#i think last time we were talking about a really genius strategy would be to just poison his food a little bit to take him out

[musubiki]

I was reading through the Webtoons (again) and remembered the scene/panel where Lime claims he caught Corona and Mochi tells him not to joke about that. My actual 2 questions are 1. Is Lime the type to have "Man Flu"? And 2. Out of the Coven (incl Taffy) whose best and dealing with being ill?

10000%. a few months ago (???) the idea came up that indeed lime in all his greatness, can tank physical and magic attacks and then walk away like its nothing, but then when tummy hurty suddenly hes out of commission for days on end. punch to the face??? nothing. got the sniffles???? hes gonna die.

this one is kinda interesting!!!! i dont think mochi gets sick often (and if she does, she can just magic heal it away so shes never dealt with it). i actually think taffy or coco would be the best at pushing through!!! coco has enough perseverance to be like "No. We have a history quiz today and I'm not missing it for shit." and will be that one student everyone hates that comes in when theyre sick and is hacking and coughing the whole time. and taffy just seems like the type to be like "Oh I'm sick? I didn't even notice. anyway." (at least pre-timeskip when life is so shitty that an additional sore body and stuffy nose is childs play)

[egirlkelly69]

Guys part 3 is up now, posting part 4 later 🫶

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

You gathered your things slowly, shoving your notebook into your bag and slinging it over your shoulder.

You were about to leave when you saw him by the gate, standing alone, clutching his backpack straps and looking uncertain. You raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was planning to leave soon or if something was keeping him there.

After a moment of hesitation, you stepped toward him. “Heading out, Midoriya?”

His head snapped up, and he blinked a few times, surprised. “Oh! Uh, yeah… I just… um."

For a second, there was an uncomfortable silence between you, the usual bustling of students filling the space around you. It didn’t last long before you spoke again, “Hey, I’m heading home now. Want to walk with me?”

Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly, and his cheeks turned pink as he blinked rapidly. “Oh! Uh, sure, I mean, if that’s okay with you” He seemed surprised at your offer, as if he wasn’t used to it.

"Yeah, of course, it’s fine.” You shifted your bag on your shoulder.

Midoriya walked beside you, exited the school grounds and began walking along the pavement.

“Uh, so,” Midoriya began, his voice slightly higher than usual. “I guess… we both live in the same direction, huh?” He glanced at you briefly, his eyes quickly darting back to the ground.

"Yeah, It’ll be nice to have some company on the way home. Last week I was so bored on the way home."

There was an awkward silence. You don't know what else you expected. He wasn't really the mina type, he was awkward and a bit shy.

You broke the silence deciding to bring up the Bakugos conversation again, “So, earlier today, Bakugo was pretty harsh… is he always like that?”

“Well, yeah,” he said, his voice quiet. “Kacchan’s always been like that. He’s just… kind of intense, you know? I’ve known him since we were kids. I’ve gotten used to it, but sometimes…” His voice trailed off, and he sighed.

“That sucks,” you muttered.

You felt bad for again being nosy, so you decided to shift the conversation. “So, what about you? Any other heroes you look up to besides All Might?”

Midoriya’s eyes immediately lit up at the question, and his previous nervousness seemed to fade as he started rambling. “Oh, definitely! There are so many! Eraserhead is one of my favorites. He’s so smart and calculated—he’s a genius at strategy and always knows how to take control of a situation. And Endeavor, even though he can be kind of scary, he’s super powerful, and his quirk is just… amazing.”

You tilted your head to the side. “Sounds like you’ve got a whole list, huh?”

He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I do… sorry, I can get carried away when I talk about heroes.”

“No need to apologize,” you said, laughing softly. “It’s cool that you know so much about them. I guess you really know who you want to be, huh?”

"I want to be just like All might, someone who makes people feel safe." He stopped himself before he started rambling again, changing the topic, So "if you could choose any hero to work alongside, who would it be?"

You thought about it for a moment. “I think Hawks. He’s got such a laid-back attitude, but he gets the job done so well. Plus, flying around would be incredible!”

Midoriya’s eyes sparkled. “Hawks? His agility is incredible, and he’s always thinking ahead. It’d be so cool to team up with him.”

"Yeah," you agreed, "I think we’d make a good team." Glancing back over at him you asked, "What about you? If you could work with any hero?"

“Hmm,” Midoriya thought for a moment, his expression serious. “I’d probably choose someone like Eraserhead. He’s super tough, and I think I could learn a lot from him, especially in terms of control. His quirk is so versatile, and his strategy skills are amazing. I’d like to work on becoming a better strategist, you know?”

“Eraserhead, huh?” you said, tilting your head thoughtfully. “That’s an interesting choice. I mean, don’t get me wrong—he’s amazing. But he’s also kind of… intimidating, don’t you think?”

Midoriya chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, he can be. But that’s part of what makes him such a great hero. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, and he knows how to handle tough situations. I think I’d learn a lot from him about staying calm under pressure. Plus, his quirk is so unique. He can neutralize anyone’s abilities. That’s such a game-changer in a fight.”

You nodded. He was really into heroes, like over the top into heroes. It was sweet, "I'm atleast glad we have Aizawa as our homeroom teacher even if he is terrifying. Imagine the headaches if we had Present Mic."

Midoriya chuckled, the sound soft and slightly nervous as he adjusted the strap of his backpack. “Yeah, I get what you mean. Present Mic’s energy is… a lot. I think he’s great, but having him as a homeroom teacher would probably be overwhelming. Plus, I’m not sure how much teaching he’d actually get done between all the yelling.”

He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “But, you know, I think Aizawa-sensei balances things out well. He’s calm and grounded, even if he’s a little… harsh sometimes. It’s probably what we need, especially in a class full of people with such strong quirks and personalities.”

You nodded, smirking slightly. “True. Can you imagine Present Mic trying to keep Bakugo in line? That’d be a disaster waiting to happen.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, and he laughed, the mental image clearly playing out in his mind. “Oh no, that would be chaos! I can just see Kacchan yelling over him, and it turning into a shouting match instead of a class. Aizawa-sensei definitely has the patience for situations like that. Or at least… enough patience to throw his scarf and stop it before it gets out of hand.”

“Good point,” you said with a grin. “He’s like the ultimate babysitter for a bunch of overpowered teenagers.”

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

“Well, uh… this is my turn,” he said, pointing down the path that led off the main road.

You nodded, stopping to face him. “It was nice walking with you. Made the trip home a lot less boring.”

Midoriya’s cheeks flushed a little, and he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down for a moment. “Yeah, same here. It was… nice.” His voice softened toward the end, like he wasn’t quite sure how to say it.

You smiled, “We should do it again sometime.”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise before softening into an earnest expression. “I’d like that.”

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence between you, neither of you quite ready to say goodbye just yet. Then, Midoriya glanced down the street, breaking the quiet.

“I guess I should get going,” he said reluctantly.

“Yeah, me too.” You took a step back, giving him a small wave. “See you tomorrow, Midoriya.”

He returned the wave, a soft smile on his lips. “See you tomorrow.”

As he turned and walked away, you watched him for a moment before continuing in the opposite way to him. A faint warmth lingering in your chest. The walk home was a small moment, nothing out of the ordinary—but it felt nice. Comfortable.

You found yourself looking forward to tomorrow just a little bit more.

[gaycodedvillainy]

Ok y’all can thank the Naruto server for this one coming up, but we were talking about Itachi’s really erratic motives — specifically how he seems to say one thing and do another where his brother is concerned, and how for a supposed “genius” his plans are usually either self defeating or rely on events he wouldn’t have known about to come about.

If we take the theory that he was used via Shisui’s eye, his lack of clear logical reasoning around the whole event would make sense. Shisui’s eye (for anyone having forgotten) is capable of total hypnosis, but only once every 10 years.

That it’s a complete hypnotism would explain why his story never quite adds up like it should, even once it’s all allegedly told. (He still can’t make it add up to himself either.) But he also can’t question it exactly — but this sort of makes his logic fall apart weirdly as it builds on a faulty narrative which conflicts with his stated goals… etc.

Also Itachi not just either going ahead and using it to hypnotize Sasuke to begin with instead of the weird bird swallowing BS mess or just not doing that didn’t even make sense to the people he was explaining all this to at the time. (Bee straight up asks him why he wasted so much time making Naruto eat some bird if this was the plan.)

However if he either had a weird priority tree via hypnosis which fucked up his already existing plans *or* someone thought using Sasuke to KO a few big hitters before being ultimately hypnotized back into being controlled (less likely option… but also perhaps an already tested strategy?). But like slipping “and then get hypnotized into protected Konoha for some fucking reason idk” into the little brother repeating history for a Mangyeko criteria could work especially if it had actually happened in that order before

This is why I wonder if he had the same drive forced into him. Because “ok whatever, but you have to protect Konoha no matter what” as an impulse drive which was also counter to his actual priority tree would definitely make for a lot of the same erratic choices…

And who had a plausible motive (and also very little canon characterization to say he wouldn’t do this)?

And there he says it, to Itachi, notably still in possession of the eye (which does not need to be in your body to be used, as proven when Itachi uses it later without grafting it to himself).

And furthermore, this took place ten years before Itachi is talking to Naruto here, explaining that he couldn’t use Shisui’s eye earlier both because it needed to charge for 10 years and because he was ethically opposed (except where his brother was concerned I fucking guess….) Meaning that it had been used and that he must have had some way of knowing this besides checking it.

Now we know that Shisui was prevented by Danzo from using his eye to help with the whole Uchiha Coup situation, and whether he committed suicide or faked his death (a lot can be argued for the latter) this was the last time he had either eye, so barring other evidence or a different use for it, I think he used it here to override Itachi’s priorities.

[kahlanmars]

BAD FEELING part. 4

I know I'm a bit early but I'm so happy about this fic.

As usual, english is not my first language so please have mercy.

Comment if you want me happy! *gif not mine*

part. 3

4. Princess Daisy

When the parade starts you quickly realise it's easier than expected to be up in the chariot. You wave at the crowd and you can't help but notice a lot of people are screaming your name. Some adds "Princess". Princess Daisy. 

When you begin to move fast, you have a black glitter trail behind you. Once again Portia is a genius. 

Clark is glittering too, but he doesn't want to wave or even smile. His strategy must be something else, something he decided with Haymitch. You don't have any right to be jealous, you are well aware, and yet you are, especially when the two men talk about the games without you. It's like Haymitch and Effie are yours and Clark is someone else's, but he has every right to be protected too. 

The parade ends in an hour and you all go to a new building, a penthouse (because the last district is the highest one), to get prepared for the party.

The penthouse is fabulous, very modern and large, you think eight houses of your district could be in this penthouse. It makes you sick, but also you have to live there for a week and then you have to die, so it's not your place to have a conversation about welfare. You might as well enjoy what you have now.

You are going to your room when you are blocked in a corner. 

«I'm fucking sick of Princess Daisy»

Clark has his bare hands on your throat, and he squeezes and squeezes more and more. 

«Pl-please.» You panic, trying to breathe. You don't have much time. You gasp for hair, and without even thinking you raise your knee and kick his nuts. 

He screams in pain, and you remember that Holly always used to say "When you are in trouble, be sure that whoever wants to hurt you won't get up". And so you use your stilettos to kick him in his chest.

At this moment the elevator opens and Haymitch and Effie come in, shocked.

You are quick to run to Haymitch. The first one who speaks wins the game, like in school.

« What the hell is going on?» He asks, but he still accepts your hug.

«He tried to strangle me!» you say, trying not to scream. Not only because your throat and neck hurts, but also because you want to be calm.

«Is it true?» Effie asks in a concerned tone as she approaches him. 

«She is a degenerate!»

Haymitch looks at you worried and examines your neck. «Are you all right?»

You manage to smile at him. «I fought back.»

«Does she have a scar? A mark? Is she okay for the party?» Effie wants to know. «You two, on the sofa. It's time to explain.» Effie is strangely scary when she’s assertive.

You obey, but you don’t want to sit next to him, you are scared. Like she reads your mind, the woman comes close to you. You always have to thank her for something. She is so sensitive for someone who always lived in luxury. 

«She is-» Clark starts, but Haymitch shuts him with his hand.

«In pain because of you. She tells us first.» Then he mumbles to himself «Unbelievable, like teenagers.» 

He doesn’t listen, though, and speaks first. «She seduced my sister. She is a degenerate, wicked.» 

Effie lets out a gasp. «Is it true?»

«We were fourteen.» You really don’t want to cry, it would make you look weak, again. «We were friends, and we kissed once. We didn't even know what we were doing. His father beat the shit out of me for that.»

«She is a deviant. She corrupted Dianna.»

«Dianna and I liked each other!» You snap, «And I never saw her again!»

«She’s at home, where she can’t be impure.»

You begin to cry silently, feeling judged by everyone. The fact that neither Effie or Haymitch are defending you is a weird confirmation that you are, in fact, corrupted. You don’t have the courage to look them in the eyes.

«I think I’ll prepare myself for tonight.» You say, after a minute. «And Clark, if you try again to do something like that I’ll kill you before we arrive in the arena.»

The dress Portia made you for the party is simpler, light blue with puffed sleeves and again a low cleavage. Portia must be thrilled she has an adult this year. You find the outfit adorable, but you are not in the mood, the only thing you want to do is go to the bed and cry.

Unfortunately it is not an option, so you try your best to smile for the scene and you get into the car with your escort, while Haymitch and Clark are in another one. You never got into a car before, and you would be so excited in another circumstance. 

«I wanted to apologise, Daisy.» Effie begins to say. She looks concerned. «I just didn’t know what to say.»

«It’s ok, Eff.» You say, trying your best to ignore the tears you want so bad to let go. You know that Panem doesn't allow even talking about that, so the escort must have been upset.

«No, it’s not. I was just scared. He hurted you and we didn’t want to… I don’t even know what we didn’t want to do. Make favouritism, I think.» 

«I understand.»

«Haymitch is talking to him right now.» She caresses your hair. «We will protect you from now on.»

You let out a sigh as you rest your head on her shoulder. You won’t protect me in the games and he is going to kill me.

You have to admit the party is marvelous. Rivers of champagne, bizarre outfits and a lot, a lot of food. When your mentor gets close to you he places a hand on your wrist and he never lets go, as he promised during the parade. You are confused on why, but you don’t complain. In a way or another, with the help of alcohol, you manage to say hi to everybody, smile and wave.

«You have to try the caviar!» A woman suggests, as you decline respectfully. 

«I can’t, not in this dress, I’ve eaten everything I could.»

«You can drink this.» She hands you a purple drink. «It makes you sick, and then you can eat again.»

Your smile fades. They throw up. They get voluntarily sick to eat more, while your people in your district die of starvation. You force a grin, because the woman could still sponsor you, and your mentor repays you with a nod. «I’ll try it another time.» 

«Haymitch!» An old man calls him, and he greets the victor you know as Chaff. You know Chaff because he is a friend of your mentor, but you couldn’t help but feel a little off towards him, like something is not right.

He lingers the eyes through your body and you suddenly feel nauseated. «And who is she?»

«You know who she is, Chaff.» 

«I’m Daisy Pinecone, we met each other in District 12. I used to work for him.» You explain, even if you doubt he really doesn’t know. He just wants to play, he is drunk. Your mentor is not drunk, you notice. But even in the district when he was wasted he never looked at you like that.

«He used to hide you, you mean. I wish you worked for me!» He pulls you close to him and in a second he is kissing you on the lips. He is kissing you! You push him away, clearly upset. 

«Back off, Chaff.» Haymitch warns him but you can sense he is not angry, and that makes you raging. He always protects Chaff, he trusts him, and he is betraying you. 

«Oh c’mon, she has to get used to it if she becomes a victor!» 

What does he mean? You try to ask your boss with your eyes, but he ignores you and continues to speak to the fellow victor. You immediately leave his hand, angry and scared. 

Everyone keeps eyeing you like you are a rare animal in a zoo, and you are twenty four, you know stories. You heard of victors treated badly, Holly told you about Haymitch’s family, and right now you just want to go away, in your district. All this people that is now smiling at you will see you dead in a week.

You can’t do this anymore. You begin to feel overwhelmed, let out of air, and you look for the first window open.

You nearly think that maybe, maybe, if you really don’t have any chances you could jump. It would be easier. Just a little jump. Would they pick another girl from 12? You don't think so, they already had the parade.

While you are considering it, you feel an arm against your hips and in a moment you are trapped. You begin to panic but a familiar voice whispers into your ear.

«Shh, it’s me, it’s only me.» It’s Haymitch. He can’t see your eyes, but you bet he knows you are crying. He has his nose in your hair, he is hugging you from behind and you are still shivering.

«You abandoned me.» You say angry.

