange your funeral for bumping into a car that goes about eight miles per hour," I squint my eyes towards her and fake a chuckle. When I finally see her, a sense of guilt rushes over me. She looks... exhausted. Her soft red locks, loose on the shoulders, are still partially damp from the shower. Her eyes looks weary, not fully open either, probably because they carry a mild headache along with the back pain. Her lips, however, are stretched in a placid smile. It feels like she is trying to force some vibrancy out of her. But she doesn't have to, especially when she isn't in the mood. I wish she knew.

"It's the back, isn't it?", I say tentatively and she simply gives me a nod of her head. "m' sorry. I'm almost there, alright?", she cracks a smile, ready to diminish her pain, but I hear none of that, "I'll take care of dinner when I come back. Lie down on the left side, I remember it's the position that is most comfortable to you, then uhm— medicine's in my bedside drawer," I continue, remembering to having put a tin of pills there. She raises an eyebrow at that, "Should I run to the drugstore to get you anything else?", if it wasn't for Wilhemina, I'd probably never stop rambling, especially when it comes to her, "Y/n, for the love of God, just relax," there is some strictness in her tone, that makes me obey like a puppy to her owner.

"I'm a big girl. I don't need a babysitter doing things for me," I know she doesn't mean to be harsh with me. It's the pain speaking for her. Instead of answering to the provocation, I simply smile at her, "Oh I know, you certainly don't need a babysitter, but I do, look--" I point out at the greenish spot on my once white and immaculate blouse, "I stained it with the avocado cream," I feel like coming back to life when her eyes soften and she lets out a quiet, low chuckle, while shaking her head, "Why am I not surprised?", she hums amusedly, and I stick my tongue out at her in response. "Have you been working like that all day long?", she wonders in disbelief, while I nod solemnly, "Yep, ma'am," I say, popping the "p" childishly, "Add the laundry to the list of things you have to do once you come back," she teases and I giggle softly, "Fist things first," I say, with a wink.

"Oh, I wonder what those would be?", I pretend to think a couple of seconds, before saying, "Kissing my girlfriend for a start, brushing her hair, giving her a massage, make her some tea, kissing her again--", Mina hardly stifles a laugh and says, "Alright, fine, I got it. Get your ass over here, I've waited long enough," I nibble on my bottom lip as I recognize the familiar twinkle in her eyes. "Oh, my, my, looks like I've arrived," I chant and before we know it I find myself stopping the car right in front of our house. She smiles and a light blush comes coloring her cheeks, "At last," she mutters, looking at me with nothing but pure love in the eyes.

[yardsards]

reading the things you post/rb while not knowing what the adventure zone is is kinda funny. I'll be scrolling my dash and see "NAH 'CAUSE BEANIEMAN GOT SO SCHLORPED WHEN THE PIANO FLAVORED STICK OF DEODERANT GOT SCAMMED" and I'm so tempted to get context, but it feels like life would be funnier without it

okay so like. the adventure zone is an actual-play ttrpg podcast (aka they record themselves playing dungeons and dragons and similar games and then edit down the recording so it's fun to listen to)

and it's kind of like 5+ different podcasts in a trenchcoat. cuz there's 5 completely separate games (well, 5 plus a couple way shorter games, but 5 main ones). and since each game is already pretty wild on its own, the fact that there are FIVE OF THEM definitely makes it sound extra bizarre to outsiders lol

there's:

1: balance: a standard fantasy world with some minor sci-fi elements. it's about heroes tracking down and neutralizing dangerous magical items and uncovering secrets about their own pasts. by far the most popular season and imo the best, but it gets off to a slow start

2: amnesty: a story about cryptids and magic in a modern day appalachian setting. been a while since i listened to this one tbh and i don't talk about it as much

3: graduation: young adults going to magic college and getting wrapped up in a demon war. this is the least popular one but not actually bad imo

4: ethersea: freelance adventurers from an undersea city exploring the world in a magical post-apocalyptic setting. my fav behind balance