«I was protecting you.» He rebuts. You snort.

«Not from Chaff.»

«I can’t let them see I care.» He explains. Not like last time? Not like with his family? Or are you telling yourself stories? 

«I can’t do this anymore.» You admit, defeated. «I hate everybody in here, I want them dead.»

«I know, sweetheart.» He caresses your arm and you take his hand like it’s the only thing that keeps you on earth.

«How do you do this?» You murmur. «How do you cope?» 

«I don’t recommend my ways.» He is an alcoholic, of course. You would kill for a drink right now, but something tells you that you need to stay in control. «You are better than me.»

«I can’t play the part any longer.» You are so scared you are not going to be Panem Princess anymore. Someone will know it’s not you, someone will ruin you and you won’t have any sponsor and die. «I can’t be their perfect princess.»

«You can. You must.» He tightens the grip on your body. «Remember who you are. Say it.»

«I’m Daisy Pinecone.» You begin. «I’m a girl from District 12. I wanted to be a teacher. I like sweets and pretty dresses.»

«You are kind.» He orders. «Repeat.»

«I’m kind.» 

«You are beautiful.»

«I’m beautiful.» 

«And you will get out of there alive no matter what.» 

«And I’ll get out of there alive no matter what.» You turn around to face him, a little reassured. «You really are a great mentor.»

«Let’s go to the penthouse, I think our presence here is no longer required and I need to drink.»

The penthouse is silent, Effie and Clark are still at the party when you arrive. You cried a little in the car, but now you are calm. Haymitch, on the other hand, is skittish. He is really trying to be as sober as he can, but he is an addict. You hand him a bottle of something, you have no idea what, you take another and you sit on the couch with him. 

«You are not drinking it.» He tries to command you, but this time you ignore him and drink without even a glass.

«Do you think I’m impure?» You ask him after a while, not facing him.

«What?» He asks, surprised, then he understands. «…Fuck Clark.»

«Fuck Clark.» You agree. «But you didn’t apologise. Effie apologised.» You point out.

«I don’t think you are degenerated, impure or all the other bullshit Clark said to you. I know you enough to see what you are.» He puts a hand on your knee. «But I have to ask you something.» 

He is smiling devilishly, so it’s not important. «Ask whatever you want.»

«Do you have a crush on Effie?» 

You gaps. «What the hell?» Are you that good of a liar? Because you thought it was obvious you had a big soft spot for your late boss. 

«You always gush on her and want to make her happy!» He argues. 

«It’s because she is a good person and she cares for me!» 

«”Effie apologised”.» He mocks you. Oh, the drinking is working you see. 

«Effie did it. Do you have a crush on Effie Trinket?» You can't help but feel a little jealous, they have to work together all the time, and your escort is stunning, they are the same age. It would make sense.

He shakes his head. «Any girl at home we can use to gain more sponsors with a big scandal?» He wants to know. He is very curious, isn't he? Especially for someone who doesn't clearly answer your questions.

You let out a sigh. «I’m not in love with any girls and, I’m telling you this even if you don’t have any right to know it, I like both men and women. We could use a guy.»

With that explanation you let out a big sigh. You are exhausted.

«You must be tired, go to sleep.» He suggests.

«I can't. If I go to sleep I'll have nightmares.» 

«You have to sleep. What about sleeping pills?»

«I tried but they didn't work.» then you have an idea. You wouldn't do it if you weren't going to die soon, but you are, and even if Haymitch is the smartest man alive maybe he will allow a little manipulation.

«Would you…» You do your best pout and puppy eyes. To be fair you are scared and you did cry. And Portia made a miracle out of this dress and you may look good tonight. «I think sleeping with someone I trust might help.»

«I can't.» He stops you. «I sleep with a knife. I can't risk it.»

He caresses your cheek with his callous hand. You melt at the gentle touch. «I understand.»

You understand, but you say it in the saddest way possible and you look at him through your lashes until he lets out an unpleasant grunt.

«Just until you fall asleep, then I'll go. And just because you need to sleep to train tomorrow.»

«You know I also walked in these high heels and my feet are killing me.»

He glances at you, not moved by your performance. «Now you are pushing it. Get up.»

[heyclickadee]

There’s one sense in which the bad batch had a little more control over their lives than clones sometimes had. They didn’t have a jedi general, they had their own ship, they were allowed special accommodations like their barracks and their armor, and they were given an enormous amount of leeway in how they fulfilled their missions.

In another sense, though, there’s a way in which they had a lot less. And just to be clear, I’m not trying to make an argument about who had it worse. None of the clones has ever had much agency in their lives. None of them were ever afforded the decency of being considered people. None of them really had the option to do anything but be soldiers conditioned to fight and die for a cause they didn’t choose, not without putting other clones in danger (like Slick) or risking court martial (like Cut). Things are bad for all of them. Mostly I’m looking at how the bad batch’s perception of their own experience could change depending on the angle at which they’re looking at it.

Because yes, they were given more leeway in certain ways, but in that other way? Not only were they not given the choice as to whether or not to be soldiers, they were not given the choice as to what kind of soldiers they wanted to be.

Wrecker, for example, is incredibly smart. Not just in the sense that he’s emotionally intelligent, but he’s also a skilled mechanic, weapons specialist, and demolitions expert. This is a guy who built a handheld laser canon out of scraps while getting shot at, and it took him, what—fifteen seconds? But due to the accident of the way he popped out and the way the Kaminoans took advantage of that, because he’s just so much bigger and stronger than everyone else, he was never given the option to be anything but the designated muscle. I think the weapons and demolitions stuff is something he picked up over time because he likes it, but he didn’t have the option to be the team’s technician the way that Tech is. And Tech—Tech is the second strongest guy on the team. He’s strong, extremely athletic, and he’s got a wild pain tolerance. But because of the accident of how he came out, he was never given the option of becoming the hand-to-hand specialist Hunter is, and certainly not the tank that Wrecker is. (I’m still forming my thoughts on Hunter and Echo, but there’s no way anyone else on the team besides the guy with magnified senses would be allowed to be the team tracker, and Echo’s situation is a little different. And before joining the batch and leaving Kamino, Omega never had any agency in her life at all.)

And then Crosshair. This is something we don’t talk about in the fandom all that much, but Crosshair’s a genius. He’s as stone cold brilliant as anyone else on the team, if not more so, in his own way. The thing that makes him such a good sniper isn’t just that he’s got good eyes and steady hands, it’s also his ability to do the math and calculate angles and timing to an incredible level of precision. And, based on what we see in “Reunion,” “Return to Kamino,” and even “The Solitary Clone,” he’s got a good head for strategy and some decently solid, on the ground, battlefield leadership skills (even if he wasn’t technically in charge during that last one). He could make a decently good field commander. But, again, because of the way he popped out of the tube, he wasn’t given the option to be the analyst guy or the leader, he was the sniper. And that’s it.

Every one of them has the capacity to be good at other things. Every one of them is good at other things. But at the start they roll out like your prototypical late 80’s/early 90’s action cartoon hero team because those are the roles they were forced into since getting decanted. But when they look at their experience as part of the GAR, I think they probably look at the other part of that experience where they were given some leeway that other clones didn’t always have, and it makes it difficult for them to see how completely controlled their lives have always been.

[seraphtrevs]

so chuck doesnt have kids which is in character and im glad he doesnt bc he would be a terrible dad. however, i was reading a post u made about how chuck views love, and how its difficult to wrap his head around unconditional love and how he prefers the conditional "love" of the workplace and it got me thinking. if he had a kid would he love them unconditionally and would it change his views on love? or would it also be conditional love. high demands, love and affection dependent on achievements etc.

I actually don't remember that post 😅 (A sign I blog too hard about BCS? Perhaps.) It sounds like something I would say though lol

I think I need to do a detour to Chuck and Jimmy's childhood first, which I've been meaning to write for a while anyway. Because clearly something was going on with the McGills for both Chuck and Jimmy to feel so insecure about being loved. From the flashback and from what Chuck says of them, they genuinely seem to be like gentle and caring people, so I think Chuck and Jimmy were well-loved and had all their needs met. So what gives?

I feel like maybe the McGills were a little too self-sacrificing. I think they were very religious and were constantly making sacrifices for other people, which we know is definitely true of his dad, who gave away so much money to anyone with a hard-luck story. And maybe their folks focused so much on being good Christians that their kids always came last and were expected to be equally self-sacrificing and humble. Like, maybe the McGills were the kind of parents who made their children give their toys away to less fortunate kids as a lesson in generosity, which is not something a small child is going to appreciate. He's just getting his toy taken away. That would explain why Jimmy is so greedy and fixated on luxury

It would make sense to me why both of them felt the need to get their parents' attention. Chuck did it with overachieving, graduating high school at 14 and continuing to excel academically, and then professionally. But no matter how much success he achieved, he still didn't feel secure in his parents' love, a feeling that was made worse by how Jimmy got most of the attention and (I'm guessing) affection because he was the sweet little baby. Chuck was an adult by the time Jimmy was out of diapers - and it sounds like he'd been an adult since his mid-teens. Even though he really was too old for sibling rivalry, it's not hard to see how he would resent baby Jimmy, who was maybe getting the childhood Chuck opted out of

Jimmy's strategy of acting out was a lot more successful than Chuck's in getting parental attention (although not the kind of attention he needed), so Jimmy was constantly fretted over. They were incapable of disciplining him, so they would call Chuck to come have a talk with Jimmy and try to get him to behave himself. They both resented it.

So what would Chuck be like as a dad? I actually don't think his love would be conditional on achievement, because I don't think that's what was going on with the McGills, who I think might have been a little bewildered at their genius son. However, he would be extremely strict to avoid another Jimmy situation, and also emphasize hard work. So it's not so much that he would expect his kid to be brilliant, but he would expect him to be perfectly behaved at all times. With his luck, though, he'd get another Jimmy. Like with Jimmy, he would always love this child, but it's a love that his kid wouldn't be able to perceive easily. They would just always feel like a disappointment

[globodamorte]

I was almost too lazy to put this under a readmore but hooray I did it.. 😑🚬

I'll be so disappointed if this is it for chasing tails fr. like it can't possibly be it. there's so many loose threads. so many unanswered questions. were all of those points supposed to be red herrings? and so because of this they won't be explained? bc they don't need an explanation? why would it be explained if the culprit is right there. what about Hanna's dark vision and amazing memory? will they never come up again? what about yujeongs sister? what about mt songni? what about seongbin's strength not being all that great? what about taeyeons family which she didn't want to talk about? what about juntaek??? how are they gonna tie everything together if it's him? it makes no sense. I made a post the other day about maybe bashi being a bad writer and this is what I mean by it. are they not gonna tie the loose ends? were those all insignificant red herrings?did bashi make us all believe this was gonna be a story where every detail matters, where every little thing might become important later, when that might not be the case? did we put too much trust in them for a plot twist when actually there won't be one? were we all being so observant and nitpicky for nothing? then wtf is going on? why was seongbin tricked by the mimic in ch. 15? was he imitating juntaek and answering himself? does that even make sense? why does it feel like this story is coming to an end and at the same time it doesn't. if the murderer is truly seongbin what could possibly come next. the only explanation I have is: it's not him. and if all that's being shown in these last few chapters are just jeongdo's illustration of his case, then we'll be back to square one. but at the same time as I don't want it to be him I don't expect there to be some amazing commentary on the ableism that seongbin and his mother suffered so far. if I am right and this is not yet confirmation that seongbin's the culprit... that actually doesn't feel so great. it feels great of course but it's like I've been beaten up and then kissed on the cheek. like I fell for a particularly nasty prank, and I'm left with all these strong emotions, that were brought out for nothing.

I've never seen this before. a piece of media that's on a tightrope between being GENIUS and being EXTREMELY BAD and tone deaf. and it keeps swaying from one side to the other and I have no idea where it's gonna fall. but if I'm gonna be honest, and I'm gonna be honest, if a piece of work relies on the possibility of maybe actually being genius and perfectly written but we'll just gonna have to wait and see if it pulls itself out of the trainwreck it's become... idk man. kind of a bad strategy.

no actually I can think of something else but that would be the worst possible outcome for chasing tails and it is: seongbin is the contra studio murderer (perhaps along with yujeong), yujeong is the cannibal, jeonghui actually killed her husband and was a piece of shit person, and Dr. ju is the one behind the Mt songni murders. bc then we'll have literally ALL canonically mentally ill character be a culprit.

if this happens bashi I'm gonna swim all the way to Korea to bite you and steal stuff from your house.

another addendum. maybe it's just bc I was already suspecting him but juntaek saying "Omg someone said this really mean thing down there it totally wasn't me I was so shocked it was so mean :(((" like I kinda don't buy it sgzhxvjzbzj sorry grandma's boy

[gretel-moonlit]

Is DRTHH Chapter 3 Really Bad Writing? A Rant(?)

warning: this is definitely only kind of a character analysis, it's more like the ramblings of someone who's on their last braincell and trying to cope with their shitty day job, so don't expect this to strictly adhere to canon alone or be nicely put together with screenshots and whatnot, my blog is the content equivalent of a bargain bin and we all know it

Before i start i just wanted to make sure everyone knows that this is just my own personal interpretation of her character, if you have a different interpretation of her character that's totally fine, just because you don't have the exact same ideas and thoughts as me does not mean you are wrong or invalid, literally the point of being in a fandom is that you get to interpret the source material however you want and this is literally just what i think

A lot of the fandom, it seems like, likes to attribute her questionably planned and executed murder plot in chapter 3 to bad and out of character writing on the part of the DR writers (which it could be, we don't know what the writers were thinking when they came up with it) but honestly, I think her actions in chapter 3 were actually very in character for her. Literally, one of Celeste's most prominent character traits is that she likes to lie, and yet people interpret her character as if that's not the case. The only evidence to show that she is in fact a logical genius capable of coming up and executing an extremely complex murder plot is that she tells everyone how logical and smart she is. She purposely makes a point on multiple occasions, to put herself on the level of characters like Kyoko and Togami, by comparing herself to them, and constantly talks like she's superior and more intelligent than the rest of this class, but if you think about it, really, there's nothing to prove that that's necessarily true. Her talent is what's used a lot of the time to prove that she would have been able to pull off her murder plot, but in reality, her talent doesn't actually have to do with strategy or skill at any kind of game, or even her ability to bluff. In one of her free time events, she openly admits to this, telling Makoto that her talent is completely based on her own extraordinary luck, and telling him that she once won a shoji tournament despite not knowing how to play the game, which we know is a true story, as she has the prize from the tournament to prove it (and even admits she still doesn't know how to play?? good lord Celeste please you played through a whole ass tournament and still don't even have the faintest idea how to play?? real dumbass behavior. love her though) Not to say her talent doesn't require effort or skill at all, gambling is incredibly dangerous, especially in a country where it's illegal, and especially for someone as young as she would have had to have been when she started, but her actual talent of betting and winning games, seems to be entirely luck-based.

And even the "those guys" debacle can be somewhat explained by this. At that point in the trial, she is already clearly very emotional, and even if she's trying to put up her front, it's extremely obvious. She's not losing her ability to put up her front in the trial for nothing, since the beginning of the chapter even, you can see her clearly overcompensating and trying to act non-suspicious around the rest of the class, and this also makes her look incredibly obvious as the culprit, which just further drives home the point that literally the only reasons she is thought to be this genius mastermind are things that she says directly about herself, which, coming from a character who's specifically known to lie in order to make herself look better and more interesting and exciting, isn't particularly believable. On top of that, even if she is an extremely successful gambler, she is also an 18-19 year old high schooler, who is incredibly desperate to escape the school, and seems to be implied to have some form of social anxiety (in my opinion, this could literally be its own post dear lord I have far too much to say on the topic), that definitely is something that would as inhibit her ability to keep her cool during the trial as well. I've legitimately seen people put her on the same level as Junko in terms of masterminding plots, when she is clearly just another scared student in a killing game like the rest of the class, just one who's probably more numb to violence than some of the other students. She also is clearly shown to be incredibly invested in her fantasies and daydreams, and in playing the part of Celestia Ludenberg, someone who would be able to pull off a plot like that, but that's not actually who she is, just who she pretends to be. Celestia Ludenberg may be a calculating criminal mastermind, but Taeko Yasuhiro is not, no matter how much she pretends to be. She's not desperate to kill for her dream of owning a castle and having vampire butlers, but for the ability to live her life as Celestia Ludenberg, and staying trapped in the school would mean she would eventually have to accept that she would never truly escape being someone she absolutely hates.

I'm not trying to defend the DR writers or say it's the best game ever written, or that chapter 3 is a masterpiece, or that Celeste is an amazingly written character, I just think a lot of her character tends to go completely unnoticed when people brush off how she acts in chapter 3 as purely "bad writing" . Like if you want to believe that Celeste is exactly who she says she is or think I'm completely wrong, obviously that's fine, I just think it sucks that so much of her character is brushed off on the grounds DRTHH being "badly written" since I feel like that's a lot of what makes her a really interesting character.

[hearts-hunger]

cabin fever — part four

Read on AO3 | Masterlist

part one | part two | part three

Series Summary: During your week away at the cabin, you and Sam make a pact — on the last day, if he tells Danny how he feels, you’ll tell Josh how you feel. It’s going to be a very long week.

Chapter Summary: The boys spend the day writing music, and Josh wants to talk to you about something.

Pairings: Josh Kiszka x Reader, Sam Kiszka x Danny Wagner

Genre: Fluff, slowburn, friends to lovers, mutual pining, angst

Word Count: 7.5k | Chapter Warnings: smoking (cigarettes and the devil’s lettuce)

A/N: Besties I went a completely different direction with this chapter than I thought I would, and it’s pretty angsty towards the end. I really like it, and I hope you will too! ♡

It was rainy the next day, and you were pretty sure you heard all four boys remark that it was “perfect weather for songwriting”. You couldn’t argue — the weather was just this side of chilly, so everyone was wearing their favorite sweater; the kettle was kept on the stove for plenty of tea; and each of the boys had found somewhere to cosy up with their notebooks to write out the songs they’d come up with. You were content to take turns keeping each of them company, refilling their mugs and reading lyrics over their shoulders.

“Why aren’t you sitting with Josh?” Jake asked, gratefully accepting the mug you handed to him. “Not that I mind you sitting with me, but, you know...”

You glanced over at Josh; he was sitting on the edge of the couch, his pencil between his teeth as he read over the lyrics he’d written. He looked up and met your eyes, a smile lighting his own; you blushed as you smiled back, giving him a little wave.

“I don’t want to bother him,” you said, turning back to Jake. “Besides, he won’t let me read what he’s writing.”

Jake grinned. “Maybe he’s writing love songs for you.”

You perched on the armrest of Jake’s easy chair. “Yeah, right.”

“You never know,” Jake said, amused. He took a sip of his tea before he set it on the side table, taking the acoustic guitar from where he’d rested it against his legs.

“Here, write this down,” he said, nodding to the notebook he’d set on the floor. He strummed a few chords as you got it and his pencil, poised and ready to write down whatever lyrical genius had occurred to him.

“I wonder when we’ll realize this is what we got left, and it’s our demise,” he sang, playing as he did. You wrote the lyrics down, your handwriting decidedly neater and more legible than his.

“Cheery,” you said, perusing the lyrics he’d already written. “Are all your ideas this uplifting?”

He smiled. “Don’t you know that serious art has to be broody and depressing?”

You laughed. “Sure. Tell that to ‘Flower Power’.”

You hoped at least a few of the songs on the new album would have that same kind of energy — you loved their “serious” rock n roll songs, but you adored the more hippie-dippie, romantic songs they wrote from time to time.

The song Sam was working on was more in that vein, and you let him play it all the way through for you as you sat beside him on the floor in the boys’ bedroom. 

“It’s not finished,” he said, tapering off with his strumming as he reached the end of the lyrics he had. “I’ll have to see what the guys think, but I think some of it’s good.”

You smiled. “It is good,” you said. “I really like it.”

You leaned back against the bunk and studied Sam’s profile. “You didn’t want to write with Danny?”

A wry smile curved his mouth. “And risk not getting anything done because I'm too busy trying not to kiss him? That doesn’t sound like good songwriting strategy, does it?”

You leaned your head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe we’re telling them the day after tomorrow.”

He laughed. “Yeah, me either. I’m trying not to think about it.”

It was all you could think about. As the last day of your trip grew closer, you were wrecked with nerves; you didn’t know whether to be thankful or panicked that this week seemed to be flying by.

“You’re not sitting with Josh,” Sam observed.

You sighed. “Yeah, Jake and Danny said the same thing.”

“I get it,” he said, and you heard his smile. “It’s hard. Especially after your near-miss last night.”

You blushed at the thought. “Maybe it wouldn’t have been a near-miss if you three weren’t such blockheads.”

He laughed. “I know, I feel awful about that. I told Danny and Jake we had to be more careful.”

You smiled. “Hazards of trying to do anything romantic in a cabin full of people, I guess.” You lifted your head from his shoulder to look at him. “What about you and Danny? Any near-misses there?”

His cheeks pinked. “Before you got hurt yesterday, when we discovered that rock — we went up to check it out before Danny told you about it, and I thought he was going to kiss me. He gave me a hand up but didn’t let go, and we were just standing there, holding hands. I’m pretty sure we both started leaning in before we remembered that you two were behind us, and then he left to go get you.”

You gave a soft laugh. “Aw, Sam. Sorry we date-crashed.”

He shook his head with a rueful smile. “And then you had to go and get hurt,” he said. “And I had to watch Danny carry you all the way back.”

“If it helps, I think he would have liked it better if you were the one with the twisted ankle.”

Sam laughed. “Maybe. But I’d like to try out less painful ways to get Danny’s attention before I resort to getting injured.”

He nudged his foot against yours. “How is your ankle, anyway?”

You turned it this way and that. “Better. Still sore, but more annoying than anything.”

“You should try an herbal remedy,” he said. “Works like a charm on all kinds of ills.”

You gave him an exasperated smile. “Herbal remedy, huh?”

He grinned as he stood, offering you a hand up. “Yeah, come on. You’ll feel better in no time.”

You and Sam gathered the boys and headed out to the porch, sitting in a tight circle on the floor to preserve warmth. You sat between Josh and Jake, and felt a spark travel through you every time Josh brushed up against you.

Sam lit the blunt, and took a long drag before passing it to Josh. Of the four of them, Sam was the most partial to “herbal remedies,” and anytime you needed a hookup, you knew he’d have some on him.

Josh took a drag and passed it to you; your fingers brushed as he exhaled, and you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

“Just take a little hit,” he said, sensing your hesitation but missing the mark on what was causing it.

You did as he said, only taking a short drag, but it was still enough to choke you up. You passed it to Jake as you coughed, eyes watering.

“There you go,” Josh soothed, running his hand over your back. “You know, you’re getting better at it.”

You gave an amused hum. “I’ll put it on my resume. ‘Getting better at smoking weed without hacking up a lung.’”

The boys laughed, and Josh gave you a sweet, lopsided grin. He continued his gentle touch on your back, his fingers tracing up and down in a lazy, comforting rhythm.

“We’re going to practice after this, right?” Danny asked, bottling a cough in his chest as he passed the blunt back to Sam. “Full set-up and everything?”

“I think we should,” Jake agreed. “We can look over what everybody has and go from there.”

They talked for a while about their songs, and you were content to lean close to Josh and relax under his touch as you started to feel a little buzz. You hit it one more time but declined any more as it went around the circle, knowing you’d be completely useless if you got as stoned as they were going to.

“‘S cold,” you said, running your hands over your arms as you looked out at the chilly rain. 

Josh studied your face, a gentle smile on his own. 

“C’mere, baby,” he said, putting his arm around you and drawing you close. “I’ll keep you warm.”

You leaned against him and rested your head on his shoulder, letting your eyes close for a moment as your head swam. You could feel his warmth through his sweater, that beloved old drug rug he’d gotten in eighth grade and kept ever since.

“Feel ok?” he asked, only for you to hear. Sam, Jake, and Danny were talking about their songs, and for a moment, there was only you and Josh.

You hummed in agreement. “I’m a little high.”

He chuckled, and you felt the vibration of it. “Yeah, me too. Tell me if you start to feel bad, ok?”

You nodded, letting yourself drift for a few minutes as you rested against Josh, letting the ebb and flow of the boys’ conversation wash over you like a comforting tide. You liked listening to Josh’s voice when you were so close to him; it sounded deeper, soft and warm and comforting.

You could have stayed like that forever, but it was too chilly to stay out on the porch. Josh gently eased you off him and offered you a hand up when he stood.

“We’re going to work on some songs,” he said, keeping his hand in yours. “You coming?”

You smiled. “Sure. As long as there’s snacks.”

“Already on it,” Jake called from inside. You let Josh lead you downstairs, struggling a little with the steps, and flopped down on the couch when you reached it.

“It’s really nice down here,” you mused, letting your body sink into the overly plush cushions. The five of you had turned the basement into a makeshift studio on your first day, laying out rugs to absorb some of the sound, stringing Christmas lights, moving the couches and easy chairs into better positions to accommodate the sea of instruments and amps. In the cosy light, you saw Sam lighting some incense as Jake handed out snacks.

“Comfortable?” Josh asked, giving you a sweet smile.

You smiled back. “I feel great.”

He touched a hand to your cheek. “I’m gonna go get set up, ok?”

You nodded. You were sure that the boys had to be more stoned than you were, but when had that ever stopped them? They went about setting up with practiced ease, talking and laughing as they did. You accepted the bag of gummy bears Jake gave you, enjoying them one at a time as you watched the boys get ready to play.

“Alright, boys, what should we start off with?” Sam asked.

Jake, Josh, and Danny all answered with a handful of different songs, their voices overlapping with the sound of guitars being tuned and amp settings being fiddled with. It was a comforting cacophony, one you associated with happy memories; you smiled to yourself as you listened to their gentle bickering.

“Hey, baby,” Josh said. “Why don’t you pick the song?”

The rest of the boys all chimed in their agreement, knowing they’d never be able to pick one amongst themselves. They always played a song they all liked and were familiar with as a kind of warm-up before they started testing out new songs, but they were notoriously bad at deciding on one.

You mentally flipped through your catalogue of shared music tastes. There was a specific song you wanted them to play, but you couldn’t for the life of you remember the name of it.

“What’s that one I really like?” you asked. “The one that starts off with la-da-da-da ... you know.”

Josh grinned. “Oh, I know which one you’re talking about. ‘Watch Me’ by Labi Siffre.”

“Could be,” you agreed. “Play it, and then I’ll know.”

Danny counted them in, and as soon as Jake started to play, you knew it was the right song. You gave them a smile to let them know, feeling Sam’s bassline resonate through the room.

Josh smiled at you as he started to sing the part you’d mentioned, a bouncy, wordless intro to the lyrics. He was the one who’d first introduced you to this song, and his face lit up like it did every time you listened to it together.

“Watch me when you look my way,” he sang, and you felt a rush of butterflies at his voice. You’d heard him sing more times than you could count, and you’d never get tired of the way it made you feel. You felt at home when you listened to him, safe and steady yet filled with a wild, electrifying joy. 

“See me smile, be my night and day,” he sang, looking right at you with such delight that you felt like your heart might break with it. “Touch me in your own sweet way, feel me tremble — you take my words away.”

You were so in love with him you couldn’t bear it. You ached all over with it, longing for him — you loved him. You had a sudden feeling that everything would turn out alright; for the first time that week, you were excited to tell him, and felt like the last day of your trip couldn’t come fast enough.

You smiled back at him as he sang to you, fairly beaming when you saw the corners of his eyes crinkle with joy.

—

They played for a long time, going from “Watch Me” straight into their new songs, workshopping and talking through the lyrics while they figured out what they wanted to do with their instruments. Jake switched between his acoustic and electric guitars, Sam was improvising beautifully on piano when he wasn’t playing bass, and Danny kept them all steady on the drum kit. Josh made use of every note on the scale, going from high, gentle trills to full, throaty growls and everywhere in between. You enjoyed your high and the sound of their playing, even with how repetitive and unpredictable the songwriting process was.

Danny came over to sit by you when Sam, Josh, and Jake started bickering, knowing better than to try and stop the sibling squabble and instead let it run its course. You were glad for the company, and rested your head on his shoulder.

“You guys sound really good,” you said.

Danny put his hands through a few stretches, relaxing the muscles in his fingers. “Thanks. I think so, too.”

You tried to parse out what the disagreement was between the brothers, but their voices overlapped in a familiar and amusing racket. You took one of Danny’s hands in your own and redid the stretches he’d just finished, your hand small against his.

“I just did those,” he said, his voice fond. He let you carry on, though, and sat patiently.

“There,” you said when you’d finished. His touch was grounding as the last of your high tapered off, and he gave your fingers an affectionate squeeze.

“Thank you,” he said. “Now I’m really ready to play.”

You gave a soft laugh and looked up at him.

“You’re very dear to me, you know that?” you asked.

He smiled and kissed the tip of your nose. “Yes. You’re very dear to me too.”

He rose from the couch as the boys came to a resolution, Sam beckoning him back over to get his input on what they’d decided on. You watched the two of them, Sam talking animatedly with his hands as he explained, Danny hanging on his every word. You smiled.

You looked over at Josh, wanting to share the amusement, and were surprised to see him watching you closely. His expression was unreadable, closed-off.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

He shook his head, his expression clearing a little. He gave you a half-hearted smile.

“Nothing,” he said. “Coming down, I think. How do you feel?”

You shrugged. “Sober.” You held up the bag of gummy bears. “Hungry for real food.”

His smile was more genuine that time. He told the boys he’d be back and crossed to you, extending a hand.

“Let’s get something to eat,” he said. You took his hand and followed him upstairs, happy to have a moment alone with him.

“You sounded really good on that last song,” you said, leaning your hip against the kitchen counter. “I mean, you all did, but you really knocked it out of the park.”

He looked back at you and gave you a smile as he rummaged through the fridge.

“Thank you,” he said. He tossed you an orange. “That’s sweet of you to say.”

You caught the orange and started peeling it, watching the way he started to peel his own. You were fascinated by his hands; they were so slender and beautiful, capable of great tenderness and precision. You wondered if his fingers would be sticky and sweet after he was finished with his orange, and the thought made you blush.

“What were you and Danny talking about?” he asked. It was an innocent enough question, but there was an underlying tension in his voice that you couldn’t quite figure out.

“Nothing, really,” you said truthfully. “I told him you all sounded good. I helped him do his stretches.”

“And he kissed you.”

Your expression crinkled with a smile. “Yeah, on the nose. Hardly a grand romantic gesture.”

Josh’s features softened as he looked at you, and you thought he looked a little worn out.

“You look tired,” you said gently. “Did you sleep ok?”

You certainly hadn’t; you’d spent half the night wide awake, replaying the moment of your almost-kiss over and over in your head. You felt a fluttery sort of excitement just thinking about it.

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He finished his orange and took your peel from you, throwing it away with his. He glanced behind you to the window above the sink. 

“You want to sit outside with me for a minute, have a cigarette?”

You popped the last orange slice in your mouth. “Sure.”

You sat on the porch swing together, pressing close to keep warm. The rain was chilly and steady, and your breath came in little clouds.

“You want one?” Josh asked around his cigarette, offering you the pack.

“No thanks,” you said. “I’ll just have some of yours, if that’s ok.”

He smiled and flicked his lighter on. “Fine by me, baby.”

You sat in companionable silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the rain and the distant strains of music coming from inside. He passed you the cigarette and you took a few slow drags before handing it back.

“It’s nice up here, isn’t it?” he asked. “Nothing to worry about — no deadlines, no phone calls, no crazy schedule to keep up with.”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “It’ll be hard to get back in the swing of things.”

This week had been a much-needed change of pace for the boys, you knew; after a long tour and countless interviews, they were running on empty and needed time to recoup. Though they all tried to write on the road, their writing was never as good as it was when they were just hanging out together, bouncing ideas off each other without any pressure. You were glad they’d gotten a chance to write, but you were even happier they’d been able to relax and hang out and play together this week.

“Do you have anything planned for when we get home?” he asked.

You gave a wry smile. “Homework.” Though you were on fall break this week, you knew your university classes would dive right back in on Monday, and you hadn’t bothered to be proactive about your work while you were at the cabin.

He chuckled and put out his cigarette. “Yeah, I remember those days.”

You looked over at him. “Do you ever miss it?”

He considered that. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Maybe. Life was simpler when I thought I was going to school for film — more straightforward. Linear.”

He met your eyes. “But life’s really good now,” he said, and you knew how much he meant it. “I wouldn’t trade the band or the music for anything. This — ” He gestured broadly, encompassing the cabin, the woods, the sound of his brothers and best friend playing music inside. You. 

“This is what life’s all about, baby,” he said, a smile lighting his face. “Being with the people you love. Creating art. Making connections and expressing the depths of the soul.”

You smiled. “How poetic.”

His grin was a little bashful. “Well, you know me. I see an opportunity to be pretentious, and I take it.”

You laughed. “I didn’t say I thought it was pretentious. I liked it. I like the way you see things, Josh — beauty and poetry in everything. I wish I could be more like that.”