5: steeplechase: like a defunctland video meets a heist movie, secret crime rings operating within a theme park. very fun, still in progress

they're released kind of like different seasons of a show, one after the other, but each "season" doesn't actually need to be listened to in order (ie you can listen to steeplechase before balance, but you'd have to start at ep 1 of steeplechase and not just skip to steeplechase ep 32 or else you'd be really confused)

honestly i've been halfway considering getting different tags for each game but i'm too lazy to change now

ANYWAY

the thing about the adventure zone is that it's a *comedy* podcast first and foremost. so most of the weird bizarre funny bits are just as funny and batshit insane even WITH context. hell, i'd say a lot of it is even MORE funny if you know what's going on.

though there is also some buckwild shit that you just get desensitized to. like one of the 3 protagonists of balance is named *taco* (but spelled taako) because it was originally just gonna be a silly one-off episode, so the player was like "haha i'm gonna be XD random and annoy my dm with this zany noun name", not knowing that there were gonna be 68 more episodes and it would eventually grow into a deeply emotionally moving story. so by the end you're fucking sobbing over this character's love and loss and you forget that "taco" is not a normal thing for an elf/wizard to be called

it's absolutely delightful

[yourlocalmoon]

ranboo fae cg headcannons:)

Fae!Ranboo Caregiver Hcs

Warnings: None!

Notes: AHH MY FIRST REQUEST :DD And this person is very lovely~ so not alot of little gear in this fic, this time on purpose, but still hope it's enjoyable~ Thank you for your request!! I didn't have too many ideas for Ranboo ^^" Plus my tumblr is being so wonky >:( But I hope you enjoy this my lovely requester!~

- When travelers come by, the village makes sure to give them one rule. Do not enter the forest. They try their best to make a clear path so they don't get lost, The fae live in the forest don't you know? Creatures who will trick you. With pretty eyes and smooth skin followed with tempting words, So tempting you'll ignore the fluttering wings behind them..

- Ranboo knows the village people know this, so to sense someone in his forest confused him to say the least. Even more when he sees how.. Well.. Small you are. He feels a strange urge to pick you up, his mind pulling at him about it. Is it your height that makes you seem so small to him? He thinks there's something more..

- When you come close to his mushroom ring, he appears gently. Sitting on the ground with fluttering wings, and wow are mortals always this small??? "Are you okay? You seem lost.. Do you need help traveler?"

- He may be.. Well, more nervous when it comes to this stuff but he has a job to do. He tries to trick you into giving your name up and when you manage to avoid getting tricked by him, he watches you leave.. And wonders how old you are.

- Then you come back, Ranboo's surprised but hey- it's very lonely in the forest and other faes are only so interesting, but you are something new. Something interesting.. So anyway, you two, similar to my Fae!Wilbur hcs, are bound to start growing close once you keep coming back!!

- Now, Ranboo doesn't mean to baby you. But you are oh so small and he can't help but ask questions. "Have you always been this small?", "You are so tiny- Wait, can I see your hand?" So if you end up slipping because of the comments, then congrats! You now have your very own fae caregiver!!

- Fae!Ranboo as a caregiver is anxious, he's very overprotective and always, always carries bandaids with him. And yes they are Disney princess themed. But after a bit of him taking care of you, he'll start to relax but he still carries the bandaids with him!! Just incase.

- Ranboo actually makes his own nail polish out of berries and some other ingredients!!! (fae magic probably) so he's only too happy to let you paint his nails, or paint in general!! If you wanna get crafty, he will make you some paints and let you paint on pieces of wood.. Although he does triple check to make sure the wood is splinter proof, woo fae magic!!

- Ranboo loves to cradle you, sometimes he'll sneak up behind you and just pick you up, spinning you all around as he laughs. He loves to tease you, especially if you giggle with him. "Hmmm??? Why are you giggling- Okay. Well if you're gonna giggle, then you need to know about another fae custom.. Once fae hear an adorable baby laugh then the tickle monster comes out! What do you mean I'm lying? Fae can't lie silly~ so It's true-"

- Fae naturally attract animals, but Ranboo naturally attracts cats. So sometimes when you two are playing a cat will sneak up, rubbing themself against Ranboo and you.. There's one particular cat Ranboo named 'Garfield', that tends to supervise you if Ranboo has to look away to grab more berries. He's basically Ranboo's spy-

- The cats adore you. The cats especially adore when you are smaller because they love to lay on your lap and purr while you and Ranboo are cuddling, the purring is very calming and they lick you very gently- Also if you ever cry when your smaller, The cats will come running and will lick you to try and soothe you.