His smile softened, and you loved him so much you didn’t know what to do with it. You twisted your fingers together in your lap, wanting to reach out and touch him.

“Are your hands cold?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he rubbed his hands together for a moment, then extended them to you.

“Give me your hands,” he said.

You did as he said, feeling your heartbeat stutter as he cradled your hands gently and ran his fingers over your knuckles. He covered your hands with his, lending you his warmth.

“Better?” he asked after a moment. You nodded.

He raised your hands to his lips and gently kissed your fingers. “Good.”

You didn’t know what to say. You watched, breathless, as he lowered your hands back down to rest on his thigh and looked up at you.

“Baby,” he said. His voice was hoarse. “I want to — ”

“Josh!”

Both of you jumped at Jake’s voice. Josh gripped your hands a little tighter as he looked over to the door, where Jake was giving him a delighted grin.

“What?” Josh asked, a tinge of frustration in his tone. You were frustrated too — where did Jake keep his brain sometimes?

Jake showed no remorse, and you wondered what could be so dazzling that he had unashamedly interrupted what was clearly an intimate moment. You shot him a look — this had better be good.

“You’ve got to come hear what we just came up with,” Jake said, ignoring the messages you and his twin could not be more clearly telegraphing. Despite yourself, you softened; when it came to the music, Jake was oblivious to anything else. You and Josh could have been in the throes of ecstasy and it wouldn’t have fazed Jake one bit.

Josh sighed, but his slow smile betrayed him. “Give me a second. I’ll be right there.”

Jake was satisfied with that, and left the two of you alone again. Josh turned to you and breathed a soft laugh.

“Duty calls,” he said.

You smiled. “A musician’s work is never done, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that.” He ran his thumb over your knuckles. “Hey, baby — can we talk later?”

You felt a wave of nervous excitement. His voice was serious, intentional; he needed to tell you something. 

“Sure,” you said, trying for a casual tone. Your heart raced in your chest as he gave your hands a last gentle squeeze.

He gave you a sweet smile. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go see what masterpiece the boys came up with.”

—

Even after listening to it over and over in various stages of development, you had to admit that the new song was pretty good. You’d followed Josh back down to the basement to find Sam, Jake, and Danny practically glowing with excitement, and it hadn’t taken long for Josh to get caught up in it too. With Josh’s help, they finished writing the lyrics; when they’d settled on the words, all four of them got lost in creating the perfect sound between their instruments and Josh’s voice.

Content to stay while they worked, you sat on the couch and listened to them play, humming along once you knew the words — a beauty lives in every soul, the more you love the more you know. Josh held your rapt attention when he sang; the clear, high notes he sang before the chorus sent a thrill racing through you every time. All four of the boys were beaming with pride and exhilaration as they played, pouring their heart and soul into every second of the song.

They might have played that song all night if one of Jake’s strings hadn’t broken, and they took a break so he could replace it. He came and sat by you, laying his beat-up, beloved guitar over his thighs as he unspooled the broken string.

“Here,” he said, handing you the bits of broken string.

You gasped. “For me?” You set them on the side table. “Jake, you shouldn’t have.”

He grinned as he started threading the new string on. “There’s a lot of girls who’d kill for the broken strings from this guitar, missy.”

You smiled and gave the guitar’s body an affectionate pat, the smooth, worn surface familiar under your fingers. Everything you knew how to play, Jake had taught you using this guitar; you knew it was very precious to him, and cherished his generosity in sharing it with you.

“You’ll teach me all these new songs, won’t you?” you asked. “Sometime?”

He glanced over at you and smiled. “Sure, kiddo. If you want me to.”

You let him focus on re-stringing the guitar and enjoyed his closeness, watching the rest of the boys goof off while they waited for Jake to come back. Josh was fooling around on the piano, and Sam was giving Danny an impassioned speech about derivative pop music.

“It all seems so uninspired, you know?” he said. “Just recycling the same things over and over again. You turn on the radio and you hear the same song five hundred times. It’s boring.”

Danny was hunkered down in front of the bass drum, adjusting something on the kit, but you noticed the way he smiled as he listened to what Sam was saying.

“I want somebody to be brave enough to put out a song that’s actually intriguing,” Sam continued, content with Danny’s steady stream of nods and “mm-hm” agreements. “Something that’s truthful to who they are, to what they want to create in the world. I think that the more predictable rock music gets, the more — ah, shit.”

He’d been fidgeting with a guitar pick while he spoke, and he dropped it somewhere in the midst of the drum kit. He knelt down behind Danny and looked for it.

“Dan, you see my pick anywhere?” he asked.

Danny turned, and you didn’t miss the way his eyes widened when he realized he and Sam were face to face, only inches apart. Neither of them said anything for a minute, and you smiled when you saw both of them blush.

“I’ll — I’ll help you look,” Danny stammered, ducking his head in a characteristically shy manner. Sam looked a little overwhelmed, searching for something to say but coming up empty.

“Here it is,” Danny said after a moment, looking back up at Sam. When Sam didn’t move to take it, Danny gently pried his hand open and laid the pick in the hollow of his palm.

“That’s your favorite one, isn’t it?” Danny asked.

Sam’s fingers closed around it. “Yeah. Thank you for finding it.”

Danny smiled, a bit bashful. “You’re welcome.”

You didn’t know how long they would have stayed there, exchanging shy smiles and trying not to brush against each other, if Jake hadn’t finished putting the new string on. He rejoined the boys in the maze of sound equipment and both Sam and Danny shook themselves out of their dreamy preoccupation with each other.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Jake said, plugging his guitar in and making sure it was tuned. They picked up where they’d left off, and you were happy to watch them play again.

Josh and Jake got into it after a while, as they were prone to do — it was never mean-spirited, but despite being identical twins, sometimes their opinions could not have been more different. Jake wanted to pick up the tempo, but Josh was adamant it needed to be slower; Sam chimed in with his opinion, ever the younger brother with a dogged determination to get in the middle of things. You made your way over to Danny, who was playing the song’s drum beat much more quietly than he would usually.

“Don’t you have the final word on tempo?” you asked, leaning against the wall. He gave a slightly sardonic smile as he got to his feet, stretching a little and offering you a seat at the drums.

“You’d think,” he said, raising his hands above his head. You sat on the stool and swiveled back and forth, giving his tummy a playful backhand smack when his shirt rode up as he stretched.

“Showing off for Sam?” you asked.

He blushed and lowered his arms. “Nope. Just keeping limber, you know.”

You smirked up at him. “Sure.”

Seeing he was a little more bashful than usual, you took pity on him and kept the rest of your teasing remarks to yourself. You fished the drumsticks out of the holder and played a disjointed beat, tapping on various drums and cymbals as you pleased.

“You didn’t tell me you were a drumming virtuoso,” Danny teased.

You smiled. “Yeah, well, we’ve all got our secrets.” You tried to do the simple beat he’d taught you a while ago; he’d been very patient and kind with you, but your hand-eye coordination was atrocious at best. 

“Hey, you remembered that,” he said, obviously pleased. He hunkered down beside you. “Do it again, from the beginning.”

You blushed. “Oh, I don’t know,” you said, a little embarrassed. “I was just fooling around.”

“No, I know,” he said easily. “That’s ok. Try it again. No pressure.”

After a few moments of hesitation, you did as he said; you played the beat on the hi-hat and the snare and managed to get through it with only a few mistakes.

He beamed up at you. “Very good,” he said. “You’re getting better and better at it.”

You smiled. Danny was one of those people who always found something to praise and encourage in the people they cared about, and he was always sincere when he did.

“You want to try it with the bass drum?” he asked.

You laughed. “No way. I’m not coordinated enough for that.”

He smiled. “Okay, then, I’ll do it. You start from the top.”

He reached between you and the drums to press down on the bass pedal when the beat called for it, and together you played the slow, simple beat. It was a little cramped and humorously awkward with the two of you tangled up together behind the kit, and you couldn’t help but laugh. You got off beat and gave up on that attempt.

“We make a pretty good team,” he said with a grin. “Don’t you think?”

“Absolutely,” you said. “I think Greta Van Fleet should have a drumming duo.”

He laughed and gave your thigh a light pat as he stood again. You put the drumsticks back in the holder, not wanting to lose them.

“She’s getting better, isn’t she, Josh?” Danny asked.

You looked up to see Josh watching you and Danny, and the smile that he gave you was just this side of forced.

“Yeah, she’s getting a lot better,” he said. His voice was tense, and he cleared his throat. “You two sounded great together.”

Danny smiled. “Pretty soon you guys will be wanting her to drum instead of me.”

You stood and tugged lightly on a wayward curl that had come loose from his half-up, half-down style. “That’s not true. They wouldn’t give you up for anything.”

Danny tweaked your cheek before he turned back to the boys.

“I’m going out for a smoke,” he said. “Anybody coming?”

You expected Sam to jump at the chance, but he was too deep in conversation with Jake. Josh didn’t say anything, just stuck his hands in his pockets. 

Danny shrugged and headed towards the stairs.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said. “Don’t do anything fun without me.”

As Danny left, you wound your way through the amps and instruments to get to Josh.

“What did you think of my drumming?” you asked.

“Good, yeah,” he said, distracted. He was fiddling with the mic stand, though it didn’t really need adjusting. “Danny was proud of you.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment; maybe it was silly, but you were hoping he’d offer that he was proud of you. You bit your lip, a little crestfallen, and tried to read his expression.

“Are you and Danny fighting?” you asked.

He met your eyes. “No,” he said, though you couldn’t tell if it was the truth or not. “Why?”

You didn’t know how to explain that you just had a bad feeling about it, that you felt like something was off, though you didn’t know what. Maybe they were fighting, and he just didn’t want to talk about it.

You shook your head. “Never mind.” You wanted to touch him, to let him hold you just because. Your whole body ached with it.

“I’m going to shower,” you said.

He nodded. “Okay. Hey — ” He quit fussing with the mic stand. “If you’re not too tired... can we still talk later? After you shower?”

You studied his face. He didn’t look happy; he looked nervous.

“Sure,” you said. “I’ll come get you.” You’d had the fleeting, insane hope earlier that what he wanted to talk to you about was the same thing you were planning to talk to him about at the end of the week. Now, though, you weren’t so sure — that would be a little too good to be true, wouldn’t it?

You bit the inside of your cheek as you went upstairs, mind racing with thoughts of what he wanted to talk to you about. You were walking through the living room when you saw Danny, leaned against the porch railing, the end of his cigarette glowing red in the darkness.

You went out to join him, knowing you’d get an honest answer out of him, even if you couldn’t manage to get one from Josh.

“Are you fighting with Josh?” you asked.

Danny frowned. “No, why? Did he say something?”

His surprise at the question sounded genuine, and you huffed. That didn’t help you any.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, putting his cigarette out. “Are you fighting with Josh?”

You shook your head. “No, but something’s going on with him, and I can’t figure it out.” You looked up at Danny and saw he was giving you his full attention, ready to listen if you wanted to talk.

You sighed. “He’s so moody lately,” you said. “Happy as can be one second, and totally closed-off the next. It’s hard to keep up with.”

Danny nodded but didn’t offer any response, waiting to listen to what else you had to say. You worried the hem of your sweater and sat on the porch swing.

“I love him,” you said. “I love him so much it hurts. I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t know what I’m going to do if he doesn’t feel the same way.”

A horrible thought occurred to you, and you felt like you’d been punched.

“Oh, god,” you said. “Danny, what if — what if he wants to talk to me to tell me he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Danny’s brow shot up. “He wants to talk to you about it?”

“I don’t know,” you said. “He said he wants to talk tonight, but he didn’t tell me what about. It sounded important, though.”

Memories from the past few days raced through your head. The way he’d left when you were hurt. The way he closed himself off from you without any warning. Maybe he was worried you’d get the wrong idea, that you'd think all of his affection was something more.

And you had. Dammit, you had — you’d almost convinced yourself that he wanted to talk to you to tell you he loved you.

You gave a bitter laugh. How could you have been so stupid?

“He’s going to break my heart,” you said. You knew it was true. You were a fool to have thought it could end any differently.

Danny’s expression softened. “Now, come on. You don’t know that. Where did that idea even come from?”

You felt close to tears. “I don’t know why I ever thought it could work out.” Somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew you were catastrophizing — but what if it was true?

“That has to be what it is,” you said. “Otherwise, why wouldn’t he just tell me? Hell, I almost kissed him last night. If he felt the same way, why didn’t he kiss me?”

Danny knelt in front of you. “Maybe he’s just as afraid of telling you as you are of telling him,” he said. He put a soothing hand on your knee. “You want to know what I think?”

You nodded.

“I think you’re tired,” he said. “I think you’re emotionally drained. I think you’re seeing things that aren’t there, and trying to come up with reasons not to tell him because you’re scared.”

Your expression crumpled. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Danny sighed. “Then... we’ll take it one day at a time,” he said. “Same way we will if things don’t work out with me and Sam.”

It wouldn’t be the same at all. Sam and Danny would be happy together, and your relationship with Josh would be broken beyond repair. Another thought made you feel worse — when it came down to it, who would the boys side with?

“Maybe I just shouldn’t tell him,” you said. You felt the beginnings of a headache. “Then nothing has to change.”

“You’ll be miserable,” Danny said. “You won’t be able to keep going like this, and you know it. Good or bad, you just have to tell him.”

“And what about you guys?” you snapped. “When it all goes to shit, whose side are you going to be on?”

Danny looked surprised and a little hurt. “Nobody’s,” he said. “I’m not picking sides. I love both of you, and I’m not losing either of you. If you ask Jake and Sam, they’ll say the same thing.”

The fight went out of you, and you felt the sting of tears. You knew he was right — even if things were strained between you and Josh, the boys wouldn’t take sides.

“Sorry,” you said miserably, tears starting in earnest. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” he soothed, any hurt forgotten. He hugged you and you held on tightly, burying your face in his shoulder as you cried.

“I’m sorry, Danny,” you said again.

He rubbed his hand over your back. “I know,” he said. “It’s ok. I’m not going anywhere.”

He held you until your tears were spent, and he kept a hand on your knee as you scrubbed your face and tried to get a hold of yourself. Danny was right — you were probably just tired and overwhelmed, and reading the worst into everything.

“Sorry for crying all over you,” you said.

He gave you a sympathetic smile. “No need to apologize,” he said. “I’m glad you came and talked to me.”

You took a deep breath and touched a hand to your temple. “I don’t think I should talk to Josh tonight, though.”

“Maybe not,” Danny agreed. “You should get some sleep, try and talk to him tomorrow. Do you want me to tell him you’re going to bed?”

You nodded. “Please. If it’s not too much trouble.”

He smiled and brushed your hair back from your face. “It’s no trouble at all, kiddo. Go on and get a shower. You’ll feel better.”

“Okay,” you agreed. “Can I have a cigarette first?”

He handed you the pack and his lighter. “As many as you want. Just leave them on the kitchen table when you go in.”

He gave you a pat on the top of the head by way of goodbye — sweet, goofy, affectionate. It made you laugh, and he smiled at you before he went in. You sat on the porch swing and let the nicotine ease your frayed nerves, trying not to think of what you would say to Josh tomorrow.

“Danny said you were going to bed.”

You jumped at his voice, even as quiet as it was. Coughing a little around your inhale, you took the cigarette from your mouth and turned to see Josh in the doorway.

“I am,” you said quickly. You stood.

“You don’t have to be in such a hurry,” he said, his voice strangely bitter. He stepped out onto the porch and let the door swing shut behind him. 

“You haven’t even finished your cigarette,” he said.

You put it out. “Yeah, I have. I’m going to bed.”

“I though you said we could talk.”

You met his eyes. He looked wounded, of all things — you didn’t have the energy to figure out why.

“I’m tired,” you said, wishing he would get the hint. You didn’t think Danny would have let him up here without a fight, not knowing how wrecked you were. You wondered what they’d said to each other.

“You talked with Danny,” he said.

You sighed. “Yeah, for a minute.”

“More than a minute,” he said. “You were gone half an hour.” He studied your face. “And you’ve been crying.”

You pressed a hand to your cheek, embarrassed and upset that he’d noticed.

“I’m fine,” you said.

He swallowed. “Did he say something to hurt you?”

“No,” you said quickly. “No, he...”

You suddenly felt a flush of anger. You didn’t have to explain this to him — not when he’d been the one to make you cry in the first place.

“We were just talking, ok?” you said. Your head was pounding. “Danny’s been nothing but sweet to me this whole week — unlike you.”

You didn’t know what had made you say that last part, but now that you’d said it, you couldn’t take it back. Besides, it was true. Partly.

“Me?” Josh said. “I haven’t been sweet to you?”