- Ranboo tends to call you his 'flower', or 'honey'. "Ah, What did you find flower?.. Ohh it's a very adorable ladybug!" "Honeyy~ Its sleepy time~ Are you running- honey we can't- stop giggling! Alright fine. Then the big mean papa is gonna come get you~"

- While Ranboo doesn't have a very good memory, he does remember everything you tell him. About your stuffies, about your favorite color, your favorite food- Its actually weirdly incredible how he remembers all of it. It's written all in his book, or your book. He made you a book that is customized for you !! You get to color in it, put fun facts in it.. It also has the more basic things, some rules and things!

- Ranboo loves to make silly voices for stuff animals, and he will randomly make the most dramatic stories for them?? Which also means he'll do finger puppets for you. "How dare you Garfield! You ate the lasagna.. When you said Mickey ate it!.. I am betrayed. Devastated.." "that's so strange, because while I ate the lasagna.. I know you ate the brownies!" *insert gasp*

- Ranboo is definitely more of a dad caregiver, which means he happily accepts all titles. Daddy, Dada, Bubba, Papa, Boo. He's happy with all of them and his smile gets brighter when ever you refer to him with your title of choice!!

- Ranboo tries to be educational, I mean small brains need to learn right? But sometimes you look so adorable and he doesn't have the heart to tell you if you get something wrong. "Mhmm, and what color is this?.." if it's blue and you say it's purple, Ranboo will simply nod and agree with you. "G-Good job honey!-"

- Nap time is definitely his favorite time though, he loves to cuddle. He especially loves being able to wrap his arms around you as you two look at the sky, he will rub your hands in a gentle massage as he hums. He isn't much of a singer, but if you want a bedtime story- he can definitely do that. "Hm? A story? Sure, let's see.."

"There once was a papa kitty and a baby kitty, the papa kitty loved the baby kitty very much.."

[xinnamonbun]

Oh yeah-

Opinions on the new Toons? I think Connie's cool and Qwel was definitely cooking something by making Looey require Poppy Mastery.

WAIT THEY'RE OUT?!? that's why I've been seeing more edits of them than usual

(two wiki looks later)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok. Let's start with Connie. First of all, she's slay.

Second of all, I find her existence... Slightly weird? I know that she was originally going to be a part of the Halloween drop but since they've said that they aren't going to add the rest of the Toons that were supposed to come with I feel like she just feels... Really out of place compared to all of the other toons? Which is ironic that that's a bit of a problem for me considering my favorite is Goob and his object is questionable, but I think Scraps helps his case because of the fact that there's at least someone else to support his out of place-ness, while Connie has nothing like that. It doesn't help that her name also doesn't have a pun with her appearance at all.

I still like her, and again, she's slay, but she really doesn't feel... Like a Dandy's World character? I'm also having a harder time grasping her personality, but that one at least I'm pretty sure will be fixed with time.

Also... lesbian. (I think if we throw Scraps in here we can have the ultimate "Gigi can pull some hoes" poly-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay now Looey...I fucking love him.

First of all I do adore his design, it's so very huggable and plus the color scheme is really creative. (Plus got to love the happy tail wag that was confirmed in his and Scraps interaction; the more information on Scraps is also heavenly appreciated)

Second of all, even though on the wiki his personality was a WIP, it shines so much through his interactions that I didn't really think the personality section of the wiki was necessary anyways. He's just a silly guy!

Third of all, what's up with his circus act? Razzle n Dazzle the state that they're interested, Shelly mentions wanting to see it, and Vee declines his offer to watch... Where are the other two? Who are the other two?... Curious indeed

Forth of all...oh no. There's two shipping options that are tempting me-

Like, LOOK AT HIM AND POPPY-, plus the wiki states that they're confirmed to be "close friends" and we know how "close friends" work in this game...(Cough) fruitcake (COUGH)/hj

But also... Even though this one has way less weight...Him and Goob are the embodiments of silly Goobers... Goob needs to be more careful with his hugs and especially his claws- but like... I don't know I can see something here- (Plus having Mitch matched color schemes my beloveds-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it's worth noting that... I have not played the game- BUT LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF

I SUCK at horror games and I know that I most likely would just be dead weight. Just watching play throughs I have closed my eyes and flipped my phone until twisted chases were over because certain ones scare me shitless- (so me not playing with most likely be the best for all of us)

The Dandy's World community certainly has a reputation for... Not being welcoming. They are especially rude to Poppy's, and I would personally want to get Poppy instead of Boxen first just because I think her personality is adorable. So in short, I don't want any of that smoke. I will simply watch and learn through play throughs, wikis, and fan content.

[ghostaddictgremlin]

Kamen Rider Gaim

Ep 36

The jacket is killing me. There was no need to still wear that thing. The back part is only rags

KAITO WHAT WAS YOUR FUCKING MISSION THERE😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I'm so sorry but my baby is trying to break free and is just used again by fondue*

Oh is Kaito evolving into a tree?

WHY DO WE HAVE ANOTHER GAY MOMENT BETWEEN ZACK AND GLASSES GUY?!

Is that a new jacket or are you still fucking tattered, my guy?

Why is melon man such a cutie patootie with Kouta I can't do this

ALSO CHANGE THE FUCKING JACKET OR SKIP IT ALTOGETHER

Also like you may have tried your best but you didn't raise him quite well

Melon man's side burns are doing things to me that I will neither explore nor explain

Yeah, that's... that's correct. Like really no shame but one of the reasons for Micchi's downfall is definitely melon man

Oh I actually fucking love that so much

"You are my shadow. You are every mistake I've made." "If I'm your shadow... then I... can't be real until you're gone!" "That's right." THAT LINE JUST HIT SO MUCH OUT OF NOWHERE

CAN THE MUSIC IM THE BACKGROUND PLS CHILL I AM FUCKING DYING OVER HERE

"He dances to pieces without even needing my prodding. He's the finest toy." AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

JQBZIWBZIBWJZBQJZBQJSBQJSBQJSBJSJSJHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

BROKEN SUITS I REPEAT BROKEN SUITS

Why did he die in gay sprinkles?

Lowkey was melon man made for me. He died without dying then revealed he is not dead only to die again without how I assume dying

* for the love of God, I had to google. I cannot remember her name to save my life. Fondue is Redue

Ep 37

Why are Gaim filler episodes so random?😭

I can't take another fever dream😭😭

Kaito is just having a drug trip or something

This is worse than Hakaider😂😂😭😭😭

I CAN'T DO THIS

Where the fuck are you running to, Kouta?

He looks so silly😭😭

And that's why you shouldn't take drugs, kids

Why's he gay like Evolto and why is the apple suit so cool???

Ep 38

Omf I love Micchi's close ups of the eyes. He looks so dead inside

Oh god, Micchi is full on loosing his mind. At least in his vision melon man has a new suit. And Fondue is just like... enjoying Micchi's insanity

HWBZJABZJA HAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHY IS MICCHI'S ACTOR SO GOOD

No Fondue, I don't think he's broken. I think he's totally fine

For a moment I thought Dr. Stylish is wearing a skirt and I was feeling things

I love him so much

I love his summer outfit, it looks so stupid

Btw Micchi, don't you want to go look for Rat and the girl?

You're so uncomfortable Micchi, oh my goodness

PEKOOOOOOOOOOOO

Defuq is going on with Micchi's strength?

Ep 39

I love savage melon man vision

Kqbskqbykqbdks Dr. Stylish is so skrunkly I aIdvqkqbdlbd

I would kiss him just so he shuts the fuck up

THAT WAS SO DESERVED PLS PUNCH DR. STYLISH IN THE FACE MORE OFTEN

I love that after every inconvenience, Dr. Stylish makes sure to dust of his shirt

The fruit is speaking to him!!

Ep 40

Wdym there wasn't an elevator before? Who build it in a few days???

Wait, is that another Build set? What is that? The hurricane scenes set?