“Not when you keep shutting me out,” you said. “You keep going back and forth, acting like I’m your best friend until I’m suddenly not any more.”

He flinched like you'd hit him. “You are my best friend, baby.”

Your heart twisted at the nickname. 

“Could have fooled me,” you said bitterly. You didn’t know what to do — you wanted to smack him. You wanted to throw yourself into his arms so bad you could taste it. 

“What do you want to talk about anyway?” you asked.

His expression faltered. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, backtracking. “It’s late. We don’t have to — ”

“Oh, now you don’t want to talk?” you shot back. “Just spit it out already.”

“No,” he said, angry now. “I’m not going to — it’s not — ”

He shook his head. “It’s not exactly something I want to spit out, baby.”

“Just tell me,” you begged, agonized with it. If it was what you feared, you wanted it now, point blank, both barrels. No more waiting.

He didn’t say anything. Furious, you reached out to shove him; he stumbled back a step and caught your wrists in his hands.

“Quit that,” he snapped.

“Tell me!”

“No,” he said, firmly. “Not like this. Not when you’re angry.”

He let go of you, and you felt tears come again. You had to leave before he saw he’d made you cry.

“Fine,” you said. You grabbed Danny’s cigarettes and his lighter. “Why did you even come up here? Danny told you not to come looking for me.”

“I didn’t think you’d be upset,” he said.

“But he did tell you to leave me be, didn’t he?”

He didn’t say anything. Then, “Yeah. He did.”

God, you were so angry with him you could have screamed.

“Next time Danny tells you to leave me alone, how about you listen to him?”

You could tell by his face that you’d struck a nerve. Well, good.

Without waiting for a response, you went back inside, setting Danny’s things on the table like he’d asked you to. 

You tried not to think about it as you showered, but your argument with Josh played over and over in your head. You two hadn’t fought like that in years; you felt sick about it, a mix of guilt and anger and sadness like a physical weight on your chest. You curled up under the blankets in bed, aching all over.

You heard them start to practice one of their new songs again, the sound muffled and warm as it came from the basement. Jake played the intro on his guitar; then, Josh’s voice — the sun shines brighter from above, and you're the woman that I love. 

You hid your face in your hands and started to cry.

Read part five!

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[ekaterinatepes]

Nothing but the Best

Author’s note: it’s getting interesting here ;) enter prince charming Sugu-kun to save the day.

IX.

https://youtu.be/uhoiqVPmURE

Satoru was afraid of making a move, least he tipped you over the edge and made you bolt; he didn’t want that. Swallowing hard he looked into your eyes… God… he had missed your beautiful E/C eyes so much. Waking up every morning without you by his side, without you kissing him awake cause he was going to be late for work… again. Your absence had left a literal infinite void in his heart that he was unable to fill.

“I know I don’t deserve anything from you Y/N, but I love you and I cannot give up on us… We said forever when we got married. And I want that… with you” speaking from the heart was not something Satoru ever did. He always preferred to cover any emotions with inappropriate jokes and double entendres. But he knew he couldn’t play his stupid games, not with you and most certainly not now.

You pulled away in that moment, as if his touch was burning you. He allowed it, doing his utmost effort not to pull you back in. His hands itched resting at his sides, missing the warmth of your body.

|||

It was you and me, it seemed to last forever

The way you taste and I still remember… the sounds we made.

|||

“It would have been nice if you felt that way before you decided to ruin this marriage. Where were those promises of forever when you fucked someone else?” You asked piercing his eyes with yours. He cowered under your glare. Satoru had never been on the receiving end of your wrath and now he understood why most people chose (wisely) to not mess with you. Every single one of your words was chosen carefully to cause the most damage. At the same time… what hurt the most was that you were right.

“Leave and don’t ever come back… you and I… are through…” Satoru noticed how you avoided calling him by his name, he hated it. As if uttering his name would leave a bad taste in your mouth “Y/N…” he whispered pleadingly when you took another step away. But this time he didn’t have the courage to stop you as you disappeared inside your apartment and locked the door behind you.

|||

I bet you wish you had me back! Another chance to gain it, just like that. The best you ever had.

|||

Satoru was fucked.

—————

The next morning Suguru’s plane landed. JFK international airport was as busy and chaotic as one would expect. After collecting his luggage he made his way to a cab giving the driver your current address.

He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink during the trip, his mind swarmed with all the possibilities of what could be happening right now. Satoru didn’t play fair and of course… you loved (probably still love) the lucky bastard.

With a sigh he decided to focus instead on the city going by through the cab’s windows. It wasn’t the first time he was in New York and his mind was much more occupied torturing him instead of appreciating the landscape.

After 40 minutes, Geto stood before a very nice and modern building located in the upper east side called Hawthorn Park. You sure knew how to live in luxury. He approached the doorman and let him know his name and that he was here to see Miss Ekaterina Petrova to which the kind looking old man responded by using his intercom to contact you. Geto was soon granted access and guided to the elevator.

The elevator doors opened on the 21st floor, he walked to the door of your apartment which was already open and you were waiting for him. His smile fell once he noticed you have been crying “oh Kitten” dropping his luggage on the spot he surrounded your body in his arms “I’m so sorry…” one didn’t need to be a genius to know Satoru had found you.

You both moved inside your apartment. Settling on the spacious couch you buried your face on Suguru’s lap as you cried. He stroked your now darker strands of h/c hair without a word exchanged. He knew you needed to let it all out. After what seemed an eternity you sat back up. Suguru gently dried your eyes.

“He was here last night…” you whispered in a raw and scratchy voice, result of your endless hours of distress before his arrival “he told me he loved me, that he left Sookie” scoff “and hear this… he left her because the baby wasn’t his!” Talk about karma at its best. Suguru already knew that but he was surprised to hear Satoru had come clean about it to you “He probably thought I would fall for that! But I didn’t” you added firmly.

Suguru was proud of you. He knew how hard it was for you to resist Satoru but you stood tall and proud when it mattered the most. “What do you want to do now?” Where you planning on moving again?

-

“I’m not leaving…” you said looking into Suguru’s liquid amber gaze. You couldn’t help but notice once again he had such pretty eyes, like a cat. You’ve always liked them, specially when they looked at you with such tenderness. You have missed him dearly during all this time.

“I can’t keep running away from him; I mean… it’s obvious he won’t stop and I… I am tired of molding my life to adapt to his whims. I’m staying here whatever happens. Sugu… I got the part for the Swan Lake!” You added remembering you haven’t talked to him during the last week and so he didn’t know about your latest accomplishment.

Geto’s eyes enlarged before a huge smile split his handsome face and his massive frame engulfed you in a tight hug. Of course he knew everything about ballet, he was your best friend after all. This was huge! Probably as big as making it in the ballet world meant “I’m so proud of you Kitten!” He said excitedly kissing your temple. Maybe not everything was as bad as he thought.

You were upset, it was true. But then again you were not prepared last night. Satoru had taken you by surprise. Now… you knew he was here and more or less knew what to expect from your soon to be ex-husband.

“Thank you Sugu…” you stopped and pulled back just slightly to look into his eyes from your height. He was a very tall man compared to you “I missed you” you said with a bright smile to which Geto replied with one of his own before pulling you in again for another hug “I missed you too Kitten” stroking your back softly Suguru decided he was happy to be here… with you.

-

https://youtu.be/3oSXqLgoSq4

|||

She's given up, been holding on for way too long

She's had enough

He's coming home again

But it's too late 'cause she won't stay with him

|||

The sunshine hitting his face was what woke him up. With a grunt Satoru rolled over on his side only to fall unceremoniously from the couch where he had passed out last night. The last thing he remembered was warping back to his hotel after you left him on the roof. The memory of you, turning your back on him and walking away squeezed his heart in a painful grasp.

Alcohol was never something he was attracted to, he liked to keep his brain constantly alert and stimulated. It served a purpose of course, it kept his infinity barrier on at all times, even when he was asleep. But last night he hit rock bottom. He didn’t care anymore…

As soon as he got back to the hotel, hopelessness made a home in his chest, sitting heavy on his heart. Walking to the fully stocked bar placed on the corner of his suite he opened a bottle of whiskey. He started slow since most everything was too bitter for his taste, so he went through the process of trying every single bottle until he found something to his liking.

Two hours and about fifteen different shots of everything he decided to settle for a bottle of Amaretto, some fancy Italian liquor made of apricot kernels. It was sweet.

Everything else after that was blur. Moving his sore body from the floor he forced himself to go to the bathroom. Maybe a hot shower would help ease his misery. Peeling off his clothes the smell of booze clinging on them made Gojo cringe. He decided to brush his teeth before showering. Looking in the mirror he couldn’t recognize the man starring back at him. He was a mess.

|||

Are we just ghosts out in the night?

Are we just waiting for a light that doesn't shine?

Are we just faking or is this real?

'Cause I don't know how to feel

Are we just ghosts now, you and I?

|||

Last night he had been so desperate, so hopeless and broken hearted. That’s when it hit him… his wife didn’t hurt him, she didn’t cheat on him (unlike himself), she didn’t do anything to him and yet he was feeling as if the world was collapsing around him. He lied, cheated and fucked up everything for them both.

Guilt…

Unadulterated, burning and suffocating guilt was consuming him. He felt bad before but it wasn’t until last night that he grasped the concept that Y/N didn’t owe him anything at all and that HE didn’t deserve it anyways.

The plan originally had been to get back in your good graces by doing penitence, submitting to your every whim and desire by becoming your devoted slave for as long as you would have it. He never even considered the possibility that his wife DID NOT WANT to forgive him in the first place.

He thought you left to give him a lesson, that you would eventually come back to him after he had a taste of what it was like to lose you.

But even after you both shared such a searing kiss, so passionate that every cell in his body was humming, aflame with desire you still managed to walk away from him as if it meant nothing to you.

What good did it do to him to be the strongest when he couldn’t even protect his wife… from himself.

After showering, changing clothes and ordering every sweet pastry and desert from the room service menu Gojo stopped to rethink his strategy.

What?…

Did you think he was going to stop there?

Absolutely no, love!

If anything, your rejection had only fueled his need to get you back.

“Time for plan B” sighing he pulled out his phone it rang a couple times before someone answered “good morning Mrs. Mazzo, this is Gojo Satoru. I’m going to need you to forward to me Miss Petrova’s rehearsal schedule…”

—

“This is really good!” You hummed happily after swallowing a bite of your steak. Suguru sat across from you at Keens Steakhouse, with a grin he watched as you indulged yourself in what you called your ‘cheat meal’ of the month. Being a professional ballerina was a tough and demanding commitment that controlled every aspect of your life, from how you train to what you eat. Despite it all, Geto knew you always found a happy balance that worked just fine for you.

Seeing your big smile made his heart jump in his chest, you were as beautiful and alluring as the day he met you. If only he had told you he liked you before Satoru did. This question kept him up at night, playing all sorts of scenarios in his mind. If he had taken the first step… would things have been different? Would you have ended up together? Married? Shaking his head he tried to focus on what you were actually saying. Deviating his thoughts to that kind of scenarios was dangerous. He also didn’t want to push it when he was perfectly aware you were still healing; he wasn’t a low life piece of shit to take advantage of your vulnerability.

But when you smiles at him as if he was the only thing in your world, when you held his hand across the table, playing with his finger, his throat felt dry and tight.

“What do you think Sugu?” Your curious and expecting eyes caught him like a deer in the headlights “I’m sorry Kitten, I was distracted. Could you repeat that please?” He asked with an affable smile.

You chuckled and stroke his hand softly “you look tired, did you sleep at all in the plane?” He shook his head “no, I didn’t. I never can, it’s uncomfortable” he hid on purpose the true reason why he hadn’t been able to sleep “come on Sugu! Let’s go back home! I bet you are tired” you said offering him a sweet smile.

After paying your bill you walked the few blocks back home. Suguru of course would be staying with you in the spare room of your penthouse. Holding hands while you talked to him about the activities the city had to offer, your schedule and how you intended to fit the time to do some tourism with him. “You don’t have to bother Kitten, I know you are busy enough with your job, I will be fine” he insisted.

You stopped on your tracks and stood in front of him, pouting, making him chuckle. You looked every bit the kitten he knew you to be, all bothered and moody “no! I want to spend time with you too you know! I haven’t seen you in so long! I’m not going to waste this chance!” You insisted to which Suguru threw his hands up in the air “I surrender Kitten! Do with me as you will” you giggled and then blushed. “Uh… eh… ok! I will!” He took your hand again and you both resumed your walk.

-

Satoru warped to the roof top of the building adjacent to yours, the lights were out in your apartment and he couldn’t sense your presence inside. You left? Where did you go?

Before a second though he warped inside your apartment but he saw all your stuff was still there, maybe you went out for groceries or something?

After a few minutes sitting on your couch he decided to wait for you on the street so he could see when you got home.

(Almost an hour later)

Oh… he wasn’t ready for what he saw.

“That mother fu….” Satoru grinds his teeth watching you walk down the street holding onto Suguru’s hand while talking distractedly. From his hiding spot in front of your building he closed his hands in a tight fist.

Well, this complicated things… a lot more.

————-> Chapter 10

———————————-

@sleepyamaya

@cloudsinthecosmos

@jxvajxy

@satoruhooraaa

@my-reality-is-in-my-head

@dok-ja

@jscarlet06

@fiona782

@thatsharklovingwoman

@heichoustheoryofcleanliness

@syynnaaah

@shaylove418

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@sukuna1stwife

[atinydise]

Ateez reacting to the other members not liking their s/o (part 2)

❦ Genre: Fluff, a tiny bit of angst.

❦ Pairing: OT8.

❦ Word count: 3K7.

❦ Requested: Omg yes lol, thank you! 🦋

❦ A/N Note: ⚠️Since I took an eternity to post it, I advice to read the first part again (or for the first time)! Thank you for liking the 1st one tho! hehe

HONGJOONG

It's been 3 weeks since your altercation with the boys. You didn't talk to your boyfriend yet and he was really sad. He was trying to call you every day at least once, but your phone rang one time and the voicemail welcomed him. You were the only one he wanted to talk with right now. And he wanted to fix this situation as well. "Hyung, do you want to play with-" started San, handing the console remote to him. Still angry at them, he didn't bother to glance or reply neither. He just slammed the door's room loudly. "Us." Finished San. "He's still mad." Declared Yeosang. "Congrats Genius. You found this deduction by yourself?" Asked San, ironically. Yeosang ignored his comment and took his phone. "Where's Y/N working already?" "I don't know. In a café or something." "Where?" "Itaewon." "Okay then put some pants on." "What? Why?" "Wow Sherlock." Replied Yeosang in the same tone San used later. "We are going to apologize to her. Hongjoong was obviously happier with her." "And he didn't have this serial killer look." "Let's go." Claimed Yeosang.

The 2 boys entered at least 16 cafés to find where you were working. They were about to give up when San spotted you, cleaning a table under the terrace. "Y/N! Y/N!" Yelled San, running crazily. You thought that you were dreaming when you saw these 2. It almost felt unreal since they never gave you attention. "What is happening? Are you guys, okay?" "We are really sorry Y/N." They both bowed respectfully. "We had wrong assumptions about you. We are really ashamed of ourselves." Continued Yeosang. "You were not taking advantage of Hongjoong Hyung. But in fact, you made him happier." You felt bad to know that your boyfriend was sad because of this situation. "It's okay..." you smiled nervously. "I guess that you wanted to protect him." Yeosang and San nodded. They were really sorry. "Lift your head boys. We are fine now." "There's a last person you need to be fine with." Added Yeosang. San and you stared at him weirdly. He pointed at the other side of the street, where Hongjoong was smiling at the warming scene. San, completely unaware of this plan, whispered to Yeosang: "how did you planned this? And when?" "You know how long you take to put a pant on?" "Are you a genius?" "Why are you surprised?" Replied Yeosang. While they were talking about their strategy, you asked your manager, 15 minutes break and ran to your boyfriend. His arms were open, waiting for you. "Mission accomplished." Declared San happily. "Congrats Partner."