"The snake tempted you with power and you took it, didn't you?" Hqvsjabsjq I blame Sleep Token on my fascination with Eden

Yeah, he's turning inves but lmaoo ever seen Build in suits past their power?

Oh welp, guess Kouta's gonna die

So we now wait the next 7 episodes for Kouta to die hated?

Jqbzjqbsjqbsj yes, Kaito, the solution is to just kick it😂😂😂

The way they mirror it with Yuuya and Hase🙃

No Fondue. You're hated bc you suck

Couldn't they have chosen ANY other angle. LITERALLY

Dr. Stylish is just having a lil movie night. Good for him. Treat yourself, princess

It was obvious but still like... for 40 episodes you were trying to tell us he's wrong and now he's right???😭

[janacademia]

a small rant on friends

what are friends exactly? what qualities does it take for one to be categorised as your friend? do we have different prerequisites for considering different people as friends? are we all a little hypocritical that way? friends are amazing. friends are funny in some ways

you may have 10 and 20 dozen pictures with someone u don't even like that much from the inside but just that one low-quality one with the one you love the most. the one picture they hate the most. the one picture u were asked to delete because it didn't turn out good and you never took another one. you may not have any pictures with some of your favourite people and it confuses me the most. how is it that we have only one picture and yet how is it that I trust you the most

why is it that u make the very best of memories with someone and a few months or years later have absolutely nothing to show for it? how cruel is it that only the both of us remember and really know all the beautiful moments we got to experience together...u will probably have forgotten most of it and the memory of the human brain will prevent me from remembering it all from A to Z. how is it that it can take months after months to open up and finally trust someone but only a second to strip all the trust and love away? why is it that all the things they said only remain a small fading memory in your head and parallelly you still have the painful pictures of people you don't even care about anymore? what sort of cruel irony is that? And why is it that the ones you give your entire heart to promise to never hurt you and promise to never leave but let you go the second things get a little tough and forget the things that they probably didn't even mean? why is it that you continue to still love these people and have a spot for them somewhere in your heart which would allow them to come back into your life and storm out again?

why is it that the most beautiful of friendships run on limited time and that how much ever you try u can never get it back again? and why is it that a friend leaving hurts 100 times more than any romantic rejection or breakup? why does it still sting me to not hear u call me by my nickname or even just my name for that matter? I'm tempted to yell your nickname out every time we pass but instead, I just look away or give you a formal glance.

why do I still hope you're doing fine and that you achieve all the good things u wanted in life? that all of the dreams u shared with me become true and all that everything you deserve comes to you. why do I still hope for you to shine and never fail in life after you bailed on me and claimed you were never mine?

why is this something I feel like I'll never be able to get over and why do u have such a hold on me after all this time? it feels like something I'll get used to living with and it will probably reduce over time but this ghost of you will never leave my side, the things that I said to make you laugh and all your silliness intertwined. why did we even have to become friends, to begin with, and why did u have to be the best person I ever met?

why are u the most selfish and egoistic asshole I know and yet I will always be willing to help with anything u need my help with. what do I do with all this anger this pain and all the love I have for you

where do I place it and what do I do with it

you already got out of my life now don't you think it's high time you got out of my head too?

[skaruresonic]

"I just don't relate to the idea that the games canon is deficient and needs repair. You can still play within its sandbox and create something new, you know? Why would I try to one-up canon when I like it and want more of it?"

See, you say that, and no matter how much I try to uphold that belief, I still got that Secret of Starfall WIP that, while primarily aiming to tell a(nother) good story with IC characterization, it still can easily be taken as me 'fixing' Frontiers because I fucking haaated everything about it. -_-

Frontiers was so bad, it compelled me to say Screw Canon, Here's What They Should've Done Instead. And I don't like it one bit because it'd be hypocritical of me. Somehow me going "see wasn't this silly/stupid in Frontiers and see how much more better this approach is?" isn't any better than Frontiers reiterating Character Arcs like we're stupid and distracts from how useless the cast not named Sonic still was.

I suppose I should have clarified that I wasn't necessarily talking about fix-it fics, just the broader overall culture of fans taking their own AUs and thinking they could repair the entire franchise with them. Because there's nothing in this franchise to repair. Holistically speaking. I was thinking about the folks who use their AUs to say "this is the direction the series should go in," instead of just, like... you know... making their AU and having that be the end of it.