SEONGHWA

Just when the rest of the group entered the room, Seonghwa was waiting for them with a wide smile. "What is going on? And why are you smiling like that?" Asked Wooyoung. "Yeah. It's scary." Whispered San. "Well boys..." he started. "We have a guest tonight." "A guest? Your mom?" Hongjoong freaked out a bit. Judging that it was the best moment to appear, you came out of the kitchen, an awkward smile on your face. "Hello." You waved nervously. You saw all of their faces darkened at the moment they saw you. "What is she doing here Hyung?" Asked Jongho. "She came here to talk and to arrange the situation." Replied Seonghwa. "But who said that we wanted to talk to her?" Sighed Mingi. "Guys." You tried to interpose, but Seonghwa stopped you. "Let's talk comfortably in the kitchen." He smiled. Even if the boys were reticent, they walked one by one to the kitchen. All of them, taking an empty seat, except San who decided to seat on the counter. Seonghwa and you sat at the end of the table like 2 serial killers waiting for the justice. "I wanted to know why you hate Y/N so much." Started Seonghwa. "I'm sorry if I did something bad." You apologized. "But I would appreciate if you were honest with me instead of being so cold." "How are we supposed to act with you when we know you are just taking advantage of him?" Asked Hongjoong. Seonghwa raised a brow, "taking advantage of me?" "Yeah. She appeared right when we were rising in the charts and stuff like that." You stared at Seonghwa, who was still looking at you. You both busted in laughter. "They thought you were the one asking me out." Laughed Seonghwa. All the boys were confused. "I was the one insisting to date her. I was practically stalking her." "Creep." You whispered. "She had like no interest in me." "Yeah. Zero. Nothing. Nada. Rien. Nieten. Que Tchi. Walou.*" You added. "Hey." "Sorry." "So, you are telling us that we were wrong since-" "The beginning." "She was my prey. And I was the hunter." Smirked your boyfriend. "Seems like we had a misunderstood." Admitted Hongjoong. "Yeah. Seems like." "Can you be friendly with Y/N now?" They all nodded and apologized once again. "Cool! Now should we goo at the restaurant?" "Heck yeah! I could eat a whole bear!" Claimed Yunho. "Babe, do you want to come?" "Yeah sure." You finally accepted, not scared anymore to ruin the mood.

*Nada, Rien, Nieten, Que tchi, Walou: expression to say “nothing” in severals languages.

YUNHO

Your boyfriend was feeling down. He was working for his first k-dramas. he should be happy and in a good mood. But instead, he was simply acting well in front of the cameras and was almost depressed backstage. It wasn't right and you didn't like this at all. The rest of the members were trying to talk to him. In vain, he was simply ignoring them or spending most of the time at your apartment. This behavior would not help to solve this situation. Removing all of your bad thoughts, you planned a quick visit to the other members; especially Mingi and Wooyoung. ["What are you doing today babe?"] You sent a text to your boyfriend, praying that his schedule hasn't changed. ["I'm filming. My break is over in 10 minutes :(. Do you miss me?"] He replied. ["Always haha. Have fun filming too."] Now that you were sure that Yunho won't interfere in your plan, you paid your taxi and get straight to the building. You decided to use the stairs so you wouldn't have more time to think of a strategy. Just right when you entered the hallway, Wooyoung and Mingi were closing the door. For a quick second, the thought of running away settled in your mind. But Yunho's health and spirit were the most important things right now. "Hi." You greeted them. "Hello?" Started Mingi. "Yunho isn't there, he's-" "I came to talk with both of you actually." You said. "Yunho explained what happened 2 weeks ago." "Yeah sure." Growled Wooyoung. "I think it would be easier for us to get along if you tell me what is going on. What did I do wrong?" You asked. "We know you with another guy." Declared Mingi. "And you seemed close enough to hug for at least 2 long minutes." "Listen Y/N, we just don't want Yunho to suffer so we didn't tell him yet that you were seeing someone else." "Are you talking about this tall guy, with a lot of tattoos?" You raised a brow. They both nodded, reminding exactly every detail. "That's my cousin. He moved in Mexico. For his work. So yeah." You sighed. "I hug my family." Wooyoung and Mingi were looking at you dumbly. "Well... what a useless situation." You admitted. Wooyoung ran his hand through his hair and stepped forward you. "I guess you deserve apologies." "Instead of this, can we make a deal?" You offered. "Sure." "Let's get along." You handed both of your hands to each of them." "Deal." Mingi shook your hand, quickly followed by Wooyoung. Before leaving, you asked one last thing.

["Guess who's going to have a dinner with us tomorrow?"] Yunho instantly called you, wondering how you managed to take a selfie with his friends. ["I'm so happy that I could combust right now! How you managed to do this!"] ["Anything for my man!"]

YEOSANG

"Yeosang wait!" You followed him in the hallway. "I want to be alone for now." He replied, opening an empty backstage room. "But you just can't run away like that!" You held his wrist. "Y/N." "We can fix this. Or just at least try to live without them hating me." "I do not think they are ready to do that." Yeosang gently pushed your hand and entered the dark room. Before you could say anything else, he slammed the door in front of you. A quick and loud noise made you realize that he locked the door. Knowing that being loud or begging your boyfriend to open wouldn't help, you decided to fix the problem by yourself. "Okay! If you prefer to stay here and hide, then FINE! I'll handle it!" You gave a quick kick on the door and walked back on your previous step. "What a baby..." Without knocking, you opened ATEEZ' backstage room. They were all gathered around Hongjoong, probably claiming how much they hate you. "I have many things to say guys." You started. "And one by one." They were all looking at you as an alien who just came from another planet. "I'll start by you Kim Hongjoong! As a leader, you should be comprehensive and try to fix things which could hurt any members!" "Y-Y/N." "And you Park Seonghwa! Yeosang told me that you were the nicest here, but I only saw a rude and cold guy! I'm really disappointed." "Please-" "Yunho and Mingi." You sighed, putting your hands over your hips. "You were the first one who were nice with me. But something made you change your mind and you both kept hurting my feeling. Especially when you leave every room I enter." You said angrily. Both of them bent their head, feeling guilty. "Oh, and this trio!" You pointed at San, Wooyoung and Jongho. "I would appreciate if you could stop looking at me like you are looking at a trash. Surprise! It hurts my feelings too! Because YEAH! I have feelings!" You almost screamed. "So, tell me NOW, why you hate me so DAMN MUCH?!" A long silence settled after your monologue. The boys were looking at each other, waiting for one to talk. Hongjoong as a good leader, stepped forward. "We are sorry Y/N." They all bowed to you. You had no idea that your words would affect them that much. "Ah... Huh-Okay." You scratched your arm. "After Yeosang quick departure, we talked a bit about our behavior, and we concluded that we have zero reason to dislike you." Explained Hongjoong. "Let's trying to get along." Said Hongjoong. "For Yeosang." You accepted. "It might be hard for us because you were really not into our heart." Added Seonghwa. "Yeah, don't worry y'all made it clear." "But if you are important to Yeosang, then you are important for us." He said, smiling warmly. "Thank you. I truly appreciate that." You bowed back politely. "Now we just need to get Yeosang out of the room."

SAN

Seongwa entered the kitchen. He was surprised to see San and Wooyoung actually sitting at the same table. San was eating his cereal and Wooyoung was scrolling on his phone. It almost felt like a random and good day. Until Seonghwa asked: "You are finally getting along again? It's a good thing!" San sighed, "why should I get alone with this guy?" "Oh no..." "Just ignore me like you used to do. I'm fine with it." Said Wooyoung, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I should have stayed quiet." Whispered Seonghwa. "Exactly like him. He should have shut his mouth." Replied San, leaving the room, bowl in his hand. "I said that to help you!" He shouted. "Jung Wooyoung." Called Seonghwa seriously. "You should fix it." "Me? Why? It's him which was dating this girl! And you weren't liking her too, right?" "Yeah, but have you seen San these days? He's barely smiling or talking to us." He replied. "You need to fix this. And today." "Today?! Hyung! Come on." Growled Wooyooung. "Not my problem." Honestly, this task wasn't helping Wooyoung to like you, but he needed to do or at least try something for his friend.

That's why, now, he was waiting at the restaurant next to your college. You said that you would show up, but he wasn't sure about that. Until, you sat, in front of him. "Hello?" He greeted you. "Hi." "Okay... I'll be totally sincere and straightforward with you." "As you always do." Wooyoung was surprised by your attitude. But in a good way. "I don't like you because I'm pretty sure you take advantage of my friend." You sneered. "How many times do I need to tell you that I don't give- that I don't care about his career." "What if he was an employee or a technician?" Asked Wooyoung. "Do you date people for their image? I'm not like that. I don't date him because he's an idol. I just love him. For his personality, his kindness. Everything that made San, our San." "You love him?" Said Wooyoung, surprised. "Yeah, of course I do." I thought it wasn't serious at all yet." "Well maybe if you tried to talk more and sooner with him or me, you'll know." "If you us to get along, you should be nicer." "And you, less rude." Wooyoung rubbed his forehead. You were stubborn as him. "How can we get along?" "Are you free right now?" "Huh, yeah?" "Cool. Let's hanging out without beating each other." You offered. "A-Are you sure it's a good idea?" He asked, not convinced. "Well, San, always says that people get closer around-" "A good meal." Finished Wooyoung. "Cool then let me call the waiter." You paused. "But you pay." "Argh... this woman." Sighed Wooyoung.

MINGI

Hongjoong sighed when he saw Mingi, eyes glued on his phone. It's been 2 weeks and still no sign of you. You declined all of his calls, ignored his messages even on social media and obviously you were not sleeping in your apartment anymore. "Mingi, your view is going to be terrible if you don't leave this damn phone." Scolded Hongjoong. The tall boy gave him a dark look. "My view would be fine if you've learned Y/N better. Instead of judging her." Seonghwa growled next do the leader. "Here we go again." Mingi rolled his eyes, still pissed by this behavior. "Yeah, here we go again." He repeated. "It will be like that until Y/N accept to talk to me again. Or just listen to me." "Why does it matter so much?" Asked Seonghwa. "Because she's the one. Why? I don't know. I just feel it. She's the only one I need." Hongjoong and Seonghwa exchanged a quick, guilty glance. "Y'all decided that she wasn't made for me because of a stupid "instinct". Mingi air quoted. "We are trying to help you. We know how sensitive you are." Declared Hongjoong. "Then why do you need to put me in this situation? You are the only ones who are hurting me right now." He finished, plopping angrily on the sofa. The 2 boys remained quiet for a second, looking at each other. Finally, Seonghwa asked: "Okay so how can we help you?" Mingi smirked, when he finally heard those magical worlds. It was exactly what he wanted since these past weeks. "Okay call everyone here." He ordered.

You were sadly applying your night cream on your face. Since your break-up with Mingi, your skin decided to be terrible dry and itchy. You were the worst. Tired of this situation, you buried your face on your arms. You shivered a little when your forehead touched the cold surface. "It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do. Hey baby I think I wanna marry you!"* You didn't need to hear it twice to recognize Mingi's voice. Not believing that he did something like this, you rushed to the window. At your big surprise, he wasn't alone. The other members were there too: Hongjoong was holding the phone and speaker, while the rest of the group was holding a sheet of paper saying, "Can you forgive us?" But Yeosang was holding the quote mark in the wrong side. "Song Mingi! Are you crazy!" "Crazy of you!" The members gagged behind him. "We all want to apologize for treating you this way." Claimed Yunho, louder than the music. You were affected by this effort. They all realized that you were not a bad person. "If you accept our apologies than come here so we can have a discussion." Declared Seonghwa, speaking for the whole group. "Got it, I'm coming. Do y'all need snacks?" They all yelled and shouted an incredible about of snacks' brands in only few seconds. Mingi winked at you. Your kindness got them. And food too.

*Song reference: Marry You by Bruno Mars.

WOOYOUNG

Your roommate entered the library again. She couldn't help but to let out a quick sigh when she saw you: your head buried behind a ton of books, which didn't seem interesting. "You didn't move since I left this morning." She sat in front of you. "I need to pass this exam." "You could have at least answered to your phone. I wanted to have a lunch with you." "I forgot my phone." You shrugged. "Did you really forget your phone?" She raised a brow. "Or you made sure to let it on your bed? To avoid texting Wooyoung?" "Study is the only thing that keep me away from my problems." You sighed. "You should confront your problems." Advised your roommate. "I can't. Nobody can force someone to like them." "It's not true. You can do it." She replied. "Meg...." you rubbed your nose. "Even if I want to. I can't." Your roommate opened her mouth to prove you the opposite, but finally she decided to stay quiet and open her books instead. This silence lasted only 30 minutes before someone tapped your shoulders. "Ye- Yunho?!" You freaked out. "Hi." He scratched his head, embarrassed. "Is everything okay? Wooyoung is sick? And how did you manage to find me?" "I'll let you talk in peace. I have my science lesson anyway." Said Megan, burying her books in her bag, before leaving." "See you later Y/N." "Is everything okay?" You repeated. "Yeah, don't worry. Wooyoung is fine." You sighed in relief. "Fine but sad though. He's missing you." "I do too but... I don't want to interfere with his career. I got it. It's important for you and the rest of the members as well." You claimed, sadly. "It is. But we only thought about the group and our success." He added. "It's a complete selfish behavior." "It's okay." You smiled nervously. "You wanted the best for the group." "I can understand if you don't want to forgive us, but we are truly sorry." "For Wooyoung, we should try to get along. And to find the right way to move on." Yunho nodded, happy that you didn't plan a revenge. "So... you are the one who decided to come here? So brave." "Hm... honestly, we are all here except Wooyoung. But I'm the only one who succeeded to jump the gate. "W-Who what?" "If you hear security guard running here than we should run too." "The heck-"

JONGHO

"I can't believe we hide ourselves for 3 hours now." You complained, shoving your hand in a pack of candies. "What do you want to do? Confront them?" You raised a brow, "yeah! We should." "Come on Y/N, we don't even know why they don't like you." "That's why we should open the door, enter the living-room and ask all of them." Jongho sighed, "Y/N." "Jongho." A long eye-contact battle started between both of you. The one who is going to blink will be the winner. "I won't give up." You said. "And I won't give up too." Your eyes started to feel dry and itchy when a loud knock resonated in the whole room. "Jongho, Y/N. Come in the living room please." Requested Yunho." Jongho got out of the bed the first one, you simply followed him. The room was just next to the living-room, but it felt so long at the same time. Your boyfriend gulped and your hands became moist. "We are coming Hyung." Jongho got out of the bed the first one, you simply followed him. The room was just next to the living-room, but it felt so long at the same time. "Why do you want to talk about?" Asked Hongjoong, sitting next to the coffee table. "You asked if we had a particular hate toward Y/N." Replied San. "And yeah, a bit." "At least that's straightforward." You whispered. "Can I know why?" "Well, you made Jongho cry just after 5 days of relationship." The maknae facepalmed and blushed at the same time. "I what? You cried?!" You looked at your boyfriend shocked. "Yeah... it was our first argument. You were really really really mad, and I was so nervous! I was having a mental breakdown and it just happened." He explained. "Only 5 days of relationship." Repeated Yeosang. "So how he would be after 2 years? Depressed?" "Argh no! Of course not. And that's not my intention." You tried to justify yourself. "And an argument is normal for a couple..." "Even after 5 days?" "Seonghwa Hyung..." whispered Jongho. "Yes, it is!" You raised your voice. "You'll understand when you'll get someone in your life." "Y/N." Called Jongho. "I really like Jongho. I don't want to hurt him." You started. "Yes, we have arguments, yes, we cry, yes we ghost each other for few hours or even days. BUT! We will always be going through it." You held Jongho's hand in yours. "Right?" He nodded, completely agreeing with you. "So... I know y'all won’t change your mind instantly, but I'm ready to wait that you give me a chance." You stood up. "here are you going?" Asked Jongho. "Going back home. Maybe you should have a talk with them. "Yeah. We need to gather and explain this situation." Acquiesced Jongho. "See." You winked. "I'll come back tomorrow don't worry." "Okay then." "Thank you for having a talk with us." You thanked the boys. "I really hope you can see me as someone who only wants Jongho's happiness." "We do." Smiled Wooyoung.

[annabellelupin]

Perciver (Percy x Oliver) Headcanons

They first met on the train ride to Hogwarts after Percy tripped over Oliver's luggage that he left out in the aisle

After a short argument, Percy went to find an empty compartment, only to find they were none and didn't have much of a choice but sit with Oliver

He was very annoyed to hear that he was more interested in quidditch than actual studies

"I can't wait until I can try out for the quidditch team next year"

"You know there's a lot more to Hogwarts than just quidditch right?"