---

Frontiers was so bad, it compelled me to say Screw Canon, Here's What They Should've Done Instead. And I don't like it one bit because it'd be hypocritical of me. Somehow me going "see wasn't this silly/stupid in Frontiers and see how much more better this approach is?" isn't any better than Frontiers reiterating Character Arcs like we're stupid and distracts from how useless the cast not named Sonic still was.

You don't need to love every single game or every single aspect of the games canon to be a game purist. I think we'd all agree that such a standard is impossible and ludicrous. Lord knows there's stuff ST have said that I'm not wild about either.

To be honest, I'm tempted to rework Sage and incorporate her in my Cousin AU fic if I ever start writing it :v just to see her character play out in a different context. To see if maybe a character I wasn't wild about can be worked out in a way that makes more sense to me personally.

I guess after having been bummed out that MoStH dropped right around the same time I was developing a Sonic VN, I just don't see a point in comparing my work to canon because that's always going to be a losing battle. I'm really hard on myself, so if anything I'm always going "ugh, this is trash. do over"

[purplebass]

I agree that Holland is mega sus! Kosika's trust is instantaneous and though she comes off quite maturely - she is still a child and has this quite romanticised view of him. What will rekindling the fire do? Although part of me hopes they are successful - i'm rereading ADSOM and even that brings up the lack of balance between the worlds. I think Black London is such a cool concept and i'd love to see more of it. How can they prevent a repetition of Black London's fall once the gates are opened? What will that mean for Antari?

I also really like your idea of Kell and Lila's link, a more organic version of the sharing of power. Perhaps reflecting their relationship too, Schwab is setting up this need on Kell's part to be explicitly told that Lila loves him. A balancing of power and also expectations.

I do wonder about Tes though, it seems she'll reinforce the wards - and make the better, so will it be easy for someone to steal her? Although, she does give us a closer view into what Maris has going on. An opportunity to know her backstory. And i agree we're definitely seeing Serival.

Bex and Calin feel like they've been put on a bus, it'll be interesting to wonder where the portal to *nowhere* is. Last time someone got yeeted through a portal, they came back alive so!

Another reply under the cut because of spoilers lol (sorry again for the length but when I start to ramble about things I like no one can stop me... XD) I've divided it in paragraphs with titles so the navigation is easier lol

-> Kosika/Holland... and the parallels with Kell/Rhy

Yes, Kosika is a loose cannon imo. Quiet but powerful. While she seems to listen to what "Holland" says, she's in that phase of life when she is curious about the world. Maybe he pretends to act all "Kosika don't do this" but it is just his way to push her to do things because he sees that while she is loyal, she is also tempted.

I don't know why, but Kosika reminds me so much of how Kell behaved in ADSOM before he met Lila. A loyal dog until he met someone who made him realize that he could be/do whatever the heck he wanted. In fact Kell has his rebellion at the end of AGOS - maybe that's what will happen with Kosika in Threads #2? Funny that their name also starts with the letter "K": hint?

Going back to "Holland", I've also noticed how he's theoretically "acting" thanks to Kosika. And to keep the parallels with ADSOM and with Kell, don't you think he is behaving like the black stone? I mean the way the black stone influenced Kell. So it might reinforce the idea that "Holland" isn't the real Holland but a presence that comes from Black London, maybe. Because the stone was the reason the og Holland survived at the end of ADSOM. Maybe that's how the real "Holland" could survive and give his power to Kosika. Because it was something inside of him that corrupted the order (since Kosika shouldn't have been Antari, if magic could chose).

I've realized they have the same "bond" Rhy and Kell have: "Holland" (and his power) is "alive" only because Kosika is alive, just like Rhy is "alive" because Kell is alive. Maybe by killing Kosika, "Holland" and whatever is attached to him, will die... or even the opposite. By killing Kosika, "Holland" may be revived, but he needs to make White London powerful again. It would be a problem for "Holland" if Kosika loses her loyalty to him.

-> How can they prevent a repetition of Black London's fall once the gates are opened? What will that mean for Antari?

These are interesting questions and I think we may find the answer in the past. I believe that the only way to prevent the repetition is not to be tempted by the black magic. Resistance? Even if it seems silly, it's also a parallel to ADSOM (when Kell/Lila have the black stone and they are tempted but they try to resist) or ACOL (when Osaron tries to possess people and they fought the darkness). Maybe this darkness will be too strong and it may change Antari's existence for good. I wonder if Lila "losing" her powers when she was kidnapped and Kell "losing" his powers after (when they had to close the door) could be foreshadowing of a future where they might have to use all their power to fight the dark from Black London and all of this may change the world forever. Maybe everyone will lose their magic or maybe they will lose their Antari status? Because it's a blessing/curse. As if magic chose the people who became Antari and "knew" they could fight the duality of what that status entitles. Perhaps that's why the black eye? Antari have great power that, in the wrong hands, could be used to destroy (much like happened in TFTOP with Berras) instead of being positive/blessed people the people could "venerate" (pass me the term lmao) as examples on how to handle magic and use it ad an advantage and not a way to hurt others. Examples on how magic should be handled with care and again, not abused. The keyword is always balance. lmao. The whole "from great powers come great responsibilities" bla bla bla. Oh, and this reminds me that we will probably see Nero the bone magician again. He might be related to someone at court. He knew about Tes and her special power so he might've become her friend but maybe he wanted to betray her. I don't know.

-> The link between Kell and Lila and Kell wanting to know her feelings

Yeah. I've wanted this for so long. I remember the first time I read the trilogy I was a little sad that none of them says the three words even if it's clear they feel them (and Kell repeats it more than once). I told myself "it's more realistic this way," and I still think it is. Love is not just expressed with words but also with actions and we see that during those seven years of flashbacks. However... I see how a character who fears abandonment like Kell just wants to hear those words (and I do too lol) even though he KNOWS she loves him. He could've told her first, yes, but I think he is scared that would scare her and she might act impulsively or worse. She may run away. Kell has shit self esteem, he probably believes that Lila would survive without him, so he tries to protect himself by not confessing (even though Lila knows). So he wants her to confess first, maybe. It would be safer if she does, for him, too, to confess. She panicked when he wanted to give her the ring that was just a ring, so that's why he's having cold feet. However, the ring issue was solved. Now Lila is wearing the ring and that is a step ahead in their relationship. And Kell is whole and fixed, so it's another solved "issue". Lila has her own ways to show love, and it's not with words. She finds it difficult to open up and she does have an avoidant personality when it comes to emotions. I've noticed that Lila cries when she can't keep her feelings inside anymore. Crying is her emotional response to near death/death experiences, because death/being unresponsive is a point of no return. No way to express what she feels to those people. She cries when Barron died (her father figure). She cries when Calla died (her mother figure). She cries when she almost dies in ACOL. She cries when Kell's magic is severely damaged and he is in pain. So all of this to say that... there are the grounds to say that after the events of Threads, Kell and Lila are more connected emotionally, thus we are on the way to a confession. No idea if it will happen in Threads #2 (bc I think they'll have to face other things first) but surely in Threads #3.

-> Tes

I think Tes is just like Kosika. They are both promising characters, and Tes is surely good at what she does, but she is still a teenager. We see how she is easily manipulated sometimes (even though, to her credit, she is witty) but she's only 15 so it makes sense.

-> Bex and Calin

This is something I forgot to say in the previous ask. I'm so curious about them, because they might've ended up to Black London! Maybe that's where Tes opened the portal, but she was unaware. I liked their dynamic and they can become the kind of characters who are on the villain's side that decide to come to the heroes' side and still manage to be morally grey. One thing I liked about this book was that there were more female characters than ADSOM, so I'd love to see more dynamics between Bex and Lila. I believe they'd get along well lol

Also - so sorry for the length! But as you can see I love talking about this so you can send more questions if you want :)

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Hi hope you are doing well! Could I request a fluff scenario with Snake and a s/o that love baking (either s/o was a cook at the circus or is a maid at the manor that help in the kitchen). Also recently in CH196 Snake mention lemon cake and lemon tarts.