When the train arrived at the station, Percy was more than happy to leave the compartment and the "annoying quidditch boy" behind

Unfortunately for him, the hat sorted them both into Gryffindor, meaning he would have to deal with and share a dorm with the obnoxious and impulsive jock for the next 7 years

Most of their first year, they completey ignored each other, finding the other extremely annoying

In their second year, Oliver became the Gryffindor quidditch keeper after he did amazingly at tryouts, which Percy wasn't too happy about

He thought that he wasn't taking anything that wasn't quidditch seriously, and he wasn't exactly wrong

Oliver always seemed to insist on putting off homework to practice quidditch

Percy tried to convince Charlie, the current quidditch captain, to kick him off the team multiple different times

"I agree that he should focus more on his studies, but he's the best Keeper Gryffindor has had in years. I can't just kick him off the team. We need him. Maybe you could just try to help him out a bit, you know, encourage him to study more,"

"He'd never listen. He's a complete moron and doesn't care about anything that isnt quidditch,"

"Well you're a complete moron that doesn't care about anything besides your studies but I'd still help you out if you needed it,"

Percy decided not to go Charlie's suggestion to help Oliver out, thinking that it would be a waste of time and continued with his earlier plan to simply ignore him completely

However, half way through third year Mcgonagall offered Percy a chance at some extra credit, and of course he agreed before she even explained what it was all about

She explained to him that Oliver wasn't doing very well in transfiguration and if he continued doing poorly, he would have to be removed from the quidditch team so he could focus more on his studies and when she had discussed the matter with Charlie, he suggested having Percy tutor him

If it wasn't for the fact that he'd hate to go back on his word and disappoint Mcgonagall, he wouldn't have done it at all

Although he didn't hate the idea of tutoring such a moron much less

He tutored him for the rest of third year, and neither of them were too happy about having to associate with the other as much as they did

Fourth Year, Oliver was appointed quidditch captain by Mcgonagall (and just as Charlie had requested)

Percy continued to try his best to ignore him, although it was becoming harder and harder to do since they had most of the same classes

One night a few weeks before the first Gryffindor quidditch match of the season, he found Oliver alone in the Gryffindor common room with rolls of parchment and quills everywhere

"Finally decided to do a bit of studying?" Percy asked in a mocking tone

"No actually. I'm working on strategies for the quidditch game. Not that you'd understand," Oliver retorted as he took out another roll of parchment from his bag

Percy grabbed one of the pieces of parchment paper and examined it closely

After he took a look at a few others, he quickly realized how well Oliver was at strategizing

"These strategies-"

"Let me guess, are terrible and not as good as your brother's?"

"I was going to say genius,"

Oliver quickly looked up at him to try to see if it seemed like he was lying or not

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do, we both know that if i didn't think they were good I'd just tell you,"

"Thanks" Oliver replied awkwardly

"Might I offer a few suggestions,"

"I don't see why not,"

For the rest of the night, the two boys continued to discuss quidditch strategies for the upcoming game

After that night, they started to talk to each other a lot more, slowly realizing the other wasnt so bad after all

Percy even agreed to tutor him once again, as long as he actually tried to put forth the effort

They quickly became friends and often stayed up late into the night, talking about quidditch and exams and helping each other when ever they needed it

Their fifth year was definitely a bit more complicated than that with Percy being busy with prefect duties and Oliver with quidditch

It seemed as if the less time they spent together, the more they both realised how much they actually liked each other

About half way through fifth year, Percy's good friend, Penelope Clearwater, asked him if he was seeing anyone

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No"

"Perhaps a boyfriend then?"

"Nope"

"Well what about Wood? You two seemed awfully close last year,"

"He's just a friend"

"Mhm sure he is,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just friends, don't look at each other the way you two look at each other,"

Percy thought about what Penelope said a lot over the next few days, slowly becoming more and more confused as to how he felt about Oliver

He also kept thinking about how even if he did like him, there was no way Oliver felt the same- or even liked boys for that matter

It seemed like Oliver had a new girlfriend every few weeks, never sticking with one for long

Percy began ignoring him on accident, and Oliver was quick to notice but chose not to say anything, worried that he had done something to cause Percy to be mad at him

The silence continued between the two for the rest of that school year, and wasnt addressed until the beginning of their sixth year

"Percy, we need to talk,"

"About what?"

"Did- did I do something that upset you last year?"

"Of course not. What would make you say that?"

"Well its just that you kept ignoring me is all,"

"I'm really sorry about, I wasn't meaning to its just-" Percy took a deep breath in and decided to be honest with him "It's just that Penelope suggested that I liked you and then i started thinking about it and slowly realized that what she said was true so I accidentally started ignoring you,"

"Wait, you like me?"

"I know it's stupid and that you don't feel the same,"

"What do you mean? I've had a crush on you since fourth year,"

"What?!"

"I thought I had made it so obvious,"

"I- I never realized once. But if you do like me, then why do you keep dating so many different girls?"

"I was trying to make you jealous. I honestly don't even like girls,"

"Wow. I feel so stupid,"

"Me too,"

After that they decided that they wanted to be in a relationship together, but wanted to keep things a secret for the time being

The rest of their sixth year went pretty smoothly, and everything went really well until seventh year

During their seventh year, they weren't able to talk much during the day since both were really busy (Oliver with quidditch and Percy with head boy duties)

They still always tried to make time for each other tho

After losing the match to Hufflepuff, they snuck out of the castle and got some butterbeer and Percy attempted to cheer Oliver up (it did work in the end)

Later on after Gryffindor won the house cup, the two ended up just cuddling and kissing in their dorm room instead of joining the other Gryffindors in the common room party since Percy wasn't fond of all the noise

Once the two left Hogwarts a few weeks later, they both decided to keep in touch by letter and meet up when they could

When the Quidditch world cup was announced, Oliver offered to buy Percy a ticket for the seat next his, but he respectfully declined, already planning to sit with his family

Despite this, they spent a lot of time together while there

Almost immediately after the quidditch match ended, they snuck off together and ended up snogging by a lake not too far from where they were camping

Unfortunately Charlie found them kissing when he went to go look for Percy, and both of them became extremely flustered

"I uhh, we were just, umm, Oliver what were we doing again" Percy stammered, getting redder by the second

"Umm well weren't you just trying my butterbeer chapstick" Oliver replied, not trying to make eye contact with either of them

"Yes of course, and now that I have, I'll just leave" He tried to walk away but Charlie grabbed his arm before he could

"Wait just a minute Perce. I know that you and Oliver are dating,"

"What?? Why didn't you tell me that we were dating Percy?" Oliver lied, trying to act like he had no idea of what's going on

"You're not helping," Percy scolded his boyfriend

"I just saw you snogging him, if you're going to lie to me, at least try to do it well" Charlie mumbled

"I don't mind you two being together, and I promise I won't tell anyone" he added

"Thanks," Percy sighed

"So wait, you're not going to kill me for kissing your little brother?" Oliver asked jokingly

"Of course not" He laughed. "Bill probably would've though,"

"Well I'm just going to go back to camp now. I assume dad's wondering where I am," Percy attempted to walk away again

"One more thing,"

"What is it?"

"I just wanted you know that I think he's a keeper," Charlie laughed loudly

Oliver quickly joined in on the laughter and Percy groaned out of annoyance

I'm just going to leave this off here since its already really long but if you want me to write some more post Hogwarts Perciver hcs or any ship or character hcs, let me know (you can comment on this post if you want me to make more Perciver hcs and tell me through asks or dm for other character hc requests)

[reids-rendering-reality]

Criminal Collar

Summary: Spencer meets Y/N’s ex-boyfriend and renowned criminal consultant for the White Collar Crime Unit of the FBI, Neal Caffrey.

(A/N: this is a cross-over between White Collar and Criminal Minds. There are no spoilers for WC and you don’t need to have watched it to read this. Also, I know I made Neal a little meaner than he is, but it fits better with my storyline oops)

Type: angst, with the end being fluffy and a little smutty

Warnings: mentions of criminal activity, insecurity, jealousy, making out

Word Count: 2.4K

Reader’s POV

I joined the BAU about one and a half years ago, after leaving the White Collar Crime Unit of the FBI. Honestly, I was kind of glad when Strauss requested my transfer and my new team suits me way better. Especially because I’ve started dating Dr. Spencer Reid 6 months ago and he makes me really happy. However, I guess luck wasn’t on my side this week.

Like it always is when things like this happen, it was a regular day at the FBI. I was working on some paperwork at my desk before JJ would brief us on the new case in half an hour. That was when Hotch appeared from his office.

“Y/L/N, can you come into my office?” he said looking down at me into the bullpen. When I just looked up at him confused for a moment, he continued “now, please.”

I got up slowly, exchanging a few worried glances with Spencer before walking into his office.

“Agent Burke from the White Collar unit has requested you to go downstairs and consult on a case,” Hotch said in his typical ultra-serious voice.

“Do you know what case this is? I am working on this team now,” I said, a little worried that I would have to return to the WCU.

“I don’t know. But don’t worry, you won’t be transferred again. Head down now, we’re leaving in an hour. Spencer will brief the case to you on the jet,” he said while mustering my anxious stance.

When I returned to the bullpen, I quickly organised my desk so that I could leave for the jet right away.

“What did he want?” Spencer asked, suddenly standing next to me which made me jump a little.

“WCU needs a consult on a case, but I’ll be back in time for take-off,” I said, avoiding his eyes and getting ready to leave for the elevator.

I walked past Spencer and didn’t turn around once, but I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. Not only his though, I felt the entire team stare me down as I disappeared into the hall.

 The rest of the week was relatively eventless – for the BAU at least. I gave Burke his consult on the case and headed to Texas with the others. The case was not too difficult or straining.

When we returned to the office, it wasn’t even late. It was midday, and everyone was chattering about happily in the elevator. But when the elevator doors opened, the mood shifted completely. Right there, in the bullpen, sitting at my desk, I saw a figure in a black fedora. My breath hitched and I could feel Spencer look over at me. When we exited the elevator, the figure turned around and revealed his face.

“Is that-“ Morgan began baffled.

“Neal Caffrey,” I finished a clear sour undertone to my voice. Both Morgan and Spencer looked at me weirdly. It was unusual for me to talk in this way, I don’t think they have ever heard it before.

I pushed open the glass doors and hurried away from the others towards the man sitting at my desk.

“Y/N/N! So nice to see you again,” he grinned up at me as I approached him. I could still feel the four pairs of eyes burning into the back of my head.

“Neal, what are you doing here?” I said, my voice even more furious than before. At the same time, my mind was racing about how I would explain all of this to Spencer and the others later.

“Can’t we just talk like we used to? I saw you in Burke’s office on Monday,” he said, still grinning and making no move to get out of the chair.

“Fine, come with me,” I walked away towards the conference room, hearing him following behind me in his typically slow and casual stride.

 Spencer’s POV

I felt my jaw being open during their entire interaction and quickly shut it as they entered the conference room.

“What was that all about?” Prentiss asked curiously.

“That’s Neal Caffrey, the criminal consultant down at the-“ I began to explain almost automatically.

“I know who he is, but how does he know Y/N and why is he here?” Prentiss interrupted me.

“Well, Y/N worked down at the WCU before she was transferred here. I heard a rumour from a friend that works there. Apparently, Y/N was dating him during her time there and when a case ended badly for them, they suspected that she couldn’t work there with him anymore. He did some scandalous things that not only endangered the reputation of their entire team, but also the entire FBI. Some say, Y/N was in on it and didn’t tell anyone. But after a couple of examinations, she was transferred here instead because Strauss thinks she’s invaluable to the FBI,” JJ explained to all of us.

“She dated a criminal? Damn, I never would’ve expected that from her,” Derek said and looked up to the conference room and then said a little more quietly, “quite a change in her type since she came here.”

I looked at him incredulously, before looking at my hands and fidgeting with them.

“Did you know about this, Reid?” Prentiss asked me.

“Me?” I looked up again, “What- uh- no, of course not!”

“How did you not know that your girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend is one of the most famous white-collar criminals?” Morgan asked.

“We haven’t really talked about that stuff,” I said quietly, “it’s not like I would’ve had anything to share.”

“So you’re telling me, you’ve never had the uncomfortable talk about exes with her? For a genius, you do not have a lot of experience with relationships,” Prentiss said, her tone almost joking.

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” I tried to deflect the topic of conversation away from me while looking up at the conference room, where Neal was just closing the blinds.

 Reader’s POV

“So, why did you come here?” I asked, closing the door to the conference room behind me as Neal looked around.

“Surely you miss the WCU. This place is dark and gloomy. The cases are grim and the undercover operations aren’t nearly as glamorous. Plus, I’m not there,” he grinned at me. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his attempt at flirting with me.

“Cut the crap, I left the WCU for a reason. Don’t make me ask again: why are you here?” I could feel my annoyance rise.

“I’m here because of you. I just want to talk to you. We haven’t seen each other in so long, I wanted to catch up a little,” he paused, walking around the table, “you can’t tell me you haven’t missed me.”

“I haven’t,” I said.

Before I could continue to speak, Neal continued, “right. Like I would believe that,” he looked out the window into the bullpen where the team was standing, trying not to stare too obviously, “but then again, here’s that lanky boy. He keeps looking at you in a certain way. Is he your boyfriend?”

Neal glanced at me for a moment, before turning his attention back to the window and closing the blinds with a bright grin.

“That’s none of your business. My life is none of your business anymore. You put me in so much danger without even caring about the consequences. That’s why I transferred here. So please, just leave me alone.”

He now walked over me in casual strides. I mustered him, the memories resurfacing at the sight of him in that typical classy Italian suit, with a pin on his tie. He was always dressed so properly. But the way he behaved was just the opposite. Yet, a tiny little part of me looked at him and saw that attractive man that I had fallen in love with over the years working with him.

He stopped when he was standing right in front of me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

“Y/N, don’t you think it’s time to let that go? That was such a long time ago.. I’ve changed, you know?” he looked into my eyes with a sincerity that I would’ve believed one and a half years ago. But working at the BAU taught me a lot about reading people, seeing typical communication and manipulation strategies. I wasn’t falling for his lies anymore.

“Is that all you came here for, Neal? Trying to get me back? Because I won’t ever go back to you. I’ve moved on and I realised that dating you, to begin with, was a huge mistake,” I said with the most confident tone I could muster.

That last part wasn’t entirely true. While he did hurt me, my reputation, and everything I stood for repeatedly, he still was a part of me. We had been in a relationship for years. There were so many good times that I had to let go for my well-being.

To be convincing with my words, I walked past him, towards the door, “it’s time for you to leave.”

After a little bickering back and forth, he finally walked out of the BAU. I could see that the team had left, only Spencer was still sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork. He was waiting for me to go home together, just like always. The sight warmed my heart; Spencer was so good to me.

But of course, Neal wouldn’t just leave without a bang. Walking past Spencer’s desk, he stopped for a second and said, “take care of her. She obviously needs you to get over me.”

Spencer looked up at him with wide eyes as he spoke and didn’t even respond before Neal had left into the elevator. Spencer turned his head and looked up at me.

 We were on the way home to my apartment, just like always when we returned from a case. We sat there in silence, Spencer’s eyes focused intensely on the road as he was driving.

“Spencer?” I asked softly looking over at him. He just gave a tight-lipped hum in response.

“Can we talk? I assume you have questions, but you haven’t said anything yet.”

He cleared his voice before responding calmly and quietly, “I just didn’t want to discuss it at the office. There isn’t anything to talk about. I know about one of your exes now.”

“But what he said to you. And everything. It must-“ I huffed, “you look like it bothers you. Don’t you want to share what you’re feeling? Maybe I can help you process.”

Spencer gave me a quick glance, seemingly ignoring my concerned face with a cold expression.

“What do you want to hear? Do you want to hear how I keep thinking I’m not good enough for you, regardless of what happened today? How that just made me feel worse? Do you want to hear about how embarrassed I was when JJ told us that he is your ex-boyfriend and I, your current boyfriend, didn’t even know about it? Do you want to know about all the other things I’m imagining you hiding from me? How my mind is racing with all my insecurities that you already know about because I tell you things that bother me while you don’t?” he said, his voice getting louder and louder with each question while his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Do you want to know about how Morgan even commented on the fact that he is so different from me and your type has changed a lot? How do you think all that makes me feel? When it isn’t coming from you?” he continued angrily.

I didn’t know what to say. To be honest, I was a little speechless. I thought it would bother him, but not like this.

“See? That’s why I didn’t want to open up. It’s not like you have anything to say about it anyway,” he said, his tone ice-cold.

The rest of the car ride was silent. My mind was racing with things I could respond to him, but nothing came to mind. When we arrived at my apartment, I was surprised that he parked the car. I had assumed that after that speech he would just drop me off and go home alone.

Before I could move, Spencer had turned towards me and taken my hand into his gently.

“Can I come inside?” he asked softly, his demeanour completely different from before.

“Yes, of course, Spence,” I replied gently.

Upstairs in my apartment, we sat on the couch together.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I’m just really bothered by it. He is everything I’m not. He is attractive, charming, has a good style, and even just muscles. He is-“ Spencer began, but I cut him off.

“and he is a criminal. Listen, Spence, I completely understand how you feel. But, behind his attractive mask, there is so much more, that just isn’t attractive. To me, his personality wasn’t attractive. He didn’t treat me well and only cared about himself. He only cared about the lifestyle he wanted to lead and he could never let go of his criminal past.”

Spencer just looked up at me from his hunched position with his big brown puppy eyes.

“Plus, just because he is attractive doesn’t mean you’re not. God, I think you’re so hot. Your face, your hair, those sweater vests. You’re completely different from him, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t attractive. And when you use that big brain of yours to solve cases and explain things, that no one else knows and that most people don’t even understand. I think you’re incredibly attractive. And your intelligence is very charming, and-,” I began to ramble about all the things I loved about him.

But before I could continue speaking he had grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips passionately. His lips moved against mine, as his hands entangled in my hair. I almost moaned into his mouth as his tongue found mine and my hands reached for the back of his neck.

When we pulled apart, he was breathless and said with a slight pant, “so you think I’m really hot, huh?”

And I didn’t know how to respond to that in any other way than to just slip onto his lap and kiss him again.

[appleflavoredkitkats]

why fuchsia frankensteins’s dodgebolt strategy was absolutely GENIUS: an essay

okay, i know fuchsia frankensteins’s dodgebolt strategy wasn’t entirely new, but there are many things about it that just makes it so perfect for their team. 

first thing’s first, i just want to contradict hbomb’s comments about this dodgebolt strategy. he himself believes that since they got there together as a team, then they should all be able to shoot because it would somewhat be a celebration of their cooperation and teamwork. while i don’t necessarily oppose his statements, i do think that fuchsia’s “funnel dream first” plan was still able to promote the teamwork fuchsia upheld during the event. in fact, i fully believe their strategy embraced their teamwork because of the complexity of their strategy and how each member of fuchsia had a role during dodgebolt that helped them sweep through all three games. 

all members being able to shoot shouldn’t be the main idea to go to when wanting to show a team’s cooperation and unity. 

fuchsia’s strategy wasn’t merely to establish a hierarchy and simply stick to that plan-- i fully believe there was some unspoken yet brilliant trickery they pulled off that helped boost their win. like, a lot of trickery. granted, they may have been doing this unintentionally, but everything just lines up so perfectly that i really wanna talk about the genius behind it.

firstly, let’s talk about dream. it was obvious he was going to be the main shooter when it came to the game, and i really want to commend dream for being able to create this strategy in the first place. to me, dream wasn’t too sneaky when it came to his role since he was simply the main archer and he delivered whenever he needed to shoot someone off. what was amazing, however, is how he was able to divert everyone’s attention to himself so that the opposing team would underestimate his teammates’ accuracy when it comes to shooting as well.

the dream ace during the first round completely made them target and hyperfocus on dream. with the fact that hbomb wasn’t expecting a hierarchy of archery when it came to fuchsia, and with the hyperfocusing on dream, they completely undervalued the other players of fuchsia, especially george.

and speaking of george, holy fucking shit gogy. i’m going to talk about george and sapnap's dodgebolt roles because honestly, it was real fucking genius. 

what’s interesting about george is how underestimated he is when it comes to pvp, especially archery, and i think sapnap and dream’s infamous reputation when it comes to pvp paved the way for george to be their secret weapon all along.

there was only one game in mcc 11 that showcased their pvp skills, and that would be sky battle. during sky battle, especially in the first and third rounds, sapnap and dream absolutely dominated the kills. witnessing this, the blue black cats (who i will be referring to as bbc from now on) were led to believe that george wasn’t as good in pvp as the other two.

but all sky battle did was made sapnap fool bbc into thinking that he should be the priority when it comes to dodgebolt, leaving george to sweep them in the end.

you can see in bbc’s point of view that sapnap was always their priority after they’ve taken out dream. i know sapnap was doing this unintentionally, but the fact that he kept picking up the arrows before the george sweeps happened further added onto the mind games they were playing with bbc. with sapnap picking up the arrows, it gave them the impression that he was the second sharpest shooter in fuchsia, and him passing the arrows to dream was only him being “scared”.

sapnap’s façade in dodgebolt completely paved the way for george to slowly reveal he was fuchsia’s secret weapon all along.

you see it happen during the game. round 2 was the best place to see how bbc completely prioritized sapnap after dream’s out. sapnap took the attention away from george so when the opportunity comes, george can strike the opposing team dead.

(i just loved how they believed george was the shield and sapnap was the threat when in reality, it was the other way around.)

now, let’s move onto karl, who also played a pivotal role in dodgebolt. i know we like to joke about karl carrying when he was shot first three times, but let me tell you that karl being believed to be the “easiest target” was the best plan fuchsia had into gathering arrows at the beginning so dream can take out the best players when it was their time to shoot. the trickery was absolutely genius-- bbc thinks they’re taking out an easy target, but fuchsia takes this as an opportunity to harvest arrows to take hbomb out first during every round.

karl was 100% a valuable asset to fuchsia, and was important because, again, he was the reason dream could easily take out most of the team during the first few shots-- that’s how hbomb was taken out in round 2 and 3. karl walked so the rest of the dream team can run, basically.

(kudos to @sapnapss for mentioning this ^^ !)

with the roles explained, i’m just gonna commend other things fuchsia did that helped boost their winning streak. 

firstly, big kudos to dream for making up the strategy beforehand so there was no confusion when it came to dodgebolt. compare mcc 8’s dodgebolt and mcc 11’s dodgebolt and you can see how his team was less stressed and more decisive when it came to executing plans and shots. 

secondly, kudos to george and dream humbling their team whenever they win because they didn’t want a repeat of what happened during mcc 9. it really helped calm their nerves and be less complacent and more focused.

thirdly, i’m quite amazed at how they adapted to new plans when they realized how they died in previous rounds. when shelby took out most of their team in round 2, dream made it a plan to shoot shelby after he takes out hbomb. when they realized the “shoot left shoot right” strategy didn’t work for sapnap and george, they didn’t try implementing it during the last shots of round 3. 

and lastly, i completely loved the “don’t get the arrow in the middle strategy”. it was easy to see why dream opposed taking the arrow when sapnap got in round two-- it made the other team aim at the better players of fuchsia more. by not taking the arrow, it leaves bbc at a loss of who to aim for first, so they do the second best thing they can do which is target karl. and we know why targeting karl was important for fuchsia’s “funnelling dream” strategy. all of what dream told them to do was deliberate and part of the fucking plan. 

in summary, fuchsia’s dodgebolt plan wasn’t just a “dream carry” strategy, it was full of deliberate trickery and detailed planning that gave each person of fuchsia an important role that brought them their victory. it’s no wonder that fuchsia was the first team in mcc history with a 3-0 win for dodgebolt.

[annsillsomething]

and here we go again

I consider myself a reasonable person so I cannot judge something without doing a thorough research

and when it comes to films or in this case series I have to watch it first and then decide if it’s good or bad

that’s why I keep watching the rings of power

and I don’t want to admit it but today when I watched the 6th episode I was glad I kept watching

it was worth it all

this episode was…

absolutely ridiculous

for those who haven’t seen my review on the previous episodes, I’m trying not to compare the rings of power with J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, I’m just talking about the stupidest scenes in this series

where do I begin

I think this time our main subject to discuss is going to be the strategy

because most of the episode is this pathetic excuse of a battle

1) so the orc’s leader (his name was mentioned but I was too busy laughing to pay attention) in one of the previous episodes said he would come for those villagers

and he did

but really he should have knocked

I thought for a moment that he was just going to offer them a cake or something

like… he just casually walks up that tower and opens the door

what if they tried to fight back, what if there were still elves there, what kind of strategy is that

ok, maybe he expected them to surrender

but it still doesn’t make sense, no plan, no formation

they are supposed to be an army

why?

that’s not the worst part though

2) the tower

how exactly was it built that it could be easily destroyed by burning up some ropes?

just a question, I’m no constructor

but this confuses me

3) « our position has an advantage »

this phrase just killed me

I don’t remember the exact wording and not gonna bother to watch the episode again

my point is they (the villagers) don’t have an advantage at all

their village is in the lowland

surrounded by forest where it is easy for the orcs to hide

they are in the open with nothing but their quite fragile buildings to protect them (and then they got out of those buildings, yeah, genius)

their only advantage is stupidity of the orcs (it’s so frustrating, I really wanted them to kill all the humans)

and as for stupidity

it didn’t make any sense because the only reason why they can’t see more than meter ahead (in another episode: Teo hiding behind a corner of a house from an orc who is behind him, which means from the side where the house doesn’t hide Teo, yeah) or can’t kill a single elf (I’m talking about that big orc who almost killed Arondir) is because the writers said so

no other reason

just a magical script

as I have said in my first post about the matter: this is not how a good new story is told!

the « epic battle » with supposedly dramatic scenes was more like a drunken brawl in an alley with too long timing

alright I’m done with this part (I could have said more but what for, that was bad: bad writing, bad battle choreography, no strategy, they should have hired someone who knows at least some basic things about strategy, really)

4) Númenóreans

their armor looks terrible but that’s not what I want to talk about

strategy again

what is the point of riding in one straight line?

there were no obstacles for the horses around that goddamn bridge

not like there was a river the horses couldn’t cross, right? what was the purpose of that bridge anyway?

oh, the only explanation I can come up with is… actually no, there is no explanation

and I’m tired

5) the last one

Halbrand

the southerners accepted him as king the moment they saw that pendant (or what was that)

and isn’t it insane

they don’t know him

he could have stolen that thingy

the promised king? really?

I don’t even want to say anything else

_______________

in conclusion, the so called battle sucked (for many reasons)

and

the writers are trying to create artificial tension but to make the audience worry about the characters they have to make those characters interesting and believable

why should I care about Bronwyn or Arondir or Galadriel (I mean this series’ version) or any other character?

they are empty, just a few « cool » traits nothing more

honestly, I kinda like that « dark elf » guy (still don’t care about his name, it can be fake)

he’s so chill about everything it’s just nice to watch, no unnecessary drama, no unnecessary emotions, just actions

might sound hypocritical because of what I said about other characters but I like his attitude

and that scene with Halbrand’s angry « do you remember me? »

and that guy is just « no »

a cliché but it was funny anyway

as for the rest of the episode

Galadriel is still annoying

Halbrand is trying to be southern Aragorn but no, just no (a bad idea from the very beginning)

orcs are stupid for scenario reasons but surprisingly not annoying

elves keep defying gravity

oh, yeah, when Bronwyn was « dying » my sister said « nah, he’s going to perform some kind of elven magic, use some kind of magic weed… » as a joke

and then that was exactly what happened, wow, we were so disappointed)))

stay tuned I like to vent about this series here

I have to keep watching because of my principles that I mentioned above and because my sister won’t let me off the hook (oh, how she likes to see me suffer) so I have to detox somehow

[eyrieofsynapses]

Alright, YJ peeps, listen up, because I’m sick and tired of seeing constant criticism lobbed at YJ for making Wally slower than his comic canon version, Barry and Bart. There’s a very good reason to do this—and it’s completely in Wally’s favor.

Let me preface this by saying that I sincerely love Wally’s comics. I am one hundred percent on board that Wally deserves to be recognized for the badass he is. His 90s comics established the most important elements of the Flash today. We wouldn’t have the Speedforce if it weren’t for him! It’s been defining the Flash for decades! He gets the short stick over and over. It only rubs salt in the wound that people believe Barry’s faster when it’s been stated repeatedly that Wally’s the fastest person in the DC universe. (There are few faster ways to piss me off than to say Barry’s a better Flash than Wally.) 

But. But. YJ was incredibly clever when they made him slower. Why? Wally has to be more creative than Barry because he’s slower, showing his intelligence and building him up to be a better Flash. Don’t believe me? Take a close look at Bloodlines.

Barry and Impulse figure out how to foil Neutron’s first blast of energy on their own. But it’s Wally who figures out that Neutron’s about to release an even more deadly wave with the help of his goggles, which Barry immediately borrows. Wally hand-made his goggles to compensate for his lack of speed. He wouldn’t have had them if he were as fast as the other two. Nobody would’ve realized how much danger they were in, and everyone would have died.

While comic!Wally is definitely smart, he’s so powerful that as the Flash, he can often solve problems just with sheer power. He doesn’t have to be super clever about it most of the time. In YJ, this is true of both Barry and Bart. They can be clever, but they’re heavily reliant on their powers. YJ!Wally has to compensate for lack of power with intelligence. He diversifies his skillset, using a mixture of science, strategy, and superpowers to solve problems instead of relying on sheer force.

Wally isn’t just slower; he also can’t control his momentum. Barry and Bart can dissipate kinetic energy at will, while he has to find ways to get rid of it. But he turns it to his advantage. 

Pay attention to how he fights. You’ll notice he often cannonballs into people and uses acrobatics instead of flat-out running. He can’t bombard someone with a rain of blows the same way, so he dodges and avoids close combat.

There’s a lot more to that, but in a nutshell: Wally’s fighting style is significantly more complex than Barry’s. I’m not saying Barry never uses those skills, but I can’t remember any time we saw him do it. Wally learned to do that on his own, and he figured out how to incorporate other people’s fighting styles into his repertoire. Remember the acrobatics? Who wants to bet he picked that up from Dick?

Which brings me to my next point: Wally works better with the Team not just because he grew up with them, but because he has to cooperate with others to make the best of his skills. Wally can’t just blaze through things. He has to conserve his energy and make the best of his speed. In the Team, they have to piece together where he’ll be the most effective. It forces him to stop and consider what he’s doing and how it’ll impact the overall picture, taming his impulsive behavior.

Think about his attitude in the pilot. He races on ahead, alerting the enemy to their presence and nearly getting himself killed. Over the course of the season, he learns stealth and patience, which we see repeatedly demonstrated in the last few episodes.

Back to Bloodlines for a moment. When Wally, Barry, and Bart initially show up to the disaster scene, Barry runs headlong into the danger. Bart follows him. Wally, however, stops to talk to the police captain and gather information about the situation. Barry and Bart join them afterward. They proceed to speed-talk at each other, coming up with a plan… and then instead of explaining it to Wally, they just tell him to follow their lead.

Barry and Bart were impulsive while he stopped to think. Wally was a better team player: the other two didn’t include him in their planning, thus missing crucial details and potentially putting him in danger.

Their plan works in the short-term. But when they think they’ve solved it, Wally takes a second look, analyzing the situation and double-checking that they’re finished. If they stopped ahead of time and took a moment to consider what was happening, they might’ve noticed the energy problem sooner and come up with a better solution.

Worst of all, Barry rushes in again to pull Neutron out the second time. He only survives because of Bart. Yes, it’s because they’re short on time, but again: this might’ve been prevented sooner if they thought things through.

What does it say that Wally patiently paid attention to detail and was more thoughtful than his experienced mentor?

Yes, some of this is stuff he might have learned with advanced speed. But would he really have to be so thoughtful about how he uses his abilities? Not likely. 

Nor would he have incorporated science and gear into his skillset. Among other things, he knows how to make an EMP and recognizes where to apply it in Homefront. Dick’s their tech whiz, but Wally comes up with technological and scientific solutions that he can’t.

But Wally doesn’t only use science and technology in ways his uncle and cousin can’t or won’t. He thinks differently about problems. 

In Bloodlines, Barry and Bart assume the coast is clear after they take down Neutron the first time. They only consider things within the vast range of their powers, assuming that covers everything. Wally thinks about what they can’t see. He’s more limited, so he’s learned to take every piece of a situation into account.

Basically: Wally is much more flexible than his faster counterparts. He adapts far better to adverse situations because he’s forced to make small-scale accommodations on a daily basis. Because of that, he’s able to come up with better solutions, work better in a team, and solve problems without his powers.

And may I remind all of you: YJ Wally GAVE HIMSELF HIS POWERS, but his comic version got them without effort! The Speedforce bestowed them on him without his involvement! 

People, YJ!Wally is a goddamn genius prodigy. We forget it sometimes because of his early-on immaturity and his jokes, but seriously, Wally’s far and away one of the smartest people in the YJ universe. YJ Wally is a distinctively unique Flash character because of his wit and intelligence!

But guess what? Guess what the real cherry on top is? If they bring Wally back in the fourth season at a full speed, he’ll be the fastest and the wisest Flash. He’ll know how to apply his new powers in ways that the others would never think of. Because he’s spent so much time applying science to his abilities, he’ll know how to use his new powers in sync with it, whereas Bart and Barry won’t think on those levels. 

Best of all, Wally’s the best team player. He’ll be incredible with both the original Team and anyone else he has to work with. 

Think about it. A full-speed Flash with Wally’s technological brilliance, intelligence, observance, and teamwork skills? He’ll be unstoppable.

So please shut up about how YJ did Wally dirty. It’s a thousand times more interesting to watch him work out how to solve a problem rather than just solve it in a snap with his powers. If anything, YJ improved his character and made him better.