-mosscrow

aaaaa I'm doing ok! I hope you're doing well too!

sweet boy has a sweet tooth, we're not surprised <3

“Mmh… how much longer…? Asks Wilde…”

“Haha… come now, ‘Wilde’.” (Name) gives a gentle poke to the tip of SNAKE’s nose. “We just put them in the oven. Besides, you do remember that Sebastian tasked me with making lemon tarts for Master Ciel’s tea, don’t you? I have to make sure they get to the garden unscathed. If I have to gently smack your hands away, I will,” she teases.

Wilde, draped around Snake’s shoulders, gives a long-suffering hiss. “‘He don’t need the whole damn batch.’ (Name), Wilde has a point… we’ve made several.”

Obviously he’s not adjusted to the earl’s insatiable sweet tooth yet. Still, she can’t deny that there’s a point somewhere in there. “Yes, there are five of them that are baking. One for Master Ciel, a spare just in case something happens to that one, one for the other servants, one that we’re going to take over to Prince Soma and Mister Agni… and one for us. No matter what happens, we aren’t going to get two tarts all to ourselves!”

If she’s not mistaken, she sees Snake’s lips forming into a very small, almost imperceptible pout. “If nothing happens to the spare… we could eat that one, couldn’t we? Asks Wilde.”

“If, yes.” She raises an eyebrow at him, though the smile is still on her face. “But I don’t want one of the snakes ‘accidentally’ taking a bite out of it just so you can call it ruined and get to eat it. Am I clear?”

His eyes flicker to the oven before he gives a tiny huff. “Crystal. ‘Oi, no promises.’”

“Wilde! Snake! Both of you!” She laughs and hurries to wrap her arms around Snake’s waist, in an attempt to distract him. “You’re so silly. Listen, if you promise me you won’t sabotage that spare tart, I’ll let you eat the rest of the filling I have left over. It’s not a whole tart, but surely it’ll do, right?”

Ah! She’s got him. Not only is the offer clearly tempting to him, he’s also blushing from the intimacy of being held so close. “… Mmmmmhhhh…” He’s considering it, certainly. Maybe she just needs to sweeten the deal.

(Name) leans forward to give Snake a kiss, keeping her touch delicate. While she knows she can’t make him forget about this entirely, she can absolutely soften him up a bit. He’s not that stubborn.

When she draws away from the kiss, she gives him a smile. “Alright, let me throw in something else. In addition to getting to eat the leftover filling, I’ll also bake you a lemon cake the next time Master Ciel is out for the evening. Come, think about it. All I expect is that you don’t do anything untoward to my spare tart.”

She’s sure the kiss made him see stars. He’s got that dreamy, overwhelmed look on his face, plus a light dusting of pink still on his cheeks. With any luck, that means he’s been persuaded enough to agree to her perfectly reasonable terms.

“Lemon cake,” he murmurs at last, a repetition of what she said. Likely just to confirm that he’s understanding the arrangement correctly. “… With lemon buttercream and blueberries and mint leaves on top?” Then, his blush returns with a vengeance. “Wilde wants me to make sure.”

She can’t help but laugh. What else is she supposed to do? “Of course with lemon buttercream and blueberries and mint leaves on top! What am I, a savage?” She gives him another kiss, which he relaxes into a little more readily than the first. He’s so much calmer around her than he was when he first got here.

Upon parting, she sighs against his lips. “Good boy. Now, we’ve got a bit before those tarts are ready to come out. Would you be so kind as to help me finish slicing the almonds for the topping?”

His willingness to speak has died down (now that he’s got what he wants), but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s part of his charm ― that he gives her a sweet, simple nod, steps over to the counter, and takes the knife.

Of course, she comes up behind him to wrap around and guide his hands. Though he seems to have had some experience cooking, with more delicate things, she wants to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. And he doesn’t seem to mind her being pressed up against his back like that, despite that he starts blushing again.

She’s careful in helping him start to cut, and soon enough, the kitchen starts to smell even more wonderful as the tarts continue to bake.

(… She doesn’t think she’ll ever get over the way that sometimes, his tongue periodically pokes out of his mouth for a second to help him get a better sense of a scent. He’s adorable, and all hers.)